KHAYAM Hizbollah fighters poured into Israels crumbling occupation zone and villagers stormed a notorious prison Tuesday as the Jewish state hastened the end of its bloody 22-year presence in south Lebanon. The speed of the Israeli pullout came as a surprise and hastened the collapse of the mainly Christian South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia set up as a buffer against guerilla at¬tacks.
We will redeploy in the next few days on the international border, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said as the Muslim guerrillas moved on foot and in civilian vehicles into large swathes of the so-called security zone Is¬rael carved out of the hills of its northern neighbour.
Scores of detainees rushed out with tears in their eyes to embrace their liberators who fired volleys into the air.
More than 100 villagers overran the prison at Khayam and freed 130 Lebanese pris¬oners held by Israelis for up to 15 years.
SLA ON VERGE OF COLLAPSE: SLA men began giving themselves up in the eastern sector of the zone, their last bastion, witnesses said. Militiamen also gave themselves up to the Lebanese army in the village of Hasbaya as Israeli warplanes destroyed bridges and heavy equipment abandoned during their accel¬erated retreat. Once the surrender is completed Hizbollah guerrillas were ex¬pected to flow in and tighten their control over virtually all of the zone running from the Mediterranean Sea to the foot of the Golan Heights,
Hizbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said his men would continue their war if Israel did not release Lebanese prisoners held as bargaining chips and give up an area of land known as Shebaa Farms. Israel has indicated it will hold on to the farms, at the foot of the Golan Heights, saying the land is Syrian and hot Lebanese.
Panic Among Christians: The Hizbollah advance sparked panic in the Christian population and jubilation among Muslims. A stream of Christians and SLA members headed for the Israeli border seeking sanctuary. Some will be housed in a holiday resort on the Sea of Galilee SLA commander General Antoine Lahd left Paris Tuesday for Tel Aviv to return to his crumbling army.
Despite the haste of their retreat, Israeli soldiers were clearly relieved to be out of a conflict that looked tin winnable and was deeply unpopular with the Israeli public.
At the Egel border crossing, dozens of returning soldiers gave the thumbs-up sign, unloaded their rifles and shed flak jackets. In the end, we took down the flag in haste and we sang the Tikva (national anthem)… so that we would have the good feeling we arent leaving with our tail between our legs, said one soldier. He was in a convoy of 10 armoured vehicles that had dashed to the border under cover of darkness.
Israeli newspapers, however, likened the withdrawal to the U.S. rout from Saigon in 1975. One headline ran Day of Hu¬miliation a sentiment that Hizbollah clearly felt as its years of struggle to drive Israel from Lebanon succeeded in dra¬matic fashion.
This 18-year tragedy is over, Barar said, referring to Israels 1982 invasion. Israel first crossed into Lebanon in 1978 to stop attacks by Palestinians who had been housed in refugee camps-since the creation of the Jewish state 30 years earlier.
Hizbollah took more than 20 villages in south Lebanon on Tuesday. Witnesses said guerril¬las established positions inside a cluster of villages, swiftly moving through abandoned posts, capturing suspected SLA members and seizing weapons and ammunition.
In Biut Jbeil, residents lined the streets, showering the guer¬rillas with rice and saluting them with V-for-victory signs amid shouts of Islams rallying cry of Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest).
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