An explosion, reportedly caused by a gas leak, wounded eight people on Friday in the Northern Metn town of Beit Misk and badly damaged a residential building.

The Civil Defense said its crews managed to rescue a woman and her son from beneath the rubble, rushing them to hospital. First aid was also offered on the spot to six foreign workers who were present near the building.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun on Friday visited the headquarters of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in Naqoura to offer condolences over the death of an Irish peacekeeper in an incident in the southern town of al-Aqbiya..

Mikati and Aoun were welcomed by UNIFIL chief Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, who discussed with them the incident’s circumstances and the situation in the South, in addition to UNIFIL’s operations and the activities it carries out in cooperation with the Lebanese Army.

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the deadly attack on UNIFIL troops in south Lebanon, as online videos showed a UNIFIL vehicle coming under a hail of bullets in the area of the incident.

Cell phone videos circulated online have showed one of two UNIFIL vehicles speeding to leave the area while it was shot at in the southern town of al-Aqbiyeh. Some residents were visible filming the incident. Another video showed the vehicle had rolled over after crashing into the aluminum shutters of a building, with a wounded peacekeeper on the ground beside it. The incident left one Irish peacekeeper dead and three others wounded. The 23-year-old peacekeeper died of a bullet to the head according to a Lebanese judicial official.

Lebanon’s Court of Cassation has rejected an appeal by Tariq Houshieh and affirmed his guilt for “the brutal murder in 2017 of our dear colleague Rebecca ‘Becky’ Dykes,” the British Embassy in Beirut said on Friday.

“We are grateful to all of those who have contributed to the final resolution of this case after many months of delay,” the Embassy said in a statement.

The United States “condemns in the strongest terms the violent attack on UNIFIL peacekeepers yesterday (Wednesday evening) that left one Irish servicemember dead and three wounded,” the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said.

“Violence against peacekeepers is unconscionable, puts Lebanese civilians at risk, and jeopardizes stability in southern Lebanon,” the Embassy added in a statement, sending Washington’s “heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the peacekeeper who died” and hoping for the speedy recovery of those wounded.

Hezbollah’s “Christian relations” official Mohammed Saeed al-Khansa and Hezbollah official Abdullah Zaiour met Thursday with Maronite League chief Khalil Karam at the League’s headquarters.

Congratulating Karam over his election as the new head of the League and offering Christmas and New Year greetings, the two Hezbollah officials held a lengthy discussion with Karam over the situation in Lebanon.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri sent Thursday a message of condolence to his Irish counterpart and to UNIFIL head Aroldo Lázaro, after an Irish soldier of the U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon was killed and three were wounded as their convoy came under fire.

"With great sorrow and great sadness, we learned the news of the soldier's death," Berri told Seán Ó Fearghaíl, as he strongly condemned the "unfortunate" incident.

Ministers from the various political parties will meet on Friday to discuss the work of the caretaker government in light of the latest standoff between the Free Patriotic Movement and the rest of the government’s components.

“A consultative ministerial meeting will be held tomorrow at 4pm at the Grand Serail to discuss the issue of mending the governmental rift and finding solutions for the current disputes,” MTV reported.

Hezbollah coordination and liaison officer Wafiq Safa urged Thursday not to involve Hezbollah in an attack that killed an Irish member of the UN peacekeeping force and wounded three others.

Safa told LBCI that the incident was unintentional, sending his condolences for UNIFIL and wishing recovery to the three wounded members.

The Foreign Ministry and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Thursday an attack on a UNIFIL convoy in southern Lebanon.

Mikati expressed his "deep regret" after an Irish UNIFIL member was killed and three others were wounded near the village of Al-Aqbiya after their convoy came under fire.