LEBANESE PROTESTERS CLASH WITH HEZBOLLAH SUPPORTERS, DEFY NASRALLAH

After Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah accused Lebanese anti-government protesters of receiving funding from foreign entities, Lebanese people responded by posting on social media with the hashtag “I fund the revolution” as protesters defied attacks by Hezbollah supporters.

Demonstrators called on the military and security forces to protect them from attacks by Hezbollah supporters, who attempted to attack protesters in Beirut with batons. Images captured on Friday showed a Hezbollah supporter reportedly attacking a police officer with a stick.

Hezbollah supporters attacked protesters in the Beqaa region. After a speech by Nasrallah on Friday, they left sit-ins in Beirut and marched in processions and sparked riots at the entrance to the main square in central Beirut, according to Al-Arabiya.

In Beirut’s Riad Al Solh Square, clashes between Hezbollah supporters and protesters broke out after Hezbollah supporters began chanting slogans in support of Nasrallah. Hezbollah supporters also attacked members of the media in downtown Beirut.

In his speech on Friday, Nasrallah warned that some are preparing for a civil war in Lebanon, while mentioning that Hezbollah is the strongest party in Lebanon. “It is the responsibility of Hezbollah to protect Lebanon at home as well,” said Nasrallah.

The Hezbollah leader rejected calls for early elections and refused to resign from the government.

On Thursday evening, Hezbollah supporters chanted slogans in support of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amidst a protest in downtown Beirut. After clashes with protesters, they withdrew from the area.

“We are Khomeini’s sons. We cried allegiance to Ali Khamenei,” said the Hezbollah supporters.

Protesters in Beirut have also been heard singing in solidarity with the southern city of Sour, where protesters have reportedly been suppressed by men affiliated with the pro-Hezbollah Amal movement and Hezbollah.

One protester who has been part of the Nabatieh protests since they began told Al-Arabiya that “no matter how much they try to intimidate us, we will not leave the squares, we will not tire.”

Most of the protests throughout Lebanon have expressed solidarity with the demonstrators in Nabatieh, a major Hezbollah stronghold. Over 25 people were injured in the city and journalists were prevented from filming.

“What the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, said eight days after the uprising [began] did not convince us, and we discussed what was mentioned in his speech and were unanimous in its rejection,” said the protester.

Lebanese Shiite cleric Yasser Odeh addressed parliament speaker Nabih Berri and Nasrallah in a sermon, urging them to not use force against demonstrators.

Odeh stressed the demands of the protesters, saying, “The priority of people is to fight hunger and poverty, not Israel.”

Protesters stressed that the Lebanese parliament is hostile to the interests of the people and the only source of authority are the protesters on the street until a new parliament is formed.

After a speech by Aoun on Thursday, protesters chanted “Kullun yaani Kullun,” meaning “all of them means all of them,” to emphasize that the entire government must step down.

Aoun is a political ally of the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of the movement, has spoken out against calls by protesters for the government to step down – including Hezbollah.

Head of the Lebanese Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel said that a settlement in 2016 that allowed Michel Aoun to be elected as president opened the door for Hezbollah to take control of the country, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The current political class is covering for Hezbollah and is implementing the party’s policies, whether in defending it at international arenas or justifying its internal policies,” said Gemayel.

Lebanon has been swept by 10 days of protests against a political class accused of corruption, mismanagement of state finances and pushing the country towards an economic collapse unseen since the 1975-90 civil war. Banks, schools, and many businesses have shut their doors.