BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Several explosions were heard in Beirut on Tuesday, the first Israeli strikes in the Lebanese capital in nearly two days. The strikes cam as Israeli troops sealed off a Hezbollah stronghold in south Lebanon, extending the two-week-old crisis that shows no signs of letting up, despite frantic diplomatic efforts. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel has the stamina for "a long struggle" and is determined to defeat Hezbollah.
In a speech at Ben Gurion International Airport, Olmert told the new arrivals that "we are a strong people, and we have the stamina for a long struggle."
"We will continue with this campaign to reach all our objectives and to defeat the enemies of the land of Israel and the people of Israel," he said.
German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said a cease-fire must be in place before any international troops can be sent to Lebanon. Israel has suggested it would accept an international force—preferably from NATO—to ensure the peace in southern Lebanon, but Jung said after meeting his French and Polish counterparts that it was too early to say if the alliance, or a European Union force, could be put in place.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Israel on the second leg of a Middle East tour, maintained the Bush administration's position that a cease-fire must come with conditions that make an enduring peace, saying the time has come for an urgent end to the violence hanging over the region.
