You know neal hello and welcome. We begin with breaking news from beirut and then tense standoff is developing in the lebanese capital where theres an eye pouring of grief and anger over tuesdays deadly explosion Security Forces have used rubber bullets on tear gas to break up crowds calling for officials to be brought to justice. 6 for all the. Fast moving developments today in the past number of hours protesters storming of several government buildings and a group took over the Foreign Ministry building missing their flag and declaring it the headquarters of the revolution and they have since spain driven by heavily all the security steps. That we were coming back to the property so far were people in these building belongs to the people of lebanon. We went to martyr square to sort of gallows for those who did this to our country today will hang news of this and we will lead a single government ministers keep. The police stuff far and take asked us in mosques square and the iraqis will so time simply fled. Brutal scenes helping witnessed in the lebanese capital demonstrators threw rocks projectiles out Police Officers who responded in turn with tear gas Security Forces reportedly used live ammunition to force people. I was cranky. I. Think the demonstrators also put up mock gallows in a location where people were hung more than 100 years ago under the Ottoman Empire activists raise cardboard cutouts with ropes around their necks depicting lebanons Prime Minister and leader of hezbollah along with other top officials in response to the surge in civil unrest Prime Minister has called some hours ago for an early election he stated that corruption was to blame for choose these tragedy. We are in a state of emergency and not only because of this catastrophe and the need to deal with it in these circumstances id like all Political Parties to agree on what happens next we dont have much time im prepared to bear this responsibility for 2 months until they can come to an agreement what is needed is for them not to stand in the way of Structural Reforms in order to save the country on monday at the cabinet meets in i will propose a bill seeking an early election a little ballot or journalist was in the midst of saturdays chaotic scenes in beirut. These demonstrators were flocking to Martyrs Square also to the Lebanese Parliament to express their dismay over the poor over what they say is poor handling of the lebanese government of the aftermath of tuesdays that explosion which targeted the beirut sport. The demonstrators are have to or have taken a very violent turn we are also hearing a lot of shots being fired in the air in addition to that there gas and now these protesters and it doesnt seem that theyre planning to leave as Martyrs Square anytime soon many of them have already set up tents they say they are going to stay here until their demands are met and that was. Also at the same time we know that in the street the sheffield used the beirut protesters have managed to storm into the Foreign Ministry. To have the Lebanese Army generals there are talks that the government officials will try to sit down with this retired Army Generals to a try and reach some sort of discussion or negotiations with a maybe to calm the situation down. Who have lost everything we have lost our homes our lives have been torn apart of of everything is happening at once and over that im 28 and what future do i have our currency has lost most of its wealth is it is great solution i want to say to him oh news is ready for you. We feel. Even if you feel. Blessed to be a correspondent igor off its a time you would expect that after choose these explosions in the aftermath of that that this is the time where all the authorities the people come together and try and improve the situation there the opposite seems to be happening. Well you and absolutely and in the past couple of days we also thought that that would that was happening but in fact you can see that the smoke still hasnt cleared from the air of beirut this is the area where some of the heaviest clashes between the army the police and the protesters have happened in fact perhaps ironically its not that far from from the port and from where the blast has happened but this was not caused by the blast this was caused by all the protests and by people being unhappy lots of dumpsters just overturned set on fire i mean by the time we got here there was much more smoke much more fires going on lets just see just have a look here this is not again this is not damage excuse me this is not damage from the blogs this is a from todays protests and what people unhappy about lebanon has been battered in the past in the past year firstly and foremost leave the country is in economic in an economic turmoil its economy plunged then covert 19 heads and it didnt help the economy at all but on top of that what added was the well was the strain on the Health Care System and now this strain is worsened by what happened today because hospitals in some hospitals in beirut are destroyed the routes lebanons in fact lebanons oldest hospital no longer can take patients we were filming there today and the manager of the operational manager told me that he has he was born there and worked there for 35 years and he has no idea as to when that hospital is going to become operational again and with all of that and with the pandemic the figures are already in the hundreds well of those injured in todays protests i mean its almost 500 people. Who have been wounded today this figure is only going to rise now so people are angry but weve took that as you can see theyre very vocal theyre very vocal and they i mean im absolutely sure that these actions will continue and it will do nothing good to the Health Care System and will add to the catastrophe that lebanon is facing right now in fact theres a small group of protesters. In another part of town and we had time to speak with them there just outside the Foreign Ministry which had previously been captured by the protesters and occupied briefly until the army moved in and cleared that building and i talked to my person who like. Volunteer leader of that small group and she was very vocal she was very passionate about how cool is but she was she told me that she understands why people why people are so angry here why people are so angry at the government at the parliament and the minister as she said this she centrally said sometimes silence speaks louder than any words and sensually she called on her fellow protesters well at 2 to protest peacefully to just sit down and refuse to go anywhere and in that Case Scenario if the army moves in then they are clearly in the wrong and she did put all the blame on what happened today on the army and on the police but still she called on people on people to start protesting. That is that is that is a tool order though i have to say because people are fed up it seems like this blast became the final of the straw that broke the camels back if i may say so because throughout these past days that we have been here in beirut and outside of being ruled in favor of course people have lost their homes and with the economic crisis they have not simply no money to put their windows back back. To restore the roofs over there over their houses over their homes some people are ready to leave theyre just ready to go and. Others are less fortunate because they simply have nowhere else to go there are 300000 people displaced by the bluffs and that was the last straw thats why people have been coming out sporadically throughout the week but todays demonstration has beat them as speed to all the previous ones when it comes when it comes to scale i mean its been hours since everything has been over but i mean theres the still the still smoke in the air and it seems like all the all the work that the volunteers had previously done yesterday the day before yesterday holds like classes and students schoolchildren are just Good Samaritans going around giving out water to people and people just taking to the streets with brooms to clear out to clear out of the debris with shovels to clear out the rubble the same shovels were used today to attack the government so all that progress of clearing out beirut streets of dealing with the damage of containing the damaged the damage excuse me it has been undone by todays action and from by judging from what ive heard from the protesters they are not going to stop. It does appear as youve been going through a gorgeous like a perfect storm happening right now in beirut thanks very much for that igor said tell a fly in the capital of lebanon. Lets just get a reminder of what occurred why were seeing the scenes today what happened last tuesday an explosion went off in the port area. Hundreds of meters and went up into the sky it was one of the biggest no Nuclear Detonations in Human History the explosion along with a follow up blast musts of fire leveled several districts in the lies of at least 154 people. More injured many many more displaced as well the Search Rescue operation is still ongoing for days on with dozens of people missing but these are before and after images of the blasts zone officials have revealed that almost 3000 tons of Ammonium Nitrate were being illegally stored in the port area of beirut its a volatile compound used those fertilizer and also as a mining explosive and that stockpile had been sitting in a warehouse in a densely populated area for more than 6 years well amid the anger the grief theres also been a glimmer of hope for those who risk the looking for their loved ones under the rubble in beirut after 24 hours of digging a 12 Year Old Girl was found alive. Well. Young the island how do you know how much but i do not mention the level of commitment and. Rights of them that i know im sure i know you probably dont. Know dont you know. Them all. You can imagine the relief of her parents well the explosions shock we have wreaked havoc across the city destroying buildings businesses homes the un has warned of a humanitarian crisis with 300000 people in need of aid and shelter. The World Health Organization is warning that beiruts Health Care System has been badly compromised it was already under severe pressure from the coburn 1000 pandemic on top of the explosion choose to put 3 hospital action medics working around the clock to save the lives of those seriously injured in the tragedy i want to bring you know one heroic nurses story take a listen. When the explosion went off the ground shook beneath us the blast held me into another room i opened my eyes and found myself covered with rubble i found my colleagues and friends line here on the ground covered in blood. In. The Neonatal Intensive Care Units were covered in rubble as well i started pulling out of the units i was terrified because i thought the babies might be crushed under the rubble but thank god they were ok then i too can feel this corridor and down through flights of stairs. I carried the babies and i was determined to take them to another hospital the only way less than 2 kilograms they had nothing on them except dying people on the street give me the t. Shirt and some clothes so i could rescue me he simply didnt move the constant by he on t. V i was holding the 3 babies and i didnt know if i was going to be able to rescue them normal times counting the heads in my chest to make sure they were still there. Ok were going to stay with the breaking news some while longer after the break life analysis on the unrest no on forming in lebanon and whats behind it stay with r. T. Join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and ill be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports im showbusiness ill see you then. I. Passed that midnight here in moscow welcome back a recap of our breaking news story on r. T. International thousands have been rallying in central beirut throughout the day piling the pressure on the government over tuesdays deadly explosion government buildings including 4 ministries have been stormed by activists a Police Officer has been killed in the riots that is according to local Law Enforcement and at least 175 people have been injured in street clashes Prime Minister her son called for an early election earlier on saturday and acknowledged corruption was to blame for tuesdays tragedy. Happy to welcome onto the Program International affairs analyst. Joining us from istanbul to have his say on what is developing today and there are a lot of things developing in lebanon today it looks like a total breakdown of law and order ministries being stormed the Foreign Ministry was taken over for a period the army had to be called in to regain control of that some are calling this a revolution where do you see this heading. How long. First of all i can say. Is on thin ice right now i want to remind you and on the line my grooviest peachey have just peeved with the go it the night that its. Happened i say the explosion isnt then i think i dont believe thats an attack by our a result of included and so on recklessness and this is what the young generation has been protesting for several months fortunately the lebanese politics couldnt have found the solution because on the solution is to change the constitution and the system itself which doesnt seem to be possible at least for the moment. We are unfortunately can expect there worsen the situation in lebanon and i dont believe the election. Lucian and i dont really think there might be any story showing them go or been in there thus thats my point because different activists missis seem to be calling for Different Things some protesters are denouncing president in others rallying against hezbollah is there any solution you see that could quell the intense public anger were seeing. Yes. As i said i dont believe these protesters are controlled by another state because there are some precise expectations of young people from the state listen not from government from the state so. As i said i just dont believe this early election or anything can be. Bought young people shoot point sample the shootings there should be some new faces basis in law. When and ill fortunately i dont believe its possible for the moment lebanons economy social efforts as well really in a dire state for some years to what extent will all this political unrest is it going to hold back the huge rebuilding effort that needs to happen. Listen to be able to understand. Whats really whats really wrong with that when you. You have to know that you have to know the. Social classes that. People. Just mentioned as i just sent. The issue of the nation im not talking about. You know of our religious or ethnic groups there are precisely expectations and these expectations havent been able to be matched for sound for you. We have just getting some reaction throughout the day the u. S. Embassy in beirut for instance expressed support for the protesters saying the lebanese people and this is a quote deserve leaders who listen to them and change course to respond to popular demands for transparency and accountability is it appropriate at this stage that what were seeing on the streets for washington to be seemingly taking sides like that. Of course they would protest its you cant spoil sports. Footprint on a stake in this. And it is not the 1st time the United States is organizing massive protests in level and level one is some kind of well lets say to do war lucian lao troops or you call the United States just look at their ops thats was also something the United States even organized the house the exactly the same science that all corresponds with fictional organizers in hmong the protesters remember egypt we remember the guy and they. Want to remember syria in 2011 they are trying the same thing in lebanon who wants all bills but. I have 2 on the line United States isnt you want world war 2 for this we have to separate ok they get that people should walk through testers are asking is right you create what is right. How you want how it was really just for a showing the nation it has to change its. No longer to ask for lucian for problems youve got problems in the past arent the problems. In actual states or lebanese people can no longer be kept under control but i dont want this cast of the show it is not change sorry to break in but just to make it clear maybe for viewers as well its a unique situation in lebanon and i think its safe to say youve got the president whos always a christian youve got the Prime Minister whos always a sunni muslim then youve got hezbollah as well as she grouping and they are always in particular places so that never changes are you saying to rip all that up that has to stop before progress can help and. Exactly that is what i am telling you thank you thank you its a great exactly this world and theres a its not the only United States into any ok iraq is also very big in lebanon and other states. These cant be sure and so correlation. To leave just certain rationing among nations what went. Through were so when this is the problem saw this constitution has changed this is what young people are expecting from the problems of our hearts that the shooter came out. Ok we have about 20 seconds mostly do you think do you foresee these protests going on for quite some time. During repeat police do for see these protests continuing for quite a lot a lot of long time of course its going to worsen ok thank you very much for coming on the program and sharing your thoughts Inter