Israel pushes 7km into Lebanon

2006-08-10 08:12

Rashaya - Israeli units pushed seven kilometres into Lebanese territory early on Thursday, reaching the suburbs of Khiam, Lebanese police said.

"The Israeli forces are now 500 metres from the western and southern entrances to Khiam," a police officer told AFP.

An Israeli armoured column backed by artillery left from the northern town of Metulla and avoided Bourj al Muluk and Qlaya heading instead for Khiam, a town in the east of south Lebanon, where Hezbollah fighters are entrenched, the police said.

Hezbollah fighters fired anti-tank rockets at the Israeli armour, the police said, as Israeli warplanes bombarded Khiam.

'Fierce combat'

Later, at dawn, police said another column of Israeli armour was moving toward the town of Marjayun, three kilometres northwest of Khiam.

Hezbollah indirectly confirmed the Israeli advance, stating in a communiqué that its fighters "are engaged in fierce combat with a Zionist force that has reached the square of Marjayun".

It went on: "Our fighters have destroyed two Merkava tanks, causing dead and wounded in their crews."

The advance on Khiam started shortly before midnight after a thousand shells fell on the town Wednesday evening.

Israel's privately run Channel 10 television earlier said ground troops backed by armoured cars moved into south Lebanon late on Wednesday from Metulla, at the northern point of Upper Galilee in Israel's north-eastern panhandle.

Not part of major offensive

An Israeli military spokesperson told AFP the advance did not mark the major extension of ground operations decided on by the security cabinet after a six-hour meeting earlier.

"Our forces are currently carrying out a limited operation against Hezbollah positions in Khiam from which they fired more than 60 Katyusha rockets against the town of Kiryat Shmona and the panhandle," the spokesperson said.

"This is not the major offensive authorised today by the security cabinet."

- AFP