Nine Lebanese soldiers killed in Israeli strikes

Nasrallah has vowed to wage an unrestrained campaign against Israel

Nine Lebanese soldiers were killed and many more wounded in Israeli air strikes on two army bases on the northern Lebanese coast early today, a security source said. The source said the troops were killed in strikes on an army base at the port of Tripoli and at Abdeh, adding that there could be other casualties.

Israeli aircraft have meanwhile bombed the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry offices in Gaza. It's the second attack on the offices and marks Israel's ongoing military operations in the region.

Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah leader, has vowed to wage an unrestrained campaign against Israel. Nasrallah says the fight against Israel is just starting.

UN urged to deploy security in troubled Lebanon
Meanwhile, G8 leaders meeting in Russia, have urged the United Nations (UN) to consider the deployment of an international security or monitoring presence in Lebanon. They also called for "an end to Israeli military operations" in the Middle East and a halt to the shelling of Israeli territory.

Hosting the summit Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, told reporters at a late night news briefing that all the G8 leaders had felt the need for a speedy statement on the crisis in the Middle East. The statement urged Israel to exercise the "utmost restraint" in its offensive in Lebanon.

They also placed blamed for the crisis squarely on "extremist elements" and called on Hizbollah to stop their attacks. The statement also called for the release of three captured Israeli soldiers. - Reuters