The United States and the United Nations will commence cash distributions to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) on Friday under the “Livelihood Support Program.” 

This program, valued at $55.5 million, will disburse temporary financial support for more than 70,000 LAF personnel and will provide eligible LAF members with $100 per month for a period of six months.

A son of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was briefly taken to hospital this week after his health deteriorated nearly three weeks into a hunger strike to protest his detention without trial in Beirut, a person familiar with the case said.

The health of Hannibal Gadhafi, who has been only drinking small amounts of water, deteriorated on Wednesday the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt are mulling the idea of inviting all Lebanese parties, topped by Hezbollah, to a dialogue table that will be held in Riyadh, after Paris, Doha and Cairo were ruled out as locations, informed sources said.

“The French envoy (Jean-Yves Le Drian) will discuss the idea with the Iranians and will propose it to the Lebanese parties after Eid al-Adha, seeing as his current tour is exploratory,” the sources told ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Thursday.

Qatari and Egyptian diplomats have stressed in a major capital that there will be efforts to search for a “third and serious” Lebanese presidential candidate who would “enjoy the consent of Washington and Riyadh and would not provoke Tehran,” a media report said.

“The Qataris and Egyptians said the nomination and election will likely go in the direction of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun should the current status quo remain the same,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea considered Thursday that despite France's efforts to break the presidential impasse, the problem is "inside Lebanon."

Geagea said, after meeting France's new special envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian, that the presidential crisis could only be resolved inside Lebanon's parliament.

MP Neemat Frem has stressed that the priority today is “rescuing” the country.

“I consider myself qualified to manage this process as a president, in light of the experience I possess in the fields of managing change,” Frem said in an interview with Tele Liban.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea has urged Parliament to perform its sovereign duty by reaching consensus, maintaining a quorum, and electing a president.

"We look forward to partnership with your future president, someone on whom we will count to put the interests of the country first, someone not tainted by corruption or subject to outside influence," Shea said Wednesday night on the 247th Anniversary of the U.S. Independence.

The Advisory Commission (AdCom) on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) convened in Beirut on Wednesday and Thursday, amid immense concern over the alarming financial situation of the Agency.

In the two-day session, chaired by Dr. Bassel El Hassan, Chairman of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC), AdCom members actively engaged the UNRWA senior management on key issues related to the survival of the Agency and its services to Palestine Refugees.  

French President Emmanuel Macron's envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian met Thursday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

Le Drian had arrived Wednesday in Beirut to end a political impasse that has left the country without a president for more than seven months.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized Wednesday a cabinet session that he said discussed items that a caretaker government should not be tackling.

Geagea dubbed the session as "unconstitutional" although it discussed some urgent matters, but also contained other items "far from being urgent."