I don't want to start another thread about the Lebanon, so I will just post the pics in here.
Syrian Troops in Lebanon 1976-2005.
In 1975 the Lebanese Civil War began along the lines of political and religious differences. On the 31st of May, 1976. The Syrian Arab Army deployed 2000 troops supported by 70 tanks which arrived in a total of three columns. The first column moved south across Shuf towards Sidon. However this column was halted by the PLO which prevented any further advancement of the Syrians.
The second column moved towards Beirut while the third moved through the Bekaa Valley towards Tripoli but faced resistance from the Christians.
The Syrians had caused significant losses to the warring factions and eventually the Syrians were forced to adopt a ceasefire which the troops already in Lebanon would become the foundation for an Arab Peacekeeping Force. The Syrian troops would remain for longer as the situation in 1982 flared up with the Israeli Invasion. Syrian Troops remained in Lebanon where they actively fought against the warring factions including the IDF. As the mandate for their mission was renewed.
In around 1991 a treaty was signed between Lebanon and Syria which essentially made Lebanon's external defense the responsibility of the Syrian Government. As time went on the Syrian presence faced criticism and resistance from the local civilian population. Eventually the Syrian troops were pulled out on April 30, 2005. Thus ending the 29 year presence in the country.
A Syrian soldier standing near a painting of his late president Hafez al-Assad, guards 15 June 2001, the entrance of a Syrian army camp near the Lebanese ministry of Defence in Yarze on the eastern outskirts of Beirut. Syrian troops based in Beirut and surrounding, mainly Christian- populated areas, began pulling out 14 June 2001, heading eastward in a redeployment demanded for months by Lebanese Christian and other opposition leaders. AFP PHOTO RAMZI HAIDAR (Photo by RAMZI HAIDAR / AFP) (Photo by RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP via Getty Images)
KAHALEH, LEBANON - JUNE 14: Syrian soldiers flash V-signs as they pass a church in Kahaleh on the Beirut-Damascus highway, north of Beirut, 14 June 2001. Syrian troops based in Beirut and areas close to the Lebanese capital began to "redeploy" overnight in an operation scheduled to last several days, according to a senior Lebanese official. (Photo credit should read RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Syrian soldiers carry a portrait of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's late brother, Bassel, as they dismantle one of their posts in Yarze on the Beirut-Damascus highway 14 June 2001. Syrian troops based in Beirut and areas close to the Lebanese capital began yesterday redeploying their forces in an operation scheduled to last several days. AFP PHOTO/Ramzi HAIDAR (Photo credit should read RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP via Getty Images
BEIRUT, LEBANON: Syrian soldiers load their luggage onboard a truck in Beirut 17 June 2001. Syrian troops based in Beirut and surrounding, mainly Christian- populated areas, began pulling out 14 June, heading eastward in a redeployment demanded for months by Lebanese Christian and other opposition leaders. AFP PHOTO/Suhaila SAHMARANI (Photo credit should read SUHAILA SAHMARANI/AFP via Getty Images)