Israeli troops push towards Lebanon's Litani river

JERUSALEM, Aug 12 (Reuters) The Israeli army said today it had started broadening its ground offensive in south Lebanon and its forces were pushing towards the Litani river.

Troops were carrying out orders issued by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Amir Peretz, the army said after the U N Security Council adopted a resolution calling for an end to the month-old war between Israel and Hizbollah.

Israeli officials had said before yesterday's U N vote that the army would press ahead with its military campaign to quell Hizbollah cross-border rocket fire, at least until Olmert's cabinet met tomorrow.

They said Olmert would urge his cabinet to approve the U N resolution, which authorises 15,000 U N troops to be deployed to monitor a phased Israeli withdrawal and to help the Lebanese army deploy in southern Lebanon, now controlled by Hizbollah.

But for now, the Israeli army was moving forward.

The army said in a brief statement that its forces overnight ''began broadening ground operations in Lebanon, to areas in the direction of the Litani river''. There was no immediate word on the level of resistance they faced.

The Litani lies up to 20 km from the Israeli border, where thousands of Israeli troops had already been carving out a ''buffer'' zone.

Fighting erupted on July 12 after Hizbollah guerrillas abducted two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid. Israel launched an air and ground campaign, and Hizbollah started firing rocket barrages into northern Israel.

REUTERS PDM KP1100