Senior US officials will head to Beirut in coming days: Sources
Two senior US officials are expected to head to Beirut in the coming days, diplomatic sources said Saturday.
US Agency for International Development (USAID) acting administrator, John Barsa, will head to Beirut on Sunday before the number three official at the State Department makes a separate trip midweek, the sources told Al Arabiya English.
David Hale, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, may be in Beirut as soon as Wednesday, two sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Hale was previously the US ambassador to Lebanon from 2013 to 2015.
Read more:
Protesters storm 4 ministries, banking association amid demonstrations in Beirut
Protesters chant ‘Iran, get out, Beirut is free’ amid anti-government demonstrations
Police officer dead, more than 117 wounded during anti-government protests in Beirut
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Saturday that the deadly Beirut explosion happened due to corruption and mismanagement, and added that he will put forward a draft bill for snap parliamentary elections during a cabinet meeting on Monday.
In a live speech addressing the nation, Diab called for “everyone to come together to overcome this stage,” and said, “We are in a state of emergency related to the fate of the country and its future.”