PM Hariri cancels cabinet meeting as protests over economic crisis sweep Lebanon for 2nd day

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has cancelled a cabinet meeting amid nationwide protests, Al Manar TV said, citing the interior minister.

Protesters across Lebanon blocked roads with burning tyres on Friday and marched in Beirut for a second day in demonstrations targeting the government over an economic crisis, Reuters reported.

In the biggest protest in years, thousands of people gathered outside the government headquarters in central Beirut on Thursday evening, forcing the cabinet to backtrack on plans to raise a new tax on WhatsApp voice calls.

Tear gas was fired as some demonstrators and police clashed in the early hours.