Israel begins pullout as truce withstands early tests

Israel has begun thinning out its troops in southern Lebanon and plans to hand over the first of its captured positions to the UN-supported Lebanese army tomorrow, the army said.

The Israeli military hopes to complete the evacuation of its forces from Lebanon by next week, army officials added, ending the military operation that began on July 12 when Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers.

By the end of the week, the Israelis plan to release many of the thousands of reserve troops called up for the conflict, signalling an end to the largest mobilisation in many years.

“We are making every effort to thin the ranks of reservists, and to return as many civilians as possible to their homes,” the deputy chief of the northern command, Brig. Gen. Shuki Shichrur, told Army Radio.

The army said the UN-drafted ceasefire that began early Monday was generally holding, and had survived its first 24 hours with only a few infractions.

Five mortar shells were fired overnight, but landed in vacant land in south Lebanon, the army said. No rockets have been fired at northern Israel since Sunday. Israeli troops shot five armed men who approached them in two separate incidents in south Lebanon today, the army said. The army did not know whether the men were killed.

Lebanon was under intense international pressure to get soldiers moving south into Hezbollah territory – a key element in the UN Security Council plan to end the 34-day conflict that claimed more than 950 lives.

Lebanon’s defence minister, Elias Murr, said Lebanon’s contribution of 15,000 soldiers could be on the north side of the Litani River by the end of the week. But they still must cross the river and try to enforce the central government’s control over Hezbollah areas for the first time in decades.

The plans for territory to change hands shows the complexity of the border zone: Israel transferring it to the UN force that then turns it over to Lebanese envoys.

The Security Council blueprint calls for Lebanese forces to join up with another 15,000 soldiers in a strengthened UN-backed military mission. Their job would be to patrol a 18-mile buffer zone from the Litani River to the Israeli border.

Murr said “there will be no other weapons or military presence other than the army” after Lebanese troops move south of the Litani. But he said the army would not ask Hezbollah to hand over its weapons – which remains an extremely volatile issue that no one is yet ready to touch.

Murr said international forces could begin arriving next week to bolster the current 2,000-member UN force in southern Lebanon, which watched helplessly as fighting raged over the past month. In Europe, Italy and France have pledged troops. Malaysia, Turkey and Indonesia were among the mostly Muslim nations offering help.

The planning has raced into high gear. Yesterday, the French commander of the UN force in Lebanon, Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, said additional troops were needed quickly and any “stray act” could unravel the peace plan.

The peacekeeping also must provide security for a huge reconstruction effort across southern Lebanon, where many villages were in ruins and even basic services such as water and electricity may take weeks to restore.

Cars loaded down with salvaged possessions began pouring into the area just hours after the truce took effect yesterday morning. As they took stock of the wreckage, more refugees were expected to pour in from Syria, Cyprus and other havens during the war.

Israel said it would continue its blockade of Lebanese ports but was no longer threatening to shoot any car that moved on roads south of the Litani.

Relief agencies worried about how to move supplies across southern Lebanon over bombed roads and others clogged with traffic. UN officials said 24 UN trucks took more than five hours to reach the port of Tyre from Sidon, a trip that normally takes 45 minutes.

Sweden plans to host an international donors’ conference on August 31 to help fund the rebuilding.

In northern Israel – hit by nearly 4,000 Hezbollah rockets – residents emerged from bomb shelters and slowly trickled back to their homes.