As Israeli jets pounded Lebanon in a new wave of air raids Monday, Hizbullah continued to bomb northern Israel in the bloody confrontation, which has so far claimed over 200 lives.
The overall toll killed in Lebanon since last Wednesday reached 195, in addition to 12 soldiers. In Israel, 24 people have been killed including 12 civilians.
At least 46 Lebanese were killed in a day of Israeli strikes, the deadliest a missile attack on a minibus in Rmeileh south of Beirut that left 12 people dead. In Haifa, six people were wounded, one seriously, when a Hizbullah rocket ploughed into a four-storey apartment building.
On his part, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared his country was facing a "moment of truth" as he vowed to continue the six-day-old offensive against Hizbullah. "We will fight with all the strength we are capable of. We will strike anyone who would strike at us and any terrorist infrastructure, until Hizbullah and Hamas cease attacking us," he said.
In a speech in Jerusalem, Olmert also reiterated his government's insistence on the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.
