Lebanon formed a new government on Tuesday, the presidency announced after Shi’ite Hezbollah and its allies clinched a deal on a cabinet that must tackle the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.
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Heavily indebted Lebanon has been without an effective government since Saad al-Hariri resigned as premier in October under pressure from protests against state corruption and waste - root causes of the crisis.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab pledged on Tuesday that his new government would work to address protester demands and pull the country from its worst economic crisis in decades.
In a speech shortly after President Michel Aoun signed off on the new cabinet, Diab said his first visit abroad as premier would be to the Arab world and particularly to the Gulf.
He called the new government “a rescue team” and said it would be “fast but not hasty” in tackling the major economic and financial strains.