So far the first rally and the subsequent sit- in have failed to shake the defiant Fouad Siniora, who continues to call for dialogue as the only solution to Lebanon crisis.

The army described as "unprecedented " the size of the demonstration in downtown Beirut.

"Change is coming," banners of Hezbollah and its pro -Iranian and Syrian allies boasted as thousands of demonstrators waving Lebanese flags spilled into the streets surrounding the offices of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Fully veiled Shiite women, Christian students wearing General Aoun T-shirts and fathers hoisting children on their shoulders were among the crowds who cheered a series of opposition speakers urging the resignation of the anti-Syrian government.

As in the first rally FPM leader Gen. Michel Aoun delivered a speech in which he said sectarianism, political corruption and feudalism are trying to instigate strife in the country. He also accused the March 14 forces of fearing reform because it uncovers corruption in the government.

Aoun called for early parliamentary elections.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem called on Premier Fouad Saniora to resign “to preserve your dignity and honor as well as Lebanon’s honor ".

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, whose Damascus-backed movement has spearheaded the protests which kicked off December 1, has vowed his supporters will not quit the streets until the cabinet makes way for a government of national unity.

As many as 20,000 troops deployed on the streets and around the government building where Siniora has been holed up.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said the protest promised to be larger than the December 1 rally that kicked off the opposition campaign.

"This is a sea of demonstrators unprecedented in the history of Lebanon," an army spokesman said, estimating that "hundreds of thousands" had gathered in the heart of Beirut and on access roads to the city center.

In addition to red-and-white Lebanese flags, some demonstrators waved orange banners and photos of Christian former general Michel Aoun, as well as yellow Hezbollah flags and the green standards of the Shiite movement Amal.

As the deadlock deepened in a political crisis which many fear could plunge Lebanon back into civil strife, the opposition vowed to escalate its action and paralyze main roads, including the Beirut airport road.

Siniora warned against such actions, saying they "will put the country into a cycle of violence which will not be in anyone's interest."

The prime minister acknowledged that "our political and democratic regime is facing a challenge," but said that "Lebanon is a strong country -- we will overcome this crisis."

He again called for talks instead of protests. "Our hand is extended. We will not close any doors. We will work on opening doors."

Government supporters have staged large counter-rallies amid the deadlock that threatens to paralyze the legislative process with the spekaership of parliament in the hands of the opposition.

Arab envoys have also shuttled between Lebanese leaders in a bid to broker a settlement.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a key financial backer of Lebanon, opened a Gulf summit Saturday with a warning that the Arab world was a powder keg waiting to explode.

"In Lebanon, we see dark clouds threatening the unity of the homeland, which risks sliding again into... conflict among the sons of the same country," he said.

The Lebanese opposition accuses the government of weakness and corruption, and says it no longer represents the people after six pro-Damascus ministers submitted their resignations last month.

The protesters want to replace the current cabinet, formed after 2005 elections, with a national unity government that they say is required by the power-sharing arrangements in force since the 1975-90 civil war.

Siniora, who has received messages of support from the whole world community, except Syria and Iran has pledged that what he branded an attempted "coup" by Hezbollah will fail.

The premier also expressed concern about the deployment to the capital of troops he said ought to be safeguarding Lebanon's borders after the July-August war between Hezbollah and Siniora's coalition has accused the opposition of seeking to block a cabinet endorsement of plans for an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 murder of former premier Rafik Hariri, widely blamed on Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud who on Saturday formally rejected the cabinet decision on the court, saying it should be "be reviewed by a legal, constitutional and consensual government."

Syria and Iran are blamed

Both Syria and Iran are blamed for the street protests. Both countries have been voicing support for Hezbollah in the most belligerent language, which prompted one analyst to accuse Iran of declaring war on Lebanon.

The March 14 forces have accused Hezbollah and its allies of engineering a coup with the help of Syria and Iran which they call the Coup axis.

Hezbollah's chief covering up for his mistakes

Many analysts strongly believe that Hezbollah's chief is trying to use the protests to cover up for his miscalculation failures that led to the war with Israel. The Shiites were the most affected as a result of this war as thousands of their homes were destroyed and almost 1 million were displaced.

These same analysts are also now saying that Hezbollah has overplayed its hand in Lebanon and its persistence in going after the government will backfire as more Lebanese will rally in support of PM Siniora. Yesterday in Aley, a resort town in Mount Lebanon, thousands protested in support of Siniora and today in Tripoli, Lebanon's northern capital hundreds of thousands rallied in support of Siniora.

Ali Hussein
Ya Libnan volunteer