Iran-backed Hezbollah supporters clash with anti-government protesters in Lebanon’s capital

The militant group’s leader has said ongoing nationwide protests have been exploited by foreign powers and are no longer spontaneous

Proposed new taxes, including on the use of WhatsApp, trigged the protests initially, but they evolved into calls to oust the entire political class

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Soldiers form a barrier to separate Hezbollah supporters from anti-government demonstrators in Beirut on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:39am, 25 Nov 2019Updated: 10:39am, 25 Nov 2019

Security forces fired tear gas amid confrontations in central Beirut that went into Monday morning between Hezbollah supporters and demonstrators protesting against Lebanon’s political elite.

The confrontations began after dozens of supporters of the Iran-backed militant group arrived on scooters and attacked the protesters with clubs and metal rods, chanting pro-Hezbollah slogans. Riot police and soldiers then formed a human barrier, separating between the two sides.

Groups of young men threw stones at each other for hours, with security forces in the middle. Several people were beaten and injured. A few Hezbollah supporters held up the Muslim Shiite group’s large yellow flag, waving it and taunting the protesters on the other side.

The confrontations and tension were some of the worst since protests erupted in Lebanon on October 17, with demonstrators demanding an end to widespread corruption and mismanagement by the political class that has governed for three decades. The protests forced the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign on October 29, and politicians have failed to agree on a new cabinet since, despite a rapidly deteriorating economic crisis.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri speaks in a televised speech on October 18. Photo: DPA

The leaderless protesters say they are blocking roads to exert pressure on politicians to form a new government.