At least a dozen Hezbollah rockets hit northern Israel, killing at least two people in the port city of Haifa. Israeli troops continue operations inside southern Lebanon, while Israeli warplanes carry out bombing raids.
Sirens sounded across northern Israel again. Haifa Mayor, Yona Yahav, urged residents to heed the warnings.
The war is not over yet, he said - telling residents they should stay in safe areas and not go out. In Haifa, rockets struck an apartment house as well as cars. Sirens also went off in the town of Zichron Yaakov, about 60-kilometers south of the Lebanese border.
Israeli troops are operating inside southern Lebanon, moving through villages to destroy Hezbollah positions and prevent the rocket attacks. Israeli warplanes continued bombing runs across Lebanon, focusing in particular on the south and southern neighborhoods of Beirut.
While southern Beirut is well known as a Hezbollah stronghold, it is also a densely populated civilian area.
U.N. Humanitarian Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland toured this area and sharply criticized Israel's bombardment.
"I would say that this seems to be an excessive use of force in an area with so many civilians ... It makes it a violation of humanitarian law."
Egeland said relief agencies need to deliver aid to between 500,000 to one million people in Lebanon and he said Israel has not given them access. Israel has said it is trying not to harm civilians and blames Hezbollah for operating from within civilian areas.
According to Lebanese officials, more than 360 people have been killed in Lebanon during these 12 days of violence, most of them civilians and many of them children.
Israel has carried out limited ground operations in southern Lebanon, but has not ruled out a larger-scale offensive. Israel's Defense Minister Amir Peretz said those operations would continue.
He said the goal is to create a situation for as broad a space as possible for diplomatic movement.
Peretz met with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and expressed support for an international force, possibly led by NATO, to temporarily take over security in southern Lebanon and ensure Hezbollah is removed and stays away from the border area.
Diplomatic efforts are being stepped up and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is expected for talks here in Israel Monday.
