The nightmare rushes to an end 
SLA stampedes as Israelis slink away 
Nicholas Blanford 
Daily Star staff 

Israel capped its humiliating retreat from Lebanon early Wednesday with a series of vengefu
air raids on Beaufort Castle, sending the ancient stones of the 11th century Crusader
fortress tumbling down into the wadi below. 
Thunderous blasts echoed across the dwindling occupation zone as Apache helicopters fired
missiles into the hilltop structure at 1am, shortly after the last group of Israeli soldiers
abandoned the strongpoint. 
The extent of the damage could not be ascertained because the area was in total darkness. 
Israel’s latest aggression came as the usurpsed south was finally returning to the fold
after 22 years of isolation with Israel accelerating its chaotic retreat and its militia
allies scurrying to its border to escape punishment for treason and collaboration. 
Israeli troops and South Lebanon Army militiamen abandoned their posts in the key towns of
Marjayoun and Hasbaya earlier in the day. Later, under the cover of darkness, they pulled
out from most of their central and western sector positions. 
But as the occupation nightmare neared its end, the fiery rhetoric between the resistance
and Israeli leaders raged on. 
"We’ll redeploy in the next few days on the international border," Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Barak vowed. "The tragedy is over." 
However, he warned, "I don’t advise any element in Lebanon, directly or indirectly to test
us ... They’ll pay a very heavy price." 
Hizbullah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, advised Israel’s northern population
to remain in shelters because the resistance would respond ­ at a time of its own choosing
­ to the killing of six civilians in the past two days. Tuesday’s only fatality was BBC
driver killed by tank fire. 
By late evening, the Marjayoun headquarters of the SLA was empty. The central and western
sectors of the zone were liberated earlier when the Shiite component of the SLA’s Western
Brigade deserted their posts. The SLA’s mass flight allowed thousands of civilians to pour
across the Hamra crossing on the coast and the Beit Yahoun crossing further east. 
The final stages began during Monday night when Israeli artillery guns and warships shelled
the northern perimeter of the zone. The deep thump of naval artillery was clearly audible in
Tyre. Tiny orange bubbles winked briefly in the darkness, marking each exploding shell. 
The bombardments provided cover for hundreds of SLA militiamen who stampeded for the Israeli
border. They and their families were said to number at least 2,000. Other militiamen headed
north, turning themselves in to Lebanese Army units. 
The first civilian convoys proceeded down the coastal road south of Tyre at first light to
cross into the zone and explore an area that has been off-limits since 1985. 
Fijian UNIFIL peacekeepers could only stand and watch as the motley collection of
dishevelled Mercedes sedans, pickup trucks, vans and motorcycles passed the abandoned SLA
outpost at the Hamra crossing, which marked the beginning of Israel’s jurisdiction. The bulk
of the traffic headed to Naqoura, the headquarters of UNIFIL, amid a cacophony of car horns
and martial music. A smaller convoy peeled off and headed to villages inland. Hizbullah
fighters riding off-road motorcycles weaved through the traffic to reach the outposts
abandoned by their SLA foes. 
One group of Amal guerrillas ransacked an outpost on the edge of Teir Harfa village. A
delighted fighter opened the trunk of his car to show off his trophies: a heavy machine gun,
belts of ammunition and a flak jacket. 
Hizbullah fighters were after larger prizes. Several of them manning a former SLA checkpoint
­ 2 kilometers east of Yarin and less than 1 kilometer from the border ­ had seized a T-55
tank, a 130mm artillery gun and a number of 120mm mortars mounted on armored personnel
carriers. One guerrilla clambered into the cockpit of the tank and cursed his lack of
success in starting the engine. Many of the fighters wore flak jackets that only hours
earlier had been on the backs of SLA militiamen. 
In Jibbayn, a group of tearful elderly women gathered at the dusty junction in the center
of the village to fling rice and rose petals at passing vehicles. 
Nasser Harb, 28, lives in Majdal Zoun, 2 kilometers north of Jibbayn just outside the
occupation zone. "I’ve never been to Jibbayn," he said. "I’ve always wanted to come here.
Now the Lebanese can go anywhere they please in their own country." 
While the predominantly Shiite residents of the area celebrated their newfound freedom, the
Christian population viewed the sudden events with unease. Many Christians harbor fears that
Hizbullah fighters will storm their homes seeking vengeance against suspected collaborators.

In the Christian village of Dibil, a collection of pretty stone houses clustered around two
churches, the shops were closed and few people were on the streets. 
"The people here are very afraid," said a clearly nervous middle-aged man who chose not to
give his name. Most residents of Dibil had moved to the neighboring Christian town of
Rmeish on Monday night as around 300 SLA militiamen left the village and crossed into Israel
 
"Some stayed with relatives, others spent the night in the church," he said. 
The home of Aql Hashem, the head of the SLA’s Western Brigade who was killed by Hizbullah
fighters in a bomb blast beside his home in Dibil four months ago, was deserted. 
Najib Attieh, 39, was the only militiamen who had chosen to stay in Dibil. 
"I have a wife and seven children. How can I leave the country without them?" he asked. 
He said he would wait for the authorities to re-establish control in the border area before
tuning himself in. "I’m not going to go near the Shiite villages around here," he said. 
However, Hizbullah members were clearly under orders not to hassle the Christian villages.
Although the streets of the Shiite villages were awash with multi-hued Hizbullah and Amal
flags and portraits of the leaders and mentors of both groups, the Christians confined
their celebrations to raising a few Lebanese flags and sticking posters of President Emile
Lahoud on available wallspace. 
In Rmeish, a group of heavily armed Hizbullah guerrillas swarmed over a T-55 tank. Belching
a thick cloud of exhaust smoke, the tank lurched down the high street with Hizbullah
fighters clinging to the turret giving  victory salutes to the stony-faced and largely
impassive audience of Christian residents. 
 

DS 24/05/00