France's foreign minister travels to Lebanon on Saturday as part of diplomatic efforts by President Emmanuel Macron's government to help contain the Middle East conflict.

Fears of a widening war have been growing, with Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. and allied forces in Iraq and Syria, and daily exchanges of fire along Israel's border with Lebanon.

During a meeting to discuss security on the Lebanese-Syrian border, British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell expressed his condolences for the death of a Lebanese soldier in Lebanon last week and called for the restoration of calm on the Blue Line.

Leading international ratings agency Moody's has affirmed the Government of Lebanon's issuer rating at C and has changed the outlook to stable from no outlook.

Each day the Gaza war continues, the ripple effect to neighboring Arab countries will have lasting socioeconomic setbacks, two U.N. agencies have warned.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea no longer expects anything from France or the U.S.

In an interview with French weekly news magazine Valeurs actuelles, Geagea said that France supported Hezbollah's presidential candidate, which he finds "unacceptable."

The issue of extending the term of Army chief General Joseph Aoun by six months will likely be tackled from outside the agenda during Friday’s Cabinet session, a media report said on Thursday.

Parliament convened Thursday morning in a legislative session that did not discuss extending the term of Army chief General Joseph Aoun, ahead of his planned retirement in January.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati attended the session boycotted by the Free Patriotic Movement MPs.

Hezbollah targeted Thursday a group of soldiers in the Shumira and the Yeftah barracks, while the Israeli army bombed Jabal al-Bat, Mays al-Jabal, al-Jebbayn, al-Khiam, Blida and the outskirts of al-Taybeh with artillery shells and warplane missiles.

Hezbollah announced the death of another one of its fighters, marking the 100th militant killed since clashes began with the Israeli military along the tense Lebanon-Israel border on Oct. 8.

Lebanon's compounding crises are having a "devastating" impact on children and their education, a United Nations agency said, warning of additional pressure as the Israel-Hamas war spills over into the country.

U.N. children's agency UNICEF said more than a quarter of households surveyed last month reported children not attending school, compared to 18 percent in April.

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said he has faced "lame condemnations" because of his support for Hamas' October 7 attack.

Jumblat revealed in remarks published Wednesday in An-Nahar that some ambassadors have lectured him over his tweet following the attack. The tweet on the X platform lauded the attack, Hamas, and the Palestinians for breaking "the myth of Israeli superiority."