Israel Reels From Deaths

Updated:03:30, Thursday July 27, 2006

Israel has suffered its worst day of the conflict in Lebanon so far, losing eight soldiers while its jets bombed a residential complex in the town of Tyre.

Aftermath of the Tyre strike

The troops died near the town of Bint Jbeil, the biggest loss of life in a single incident so far in Israel's two-week campaign.

Meanwhile, Israeli jets have flattened an 10-storey residential block in missile strike against suspected Hizbollah targets in Tyre.

The building was empty and only 10 people were injured.

The Prime Minister of Lebanon told the world his country was being brought to its knees.

But Hizbollah guerrillas are still taking the fight to Israel, launching rocket attacks of their own over the border.

World diplomats agreed that an end to the violence in Lebanon must be sustainable - but they refused to call for an immediate ceasefire.

Air attacks in Khiam

Speaking after crisis talks in Rome, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said officials were "deeply concerned" about Iran's role in the conflict.

Dr Rice also said Syria, which has been supplying Hizbollah with rockets, needed to do its bit for peace.

She was joined in Rome by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and diplomats from European and moderate Arab countries.

The officials called for the despatch of a peacekeeping force to keep the peace on Israel's border with Lebanon.

But they did not call on Israel and Hizbollah to agree an immediate truce.

Pressure for such a ceasefire had looked likely after UN observers were killed in an Israeli air strike.

The UN said repeated warnings were ignored before Israeli forces destroyed one of its observer posts, killing four people.

An initial report says its staff made 10 warning calls in total before the attack.

The US is continuing to support Israel's campaign in Lebanon - at least for now.