Lebanon’s anti-coronavirus ministerial committee on Monday announced a general lockdown from Thursday, January 7 until February 1 with a 6pm-5am nighttime curfew.

Speaking after the committee’s meeting, caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan warned that the coronavirus situation has reached a very dangerous level in the country in terms of hospitals’ capacity.

Renowned Lebanese lyrical author, composer, orchestra arranger and conductor Elias Rahbani passed away on Monday at the age of 82, his family said.

Rahbani was hospitalized last week suffering low oxygen after he contracted the coronavirus and succumbed to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, on Monday.

Israeli warplanes conducted heavy overflights on Monday flying at low and medium-altitudes over several Lebanese regions, the National News Agency reported.

Lebanese authorities are mulling on Monday for a new lockdown in the country after a surge in coronavirus cases mainly after the Christmas and New Year celebrations that saw a large part of Lebanese partying “irresponsibly.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Monday that quick measures along with a lockdown must be imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea replied to the fresh remarks made by top Iranian official, asking why doesn't Iran “strike Israel directly,” instead of exploiting its proxies, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

Blasts rocked a fuel depot on the Lebanese-Syrian border on Sunday evening, leaving ten people wounded.

“Ten people were wounded in the fuel depot explosion in the town of al-Qasr, seven of whom were transferred to hospital and three were treated on the scene,” Lebanese Red Cross chief Georges Kettaneh told LBCI TV, adding that a missing person has been found.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah noted Sunday that Lebanese media outlets have “distorted and falsified” remarks about Lebanon by a top Iranian general.

“He did not say that we are a frontline for Iran but rather a frontline for confronting the Israeli occupation,” Nasrallah said in a televised address marking the first anniversary of the assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Senior Shiite cleric Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan stressed Sunday that Lebanon can have no sovereignty without “Qasem Soleimani’s missiles,” amid controversy over remarks by a top Iranian general.

“The behavior of some Lebanese is very strange. As this camp bows to the U.S. ambassador and calls on (French President Emmanuel) Macron to reinstate the mandate over Lebanon…, it blusters about defending sovereignty, which it turned into humiliation, murder and militia fiefdoms during the era of the Israeli occupation,” Qabalan said.

Hizbullah on Sunday marked the anniversary of the killing of Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis with a symbolic event on a hill in south Lebanon overlooking the border area with Israel.

A group of Hizbullah fighters dressed in military uniforms swore the oath of Hizbullah while officials raised the group's yellow flag with posters of Soleimani and al-Muhandis on it.