Lebanese take to streets for 10th day, defying Hezbollah

BEIRUT: Demonstrators across Lebanon blocked roads and took to the streets Saturday for a 10th consecutive day, defying what they said were attempts by Hezbollah to defuse their movement and despite tensions with the army.

The protesters -- who have thronged Lebanese towns and cities since October 17 -- are demanding the removal of the entire political class, accusing politicians of all stripes of systematic corruption.

Troops clashed with protesters who were trying to block a main road in the Beddawi area near the northern port city of Tripoli on Saturday, according to the state-run National News Agency. At least six civilians were wounded, NNA said.

The army said five soldiers and several civilians were wounded when it intervened to stop a fight between area residents and people blocking the road with their cars. Troops were ultimately "forced" to fire live and rubber bullets into the air when clashes intensified, the military said in a statement.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri called for an investigation into the incident, which has come amid what have otherwise been largely peaceful protests. Demonstrators´ numbers have declined since October 20, when hundreds of thousands took over Beirut and other cities in the largest demonstrations in years.

The chief of the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah on Friday called on his supporters to leave the streets, warning that any cabinet resignation would lead to "chaos and collapse" of the economy.

Hassan Nasrallah´s statement sowed divisions among Hezbollah supporters, some of whom were still protesting on Saturday. Hassan Koteiche, 27, from a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, said he agreed with most of Nasrallah´s "excellent" speech, but had some reservations.

"This does not mean we are against his discourse but there is a divergence in opinion," he told AFP. "The main thing I disagree with is his belief that if the government or parliament falls then we would have no alternative," he added. "That is not true. We have alternatives. We have noble and uncorrupt people," who can govern.

Main roads remained closed across the country on Saturday. Security forces said they have deployed across the country to open key routes. The measure came after Lebanon´s top security agencies launched an army-led "plan" on Saturday to clear road blocks.

An army spokesman told AFP that security forces would negotiate with protesters, without resorting to violence. Northeast of Beirut, dozens of demonstrators formed a human chain to prevent the army from removing a dirt berm blocking a seaside road.

In central Beirut, they sat cross-legged on a key artery that connects the capital to its suburbs and surrounding regions. Demonstrators who had slept in tents near Martyrs Square said they were still defiant.

"We will stay on the streets," said Rabih al-Zein, a 34-year-old from the Shiite stronghold of Tyre in southern Lebanon. "The power of the people is stronger than the power of the parties."

Lebanon's largely sectarian political parties have been wrong-footed by the cross-communal nature of the mostly peaceful protests. Waving Lebanese flags rather than the partisan colours normally paraded at demonstrations, protesters have been demanding the resignation of all of Lebanon´s political leaders.

In attempts to calm the anger, Hariri has pushed through a package of economic reforms, while President Michel Aoun suggested banking secrecy should be lifted from the accounts of high-ranking officials.

In recent days, loyalists of Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement have mobilised counter-demonstrations across the country, sparking scuffles with demonstrators and journalists.