ISRAEL: Israel keeps up bombardment of Lebanon, as aircraft pound south, including hill villages near Tyre.

Record ID: 395441

  • Title: ISRAEL: Israel keeps up bombardment of Lebanon, as aircraft pound south, including hill villages near Tyre.
  • Date: 28th July 2006
  • Summary: (W3) ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER, ISRAEL (JULY 28, 2006) (REUTERS) SOLDIER CLIMBING TANK (2 SHOTS) TANKS DEPLOYED ON BORDER CLOSE UP OF TANK FIRING
  • Embargoed: 12th August 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Reuters ID: LVAETEXRI1ORXZ17XG0R6D3SQ1O2
  • Story Text: 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.
    Six other towns, including Kiryat Shemona, Nahariya, Rosh Pina and Karmiel, were also hit. Longer-range rockets fell in open areas close to the town of Afula and the Sea of Galilee resort of Tiberias, a police spokesman said earlier.
    Hizbollah has fired more than 1,500 rockets into Israel since the conflict erupted following a cross-border raid into Israel by the Shi'ite militia on July 12.
    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.
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