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Gold9472
08-30-2006, 10:39 PM
Israeli troops withdraw from the eastern part of southern Lebanon

http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Israeli_troops_withdraw_from_the_ea_08302006.html

Published: Wednesday August 30, 2006

Beirut- Israeli troops have withdrawn from eastern parts of south Lebanon, the United Nations peacekeeping force said on Wednesday as it began patrolling the area. "The Israeli army pulled back from the regions of Bastara, Kfarshuba and Shebaa," the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.

Lebanese troops are eventually to take over responsibility for the area for the first time in decades, with UNIFIL acting as a go- between.

On Sunday, Israeli forces still occupied nine positions in southern Lebanon, two weeks after a truce was declared between the Israelis and Shiite Hezbollah militants, a Lebanese army spokesman said.

Lebanese soldiers were now around 150 metres from Israeli positions, in particular at the Fatima border crossing point.

Other Lebanese units are stationed roughly one to two kilometres from their Israeli counterparts.

Meanwhile, 400 French troops have arrived in Lebanon to reinforce the UN peackeeping force, with 1,000 Italian soldiers en route aboard five navy ships.

Up to 15,000 Lebanese troops are to deploy in the south under the terms of Security Resolution 1701, which halted a 33-day conflict between Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah there on August 14.