Resignations in Lebanon in wake of blast, protests

Lebanon’s Justice Minister, Marie-Claude Najm, on Monday resigned according to local media, becoming the third minister to quit since the devastating Beirut port explosion.
“I tendered my resignation due to the Beirut blast and the protests,” the minister said.
On Sunday, Lebanese Environment Minister, Demianos Kattar, and Information Minister, Manal Abdel-Samad, also resigned in the wake of the massive explosion.
On Tuesday, an explosion ripped through Beirut’s port killing at least 158 people, wounding 6,000, displacing some 250,000 to 300,000 from their homes and inflicting massive destruction across the city.
The port blast was linked to a warehouse housing some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate.
Earlier, Foreign Minister, Nassif Hitti, resigned to protest the government’s poor performance, warning that Lebanon would become a failed state.
However, the blast had so far sparked protests in Beirut which turned violent, leaving a police officer dead and at least 250 people wounded.
The protests prompted Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab to propose early elections.