President Michel Aoun on Friday condemned the U.S. strike that killed top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani and senior Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Aoun’s condemnation came in cables that he sent to the presidents of Iran and Iraq.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed concern over the killing of top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad overnight, describing the U.S. strike that eliminated him along with a senior Iraqi paramilitary leader as “a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a dangerous escalation against Iran.”

The attack “will aggravate tensions in the region,” the Ministry warned in a statement.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will make a speech Sunday during a rally that will be held in Beirut’s southern suburbs to commemorate slain top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Hizbullah’s al-Manar TV said the rally will be held at 2:30 pm.

Following the US strike in Iraq that killed an Iranian commander, Hizbullah slammed as “totally untrue” reports that Lebanese nationals were killed in the attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Greece and flew home Friday as Lebanon's Hizbullah demanded revenge for the killing of a top Iranian commander in a US strike.

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called Friday for the death in a US strike of top Iranian commander Major General Qasem Soleimani to be avenged.

After the holidays break and relative quiet, demonstrations against the political class and dire economic conditions in Lebanon returned on Friday as protesters expressed anger against corruption and mismanagement.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Thursday lashed out at proposals to represent the Druze community in the new cabinet with the environment or social affairs ministerial portfolios.

“I tell those who are forming the government and I remind that Druze are not in the position of begging for a portfolio,” Jumblat tweeted.

The Federation of Syndicates of Banks Employees in Lebanon on Thursday warned that it might stage a new strike amid the ongoing protests in the country that have increasingly targeted banks in recent days.

In a statement, the federation said “bank branches witnessed organized attacks in late 2019 by individuals claiming to represent the popular protest movement.”

Former Renault and Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn issued a statement Thursday, his second this week, seeking to distance his Lebanese wife and family from any role in his spectacular escape from Japan to Lebanon.

"The allegations in the media that my wife Carole and other members of my family played a role in my departure from Japan are false and misleading. I alone organized my departure. My family played no role," he said.