Police in Lebanon use tear gas to disperse protesters

About two hundred demonstrators marched on the "Ring Bridge" to protest against Lebanon's outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri's decision to back businessman Samir Khatib to replace him.

Riot police prevented protesters from blocking the highway, while dozens of the protesters sat down on the ground and chanted anti-government slogans.

Hariri said on Tuesday he supports the nomination of the prominent contractor to become the country's next premier, a move that will likely pave the way for the formation of a new cabinet amid a severe economic and financial hardships for the country.

Khatib heads one of Lebanon's largest engineering and contracting companies and has not held any political roles in the past.