Qatar's new emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Friday landed in Saudi Arabia on his first foreign foray since acceding to the throne in June, state news agency SPA said.

Sheikh Tamim flew in to the port city of Jeddah and will meet King Abdullah and perform the omra pilgrimage to nearby Mecca, Islam's holiest site, the agency said.

Three women have contracted the deadly MERS virus in Saudi Arabia, which has been hardest hit by the enigmatic disease, the World Health Organisation said Thursday.

One of the patients is a 67-year-old woman from Riyadh with underlying medical conditions, but who was not known to have come into contact with animals or another sufferer of the virus.

Speaker Nabih Berri noted on Thursday that Lebanon fell into vacuum due to the ongoing disputes among the rival parties, adding that a lack of political and security initiatives has thwarted a solution to the deadlock.

He said: “The powers' banking on the conclusion of the Syrian crisis will not end Lebanon's problems.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday held a rare and previously unannounced meeting with Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan to discuss the situation in the Middle East, the Kremlin said.

"A wide number of questions regarding Saudi-Russia relations were discussed as well as the situation in North Africa and the Middle East," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam has denied that certain parties were seeking to thwart his attempts to form the new government, saying the conditions set by them were only aimed at extending the mission of the resigned cabinet.

In remarks to As Safir newspaper published on Tuesday, Salam said he “had a feeling that no one was intentionally seeking to thwart” his mission.

Saudi Arabia has granted three foreign consortiums contracts worth $22.5 billion (16.9 billion euros) to build a Riyadh metro, the kingdom announced at a news conference in the capital late Sunday.

The consortiums are led by U.S., Spanish and Italian firms.

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to make a televised speech on Friday to address the regional and local situations.

Al-Liwaa newspaper and the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Monday that Hariri's televised appearance is to mark six iftar banquets his party will hold in Beirut, the northern city of Tripoli, the southern city of Sidon and several other areas across Lebanon.

Saudi billionaire prince Alwaleed bin Talal has warned global demand for the kingdom's oil is dropping, urging revenue diversification and investment in nuclear and solar energy to cover local consumption.

In letters to officials and published on Sunday on his Twitter account, King Abdullah's nephew warned that it was alarming that "92 percent of the government budget relies on oil".

A Saudi border guard was wounded in a gun battle with three compatriots who were trying to cross the kingdom's southern frontier illegally into Yemen, authorities said on Saturday.

A border guards statement said Thursday's clash took place when a patrol spotted a vehicle attempting to cross in the Sharoora area in southwestern Najran province.

Saudi authorities have expelled a Lebanese businessman for alleged ties with Hizbullah, a month after Riyadh announced plans to deport Lebanese who authorities accuse of supporting the Iranian-backed Shiite party, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Saturday.

Al-Akhbar said that the man, whom it did not identify, has several companies and factories that employ hundreds of individuals.