Israel and Hezbollah fought bloody ground battles and exchanged fierce air and missile strikes Friday including bombing raids that severed Lebanon's last major supply link with Syria and the outside world, and the guerrillas' deepest rocket attack inside Israel to date. After days of desultory diplomacy, Washington said it was near agreement with France on a U.N. cease-fire resolution, possibly by early next week. But Israel and Hezbollah showed no signs of holding their fire.
| “... military officials said Friday they completed the first phase of the offensive, securing a 4-mile buffer zone in south Lebanon...” |