Lebanon's government stepped down on Monday night, less than a week after a massive explosion in Beirut killed more than 170 people and wounded more than 6000, sparking days of violent protests.
Prime
Minister Hassan Diab addressed the nation, announcing his resignation
and that of his government in the wake of the blast, which he called a
"disaster beyond measure."
In
an impassioned speech, Diab berated Lebanon's ruling political elite
for fostering what he called "an apparatus of corruption bigger than the
state."
"We
have fought valiantly and with dignity," he said, referring to members
of his cabinet. "Between us and change is big powerful barrier."
Diab
compared Tuesday's explosion to an "earthquake that rocked the country"
prompting his government to resign. "We have decided to stand with the
people," he said.
Three cabinet ministers had already quit, along with seven members of parliament.
Violent protests erupted outside the prime minister's office in the run-up to the scheduled speech on Monday evening.
Dozens
of protesters hurled stones, fireworks and Molotov cocktails at
security forces who responded with several rounds of tear gas. Some
demonstrators tried to scale the blast walls outside Parliament Square.
Lebanon
was already suffering through its worst economic crisis in decades,
coupled with rising coronavirus rates, and the government has been
plagued by accusations of corruption and gross mismanagement.
Tuesday's blast, which damaged or destroyed much of the Lebanese capital and was linked to a long-neglected stash of potentially explosive chemicals, was the last straw for many Beirut residents.
Diab, a self-styled reformer, was ushered into power
last December, two months after a popular uprising brought down the
previous government. His government is composed of technocrats and had
been supported by major political parties, including the Iran-backed
political and militant group Hezbollah.
Now
the country will be tasked with finding its third prime minister in
less than a year, to contend with the spiraling crises Lebanon faces on a
number of fronts.
Source: CNN
