LEBANON: SECURITY

Описание: (26 May 2000) English/Nat
XFA
At the border fence between Israel and Lebanon, a crowd of about 100 Lebanese threw stones and firebombs, starting a bush fire that was put out by Israeli soldiers.

Over the past two days civilians and Hezbollah supporters have thrown firebombs, bottles, fruit and insults at a group of Israeli soldiers on guard on their side of the frontier.

The celebrations continue on the Lebanese side of the Fatma Gate border post.

This area used to be part of the Israeli occupied zone and was off-limits to most Lebanese.

Israel completed its troop pullout before dawn on Wednesday - six weeks ahead of its self-imposed July 7 deadline, after the situation in south Lebanon sharply deteriorated earlier in the week.

On Friday at Fatma Gate, the atmosphere was more relaxed than on preceding days.

Many brought their children along to give them a glimpse of Israel.

But after two decades of occupation, hatred for Israel is intense amongst these people.

One woman shook her fist at the border post, saying that the war wasn't over yet.

UPSOUND: (English)
"We haven't finished the war with you. We shall kill you"
SUPER CAPTION: Lebanese woman

Others pelted the despised checkpoint - a symbol of Israeli occupation - with stones.

The checkpoint is now surrounded by a wire fence.

The Israeli soldiers have left their vantage points and are taking cover inside the building.

All their communications equipment has been destroyed.

Several small fires were started around the area and Israeli flags were burnt.

Hezbollah has made an effort to be seen to be showing restraint, even urging the hordes of Lebanese who flocked to the border to see Israel not to throw anything across.

But the Iranian-backed guerrillas haven't made it clear whether they will fight on.

In the past, Hezbollah has said it would keep fighting until Israel leaves all of Lebanon, including the Chebaa farms - a strip of land Israel says it seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and is not obligated to leave.

The Lebanese government has demanded it be returned to Lebanon - a position supported by Syria.

Elsewhere in Southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army has started to exert its authority in the region.

Hezbollah militiamen triumphantly entered the town of Mimes in Western Bekka on tanks left by the S-L-A after they fled the region earlier in the week.

In a display of cooperation with the Lebanese army, Hezbollah handed over the tanks and other seized weapons, which were then moved to safer territory.

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