A Lebanese army patrol shot and wounded a fugitive near the Baalbek area of al-Taybeh, LBCI TV station reported on Friday.

The suspect, identified by his initials as A.Z., was shot in an exchange of fire while being pursued by the army troops.

Israel officially admitted that it had sank a Lebanese refugee ship off the coast of Tripoli in northern Lebanon in the summer of 1982, killing 25 out of 56 people on board.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri told reporters on Thursday that he won’t make any remarks about the stalled formation of the government.

Lebanon commemorated on Thursday its 75th independence anniversary in downtown Beirut marking the liberation from the French Mandate, amid uncertainty about the formation of its government six months after the designation of the Premier.

Lebanon celebrated Independence Day on Wednesday with several challenges facing the country, including forming its government after several months of delay.

General Security Chief, Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim stressed on Wednesday that the Directorate's may concern was to defeat terrorism.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil’s stances after meeting March 8 Sunni MPs were perceived by al-Mustaqbal Movement as an attempt to adopt Hizbullah’s demands on their representation in the government, meaning a “government is unlikely to be formed in the foreseeable future,” Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, sources of the Free Patriotic Movement believe a solution is possible, and Bassil’s attempts won’t stop in that regard, said the daily.

President Michel Aoun received at Baabda palace on Monday the Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammed Hassan Jaber al-Jaber, the National News Agency reported.

Grand Mufti of the Republic Abdul Latif Deryan stressed support for Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and his continued endeavors for around six months now to form a new government, voicing optimism that a “near solution will be reached.”

Brushing off all claims that easing the pro-Hizbullah Sunni MPs hurdle lies with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, al-Mustaqbal Movement MP Ammar Houri said on Monday the PM has given all he can to ease the formation of the government and “the ball is in the court of the other team.”