Macron pledges aid won't go to 'corrupt hands', wants new Lebanon deal

French President Emmanuel Macron told angry Lebanese crowds in downtown Beirut that French aid would not go to "corrupt hands" and he would seek a new deal with political authorities.

"I guarantee you this - aid will not go to corrupt hands," Macron told protesters in central Beirut two days after the city was devastated by a blast.

"I will talk to all political forces to ask them for a new pact. I am here today to propose a new political pact to them," he said, after being greeted by crowds calling for an end to the "regime".