BEIRUT (BLOOMBERG) - Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said he will propose early elections on Monday (Aug 10) as protesters briefly occupied several government buildings to force the removal of a political class they blame for this week's devastating blast that killed more than 150 people.

"Our tragedy is big and requires exceptional decisions," Diab said in a televised address, saying he would remain in office two months to give change a chance.

"Today, and with the disaster we live in, we need everyone to cooperate so we can get through this difficult moment."

Though early elections were a key demand of anti-government protesters, his speech did little to calm the crowds, dozens of whom managed to gain entry to the ministries of foreign affairs, economy and energy as well as the Association of Banks in Beirut.

They destroyed pictures of President Michel Aoun and vowed to remove the entire ruling elite.

Army troops managed to end the sieges later in the evening.

Earlier, security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of people who converged in downtown Beirut, setting up nooses in an outburst of fury over the explosion that destroyed parts of the capital. The blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of explosive materials left for six years at the country's main port despite repeated safety warnings.

Many expressed anger and disbelief at efforts to push them back in the aftermath of Tuesday's blast, which wounded thousands and left 300,000 homeless.

Lebanese Red Cross said 63 wounded protesters at the downtown protests were taken to hospitals and 170 others were treated on site. One member of the Internal Security Fores died in a fall at a downtown hotel.

The demonstrations broke out on the eve of an international aid conference to support Lebanon, a country crippled by corruption and in the midst of a financial crisis that's battered the currency, caused soaring inflation and wiped out life savings.

Global leaders including US President Donald Trump will participate in Sunday's conference. The video-conference will be co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and the United Nations.

Macron said during a visit to Beirut on Thursday he would make sure any aid goes directly to the Lebanese people and not into "corrupt hands."

Several allies of Lebanon have offered support since Tuesday's incident in the port of Beirut. Authorities said the biggest blasts in city's history caused billions of dollars worth of damage.

The explosion came at a time when Lebanon is reeling under its worst financial meltdown in decades. The administration is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a US$10 billion (S$13.7 billion) loan programme, but those negotiations had stalled as Lebanese politicians could not agree on the reforms.

Gulf states, European nations and the US have sent mobile clinics, food, fuel and medicine to the country. European Council president Charles Michel was in Beirut on Saturday and promised support.

Promises of relief come as the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah rejected speculation that the militant group had stashed weapons at Beirut's port before this week's devastating explosions. Officials have blamed the accident on a vast store of ammonium nitrate, unloaded from a ship in 2014 and kept at the port despite repeated safety warnings. Hezbollah is part of the ruling coalition.

Lebanon's President Aoun said Friday an investigation would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interferences.

"The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act," Aoun said.

Both rejected calls for an international inquiry but Lebanese critics worry that local authorities were too politically-influenced.

World Leaders to Hold Lebanon Aid Conference on Sunday Lebanon has arrested 20 people, including port and customs officials, and placed everyone who had an official role at the port since 2014 under house arrest.

A team of French explosive experts arrived in Beirut Thursday to help with the investigation that's being led by the Lebanese army and police intelligence.

To protest the current government supported by Hezbollah, the Kataeb party - a Christian group that opposes the ruling majority - announced the resignation of its members from the parliament. The general secretary of the party, Nizar Najarian, was killed in the explosion. MP Marwan Hamadeh, a member of the party of Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, and independent lawmaker Paula Yacoubian also announced their resignations.

Even before the blast, rage had been building in Lebanon. A bout of protests that started late last year fizzled out in the face of a lockdown to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The government is still in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout, while the currency has collapsed, wiping out life savings, with a shortage of dollars decimating trade and pushing the economy into a steep contraction.