Protest clashes injure 8 in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli

BEIRUT, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Five protesters and three members of the Internal Security Forces were injured on Monday in Tripoli, the largest city in northern Lebanon, when protests triggered clashes.

Protesters gathered near the headquarter of Tripoli government to demonstrate against the ongoing lockdown in the country, then started to throw stones at security forces, which caused the injury of three security officers.

The riot police responded by firing tear gas and using batons to disperse the crowd. A dozens of the protesters were arrested on site.

Tripoli witnessed on Monday several protests against the a possible lockdown extension in the country as many people said the strict lockdown measures have crippled the economy and deteriorated their life.

Jalal Salma, one of the protesters, said that they march every day to demonstrate against the city's closure.

"Tripoli is a poor city and most of its residents rely on earning an income from their daily work; depriving people of work means they will likely starve to death," he said.

The Lebanese government has imposed a total lockdown until Feb. 8 to curb the pandemic. Doctors in the country called for an extension of the lockdown as the virus continues to spread quickly.

Lebanon registered on Monday 2,652 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the tally to 282,249. The death toll from the virus went up by 54 to 2,374 in the country, the health ministry reported.