Al-Mawared Bank announced Friday the suspension of its membership in the Association of Banks as it accused the association of failing to protect the banks and the depositors.

The Bank in a statement accused the Association of taking decisions "that are not necessarily in the interest of its members and of the depositors," since the beginning of the crisis in October 2019, and of "failing to protect the banking sector."

Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati will start the non-binding consultations to form a government on Monday, the Parliament General Secretariat said.

It announced Friday in a statement the schedule of the consultations with the parliamentary blocs that will be held at the parliament on Monday and Tuesday.

President Michel Aoun stressed Friday the Palestinians' right to return to their homeland and build their independent state, as he met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Baabda.

Haniyeh said, after the meeting, that he refuses the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the idea of an alternative homeland.

The Israeli Embassy in Uruguay has expressed its "concern" about a cargo plane with Iranian and Venezuelan crew that has been grounded outside Buenos Aires more than two weeks.

In a news release, the embassy said some of the Iranian crew members "were involved directly in the trafficking of weapons to Syria and the terrorist organization Hezbollah of Lebanon."

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati was named PM-designate on Thursday with 54 votes, as former Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. Nawaf Salam received 25 votes and 46 MPs abstained from naming any candidate.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has informed Israel of Lebanon’s proposal regarding sea border demarcation and the response is expected “next week or the week after,” Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab has said.

Less than a week from the deadline for President Michel Aoun to sign the decree of military and security officer promotions, a dispute over the issue between Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri is still ongoing, media reports said on Thursday.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said that he might seek a minor government reshuffle and that he will activate the caretaker cabinet.

Deputy Speaker Bou Saab was the first to meet President Michel Aoun Thursday, as the binding parliamentary consultations kicked off in Baabda.

Bou Saab of the Free Patriotic Movement did not nominate anyone, neither did his bloc, except for Akkar MP Mohammed Yehya who named Mikati.

President Michel Aoun began consultations with members of parliamentary blocs on Thursday to name a new prime minister following last month’s parliamentary elections.

The MPs are divided between caretaker PM Najib Mikati and ex-President of the U.N. Security Council Nawaf Salam, while many had announced they will not nominate anyone.