Ƶ

Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace

Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace
1 / 2
Protesters chant slogans and strike a drum during an anti-government demonstration in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on December 1, 2019. (AFP)
Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace
2 / 2
A protester holds up a sign during an anti-government demonstration in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on December 1, 2019. (AFP)
Updated 01 December 2019

Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace

Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace
  • Anti-government protesters had called for a rally outside the Presidential Palace to press Aoun to formally begin the process of forming a new govt

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s armed forces have deployed near the presidential palace east of Beirut to prevent friction between rival Lebanese protesters as the stalemate over forming a crisis government continues. 
Anti-government protesters had called for a rally Sunday outside the Presidential Palace in Baabda to press President Michel Aoun to formally begin the process of forming a new government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned over a month ago amid nationwide protests accusing the political elite of corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
The call prompted a counter-rally by supporters of Aoun who called him a “red line.” Army soldiers formed a human chain to separate the groups on a highway leading to the palace, preventing clashes.
Meanwhile, hundreds of anti-government protesters marched toward central Beirut amid a deepening economic crisis.