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Israel fights in south Lebanon

Posted on: Monday, 31 July 2006, 21:19 CDT

By Alaa Shahine

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Hizbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon early on Tuesday, as the Jewish state gave the green light to widen a ground offensive and push deep into Lebanese territory.

Hizbollah said it was battling Israeli incursions near the border areas of Aita al-Shaab and the village of Kfar Kila. An Israeli military source reported "on and off" clashes but did not give further details.

The southern village of Qana was set to bury bodies of at least 54 civilians, including 37 children on Tuesday, two days after they were killed in an Israeli air strike that sparked international outrage and calls for a swift end to the fighting.

At least 598 people have been killed in Lebanon, although the health minister puts the toll at 750 including bodies still buried under rubble. Fifty-one Israelis have also been killed in the violence ignited by Hizbollah's July 12 capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border operation.

Despite international condemnation of the Qana attack and the U.S. Secretary of States Condoleezza Rice's view that a ceasefire could be reached this week, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said there was no sign fighting would end soon.

"The fighting continues. There is no ceasefire and there will not be any ceasefire in the coming days," Olmert told a gathering of northern Israeli mayors on Monday.

Civilians fled battered villages in southern Lebanon after Israel said it had agreed to partially halt air strikes for 48 hours, and aid convoys headed into the area to deliver supplies.

Rescue workers found 49 bodies buried for days in collapsed buildings or inside destroyed vehicles, medical sources said.

GROUND OPERATIONS EXPANDED

Israel's inner security cabinet gave the go-ahead to widen the ground offensive against Hizbollah.

"The security cabinet approved a widening of ground operations without any objections," a government official said early on Tuesday.

The aim was to push Hizbollah back to the Litani River, some 20 km (13 miles) north of the border, a political source said.

Israel Radio reported plans to call up more reserve soldiers to support the expanded ground operations. The radio said additional three divisions -- which could mean at least a further 15,000 reservists -- would be called up.

Israeli forces have faced tough resistance from Hizbollah in last week's clashes near the border town of Bint Jbeil and the village of Maroun al-Ras, with Hizbollah killing 16 Israeli soldiers. The Israeli army said it had killed scores of guerrillas there but Hizbollah did not confirm the casualties.

Israeli jets bombed a road near the northeastern Lebanese town of al-Hermil near the Syrian border early on Tuesday, a security source said. An air strike late on Monday near the main border crossing from Syria wounded four Lebanese custom officials and three truck drivers.

The raids on the Hermil area were aimed at "preventing the transferring of weaponry" to Hizbollah, an Israeli army spokesman said.

Syria, which backs Hizbollah, ordered its military to raise readiness, pledging not to end support for resistance to Israel.

Israel announced a partial 48-hour suspension of air strikes early on Monday and said it was giving a 24-hour window to allow aid workers to reach the worst hit areas and residents to flee.

But warplanes bombed targets in the area later in the day and the United Nations said access had not improved.

Israel said it would still use air strikes against Hizbollah leaders and rocket launchers and to back up ground forces.

DIVISIONS OVER CEASEFIRE

Rice, ending her trip to Israel, said a ceasefire could be forged this week, but Israel said the war was not over.

"If an immediate ceasefire is declared, the extremists will rear their heads anew," said Defense Minister Amir Peretz.

Olmert said a ceasefire could be implemented immediately after a new international peacekeeping force arrived in Lebanon.

U.N. officials said a meeting scheduled for Monday on the force, which would replace its interim force that has been ineffectual in halting violence, until at least Thursday because the force planning process was ahead of diplomatic efforts.

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said an international force could be deployed only once a ceasefire had been agreed. Russia also demanded an immediate ceasefire.

But the United States, which blames Hizbollah for the war, is refusing to back calls for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Hizbollah fired two shells into the northern Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona on Monday, but nobody was wounded. The group also said its rockets hit an Israeli warship off Lebanon's south port city of Tyre, but an Israeli source denied the claim.

(Additional reporting by Jerusalem bureau)

Source: REUTERS

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