Lebanon: Calm returns to Beirut after clashes

By Riya Shrouti

BEIRUT (AA) – Calm prevailed in Beirut early Tuesday after a night of violence that left a Lebanese protester dead and injured scores.

Angry supporters of Hezbollah and Amal groups clashed late Monday with security forces and protesters camped out in central Beirut.

The move came after a video of a young protester insulting Shia political and religious leaders went viral on social media.

One protester was killed and 60 others were injured in the violence, according to the civil defense authority.

Lebanon has been in turmoil since protests against government plans to increase taxes forced Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign in late October.

Lebanon suffers from high unemployment, little growth and one of the highest debt ratios in the world, with the debt burden reaching $86.2 billion in the first quarter of 2019, according to the Ministry of Finance.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara