Israeli raid strains West Asia truce…

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora accused Israel of a “flagrant violation of the cessation of hostilities announced by the Security Council,’’ and said he would take the issue up with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

After an evening meeting with UN envoy Terje Roed Larsen, Defence Minister Elias Murr said the UN official was travelling to Israel and would discuss the matter there. “If there are no clear answers forthcoming on this issue, I might be forced to recommend to the Cabinet early next week the halt of the army deployment in the south,’’ he said.

The Israeli military said the raid was launched “to prevent and interfere with terror activity against Israel, especially the smuggling of arms from Iran and Syria to Hizbollah.’’

The first small contingent of reinforcements for the peacekeeping force came with 49 French soldiers landing on Saturday at the southern Lebanese coastal town of Naqoura, with 200 more expected next week.

Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown said more countries need to step forward to fill out a vanguard of 3,500 troops that the UN wants on the ground by August 28 to help ensure that the truce holds after 34 days of warfare.

The White House declined to criticise the Israeli operation, noting that Israel said it acted in reaction to arms smuggling into Lebanon and that the UN resolution calls for the prevention of any weapons resupply for Hizbollah. “The incident underscores the importance of quickly deploying the enhanced UNIFIL,’’ White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo said.

Israel did not give the name or rank of the officer who was killed in the raid. Hizbollah issued a terse statement in which it said guerrillas “ambushed’’ the commando force and none of its fighters was hurt.

–SAM F GHATTAS