Beirut Post-Blast Protests Widen as Ministers Resign

Lebanon is still reeling on Monday morning from last week’s deadly blast that claimed the lives of at least 158 Beirut residents and injured many thousands more. As emergency crews were still digging bodies from under the rubble, thousands of angry protesters clashed with security forces on the second day of violent demonstrations. After managing to break into several ministry offices, demonstrators attempted to storm the parliament building, only to be repelled by riot gear-clad police. By Monday morning, two government ministers had already resigned their offices in response to public outrage and in the face of popular demand to overthrow the entire political system. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that nearly $300 million dollars in humanitarian aid were raised in an emergency online donor conference. In response to France’s efforts to assist the beleaguered country and in the wake of Macron’s visit to the Lebanese capital, the foreign ministry of Iran, a country heavily invested in Lebanon both politically and militarily, released a statement warning of the tragedy being politicized by countries “for their own interests … and political aims.”