Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced the formation of a new cabinet on January 21, almost one month after he was appointed to the post. The 20-member cabinet, which includes six female ministers, was backed by political parties allied with Hezbollah.

Speaking shortly after the presidential palace announced the cabinet, Diab said that "this is a government that represents the aspirations of the demonstrators who have been mobilized nationwide for more than three months." He promised that the new government will tackle some core protester demands, including the independence of the judiciary and the return of funds stolen from Lebanese state coffers, and it will fight illicit enrichment, protect low-income families, fight unemployment, and work to endorse a new electoral law.

Thousands of protesters quickly took to the streets and blocked major highways across the country to reject the new cabinet, saying the members have clear connections to established political parties. Hundreds gathered in front of the entrance to Parliament in downtown Beirut. Some threw rocks and projectiles at the riot police blocking the entrance, and a few tried to storm the barricades.

Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters and, for the first time since the protests began in October, used a chemical spray against protesters trying to remove the barriers blocking the entrance to parliament. The riot police also sprayed an Associated Press photographer who was covering the protests. Protesters who came in contact with the spray described a burning sensation. The Internal Security Forces tweeted that the spray was a common riot dispersal method used in other countries and claimed its effects were temporary.

Protesters gathered in downtown Beirut again today, and clashes between rock-throwing protesters and security forces began around 5 p.m.