Tense Calm in Lebanon after ‘Day of Rage’ Left 45 People, Including 35 Soldiers, Wounded

A tense calm returned to Lebanon on Wednesday after violent daylong demonstrations across the country left 45 people wounded.

An-Nahar newspaper on Wednesday said among the injured was 35 Lebanese army soldiers, two policemen and 8 civilians.

Several Lebanese soldiers were seen falling back as protesters, wielding sticks, pursued them during demonstrations.

A heavy army presence could be seen across Lebanon as shops re-opened, but several international schools remained closed fearing another outbreak of demonstrations.

Anti-riot troops patrolled the streets of Beirut and the northern port city of Tripoli, a Sunni bastion and hometown of prime minister designate Najib Mikati who had been nominated for premiership by Hizbullah and its allies.

Banners reading "Miqati, appointed by Khamenei," Iran's supreme leader, remained hoisted in Tripoli on Wednesday as tanks were deployed outside Miqati's home and offices.

Residents of Tripoli said they also planned to set up a tent in a city square around noon to protest his appointment.

Demonstrations against Miqati's appointment turned violent on Tuesday as protesters burned tires and temporarily blocked main highways.

Frenzied demonstrators in Tripoli torched an Al-Jazeera van. In Beirut, stone-throwing and baton-wielding protesters attacked media considered close to Hizbullah.

Supporters of outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States, view Miqati's appointment as a bid by the Shiite militant group to impose their choice for the premiership, a post reserved for a Sunni Muslim.

Miqati himself is a Sunni Muslim but is viewed by Hariri supporters as a turncoat.

His appointment came after Hizbullah and its allies toppled Hariri's government in a long-running dispute over a U.N. court probing the 2005 murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri, Saad's father.

The Netherlands-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon is reportedly readying to indict Hizbullah members in connection with the Hariri murder, a move the militant group has warned against.(Naharnet-AFP)