Hezbollah supporters rioted in Beirut overnight after Israel and Lebanon officially announced a framework agreement between the countries, waving flags of the terror group, vandalizing property and clashing with Lebanese security forces.
Footage from Beirut showed a convoy of motorcycles carrying Hezbollah supporters on the road to Beirut airport, with riders waving the group’s flags. Lebanese reports said the army used tear gas against rioters on a road near the airport.
Hezbollah supporters riot in Beirut
Other footage showed property damage, including cars and motorcycles set on fire during the unrest, as well as dozens of Lebanese soldiers arriving to disperse the rioters.
According to Israeli officials, there is no clear timetable for the agreement. It defines two pilot areas from which the IDF would withdraw and the Lebanese army would enter in its place, one north of the Litani River and one south of it. The framework agreement includes mutual recognition of the sovereignty of both countries, while the IDF will not withdraw from the yellow line.
Riots in Beirut after Israel and Lebanon officially announced a framework agreement
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the contacts between the sides, announced the agreement alongside the two countries’ ambassadors in Washington, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad and Yechiel Leiter.
Immediately after the announcement, Rubio said that “there is still a lot of work ahead.”
“What the people of Lebanon deserve is a prosperous and peaceful country, a diverse country where people from different backgrounds can live together in coexistence,” he said. “It will take a lot of work and time to get back to that point, but we believe today is the first step on that journey.”