BEIRUT — The spillover from the Syrian civil war has finally entered the combat phase in Lebanon. The situation is no longer one of isolated border clashes or the Syrian crisis agitating internal strife. On Oct. 5, Jabhat al-Nusra opened a new chapter in the fight, attacking posts controlled by Hezbollah in Lebanese territory. According to media reports, at least eight Hezbollah fighters died in the battles, and Jabhat al-Nusra gained temporary control of a major post near the town of Brital, a Hezbollah stronghold in the Bekaa Valley.
Al-Monitor reported in early September on Hezbollah’s preparations to confront the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra in Lebanon. That preparation is now being tested, and the resulting suffering could potentially envelope the country, which is already in the midst of a complicated crisis involving internal political differences and regional rivalries in addition to the Syrian crisis. Having survived 15 years of bloody war between 1975 and 1990, this tiny country might be heading toward an even bloodier encounter that reignites simmering sectarian tensions that have been lingering for years under the cover of local consensuses and regional agreements aimed at keeping Lebanon's fragile security under some sort of control.