IDF Begins First Stage of Withdrawal from South Lebanon

The Israel Defense Force began the first stage of its evacuation of south Lebanon today — a pullback from the coastal town of Sidon and its environs to a new line along the Litani River.

A fleet of heavy army trucks arrived in Sidon to begin loading military materiel and equipment, some of which will be offloaded at the Litani line and the rest brought back to Israel. A senior officer said today that the equipment move would not affect the operational capabilities of IDF units but the soldiers might experience some discomfort because of the removal of heating appliances and other amenities.

The Cabinet, by a vote of 16-6 last Monday, approved a plan for the three-stage withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon. The first stage, which just commenced, is expected to be completed by the middle of next month. There is no timetable for the later two stages.

The IDF is pulling out systematically according to detailed orders issued by the northern command. But the soldiers face harrassment as they gradually withdraw from Lebanese territory. Three soldiers were slightly wounded in south Lebanon over the weekend. A soldier of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), an ally of Israel, was wounded today when his patrol was ambushed near Nabatiya.

JEWISH SETTLERS IN UPPER GALILEE ARE NERVOUS

Two Katyusha rocket launchers were discovered Friday in south Lebanon, about three kilometers north of the Israeli town of Metullah. They were aimed at targets in Upper Galilee. Jewish settlers in that region are anxious and understandably nervous.

Maj. Gen. Uri Orr warned them Friday that terrorists are likely to try to return to the areas evacuated by the IDF. He said it would take them a long time to re-establish the positions they held before Israel invaded Lebanon in June, 1982, and gave assurances that the IDF would do everything possible to thwart them.

But some of the settlers were not reassured of their safety once the IDF leaves Lebanese soil. Orr was told in Kiryat Shemona, “Those of us who live here know that one Katyusha or 30 amounts to the same thing … One Katyusha no less than 30, will destroy our children, our economy, our lives.”

Kiryat Shemona was one of the most heavily hit Israeli border towns during the years when Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists virtually occupied south Lebanon.

LEBANESE MAY NOW AGREE TO UNIFIL IN THE SOUTH

Meanwhile, United Nations Undersecretary General Brian Urquhart met with Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the Defense Ministry here today for a discussion of Israel’s withdrawal plans. He left for London afterwards to report to Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar.

Urquhart, who was in Beirut last week, told reporters after his talk with Rabin that the Lebanese may now be ready to agree to have the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol areas in south Lebanon evacuated by the IDF. That had been the main issue which brought the Israeli-Lebanese negotiations at Nakura to an impasse.

The Nakura talks are scheduled to resume this Wednesday, at which time the Israeli delegation will inform the Lebanese officially of the IDF’s withdrawal plans. It is hoped here that the Lebanese will announce their agreement to Israel’s proposals for deployment of UNIFIL. Urquhart’s aide, Jean-Claude Aime, was off to Beirut today to inform the Lebanese government of Urquhart’s latest meeting with Rabin.

In another development, military sources said today that the IDF would try to sell some of its equipment and installations in south Lebanon to UNIFIL. It would prefer not to abandon to the Lebanese army equipment and installations that cannot be brought back to Israel or are not needed. If no suitable buyer can be found, the equipment and installations may be destroyed before the IDF leaves, the sources said.