BEIRUT — After nine days of rockets, bombs and artillery fire that culminated in the catastrophic shelling of a U.N. compound, the Israeli, Syrian and Lebanese governments inched closer Friday to embracing a U.S. call for a cease-fire in Lebanon, but the outline of any possible settlement remained murky.
The chief question was whether the guerrillas of the Islamic group Hezbollah, whose rocket attacks Israel had hoped to halt when it launched its offensive April 11, would stop firing at northern Israel in exchange for a cessation of hostilities.
One day after the deadly bombardment of the U.N. compound in Qana, which killed at least 75 civilians, fighting slowly resumed in Israel and southern Lebanon on Friday.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah, or Party of God, launched at least 65 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel on Friday, prompting Israeli air raids against suspected Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, especially in the southern coastal region near Tyre.
There were no confirmed casualties.
Prodded by President Clinton and awaiting Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who arrives in the Syrian capital of Damascus today, regional leaders indicated that a truce may begin this weekend and a settlement might be reached by next week.
In Israel, Prime Minister Shimon Peres met with senior State Department representative Dennis B. Ross and said a truce could come within 48 hours. "It's not certain, but there is a chance," he told Israeli television.
Traveling in Europe, Christopher got promises of cooperation, made by telephone, from Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shareh, State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said.
Syria is the dominant power in Lebanon and, with its 35,000 or more troops here, is in a position to cut off Hezbollah's supply routes from Iran and take other action to rein in the guerrillas.
"For the first time in the region, I begin to feel optimistic," said French Foreign Minister Herve de Charette, who was visiting Syria to press for a cease-fire.
Before the Qana attack, Israel had insisted that its bombing campaign would continue until Lebanon clamped down on Hezbollah. The tragedy at the U.N. compound appeared to give fresh impetus to diplomatic efforts.
In a speech at Tel Aviv University on Friday, Peres displayed some flexibility on the issue of a withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces from some of the territory they occupy in southern Lebanon.
