11.   Chirac made the telephone calls after Israeli aircraft and artillery blasted Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon in revenge for rocket attacks.

12.   Israeli warplanes blasted strongholds of Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon on Monday, police reported.

13.   Lebanese soldiers fired anti-aircraft guns at Israeli warplanes as they buzzed parts of south Lebanon on Wednesday, a day after blasting guerrilla strongholds, police said.