Lebanese resume protests demanding end to political vacuum

Video. Lebanese resume protests demanding end to political vacuum

Lebanese protesters resumed blocking major highways on Tuesday in what they said would be a "week of wrath" demanding an end to a months-long political vacuum.

Lebanese protesters resumed blocking major highways on Tuesday in what they said would be a "week of wrath" demanding an end to a months-long political vacuum.

Although protests had declined in size in recent weeks, demonstrations have been ongoing since October, increasingly targeting banks and state institutions blamed for driving the country towards collapse.

The unprecedented cross-sectarian movement has been fuelled by a crippling economic crisis, the worst since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

Debt-burdened Lebanon has been without a government since Saad Hariri resigned as prime minister on October 29, as political parties fail to agree on the makeup of a new one.

As a liquidity crisis grows and the cost of living rises, protesters have returned to the streets to urge politicians to swiftly form a cabinet of experts to respond to their demands.

On Tuesday morning, dozens of protesters blocked key highways in and around Beirut with overturned rubbish bins and burning tyres, AFP correspondents reported.