An army intelligence patrol on Thursday managed to liberate five members of a Syrian family from their captors in the Bekaa border region of Masnaa, an army statement said.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat announced Thursday that the process of forming the first government under President Michel Aoun is moving “slowly but steadily.”

President Michel Aoun reiterated on Thursday that he will make sure that his oath of office is implemented for the good of Lebanon as he stressed that cooperation among all parties leads to better reforms.

“I will make sure that the oath of office is fully implemented, and as long as there is cooperation among us, it will lead to better reforms,” said Aoun addressing a delegation from the lawyers syndicate at the Baabda Palace.

The Lebanese army and an Intelligence unit discovered hashish factories and massive amounts of manufactured hashish and Captagon pills in raids in the outskirts of the northeastern town of Hermel, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

The army carried out raids in the al-Shtah area in the outskirts of Hermel and found two hashish factories, seized one ton and a load of seven trucks of manufactured hashish in addition to one and a half million Captagon narcotics pills.

The optimistic atmospheres regarding a “quick” formation of the new cabinet do not reflect the reality as difficulties arise and hamper the mission of Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, media reports said.

Unnamed sources said that things tend to tilt towards pessimism as for a close cabinet line-up as a result of preconditions set by some political parties.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is holding intensive consultations with President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri to complete the formation of the cabinet which seems to limp under the demands of some political parties to be given specific portfolios.

Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal Movement jointly called Wednesday for a speedy government formation, in a statement issued after their first dialogue session following the election of Michel Aoun as president.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday evening at the Center House with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on his election as the 45th president of the United States, urging him to “advance the cause of peace” and find a “peaceful political solution to the Syrian crisis.”

President Michel Aoun announced Wednesday that Lebanon will no longer be “a laboratory for experiments,” nine days after he was elected as the country's 13th president.