Dozens of Katyusha rockets fired by guerrillas in Lebanon hit northern Israel yesterday, slightly injuring at least 20 people, witnesses and medical officials said.
The barrage, described by northern residents as the heaviest in a year, raised tension along the Israeli-Lebanese border two months before a planned Israeli pullout from Lebanon.
Hizbullah guerrillas said they had fired about 40 Katyusha rockets at the border town of Kiryat Shmona in reprisal for attacks on Lebanese civilians.
The attack raised the spectre of a strong Israeli military reaction that might include, as in the past, strikes on civilian infrastructure targets in Lebanon. It was the first time since June that Lebanese guerrillas had targeted the town.
Residents across northern Israel were ordered to enter bomb shelters.
The Katyushas were launched hours after an 80-year-old Lebanese woman and her 30-year-old daughter were killed by a rocket fired from the direction of Israel's occupation zone in south Lebanon.
On Wednesday Israel and its militia allies launched air and artillery attacks on guerrilla targets inside and outside the zone. Twelve civilians, including a two-month-old baby, were injured in the air raid.
Hizbullah guerrillas, backed by Syria and Iran, are waging a war of attrition to end Israel's 22-year control over the south.
Israel has said it will bring its troops home from Lebanon in July with or without a peace agreement with Syria.
Israeli military officials have warned that Hizbullah is likely to step up its attacks before the pullout and target northern Israeli towns and villages after the withdrawal is completed.
Meanwhile, Lebanon told a UN special envoy yesterday that Israel's withdrawal should include the release of all Lebanese prisoners and return of all occupied land, including a disputed area once held by Syria.
"The implementation of the two international resolutions demands a full and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories to behind the international recognised borders," said the statement from the Prime Minister, Mr Selim al-Hoss, and President Emile Lahoud.
Mr Hoss's office said the morning meeting was interrupted by a phone call from the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr Farouq alShara, who was meeting in Syria with the Saudi and Egyptian foreign ministers.
Mr Shara, Egypt's Mr Amr Mousa and Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia for the first time voiced support for UN forces, who have been in south Lebanon for 22 years, to take control of security in the area vacated by Israel under the UN resolutions.
"This requires the UNIFIL forces formed in compliance with these resolutions to conduct their security responsibilities so that Israel would not have any pretext to hold Syria or Lebanon responsible for any security incidents that might occur and threaten security, peace and stability in the region," they said.
The UN envoy, Mr Terje Roed-Larsen, said after yesterday's talks that the UN observers would ensure Israel's withdrawal was to the recognised border. But on Wednesday he also noted UN resolutions called on Lebanon's government to re-establish its authority in the south, which Beirut has appeared reluctant to do.