France to host Lebanon aid conference as political crisis deepens
French President Emmanuel Macron will host the Aug. 4 conference, which comes a year after the devastating blast at Beirut's port.
France will organize an international fundraiser for Lebanon next month, timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the deadly explosion that tore through Beirut.
The UN-supported conference on Aug. 4 will be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and will aim to "respond to the needs of the Lebanese whose situation is deteriorating every day," France's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The French announcement comes a day after Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri resigned after failing to form a government amid the partisan gridlock. Hariri said he withdrew his nomination after he and President Michel Aoun were unable to agree on a proposed cabinet lineup.
Hariri's predecessor, current caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, quit amid ongoing protests demanding accountability for the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, which officials blame on a stockpile of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored improperly at Lebanon’s most vital port.
