President Michel Aoun on Sunday said that “squares are plenty” in Lebanon and that “no one should think that there is a square against another.”

He was addressing via video link thousands of Free Patriotic Movement supporters who rallied near the presidential palace to voice support for his stances on the third anniversary of his election as president of the republic.

Supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement on Sunday flocked to the presidential palace road in Baabda from areas across Lebanon to show support for President Michel Aoun on the third anniversary of his election, and in the face of unprecedented protests against the entire political class.

“We tell all those who took to the squares that their demands are our demands and nothing separates us other than disinformation and those trying to exploit them,” Nicolas Sehnaoui -- an ex-telecom minister and a former FPM deputy chief -- told reporters at the rally.

Chairman of the Association of Banks in Lebanon Salim Sfeir assured on Saturday that Lebanese banks have not seen "any unusual or extraordinary movements" of funds on Friday and Saturday after a two-week closure due to protests across the country, media reports said.

Police on Saturday arrested a man for making threats to bomb a bank in the southern city of Tyre.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri will likely be named to form a new government amid reports saying the size of the government could be reduced to 14 ministers from the original 30, al-Liwaa daily reported on Saturday.

An unnamed source told the daily that the ongoing consultations between political parties have reportedly “agreed” to reassign Hariri to form a new government, and that the decree could be issued on “Tuesday.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday called for the formation of a “salvation government,” as he hit out at caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and caretaker Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab.

“What’s needed is a salvation government and not any other government. The government should be formed of independent and expert figures who are upright and successful,” Geagea said after a meeting for the LF’s Strong Republic parliamentary bloc.

Around 30 protesters on Friday staged a symbolic rally near the presidential palace in Baabda, demanding “the speeding up of the (binding) parliamentary consultations” necessary to form a new government.

Rebecca (“Becky”) Dykes was “a talented, devoted humanitarian, whose skill, expertise, and passion improved the lives of many people,” the British embassy in Beirut said on Friday, a few hours after the British diplomat’s murderer was convicted of murder and rape.

“She was an impassioned advocate for those who most need support, a true friend of Lebanon, and an outstanding representative for the UK. She had an exciting, bright future ahead of her,” the embassy said in a statement.

Protests have flared in Lebanon and around the world, with citizens rallying for the last few weeks demanding change in their countries.

Here are the reasons seven of them from Lebanon to Chile are taking to the streets.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday urged the formation of a “sovereign government” within “days,” as he noted the Lebanese have managed to foil a “strife” scheme and a “political coup” attempt.

“We call for dialogue and communication between all components and the protest movement's representatives,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech.