Nick Blanford (left), Times correspondent, reports from the hills above Beirut on why today's agreement on Syrian troop withdrawal leaves too many questions unanswered.

"We saw a couple of Syrian army trucks going through the pass high up in the mountains between Beirut and the Bekaa valley today, filled up with baggage and equipment, with tarpaulins stretched over the back.

"We saw nothing like what you imagine when you think of a full-scale troop redeployment, however. There were no long lines of vehicles and tanks winding up the mountainside, no soldiers sitting in the backs of lorries.

"From what we can see, the mountain ridge above Beirut will be the new front line, with troops already stationed there pulling back into the Bekaa valley to make way for the soldiers withdrawing from the lowlands around Beirut.

"It appears that the Syrians are giving themselves a good three weeks to carry this out, and it is still unclear whether all the troops will then leave the country altogether.

"The international community will not be happy with this. The US, the French and the UN have made it very clear that they want the Syrians all gone pretty much immediately.

"Nor has anyone mentioned the Syrian military intelligence network, which for most Lebanese is the real issue. The soldiers have been pretty much confined to their compounds in isolated mountain locations for several years now, and don't impinge any more on Lebanese life.

"But military intelligence are the guys who basically run affairs in Lebanon. There are said to be about 75 or 80 full time intelligence officers here, based in divisional headquarters throughout Lebanon, running a huge network of informants with tentacles stretching into every part of public life.

"In government, if you want to get things done you have to go to Syrian military intelligence. If you want to do a big business deal in the mountains, you have to take on a couple of Syrian business partners, or life suddenly becomes very uncomfortable for you.

"It operates through its network of informants like a secret police, which basically ensures that there are no challenges to the status quo, and anyone who steps out of line is picked up very quickly. Someone who did not co-operate might disappear, and find themselves in an intelligence cell in Lebanon, or even transferred to Syria.

"If the Syrian agents were to leave, there is a possibility that the country will split along sectarian lines once more. The situation is in some respects similar to Iraq. Shia Muslims are now in the majority in Lebanon, but have traditionally been marginalised and overlooked from power.

"Lebanon's constitution has remained basically unchanged since independence in 1943, but there is always a chance that the Shia might start flexing their muscles and asking why the country is still being run by Maronite Christians when they are the largest ethnic community."

Times Recommends

• It’s only Brits who don’t appreciate me, says Blair
• Party’s over for Greek graspers
• White House tightens security for Xmas marathon