House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks sent a letter on Tuesday, June 30, to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscoring the urgent need for action to address Lebanon’s growing political and economic crisis, including through the use of targeted sanctions to make clear to Lebanon’s political class the status quo is not acceptable.
“In the face of growing instability, Lebanon’s political class must urgently overcome their differences and commit to advancing the interests of Lebanon’s people,” the lawmakers wrote. “Parliament must break through months of intransigence to urgently elect a new president who is free from corruption and undue external influence.”
The following day, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf and her predecessor David Schenker affirmed that the US is working with Europeans “to urge the Lebanese Parliament to fulfill its duty in electing a president for the country,” considering that “the possibility of state collapse in Lebanon persists.”
This comes at a time when the Biden administration is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions on Lebanese officials due to the failure to elect a president.
