TRIPOLI – Hundreds of protesters in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli set fire Tuesday to two banks and hurled stones at soldiers, who responded with tear gas and batons in renewed clashes triggered by an economic crisis spiraling out of control amid a weeks-long virus lockdown.
The clashes got underway in the afternoon hours after a tense funeral was held for a 27-year-old man killed during riots overnight in Lebanon's second largest city.
Fawwaz Samman was shot by soldiers during confrontations that began Monday night and died in a hospital hours later. Tripoli is one of the most neglected and poorest cities in Lebanon.