Beirut - An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter Scale struck southern Lebanon Friday afternoon, causing fear and panic among the residents, Lebanese police said.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from the tremors.

The quake, which was felt at around 1200 GMT, was also detected in northern Israel.

Rashid Jumaa of Lebanon's Geophysical Institute, told the German News Agency dpa that the quake was felt in areas east of the southern port city of Tyre and the village of Srifa.

Beirut  - An earthquake struck southern Lebanon Friday afternoon, causing panic among the residents, Lebanese police said.

The quake, which was felt at around 1200 GMT, was also detected in northern Israel. No information is available yet on the precise magnitude.

Residents in the southern port city of Tyre and Nabatiyeh felt the earth moving for several seconds.

"We felt the earth moving under our feet and we all rushed outside the house into the street," said a resident of Tyre.

There were no reports of injuries.

Beirut - Five Lebanese soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded when their convoy was ambushed in eastern Lebanon, Army sources said Monday. Three soldiers died immediately in the ambush on an army convoy in the area of Riyak, in eastern Lebanon, while two others died later in a hospital from serious wounds, among them a major, army sources said.

Eleven others are still in hospital being treated for moderate wounds, hospital sources in the area said.

The Bekaa Valley has always been known to be the main production area of illegal drugs, mainly hashish.

Beirut (dpa) - Followers of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in Lebanon lashed out Thursday at Egypt after its public prosecutor accused the movement of sending operatives to carry out attacks in the country.

"This is a totally false and fabricated accusation regarding Hezbollah, because the movement does not have any role outside Lebanon," Ali Zeineddine, a follower of Hezbollah told the German news agency, dpa in Beirut's southern suburbs, a neighbourhood heavily supportive of the movement.

Beirut  - Visiting Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that his country support and back Lebanon's sovereignty and stability.

"Italy deeply supports reconciliation and stability in Lebanon and places its trust in the upcoming legislative elections, which must be free and democratic," said Frattini after talks with Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Salloukh.

Lebanon is scheduled to have Parliamentary elections in June.

Beirut - Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Seniora announced Tuesday that he will run for the Sunni parliamentary seat in Sidon, southern Lebanon, in parliamentary elections due on June 7.

Seniora said he would campaign under the slogan of "coexistence, reform, socio-economic development and improvement of living conditions."