Fresh anti-government protests break out in Lebanon, soldiers fire rounds in air to disperse crowd
Lebanon protest file image
Lebanese soldiers fired rubber bullets and live rounds in air as hundreds of protesters tried to march to the presidential place. It was an anti-government demonstration the call for which was given in the Baabda suburb of Beirut.
There is still a lot of anger against the government among the citizens after the devastating blast at the Beirut port. The blast killed nearly 200 people and injured 6500. To add to the scare, another mysterious and huge blaze was seen at the same site on Thursday.
As the protesters gathered in Baabda where the presidential palace is located, a counter-protest was organised by supporters of Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the same location.
Lebanese soldiers intervened to avoid clashes between the two groups and stood between them. They also blocked the way to the presidential palace.
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As some of anti-government protesters attempted to break the security cordon and tried to make a dash for the presidential palace, soldiers shot rubber bullets and live rounds in the air.
The anger persists in the country as it is not yet known who was responsible for the Beirut blast. The catastrophe proved to be a tipping point for the collective public anger against years of government mismanagement that has resulted in a deep economic and financial crisis in Lebanon.