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Syria pulls back 20,000 troops over threat of Israeli strikes

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, April 24, 2002

NICOSIA Ñ Syria has withdrawn most of its 20,000 troops from central Lebanon to the Bekaa Valley.

The sources said the Syrian redeployment, announced earlier this month, was meant to reduce the damage of any Israeli military attack on Lebanon. They said Israel has warned that it will retaliate for Hizbullah attacks by destroying Lebanese and Syrian military and civilian targets in Lebanon.

Arab diplomatic sources said the lion's share of Syrian troops have left the Beirut area and southern Lebanon, Middle East Newsline reported. They said most of the troops have been redeployed in the heavily-fortified Lebanese Bekaa Valley as well as within the Syrian border.

The Syrian military is said to have kept two units around Beirut to maintain the regime of President Emile Lahoud. The units do not include what the sources assert are thousands of Syrian intelligence agents throughout Lebanon.

Syrian troops have also been redeployed to the Dar El Baidar mountain ridge about 25 kilometers east of Beirut. The area overlooks much of eastern and southern Lebanon and is regarded as a strategic location.

The Syrian withdrawal is the second from the Beirut area in 10 months.

The first pullout came after an Israeli air attack in April 2001 that destroyed a radar facility at Dar El Baidar.

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