Lebanese government resigns amid fallout from Beirut explosion - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Aug 10, 2020

TOPSHOT - A Lebanese protester beats a drum amid clashes with security forces near an access street to the parliament in central Beirut on August 9, 2020, following a deadly explosion that turned the city into a disaster zone. - The huge chemical explosion that hit Beirut's port, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital and claiming over 150 lives, left a 43-metre (141 foot) deep crater, a security official said. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images) — A Lebanese protester beats a drum amid clashes with security forces near an access street to the parliament in central Beirut on Aug. 9, 2020, following a deadly explosion that turned the city into a disaster zone. — JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon’s government resigned today following last week’s deadly explosion and subsequent mass protests. The country’s political future is in question as it continues to face an economic crisis and the fallout from the tragic blast.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the resignation in a speech televised by Lebanese news outlets. He said the decision was in response to popular demands.

Related Topics

Beirut explosion

Volunteers at the Lebanese Civil Defence work in the the control room at the headquarters of the public emergency service in the capital Beirut, on September 28, 2020. - Sweeping forest fires, a monster explosion that killed friends, then bizarre Beirut blazes: Lebanon's rescuers are still reeling from a devastating year, but are determined to press on. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon receives FBI's report on Beirut port explosion

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

BEIRUT, LEBANON - AUGUST 09: People make their way toward a a clash happening between two separate factions of protestors during a protest at Martyrs Square on August 9, 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon. Large protests continued for a second day as the Lebanese capital reels from this week's massive explosion that killed more than 150 people, wounded thousands, and destroyed wide swaths of the city. Residents are demanding accountability for the blast, whose suspected cause was 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored

Lebanese government resigns amid ongoing protests in wake of Beirut blast

Hanan Hamdan

Hanan Hamdan

Rescue workers prepare to use a tube to vacuum debris from a badly damaged building in Lebanon's capital Beirut, in search of possible survivors from a mega-blast at the adjacent port one month ago, after scanners detected a pulse, on September 4, 2020. - Lebanese rescuers scoured rubble for a possible survivor in Beirut after the detection of a pulse drew crowds hopeful of a miracle one month on from a devastating explosion. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Dog sparks hope in Beirut of possible miracle survivor under rubble

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Lebanese security forces hold their position during clashes with protesters in downtown Beirut on August 8, 2020, following a demonstration against a political leadership they blame for a monster explosion that killed more than 150 people and disfigured the capital Beirut. - As security forces focused their attention on a tense demonstration a few hundred metres down the road, a group led by retired Lebanese army officers stormed the foreign ministry and declared it the "headquarters of the revolution". (Ph

Lebanon's parliament approves army's broad state of emergency powers

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff