BEIRUT — After two days of clashes between security forces and protesters and a weeklong wait for the next prime minister to be announced, President Michel Aoun postponed governmental consultations until Dec. 19 to “respond to the wishes of [Saad] Hariri,” who resigned as prime minister Nov. 4.
In downtown Beirut on Dec. 15, protesters slowly backed away from the police barricade blocking the entrance to the parliament building in Nijmeh Square. A white fog of tear gas crept toward the massive crowd that had gathered in the area. As the gas swept past the barricade, those who did not have masks or protective gear coughed and struggled to breathe.