Protesters In Beirut Continue Clashes With Police, Smash Banks' Windows

BEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th January, 2020) Protesters in the Lebanese capital of Beirut continue clashing with law enforcement as they rally along the central Hamra street and smash banks' windows, Sputnik has learned from eyewitnesses.

"Activists ripped off surveillance cameras and smashed the window cases of banks along Hamra. Pogroms go on. The street is completely blocked for vehicles," one witness said.

According to others, police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters as they were throwing stones and other objects at officers.

Several people were detained.

People took to the streets after a brief lull to protest a political vacuum, which followed the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri last fall. The president nominated a new prime minister who has been struggling to form a cabinet.

Protests flared across Lebanon in October amid a crippling economic crisis. They have been demanding urgent reforms to end the deepening liquidity crisis, while President Michel Aoun has blamed it on sanctions.