Fierce forest fires, a monster explosion that killed friends, then more Beirut blazes; Lebanon's emergency services are reeling from a devastating year, but are determined to press on.

Lebanon's army said it had prevented a boat carrying 37 mainly Syrian passengers from leaving the country by sea on Sunday, the latest attempt to make the perilous Mediterranean crossing.

Relatives of the Beirut port blast victims on Sunday staged a sit-in to mark two months since the deadly disaster.

After blocking the Charles Helou Highway for some time, demanding that officials communicate with them and unveil the latest developments in the ongoing probe, the relatives released white balloons carrying the victims’ names into the air.

French President Emmanuel Macron has awarded the head of the Parliamentary Women and Children Committee MP Enaya Ezzeddine the French Legion of Honor of the rank of Knight in recognition of her roles in Lebanon’s public life, her press office said.

The Legion of Honor is the highest French order of merit for military and civil merits, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and retained by all later French governments and régimes.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday welcomed the announcement of a framework agreement for the demarcation of disputed land and sea borders with Israel.

“We received the announcement with hope,” said al-Rahi in his Sunday Mass sermon.

The new Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed Al-Sabah met Sunday morning with ex-PM Saad Hariri, who offered condolences for the death of the late Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed Al-Sabah.

Hariri was accompanied by his advisers ex-minister Ghattas Khoury and Fadi Fawaz, his press office said.

Former central bank vice governor Mohammed Baassiri announced Sunday that he is “not aware” that his name has been proposed for the PM post but noted that he would accept to be “in any position that would serve Lebanon.”

“I’m not nominated for any governmental position and I’m not seeking to become premier,” Baassiri added in an interview with al-Jadeed TV.

Independent political party, Sabaa, emphasized on Saturday the Lebanese’s right to see a written publication of a historic US-brokered border demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

President Michel Aoun wished President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania a 'speedy recovery' after they were diagnosed with COVID-19 and the president was hospitalized.

“After learning that you, Mrs. Melania and some family members were infected with coronavirus, this epidemic that continues to spread in various parts of the world.I wish you a speedy recovery,” Aoun said in a statement.

After reaching an agreement on a framework of indirect U.S. mediated talks to demarcate Lebanon and Israel’s maritime border, an international official emphasized that the talks are “fortified” and “can not be disrupted,” al-Jomhouria daily reported on Saturday.