At least 15 people have been killed or injured as Israel launches a wider offensive against Hezbollah just hours after the UN passed a resolution to stop the fighting.

Backed by war planes and tanks, Israeli ground troops have started pushing deeper into Lebanon, reaching Ghanduriya, 11km north of the border.

The broad offensive comes despite a unanimous UN Security Council call for an end to the one-month old war. The offensive is expected to reach as far as the strategic Litani river, which runs as far as 30km (19 miles) from the border.

An Israeli army spokesman said: "In line with Wednesday's decision by the security cabinet, the army has launched a ground operation in south Lebanon which is expected to extend up to the Litani river."

Avi Pazner, a government spokesman, said the offensive was open-ended.

"This operation is aimed at preventing Hezbollah from firing rockets into northern Israel and is not limited in time," he said.

Israeli combat jets were also in action across other parts of  Lebanon, pounding northern roads leading to Syria and destroying a power plant in the major southern city of Sidon. The city is likely to be without power for 10 days.
The latest 15 victims of the war were killed or injured when fighter-bombers hit a village near the southern port city of Tyre, police said.

Ground offensive

Troops in tanks and armoured vehicles were rolling towards hilltops overlooking the Litani river where they were meeting with resistance from Hezbollah fighters, Lebanese police said.

Hezbollah also fired a salvo of 20 rockets at Israel, police said.

The Litani has served as a strategic limit for Israel's operations in Lebanon since it first invaded its northern neighbour in 1978.

Late on Friday the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and the deployment of a 15,000-strong international force in Lebanon.

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