France on Thursday said that it supports the new Lebanese government “in all the challenges that it is facing,” hoping the agreement over cabinet will also involve the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

In a congratulations letter he sent to his Lebanese counterpart Jebran Bassil, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius lauded “the spirit of national responsibility that led to the formation of the cabinet,” hoping it will also apply to “the upcoming constitutional junctures.”

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr announced Thursday that DNA tests have confirmed that Palestinian national Nidal al-Mghayyar is one of the two suicide bombers who blew up two bomb-laden cars Wednesday in Bir Hassan.

“The DNA tests undergone by Nidal al-Mghayyar's father have matched the DNA of one of the suicide attackers,” state-run National News Agency quoted Saqr as saying.

The Loyalty to Resistance bloc hoped on Thursday that the ministerial statement would be “short” and that it would tackle national “priorities” like security and resistance matters.

“We are following up with concern on the meetings of the ministerial committee tasked with drafting a policy statement,” MP Mohammed Fadlallah said after the MPs' weekly meeting.

A Syrian court has sentenced two men to prison for giving "false testimony" implicating Damascus in the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, a Syrian newspaper said Thursday.

The Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government, said a court on Wednesday sentenced Murad Akram to 10 years in prison, including five years with hard labor, and Zuhair Mohamed Saeed Siddiq to 20 years in prison with 10 years of hard labor.

Bulgaria's chief prosecutor says investigators have identified a fourth person they think was involved in the July 2012 bomb attack that killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian bus driver.

Sotir Tsatsarov told reporters Thursday that because of the new evidence, the indictment will be delayed.

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri announced Thursday that he would discuss the presidential elections with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, stressing his rejection of a vacuum in the top post.

“I will go to Rome and I will have the opportunity to meet the patriarch … to see what his stance is on the presidential elections,” Hariri told reporters at the end of his two-day visit to Egypt.

President Michel Suleiman highlighted on Thursday the importance of the defense strategy in combating terrorism in Lebanon.

He said: “The measures taken on the ground to combat terrorism can be complemented by the resumption of talks on a national defense strategy.”

UNIFIL Commander Major-General Paolo Serra lauded on Thursday the Lebanese army for its exemplary resolve in working with U.N. peacekeepers under “very challenging circumstances.”

Serra visited Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail along with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly and U.N. Deputy Special Coordinator and UNDP Resident and Coordinator Ross Mountain

An Arab Democratic Party official, who is the father of one of the suspects in the mosque bombings in the northern city of Tripoli, was on Thursday killed in the area of al-Mina.

Abdul Rahman Diab, known as Aboudi Nwasi, was gunned down in his car by an unidentified motorcyclist.

The Internal Security Forces Information Bureau had arrested before Wednesday's twin blasts in South Beirut, a Lebanese national of al-Halfa family who confessed of being tasked by the Lebanese Sheikh Sirajeddine Zouraykat of the Abdulllah Azzam Brigades with monitoring al-Manar TV and the Iranian Cultural Center, An-Nahar daily reported on Thursday.

Had the attack been delayed one more day, it could have been thwarted due to the confessions of the suspect, the daily added.