Militia Leaves Sidon in Prelude to Israeli Exit

Israeli-backed Lebanese militiamen evacuated the port city of Sidon today in a prelude to Israel’s expected three-stage military withdrawal from southern Lebanon, state-run Beirut radio said.

The radio said militiamen from the predominantly Christian South Lebanon Army left the city limits of Sidon in the late afternoon.

The radio said Israeli soldiers escorted the militia units out of the city, 24 miles south of Beirut.

There was no immediate confirmation from Israel or independent sources in southern Lebanon but it had been widely expected the militia would leave in advance of the Israeli evacuation.

Factional Struggle Feared

Israeli and Lebanese officials have said they fear a factional power struggle in Sidon in the wake of an Israeli withdrawal before the regular Lebanese army can move south from the Awali River to secure the city.

The Israeli military has said the first pullback to fresh lines just north of the Litani River will be completed by Feb. 18, but independent sources in the south said the first phase will be over within 48 hours.

State-owned Beirut television said schools in Sidon closed today and will remain closed until Feb. 21 “as a precautionary measure.”

The militia’s evacuation of Sidon came hours after Israeli troops entered a village in southern Lebanon, tied residents and put bags on their heads and bulldozed at least two homes suspected of containing explosives, Beirut radio said.

Man Reported Slain

Independent reports from Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon said one man was found dead just north of the village and at least one man was wounded by gunshots in the incident. There was no immediate comment from Israel.

“At 7 a.m., Israeli forces surrounded the village of Tura and searched homes,” said Timur Goksel, the spokesman for the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon.

Tura, a Shia Muslim village six miles northeast of the port city of Tyre, falls under the jurisdiction of French troops serving in the U.N. forces. Beirut radio and security sources in southern Lebanon said the Israelis rounded up between 100 and 200 Tura residents in the village’s main square for questioning, while other troops using dogs searched homes for explosives and weapons.

Houses Demolished

“A witness said they (Israelis) bulldozed several houses at the entrance of the village and gathered about 200 persons in the village square, covered their heads with bags and tied their hands together,” the radio said.

Security sources said at least two homes were bulldozed because the Israelis suspected them of being arms depots.

“The 200 Israeli troops used search dogs in their operations and two tanks and 12 or 13 armored vehicles to surround the village,” one source said.

They could not confirm a report by Beirut radio of confrontations between the Israeli soldiers and Tura’s residents.