Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday warned that “sectarian strife is once again popping its head to assassinate the country and its national unity and target its civil peace.”

“Cursed is anyone who awakens it and beware of falling into its inferno, for it will destroy everything, and even its plotters and financiers will not remain safe,” Berri cautioned.

And condemning “insults against Islamic and Christian sanctities and symbols, especially against Prophet Mohammed’s wife Sayyida Aisha,” Berri noted that “any act targeting the unity, security, stability and coexistence of the Lebanese is an Israeli act, regardless where it may come from.”

“Any voice promoting strife among the sons of the same country and same religion is a Hebrew voice even if it speaks Arabic,” the Speaker added.

In the same context, President Michel Aoun on Sunday reminded the Lebanese of the 1975-1976 incidents to warn them against a renewed descent into civil strife.

In a statement, the president said he condemns “any insult against the religious symbols of any component of the Lebanese family and the subsequent acts of violence and reactions that occurred overnight in several Lebanese regions.”

He also deplored “the attacks on shops, institutions and military and security forces who were carrying out their duty of preserving security and preventing riot,” in reference to clashes between protesters and security forces in central Beirut.

“We draw our national immunity from each other and our strength has been and will always be in our national unity, no matter what our political differences may be,” the president added.

“I address the conscience of every political and spiritual official and that of the prudent Lebanese who lived the 1975-1976 incidents… to carry out what they should do, each from their position, to put out any form of strife resulting from insults to our religious, spiritual and personal sanctities,” Aoun urged.