Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri met the visiting French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the Pine Residence in Beirut on Thursday evening, Hariri’s press office announced in a statement.

There were no clear reports whether Le Drian, who met President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri earlier in the day, intended to meet Hariri.

President Michel Aoun stressed during talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday the need for the formation of a credible government that garners the parliament’s confidence, saying that no efforts will be spared to that end.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held high-level meetings in Beirut on Thursday aimed at ratcheting up the pressure on Lebanon's leaders to break its political paralysis.

As Lebanon prepares to stop subsidies on the import of basic goods, concerns emerge about its repercussions on security in a country grappling with an unprecedented economic and financial crisis and a sharp depreciation of its local currency, media reports said on Thursday.

A “prominent” security source told MTV television station that Lebanon is going to face a big challenge, “not at the level of terrorism, but at the level of social protection and social security this time.”

Lebanon’s Financial Prosecutor Judge Ali Ibrahim on Wednesday issued an order detaining the two Turkish power ships Fatmagül Sultan and Orhan Bey in connection with a suspected violation of the contract signed with the Lebanese state.

“Attorney General Judge Ghassan al-Khoury has informed the relevant ministries -- finance; public works and transport; and energy and water -- as well as the Electricite du Liban company and the Internal Security Forces, General Security, the Customs administration and the army’s Intelligence Directorate of… Ibrahim’s decision to detain the ships and prevent them from leaving Lebanon,” the National News Agency said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday voiced a stern message regarding Lebanon’s political crisis, on the eve of an official visit to Beirut.

“I will be in Lebanon tomorrow with a message of great firmness to political leaders and a message of full solidarity to the Lebanese,” Le Drian tweeted.

Fifty-nine containers of highly dangerous substances were cleared Wednesday from the disaster-hit Beirut port, nine months after the explosion of hundreds of tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate at the facility caused a deadly and unprecedented peacetime catastrophe in Lebanon.

“Following a strenuous follow-up by caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab for more than eight months, fifty-nine containers of highly dangerous substances found at Beirut port and other places after the Aug. 4 blast disaster were exported today,” the Premiership said in a statement.

Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Wednesday raided the offices of the Prosec money transfer firm in Baabda, in a new development that follows her controversial raids on the Mecattaf cash shipping company in Awkar.

State-run National News Agency said Aoun raided the firm after it refused to hand over requested data.

The sixth round of indirect negotiations scheduled Wednesday between Lebanon and Israel on their maritime borders have been postponed to an “unspecified” date, media reports said.

Al-Mustaqbal MP Mohammed el-Hajjar on Wednesday pinned significance on the expected visit of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to Beirut amid the government’s impasse, noting that PM-designate Saad Hariri will eventually “take a decision” on the complex formation of a cabinet, the National News Agency reported.