Protesters cut off the road outside Beirut’s international airport on Wednesday with burning tires, thus blocking the passage to hundreds of arriving and departing travelers who were unable to leave or access the airport building. The road was opened again an hour later.
The protest, held by hundreds of people who gathered in the area, was sparked by the arrest of a Lebanese man identified as Haidar Slim in Saudi Arabia.
Elie Ziade, our correspondent on the field, reported that travelers had to walk some hundred meters to Tahwitat al Hadir to meet their pickups.
The Lebanese army was present, negotiating with protesters to convince them to clear the road.
By late afternoon, the protesters dispersed and motorcycles moved back to the nearby southern suburb as fire brigades put out the burning tires and traffic gradually returned to normal.
