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Saturday, July 15

Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Daylight.

Israeli forces re-enter northern Gaza Sunday

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Israeli Defense Forces redeployed to Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza early Sunday to halt Qassam rocket launches, the IDF said.

The Israeli military moved in after launching three airstrikes overnight Saturday to quell "terror infrastructures" in northern Gaza.

The first airstrike hit a group of Palestinians who opened fire at Israeli ground forces, the IDF said.

Israelis hit another group of Palestinian in an airstrike who they accused of carrying rocket-propelled grenades near army forces.

The third airstrike targeted and damaged a building in the Jabalya refugee camp the IDF said is used by Hamas as an operational command. (Posted 2:55 a.m.)

Israeli sources: 9 dead after Hezbollah pummels Haifa with rockets

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- At least nine Israelis were killed early Sunday after Hezbollah hit the northern coastal city of Haifa with rockets, Israeli police said.

It was the second attack on Haifa since Israel and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon began trading fire on Wednesday.

In a statement issued Sunday, Hezbollah said it fired "dozens" of rockets at Haifa in retaliation for Israel's airstrikes Saturday night. (Posted 2:55 a.m.)

Israeli military strikes Lebanese radar after warship attack; blames Lebanon's military for aiding Hezbollah

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Following a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli warship off the coast of Lebanon, the Israeli military launched airstrikes on Saturday targeting all of Lebanon's military radar stations along its coast, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The IDF blamed "cooperation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese military" for the missile attack Friday night, which killed at least one sailor.

Three other Israeli sailors are still missing. (Posted 12:45 a.m.)

Body of missing man found amid California wildfires

YUCCA VALLEY, Calif. (CNN) -- A search-and-rescue team found the body of a 57-year-old man near his home Saturday as lightning-caused wildfires raged in Southern California, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Gerry Guthrie had been missing since Tuesday, when he called his wife and told her he was being evacuated from the historic community of Pioneertown because of the Sawtooth Complex Fire.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said about 20 people searching an area northwest of Guthrie's home found his body.

A fire that began as two blazes had burned more than 71,000 acres, and some mandatory evacuations remained in effect. (Posted 11:25 p.m.)

Israel expands assaults to cripple Hezbollah

BEIRUT (CNN) -- After a heavy night of attacks, waves of Israeli warplanes blasted the southern suburbs of Beirut early Sunday to destroy strongholds of Hezbollah, as politicians wrestled with Israel's escalating attacks in Lebanon.

Some of the massive explosions were 10 minutes apart, and a few of the bombings were aimed at targets in the center of the capital, reported CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson.

Lebanon has asked the United Nations to broker a cease-fire, and Arab foreign ministers also want the U.N. to intervene.

In another front, Israeli soldiers returned to northern Gaza, where they have been waging battles since the abduction of an Israeli soldier June 25. (Posted 11:22 p.m.)

Israeli ambassador: Hezbollah, Iran share 'close and strategic ties'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Elite Iranian troops from the Islamic nation's Revolutionary Guard have been in Lebanon for "quite some time" and aided Hezbollah militants in firing a missile that hit an Israeli warship Friday, leaving three sailors missing and killing one, according to an Israeli official.

That missile was a C-802, Israel's ambassador to the United States, Daniel Ayalon, told CNN. According to the Web site GlobalSecurity.org., which tracks military technology around the world, the missile is Chinese-made and was supplied to Iran.

The missile is a "very heavy, sophisticated missile that requires know-how," and radar, Ayalon said. "It's a weapon operated by states, not terror organizations." (Posted 7:16 p.m.)

Israel steps up attacks on Hezbollah in Beirut

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Israel stepped up its attacks early Sunday against Hezbollah and Lebanese targets, including a stronghold of the militant group in Dahiya in Beirut's southern suburbs, Israel Defense Forces said.

On Saturday, IDF confirmed it conducted an aerial attack on Hezbollah's main headquarters in Beirut. The Israeli Air Force also hit other targets Saturday night and Sunday, many of them in the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to CNN Senior Correspondent Nic Robertson.

Hezbollah is the Lebanese group that crossed into Israel and kidnapped two Israel soldiers on Wednesday, an act that spurred Israel's offensive in Lebanon. (Posted 6:53 p.m.)

Mideast crisis casts shadow over G8 summit

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (CNN) -- The crisis in the Middle East cast a shadow over the start of the Group of Eight Summit on Saturday night, as President Bush blamed Hezbollah for triggering the crisis by kidnapping two Israeli soldiers.

Formal talks among the world's industrial powers start Sunday.

"The best way to stop the violence is for Hezbollah to lay down its arms and to stop attacking," Bush told reporters. "And, therefore, I call upon Syria to exert influence over Hezbollah."

Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that Israel might also bear some responsibility. At a midnight press conference without Bush, Putin said, "We do get the impression that the aims of Israel go beyond just recovering their kidnapped soldiers." (Posted 6:30 p.m.)

IDF: Israeli soldiers return to northern Gaza

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Military sources said early Sunday that Israel Defense Forces have re-entered northern Gaza. (Posted 6:15 p.m.)

North Korea angered by Security Council resolution

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The North Korean representative to the United Nations accused the Security Council Saturday of being "gangsterlike" in unanimously adopting a resolution condemning recent North Korean missile tests and requiring that it suspend its ballistic missile program.

The binding resolution proposed by Japan passed 15-0, and was reached after a compromise that convinced Russia and China, who wanted weaker language, to change their positions. The document also bars other countries from doing missile-related business with North Korea.

Soon after the vote, North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon said, "It is gangsterlike for the United Nations Security Council to debate the missile test-fire of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. We totally reject the resolution which was adopted at the current meeting of the Security Council."

He said North Korea's military will continue missile testing "as part of its efforts to bolster deterrence and self-defense." Yon accused the United States of using "threats and blackmail" against North Korea and of "grossly falsifying the reality" of the seven missile tests on July 4 and 5. All of the missiles landed in the Sea of Japan. (Updated 6:16 p.m.)

Israel declares 'legal state of emergency'

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel on Saturday declared a "legal state of emergency" in the northern part of the country, giving the military the authority to close public institutions in order to protect the population, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

Under the designation, the military can close schools, restaurants and other public places "to make sure innocent people won't get hurt," Regev told CNN.

The designation applies to residents of the Galilee region, from Tiberias to Haifa, he said. In the past three days, "a couple of hundred rockets" have been fired from Hezbollah in Lebanon into Israel, Regev said. (Posted 4:17 p.m.)

Security Council passes strong resolution on North Korea

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed what U.S. ambassador John Bolton calls "a strong and unequivocal resolution" demanding North Korea suspend all activity relating to its missile program and forbidding any country from trading with North Korea related to its nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs.

The resolution -- which Bolton said would be legally binding -- passed on a 15-0 vote.

As the meeting began Saturday, representatives from North and South Korean were allowed to participate.

Along with demanding "that North Korea suspends all activity relating to its ballistic missile program," Bolton said the resolution requires all U.N. members not to supply North Korea's weapons of mass destruction programs and not to buy anything related to them from North Korea. (Updated 4:16 p.m.)

State Dept. sources: Evacuation of U.S. citizens from Lebanon remains days away

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senior State Department officials said on Saturday that the United States probably will not begin to evacuate American citizens from volatile Lebanon for several days.

It will take a few days for the Defense Department to finish the planning the move, transfer assets to the area of evacuation and for the State Department to notify Americans and make arrangements. The United States is looking at air and sea evacuations to the nearby island of Cyprus, or maybe a combination of the two.

The officials said Americans will be given plenty of notice and the move won't be a last-minute rush. Officials said they don't expect all of the estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon to evacuate and said the move won't be a full-scale evacuation. They expect a small number; maybe 15 percent of those citizens, to evacuate, and do not expect all diplomats to leave. --From CNN's Elise Labott (Updated 3:23 p.m.)

Another day of war in Lebanon, Israel as diplomats scramble to find solution

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Lebanon was walloped by Israeli aircraft on Saturday, with warplanes swooping down on varied targets throughout the country -- including the southern Beirut area, port cities and targets near the Syrian border, and locations in the north and the south.

Meanwhile, Israelis hunkered down in bomb shelters as militants fired more than 75 rockets into Israel. Two regions -- the northwestern coastal town of Nahariya and Tiberias -- withstood barrages of Katyusha rockets.

It was the fourth day of the swiftly-moving Lebanese crisis, triggered when Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon entered Israel, killed three soldiers and kidnapped two others. Israel immediately invaded Lebanon to hunt down the soldiers and take out the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement.

Arab and Muslim nations have since denounced what they say is Israel's brutal overreaction. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora issued a call for a United Nations-backed cease-fire, and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the Middle East peace process is "dead." (Update 2:20 p.m.)

New Lebanese casualty figures

(CNN) -- Lebanese authorities on Saturday issued new casualty figures since the Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon started on Wednesday.

They said 85 have been killed and 229 were wounded. (Posted 1:57 p.m.)

Lebanese army positions struck

(CNN) -- Israeli helicopters on Saturday struck Lebanese army positions in Sidon, Beirut, Jounieh, JbeilI, and Batroun, the army told CNN.

The attacks resulted in the killing of one soldier and the wounding of 11, including an officer. (Posted 1:55 p.m.)

Lebanese PM calls for cease-fire, urges citizens to remain unified

BEIRUT (CNN) -- In a nationally televised address, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora again called for a U.N.-backed cease-fire to halt what he called "Israeli aggression," appealed to the international community for aid and called upon the Lebanese people to remain unified despite continuing attacks from Israel.

In reaction, an Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman said Lebanon triggered the current crisis by failing to disarm Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Israel is punishing all Lebanese collectively, with their actions lacking any moral or legal legitimacy. He reiterated what he has said previously -- that the Lebanese government had no knowledge of a Hezbollah plot to kidnap two Israeli soldiers, the action that led to the Israeli retaliation.

In response, Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said, "This whole crisis was initiated by aggression by Lebanon into Israel. If Siniora "had done his job correctly," followed relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and disarmed Hezbollah, "this crisis would have been averted." Israel is willing to implement a cease-fire in accordance with those resolutions, Regev said. (Posted 1:51 p.m.)

Arab League Chief: Mideast peace process is 'dead'

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the Middle East peace process is "dead." Moussa, speaking at a news conference following a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo said the U.N. Security Council is the only body with the power to do anything about the crisis. Moussa said the peace process failed "because certain powers have given Israel every capacity to do whatever it wishes." --From CNN's Sandy Petrykowski

Rice places third call to Olmert

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday night called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to discuss the escalating tension in the Middle East, according to White House Counselor Dan Bartlett.

Bartlett told reporters in St. Petersburg for the G-8 Summit that Rice reiterated U.S. concern that an overreaction from Israel could topple the fledgling democracy in Lebanon. It was the third call this week from Rice to Olmert. (Posted 12:58 p.m.)

Israel hits car carrying rocket launcher near border with Lebanon

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli forces on Saturday struck a car carrying a rocket launcher in the Rajar village area in Lebanon, Israeli Defense Forces said.

The village is near the Israel-Lebanese border. (Posted 12:37 p.m.)

Israel hits Beirut headquarters of Hamas

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Israel confirmed that it attacked the Beirut headquarters of Hamas on Saturday during its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hamas is the Palestinian movement that dominates the Palestinian Authority government. Israel has been squaring off with Hamas after militants snuck into Israel on June 25 and kidnapped a soldier.

Israel has been launching strikes in Gaza designed to lead to the freeing of Cpl. Gilad Shalit. (Posted 12:31 p.m.)

Israel confirms aerial attack on Hezbollah main HQ in Beirut

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it conducted an aerial attack on Hezbollah's main headquarters in Beirut on Saturday.

Hezbollah is the Lebanese group that crossed into Israel and kidnapped two Israel soldiers on Wednesday, an act that spurred Israel's offensive in Lebanon.

"The state of Israel warned the Lebanese population who are present at the compound or around it, using leaflets and different means of communication, to stay clear from the site for their own safety," the IDF said. (Posted 12:14 p.m.)

Attacks on Iraqi athletes continue with kidnapping of Iraq Olympics chief and many others

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The chief of Iraq's Olympic committee and dozens of other people gathered at a cultural center in central Baghdad were kidnapped by men dressed as Iraqi police or soldiers and driving official-looking vehicles, Iraqi police said.

It follows a series of other attacks on Iraqi Olympic athletes and coaches in recent weeks, including the unsolved kidnapping of the Tae Kwon Do team and the killing of tennis team members in May.

The gunmen arrived in at least six official-looking GMC vehicles and were dressed in camouflage uniforms like those worn by Iraqi police and army officers, but Iraq's Interior Ministry said it was not involved. --CNN's Arwa Damon and Jomana Karadsheh in Baghdad contributed to this report. (Posted 12:09 p.m.)

IDF hits targets along Lebanese coast

(CNN) -- The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday it attacked targets along the coast of Lebanon.

While IDF wouldn't say what the targets were, Lebanese media were reporting Beirut, Tripoli, Amchit and Junieh had been targeted. Amchit and Junieh are Christian cities. (Posted 12:00 p.m.)

Iran: Israeli accusations against Tehran are 'baseless'

(CNN) -- In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Iran's permanent U.N. representative says accusations by Israel against Tehran are "baseless," according to a report by Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

Israel, U.N. representative Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote, is the aggressor. He was reacting to comments from Israel's U.N. ambassador accusing Tehran of opening a new chapter in the war on terror, IRNA reported.

In the letter, Zarif calls it ironic that Israel is accusing Iran of terrorism, saying "the Zionist regime" has perpetrated the "worst acts of state terrorism" in Gaza and is now targeting the Lebanese. He called on the U.N. Security Council to exercise its "enormous responsibility under the U.N. Charter to take necessary and prompt steps with a view to putting an end" to Israeli aggression. (Posted 11:52 a.m.)

Two U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed in Baghdad on Saturday, the U.S. military said.

A Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier was hit by an improvised-explosive device in southern Baghdad around 3:55 p.m. A 49th Military Police Brigade service member died at approximately 11:25 a.m. died "when the vehicle he was riding in struck a roadside bomb near Sadr City, an area in northeast Baghdad," the military said.

This brings the number of U.S. military fatalities in the Iraq war to 2,547. (Updated 11:41 a.m.)

Israel drops leaflets warning Lebanese to reject Hezbollah

SIDON, Lebanon (CNN) -- Leaflets demonizing Hezbollah fell onto the streets of Lebanon's coastal city of Sidon Saturday afternoon, dropped from Israeli aircraft with the aim of convincing Lebanese citizens to reject the Hezbollah resistance.

Children and adults rushed to grab and read the leaflets as they floated down, CNN's Nic Robertson reported from Sidon. The leaflets, including a caricature of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as a serpent, read: "Is the resistance ... helping Lebanon? The resistance ... is destroying Lebanon!"

The Israeli military has used leaflet drops in the past to warn Lebanese civilians to stay away from certain targets. (Posted 11:32 a.m.)

IDF: Israel strikes area near Tyre, 'regrets civilian casualties'

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's air force struck an area near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, an area the Israel Defense Forces says is "used as launching grounds for missiles fired by Hezbollah terror organization at Israel."

An IDF statement said it "regrets civilian casualties while targeting the missile launching area," but did not provide casualty figures. Israel, the military said, is making "every effort" to avoid civilian casualties in its offensive against Hezbollah.

"Responsibility for endangering civilian population rests on the Hezbollah terror organization, which operates and launches missiles at Israel from populated civilian areas," the IDF said, stressing Hezbollah "has launched hundreds of rockets indiscriminately at Israeli cities putting over a million Israeli citizens within the range of missile fire." (Posted 11:30 a.m.)

Israel: More than 75 rockets fired into Jewish state on Saturday

(CNN) -- Israel said more than 75 rockets were fired at Jewish state targets on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The IDF said a barrage of rockets recently struck Nahariya, a northwestern Israeli town near the Lebanese border. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The town has been targeted by Hezbollah rocket strikes since the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese-based guerrilla group started Wednesday.

Israeli rescue services said Katyusha rockets hit the Tiberias area during the day. Two minor injuries were reported. The northern Israeli city of Tiberias is located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Residents were called into bomb shelters as a precaution. (Posted 11:24 a.m.)

Syrian diplomat urging international community to 'stop the Israeli aggression'

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moalem called on his counterparts in other Arab countries to send strong messages about Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, according to SANA, Syria's official news agency.

Moalem, addressing a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo Saturday, said Syria has pursued peace negotiations for 10 years and that Israel "is the one that escaped the requirement of peace," SANA reported.

SANA said Moalem "called on the international community to stop the Israeli aggression, allowing the opportunity for the diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the current crisis."

SANA also reported that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad talk by phone with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud concerning the Israeli attacks. The report said President Assad expressed Syria's solidarity with the Lebanese people and offered to help them however his country could. (Updated 1:37 p.m.)

IDF: Barrage of rockets strike Israeli town

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday that a barrage of rockets recently struck Nahariya, a northwestern Israeli town near the Lebanese border.

There have been no reports yet of injuries. The town has been targeted by Hezbollah rocket strikes since the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese-based guerrilla group started Wednesday. (Posted 10:47 a.m.)

IDF, Lebanon confirm strike in Lebanon near Syrian border

(CNN) -- The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that it conducted an air attack on a target on the Lebanese side of the Syrian-Lebanese border on Saturday.

The IDF said the attack targeted mainly bridges and access routes and was conduct to prevent the smuggling of weapons and possibly the whisking away of the two abducted Israeli soldiers from Lebanon into Syria.

A high-ranking Lebanese government official confirmed the attack, and a security forces official in Syria told CNN that no Israeli airstrikes hit Syria.

Arab media reports are saying that the strike occurred in what is regarded as a no-man's land on the eastern border, east of the Lebanese city of Baalbek.

Hezbollah militants abducted the two Israeli soldiers when they entered Israel from Lebanon on Wednesday. Israel then embarked on a military campaign to free the soldiers and take out the Hezbollah guerrilla movement. (Posted 10:30 a.m.)

Vehicles burned in Karachi as anger over Shiite leader's killing explodes

LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Mobs upset over Friday's killing of Shiite leader Allama Hassan Turabi overturned and burned dozens of vehicles and set fire to several businesses during rioting in the streets of Karachi on Saturday.

Buses, cars, police vehicles and even motorcycles were destroyed by the rioters who began their violence after the funeral prayers for Turabi, who died along with his young nephew when a suicide bomber detonated as he was leaving his home in the Abbas Town neighborhood of Karachi, authorities said.

Also, a guard was killed and three were injured on Friday.

A Pizza Hut restaurant, two gas stations and a bank were also set ablaze, police said. Police exchanged gunfire with some of the protesters, a senior police official said.

All businesses closed in Karachi on Saturday after the opposition religious parties alliance MMA called for a strike. More than 5,000 police and paramilitary rangers were deployed around the city at mosques and other sensitive places in Karachi streets, police said.

Police in Lahore were also on high alert after protesters blocked some roads and burned tires Friday night, said Lahore Police Chief Khawja Khalid Farooq. Turabi was buried Saturday at the Mustafa mosque at Abbas Town. (Posted 10:08 a.m.)

Mortar attack kills 5, wounds 12 in northern Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two mortars landed outside an Iraqi police administration building in northern Baghdad Saturday afternoon, killing five civilians and wounding 12 others, police said.

The building, in the Iraqi capital's Sadiya section, is where Iraqi police go to be paid and get their uniforms, police said. No police officers were hurt, police said. (Posted 9:31 a.m.)

Bartlett: Israel has right to defend itself but must exercise restraint

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (CNN) -- As fighting persists in Israel and Lebanon, White House Counselor Dan Bartlett on Saturday underscored Israel's right to defend itself, but said its operations shouldn't jeopardize the future of the Lebanese government.

Bartlett, interviewed on CNN while he was at the site of the G8 summit, said that while Israelis have "the right to defend themselves," they also must "exercise some restraint to make sure that we do not jeopardize or collapse the Lebanese government there in Beirut."

"It's something that we had been very clear about both privately and publicly, and we'll continue to express those concerns," he said. (Posted 8:32 a.m.)

Bush: Syria should 'exert influence' over Hezbollah

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (CNN) -- Addressing the current violence between Israel and Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, President Bush Saturday called on Syria to exert its influence over the militant group so they will "lay down their arms."

Bush placed the blame for the current escalation in violence squarely on Hezbollah and its backers in Damascus.

"The best way to stop violence is to understand why the violence occurred in the first place," Bush said during a news conference ahead of the G8 summit.

"And that is because Hezbollah has been launching rocket attacks out of Lebanon and into Israel because Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers." (Posted 8:20 a.m.)

Coalition, Afghan troops kill '10 enemy fighters' in southern Afghanistan

(CNN) -- Afghan and coalition troops on Saturday killed "10 enemy fighters" in southern Afghanistan, the Combined Forces Command in Kabul said.

The assault was part of Operation Mountain Thrust in southern Afghanistan. This particular incident occurred in Helmand province.

"Coalition forces, supported by Afghan and coalition ground forces, conducted a nighttime air assault into Sangin and killed 10 enemy extremists in a brief battle," the command said in a statement. (Posted 7:37 a.m.)

Lebanese security forces: 15 civilians killed when Israeli airstrike hits minibus

BEIRUT (CNN) -- A minibus carrying 20 civilians in southern Lebanon was hit Saturday by an Israel airstrike, killing at least 15, Lebanese internal security forces told CNN.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it is checking the report.

That strike happened on the coastal road between Shamaa and Bayada, the Lebanese security forces said.

A security official said the van was headed from Shamaa toward Bayada when it made a stop at a U.N. base. The people in the van asked for shelter and they were turned back, the official said. The van was struck as they continued toward Bayada, even though it is not known what their destination was, the official said.

With the deaths, at least 82 Lebanese civilians and two soldiers have been killed and 218 have been wounded since Wednesday, according to the security forces.

Four Israeli civilians, eight soldiers and one sailor have died and around 100 other Israelis have been wounded.

That is when Israel began airstrikes on targets inside Lebanon in the wake of Hezbollah fire from southern Lebanon into Israel. (Updated, 7:14 a.m.)

No casualties in Hezbollah rocket fire near Tiberias

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli ambulance services Saturday said there were no casualties after Hezbollah fired rockets near the northern Israeli city of Tiberias.

Tiberias is located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Residents were called into bomb shelters as a precaution. (Updated, 7:14 a.m.)

Israel finds body of soldier; 3 still missing after Hezbollah attack on warship

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- After more than 12 hours, the Israeli military Saturday located the body of one of four soldiers missing after a Hezbollah missile attack on an Israeli warship, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed to CNN.

He was identified as Staff Sgt. Tal Amgar, 21. Still missing were Sgt. Yaniv Hershkovitz, 21; Cpl. Shai Atias, 19; and 1st Sgt. Dov Shtierenshos, 37.

The IDF added the ship was attacked late Friday by a missile and not by a drone packed with explosives, as reported by Israeli newspaper, Haaretz.

That would have been seen as a major advance in the weaponry used by the Hezbollah militant group.

The Israeli warship was hit by a Hezbollah missile launched off the Lebanese coast around 7:30 p.m. Friday (12:30 p.m. ET) while returning to Israel, an IDF spokeswoman said.

An Egyptian boat was also hit. It sank, the IDF said, but its crew was rescued.

In an audio speech on Hezbollah-run Al Manar television Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah appeared to have referred to the attack. (Updated 12:12 p.m.)

No WTO deal, Bush raises concerns about Russian democracy

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (CNN) -- After meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the G8 summit here, President Bush Saturday said the two leaders are close to reaching a deal on Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization, but added "there's more work to be done."

In a joint news conference Saturday, Bush said he raised concerns about democracy in Russia -- seen as a key stumbling block to Russia's accession to the WTO -- during a frank discussion with the Russian leader.

"I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world, like Iraq where there's a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same," Bush said.

To that, Putin replied, "We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy that they have in Iraq, quite honestly." (Posted, 5:40 a.m.)

Israeli airstrike hits building in Gaza City; Palestinian sources: 2 dead

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- For a second time Saturday, the Israeli military targeted Gaza City, hitting a building the Israeli military said was used by Hamas militants to upgrade and store Qassam rockets.

Palestinian security sources said the airstrike hit a house, killing at least two and wounding four others.

Hours earlier, the Israeli military fired rockets at the Palestinian Economy Ministry in Gaza City's Shaikh Radwan neighborhood. No casualties were reported in that attack, which happened around 1 a.m.

Palestinian security sources also said an Israeli rocket hit a bridge in central Gaza on the main road linking the north and south. The same bridge was hit in early July. There were no reports of casualties.

Israel began its incursion into Gaza in late June after the kidnapping of Israeli Army Cpl. Gilad Shalit by Hamas militants and two other groups. In addition to trying to secure Shalit's release, the incursion is aimed at stopping Hamas rocket attacks into Israel. (Updated, 4:20 a.m.)

Israeli airstrikes hit northern Lebanon for the first time

BEIRUT (CNN) -- The Israeli military Saturday launched four airstrikes throughout Lebanon, targeting major roads and bridges, including in the northern part of the country, according to Lebanon's internal security forces.

On the fourth day of conflict, Israeli bombs struck bridges in the northern region of Nahrel Bared, near Tripoli; the northeastern town of Hermel near the Syrian border; and Debiyeh, located southeast of Beirut. The fourth airstrike targeted Sarasand, a coastal road leading to the southern port city of Tyre.

Saturday's airstrikes in Hermel mark the furthest north the Israeli military has struck Lebanon since the conflict erupted Wednesday. (Posted 3:15 a.m.)

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