Beirut

Lebanese President Michel Aoun Vacates Office Without Replacement

89-year-old Michel Aoun, president of Lebanon since 2016, vacated his office on Sunday with no successor standing by. Aoun’s departure leaves a country in even more turmoil, as one of his final acts was accepting the resignation of interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: President of Lebanon Michel Aoun addresses the United Nations

Lebanon: Sections of Beirut’s Blast-Stricken Grain Silos Collapse

Sections of Beirut’s grain silos collapsed on Sunday after weakening during a weeks-long fire caused by recent high temperatures that fermented the silos’ grain stores, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, noting that the silos were infamous for shielding much of western Beirut from an August 2020 port explosion and sustaining partial damage from the blast themselves.

The grain silos at Beirut's port were severely damaged two years ago in a devastating expl

Lebanese Politicians Fail to Agree on Forming Government

Lebanon’s effort to form a new government is not going well. Virtually every administration official except President Michel Aoun resigned soon after the August 4 explosion that devastated the city of Beirut. The search for a new prime minister appears to be deadlocked by Lebanon’s factional rivalries and resistance to reform, even as the country’s already shaky economy teeters on the edge of utter ruin.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 25: President of Lebanon Michel Aoun arrives to address the Unite

Lebanese Military Discovers More Dangerous Chemicals at Beirut Port

The Lebanese military released a statement on Monday that said teams of its investigators, assisted by French experts, have discovered 25 containers of hydrochloric acid and 54 containers of other dangerous materials at the Port of Beirut, which was devastated on August 4 by a massive explosion blamed on an improperly stored stockpile of ammonium nitrate.

Rows of damaged cranes stand at the site of the Aug. 4 deadly blast in the port of Beirut