Violent protests over lockdown measures rock Lebanon

Hundreds of Lebanese protesters burned buildings and pelted rocks at security forces in the northern city of Tripoli Thursday in the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations. Earlier in the day, protesters attended the funeral of a 30-year-old who was shot dead by security forces on Wednesday night. Lebanon deployed additional military troops to help douse the tensions. The Lebanese Red Cross said some 112 people sustained injuries.

Why the mounting frustration? Lebanon imposed a nationwide coronavirus lockdown this month without economic relief. Tripoli is one of the nation’s most impoverished cities, where the majority of the population relies on daily earnings. Protesters also gathered in the capital city of Beirut and in the eastern Bekaa region Thursday. Similar violent protests also rocked Tunisia after the government extended a nighttime curfew.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report on the lockdown protests in Tunisia.