Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has defended his "integrity" and "transparent" assets, following a complaint filed in France accusing him of money laundering and other offences.

Two associations filed a complaint against Mikati with France's financial prosecutor's office, accusing him of fraudulently building up assets in France and other countries, a source close to the case told AFP on Wednesday.

UNRWA urged Wednesday its partners to continue supporting Palestine Refugees in Syria, and those who have fled to neighboring Lebanon and Jordan as a result of the 13-year conflict in Syria. The Agency is appealing for US$ 415.4 million to support its chronically underfunded operations in these three countries.

“We must continue to support Palestine Refugees affected by the 13-year-long Syria crisis. While the horror unfolding in Gaza is consuming most of our attention, humanitarian needs in other crisis-affected areas of operations should not be overlooked,” said Natalie Boucly, UNRWA’s Deputy Commissioner-General for Programmes and Partnerships, who launched the appeal in Beirut.

Direct and indirect communication is still ongoing between U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein and Speaker Nabih Berri regarding the border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a diplomatic source said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that France and the United States are “working everyday together” to avoid a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing more than $67 million in additional urgently needed humanitarian assistance for vulnerable populations in Lebanon. This brings the total USAID humanitarian assistance to Lebanon to over $157 million since Fiscal Year 2023.

"Lebanon’s protracted economic, financial, and humanitarian crises have led lead to acute levels of food insecurity and critical healthcare needs nationwide," the U.S. embassy in Beirut said Wednesday in a statement.

The Lebanese Army’s investigations determined that the blast that hit a U.N. military observers patrol in Rmeish on Saturday was caused by an explosive device planted underground, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Israel's military meanwhile said Wednesday it had obtained information that indicated a Hezbollah explosive charge caused the blast.

The Israeli army shelled Wednesday border towns in south Lebanon after Hezbollah targeted a post in northern Israel, reportedly inflicting casualties.

Hezbollah said it targeted the al-Raheb post and a group of soldiers around it, triggering a heavy shelling of the southern border town of Aita al-Shaab.

The president of Cyprus has said that he has personally asked the head of the European Union's executive arm to intercede with Lebanese authorities to stop boatloads of Syrian refugees from heading to the east Mediterranean island nation.

President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters that Lebanon is the beneficiary of significant EU financial aid for both its own citizens and for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees it continues to host, but that doesn't come without strings attached.

In a significant stride towards advancing sustainable practices in Lebanon's food industry, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the American University of Beirut (AUB) embarked on a pioneering collaboration, marked by the launch of the Private Sector Transition to Green and Circular Economy in Lebanon project.

"This underscores a shared commitment to fostering resource efficiency, cleaner production, and ultimately, a circular economy in Lebanon," the American University of Beirut said in a statement.

A deadly strike blamed on Israel against Iran's diplomatic mission in Damascus could trigger a spillover of the Gaza war across the region, an escalation Tehran had sought to avoid, analysts said.

Monday's strike levelled the consular annex of the Iranian embassy and killed 13 people, including seven members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iranian state media reported.