Israel's Peres urges Lebanese to avert civil war

Israeli President Shimon Peres played down Israeli concerns at Hizbullah's move to expand its control in Beirut on Friday but said he hoped the Lebanese people would step back from the brink of civil war.

"It's not a total surprise. We knew that Hizbullah is going to divide the country and lead it to the verge of a civil war," Israel's elder statesman told reporters. (Reuters)