Army Says Began Reopening Roads after 'Accidents, Violations'
Army units started reopening blocked roads Wednesday morning following “the tragic accidents that happened and the violations and out of keenness on citizens’ safety,” the army announced on Twitter.
The army did not elaborate on the nature of the “accidents and violations” but two people were killed when their car crashed into a truck that was being used to block a road in the North. Social media reports also said that a soldier was killed in a traffic accident related to roadblocks.
The army later reopened the Jal el-Dib, Zouk, Ghazir and Jbeil highways, as troops deployed heavily on the entrances of these regions, TV networks said.
The National News Agency also said that the army reopened the al-Beddawi international highway in both directions, where a bulldozer removed a sand barrier from the middle of the road under the army’s supervision.
The state-affiliated Traffic Management Center meanwhile said that the highway linking Beirut to the South was reopened in the Jiye and Naameh areas.
NNA also said that the Palma highway in Tripoli was reopened.
Protesters meanwhile blocked the main road in the Beirut southern suburb of Hay al-Sillom and the road under the Khalde bridge that leads to Bchamoun and Aramoun.
Lebanese protesters have been setting up roadblocks for more than a week now to vent anger over political inaction in the face of deepening poverty. The country has been mired in an unprecedented economic crisis, which has brought surging unemployment and spiraling prices while the currency has plunged to a new low to the dollar on the black market.
The new wave of protests erupted on March 2, when the national currency hit a record low, trading in the black market at 11,000 pounds to the dollar.
Some protesters have called for a revival of the nationwide street movement of late 2019 that demanded the removal of Lebanon's entire political class, widely seen as incompetent and corrupt.
More than half of the population is living below the poverty line, and prices have soared as the Lebanese pound has lost more than 80 percent of its value.
With foreign currency reserves dwindling fast, the authorities have warned they will soon have to lift subsidies on fuel and mostly imported food.
President Michel Aoun has accused demonstrators blocking roads of "sabotage", but also called for authorities to prevent "the manipulation of food prices."
Despite growing anger on the streets, there had been no serious clashes between security forces and demonstrators during the latest wave of protests, in contrast to previous rallies.
Officials have meanwhile warned of chaos and some have argued the protests were manipulated by political groups to ignite violence or extract concessions from rivals.
Source: Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/280031 |