Beirut, Lebanon ? Hundreds of thousands jammed a central Beirut square Tuesday, chanting support for Syria and anti-U.S. slogans in a thundering show of strength by the militant group Hezbollah — a rally that greatly outnumbered recent demonstrations against Syria’s presence in Lebanon.

The demonstration came hours before Syria began redeploying its troops within Lebanon to an area closer to the two countries’ border. President Bush, who rejects this as a half-step, said Tuesday that “freedom will prevail in Lebanon” and demanded that Syria withdraw completely.

But that was not the sentiment among the protesters in Riad Solh square, where two huge banners read, in English: “Thank you Syria” and “No to foreign interference.” The latter was a reference to U.S. and U.N. pressure on Syria — but not to the Syrian military, which the protesters made clear they were happy to have stay.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the United Nations must recognize Hezbollah as a “force in society that one will have to factor in as we implement the resolution,” referring to a U.N. resolution passed last year calling for the withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon and the disarmament of the country’s militias.

“We are demonstrating here against foreign intervention in our internal affairs, and we’re supporting Hezbollah,” said Maha Choukair, a 21-year-old Lebanese University student. “Here we are saying thank you to Syria, not asking them to leave.”

Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli party representing Shiite Muslims, organized the rally as a way of demonstrating that it will remain a powerful force in Lebanon even if Syria leaves. The Lebanese opposition, which opposes Syria’s presence, has been trying to persuade Hezbollah to remain neutral in the country’s political crisis.

Lebanon’s state news agency estimated 1.5 million participated in Tuesday’s rally, but that seemed high for the nation of 3.7 million. An Associated Press estimate put the crowd’s size at 400,000 to 500,000.

Pro-Syrian protesters gather near the U.N building during a pro-Syrian demonstration in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday. The protest, organized by the Shiite Muslim militant Hezbollah, is meant to counter the almost daily anti-Syrian protests staged by the Lebanese opposition that had drawn tens of thousands.