Lebanon's parliament has filed a libel complaint against Nabil Karam, the owner of a downtown Beirut building sold in a controversial deal to the 'touch' mobile network operator, accusing him of making insulting remarks against lawmakers during a TV appearance, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday.

MP Jamil al-Sayyed had also filed a complaint against Karam for “making insulting remarks against deputies” during the interview on al-Jadeed TV station.

MP Anwar al-Khalil said on Wednesday that a new parliamentary election law proposed by the Development and Liberation bloc makes Lebanon one electoral constituency.

Progressive Socialist Party MP Marwan Hamadeh said on Wednesday that the presidential term of President Michel Aoun “takes Lebanon back to the time of the Syrian hegemony," the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Wednesday.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Tuesday hit out at Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Imad Othman, drawing a swift response from the ISF director general.

The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc on Tuesday stressed that “press conferences” cannot change facts, in response to a conference held by the Progressive Socialist Party to discuss the judicial developments in the case of the Qabrshmoun incident.

“Press conferences and debates won’t change the facts, which have become in the judiciary’s hands,” MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after the bloc’s weekly meeting.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Tuesday vowed that the PSP and its “friends” will persevere against what he called “elimination wars.”

“Egypt will remain steadfast, despite all the terrorism attempts,” Jumblat tweeted.

The Progressive Socialist Party on Tuesday said the Free Patriotic Movement and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil was fully responsible for sparking the Qabrshmoun incident and accused the Movement of interfering in the course of judicial investigation to involve the PSP.

Several EU officials have reportedly postponed scheduled visits to Lebanon until “Lebanon’s government resumes its normal activity,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has postponed a scheduled visit two weeks ago until early in the autumn, said the daily.

The loans and grants pledged for Lebanon at the Paris CEDRE conference last year are set to stay “locked” until the Lebanese government resumes normal activity and “serious” work, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has noted that “everyone in Lebanon is a partner of Hizbullah,” not only the FPM.

Admitting that his movement’s alliance with the Iran-backed party has been “costly,” Bassil told Euronews: “Our partnership with Hizbullah has been costly at the popular and diplomatic levels, but we have gained Lebanon’s stability and unity, because Hizbullah is a part of a people and not an armed group.”