Israel seeks force of up to 20,000 for Lebanon

JERUSALEM, July 25 (Reuters) Israel believes a force of up to 20,000 peacekeepers is needed to take over southern Lebanon and that a force could be deployed within two weeks of approval by Western powers, senior Israeli officials said today.

The estimate of 20,000 would be nearly double the size of the multilateral force being discussed by European powers.

''We're looking for a very large force. Between 10,000 and 20,000,'' a senior Israeli official told Reuters. ''The force can be deployed in stages. It can be done in one to two weeks.'' REUTERS MQA PM2039