Thousands of Israeli troops battle in south Lebanon

Israeli commandos snatched suspected Hizbollah members from Lebanon's ancient city of Baalbek in a helicopter-borne night raid backed by air strikes that killed 19 people, including four children.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Reuters in an interview the army would keep fighting Hizbollah in south Lebanon until peacekeepers arrived.

Olmert said he wanted the international force to be mandated to enforce a U.N. resolution calling for Hizbollah to be disarmed, adding that Israel had already destroyed much of the Shi'ite Islamist group's military capacity.

"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.

Asked if that meant Israel would carry on fighting until then, he said: "Yes."

Israel is seeking to damage Hizbollah as much as it can before diplomacy ends the war. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a ceasefire could be reached within days.

/www.reuters.com/