Israel's withdrawal turns desperate, compared to U.S. pullout from Vietnam

TEL AVIV -- Israeli troops have largely withdrawn from Lebanon leaving the Jewish state face-to-face with its Iranian-backed Hizbullah enemy.

Military sources said the Israeli army failed to properly evacuate its bases in Lebanon and left Hizbullah with millions of dollars in ammunition and weapons -- most of it deployed by the SLA. "This is not the way to withdraw forces from enemy territory," [Res.] Brig. Gen. Avigdor Kahalani, a former minister, said. "It is like the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam."

The sources confirmed that the 2,600-member SLA has collapsed. The multi-ethnic force has, in effect, lost most of its Shi'ite members and what remains are Christian and Druse units. Many of the Shi'ites have defected to Hizbullah and the Syrian-backed Amal militia, leaving them with Israeli-supplied tanks, artillery batteries and armored personnel carriers.

The 70th battalion, composed of Shi'ites, collapsed and military sources expect the same fate for the other four battalions in the SLA. The remaining portion of the SLA is deployed in the eastern sector of the once-Israeli zone of deployment, called the security zone.

So far, hundreds of SLA soldiers have surrendered to Lebanese authorities and Israeli officials raised the prospect that some officers would be tried and executed in Beirut. Israeli sources said the SLA members were taken into custody by Hizbullah and transferred to Lebanese military intelligence, which is directed by Syria.

"I am scared that soon they will be massacred," Health Minister Shlomo Ben-Izri said of the SLA. "We can't leave the Lebanese border while they are massacring each other."

Opposition leaders agreed. "Unfortunately, we abandoned the SLA and this will have long-term consequences," Likud chairman Ariel Sharon said. "What we do in Lebanon will affect the Palestinians in Judea, Samaria [West Bank] and the Gaza Strip."

Most of the Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon overnight Monday in what soldiers described as a hasty pullout under the cover of darkness. Officials said the end of 18 years of Israeli deployment in Lebanon will be completed within the next few days.

Hizbullah, which took credit for Israel's withdrawal, quickly entered the dozens of villages and abandoned outposts of the Israeli army and the South Lebanese Army. The Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia is now deployed meters away from Israeli positions along the Lebanese border.

Later on Tuesday, Hizbullah resumed shelling of Israeli and SLA bases near the Israeli border. Israeli warplanes were sent to respond to the attacks.

SLA soldiers and their families streamed south to seek asylum in Israel. 1,600 are being resettled in a camp on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and granted the status of tourists. SLA commander Gen. Antoine Lahad is in Paris, traveling on an Israeli passport. Lahad, advised by Israel to take a vacation, said he will return to southern Lebanon by late Tuesday.

The SLA on Tuesday abandoned the Khiam prison, where more than 100 suspected Hizbullah members were held. Lebanese sources said all but four SLA soldiers fled the prison amid the advance of Hizbullah militiamen.

The Israeli army completed the withdrawal of its command and control headquarters in Bint Jbail.

Israel was forced to withdraw from Bint Jbail after SLA soldiers abandoned the outpost, Mofaz said.

Soldiers crossing the border said their commanders gave them no opportunity to lower the flag in a ceremony. Instead, the 170 soldiers sung the national anthem and quickly left the base.

"There is a feeling that we ran with our tail between our legs," one returning Israeli soldier said.

Hours later, Hizbullah fighters entered Bint Jbail, Nakoura and other border communities. A UN spokesman, Timor Goksel, said the Hizbullah entered Nakoura but later left.

Earlier, the Christian Middle East Television station went off the air as guards protecting the broadcasting tower surrendered to Hizbullah.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak had decided to advance the withdrawal from the original July 7. On Tuesday, Barak said that so far Hizbullah has not acted according to assessments by Israeli military intelligence, which raised the prospect of a massive shelling attack as Israeli troops leave Lebanon.

"There are no easy withdrawals," Barak said. "The security zone has exhausted its effectiveness."

Barak said the withdrawal could be completed within days. "This tragedy is over," he told army radio.

At a Cabinet meeting hours earlier, ministers conceded that efforts to arrange for an orderly pullout failed. The ministers, empowering Barak to take any military action deemed necessary in Lebanon, said the United Nations failed to ensure order in southern Lebanon or fill in the vacuum left by the Israeli withdrawal.

"The prime minister has taken a very serious risk," President Ezer Weizman said. "He decided on a process. We have to see how it develops. There is a certain collapse of the SLA. This is worrisome."

In Washington, the United States contacted Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia in an effort to maintain a lid on tensions in southern Lebanon. U.S. officials acknowledged that they had underestimated the pace of developments in southern Lebanon.

In New York, the United Nations Security Council is set to decide later Tuesday on an expanded peacekeeping force. Diplomats are discussing the prospect of expanding the current 4,500 member force to nearly 8,000 troops.

But Israeli military sources said the Hizbullah deployment along the Lebanese border has torpedoed any prospect for a UN presence. They pointed out that over the last two days UN peacekeepers failed to keep Hizbullah militiamen from entering villages in southern Lebanon and doubted that international troops would dare to confront the Shi'ite militia.

Residents of northern Israeli communities were ordered to remain in bunkers overnight as the military feared Hizbullah rocket attacks. Authorities said about half of the more than 30,000 residents of Kiryat Shmona, the major town in the area, left their homes for the south. Northern residents were allowed to emerge from the bunkers on Tuesday morning.

Officials said that the accelerated withdrawal has left unfinished defenses along Israel's northern border. They said the work to complete the electronic border fence and new outposts would take months.

Lebanese security sources said Tuesday that Israeli troops have withdrawn from two thirds of the security zone.

In Jerusalem, Israel's Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Tuesday, that barring attacks, Israel could withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon within a week.

"We still haven't decided on the exact timing of the withdrawal from the security zone," Mofaz said. "That depends on the readiness of the army and our ability to react. The withdrawal will take about a week."

Later, Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy said that Israel will take action against anyone who threatens Israel's security.

"We will act if our security is damaged, no matter who's doing it," Levy said."Withdrawal with an agreement was not possible.

Levy said Israel didn't expect the United Nations to reign in Hizbullah. "We will deal with Hizbullah and UNIFIL will prevent a deterioration of the situation," Levy said.

In Beirut, Hizbullah leader Hasan Nasrallah said Hizbullah will continue to attack Israel as long as Israel controls the Shebaa Farms and still holds Lebanese prisoners.