Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday stressed that “security must have the priority over anything else,” renewing his call for “speeding up the formation of an inclusive government that can fulfill the aspirations of the Lebanese.”

Extending condolences to the family of slain protester Alaa Abu Fakhr, who was killed overnight as an army officer’s driver opened fire at a road-blocking protest in Khalde, Berri called for “preserving public order at educational, health and social institutions” and for “safeguarding civil peace and national unity.”

Large numbers of protesters were on Wednesday rallying near the presidential palace in Baabda, in the first major demo in the area since the eruption of the popular uprising on October 17.

The protesters were flocking to the area from Beirut, Tripoli and several Lebanese regions.

Clashes erupted Wednesday between protesters and Free Patriotic Movement supporters at a road-blocking protest in Jal el-Dib.

Media reports said security forces arrested a man who opened fire in the air to intimidate protesters.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Wednesday described slain protester Alaa Abu Fakhr as “the martyr of the Lebanese revolution and the PSP.”

“The best way to honor him is to maintain the peaceful revolution, without any tension, upheaval or narrow partisanship,” Jumblat tweeted.

The Press Office of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri issued the following statement on Wednesday:

Lebanese protesters blocked major highways with burning tires and roadblocks on Wednesday, saying they will remain in the streets despite the president's appeal for them to go home.

Schools and universities were closed and banks remained shuttered — a reflection of the deepening political and financial crisis the tiny country faces. A man was killed by a Lebanese soldier during Tuesday night protests, marking the first such fatality since nationwide demonstrations engulfed the country on Oct. 17.

The French envoy in Beirut delivered a message to President Michel Aoun from his French counterpart expressing France’s willingness to help Lebanon, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Lebanese army troops on Wednesday deployed heavily near the Presidential Palace in Baabda amid tight security measures, after a night of unrest following President Michel Aoun’s announcement that there could be further delays before a new government is formed.

“Army troops deployed in masses in Baabda in case of any emergency,” said the National News Agency.

A man was shot dead in Khalde south of Beirut, Lebanon's state news agency said early Wednesday.

President Michel Aoun on Tuesday said that he might call for parliamentary consultations to name a new premier on Thursday or Friday if the parties concerned respond positively to the proposals, as he warned protesters against continued blocking of roads and state institutions.

“The consultations might be held Thursday or Friday pending the answers of the parties concerned and if they don’t respond, we’ll have to postpone for a few more days,” Aoun said in a TV interview broadcast on all local channels.