Top Israeli Cabinet ministers decided yesterday not to expand the country's Lebanon offensive, Israel Radio reported. But they approved calling up three additional divisions of reserve soldiers. Meanwhile, a Hezbollah rocket hit a chemical plant in the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shemona, security officials said.

 

The type of chemicals involved and the extent of the damage were not immediately known. During Israel's 17-day offensive in Lebanon, Hezbollah has fired more than 1,400 rockets into Israel.

 

During a meeting of the security Cabinet on whether to expand the attacks in Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the goals of the offensive are being met.

 

The decision came as the military pounded suspected Hezbollah positions across Lebanon yesterday. The attacks extended the air campaign a day after the military suffered its highest one-day casualty toll since the offensive began.

 

An Israeli Cabinet minister said lack of agreement on a ceasefire gave Israel permission to press deeper to wipe out the Islamic militant group.

 

The airstrikes also hit a Lebanese army base and a radio relay station and destroyed several roads. The series of raids in northern, eastern and southern Lebanon killed at least one person and wounded others.

 

On Wednesday, a high-level Mideast conference in Rome ended in disagreement, with most European leaders urging an immediate ceasefire, but the US willing to give Israel more time to punish the guerrilla group.

 

About 600 Lebanese civilians killed in Israeli assault 

 

Lebanese Minister of Public Health Mohammed Jawad Khalife said yesterday that about 600 Lebanese civilians had been killed in the ongoing Israeli massive assault in Lebanon, which was launched 16 days ago.

 

Khalife was quoted by the Lebanese state-run radio as saying that hospitals across Lebanon had received some 400 bodies so far and that about 150 to 200 people were believed to be still buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli air raids.

 

The health minister said that rescue teams were unable to reach the destroyed buildings and retrieve the bodies of the victims due to intense Israeli bombardments.

 

Violence erupted in Lebanon on July 12 when Lebanon's Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight during cross-border attacks and Israel responded by launching a massive onslaught.

 

Fifty-one Israelis including 18 civilians have been killed in the over-two-week-old conflict.

 

(Chinadaily.com.cn via agencies, Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2006)