Israel begins withdrawal

Israeli forces began leaving parts of south Lebanon yesterday as a UN truce largely held for a second day and the Lebanese army prepared to move south.

Thousands of refugees who had fled the month-long war between Israel and Hizbollah headed home to battered villages in the south.

In northern Israel, residents also returned after weeks away from their homes to escape cross-border Hizbollah rocket fire.

The Israeli army, which had poured 30,000 troops into the south to fight the Shi'ite Muslim guerillas, plans to start handing over some pockets of territory to UN troops in a day or two, Israeli officials and Western diplomats said.

Israel's top general, Dan Halutz, said Israeli forces could complete a withdrawal within seven to 10 days.

In line with the UN Security Council resolution that halted the fighting, the Lebanese army will begin moving 15,000 troops south of the Litani River tomorrow, a senior political source said. The force is assembling at various army bases.

"As we speak, the army is readying the force," the source said, adding that Lebanese units would stay out of areas occupied by Israeli troops until UN peacekeepers move in.

Lebanese Defence Minister Elias al-Murr has said the army will not disarm Hizbollah guerillas in the south.

The truce remains fragile. Israeli soldiers shot five Hizbollah fighters in two incidents in Lebanon yesterday, the Israeli army said. It was not known whether any had been killed.

The army also said four Hizbollah mortar bombs landed near its troops overnight, causing no casualties. On Monday Israeli troops killed at least one guerilla after the truce.

Israel's quicker withdrawal plans reflect concern that its forces on the ground are easy targets for Hizbollah attack.

A military spokesman said Israel had begun pulling its forces out of Lebanon, but the army declined to say how many of the 30,000 troops Israel was reported to have there had already left.

Israeli troops left the Christian town of Marjayoun, the nearby town of Qlaiah and the village of Ghandouriyeh, scene of ferocious battles over the weekend, security sources said.

Much of Ghandouriyeh was devastated. In one area the shattered tracks of an Israeli armoured vehicle lay near a blood-stained Israeli flak jacket. The bodies of five Hizbollah guerillas were found elsewhere in the village.