With the withdrawal of Syrian military and intelligence troops from Lebanon, orders went out from Damascus to dismantle and transport home all statues that had been set for the late Syrian President Hafez Assad and his elder son Bassel across Lebanon. A statue of Bassel Assad, erected in the town of Chtaura - after his death in a car crash on the Damascus airport highway some nine years ago - was removed from its base and taken to Syria on Thursday. A Hafez Assad statue - the biggest in Lebanon - on the outskirts of Baalbek was removed Saturday to the Syrian border and Hizbullah flags were immediately set up on the vacated base. Hafez Assad's statues had also been removed from Tyre, Lebanon's southernmost port city, and out from neighboring Qana.
| I guess they still have visions of Sammy's statue being pulled down in Baghdad and want to avoid having a similar scene become a part of Lebanon's fondest memories. |