Lebanon is facing a "financial siege" imposed by international powers and its priority is staving off strife caused by the country's economic meltdown, leading politician Gebran Bassil said on Tuesday.
Bassil, an ally of the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah, said he supported talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), hoping they would pressure the state into reforms, but that Lebanon was running out of time and any foreign aid could not come at the price of sovereignty.
First published: 21:28, 07.07.20