French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called for an international response under the coordination of the United Nations (UN) for the Lebanese people after a massive explosion devastated Beirut.

Macron made the remarks during the opening address of a virtual donors' conference co-hosted with the UN. Present at the conference were representatives from European Union member states, China, Russia, Egypt, Jordan, and the UK, as well as delegates from the UN, the International Monetary Fund, the Red Cross, and the Arab League. Israel and Iran were not taking part in the video-link conference, said an official from the Elysee Palace.

"We must act quickly and efficiently," said Macron, adding that aid must go directly to where it is needed on the ground.

France is the former colonial power, and Macron was the first world leader to visit Beirut in the days after the blast.

Macron told the conference that "Lebanon's future is at stake" and world powers have a duty to support the Lebanese people as the country's debt-laden economy is already mired in crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The French president said the offer of assistance included support for an impartial, credible, and independent inquiry into the blasts.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who was slated to join the summit, said, "everyone wants to help" in a tweet.

Macron's call comes after two Lebanese ministers resigned on Sunday, and protesters called for an uprising to topple their leaders amid public fury.

Both Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad and Environment Minister Damianos Kattar have said they will resign, citing the explosion and the government's failure to carry out reforms.

Christian Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai said the cabinet should resign as it cannot "change the way it governs."

"The resignation of an MP or a minister is not enough ... the whole government should resign as it is unable to help the country recover," he said in his Sunday sermon.

Many Lebanese are angry at the government's response and say the disaster highlighted the negligence of a corrupt political elite. On Saturday, Lebanon saw the biggest protest since October, with demonstrators storming government ministries and the Association of Lebanese Banks. Anger boiled into violent scenes, resulting in hundreds of injuries.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has said after the protests broke out that he would introduce a law calling for early elections but said he would remain in government for two months until major parties can reach an agreement.

The port explosion at Beirut has killed 158 and wounded over 6,000 people while leaving a quarter of a million homeless.

The explosion gutted entire neighborhoods, leaving 250,000 people homeless, razing businesses, and destroying critical grain supplies.

Rebuilding Beirut will likely run into the billions of dollars. Economists forecast the blast could wipe up to 25 percent off of the country's GDP.

(With input from agencies)