US Official: Lebanon Has 'No Other Way Out' of Crisis than IMF Deal

Demonstrators carry banners during a protest organized by Depositors' Outcry, a group campaigning for angry depositors, near Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo
Demonstrators carry banners during a protest organized by Depositors' Outcry, a group campaigning for angry depositors, near Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo
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US Official: Lebanon Has 'No Other Way Out' of Crisis than IMF Deal

Demonstrators carry banners during a protest organized by Depositors' Outcry, a group campaigning for angry depositors, near Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo
Demonstrators carry banners during a protest organized by Depositors' Outcry, a group campaigning for angry depositors, near Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon October 5, 2022. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo

Lebanon has no alternative for economic recovery but to make progress on a deal with the International Monetary Fund, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said in an online briefing on Thursday.

Leaf, who visited Lebanon and other countries in the region in recent weeks, said Lebanese leaders appeared to lack a "sense of urgency" to get their country out of a severe economic and political crisis.

The IMF warned last Thursday that Lebanon was in a very dangerous situation a year after it committed to reforms it has failed to implement.

IMF mission chief Ernesto Rigo told a news conference in Beirut that the authorities should accelerate the implementation of conditions set for a $3 billion bailout.

Lebanon signed a staff-level agreement with the IMF nearly one year ago but has not met the conditions to secure a full program, which is seen as crucial for its recovery from one of the world's worst financial crises.



Israel Issues Evacuation Warning for Five Southern Lebanese Towns

A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
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Israel Issues Evacuation Warning for Five Southern Lebanese Towns

A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

The Israeli army issued a statement on Sunday requesting the residents of five towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate in anticipation of airstrikes, while warning residents not to head south.
The military told the residents of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, Zawtar al-Gharbiya, Arnoun, Yuhmor, and al-Qusayba, to evacuate their homes immediately and move north of the Awwali River.
“You must evacuate immediately to the north of Awwali River to ensure your safety, you must evacuate without delay. Anyone near Hezbollah fighters, facilities or weapons is putting their life at risk”, added the statement.
In a separate statement, the army said that sirens sounded in central Israel due to Hezbollah rockets fired from Lebanon.
It added that six projectiles were detected crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, and that its air forces intercepted five of the rockets, while the last one landed in an open area.