Mr. Hussein was also tried last year in a separate case involving mass executions in a Shiite village.

Southern Lebanon, the heartland of Shiite villages dominated by Hezbollah, was particularly hard hit.

According to the Lebanese account, about 60 Israeli soldiers landed from helicopters and cut off access roads to three Shiite villages.

Hunin was a Shi'ite Muslim village with a population of 1620 recorded in 1945.

The report's findings were released hours after clashes in at least two Shiite villages on the outskirts of Manama.

A stop in any Iraqi Shiite village, over a glass of black, sugary tea, will more often than not bring forth tales of woe.

Fifty houses in a Shiite village were destroyed before the troops returned to Israel.

Sunday's action is the first since Israeli troops withdrew from two Shiite villages north of the "security zone" a week ago.

The Israelis, backed by tanks, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery, destroyed a tiny Shiite village.

In past months, Shiite villages have been pounded by artillery and then razed.