From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Lebanese protesters break into UN building in Beirut
Large rallies are taking place in the Lebanese capital Beirut, particularly in Dahiye, a large Shiite suburb in the south of the city, following the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza.
Several protesters are filmed as they break into a UN office in the city and set it on fire.
#BREAKING| Angry protesters broke into the #UN building in #Beirut in protest against the #BaptistHospital massacre in #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/NFqEhSwYsw
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 17, 2023
This came after the Hezbollah terror group called for a “day of rage” on Wednesday over the hospital blast.
Media outlets in the Arab world have almost unanimously attributed the disaster, in which hundreds are reported to have died, to an Israeli airstrike. Israel has said the blast was caused by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket.
Following Hezbollah’s call, hundreds of demonstrators also scuffled with Lebanese security forces outside the US embassy in the suburb of Awkar, where protesters hurled stones and set a building on fire, according to AFP correspondents.
