▲ Protests against the Lebanese government
The Lebanese cabinet has announced a general resignation amid continued anti-government protests following a massive explosion in Lebanese capital Beirut.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said in a speech to the public that the cabinet resigned in connection with the explosion.
"The Beirut explosion is the result of endemic corruption," said Diab. "The current cabinet has tried to save the country, but the corruption system is bigger than the country."
Local media say that the current cabinet will temporarily work until the next government is formed.
In this regard, Lebanese President Michelle Aun is reported to be in talks with Congress to nominate a new prime minister.
The cabinet, led by Prime Minister Diab, who announced the resignation of the cabinet, was launched in January this year with the support of Hezbollah, an Islamic Shiite faction.
Even after the Lebanese cabinet announced its resignation, hundreds of citizens in downtown Beirut held protests against the government demanding fundamental political reform.
Earlier, on the 4th, about 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse in the port of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded, killing 160 people and injuring 6,000.
Lebanon, a country on the Mediterranean coast, maintains a unique political system that reflects 18 denominations, including Islamic Sunni, Shia, and Christianity, and is facing a serious economic crisis due to its enormous national debt and high unemployment rate.
(Photo = Getty Image Korea)