The usual political activities aiming to ease the government gridlock have been “absent” from the agenda of the presidential palace and the Grand Serail, amid “pessimism” expressed by Speaker Nabih Berri over the government formation, the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday.

“I have offered everything possible to form the government. I will not regret my effort, and I do not want to hold any political party responsible for the delay,” said Berri during his weekly Wednesday meeting with parliamentarians.

Circles close to President Michel Aoun insisted on “expanding the list of the accused” that the President intended to blame for the government delay, refusing reports that he was “exclusively” pointing a finger at Hizbullah or a the group of pro-Hizbullah Sunni MPs, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

The sources said the remarks Aoun made from Bkirki were “a resounding cry in the face of more than one team that seeks to change the constitutional norms when forming governments, and attempts to impose new mechanisms that were not mentioned in the constitution, which limited the task to the PM-designate in charge in coordination with the President.”

Syrian air defenses shot down Israeli missiles near the capital Damascus on Tuesday, local state media reported, while Israel said it was protecting itself from anti-aircraft fire. 

Clashes erupted and several Beirut roads were blocked Sunday as demonstrators took to the streets to denounce the dire social and economic situations in the country.

Carrying Lebanese flags, protesters in downtown Beirut chanted ‘No Sectarianism, We All Want Health Care Cards’ and ‘The People Want to Topple The Regime’.

MP Qassem Hashem, of the Consultative Gathering MPs, said the group has the right to have a representative in the government true to the causes of their group, the National News Agency reported on Saturday.

"The Consultative Gathering causes no problem with anyone. Its recognized right to having a representative in the awaited government is clear to all, as agreed upon in light of President Michel Aoun’s initiative," said Hashem.

Karami Says He Backs Mrad ‘Adra Doesn't Represent’ the Consultative Gathering

After reports that head of the Strong Lebanon bloc Jebran Bassil was trying to “induce” Jawad Adra into his own bloc, the Consultative Gathering MPs are therefore mulling to make Adra “sign an agreement” that he will exclusively represent them in the new government, media reports said.

Al-Akhbar daily said the Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil attempts to “induce” Adra --a nominee to represent the Consultative Gathering MPs in the new government--into his Strong Lebanon bloc.

The Consultative Gathering MPs met on Friday, after the return of their MP Faisal Karami from a trip abroad, and agreed on the controversial nomination of Jawad Adra as one of four figures to be named and presented to President Michel Aoun to choose from.

“We have submitted a list of four names including Jawad Adra. If President Aoun agrees on Adra, then he will be the one to represent the Gathering in the new government,” Karami told reporters after the meeting.

Lebanon’s political parties have reportedly overcome the obstacles that delayed the government formation for around seven months, amid expectations it would be formed on Friday evening or Saturday at most, Asharq al-Awsat daily reported on Friday.

After months long discussions over the distribution of portfolios and shares, discussions will now move to the government's policy statement “which will include controversial items difficult to ensure political consensus around, mainy Hizbullah’s weapons and Lebanon’s relation with Syria,” the newspaper reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that Lebanon must form a new government "as soon as possible" in order to promote cooperation between the two countries.