Lebanon’s central bank has this week canceled the local license of Bank Saderat Iran, one of Iran's largest banks, as the United States steps up pressure on countries to sever commercial ties with Tehran.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid stated that the move aims to "send a clear signal to the outside world that we are determined to protect our banking sector from any entity that might expose it to the risk of contamination."

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al-Jadeed TV on Friday that he met with a number of Lebanese officials over the past two days to exchange views and positions, describing the atmosphere of the meetings as good.

He added that a recent meeting in New York with Lebanese officials addressed the issue of the controversy over the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, noting that there are proposals to choose a path acceptable to both parties.

Syrian authorities have announced the arrest of a former paramilitary leader who is the main suspect in a massacre of nearly 250 civilians by Assad-allied forces during the country's civil war.

A Syrian security source told AFP that Ali Kayali was apprehended in Lebanon during an operation coordinated with Lebanese authorities. Lebanese media reports said Thursday that the man was “kidnapped” from his home in Lebanon's Mansourieh and that his wife and son were tied up by the culprits.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told President Joseph Aoun in a phone call that he should not return several hundred kilograms of explosives seized by Lebanese authorities from Hezbollah, a U.S. official said.

"He urged President Aoun to hold accountable all those who ordered, financed, and directed the shipment, and underscored that returning explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Lebanese authorities have released a famous TikTok content creator arrested for drug trafficking and smuggling, dropping the charges against him under a new amnesty law.

Georges Dib, better known as "Doctor Food" to his more than eight million followers, was arrested in August after being sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in March.

Syrian authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a paramilitary leader whose forces backed ousted leader Bashar al-Assad during the country's war, and who is accused of being the main culprit in a massacre of nearly 250 civilians, shortly after a Lebanese media report said the man was “kidnapped” from his house in Lebanon’s Mansourieh.

"The intelligence services have arrested Ali Kayali, who also went by the name Mihrac Ural, the main suspect in the Banias massacre of 2013, while he was attempting to flee across the border," state news agency SANA said.

The visit of Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to Beirut, scheduled for Thursday, comes primarily to support the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, diplomatic sources in Washington told Al-Jadeed television.

President Joseph Aoun on Thursday threw his support behind Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad following the complaint that was filed against her by a pro-Hezbollah lawyer.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a phone call with President Joseph Aoun at 7:00 PM Thursday, media reports said.

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem has decided to dismiss the complaint filed by pro-Hezbollah lawyer Hassan Bazzi against Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad, MTV reported on Thursday.