PM-designate Najib Mikati held a meeting overnight in New York with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the presence of U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein.

Describing the meeting as fruitful, Blinken said he discussed with Mikati the need for Lebanon to hold its presidential election in a timely manner and to implement reforms, vowing that the United States will continue to work with Lebanon in order to achieve peace and prosperity.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on Tuesday held talks in Maarab with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari, who has launched a series of meetings with Lebanese leaders.

“The focus was on the various aspects of the Lebanese crisis and the current situation, especially that the essence of this crisis’ solution is the presidential election,” Geagea said after the meeting.

Iran has informed the Lebanese delegation in Tehran of its approval of supplying Lebanon’s with 600,000 tons of fuel over a period of five months, al-Manar TV reported.

Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mujtaba Amani meanwhile announced that “good news will be soon declared about what has been agreed on regarding Iranian fuel and cooperation in the field of electricity between the delegation of the Lebanese Energy Ministry and the relevant officials in Iran.”

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab met overnight in New York with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein to discuss the sea border demarcation file, as Israeli media reports said a final agreement is expected within two weeks.

Israeli business news website Globes meanwhile quoted a source familiar with the negotiations as saying that there is “hope is to finalize the agreement within two weeks, but a few contentious items are delaying the process.”

The Ambassadors of the EU and its Members States resident in Beirut, along with the Ambassadors of Switzerland and Norway, met with President Michel Aoun on Tuesday to express “grave and growing concern about the current situation in Lebanon,” EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf said.

“We urged the President to do his utmost to support and actively contribute to the implementation of the crucial economic, monetary and fiscal reforms that Lebanon has committed to,” Tarraf tweeted.

A U.S. court has ordered Hezbollah to pay millions of dollars in damages to a group of Americans who sued saying they were wounded by the group's rockets during the 2006 war with Israel.

The case was brought under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act and alleged that Hezbollah caused the plaintiffs physical and emotional injury and damaged their property. The judge ordered Hezbollah to pay damages of $111 million to the plaintiffs.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea met Tuesday with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari in Maarab.

Bukhari had met on Monday with Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Mikati had on Monday took part in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London before leaving for the United States where he will lead Lebanon’s delegation to the works of the U.N. General Assembly.

Caretaker Prime Minister and PM-designate Najib Mikati on Monday took part in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

Mikati was accompanied by his wife.

President Michel Aoun announced Monday that “the negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime border have become in their final stages, in a manner that guarantees Lebanon’s rights to gas and oil exploration in the specified fields in its Exclusive Economic Zone.”

Aoun voiced his remarks in a meeting in Baabda with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka.