As the uprising rages on in Syria, some Lebanese leaders are calling for isolating the country from regional conflict, while many, including Druze leader Walid Jumblatt are still hedging their bets.
Refugees continue to pour into Lebanon seven months into the Syrian uprising. Since March, approximately 3,800 Syrian refugees have crossed into Wadi Khaled, northern Lebanon's mountainous region.
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to respecting resolutions related to international legitimacy such as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman yesterday reiterated Lebanon's commitment to UN resolutions and its international obligations in his address to the UN General Assembly. But while his speech was quite vocal on the question of the Palestinian statehood, Suleiman failed to make mention of the developments in Syria - or their repercussions on Lebanon.
It is hard to tell whether the relative calm that the Eid al-Fitr break, marking the end of the Muslim month of Ramadan, has dampened tensions in Lebanon or whether this is the calm before the storm.
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Lebanon will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) at the end of August, for a period lasting one month. This will prove to be an intricate phase as critical resolutions on Syria may be hotly debated.
Tensions between Lebanon's two political camps have peaked since the release of the Special Tribunal indictments, leading to clashes in Beirut and a major security violation in the South.
Instability in neighboring Syria and the ongoing political vacuum in Lebanon are contributing to a drastic deterioration in the country's security situation.
The death toll in Syria's uprising has risen to 750 civilians since the protests began in March. According to human rights groups, around 10,000 Syrians have been arrested -- nearly all of them are still in detention.
