4 Israeli Soldiers Killed on Patrol in S. Lebanon

Four Israeli soldiers were killed in two attacks in southern Lebanon, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a European trip and head home today, officials said.

Two Israeli soldiers died late Thursday or early today after a convoy of armored vehicles hit a mine, Israeli security sources said. On Wednesday, two soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded next to their patrol.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrilla group is suspected in both attacks, bringing to seven the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the last 11 days.

Netanyahu was to have traveled from Britain to Spain and then return home Sunday, but he changed plans after learning of the attacks.

“The prime minister decided to cut short his visit to Europe and return immediately to Israel following the heavy losses in Lebanon,” one source said.

The wave of casualties has prompted renewed calls by opposition figures for Israel to unilaterally withdraw from the zone, which Israel has controlled since 1985.

Labor Party lawmaker and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres said the government should abide by United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 and unilaterally pull forces back to the Israeli border.

“It must be implemented,” Peres told Israel Radio. “There is no other way.”