TEHRAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th August, 2020) Protests in the Lebanese capital of Beirut in the days following the devastating explosion have been provoked in part by third countries out of opportunist political motives, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday.
"Apparently, separate individuals being instigated from abroad are pursuing self-interest," Mousavi said at a briefing.
While the Lebanese people's resentment about the deadly explosion is only natural, there are, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, countries and groups that seek to take advantage of the tragedy for their own political gains.
Protests engulfed Beirut this past weekend on the back of a deadly blast that rocked the city's port on August 4. The explosion killed 158 people and left more than 6,000 others injured, while its shock waves have inflicted a billion Dollars worth of damage to at least half of the city's infrastructure.�
According to the Lebanese government, the blast was caused by some 2,750 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate, which was confiscated by the port authorities back in 2014 and stored in violation of safety protocols for the years since.
Protesters demanded the president, government and parliament step down. The protests on Saturday and Sunday grew into clashes where more than 700 people sustained injuries.
