Q&A: Behind the Israel-Hizbullah crisis

Mr. Olmert said Tuesday the offensive might be called off if Israeli prisoners are released and Hizbullah withdraws from the border area, taking its rockets out of range of Israeli population centers.

"If one of the ways to bring home the soldiers will be negotiations on the possibility of releasing Lebanese prisoners, I think the day will come when we will also have to consider this," Israeli Public Security Minister Avi Dichter told the country's Army Radio Tuesday.

From the Hizbullah side, there has been no evidence of softening, though analysts say it is possible the group would agree to a withdrawal from the border in exchange for a hostage deal, betting it will be able to eventually move back into the area.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called Tuesday for a bigger, better-armed and more robust international force to stabilize southern Lebanon and buy time for the Lebanese government to disarm Hizbullah.

Shrugging off US and Israeli reluctance, Mr. Annan said he expected European nations to contribute troops to the proposed force in a bid to end fighting between Israel and Hizbullah and prevent a wider Middle East conflagration.

"It is urgent that the international community acts to make a difference on the ground," Annan said.

Hizbullah has strong ties to both regimes, particularly to Iran, which has traditionally armed and financed the group. Syria's role for arms and other aid to Hizbullah has been as a transit point. And both countries see Hizbullah as a useful proxy in their confrontations with Israel, and a likely ally if war ever breaks out. Claims that Syria and Iran had a hand in Hizbullah's decision to capture the Israeli soldiers are unproven.

Though President Bush appears to think Syria is pulling the strings – caught in a candid moment saying that Syria is capable of forcing Hizbullah to release the hostages and ending its rocket attacks on northern Israel – others say Hizbullah's independent hatred of Israel can't be discounted, and that it probably acted out of sympathy with Hamas.

Hizbullah leader Mr. Nasrallah has often called for the demise of Israel and he needs no prodding to strike. But in developing Hizbullah's ability to attack, Iran and Syria's role are unquestioned.

US and Israeli intelligence say the group has been equipped with 10,000 short-range rockets from Iran and has received training from Iran and Syria.

The connections between Hizbullah and the countries the US views as terror supporters makes this conflict an American priority in the region. The US has strongly supported the Lebanese government since Syria's withdrawal last year, and would view a collapse of Prime Minister Siniora's government a calamity.

But America's ability to exert influence is limited, since it does not talk directly to either Hizbullah, Syria, or Iran. The US has considerable sway with its close ally Israel, though so far it has called only for restraint in the Israeli offensive and has said that calls for a cease-fire are "premature."

Another big US concern remains Iran's nuclear program, which it claims will inevitably lead to a nuclear bomb if it isn't controlled. To be sure, the fighting in Lebanon is not only distracting the world from efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program, but is even making Iran more popular among Arab populations. who widely approve of its support of Hizbullah militants against Israel.

• Wire services were used in this article.

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