Israelis hit back at Lebanon

Israel says the town was deliberately targeted

Israeli aircraft have been in action over Lebanon, after a 16-year-old boy was killed in northern Israel by shellfire blamed on Hezbollah guerrillas.

Lebanese police said the first raid, on Sunday evening, targeted a position near the village of Tayr Harfa.

Early on Monday, Israeli warplanes flew low over the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Teenager Haviv Dadon, who died in Sunday's cross-border fire, was the first Israeli civilian in the area to be killed since Israeli forces pulled out of southern Lebanon three years ago, ending more than 20 years of occupation.

Correspondents say the attack, which left four other people wounded, will be seen in Israel as a severe escalation.

Israeli medical and army sources said Hezbollah deliberately fired into the town of Shlomi.

But a Hezbollah statement said its fighters had been targeting Israeli jets violating Lebanese airspace.

Tensions have risen sharply in the disputed border area in recent days after a period of relative calm.

Friday saw clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah in the Shebaa Farms area, further east.

Anti-aircraft fire

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met military chiefs on Sunday to discuss "a range of Israeli retaliatory options", according to sources quoted by the AFP news agency.

The UN has appealed for restraint from all sides

"This is a clear provocation by Hezbollah and Israel will not sit idly by," said Israeli Government spokesman Avi Pazner.

The United Nations called for all governments having influence with Hezbollah "to deter it from any further actions which could increase the tension in the area".

The UN also made an appeal to Israel to exercise restraint.

Mr Sharon's spokesman Raanan Gissin said that Sunday evening's raid was "a pinpoint, targeted response against the gun that fired those shells."

The raid early on Monday over Beirut shook buildings and set off car alarms, as Israeli warplanes swooped low over the city, breaking the sound barrier.

Tense weekend

Israeli military sources confirmed anti-aircraft fire had been reported in the border area at around 1230 (0930 GMT).

Beirut blast kills Hezbollah man US warns over clashes

Although the border had been generally quiet since the beginning of the year, tensions have worsened recently with a number of incidents since Friday.

This escalation comes after a Hezbollah fighter was killed in a car bomb in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut last week - an incident the group blamed on Israel and vowed to avenge.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, routinely responds to Israeli air force flights over Lebanon with anti-aircraft fire.

But our correspondent in Beirut says that depending on the direction in which these guns are aimed, shrapnel sometimes ends up in Israel itself.

Warning to backers

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom demanded on Sunday that Syria and Lebanon restrain Hezbollah militants.

"We say to Syria and Lebanon as responsible parties for Hezbollah behaviour... that if Hezbollah activities continue and constitute an undermining of security of the citizens of Israel, we will have no choice but to defend ourselves," he said on Israel radio.

"I think the regime in Syria knows very well what our capabilities are, and I don't think it's worthwhile for it to put us to the test."

But Hezbollah chief for south Lebanon, Sheikh Nabil Qauq indicated there would be no end to its actions against Israeli forces in the Shebaa area and Israeli military overflights.

"The resistance is capable of responding to Israel's violations and provocations," he said.