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HAYY EL-RAMEL, Lebanon – As soon as the truckloads of Syrian soldiers had left for home, Mariam Majzoub started dishing out paint to erase the last vestiges of their 29-year presence.
Her children, nephews, nieces and neighbors stuck Lebanese flags on top of the abandoned posts near her home in this tiny Bekaa Valley village, slapped whitewash on the walls and celebrated the departure date in green paint: “Independence 2005, Sunday, April 17.”
“We started dancing in the street even before they turned the corner,” said Majzoub, her plump face glowing with joy. “We could finally express ourselves, and there was nothing they could do about it.”
Syria ended its three-decade presence in Lebanon on Sunday, leaving behind only a few score troops who will attend a farewell ceremony Tuesday.
