Israel sees stepped up fighting before force deploys

JERUSALEM, July 31: Israel plans to step up its offensive against Hizbollah guerrillas until an international force deploys in south Lebanon, despite calls for an immediate truce, officials said today.

''We cannot agree to an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon because then we will find ourselves in a few months in a similar situation,'' Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz said. ''The army will expand and deepen its actions against Hizbollah.'' Senior Israeli officials said the government wants to pursue its offensive until an international force arrives because any pause could be exploited by Hizbollah.

If approved by the U N Security Council later this week, the first contingent of a stabilisation force could be dispatched to south Lebanon within days, possibly as soon as next week, Israeli officials and Western diplomats estimated.

But Israeli officials said it was unclear whether the United States would give Israel extra time to attack Hizbollah because of mounting international calls for an immediate ceasefire.

U S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said earlier today she believed a ceasefire could be forged this week. She won a 48-hour suspension of Israeli air strikes after an attack killed at least 54 civilians in a south Lebanon village.

A senior Western diplomat involved in the deliberations said Rice was vague on whether the offensive could continue until peacekeepers arrive. ''We know the offensive is going to end. The timetable is the biggest question now,'' the diplomat said.

A senior Israeli government official said: ''That needs to be clarified with the Americans.''

FRENCH CAPABILITY France has emerged as the most likely leader of the peacekeeping force, and experts said Paris has the capability to quickly deploy several thousand well-armed troops. ''France has the means to send 5,000 troops straight away. And 5,000 troops that are well equipped,'' said French defence consultant Jean-Louis Dufour. ''The problem isn't a human one. The problem is political. The problem is the mandate.'' Israel believes the force will need to total between 10,000 and 20,000 troops.

But while Israel sees its offensive ending only once the stabilisation force begins arriving, France wants a ceasefire and a political agreement before it sends any forces in.

Germany's deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler said Rice had achieved more than he expected with the 48-hour suspension.

''We now get the impression that America is exerting a lot of pressure. America understands exactly what potential danger there is for Israel and America from Qana,'' he told Germany's ZDF television.

An Israeli army spokesman said the 48-hour suspension had not tied the military's hands completely: ''If we identify a rocket launch there will be an air strike or if we identify a truck loaded with weapons there will be one too.'' Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon, speaking before Rice's announcement, told Army Radio the decision to suspend strikes for 48 hours did not mean the war was about to end but should lift some international pressure on Israel.

''If it ends today it means a victory for Hizbollah ... and for world terror, with far-reaching consequences. Therefore this war is not about to end, not today and not tomorrow,'' he said.

Reuters