Al-Rahi Slams Attack on Protesters as 'Attack on Lebanon'

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Monday condemned the overnight attack on protesters in central Beirut as an “attack on Lebanon.”

“The attack did not only target peaceful youths, but also the army and security forces,” he said during a visit to Cairo.

“We condemn this approach towards a sacred cause, because the young men and women are demanding the welfare of Lebanon and its people and institutions and the attack against them is an attack on Lebanon and the sacred cause,” the patriarch added.

He also condemned the attacks on “public and private properties, cars and shops,” while urging protesters to “show restraint” and “cooperate with security forces and the army to preserve the public welfare.”

At around midnight on Sunday, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement supporters attacked protesters at the Ring flyover near the capital's main protest camp.

Brandishing party flags, they hurled stones at peaceful demonstrators and taunted them with insults as riot police deployed to contain the violence and eventually fired tear gas.

The attackers also ravaged a nearby encampment, tearing down tents and damaging storefronts in their most serious assault on the protesters so far.

At least 10 demonstrators were wounded, civil defense said, without specifying the extent of their injuries.

On Monday morning, scattered stones, shattered glass and the mangled remains of tents littered the ground in the main protest camp.

Around the square, car windows had been smashed with rocks.