The Syrian government has intensified in recent days its brutal crackdown on the protesters calling for regime change, most notably in the town of Talkalakh near the Lebanese border. From shelling of residential areas to mass killings, the Syrian Army is reported to have killed at least 30 protestors this week, with the corpses remaining in the authorities' custody. Human rights groups are saying that hundreds have been arrested and are being tortured.
 
Fleeing the atrocious onslaught, Syrians are seeking refuge and hospitalization in the bordering Lebanese towns. They are not the only ones. Many soldiers unwilling to take part in the murdering of their compatriots have reportedly fled to Lebanon. Keen on keeping a "good" reputation, the Syrian regime is attempting to prevent news from coming out and has thereby ordered its security forces to fire across the border to stop the mass exodus from Syria. The shooting led to the injury of one Lebanese soldier.
 
Fearing the wrath of Damascus, Lebanese authorities are avoiding any action that would cause backlash, and Beirut has since returned some of those soldiers who deserted the Syrian army and sought refuge in Lebanon. Lebanon is not a member of the 1951 UN Convetion Relating to the Status of Refugees, but it is a member of the UN Convention Against Torture. Those returned are likely to face torture and death.

Meanwhile, Syrian officials in Lebanon and their supporters are still in a state of denial. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Abdel Karim Ali denied reports that Syrians were fleeing their hometowns saying that cross border movement is an "activity that comes in the framework of Syrians' regular visits to family members in Lebanon." Ali gave a tacit threat to Lebanon, linking its security to Syria's.

Despite Lebanese acquiescence to Damascus' demands, the popular sentiment in Lebanon has been, in its majority, quietly supporting the Syrian protesters. The only groups still clinging on to the Syrian President Bashar Assad are the supporters of Hezbollah and the other Syrian-backed parties. Under these circumstances, any public display of support for Syrian dissidents is causing tension among Lebanese.

This week, members of the civil society and a group of intellectuals - some with close ties to the March 14 coalition - sought to organize an event in support of the Syrian uprising. Hezbollah and other Lebanese militias threatened to hold a violent protest in retaliation. The owners of the venue where the event was supposed to be held decided against hosting the event after receiving multiple threats. In order to diffuse the tension, the event was cancelled. This incident, and many others, have raised fears that the Syrian revolution will stir tensions that many parties are eager to take advantage of in Lebanon.