Hizbullah pledged today to deny the United States and Israel any political gains from the war in Lebanon as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Jerusalem to discuss ways to end the 18-day-old war.
Israel rejected as unnecessary a United Nations plea for a truce to aid civilians trapped by fighting.
Hours later, an Israeli air strike killed a woman and six children in a house in the southern village of Nmeiriya, medics said. At least 469 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Lebanon in the conflict, and 51 Israelis have died.
In an interview, Hizbullah's deputy chief Naim Kassem demanded an immediate halt to "Israeli aggression".
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Asked how Hizbollah viewed US demands for its guerrillas to disarm and make way for an international force in south Lebanon, he said: "America and Israel have no right to get a result from their defeat. There is no (military) victory for America and Israel for them to make political gains."
President George W. Bush said the conflict in Lebanon was part of the wider struggle against terrorism and any strategy to end the violence must address the threat posed by Hizbullah.
"As we work to resolve this current crisis, we must recognize that Lebanon is the latest flashpoint in a broader struggle between freedom and terror that is unfolding across the region," he said in his weekly radio address.
Ms Rice was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to discuss the outlines of a UN Security Council resolution.
"She will be able to tell us exactly what kind of international force has to be sent here and what kind of resolution has to be passed by the United Nations," Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said.
Ms Rice, who will meet Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora later in her Middle East mission, said she expected her talks to be tough. "There has to be give and take," she added.
In a softening of Israel's position, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Israel would not demand the immediate disarming of Hizbullah as part of a deal to end the fighting.
The official said Israel would demand that the proposed peacekeeping force in south Lebanon keep Hizbullah away from the Israeli border and prevent the group from replenishing its stockpile of rockets from Syria and Iran.
Israeli forces today pulled out of the Lebanese border town of Bint Jbeil but may return, an Israeli military source said.
Israeli troops had raided the Hizbullah stronghold, four kilometres from the Israel-Lebanon border, earlier in the week as part of a major offensive.
"There are no soldiers in Bint Jbeil, but it's possible they will be back for pinpointed operations," the Israeli military source said, adding that Israeli troops were still operating on the ground in southern Lebanon against Hizbollah.
Israel dismissed a proposal by UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland for a truce to let relief workers reach stricken civilians and deliver emergency aid. "There is no need for a 72-hour temporary ceasefire because Israel has opened a humanitarian corridor to and from Lebanon," Mr Pazner said.
While Israel has let aid shipments through its blockade of Lebanon, international relief agencies say they have been unable to get Israel to guarantee safe passage to civilians in southern areas hardest hit by Israeli bombing aimed at Hizbullah.
Washington has pledged $30 million (16 million pounds) to help Lebanon but America's attitude to the war has angered many Lebanese.
"They send the Israelis smart bombs and they send us blankets. If it was up to me, I wouldn't let this ship dock here. I would dump this stuff in the sea," said a Lebanese soldier watching US relief goods being unloaded in Beirut.
A US military catamaran had brought blankets, tarpaulins and medical kits for some of the 800,000 war-displaced people.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has invited countries willing to join an international force in Lebanon to meet in New York on Monday to begin planning, even though its mandate has yet to be set by the Security Council. Major powers say the force cannot deploy before a ceasefire or operate without the consent of Lebanon, Israel and Hizbullah.
Mr Bush has blamed Hizbullah and its main allies Syria and Iran for the conflict in Lebanon. In response, the Shia group says it is fighting a US-Israeli plan for hegemony in the Middle East.
Lebanon argues that the main problems include Israel's occupation of the disputed Shebaa Farms area, claimed by Lebanon, and its detention of Lebanese prisoners.