Peacekeepers wearing uniforms from 49 different countries expressed their commitment to peace and stability as they marked the International Day of Peace in Naqoura, south Lebanon today.

Hosted by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at its headquarters, the ceremony brought together Lebanese political representatives, including Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab; local authorities; religious leaders; the Lebanese Armed Forces; security forces; U.N. officials, including Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka; and members of the international community.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka called Thursday for safeguarding Lebanon as a space for democracy, human rights, coexistence, plurality, and freedoms.

"By its very constitution, Lebanon stands forth as a beacon of inter-faith co-existence,” she said, on the occasion of the International Day of Peace.

Nearly a week after a cease-fire agreement between warring factions in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp brought a fragile peace, hundreds of displaced residents see no immediate prospects of return.

Some have lost their houses, while others do not trust that the calm will hold. For many, it's not the first time they have been forced to flee their homes.

Lebanese security agencies have launched an investigation into a late-night shooting outside the U.S. Embassy that caused no injuries, officials said Thursday.

No one claimed responsibility for the small arms fire Wednesday night near the entrance to the heavily fortified compound in Beirut's northeastern suburb of Awkar. It was not immediately clear if the incident was a politically motivated attack.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has held a joint meeting in New York with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Some parties have launched a mediation between Speaker Nabih Berri and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil after the latter criticized the Speaker’s call for dialogue, a media report said.

UNRWA continues to respond to urgent needs of displaced families forced to flee the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, the largest in the country, a statement said. UNRWA is currently hosting 800 people in four of its shelters.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has accused Christian forces of obstructing the implementation of reforms demanded by the international community and the International Monetary Fund.

In an interview published Wednesday in Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Mikati said that Christian political forces are boycotting legislative sessions and do not want Parliament to convene to pass the required reforms before a president is elected, while Hezbollah is "cooperating" and supports the majority of the required reforms.

The Free Patriotic Movement on Wednesday said it welcomes dialogue aimed at electing a new president on the condition that it be “limited to the issue of presidential elections and the president’s program and characteristics.”

Disagreements between the U.S. and France in the five-nation committee on Lebanon prevented the issuance of a statement after a meeting called for by Paris at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad said overnight.