Yet with the release of the four generals (page 10), Syria (which consistently denied any involvement) seems off the hook. Neverthelesss, any attempt to put it back under suspicion, via Hezbollah for example as a recent report by German paper Der Spiegel suggests, will be seen as a way of reigniting sectarian strife.

Similarly, the two countries still have to agree upon a clear definition of their common borders in order to ascertain Lebanon’s sovereignty. The smuggling of goods and weapons is yet to be addressed, but the clear definition of borders would also allow Lebanon to settle the issue of the Shebaa Farms, which are still occupied by Israel (on the grounds that it hasn’t yet been proven that these territories are Lebanese). As long as Syria refuses to provide Lebanon with proof of its sovereignty over Shebaa, the farms will offer the perfect justification for Hezbollah’s arsenal, and continue to bolster Syria’s indirect influence on a new West-aligned Lebanon.            

 

 

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