Israel sets ceasefire demands

2006-07-15 21:02

Jerusalem - Israel on Saturday laid out a set of demands to the Lebanese Shi'ite militia Hezbollah, which it said were its conditions for a ceasefire in Lebanon.

"Hezbollah must redeploy north of the Litani River. It must surrender its rocket arsenal to the Lebanese army, which must take up positions along the border with Israel," Justice Minister Haim Ramon told Israeli television.

"If these conditions are met, Israel will agree to a ceasefire," the minister said.

The Israeli army also dropped leaflets on southern Lebanon warning the population to stay away from the Israeli border, military officials said.

Thousands of Lebanese have been evacuating the border area after Israeli shelling and previous warnings to residents to leave in order to prevent Hezbollah guerrillas from hiding among civilians.

Eighteen people including nine children were killed in an Israeli helicopter attack on Saturday as they fled border villages in south Lebanon.

Israeli military officials said earlier this week that they intended to create a buffer zone in south Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from launching rocket attacks from the border zone.

- AFP