The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) welcomes today’s announcement of a framework agreement to launch negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on maritime and land border demarcation between the two countries, the U.N. force said on Thursday.

"UNIFIL stands ready to extend to the parties all the support at its disposal and facilitate efforts towards a resolution of this upcoming negotiations and move forward with Blue Line demarcation," it said in a statement, shortly after the framework agreement was announced by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Lebanon and Israel will hold U.N.-mediated talks on their disputed land and maritime borders, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Thursday.

The United States will act as a facilitator during the talks, which are due to be held at the U.N. headquarters in the southern Lebanon border town of Naqoura, Berri told a news conference without providing a date for the negotiations.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi held talks on Thursday with seven, now-resigned, independent Christian lawmakers who emphasized the need that Lebanon stages early parliamentary elections to “restore credibility between the people and officials,” the National News Agency reported.

“The Patriarch is keen on maintaining hope in Lebanon while seeing it diminishing. We must hold on to this land. We need early elections, because it restores credibility between the people and political leaders,” MP Neamet Efrem said.

The Ambassador of Mexico to Lebanon, José-Ignacio Madrazo, and the Chairman of LibanPost, Khalil Daoud, have led a ceremony for the joint issuance of a commemorative stamp, on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Lebanon.

This is the result of collaboration between the Mexican Postal Service and LibanPost, with “generous support from the Centro Libanés in Mexico City,” said a statement issued by the Embassy of Mexico in Lebanon.

Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Jebran Bassil was reportedly admitted to the hospital four days after contracting the COVID-19 virus, MTV station reported on Thursday,

The station said Bassil was admitted to Hotel Dieu Hospital after suffering shortness of breath and that his situation was stable and doing well.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reportedly will announce the framework agreement representing the basis for the launch of indirect negotiations with Israel on demarcating the land and maritime borders, under the auspices of the United Nations and American mediation, al-Akhbar daily reported Thursday.

President Michel Aoun has “decelerated” calls for binding parliamentary consultations to name a new Premier, amid anticipations that a near visit of Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov to the country would help make a breakthrough, al-Anbaa daily reported on Thursday.

The President has reportedly “delayed consultations with lawmakers by two weeks or more, because conditions set by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah totally differ from the road map set by French President Emmanuel Macron,” sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

Parliament on Wednesday failed to approve a controversial general amnesty law after several blocs boycotted an evening session and stripped it of quorum.

Speaker Nabih Berri, who postponed the session and the debate of the law to October 20, voiced regret over the disagreements.

Former premiers Saad Hariri, Najib Miqati, Fouad Saniora and Tammam Salam on Wednesday hit back at Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah over accusations he made during his Tuesday evening televised address.

In a joint statement distributed by Hariri’s press office, the ex-PMs noted that the French initiative had called for “suspending everything related to conventional domestic politics and the issue of competition between blocs and parties for several months.”

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Wednesday hailed parliament’s approval of a draft law on illicit enrichment as an “achievement” for his bloc.

“Subjecting MPs, ministers and all (public) employees to the illicit enrichment law is an achievement made by the Strong Lebanon bloc on the course of subjecting anyone offering a public service to accountability,” Bassil tweeted.