At Least 20 Injured in Violent Lebanese Protests

Lebanon on Sunday continued its perilous spiral out of control as large clashes between protesters and police led to 20 injuries and ever-growing unrest. Demonstrators in Tripoli, desperate for fuel and basic supplies, tried to storm government buildings and the central bank, only to be repelled by security forces’ rubber bullets and stun grenades. The Lebanese army reported 10 wounded soldiers overnight. Smaller protests were also held in other cities, including Sidon and the capital Beirut, after the plummeting local currency dropped to a record low of 18,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar on the black market. The battered nation is grappling with its worst economic and social crisis since last century’s decadeslong civil war. The devastating August explosion in Beirut, as well as the global pandemic and ongoing political quarrels that have prevented a functioning government from being formed for nearly a year, have exacerbated the financial woes.