Aoun’s departure leaves Lebanon without a formal head of state at a time when the country has been embroiled in an unprecedented economic and political crisis for the last three years

Lebanon claims that Israeli digging in the disputed Karish gas field is a violation of its exclusive economic zone and a “provocative and hostile act”

Protests against the government gained momentum after the blasts last week that claimed close to 200 lives and injured 6,000 others. The resignation of Hassan Diab was one of the key demands of the protesters

Political forces in the country have failed to respond to the protesters’ demands for an overhaul of the political system in any credible way, even after three months of popular protests in the country