U.S. top diplomat calls Lebanon's failure to form government 'disappointing'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri's announcement on Thursday that he had abandoned a months-long effort to form a new government was a "disappointing development."

"Leaders in Beirut must urgently put aside partisan differences and form a government that serves the Lebanese people," Blinken said in a statement.