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.