Syrian forces withdrawal from Lebanon complete

More than 2 thousand persons at the Syrian- borders welcomed the return back of the Syrian forces deployed in Lebanon. Some 300 soldiers crossed the borders in military trucks amid slogans commending President Bashar al-Assad.

The withdrawal of the last shift of the Syrian army from Lebanon came in a farewell ceremony held on the occasion of completing the withdrawal in which senior military leaders from the two states took part.

The military leaders who took part in the celebration which was held in the Bekaa area laid a wreath on the monument built in honor of the Syrian presence amid slogans commending the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

The Lebanese forces were handed over, on Monday by the Syrian forces in Anjar area in the Bekaa, the last positions, and the Lebanese flag was hoisted over the headquarters of the Syrian military intelligence headquarters and Anjar was announced as a military zone.

Meantime, one official at the US Department Of State described the withdrawal as a big step but expressed Washington's concern towards what it described the possibility of Syria's continued intervention in the internal affairs of Lebanon after the completion of the withdrawal.