Lebanon's Hariri condemns vandalism after night of violence

Lebanon's Hariri condemns vandalism after night of violence
January 15, 2020, 11:55 am

A man stands near a broken facade of a bank in Beirut, Lebanon, January 15, 2020. (Photo Reuters)

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned the vandalism that took place overnight Tuesday in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, and referred to it as “suspicious.”

“The attack on Hamra Street is not acceptable under any slogans,” Hariri said on Twitter.

He also said he refuses to be a “false witness” to activities “that could lead the whole country to ruin.”

Hariri refuses to head any government to cover up “acts that are rejected and condemned by all standards of ethics and politics.”

The former Lebanese prime minister calls for judicial action to prosecute those tampering with the safety of the capital.

Lebanese security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters outside the country’s central bank on Tuesday evening, clashing with dozens of people who pelted them with stones and fireworks.

A group of protesters attempting to enter the Lebanese Central Bank on Hamra Street tried to force their way into the building but were stopped but anti-riot police.

Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri also condemned the vandalism at the protests.

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