Hundreds of thousands of people packed Beirut’s bombed-out suburbs for a Hezbollah “victory over Israel” rally today, where guerrilla leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah was expected to deliver a historic speech about his group’s weapons.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan today called on Israel to end its air and sea blockade of Lebanon and appealed for the quick release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan visited UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon today, a day after Italy and Turkey moved to join the international force there.

Hezbollah fighters battled Israeli commandos who launched a raid near the militants’ stronghold inside Lebanon early today, killing one soldier, in the first large-scale violation of the ceasefire.

Two small boats carrying French soldiers, the first reinforcement of UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, arrived ashore today.

Israeli artillery pounded villages and hills throughout south Lebanon while a complete curfew was imposed on any civilians still trapped in the heart of the war zone.

Battles between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militia raged today across southern Lebanon as diplomats at the United Nations struggled to keep a peace plan from collapsing over Arab demands for an immediate Israeli withdrawal.

The Lebanese prime minister rejected a UN ceasefire plan backed by President George Bush, demanding that Israel immediately pull out from southern Lebanon even before a peacekeeping force arrives to act as a buffer between Hezbollah and the Jewish state.

Israeli commandos landed on a southern hilltop near Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast today, fighting Hezbollah in close combat in a bid to destroy its rocket launchers, as warplanes launched fresh airstrikes across the country, killing at least 28 people.

Israeli commandos landed on a southern hilltop near Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast today, fighting Hezbollah in close combat in a bid to destroy its rocket launchers, as warplanes launched fresh airstrikes across the country, killing at least 23 people.

SIX UN and Red Cross convoys destined for southern Lebanon were delayed yesterday after failing to receive security clearance from Israeli military forces, although another convoy reached the besieged town of Qana.

Two UN convoys destined for southern Lebanon were halted today after they failed to receive necessary security clearance from Israeli military forces and Hezbollah, but another convoy reached the besieged town of Qana, officials said.

Two UN convoys destined for southern Lebanon were halted today after failing to receive necessary security clearance from Israeli military forces and Hezbollah, officials said.

Israeli troops met fierce resistance from Hezbollah guerrillas today as they crossed into Lebanon to seek tunnels and weapons for a second consecutive day as Israel refused to rule out a full-scale invasion.

ISRAELI troops clashed with Hezbollah guerrillas on the Lebanese side of the border yesterday, while warplanes flattened buildings and at least 50 people were killed as fighting entered its second week.

Israeli troops clashed with Hezbollah guerrillas on the Lebanese side of the border today, while warplanes flattened buildings and killed at least 20 people overnight as fighting entered its second week with the US signalling it will not push Israel toward a fast ceasefire.

Heavy clashes erupted in southern Lebanon today as Hezbollah TV announced that guerrillas had captured two Israeli soldiers along the border with Israel.

Hezbollah and Israeli forces exchanged rocket and artillery fire across the border in southern Lebanon today, a Hezbollah official said.

IN recent weeks your letters page has been filled with various opinions in relation to the current situation in the Middle East.

THE Palestinians took control of a border for the first time with the festive opening yesterday of the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt - a milestone on their rocky path to independence and a rare moment of joy for fenced-in Gazans.

The remains of three Hezbollah guerrillas killed by Israeli forces in cross-border fighting this week were turned over to Lebanon today in a move that averted a further deterioration in Lebanese-Israeli tensions.

Israel is to hand over the corpses of three Hezbollah guerrillas killed in this week’s border clashes to Lebanon.

Lebanon is demanding that Israel return the corpses of three Hezbollah guerrillas killed in this week’s border clashes, saying such a move was vital to restore calm to the area.