Tear gas, clashes in Beirut amid fury over massive blast

Tear gas filled the air in Beirut on Saturday as security forces clashed with demonstrators amid mounting fury over the massive explosion that devastated much of the city and killed nearly 160 people and wounded around 5,000

Tuesday's explosion was fueled by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the city's port for more than six years.

Apparently set off by a fire, it was by far the biggest blast in Lebanon’s troubled history and caused an estimated $10 billion to 15 billion in damage, according to Beirut’s governor.

As the protest got underway, small groups of young men began throwing stones at security forces.

Near parliament, riot police fired tear gas at protesters who tried to jump over barriers that closed the road leading to the legislature.

The protesters later set on fire a truck that was fortifying barriers on a road leading to parliament. At least four people were hurt in the clashes, according to the Red Cross.

One group of protesters including retired army officers stormed the Foreign Ministry building, saying it would serve as the headquarters for a “revolution” and called on the current government to resign.

The gathering at Martyrs' Square and outside the parliament building and government headquarters came amid popular anger against Lebanon’s political leadership.

The country’s ruling class, made up mostly of former civil war-era leaders, is blamed for incompetence and mismanagement that contributed to Tuesday’s explosion.

The staggering devastation came on top of an economic and financial crisis that has led to the collapse of the Lebanese currency against the dollar, hyperinflation and soaring poverty and unemployment.