Syrian intelligence quit its Lebanese headquarters in the border town of Anjar on Monday, virtually completing a pullout of Syrian forces from Lebanon and ending Damascus's 29-year domination.
[Whoo-Hoo!
Pop the champagne corks in Beirut!--Jen]
As the last Syrian military and intelligence units pulled out, Lebanon's Syrian-installed security apparatus showed signs of collapse with the resignation of the country's most powerful security chief allied with Damascus.
[...]
But the United States, which led international pressure on Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, was skeptical.
"It's clear that Syria has been withdrawing its military forces from Lebanon," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters in Washington. "This process isn't complete either (on) the military forces or the intelligence assets."
[The] Lebanese election due in May would test whether Syria still intervened in the affairs of its smaller neighbor, said one U.S. official who asked not to be named.
[...]
"It's finally over. I'm very optimistic about Lebanon's future," said Michael Young, a political commentator critical of Syria. "No doubt they will continue to try to play a role in Lebanon, but the structure of their system of authority in Lebanon has collapsed."
Residents welcomed Lebanese troops as they took over, waving Lebanese flags and showering them with flowers and rice.
The military road that links the two countries will be closed after the farewell ceremony ends, they said.
This is very, very good and the Cedar Revolution rolls on, but...what's happened to Hezbollah?
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