Israel yesterday considered broadening its offensive in Lebanon, as at least 30 Lebanese civilians were killed in air, sea and artillery bombardments.
Lebanon's prime minister Fouad Siniora made a tearful plea to Arab foreign ministers for solidarity, and the health minister said more than 1,000 Lebanese have now died in the conflict.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert held a meeting of top defence officials, at which defence minister Amir Peretz reportedly argued for an advance to the Litani river, 20km north of the border.
"I gave an order that, if within the coming days the diplomatic process does not reach a [successful] conclusion, Israeli forces will carry out the operations necessary to take control of Katyusha rocket launching sites in every location," Mr Peretz said.
Most of yesterday's deaths were caused by Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon where Israeli ground forces continued to run into fierce Hizbullah resistance.
Three Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in Bint Jbeil, a village close to the Israeli border which Israel has been trying to control since the beginning of its ground campaign in Lebanon.
The Arab League delegation led by its secretary general Amr Moussa travelled to Beirut to discuss a UN resolution to end the conflict. The left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel intends to attack strategic infrastructure and symbols of the Lebanese government. "We are in a process of escalation," Haaretz quoted a high-ranking officer and member of the general staff. "We are going to strike everything that moves with Hizbullah, but we are also going to strike civil strategic infrastructure."
The Lebanese fear that could mean electricity, water and telephones, which continue to function in much of the country. Such a move would contradict President Bush's statement yesterday that: "We all agree that we ought to strengthen this government - the Lebanese government." That was, Mr Bush said, "the purpose of this [UN Security Council] resolution".
It was thought possible that French and US diplomats might last night submit a revised draft of a text calling for a ceasefire, after Lebanon and the Arab League objected to the absence of a demand for the departure of 10,000 Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. - (additional reporting Guardian service)