Officials mum on Lebanese soldier's defection to Jabhat al-Nusra

Amid concern and some reticence, the Lebanese have been consumed with a video about a man claiming to be a soldier in the Lebanese army announcing his defection to join Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda affiliate active in Syria. Since the eruption of the war in Syria and the involvement of various Lebanese parties, the Lebanese have been in a state characterized by sectarian tension. The soldier's story adds to the mix.

The majority of security clashes and unrest in Lebanon during the last six years had resulted from sectarian strife. The clashes of May 7, 2008, in Beirut and other areas were between Sunni and Shiite militants, as well as between Druze and Shiites, while throughout the six years, Tripoli experienced clashes between Sunni and Alawite militants.

This period also brought the rise of the Salafist sheikh Ahmad al-Assir in the southern capital of Sidon and clashes between his followers and Shiites. The Lebanese army targeted Assir, after which he fled the country, on June 24, 2014. Not one area of Lebanon has been spared sporadic violence.

During the more precarious periods, however, most political powers and religious authorities adopted a calm political rhetoric and media presence aimed at allaying Sunni-Shiite tensions and shielding official security and military institutions from the divisive environment. There were, however, exceptions.