As Lebanon Protests Continue, PM Hariri to Address the Nation

Following a nigh full of Protests in Lebanon over WhatsApp tax plan,  Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to deliver a speech to the nation and cancel a scheduled meeting for the cabinet on Friday.

Some ministers announced they would not attend the cabinet’s meeting due on Friday, according to Al-Arabiya satellite channel.

Lebanese security forces fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters in Beirut early on Friday after they tried to push through security barriers surrounding government headquarters.

Lebanon Protests Erupt Over New Taxes Plan

The protests erupted over the government’s plan to impose new taxes amid a severe economic crisis.

During Thursday’s protests, protesters expressed their anger at the cabinet’s members and accused them of corruption and mismanagement.

The protests are seen the biggest since the garbage crisis sparked in 2015.

The protesters are chanting: “Revolution!” and “Thieves!”

Lebanon has one of the highest debt loads in the world.

Around a third of Lebanon's population lives under poverty line, according to the World Bank.

Security forces said at least 60 of its members were injured in the clashes.

The riots left two people dead and dozens wounded, according to local media outlets.

Protesters also closed roads in other parts of Lebanon, including the northern city of Tripoli, Tyre in the south and Baalbek in the northeast.

The government is discussing the 2020 budget, and new taxes have been proposed, including on tobacco, gasoline and some social media telecommunication software such as WhatsApp.

Telecommunications Minister Mohamed Choucair appeared on TV after the protests began on Thursday and said Prime Minister Hariri has asked him to drop the proposed tax on WhatsApp.

In an interview with local broadcasters LBC on Thursday night, prominent Druze politician Walid Joumblatt asked Hariri to step down and vowed to keep his party members out of future government coalitions.

Hariri heads a national unity government that includes members of Hezbollah and its Christian allies, the Free Patriotic Movement.