Hezbollah, Amal supporters arrive in central Beirut, standoff with army
Tue 22 October 2019:
Men on motorbikes waving Hezbollah and Amal flags have descended on central Beirut, where the Lebanese army is stopping them from reaching the anti-government protesters.
Al Arabiya English’s correspondent reports around 100-200 men on motorbikes waving Hezbollah and Amal flags arrived at Bechara al-Khoury at around 21:00 p.m. Lebanese time on Monday night.
The Lebanese army has reportedly stopped the men from reaching the protesters in Martyr’s Square and downtown Beirut. People are only being allowed to travel by foot.
One man reportedly had his Hezbollah flag confiscated by soldiers. The protests have informally banned any party political flags and instead flown the Lebanese national flag.
Men on motorbikes waving Hezbollah and Amal flags are descending on central Beirut, where the Lebanese army is stopping them from reaching the anti-government protesters.https://t.co/hllHaq1CbM pic.twitter.com/F7TC3j82sU
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) October 21, 2019
The Lebanese protesters have issued a statement urging authorities to protect the ongoing demonstrations after supporters of Hezbollah and Amal parties were seen approaching the protest areas.
Amal is a Shia political party led by Nabih Berri, the current speaker of the Lebanese parliament. The protests, which began on Thursday night, have targeted the entire political class and called for a new government.
-alarabiya
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