Lebanon urgently needs new government to avoid collapse: Hariri

Lebanon needs to quickly form a new government to stop a cycle of collapse and worsening economic and security conditions, caretaker prime minister Saad al-Hariri tweeted on Monday.

Politicians have failed to agree on a government or an economic rescue plan since protests pushed Hariri to quit as prime minister in October.

Beirut has been rocked in recent days by some of the worst violence since the unrest began, with 370 injured in clashes between protesters and security forces on Saturday.

President Michel Aoun met security chiefs on Monday to work out a plan for deterring violent groups that “security services have detailed information on” while protecting property and peaceful protesters, sources at the meeting said.

Lebanon’s unrest is fuelled in part by deep financial strains that have sunk the currency, pushed up prices and driven banks to impose capital controls.

Read more via Reuters