Top Israeli Cabinet ministers decided yesterday not to expand
the country's Lebanon offensive, Israel Radio reported. But they
approved calling up three additional divisions of reserve soldiers.
Meanwhile, a Hezbollah rocket hit a chemical plant in the northern
Israeli town of Kiryat Shemona, security officials said.
The type of chemicals involved and the extent of the damage were
not immediately known. During Israel's 17-day offensive in Lebanon,
Hezbollah has fired more than 1,400 rockets into Israel.
During a meeting of the security Cabinet on whether to expand
the attacks in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the
goals of the offensive are being met.
The decision came as the military pounded suspected Hezbollah
positions across Lebanon yesterday. The attacks extended the air
campaign a day after the military suffered its highest one-day
casualty toll since the offensive began.
An Israeli Cabinet minister said lack of agreement on a
ceasefire gave Israel permission to press deeper to wipe out the
Islamic militant group.
The airstrikes also hit a Lebanese army base and a radio relay
station and destroyed several roads. The series of raids in
northern, eastern and southern Lebanon killed at least one person
and wounded others.
On Wednesday, a high-level Mideast conference in Rome ended in
disagreement, with most European leaders urging an immediate
ceasefire, but the US willing to give Israel more time to punish
the guerrilla group.
About 600 Lebanese civilians killed in Israeli
assault
Lebanese Minister of Public Health Mohammed Jawad Khalife said
yesterday that about 600 Lebanese civilians had been killed in the
ongoing Israeli massive assault in Lebanon, which was launched 16
days ago.
Khalife was quoted by the Lebanese state-run radio as saying
that hospitals across Lebanon had received some 400 bodies so far
and that about 150 to 200 people were believed to be still buried
under the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli air raids.
The health minister said that rescue teams were unable to reach
the destroyed buildings and retrieve the bodies of the victims due
to intense Israeli bombardments.
Violence erupted in Lebanon on July 12 when Lebanon's Hezbollah
guerillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight during
cross-border attacks and Israel responded by launching a massive
onslaught.
Fifty-one Israelis including 18 civilians have been killed in
the over-two-week-old conflict.
(Chinadaily.com.cn via agencies, Xinhua News Agency July 28,
2006)
