Protesters Block Beddawi Highway after Tense Night
Protesters in the northern city of Tripoli blocked al-Beddawi highway to protest the detention of a group of activists arrested by the Lebanese army overnight, the National News Agency reported on Friday.
Blocking the highway with burning tyres and cement blocks, the protesters vowed to keep the blockades until the detainees are freed.
Scuffles erupted between army troops and activists blocking the road overnight protesting worsening power outages.
53 people, including 23 soldiers, were wounded and bruised, the emergency team in the Islamic Medical Association said.
The army arrested several after failed attempts to make them remove the blockades and open the road for traffic.
Lebanon, already plagued with severe power rationing, is grappling with a close to three-month-old protest movement demanding the removal of political leaders deemed incompetent and corrupt.
