Al-Mustaqbal MP Assem Araji said he expects a “surprise" position from PM-designate Saad Hariri in the "next few days," as the government formation stalls further and the country drifts deeper into its economic crisis, al-Anbaa electronic newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Araji said amid the continued “obstacles and conditions” hampering Hariri's effort to form a new government, the PM-designate plans to take a position that will surprise many.

Speaker Nabih Berri reportedly insists on making his initiative “succeed” in easing the hurdles delaying the formation of a government in Lebanon, the electronic al-Anbaa newspaper reported Tuesday.

In light of a shortage in medicines in Lebanon, the Association of Pharmacies announced in a statement that it would “forcibly” stop working for one day on Friday in protest at the worsening conditions, media reports said on Tuesday.

Hizbullah on Monday mourned Iranian Shiite cleric Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, who as Iran's ambassador to Syria had helped found the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group in the eighties of last century.

In a statement, Hizbullah extended its condolences, praising Mohtashamipour for his role "in the service of the (Iranian) revolution" and in providing all forms of support toward the launching of the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and the Palestinian cause.

The Finance and Budget Parliamentary Committee on Monday approved a draft capital control law after several months of discussions.

Al-Jadeed TV said the draft will now be studied by the Administration and Justice Committee and the Joint Parliamentary Committees before being discussed in a plenary parliamentary session.

The French national financial prosecutor's office has opened a preliminary investigation into the actions of Lebanon's central bank governor involving potential money laundering, the prosecutor's office said Monday.

The French move came months after Switzerland started a probe into possible money laundering and embezzlement at Lebanon's central bank, which is now at the center of an unprecedented financial crisis roiling the small Mediterranean country.

President Michel Aoun discussed with the World Bank Group Vice President for Middle East and North Africa Farid Belhaj the role of the Bank in providing Lebanon with assistance at the current critical phase, the National News Agency reported on Monday.

Head of the Rafk Hariri University Hospital Firass Abiad said on Monday that Lebanon faces a crucial week ahead if the shortage in medical supplies is not resolved.

“Doctors and nurses faced grave dangers as they battled in the frontlines against Covid. Now, they find themselves battling other diseases almost empty handed. That is not acceptable. This week will be crucial. Without a solution to these shortages, many services may stop,” said Abiad on Twitter.

France reportedly aims to hold an aid conference in June aimed at supporting the cash-strapped Lebanese army, Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported Monday.

Israel said its troops carried out a wide combing operation overnight on the border with Lebanon, Israeli spokesman AvichayAdraee said in a tweet Monday.