Based on recent assessments, 2.5 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance in Lebanon – vulnerable Lebanese, migrants, and Palestine refugees in Lebanon (PRL) – in addition to 1.5 million Syrian refugees, the Lebanon office of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

During meetings with the Lebanese Government, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Najat Rochdi, has announced that the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund (LHF) has allocated US$16 million to scale up humanitarian response in Lebanon.

Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayyad has said that progress has been made as to finalizing an agreement for importing gas from Egypt through Syria.

In remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper published Wednesday, Fayyad said he discussed the issue with visiting U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein, who expressed “full readiness to cooperate and help in order to complete the remaining stages.”

President Michel Aoun on Wednesday scheduled the binding parliamentary consultations for picking a new PM for Thursday, June 23, the Presidency said.

In a meeting with a delegation from the Order of Physicians earlier in the day, Aoun had said that "all parties must work together to correct the mistakes that plunged the country into the current situation."

French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo met last week in Haret Hreik with a number of Hezbollah officials, including the party’s international relations officer, Ammar al-Moussawi, media reports said.

“Discussions tackled the current general Lebanese issues, especially Lebanon’s implementation of the necessary steps for the structural reforms process and an evaluation of the latest parliamentary elections, their results and their impact on the situations,” al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Several Lebanese sources have agreed that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein’s gas talks in Lebanon on Tuesday were “positive,” Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Wednesday.

“There is a significant possibility to reach an agreement that would lead to a resumption of indirect negotiations at the U.N. post in Naqoura,” sources informed on Hochstein’s meetings told the daily.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has directed fresh criticism at Lebanon over the maritime border dispute.

Washington has been brokering talks aimed at demarcating the frontier and allowing both sides to ramp up gas exploration.

U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein has confirmed that what he heard from Lebanese officials in his meetings with them on Tuesday will enable the sea border negotiations with Israel to “go forward.”

Ex-MP Faisal Karami, one of many pro-Syria politicians who lost their seats in the May parliamentary elections, announced Tuesday that he has filed an appeal against the results of the elections before the Constitutional Council.

“These elections were marred by major flaws, several violations, frenzied financial spending and the biggest operation of buying consciences that Lebanon has witnessed, not to mention the incitement in the media and the unprecedented campaigns,” Karami said at a press conference.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Tuesday that what U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein heard from President Michel Aoun regarding sea border demarcation is “agreed on by all Lebanese,” adding that Lebanon is “keen on preserving stability.”

Berri voiced his remarks in a 70-minute meeting with Hochstein in Ain el-Tineh.

U.S. envoy mediating between Lebanon and Israel over their disputed maritime border will meet on Tuesday with a delegation of "Change" MPs at the U.S. Embassy in Awkar.

The MPs will convey to Amos Hochstein that Lebanon has the right to Line 29, MP Ibrahim Mneimneh said.