Israel sends ground forces into Lebanon  —  JERUSALEM - Israeli ground troops have entered southern Lebanon to attack Hezbollah bases on the border, a government spokesman said Monday.  Israel's six-day-old offensive against Hezbollah following the capture of two Israeli soldiers earlier had been an aerial campaign.

Microphone Captures Bush's Unscripted Comments at G-8  —  ST. PETERSBURG, July 17 — President Bush should know that in Russia, someone is always listening.  In this case, it was the rest of the world.  —  During a lunch with other leaders at the Group of Eight summit on Monday …

Blame by Some Arab Leaders for Fighters  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 16 — With the battle between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah raging, key Arab governments have taken the rare step of blaming Hezbollah, underscoring in part their growing fear of influence by the group's main sponsor, Iran.

Arabs Fear Iran More Than They Hate The Jews  —  The New York Times provides an interesting analysis regarding the surprising criticism coming from Arab capitals towards Hezbollah.  Yesterday, its chief complained that the Arabs had not rallied around his organization while it fights the hated "Zionists".

EU's Solana pessimistic about chance for Lebanon cease-fire  —  BRUSSELS - A senior European Union official returned from the Middle East on Monday sounding pessimistic about the chance of a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah militants, and the EU said it was considering the deployment of peacekeepers.

Israel launches new strikes  —  Western nations seek to evacuate their citizens  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — Another round of Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut's international airport and other targets around Lebanon early Monday as Western countries made plans to evacuate their citizens from the war-torn country.

The Fighters and the Freeloaders  —  Before things can turn a corner in the Middle East, we need the diplomatic equivalent of electric-shock therapy.  We may need $100 oil to jolt the Europeans and the Chinese.  We may need the Russians to be told that they can forget joining the World Trade Organization.

Gunmen kill 41 in raid on Iraq market  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Dozens of heavily armed attackers raided an open air market Monday in a tense town south of Baghdad, killing at least 41 people and wounding 42, police and hospital officials said.  Most of the victims were believed to be Shiites.