Lebanon’s security forces have reportedly used “excessive force and failed to adequately protect protesters from violent attacks by others,” despite the overwhelmingly peaceful nature of the past month’s demonstrations across the country, U.N. human rights experts have said.

Samir Khatib, whose name emerged Tuesday as a strong candidate for the PM post, has announced that he is willing to form the new government should there be “consensus” on his nomination.

“I’m ready to assume the mission of forming and leading a government and to serve the country amid these extraordinary circumstances and I will try to rescue the country should there be consensus on my nomination and if the various parties intend to rescue the country,” Khatib, the director general of the Khatib & Alami engineering firm, said in remarks to MTV.

Supporters of the Free Patriotic Movement on Tuesday briefly scuffled with protesters near the presidential palace in Baabda, as backers of Hizbullah and the AMAL Movement attacked the main protest site in the eastern city of Baalbek.

The civil society protesters in Baabda were led by groups from the Sabaa Party.

The binding parliamentary consultations to name a new premier will be held on Thursday and the new government will not be a “confrontation government,” Baabda sources said on Tuesday.

“We will seek to agree with caretaker PM Saad Hariri on an alternative candidate and we prefer this option, or else we will go to parliamentary consultations and we are holding talks over several candidates,” the sources told LBCI television.

Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri openly declared Tuesday that he is withdrawing his candidacy for the premiership.

In response to the "irresponsible practices" of political leaders, Hariri said he felt compelled to make his intentions known.

Protesters in the southern city of Tyre remained defiant on Tuesday and returned to their encampments smashed the day before by supporters of Hizbullah and AMAL Movement.

Following Monday’s violence between Lebanese protesters and supporters of Hizbullah, the security and military forces are “determined” to ban road blockages in order to spare Lebanon from a “worst-case scenario,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

Lebanon’s protesters are reportedly inclined to form a “revolutionary government” to manage the affairs of the popular movement if President Michel Aoun fails to initiate the binding parliamentary consultations by the end of this week, the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily reported on Tuesday.

Clashes between Lebanese protesters and supporters of Hizbullah group are putting Lebanon's military and security forces in a delicate position, threatening to crack open the country's dangerous fault lines amid a political deadlock.

Army troops and security forces quickly intervened Monday evening after supporters of the AMAL Movement and Hizbullah arrived at Beirut’s Martyrs Square on scooters and hurled insults and a few rocks at protesters who have an encampment in the area.

The situation was quickly brought under control although tensions remain high.