Prime Minister Saad Hariri blamed his rivals in government for obstructing reforms that could have resolved the economic crisis and gave them a 72-hour deadline to stop blocking him, otherwise he hinted he may resign.

Hariri said Lebanon was going through an "unprecedented, difficult time".

The protests in Lebanon over the past 48 hours are the largest in the country in a decade.

They have brought tens of thousands of people from all sects and walks of life on to the streets, holding banners and chanting slogans calling on Hariri's government to resign.

"There are those who placed obstacles in front of me since the government was formed, and in the face of all the efforts that I have proposed for reform," Hariri said, without naming names.

"Whatever the solution, we no longer have time and I am personally giving myself only a little time. Either our partners in government and in the nation give a frank response to the solution, or I will have another say.

"The deadline left is very short, it's 72 hours," he added.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online