ISRAEL: Israeli artillery continues to pound southern Lebanon and Hizbollah rockets hit northern Israeli towns as the cross border fighting entered its 17th day

Israeli artillery continued to pound southern Lebanon and Hizbollah rockets hit northern Israeli towns on Friday (July 28) as the cross border fighting entered its 17th day. Israel was massing forces on its northern border and ground troops were operating in Lebanese territory. Tanks fired barrages of shells on southern Lebanon and smoke and dust could be seen billowing over Lebanese houses. Fierce battles with Hizbollah have been raging inside southern Lebanon with heavy casualties on both sides. The intense Israeli bombardment killed 14 people in Lebanon on Friday. Warplanes repeatedly bombed hill villages near the southern port of Tyre and hundreds of artillery rounds crashed across the border from Israel, killing 10 people, including a Jordanian. Four people died in about 70 air strikes in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanese security sources said. Hizbollah guerillas in Lebanon fired at least 90 rockets across northern Israel on Friday, wounding at least six people, police said. Longer-range rockets landed in open areas near to the Israeli town of Afula, which is some 50 km (33 miles) from the Lebanese border. Hizbollah has fired rockets at Afula in the past. Hizbollah said it had fired "Khaibar 1" rockets at Afula, apparently a new type of salvo. The longer-range rockets landed in an open area near the town of Afula, which is some 50 km (33 miles) from the Lebanese border. It matched the furthest distance that Hizbollah rockets have landed inside Israel since the conflict began on July 12. An Israeli police spokesman confirmed around five rockets fired landed in the area. He said it was not an Iranian-made "Zilzal" rocket, which has a range of around 210 km (130.5 miles) which would put the Israeli commercial capital of Tel Aviv within reach. Israel's offensive against Hizbollah has killed 459 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians. A total of 51 Israelis have died, including 18 civilians. An Israeli newspaper poll showed on Friday that an overwhelming majority of Israelis continue to support the military operation in Lebanon and say the country should be even more forthright in its actions. The survey showed that 82 percent of all Israelis and 92 percent of the Jewish population felt the operation against Hizbollah fighters in Lebanon was justified. But other voices opposing the offensive in Lebanon were heard throughout the country. Protesters in the rocket-hit city of Haifa and in the more central city of Tel Aviv took to the streets to call on the Israeli government to stop 'the war'. Demonstrators in Haifa protested aside a main road in the city, facing a different group supporting the offensive. The police separated the two demonstrations in the city that suffered dozens of rocket hits and a high number of casualties. In Tel Aviv protesters were lying on the ground pretending to be dead, and others called on Israel to negotiate a prisoners swap with Hizbollah and Palestinian militants.

ITN Source | July 29, 2006

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