Lebanese Hezbollah supporters attack protesters near the Ring Bridge

A group of Hezbollah supporters attacked demonstrators protesting against Lebanon’s political elite in central Beirut late Sunday, triggering confrontations as security forces separated the two sides.

The Lebanese Civil Defense hospitalized five protesters with different injuries, one of whom was subjected to a knife attack.

The attacks by young men armed with clubs and metal rods chanting pro-Hezbollah slogans continued into the early hours of Monday as riot police and soldiers formed a human barrier preventing them from reaching the protesters.

The supporters, who were riding motorbikes with the flags of Hezbollah and Amal Movement, stoned the protesters, who retaliated.

The attacks by young men armed with clubs and metal rods chanting pro-Hezbollah slogans began late Sunday and continued after midnight as riot police and soldiers tried to prevent them from reaching the protesters.

The attacks occurred after protesters blocked a major road that links eastern neighborhoods of the capital with western parts.

Since last month, Lebanese from all religious backgrounds have taken to the streets en masse to cry out against what they view as an incompetent and corrupt ruling class, forcing the government to resign.