Hundreds of southern Lebanese villagers who left the area 20 or more years ago began returning to their homes yesterday, escorted by victorious Hizbullah fighters, as Israel lost control of much of the "security zone" it has occupied for the past two decades.
This dramatic return home amounted to the realisation of the Israeli nightmare scenario in south Lebanon, with Israel's withdrawing troops coming under ever heavier attack, its demoralised allies in the South Lebanon Army abandoning their positions and defecting, and the residents of northern Israel being forced into the bomb shelters.
"The Israeli plan for an orderly withdrawal from south Lebanon is over," said Mr Ehud Ya'ari, the Israel TV Arab affairs analyst, last night.
The Israeli government has pledged to complete its pull-out from the "security zone" - the southern strip of Lebanon it has held for almost two decades - by July 7th, but all the signs are that the army will be gone long before then, perhaps within just a few days, maybe even hours.
In recent days, some soldiers and huge quantities of heavy material have been brought back across the border, and key positions handed over to the SLA.
However, on Sunday and yesterday, SLA soldiers - some of whom have been sentenced to death by Lebanese courts for fighting alongside Israelis - abandoned their positions, and dozens have either defected to the ranks of the victorious Hizbullah guerrillas or surrendered at Lebanese army checkpoints.
Many more are seeking asylum in Israel, and the SLA commander, Mr Antoine Lahd, is currently in France.
Hizbullah fighters have gleefully filled the vacuum, taken over the outposts, and over the past two days have escorted hundreds of former residents of 12 villages in the disintegrating security zone back to their homes.
All day yesterday, Lebanese TV broadcast footage of delighted Shia villagers showering Hizbullah fighters with rice, raising Hizbullah flags at abandoned SLA outposts, and collecting some of the ammunition the fleeing soldiers had left behind in their hurry.
This dramatic shift in the balance of power in southern Lebanon places Hizbullah a mere mile or two from the Israeli border, with no Israeli troops - or international peacekeepers - between them and the border fence.
Israeli officials yesterday criticised UNIFIL - the United Nations force in south Lebanon - for failing to prevent the Hizbullah take-over of abandoned SLA positions.
Mr Timur Goksel, UNIFIL'S veteran spokesman, retorted that his force was not supposed to prevent what he called a civilian return. "The villagers are returning," he said. "The SLA members are running away."
The Hizbullah-led influx has been concentrated in the central sector of the security zone, formerly controlled by a largely Shia battalion of the SLA, the 70th Battalion, which has now collapsed.
Israel tried to retain control of the territory by firing towards the marching ranks of villagers from helicopter gunships.
Israeli military officials said the intention was to scare them away from villages close to the border.
However, at least three civilians were reported by UN sources to have been killed by the Israeli fire, and residents of northern Israel were ordered into bomb shelters yesterday afternoon for fear of Hizbullah rocket reprisals. Thousands chose instead to head south.
At a 2 1/2-hour security cabinet meeting last night, the Prime Minister, Mr Ehud Barak, was authorised to speed up the withdrawal from Lebanon. Sources said he could order the troops out within days or in up to two weeks.
As ministers plotted strategy, Israeli army reinforcements assembled at Israel's northern border and a convoy of tanks headed into south Lebanon, the last active frontline of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The security cabinet also authorised Mr Barak, who serves as defence minister, to order troops to open fire without consulting ministers.
Mr Barak promised a painful response to strikes on its soldiers or border communities after the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.