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09/08/2006
Israel cabinet approves further Lebanon offensive
The Israeli cabinet has approved a plan for its army to push its offensive deeper into Lebanon in order to attempt to stop Hezbollah's rocket attacks on the country.
Israeli troops will now attempt to advance to the Litani River, which is around 18 miles inside Lebanon.
The operation, which is expected to require an extra 30,000 troops, could take up to 30 days.
Currently, around 10,000 Israeli soldiers are engaged in fighting with militants along a four-mile stretch in southern Lebanon.
Israel is continuing to launch airstrikes on southern Beirut, according to reports, while there have also been reports that Hezbollah fired 100 rockets into Israel on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that Israeli missiles have fallen on Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, Ein al-Hilweh, near Sidon. Two people are reported to have been killed and five people injured.
According to reports, the Israeli army said that it was targeting the house of a Hezbollah member.
Six people were also reported to have been killed in the town of Mashghara in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, when a two-storey building was hit by an Israeli missile and collapsed.
The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a suburb in southern Beirut has also increased to 41, with the discovery of more bodies in the rubble.
On Wednesday, there were reports that four Israeli soldiers had been killed in fighting along the Lebanese border.
Meanwhile, a vote on a UN resolution aimed at bringing an end to the conflict is now unlikely to take place until Thursday. French and US diplomats have reportedly been re-drafting plans as Lebanon continues to object to the original draft resolution.
Lebanon wants an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country.
However, Israel said that it would only withdraw its troops once an international force has been deployed in Lebanon.
Around 100 MPs - most of them Labour - are expected to deliver a letter to Commons leader Jack Straw on Thursday demanding a recall of Parliament because of the Middle East crisis.
Speaker Michael Martin will have the final decision on whether or not Parliament should be recalled.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict on July 12, many of them civilians. Around 100 Israelis, mostly soldiers, have been killed.
The conflict was triggered by the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah fighters.
(KMcA/SP)
Israeli troops will now attempt to advance to the Litani River, which is around 18 miles inside Lebanon.
The operation, which is expected to require an extra 30,000 troops, could take up to 30 days.
Currently, around 10,000 Israeli soldiers are engaged in fighting with militants along a four-mile stretch in southern Lebanon.
Israel is continuing to launch airstrikes on southern Beirut, according to reports, while there have also been reports that Hezbollah fired 100 rockets into Israel on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that Israeli missiles have fallen on Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, Ein al-Hilweh, near Sidon. Two people are reported to have been killed and five people injured.
According to reports, the Israeli army said that it was targeting the house of a Hezbollah member.
Six people were also reported to have been killed in the town of Mashghara in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, when a two-storey building was hit by an Israeli missile and collapsed.
The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a suburb in southern Beirut has also increased to 41, with the discovery of more bodies in the rubble.
On Wednesday, there were reports that four Israeli soldiers had been killed in fighting along the Lebanese border.
Meanwhile, a vote on a UN resolution aimed at bringing an end to the conflict is now unlikely to take place until Thursday. French and US diplomats have reportedly been re-drafting plans as Lebanon continues to object to the original draft resolution.
Lebanon wants an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country.
However, Israel said that it would only withdraw its troops once an international force has been deployed in Lebanon.
Around 100 MPs - most of them Labour - are expected to deliver a letter to Commons leader Jack Straw on Thursday demanding a recall of Parliament because of the Middle East crisis.
Speaker Michael Martin will have the final decision on whether or not Parliament should be recalled.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon since the beginning of the conflict on July 12, many of them civilians. Around 100 Israelis, mostly soldiers, have been killed.
The conflict was triggered by the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah fighters.
(KMcA/SP)
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03 August 2006
Middle East ceasefire plan due 'within days'
A United Nations resolution to pave the way for a ceasefire in the Middle East could be agreed within the next few days, Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.
Middle East ceasefire plan due 'within days'
A United Nations resolution to pave the way for a ceasefire in the Middle East could be agreed within the next few days, Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.
14 August 2006
Clashes continue following Middle East ceasefire
A ceasefire has come into force in Lebanon, following 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. However, there have been reports of skirmishes between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, in which six militants are understood to have been killed.
Clashes continue following Middle East ceasefire
A ceasefire has come into force in Lebanon, following 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. However, there have been reports of skirmishes between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, in which six militants are understood to have been killed.
28 July 2006
Blair heads to US for Middle East talks
Prime Minister Tony Blair is heading to Washington for talks with US President George W. Bush on the Middle East. Mr Blair is expected to push for a new UN resolution and the dispatch of an international force to Lebanon.
Blair heads to US for Middle East talks
Prime Minister Tony Blair is heading to Washington for talks with US President George W. Bush on the Middle East. Mr Blair is expected to push for a new UN resolution and the dispatch of an international force to Lebanon.
07 August 2006
'Forty killed' in Israeli airstrike
An Israeli airstrike on a Lebanese border village has reportedly left 40 people dead. The airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Houla was one of several fresh airstrikes on Lebanon, with reports of at least 20 fatalities in earlier raids in the country. Ground battles between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters are also continuing.
'Forty killed' in Israeli airstrike
An Israeli airstrike on a Lebanese border village has reportedly left 40 people dead. The airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Houla was one of several fresh airstrikes on Lebanon, with reports of at least 20 fatalities in earlier raids in the country. Ground battles between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters are also continuing.
26 July 2006
Israel accused of ignoring UN warnings
The United Nations has accused Israel of ignoring warnings from peacekeepers in Lebanon before the destruction of a UN observer post, which killed four people. According to a UN report, staff at the post made ten warning calls before the post in the town of Khiam was hit by an Israeli missile, killing four UN observers on Tuesday.
Israel accused of ignoring UN warnings
The United Nations has accused Israel of ignoring warnings from peacekeepers in Lebanon before the destruction of a UN observer post, which killed four people. According to a UN report, staff at the post made ten warning calls before the post in the town of Khiam was hit by an Israeli missile, killing four UN observers on Tuesday.
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