Lebanon Govt steps down over Beirut blast

 

Lebanon’s government resigned Monday in the aftermath of last week’s deadly explosion in the capital Beirut.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he would resign alongside all of his ministers.

“We will back down and stand with the people. We need to open the door for the people,” he said in an address to the nation.

The move comes after enraged protesters and world leaders alike demanded political reform following the Aug. 4 blast that killed almost 160 people and injured thousands more.

Protesters took to the streets of Beirut again Sunday with a video showing what appeared to be tear gas canisters being fired at demonstrators who had congregated in a street near the parliament.

Last week’s blast, which sent a mushroom-like cloud into the sky above Beirut’s port, dealt a blow to a country already on its knees.

Nearly a week since the devastating explosion, public anger shows no signs of abating.

The protesters blame the ruling elite for chronic mismanagement and corruption that is believed to be behind the explosion and the country’s broader issues.

“You literally blew us up. We have nothing left to lose,” a group of protesters screamed at a demonstration on Saturday.

The scenes of public fury came as world leaders pledged millions in emergency aid to the country’s explosion-ravaged capital in a teleconference co-organized by France and the United Nations.