Israeli air strikes levelled some residential buildings in Beirut early Sunday morning, July 16, 2006

Rockets fired by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon have killed at least eight people in the Israeli city of Haifa, as Israeli warplanes continue to bomb targets inside Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned of "far reaching consequences" after least 10 rockets struck Haifa, about 30 kilometers from the Lebanese border.  One of the rockets hit a storage and maintenance area at Haifa's main railroad station, causing the casualties.  Hours later, air raid sirens blared throughout Israel's third largest city.

The Israeli military urged all residents of southern Lebanon to leave immediately to avoid an imminent Israeli attack.

The Haifa attack was the worst strike against Israel since it began an offensive against Hezbollah, which captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid last Wednesday.

Israel carried out a fifth straight day of airstrikes in Lebanon Sunday, pounding Beirut's southern suburbs.  Witnesses say they heard loud explosions and that smoke was billowing from an area where Hezbollah has its headquarters. 

About 100 Lebanese and 12 Israelis have died since the fighting broke out.

Today's Israeli bombardment also targeted a Hezbollah television building.  The station (al-Manar) went off the air for a few hours.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora appealed to the United Nations to broker an immediate ceasefire. 

During airstrikes Saturday, Israel hit the Beirut seaport and the northern city of Tripoli for the first time, and also bombed buildings used by Hezbollah in Beirut and Baalbek.

Israel has pledged to continue the offensive until Hezbollah guerrillas are disarmed and the captured Israeli soldiers are released.  

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.