Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday stressed that Bkirki will not bow in the face of “threats,” in an apparent reference to the latest remarks by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah about the “internationalization” of the Lebanese crisis.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, met Thursday morning in Doha with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on the occasion of his visit to the Gulf country, Qatar’s news agency said.

The public prosecutor’s office on Thursday approved a request for the release of two Beirut port officials held in connection with the catastrophic August 4 explosion.

The Court of Cassation, headed by Judge Jamal Hajjar, decided to recuse Judge Fadi Sawwan from investigation into the Beirut port blast case, the National News Agency reported Thursday.

Speaker Nabih Berri discussed with caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi via a phone call on Thursday the need to stage the parliamentary by-elections to fill vacant parliament seats as stipulated by Article 41 in the Constitution.

The lead investigator into the Beirut port blast Judge Fadi Sawwan on Thursday postponed until Tuesday the questioning session of former transport minister Youssef Fenianos.

On Wednesday, Sawwan had issued an arrest warrant for Fenianos on charges of negligence leading to the devastating explosion, TV networks had said.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates after concluding his visit to Qatar, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Bkirki on Thursday criticized Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who rejected the Patriarch's calls for a U.N. resolution under Chapter 7 in Lebanon amid a complex process of a cabinet lineup, Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday.

The lead judicial investigator into the Beirut port blast catastrophe, Judge Fadi Sawwan, has issued an arrest warrant for former public works and transport minister Youssef Fenianos on charges of negligence leading to the devastating explosion, TV networks said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri arrived Wednesday evening in the Qatari capital Doha, his press office said.