Israeli ground forces are on the move in southern Lebanon, hours after Israel's Security Cabinet approved a wider ground campaign against Hezbollah.
Television footage showed Israeli tanks rolling late Wednesday in the area of the Lebanese border. But the Israeli military says the advance did not mark the anticipated major extension of ground operations.
Israel says its forces are targeting Hezbollah positions in the town of Khiam that fired more than 60 rockets into Israel Wednesday.
Earlier Israeli cabinet members agreed to send troops as far as 30 kilometers into Lebanon, to the Litani River.
Meanwhile, Israeli television says 15 Israeli soldiers were killed Wednesday in clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, one of the bloodiest tolls for Israel in four weeks of fighting the guerrilla group.
At least 30 Hezbollah fighters were killed.
Israeli forces pounded Beirut's southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley and a Palestinian refugee camp, killing seven people.
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said Israel's offensive has not affected his group's ability to fire rockets at Israel. He also urged all Arabs to leave Israel's northern port city of Haifa, which has been hit by Hezbollah rockets during the current offensive.
In Beirut, more bodies were recovered at the scene of an Israeli air strike that hit the city's southern suburbs Monday. The death toll from that attack now stands at 41 with more than 60 others wounded.
At least 900 Lebanese and 100 Israelis have been killed in fighting that began after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two soldiers in Israel July 12th.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
