NEW YORK, July 19: The Bush administration has given Israel green light to continue to bombard Lebanon for another week or so to degrade Hezbollah militia, The New York Times said on Wednesday quoting officials in Washington and Tel Aviv.

Then, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would go to the region and seek to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, and perhaps an international force to monitor Lebanon’s borders and prevent Hezbollah from obtaining more rockets for bombarding Israel, the newspaper said.

The Times said that the American officials signalled that Ms Rice was waiting at least a few more days before wading into the conflict, in part to give Israel more time to weaken Hezbollah.

The strategy carries risk, partly because it remains unclear just how long the rest of the world, particularly America’s Arab allies, will remain silent as the toll on Lebanese civilians rises.

American officials said that Washington was discussing with its Arab allies and Israel the question of how to strengthen Lebanon’s borders, a central Israeli demand.

Israel has been lukewarm to the idea of an international force in Lebanon, but is willing to consider such a deployment if it includes troops from major powers and if it is used to prevent Hezbollah from supplementing its arsenal.

American and Israeli officials are also contemplating a buffer zone 12 miles wide in southern Lebanon to keep Hezbollah away from the Israeli border.

While disarming Hezbollah entirely remains Israel’s goal, it is no longer demanding that it be done as a condition for a ceasefire, the officials told the Times.

The newspaper said that Israel had made it clear that it does not want Ms Rice to begin a peacemaking effort yet, and the Bush administration has, for the time being, gone along with an Israeli request for more latitude.