THE United States was asked yesterday to intervene again to defuse mounting conflict between Israel and Hizbullah militants in southern Lebanon. The guerrilla movement fired some 20 Katyusha rockets on settlements in northern Israel late Saturday night and early yesterday.
In an attempt to ease the tension, the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, sent a message to Damascus and Beirut via the US Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher. This expressed Israel's regret at having killed the two Lebanese civilians, and reiterated Jerusalem's desire to halt the rising number of clashes in southern Lebanon.
But Israel also sent a message saying it rejected the Hizbullah contention that by killing civilians it had violated an understanding reached three years ago.
The Hizbullah rocket assault, which came in response to the killing of two Lebanese civilians in an Israeli attack in the village of Yattar just north of Israel's self styled security zone, forced Israelis in northern border towns into bomb shelters for the night. Three people were wounded.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, yesterday admitted that the killing of the two civilians had been a "mistake", and said that Israel was interested in restoring quiet in southern Lebanon. Mr Peres spent much of yesterday on the phone with US officials, who have been trying to pressurise the Syrians into restraining Hizbullah, which operates in southern Lebanon with Damascus's consent.
Tension has been running high in Israel's south Lebanon security zone for over a month, with Hizbullah militants making almost daily attacks on Israeli soldiers and soldiers belonging to the Israeli backed South Lebanese Army. Six Israeli soldiers have been killed in the attacks.
In response to the Katyusha attacks, the Israeli army used tank and artillery fire to target suspected Hizbullah bases in villages north of the security zone from where the rockets had been fired. There were also reports yesterday of Israeli planes flying mock raids over the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
In Israel there is growing dissatisfaction among senior army officers, who argue that the government's policy of restraint has been interpreted by the Hizbullah as a sign of weakness, and that a major reprisal raid is needed to stem the attacks.
But Mr Peres, so far, has preferred the diplomatic route, counting on the Americans to pressurise the Syrians into curbing Hizbullah activity. The Prime Minister also does not want a conflagration during the coming Jewish Passover holiday which begins on Wednesday and is a time when thousands of Israelis flock to the north on holiday.
Furthermore Mr Peres, who has refrained from launching a major reprisal raid for fear it could jeopardise the already stalled Israel Syria negotiations, had another concern yesterday: the escalation could force him to cancel a historic visit to the Gulf states of Oman and Qatar scheduled to begin today.