ISRAEL yesterday threatened an all-out invasion that would penetrate 20km deep into Lebanon if diplomatic efforts to end fighting with Hezbollah do not bear fruit within days.
"I have given an order that in the event that the diplomatic process does not end [successfully], the Israel Defence Forces will carry out the required operation of taking control of the rocket launching sites to reduce the firing of rockets and brin
g the citizens of Israel out of the shelters," the defence minister, Amir Peretz, told the Knesset legislators. According to Army Radio, Mr Peretz gave as little as 48 hours for the diplomacy to succeed, a deadline that would be nearly impossible to meet.
Earlier, political sources said Mr Peretz had called for an expanded push up to the Litani River, 20km inside Lebanon, in the wake of a Hezbollah rocket barrage that killed 15 Israelis including soldiers and civilians on Sunday, the deadliest day for Israel so far in the fighting.
Israeli warplanes bombed houses, bridges and roads across Lebanon yesterday, killing at least 27 civilians as the Lebanese prime minister, Fuad Saniora, made a tearful plea for an end to the slaughter.
More than 160 Hezbollah rockets were fired into Israel, wounding three people and providing further proof that Israeli operations were having little impact on the Shiite fundamentalist militia's capability.
At a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Beirut, Mr Saniora called for "an immediate and unconditional ceasefire". Wiping away tears, he said: "Your standing with us is a right and duty. Arab security is interlinked."
He accused the Israeli airforce of a deliberate massacre in the southern village of Hula, saying "more than 40 martyrs" had been killed there. However, he later corrected himself, saying one person was killed in Hula.
Sixteen civilians died in early-morning raids across southern Lebanon, while five more were killed at about noon after three buildings in Tyre collapsed under a hail of Israeli bombs.
Authorities say more than 1,000 Lebanese, mostly civilians, have died and about 3,500 people have been wounded in the Israeli offensive, which was triggered by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. The onslaught has also forced more than 915,000 people out of their homes and left the economy in ruins.
Sixty-one Israeli soldiers and 36 civilians have been killed, while life in northern Israel has been virtually paralysed by the Hezbollah rocket attacks. Three Israeli soldiers were killed in yesterday's fighting just inside Lebanon in an area where 10,000 Israeli troops have been trying to carve out a buffer zone.
The Israeli airforce seemed to be running out of targets, as warplanes again struck the already ravaged suburbs of Beirut.
Mr Peretz's plan for a push to the Litani River would still need to be approved by the cabinet, where it faces opposition from ministers who are wary of its potential for casualties. However, others refuse to accept a stalemate, and believe victory could emerge in a Litani offensive.
Bush presses for ceasefire despite doubts
GEORGE Bush has heaped pressure on Israel and Hezbollah to agree to a ceasefire, despite fears that a draft United Nations resolution fails to protect Lebanon's sovereignty.
The US president emphasised that the resolution - which it is hoped will be agreed by foreign ministers today or tomorrow - had to restore lasting peace.
But wrangling continued last night over the terms of the resolution, which, in effect, gives Israel the right to retaliate against Hezbollah attacks and continue its occupation of Lebanon until international forces create a buffer zone.
As talks appeared to stall, Mr Bush
told reporters that the resolution was intended to strengthen the Lebanese government and stop Hezbollah acting as a state within a state.
"Whatever comes out of the resolution must address the root cause and to create a vacuum is unacceptable," the president said.
In New York, UN members will today deliberate on resolutions for a ceasefire and the establishment of a peace keeping force. Downing Street maintained that British forces would not play a role.
Condeleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, was cautious about prospects of a lasting ceasefire. She said the resolution was the "first step, not the only step".
Her analysis was underscored by Lebanon, which yesterday put reservist troops on standby, and Israel, which warned it would regard a rocket attack on Tel Aviv a "direct act of war" by Iran, which it believes backs Hezbollah.
Security council experts have given credence to Lebanon's fears, however, saying the resolution did not sufficiently address Beirut's concerns about sovereignty.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said Tony Blair believed the current proposals had identified the "middle ground" between the two sides which should allow an urgent cessation of hostilities.
"We recognise the concerns on both sides. We are dealing with two countries that have deep-rooted differences. The Prime Minister is working to bridge those differences," the spokeswoman said.
Mr Blair had been in contact with world leaders including Mr Bush and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, to stress the need to get the resolution agreed as quickly as possible.
Mr Blair also spoke with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian premier.
Margaret Beckett, the Foreign Secretary, will break her holiday in France to fly to New York when the resolution is close to being agreed.
She is expected to push for humanitarian corridors to be established for food and medical supplies.
The draft resolution calls for Hezbollah to stop all military operations and for Israel to stop its military drive into Lebanon but it would allow Israel to strike back if Hezbollah were to break a ceasefire.
Lebanon urged the council to revise the resolution to demand that Israel pull its forces out of the country once hostilities end and hand over its positions to UN peacekeepers. The draft made no mention of an Israeli withdrawal.
GERRI PEEV POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
The full article contains 1018 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
