BEIRUT: Tight control of the tense Lebanese-Syrian borders to prevent the flow of militant jihadist groups into Lebanon and an internal political agreement are essential to shield the country from the devastating repercussions of the 3-year-old war in Syria, officials said.

Officials warn that Lebanon faces the threat of being transformed into an arena for jihad by Al-Qaeda-linked organizations should the war in Syria drag on for long, while terror experts say the country is slowly sliding into Iraq-style sectarian violence as a result of the spillover of the bloody conflict next door into Lebanese territory.

“In order to protect Lebanon from the adverse effects of the war in Syria, the border between the two countries should be tightly controlled and the rival Lebanese parties should be brought together at the Dialogue table to reach an internal political accord,” caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told The Daily Star. [Link]