Ex-PM Saad Hariri held talks Friday with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Washington and noted that his Mustaqbal movement is fighting the “extremism” of Hizbullah and other groups.

A statement issued by Hariri's office said the White House meeting focused on the situation in Lebanon and the latest developments in the region, “particularly what is happening in Syria, Iraq and Yemen."

Top Lebanese businessmen based in Saudi Arabia are planning to visit Beirut for talks with Lebanese leaders on Hizbullah's recent campaign on the kingdom, the head of commerce, industry and agriculture chambers federation said.

Mohammed Shuqair told al-Mustaqbal daily published on Friday that the businessmen from all sects want to warn Lebanese officials from the repercussions of the campaigns launched against Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.

The first shipment of French weapons to the Lebanese army under a Saudi-financed deal included double the amount that was revealed to the public, An Nahar newspaper reported on Friday.

Ministerial sources told the daily that the real number of Milan rockets was double the amount revealed, in addition to advanced weapons that were not announced for military purposes.

Global oil prices rebounded to a four-month peak Thursday as Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched new strikes in Yemen, stoking new supply concerns over the crude-rich Middle East.

Brent North Sea crude for delivery in June delivery soared to $65.13 per barrel.

Saudi Arabia executed two of its nationals Thursday, bringing to 67 the number of Saudis and foreigners executed in the kingdom this year despite activists' concerns.

Sulaiman al-Jahni, convicted of trafficking amphetamines, was executed in the northern region of Jawf, the interior ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Pakistan's prime minister expressed "solidarity" with Saudi Arabia during a visit on Thursday after his parliament refused to send forces to help a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, a Pakistani official said.

Nawaz Sharif arrived with a powerful delegation including army chief General Raheel Sharif and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, who met King Salman and other top government officials.

Shopping malls in Saudi Arabia have tightened security after the interior ministry issued a warning over possible attacks.

At the upscale Kingdom Center Mall in central Riyadh, security guards inspected bags and scanned visitors with metal detectors before they entered, an Agene France Presse reporter witnessed.

Saudi-led warplanes launched new deadly strikes in Yemen on Thursday despite a demand by Iran-backed rebels for a complete halt to the raids as a condition for U.N.-sponsored peace talks.

The Saudi-led coalition declared an end to the first phase of its operations against the Huthi Shiite rebels and their allies, but vowed to keep hitting them with targeted bombing when necessary.

Speaker Nabih Berri has canceled the meeting of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union (AIPU) that was set to be held in Beirut end of April after he was informed by Saudi Arabia that it would not attend the talks, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

Berri informed Arab parliaments that “the conference has been canceled for non-Lebanese reasons,” said al-Joumhouria.

Saudi Arabia will respond if rebels in Yemen carry out any "aggressive moves," the Saudi ambassador to the United States warned Wednesday, a day after the Gulf kingdom declared an end to its month-long air campaign.

"If the Huthis or their allies make any aggressive moves there will be a response," ambassador Adel al-Jubeir told reporters. "The decision to calm matters now rests entirely with them."