Lebanon’s Hariri expected to resign Tuesday — report

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is expected to resign Tuesday, an official source tells the Reuters news agency.

Cars, left, are stuck in a traffic jam as anti-government protesters block a highway that links the capital Beirut to northern Lebanon by cars, tents, stones, and bricks during a protest against the Lebanese government in the town of Jal el-Dib north of Beirut, Lebanon, October 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

The resignation would come as Lebanon has been rocked over the last 11 days by massive protests against Hariri’s government, which includes a coalition with the Hezbollah terror group.

Tension has mounted in recent days between security forces and protesters, who have blocked roads and brought the country to a standstill to press their demands for a complete overhaul of the political system.

Lebanon’s reviled political elite has defended a belated package of economic reforms and appeared willing to reshuffle the government, but protesters who have stayed on the streets since October 17 want more.

A Lebanese protester lifts a picture of Prime Minister Saad Hariri in a wig during a rally in downtown Beirut on the third day of demonstrations against tax increases and official corruption, on October 19, 2019. The writing “sashay away” refers to a catchphrase from a drag queen TV show meaning “leave”. (IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

In 2017, Hariri announced his resignation in a bizarre television appearance from Saudi Arabia, blaming Iranian influence in his country. He later returned home and rescinded the move.

— with AFP

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