LEBANON: HEZBOLLAH REMAIN UNDETERRED AS ISRAELI SHELLING CONTINUES

English/Nat As diplomatic efforts continued to resolve the current round of fighting in Lebanon, Israel continued its attacks in southern Lebanon while Hezbollah supporters responded with rocket attacks. Israeli jets and helicopter gunships swooped down on more than a dozen villages on Saturday blasting the area with bombs. An one of its warships also blasted a stretch of road with more than 150 shells in an attempt to isolate southern Lebanon. And in Beirut, Hezbollah supporters staged a noisy anti-Israeli demonstration while burying a Hezbollah guerilla killed by Israeli fire. Israeli aircraft pounded more than a dozen villages in southern Lebanon on Saturday. U-N officers said 30 air strikes were carried out in the U-N security zone and about 500 shells - a rate of one every two to three minutes - crashed in the region during Saturday. The village of Kafra was bombarded by jets and explosions rocked the countryside. Israeli fighters made about 10 bombing runs in the area. Artillery shells fired by Israeli gunners in the occupied border enclave struck, at times, at a rate of one every two to three minutes. SOUNDBITE: (English) "They have bombed the route so you can not use the route anymore." SUPERCAPTION: U-N soldier An Israeli gunboat shelled a stretch of highway near Sidon as it tried to isolate the southern parts of Lebanon. The bombardment centered on a 300-metre stretch of the road, between a Lebanese army and a Syrian army checkpoint. Civilians ran for cover as the now familiar black smoke filled the air. The naval bombardment forced Lebanese army troops and police eventually to close off the stretch of highway from the Owali Bridge. It is the geographical boundary of the south Lebanon province just north of Sidon, and at Rmaile. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I want to go home - south. But the Israelis are shooting all people." SUPERCAPTION: Lebanese refugee A number of Israeli shells found their target. A fireball lit up the morning sky in Sidon as a car took a direct hit. But the Hezbollah remain undeterred - its guerilla fighters continued their attacks undaunted by the Israeli onslaught. Hezbollah leaders paid a visit to a stronghold of their guerillas and blessed them and their efforts. These fighters were given a blessing before firing their Sagger rockets at Israeli targets. In Lebanon, hundreds of supporters attended the funeral of Hezbollah fighter Ahmed Sheri, killed in the village of Baraachit earlier this week. Emotions ran high during the funeral procession with supporters chanting anti-Israeli slogans whilst mourning the dead. Hezbollah has admitted to the deaths of six fighters in the 10 day onslaught - while more than 100 civilians have been killed. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/68d6820834bca0d0f9ef7e22c1f37821 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork