Beirut Blast: Thousands Of Protesters Demand 'Fall of Regime', Lebanon PM Announces Early Elections

Angry protesters storm government t buildings as tens of thousands rally against Lebanon government after the deadly explosion in Beirut which killed more than 150 people and injured 6000.

A Lebanese protester carries a wounded demonstrators to safety at the headquarters of the Lebanese association of banks in downtown Beirut on August 8, 2020, following a demonstration against a political leadership they blame for a monster explosion that killed more than 150 people and disfigured the capital Beirut. (Image: ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

Beirut Blast: After a massive explosion that ripped through central Beirut on Tuesday and sent up a huge mushroom cloud-shaped shockwave, flipping cars, and damaging distant buildings, thousands of protesters gathered in central Beirut seeking justice on Saturday. ALSO READ|Lebanon Blast: 78 Dead, Over 4000 Injured As Massive Explosion Shatters Lives In Beirut; A Look At What Happened Violent protests gripped Beirut as demonstrators stormed several government ministries and had to face tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes with police. One policeman has been killed in the clashes; dozens of protesters wounded. Lebanese authorities have taken into custody 19 people as part of an investigation

Lebanese demanding an end to being ruled by corrupt sectarian warlords and a foreign backed militia.

Stay strong #Lebanon — we are taking our country back. pic.twitter.com/qy6zi34jeJ — #PrayForBeirut (@LebaneseProblem) August 8, 2020

The foreign ministry, the environment ministry, and the economy ministry were occupied by angry demonstrators who called for the downfall of Lebanon's ruling elite five days after a blast ripped through the Lebanese capital causing widespread destruction.

Nearly 150 wounded & the attack on protesters is relentless. Armed forces firing tear gas from several directions to clear out the square. Snipers on rooftops.

PM Diab is expected to speak shortly. Anything short of a resignation will serve to reignite the street.#سبت_الإنتقام pic.twitter.com/9unF2OGLI0 — Lara Bitar (@LaraJBitar) August 8, 2020

Parts of the central district were set ablaze and when the protesters took over the Foreign Ministry, the first in a succession of popular takeovers, they declared it the "headquarters of the revolution." The blast killed more than 150, injured around 6,000, and left about 300,000 people without homes. Lebanon PM announces upcoming elections

Hours after the protests first rocked Beirut, Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has vowed to hold early elections as his beleaguered government faces calls to resign.

Diab said he would introduce a law calling for early elections and said he would remain in government for two months until major parties can reach an agreement.

In a national address, the premier said he will introduce a draft bill proposing early elections as thousands of angry protesters took to the streets.

"We can't exit the country's structural crisis without holding early parliamentary elections … We need a new political elite and a new parliament,' Diab said.

He added that a national investigation into the blast will expand until it gets to "everyone involved" in the explosion.

New footage showing the powerful explosion in Lebanon. #lebanon #Beirut #بيروت #لبنان pic.twitter.com/lREDB8Urw8

— bader (@Baderd18Bader) August 8, 2020

The origins of the explosion that spurred the protests are not yet known. On Tuesday, two explosions in Beirut’s port area sent a red mushroom cloud thousands of feet into the air above the city. Lebanese officials say over 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, which is used to make both bombs and fertilizer, had been stored there for six years without safety measures.

Also watch|Lebanon: PM announces upcoming elections after locals protest in Beirut