Syria has ended its military evacuation of Lebanon, but the official ceremony was rescheduled for Tuesday in east Lebanon's Riyak airbase with the participation of Syria's military intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh.
"The sixth and final Syrian redeployment operation out of Lebanon has been completed in conformity with the Taif Accord and within the timeframe set forth by the joint Lebanese-Syrian military committee," the state-run National News Agency reported.
It added a huge convoy of 400 tank carriers, troop-loaded trucks towing artillery pieces and multi-barreled rocket launchers rolled out from the Bekaa Valley and crossed the border into Syria shortly before midnight, which left only the officers and troops who will attend the Riyak ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a U.N. team flew into Beirut late Sunday to verify that Syria had totally evacuated Lebanon, pulling its entire intelligence apparatus in addition to its army.
