HOPES for a swift end to the violence in the Lebanon hung in the balance last night as fierce fighting raged as the deadline for an agreed ceasefire approached.

Israel's cabinet approved a United Nations peace deal yesterday, a day after the resolution was backed by their Lebanese counterparts and by Hezbollah.

But doubts remained over whether the fighting would stop at 6am today - the agreed hour UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced at the weekend.

Under the plan, a 15,000-strong multinational peacekeeping force is due to deploy to the south of the country to help a similar-sized contingent of Leban-ese soldiers take control.

But Israel has refused to withdraw before the troops are in place - and Hezbollah insists it has the right to continue attacks until they leave.

There was no sign of a slowdown in the conflict as the deadline approached, with 30,000 Israeli soldiers fighting heavy battles with Hezbollah.

Its jets also continued to strike Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut as well as petrol stations in Tyre - where it was claimed the death toll was at least 12.

Hezbollah rockets also continued to rain down on northern Israel, where one of 200 yesterday was said by Israeli police to have killed one man in a direct strike on a house.

Fears over the route towards peace were fuelled by the postponement of a meeting of the Lebanese cabinet to discuss the arrangements for the military force.

Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells conceded at the weekend that it would be a "tough task" to get the expanded force in place within the next ten days as planned.

It would be "almost impossible" to do so without a halt to the bloodshed, he added.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for the hostilities to cease immediately and urged all sides to show "the utmost restraint".

Britain is not expected to provide any troops for the UN force - not least because the armed forces are already being stretched by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It will provide logistical support, partly through the use of its bases in Cyprus.

Organisers of a campaign for Parliament to be recalled to discuss the crisis will meet today to discuss developments. But a spokesman said he expected that the decision would be to press on with calls for an emergency session to be convened.

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