Israel will hold Lebanon security strip - minister

JERUSALEM, July 25 (Reuters) Israel intends to control a security zone in southern Lebanon until an international force can be deployed to take it over, Defence Minister Amir Peretz said today.

Peretz said Israel would control the zone by firing at anyone who enters it. He did not say how wide the zone would be.

Israeli government sources estimated the width of the zone at 3-4 kilometres. Western diplomats briefed by the Israeli government said it could be as wide as 5-10 kilometres in some places.

''We have no other option ... We will have to build a new security strip, a security strip that will be a cover for our forces until international forces arrive,'' Peretz told reporters.

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