The prime minister of Lebanon has announced his resignation amid fallout following a major explosion that rocked Beirut last week.
During a press conference on Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he had sent his resignation to President Michel Aoun.
“We need to be part of the people. That’s why I declare today the resignation of this government,” Diab said, according to an Al Jazeera translation. “God bless Lebanon. God bless Lebanon.”
BREAKING: “I declare today the resignation of this government.”
Lebanon’s PM Hassan Diab announces the resignation of his gov’t amid anger over the Beirut blast.
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His successor will form a new Cabinet.
Diab’s resignation after only seven months in charge followed in the steps of Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni and Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm, both of whom tendered their resignations over the weekend. Diab compared the blast to “an earthquake” that has uprooted issues that the Lebanese people have voiced with their government over the past several years.
“We are facing an earthquake that struck the country, with all its humanitarian, social, economic, and national repercussions,” Diab said.
Diab accused previous administrations of failing to address the more than 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that was not safely stored and is believed to have caused the massive explosion on Aug. 4 that killed more than 200 and injured more than 6,000 people. He called the explosion a “crime” and said that those who are responsible for failing to protect the people of Lebanon should be held accountable.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Beirut over the weekend to vent their frustration about the explosion and a stagnant economy that predated the coronavirus outbreak.
