Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati is expected to submit a “balanced” cabinet line-up to President Michel Aoun “within a week at the latest,” political sources said.

Hezbollah backs the Lebanese government’s decision regarding sea border demarcation and its response to the proposal presented to the U.S. mediator was “not negative,” PM-designate Najib Mikati said.

The High Court of Justice in London has ordered Savaro Ltd to disclose the identity of its ultimate beneficiary owner who had sent the ammonium nitrate to Beirut on the Rhosus ship.

In august 2021, the Dechert LLP had filed an action in the High Court of London against Savaro on behalf of the Beirut Bar Association and a number of victims or their relatives of the Beirut Port Explosion.

Al-Mawared Bank announced Friday the suspension of its membership in the Association of Banks as it accused the association of failing to protect the banks and the depositors.

The Bank in a statement accused the Association of taking decisions "that are not necessarily in the interest of its members and of the depositors," since the beginning of the crisis in October 2019, and of "failing to protect the banking sector."

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati will start the non-binding consultations to form a government on Monday, the Parliament General Secretariat said.

It announced Friday in a statement the schedule of the consultations with the parliamentary blocs that will be held at the parliament on Monday and Tuesday.

President Michel Aoun stressed Friday the Palestinians' right to return to their homeland and build their independent state, as he met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Baabda.

Haniyeh said, after the meeting, that he refuses the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the idea of an alternative homeland.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati was named PM-designate on Thursday with 54 votes, as former Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Nawaf Salam received 25 votes and 46 MPs abstained from naming any candidate.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has informed Israel of Lebanon’s proposal regarding sea border demarcation and the response is expected “next week or the week after,” Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab has said.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said that he might seek a minor government reshuffle and that he will activate the caretaker cabinet.

Deputy Speaker Bou Saab was the first to meet President Michel Aoun Thursday, as the binding parliamentary consultations kicked off in Baabda.

Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement did not nominate anyone, neither did his bloc, except for Akkar MP Mohammed Yehya who named Mikati.