Lebanon braced for a third day of unrest on Saturday after anti-government protests fuelled by rising fury over an economic crisis erupted across the country and descended into riots on the streets of Beirut.
Small groups of demonstrators gathered in centralBeirut in an effort to keep the protests going, with storefronts of banks andupmarket retailers in the capital's commercial district smashed in and firesstill smouldering from the night before.
Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri gave his governmentpartners a 72-hour deadline on Friday to agree on reforms that could ward offeconomic crisis, hinting he may otherwise resign.
The latest unrest erupted out of anger over therising cost of living and new tax plans, including a fee on WhatsApp calls,which was quickly retracted after protests – the biggest in decades – brokeout.
In a televised speech addressing the protests onSaturday, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the group opposed thegovernment's resignation, and that the country did not have enough time forsuch a move given the acute financial crisis.
"Everyone should take responsibility rather than being preoccupied with settling political scores while leaving the fate of the country unknown," said Nasrallah, adding that Lebanon could face "financial collapse".
"All of us have to shoulder the responsibility of the current situation that we arrived at in Lebanon. Everyone should take part in finding a solution," added Nasrallah, whose Iranian-backed Shi'ite group is Lebanon's most influential.
The protests that swept villages and towns across thecountry on Friday recalled the 2011 Arab revolts that toppled four presidents.Lebanese from all sects and walks of life waved banners and chanted forHariri's government to go.
"Peoplewill definitely go back out today because they're in pain," said RamziIsmail,a 60-year-old engineer. "But we are against clashes with the armyor security forces and vandalism."
