Two French soldiers wounded in Beirut

Two French soldiers were seriously wounded in a grenade attack in Beirut Thursday as US and Saudi Arabian efforts to secure an end to fighting around the Lebanese capital reached a crucial stage.

Lebanese officials said the government was waiting to see an amended draft cease-fire agreement from Damascus before deciding whether to accept the latest offers to end the fighting. US envoy Robert McFarlane returned to Beirut from Damascus, where he met with Saudi and Syrian officials.

Lebanese warplanes, grounded since the start of civil warfare three weeks ago , flew over Beirut and adjacent hills where government troops fought with Syrian-backed Druze Muslim militiamen, Western military sources said.

Also, the right-wing Christian ''Lebanese Forces'' militia released tapes which it said proved that Palestinian units have been fighting alongside Druze rebels in the mountains east of Beirut.