17 October Revolution

The 17 October Protests, commonly referred to as the 17 October Revolution or Hirak or Thawrah (Arabic: ثورة 17 تشرين الأول, romanized: thawrat 17 tishrīn al-ʾawwal, lit. '17 October revolution'), were a series of civil protests in Lebanon that began after the Lebanese cabinet announced financial measures on 17 October 2019. These national protests were triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and VoIP calls on applications such as WhatsApp, but quickly expanded into a country-wide condemnation of sectarian rule, the stagnation of the economy, unemployment (which reached 46% in 2018), endemic corruption in the public sector, legislation that was perceived to shield the ruling class from accountability (such as banking secrecy) and failures of the government to provide basic services such as electricity, water, and sanitation.

The protests created a political crisis in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri tendering his resignation, not demanding any new governmental needs of being the prime minister and echoing protesters' demands for a government of independent specialists. A cabinet headed by Hassan Diab was formed in 2020 but also resigned in the wake of the 2020 Beirut explosion.

Calling for a complete regime change, it was known by its most famous slogan; Kellon Yaani Kellon (Arabic: كلن يعني كلن, lit. 'all of them [the elites] means all of them').

In January 2026 public schools teachers and retired military personnel took to the streets closings roads all over Lebanon and protesting in front of the Lebanese parliament building.