ISRAEL ARTILLERY PIECE SPEWS SMOKE DUIRNG EXERCISE AT LEBANON BORDER BASE, 2000-02-23 (photo)

FOR RELEASE WITH BC-MIDEAST-ISRAEL-ARMY - An Israeli 155 artillery piece spews clouds of white smoke as its crew puts the gun through an exercise February 21 at the "Tabac" base situated just inside the Lebanses border along Israel's northern frontier. Pressure for an Israeli pullout from southern Lebanon has increased following the killing of seven Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah forces and Prime Minister Ehud Barak continues to promise a troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon by July. The soldiers on this base, who haven't fired a shell for real in over a week, continue to do their job, serve their country with stocism, and refuse to enter into public political discussions.    JWH