Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says his country is winning the battle against Hezbollah as heavy fighting continued in expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon.
Prime Minister Olmert says Israel is winning the battle against Hezbollah and every day counts.
He said it was not in Israel's interest to agree to a cease-fire right now, but he noted the beginnings of a diplomatic process that would lead to an eventual cease-fire under different conditions than in the past.
Israeli warplanes again struck villages throughout much of southern Lebanon and targeted suspected Hezbollah strongholds elsewhere in the country. And, Israeli artillery bombarded border villages as ground forces expanded their operations in the
area.
International pressure for an immediate cease-fire is growing, but the United States and Israel remain firmly opposed while other major powers within the European Union and the U.N. Security Council remain divided over the issue.