Main Beirut-Damascus Highway Blocked As Lebanese Anti-Government Demonstrations Continue

Main Beirut-Damascus Highway Blocked as Lebanese Anti-Government Demonstrations Continue

Lebanese anti-government demonstrators have set up tents and makeshift barricades on the main road leading to the Lebanese-Syrian border in the Masnaa settlement of the Bekaa region, a Sputnik corresponded reported from the scene on Monday

BEKAA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2019) Lebanese anti-government demonstrators have set up tents and makeshift barricades on the main road leading to the Lebanese-Syrian border in the Masnaa settlement of the Bekaa region, a Sputnik corresponded reported from the scene on Monday.

Mass demonstrations go into their 11th day and have largely been free of violence, except for isolated incidents. According to various estimates, more than two million people have participated in anti-government actions in the country of about four million.

Both directions of the four-lane highway have been blocked and the border checkpoint appears to be entirely devoid of traffic and commuters, as observed by Sputnik.

According to Al-Manar, the media wing of the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, the main road linking the capital city of Beirut to Bekaa effectively cut the regions apart. Reportedly, a number of other locations around the small, mountainous nation were also blocked.

Lebanon has been gripped by mass protests since October 17 when the government announced tax hikes on tobacco and internet calls, after which the demonstrations ballooned into widespread demands for the resignation of the government and political reforms. Blocking roads and highways has been a common occurrence throughout the country during the protests.

An informed Lebanese source told Sputnik last week that there is an unspoken decision not to use force to unblock key routes, but to try to convince protesters to make concessions.

The government quickly scrapped the proposed tax hikes and presented a 17-point plan to address the worsening economic conditions. The plan included otherwise popular ideas such as slashing salaries for ministers and parliamentarians as well as "returning embezzled funds." But the plan failed to appease the protesters who, by and large, blamed Lebanon's religious-confessional government structure for breeding corruption and tribalism.

A number of universities announced the suspension of classes for an indefinite period and the postponement of exams, and the country's banks remain closed. Four cabinet members have already resigned.