Lebanon's president has formally appointed a Hezbollah-backed candidate as prime minister-designate and asked him to form a new government.
MPs in Beirut voted on Tuesday to back billionaire businessman Najib Mikati, the candidate Hezbollah had proposed as a prime minister.
He gained 68 votes to Hariri's 60, putting the Hezbollah-led opposition in a position to form a government.
In a televised statement, Hariri tried to calm the anger that had poured onto the streets.
"I understand the shouts of anger that have come out of your chests," said Hariri.
"But it is not right that this anger leads us to what is against our values and upbringing and our belief that democracy is our only resort and the only way we express our political stance. ... Raise the Lebanese flag high above your head and know that I will always be with you,'' he said.
Legitimacy
The Lebanese army fired bullets into the air on Tuesday in the northern city of Tripoli to control hundreds of protesters who burned tires and blocked roads in protest over Mikati's nomination.
Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said that protests were quick to break out after the announcement.
"People have come onto the streets, especially in strongholds of Saad Hariri, demonstrating against the selection of Mikati," she said.
She added that several districts of northern Lebanon, as well as the port city of Tripoli, have seen protests by supporters of the March 14 coalition, led by Hariri.
Mustafa Alloush, a member of Hariri's Future Bloc party, told Al Jazeera that protesters were angry because they believe that Hariri is the legitimate prime minister and that they "feel that their pride has been injured by the way things have been done."
Mikati told reporters that he wants to form a unity government. Even though Hezbollah backed him, he is seen as a relatively neutral figure who enjoys good relations with both Bashar Assad, the Syrian president, and Hariri, although the latter has said he would not be part of any new unity government.
PHOTO CAPTION
Lebanon's prime minister-designate Najib Mikati is seen during an interview at his residency in Beirut.
Agencies