Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saad Hariri's abandonment of forming a government in Lebanon, nine months after he was assigned this task, represents a "new disappointment" for the Lebanese people mired in a stifling political and economic crisis.

Blinken said in a statement that Hariri's apology for not forming a government "is a new disappointment for the Lebanese people," stressing "the critical importance of forming now a government that is committed and able to implement priority reforms."

Hariri's apology Thursday came at a time when Lebanon is going through a stifling political and economic crisis that cannot be resolved, in the eyes of international donors, without the formation of a government that implements structural reforms.

Hariri's failure to form a government due to political infighting in a country facing an economic collapse that the World Bank has estimated will be among the three most severe crises in the world since 1850.

In his statement, Blinken expressed his regret that "the political class in Lebanon wasted the past nine months."

He added, "The Lebanese economy is in a free fall and the current government does not reliably provide basic services."

"The leaders in Beirut must put aside their factional differences and form a government that serves the Lebanese people," he added.

Blinken pointed out that one of the most important things that the next government should do, in addition to stopping the economic decline, is to organize the legislative elections that are supposed to take place in 2022, stressing that these elections must take place "on time and take place in a free and fair manner."