Israeli troops leave Lebanon
Israeli troops lock the Zarit border gate between the two countries
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Sunday, 01, Oct 2006 07:47
The Israeli army has completed its final withdrawal of troops from southern Lebanon, six weeks after agreeing to a ceasefire with Hizbullah.
A truce was agreed on August 14th after 34 days of fighting, which left more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers, dead.
And last night the remainder of the Jewish state's forces left Lebanon, with Israel keen to complete the withdrawal before the beginning of holy day Yom Kippur.
The last soldiers to leave fastened a padlock at the Zarit border gate, the same site as where two Israeli military personnel were kidnapped by Hizbullah militants earlier in the summer - one of the main causes for the conflict.
Under the terms of the UN-brokered ceasefire, Israel had been required to withdraw all of its troops from Lebanese territory, with about 15,000 peacekeeping and Lebanese soldiers set to take their place.
Israeli army spokesman Zvika Golan said: "The responsibility for Lebanon right now is in the hands of the Lebanese government and of course the UN, so every act of Hizbullah is the responsibility of Lebanon."
But despite the army's departure, Israel's view on Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has remained resolute, with the country's infrastructure minister yesterday calling for him to be assassinated.
"He's bad for the Jews, he's bad for the Arabs, he's bad for the Christians. We should wait for the right opportunity and not leave him alive," said Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.