UN urges restraint after clashes in Lebanon's Beirut

The UN special coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag urged on Monday "maximum restraint" by all sides in the protests over uncollected garbage in Beirut.

The streets of downtown Beirut witnessed two days of violent clashes between police forces and demonstrators protesting the waste crisis and demanding both the cabinet's and the parliament's resignations.

The "You Stink" campaign responsible for the protest, accused several "infiltrators" of joining their sit-in and throwing stones and Molotov cocktails against police forces who in turn responded with water cannons and rubber bullets, injuring about 35 protesters over the past two days.

Police forces said over 50 police force members were injured.

In a statement issued through her media office, Kaag called on all those involved to exercise maximum restraint.

"Lebanon's leaders must act in the country's national interest, especially during this critical time. Lebanon cannot afford further stagnation, continued domestic political crises, economic damage, impaired basic service levels, all of which ultimately erode the country's stability and security," she said.

Kaag reaffirmed that "the United Nations along with the international community strongly support Lebanon's stability and its efforts exerted towards ensuring strong and effective state institutions ready to meet the needs of the Lebanese people."