Saturday, July 22 2006 12:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beirut: Israel massed troops at its northern border and warned some 600,000 Lebanese on the other side to leave, stoking fears of a major Israeli ground assault.

The United States stuck by its refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire. While Israel called up thousands of reservists and sent more troops across the border Friday, thousands of Lebanese fled the south of the country where Israel's foe, the militant Shiite Hezbollah movement, has its most important stronghold. Israeli fighter jets continued destroying suspected Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon, while five rockets struck in Haifa Friday, Israel's third-largest city, injuring at least 19 people. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, set to travel to the region Sunday, said it was "urgent" to halt the violence but insisted that a quick ceasefire would not address the Hezbollah threat. At the UN, diplomats acknowledged there was no agreement in the Security Council on calling for an immediate truce. As Israel issued evacuation warnings to Lebanon residents within 20 kilometres of the Israeli border, Rice made it clear that she expects the Jewish state - staunchly supported by Washington throughout the latest crisis - to show restraint. "The Israelis have said they have no desire to widen this conflict and I take them at their word," she said. Israeli army chief of staff Dan Halutz said Friday that any ground invasion would be limited in scope. Already fierce fighting has erupted this week between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli soldiers entering southern Lebanon on brief forays to destroy the militants' positions. Halutz claimed almost 100 Hezbollah fighters had been killed by Friday evening, while at least four Israeli soldiers were killed and five injured in clashes in Lebanon since Thursday. Hezbollah resumed rocket fire at northern Israel, launching strikes against at least 35 towns including Safed, Rosh Pina and Qiryat Shmona. A midair collision Thursday between two Israeli helicopters headed towards Lebanon left one officer dead and three others injured, the army said Friday. Thousands more foreigners left Lebanon on Friday in a continuing exodus, bringing the total evacuated so far to 60,000, UN officials said. Many others have fled over the border with Syria. The Lebanese government and Hezbollah which sits in the Beirut government but has a virtual free rein in southern Lebanon vowed to resist any full-scale Israeli ground offensive. "The Lebanese army will resist and prove that it is worthy of respect," Defence Minister Elias Murr said. "We are ready for them on the ground. Let them try," said also Hezbollah official Mohammed Komati. As Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Friday gave the green light for humanitarian aid to reach Lebanon through Cyprus, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that many residents of southern Lebanon would be unable to evacuate after Israel bombed roads in the area. In an address to the Security Council Thursday, Annan called for an immediate cessation to hostilities and urged Hezbollah to turn over the two abducted soldiers to the Lebanese government under the auspices of the Red Cross. Hezbollah on Friday rejected Annan's plan, with Hezbollah deputy Nawar Sahali reiterating to Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) the group would accept only an unconditional ceasefire followed by indirect negotiations for a prisoner swap. At least 330 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and 34 Israelis, including 15 civilians, have been killed in 10 days of armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.