Israel raids Hezbollah stronghold

BEIRUT: Lebanese security and Hezbollah sources said Israeli aircraft and commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold in eastern Lebanon early on Saturday just hours after the UN appealed to European countries for peacekeepers.

The Lebanese security source said warplanes and helicopters attacked unidentified targets during an air drop of commandos at dawn around the village of Bodai, west of the ancient city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley.

An Israeli Army spokesman said the army was checking the report. Repeated calls have not elicited a further response.

Such an assault would be the first major attack since a UN truce ended 34 days of fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah.

Hezbollah television reported its guerrillas clashed with Israeli commandos near Bodai and forced them to fly out under the cover of air strikes. It said the guerrillas had inflicted certain casualties among the Israeli forces.

The security source said the aircraft bombed roads leading to the village and a hillside to the west.    A UN-ordered cessation of hostilities halted on Monday the war between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas that had claimed at least 1,183 Lebanese and 157 Israelis.