Israel pounds Lebanon, civilians fear worse to come

BEIRUT, July 20 (Reuters) Israeli warplanes pounded Lebanon today and frightened civilians feared the bombing would get worse once thousands of foreign nationals complete their evacuation from the stricken Arab country.

Dozens of aircraft dropped 23 tonnes of explosives on a building in Beirut's southern suburbs where the army said it suspected senior Hizbollah leaders were holed up. The guerrilla group, however, denied any of its leaders or members were killed during the raid which it said hit a mosque under construction.

Sixty-three Lebanese civilians were killed in air strikes on Wednesday, the deadliest toll in the nine-day war triggered in retaliation to Hizbollah's July 12 capture of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border operation.

Hizbollah rockets killed two children in the northern Israeli city of Nazareth, medics said. More rockets fell on the city of Haifa and one hit an empty seafront restaurant.

And despite international concern, there was no sign Israel or its Lebanese Shi'ite foes were ready to heed the Beirut government's pleas for an immediate halt to a war that has killed at least 299 people in Lebanon and 29 in Israel.

''I have a very bad feeling that after the foreigners flee the bombings will get worse,'' said 37-year old Ziad Nayef, a costume designer. ''Nobody cares about Arab lives.'' Apart from the southern suburb, Israel has already hit Beirut's port, a lighthouse on its seafront. It also targeted two trucks with well-drilling gear in a Christian district but caused no injuries.

About 1,100 American evacuees who left Beirut by sea and air reached Cyprus yesterday, the largest group of US citizens to have been rescued from Lebanon in a single day.

France said about 8,000 of its 17,000 citizens resident in Lebanon had asked to be evacuated. Germany sent at least 500 citizens by bus to Syria.

BUNKER STRIKE The Israeli Maariv newspaper's NRG Web site quoted a senior military source as saying that Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was believed to be in the southern Beirut bunker during the air strike.

But Hizbollah said the Israeli statements showed ''the enemy was trying to cover its military and security failures with lies and claims of fictitious achievements''.

Israeli troops crossed the border and the army said two of its soldiers were killed and nine injured in fighting with Hizbollah guerrillas.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said more than 500,000 people had been displaced and appealed for international help.

More Reuters YA GC0649