Protesters from Lebanon converged on the U.S., French, and British embassies in Beirut to express their anger about a rocket that reportedly killed hundreds in Gaza after it hit a hospital on Tuesday.
Reuters reported that around 1,000 protesters gathered, carrying Palestinian flags. Near the building, tear gas was fired.
Source: The main reason for the demonstration was Hezbollah’s statement, a terrorist group and political party based in Lebanon that is supported by Iran. Hezbollah told Arabs to protest outside Israeli embassies.
Protesters gathered outside the U.S., and French embassies because Israel does not maintain an embassy there. They believe that the Biden administration, and French President Emmanuel Macron, are partly responsible for the Gaza airstrikes by providing Israel with military aid.
Source: Pro-Palestinian and Hezbollah supporters marched together, while both embassies came under attack by rioters.
There have been no reported injuries.
The protest was held just hours after a rocket hit the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, causing both sides in the Israel-Hamas war to accuse each other. Hamas’ health ministry said that at least 500 people were killed, which sparked anger throughout the region.
Hamas claimed that Israel had targeted the hospital but Israel Defense Forces (IDF), determined that the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization was responsible.
IDF released a statement that said: “Analysis of IDF operations systems shows that terrorists fired dozens of rockets from Gaza. They passed close to the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza when it was struck. We have intelligence from multiple sources that Islamic Jihad was responsible for the failed launch of rockets that hit the hospital.”
The Islamic Jihad, a more radical and smaller Palestinian militant group, often works with Hamas.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated that the Palestinians “falsely claimed Israel had targeted a Gaza Strip hospital.”
The ministry shared a post on social media saying, “It’s not just them who are launching missiles into hospitals full of innocent civilians.”
