Israelis Pound Hizbullah Bases in Lebanon

ISRAELI planes screamed into south Lebanon for the second day in a row May 27 and blasted pro-Iranian guerrilla bases with volleys of rockets.

The strikes, the third wave of Israeli attacks into Lebanon in less than a week, were carried out just north of the Jewish state's self-proclaimed security zone.

Security sources said Israeli planes also flew over the southern port of Sidon and the town of Baalbek, a major Hizbullah bastion in the Syrian-policed Bekaa Valley. The sources said Syria had moved hundreds of troops into the Bekaa over the weekend.

The stepped-up air war stoked fears of conflict between Israel and Syria, which controls two-thirds of Lebanon with 40,000 troops. But Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir said the raids would continue until Hizbullah stopped its attacks on the security zone, set up in 1985.

Meanwhile, a general strike paralyzed the occupied Gaza Strip May 26 for a second day running in protest at the Israeli Army's killing of three members of the Islamic resistance movement, Hamas.

Palestinians said at least 27 Gaza residents were wounded by Israeli soldiers May 25, bringing the number of injured to 79 in two days of confrontations.