‘Beirut catastrophe’: Lebanon’s information minister resigns

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s information minister Manal Abdel Samad resigned today (Sunday), marking the first resignation since a deadly blast in Beirut killed more than 150 people and injured more than 5,000.

In a statement, the former information minister said, “After the enormous Beirut catastrophe, I announce my resignation from government.” She said that Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government failed to live up to the aspirations of the Lebanese people.

“I want to apologise to the Lebanese people, whose aspirations we were unable to fulfill due to the difficulty of the challenges facing us,” ex-Information minister added.

Abdel Samad said that she had tried in Diab’s government to address the demands of an unprecedented uprising that rocked the country last October, “but change remained far.”

Meanwhile, the head of Lebanon’s Maronite church called on the entire government to step down over the August 4 explosion. Lebanese protesters enraged by the blast vowed to rally again after a night of street clashes in which they stormed several ministries.

Earlier on Friday, President Michel Aoun rejected calls for an international investigation, which he said would dilute the truth. At least six lawmakers have quit since the explosion.