As the country endured economic crisis and a devastating war, lawmakers failed 12 times to pick a head of state. They have now settled on Joseph Aoun, the leader of the military.
Despite pressure by the United States and others to elect a president in order to receive financial support, a consensus candidate has yet to emerge who can clearly end Lebanon’s political gridlock.
With the deadline looming for the terms of a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah to be met, an American diplomat on Monday said “much progress” had been made recently.
Lisa Johnson, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, sits beside the U.S. special envoy, Amos Hochstein, as they talk with Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, in Beirut on Monday.
The authorization comes after rebels toppled the Syrian government last month and is intended to allow humanitarian groups to operate more freely without running afoul of U.S. sanctions.
A destroyed neighborhood in Damascus, Syria, last month. The easing of restrictions will allow humanitarian groups to help provide basic services such as electricity, energy, water and sanitation.
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