U.S. Presses Lebanon Plan

Israeli jets and attack helicopters stepped up their pounding of Hezbollah guerrilla targets across Lebanon on Tuesday while the United States urgently pushed a proposal to cool the conflict that has claimed 45 lives in six days.

Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said his country welcomes the U.S. proposal, which apparently incorporates Israel’s two main demands--that Hezbollah guerrillas stop firing Katyusha rockets at northern Israel and stop using Lebanese civilians for cover--in exchange for a halt to the Israeli operations, which began Thursday.

U.S. officials in Washington refused to provide any details about the U.S. peace initiative, but the United States, Israel and Lebanon all confirmed that a proposed understanding was being circulated.

Lebanon reacted cautiously, apparently seeing the draft as being too one-sided in favor of Israel, which has demonstrated its military dominance in the past week by firing on alleged Hezbollah targets in almost all parts of Lebanon. The attacks began in response to a series of Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel.

U.S. and Israeli officials described the plan as an understanding to reach a cease-fire and new rules of engagement rather than to actually end the long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah continued sporadic rocket attacks into Israel on Tuesday, causing damage but no casualties.

Five Lebanese civilians, including a 2-year-old girl, were killed and 20 wounded Tuesday. Among the targets was Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp.

One Israeli soldier and 44 people in Lebanon--including three Hezbollah guerrillas--have been killed in the past week, and well over 100 people on both sides have been wounded.

Daniszewski reported from Beirut and Miller from Jerusalem. Times staff writer Norman Kempster in Washington contributed to this report.