CNN InternationalMiddle East expert Dr Chris Phillips provides insight on the current situation in Lebanon and Syria. Not too long ago, there were just as many news reports about Beirut's fancy nightclubs and the Lebanese capital's embrace of modern living as there were stories about violence. Lebanon had maintained relative stability despite the full-tilt civil war that has torn apart its largest neighbour and former military occupier, Syria, for more than a year and a half. The war has triggered some sectarian conflicts inside Lebanon, and that raised concerns - but no alarm bells - about a broader conflict. Now, that may have changed.