President Michel Aoun has revoked the law in force No 7 on the appointment mechanism in the first category in public administrations “because it violates the constitution,” the Presidency said in a statement on Saturday.

Police thwarted an attempt to smuggle “35.3 kg of liquid material and 8.4 kg of other chemical agent used in the production of cocaine,” a statement released by the Internal Security Forces said on Saturday.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the preparations in military and civilian areas on the borders with Syria and Lebanon will change, blaming Lebanon for what is happening in its territory.

Lebanon recorded 147 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Friday evening.

According to the Ministry’s daily statement, 119 of the new cases were recorded among residents and 28 among expats who arrived in Lebanon in recent days.

Hizbullah on Friday strongly condemned the interception of an Iranian passenger plane over Syria by U.S. fighter jets, labeling it as “intimidation and terrorism.”

“This is a very dangerous act of terror that could have had incalculable ramifications across the entire region,” Hizbullah said in a statement.

Lebanon’s government-linked anti-coronavirus committee on Friday recommended a host of measures in the face of a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Urging reinforced PCR and quarantine measures related to Lebanese expats arriving from abroad, the panel recommended a one-week closure as of Monday of pubs, nightclubs, internal pools, concert venues, theaters, cinemas, amusement parks, indoor and outdoor children playgrounds, gyms, popular souks and social event venues except for wedding venues.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement announced Friday that it has decided to postpone its third congress, previously scheduled for Saturday, due to the spike in coronavirus cases that the country has witnessed in recent days.

The decision was taken at the recommendation of the Movement’s physicians and following an emergency meeting with Mustaqbal leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, a Mustaqbal statement said.

Shiite mufti Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan hit out anew Friday at Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s call for Lebanon’s neutrality.

“Lebanon’s situation is internationalized and global forces deal with it as a raging frontier in the conflict of axes, using all their suspicious financial, monetary, economic and political capabilities to achieve their interests,” Qabalan said in his Friday prayer sermon.

European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf held talks Friday in Baabda with President Michel Aoun.

In a tweet after the meeting, Tarraf said “addressing the socio-economic crisis in Lebanon is urgent.”

Health Minister Hamad Hassan said Lebanon is “going through the test” and its capabilities are challenged to confront the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus, as he urged unity and joint efforts to “win the fight” against the new surge in virus cases, the National News Agency reported on Friday.