BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanon is in "free fall" and must not be allowed to become a "horror story", a U.S. Senator said in Beirut this week.

"Lebanon is in free fall...We've seen this movie before and it's a horror story... but the good news is it can, should, and hopefully will be avoided," said Senator Richard Blumenthal at the end of his two-day visit.

He also said he hoped a government would be formed this week and begin rebuilding the country's destroyed economy.

Also in Beirut, U.S. Senator Christopher S. Murphy said Iranian fuel being shipped to Lebanon by the Shi'ite group Hezbollah would come with strings attached, and described the oil shipments as a "photo-op by the Iranians".

Additionally, Lebanon's current financial crisis is being described as the largest threat to Lebanon's stability since the 1975-90 civil war.

Amidst the destruction of the country's economy, more than half of Lebanon's 6 million people have fallen into poverty, with the currency falling more than 90 percent and the financial system paralyzed.

Lebanese politicians have been arguing for more than a year over the make-up of a new cabinet. The last cabinet resigned in the aftermath of the August 4, 2020 Beirut port explosion.

In Beirut, the U.S. delegation met with Lebanese leaders, including President Michel Aoun, the Maronite Christian head of state, who said he hopes a new government would be formed within days.

"We did hear good news today," said Senator Chris Murphy, chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

However, opposition political parties have said that Aoun and his faction, the Free Patriotic Movement, are demanding one-third of the cabinet seats, which would give them a veto power in the government.