Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Wednesday that Israel will continue to fight south Lebanon-based Hezbollah until an international peacekeeping force is in place.

"If indeed, as we hope, the international force will be an effective force made of combat units, then we will be able to stop fire when the international force will be on the ground in the south part of Lebanon," Olmert said in an interview in Jerusalem with Reuters.

Meanwhile, he said Israel's offensive in Lebanon has "entirely destroyed" the infrastructure of Hezbollah, which he said "has been disarmed by the military operation of Israel to a large degree."

"The infrastructure of Hezbollah has been entirely destroyed. More than 700 ... command positions of Hezbollah were entirely wiped out by the Israeli army," he said.

Turning to the fate of the two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas, Olmert said that they "must be returned unconditionally."

"I remind you that the resolution of the G8 (Group of Eight) and the international community and all the other countries was that the two Israeli abducted soldiers must be returned unconditionally and I think this is fair and just," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, three Lebanese soldiers were killed in an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported.

The reports quoted Lebanese army sources as saying that the three were killed when Israeli warplanes pounded a Lebanese military base in Sarba village near the port city of Sidon.

Over 20 Lebanese soldiers have been killed since Israel started a massive assault in Lebanon on July 12 after Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight during cross-border attacks.

Also on Wednesday, the Hezbollah group stepped up rocket attacks on northern Israel after a two-day relative lull.

Dozens of rockets landed across northern Israel, including the towns of Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safed, Maalot, Carmiel and Acre, Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported on its website.

At least two Israelis were lightly wounded by shrapnel and seven others were treated for shock, said the report.