The Israeli Minister of Defence, Amir Peretz, said today that it was Israel's intention to occupy what he described as a "security strip" in southern Lebanon until an international force can deploy to take it over.
"We have no other option ... We will have to build a new security strip, a security strip that will be a cover for our forces until international forces arrive," Peretz told reporters.
Mr Peretz' comments came as fierce fighting continued in south Lebanon between Israeli forces and Hizbollah fighters.
Israeli troops met fierce resistance from Hizbollah in southern Lebanon with at least 11 civilians killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Hizbollah continued to fire rockets at northern Israel, killing a teenage Israeli-Arab girl. She died after a rocket hit her house in the northern Israeli village of Maghar.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert repeated his determination to pursue Israel's offensive against Hizbullah guerrillas as he met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the war in Lebanon.
Hopes of a US call for a ceasefire were raised before Ms Rice's visit, however she told Lebanese leaders in bomb-battered Beirut yesterday that any ceasefire had to involve Hizbollah's withdrawal from Israel's border and deployment of an international force in the frontier region.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice address a news conference after meeting today in Jerusalem
"A durable solution will be one that strengthens the forces of peace and democracy in the region," Ms Rice said alongside Mr Olmert in remarks before they held talks.
"It is time for a new Middle East. It is time to say to those who do not want a new Middle East that we will prevail."
Despite mounting international concern at civilian casualties in Lebanon, Mr Olmert said Israel had to press on with its two-week old offensive.
Ms Rice has made clear she is not seeking a quick ceasefire and that any solution should address the root causes of the conflict - for which Washington and Israel blame Hizbullah and its backers in Iran and Syria.
Many of the issues will be discussed at the conference in Rome tomorrow.
Hizbollah's barrage of Katushya rockets continued today with an estimated 70 fired into Israel.
One rocket fired at the Israeli port city of Haifa hit a bus, another hit a house and two reportedly struck close to a hospital, injuring five people, witnesses and doctors said. One man died of a heart attack while running to a bomb shelter, Israel Radio said.
Rockets also hit the towns of Kiryat Shemona, Nahariya, Tiberias, Acre and Safed.
The Israeli bombardment of Lebanon continued with massive explosions reported in Beirut.
Seven members of a single family, including two children, were killed in the town of Nabatiyeh during an overnight air raid. Four civilians were reported killed near the southern coastal town of Tyre.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said the main objective of a Lebanon crisis meeting in Rome tomorrow would be to secure a ceasefire, as well as getting humanitarian aid to civilian victims.
"We wanted this summit to tackle fundamental problems: the first is a ceasefire," Mr Prodi told reporters ahead of the talks with top diplomats from the United States, Europe and the Middle East about the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah.
"The second is to tackle humanitarian problems of refugees, the third is a possible peace force, because we want to provide a basic level of security for the medium-term both to Israel and to Lebanon."
The talks called by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have raised hopes in Lebanon and some other Arab countries of an immediate ceasefire.
The one-day conference gathers ministers and diplomats from the United States, Britain, Italy, Spain, Germany, Canada, Russia, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the European Union, the World Bank, the United Nations - plus Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Agencies