MP and presidential candidate Michel Mouawad said Wednesday that the opposition will not allow the election of any candidate supported by the Axis of Defiance.

"They can threaten as much as they want," Mouawad said in a press conference, after he met with Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel.

Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said Wednesday that the armed forces will take all the necessary measures with the Syrian refugees, as the ministers of Justice, Interior, Labor, Social and Foreign affairs, convened to discuss the refugee file.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired the meeting in the presence of the army chief, the Internal Security Forces chief, the Acting General Security chief, and the Presidency Secretary-General.

Clutching overstuffed suitcases, bleary-eyed civilians including Lebanese described a harrowing escape from violence-wracked Sudan across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia, sobbing at memories of air strikes and urban combat.

Elderly women in wheelchairs and babies asleep in their parents' arms were among nearly 200 people from 14 countries who disembarked from a naval frigate in the coastal city of Jeddah on Monday night after daring –- and draining –- journeys to safety.

Central bank chief Riad Salameh's brother, Raja, failed Tuesday to appear before a European judicial delegation as his lawyer submitted a medical report.

Last month, his brother appeared for two consecutive days and for the first time, before European investigators including French Judge Aude Buresi, through Judge Abu Samra, acting as a go-between. The judges were probing his personal wealth and allegedly suspicious financial transfers abroad.

Lebanon is becoming increasingly engaged in augmenting investment in clean and renewable energy. Such an endeavor presents a range of high-impact co-benefits. Socially, it will grant the Lebanese population access to reliable energy; economically, it will drive new commerce and create new job opportunities, reduce prices in the case of exceeding supply hence boosting growth; while environmentally, it will improve air quality and reduce emissions. Countries from the MENA region, such as Syria and Iraq also face similar challenges as power outages prompt the population and institutions to search for clean and renewable energy solutions to cover their electricity needs, thus creating promising business prospects in this sector. 

As demand has weighed heavily on Lebanon, due to its budget deficit, the country seeks to have 30% of its electricity mix generated from renewable energy sources by 2030. However, this ambitious objective is faced with a number of obstacles such as the country's power sector which suffers from a significant supply-demand imbalance, simply depicted as high generation costs and a substantial lack of financial sustainability. Electricité du Liban's (EDL) available installed capacity is 1,616 MW, which contrasts with a peak demand of up to 3,000 MW compensated by high private generator subscriptions, the deterioration of buying power, and the skyrocketing fuel prices. 

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil slammed Thursday caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati for taking unilateral decisions by signing dozens of extraordinary approvals on his own.

"Those who are keen on the constitution and the presidency, wouldn't boycott extraordinary parliamentary sessions and attend ordinary Cabinet sessions," Bassil said in a tweet.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized Wednesday the parliament and the government for postponing the municipal elections for up to a year and said that the LF and the opposition forces will file an appeal against the municipalities' term extension law.

Parliament on Tuesday had passed a law that extends municipalities' term for a second time, in a session boycotted by the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb, Tajaddod and Change MPs.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday followed up with caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on “the preparations for holding the municipal elections based on the law issued yesterday by parliament,” the National News Agency said.

“It was agreed that the Interior Minister would prepare the new and needed budget for organizing the elections so that a line of credit can be opened,” NNA added.

Members of Khalde’s Arab tribes blocked Wednesday the Khaldeh-Beirut highway, after the military court issued rulings overnight against detainees of the Khaldeh 2021 clashes.

In August 2021, deadly armed clashes erupted during the funeral of a Hezbollah-linked man who was killed a night before in a vendetta shooting. The clashes left at least five people including three Hezbollah members dead.

Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh held talks Tuesday in Bkirki with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

“What we’re seeing in the media is baseless and distorted, seeing as settlements have started in the region, rivals will reconcile, the game has changed and this matter will reflect on Lebanon,” Franjieh said after the meeting.