Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora expressed confidence Monday in the swift withdrawal of Israeli troops still in southern Lebanon, with the help of the United Nations.

Lebanese army units deployed on Monday in border villages vacated by Israel Defense Forces in line with a UN truce that ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah.

IDF troops vacated all posts in southern Lebanon on Sunday, with the exception of the continued presence of troops in the divided Lebanese border village of Ghajar.

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"The United Nations is dealing seriously with the issue of the village of Ghajar and I believe it will achieve its goal," Siniora said.

"We are determined to retrieve our Lebanese lands," he added.

But Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Saloukh, who has close links with Hezbollah, said Israel "wants to start fresh troubles in south Lebanon" by keeping around 12 soldiers and tanks on the Lebanese side of Ghajar.


Earlier Monday, hundreds of Lebanese soldiers in armored troop carriers (APC), trucks and jeeps deployed in the villages of Marwaheen, Ramia, Kfar Kila and Maroun al-Ras.

In Marwaheen, villagers lined up the streets and threw rice and flowers at an army convoy of 10 APCs. Women ululated and men waved at the soldiers.

"The army is most welcome here. It is our protector and our guarantor, we've been waiting a lifetime for it to deploy here," Mohammad Ghannam, 60, told Reuters.

Thousands of Lebanese troops have deployed in south Lebanon since the end of the war for the first time in four decades.

"As the army is entering our village, we feel like we are born again today," Zainab Mohammad, 55, said. "This army is (made up of) our children, we want the wars to end."

The Lebanese army held a ceremony at Labbouneh, few meters from the border, to mark the Israeli withdrawal during which a Lebanese flag was raised on a post.

Lebanese army Commander, General Michel Suleiman told about 500 soldiers that the army won't allow any attacks from Lebanon that could undermine the cease-fire - an apparent reference to rockets Hezbollah launched at Israel from the south in 34 days of fighting that ended Aug. 14.

"Stay vigilant to uphold the law and deter whoever undermines the course of security and stability," Suleiman said.

He said that although his army is no match for Israel, it would fight if necessary.

"I call upon you to confront the Israeli aggressions and violations with whatever meager capabilities that are available," he said.

Suleiman said the government had promised to supply the military with modern weapons, including helicopters, patrol boats and rockets to enable it to carry out its duties better.

Lebanese gov't, Hezbollah dismiss IDF withdrawal
The Lebanese government and Hezbollah dismissed the withdrawal of IDF troops from southern Lebanon on Sunday as "incomplete" and demanded that Israel stop what they called violations of Lebanon's airspace, sea and land.

Israel withdrew the last of its troops from most of southern Lebanon early Sunday, fulfilling a key condition of the UN cease-fire agreement that ended a month-long war with Hezbollah guerrillas.

However, IDF continues to hold the Lebanese part of Ghajar, and its planes still patrol Lebanon's airspace.

"What is required is a complete and comprehensive Israeli withdrawal and a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon," the Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi told The Associated Press.

"So far, there is no final solution. Israel's pullout today is incomplete," he said.

Senior Hezbollah official Sheikh Hassan Ezzeddine warned the militant group would resume attacks against Israel if it breached the UN cease-fire, which went into effect on August 14.

"The enemy must bear the consequences of its continued air, sea and land violations in Lebanon," said Ezzeddine, the group's top political official in south Lebanon.

Earlier Sunday, the leader of the United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon hailed IDF troops' withdrawal from Lebanon as "significant progress," but said the pullout would not be complete until IDF soldiers left the village of Ghajar.

"Significant progress has been achieved today," Major General Alain Pellegrini, commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, said in a statement.

"I expect that they will leave this area [Ghajar] in the course of the week, thus completing the withdrawal in line with the [UN] resolution 1701," he said.

According to security sources, Israel wants to conclude the matter in the coming days and evacuate the area, but it will not leave a dangerous opening along the border.

UNIFIL said in a statement that it was "in close contact with the IDF to facilitate a speedy withdrawal from the area of Ghajar."

The statement also said that peacekeepers are "in the process of confirming" that there are no Israeli troops present in the areas that Israel declared as vacated. It said Lebanese army troops will begin taking over the area Monday morning.

It added that after a full IDF withdrawal, UNIFIL in cooperation with Lebanese army would inspect the entire length of the border to ensure that there are no violations of the blue line border.

Ghajar, located on the Hatzbani River, a major water source, was divided in 2000 between Israel and Lebanon, but no fence was erected. The residents of the village are Israeli citizens by virtue of the 1981 Golan Law.

Israel has proposed to Lebanon and the UN in recent weeks that the UN be responsible for security in the northern part of the village, which is in Lebanese territory, and Israel would handle security in the southern part.

Israel would also be responsible for civilian affairs in southern Ghajar, and would send in to the northern part, as needed, technicians, doctors and other service providers, accompanied by UN personnel. UNIFIL would deploy north of the village to prevent free access from the village to Lebanon and back.

Only a few dozen infantry troops had remained in south Lebanon in recent days, manning positions close to the border in the central and eastern sectors.

David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's Office, told Haaretz, "Israel has totally fulfilled its obligations. The Lebanese government must keep the agreement, especially the facilitating of the immediate release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers."

Sources in the IDF said recently they were satisfied with the deployment of the soldiers of the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The two forces have been spotted recently in areas close to the border.

The Northern Command has been working on the rules of engagement for soldiers patrolling the fence. Sources close to Defense Minister Amir Peretz say he recently directed the IDF to make the rules of engagement "as strict as possible." The army has not yet finished defining the rules, but has said it will not tolerate provocations and groups of armed individuals near the border fence.

The withdrawal was delayed for the past two weeks because of disputes between the IDF and UNIFIL regarding the rules of engagement as they apply to armed Hezbollah militants.