Smoke rises from the Helta area in south Lebanon during an air raid by Israeli warplanes

BEIRUT, August 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Israeli jets buzzed Beirut early Monday, August 11, after an air raid on southern Lebanon as the Israeli deputy defense minister Zeev Baum threatened that Syrian posts might be targeted if Hizbullah resistance group has not been deterred.

Low-flying jets shook residents awake shortly after 1:00 am (2200 GMT) with loud bangs in a mock raid following threats of "retaliatory options" by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after meeting with his army chiefs late Sunday, August 10, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

On Sunday, Israeli jets struck near the village of Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon where residents said a Hizbullah anti-aircraft post took a direct hit.

The raid came after an Israeli settler was killed and five wounded earlier in the day in what Israel said was the second border attack in three days by Hizbullah, fueling fears of the reopening of a war front after a seven-month lull, with Hizbullah asserting that it only fired anti-aircraft guns at Israeli warplanes overflying Lebanon.

The latest incidents came two days after a first Hizbullah rocket attack in seven months on the disputed Shebaa Farms, a border area occupied by Israel since 1967.

Hizbullah said the rocket attack on the Shebaa Farms was to avenge the August 2 death of one of its members in a Beirut car bomb explosion that the group blamed on Israel.

'Syrian Targets'

Meanwhile, Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Baum threatened Monday that Syrian posts might be targeted if Hizbullah has not been deterred, favoring, however, diplomacy over military action to respond to the latest firing by Hizbullah.

"We have chosen to react to Hizbullah attacks by stressing diplomatic action while still mounting a retaliatory operation on the ground," he told army radio.

"But if Hizbullah chooses the path of escalation, Israel will have to be firm, and it is possible that Syrian targets might be targeted," he said.

The flare-up came as Israel was already stepping up pressure on Syria and Lebanon to end their support for the Hizbullah resistance group.

Lebanon seemed equally intent on pursuing a diplomatic battle, as its Foreign Minister Jean Obeid met with ambassadors of the five U.N. Security Council permanent members and the representative of U.N. chief Kofi Annan over Israeli aggressions.

Obeid asked the United Nations and the five permanent members Monday to stop Israel from carrying out threats for retaliatory air strikes against Lebanon, a foreign ministry official said.

"Obeid asked the heads of the diplomatic missions to relay the position of Lebanon to their respective governments," the official told AFP.

Lebanon called on the five powerful states to "make the necessary efforts to stop Israel from carrying out the measures it has adopted late Sunday when its inner security cabinet decided limited air raids on Lebanon," he said.

Obeid received the Chinese charge d'affaires, Huang Chang Qing, before meeting with the U.S. and British ambassadors, Vincent Battle and Richard Kinchen, ministry officials said.

He also met with French charge d'affaires Christian Testot, Russian Ambassador Boris Bolotin and the U.N. representative, Staffan de Mistura.

The foreign minister was due to hold a press conference later Monday.

On Saturday, August 9, Israel lodged a complaint with the U.N. Security Council against Syria's support for Hizbullah, while the United States has warned both Beirut and Damascus to restrain the resistance group.

Lebanon hit back with its own complaint to the Security Council Sunday against Israeli "aggression, threats and continuous provocative violations of Lebanese airspace and sovereignty," the foreign ministry in Beirut said.

On May 24, 2000, Hizbullah resistance attacks forced Israel to withdraw its troops from a large territory in southern Lebanon which it had been occupying since 1978.

A significant issue relating to the withdrawal remains unsettled, namely the status of certain villages and adjacent land on the eastern side of Alsheikh Mountain, known as the “Shebaa Farms”, which have been occupied by Israel since 1967.