Cement security walls were on Thursday erected at the entrances to the street leading to the Lebanese parliament in central Beirut, the site of recent clashes.

The blast walls, some painted with Lebanese flags, were installed as security forces guarded the area.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen is drafting sanctions legislation to hold Lebanese officials accountable for jailing Amer Fakhoury, a former official at the Khiam prison, which was operated by the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army militia.

Lebanon's new interior minister said Thursday he won't permit attacks on security forces amid angry rioting that has gripped the country's capital amid a deepening economic crisis.

Mohammed Fahmi spoke during a handover ceremony from the outgoing minister, two days after a new government was formed. That ended a three-month political vacuum on the heels of nationwide protests against the country's long serving political class.

Lebanon's new government, made up of members nominated by Hizbullah and its allies, got down to business Wednesday, a day after it was formed. Questions arose immediately about its ability to halt a spiral of economic and political collapse.

As the government headed by Hassan Diab held its first meeting, protesters briefly closed off major roads in and around the capital Beirut, denouncing it as a rubber stamp for the same political parties they blame for widespread corruption. Later on Wednesday, a few hundred protesters from northern and eastern Lebanon engaged in violent confrontations with security forces in downtown Beirut.

The Association of Banks in Lebanon said Wednesday that it expects from the new government a "clear financial and economic program that takes into consideration the big challenges that Lebanon is facing."

It added that the banking sector is ready to help in getting Lebanon out of its crisis.

Before picking up cash from a downtown bank in Lebanon's capital, Mey Al Sayegh mentally braces herself for what would have been a routine trip before the country's crippling cash crunch.

For starters, it will be at least an hour's wait in line before her turn comes. And if she's lucky, she'll be able to withdraw $300 — the weekly limit on dollar withdrawals imposed by banks to preserve liquidity — without having to bargain with the teller.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the formation of Lebanon’s new government after more than three months of nationwide protests, media reports said Wednesday.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil is attending the elite annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss village Davos. In Lebanon, however, where mass protests have forced the government to resign, a campaign is afoot to have him uninvited.

Many Lebanese took to social media to tell the forum they think Bassil has no business being there. More than 18,000 participated in a Twitter poll, in which over 75% said he doesn't represent them. Online petitions against his participation collected nearly 50,000 signatures.

An American freelance journalist who was detained in Lebanon on suspicion of broadcasting live footage of protests to an Israeli news outlet has been released, the journalist said Tuesday.

Nicholas Frakes, 24, told The Associated Press he was released from nearly two days in detention after an official Lebanese investigation showed he was innocent.

Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live rounds during clashes with anti-government protesters overnight and Monday morning in Baghdad, killing three and wounding dozens of demonstrators, officials said.

Separately, three katyusha rockets landed in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's government and home to several foreign embassies, but caused no injuries or damage, two security officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.