Fierce ground fighting in Lebanon

Israeli forces are continuing to fight Hezbollah fighters in ground battles in Lebanon, according to reports.

The latest news from the region indicates that fierce ground clashes are continuing in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, which is believed to be a Hezbollah stronghold.

According to reports, Israeli troops and tanks have sealed off the town, where fighting has been ongoing since Saturday, when Israeli troops seized control of the the nearby village Maroun al-Ras.

It has also been reported that the Israeli army have claimed to have killed 20 Hezbollah fighters.

However, Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets into northern Israel. A 15-year-old girl is reported to have been killed when a rocket hit her home in the village of Maghar.

Haifa is also reported to have been hit by at least a dozen rockets, with reports that two rockets hit near the city's Rambam hospital. At least five people are reported to have been injured.

The Lebanese city of Tyre has also come under heavy Israeli bombardment.

On Tuesday afternoon, there was also reports of a series of large explosions in the Lebanese capital Beirut, the first bomb attacks in the city for nearly two days.

The Israeli offensive into Lebanon was launched on July 12, following the kidnap of two Israeli soldiers and the deaths of eight others in a cross-border raid by Hezbollah fighters.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been continuing her visit to the Middle East. Ms Rice met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Monday, before travelling to Israel to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

Israel has also been continuing a separate offensive in Gaza, which was launched following the kidnap of an Israeli soldier last month by Hamas-linked militants.

Speaking in Israel, Ms Rice called for peace across the region and expressed concern for the suffering of "innocent people" caught up in the fighting.

However, the US Secretary of State stressed that "a sustainable peace" needed to be achieved. She said: "It's time for a new Middle East, it is time to say to those who do not want a different kind of Middle East that we will prevail; they will not."

Mr Abbas called for an Israeli-Palestinian truce. However, Mr Olmert warned that Israeli army operations would continue. The Israeli Prime Minister said that Israel was defending itself against terrorism, but stressed that it was not at war with Lebanon, but with Hezbollah.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah warned that the conflict could lead to the entire Middle East becoming engaged in war.

(KMcA)