Israel hardens stance on water

The work takes place in full view of Israeli territory

Israel appears to be taking a harder line in its water dispute with Lebanon.

The Israeli defence minister, Binyamin Ben Eliezer, said his country would not allow Lebanon to divert water from a border river shared by the two countries,

Israel cannot tolerate the diversion of the waters of the Hasbani. I trust the Americans to stop it

Binyamin Ben Eliezer

Lebanon is planning to divert a portion of the Wazzani river's waters for use by nearby villages.

The Wazzani is a tributary of the Hasbani river which flows into the Sea of Galilee - Israel's main source of drinking water. The Wazzani effectively provides about 10% of Israel's water.

The row has the potential to spiral into armed conflict.

Last week Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Lebanon's Wazzani plan could be "causus belli", a cause for war, between the two countries.

US role

On Monday the United States waded into the dispute.

Hezbollah flag being planted on the Lebanese side of the Wazzani river

Jordan-based US water expert Jim Franckiewicz travelled to southern Lebanon, accompanied by US embassy and Lebanese officials, to watch workers laying pipes to divert some of the Wazzani's waters.

On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minster Shimon Peres brought up the issue in a meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

According to Mr Powell, Mr Franckiewicz is in the region trying to determine if diverting the water was consistent with rules, regulations and agreements made over the years.

Franckiewicz did not talk to reporters as he worked

"We understand the sensitivity of the issue but we don't want to see a new crisis developing over the diversion of water out of the river," Mr Powell said.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has said the project will continue and officials insist Lebanon is not is breach of any international agreements or understandings.

The leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group has said the group will resist militarily if Israel uses military force to stop the scheme.

Heightened tension

In 2001, Lebanon went ahead with a pumping project from Hasbani river to irrigate the drought-stricken border village of Ghajar, despite strong Israeli objections.

Beirut says the plan is to take less that 10 million cubic metres from the Wazzani, which it says falls within its fair share of water according to international law.

Lebanese officials say the Wazzani's annual flow is 50 million cubic metres a year, and the Hasbani's flow is 150 million cubic metres.

Lebanon was allocated 35 million cubic metres from the Wazzani according to the Johnston water sharing agreement of 1955, but that was never ratified by Arab states because they did not recognise Israel.

Water is a sensitive issue in the Middle East, and the dispute comes at a particularly crucial period, as the US continues to threaten Iraqi President Saddam Hussein with the prospect of military action.