Lebanon's Michel Aoun leaves presidency

Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Lebanon's political leader Michel Aoun, who oversaw the country in one of the worst periods of history including a financial demise and the massive destruction of its port in Beirut in an explosion, left the president's office.

"This morning, I sent a letter to the House of Representatives in accordance with my constitutional powers and signed the government's resignation decree," Aoun said in a Twitter post on Sunday.

Aoun called for Lebanese legislators to quickly name his replacement so a new government can be formed with as little political chaos as possible.

"We are waiting until the last moment to send this message to call you urgently to complete the procedures so that the council will elect a president or form a government in the remaining two days and avoid the brink of the abyss," Aoun said on Twitter.

Aoun, a former Lebanese army chief, had the support of the powerful militant group Hezbollah when he was first elected as president in 2016 after the job was empty for two years.

Many Lebanese are still enraged over the lack of responsibility taken for the massive grain explosion of the Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, under Aoun's watch that killed more than 200 people and injured about 6,000 while destroying entire neighborhoods.

The resignation also comes days after Aoun and a Lebanon delegation signed a historic Mediterranean Sea border deal with rival Israel, which is expected to open up natural gas exploration for the country.