●Hassan Diab steps down

On 10 August 2020, six days after the port explosion and angry demonstrations, Hassan Diab's government resigned after its allies abandoned it and ministers resigned; it remained a caretaker government for 13 months. The real cause of the government's fall was not the explosion but the decree of 10 June 2020 that replaced the Banque du Liban's vice-governors and removed Mohammad Baasiri, who was backed by Washington, at the height of the government's struggle with Riad Salameh.