BEIRUT: Road closures in solidarity with the Lebanese Army following last week’s ambush that claimed the lives of an officer and a soldier continued Tuesday despite a military plea against them.

A group of men briefly blocked Tuesday morning the coastal highway in Batroun, north Lebanon, in both directions. Crowds blocked the same highway with burning tires around 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Residents also blocked the road at Abdeh Square in Bibnine, north Lebanon, Tuesday morning.

At the peak hour at 6:30 p.m. Monday, a crowd closed off the Jounieh-Sarba highway, causing heavy traffic. The state-run National News Agency said motorists were stranded as far away as Dbayyeh, north of Beirut.

The Lebanese Army thanked Monday citizens for their “honest feeling toward the Army” but urged them not to block roads in solidarity with the military following Friday’s ambush on a Lebanese Army patrol in the eastern town of Arsal that left two soldiers killed.

According to a statement from the Lebanese Army, such protests would “limit the freedom of citizens, impede movement and harm their interests.”