The killing this week of Lebanese television cameraman Ali Shaaban by Syrian forces sent a chilling message to Lebanon and caused a national uproar. While he was on an assignment in the northern town of Wadi Abu Khaled, Shaaban was gunned down and his car was struck by more than 40 bullets. This incident, the continuous security breaches along the border, and eruptions of violence in border towns, are testing the Lebanese Army's capacity to act as a unified unit and shield off threats to Lebanon's stability and sovereignty.

Recently, the Army has been facing the additional challenge of maintaining cohesion among its own ranks. This week, two soldiers reportedly abandoned their posts to join the Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighting against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. In response, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) made sure to take a neutral stance and dissociate itself from appearing in support of the FSA. Last month, a Palestinian armed group with alleged links to Al Qaeda infiltrated the army and recruited four soldiers to a terrorist cell. The army uncovered the plot and arrested the culprits.

The LAF has been struggling to maintain peace at the borders, where the lack of demarcation has fueled security violations. According to witnesses, Syrian forces continue to make incursions into Lebanese territory; they planted landmines to prevent refugees from escaping Syria and went as far as firing mortar rounds into Lebanese towns last weekend. In order to deter military action along the border, the LAF has made several arrests and continues to crack down on transfers of weapons during raids in border towns. However, the capacity of the army is often limited by resources, as well as political calculations.

US assistance to the LAF had been a subject of debate in Washington over the past year, particularly in light of the formation of a Hezbollah-dominated cabinet and the question of the group's influence within the LAF. Washington threatened to cut all aid to the LAF in order to deter Hezbollah. In December 2011, however, Congress passed legislation offering assistance and is perhaps today started to see some benefit to this move. As Hezbollah finds itself increasingly marginalized by its own position on the Syria uprising, the LAF has stepped in to fight terrorist threats and help maintain order.

Despite the diversity it encompasses, the LAF has successfully presented itself as Lebanon's single non-sectarian institution. It has been instrumental in maintaining internal stability, fighting terrorist groups, and keeping a semblance of peace at the Lebanese-Syrian and Lebanese-Israeli borders. The prolonged Syrian conflict has brought thousands of refugees and created a breeding ground for extremist networks, stretching the resources of this institution. It is essential to provide full support for the LAF in this critical stage, as it remains Lebanon's last unifying institution attempting to piece together a fragmented society and maintain stability in the most unstable of times.