A hand grenade exploded at dawn on Thursday in the southern Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh without causing any causalities, the state-run National News Agency reported.

An unknown assailant tossed the grenade at the at the intersection of al-Fawqani street's vegetable market, NNA said.

The Free Patriotic Movement will facilitate the appointment of a successor to Higher Defense Council chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir whose term ends on August 21, al-Akhbar daily reported on Thursday.

“We have decided to facilitate the road in front of the appointment of a successor to Maj. Gen. Kheir during the cabinet session that will be held on Thursday,” FPM sources told the daily.

U.S. authorities are in the process of preparing a new list of persons and institutions who will be included in the financial sanctions imposed on Hizbullah, al-Akhbar daily reported on Wednesday.

Sources close to Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said that the regulations will not trigger additional complications to the “political scene”, especially between Hizbullah and the BDL governor Riad Salameh, now that all Lebanese banks have committed to the application of the mechanism that does not allow the expansion of punitive measures to include people and institutions not covered by the sanctions, added the daily.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed on Tuesday that his country will provide the needed ground to help Lebanon overcome its political crisis, as he assured that Egypt only seeks stability and peace in the world and region.

Internal Security Forces arrested a man in Beirut's southern suburb, Dahiyeh, on charges of smuggling narcotics, an ISF statement said on Saturday.

The ISF obtained information stating that two people were smuggling narcotics in Tahwitat al-Ghadir in Beirut's southern suburb.

Civil Defense volunteers vowed on Saturday to escalate actions if the government decrees for their full-time employment were not implemented.

The volunteers gathered in martyrs square and made a televised statement vowing to head to the Lebanese-Palestinian border without disclosing what they intend to do after.

The Lebanese army said that one of its officers was wounded after troops intervened to control an armed clash in the eastern Bekaa town of Hawrtaala a day earlier, the Army Command Orientation Directorate said in a statement on Saturday.

The army intervened on Friday to control an armed fight that broke out between members of the al-Masri family in Hawrtaala. The troops went under fire by the gunmen and an officer was slightly injured, added the statement.

Lebanon's stalled oil and gas exploration file will hopefully be put on the front burner after reports said that it shall be referred to the related ministerial committee in order to refer it later to the cabinet for approving the related decrees, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

In that regard, Berri voiced hopes that the file takes a smooth path away from obstacles, he told the daily: “I assume that things are going well. I see no justification for impeding this topic. The necessary government measures must be taken quickly and we are ready to keep up with this matter.”

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Saturday that Lebanon's military institution must not fall in the vacuum as he reiterated the necessity to fortify the country's army and distance it from political conflicts, al-Joumhouria daily reported.

Hailing the role of the military institution in confronting terrorism and reinforcing security and internal stability, Berri said: “I refuse vacuum in the military institution, not even for one minute. This institution is the safety valve of the country.”

The Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Major-General Michael Beary met with Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday where he briefed him on the situation along the Blue Line and the UNIFIL's efforts together with the Lebanese army to maintain security in the south, a UNIFIL press statement said on Friday.

This was Beary’s first meeting with the Speaker after he assumed command of UNIFIL on 19 July.