Jerusalem: Israel has begun thinning out its troops in southern Lebanon and plans to hand over the first of its captured positions to the UN – supported Lebanese army on Wednesday, the army said.
The military hopes to complete the evacuation of its forces from Lebanon by next week, army officials said on Tuesday, ending the military operation against Hezbollah guerrillas that began July 12 and left much of south Lebanon a wasteland.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, acknowledging shortcomings in the war preparations and its conduct, began grappling with the political fallout is, as critics abandoned their wartime unity to attack him for either hitting Lebanon too hard or not hard enough.
By the end of the week, the Israelis planned to release many of the thousands of reserve troops called up for the conflict, signaling an end to the largest mobilisation in many years.
"We are making every effort to thin the ranks of reservists, and to return as many civilians as possible to their homes," the deputy chief of the northern command, Brig General Shuki Shahur, told Army Radio.
The army said the UN – drafted cease-fire that began yesterday morning was generally holding, and survived its first 24 hours with only a few infractions.
Five mortar shells were fired overnight, but landed in vacant land in south Lebanon, the army said. No rockets have been fired at northern Israel since Sunday. Israeli troops killed at least six Hezbollah guerrillas in four separate skirmishes on Monday.
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