Several protesters were injured in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Saturday in demonstrations held amid escalating tensions over the government’s decision to further slash the tumbling currency’s value, writes Al Jazeera.

The pound has been pegged to the dollar at 1,507 since 1997, but the country’s worst economic crisis in decades has seen its unofficial value plummet.

On Saturday, money changers told AFP news agency it was trading at 17,300-17,500 to the greenback on the black market, while some social media users said it had fallen as low as 18,000.

Dozens of angry Lebanese took to the streets of Tripoli to denounce the depreciation and “difficult living conditions”, the National News Agency reported.

Some protesters managed to break through the gates of a branch of the central bank and enter the courtyard, the agency added, but the army prevented them from reaching the building.

Local media reports said five protesters and two Lebanese soldiers were injured in the clashes.