Syria continues withdrawing its forces from Lebanon

Syrian military units withdrew from Lebanon in the early hours of today (Thursday) morning in the framework of a large- scale redeployment operation by the Syrian forces.

Witnesses said they saw a Syrian military procession composed of 56 armored vehicles and trucks loaded with equipment and buses carrying soldiers heading via the eastern borders to Syria after yesterday midnight taking the main highway between Damascus and Beirut. The soldiers were seen dismantling their camp which is situated in the coastal al-Damour area.

The redeployment operation which seemed to be an attempt to eliminate pressures led by the USA to minimize the Syrian influence in Lebanon covers 3,000 Syrian soldiers, most of them will return back to Syria. It is estimated that 15,000 Syrian soldiers will remain in Lebanon after the fifth redeployment operation within three years.

Both the Lebanese and Syrian authorities stressed that the redeployment operation falls in the course of implementing one of the Taif accord item signed in 1989.