Second Stage Withdrawal from South Lebanon Seen As the Most Difficult and Dangerous for the IDF

The second stage of the withdrawal from south Lebanon will be the most difficult and dangerous for the Israel Defense Force and may leave it temporarily exposed to attack by Syria, according to the senior officer in command of the IDF in Lebanon.

Maj. Gen. Ori Orr, commander of the northern front, was quoted by Israel Radio today as saying that the second stage, which will pull Israeli troops out of the eastern sector of south Lebanon where they face Syrian forces, will take 10-12 weeks.

IDF PATROL KILLS II TERRORISTS

A military spokesman announced, meanwhile, that an IDF patrol killed II terrorists today and captured nine of a heavily armed gang which crossed the Awali River. There were no Israeli casualties. Large quantities of arms, ammunition and sabotage material were seized.

The first stage, withdrawal from the Awali River line to new positions on the Litani River, will be completed on schedule next Monday, February 18. Orr said the last IDF troops left in the Sidon area will move to their new lines within an hour or so after receiving the pull-back order.

The first stage, almost completed, has been fraught with difficulties, including harassment by terrorists and other hostile elements which have inflicted casualties on the IDF.

IDF SEARCHES FOR TERRORISTS

Israeli troops were occupied during their final days in the Awali River-Sidon area with searches for terrorists and other harassing forces. IDF units checked the Shiite Moslem village of Burj Rakhal today. One local resident was killed and another was wounded in the operation, according to a spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Voice of Lebanon Radio claimed the IDF destroyed a building in the village where arms were found. An IDF spokesman said a terrorist gang was pursued by Israeli troops across the Awali River yesterday afternoon and four were captured.

The IDF liaison office building in Nobatiye was fired on this morning for the 16th time in the last few weeks. A South Lebanon Army (SLA) patrol was attacked on the outskirts of the town. There were no casualties in either incident.

EXPECT TERRORIST, GUERRILLA ATTACKS TO INCREASE

IDF officers in Nabatiya were quoted as saying yesterday that terrorist and guerrilla attacks can be expected to increase after the IDF withdraws from the Awali River line. The new line runs over hilly terrain from the Litani River, then west of Nabatiya and northwards, skirting Jezzine, to the listening post on top of Mt. Barukh.

The officers expect a tough time on the new line because it passes through groups of Shiite villages and the terrain makes it difficult to prevent terrorist or guerrilla incursions.

Gen. Orr was quoted as saying, “We’ll defend the Israeli units. We’re not going to defend the area.” According to his estimate, the second stage of the withdrawal should be completed by the end of April. But by its nature it could possibly reduce Israel’s deterrent power against Syria in the short term, while it is taking place, he said.

However, Orr did not think the Syrians would move into the area vacated by the IDF on the eastern front. He predicted that area would come for the most part under the control of Abu Moussa, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization dissidents opposed to Yasir Arafat. His command headquarters in the Bekaa valley was bombed by the Israel Air Force this week.

The third and final stage of the withdrawal, bringing the IDF to the international border, is expected to be completed by next summer. Premier Shimon Peres declared in a television interview last night, “We won’t spend another winter in Lebanon.”