[BBC News] Lebanese army crosses key river

Lebanese army crosses key river

Lebanese troops have not controlled the south since the 1960s Lebanese troops have crossed the strategically important Litani river, moving into some areas of southern Lebanon for the first time in decades. France has confirmed it is ready to head an expanded international force working alongside the Lebanese army. But France and other UN contributors want their roles clearly defined, including any disarming of Hezbollah. Israel, meanwhile, says it has passed control of half of its positions in the south to the current UN force there. Dozens of Lebanese army trucks, armoured personnel carriers and jeeps crossed the Litani using temporary bridges set up to bypass bridges damaged by Israeli shelling. The vanguard crossed at 0600 local time (0300 GMT), to be greeted by residents cheering and waving. About 2,000 Lebanese troops are in the initial deployment, which will rise to the 15,000-strong force approved on Wednesday by the Lebanese cabinet, which includes two Hezbollah members. Disarmament dilemma Senior Hezbollah and other Lebanese figures have made it clear there is no question of the army disarming Hezbollah fighters. Mid-East crisis: Key maps Lebanon: Key facts Italy's foreign minister also said Italian troops, preparing to join the international force, were not expecting to be involved in disarming the group. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has said that no weapons will be allowed outside the authority of the Lebanese state. But the BBC's Jon Leyne says there seems to be a tacit agreement for the fighters to hide their weapons and go underground. The disarmament question is sure to be high on the agenda of a UN troop contributors' meeting to be held in New York later on Thursday. Handover As the Israeli pullout continues, an Israeli military spokeswoman said the town of Marjayoun and its surrounding area were now in the hands of troops from Unifil, the 2,000-strong existing UN force. The spokeswoman said the handover would continue gradually but it was too early to say how soon Israeli troops would be able to pull out of Lebanon entirely. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said: "If it takes time until the international forces are organised, it takes time until Israel withdraws. This is the equation." French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has confirmed that France is ready to lead an expanded UN force in Lebanon but only with a clear mandate and sufficient resources. France's Le Monde newspaper said on Thursday that Ms Alliot-Marie was planning to send only a small, symbolic French force and that UN officials were trying to persuade her to send a far greater contingent. The expanded UN force's commander, Gen Alain Pellegrini, said he expected the first elements to start arriving early next week. "This Unifil will be very different from the previous one. The old Unifil is dead," he told AFP news agency. Hard road home Israeli aircraft have been dropping leaflets warning refugees to stay away from southern Lebanon. Despite these warnings, there has been a steady stream of displaced people heading home. The UN says around a quarter of a million have already returned but hundreds of thousands are still believed to be on the move. They face a tough journey with traffic jams and the threat of unexploded bombs, the BBC's Greg Morsbach reports. The UN found 200 cluster bombs near a hospital, in the village of Tebnin. Many of those who managed to escape days of heavy bombardment are now faced with rebuilding their villages and Hezbollah is offering assistance, our correspondent notes. In another sign of a return to normality, a commercial flight from Amman in Jordan arrived at Beirut airport on Thursday - the first since Israel bombed the runway on 13 July.

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