Israeli pullout from Lebanon

THE Israeli army abandoned almost all of its positions in Lebanon yesterday, military officials said, fulfilling a key condition of the August 14 ceasefire that ended a month-long war against Hezbollah guerrillas.

The pullout ended a nearly three-month troop presence in Lebanon and cleared the way for the full deployment of an international peacekeeping force that will police the border with the Lebanese army.

There are a small number of Israeli troops still in a divided village which straddles the Lebanon-Israel border, but UN officials said they expected these to leave by the end of the week.

Israeli military officials said the last soldiers returned to Israel around 2.30am (12.30am Irish time), ahead of the onset of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines.

Israel has been gradually withdrawing troops since the ceasefire went into effect, from a peak of 30,000 during the fighting to several hundred soldiers.

Under the cover of darkness, the roar of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles could be heard moving across the Lebanese side of the border during the operation.

An armoured column creaked across the border at the Israeli border community of Moshav Avivim. Later, the last soldiers were seen boarding a bus at nearby Moshav Zarit.

During the withdrawal, the military censor imposed an information blackout, citing security concerns, and the army set up roadblocks to block reporters from reaching the border.