Hezbollah’s “Christian relations” official Mohammed Saeed al-Khansa and Hezbollah official Abdullah Zaiour met Thursday with Maronite League chief Khalil Karam at the League’s headquarters.

Congratulating Karam over his election as the new head of the League and offering Christmas and New Year greetings, the two Hezbollah officials held a lengthy discussion with Karam over the situation in Lebanon.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri sent Thursday a message of condolence to his Irish counterpart and to UNIFIL head Aroldo Lázaro, after an Irish soldier of the U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon was killed and three were wounded as their convoy came under fire.

"With great sorrow and great sadness, we learned the news of the soldier's death," Berri told Seán Ó Fearghaíl, as he strongly condemned the "unfortunate" incident.

Ministers from the various political parties will meet on Friday to discuss the work of the caretaker government in light of the latest standoff between the Free Patriotic Movement and the rest of the government’s components.

“A consultative ministerial meeting will be held tomorrow at 4pm at the Grand Serail to discuss the issue of mending the governmental rift and finding solutions for the current disputes,” MTV reported.

Hezbollah coordination and liaison officer Wafiq Safa urged Thursday not to involve Hezbollah in an attack that killed an Irish member of the UN peacekeeping force and wounded three others.

Safa told LBCI that the incident was unintentional, sending his condolences for UNIFIL and wishing recovery to the three wounded members.

Lebanon's divided parliament failed to elect a new president Thursday for a tenth time, despite the damage the political deadlock is doing to efforts to bail out its bankrupt economy.

Parliament is split between supporters of Hezbollah and its opponents, neither of whom have a clear majority.

The British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell, has announced a £13 million commitment to “support the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) resilience from 2022 till 2025 in a Memorandum of Understanding signed with LAF Commander in Chief General Joseph Aoun,” the British embassy said.

Cowell, with the U.S. Ambassador, Dorothy Shea, and the Canadian Ambassador, Stephanie McCollum, met General Aoun during the High Level Steering Committee to discuss security on the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab met Wednesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.

After the meeting, Bou Saab said that it is not likely for a dialogue to be held before the end of the year.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday denied a media report claiming that he is seeking anew to convene the caretaker cabinet, following the latest session that sparked political and sectarian tensions in the country.

Describing the report published in al-Akhbar newspaper as “fabricated,” Mikati’s press office said the premier does not intend to convene the caretaker cabinet anytime soon.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Wednesday that "we accept transcontinental dialogue but we reject it at home."

In a statement on social media, Jumblat said that we accept dialogue across continents and through football, but not in Lebanon.

The European Union has allocated this year €229 million to reinforce reforms and economic development in Lebanon.

In a statement, the delegation of the EU to Lebanon said that the EU "continues to support Lebanon and its people during challenging socio-economic conditions and allocates this year €229 million to reinforce much needed reforms and economic development."