A roadblock in Saida, in southern Lebanon, on Jan. 20, 2023. (Credit: Mountasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
Several roads were blocked Friday night by demonstrators in Saida, a major city in southern Lebanon, to protest the country's deteriorating situation.
The protests took place as the national currency broke consecutive depreciation records in the previous two days.
Angry residents blocked the roads leading to Martyrs Square with burning tires. They also blocked the road leading from Abra to Majdelyoun, on the outskirts of Saida, according to our correspondent in the area. In Abra, the street alongside the Coral gas station was also closed to traffic.
Demonstrators called on local residents to join them, but the Lebanese Army quickly intervened to re-open all streets.
The depreciation of the Lebanese lira, which has lost more than 97% of its value in the last three years, has plunged more than three-quarters of the population below the poverty line, according to the UN.
The lira reached a record low of LL51,000 to the dollar on Friday afternoon, while the government continues to stand idle in the face of the devastating economic and social crisis.
On Thursday evening, the lira's depreciation pushed angry Lebanese citizens into the streets in several cities of the country, notably Beirut.
Additional reporting contributed by Mountasser Abdallah.