Lebanon’s defence minister has said he is certain Hezbollah would not break the cease-fire but warned rogue Palestinian groups of harsh measures and a traitor’s fate if they incited Israeli retaliation by launching rockets into the Jewish state.

Lebanon today warned rogue Palestinian groups against inciting Israel to break the fragile Middle East ceasefire by launching rockets into the Jewish state.

Lebanon’s defence minister today warned that any group breaking the ceasefire with Israel would be “decisively dealt with” and considered a traitor.

Israeli commandos have raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep in Lebanon, engaging in a fierce gun battle. The Lebanese government threatened to halt further troop deployments to protest what UN officials called a violation of the six-day-old ceasefire.

Lebanon’s defence minister threatened today to halt the Lebanese army’s deployment in south Lebanon if the United Nations does not intervene after an Israeli commando raid near Baalbek.

Israel has begun thinning out its troops in southern Lebanon and plans to hand over the first of its captured positions to the UN-supported Lebanese army tomorrow, the army said.

Israel has begun slowly pulling out forces from southern Lebanon and made plans to hand over territory today – on the first full day of a tense ceasefire that already has been tested by skirmishes.

Israeli missiles struck a southern Lebanese village today killing about 50 civilians – half of them children – when the building they sought refuge in collapsed.

Up to 50 people were killed today – more than half of them children – when Israeli missiles struck a southern Lebanese village early today, flattening houses on top of sleeping residents.

A powerful explosion rocked a Christian suburb of northern Beirut, residents said.

Security forces seized guns and explosives and arrested four men suspected of involvement in attacks on American and British targets in Lebanon, officials in Beirut said today.

The Lebanese government has accused Israel of assassinating a former Christian warlord who planned to testify against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a war crimes case in Belgium.