Hizbollah's First Victory

BBC reports on Israeli Army's retreat from South Lebanon in May 2000:

1. Arab leaders fear Hezbollah victory over Israel.
2. Israeli's proxy SLA panics and begin to flee South Lebanon.
3. Hezbollah fighters defeat Israeli military and its proxy in just 8 days.
4. BBC pictures of Israeli retreat.
5. BBC journalist Martin Asser mocks Israel's strength.
6. Hezbollah does not take revenge on Christians.
7. Middle East press humiliates Israeli for losing to Hezbollah.

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BBC - Sunday, 14 May, 2000, 16:24 GMT

Hezbollah raises stakes in Lebanon

photo: Hezbollah has fired numerous salvos of rockets into Israel

The Hezbollah guerrilla movement has said it will pardon any member of Israel's proxy South Lebanon Army (SLA) who kills an Israeli or SLA officer. The statement came just weeks before Israel's promised troop withdrawal from its self-declared "security zone" in South Lebanon.

"Any pro-Israeli agent who kills an Israeli or an SLA official and who escapes from the [Israeli-occupied] zone will be considered to have repented and Hezbollah will ask for him to be granted an amnesty," said Hezbollah's second-in-command, Sheikh Naim Qassem.

He told a rally in southern Lebanon that Hezbollah would then "do everything possible to save from death or jail any pro-Israeli agent" who took this "last chance".

Treason charges

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Hoss on Tuesday rejected an amnesty request from SLA leader Antoine Lahd for members of the pro-Israeli militia.

The 2,500 members of the SLA will face charges of "treason" for their activities, while Lahd himself has been sentenced to death in absentia for "collaboration with the Israeli enemy".

The SLA, which is funded and trained by Israel, wants guarantees that it will be protected from reprisals by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas, who have led the drive to oust Israel from Lebanon.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to "liquidate" SLA members who do not hand themselves in to the authorities after Israel leaves the border strip.

Annihilation threat

Tony Hadad, an SLA intelligence officer, told Israel's army radio on Sunday that the SLA militiamen were threatened by annihilation such as that meted out to Jews in the Nazi Holocaust.
"Leaving this area without giving people in this area something to rely on [could lead to] what happened to the Jews 50 years ago happening here," he said.

Tractors have started clearing land to expand Israeli army bases along the border.

The United Nations is demanding that Israel disarm the SLA as a condition for stationing peacekeeping forces in the region after the pullout.

But Israel's deputy Defence Minister, Ephraim Sneh, said on Sunday that as long as militia members faced any danger, they would "have the ability to protect themselves".

"There is no doubt that the SLA is going through a very critical time because the future is not clear," he added.

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BBC - Thursday, 18 May, 2000, 23:10 GMT

Lebanon fighting 'heavy'

By Hilary Andersson on Israel's northern border

At least seven people have been wounded in heavy fighting between Israeli forces and the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah, in south Lebanon.

The fighting comes as Israel steps up its preparations for its planned troop withdrawal from south Lebanon.

Shelling could be heard sporadically from within Israeli-occupied south Lebanon on a day of intense fighting.

Two Israeli soldiers and one soldier from the Israeli allied South Lebanese Army were injured in attacks by the Hezbollah militias.

The Israeli air force also carried out four strikes, some of them outside the occupied zone off south Lebanon, on suspected Hezbollah targets.

At least four Lebanese civilians were hurt.

This has been the heaviest fighting in more than a week and comes as Israel steps up its preparations for the final withdrawal of all of its troops from south Lebanon.

The Israeli army has already evacuated two outposts within the occupied zone as part of the first phase of the troop pullout.

Electrified fence

After 22 years of occupation, Israel has pledged to complete its withdrawal by the first week of July.

On Israel's northern border now, intensive work is under way to replace the old border fence between Israel and Lebanon with a tall electrified fence.

Other fortifications are being prepared along the border to protect civilians in Israel from any cross-border attacks after the troop pullout.

All this clearly signals that the Israel Government is intending to go ahead with the withdrawal, even if the fighting escalates further over the coming weeks.

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BBC - Sunday, 21 May, 2000, 23:07 GMT

Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Sunday as hundreds of Lebanese civilians drove in convoys of vehicles into villages in the south of Lebanon abandoned by an Israeli-backed militia that had occupied them for 22 years. Israeli war planes struck at the Hezbollah stronghold in Iqlim al-Tuffah in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli planes made two attacks, firing four missiles near Luayzeh, according to Lebanese security officials. No casualties were reported.

The raids appear to be in retaliation for the first Hezbollah attacks in 11 years on an Israeli army post near the Golan Heights.

The guerrilla group says it used mortars and machine guns to attack the post in a remote area known as Shebaa Farms, at the point where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet.
Lebanon says the Shebaa farms are part of its territory, but Israel has said it will not withdraw from the area.

Village pullout

The Israeli-backed militia, the South Lebanon Army (SLA), has been steadily pulling out of strategic hilltop villages in advance of Israel's declared intention to withdraw completely from southern Lebanon by 7 July.

On Sunday, the militia left their posts at Qantara, Aadshit al-Qsair, Aalman and Deir Sirian, all in the central part of the occupied zone.

The SLA also abandoned their post at Hamra on the Mediterranean coast, 14km south of Tyre.
Hundreds of people drove in a noisy convoy across the dangerous area of no-man's-land, to triumphantly arrive in the villages.

BBC Beirut correspondent Christopher Hack says Israeli troops are themselves abandoning military positions on a daily basis, leaving just a few hundred soldiers behind.

Early pullout denied

Israeli government officials have denied reports that they are planning to accelerate the withdrawal process to be completed within two weeks.

The Defence Ministry has said simply that there are no plans for a withdrawal on 1 June.
BBC Jerusalem correspondent Paul Adams says it is clear that pressure is mounting in favour of an early withdrawal.

However, Israeli Government spokesman Moshe Fogel acknowledged in a BBC interview that the Israeli army was under instructions to be ready to move out at any time.

But he said "no specific date" had been set for completing the withdrawal and that the government had still to determine a timetable.

He added that SLA members would have "the option" of living in Israel after the pullout if they wished.

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BBC - Monday, 22 May, 2000, 21:42 GMT

Flashback: Israel withdraws from Lebanon

Pictures:

Israel finally withdraws from southern Lebanon, almost two months ahead of schedule, ending 22 years of occupation.

Israeli troops load up gear at the Israeli-Lebanon borderAn Israeli tank shell explodes as troops withdraw

People taking cover as shells rain down

Members of the Israeli allied South Lebanon army are arrested by Shia guerrillas

SLA members are driven off after surrendering at Houla village

A Shia woman celebrates the SLA evacuating the area

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BBC - Monday, 22 May, 2000, 22:04 GMT

Lebanon pullout in chaos

photo: Lebanese wave victory signs on top of a truck, as they enter their village of Houla
photo: Israelis withdrew from positions near Taibeh on Sunday
photo: Hezbollah fighters arrested "collaborators" of the SLA

The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, has called an emergency meeting of his security cabinet to discuss the possibility of an early withdrawal from southern Lebanon as the pullout descends into chaos.

The meeting was called as Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas moved to within two miles of the common border - after cutting Israel's occupation zone in two.

UN spokesman Timur Gokksel said the so-called security zone had been severed at its narrowest point, leaving large numbers of SLA fighters cut off from supply lines.

Hezbollah took over 14 villages and several outposts abandoned by Israel's local allied militia, the South Lebanon Army (SLA).

Bombardment

An Israeli army spokesman admitted that SLA fighters had fled from as much as one-third of the zone they previously occupied.

The guerrillas are being followed by streams of Lebanese civilians - many of them trying to return to homes they abandoned 20 years ago when the Israeli occupation began.
Israeli aircraft are continuing their bombardment of Hezbollah positions in an effort to keep the situation under control.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is recommending that the peacekeeping force in the region should be almost doubled to nearly 8,000 soldiers once Israel withdraws from its security zone.

There are reports of the SLA opening fire on Lebanese civilians as they try to re-enter their abandoned villages, killing at least six people and wounding 20 others.

Meeting

There is speculation in Israel that Mr Barak may order Israeli forces to pull out of Lebanon as soon as 1 June.

The Israeli prime minister has long promised to end what he frequently describes as the "tragedy" in Lebanon by 7 July - the first anniversary of his taking office.

The BBC correspondent in Jerusalem, Hilary Andersson, says the possible withdrawal will be the main question of Monday night's security cabinet meeting.

Fights

Israel is reported to be trying to defend a line within the occupied zone. Witnesses said two people had been killed when Israeli forces fired on hundreds of civilians marching to Meiss el-Jabal from nearby Houla, one of the villages taken by Hezbollah.

Three were wounded in the village of Beit Yahoun.

Visiting the border town of Zarit, Mr Barak warned that severe reprisals would follow any attacks launched at Israeli soldiers or civilians when the full troop pullout does take place.

Joyful reunions

Southern Lebanon has seen emotional scenes in recent days, as Lebanese civilians pour into villages abandoned by the SLA after more than 22 years.

Members of families divided by the occupation have been re-united - some meeting for the first time.

On Monday, Hezbollah fighters and hundreds of civilians entered Houla and other nearby villages, just two kilometres (1.2 miles) north of Israel.

There are reports that some militiamen's families, fearing retribution after collaboration with Israel, are gathering on the Israeli border, seeking asylum.

The Hezbollah arrested a number of alleged SLA "collaborators" on arrival in Houla, who it says failed to surrender.

Posts abandoned

The SLA has been steadily pulling out of strategic hilltop villages in advance of Israel's planned complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

According to Israeli television, the air force is destroying artillery pieces abandoned by the SLA to prevent them to fall into Hezbollah hands.

Hezbollah kept up the pressure, shelling an Israeli early-warning station on the Golan Heights.
Israeli jets launched two air raids in the eastern sector of occupied south Lebanon after the attack.

And Israeli naval vessels have fired on suspected Hezbollah targets.

Residents of northern Israel have been ordered back into bomb shelters amid rising fears the guerrillas will fire Katyusha rockets over the border.

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 21:51 GMT

Hezbollah chief warns Israel

By Hilary Andersson in Tyre

The leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, has said he will not tolerate attacks on Lebanese civilians and has warned Israelis near the border to stay in their bomb shelters.

His statement on Hezbollah radio follows the killing of several Lebanese civilians in the past two days.

Stepping up the rhetoric, Sheikh Nasrallah warned Israelis on the northern border to stay in their underground bunkers, where they have been sheltering in case of Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Hezbollah has made huge gains in the zone previously occupied by Israel and its South Lebanon Army (SLA) allies. It said on Tuesday that at least 20 more villages had been captured.

As large numbers of SLA fighters continue to flee, he warned them to give themselves up, pledging that they would not be randomly killed by his men as many of them had feared.

He also spelt out his organisation's position, saying that if Hezbollah prisoners were not released by Israel, Hezbollah would not consider the occupation to be over.

Likewise he warned that Israel must withdraw beyond a disputed area known as Shabaa, in the east of the zone.

Israel has said that the Shabaa lands are not part of Lebanon, but instead part of an area they captured from the Syrians in 1967.

With these disputes still remaining, it is clear that Hezbollah could still consider itself to be at war with Israel, even after the pull out is over.

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 21:36 GMT

Uneasy calm in southern Lebanon

Photo: Celebrations as Hezbollah move into previously occupied villages

By Christopher Hack in Alma Es Sheb, Southern Lebanon

In the Christian village of Alma Es Sheb, which straddles the east-west road, most residents were in the church square when we arrived at daybreak.

Whole families had gathered, standing in small groups, holding Lebanese flags, and talking quietly.

Many had been at the church since the middle of the night.

Elsewhere in areas abandoned by Israel's allies, the Southern Lebanon Army (SLA), convoys of cars drove through villages carrying Hezbollah supporters with huge flags.

Hezbollah restrained

Hezbollah had stationed members at either end of the village to urge supporters to use restraint when passing through.

As each car passed through, the villagers applauded politely, but clearly without enthusiasm.

The scrubland across the western area of south Lebanon was littered with abandoned military vehicles - tanks, armoured cars, supply trucks just dumped on the side of the road.

Former Israeli and SLA bunkers were looted for a second day, with young men loading up the boots of their cars with ammunition, rolls of barbed wire, and furniture.


But they took risks because the Israeli airforce continued efforts to bomb their own bunkers.

Roadblock

Further east, as we approached the Christian village of Dibel, we were flagged down by two soldiers in crisp, immaculate new uniforms.

Politely they asked to search our car for weapons before allowing us into the village.

These were also Hezbollah guerrillas who had been directed to prevent "armed elements" entering the village, and threatening its inhabitants.

Timur Goksil, spokesman for United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon, said he was not surprised by Hezbollah's efforts to protect the Christians.

"There are rules in Lebanon which Hezbollah understands very well. This is a country which passed though civil war.

"There was never any question that they would not protect the Christians."

Inside Dibel, we were told some 500 people, members of the SLA, their families, and others fearing retribution, had fled overnight.

"Half the village left because they feared for their lives," said one man. "We have not seen any of the guerrillas. No strangers have been in the village today," he said.

As we talked, two black Range Rovers drove up, with darkened windows.

Muslim clerics

Out stepped several tall Muslim clerics, in black robes with white turbans.

They were led into the church hall, and seated under a picture of the Virgin Mary.

Tens of people from the town crowded into the hall.

Attention was called, and one began to say the words the villages were longing to hear.

"We have come from Hezbollah with a message. We are all Lebanese, we have all spilt much blood in our country - enough.

"We are with you. If you are hungry we will give you food."

At each sentence the assembled villagers burst into violent vigorous applause.

The sheikhs left, as did we, but the tension within the village had eased little.

In nearby Shia Muslim villages, the mood was very different. Children were given the day off school and stood throwing rice and rose petals over every car arriving.

Uneasy calm

This latest phase of the withdrawal has been carried out almost without a shot being fired.

But a driver working for the BBC was killed in an attack by an Israeli helicopter gunship.

The mood in the villages of south Lebanon last night was largely of disbelief and elation.

But despite the efforts of Hezbollah to police the situation, almost every young man is carrying a weapon, and there is no force of authority.

The UN peacekeepers are unable to expand their control until receiving instructions from New York.

People here are desperately hoping this calm will be maintained, but events in south Lebanon are as ever unpredictable.

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 21:52 GMT

Chaos in south Lebanon

photo: Panic has spread among Christians fearing reprisals
photo:Israeli troops are fast abandoning their positions

Israeli forces are speeding up their withdrawal from south Lebanon as Hezbollah fighters advance ever closer to the border. News agencies in the region report that Israeli troops are blowing up their former key bases at they retreat to Israel.

Hezbollah has swept south by car and on foot in the wake of the retreat, following the now almost total collapse of Israel's allied militia, the South Lebanon Army (SLA).

Fierce fighting has been reported in several places close to the Israeli border and Lebanese villagers have overrun the notorious Khiam prison, freeing inmates.

The exodus began after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said his army would complete its withdrawal from south Lebanon within the next few days - several weeks ahead of schedule.
Emotional

Our Correspondent Nick Childs on the Israeli border near Metullah says there have been extremes of emotion on display as the Israeli pull-out continued and accelerated in confusion.

For many Israeli soldiers, there was relief that the unhappy South Lebanon occupation was coming to an end.

But there was also fear on the faces of the refugees, many militiamen from the Israeli-sponsored South Lebanon Army and their families, also desperate to head south.

There is no escaping the sense of shock and some humiliation on this side of the border at the rapid unfolding of events.

Israel has now withdrawn from two-thirds of the zone that it occupied for more than 20 years.
SLA members have either been surrendering to Lebanese forces, joining those seeking asylum or simply returning to their own villages.

A further indication of the SLA collapse came when more than 100 villagers stormed Khiam jail.
They freed 130 Lebanese prisoners held without charge or trial for up to 15 years.

In northern Israel, residents have been ordered into bomb shelters following warnings from Hezbollah that it will continue its actions against Israel.

Its threat brought a warning from the Israeli Chief of Staff, Shaul Mofaz, that the military would be prepared to attack Syrian targets in Lebanon to ensure calm along its border after the withdrawal is complete.

Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon where it has some 35,000 troops, supports the Shi'a Muslim Hezbollah which has led resistance to Israel's so-called security zone.

Jubilant Lebanese

Meanwhile, there is jubilation in south Lebanon where civilians are now returning to reclaim villages and homes they left during the long conflict.

Israel's security cabinet on Monday night gave Mr Barak powers to speed up the process - due to be completed by 7 July - in response to the rapid disintegration of Israel's client militia, the South Lebanon Army (SLA).

"This tragedy is over," Mr Barak told army radio on Tuesday.

About 120 Israeli troops left one of their main bases, Bint Jbail, under cover of darkness on Monday night, completely evacuating the western sector of the buffer zone.

Jubilant Hezbollah fighters and supporters entered the town shortly afterwards, waving flags and shouting slogans.

Scores of SLA militiamen are also reported to have been surrendering in the zone's eastern sector.

About 1,000 SLA fighters and their families are already reported to have entered Israel, and been taken by bus to a special transit camp on the shores of Lake Galilee.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said Israel would grant visas to up to 2,000 SLA fighters and relatives.

Little bloodshed

Much of the transfer of territory has taken place without bloodshed, but as many as six Lebanese civilians have been killed in SLA gunfire.

Latest reports say Hezbollah fighters have now entered the town of Naqoura, the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping force, Unifil, in southern Lebanon.

Unifil troops barricaded themselves inside their compound for safety.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had earlier warned that the turmoil in Lebanon could jeopardise UN peacekeeping plans.

He had hoped to boost the peacekeeping force to nearly 8,000 troops, but warned that if the conflicting sides did not exercise restraint, UN troops would be withdrawn completely.

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 13:51 GMT

In pictures: Israel pulls out

Relieved and happy, Israeli troops have been arriving home as the country's two-decade occupation of Lebanon draws to a close. Many Lebanese celebrated their own return to their former villages. But not all were happy about the withdrawal: Israel's allies in Lebanon felt forced to flee, while Israelis living near the Lebanese border are feeling vulnerable.

Photos:

Israeli troops back from Lebanon make the victory sign

Celebrating their safe return from an increasingly dangerous mission

Lebanese villagers pour back into the evacuated areas

A member of the South Lebanon Army and his family receive sanctuary in Israel

A Lebanese boy waiting to enter Israel as his family flee Hezbollah's advance

Israeli tanks lined up along the Lebanese border during the pullout

An Israeli soldier resting from efforts to construct a minefield along the border

Kiryat Shmona residents huddle in a bomb shelter in case Hezbollah should attack

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BBC - Wednesday, 24 May, 2000, 13:39 GMT

Bitter retreat for the SLA

Photo: Many SLA men have surrendered to their opponents
Photo: Lebanese families fearing reprisals headed for Israel

The sight of Saad Haddad's statue being dragged throught the streets of the Lebanese town of Marjayoun was a sure sign that the South Lebanon Army was gone.

Only days ago, the largely Christian town was the headquarters of the Israeli army in Lebanon - Saad Haddad was the first officer to defect from the Lebanese army to ally himself with Israel, a defection which led to the formation of the pro-Israel SLA.

That ended with the hasty departure of the Israeli army and the collapse of the SLA on Tuesday - and the following morning, the Hezbollah guerrillas who had entered the town in triumph lost no time in removing the statue.

Other Hezbollah men gathered ammunition and weaponry left behind by the SLA, and drove off in two Soviet tanks and three US-made armoured vehicles which the SLA had been using only a few days ago.

The current SLA leader, Antoine Lahd, was nowhere to be seen as the guerillas ransacked his house and made off with a television set and kitchen pots.

Mr Lahd later turned up in Israel, where his family had fled earlier.

Thousands of rank and file SLA members and their families followed their commander southwards to the Jewish state.

There their loyalty to Israel has been rewarded for now with one-year tourist visas, and accommodation in a holiday resort near the Sea of Galilee.

"They are getting visas and they have one year to decide if they want to live in Israel or Lebanon or start new life abroad. It's entirely their choice," said Israeli interior ministry spokesman Moshe Mosko.

Hundreds of other SLA fighters turned themselves over to the Lebanese authorities. They now face trial for their collaboration with the Israelis.

Analysts expect many will be pardoned - in particular the footsoldiers, many of whom have surrendered their arms as the end of the occupation loomed.

Israeli training

The SLA was born amid Israel's first invasion of Lebanon in 1978 - a force led by Lebanese Christians, whose membership has been recruited from Druze and Shi'a Muslim villages in Israel's occupation zone.

The force was never fully trusted by the Israeli army which trained, armed and financed it.
However, its members were paid salaries of $500 - a handsome sum in an economically depressed area, and many of their families found labouring jobs in Israel.

The 2,500-strong force has always been left to do the dirtiest work for Israel. Most notoriously, they were in nominal charge of al-Khiam prison south of Marjayoun.

On Tuesday, local villagers broke down the prison door with their bare hands as the SLA fled. Weeping and fainting with emotion, prisoners - some of them captive for more than 10 years - were reunited with their families.

Many hundreds of Lebanese prisoners had been held there over the years without trial and without charge, under inhuman conditions with routine torture.

Former detainees said that although there was no actual Israeli presence in al-Khiam, SLA interrogators received questions for captives by e-mail from their Israeli masters over the border.

Often the detainees were held merely as hostages, because they had relatives in Hezbollah, or because they refused to collaborate with Israel.

Buffer force

In later years, the SLA which manned the most dangerous outposts of the Israeli occupation - their casualties in guerrilla attacks outstripped the Israelis' by more than two to one.

The SLA "sandbag" meant Israel was able to occupy about 10% of Lebanese territory with only 1,000 troops stationed in the country.

The SLA's actions have included the shelling of Lebanese civilian centres and even aggressions against United Nations peacekeepers, who have been in Lebanon since 1978 "to oversee Israel's withdrawal" under a UN resolution of that year.

Many southern Lebanese joined the SLA only reluctantly, driven by the lack of other employment opportunties.

It is significant, however, that the Christian-dominated areas in the eastern sector of the occupied zone have been much slower to surrender.

If these elements put up a fight, they risk sparking a bloodbath in which the SLA would undoubtedly come off worse without the help of its Israeli backers.

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 21:29 GMT

Analysis: Role of the SLA

Photo:Many SLA men have surrendered to their opponents
Photo: Many SLA men and their families seek asylum in Israel
Photo: SLA equipment lies abandoned in the old "security zone"
Photo: Jubilation as al-Khiam inmates are freed

By BBC News Online's Martin Asser

The rout of the South Lebanon Army (SLA) is an ignominious end to one of the sorriest chapters of recent Lebanese history.

The SLA was born amid Israel's first invasion of Lebanon in 1978 - a force of mercenary collaborators led by Lebanese Christians, whose rank and file have been recruited from Druze and Shi'a Muslim villages in Israel's occupation zone.

The force was never fully trusted or embraced by the Israeli army which trained, armed and financed it.

However, its members were paid salaries of $500 - a handsome sum in an economically depressed area, and many of their families found labouring jobs in Israel.

Dirty work

The demoralised SLA force of 2,500 fighters has always been left to do the dirtiest work for Israel in what has always been a dirty conflict.

Most notoriously, they were in nominal charge of al-Khiam "prison" south of Marjayoun, the Israeli military headquarters in Lebanon.

Many hundreds of Lebanese prisoners have been held there over the years without trial and without charge, under inhuman conditions with routine torture.

Former detainees said that although there was no actual Israeli presence in al-Khiam, SLA interrogators received questions for captives by e-mail from their Israeli masters over the border.

Often the detainees were held merely as hostages, because they had relatives in the Shi'a guerrilla force Hezbollah, or because they refused to collaborate with Israel.

Reluctant collaborators

In later years, it was the SLA which manned the most exposed and dangerous outposts of the Israeli occupation - their casualties in guerrilla attacks outstripped the Israelis' by more than two to one.

The SLA "sandbag" meant Israel was able to occupy about one-tenth of Lebanese territory with only 1,000 troops stationed in the country.

The SLA's actions have included the far-from sporadic shelling of Lebanese civilian centres and even aggressions against United Nations peacekeepers, who have been in Lebanon since 1978 "to oversee Israel's withdrawal" under a UN resolution of that year.

It has to be said, many southern Lebanese joined the SLA only reluctantly.

The instability of the occupation has meant there have been few opportunities for work other than through collaboration with the Israelis.

Facing justice

Now many will pay the price for that collaboration - in treason trials in Lebanese military courts or possibly in on-the-spot reprisals by Lebanese retaking the occupied zone.

Analysts expect many pardons to be issued, in particular among the footsoldiers, many of whom have thrown down their arms with alacrity as the end of the occupation loomed.

It is significant however, that the Christian-dominated areas in the eastern sector of the occupied zone have been much slower to surrender.

If these elements put up a fight, they risk sparking a bloodbath in which the SLA would undoubtedly come off worse without the help of its Israeli backers.

Cynics say the Christian elite who have led the SLA are the most likely to escape Lebanese justice, probably being giving asylum in Israel or passed on to third countries.

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 13:55 GMT

Barak: Lebanon 'tragedy is over'

photo: Lebanese celebrate as they enter their village of Houla
photo: Israeli troops are fast abandoning their positions
photo: An Israeli soldier heads south atop a tank

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has announced that his country's troops will fully withdraw from the zone they have occupied in southern Lebanon within days. "This tragedy is over," he told army radio, as Israeli troops accelerated their pullout.

The security cabinet on Monday night gave Mr Barak powers to speed up the process - due to be completed by 7 July - in response to the rapid disintegration of Israel's client militia, the South Lebanon Army (SLA).

There were scenes of chaos in Lebanon as the SLA militiamen abandoned large areas of territory just evacuated by Israel to the Hezbollah guerrillas.

Reclaiming homes

Thousands of Hezbollah supporters rushed in behind them, by car and on foot, to reclaim villages and homes, which many had left up to 20 years ago.

A large proportion of the zone occupied by Israel is now reported to be back in Lebanese hands.

One report, quoting security sources, said three-quarters of the entire Israeli force had already withdrawn.

In another development, an Israeli army spokesman said that all the prisoners held in the Khiam jail in southern Lebanon had been released.

He said the freeing of about 150 Lebanese, held without charge or trial, followed a visit to the jail by a UN official.

There have been repeated allegations of mistreatment of prisoners in Khiam.

Elsewhere, about 120 Israeli troops left one of their main bases, Bint Jbail, under cover of darkness, completely evacuating the western sector.

Jubilant Hezbollah fighters and supporters entered the town shortly afterwards, waving flags and shouting slogans.

Scores of SLA militiamen are also reported to have been surrendering in the eastern sector of the occupation zone.

Fear of retribution

Many other members of the SLA, and hundreds of Christian villagers fearing Hezbollah retribution, headed south to seek sanctuary in Israel.

About 1,000 SLA fighters and their families are reported to have entered Israel, and been taken by bus to a special transit camp on the shores of Lake Galilee.

An interior ministry spokesman said Israel would grant visas to up to 2,000 SLA fighters and relatives.

Other SLA militiamen have surrendered to Hezbollah or the Lebanese army, or simply melted away, in many cases returning to their villages.

Timur Goksel, a spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, said the SLA had "ceased to exist as a unified force".

Celebration

Within the past three days, Hezbollah guerrillas are reported to have taken over more than 30 villages and moved to within two miles of the Lebanese-Israeli border.

They were showered with rice and rose petals by the few remaining villagers who emerged to welcome them.

"This is a great day, and I can't express my happiness," said Qassem Ramal, a resident of one of the border villages.

Members of families divided by the occupation have been re-united - some meeting for the first time.

Much of the transfer of territory has taken place without bloodshed, but as many as six Lebanese civilians have been killed in SLA gunfire.

UN overtaken by events

Latest reports say Hezbollah fighters have now entered the town of Naqoura, the UN's headquarters in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL troops barricaded themselves inside their compound for safety.

On Monday night, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that the turmoil in Lebanon could jeopardise UN peace-keeping plans.

He had hoped to boost the peace-keeping force to nearly 8,000 troops, but warned that if the conflicting sides did not exercise restraint, UN troops would be withdrawn completely.

The UN was meant to oversee the Israeli pullout - but its decision-making process proved too slow.

The BBC Jerusalem correspondent, Hilary Andersson, says that, as a result, the redeployment is taking place in the absence of any peace deal or any real international guidance.

She says this means there is no guarantee that the fight in south Lebanon is over.

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BBC - Monday, 22 May, 2000, 13:00 GMT

Arab concern over Israeli pullout

By Caroline Hawley in Cairo

The withdrawal of Israeli troops and allied militia men from Southern Lebanon is being watched around the Arab world with deep concern.

A senior Arab League official described the current situation in Southern Lebanon as "very dangerous".

He said Israel was making its own moves without the control of the United Nations, which was meant to oversee the pullout.

The immediate concern over what is happening in Southern Lebanon reflects a much wider Arab worry - Israel's apparent ability to dictate terms in the Middle East.

The Arab League official said the Israelis seemed to have completely neglected peace talks over the Golan Heights, and reneged on previous agreements with the Palestinians.

Syria cold-shouldered

Since the Madrid peace process began almost a decade ago, it was always accepted wisdom that there would never be peace between Lebanon and Israel, without a deal with Syria, the main power broker there.

Israel's decision to withdraw unilaterally from Southern Lebanon took the Arab World by surprise.

It also removed Syria's only real bargaining chip in its own negotiations with Israel.

An Arab diplomat in Cairo said that a new Lebanese demand that Israel withdraw from an area known as the Shebaa Farms - where the borders of Syria, Israel and Lebanon meet - appeared to be what he called a "hidden message to Israel", that it must also deal with Damascus.

The Hezbollah guerrilla group now says it is widening its field of operations to include the Shebaa Farms.

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BBC - Wednesday, 24 May, 2000

Israeli press: Pullout recalls Saigon

"The scent of humiliation hangs in the air", Maariv newspaper

Israeli newspapers have reacted to the chaotic withdrawal from south Lebanon with appeals for a rapid end to avoid further embarrassment.

Haaretz said Hezbollah had run rings around the Israeli Government, using returning refugees as a shield to slip into south Lebanon without having to fire a shot.

The South Lebanese Army (SLA) could not be blamed for losing its positions since Israel had alienated it from local people. They "may have had no choice", the paper wrote.

It was up to the government to ensure a peaceful end to the withdrawal and offer the SLA asylum "even if thousands are involved".

At a time when Israelis could not be sure their government and army were "able to respond correctly to the situation", it only remained for them to hope for a "new situation... on the northern border".

The Jerusalem Post saw hope in the fact that Shia villagers had flocked back to south Lebanon and predicted "the beginning of a return to normalcy".

Hezbollah may have won a "major propaganda victory", but now it faced the challenge of returning to civilian life.

Hezbollah sets the agenda

Maariv said that Hezbollah had shattered Ehud Baraq's vision of a dignified withdrawal from Lebanon.

"Hezbollah imposed its own script and painted an embarrassing Saigon-like picture," the paper wrote.

"Just like the last helicopter on the embassy's rooftop in Vietnam, we were exposed to a series of images which will forever be etched in infamy in our collective memory.

"Now we also know that there are no happy retreats, that there are no free withdrawals when the scent of humiliation hangs in the air."

The paper warned that Baraq would find it hard to sell the withdrawal to his people who were well known for being "sore losers".

The race to escape

Yediot Aharonot noted that the UN had little to be proud of either as the "collapse" of its mission wrecked the buffer between Israel, Hezbollah and, ultimately, Syria.

The paper remarked that Hezbollah could "turn the final withdrawal phase into a real inferno" if it tried to cut off the Israeli army and SLA exit routes.

It remarked that Hezbollah had caught Israel with "its pants down" and the only solution was a "rapid evacuation lasting several hours of all [Israeli] forces in Lebanon, with the UN or without it".

Israel had to accept that "a handful of warriors" had sent its high-technology army fleeing "with [its] tail between [its] legs".

The paper also referred to the Vietnam analogy, but said that whereas the US lost the battle but won the war against Communism, Israel had never produced "one sensible reason" for being in Lebanon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/monitoring/media_reports/761128.stm
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BBC - Wednesday, 24 May, 2000, 15:48 GMT

Mideast press crows over Israel 'defeat'

"The first military withdrawal in Israel's history that it is making under pressure of resistance", Jordanian newspaper Al-Dustur

"A resounding defeat which we owe to Syrian-Lebanese steadfastness... and heroic national resistance", Syrian radio

The media in Israel's neighbouring states and the wider Middle East has interpreted the withdrawal from Lebanon as a clear defeat for the Israelis, while warning of unfinished business.

In Iran, Hezbollah's chief backer, the Iran News said a myth of Israeli invincibility had been "totally shattered''.

There was little sympathy for the South Lebanese Army (SLA), Israel's "mercenary" militia recruited in Lebanon. They would "carry the shame of their treachery to their graves'' even if they were forgiven by other Lebanese.

Syria was taking part of the credit for Israel's "resounding defeat", with state radio ascribing it to the "magnificent integration between Syria and Lebanon".

Israel was the "sole loser" and would continue to lose while it wasted opportunities to make peace with Syria and Lebanon, the radio said.

Tel Aviv's fear of peace

The Al-Ba'th newspaper in Syria homed in on Israel's warning it would strike back if menaced from Lebanon.

Israel's "false military superiority" had been exposed and any attack would "not meet a better fate".

An editorial in another Syrian newspaper, B>Al-Thawrah suggested Israel was only capable of war and helpless before peace:

"Israel fears peace... They do not have the courage to wage a battle in support of such a decision or option. They are imbeciles and the graduates of a school that has a long experience in the art of... killing the peace process slowly".

An unprecedented retreat

Jordan's semi-official Al-Dustur newspaper said the end of the "odious occupation" was a "day of glory" for all Arabs as it marked Israel's first unconditional retreat:

"This is the first military withdrawal in Israel's history that it is making under pressure of resistance, without imposing any of the conditions that it used to impose on the neighbouring Arab countries."

The lesson for the Arab nations was that their "spirit of resistance" was stronger than "the greatest war machine in the region".

For Israel, the lesson was to achieve peace through "good will" and stop trying to make Arabs "kneel down by force".

The main Palestinian daily Al-Quds looked beyond the general euphoria of the Arab world to the new situation between Israel and its neighbours.

With "the hands of time set back 22 years", Israel ignored at its peril the "organic link between... Hezbollah, Syria and Iran".

If Israel did not now return the Golan Heights to Syria and meet the Palestinians' "legitimate demands" the situation in the Middle East could only "change for the worse".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/monitoring/media_reports/762079.stm

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 12:44 GMT

Q & A: Leaving Lebanon

photo: Another soldier killed: Military funerals raise hard questions for Israel
photo: Hezbollah has gained strength and confidence

Why is Israel pulling out?

Israel's long and messy involvement in southern Lebanon, which it first invaded in 1978, was becoming increasingly unpopular with the Israeli electorate.

To many, the conflict seemed pointless. In 1985, a so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon was set up, supposedly to stop guerrilla attacks on civilians living in northern Israel.

But the guerilla fighters' main aim was to end the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Each year they killed dozens of Israeli soldiers.

Finally, the human price of the war became too high. In 1999 Prime Minister Ehud Barak was elected on a pledge to withdraw Israeli forces from Lebanon within a year.

What is Hezbollah?

Hezbollah ("the Party of God") is the most prominent and successful guerrilla group fighting Israeli occupation of south Lebanon.

It emerged as a military force in the early 1980s during Israel's second invasion and subsequently branched out into civil and political activity.

According to its manifesto, "Islamic resistance units" are fighting "for the liberation of the occupied territories and the ejection of the aggressive Israeli forces".

The guerrillas have received ideological inspiration and financial assistance from Iran, and have been denounced by the United States as a terrorist group.

Israel argues that Hezbollah acts under the aegis of Syria, and certainly neither the Lebanese Government nor Syria have disarmed the guerrillas.

Who are the SLA?

The South Lebanon Army is a mainly Christian militia that is armed, trained and financed by Israel.

Formed during the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in 1978, its future is now in jeopardy.
As the Israelis began withdrawing, many SLA fighters fled to Israel; others have been rounded up by the Hezbollah guerrillas.

Over the years, the SLA suffered far higher losses than the Israelis because it has traditionally manned the zone's most dangerous and exposed outposts.

It also used to run the notorious al-Khiam prison, where hundreds of Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners were held in appalling conditions, mostly without charge or trial.

What future for the region?

Israel's withdrawal is no guarantee of a peaceful solution to the problem of southern Lebanon.

There are still unresolved issues, in particular disagreement about where the border is, and the continued detention of Lebanese prisoners in Israel.

Hezbollah has demanded that Israel also withdraws from the disputed area of Shabaa. But Israel says it is not part of Lebanon.

The withdrawal leaves a power-vacuum in southern Lebanon, and the risk that Hezbollah fighters may engage in cross-border attacks.

Israel's failure to reach an agreement with Damascus before the withdrawal leaves Syria as the only outside power in Lebanon.

Israel has threatened to attack Syrian targets in Lebanon in the event of cross-border attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas.

Did the occupation enhance security?

Hardly at all. The Israeli forces and the SLA suffered a steady flow of casualties over the years.

The fighting tended to come in cycles, and for Israelis living in northern Galilee any escalation in clashes meant the danger of Katyusha rocket attacks from near or inside the "security zone".

On the Lebanese side inhabitants lived in constant fear of being caught up in the fighting. In 1993 more than 100 civilians were killed in a seven-day Israeli blitz while hundreds of thousands fled north to safety.

Three years later, during Israel's "Operation Grapes of Wrath", a similar number were killed in a single attack as they sheltered at a UN peacekeepers' base.

That campaign ended with the so-called April 1996 accord in which Israel and the guerrillas agreed to avoid involving civilian areas in the conflict.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/636594.stm

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BBC - Wednesday, 24 May, 2000, 10:47 GMT

Israeli relief over safe withdrawal

Israelis have reacted with a mixture of satisfaction and anxiety to their army's speedy withdrawal from Lebanon. Newspapers on Tuesday had described the pull-out as a humiliation.

But on Wednesday, once it was clear that the withdrawal had been completed without any Israeli casualties, the predominant feeling was of relief.

At the same time, Israelis spoke of a sense of uncertainty about what would happen next, and a feeling of shame over their country's treatment of its Lebanese allies, the militiamen of the South Lebanon Army.

'Not a rout'

Israeli military commanders have insisted that the hasty withdrawal was not a rout, but Israeli papers on Tuesday were apparently taken aback by the rapid collapse of the SLA and the triumphant advance of the Hezbollah guerrillas.

The Maariv newspaper spoke of "the scent of humiliation", and compared the pull-out to the final American helicopter withdrawal from the embassy in the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon.
Yediot Aharonot said that Hezbollah had caught Israel "with its pants down".

It added that while the United States had finally won the war against Communism, Israel had never produced "one sensible reason" for being in Lebanon.

Uncertainty

Late on Tuesday, Prime Minister Ehud Barak admitted that the withdrawal had sent "shivers down his spine", but said the soldiers' safe return had made the difficulties worthwhile.

Wednesday's papers echoed this sense of relief: one headline read "Coming Home", above a photo of soldiers celebrating their departure from Lebanon.

But political commentators, mindful of the volatile situation on the border with Lebanon, also expressed concern about the uncertain future.

Israel had hoped to hand over its vacated positions to the United Nations, which was meant to oversee the pull-out.

SLA's plight

But the withdrawal occurred so much sooner and faster than expected, that it was carried out in the absence of any peace deal or any real international guidance.

A leading columnist wrote: "The boys are coming home to the joy of their parents, and no-one can promise they will be home for long".

The plight of fleeing members of the SLA has also received extensive and sympathetic coverage, with the Israeli media reporting on their feelings of betrayal by the Israeli government.

Ordinary Israelis were quoted as criticising the government for acting shamefully towards its Lebanese allies in the final act of the occupation.

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BBC - Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 19:29 GMT

What next in Lebanon?

Photo: Escaping with their lives: Moments of relief for retreating Israeli troops
Photo: The IDF could remain targets for guerrilla forces

By BBC News Online's Martin Asser

It is easy to imagine doomsday scenarios once the dust has cleared behind the hasty retreat of the Israel Defence Force and its local client militia from South Lebanon.

Israel's enemies, led by the Hezbollah guerrillas, can now get up close and personal with Israeli settlements south of the border and might also find reasons to attack the IDF deployed along the border.

Hezbollah's principal raison d'être may have been ending the occupation, but the border will remain a flashpoint.

The resistance has unfinished business, with the continued detention of Lebanese prisoners in Israel and disagreements over what is and is not sovereign Lebanese territory from which Israel should withdraw.

Scant protection

There are two policies that Israel can pursue, apart from ceding to Hezbollah's demands - but neither of these seem to offer a great deal of protection.

The first is to carry out pre-emptive attacks against the guerrillas over the border, a policy which could set off a spiral of violence culminating in attacks on civilian targets by both sides.

The second is to hold fire - but respond massively against all of Lebanon in the event of unprovoked guerrilla attacks.

That way Israel would hope to isolate Hezbollah within Lebanon, believing - against all precedents - that a majority of Lebanese civilians would withdraw support for the guerrillas.

But Israel could also follow the logic that, since Syria calls the shots in Lebanon and keeps a sizeable force in the county, the IDF should retaliate against Syria - something it has refrained from so far.

Such threats have already been made, a message to Syria for it to clamp down on guerrilla activity.

Total war?

But what if Israel were to attack Syrian targets in Lebanon? The Middle East would only be a few short steps from a devastating conflict.

Arabs today are watching how the occupation of Lebanon has crumbled against a force of a few thousand highly motivated and self-sacrificing Lebanese guerrillas.

Those who still want to take the fight to Israel may well be coming to the conclusion that the once all-conquering regional superpower is no longer prepared to take the casualties.

Of course, these are far-fetched scenarios - but dangerous ones, particularly with a nuclear-armed Israel.

It is more likely that Syria will see little to be gained from confronting the much more powerful Israel in the field of combat.

Indeed, observers in Beirut say uniformed Syrian soldiers have already left some bases and checkpoints to be replaced by plain-clothes agents of the mukhabbarat (intelligence service).

But as for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's promise that the "tragedy is over" - don't bet on it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/760441.stm

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Comment: Israel was set to face Hezbollah once again in 2006...