Army Arrests Protesters in Jal el-Dib

The Lebanese army arrested several activists on Friday during scuffles with protesters blocking the Jal el-dib highway, amid sit-ins elsewhere as the two-month-old movement against corruption and mismanagement continues.

Tens of protesters in Jal el-Dib battled police on multiple points on the highway disrupting the morning rush hour.

Video recordings circulating on social media showed army troops beating and kicking one of the protesters in the middle of the highway, which angered people.

“We are blocking the road this early to make our voices heard in Baabda,” one protester told MTV reporter, referring to President Michel Aoun’s failure to begin the binding parliamentary consultations to name a premier.

In the northern city of Jounieh, protesters staged a sit-in near the car registration division preventing access for employees. They placed a Lebanese flag at the entrance door, the National News Agency reported.

Protesters also stormed the National Social Security Fund offices in Beirut and Sidon. They recited a statement demanding medical coverage for incurable diseases, old-age pension, health insurance and fighting corruption.

Lebanon has been grappling with nationwide protests and faces one of its worst economic crisis in decades, only deepened by the political stalemate.

Political parties have been haggling over the nature of the government to replace the government of PM Saad Hariri who resigned late in October.

Hariri has called for a government of technocrats but remains the most likely candidate to head a new one.