The "Tashnag" party organized a large demonstration in front of the Azerbaijani embassy in Lebanon, located in Ain Aar - Central Metn, in protest against the "genocide and ethnic cleansing being carried out by Azerbaijan in Artsakh against its Armenian inhabitants." This occurred amidst a heavy presence of security forces around the embassy. An altercation happened between the demonstrators and the security forces, resulting in 20 injuries among the demonstrators due to the scuffle between the two sides. Thousands of Armenian demonstrators participated in the protest, demanding "respect for human rights and ensuring the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination."
### Remarks from Leaders
**Hagop Baghdasaryan**, the Secretary-General of the Tashnag party, delivered a speech announcing "the beginning of a new phase in the history of Armenians, as Azerbaijan and Turkey have committed new genocide against us." He stated that "Artsakh has been handed over by a compromised authority," adding: "Today, we have been defeated in Artsakh, but we have not been defeated as a people, we have not been defeated as an Armenian nation." He held **Nikol Pashinyan**, the Prime Minister of Armenia, responsible for the situation in Artsakh, describing him as "a loyal friend of Turkey and Azerbaijan."
**Ludvik Aouazian**, a member of the Lebanese Committee to Defend the Armenian Cause, also gave a speech in which he stated that "the Security Council is incapable of preventing genocide in broad daylight in the twenty-first century, as if its charter and laws are merely ink on paper." He reflected on the past, recalling that "in 1915, while the global economy was shifting from reliance on coal to liquid fuel, Armenian blood was spilled, and oil in the eyes of the West was heavier than Armenian blood. Today, after a hundred years, as the global economy transitions from liquid fuel to gas, Armenian blood evaporates."
### Clashes and Casualties
The demonstrators held signs and chanted against Azerbaijani policies and the repeated assaults on Armenians in Artsakh, leading security forces to use tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd. The scuffle between security forces and demonstrators resulted in 20 injuries among the protesters. Following this, the demonstrators launched fireworks toward the embassy entrance and security forces, leading to a fire in the vicinity of the embassy.
