office immediately. In conflict with Aoun concerning the distribution of ministerial posts, Saad Hariri gave up on a government formation on July 15, 2021. 2020 Beirut port explosion On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, as well as leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. A cargo of 2,750 tonnes of the substance (equivalent to around 1.1 kilotons of TNT) had been stored in a warehouse without proper safety measures for the previous six years after having been confiscated by the Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship . The explosion was preceded by a fire in the same warehouse. As of , the exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Aoun expressed intention government would make up to 100billion pounds (US$66million) in aid available to support recovery operations. On 10 August 2020, Hassan Diab and his cabinet stepped down from office. Michel Aoun accepted the resignation of the government and the Prime Minister, and asked the government to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed. During his address after the 1st year commemoration of the blast, Aoun stumbled in his speech after he mistakenly said the phrase 'Lemon doubly' which was used as a way of mockery ever since. Succession Aoun signed the government's resignation decree, a day before his six-year term officially ended, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government remains in office in a caretaker capacity which is unconstitutional since it goes against Aoun's request for the cabinet's step-down after numerous attempts failed to form a new cabinet. His term officially ended in 31 October 2022 after 6 years in office, with no successor designated similarly to his predecessors. Political strategy In an unprecedented move, Aoun signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hezbollah on 6 February 2006. His present strategy is an alleged "war against corruption". Since the end of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, General Aoun has been seeking to improve his country's relationship with Syria. He has treated all Lebanese parties as potential partners in the process of change and reform of the country. The Memorandum of Understanding with Hezbollah enters in this context. In September 2015, Aoun sponsored the candidacy of his son-in law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, to the FPM