[Nehkara]

Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would consider a ceasefire if Hezbollah agreed to pull back from the Lebanese border, release two Israeli soldiers and end rocket attacks on Israel.

Olmert, in an impassioned address to the Knesset, said Israel would show no mercy on militant organizations that attack Israeli cities and towns.

"We are not looking for war or direct conflict but, if necessary, we will not be frightened by it," he said.

The enemy is encountering a unified people standing shoulder to shoulder, Olmert said.

"Citizens of Israel, there are moments in the life of a nation, when it is compelled to look directly into the face of reality and say: no more," he said.

"We are fighting for the right to normal life, like any individual, like any people, like any country, like any state."

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/nation...nd-troops.html