The Lebanese Army said Sunday that violence and sectarian rhetoric during protests at the weekend could have plunged Lebanon into civil strife.

The Army Command described Saturday’s unrest as a “dangerous ordeal” and vowed that it will not be lenient with any security violator.

In a statement, the Command said that 25 soldiers were injured Saturday by flying rocks and large firecrackers, among them one with a serious eye injury.

Army units also arrested “a Syrian, a Palestinian and two Sudanese for carrying out acts of rioting and vandalization during yesterday’s protests,” the Command added.

Commenting on the sectarian unrest in central Beirut, Shiyyah-Ain el-Rummaneh and Corniche al-Mazraa, the military said the country has crossed a “dangerous ordeal.”

“What happened was about to destroy national unity, tear apart civil peace and fuel divisions,” it warned.

“The Command warns against being dragged into strife and stresses the need to behave with responsibility, awareness and wisdom to preserve civil peace and protect national unity,” it added.