Britain and the United States, in a dramatic about-face, are ready to back a UN resolution calling for an immediate end to the fighting in Lebanon as the first step in a political settlement, diplomats said today.

The transatlantic allies, who had resisted pressure to support an immediate cessation of hostilities, are "very close" to an agreement with France on a UN resolution that could be adopted as early as this weekend.

The diplomatic progress came after fierce fighting in at least five districts of southern Lebanon today, where as many as 6,000 Israeli soldiers struggled to take control of Hezbollah bases. The group hit back with nearly 200 rockets, the largest volley of missile attacks against Israel in the 22-day conflict.

In Jerusalem today, Ehud Olmert set out his conditions to bring an end to the fighting, in an interview with The Times. He called for a robust force of 15,000 foreign combat troops, including British soldiers, to be deployed in the south of the country.

The Israeli leader said that the conflict could be over as soon as the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution authorising an international force and once the troops were in place.

In New York, British and American officials moved closer to agreeing a resolution would call for an immediate halt to the fighting and spell out the conditions for a political agreement involving the deployment of an international force.

No international troops are expected to arrive in the region until after that political agreement has been reached, leaving the immediate task of monitoring a truce to the existing UN peacekeeping contingent and the Lebanese Army.

A second UN vote would be required to authorise the deployment of a multinational force.

Britain and the US, which refuse to provide ground troops to Lebanon, have essentially agreed to support the original peace plan outlined by France, which is ready to put boots on the ground.

The reversal follows Mr Blair’s call on Tuesday for a rethink of the "War on Terror" and an EU foreign ministers' communiqué, which yesterday called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities."

A confidential US proposal endorses an "immediate end to violence" followed by a "political agreement that provides the conditions for a lasting peace", and "a security framework to provide the confidence to implement the provisions of that agreement and oversee a sustainable ceasefire".

A senior diplomat said that the three powers were "90 per cent" agreed on the text of a UN resolution and could circulate a draft to the full UN Security Council tomorrow. It is possible that foreign ministers will travel to New York for the vote.

The resolution will lay out the principles of an eventual political settlement, including the creation of a militia-free buffer zone; implementation of UN Resolution 1559 by disarming Hezbollah; the creation of an international force; and extending Lebanese government authority across the entire country.

The United States also wants to impose an arms embargo on Hezbollah and international monitoring of the Syrian-Lebanese border to prevent Damascus re-supplying Hezbollah fighters.

The text will also refer to a solution to the dispute over the Shebaa Farms area claimed by Lebanon, but judged part of Syria by the UN.

Intense fighting continued today in Lebanon after Israeli commandos, backed by airstrikes, led a helicopter assault on the town of Baalbek, 95km (60 miles) inside the Lebanese border, late last night.

Israel claimed to have captured five Hezbollah militants in the raid, which was aimed at the group's leadership, but Hezbollah said that the men taken were civilians.

Thirteen civilians, including four children, were killed in the airstrikes that accompanied the mission. A further six civilians and a Lebanese soldier were killed in separate bombings.

As the day progressed, Israeli troops were reported to be fighting pitched battles with Hezbollah guerrillas in the village of Aita Shaab, where three Israeli soldiers were killed yesterday.

Lebanese security sources said that Israeli troops had captured a hilltop at al-Aweida overlooking several villages, including Kfar Kila and Adaiseh, the objects of fierce fighting all week.

Hezbollah responded to the Israeli ground assault by launching more than 190 rockets, the largest barrage in a single day. One Israeli man was killed and 19 wounded by the missiles, 36 of which landed in populated areas.

One of the missiles hit landed near the city of Beit Shean, some 60km (37 miles) from the Lebanese border, the deepest strike into Israel since the start of the criss on July 12.

More than 750,000 Lebanese civilians, around a fifth of the entire population, have abandoned their homes during the four-week conflict with Israel. Today the Lebanese Health Minister, Muhammed Jawad Khalifeh, said 762 civilians had died in the fighting. The figure included an estimate for those whose bodies have not been recovered. Fifty-five Israelis have lost their lives.

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