BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israeli warplanes punished the Lebanese capital today, blasting the airport for a second day, shattering bridges, igniting fuel storage tanks and cutting the main highway to Syria. Hezbollah guerrillas fought back with a fresh barrage of rockets.

Police said three people were killed and dozens wounded in the airstrikes, raising the death toll to 60 on the third day of Israel's offensive against the Iranian-backed militants.

Israel said it was determined to beat Hezbollah back and deny the militant fighters positions they have held along the border since 2000. Hezbollah began the current conflict Wednesday with a cross-border raid that captured two of Israel's soldiers.

On Thursday, Israel imposed a full naval blockade on Lebanon, bombed a main artery and put the airport out of commission, effectively sealing off the country. The assault came after scores of Hezbollah guerrilla rockets that rained down on Israel and reached as far as Haifa, its third-largest city, for the first time.

The sudden burst of violence sent shock waves through a region already traumatized by Iraq and the ongoing battles in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. It shattered the relative calm in Lebanon that followed Israel's pullout from its occupied zone in south Lebanon in 2000 and the withdrawal of Syrian forces last year.

Fears mounted among Arab and European governments that violence in Lebanon could spiral out of control.

The Lebanese government, caught in the middle, pleaded for a cease-fire. The government has no control over Hezbollah, which has a free hand in southern Lebanon and also holds seats in parliament. Any attempt to disarm Hezbollah by force could lead to sectarian conflict.

Widening their campaign, Israeli warplanes struck overpasses, intersections and residential buildings around Hezbollah's security headquarters in south Beirut today. Wall and balconies crashed onto parked cars, but they missed the headquarters, their apparent target.

Lebanese television stations showed broken glass and debris covering streets and a young man with bloodied face and chest walking from a damaged apartment.

Israeli planes also set fire to fuel storage tanks at Beirut airport and at the Jiye power station south of Beirut. They blasted the highway between Beirut and the Syrian capital at several places, forcing people to take mountain side roads to Damascus. Israeli planes also hit TV transmission towers in the eastern Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Beirut airport officials said one of their three runways was hit by two Israeli missiles. The airport had been closed since warplanes struck its runways early Thursday, trapping tourists.

Israeli warships, meanwhile, shelled the highway north of the coastal city of Sidon, witnesses said. Israeli planes also hit TV transmission towers in the eastern Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Hezbollah militants fired rockets at four settlements and towns in northern Israel, causing no casualties. Some 220,000 Israelis had sought refuge in bomb shelters.

This morning's violence came hours after Israel dropped leaflets in the area warning residents to avoid areas where Hezbollah operates.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said President Bush had promised him in a phone call to press Israel to halt its attacks. There was no immediate confirmation of that from the White House.