Israeli PM says attacks against Hezbollah to continue until an actual international force arrives, one with effective combat units. Blitz against Baalbek—five guerrillas from the 'Party of God' are captured.

Tel Aviv (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said there will be no let up in the offensive against Hezbollah until an international force is deployed in the south of the country.

"If indeed, as we hope, the international force will be an effective force made of combat units, then we will be able to stop fire when the international force will be on the ground in the south part of Lebanon," Olmert said.

According to him, Israel's military operations have nearly crushed Hezbollah's military capabilities over the past 22 days. "The infrastructure of Hezbollah has been entirely destroyed," with more than 700 command positions "wiped out".

Israel also announced that its commandos staged a quick hit-and-run attack with helicopter gunships in the Bekaa Valley (eastern Lebanon) that led to the capture of five Hezbollah militiamen.

According to Lebanese police and Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV, the captured people were ordinary civilians, but IDF chief of staff, General Dan Halutz, said that the IDF commando captured five Hezbullah guerrillas killing at least ten.

ISRAELI attacks on Lebanon have left 828 people killed and 3200 wounded over the past three weeks, Lebanon's high relief committee said.

In the same period, Hezbollah launched some 1,900 rockets against northern Israel, killing 18 civilians and wounding more than 300.

On the ground, humanitarian organisations operating in Lebanon complain that the humanitarian corridors are not working. Caritas and Doctors Without Borders said today that there were no humanitarian corridors to speak of and no security for convoys carrying food and people.

• lebanon
• israel
• bekaa
• valley
• hezbollah
• al-manar
• ehud
• olmert
• dan
• halutz