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| Lebanon's PM Saad Hariri resigning amid protests | Lebanon's PM Saad Hariri resigning amid protests |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said he is resigning, amid protests that have gripped the country for two weeks. | Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said he is resigning, amid protests that have gripped the country for two weeks. |
| Mr Hariri said Lebanon had reached a deadlock and needed a shock to break the crisis. | |
| The protests began against now-scrapped plans to tax WhatsApp calls, but quickly widened to target political corruption and the economic turmoil. | |
| Lebanon has one of the highest debt levels in the world. | Lebanon has one of the highest debt levels in the world. |
| In a televised address, Mr Hariri said he would tender his resignation and that of the government to President Michel Aoun. | |
| Mr Hariri said: "For 13 days, the Lebanese people have waited for a decision for a political solution that stops the deterioration. And I have tried, during this period, to find a way out, through which to listen to the voice of the people." | |
| But he added: "It has become necessary for us to make a great shock to fix the crisis." | |
| Camps destroyed | |
| The demonstrations have reflected the schisms within Lebanese society and have led to a 10-day closure of banks, with many other offices, schools and universities also shut. | |
| The militant Shia group, Hezbollah, which has dominated Mr Hariri's coalition government, has recently hardened its stance against the protests. | |
| On Tuesday, black-clad men loyal to Hezbollah and another Shia group, Amal, destroyed a protest camp in central Beirut, chanting slogans, setting tents on fire and beating anti-government demonstrators. A roadblock set up by protesters was also attacked. | |
| Riot police and troops have tried to separate the rival groups, firing tear gas. | |
| Hezbollah had argued against Mr Hariri's resignation, saying it could result in a void in Lebanese government. | |
| Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has suggested the protests are funded by foreign powers and last Friday said "someone is trying to pull [Lebanon]... towards a civil war". | |
| Mr Hariri and his coalition administration, including Hezbollah, had earlier agreed to a plan of reforms to try to placate protesters, but their campaign has continued. | |
| The BBC's Martin Patience says many in the population are tired of economic stagnation, endemic corruption and a lack of basic public services. | |
| He adds that the developments will alarm the West, which regards Lebanon as an island of relative stability in a turbulent Middle East. | |
| A power-sharing agreement that ended the country's civil war 30 years ago has kept the peace, but it has failed to halt the slide towards economic crisis. |