The Lebanese army moved to end a wave of protests against tax increases and alleged official corruption Saturday as the fragile governing coalition fractured over promised economic reforms.

The embassy of Qatar in the Lebanese capital Beirut has called on Qatari citizens to wait and avoid travelling to Lebanon for the time being due to developments to preserve their safety.

Tens of thousands of angry protesters blocked roads and burned tyres across Lebanon for a second day on Friday, demanding the demise of a political elite they say looted the economy

Qatar and Lebanon on Monday affirmed their joint commitment to strengthening relations between the two nations and also explored potential areas of co-operation in the field of energy.

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire along the Lebanese border after a week of rising tensions, sparking fears of an escalation and prompting concern from world powers.

Turkey said on Friday that an Iranian tanker at the centre of a confrontation between Washington and Tehran was headed to Lebanon's waters after changing course several times

The Lebanese army opened fire at an Israeli drone in south Lebanon on Wednesday, two Lebanese security sources and local media said.

Lebanon's president on Monday said an Israeli drone attack on Beirut at the weekend was a "declaration of war" that justified a military response.

Lebanese group Hezbollah on Sunday said one of two drones that came down over its Beirut stronghold was rigged with explosives and caused damage to its media centre.

A prominent Lebanese daily Thursday appeared on newsstands with a black front page in the second such protest by a local paper in less than a year over the country's lingering political crisis.

Mozambique has launched legal action against a French-Lebanese billionaire, Iskandar Safa, whose shipbuilding company is at the heart of a $2 billion debt scandal, officials said Friday.

Critically-acclaimed Qatari musician, composer, songwriter and symphonic artist Dana Alfardan has co-written the musical, Broken Wings, based on the novel by Kahlil Gibran, with Nadim Naaman.