Protests in Lebanon: Prime Minister denounces attempts at destabilization

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For the third consecutive day, demonstrations took place this Saturday, June 13 in Beirut and other cities in the aftermath of a night of violence which left dozens injured. In an address, Prime Minister Hassan Diab denounced attempts to destabilize his government.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh

Alluding to the violence that has punctuated the protests of the past two days, Hassan Diab spoke of the failure of an attempted "  coup  " fomented by those he called the "  guardians of the temple of corruption  " . For the Prime Minister, the objective is to prevent his cabinet from pursuing its reform plan and to unmask "  those who have plundered the resources of the State  " for years.

But the smear campaigns that target him and his government will not begin his determination to rebuild the state destroyed, according to him, by those who preceded him, to whom he takes responsibility for the situation he describes of "  catastrophic  ". He did not name anyone, but his criticisms were directed against his predecessor Saad Hariri , who also spares the government and its leader.

Events across the country

Hassan Diab called on the Lebanese not to "  disfigure  " the protest movement by vandalizing public and private goods, as has happened in the past two days. 

The protests continued in all regions of the country this Saturday. In Beirut, protesters chanted hostile slogans to the governor of the Bank of Lebanon Riad Salamé, who was held responsible for the collapse of the national currency, by part of the protest movement.

Other groups have demanded the formation of a new government, saying the Hassan Diab team has failed. In Tripoli, the big city in the North, violent clashes broke out between the army and demonstrators in the popular district of Tebbané. The clashes left 23 injured, including four soldiers.

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• Lebanon
• Hassan Diab