Region | Lebanon
Israel raids villages in southern area
Israel raided Hezbollah weapons caches in Lebanese villages close to the border and bombarded southern Lebanon yesterday, but said it planned no full-scale invasion for now.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:33 May 3, 2009
Marjayoun: Israel raided Hezbollah weapons caches in Lebanese villages close to the border and bombarded southern Lebanon yesterday, but said it planned no full-scale invasion for now.
Thousands of Lebanese civilians fled north fearing Israel will invade Lebanon and expand an 11-day-old war which has killed 351 people, mostly civilians.
Resisting growing calls for a ceasefire, the United States stressed the need to tackle what it sees as the root cause of the conflict - Hezbollah's armed presence on Israel's border and the role of its allies, Syria and Iran.
"Resolving the crisis demands confronting the terrorist group that launched the attacks and the nations that support it," US President George W. Bush said in a radio address yesterday, one day before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to head to Israel.
An Israeli army spokesman said the army was operating one or two kilometres inside Lebanon.
Troops backed by around a dozen tanks and armoured vehicles were in the town of Maroun Al Ras, scene of intense battles earlier this week, where they found Hezbollah bunkers and weapons stores, the spokesman said.
"It will probably widen, but we are still looking at limited operations," he said. "We're not talking about massive forces going inside at this point."
Israeli forces had urged residents of 14 villages in south Lebanon to leave by 4pm ahead of more air raids.
Israel has been building up its forces at the border and has called up 3,000 reserves. Defence Minister Amir Peretz has talked of a possible land offensive to halt rocket attacks.
LBC official killed
Israeli air raids struck transmission stations used by several Lebanese television channels, including Hezbollah's Al Manar, and a mobile telephone mast in Christian areas north of Beirut, cutting mobile phone services in northern Lebanon.
The official in charge of the station transmitting LBC programmes was killed, the channel said. A nun at a nearby church said two French nationals were also lightly wounded.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said Israel hit a Hezbollah radio and television transmitter and an antenna transmitting frequencies "used by Hezbollah". Al Manar television was still broadcasting after the strikes.
Israeli medics and the army said at least 10 Hezbollah rockets hit towns across northern Israel, wounding 10 people and damaging two houses.
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