Hezbollah leader warns protests could lead to war

BEIRUT — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said Friday that nationwide protests against the country’s political class have been exploited by foreign powers and were no longer spontaneous, warning they could drag the country toward civil war.

Hassan Nasrallah’s comments came shortly after his supporters clashed with antigovernment protesters in central Beirut. His supporters rejected the protesters equating the powerful group’s leader with other corrupt politicians they want to see step down.

The unprecedented nationwide protests that began Oct. 17 were triggered by proposed new taxes, including on the use of the WhatsApp mobile application. They came on the heels of an austerity budget that cut public spending, pensions and employee benefits to tackle a deepening economic crisis.

Protesters took to the streets in the capital Beirut and in cities in the north and south in some of the largest protests in nearly 15 years. The rallies have brought together Lebanese from all groups and sects against politicians who have been in power since the country’s civil war ended in 1990, some even before.

On Friday, Nasrallah said the protests are no longer popular or spontaneous. He said the rallies have been exploited by political rivals as well as regional and international powers that oppose Hezbollah. He did not elaborate on the allegations of foreign interference but said his group has information of such collusion.

Last week, Nasrallah praised the protesters for pressuring the Cabinet into making major reform decisions but he said he rejected their calls for the government to step down.

Iranbacked Hezbollah is facing widening U.S. sanctions amid tension between Washington and Tehran. The militant group dominates the current government and is the country’s most powerful organization, building its credibility on its resistance to Israel’s occupation of parts of Lebanon.

Lebanon is one of the world’s most indebted nations, with public debt over 150% of the gross domestic product.

AFP via Getty Images Security forces clash with supporters of the Hezbollah movement during a demonstration in the capital Beirut on the ninth day of protests against tax increases and official corruption.