Israel warns Lebanese to flee, calls up reserves

BEIRUT, July 21 (Reuters) Israel warned Lebanese civilians to leave border villages today and called up thousands of reserves in a possible prelude to a ground offensive that would expand its 10-day-old campaign against Hizbollah guerrillas.

Israel has so far failed to stop Hizbollah cross-border rocket attacks, despite relentless bombardment which has killed 343 people and destroyed much of Lebanon's infrastructure.

Three explosions were heard in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, today a favoured target for Hizbollah rocket crews, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israeli planes dropped leaflets over south Lebanon, warning civilians to leave border villages for their own safety.

The army called up several reserve battalions, which can each comprise up to 1,000 soldiers, a military source said.

''It's possible that in the coming days our ground operations will increase,'' Brigadier-General Alon Friedman said earlier.

Elite Israeli troops have been launching small-scale raids in Lebanon to try to stop Hizbollah rocket attacks on Israel.

But Israel has been wary of launching a full-scale invasion in south Lebanon, only six years after it ended a 22-year occupation that was resisted by Hizbollah guerrilla attacks.

Lebanon's defence minister said the army, which has not fought so far despite losing a score of soldiers in Israeli air strikes, said it would defend the country against invasion.

Asked if the army would fight alongside Hizbollah against any Israeli ground incursion, Lebanese Defence Minister Elias al-Murr told Al Arabiya television: ''Our constitutional duty is to defend Lebanon as a Lebanese army. This is our role.'' The United Nations and many of its members have called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, but the United States says this would not solve the conflict unless Hizbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, is prevented from attacking Israel.

Fleeing daily Israeli bombardment and a gathering humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, thousands of tired, frightened foreigners flooded into Cyprus, sparking warnings by officials that the small island may not be able to cope with the influx.

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