On the second anniversary of the Beirut port explosion, the European Union and its Member States extended their "sympathy and thoughts to families who lost their loved ones on that tragic day, as well as to all those who were impacted."

"We also reiterate our solidarity with the residents of Beirut and the people of Lebanon, and our commitment to continue our support in response to the explosion, alongside civil society actors, who have played a critical role in these efforts," they said in a statement.

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati on Wednesday snapped back at the Free Patriotic Movement, and blamed “the interference of the president’s entourage” among other things for the failure to form a new government.

“The FPM keeps stirring quarrels and reversing facts on the brink of the end of the presidential tenure, in a clear attempt to deviate attention from the failure that characterized the past years in all fields,” Mikati’s press office said in a statement.

Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has noted that “today the Lebanese state is interested in the issue of recovering the water, oil and gas rights” and this is “a good scene.”

“The harmony present among the top leaders of the Lebanese state in favor of the unified stance on demarcation and on obtaining the Lebanese rights is a positive factor,” Qassem said in during a Ashura ceremony.

On the second anniversary of the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, members of the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG) have expressed their solidarity with Lebanon and its people, particularly with the families of the victims and “all those whose lives were affected by that event that shook Lebanon and the world.”

“We remember the more than 200 dead, and the many thousands who were injured, lost homes or employment, and who suffered trauma,” the ISG said in a statement.

Security forces on Wednesday cordoned off Beirut’s port and employees were asked to leave as the sensors installed in the northern part of the blast-silos sent signals indicating that a fresh collapse is imminent.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said Wednesday that the next President should be sovereign and reformist, refusing a President from the March 8 Alliance or a consensual President.

"We will oppose with all our strength the election of a President from the March 8 Alliance," Geagea said in a press conference as he accused the so-called Axis of Defiance of being the root cause of the crisis.

The Free Patriotic Movement slammed Wednesday, in a statement, the obstruction of the Beirut blast probe by some politicians and judges and by the supreme court of Lebanon.

The statement also blamed Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati for failing to form a new cabinet, obstructing reforms and not taking the required steps to activate the investigation.

Marking the World Day against Trafficking in Persons (TiP) 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Lebanon organized awareness raising sessions on trafficking in persons for more than 150 migrants from various communities.

The sessions were organized in collaboration with Caritas Lebanon and Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), L'Union Pour La Protection de L'Enfance Au Liban (UPEL) and KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation.

Arab Bank Group has reported a net income of $252 million for the first half of 2022, recording an increase of 38% from last year.

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sabih Masri, stated that the performance in the first half of the year reflects the Group’s prudent operating policies and strong financial position, despite challenging economic environment.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday said that after the return of U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein to Lebanon, the stances of the Lebanese state and Hezbollah were in harmony as to the “limited time” left to reach an agreement.