Heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah

There has been heavy fighting in south Lebanon between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas.

Shelling could be heard in many areas as Israeli jets carried out a series of raids in what the BBC Jerusalem correspondent described as the most intensive exchganges in a week.

The fighting comes as Israel is continuing with its preparations to withdraw from south Lebanon by July, after twenty-two years of occupation.

The Israeli army has so far evacuated two outposts within the occupied zone and intensive work is underway to replace the old border fence between Israel and Lebanon with a tall electrified fence.

Our correspondent says this signals that Israel is intending to go ahead with the withdrawal, even if the fighting escalates further.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service