Lebanon’s Crisis Grows as Violent Protests Break Out
Violent protests erupted in Lebanon this week over the handling of the Beirut blast investigation. As the country navigates its crippling economic crisis, the recent Hezbollah-led demonstrations have prompted fear of further civil strife.
Tensions over a judicial probe into last year’s Beirut port blast have exacerbated Lebanon’s political crisis. As newly appointed Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government struggles to dig the country out of a crippling economic collapse, recent protests and sectarian divisions have sparked fears that the country could be headed towards civil war.
It’s been over a year since the devastating explosion ripped through Beirut in August 2020, killing more than 200 people, and the Lebanese have grown frustrated with the lagging investigation. Yet Judge Tarek Bitar, who is leading the case, has reportedly faced marked resistance in his efforts to hold senior officials accountable for suspected negligence — particularly from the Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah.
The two main Shiite parties — Hezbollah and the Amal Movement — called for the protests to demand the removal of Bitar, accusing him of politicizing the investigation by choosing to go after some officials rather than others. Politicians aligned with the officials Bitar seeks to question were also expected to push for his removal at a cabinet meeting on Oct. 13, but the session was postponed.
The Hezbollah-led public demonstrations began on Oct. 14 and quickly turned violent, leaving seven people dead and 32 injured. According to the Associated Press (AP), many protesters were armed, though it was unclear who fired first during the clashes. Hezbollah and the Amal Movement accused the Lebanese Forces militia — a Christian right-wing group — of firing first.
The shooting reportedly began in the Tayouneh section of Beirut, near the Christian neighborhood of Ain El Remmaneh and the Amal-aligned Shiite community of Chiyah. The area was known for sectarian clashes during Lebanon’s 1975 civil war.
Amid the chaos, the Lebanese Army reinforced its deployment in the area and arrested nine people from both sides.
Lebanon has been suffering a major financial crisis since August 2019, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The country recently resumed talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in efforts to establish a recovery program, as citizens face ongoing fuel and food shortages, power outages, overwhelmed hospitals, and a rapidly depreciating currency.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati has called for calm and urged the Lebanese people “not to be dragged into civil strife.”
