JERUSALEM — Israeli soldiers crossing the border from southern Lebanon this week took time out at one military outpost to hastily take down the Israeli flag and sing “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem.
The gesture was made, as one Israeli soldier put it, so that “we would have the good feeling we are not leaving with our tail between our legs.”
At the border crossing, soldiers dropped their gear and pulled out cellular phones to call their parents.
“Just so my mom knows she can now sleep at night,” one soldier said.
The images of cheering and singing Israeli army soldiers crossing the northern border dominated the international news media this week as Israel unexpectedly completed a hasty withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
When Israeli soldiers locked the border gate behind them early Wednesday, it marked the fulfillment of Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s campaign pledge to “bring the boys home.” There were no Israeli casualties amid the hasty pullout.
The withdrawal ends a 22-year military presence that had grown increasingly unpopular in Israel and had claimed the lives of about 900 Israeli soldiers.
But the images of jubilation mixed with fear and confusion among Israel’s northern residents as gunfire erupted across the border and Hezbollah fighters occupied many of the border villages abandoned by fleeing members of Israel’s ally, the South Lebanon Army.
Some soldiers expressed mixed feelings about the pullback because of these concerns.
“My feeling is half-happy and half-sad,” one soldier said. “For me, the personal danger is reduced, but I feel as if I’m abandoning the security of Israel right now.”
Said another: “No soldier doubts for a second” that if he has to go back in “he will do so without question.”
Wednesday’s completed pullback came six weeks prior to the July 7 deadline set by the Israeli government.
Israel had envisioned a gradual pullback, with United Nations peacekeepers simultaneously taking up positions vacated by the Israel Defense Force.
Instead, the redeployment was hastened by the rapid disintegration of the SLA, which started last week when the IDF began handing over outposts to the militia.
SLA troops abandoned those positions, some turning themselves in to Lebanese authorities and others fleeing south to Israel.
Lebanese civilians, who had previously left the area, and Hezbollah fighters then flowed into the region.
Barak, authorized by his security cabinet Monday to accelerate the pace of the pullback, ordered the full withdrawal.
“This 18-year tragedy is over,” Barak declared on Army Radio on Tuesday, referring to the start of Israel’s war in Lebanon, which began in 1982.
Barak also reiterated a stern warning to Hezbollah this week that Israel will respond severely to attacks on its soldiers or citizens.
“I don’t advise any element in Lebanon, directly or indirectly, to test us,” he said. “They will pay a very heavy price.”
By Tuesday, Hezbollah had established a presence in 90 percent of the 9-mile wide security zone, leaving the remaining IDF outposts in a vulnerable position.
At a news briefing Wednesday in the border town of Metulla, the army chief-of-staff rejected suggestions that Israel had beat a hasty and disorderly retreat.
Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz called the pullback “historic” and said IDF commanders had been prepared to carry out the withdrawal at a moment’s notice in a variety of situations.
He reiterated that there would be grave consequences for anyone who tried to test the IDF’s resolve to defend Israel’s borders and residents.
“If there are attempts to hurt the security of northern residents or IDF troops, we will hurt all sources of power in Lebanon including Syrian interests in Lebanon,” Mofaz said. “The planes are ready, the pilots are on alert, their skills are known, we have seen results in recent days.”
U.N. special envoy Terje Larsen arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday to assess the security situation.
If the United Nations confirms that the Israeli withdrawal adheres to U.N. Security Council Resolution 425, calling for a full withdrawal from all Lebanese territories, it will clear the way for the stationing of an expanded contingency of U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also already concluded that Israel may remain in Shabaa Farms, a small hamlet Lebanon had laid claim to. The report said the land belongs to Syria, but its return must be a subject of Israeli-Syrian talks.
How that U.N. peacekeeping force will take up its duties in light of the turn of events remains to be seen. The U.N. Security Council on Monday adopted Annan’s recommendation to increase its peacekeeping force in Lebanon from 4,500 to 5,600, and ultimately, to 7,900.
However, given the unstable situation on the ground, Israeli officials are concerned that some countries may be reluctant to send their troops into a potentially dangerous environment.
“The thing to do is to consolidate and reinforce its position in an area that’s troubled,” a senior Israeli diplomat said, on condition of anonymity.
“Because the situation is volatile, it is the responsibility of the international community to restore peace and stability. Having said that, the ultimate guarantee for the citizens of Israel is the Israel Defense Forces.”