The Lebanese situation might escalate further as the government is overreacting to protests while armed groups are openly siding with protesters and may take advantage of the power vacuum, Max Abrahms, political analyst from Boston University told RT.
What started as demonstrations on Saturday over a breakdown in Beirut's rubbish collection has turned into violent protests with many injured and reportedly one dead.
“The protesters are escalating their demands. Initially they were calling for the removal of the rubbish, and now they are talking about the resignation of the entire government, the election of a new president. Furthermore, I know that there are additional protests which are being scheduled, especially for this Saturday,” suggests Abrahms.
“Government authorities are overreacting, being too aggressive with the protesters- that is a very dangerous game to play. In general when governments use repressive actions against protesters, especially once they reached a critical mass, it tends to backfire,” he told RT.