The Lebanese defense minister said that the redeployment of Syrian troops in Lebanon will begin today. Abdel Rahim Mrad said forces will pull back to the eastern Bekaa Valley, beginning a two-stage withdrawal. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meets his Lebanese counterpart today to discuss the details. The US said the redeployment did not go far enough, while Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement has denounced what it called “foreign intervention” in Lebanon. Hezbollah called for a “massive popular gathering” on Tuesday against a UN resolution demanding the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon. The head of Hezbollah said the group would not lay down its arms because Lebanon needed it as a defense against Israel. President Assad announced the redeployment on Saturday after weeks of intensifying international pressure to withdraw. It is estimated the first step of the redeployment involves up to 5,000 soldiers, then some 15,000 thousand troops would pull back to the border itself.