Threats of full-scale war
2006-07-21 12:43
Beirut - Israeli warplanes and artillery pounded Lebanon for the 10th straight day on Friday as Hezbollah rockets hit Haifa, after Israel warned it could launch a full-scale ground invasion and ordered residents of the bomb-hit south to flee.
At least three rockets struck Haifa, the first barrage in nearly 24 hours on the country's third-biggest cities.
Air raid sirens began wailing shortly after 13:10 and the first of what appeared to be three rockets struck the city.
Rescue officials did not immediately say if there were casualties but Israel's Channel 10 TV reported that at least two people had been injured.
Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at northern Israeli towns from the Lebanese border since fighting began on July 12, forcing hundreds of thousands of Israelis to take cover in underground shelters. A July 16 barrage killed eight people in Haifa.
The Israeli military on Friday called up several thousand reserve soldiers to reinforce units operating on the northern border.
At least 360 dead
Lebanon said its army was ready to go into battle if Israel invaded, an action that would sharply raise the stakes in a conflict that has killed at least 360 people on both sides and raised fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah issued a defiant new message that Israel's firepower was failing to dent his fundamentalist Shi'ite movement and vowed he would only release two captive Israeli soldiers in a prisoner swap.
Israeli troops had battled Hezbollah long into the night after mounting an incursion into Lebanon, leaving four soldiers and two fighters dead.
More 'surprises' to come
Nasrallah warned: "Even the whole universe would not be able to secure the release of the two Israeli soldiers unless there are indirect negotiations and an exchange of prisoners.
He boasted that Israel - the mightiest army in the Middle East - had failed to hit the Hezbollah leadership or destroy its arsenal and warned of more "surprises" to come.
"All of Israel's claims to have hit half of our missile potential and arsenal are nothing but erroneous words," Nasrallah said. "The leadership of Hezbollah has not been touched."
Full-scale ground invasion
Israel has made no secret of its desire to liquidate Nasrallah and has already launched air raids destroying his offices and home and dropped 20 tons of bombs on what it believed to be a bunker where leaders were hiding.
Defence minister Amir Peretz had warned on Thursday that Israel would launch a full-scale ground invasion if necessary to crush Hezbollah, which has long been a thorn in the side of the Jewish state.
Residents warned to flee
Israel launched a new wave of air and artillery strikes on southern Lebanon on Friday after issuing a new warning to residents to flee the area which has borne the brunt of the bombardment.
"This is because of the terror activity that was launched from this area and to avoid civilian casualties," an army spokesperson said.
Lebanon will defend itself
Lebanese defence minister Elias Murr said on Thursday that the army -- which has so far remained on the sidelines in Israel's war on Hezbollah -- would go into battle if Israel invaded.
"The Lebanese army will resist and defend the country and prove that it is an army worthy of respect," he said.
With no sign the international community is closer to brokering a ceasefire despite Annan's call, thousands of foreigners are continuing to be evacuated by sea to Cyprus while others pour across the border into Syria .
Thousands of Lebanese, in cars, trucks and minibuses, are also streaming out of southern Lebanon, where Israel's massive bombardment has left a trail of destruction and raised fears of a humanitarian catastrophe because of a shortage of food and medicines.
AP and AFP