Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Lebanon on Monday to launch diplomatic efforts aimed at ending 13 days of warfare, as Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into the country in heavy fighting with Hezbollah guerrillas.

Rice arrived in Beirut in the afternoon and was to meet with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora during the previously unannounced stopover before she heads to Israel, Saniora's office said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, followed by unidentified security, leaves the White House, Sunday, July 23, 2006, in Washington. Secretary Rice heads for the Middle East today after an Oval Office meeting with President Bush and Saudi officials to discuss with Mideast leaders how best to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.  [AP]

Her mission is the first US effort on the ground to resolve a crisis that has convulsed the Middle East and threatens to engulf other countries in the region. It erupted when Israel began bombing Lebanon in retaliation for Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers last week.

President Bush has opposed an immediate cease-fire, saying the root cause of the conflict - Hezbollah's domination of south Lebanon - must be resolved. His administration has said international peacekeepers might be needed in Lebanon once that issue is dealt with.

An Israeli military helicopter crashed Monday near the Lebanese border, and the military said there were two casualties. It was not immediately clear if the crash was related to fighting around the biggest Lebanese border town, Bint Jbail.

Israel said its troops captured two Hezbollah guerrillas, the first in the current conflict. "The two prisoners are located in Israel and will be held here with the aim of interrogating them," Brig. Gen. Alon Friedman told Israel Army Radio.

Fierce fighting was raging at the border as Israeli troops moved deeper into Lebanon to besiege Bint Jbail, nicknamed the "capital of the resistance" due to its intense support of Hezbollah during Israel's 1982-2000 occupation of the south.

Israeli artillery barrages sent plumes of smoke into the air and the military said soldiers moved in and took control of the area around Bint Jbail, about 2 1/2 miles from the border. But the soldiers did not capture the town, Israeli military officials said.

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