ST. PETERSBURG, August 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Monday it was premature to talk about Russian troops participating in a peacekeeping operation in Lebanon.

Heavy fighting continues in southern Lebanon after three weeks of bloodshed, in which more than 900 Lebanese civilians have lost their lives. More than 70 Israelis, mainly servicemen, have been killed.

"It is early to talk about this now: there are neither specific mechanisms for resolving the situation, nor a decision to pull out Israeli troops from Lebanese territory," Ivanov said.

He said it was unclear on what terms Russian peacekeepers could be deployed in the Lebanon-Israel conflict zone, where clashes are continuing.