Prime Minister Saad Hariri has reassured on the situation of the banking sector and on Lebanon's ties with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries.

“We are among the countries that best implement U.S. laws on their banks, especially in terms of transparency,” Hariri told a delegation of economic committees and businessmen who hail from Tripoli and the North.

The Council of Maronite Bishops on Wednesday lauded a government statement that reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to distance itself from regional conflicts, urging all parties to abide by it.

“The fathers urge everyone to abide by this resolution in order to protect national unity, political and economic stability and security,” said the bishops in a statement issued after their monthly meeting in Bkirki.

The Season 2 of Génération Orient, the cultural partnership between SGBL and L’Orient-le Jour, reached its end with the awards ceremony, on Monday, December 4th at the Music Hall in Beirut, in a festive atmosphere, in the presence of the artists and a large audience.

During 12 months, we had the opportunity to get to know and appreciate the history and the course of twelve young Lebanese artists coming from different backgrounds: cooking, illustration, design, photography, storytelling, theater, music, fashion, dance, cinema, architecture and the art of tattooing. Each month, L’Orient-Le Jour featured an artist by dedicating an entire page in the print version of the newspaper and on the website as well as a vast campaign on OLJ’s social media platform (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), with interviews, articles and videos by Karl Hadifé. The final result was voted 50% by the public and 50% by a jury of experts.

After an agreement reached at the Cabinet that affirmed Lebanon's commitment to the dissociation policy, President Michel Aoun said the statement constitutes “a win for Lebanon,” Aoun said on Twitter on Wednesday.

“The statement issued by the Cabinet yesterday does not constitute a win for one party or loss for another. The winner here is Lebanon which was able to get through, thanks for the unity of the people to safeguard stability and peace,” said Aoun.

Grand Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Deryan demurred on Wednesday President Donald's Trump's plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital warning it could have “serious consequences,” the National News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Yaaqoubi on Wednesday denied reports alleging that he left Lebanon in a demur move following the declaration announced by the Lebanese Cabinet on the so-called dissociation policy, LBCI TV station reported.

The Lebanese armed forces carried out raids of several homes in Hay al-Sharawneh in Baalbek related to major drug supply throughout Lebanon, LBCI reported on Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid respect to Prime Minister Saad Hariri's decision to revoke his resignation announced in November from Saudi Arabia, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The French presidency said in a statement that “President Macron was briefed of the Lebanese Cabinet's announcement, which was exceptionally chaired by President Michel Aoun, that paved way for PM Saad Hariri to rescind his resignation and fully assume his duties,” added NNA.

The meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon that will be held in Paris Friday is “an international rally in support of the Lebanese legitimacy embodied in the president, the premier and the parliament,” the Change and Reform bloc said on Tuesday.

“Thank God for Lebanon's safety after the major crisis that we went through,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday expressed “relief” over Prime Minister Saad Hariri's formal withdrawal of his resignation.

“The bloc welcomed the resolution that was issued by the Cabinet today in which it reaffirmed the commitment of all of the government's components to the policy of dissociation from any conflicts or wars, as well as the internal affairs of Arab countries," Mustaqbal said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.