OMAR KARAMI, Lebanon’s pro-Syrian Prime Minister, announced his resignation before a stunned parliament last night as tens of thousands of jubilant Lebanese vowed to continue a non-stop rally in central Beirut until Syria withdraws its troops from the country.

It was the most dramatic moment in two weeks of turmoil in Lebanon since the assassination of Rafik Hariri, a former Prime Minister, in a bomb blast, and will be a serious blow to Syria, which faces intense international pressure to pull out its 14,000 troops.

In Washington, the US Under-Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky, last night described what was happening in Lebanon as the Cedar Revolution. The name refers to Lebanon’s majestic trees that are mentioned in the Bible and feature on the national flag.

Mr Karami told parliament: “I am keen that the Government will not be a hurdle in front of those who want the good for this country. I declare the resignation of the Government that I had the honour to head. May God preserve Lebanon.”

Applause and cheers broke out from opposition MPs, who were seeking to topple the Government through a no-confidence motion in a stormy debate on Hariri’s murder.

President Lahoud accepted Mr Karami’s resignation shortly after the announcement. Mr Lahoud, also pro-Syrian, now faces pressure to resign himself.

As the Bush Administration welcomed Mr Karami’s departure, Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said: “The new Government will have the responsibility to implement free and fair elections that the Lebanese people have clearly demonstrated they desire.”

In Beirut, news of the resignation was greeted with delight in Martyrs’ Square, where thousands of flag-waving Lebanese had gathered on Sunday night in defiance of a government ban on demonstrations.

“The Government didn’t fall just now, it fell yesterday when you all came here,” Akram Shehayeb, a leading opposition MP, told the crowd. “You are the ones who are going to make Lebanon independent,” he added, wearing a red and white scarf that has become the motif of the peaceful “intifada” called for by the Opposition after Hariri’s death.

Mr Karami’s Government faced intense pressure to resign after Hariri’s death, which the Opposition and many Lebanese have blamed on Syria. Damascus dominates the political process here and Hariri, a billionaire tycoon, had become a powerful, if behind-the-scenes, member of the Opposition.

Mr Karami, the scion of a respected Sunni Muslim family from Tripoli in north Lebanon, was appointed Prime Minister for a second time in October after Hariri stepped down. His previous term, in 1992, also ended with his resignation after public pressure when Lebanese rioted in Beirut against rampant inflation in the aftermath of the 1975-90 civil war.

Fares Said, an opposition MP, told the crowds in Martyrs’ Square: “The battle is not over, it’s just beginning. This is the first step. We still need to know who killed Rafik Hariri.”

Lebanon has witnessed unprecedented scenes of public opposition to Syria in the past two weeks but despite fears of a violent confrontation between the protesters and security forces, yesterday’s demonstration passed off peacefully.

The Government said last week that Syrian troops would redeploy to east Lebanon. No movements have been reported.

Bahia Hariri, an MP and sister of the late Prime Minister, told parliament: “All the Lebanese want to know who killed Rafik Hariri and prevented the truth from coming out.”

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