The car convoys formed across the capital, the northwestern city of Tripoli, and the southwestern city of Sidon on Tuesday.

In Beirut, cars thronged around the UNESCO Palace, which was chosen by Speaker Nabih Berri to host the parliament’s first reconvention since the legislature was shut down for contagion fears.

The pandemic has so far infected 677 people and killed 21 in the country.

Cars were seen draped in Lebanese flag, with drivers honking their horns and protesters shouting slogans while leaning out in facemasks.

The lingering protests receded to some extent in January, when the country swore in a new government. They, however, resumed Friday in Tripoli, where locals reportedly showed up in their hundreds.

Lebanon’s debt equals 170 percent of its gross domestic product. The country failed to catch up on the arrears for the first time last month.

The Lebanese pound, which is pegged to the dollar, has depreciated by almost half in recent months. The loss in the currency’s value has been simultaneous with a severe shortage of the greenback.

The overall dire economic conditions have subjected around 45 percent of the country’s population to poverty.

The economic situation comes as the United States and its Persian Gulf allies have imposed sanctions on Lebanese economic assets and figures for government cooperation with the country’s Hezbollah resistance movement.

The popular movement — which is widely represented in the parliament — became an integral part of Lebanon’s defense force after defending the country against wars by Israel, the US’s most important regional ally, in the 2000s.

During Tuesday’s session, the parliament passed a law to fight corruption in the public sector and set up a national body in charge of stamping out graft. The MPs also discussed lifting immunity for ministers and lawmakers to allow prosecutions for corruption.

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On Wednesday, hundreds of angry Lebanese protesters marched on Emile El-Helou police station (Sakanet El-Helou) in Mar Elias, demand the release of around 60 detainees, who were arrested following the previous night’s clashes.

Using burning tires and garbage, protesters closed roads that lead to the police station. They also started throwing fireworks at the security forces, which resulted in more arrests.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

According to security forces, some 47 policemen were injured during the hours-long clashes that erupted near the Central Bank of Lebanon on Tuesday evening, the first day of what they called a “week of wrath.”

The Tuesday rally turned violent as protesters tried to push their way through the security forces deployed outside the bank. Police lobbed volleys of tear gas at the protesters, who responded with rocks and firecrackers.

The demonstrators denounced the bank governor and policies they say have only deepened the country’s financial woes.

The clashes marked an end to a lull in the three-months-long protests.

Since September, banks have capped the number of dollars customers can withdraw or transfer abroad.

Lebanese demonstrators accuse banks of holding their deposits hostage while allowing politicians and bank owners to transfer funds abroad.

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In many areas, protesters withdrew peacefully as the troops moved in. But in Beirut’s northern suburb of Zouk Mosbeh, a scuffle erupted on Tuesday when some demonstrators refused to move away.

The military efforts end to opening Beirut roads by withdrawing protesters in peace.

Since October 17, people have been taking to the streets in Beirut and other cities to express discontent with the government’s failure. Its impotence to find solutions for the country’s economic crisis. The unprecedented protests seem to have worsened by many wrong decisions. Such decisions are namely as planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and online phone calls, such as on WhatsApp.

According to the World Bank, more than 25 percent of the Lebanese live in poverty.

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