BEIRUT: Security
forces fired tear gas and chased down protesters in Beirut after tens of
thousands of people across Lebanon marched to demand the demise of a political
elite they accuse of looting the economy to the point of collapse. Riot police
in vehicles and on foot rounded up protesters, according to Reuters witnesses.
They fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters, dispersing demonstrators in
Beirut's commercial district. Dozens of people were wounded and detained.

Prime Minister
Saad Al-Hariri blamed his partners in government for obstructing reforms that
could ward off economic crisis and gave them a 72-hour deadline to stop
blocking him, otherwise hinting he may resign. Hariri, addressing protesters,
said Lebanon was going through an "unprecedented, difficult time".
Lebanon's biggest protests in a decade recall the 2011 Arab revolts that
toppled four presidents. Lebanese from all sects and walks of life have come
out on to the streets, waving banners and chanting slogans urging Hariri's
government to go.

The rallies
follow warnings by economists and investors that Lebanon's economy and
graft-riddled financial system are closer to the brink than at any time since
the war-torn 1980s. "There are those who have placed obstacles in front of
me ... and in the face of all the efforts that I have proposed for
reform," Hariri said, without naming names. "Whatever the solution,
we no longer have time and I am personally giving myself only a little time.
Either our partners in government and in the nation give a frank response to
the solution, or I will have another say," he said. "The deadline
left is very short. It's 72 hours."

'Step down'

Protesters poured
through villages and towns as well as the capital Beirut for the third day. No
political leader, Muslim or Christian, was spared their wrath. Their chants
called for leaders including Hariri, President Michel Aoun, and Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri to step down. The mood was a mixture of rage, defiance and
hope. As night fell, crowds waving Lebanese flags marched through the streets
as patriotic music blared from loudspeakers. They shouted: "Our demands
are one, our objective is one: the people want the downfall of the
regime."

Some protesters
fainted as security forces fired tear gas. The Red Cross said its teams had
treated 160 people wounded in protests since Thursday evening. "You should
be protecting us. Shame on you," a young man yelled as he covered his face
against the choking fumes. Lebanon's internal security apparatus said 52 police
were injured on Friday and its forces arrested 70 people. Some protesters,
including men in black hoods, blocked roads, set tyres on fire and used iron
bars to smash storefronts in Beirut's posh downtown district.

As fires blazed,
some streets in the capital looked like a battlefield, strewn with rubber
bullets, smashed up cars, broken glass and torn billboards. Firefighters
struggled late into the night to douse the flames. With demonstrators crowding
around Aoun's palace in Baabda, the United Nations urged all sides to refrain
from actions that could lead to more tensions and violence. Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates warned their citizens against travelling to
Lebanon. Bahrain told its nationals to leave at once.

'Totally corrupt'

Foreign Minister
Gebran Bassil, Aoun's son-in-law, also blamed other parties for blocking
reforms, saying the government must work to stop corruption and avoid imposing
new taxes. The latest unrest erupted out of anger over the rising cost of
living and new tax plans, including a fee on WhatsApp calls. "We came to
the streets because we can no longer bear this situation. This regime is
totally corrupt," said Fadi Issa, 51, who marched with his son.

"They are
all thieves, they come into the government to fill their pockets, not to serve
the country." In an unprecedented move, Shiite protesters also attacked
the offices of their deputies from the influential Hezbollah and Amal movements
in southern Lebanon.

To boost
revenues, a government minister on Thursday unveiled a new fee for WhatsApp
calls that fuelled outrage. But as the protests spread hours later, Telecoms
Minister Mohamed Choucair revoked the planned levy. In a country fractured
along sectarian lines, the unusually wide geographic reach of the protests
highlights the deepening anger of the Lebanese. The government, which includes
nearly all Lebanon's main parties, has repeatedly failed to implement the
reforms needed to fix the national finances.

Foreign allies
have pressured Hariri to enact reforms long promised but never delivered
because of vested interests. Shattered by war between 1975 and 1990, Lebanon
has proportionally one of the world's highest debt burdens. Economic growth has
been hit by regional conflict, while unemployment among the under-35s runs at
37%. Sectarian politicians, many of them civil war militia leaders, have used
state resources for their own benefit and are reluctant to give that up.-
Agencies