BEIRUT, Lebanon — Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri of Lebanon said on Thursday that he had given up on trying to form a new government, opening a new political void as the country sinks further into an acute political and economic crisis. Mr. Hariri had been tapped to form a new cabinet last October, after Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned in the wake of a huge explosion in the port of Beirut on Aug. 4. But after nine months of political wrangling over who would head which ministries, Mr. Hariri told reporters that he had failed to come to an agreement with President Michel Aoun and was stepping down. “May God help the country,” Mr. Hariri said. Western powers and the International Monetary Fund have predicated any assistance on the formation of a new government and the enactment of political reforms.

Source: International New York Times July 15, 2021 15:22 UTC