The entire Lebanese government is said to have resigned and Prime Minister Hassan Diab is due to address the nation when it is expected he too will step down.

Diab is expected to say he will continue as interim PM until the new government is installed, Sky News reports.

There has been widespread demands for the government to go following the huge explosion in the capital city of Beirut last week in which more than 160 people died wirth a fuurther 6,000 injured.

 Protesters have been clashing with police in ugly scenes throughout the weekend.

Justice minister Marie Claude Najm quit earlier on Monday, according to the state-run National News Agency.

A Lebanese judge today started questioning Major General Tony Saliba, the head of state security, over the explosion, the news agency added.

Public outrage has grown since the deadly blast which destroyed much of the city, reducing buildings to rubble and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

It is believed the explosion was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate - used as a fertiliser and in explosives - which was left in a warehouse for six years.