Lebanon: Hundreds protest poor living conditions

Citizens in Beirut block the roads to traffic to react to the increase in the cost of living and fuel prices as the Lebanese Lira lost 99% of its value in the last three years and falls to new record low against US Dollar [Hussam Shbaro / Anadolu Agency]

Hundreds of people took to the streets of Lebanon yesterday to protest against the deteriorating living conditions and the severe collapse in the value of the Lebanese lira, blocking streets across the country.

The Traffic Control Room of the Internal Security Forces reported on Twitter that the protesters cut off the Corniche Al-Mazraa road near Abdel Nasser Mosque; west of the capital, Beirut in both directions and blocked some streets in the city of Tripoli.

In the southern city of Tyre, protesters blocked roads with tyres, according to the National News Agency. While in the Bekaa Governorate, access to the highway was disrupted.

Security forces used tear gas to try to disperse the crowds.

The Council of the Lebanese Pharmacists Syndicate called for the closure of pharmacies due to the collapse of the lira, two weeks after companies have stopped delivering medicines.

The value of the Lebanese lira fell to 132,000 against the dollar, while the price of a gasoline canister for household use reached 2.3 million liras (about $18).

Lebanon is in an economic quagmire and looking for immediate financial support. The country is going through one of the worst financial crises seen globally since the mid-nineteenth century.

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