10,000 Israeli troops inserted into Lebanon

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By Donald Macintyre in Metulla, northern Lebanon
02 August 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1209731.ece

Six Israeli army brigades - up to 10,000 troops - were in southern Lebanon last night as the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the army was "winning the battle" in its 21-day offensive against Hizbollah.

Mr Olmert's assertion, which appeared to be preparing Israelis for a possible end to the conflict, came as three divisions of reservists neared the end of their training if needed to reinforce armoured infantry and engineering units seeking to push Hizbollah back from the border.

The disclosure of the level of forces in southern Lebanon came after a day of heavy fighting in which several Israeli soldiers were wounded - some seriously - in fire around the village of Aita al-Shab in the central border area.

Israel's Justice Minister, Haim Ramon, appeared to presage the start of the expanded ground operation, approved by the security cabinet on Monday night. He said Israel would resume full air strikes against Hizbollah from 1am today - at the end of the 48-hour pause, called after the civilian deaths in the bombing of an apartment building in Qana on Sunday.

what pause???