Hizbullah praised Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh for preventing some banking institutions from using a U.S. law against Hizbullah as a punitive tool against its supporters, al-Akhbar daily reported on Friday.

After observing the performance of the Special Investigation Commission for Fighting Money Laundering for more than a month, Hizbullah sent a letter to Salameh which included recognition of his role in curbing some banking institutions and preventing them from converting the U.S. law into a tool to punish supporters of the Resistance, said the daily.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter has warned that the country “can't afford” further presidential vacuum while denying recent claims by Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq about an alleged British role in the nomination of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency.

Hizbullah on Thursday bombarded the posts of the extremist Islamic State group in the outskirts of the eastern border town of al-Qaa, inflicting casualties, Hizbullah's Military Media reported.

Kuwait's court of appeals on Thursday upheld the death sentence to a Shiite citizen and Hizbullah member convicted of forming a pro-Iran cell and plotting attacks in the Gulf state.

Hasan Abdulhadi Ali has been a member of Hizbullah since 1996 and is "the mastermind of the cell" of 26 members who had been accused of plotting attacks, the court said.

The army took tight security measures in the seaport of Tripoli and seized two freight vessels coming from Turkey, the state-run National News Agency reported on Thursday.

The army is carrying out inspection operations.

Maronite Patriarch visited the eastern border town of al-Qaa on Thursday and extended condolences to the families of the victims of the suicide bombings that rattled the town late in June.

“We are here to preserve the Christian-Muslim coexistence in the region and to confront terrorism which knows no religion,” said al-Rahi.

Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas emphasized that although Lebanon welcomes the displaced Syrians on its territory but the country will not resettle them, al-Joumhouria daily said on Thursday.

“The Syrians are our brothers and they are welcome, but the idea of resettlement, lending, renting or selling them parts of land, or selling them passports is out of the question,” stressed Derbas in an interview to the daily.

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil stressed on Thursday that Lebanon's state budget for the year 2017 will be ready before the constitutional due date, al-Joumhouria daily reported.

“I am in the process of reaching the final stages in preparing the state's financial plan. It will be presented to the cabinet as soon as a session is set to discuss it,” said Khalil in an interview to the daily.

A Palestinian man was shot with gunfire early on Thursday when an unknown assailant opened fire at him in the refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in Sidon, the National News Agency reported.

A captive Lebanese fighter has appeared in a video released by al-Nusra Front, al-Qaida's Syria branch, a monitor said on Wednesday.