Lebanese Prime Minister Announces Resignation Amid Ongoing Crisis From Beirut Explosion

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced on Monday that he and his cabinet will resign in light of political pressure from the fallout over last week’s catastrophic explosion in Beirut.

Lebanon continues to recover from the blast that resulted in hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries and incalculable levels of property damage across the nation’s capital. The Lebanese government’s explanation for the explosion is that it happened after a large stash of ammonium nitrate detonated after years of neglect and improper storage at a port facility.

Multiple news outlets have noted that in the days following the explosion, numerous government officials stepped down amid ongoing questions as to who’s to blame for the disaster. Al Jazeera reported that Justice Minister Marie Claude Najem offered her resignation earlier today, as did Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni at the end of a cabinet meeting.

Before the explosion, the Lebanese government was facing substantial protests over the coronavirus pandemic, national economic collapse, violent unrest throughout the country, and a number of other crises. The disaster prompted a new surge of Lebanese anger against their government, which was a prominent political backdrop last week when French President Emmanuel Macron walked among civilians while visiting Beirut.

Watch above, via Al Jazeera.

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