Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi lamented Sunday that the Baabda national meeting “has unfortunately worsened the domestic political rift” due to “lack of proper preparation.”

Turning to the issue of the controversy over the judicial ruling against the U.S. ambassador, al-Rahi reminded of “the freedom of expression that characterizes Lebanon in its region.”

Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah on Sunday condemned what he called the U.S. ambassador's "hostile behavior," saying her latest remarks constitute an "attack" on the country's "sovereignty and dignity."

He called on Lebanese authorities and especially the Foreign Ministry to "compel the ambassador to respect international treaties that define the duties of diplomats."

Judge Mohammed Mazeh, the urgent matters judge in the southern city of Tyre, on Sunday pledged that he would resign should he be questioned over his controversial ruling against the U.S. ambassador.

Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti on Sunday summoned U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea to a meeting that will be held at the Ministry at 3:00 pm Monday, the National News Agency said.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea on Sunday described the judicial ruling issued against her by Judge Mohammed Mazeh and the controversy surrounding it as a “tempest in a teapot.”

Speaking in an interview with LBCI television, Shea said the ruling carried an “element of defensiveness,” describing it as “unhelpful and unnecessary.”

The U.S. State Department has reacted, after a Lebanese judge banned media from reporting remarks by the U.S. ambassador after she spoke about Hizbullah.

"Hizbullah's attempt to silence the Lebanese media is pathetic. To even think to use the judiciary to silence freedom of speech and freedom of the press is ludicrous. We stand with the Lebanese people and against Hizbullah's censorship," the Department said in a statement.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling expressed his belief on Saturday that the current situation in Lebanon is worrying and that the long-awaited economic reforms are more necessary than ever.

Democratic Gathering bloc MP Bilal Abdullah said on Saturday that reports emerged lately about smuggling of medicine subsidized by the Central Bank into Syria, adding a “new source to drain the country’s economy.”

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that “there is no reason yet to expect a breakthrough for the economic crisis in Lebanon,” media reports said.

Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Friday said authorities possess “certain and confirmed information that foreign interference and financial support are behind the acts of vandalization.”

In an interview with al-Manar TV, Fahmi said the “corruption” of those carrying out the rioting has “spared us a major disaster.”