Protesters closed the Beirut areas of Qasqas, Corniche el-Mazraa and the roundabout of Cola on Wednesday amid rising anger as the dollar exchange rate hit new highs amid an unprecedented economic and monetary crisis driving Lebanese into poverty.

Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, closed since mid-March over the coronavirus outbreak, starts operating Wednesday welcoming around 2,000 passengers a day.

According to information obtained by a security agency in Lebanon, the upcoming days are going to observe more demonstrations and violence against the army and security forces as the economic crisis soars in the country, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

The European Union on Tuesday hosted virtually the fourth Brussels Conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region", co-chaired with the United Nations.

Protesters closed several major roads in Beirut and several regions on Tuesday amid rising anger as the currency hit a new record low on the black market, electricity cuts increased and the government raised the price of bread for the first time in more than a decade.

As prices increased over the past weeks, people have been rushing to supermarkets and groceries to buy goods. On Tuesday afternoon, Al-Makhazen Coop, one of the largest retailers in the country closed its stores in Beirut.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Tuesday said the government’s objective is not to “bring the banking sector or the central bank to their knees.”

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday asked Cabinet why a decision taken three months ago to audit the central bank’s accounts is yet to be implemented.

In his first official visit outside Beirut post COVID-19 pandemic, British Ambassador to Lebanon Chris Rampling visited Tripoli, Lebanon’s second largest city, the British embassy said on Tuesday.

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday presided over a Cabinet session at the Baabda Palace that followed a meeting for the Higher Defense Council.

“Cabinet will discuss the financial and economic situations in the country and the Higher Defense Council’s recommendations, especially as to the security situation in the country, particularly in the South, and the issue of general mobilization,” the National News Agency said.

Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar said he launched bids to purchase 60,000 tons of diesel oil for the oil facilities in Tripoli and Zahrani through the Spot Cargo mechanism.