Lebanon’s Protests Regain Momentum

Protesters rally in the city of Tyre on Tuesday. NNA
Protesters rally in the city of Tyre on Tuesday. NNA
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Lebanon’s Protests Regain Momentum

Protesters rally in the city of Tyre on Tuesday. NNA
Protesters rally in the city of Tyre on Tuesday. NNA

Despite a “general mobilization” announced by the authorities to face the COVID-19 disease, Lebanon’s anti-government protests regained momentum on Tuesday as Parliament convened to discuss a number of laws.

Protestors rallied across the country through convoys, adhering to social distancing measures.

Some demonstrators gathered around the UNESCO Palace in Beirut, where deputies held a parliament session, amid heavy security measures.

They called for the recovery of looted funds, the independence of the judiciary, an economic plan, and holding the corrupt accountable.

They also protested against rampant corruption and the devaluation of the Lebanese currency.

“Our revolution will continue until we achieve our demands,” they shouted.

Some of them considered dying from COVID-19 similar to dying from hunger.

“The virus will not stop us from continuing our protests,” they said.

Lebanon has been facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with unemployment figures soaring and the local currency losing more than half of its value against the dollar. Protests broke out nationwide in October against government corruption, further deepening the economic slump.

Over the past months, the protests lost some of their momentum and were subsequently interrupted by the outbreak of the pandemic. Activists, however, said they were resuming the movement but would protest in their cars, in line with safety measures.

Outside Beirut, there were convoys in the north, south and the east, with protesters wearing masks and respecting an Interior Ministry decision that only allows vehicles with license plates ending in an even digit, including zero, to circulate on roads Tuesdays.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that no new coronavirus cases have been recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving Lebanon's tally at 677.



Netanyahu Says Israel Is Establishing a New Security Corridor across Gaza

An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Says Israel Is Establishing a New Security Corridor across Gaza

An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)
An internally displaced Palestinian walks at the site of a UN clinic following an Israeli airstrike, in the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 02 April 2025. (EPA)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is establishing a new security corridor across the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Wednesday, he described it as the Morag corridor, using the name of a Jewish settlement that once stood between Rafah and Khan Younis, suggesting it would run between the two southern cities.

His comments came as Palestinian officials at hospitals inside Gaza said Israeli strikes overnight and into Wednesday had killed more than 40 people, nearly a dozen of them children.

The Israeli government has long maintained a buffer zone just inside Gaza along its security fence and has greatly expanded since the war against Hamas began in 2023. Israel says the buffer zone is needed for its security, while Palestinians view it as a land grab that further shrinks the narrow coastal territory, home to around 2 million people.