France could dispatch a new envoy to discuss an “initiative” to salvage Lebanon’s crumbling economy, al-Akhbar daily reported on Thursday.

Army Commander General Joseph Aoun addressed the troops on Thursday saying their “vigilance foiled attempts of some to fish in troubled waters.”

On one of Beirut's main commercial streets, store owners are cutting salaries by half or considering shutting down. Shops advertise sales, but still can't draw in customers. The only place doing a thriving business: the store that sells safes, as Lebanese increasingly stash their cash at home.

It's a sign Lebanese fear their country's financial crisis, which has been worsening for months, could tip over into disaster.

Hizbullah and AMAL Movement reportedly wish to intensify contacts to persuade caretaker PM Saad Hariri “again” to lead the new government, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday announced that the presidential tenure of President Michel Aoun and the 1989 Taef Accord have “ended,” as he revealed that he has advised caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri not to lead the new government.

Asked whether caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil will be among the new ministers, Jumblat told MTV: “I believe that some faces have expired.”

Former U.S. State Department undersecretary and ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism on the current situation in Lebanon in light of the unprecedented popular uprising that erupted on October 17.

Below is the full transcript of the testimony titled “What’s Next for Lebanon? Examining the Implications of Current Protests”:

Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim on Wednesday filed lawsuits against former telecom ministers Nicolas Sehnaoui, Butros Harb and Jamal Jarrah, referring them to the Higher Council for the Prosecution of Presidents and Ministers, state-run National News Agency said.

Ibrahim is also suing the directors of the Alfa and touch mobile network operators and the director general of the OGERO telecom authority on charges of “wasting and embezzling public funds and illicit enrichment,” referring the file to Beirut’s first examining magistrate.

President Michel Aoun will make an address to the nation at 8:00 pm Thursday, which will be broadcast on the various Lebanese TV and radio networks, the Presidency said.

The speech marks Lebanon’s Independence Day and will tackle the current situations and latest developments, the Presidency added.

MP Ali Ammar of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc on Wednesday accused security forces of “standing idly by” as lawmakers were being “insulted” at road-blocking protests around parliament building on Tuesday.

“We saw officers and soldiers standing idly by as the MPs of the nation were being insulted at roadblocks,” Ammar said from Ain el-Tineh.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday said that the “biggest winners” on Tuesday were “Lebanon and civil peace,” after he was forced to postpone a legislative session due to lack of quorum and road-blocking protests.

“Despite what happened yesterday, the important thing is that not a single drop of blood was shed although a bloodshed scheme was being plotted in dark rooms,” Berri said during the weekly meeting with MPs in Ain el-Tineh.