Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib will not step down and is expected to visit Baabda for Cabinet talks, but without carrying a lineup format, LBCI television reported on Thursday.

Paris considers as “flexible” the 15-day imposed deadline by President Emmanuel Macron for the formation of Lebanon’s government, but sees “covet for dominance of government decisions" in the rigidity of the “Shiite duo” to retain the finance ministry, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday decried that “what is happening in the issue of the formation of the government is a real farce,” as he said that thwarting the French initiative for Lebanon would be a “crime.”

“We are again hearing theories that had led to the country’s ruin in the first place,” Geagea tweeted.

Judicial Investigator Judge Fadi Sawwan on Wednesday heard the testimony of former public works and transport Minister Ghazi Zoaiter as part of the ongoing probe into the catastrophic Aug. 4 blast at Beirut port.

According to the National News Agency, Zoaiter appeared before Sawwan as a "witness."

Lebanese politicians have missed a 15-day deadline to form a crisis Cabinet, with many remaining deadlocked on Wednesday on which political faction gets to have the key portfolio of the finance ministry.

The deadline was set as part of a French initiative by President Emmanuel Macron who has been pressing the leaders in Lebanon to form a Cabinet made up of specialists who can work on enacting urgent reforms to extract the country from a devastating economic and financial crisis.

France regrets that Lebanese political leaders “have not been able to honor their pledges to French Presidency Emmanuel Macron” regarding the formation of a new government, the French Presidency said on Wednesday.

“It's not too late for forming a government in Lebanon and working for Lebanon’s interest,” the Presidency added in a statement.

Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib was the one who called President Michel Aoun and asked for 24 more hours to try and find solutions for the obstacles delaying the formation of the new government, al-Jadeed TV reported Wednesday afternoon.

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has meanwhile launched mediation efforts at Aoun’s request and will communicate with Hizbullah, the AMAL Movement and France in a bid to resolve the finance portfolio obstacle, al-Jadeed quoted unnamed sources as saying.

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday called for “understanding” instead of “intransigence,” in a tweet marking the International Day of Democracy.

“On the International Day of Democracy, let us all remember that resolving problems can only happen through understanding and not through intransigence and stubbornness, or else everyone will reap great failure and loss,” the president said.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday vowed that Washington would seek to prevent Iran from purchasing Chinese and Russian weapons that might be passed on to Hizbullah.

"We are going to act in a way -– and we have acted in a way –- that will prevent Iran from being able to purchase Chinese tanks and Russian air defense systems and resell weapons to Hizbullah to undermine the very efforts that (French) President (Emmanuel) Macron is ably trying to lead in Lebanon," Pompeo said.

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, on Monday began his first official visit to Lebanon since he assumed his post on March 18, UNRWA said on Tuesday.

Accompanied by the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Claudio Cordone, Lazzarini’s visit started at the Siblin Training Center where he engaged with young Palestine refugee students about their aspirations and their concerns. He also visited the building that was refurbished to accommodate Palestine refugees in need of isolation because of COVID-19.