- Title: Lebanon's Hezbollah says does not want government to resign
- Date: 19th October 2019
- Summary: LEBANESE ARMY VEHICLE PARKED WITH SOLDIERS INSIDE
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2019 10:27
- Keywords: Lebanon protests politics economy Nasrallah Hezbollah government
- Location: BAALBECK, BEIRUT, SIDON AND UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, LEBANON
- City: BAALBECK, BEIRUT, SIDON AND UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA004B1RI81Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Lebanon braced for a third day of unrest on Saturday (October 19) after anti-government protests fuelled by rising fury over an economic crisis erupted across the country and descended into riots on the streets of Beirut.
In a televised speech addressing the protests, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the group opposed the government's resignation, and that the country did not have enough time for such a move given the acute financial crisis.
Small groups of demonstrators gathered in central Beirut in an effort to keep the protests going, while other groups of demonstrators gathered in Sidon.
Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri gave his government partners a 72-hour deadline on Friday to agree on reforms that could ward off economic crisis, hinting he may otherwise resign.
The latest unrest erupted out of anger over the rising cost of living and new tax plans, including a fee on WhatsApp calls, which was quickly retracted after protests - the biggest in decades - broke out.
(Production: Alaa Kanaan, Hassan Hankir, Yara Abi Nader, Imad Creidi) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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