Hariri's killing sparks fears of fresh wave of violence

"May God protect us." This was the typical response of Lebanese living in the UAE to the assassination of Rafik Hariri, their country's former prime minister.

All said the assassination was intended to weaken Lebanon, which has 17 different religious and ethnic communities represented in its parliament. They also expressed fear Al Hariri's death could spark a new bout of violence in a country still recovering from 17 years of civil war.

Opinions differed on who was behind the assassination of Al Hariri, a Sunni Muslim. Al Hariri and nine other people, mostly his associates, died after a car bomb exploded in Beirut's busy commercial district.

"We were seeing the new beginning for our country we were promised for so long," said Esmail Sayyad, a 26-year-old man from Sidon, in Lebanon's south.

Sayyad feared the event would lead to internal strife.

"I have just been speaking to my family in Sidon. They are already talking about our Sunni leader. I hope - if there is a response from Sunnis in Lebanon - it will not be an extreme response."

Al Hariri had done much to give Lebanon's Sunni Muslims greater political power, he said.

"Al Hariri had political weight. There's no doubt today there's a feeling Sunni Muslims have lost [considerable influence] in Lebanese politics."

He could not guess who was behind the assassination, but thought it was carried out to hurt Lebanon and Syria, Sayyad said.

"It is to pressure Syria, to blame Syria for disturbing Lebanon's stability."

"Syria is harmed by this act. There are those who want to make Syria leave Lebanon. France warned Syria not to harm Al Hariri."

Darine Al Amir, a 28-year-old woman from Lebanon's south, said: "We are the war generation and we don't want this kind of turmoil".

The film producer said she hoped internal strife would not follow the former prime minister's death. She was "offended" by the idea Sunni Muslims in Lebanon could react differently to Hariri's death.

"This is what happened to us previously. It's offensive to define these events on sectarian lines."

When asked who she thought was behind the assassination - similar to one last year targeting prominent Druze politician Marwan Hamadeh - Al Amir did not hesitate to speak her mind.

"Syria is behind this. Those who tried to kill Hamadeh were behind this. There are groups in our country who have become weak and want to be strong again," she said.

Al Amir said she feared more assassinations. "I fear Walid Jumblatt [a prominent Druze politician calling for Syria's withdrawal from Lebanon] will be next."

Rony, from Beirut's mostly Christian eastern quarter, fears Lebanon may fall back into a state of civil war after the assassination of Rafik Hariri.

"I believe the country is heading back to civil war. Nothing will solve its internal problems, except a massive civil war, similar to and even worse than the one that started in 1975. The country will be divided," he said.