Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Wednesday said the ongoing protests in Tripoli might have been stirred by “sides seeking to address political messages” but he urged the state to provide assistance to poor families affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Wednesday suggested that there are “political messages” behind the unrest in Tripoli.

Lebanon on Wednesday launched its Covid-19 vaccination plan, announcing that it is seeking to inoculate 80% of its residents in 2021.

The Lebanese army said on Wednesday that 31 troops were injured in overnight clashes in the northern city of Tripoli with demonstrators angered by a coronavirus lockdown.

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is reportedly “settling some issues” before he kicks off a visit to Paris following the efforts exerted by the French administration towards Lebanon, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

France reportedly believes that Washington has to adopt a “more realistic” approach with Hizbullah in order to help Lebanon steer out of its economic and political crisis, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

A French Presidential official was quoted as saying that “there is an urgent situation in Lebanon, and we believe that there are priorities that (France and the United States) can pursue together.”

Lebanon on Tuesday announced a new record high daily toll of 73 coronavirus deaths,.

It also recorded 3,505 fresh virus cases in a 24-period, the Health Ministry said.

PM-designate Saad Hariri’s media adviser Hussein al-Wajeh on Tuesday placed the blame for the new government’s delay on the shoulders of President Michel Aoun.

“The Lebanese no longer understand the underlying reasons behind the president’s evasion and his reluctance to carry out his constitutional duty of facilitating the government’s formation and signing the formation decrees in agreement with the PM-designate,” al-Wajeh said in a tweet, in an apparent response to a statement issued by the Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc.

The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc on Tuesday lashed out anew at Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

“The Lebanese no longer understand the underlying reasons behind the PM-designate’s inaction and reluctance to carry out his constitutional duty of forming the government in agreement with the president of the republic,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly e-meeting.

Dozens of demonstrators on Tuesday lobbed stones, fireworks and molotov cocktails at security forces in the northern city of Tripoli, protesting the lockdown measures and the dire economic situations for a second night in a row.

They also tried to storm Tripoli’s serail, a key government building in the city.