Israel attacks Lebanon after troops seized

July 13, 2006

BEIRUT, Lebanon -Israel widened its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas on Thursday, targeting Beirut's international airport and blasting southern Lebanon for a second day, police and airport officials said. Twenty-two civilians were reported killed in the south, local media said.

Warplanes struck the runways of the country's only international airport early Thursday during Israel's ongoing air and sea assault against Lebanon, which begun a day earlier after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers. The airport was later closed, forcing flights to be diverted to nearby Cyprus, officials said.

Israel's Army Radio reported the object of the attack was to shut down air traffic in and out of the Lebanese capital. The airport is located in Beirut's southern suburbs, which are controlled by Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, Israeli aircraft and artillery continued attacking targets in southern Lebanon overnight, police reported. Leading TV station LBC said at least 22 civilians were killed in the attacks, including a family of 12 in the village of Dweir.