Lebanese army urges protesters to open roads after PM resignation

Lebanese soldiers and security officials urged protesters to open blocked roads on Wednesday so life could return to normal, after 13 days demonstrations paralyzed the country and forced the prime minister to resign.

Troops cleared one major route north of Beirut after briefly scuffling with demonstrators in the morning.

In a statement, the army command said people had a right to protest, but that applied “in public squares only”.

The main protest camp in a square in the center of the capital was quiet but was closed to traffic by security forces.

Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon’s prime minister on Tuesday, toppling his coalition government. He said he had hit a “dead end” in trying to resolve the crisis unleashed by the huge protests against the ruling elite.

Via Reuters