Israel threatens to expand ground operations

JERUSALEM, Aug 7: Israel threatened today to expand ground operations against Hizbollah if diplomatic efforts to end the war remained stalled, apparently putting pressure on Beirut to accept a draft UN resolution aimed at ending fighting.

Defence Minister Amir Peretz made the threat a day after Hizbollah rockets killed 15 Israelis, the deadliest day of the war for Israel.

''I gave an order that, if within the coming days, the diplomatic process does not reach a (successful) conclusion, Israeli forces will carry out the operations necessary to take control of Katyusha rocket launching sites in every location,'' Peretz told a parliamentary committee in broadcast remarks.

Peretz was speaking after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met top defence officials to discuss broadening air and ground strikes.

Political sources said Peretz had urged at the meeting a further advance to the Litani River, 20 km (13 miles) inside southern Lebanon.

Olmert's office has not announced the meeting's decisions, but officials said that Olmert and Peretz held consultations afterwards with army commanders near the Lebanese border.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called for an early ceasefire today.

But Lebanon has also demanded that a draft U N Security Council resolution aimed at ending the fighting include a call for the immediate withdrawal of Israel's 10,000 troops from southern Lebanon.

DELAY

The Lebanese opposition has caused the United States and France to delay a vote on the resolution, though they may submit a revised text today.

While Israel has not formally commented on the draft resolution, one senior government official and Israeli media have said the Jewish state viewed it favourably, partly because it allowed soldiers to remain in southern Lebanon until an international force arrived to take over.

Troops there have already carved out a 6-7 km (4 mile) deep zone in the south.

The aim of advancing to the Litani River would be to destroy all Hizbollah short-range rocket launching sites and bunkers.

Israeli military officials claim up to 80 per cent of the longer-range missiles have been destroyed, but Western diplomats are sceptical about so high a figure The killing of 12 reserve soldiers and three civilians yesterday was Israel's highest death toll in a single day since the start of the Lebanon war nearly four weeks ago.

It has put Olmert under growing pressure to deliver a stinging blow to Hizbollah and ensure the Jewish state can claim victory once a U N resolution takes effect.

''Enough of this. Let's realise we are at war and conduct a war,'' Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon, who lives in northern Israel, said on Israel Radio. ''We have to wage war like war and ensure the Israeli army returns victorious from Lebanon.'' Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper earlier reported the army planned to hit strategic infrastructure targets and symbols of the Lebanese government in the wake of yesterday's rocket attack. It did not give examples of possible symbols.

Israeli air strikes have already caused extensive damage to Lebanon's infrastructure, including roads and bridges that Israel says Hizbollah uses to transport rockets.

The war was triggered by Hizbollah guerrillas' seizure of two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

REUTERS