Saad Hariri is resigning as Prime Minister-designate is yet another disappointing development for the Lebanese people: Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State, USA

Saad Hariri is resigning as Prime Minister-designate is yet another disappointing development for the Lebanese people.

It is critical that a government committed and able to implement priority reforms be formed now. The government must also start preparing for the 2022 parliamentary elections, which should be held on-time and conducted in a free and fair manner.

Lebanon's political class has squandered the last nine months. The Lebanese economy is in free-fall, and the current government is not providing basic services in a reliable fashion.

Leaders in Beirut must urgently put aside partisan differences and form a government that serves the Lebanese people. That is what the people of Lebanon desperately need.