the thing was, the Brits separated Lebanon by having it populated primarily w/ christians, so the concensus in Lebanon was anti-Syrian back in the days... but over time, the muslim demographic grew in population much faster than the christian one, and now the muslims constitute the majority of people in Lebanon. many muslims view their association w/ Syria as a benefit due to the constant threat of Israeli invasion. Israel threatens Lebanon about using their own water supply, Israel constantly flies sorties into Lebanese air space, etc... and has a keen interest in seeing a relatively less formidable military opponent in that state