BEIJING, July 20 -- Hezbollah has denied reports from Israel that its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was in a bunker hit by a major Israeli air strike.

    The Israeli newspaper Maariv quoted a senior military source as saying information obtained by security forces had shown Nasrallah was there. But in Beirut, Hezbollah said none of its leaders were killed during the Israeli attack.

    "The following is a statement from Hezbollah: Hezbollah denies that any of its leaders or personnel have been killed in the latest airstrike on a building in Beirut, which the army of the enemy has claimed to be a hideout for the leaders of Hizbollah.

    The building which was hit with a 23 ton bomb, is a mosque under construction. The enemy is trying to hide its military and security failures through lies and illusionary achievements. This is the end of the statement."

    (Source: CCTV.com)

Israel bombs Beirut bunker where Hezbollah leaders are believed to hole up

    JERUSALEM, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes dropped bombs late Wednesday on a bunker in southern Beirut where senior Hezbollah leaders were thought to be, the military said.

    Israel Defense Force (IDF) officials said that dozens of fighter jets participated in the massive air strike on a south Beirut target, acting on IDF intelligence.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Hezbollah's al-Manar TV that his group's fight against Israel just began on July 16, 2006. "Our fight against the enemy is just a beginning," Nasrallah said in the video tape. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    Intelligence stating that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was staying in the bunker was received Wednesday night, and numerous IDF jets were dispatched to the place shortly after.

    Following a brief discussion, IDF officials decided that the information was sufficiently credible to act upon and launch a massive bombardment on the area.

    Hezbollah's al-Manar television channel reported that the planes blasted a building that was under construction in the Bourjal-Barajneh quarter where a Palestinian refugee camp is located.

    According to army officials, the building itself was completely destroyed and the IDF was checking the results of the strike.

No intention to end operation: Israeli DM

    JERUSALEM, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Wednesday that there is no intention to end the military operation in Lebanon without removing Hizbollah's threat. 

A building has been bombed by Israeli troops in a southern Lebanonese city, July 19, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)

Rescuers carry out the body of a victim from the ruins of a building bombed by Israeli troops in a southern Lebanonese city, July 19, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

A man runs through ruins to escape the bombing of Israeli troops in Beirut, the captical of Lebanon, July 19, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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    Peretz made the remarks during a meeting with European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who arrived in Israel after meeting with top Lebanese officials in Beirut to work for a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Israeli-Lebanese crisis.

    Peretz told the EU envoy that "we wish to make it clear that we have no intention of ending this crisis and go back to living under the same reality."

    "We are determined not to let Hizbollah gain control over southern Lebanon again and will certainly not allow their return to the Israeli border," said the defense minister.

    While supporting Israel's demands of the release of the captured soldiers and the application of UN Resolution 1559, Solana branded Israel's response in Lebanon "disproportionate".

    "This must be stopped, a solution must be found. That is why I am here. In order to talk with the leaders of the two sides and to find a way to stop the violence," said Solana.

    Earlier in the day, during a news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Solana condemned the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah and implicitly called on Syria and Iran to help end the ongoing conflict.

    Solana also met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier on Wednesday and was due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the evening. Enditem

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Lebanese PM appeals for help

    BEIRUT, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Wednesday urged the international community to seek an immediate halt to Israeli offensive, local media reported.

File photo of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. He on Wednesday urged the international community to seek an immediate halt to Israeli offensive, local media reported.(File Photo)

    "The country has been torn to shreds. Is this the right of self-defense called by international community," Siniora heckled a gathering of foreign ambassadors in Beirut.

    "We the Lebanese want life, we have chosen life. We refuse to die. Our choice is clear. We have survived the wars and destruction (before), we shall also do that now. I sincerely hope you will not let us down," he added.

    The prime minister also vowed to seek compensation from Israel for the "unimaginable losses" to the nation's infrastructure. "We will spare no avenue to make Israel compensate."

    The gathering showed the ambassadors, including the U.S. ambassador, a photo exhibit of damages from the Israeli bombardment, in which the international airport was hit and closed, roads bombed, bridges destroyed and various regions of the country cut off.

    More than 300 Lebanese were killed, 1,000 wounded and half a million displaced during the week-long Israeli air raids in the wake of a deadly cross-border attack by Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah last Wednesday.

    Israel has rejected call for ceasefire unless Hezbollah freed the two captive Israeli soldiers unconditionally and the Lebanese army deployed along the border with Israel.

EU vows to try its best to end Israel-Lebanon crisis

    JERUSALEM, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Wednesday said that EU will do its utmost to end the current Israel-Lebanon crisis as soon as possible.

    Solana made the promise in a joint news conference in Jerusalem with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

    "We will try to continue working with all the friends in the (Middle East) region to stop as soon as possible" the bloodshed and the suffering which is taking place now, Solana told the reporters.

    He, meanwhile, condemned Lebanese Hizbollah's cross-border raid on July 12 that led to the ongoing Israeli offensive in Lebanon, urging the group to release the two Israeli soldiers it held.

    Solana, who arrived in Israel after meeting with top Lebanese officials in Beirut to work for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, also implicitly called on Syria and Iran, which "may have influence" to Hizbollah, to help end the ongoing conflict.

    Livni, for her part, reiterated Israel's demands for a truce including an unconditional release of the soldiers, disarmament of Hizbollah and its removal from south Lebanon, so that the Lebanese government "can assert its control over all of Lebanon."

    "Israel and the international community have the common goal to initiate a move that will bring a long-term change in the region and prevent the terror that Israelis and Lebanese are facing," she said.

    Solana earlier met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and was due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday evening. Enditem