Israeli soldiers stand near 155mm mobile artillery firing into southern Lebanon, from a position on the Israeli-Lebanese border yesterday. Hezbollah killed 12 Israeli soldiers on Sunday in its deadliest rocket strike yet and Israeli bombs killed 14 Lebanese civilians as Lebanon rejected a draft United Nations resolution to end the 26-day-old war. - Reuters
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP):
Hezbollah guerrillas unleashed their deadliest barrage of rockets yet into northern Israel, slaying at least 15 people, as fighting intensified despite a draft United Nations ceasefire resolution. Israeli bombardment killed at least 14 people in southern Lebanon yesterday.
Hezbollah and its allies rejected the draft resolution, saying its terms for a halt in fighting do not address Lebanon's demands - in a signal that the nearly four-week-old battle will burn on.
Both sides appeared to be aiming to inflict maximum mutual damage in the few days before the United States-French draft resolution is voted on by the U.N. Security Council.
Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets late yesterday on the port city of Haifa, killing at least three people, in the heaviest attack on Israel's third largest city since fighting began.
Highest toll
Officials said more than 40 people were injured. A Haifa fire department spokesman said one crowded residential district suffered five or six hits and there were many casualties.
Hezbollah also fired a volley of 80 rockets at several other Israeli towns. One of them made a direct hit on a crowd of people at the entrance of the communal farm of Kfar Giladi, killing 12 soldiers, rescue workers said.
It was the highest toll from a rocket attack since the conflict began on July 12.
A forest burst into flames from the 15-minute barrage and huge plumes of grey smoke rose into the air. Other rockets hit the nearby town of Kiryat Shemona, damaging a synagogue.
When word of the rocket strike reached the Israeli Cabinet during its weekly meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: "Lucky that we are dealing with Hezbollah today, and not in another two or three years," according to a participant in the meeting.
Villages bombed
In southern Lebanon, dozens of Israeli strikes hit communities and roads, with some villages bombed continually for a half-hour, security officials said. Explosions rang across Beirut as warplanes fired more than six missiles into the capital's southern districts.
The U.S.-French resolution for a ceasefire marked a significant advance after weeks of stalled diplomacy aimed at ending the conflict. But getting the two sides - particularly Hezbollah - to sign on will likely require a greater push.
Israel has said it won't halt its offensive until Hezbollah rockets are silenced.
