The head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said on Sunday his group supports the formation of a government that would be able to improve economic conditions in the crisis-stricken country and undertake major reforms.
Hassan Nasrallah said his group is also open to calls from France for a new political contract in Lebanon, on condition that all Lebanese sects are on board.
The speech came on the eve of a meeting by Lebanese parliamentary blocs deciding to name a new prime minister and also ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival in Lebanon late Monday. It’s Macron’s second visit to the former French protectorate in less than a month.
Macron has offered French support after the devastating Aug. 4 port explosion in Beirut and has also pressed Lebanese officials to formulate a new political pact to lift the country out of its political stalemates, entrenched corruption and years of mismanagement.
The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which has a dominant role in Lebanon’s politics, has come under intense criticism and public scrutiny as the country faces multiple devastating crises. The port explosion killed 190 people and injured over 6,000. Parts of the capital were devastated and the port, a main trade channel for the small country dependent on imports, was badly damaged.
