BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2020) Mass protests have resumed in the Lebanese capital of Beirut amid reports about the further drop in the national Currency's exchange rate, with demonstrators blocking Downtown Beirut with burning tires, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the site.
Hundreds of people on motorbikes are arriving at the Martyr's Square and the Riad Al Solh Square. The protesters are burning tires, as well as chanting anti-governmental and anti-US slogans.
There are no security officers and servicemen at the site of the protests. According to the An-Nahar newspaper, the army command has ordered the troops not to interfere in the situation.
The protesters are also blocking the Hamra Street, which is the central street of Beirut.
Lebanese media also report about protests in the cities of Tyre, Tripoli, Sidon, and Baalbek.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced an emergency government meeting that will be held on early Friday amid the new wave of protests.
Last week, the Lebanese pound's exchange rate sank to 5,000 per $1. Users of social networks are disseminating rumors about a further drop - up to 6,000-7,000 Pounds per $1 -� in the upcoming days.
The protests in Lebanon began on October 17 after the government said it would introduce a tax on internet calls made via the WhatsApp messenger. The protests paralyzed the Lebanese economy and urged then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his cabinet to resign.
The appointment of Diab as the new prime minister in January failed to stop the protests but the situation stabilized in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, sporadic protests and clashes have resumed in April.
The political instability escalated the economic crisis in Lebanon, causing the national currency's drop from 1,500 per Dollars in October to the current level.
