Tuesday, August 8 2006 10:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beirut: Israel continued its offensive against the Hezbollah fighters as a series of bombings in Lebanon claimed the lives of at least 69 civilians with efforts in the United Nations to bring an end to the spiralling violence were stalled.

The Israeli air force shot down a Hezbollah spy drone over Israeli territory, the army said. It said three Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah in the southern border town of Bint Jbeil.

At least 20 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a southern suburb of Beirut, the official ANI news agency said.

Five people were killed and 30 wounded in a series of Israeli strikes in the east of Lebanon around the city of Baalbek when several houses collapsed after air raids.

As clashes between Hezbollah militants and the Israeli army intensified, the Israeli army warned Lebanese living south of the Litani River not to move outdoors after 0030 IST today.

Fourteen civilians, including women and children, died in Ghaziye in the city of Sidon, when three buildings and a villa were hit by an Israeli air strike. In other attacks, at least ten people were killed when the Israeli military launched two strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

Five civilians were also killed in two successive Israeli air raids on three buildings in the southern port city of Tyre. Seven people were killed and five wounded when Israeli bombers struck a house in Ghassaniyeh, completely destroying three-storey building.

Four civilians were killed when Israeli aircraft targeted the village of Kfar Tebnit east of Sidon. A woman and her son were killed in Nebatiyeh.