Haaretz
Av 23, 5766
The Israel Defense Forces has begun its withdrawal
from southern Lebanon, handing over some of their positions to a UN force,
the army said early Thursday.
"Following a joint agreement of
members of the IDF, UNIFIL and the Lebanese army, the process of
transferring authority has begun," an army statement said.
Under a
UN cease-fire agreement, Israel was to transfer control of its
positions in southern Lebanon to the UN force, who would then turn it
over to the Lebanese army.
More than 50 percent of the areas Israel
holds have been transferred already, the army said. The area extends north
and east of the town of Marjayoun and another area further
west.
"The process will be carried out in stages and is conditional
on the
reinforcement of UNIFIL and the ability of the Lebanese army to
take effective control of the area," the statement said.
The
Security Council resolution authorized up to 15,000 UN peacekeepers to
help 15,000 Lebanese troops extend their authority throughout south
Lebanon, which Hezbollah controls, and called on Israeli troops to
withdraw "in parallel." The aim is to create a buffer zone free of
Hezbollah fighters between the Litani River, 30 kilometers (18 miles)
north of Israel, and the UN-drawn border.
There are currently some
2,000 UNIFIL troops in the area.
Lebanese cabinet will not force
Hezbollah to disarm
The Lebanese cabinet on Wednesday accepted the
Lebanese army's plan to deploy in southern Lebanon, and ordered 15,000
troops to depart for the area south of the Litani River after midnight
Thursday.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was set to announce
the imminent deployment late Wednesday.
According to the cabinet
decision, Hezbollah will not disarm in southern Lebanon, but its members
will refrain from carrying weapons in public. The agreement was reached
following deliberations with Hezbollah representatives that lasted
days.
The Lebanese government's decision contradicts United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1701, reached last week, which determines that
the area south of the Litani River will be free of arms, aside from those
held by Lebanese soldiers and UNIFIL troops. The cabinet made the decision
after Hezbollah rejected all demands to disarm south of the
Litani.
"The weapons of the resistance are the only ones, of all
Arabs, that succeeded in standing up to Israel and defeating it. No one
can take away the weapons of the resistance, certainly not by force,"
pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, who headed the cabinet
meeting, said. "The Lebanese army will deploy [in the south] and will be
for all the Lebanese," he told reporters.
Al-Jazeera reported
Wednesday that Hezbollah rejected all proposals, including that it
transfer its weapons to the Lebanese army, transfer its weapons to UNIFIL
or allow the Lebanese army to search the organization's positions for
weapons. A compromise was reached, according to which Hezbollah will not
conduct military activities in southern Lebanon.
The government
decision does not mention collecting Hezbollah weapons, but only that
there will not be an "armed military presence" of Hezbollah in the south,
or of any factor aside from the Lebanese army or
UNIFIL.
Hezbollah's top official in south Lebanon, Sheik Nabil
Kaouk, told reporters in Tyre that the group welcomes the Lebanese army's
additional deployment in the south.
"Just like in the past,
Hezbollah had no visible military presence and there will not be any
visible presence now," he said.
That was the strongest indication
that the guerrillas would not disarm in the region or withdraw, but rather
melt into the local population and hide their weapons.
The United
States welcomed the Lebanese decision to deploy troops. "It shows their
commitment by a democratically elected government to holding the peace, to
holding this cessation of violence, their willingness to act in accordance
with the United Nations Security Council resolutions," State Department
spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos told reporters.
Halutz: IDF will halt
pullout if Lebanon army not deployed
The cabinet, which includes
two Hezbollah ministers, reached its decision only hours after IDF Chief
of Staff Dan Halutz said Wednesday that the IDF would halt its withdrawal from southern Lebanon if
the Lebanese army did not deploy in the area within days.
"The
withdrawal of the IDF within 10 days is dependent upon the deployment of
the Lebanese army," Halutz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Commitee, according to a spokesman.
"If the Lebanese army does not
move down within a number of days to the south... the way I see it, we
must stop our withdrawal," Halutz added.
The army's deployment
would be a symbolic force, a political source in Beirut said on Tuesday.
Over the coming weeks the deployment will increase.
This will be
the first time in more than two decades that the Lebanese army has
positioned itself along the border with Israel.
However, foreign
journalists in Lebanon expressed pessimism at the ability of Lebanon's
army to confront any other armed force in the area. The notion that the
Lebanese army will be able to deal with Hezbollah "is simply a joke," they
said.
The Lebanese army's ability to wage war is indeed very
limited. Israeli military sources said that army suffered a great deal due
to the presence of Syrian forces in the country.
During Syria's
years in Lebanon, the army's role was limited mostly to internal security
functions.
In recent years the Lebanese army has not acquired any
new equipment or arms. Most of its Western-made weapons are aging; Syria
is providing Lebanon with some Russian-made equipment. Overall, the
Lebanese army has a small number of tanks, armored carriers (both tracked
and wheeled) and a few helicopters.
However, the significance of
the deployment stems from the army's symbolic presence in the south of the
country. Israeli sources note that during tense periods following the
assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, the army dispersed
demonstrations - including those of Hezbollah, Palestinians and extremist
Islamic groups - in refugee camps throughout the country.
"The army
could make the effort and be effective, but at the end of the day that is
a political issue," Lebanese sources said.
The Lebanese army
consists of conscripts. Until a decade ago its brigades were divided along
sectarian lines, but following the Taif Agreements of 1989, which
officially ended nearly 15 years of civil war, this has
changed.
However, while sectarian divisions are no longer active in
the army, its composition reflects a balance of power among Lebanon's
various groups. Christians make up about 40 percent of the force. The
remainder are Muslims, both Shi'ites (35 percent) and Sunnis (25 percent).
Also, in an effort to avoid the development of ties between the army and
local populations, the units are repositioned inside the country
regularly.
In 2005 the Lebanese parliament decided to cancel
mandatory conscription and transform the army into a professional force.
The process is expected to be completed by next year, at which point the
army will stand at 40,000 men. There are currently 50,000 soldiers, and
15,000 more reservists.