Lebanese army separates rival protests near president palace

Protesters chant slogans and strike a drum during an anti-government demonstration in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on December 1, 2019. (AFP)

A protester holds up a sign during an anti-government demonstration in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on December 1, 2019. (AFP)

• Anti-government protesters had called for a rally outside the Presidential Palace to press Aoun to formally begin the process of forming a new govt

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s armed forces have deployed near the presidential palace east of Beirut to prevent friction between rival Lebanese protesters as the stalemate over forming a crisis government continues. 
Anti-government protesters had called for a rally Sunday outside the Presidential Palace in Baabda to press President Michel Aoun to formally begin the process of forming a new government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned over a month ago amid nationwide protests accusing the political elite of corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
The call prompted a counter-rally by supporters of Aoun who called him a “red line.” Army soldiers formed a human chain to separate the groups on a highway leading to the palace, preventing clashes.
Meanwhile, hundreds of anti-government protesters marched toward central Beirut amid a deepening economic crisis.