Lebanese veterans tussle with security forces in budget protest

Dozens of Lebanese veterans tussled with security forces in Beirut on Friday (July 19) as they tried to reach parliament in a protest against any cuts to their benefits in the state budget. The protesters, some waving Lebanese army flags and wearing camouflage trousers, breached coils of barbed wire as they sought to approach the parliament building where MPs were voting on the budget. Lebanon, one of the world's most heavily indebted states, is seeking to slash the deficit with the aim of steering the public finances towards a sustainable path.