Clashes erupted in Beirut between the Lebanese police and retired soldiers, after the latter attempted to storm the parliament building to protest the deteriorating living conditions, coinciding with the start of a session to discuss the general budget.
On Monday, the Lebanese capital, Beirut, witnessed clashes between police and military retirees who tried to storm the parliament building in protest against the deteriorating living conditions, coinciding with the start of a session to discuss the general budget.
The parliament session was preceded by union moves in the vicinity of Nejmeh Square in central Beirut to protest the budget and the deteriorating living conditions, according to Anatolia.
For its part, the police threw tear gas to prevent pensioners from crossing iron partitions in front of Parliament after they tried to storm it.
Anadolu Agency reported that MP Jamil al-Sayed (retired military major) left the parliament building and joined the protesters, declaring his solidarity with them and calling for calm.
In statements to parliament, al-Sayed said, "We are trying to take some rights and reach a decision that does justice to the military."
And earlier on Monday, the Lebanese Parliament (Parliament) resumed discussing the general budget for 2022 after the failure of a session on September 16, due to the withdrawal of deputies from some parliamentary blocs.
Parliament is discussing the 2022 budget after a delay of 9 months, punctuated by differences between the blocs over many items, most notably the customs dollar exchange rate, which currently stands at 1507 liras, while Prime Minister Najib Mikati demands that it be amended to 15,000 liras.
Some blocs, including "Change" and "Strong Republic", believe that the current budget lacks a "real vision and serious reforms."
For more than two years, Lebanon has been suffering the worst economic crisis in its history, which led to a record collapse in the value of the local currency, the lira against the dollar, and a shortage of medicines, fuel and other basic commodities, in addition to a sharp decline in the purchasing power of its citizens.