As violence in neighboring Syria escalates, many observers are left wondering whether Syria will put to effect its threat to use chemical weapons, and further to that, whether those weapons will find their ways to its allies. This week, the Syrian rebels reported that chemical weapons had in fact been moved to the Syrian borders in an effort to threaten the international community.

The Syrian uprising has severely undermined the triad of Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, threatening the movement of weapons between Iran and its Lebanese protégé. While Iran originally praised the Arab uprisings as an Islamic awakening against the Western-backed dictators, the Syrian crisis is threatening this strategic alliance and changing the power dynamics in the region.

Six months into the Syrian uprising, more and more countries have distanced themselves from the Syrian regime - but most have yet to call on President Bashar Assad to step down. Gulf countries are leading an Arab League initiative aimed at ending violence in Syria, while Turkey and Iran continue to tread carefully, voicing support for the people's free will without abandoning Assad.

Last Sunday's commemoration of the Day of the Nakba, denoting the uprooting of Palestinians from Israel, turned bloody in South Lebanon.