Lebanon's interior minister gave a 30 minutes time limit for protesters to evacuate the building of the Ministry of Environment.

An official at the Interior Ministry said Nohad Machnouk took the decision following a phone contact with Prime Minister Tamam Sallam.

For their part, the sitters-in refused to evacuate the ministerial building, affirming that their protest was peaceful.

Security authorities, meanwhile, took all exceptional measures to secure the gates of the environment ministry and called for police reinforcements around it.

The You Stink protest campaign, ignited by a waste crisis, has widened to reflect anger at the state failure to provide basic services. It is seen as the biggest protest movement in Lebanon's history organized independently of the sectarian parties that have previously dominated politics.

Source: MENA