Beirut-Sana
Cautious calm prevailed today, the Lebanese capital, Beirut and its suburbs, and areas that witnessed protests and confrontations with the security forces last night.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the streets of the capital Beirut and its surrounding areas witnessed light traffic in the morning, while most shops opened their doors.
The agency pointed out that the protests that were renewed last night in Tripoli witnessed violent confrontations during which protesters smashed the facades of shops and public and private institutions and set fire to each other and containers of waste and threw stones and Molotov cocktails towards the Lebanese army elements who fired rubber bullets and tear gas to drive away the demonstrators, which led to more injuries From forty people wounded on both sides.
The protesters were riding motorcycles, rioting and assaulting public and private property, and a number of them threw Molotov cocktails at the Tripoli municipality building and on the fronts of some banks. The army personnel were able to return the protesters to the depth of the internal streets, and most of the roads that the protesters cut were opened.
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab asked the leaders of the military and security services to take appropriate measures to stop the suspicious attacks on public and private property in downtown Beirut, stressing that all measures taken to protect the property of citizens and institutions and to suppress all sabotage operations should be taken.
Since October 17, Lebanon has witnessed demonstrations and protest actions calling for improving the living conditions, fighting corruption and holding corrupt people accountable, while groups exploiting popular demands and riots during demonstrations in a number of regions.