Using its agents to instigate violence was commonplace during the 1975-1990 conflict that every Lebanese citizen wants to forget. Unfortunately for the Lebanese, Syria is doing everything it can to revive the civil war.

On Sunday, around 300 Hezbollah members reportedly chased a man who hurled insults at their leader Hassan Nasrallah and then fled towards the nearby Christian town Ashrafieh. The Lebanese army stopped the advance of the militia on the Christian neighborhood and arrested the individual, who turned out to be a Syrian citizen by the name of Hamzah Mohamad Sadeq Ismail.

Later in the day violence erupted in the town of Qosqos, resulting in the death of a Hezbollah supporter. 3 Syrians were detained by the Lebanese police for throwing stones from the top of Qashokji mosque. The person who pulled the trigger was initially reported as a Sunni, however the area is infested with pro-Syrian Ahbash Islamists, who some suspect played a part in order to spark a riot.

Syria's remote control president in Lebanon, Emile Lahoud along with his ally Michel Aoun and the leader of Hezbollah have all instructed their followers to disregard the Government and Lebanon's Internal Security Force.

Lahoud told protesters to disregard the orders of the democratically elected government and to listen only to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah ally Michel Aoun called Lebanon's Army a militia and gangs because they protected Lebanon's Prime Minister from a storm of violent protesters, and ultimately because they stood in the way of Aoun's primary goal - to force his way into the presidency.

"The country is heading towards a catastrophe. The protests in the street which they claimed will be peaceful will inevitably turn violent due to political mobilization, provocations and fuelling," warned political analyst Sarkis Naoum

Sources: Ya Libnan, From Beirut to the Beltway, UPI, BBC