Retired Lebanese soldiers blockaded roads across Lebanon and staged a sit-it near the central bank in Beirut on Monday to protest a draft state budget proposal they fear would curb military benefits. A central bank official told Reuters the central bank was operating as normal despite the protest outside its headquarters in Beirut’s Hamra thoroughfare. The demonstrators blocked the main road outside the building, choking rush hour traffic on one of the capitals busiest streets. Prime Minister Saad Hariri said last week that Lebanon was far from bankruptcy but failure to pass a “realistic” budget would be tantamount to a “suicide operation” against the economy. Hariri has been critical of strikes and protests against the draft budget, saying they were based on unfounded rumors about its contents. With Lebanon suffering from years of low economic growth, long-stalled reforms are seen as more pressing than ever to put the state finances on a sustainable path. Lebanon is saddled with one of the worlds heaviest public debt burdens at around 150 percent of GDP. The protesters began to gather on Sunday evening outside the central bank as the cabinet held its latest meeting to try to agree on the budget. "The protest will continue until there is a solution for the clauses concerning military personnel in the budget," said retired brigadier general Sameh Rammah, who was taking part in the protest, adding that they will keep escalating until their demands are met. Retired soldiers held similar protests on Monday outside regional offices of the central bank in the cities of Tripoli and Tyre. Sit-ins also took place in Baalbeck and Jounieh, the state-run National News Agency reported. Retired soldiers have been among the most vocal opponents of draft budget proposals, blocking roads with burning tires on several occasions. Last week, central bank workers went on strike in protest against any cuts that would affect their pay, leading the stock exchange to halt trading for two days. Workers in other state bodies have also mounted strikes. The government said on Friday it had agreed to tighten the allocation of financial incentives that are intended for soldiers on frontline duty but applied more widely in practice. The public-sector wage bill is the government’s biggest expense followed by debt servicing costs and the big subsidies paid annually to the state-owned power producer. The draft budget aims to reduce the deficit to below 9 percent of GDP from 11.2 percent in 2018, the finance minister has said.