21 injured in Beirut protests

Beirut, Sep 2 At least 21 people were injured in a protest in Beirut against the appointment of a Lebanese new Prime Minister, the Red Cross said.

On Tuesday, thousands of protesters gathered in the capital city's downtown area to voice their anger over the appointment of Mustapha Adib, the country's former Ambassador to Germany, as the new premier a day earlier, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the demonstrators, Adib represents the current ruling class, against whom protests have been taking place across the nation since October 17, 2019.

The gathering turned violent with heavy clashes between security forces and protesters who attempted to break into the Martyrs' Square, forcing army forces to use tear gas to spread them.

On Monday, Adib was named the new Prime Minister following the resignation of the previous cabinet led by Hassan Diab amid mounting pressure over the August 4 Port of Beirut explosions, which claimed the lives of 190 people and injured 6,500 others.

On August 11, Diab, who was appointed Prime Minister in January after months of deadlock, announced his cabinet's resignation after many people accused the country's leaders of culpability through their alleged negligence and corruption.

The nationwide protests against the failure of the ruling political class to adopt quick measures to save the economic and financial deteriorating prevailing in the country that started last October, had also succeeded in toppling the government of Diab's predecessor Saad Hariri.

( With inputs from IANS )