Prime Minister Najib Miqati visited Wednesday the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut and discussed with Metropolitan Elias Aude the repercussions of the Beirut port blast and the country’s economic hardship.

“We discussed the living, educational and health conditions of the Lebanese,” Miqati said after meeting Aude.

Kuwait is to limit the number of visas it issues for Lebanese nationals as a diplomatic row festers between Beirut and Gulf states, a security source in the emirate said Wednesday.

Marking over “a decade of strong bilateral military partnership and friendship,” British Ambassador to Lebanon Ian Collard made a visit to the 2nd Land Border Regiment in the Bekaa, the British embassy said.

President Michel Aoun tweeted Wednesday that “innocents do not fear the judiciary.”

He added that “those who put themselves in the accusation position mustn't blame those who think badly of them.”

The Lebanese Judges Association warned Wednesday against judicial politicization, urging the politicians to stop interfering in the Judiciary and to “let the judicial path go on without abuse.”

They said in a statement that “Lebanese politicians tend to destroy anything they deal with.”

The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) has announced a US$ 18 million contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in support of its core resources for 2021 and 2022.

The total contribution of US$ 18 million will be disbursed in multiple tranches, with US$ 10 million in 2021 and US$ 8 million in 2022.

Minister of Justice Henry Khoury warned Wednesday against turning the port blast case into a “judicial drama.”

Khoury felt sorry for the “unprecedented violation of the sanctity of the Palace of Justice.”

The Israeli army chief warned Tuesday that the military was ramping up its preparations for a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the army “is accelerating operational planning and preparedness to deal with Iran and the military nuclear threat.”

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has vowed that Israel will not allow advanced weaponry to reach Iran’s regional proxies, amid a recent uptick in Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

“Fifteen years ago, this place burned from Hizbullah rockets,” he said at the inauguration of a new factory opened by Israeli weapons maker Rafael in the northern town of Shlomi.

Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat has stressed that “the exit from the crisis with the Gulf begins by the sacking of Information Minister George Kordahi and then apologizing to the Gulf.”

“The Axis of Defiance forces are demanding that Saudi Arabia apologize to Lebanon. We’re the ones who should offer an official apology,” Jumblat said in an interview with MTV.