The Israeli security cabinet on Wednesday approved expanding the army's ground operations in south Lebanon, local media reported.
"The security cabinet has approved the recommendations of the defense establishment for the expansion of ground operations in Lebanon," said the reports, citing senior Israeli ministers.
The go-ahead for the expansion of the ground offensive was made after a six-hour closed-door meeting of the security cabinet which gathered 12 top Israeli ministers. Nine of the 12 ministers voted for it while the other three abstained.
Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Eliyahu Yishai told Israel's public radio after the meeting that the expanded ground offensive was expected to last 30 days or even longer.
He said that it was very difficult to estimate the timetable of the widened operations.
Currently, about 10,000 Israeli troops are operating in south Lebanon in a bid to destroy Hezbollah's rocket launching capacity.
Under the security cabinet's decision, Israeli troops are to push to the Litani River, about 20 km from the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Israeli move came against a backdrop of stepped-up diplomatic efforts to put an end to the violence.
UN Security Council is now working on a revised draft resolution over the Lebanon crisis. No vote is expected before Thursday.
Over 100 Israelis and about 1,000 Lebanese have been killed in the 29 days of violence which broke out on July 12 following the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah guerillas in cross-border attacks.
The Lebanese government has demand an immediate ceasefire and a quick withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon as part of the ceasefire deal while Israel demands Hezbollah be disarmed, southern Lebanon demilitarized and two captive soldiers freed.
(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2006)
