Escobar's aide killed in raid

BEIRUT - Another south Lebanon war was brought to a temporary close yesterday after the United States called upon Israelis and Arabs to end their latest battle across the northern Israeli border. The Israeli 'armoured column' that crossed into Lebanon on Tuesday drove no further than two miles over the frontier. In Beirut, meanwhile, a long-dormant Lebanese 'security committee' was revived to secure a promise from Hizbollah that it would fire no more Katyusha rockets into Israel, writes Robert Fisk.

After firing more than 700 shells into Lebanon, Israel effectively promised to take no further revenge for the killing on Sunday of five of its soldiers by Hizbollah, while the militia agreed it would confine its war to the 'security zone' north of the Israeli frontier.