BEIRUT: Police reopened a main Downtown Beirut road Thursday that was closed after families of servicemen being held hostage by Islamist militants erected tents in the area eight months ago to pressure the government to take action.

"We were given the order to open the road, and we did it," a police commander told The Daily Star without commenting further.

Riad al-Solh St., which lead’s to a downtown square with the same name where the hostage families have been camped out since Oct. 8, was reopened, but another road that passes toward the Grand Serail remains closed.

The move came as a surprise to the few members of the hostage families who were present at the protest site.

(Link)