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 » Special Report | Video archive | E-mail us: Your stories | How to help civilians Israeli troops mass on Lebanon borderLebanese president says his army will fight Israelis if they invade
QUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- Thousands of Israeli troops massed on the Lebanese border Friday as Lebanon's president warned that his army would defend the country if Israel launches a full-scale ground invasion. The Israel Defense Forces said it was calling up about 6,000 reservists as reinforcements along the border. Leaflets urging residents in southern Lebanon to leave their homes and move north of the Litani River, 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Israeli border, have been dropped in the region, the IDF said. (Watch as Israel sends troops toward Lebanon -- 2:50) About 1,000 Israeli ground troops so far have been sent across the border for what commanders call pinpoint operations against Hezbollah strongholds, sources said. The majority of attacks in the 10-day conflict have come from the air. Israel began hammering Lebanon with artillery and airstrikes after Hezbollah guerillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a July 12 cross-border raid. (See map of area) Israeli Gen. Shuki Shachar declined to say whether a ground invasion has been authorized. But he said the army is continually evaluating the need. "All the power is going in the direction of Lebanon. Some are active, reserve units," said Shachar, deputy commander of the Israeli military's Northern Command. "All reinforcements are going to the direction of Lebanon." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced Friday she would travel to Israel and the West Bank next week to address the crisis and would attend a meeting of diplomats concentrating on the situation in Lebanon. (Full story) She said she will not pursue a cease-fire because that would constitute "a false promise if it returns us to the status quo." An invasion by Israel threatens to pull Lebanon's army into the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants. "Of course, the army is going to defend its land," Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said. (Watch as the president talks attacks on civilians -- 10:25) While the army "cannot be strong enough to be against Israel on the frontier," he said, "inside Lebanon, they can do a lot." (Watch how outmatched Lebanon would be against Israel's military -- 1:45) "We are not going to let anybody take our land. We are not going to let them come back and take it," he added. (Transcript of Lahoud interview) At least 261 people have been killed in Lebanon and 582 wounded, internal security sources said. However, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Wednesday that more than 300 Lebanese had died. He said about 1,000 people had been hurt. Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz said Friday that almost 100 Hezbollah fighters have been killed, and the IDF said it had the bodies of 13 Hezbollah fighters. Lahoud, however, said Israel had killed only six Hezbollah fighters. Fifteen civilians in Israel and 19 soldiers have died in attacks and fighting, the IDF said. (Watch grief-stricken father kiss his sons goodbye in their grave -- 2:15) Israel held a buffer zone in Lebanese territory north of its border during much of the 1980s and 1990s before ending its occupation in 2000. The buffer zone was about half the size of the land from the border to the Litani River. The United States and Israel consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The group, which has claimed responsibility for terrorist acts, also operates an extensive network of social services in Lebanon. Its political wing holds seats in the Lebanese parliament. Hezbollah strikes northern IsraelHezbollah rocket attacks struck several Israeli towns Friday, wounding at least 19 people in the port city of Haifa. Rockets also hit Meron, Safed, Yiron and Avivim, Israeli medical officials said. About 15 rockets fell in the volley of attacks, the Israeli military said. Also Friday, a U.N. observation post was struck in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces said a Hezbollah rocket hit the post, near the northern Israeli town of Zarit and that there were no immediate reports of casualties. But a U.N. officer told The Associated Press that an Israeli artillery shell hit the outpost. The Israeli military says its air assault has destroyed about half of Hezbollah's military strength since its operations began July 12. That claim was denied by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. (Watch as Nasrallah promises Hezbollah "surprises" -- 1:17) Clashes in GazaA Palestinian militant and four others died Friday in an attack on a Gaza City home, Palestinian sources said. Israel is continuing its military operation in Gaza, with the stated aim of stopping Palestinian militant attacks on Israel and recovering a soldier captured in June. Some 19 Palestinians have been killed since Tuesday, according to Palestinian sources. Other developmentsCNN's Christiane Amanpour, Nic Robertson and John Vause contributed to this report. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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