Israeli troops entered the border town of Bint Jbeil, a Hizbollah military stronghold, for the first time on late Tuesday as they pushed deeper into Lebanese territory, a UN spokesman said. The Israeli army entered the border town following a day of fierce fighting with Hizbollah.
An Israeli air strike destroyed a base run by a United Nations observer force in southern Lebanon causing casualties, a UN spokesman said. "One aerial bomb directly impacted the building and shelter in the base of the United Nations Observer Group in Lebanon in the area of Khiam," said Milos Strugar, spokesman for the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in the area.
"There are casualties among the observers. A UNIFIL dispatched rescue team which is on the spot is still unable to clear the rubble." Two Israeli soldiers had been killed in pitched battles with Hizbollah near Bint Jbeil on Monday as Israeli forces moved deeper into Lebanon.
Fourteen other soldiers were wounded, six reportedly hit by friendly fire. Hizbollah said five of its fighters were killed during clashes with Israeli forces. Two Hizbollah medics were also killed while evacuating civilian victims of bombardments, a statement said. Fellow group Amal said that four of its fighters had been killed.
The latest military deaths brought to 41 - 24 servicemen and 17 civilians - the toll of Israelis killed since the conflict erupted on July 12. Israeli troops killed a senior Hizbollah commander in fighting near the Lebanese border, the army said. The army identified the man as Abu Jaafar and said he was the commander of Hizbollah's "central sector" on the Lebanese border with Israel. The army said he was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops near the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras.
In the latest Israeli air strike, a family of seven, including at least two children, lost their lives when a missile slammed into their home in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, police said. The attack pushed the death toll in Lebanon since the start of Israel's offensive to 394, including 335 civilians, according to a count compiled from reports from medics, police and Hizbollah.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, facing popular anger over Israel's offensive in Lebanon, toughened their stance on Tuesday, warning the United States that Israeli militarism could lead to a wider conflict in the region. "Saudi Arabia warns everybody that if the peace option fails because of Israeli arrogance, there will be no other option but war," state-owned media quoted Saudi's King Abdullah as saying before a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
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