Lebanese prime minister and his government resign amid protests following Beirut explosion

Hassan Diab, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, announced on Monday that he and his government will resign following last week's catastrophic explosion in Beirut. 

"Today I announce the resignation of this government, may God protect Lebanon," Diab said in a speech on television.

Their action came after several ministers and lawmakers resigned, citing the need for change in the aftermath of the devastating explosion.

The explosion, which killed at least 160 people and injured thousands more, has invigorated a movement against Lebanon's decaying political body. Lebanon's ruling class, for years, has been run primarily by a handful of families who have overseen the country's decline since the nation's civil war that lasted a decade and a half, ending in 1990.