Lebanese Justice Minister Marie Claude Najm said in a statement earlier today that she had presented her resignation from the government, citing the catastrophic explosion at the port of Beirut.
Last week’s port warehouse detonation of more than 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate killed 158 people, injured more than 6,000 and destroyed a swathe of the Mediterranean city, compounding months of political and economic meltdown and prompting furious calls for the entire government to step down.
Najm visited the blast area on Thursday (August 6), only two days after the explosion, and was surrounded by an angry group of protesters who threw water bottles in her direction, forcing her to retreat from the scene.
Lebanon’s cabinet, which formed in January with the backing of the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group and its allies, was due to meet on Monday under pressure with many ministers wanting to resign, ministerial and political sources said.
The information and environment ministers quit on Sunday as well as several lawmakers. The justice minister resigned on Monday, citing the catastrophic explosion.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Saturday he would request early parliamentary elections.
Aoun had previously said explosive material was stored unsafely for years at the port. He later said the investigation would consider whether the cause was external interference as well as negligence or an accident.
Beirut’s governor said many foreign workers and truck drivers remained missing and were assumed to be among the casualties, complicating efforts to identify the victims.
Anti-government protests in the last two days have been the biggest since October when demonstrators took to the streets over an economic crisis rooted in corruption, waste and mismanagement. Protesters accused the political elite of exploiting state resources for their own benefit.
Some Lebanese doubt change is possible in a country where sectarian politicians have dominated the country since the 1975-90 civil war.
