BEIRUT: Lebanon’s armed forces have deployed near the presidential palace east of Beirut to prevent friction between rival Lebanese protesters as the stalemate over forming a crisis government continues.
Anti-government protesters had called for a rally Sunday outside the Presidential Palace in Baabda to press President Michel Aoun to formally begin the process of forming a new government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned over a month ago amid nationwide protests accusing the political elite of corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
The call prompted a counter-rally by supporters of Aoun who called him a “red line.” Army soldiers formed a human chain to separate the groups on a highway leading to the palace, preventing clashes.
Meanwhile, hundreds of anti-government protesters marched toward central Beirut amid a deepening economic crisis.
Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace
Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace
- Anti-government protesters had called for a rally outside the Presidential Palace to press Aoun to formally begin the process of forming a new govt
Saudi Arabia, UAE condemn drone attack against Emirati consulate in Irbil
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has joined the UAE in condemning a drone attack targeting the Emirate’s consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Irbil, it said in a statement early on Tuesday.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service said late on Monday that it had downed three drones in Irbil, with debris from one of the drones falling near the UAE consulate.
It said no casualties were reported.
Saudi Arabia, in a statement released through its foreign ministry, expressed its ‘strongest condemnation’ of the targeting of UAE’s consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan.
A UAE foreign ministry statement earlier said the attack “represents a dangerous escalation and a threat to regional security and stability,” adding that “targeting diplomatic missions and premises constitutes a flagrant violation of all international norms and laws.”
It also called on the Kurdistan regional government to investigate the circumstances of the attack, identify those responsible and hold them accountable.
