The Beka'a Valley, near the Syrian border, is still within Lebanon, which led Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz to characterize the withdrawal as an "evasion" of United Nations Security Council resolutions. "I hope that firm demands from the United States and France on the issue of full withdrawal from Lebanon up until the elections scheduled in May will be fulfilled," Mr. Mofaz said during a meeting Sunday with the Jordanian foreign minister in Israel.
Terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah reacted to the reports of a Syrian withdrawal at a gathering of pro-Syrian factions in Lebanon. He promised that his organization, the Hizbullah, would continue the struggle against those countries pressuring Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. Nasrallah accused the opposition to Syria in his own country of "collaborating with Israel" to "interfere in the understandings" between Lebanon and Syria.
The Hizbullah has thus decided to hold a pro-Syrian rally on Tuesday in Beirut. It is being billed as a "rally against foreign interference." The organization already sent its members into the streets of Beirut and in Nabatiyeh on Saturday. Fully armed and shooting in the air, the Hizbullah gunmen handed out pictures of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad and Lebanon's pro-Syria President Emile Lahoud.
In addition, violence by pro- and anti-Syrian forces in Lebanon has begun to be felt around the country. On Saturday, Lebanese sources report, a building belonging to the Syrian military intelligence in the city of Kobbeiyate was apparently attacked in northern Lebanon. No group has claimed responsibility. On Friday night, an explosive device was tossed from a moving car at a Syrian military position in Ba'albek, in eastern Lebanon, exploding but causing no casualties.
In Tripoli, northern Lebanon, pro-Syrian militiamen from the Ba'ath party and the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) showered buildings with bullets Saturday night in areas of the city considered loyal to the opposition. A similar incident in Beirut, also on Saturday night, led to the wounding of several people. The convoy of pro-Syrian gunmen then attempted to make their way to the massive anti-Syrian demonstration downtown. The Lebanese military halted the convoy of vehicles, leading to a standoff that ended peacefully several hours later.
An expatriate Lebanese organization in the United States, the Lebanese Foundation for Peace, called the shootings "a gesture of intimidation," saying that the Syrians are trying to ignite violence in Lebanon.
Terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah reacted to the reports of a Syrian withdrawal at a gathering of pro-Syrian factions in Lebanon. He promised that his organization, the Hizbullah, would continue the struggle against those countries pressuring Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. Nasrallah accused the opposition to Syria in his own country of "collaborating with Israel" to "interfere in the understandings" between Lebanon and Syria.
The Hizbullah has thus decided to hold a pro-Syrian rally on Tuesday in Beirut. It is being billed as a "rally against foreign interference." The organization already sent its members into the streets of Beirut and in Nabatiyeh on Saturday. Fully armed and shooting in the air, the Hizbullah gunmen handed out pictures of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad and Lebanon's pro-Syria President Emile Lahoud.
In addition, violence by pro- and anti-Syrian forces in Lebanon has begun to be felt around the country. On Saturday, Lebanese sources report, a building belonging to the Syrian military intelligence in the city of Kobbeiyate was apparently attacked in northern Lebanon. No group has claimed responsibility. On Friday night, an explosive device was tossed from a moving car at a Syrian military position in Ba'albek, in eastern Lebanon, exploding but causing no casualties.
In Tripoli, northern Lebanon, pro-Syrian militiamen from the Ba'ath party and the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) showered buildings with bullets Saturday night in areas of the city considered loyal to the opposition. A similar incident in Beirut, also on Saturday night, led to the wounding of several people. The convoy of pro-Syrian gunmen then attempted to make their way to the massive anti-Syrian demonstration downtown. The Lebanese military halted the convoy of vehicles, leading to a standoff that ended peacefully several hours later.
An expatriate Lebanese organization in the United States, the Lebanese Foundation for Peace, called the shootings "a gesture of intimidation," saying that the Syrians are trying to ignite violence in Lebanon.