If fighting stops in Lebanon, can an army that has long played 2nd fiddle to Hezbollah keep the peace? [Video]

As Lebanon endures more rounds of Israeli air and ground attacks, those peering into the distance at a gloomy horizon continue to point to the Lebanese army as one of the few state institutions capable of providing a stabilizing influence if there is a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. 

“We have to preserve our army because our army is the solution when peace will come,” retired Lebanese army general Khalil Helou told CBC News at his home in Beirut.

“Hezbollah initiated the war. Our army will be the solution for peace.” 

The Lebanese Armed Forces, outgunned not just by Israel but also by Hezbollah, have remained firmly on the sidelines of the current conflict, which Israel maintains is a war against the Iran-backed Shia militia and not Lebanon itself.

Hezbollah, from its installations in the south, began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas a day after its …