US 'outrage' over Israeli claim

The US state department has dismissed as "outrageous" a suggestion by
Israel that it has been authorised by the world to continue bombing
Lebanon.

"The US is sparing no efforts to bring a durable and lasting end to
this conflict," said spokesman Adam Ereli.

Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon made the suggestion after powers
meeting in Rome refrained from demanding an immediate ceasefire.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is heading to Washington for talks on
the crisis.

His meeting with US President George W Bush comes amid growing
pressure for the UK and US to join calls for an immediate ceasefire
between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel has carried out dozens of fresh strikes on Lebanon, leaving at
least five people dead.


LEBANON TWO WEEKS ON
Three airports bombed
62 bridges destroyed
Three dams and ports hit
5,000 homes damaged

At talks in Rome on Wednesday, the US, UK and regional powers urged
peace be sought with the "utmost urgency", but stopped short of
calling for an immediate truce.

That prompted Mr Ramon to declare Israel had received "permission
from the world... to continue the operation".

But questioned by reporters on the sidelines of a summit in Kuala
Lumpur, Mr Ereli said: "Any such statement is outrageous."

The US has said a ceasefire is only worth it if it can be made to
last. President Bush reiterated the US's rejection of a "false peace"
on Thursday evening.

But the BBC's world affairs correspondent, Nick Childs, points out
that Mr Bush also emphasised how troubled he was by the mounting
casualties, a suggestion - perhaps - that he is increasingly
conscious of the price Washington is paying for its closeness to Israel.

He says this public disavowal of the Israeli stance shows how much of
an embarrassment it was for Washington as it struggles with
conflicting diplomatic pressures and the frustrations of many of its
allies.

Air strikes

Some 425 Lebanese, the vast majority civilians, are confirmed killed
in the 17 days of the conflict - but a Lebanese minister has
suggested scores more bodies lie unrecovered under the rubble.


Fifty-one Israelis, including at least 18 civilians, have been
killed, mostly by rockets fired over the border by the Lebanese
guerrilla group Hezbollah.

The Israeli assault began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli
soldiers in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

In the latest violence, a Jordanian man was killed and at least three
other people wounded in one of several strikes in Kfar Joz, close to
the southern Lebanese market town of Natabiyeh

A Lebanese couple there died when their bomb shelter collapsed on top
of them, and at least three children were wounded.

There were multiple strikes on the Bekaa Valley to the east, on
villages around the coastal city of Tyre, and roads in the south-east.

Sporadic clashes were also reported in Bint Jbeil, where Israel
suffered its worst single losses on Wednesday, with nine soldiers
killed.

Shifting aims

In Israel, there is growing concern that Hezbollah is still firing
large numbers of missiles into northern Israel.

Few in Israel still speak of being able to neutralise Hezbollah, our
correspondent in Jerusalem Katya Adler says.

Instead Israel speaks of trying to establish a "secure zone" empty of
Hezbollah fighters north of the border with Israel.

The Israeli government's announcement that it is calling up three
divisions of reservists - said to number between 15,000 to 40,000 -
suggests it is preparing for the possibility of a protracted war, our
correspondent says.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/5223940.stm