Lebanon Army Deploys in Ex-Enclave
Lebanese army troops deployed in the Christian district of Jezzine on Tuesday for the first time since Israeli-allied militiamen abandoned the enclave more than a year ago, Lebanese security officials said.
Starting at dawn, about 200 soldiers of the 11th Lebanese Army Brigade erected fortifications and took up three positions in and around the enclave, including the former headquarters of the Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army, or SLA.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that by the end of the week, about 1,000 troops will deploy in Jezzine, 25 miles southeast of Beirut.
The SLA withdrew from Jezzine, technically outside the area formerly occupied by Israel, in June 1999. But officials said Tuesday’s deployment was a continuation of the army deployment in Israel’s former occupation zone, which Israeli troops vacated in May, ending a 22-year occupation.
A token 1,000-member force--500 soldiers and 500 police officers--moved into the former Israeli-occupied areas Aug. 9.
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