Egypt has called for forming a new government in Lebanon to end what it called "the series of consecutive crises", a statement by the country's foreign minister said on Sunday, a few hours after a fuel tank exploded in the Levantine country. Egypt, the statement said, has extended condolences to Lebanon over incident, which occurred in the Akkar region in north Lebanon, and killed at least 28 and injured 79 others. Medical aid for Lebanon is currently being prepared to be shipped off to help Beirut in the crisis, the Egyptian statement added. Cairo "calls for swiftly adopting all measures that would salvage Lebanon and stop the series of successive crises, the first of which is the formation of a Lebanese government sooner as possible as per what has been in place since the Taif Agreement to end the current vacuum without further waiting," read the statement. The Saudi-brokered Taif Agreement reached in 1989 ended the years-long Lebanese Civil War. "The Akkar massacre is no different from the port massacre," said former Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri on Twitter, referring to last year's massive explosion at the port in Beirut. He called on Lebanese officials, including the president, to take responsibility and resign. Al-Hariri resigned in July, nine months after he was named to the post by the parliament, citing "key differences" with the country's president Michel Aoun. "This tragedy that befell our dear Akkar has made the hearts of all Lebanese bleed," Aoun tweeted. He added that he asked the judiciary to investigate the circumstances that led to the explosion.
