MICHEL AOUN

Pope Francis is appealing for Lebanon’s politicians to put their personal interests aside and agree on a path to help the country emerge from years of economic meltdown and a new political vacuum.

Lebanon can’t put its new official exchange rate into effect after its outgoing president refused to sign off on the 2022 state budget

BEIRUT — (AP) — Lebanon is unable to put its new exchange rate into effect after its outgoing president declared the state budget unconstitutional and refused to sign off on it, officials said Thursday. Parliament passed the cash-strapped country's 2022 national budget in September, which included the amended rate. Passing the 2022 state budget and unifying Lebanon’s several exchange rates are some of the prerequisite reforms needed to reach an International Monetary Fund-approved recovery plan to make the country viable again. The government has adopted several exchange rates for different services outside of the official rate, most recently for phone and internet bills, while an opaque parallel - or black - market rate has been the the dominant exchange rate, resulting in further chaos in the country's economy. His refusal to sign off on the budget means it will automatically pass and go into effect later this month.

BEIRUT — (AP) — President Michel Aoun left Lebanon's presidential palace Sunday, marking the end of his six-year term without a replacement, leaving the small nation in a political vacuum that is likely to worsen its historic economic meltdown. In a speech outside the palace, Aoun told thousands of supporters that he has accepted the resignation of Mikati's government. The move is likely to further deprive the caretaker administration of legitimacy and worsen existing political tensions in the country. He has also come under fire for grooming his son-in-law to replace him, and many blame him for the economic crisis that is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement. That will presumably help Lebanon come out of its economic crisis that has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst the world has witnessed since the 1850s.

President Michel Aoun has left Lebanon’s presidential palace marking the end of his six-year term without a replacement

President Michel Aoun has left Lebanon’s presidential palace, marking the end of his six-year term without a replacement.

President Michel Aoun left Lebanon's presidential palace Sunday, marking the end of his six-year term without a replacement, leaving the small nation in a political vacuum that is likely to worsen its historic economic meltdown. As Aoun’s term ends, the country is being run by a caretaker government after Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati failed to form a new Cabinet following May 15 parliamentary elections. Aoun and his supporters warn that such a government doesn't have full power to run the country, saying that weeks of “constitutional chaos” lay ahead.

Hezbollah is a key part of the historic agreement — but with a sworn enemy — so it can neither celebrate nor criticize it.

Lebanon and Israel signed and delivered copies of a U.S.-mediated sea border deal following months of indirect talks.

The curious incident of the Iranian poodle in the nighttime.

Lebanon's parliament has approved amendments to a banking secrecy law, a key demand of the International Monetary Fund before agreeing to a bailout program.

A prominent Lebanese legislator allied with the militant Hezbollah group says the war in Ukraine and rising demand for natural gas around the world has helped speed up a U.S.-mediated maritime border deal between Lebanon and Israel

BEIRUT — (AP) — French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Friday urged Lebanon to swiftly elect a new president or risk plunging the poverty-stricken country into a deeper political crisis. Colonna's remarks in Beirut came after Lebanon's divided parliament twice failed to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, with no majority candidate in the running. Meanwhile, Lebanon's government has been functioning under a limited caretaker capacity for months as political parties struggle to agree on a new leadership lineup. Electing a president and appointing a new government amid one of the world's worst-ever economic spirals is a critical priority, Colonna said. Aoun Thursday night announced that Lebanon had officially approved a U.S.-mediated maritime border demarcation proposal with Israel following months of indirect talks.

France’s foreign minister has urged Lebanon’s political leadership to swiftly elect a new president and warned that a political vacuum could plunge the Mediterranean country into a deeper crisis

France's foreign minister has urged Lebanon's political leadership to swiftly elect a new president and warned that a political vacuum could plunge the Mediterranean country into a deeper crisis.

The deal is necessary for the two countries to exploit natural gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

The U.S. has delivered a maritime border demarcation proposal to Lebanese President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, as negotiations with Israel progress

BEIRUT — (AP) — Lebanon's Parliament on Thursday failed to elect a new president, with the majority of lawmakers casting blank ballots and some walking out. Under Lebanon's fragile sectarian power-sharing system, the country's 128-member parliament votes for a president, who must be a Maronite Christian. That's a challenging threshold, and in the context of the country's struggling economy and deeply-divided Parliament, Lebanon's unresolved leadership question has intensified concerns of government paralysis. Over half cast blank ballots, while lawmaker Michel Mouawad, the son of a former president and staunch opponent of Hezbollah, received 36 votes. Dozens of lawmakers left after Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for a recount, breaking the session’s required quorum.

Lebanon’s parliament has failed to elect a president, just weeks before incumbent President Michel Aoun’s six-year term comes to an end

Lebanon's parliament has failed to elect a president, just weeks before incumbent President Michel Aoun's six-year term comes to an end.

Talks between Israel and Lebanon on a prized swath of Mediterranean Sea appear to be making progress as the Biden administration urges the two countries to expedite a resolution.

Lebanon is celebrating the victory of a female dance troupe from this crisis-hit Mideast country in the America’s Got Talent competition show

Lebanon is celebrating the victory of a female dance troupe from this crisis-hit Mideast country in the America's Got Talent competition show.

Forty years since it was founded, Lebanon's Hezbollah has transformed from a ragtag organization to the largest and most heavily armed militant group in the Middle East.

A granddaughter of a former Lebanese president has announced her long shot candidacy for the cash-strapped country's upcoming presidential elections.

A Lebanese minister says the government hopes to start sending back tens of thousands of Syrian refugees within months.

The U.S. envoy mediating between Lebanon and Israel over their disputed maritime border has met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and discussed ways of reaching a solution amid rising tension along the tense border

The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group threatened Thursday to strike a gas rig Israel is setting up in the Mediterranean Sea and that Lebanon claims is in a disputed maritime area between the two countries. Israel says the location is part of its U.N.-recognized exclusive economic zone. Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, a staunch Iran ally, denounced in a televised address what he described as Israeli provocations in the maritime area.

Lebanon's elections brought into parliament 13 new independent lawmakers who hail from the protest movement against the country's traditional political factions.

Final results in Lebanon's weekend parliamentary elections show that the militant Hezbollah group and its allies have lost the majority of parliament seats they had held since 2018.

Lebanon Elections Election officials count ballots shortly after polling stations closed, in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein) (Bilal Hussein)BEIRUT — (AP) — Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and its allies appear to have suffered some losses in this weekend’s parliamentary elections, with their opponents gaining more seats and some of their traditional partners not making it into the legislature, early results showed Monday. The unofficial results show that independents, including those from the 2019 protest movement, made some gains by removing longtime politicians from parliament. This would make it the largest Christian bloc in parliament, replacing the Free Patriotic Movement that was founded by President Michel Aoun and has been a Hezbollah ally since 2006. Lebanon holds elections every four years and the new parliament will elect a new president after Aoun’s term ends in October.

Preliminary results from parliamentary elections in Lebanon over the weekend show the country's militant Hezbollah group and its allies have apparently suffered losses.

Lebanese voted for a new parliament against the backdrop of an economic meltdown that is transforming the country and low expectations that the voting would significantly alter the political landscape.

The deeply divisive issue of the militant Hezbollah group's weapons has been at the center of the upcoming vote for a new 128-member parliament in Lebanon.

In every household in Lebanon it's likely that one or more family members plan to emigrate — if they can get a passport.

Thousands of Lebanese living in nearly 50 countries began early voting in the country’s closely watched parliamentary elections, days after a similar vote was held in 10 predominantly Muslim nations

Thousands of Lebanese living in nearly 50 countries began early voting in the country’s closely watched parliamentary elections, days after a similar vote was held in 10 predominantly Muslim nations.

On May 15, Lebanese vote in national parliamentary elections, the first since their country's economy took a nosedive.

The office of Lebanon’s president says Pope Francis will visit the country in June

A ferocious winter storm has dumped almost 2 feet of snow in some areas of the northeastern U.S. Wind gusts in Saturday's nor'easter surpassed 70 mph in a few spots in Massachusetts, piling the snow into treacherous drifts in some places. (Jan. 29)

Lebanese cabinet holds its first meeting in months to discuss budgets as talks with the International Monetary Fund are expected to resume. The developments were aimed at controlling Lebanon's worst economic crisis in its history. It is not clear what exchange rate the government will use for the budget as there are several rates around the country. The official rate still stands at 1,500 pounds to the U.S. dollar while the black market rate is about 23,000 pounds. Lebanon’s economic crisis has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the world since the 1850s.

Lebanon’s government is holding its first meeting in three months to discuss the budget as talks with the International Monetary Fund over the country’s economic meltdown resumed.

The UN leader urged more support at the start of a three-day visit to the small Mediterranean country. Guterres arrived on the high profile visit earlier Sunday, and spoke after his meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun. At the outset of his visit, Guterres said the visit will focus on supporting the people of the crisis-stricken country. The economic collapse in Lebanon has been described as one of the worst in the world in over 150 years. Inflation and prices of basic goods have skyrocketed in Lebanon, which imports more than 80% of its basic goods.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the international community has not done enough to support Lebanon, grappling with a dire economic crisis and home to over 1 million Syrian refugees.

Lebanon’s president has discussed his country’s economic meltdown and an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Beirut and Persian Gulf nations with the Emir of Qatar.

A group of protesters have stormed a ministry building in Beirut as the Lebanese pound hit a new low amid a worsening economic and political stalemate.

As an entertainer, George Kordahi connected with generations of viewers in the Middle East as the host of the popular game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”

Lebanon is seeking a dialogue with Saudi Arabia to resolve an unprecedented diplomatic rift over a Lebanese Cabinet minister’s comments, even as new reasons for tension emerged

Lebanon is seeking a dialogue with Saudi Arabia to resolve an unprecedented diplomatic rift over a Lebanese Cabinet minister’s comments, even as new reasons for tension emerged.

The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on two Lebanon businessmen and a lawmaker, saying they have profited from corruption in the struggling country.

Lebanon Iran In this photo released by Lebanon's official government photographer Dalati Nohra, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, right, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. Amirabdollahian is in Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is on his first visit to Lebanon since taking his post after Iran’s presidential elections this summer. He said nuclear talks to revive Tehran’s now-tattered 2015 accord with world powers, stalled since June, will resume soon. Iran enjoys wide influence in Lebanon through the powerful Hezbollah group that is funded and armed by Tehran.

Iran’s foreign minister says talks between regional archrivals Iran and Saudi Arabia have made significant inroads.

With Lebanon mired in an unprecedented economic and financial meltdown, President Michel Aoun told the U.N. General Assembly's meeting of world leaders that the country could not rise without assistance from the global community. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Syria have put an additional strain on the tiny Mediterranean country. The international community has refused to offer financial assistance before Lebanese leaders undertake critical reforms and stamp out endemic corruption. Aoun also said Lebanon welcomes any international effort to rehabilitate and develop Beirut's port following the catastrophic Aug. 4. Families of the victims and many other Lebanese have demanded an international investigation, accusing Lebanese authorities of blocking the internal probe.

Lebanon’s president is asking the international community for assistance to help the country recover from one of the worst financial crises the world has seen in modern history.

(Dalati Nohra/Lebanese Official Government via AP) (Dalati Nohra)BEIRUT — (AP) — Lebanon’s incoming finance minister signed a contract on Friday with a New-York-based company to conduct a forensic audit of the country’s central bank, a key demand of the international community to restore confidence in the crisis-struck country. Lebanon, meanwhile, struggled without a fully functional government for more than a year amid one of the world's worst economic and financial crises. A caretaker government advocated a forensic audit after the country defaulted on paying back its massive debt for the first time in 2020. A new government was named earlier this month and reinstating the forensic audit was practically the first contract signed by Finance Minister Youssef El Khalil. A former central bank official since 1982, El Khalil was last the executive director of the central bank’s financial operations department.

Lebanon’s new government has held its first meeting with a call by the president to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund

Lebanon FILE - In this July 17, 2020 file photo, a woman looks at a homeless Lebanese man sleeping on the ground in Hamra street, in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File) (Hassan Ammar)BEIRUT — (AP) — The Lebanese presidency says a new government has been formed, breaking a 13-month deadlock that saw the country slide deeper into financial chaos and poverty. Lebanon has been without a fully empowered government since the catastrophic Aug. 4, 2020 explosion at Beirut port, which forced the resignation of then Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government. Rival political groups had been locked in disagreement over the make-up of a new government since then, hastening the country’s economic meltdown. The new government headed by billionaire businessman Najib MIkati was announced Friday by the office of President Michel Aoun, which said the decree has been signed.

The Lebanese presidency says a new government has been formed, breaking a 13-month deadlock that saw the country slide deeper into financial chaos and poverty.

An international human rights group says Lebanese officials knew of the risks posed by the highly explosive material stored at Beirut’s port and did nothing to protect the public against it.

Lebanon’s president is expected to appoint Monday a billionaire businessman and former prime minister as the next premier-designate, after Saad Hariri earlier this month gave up attempts to form a Cabinet amid an unprecedented financial meltdown roiling the country. Najib Mikati’s appointment is likely to come later in the day, following binding consultations between President Michel Aoun and Lebanese lawmakers. One of the richest men in Lebanon, Mikati became a favorite for the post after he was endorsed by most of Lebanon's political parties and also the powerful, Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group.

Tensions have intensified in Lebanon with riots in the north leaving more than two dozen people injured, including five soldiers who were attacked with a hand grenade.

Lebanon In this photo released by Lebanon's official government photographer Dalati Nohra, Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, speaks after his meeting with Lebanese president Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 15, 2021. With no clear candidate to replace Hariri, Lebanon is likely to slide deeper into chaos and uncertainty. “I have excused myself from forming the government,” Hariri said after a 20-minute meeting with President Michel Aoun. Later, Hariri — one of Lebanon’s most prominent Sunni Muslim leaders — told Al-Jadeed TV that he has no intention of endorsing a replacement. According to Lebanon’s sectarian-based political system, the prime minister is picked from the ranks of Sunnis.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has stepped down, nine months after he was named to the post by the parliament.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stepped down Thursday, nine months after he was named to the post by the parliament, citing “key differences" with the country's president. Lebanon is going through an unprecedented economic crisis, described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the world in 150 years. “It is clear that we will not be able to agree with the president,” Hariri said, after a 20 minute meeting with President Michel Aoun.

The top leaders of the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas held talks in Beirut on Tuesday about last month’s 11-day war with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian Hamas, arrived in Lebanon on Sunday and met several top officials, including President Michel Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Lebanese troops have deployed in the northern city of Tripoli to take up positions around major state institutions after a night of protests and riots against worsening living conditions.

Lebanon’s currency hit a new low on Sunday, as the country's economic and political crisis worsened with no apparent solutions in the near future. The currency has lost more than 90% of its value since October 2019, when anti-government protests erupted. The U.S. dollar hit 15,300 Lebanese pounds on the black market, a level not seen since March.

Lebanon Politics Clients wait to use ATM machines outside a closed bank in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The World Bank on Tuesday said Lebanon's crisis is one of the worst the world has seen in the past 150 years. The Lebanese pound, pegged to the dollar for 30 years at 1,507, has been in a free fall since late 2019. The Central Bank announced late Wednesday it was accepting the decision, prompting the queues outside ATMS. “No one will be able to control what waves the sea bring.”___Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report.

Lebanon’s president and prime minister-designate have traded barbs, accusing one another of obstruction, negligence and insolence.

Lebanon’s president and prime minister-designate traded barbs Wednesday, accusing one another of obstruction, negligence and insolence in a war or words that has for months obstructed the formation of a new government as the country sinks deeper into economic and financial crisis. The power struggle between the premier-designate, Saad Hariri, on one side and President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil on the other, has worsened despite warnings from world leaders and economic experts of the dire economic conditions tiny Lebanon is facing.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates summoned their Lebanese ambassadors Tuesday to protest televised remarks by Lebanon’s foreign minister, in which he suggested Gulf countries provided backing to extremists. The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council, led by Saudi Arabia, asked that Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe offer a formal apology to member states. Wehbe's remarks to the U.S.-backed Alhurra news channel caused a firestorm in Lebanon and among Gulf countries.

France's foreign minister began a visit to Lebanon Thursday with a message of “great firmness” to its political leaders, threatening to take additional measures against officials obstructing the formation of a government in the crisis-hit country. Tweeting ahead of his arrival, Jean-Yves Le Drian said French travel restrictions on Lebanese officials suspected of corruption or hindering the formation of a new Cabinet were “just the start.” France has been trying to force change on Lebanon's ruling class, whose corruption and mismanagement has driven the tiny country into the ground and pushed it to the verge of bankruptcy.

Pope Francis has met with Lebanon’s prime minister-designate and urged all Lebanese political leaders to “urgently commit themselves to the benefit of the nation.”.

A senior U.S. official has warned that Lebanese politicians who continue to block reforms in the crisis-hit country could face punitive actions by Washington and its allies.

Come down, we are hungry, we are fed up!” yelled Ahmad Shuman, a protester frustrated at the small number of people taking part in demonstrations. Inflation and prices of basic goods have skyrocketed in the country, which imports more than 80% of its basic goods. Meanwhile, lawmakers approved $200 million in assistance from the central bank's shrinking foreign reserves to go to Lebanon's electricity company. The transfer is to cover fuel purchases for the next few weeks to prevent the country from plunging into darkness. AdThe crisis is posing the gravest threat to Lebanon’s stability since the 1975-90 civil war.

The plan also calls for “a targeted set of reforms, which are essential to facilitate recovery and reconstruction," he added. Macron, whose country once governed Lebanon as a protectorate, supported pushing ahead with an aid program despite frustration with the Lebanese ruling class. Representatives from 27 countries participated in Wednesday's meeting, including 12 heads of state and local Lebanese aid groups which have a central role as trusted partners, according to the French presidency. A new government would be the first step toward implementing a French roadmap for reforms to enable the release of billions of dollars of international aid. Aoun said Lebanon is negotiating a $246 million loan from the World Bank to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and Lebanon’s emergency needs.

U.N. peacekeeping military vehicles enter the headquarters of the U.N. peacekeeping force in the southern Lebanese border town of Naqoura, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Lebanon and Israel are to begin Wednesday indirect talks over the disputed maritime border between the two countries in the presence of American officials who are mediating between the Middle Eastern nations. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)NAQOURA – Lebanon and Israel began indirect talks on Wednesday over their disputed maritime border, with American officials mediating the talks that both sides insist are purely technical and not a sign of any normalization of ties. The U.S.-mediated talks began at a U.N. post along the border known as Ras Naqoura, on the edge of the Lebanese border town of Naqoura. Israel and Lebanon also held indirect negotiations in the 1990s, when Arab states and Israel worked on peace agreements.

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, file photo, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib speaks to journalists at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon. The announced by Adib deals a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron's efforts to break a dangerous stalemate in the crisis-hit country. The announcement by Moustapha Adib nearly a month after he was appointed to the job further delays the prospect of getting the foreign economic assistance needed to rescue the country from collapse. An official in Macron’s office, commenting on Adib’s resignation, described it as “a collective betrayal” by Lebanon's political parties. The Lebanese pound dropped against the dollar following his resignation, trading at more than 8,100 Lebanese pounds on the black market Saturday.

BEIRUT – Facing an economic meltdown and other crises, Lebanon’s president on Wednesday asked for the world's help to rebuild the capital's main port and neighborhoods that were blown away in last month’s catastrophic explosion. Most urgently, the country needs the international community’s support to rebuild its economy and its destroyed port. Aoun suggested breaking up the damaged parts of the city into separate areas and so that countries that wish to help can each commit to rebuilding one. Aroun said Lebanon had requested technical assistance from certain countries, particularly soil samples and satellite images from the moment of the explosion. Guterres made his remarks during a meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meetings.

Member state flags fly outside the United Nations headquarters during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)TANZANIA – The Latest from the U.N. General Assembly (all times EDT):8:10 p.m. But U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó still put out his own online message during this year’s gathering of world leaders. Guaidó is recognized by nearly 60 nations as Venezuela’s president and has been in a nearly two-year standoff with Maduro. This week at the U.N. gathering of world leaders, African nations again have made it clear it’s time that changed.

The Commissioner-General of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the U.N. relief agency, UNRWA, headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. The financial crisis that the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is experiencing could lead to ceasing some of its activities in what would raise risks of instability in this volatile region, Lazzarini said Wednesday. UNRWA's financial crisis was sparked by the loss of all funding from the United States, its largest donor, in 2018. UNRWA has registered 6,876 confirmed cases among Palestinian refugees, most of them in the West Bank, where some 5,000 cases have been detected. “We have people being more and more in despair expecting UNRWA to deliver more services, at a time UNRWA is already experiencing financial crisis,” Lazzarini said.

FILE - In this Aug.6, 2020 file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, and Lebanese President Michel Aoun, second right, meet at BeirutRafic Hariri International Airport, in Lebanon. In the wake of Beirut's massive port explosion, Macron has taken a tough line, setting deadlines for Lebanon's politicians to carry out reforms. “Regrettably maybe President Macron does not know whom he is dealing with.”Resistance to reform can be startling. But already, there appear to be delays in negotiating a new Cabinet, despite a Monday deadline that Macron said Lebanese politicians agreed on to form the government. “The only state that is not interfering in Lebanon’s affairs is the Lebanese state,” goes one joke making the rounds.

BEIRUT A Lebanese diplomat was appointed to form a new government in crisis-hit Lebanon on Monday after winning the backing of major political parties. Lebanon's president is holding consultations with heads of parliamentary blocs to designate a new prime minister for the crisis-stricken country, with a career diplomat poised to win the job Monday. Macron and other world leaders as well as the International Monetary Fund have refused to give assistance to Lebanon before its leaders enact major reforms. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri emerged from his meeting with Aoun on Monday, telling reporters his 18-member bloc had given its backing to Adib. Adib, who has been Lebanons ambassador to Germany since 2013, served as an advisor to one of Lebanons former Prime Ministers, Najib Mikati.

BEIRUT The office of Lebanons president said Friday that binding consultations with members of Parliament to designate a new prime minister will begin early next week. Mondays consultations will coincide with a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Lebanon, a former French protectorate. The blast, the most destructive single incident in Lebanons history, killed more than 180 people, wounded nearly 6,000 and left nearly 300,000 people homeless. President Michel Aouns office released a schedule of the consultations that will begin Monday morning and end in the afternoon. The fighting briefly closed the main highway linking Beirut with southern Lebanon.

(AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)BEIRUT Lebanese President Michel Aoun says the probe into a devastating blast in Beirut is very complex and wont be finished quickly. Responding to calls that he step down, Aoun told French TV station BFMTV in his first interview with foreign media since the Aug. 4 blast that it would be "impossible" because it would create a power vacuum. The cause of the fire that ignited nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at Beiruts port remains unclear. We had the determination to reach conclusions quickly but we found out that the issues are very complex and require time, said Aoun. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has denied his group has any role in the explosion and said any international probe would likely seek to clear Israel of responsibility in the port explosion, if it had a hand.

FILE - In this August 5, 2020 file photo, smoke rises from the scene of an explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)BEIRUT A team of FBI investigators is due to arrive in Lebanon this weekend to take part in the probe of Beirut's massive explosion, a senior U.S official said on Saturday after visiting the location of the blast. David Hale, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, called for a thorough and transparent investigation. Hassan Nasrallah said the cause of the explosion is still unclear, adding that any international probe would also have to clear Israel of any responsibility in the port explosion. On Friday, the United Nations launched a $565 million appeal for Lebanon with immediate humanitarian assistance and initial recovery efforts.

Maas said that Lebanon needs a "strong reboot" and far-reaching economic reforms to rebuild trust with its citizens. Heiko Maas spoke ahead of his trip to Beirut, following last week's explosion at the city's port that killed at least 171 people and wounded thousands. (Dalati Nohra via AP)BEIRUT Germany stands ready to help Lebanon with reconstruction and further investment after last week's massive explosion, but any support will be linked to economic reforms and an end to pervasive corruption in Lebanon, Germany's foreign minister said Wednesday. Ahead of his arrival in Beirut, Maas said Lebanon needs a strong reboot and far-reaching economic reforms to rebuild trust with its citizens. I think everyone in Lebanon has to recognize that things cannot continue like this, this country needs big reforms, he said.

The wife of Rami Kaaki, one of ten firefighters who were killed during the last week's explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, mourns during her husband's funeral at the firefighter headquarters, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. Thousands of people marched near the devastated port, remembering those who died in the worst single blast to hit the country. Outgoing Health Minister Hamad Hassan said the blast killed a total of 171 people, with between 30 and 40 still missing. Lebanese have demanded an independent Cabinet not backed by any of the political political parties they blame for the mess they are in. Many are also calling for an independent investigation into the port explosion, saying they had zero trust in a local probe.

Words are written by Lebanese citizens in front of the scene of Tuesday's explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)BEIRUT Hospitals and schools, then shattered and bent water pipes, then the crater that once was Lebanon's port. In the short-term, the aid streaming into Lebanon is purely for humanitarian emergencies and relatively easy to monitor. Lebanon's wheat stockpile, stored next to the warehouse filled with ammonium nitrate, was destroyed in the explosion. Julien Courson, head of the Lebanon Transparency Association, said the country's non-profits are forming a coalition to monitor how relief and aid money is spent.

The port area lies in devastation following this week's massive explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. The blast killed 154 people, wounded more than 5,000 and laid waste to the countrys largest port and nearby areas. Also expected in Lebanon Saturday was the president of the European Council, Charles Michel. At the site of the blast in Beiruts port, workers were still searching for dozens of people who have been missing since Tuesday. It made an unscheduled detour to Beirut as the Russian shipowner was struggling with debts and hoped to earn some extra cash in Lebanon.

Carlos Ghosn, former chairman of Nissan Motor Co., sits in a vehicle as he leaves his lawyer's office in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, March 6, 2019. Fugitive former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn met Lebanon's president after fleeing from Japan, where he was smuggled out of house arrest by a private security company, two sources close to Ghosn said on Wednesday. He now needs the protection and security of his government after fleeing Japan, the sources added. He has enjoyed an outpouring of support from Lebanon since his 2018 arrest, with billboards proclaiming, "We are all Carlos Ghosn" erected in solidarity with his case. The sources said the Lebanese ambassador to Japan had visited him daily while he was in detention.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Tuesday announced he will resign, bowing to pressure from waves of protesters who took to the streets this month and paralyzed the country demanding the governments ouster. All of them means all of them became the protesters rallying cry, a resolute demand that every politician in government leave. But after clashes with anti-government protesters, they turned to Martyrs Square. By nightfall, the carnival-like atmosphere, with protest sing-alongs, discussion areas and food vendors, had returned to Martyrs Square and its surrounding spaces. We had everything back up in 30 minutes, said Nayla Geagea, a human rights campaigner, in an interview from the square.

BEIRUT - Lebanon's President Michel Aoun made no concrete concessions in his first public address since nationwide protests erupted against the country's political elites a week ago, as his speech was met with jeers from demonstrators. Calls for the government's resignation have grown since protests engulfed Lebanon on October 17. Our regime will not be removed based on protests on the ground. The President is a close political ally of the Shia group Hezbollah, which has a powerful armed wing in the country. Aoun's son-in-law and the country's foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, has been one of the main targets of the protests.

Many protesters called for the resignation of the government and demanded the "downfall" of a political class that has ruled the country since the start of its 15-year civil war in 1975. Protester Msheimish Msheimish was carrying his six-month-old daughter outside government headquarters on Friday when he leaned over an army barrier to speak to a soldier. Several other protesters called for a military takeover to remove a political ruling class that many view as incompetent and corrupt. Largest protests since 2015Security forces clashed with protesters outside government HQ in downtown Beirut in the early hours of Friday morning. The ISF called on protesters to refrain from "chaos and violence."