Hezbollah guerrillas bombarded northern Israel with rockets and fought up to 6 000 Israeli troops in south Lebanon on Wednesday after Israel vowed to pursue the war until a strong international force arrived.
Israeli commandos snatched suspected Hezbollah members from the ancient city of Baalbek in a helicopter-borne raid backed by air strikes that killed 19 people, including four children.
In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Reuters he wanted the international force to be mandated to enforce a United Nations resolution that calls for Hezbollah to be disarmed, adding that Israel had already destroyed much of the group’s military power.
Soon after he spoke, one of more than 150 rockets launched by Hezbollah on Wednesday landed just inside the West Bank after flying further than any fired at Israel in the past three weeks.
Hezbollah said it had hit the Israeli town of Beit Shean, almost 70km from the border, with ”Khaibar 1” rockets to avenge Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon.
The Hezbollah salvo, which killed one person in the northern city of Nahariya, followed a two-day lull in such attacks.
Battles raged on five fronts in south Lebanon, security sources said. Israeli planes and artillery pounded villages as tank-led forces pushed in and Hezbollah guerrillas fought back.
”How much longer will I live? If I’m to die, I prefer to die under the rubble of my house,” Hassan Khaleef (80) alone at home in the Lebanese village of Haboush near Nabatiyeh, told Reuters.
Olmert confirmed Israel would carry on fighting until an international force was on the ground in south Lebanon. He listed the flight of civilians from the area as among the accomplishments of the Israeli military campaign.
At least 643 people in Lebanon and 55 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, now in its fourth week. Lebanon’s health minister puts the toll at 762, including unrecovered bodies.
”The infrastructure of Hezbollah has been entirely destroyed. More than 700 … command positions of Hezbollah were entirely wiped out by the Israeli army,” Olmert said.
Human toll
At least 750 000 Lebanese, almost a quarter of the population, have been driven from their homes.
Israeli bombing has devastated many southern villages and inflicted $2-billion of physical damage across the country, the transport and public works minister said.
Several United Nations and Red Cross convoys bearing food and medical aid headed to hard-hit areas, but at least one was called off after failing to get Israeli clearance, aid officials said.
The UN World Food Programme said Israel had given the go-ahead for two tanker ships to deliver desperately needed fuel oil and diesel to Beirut and the northern port of Tripoli.
The UN Security Council has yet to agree on a mandate for an international peacekeeping force and France said it would not attend a meeting of potential troop contributors on Thursday.
France has been touted to lead the force, but it wants a truce and an agreement on a framework for a permanent ceasefire before any troops deploy. That is at odds with the United States-Israeli view that a ceasefire can wait until the force moves in.
Israeli troops in helicopters landed near a Hezbollah-run hospital near Baalbek overnight and seized five suspected Hezbollah militants before returning safely to base, the army said. Hezbollah denied any of its militants were taken.
Security sources said two Hezbollah fighters were killed in Baalbek, which is 95km north-east of Beirut. It was the first helicopter-borne assault deep inside Lebanon in the conflict that flared after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.
At least 13 civilians were killed when Israeli warplanes hit Jammaliyeh, a village near Baalbek, security sources said.
A Lebanese army soldier was killed and two were wounded in an Israeli air strike on their post in the south, the army said.
The Baalbek attack followed the expiry of a 48-hour bombing pause agreed by Israel under US pressure after a raid killed 54 civilians, mostly children, in the southern village of Qana.
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos arrived in Beirut on Wednesday with humanitarian aid, diplomats said. He also plans to travel to Damascus. The foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt also held talks in Beirut.
Aid to Lebanon
Convoys bearing food and medical aid headed to hard-hit areas in Lebanon on Wednesday, after days of delays.
Multinational
World diplomats held talks in Rome on July 26 and agreed to convene an international donor conference.
Nine International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) convoys bringing aid and assessing needs have gone out around Beirut, Tyre, Marjayoun, Jezzine, and other communities.
The ICRC increased its appeal tenfold to 100-million Swiss francs ($81-million) to provide assistance to civilians.
United Nations
The UN says problems with convoys persist on Wednesday. It sent two convoys, but a third to the village of Rmaish had been blocked.
WFP says it has two tankers, now off Cyprus, for Beirut and Tripoli ports, one carrying 50 000 tonnes of fuel oil and the other 37 000 tonnes of diesel.
UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland announced ”Flash Appeal for Lebanon” on July 24 to collect $150-million in humanitarian aid. The sum will cover the needs of 800 000 people for three months.
EU
Announced â,¬20-million ($25,51-million) in aid and asked European states and the European Parliament to allow it to give another â,¬30-million.
Britain: Pledged £2,2-million ($4-million), taking total British commitment to £5-million.
Finland: Said it will grant â,¬1,5-million in emergency relief for Lebanon.
France: A French warship arrives in Beirut carrying 150 tonnes of food, blankets and medicine. France has pleged â,¬17,5-million in aid and is preparing â,¬1-million of food aid.
Greece: Sending 20 000 doses of antibiotics, as well as various other medical supplies.
Hungary: Said it will provide 6-million Hungarian forints ($27 000) in aid.
Ireland: Pledged to provide â,¬1-million in relief assistance for Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
The Netherlands: Will give â,¬4,5-million to humanitarian organisations working in Lebanon.
Spain: Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos arrives in Beirut on Wednesday with humanitarian aid, including 4,5 tonnes of medicines and family hygiene and cooking kits. Spain has allocated â,¬3-million.
Sweden: Giving 40,5-million crowns ($5,56-million) and will send trucks and medical staff to the Syrian city of Aarida to open a corridor to provide food and emergency aid.
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
The OIC has launched a relief campaign by setting up special bank accounts through the OIC’s Islamic Development Bank.
Kuwait:: Approved a draft law granting Lebanon $300-million for reconstruction efforts in addition to $20-million in aid. It also approved a $500-million deposit in Lebanon’s central bank.
Morocco: Granted $5-million humanitarian aid.
Saudi Arabia: Donated on Tuesday $2-million to support the food relief efforts of the WFP in Lebanon. It also pledged $500-million to rebuild Lebanon. King Abdullah also ordered the transfer of $1-billion to Lebanon’s central bank to help it support the economy.
United Arab Emirates: Two aid planes arrived on Monday carrying relief and medical supplies. Four more UAE aid aircraft will be dispatched as part of the UAE humanitarian air bridge. President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan ordered a donation of $20-million for Lebanon.
Australia
Australia’s international aid agency, AusAID, will contribute Aus$2-million ($1,52 million) to the World Food Programme to meet the immediate needs of up to 310 000 people. A further Aus$1-million will be provided to UN organisations, bringing the total contribution to Aus$5,5-million.
Canada
Canada says it is providing $5-million to UN agencies in response to the Flash Appeal.
United States
A boat carrying the first American aid arrived in Beirut on July 29, delivering blankets, tarpaulins and medical kits to support 10 000 people for three months. The United States said on July 24 it would contribute $30-million to an international appeal for humanitarian aid. The US Agency for International Development (USAid) has announced it will distribute more than $7-million in humanitarian assistance to UN agencies. – Reuters