Al-Mustaqbal Movement on Tuesday blasted Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and described him as the country’s “shadow president.”

“Shadow president Jebran Bassil spares no opportunity to talk in the name of the president of the republic, confirming that the two men’s obstruction will comes before all the national efforts seeking to form a government,” the Movement said in a statement, hours after a press conference by Bassil.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday pledged to facilitate the cabinet formation process as he warned that the FPM would take “more pressuring steps” should the efforts to put together a new government drag for more than one week.

“We will smother any new excuse not to form the government and it is clear that there is a fabrication of excuses in order not to form it,” Bassil said at a press conference that followed the weekly meeting of the FPM-led Strong Lebanon bloc.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has called on the Lebanese parties to “put the national interest first, cooperate with the international efforts and speed up the formation of a new government.”

Sheikh Tamim voiced his message in a letter sent to caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

UNIFIL on Monday marked the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers at the mission’s headquarters in south Lebanon.

As May 29 fell on a Saturday this year, UNIFIL chose to hold its ceremony the following Monday.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s return to Beirut will boost the political contacts aimed at expediting the formation of the new government, MP Qassem Hashem said on Monday.

Speaker Nabih Berri “has a solution and ideas to resolve the two Christian ministers obstacle,” Hashem, who is close to Berri, told al-Jadeed TV in a phone interview.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri returned Monday to Beirut from the United Arab Emirates.

Shortly after his return, Hariri visited Ain el-Tineh for talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the state-run National News Agency said.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri will return to Beirut within the next 24 hours, al-Mustaqbal Movement deputy head Mustafa Alloush said on Sunday.

“He will study the new developments resulting from Speaker Nabih Berri’s initiative and in light of that he will make new choices or a new decision,” Alloush said in an interview with Radio All of Lebanon (93.3).

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Sunday posted a morning greeting on his official Twitter account, hours after social media rumors claimed that he was being detained in the UAE.

“Good morning. How are you today?” Hariri said to how followers.

Lebanon vaccinated more than 10,000 people on Saturday as part of a day-long vaccine "marathon" organized by the health ministry to ramp up inoculation rates in the crisis-hit country.