At least three people have been injured in Lebanon when police clashed with demonstrators protesting against Egypt's decision to build a wall along its border with Gaza.
Some 200 Palestinian and Lebanese gathered near the Egyptian embassy in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on Saturday to oppose the underground steel wall, which is aimed at stopping smuggling into the Hamas-controlled area.
Witnesses said riot police clashed with the protesters when they tried to push against a barbed wire placed on a road leading to the embassy.
Police fired tear gas to disperse the protestors after they reportedly started throwing stones and lemons.
As a result three people were slightly hurt, police said.
According to reports, Egypt has begun building a deep metal wall along its border with Gaza, which when finished will measure 10-11 km in length and will extend 18 metres below the surface.
Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, the group that controls the Strip, last week called on Egypt to stop building the wall, saying it would further isolate the blockade territory.
Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2006 after Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier, was captured by Hamas fighters.
The siege was tightened on Gaza after Hamas took full control of the Strip from forces loyal to the mainstream Fatah movement.
In a related issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow is intensifying its contacts with Hamas, which it considers vital.

Lavrov further said that Moscow is suggesting quadrilateral talks at a ministerial level on peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, which are to commence immediately.

Lavrov's comments were made during a news conference in Moscow to discuss the outcomes of 2009 and the priorities of Russian foreign policy for 2010.

Agencies/Ab