New York, Aug 11: Israel has asked the Bush administration for speedy delivery of short-range antipersonnel rockets armed with cluster munitions, which it could use to strike Hezbollah missile sites in Lebanon said the New York Times on Friday quoting two senior American officials. The request for M-26 artillery rockets, which are fired in barrages and carry hundreds of grenade-like bomblets that scatter and explode over a broad area, is likely to be approved shortly, along with other arms, a US official told the Times.

However, the newspaper said that some State Department officials have sought to delay the approval because of concerns over the likelihood of civilian casualties. The rockets, while they would be very effective against hidden missile launchers, officials say, are fired by the dozen and could be expected to cause civilian casualties if used against targets in populated areas.

The US had approved the sale of M-26’s to Israel some time ago, but the weapons had not yet been delivered when the crisis in Lebanon erupted. If the shipment is approved, Israel may be told that it must be especially careful about firing the rockets into populated areas, the senior official told Times.

The newspaper revealed that Israel has long told American officials that it wanted M-26 rockets for use against conventional armies in case Israel was invaded, one of the American officials said. But after being pressed in recent days on what they intended to use the weapons for, Israeli officials disclosed that they planned to use them against rocket sites in Lebanon.

State Department officials “are discussing whether or not there needs to be a block on this sale because of the past history adding that it is likely that Israel will get the rockets, but will be told to be “be careful.