BEIRUT (AP) – Security forces threw tear gas at confrontations that lasted into early Monday’s central Beirut between Hezbollah supporters and protesters protesting Against Lebanon’s political elite.The Clashes began after dozens of supporters of the Iran-backed group arrived on motorbikes and attacked protesters with sticks and tubes as they shouted slogans in favor of Hezbollah. Riot police and soldiers formed a human barricade to separate both sides.
Groups of young men threw stones at each other for hours while security forces remained in the middle. Several people were beaten and injured. A few Hezbollah supporters held a huge yellow flag of the Shia Muslim group, waving it and yelling at the protesters on the opposing side. This is some of the worst fighting since the protests erupted in Lebanon on 17 October, in which demonstrators are calling for an end to the widespread corruption and mismanagement of the political class that has ruled for three decades. The dissatisfied forced the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign on 29 October, and since then politicians have been unable to agree on the appointment of a cabinet despite a rapidly worsening economic crisis. Protesters say they are blocking the roads to pressure politicians to form a new government.” Shia, Shia, Shia,” Hezbollah supporters shouted. Some threw flares in the direction of security forces and protesters, who responded with “Hezbollah is terrorist” slogans. The attacks occurred after protesters blocked a major intersection connecting the east and west neighborhoods of the capital. At the same time, they closed roads north of Beirut and in the Becá Valley to the east of the capital.
