(CNN) - Lebanese protesters stormed various government ministries during violent protests that gripped Beirut on Saturday night.
The Foreign Ministry, the Environment Ministry and the Economy Ministry were seized by angry protesters calling for the downfall of Lebanon's ruling elite five days after an explosion ripped through the Lebanese capital causing massive destruction.
The Banking Association, which protesters blame for the worsening of the country's banking crisis, was also taken over by protesters and set on fire.
Hours after the first protests shook Beirut, Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab promised to hold snap elections as his embattled government faces calls to resign.
- LOOK: See the new images and information of the explosion in Lebanon
Diab said he would introduce a law calling for early elections and assured that he would remain in government for two months until the main parties can reach an agreement.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets while protesters threw rocks and fireworks at security forces. Parts of the central district were burned, and when protesters seized the Chancellery, the first in a succession of popular takeovers, they declared it "the seat of the revolution."
Protesters scale the walls that seal off Parliament Square in Beirut.
Tens of thousands of protesters flocked to Beirut Martyrs' Square on Saturday afternoon calling for "revenge" against the ruling class of politicians held responsible for the explosion that swept through much of the Lebanese capital.
The air was laden with tear gas as people filled the main protest site, and the demonstrations spread to surrounding neighborhoods and the city's main highway, in the biggest protests since a nationwide uprising last October.
The US embassy in Beirut expressed its support for the peaceful protesters. "The Lebanese people have suffered too much and deserve to have leaders who listen to them and change course to respond to popular demands for transparency and accountability," the embassy tweeted on Saturday night. "We support them in their right to protest peacefully and we encourage all those involved to refrain from violence."
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In Beirut, dozens of cell phone videos, security cameras and even a wedding tape recorded the shocking magnitude of the blast. They were cataclysmic seconds that left a terrible devastation in homes, businesses and streets; Populated and lively areas were suddenly transformed into a catastrophic landscape full of debris, broken glass and bloodstains. A severe blow to a nation already suffering from the pandemic and a deep crisis. Among the Lebanese population, shock is already giving way to anger as the investigation progresses that reveals that numerous warnings about dangerous cargo in the port were ignored for 6 years.
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A member of the Lebanese security forces was killed. More than 200 people have been injured in the protests, including 63 who were taken to hospitals, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. Several journalists are among the injured.
The response from the security forces did not appear to disperse many of the angry protesters. A woman who fell when she tripped over people running in her direction said: 'They bombed our city. I will be back". With tears streaming down her face, she gathered up her belongings, as well as some stones, and headed back to the crowd.
"You survive an explosion in Beirut only to receive tear gas," said a man in his 20s as he popped an onion to his mouth to mitigate the effects of the gas.
Some demonstrations remained peaceful, while others were filled with angry protesters who clashed with the security forces.
"We have problems here because, on the one hand, the protesters are burning buildings and if I send the fire trucks to put out the fire, I fear that the protesters could attack and injure the police and firefighters," the governor of CNN told CNN. Beirut, Marwan Abboud. "On the other hand, however, I can't just not send in the police or firefighters."
Abboud was disrupted and kicked out of a neighborhood damaged by protesters earlier in the day.
A Lebanese protester breaks a window during clashes with security forces in Beirut.
Mock gallows were lifted by protesters in what were called "Judgment Day" protests, as grief gave way to anger after more than 154 people were killed and dozens more remain missing. More than 5,000 people were injured.
The effigies of prominent political leaders, including former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, were hung by ties, in some of the most explicit signs of public outrage the country has seen in years.
The protesters held signs that read: "This is where the ropes should be hung." The simulated gallows has become a key symbol of the demonstrations, which are demanding accountability for those responsible for Tuesday's explosion, as well as against corruption and mismanagement in the country.
The effigies of leading politicians were placed on a mock gallows that has become a key symbol of the demonstrations.
The gallows was erected in the same place where several people were hanged more than 100 years ago by the then ruling Ottoman Empire for rebelling against Istanbul. The statue in the Plaza de los Mártires commemorates these executions.
Protesters scaled the walls that have sealed off Beirut's Nejmeh Square, where the Lebanese parliament is located, for months and tried to tear down the barricades.
In one video, soldiers were seen covering themselves in archaeological ruins as protesters threw stones at them.
Lebanese protesters throw stones at security forces.
Thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate are linked to Tuesday's catastrophic explosion in the port of Beirut. Several government agencies in Lebanon were repeatedly warned about the substance, described by one analyst as a "floating bomb," CNN learned.
- LOOK: The ammonium nitrate that exploded in Beirut was bought for mining, says a Mozambican company
"We were born and raised with this regime, we believe it is time for it to disappear, especially after the last explosion," said 18-year-old protester Dana Itani. "These politicians deserve to be hanged here, they honestly deserve worse."
The protesters called for the downfall of the country's political elites.
The protesters threw stones at riot police near Nejmeh Square.
«I lived through the civil war. I was displaced, I lived through hard days and we already lost houses in the war. We thought that was it, ”said Hayat Gharazeddine, 51. However, these days are worse than war. You have no idea how you could die now, which is the scariest thing.
"I wish I could hang them myself," she added.
Some people came to the "judgment day" protests with ropes.
Some protesters occupied a Foreign Ministry building in eastern Beirut, displaying a large banner over its severely damaged structure calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group and political party, according to Lebanese television channel LBCi. .
One of the protesters declared the building as "headquarters of the revolution", through a megaphone.
Lebanon was already embroiled in economic collapse before Tuesday's explosion that swept through its main port, destroying grain silos. The international community has already sent emergency medical and food supplies to the country and will allocate tens of millions of dollars in funding.
Tuesday's disaster may have also brought the country's political crisis to a tipping point. Since a popular uprising in October toppled the government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, public discontent against the ruling political class has been rampant, accelerating a financial crisis that is one of the worst the country has seen.
Five members of parliament resigned in protest, in addition to some high-profile official resignations. Authorities have detained 16 people in connection with the explosion, including Lebanese Customs Director General Badri Daher, Beirut Port Chief Hasan Kraytem and former Customs Chief Chafic Merei.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Ali Younes, Nada Al Taher, and Tariq Keblaoui contributed to this report.
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