General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim held talks on Thursday with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis and discussed the latest political and security developments in Lebanon and the region, media reports said.

The media office of caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni on Thursday denied remarks made in a statement released by Alvarez and Marsal, alleging the Ministry informed the firm it will not receive the information requested “in the near future” to conduct an audit into the central bank’s accounts.

The international firm Alvarez and Marsal affirmed that it had withdrawn from a forensic audit of Lebanon's central bank accounts after failing to receive data it needed for the mission, media reports said Thursday.

The firm’s confirmation came after caretaker Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni informed President Michel Aoun on November 20 that he had received a letter from the firm terminating the contract signed with the finance ministry.

UNIFIL on Wednesday joined the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) in marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence at the Mission’s headquarters in Naqoura.

Speaking at a ceremony, attended by NCLW President Claudine Aoun and other dignitaries, UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col said the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe social and economic impact in the communities and deepened the existing inequalities, including gender inequality.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Wednesday stressed that Lebanon “urgently needs reforms.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Wednesday held talks with President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace, ahead of a trip to the Vatican.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, al-Rahi said the government must carry on with the forensic audit of the central bank’s accounts despite the announced withdrawal of New York-based firm Alvarez & Marsal.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday warned against spending from the central bank’s obligatory foreign exchange reserves.

Lawmakers from the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces on Wednesday rejected a proposed electoral law and described it as an “attempt to change the political system.”

The International Support Group for Lebanon voiced concern on Wednesday over the aggravating social and economic crisis in the country, lamenting a lack of progress in forming a government capable of enacting urgent reforms to confront the growing concerns of the Lebanese, media reports said.

President Michel Aoun assured on Wednesday that his request for parliament intervention to enable a forensic audit into the Central Bank’s accounts is “distant from any political conflicts,” the Presidency press office quoted Aoun in a tweet.