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enemies. And with tempers fraying on all sides as Syria's war drags on, there are concerns that a misstep by just one of the players in this idyllic landscape of green, rocky hills could drag everyone into a wider, even nastier conflict.
• For the Lebanese military, which officially controls its side of the disputed frontier, the main concern appears to be the influx of Syrian refugees.
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• KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghanistan is expected to release preliminary results in its crucial presidential election on Saturday, but the results are only one step in a potentially long road to determine who will succeed President Hamid Karzai. Neither Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister, nor ex-finance minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai look set to win a majority, meaning the violence-weary country could be heading for a runoff.
• WHEN WILL WE KNOW WHO IS AFGHANISTAN'S NEXT PRESIDENT?
• Probably not for weeks. Final results from this round of voting are due May 14. With no candidate likely to get a majority, a runoff must be held 15 days later. The most likely scenario appears to be a matchup between Abdullah and Ahmadzai in late May. Then, the entire process of counting, handling complaints and making revisions begins again, meaning that it could be late June or even July before a final winner is declared.
• WHAT'S AT STAKE?
• The U.S.-led military coalition is counting on Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power as part of its plan to withdraw most troops at the end of the year, nearly 13 years after toppling the Taliban's radical Islamic regime for sheltering al-Qaida's Osama bin Laden. The new president will face the daunting task of overseeing the foreign forces' withdrawal and also resetting relations with Washington, which have taken a battering from Karzai's increasing anti-American rhetoric. He will also be under pressure to quickly finalize a security agreement with the U.S. that Karzai has refused to sign. All eight candidates have vowed to sign the security pact to allow a small U.S. training force to help the Afghan military and police fight the Taliban.
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