Beirut Blast: Lebanon’s Government Expected To Step Down Monday

Lebanon’s government is expected to step down on Monday, two government sources told CNN, less than a week after a massive explosion in Beirut killed more than 160 people and sparked days of violent protests.

A senior ministerial source told CNN he believed the government would be reduced to caretaker status by Monday night. Three cabinet ministers have already quit, along with seven members of parliament.

Lebanon was already suffering through its worst economic crisis in decades, coupled with rising coronavirus rates, and the government was plagued by accusations of corruption and gross mismanagement.

Tuesday’s blast, which damaged or destroyed much of the Lebanese capital and was linked to a long-neglected stash of potentially explosive chemicals, was the last straw for many Beirut residents.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab, a self-styled reformer, was ushered into power last December, two months after a popular uprising brought down the previous government. Diab’s government is composed of technocrats and supported by major political parties, including the Iran-backed political and militant group Hezbollah.

Now the country will be tasked with finding a third prime minister in less than a year to contend with the spiraling crises Lebanon faces on a number of fronts.