Lebanese PM acknowledges election losses

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has acknowledged on Monday that his parliamentary bloc lost seats in this week's elections and blaming it on a new electoral law and a performance "that wasn't up to the standard."

In a televised statement Monday, Hariri said "my hand is extended to every Lebanese who participated in the elections to preserve stability and create jobs."

Hariri said his group won 21 seats in Sunday's vote, 11 fewer than what it had been holding since 2009.

The prime minister still heads the largest parliamentary bloc and will likely form a new national unity Cabinet.

He says he will continue to work closely with President Michel Aoun, who is allied with a rival bloc led by the militant Hezbollah.