sraeli
troops met fierce resistance from
Hezbollah guerrillas Thursday as they crossed into
Lebanon to seek tunnels and weapons for a second straight day,
and Israel hinted at a full-scale invasion.
Israeli warplanes also launched new airstrikes on
Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, shortly after
daybreak, followed by strikes in the guerrillas' heartland in
the south and eastern Bekaa Valley.
The strikes followed bombings Wednesday that
killed as many as 70 people, according to Lebanese television,
making it the
deadliest day since the fighting began July 12.
Russia sharply criticized Israel over its
onslaught against Lebanon, now in its ninth day, sparked when
Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers. The Russian
Foreign Ministry said Israel's actions have gone "far beyond the
boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation" and repeating calls
for an immediate cease-fire.
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