Nine killed in Lebanon clash

NABATIYEH (AP) - An Irish UN soldier was killed and another was wounded by Iranian-backed guerrillas withdrawing after raiding an Israeli-allied militia position in south Lebanon yesterday. Eight other people were killed and 12 wounded in the attack by the guerrillas and in the battle that followed, Lebanese police said.

It was the fifth successive day of hostilities, which raised tensions in the region after the most recent round of Arab-Israeli peace talks in Washington failed to reach a breakthrough before ending last week.

The guerrillas fired a grenade at a checkpoint in the village of Jmaijmeh, killing an Irish sergeant and seriously wounding a private. Jmaijmeh is north of Israel's self-proclaimed 'security zone' in south Lebanon.