Former prime minister Hassan Diab appeared Friday before Judge Tarek Bitar for interrogation in the case of the 2020 catastrophic blast at Beirut’s port.

Diab arrived from abroad for the questioning and he reportedly met with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, who “advised” him to appear before Bitar in order not to be accused of obstructing the investigation.

President Joseph Aoun stressed Friday that “diplomacy is the only solution” for ending Israel’s occupation of parts of south Lebanon.

The World Bank will grant Lebanon a $250 million loan that will be used to help ease electricity cuts in the crisis-hit country, the country's finance ministry said.

Lebanon has faced major electricity problems for decades, but the situation became worse following an economic meltdown that began in late 2019. The 14-month Israel-Hebzollah war that ended in late November also badly damaged electricity and other infrastructure in parts of Lebanon.

Lebanese official media said eight people were wounded in a drone attack in a border village, as Syria said it responded to artillery fire from Lebanon.

Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani provided "clarifications" to Lebanese officials regarding his latest remarks on "disarmament," Iran's embassy said, after he was summoned by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry over perceived interference in Lebanese affairs.

Amani noted that his statements on X were "general... and applied to all countries without exception, including Iran," the embassy added.

A video circulating online shows the Lebanese Army seizing control of military posts, weapons and rockets in the southern region of al-Orqoub.

Hezbollah MP Hussein Jishi stressed Thursday that “the arms of the resistance are what liberated the land and ousted the enemy.”

The Lebanese army has been deploying in the southern villages and towns from which Israeli troops have withdrawn as Lebanon is set to hold its municipal elections next month including in the country's south, still suffering from devastation from major Israeli bombings and a ground invasion.

The Israeli strikes have not been halted by a ceasefire reached in late November and Israeli troops remain on five hills in south Lebanon that Israel deems "strategic".

Lebanon's parliament on Thursday approved amendments to banking secrecy legislation, a key reform demanded by the International Monetary Fund, as Lebanese officials hold meetings with global finance institutions in Washington.

A statement from Speaker Nabih Berri's office said parliament passed amendments to "the law related to banking secrecy" and to monetary legislation.

A U.S. military delegation accompanied by a Lebanese Army force on Thursday inspected the al-Dabesh area on the southeastern outskirts of the southern town of Yohmor al-Shaqif, which was targeted by Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling over the past two weeks, the state-run National News Agency reported.