By Amos Harel
Ha'aretz Correspondent and Agencies

Israel's 18-year-long military presence in Lebanon came to an end last night as the sudden collapse of the South Lebanon Army forced the IDF to conduct a hasty retreat from outposts throughout the security zone.

The IDF last night was beginning evacuations of its last eight outposts in the security zone. Seven are in the eastern sector: Reihan, Ishiye, Dla'at, Beaufort, Galgalit, Shreifa, Shani, and the headquarters in Marjayoun; in the eastern sector, they were evacuating Karkum. Efforts were under way to complete the withdrawal last night, but IDF sources said it could take a second day to complete the withdrawal.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak was in the North last night, meeting with IDF commanders coordinating the withdrawal.

Despite the appearance of turmoil, particularly as thousands of ex-SLA soldiers and their families streamed into Israel as refugees, as of press time last night no Israelis had been injured or wounded in a withdrawal that the prime minister said "cut the vicious cycle of the tragedy in Lebanon for Israel."

There were mixed signals on prospects for peace after the Israeli withdrawal, which will depend on cooperation with United Nations officials who must verify that Israel has returned over the borders that it invaded in 1978. The Lebanese government indicated that it was ready to delay pressing its claim to land bordering the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, but Hezbollah guerrillas said the war to regain territory would continue.It was a day of symbolism for all sides in South Lebanon.

At Al-Hayam Prison, where human rights groups have long claimed the SLA tortured prisoners it seized in its battle against Hezbollah, SLA guards simply drove away and nearby villagers and relatives stormed the infamous prison, freeing some 150 prisoners who had been held for as long as 15 years.

Another symbol of the drama was at the Fatma crossing near Metulla. For years, the crossing has been reserved for Lebanese workers entering Israel for day jobs. Yesterday it was the scene of long lines of panic-stricken ex-SLA soldiers and their families, trying to get into Israel before the Hezbollah arrived. "There are hundreds of abandoned BMWs along the road - and a few tanks," said Timur Goksel, spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping force.

A third symbol was the almost empty town of Kiryat Shmona, as the mayor told residents to take shelter outside the northern town, for fear that the Hezbollah would soon be sending missiles into the long-suffering town. But Barak noted last night that the 18 years of Israel's occupation in Lebanon did not prevent some 4,000 Katyushas from hitting the town of 18,000.

Finally, there was the symbol of soldiers driving home through the Fatma crossing after a final tour in Lebanon. The Golani soldiers sang, the Nahal soldiers went quietly - one carried a plastic bag with his company mascots, three goldfish, and others simply crossed the border and called home. Barak, who appeared on Channel One in an interview with Dan Margalit, called that scene among the most memorable of the day.

But he rejected claims on the right that the scenes of some turmoil and the sudden withdrawal that was originally planned for July 7 were a "humiliation" for Israel. Indeed, said Barak, he was proud to head a government that ended the Israeli occupation, "bringing home the boys ... to defend Israel from inside Israel." He told the interviewer that he had rounded up massive international support for the withdrawal, and that if the Hezbollah does indeed make an attempt on Israel across the border, Israel's retaliation would be massive. He said that he expected around 5,000 to 6,000 Lebanese as refugees here, but added that if things quiet down in South Lebanon, many would probably return to their homes.

The UN yesterday endorsed a plan for verifying Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon that called for all parties to show restraint and cooperate with UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. But Lebanese President Emile Lahoud gave a hostile reception to UN plans for monitoring the end of Israel's occupation of South Lebanon, leaving the future of the peacekeeping role uncertain.

Lahoud told ministers "of his regret and condemnation of the UN's decision on including Shaba'a Farms within Resolution 425," Khalil said. Shaba'a, on the western flank of the Hermon, has been patroled by the same UN force that oversees the cease-fire between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights, and the UN has determined that Shaba'a is not Lebanese territory. The Hezbollah vowed yesterday to continue fighting if Shaba'a is not returned to Lebanon.

The Lebanese president's statement, in advance of a mission to Beirut by UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen tomorrow, added to uncertainty about how Lebanon will respond to UN efforts to provide peace in South Lebanon. Early in the day, Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss indicated that the Shaba'a controversy would not be a major impediment to cooperation.

A statement at a Security Council meeting welcomed Secretary General Kofi Annan's intention to ensure that a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon has taken place and to increase the UNIFIL force from 4,513 to as many as 7,935. Annan's report said that after a withdrawal, the Lebanese army "should ensure that all national territory falls under the effective authority of the government" - which officers with the peacekeeping force believe will not happen.

In a related development, Antoine Lahad, leader of the now dissolved SLA, landed in at Ben-Gurion International Airport last night after spending the past few weeks in Paris.