Downtown Beirut witnessed on Sunday a second night of violence as Lebanese security forces fired water cannons and tear gas at stone-throwing protesters amid further disappointment on the failure of politicians to agree on a new government.
Sunday's confrontation escalated near parliament a day after more than 370 people were wounded in the biggest casualty toll since the protests began in October.
Crowds yelled "revolution" as they gathered on Sunday. Young men pelted security forces with stones. Some tried to climb over barbed wire and fencing to storm a heavily barricaded part of central Beirut that includes parliament. One man jabbed police with a pole across the barriers.
Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) urged people to remain calm and said otherwise it would be forced to repel them.
"We're not scared. This is all for our future and our children," said Bassam Taleb, a shoemaker, at the protest. "The country is frozen. The state is not doing a thing, they're a bunch of thieves. And if you have money in the bank, you can't even get a hundred dollars out."
Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab met with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace on Sunday but left without giving any statement as a deal on the new cabinet remained elusive.
Caretaker PM Saad Hariri quit as prime minister in October, prompted by the protests which have been fueled by outrage at rampant state corruption and bad governance.
People have turned their ire on the banks - which have curbed access to savings - with some smashing the facade of the banking association on Saturday night.
The Lebanese pound has lost nearly half its value, dollar shortages have driven up prices and confidence in the banking system has collapsed.
Casualty tolls from the Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense showed a total of at least 377 people were wounded on both sides on Saturday. The ISF said 142 police were injured, including 7 officers, some with serious concussions.
Caretaker Interior Minister Raya El Hassan said that security forces were ordered to protect peaceful protests. “But for the protests to turn into a blatant attack on the security forces, public and private properties, this is condemned and totally unacceptable," she tweeted Saturday.
