ISRAEL - Aug 20 - Olmert Calls On Italy To Lead Lebanon Force.

Israel calls on Italy to lead an international force in south Lebanon and to send troops to oversee border crossings from Syria through which it alleges Hizbullah is continuing to receive arms supplies. Ehud Olmert, in a telephone call to Romano Prodi, his Italian counterpart, said the dispatch of Italian troops was crucial to implementing UN Security Council resolution 1701, according to Olmert's office. The Israeli statement came after Israel defended a commando raid deep inside Lebanon on Aug 18 night, which it said was to disrupt weapons shipments reaching Hizbullah from Syria and Iran. It also followed criticism by Israeli ministers that sponsors of the UN resolution, including France, had not so far fulfilled promises to provide adequate forces to implement its terms. "The PM said that it was important that the force arrive as soon as possible, and that it was important that Italy lead the international force, as well as send troops to oversee the border crossings between Syria and Lebanon", Olmert's office said. Prodi has said Italy intends to send a "significant" military force - some senior politicians involved with defence have the put the figure as high as 3,000 - and that he would raise the matter in the Italian parliament as soon as possible. Meanwhile Israel warned of possible further commando raids into Lebanon to prevent weapons reaching Hizbullah from Syria and Iran. Lebanese government officials said they would strive to preserve the fragile truce in spite of the Israeli assault. The raid, in the Bekaa area of north-eastern Lebanon, left one Israeli officer dead and two commandos wounded. The attackers are reported to have killed three Hizbullah fighters. The fighting underlined the fragility of the ceasefire at a time when the Israeli authorities are engaged in a postmortem on the war that Dan Halutz, chief of staff, acknowledged had failed to deliver a knockout blow against Hizbullah. The Israeli defence ministry has appointed a former chief of staff to conduct an inquiry into the readiness of the armed forces to fight in Lebanon, while Ehud Olmert, PM, said he would ask the cabinet to approve a state commission to investigate the conduct of the war. Fouad Siniora, Lebanese PM, said Israeli forces had committed "crimes against humanity" during the 34-day war. Air raids on Shi'ite civilian neighbourhoods were a "criminal act that shows Israel's hatred", he said while touring Beirut's heavily damaged southern suburbs with Nabih Berri, a Shi'ite party leader who backs Hizbullah. Following the Israeli raid, Eli Yishai, Israel's trade minister, accused the Lebanese government of failing to halt arms shipments. "We must give him [Siniora] an ultimatum to stop the arms smuggling from Iran through Syria to Hizbullah, or his infrastructure will be damaged". Elias Murr, Lebanese defence minister, rejected Israeli claims about intercepting arms shipments to Hizbullah from Syria, but warned that any retaliatory attacks against Israel would be treated as "treason" against the Lebanese state. Reports that the commandos wore Lebanese army uniforms, possibly in violation of the Geneva Convention, could add "another dimension" to the raid, said Muhammad Shatah, an adviser to Siniora. The Israeli military said the goals of Friday night's raid were achieved in full. Israel rejected the view of Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, that the action was a violation of the ceasefire. Israeli newspapers said one aim of the operation was to collect intelligence on supplies of new weapons. Some commentators suggested the Israeli authorities were seeking further evidence to present to Russia that Syria was diverting Russian-supplied weapons to Hizbullah. Separately, Arab foreign ministers met at the seat of the Arab League in Cairo with promises of reconstruction help for Lebanon. However, Syria's minister was absent.