U.S. Is Again Warning Its Citizens to Leave Lebanon

 

The Hill: Americans urged to leave Lebanon ‘as soon as possible’ 

The State Department on Thursday urged Americans to make plans to leave Lebanon “as soon as possible,” elevating an earlier security warning that advised Americans not to travel to the country. 

“The U.S. Embassy is closely monitoring the security situation in Lebanon,” the Thursday advisory read. 

“The Department of State urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to make plans to depart as soon as possible while commercial options are still available.”  

Read more ....  

Update #1: US, UK call on their citizens to leave Lebanon while flights 'remain available' (Times of Israel)  

Update #2: US embassy urges its citizens in Lebanon to leave 'ASAP' (Jerusalem Post)  

WNU Editor: The US is not the only one telling its citizens to leave .... US, UK, Germany tell citizens to leave Lebanon as regional tensions rise (Al Jazeera). More here .... Canada now advising against all travel to Lebanon amid Israel-Hamas conflict (Global Times), here .... Oman urges its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately (Al Arabiya), and here .... Saudi Urges Citizens To Depart Lebanon 'Immediately' (AFP).

This push to get foreigners out of Lebanon tells me the following. Israel is going to launch an offensive on northern Gaza in the coming days/weeks. This offensive will probably result in a reaction from Hezbollah, and the real possibility of a second front in this war along the Lebanese border.

Lebanon Devalues Its Currency By 90%

The Lebanese pound has crashed since a financial meltdown in 2019 [File: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]  

Reuters: Lebanon to devalue currency by 90% on Feb. 1, central bank chief says 

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon will adopt a new official exchange rate of 15,000 pounds per U.S. dollar on Feb. 1, central bank governor Riad Salameh said, marking a 90% devaluation from its current official rate that has remained unchanged for 25 years. 

The shift from the old rate of 1,507 to 15,000 is still far off the parallel market, where the pound was changing hands at around 57,000 per dollar on Tuesday. 

The change will apply to banks, Salameh said, leading to a decrease in the equity of the institutions at the centre of the country's 2019 financial implosion. 

Analysts expect the shift to have less impact on the wider economy, which is increasingly dollarized and where most trades take place according to the parallel market rate. 

The pound has lost some 97% of its value since it began to split from the 1,507 rate in 2019.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Lebanon devalues official exchange rate by 90 percent (Al Jazeera)  

Update #2: Lebanon to devalue currency by 90 pct: central bank (AAP)  

WNU Editor: The Lebanese are not along with a collapsing currency .... Argentine banks short of storage capacity to pile the rapidly depreciating Pesos (Merco Press0.

People In Lebanon Are Holding Up Banks To Withdraw Their Own Money

 

Reuters: Bank holdups snowball in Lebanon as depositors demand their own money 

Beirut, Lebanon — Three Lebanese banks were held up by depositors seeking access to their own money frozen in the banking system on Friday, adding to a spate of holdups this week spurred by frustration over a spiraling financial implosion with no end in sight. 

A man with a gun that turned out to be a toy was arrested after holding up a Lebanese bank in the southern city of Ghazieh, a security source said. 

Also on Friday morning, an armed man entered a branch of BLOM bank in the Lebanese capital's Tariq al-Jdideh neighborhood seeking his deposit, the bank told Reuters in a statement, adding that the situation was under control.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Lebanon's banks are to be closed this week .... Lebanese banks to close next week after more branches are stormed (Al Jazeera). Here is an easy prediction. this is only going to make the crisis worse. 

 People In Lebanon Are Holding Up Banks To Withdraw Their Own Money  

Woman with toy gun breaks into Beirut bank to take $13,000 in locked savings, says she needs money for sister's cancer treatment -- CBS/AP  

People in Lebanon are holding up banks to withdraw their own money amid the country's financial crisis -- Business Insider 

Lebanon Financial Crisis: Desperate Savers Robbing Their Own Banks to Get Cash -- Bloomberg  

Five banks in Lebanon held up by depositors demanding access to savings -- CNN  

Lebanese depositors storm banks amid historic economic crisis -- France 24

Lebanon's Economic Crisis Deepens As Currency Hits A New Record Low

A man counts Lebanese pounds at an exchange shop in Beirut. AP  

Times of Israel/AP: Lebanon currency slumps to new low as economic crisis deepens  

Lebanese pound trading at 30,000 to 1 US dollar on the black market after drastically dropping in value in recent years amid political and financial mismanagement 

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s currency hit a new low on Tuesday, sinking to 30,000 pounds to the dollar on the black market, as an economic meltdown continued with no solution in sight. 

The black market value fell to 20 times lower than Lebanon’s official rate dating back to the start of the economic crisis in late 2019, likely throwing more people into poverty.

The Lebanese currency was pegged at 1,500 pounds to the dollar for 22 years until decades of corruption and mismanagement led to the country’s worst economic crisis in its modern history starting in October 2019. 

Read more ....  

Update #1: Lebanese currency drops to record low (Arab News/AFP)  

Update #2: Lebanese pound drops to record low amid crisis (The National)  

WNU Editor: It is going to take years for Lebanon to recover .... President Aoun: Lebanon needs ‘six to seven years’ to exit crisis (Al Jazeera).

Hamas Ammunition Warehouse Explodes In Southern Lebanon

 

CNN: Hamas ammunition warehouse explodes causing casualties in southern Lebanon 

(CNN)A Hamas warehouse filled with ammunition at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon exploded on Friday, causing casualties, according to Lebanon state-run NNA news. 

"Sounds of explosions were heard in the al-Burj al-Shamali camp for Palestinian refugees, east of Tyre, in one of the Palestinian Islamic centers inside the camp," NNA said in its report. 

Hamas, a militant fundamentalist Islamic organization operating in the West Bank and Gaza, has offices in certain areas of Lebanon.  

Read more .... 

Hamas Ammunition Warehouse Explodes In Southern Lebanon  

Hamas says oxygen bottles exploded in Lebanon camp, not arms -- ABC News/AP 

Hamas source says weapons cache that exploded in southern Lebanon was ‘for defense’ -- Times of Israel

Explosions in Lebanon's Tyre, near Palestinian refugee camp -- DW  

Explosion at south Lebanon Palestinian camp leaves a dozen injured with others feared dead -- ABC News Australia 

Lebanon: Blast rocks Palestinian camp, causes casualties -- Al Jazeera

Can France And Saudi Arabia Resolve Lebanon's Political And Economic Crisis?

 

France 24: Macron announces Saudi-French initiative to solve diplomatic crisis with Lebanon 

 France and Saudi Arabia agreed on Saturday to do more to help the Lebanese population, work to solving a diplomatic row between Beirut and the Gulf states and jointly push to get the government there running. 

Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi resigned on Friday to help end a diplomatic spat with Saudi Arabia over comments he had made in October criticising Saudi Arabia's role in the war in Yemen, which had prompted Riyadh to ban Lebanese imports. 

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as part of a Gulf tour, told reporters Riyadh had committed to re-engage financially in the short-term. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: They are hoping for a bail-out .... Lebanese president, PM and parliament speaker express satisfaction with Saudi-French agreement (Arab News).  

Update: He is the first one .... Macron becomes first major Western leader to go to Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi killing (The Hill). 

France And Saudi Arabia Agree To Work Together To Resolve Lebanon's Political And Economic Crisis  

Macron announces Saudi-French initiative to solve crisis with Lebanon -- Reuters  

France, Saudi team up to solve Lebanon crisis -- Middle East Monitor  

Macron announces Saudi-French initiative to solve crisis with Lebanon -- Middle East Eye  

France to work with Saudi Arabia to resolve Lebanon crisis -- Al Jazeera

Gulf States Withdraw Ambassadors To Lebanon After Pro-Houthi Minister's Criticism of Yemen War

 

France 24: Four Gulf states including UAE pull diplomats from Beirut 

The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it was withdrawing its diplomats from Lebanon, following a similar move by Saudi Arabia over a Lebanese minister's criticism of the Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen. 

The diplomatic row, which has also seen Riyadh suspend imports from Lebanon and both Kuwait and Bahrain expel Lebanese envoys, is another blow to a country already in the grip of crippling political and economic crises. 

Lebanon had been counting on financial assistance from the Gulf to rescue its economy.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Regardless of what this minister said, Lebanon desperately needs aid from the Gulf states. This diplomatic dispute will impose even more hardships on the people of Lebanon. 

More News On The Gulf States Withdrawing Their Ambassadors From Lebanon  

Gulf States Withdraw Ambassadors to Lebanon Over Criticism of Yemen War -- New York Times  

Saudi Arabia Bans Lebanese Imports, Expels Ambassador Over War Comment -- NDTV  

After Saudi, Kuwait expels Lebanese diplomat over Yemen war row -- DW  

Lebanon’s FM sees possible breakthrough in diplomatic spat sparked by pro-Houthi minister -- Arab News  

Lebanese president says he wants ‘best relations’ with Saudis -- Al Jazeera  

Saudi Arabia foreign minister denies a diplomatic 'crisis' with Lebanon -- CNBC  

Lebanon seeks US help to resolve the crisis with Gulf states -- Gulf News

Lebanon Braces For More Violence

 

 Startfor: After a Bloody Day in Beirut, Lebanon Braces for More Violence 

In the Lebanese capital of Beirut, a deadly gun battle between militias has raised the risk of future violence. On Oct. 14, unidentified assailants opened fire on Hezbollah and allied al Amal protesters who were marching to Lebanon's Palace of Justice to demand the removal of the judge investigating the August 2020 Beirut port explosion. The shooting reportedly started when the mostly Muslim demonstrators marched through a largely Christian neighborhood in the Lebanese capital, leaving at least six people dead, including members of al Amal and Hezbollah. The attack then triggered hours of intense sectarian clashes in downtown Beirut, marking the worst day of sectarian violence in the city in more than a decade. The military eventually moved in to make arrests and secure the area. But while it appears this latest round of violence has ended, there are a number of possible triggers that could easily incite the next flare-up.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Violence accelerates Lebanon’s descent into state failure (Financial Times)  

Update #2: Lebanon quickly sinking in more ways than one (Gwynne Dyer, Bangkok Post)  

WNU Editor: The last thing that Lebanon needs right now is another civil war. But Lebanon is almost a failed state, and like all failed states, they always descend into some form of conflict.

Hezbollah's Leader Says His Group Has 100,000 Trained And Experienced Fighters

 

France 24: Lebanon's Hezbollah chief claims militant group has 100,000 'trained' fighters  

The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah said on Monday that last week’s Beirut violence in which seven Shi’ite Muslims were shot dead was a dangerous development and marked a new phase in the country’s internal politics. 

In his first remarks since the worst street violence in over a decade, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah lashed out at the Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) party and its head Samir Geagea, repeating accusations that they were responsible for the killings on Thursday.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Some are skeptical of this number .... Hezbollah 100,000 fighters is a symbolic lie - analysis (Jerusalem Post). 

More News On Hezbollah's Leader Saying His Group Has 100,000 Trained And Experienced Fighters  

Hezbollah leader declares his group has 100,000 fighters -- AP  

Hezbollah Says It Has 100000 Troops, Won't Be Drawn Into Civil War -- Bloomberg  

Lebanon: Nasrallah says Hezbollah 'never been stronger' -- Middle East Eye  

Hezbollah Leader Declares Group Has 100,000 'Trained & Experienced' Fighters - Report -- Sputnik

Deadly Clashes Erupt In Beirut Over Judge Investigating Last Year's Beirut Blast

 

Daily Mail: Mother and her daughters cower behind a car as shooting erupts in Lebanon, killing six including a woman hit in her home by stray bullet, during protest over Beirut explosion probe 

* Armed violence erupted on the streets of Beirut today resulting in at least six deaths and dozens more injuries 

* Hezbollah and Shiite allies called for protest today over lead judge in probe into chemical blast last year 

* Both groups of protestors claim they came under sniper fire from an unidentified attacker on the rooftops 

* Desperate residents forced to evacuate their homes and flee the area in order to find shelter from the chaos 

At least six people were killed and a further 32 injured after armed clashes erupted in Beirut during a protest by Militant Shia groups Hezbollah and Amal against the judge leading the probe into last year's explosion in the city's port. 

Desperate residents were forced to find shelter behind cars and schoolchildren hid under desks after members of Shia and Christian militias armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers began exchanging fire in the streets. 

An unidentified sniper also began opening fire on crowds who had gathered at the capital's Palace of Justice. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: This recent fighting started after this .... Lebanon court dismisses Hezbollah bid to remove Beirut blast judge (Times of Israel). 

 More News On Today's Violent Clashes In Beirut 

Lebanese army arrests nine people after Beirut violence: Live -- Al Jazeera  

Beirut Live Updates: At Least 6 Dead in Gunfire After Protests -- New York Times

Gunfire breaks out in Beirut during protest of judge; 6 dead -- AP  

Deadly clashes erupt over judge investigating Beirut blast -- France 24  

Beirut protest over blast inquiry turns into deadly gun battle as clashes erupt -- SKY News  

Beirut protests: Gunfire as tensions over port explosion probe escalate -- Middle East Eye  

Lebanon protests: why has shooting broken out over the Beirut port explosion? -- The National

Lebanon's Electrical Grid Shuts Down After Oil-Powered Power Stations Run Out Of Fuel

 

Daily Mail: Lebanon runs out of power: Country of six million is plunged into darkness 'for days' as electricity grid shuts down after oil-powered power stations run out of fuel 

* Lights go out in Lebanon as biggest two power stations shut due to fuel shortage 

* Energy network unlikely to be restored for 'several days', according to officials 

* Nation has faced many blackouts and shortages since end of civil war in 1990 

Lebanon has no centrally-generated electricity after the country's biggest two power stations shut down due to a fuel shortage.

'The Lebanese power network completely stopped working at noon today, and it is unlikely that it will work until next Monday, or for several days,' a government official confirmed today. 

The thermoelectric plant has stopped at Zahrani power station, after the Deir Ammar plant stopped on Friday due after diesel supplies were reportedly exhausted.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Lebanon is a failed state. It is amazing that this has not resulted in civil war.

 More News On Lebanon's Electrical Grid Shutting Down After Oil-Powered Power Stations Run Out Of Fuel 

Lebanon in darkness as electricity grid shuts down -- BBC 

Lebanon hit by electricity outage expected to last several days -- The Guardian/Reuters

Lebanon's electricity crisis plunges Beirut, country into darkness -- Middle East Eye  

Lebanon power: Total outage as electricity grid shuts down after running out of fuel - reports -- SKY News  

Fuel shortage forces shutdown of main Lebanese power plants -- Al Jazeera  

Lebanon in COMPLETE DARKNESS after 2 power stations shut down, blackout will ‘continue for few days’ -- RT

Lebanon's Economic Crisis Deepens

 

France 24: 'Hell on earth': Lebanon unlivable as crisis deepens 

It wasn't a late-night craving that brought Ayla to a Beirut cafe but the air-conditioning that let her children, slouched in a sofa next to her, get some proper rest. 

Lebanon's energy crisis is dragging people to unlikely places in their desperate quest for life's essentials, be it fresh air, electricity, a working fridge or petrol for their cars.

"For two days, we have not had a single minute of power at home. The children can no longer sleep," said Ayla, a woman in her 30s.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: The suffering is going to get worst .... Lebanon to raise fuel prices in bid to ease crippling shortages (Al Jazeera). But for those who have American dollars, life is good .... In Lebanon, dollars shield some from economic crisis (Frontline). 

 I can relate to the Frontline story on the power of the US dollar in my own personal life. 

When the Soviet Union fractured and Russia was put into an economic crisis that mirrors Lebanon today, to help my family in Russia and Ukraine I would make money in Canada through my regular job, part time work, business deals, and side hustles. Every six months or so I would then fly back to Moscow for a few days with all of the money I made to help the family pay bills and start ventures in real estate. 

I still remember vividly having a full course meal (booze included) at one of St. Petersburg's best restaurants with a dozen members of my family that cost less than $30 US. 

Building a new home for one of my uncles for $5,000 US, or buying my condo not far from Red Square at a price that is a fraction of what it is worth today. 

I know there is a lot of suffering in Lebanon today. I experienced it too. But there is also a lot of opportunity, and with time life does get better.

Lebanon's Economic Crisis Just turned For the Worst With The Central Bank Ending Fuel Subsidies

 

Arab News: Lebanese block roads after central bank puts brakes on fuel subsidies 

* Salameh’s move defended by economist, who says “he cannot use deposits that are part of the mandatory reserve” 

* Politicians slam decision by bank’s governor 

 BEIRUT: Angry Lebanese blocked roads across the country on Thursday, a day after the central bank said it could no longer afford to subsidise fuel imports below the black market rate. 

As the economy crumbles and Lebanon’s foreign reserves dwindle, the decision has been considered a de facto lifting of fuel subsidies. 

Confrontations with soldiers erupted in Tripoli amid a shortage of diesel to run private generators, which are only available on the black market at double the subsidized price. 

Protests also erupted around the house of Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati in Tripoli.

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Here is a sobering report on what life is now like for the average person in Lebanon .... 'Nothing left': in crisis-hit Lebanon bread too is scarce (France 24) 

More News On Lebanon's Economic Crisis  

Life grinds to a halt in Lebanon's blackouts -- Reuters  

Anger in Lebanon over central bank ending of fuel subsidies -- AP  

Life grinds to a halt in Lebanon as blackouts force hospitals, bakeries to shut or scale back operations -- ABC News Australia  

Electricity and transport become ‘luxury’ items overnight accelerating Lebanon’s economic tailspin -- CNN 

Lebanon: Politicians blast central bank for ending fuel subsidies -- Al Jazeera

Inside Lebanon’s Worst Economic Meltdown

 

New York Times: Collapse: Inside Lebanon’s Worst Economic Meltdown in More Than a Century 

TRIPOLI, Lebanon — Rania Mustafa’s living room recalls a not-so-distant past, when the modest salary of a security guard in Lebanon could buy an air-conditioner, plush furniture and a flat-screen TV. 

But as the country’s economic crisis worsened, she lost her job and watched her savings evaporate. 

Now, she plans to sell her furniture to pay the rent and struggles to afford food, much less electricity or a dentist to fix her 10-year-old daughter’s broken molar. 

For dinner on a recent night, lit by a single cellphone, the family shared thin potato sandwiches donated by a neighbor. The girl chewed gingerly on one side of her mouth to avoid her damaged tooth. 

“I have no idea how we’ll continue,” said Ms. Mustafa, 40, at home in Tripoli, Lebanon’s second-largest city, after Beirut.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: There is some aid being offered, but it is a not enough .... International donor conference raises $370 million in aid for Lebanon (France 24).

It Has Almost Been One Year Since The Massive Beirut Port Blast

 

 France 24: One year after deadly blast, Beirut struggles with ‘trauma after trauma’ 

Huge twin blasts in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020 left more than 200 people dead and 6,000 injured. The source of the disaster was 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a compound used as a fertiliser that is also a very powerful explosive agent. It had been stored at the port with no precautions for more than six years. The tragedy soon became a symbol of Lebanon’s years-long political, social and economic crises. Despite promises of change, wounds left by the explosion have yet to heal.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: A year after Beirut blast, Lebanon sinks deep into mire of corruption (The Guardian) 

Update #2: Beirut blast one year on: No answers and no economic optimism (RTE) 

 WNU Editor: For those who are interested on what became of the bride almost swept away by the Beirut blast (see video below). 

Lebanon's People Must Now Endure Staying For Hours In Long Line-Ups

People stand in line for bread outside a bakery in Beirut in June 2020. (Hassan Ammar / Associated Press)

 Los Angeles: Lebanon's people line up in 'queues of humiliation' as their country unravels 

Fill ’er up? Be ready to wait in line at least an hour — assuming the gas station is open, that is. 

Need medication? Something as basic as aspirin could set you on a daylong hunt from pharmacy to pharmacy. 

Even a grocery run is an ever-accelerating race against ballooning prices and a failing currency. And whatever you do, you’ll need to time it around power cuts that can last up to 23 hours a day. 

This is life in Lebanon these days, where a 21-month-long, government-engineered economic implosion — the World Bank calls it “a deliberate depression” — has transformed everyday tasks into a gantlet of fuel, power, water, medicine and basic goods shortages that residents dub tawabeer al-thul, or “queues of humiliation.”  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I experienced this type of life in the former Soviet Union. My blood still boils when I remember those times.

UN Says Lebanon's Water System On Brink Of Total Collapse

A man rides his scooter with empty water bottles to fill them with gasoline, in Beirut, on June 23, 2021.  

CNN: Lebanon's water system on brink of total collapse, says UN 

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN)Lebanon's water supply system is on the verge of total collapse, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in what would mark the latest development in the eastern Mediterranean country's slide into chaos. 

More than 71% of the country's population -- over 4 million people including 1 million refugees -- are at immediate risk of losing access to safe water, UNICEF said on Friday. 

Water pumping is expected to gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks, due to shortages in funding, fuel and other supplies such as chlorine and spare parts, according to the UN agency. 

Rampant fuel shortages in recent weeks have seen large parts of Lebanon's economy grind to a halt. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Just when it cannot get any worse in Lebanon, it does. 

More News On The UN Saying Lebanon's Water System On Brink Of Total Collapse  

Lebanon: Public water system on the verge of collapse, UNICEF warns -- UN News  

Water supply systems on the verge of collapse in Lebanon: over 71 per cent of people risk losing access to water -- UNICEF  

Lebanon water supply could collapse in a month: UN -- Daily Star/AFP  

UN warns Lebanon's water supply could collapse in a month -- Middle East Eye

Lebanese Struggle To Survive Their Country's Economic Collapse

 

NBC: 'There is no future here': Lebanese struggle through economic collapse  

"I was shocked. I'm Lebanese, I have a job, I have health insurance," one person with breast cancer said about struggling to afford a $5 chemotherapy co-pay. 

BEIRUT — Ahmed Hamour had been waiting to fill up with gas for 90 minutes. 

He anticipated he'd have to wait at least another hour and a half to get his turn at the pump. "Every morning I ask, 'What’s new today?'" said Hamour, 58, as he lined up to buy gas in the middle-class Lebanese capital's Baabda neighborhood. 

 He bemoaned the skyrocketing costs of daily living for everything from gas to electricity, meat and sugar — if they were even on store shelves. "Every day, the Lebanese lifestyle is deteriorating," the bespectacled grandfather said. "There is no future here."

Hamour is not alone in his sense of despair. Lebanon is suffering from what the World Bank has labeled one of the most severe global financial crises since the mid-19th century. 

The Lebanese currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value since late 2019, when the country’s economic and financial crisis erupted. 

The dire economic depression has driven more than half of the country's 6.8 million people into poverty and is now pushing wealthy and middle-class Lebanese people to flee the country.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: The Economic Crisis In Lebanon May Be One Of The Worst In The World Since The 1800s (NPR)  

Update #2: Government raises price of staple bread once more in Lebanon (AP)  

WNU Editor: The Lebanon of today reminds me of Russia in the early 1990s when it experienced its economic collapse. The only difference is that Russia's massive resource base helped pull it out of its economic disaster, and it took over a decade to accomplish it. I do not see (or expect) Lebanon to be that lucky.

Lebanon's PM-Designate Hariri Abandons Efforts To Form A New Government

 

CNBC: Lebanon’s Hariri gives up on government formation, throwing the country into further chaos 

* The World Bank has called Lebanon’s economic crisis one of the worst in modern history. 

* Its lira is now 20,000 to the dollar on the black market, having lost more than 90% of its value this year. 

* There are currently no apparent alternatives to fill Hariri’s position, leaving little prospect of a turnaround for the country’s devastated economy. 

Lebanese politician and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri gave up on his mandate to form a government for the crisis-rocked country on Thursday, sending Lebanon into yet deeper chaos as its beleaguered currency hits its lowest level ever. 

After nearly nine months of failed negotiations to form a cabinet with his counterpart, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Hariri stepped down from his role as prime minister-designate. 

There are currently no apparent alternatives to fill Hariri’s position, leaving little prospect of a turnaround for the country’s devastated economy. 

“It is clear we will not be able to agree with his excellency the president,” Hariri told reporters after a meeting with Aoun that lasted less than 20 minutes. 

“That is why I excuse myself from government formation.”  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: The country cannot even pay or feed their soldiers .... Lebanon’s army needs $100 million immediately for soldiers’ basic needs, general says (CNBC). 

More News On Lebanon's PM-Designate Hariri Abandoning Efforts To Form A New Government  

Lebanon's PM-designate steps down after months of deadlock -- AP  

Lebanon's PM-designate Hariri abandons effort to form new government -- France 24  

Lebanon's PM-designate quits over deadlock on cabinet line-up -- BBC  

Lebanon's Hariri steps down as prime minister-designate pushing crisis-ridden country further into uncertainty -- CNN  

Hariri Announces Resignation, Says 'May God Help the Country' -- Naharnet 

Lebanon: PM-designate Saad Hariri resigns as crisis escalates -- Al Jazeera 

Lebanese president defies U.S. and French pressure, rejects new government -- Axios

Lebanon's Prime Minister Says The Country Is Days Away From A Social Explosion

 

Middle East Monitor: Lebanon days away from 'social explosion', warns prime minister 

Hassan Diab has urged the international community to 'help save Lebanese from death and prevent Lebanon's demise' Lebanon is only days away from large-scale social unrest, the country's prime minister warned on Tuesday, amid a financial crisis that has pushed more than half of the country's population into poverty. 

"Lebanon is a few days away from the social explosion. The Lebanese are facing this dark fate alone," caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said during a meeting with diplomats in Beirut. 

He urged the international community to "help save Lebanese from death and prevent Lebanon's demise".  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Lebanon has always been in crisis. But this time it is different. The sustainability of the state is at stake, and it looks like the country is on the verge of becoming a failed state.

 More News On The Economic Crisis In Lebanon  

Lebanon is 'days away' from social explosion, PM Diab warns -- Reuters  

Lebanon is days away from a 'social explosion,' prime minister warns -- CNN  

Lebanon caretaker premier pleads for aid as crisis worsens -- AP

Lebanon days away from ‘social explosion’, PM Diab warns -- Al Jazeera  

PM appeals for immediate aid, says Lebanon on brink of disaster -- Daily Star 

‘Social explosion’ imminent in Lebanon, as nation teeters on brink of economic collapse – caretaker PM -- RT