On Friday night, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for the immediate cessation of violence in Lebanon after Washington and Paris reached a compromise. But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would wait until Sunday before presenting it to his government. Meanwhile, heavy fighting continued in Lebanon and an Israeli Army spokesmen said that no limit had been set for a ground invasion that began on Saturday.

The United Nation's representative in Lebanon, Geir Pedersen, said Saturday he expects an immediate cease-fire as soon as the Israeli and Lebanese governments have agreed to the resolution. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged all parties to accept the agreement "without delay" and said it was important now for "all parties to implement quickly the demands of the Security Council." Steinmeier described the resolution as a "significant step for the stabilization of the situation in the Middle East."

The UN resolution, approved on Friday after weeks of diplomatic wrangling, calls for a full cessation of hostilities by both Israel and Hezbollah and it calls for 15,000 United Nations "blue helmet" peacekeepers to be sent in to assist Lebanese troops in taking control of southern Lebanon as Israel withdraws. It also has a broad mandate allowing it to "take all the necessary actions" to stop hostile actions in the area.

But on Saturday, there were still serious questions about when that force could begin its work of establishing peace. In Israel, there were conflicting reports about the duration of the intensified ground invasion. The Israeli Internet news site Ynet cited a source in the office of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert claiming that Israel is calculating that the cease-fire called for by the UN will go into force on Monday. As soon as it goes into effect, Israel would stop its offensive in southern Lebanon. But a spokesman for the Israeli government claimed there was "no time limit" for the military operation. The goal of the ground troop deployment, he said, was to prevent Hezbollah from conducting further rocket attacks against northern Israel.

Statements made by Dan Halutz, Israel's top general, also did little to suggest a quick cease in fighting. He indicated that the ground offensive started on Saturday morning could last up to a week. Lieutenant-General Halutz told reporters: "We will continue to operate until we achieve our aims." Gideon Meir, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official said the offensive would continue at least until Sunday when Olmert is to meet with the government for a decision on the resolution. In Beirut, the Lebanese cabinet was set to meet Saturday afternoon to decide on UN Resolution 1701, but Lebanese Communications Minister Marwan Hamadé said it was likely it would be approved.

Civilian casualties mount

Israeli Army officials said on Saturday that a ground offensive was pushing its way in the direction of the Litani River, some 20 kilometers inside Lebanon. Army officials said 30 Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the offensive. There were Israeli casualties, too, but no number was given. A number of installations used by Hezbollah to launch rockets were also destroyed.

Meanwhile, Lebanese security forces reported that an Israeli air strike in the southern village of Rachaf killed 15 civilians. A number of homes in the village, which is located about 14 kilometers from the Israeli border, were also struck by missiles.

According to media reports, early Saturday morning Israel dispatched additional tanks and soldiers, who were on their way to provide reinforcement to troops already in southern Lebanon. Security officials said that the Israeli Air Force had bombed two transformers in Lebanon, cutting off electricity to the port city of Tyre.

On the international diplomatic front, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he would meet with representatives of the governments of Israel and Lebanon as soon as possible to determine the exact date for implementing the cease-fire. Earlier, Annan chastised members of the Security Council for the amount of time it took them to reach a compromise on the cease-fire resolution, saying it had "badly shaken the world's faith in its authority and integrity." Addressing the high number of civilian casualties, the UN leader said he was "profoundly disappointed" that the Council hadn't acted quicker.