MIDDLE EAST Israel wants Syria to rein in Hezbollah

Officials fear the cross-border attacks will reignite Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
SHLOMI, Israel (AP) -- Israel destroyed a Hezbollah cannon with an airstrike in southern Lebanon, but indicated that there would be no large-scale response to the killing of an Israeli teen by guerrilla shelling.
Israeli officials said today that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would largely use diplomacy to try to halt cross-border rocketing by the Lebanese guerrilla group.
Israel blames Syria, the main power in Lebanon, for the weekend flare-up and signaled that it wants Washington to enforce a U.S. demand that Syria rein in Hezbollah, which also has Iranian backing.
The Egyptian, Saudi and Syrian foreign ministers hastily scheduled a meeting in Cairo today that Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said would focus on Israel and Iraq. Egypt, whose 1979 peace treaty with Israel was the first in the Arab world, has long been seen as a moderate mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
There is concern that an escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border might re-ignite Israeli-Palestinian fighting, in a lull since Palestinian militant groups declared a cease-fire six weeks ago, and jeopardize further the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian areas have ties to Hezbollah.
Fearful citizens
The Israeli boy, 16-year-old Haviv Dadon, was killed Sunday as he walked home from a summer job in the border town of Shlomi. He was the first Israeli civilian to be killed by Hezbollah shelling since 1999. Five others were hurt, including a mother and her 9-month-old baby.
After the teenager's funeral Sunday, the streets of Shlomi, a working-class town of 6,000 people, were deserted, with residents staying in their homes or in bomb shelters.
"We are very afraid," said resident Lara Elhai, 50. "Any moment, they [Hezbollah] could shoot at us."
Israeli attack helicopters destroyed the cannon that launched the shells, the Israeli military said. Early today, an Israeli warplane broke the sound barrier over Beirut, setting off a sonic boom that woke residents, a frequent Israeli tactic when tension rises.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud condemned "Israel's aerial terrorism ... part of Israel's moves aiming to destabilize the region."
U.N. response
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Jean Obeid met diplomats from Britain, the United States, Russia, France and China -- the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- to express Lebanese displeasure at Israel's actions.
Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had urged Israel to exercise utmost restraint, but said the shelling "represents a serious violation" of the border and previous U.N. resolutions.
Israeli defense officials suggested today that there would be no further response.
"There is a combined military and diplomatic reaction here. It's important to remember the diplomatic aspect here," Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim told Israel Army Radio.
Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli Defense Ministry official, said he expected Hezbollah to pull back.
"It appears Hezbollah is not interested in a deterioration [of the situation] because it is fully aware of the might of the Israeli Defense Forces," Gilad told Israel Radio.
Both officials held Syria responsible, saying that without support from Damascus, the Lebanese guerrillas would be unable to get more supplies, including rockets.
Bloody history
Israel and Lebanese guerrillas engaged in a bloody war stretching back to 1982. It ended in May 2000, when Israel withdrew to an international boundary drawn by the United Nations. Except for clashes over an area Lebanon still claims, the border was largely quiet.
Several months ago, Hezbollah started firing anti-aircraft shells at Israeli warplanes overflying Lebanon.
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