Syria 'announcing troop pullback'

DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian President Bashar Assad, facing increasing international pressure, is expected to announce a pullback of Syrian troops to eastern Lebanon, Beirut political sources have said.

Assad will make an unexpected address to Syria's parliament on Saturday, the country's official news agency announced Friday.

Lebanon's defense minister said he expected Assad to announce a pullback of troops to the Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon, near the Syrian border, but not a full withdrawal, The Associated Press reported.

"No one knows what President Assad will say except the president himself, but we expect President Assad to announce a redeployment to the Bekaa region," Abdul-Rahim Murad, a member of the pro-Syrian government in Beirut, told AP.

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