Firebrand Major General Ashraf Rifi, who served as justice minister and Internal Security Forces chief, on Thursday said that his recent reconciliation with Prime Minister Saad Hariri is aimed at “repelling” those who are “targeting” the Sunni community.

“Together we made a big step to turn the page on fragmentation and disputes and I'm fully confident that this reconciliation is in the interest of our cause and objectives regarding independence, sovereignty and the state of institutions,” Rifi said at a press conference to officially announce his withdrawal from Tripoli's parliamentary by-election.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, and the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Claudio Cordone, on Thursday visited the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon.

It was Kubis’ first visit to a Palestine refugee camp in Lebanon since taking up his functions as U.N. Special Coordinator in February.

Cautious calm was on Thursday afternoon engulfing the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh after an exchange of gunfire between two armed groups, the National News Agency said.

NNA said Youssef Orqoub, the son of notorious fugitive Bilal Orqoub, was seriously wounded in the clash.

The meetings held by Lebanese parties at the Brussels III conference reflected European “skepticism” about Lebanon's efforts towards the displaced Syrians, and “pessimism” about the commitments promised in the past years in that regard, Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Thursday.

The daily added that representatives of the European Union, during their participation in the conference, “sensed no signs of Syrian refugee returns in 2019 and 2020,” stressing that it must be both “secure and voluntary.”

Lebanon’s oil wealth file will be the focal point of discussions between Speaker Nabih Berri and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the latter’s expected visit to Beirut next week, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Thursday urged in a speech he made at the Brussels III conference, the allies of the Syrian regime to pressure it into facilitating the return of displaced Syrians in order to end their suffering.

State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib, whose statement about refugees was slammed by the PM, was quoted as saying that coordination with the Syrian government was the “only way to secure the return of the displaced,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

Police have arrested Director General of Higher Education in Lebanon Ahmed el-Jammal on suspicion of being involved in issuing fake certificates in return for money, al-Joumhouria daily reported Wednesday.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri, ex-minister Ashraf Rifi and ex-PM Fouad Saniora held a meeting Tuesday evening at the latter's residence in Beirut's Bliss area.

Saniora announced after the meeting that Rifi has decided to pull out of the race for Tripoli's vacant Sunni seat and to support the nomination of al-Mustaqbal Movement's candidate Dima Jamali, whose membership of parliament was recently revoked by the Constitutional Council.

The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc on Tuesday said the government should act as “one team” on the thorny issue of Syrian refugees.

“There should not be conflicting goals for those working on the refugee file and the objective is the safe return of Syrian refugees to their country,” MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after the bloc's weekly meeting.