Lead investigator in the Beirut port blast Judge Tarek Bitar suspended Thursday a scheduled session for hearing ex-Prime Minister Hassan Diab's testimony after the latter filed a lawsuit that will pause his prosecution until a decision is made.

On Wednesday, one day before his scheduled session, Diab filed a lawsuit against the state.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea has overseen a donation of medications to the Hôpital Psychiatrique de la Croix. 

Abbas Ahmed Mazloum, 38, on Wednesday died of wounds sustained in the Beirut port blast, 15 months after the catastrophic explosion.

The National News Agency said Mazloum, a father of five, was at his job at the port at the moment of the blast.

Former Prime Minister Hassan Diab filed Wednesday a lawsuit against the state, over his prosecution by lead investigator in the Beirut port blast, Judge Tarek Bitar.

Judicial sources told al-Jadeed TV that once Bitar is officially notified of the suit by Diab’s defense lawyers, the ex-PM’s prosecution will be paused until a decision is made.

The army’s Intelligence Directorate on Wednesday communicated with State Commissioner to Military Court Judge Fadi Akiki to inquire about the next step after Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea failed to attend a testimony session, MTV reported.

Akiki asked the Directorate to “close the investigation file” without requesting any other step, the TV network added.

MP Ali Bazzi of Amal Movement’s Development and Liberation bloc on Wednesday hit back at Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil over a tweet.

“The aim of all your tweets is topple the consensus that was reached between the presidents and His Eminence Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and to ruin the country,” Bazzi said.

Minister of Information George Kordahi announced Wednesday that he cannot decide to resign "on his own" and said it's unacceptable for anyone “to dictate on us whether a minister should resign or not.”

“I am part of a cohesive government, and I cannot take a decision on my own,” he said in a press conference after an uproar over controversial statements he had made about the Yemen war.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Wednesday lashed out at the Lebanese Forces and the Amal Movement and accused them of “collusion.”

“When I talked about the collusion of the ‘Tayyouneh duo’, a major uproar happened,” Bassil tweeted.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Wednesday held a meeting with President Michel Aoun over the current developments, including Information Minister Georges Kordhai’s remarks and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s initiative for resolving the controversy over the port blast probe.

“We tackled several issues, especially the patriarch’s initiative,” Miqati said after the talks, hoping the initiative will materialize soon and will lead to a resumption of Cabinet sessions.

“Lebanon is going through one of the worst economic crises in world history,” said De Schutter, an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council to monitor, report, and advise on poverty and its intersection with human rights.

“According to one estimate, in just two years, multidimensional poverty has doubled from 42% to 82%, with nearly four million people facing deprivation in education, healthcare, public utilities, housing, assets, or employment and income,” he said.