Lebanese army clears protesters after PM resignation

• Troops cleared one major route north of Beirut after briefly scuffling with demonstrators in the morning
• The departure of Hariri, who has been traditionally backed by the West and Sunni Gulf Arab allies, pushes Lebanon into unpredictable political territory.
• Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon's prime minister on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a "dead end"

BEIRUT - Lebanese soldiers and security officials started to open blocked roads on Wednesday (October 30) so life could return to normal, after 13 days demonstrations paralysed the country and forced the prime minister to resign.

Troops cleared one major route north of Beirut after briefly scuffling with demonstrators in the morning, removing tents which had been blocking the traffic.

Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon's prime minister on Tuesday (October 29), toppling his coalition government. He said he had hit a "dead end" in trying to resolve the crisis unleashed by the huge protests against the ruling elite.

The departure of Hariri, who has been traditionally backed by the West and Sunni Gulf Arab allies, pushes Lebanon into unpredictable political territory.

The protests have compounded Lebanon's already serious economic woes and banks kept their doors shut on Wednesday.

Earlier, protesters had taken to the streets for a 13th night in Lebanon on Tuesday (October 29) evening, following the resignation of the country's prime minister earlier in the day.

Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon's prime minister on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a "dead end" in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against the ruling elite and plunging the country deeper into turmoil.

Hariri addressed the nation after a mob loyal to the Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah and Amal movements attacked and destroyed a protest camp set up by anti-government demonstrators in Beirut.