Dozens of supporters of Bashar al-Assad attacked a small rally against the Syrian president and his regime in Beirut on Tuesday, landing at least one protester in hospital, activists told AFP. A security official told AFP there had been a clash outside the Syrian embassy between pro- and anti-Assad demonstrators on Tuesday evening but could not give further details.
Two activists who had attended the rally said around 30 members of local civil society groups gathered outside the embassy to protest against the Syrian regime and were immediately attacked by some 40 belt-wielding Assad supporters.
At least one injured activist was taken to Beirut's Makassed hospital, they said. Six people were killed last month in the north Lebanon city of Tripoli in clashes between Sunni and Alawite Muslims which were triggered by a rally against the Assad regime.
Thousands of Syrian refugees have also poured into north Lebanon since April, using illegal crossings generally used by smugglers. Lebanon's political scene is split between supporters of the Assad regime, led by Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and a pro-Western camp headed by US- and Saudi-backed former premier Saad Hariri. Assad's troops have cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath rule which broke out mid-March, killing nearly 2,000 people and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.
At least one injured activist was taken to Beirut's Makassed hospital, they said. Six people were killed last month in the north Lebanon city of Tripoli in clashes between Sunni and Alawite Muslims which were triggered by a rally against the Assad regime.
Thousands of Syrian refugees have also poured into north Lebanon since April, using illegal crossings generally used by smugglers. Lebanon's political scene is split between supporters of the Assad regime, led by Shiite militant group Hezbollah, and a pro-Western camp headed by US- and Saudi-backed former premier Saad Hariri. Assad's troops have cracked down on protests against almost five decades of Baath rule which broke out mid-March, killing nearly 2,000 people and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.
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