Some 94 Pittsburgh teenagers visiting Israel on an organized mission of the Jewish community are coming home 11 days early because of the escalating warfare between Israel and the armed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Plans have been finalized for the teens to fly out of Ben Gurion Airport this evening for New York and then take a bus to Pittsburgh. El Al airlines added a flight to accommodate the group and other American teens who are returning early.

Jeff Finkelstein, president of the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, said several other teen missions also are returning early, although so far they are a small minority of the 192 groups of North American teens in Israel this summer.

The group is the largest teen mission from Pittsburgh ever to travel to Israel. A collaboration of the United Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Center and Agency for Jewish Learning, it was a year in the planning.

Organizers stressed that the teens were not in danger; their itinerary has been adjusted to reflect the changing reality on the ground. Several places the group was to have visited have been hit by Hezbollah rockets. Yesterday, the group was in Jerusalem, out of range.

Meryl and David Ainsman of Squirrel Hill were instrumental in organizing the trip and helped make the difficult decision to cut it short. Their son and daughter are in the group and aren't happy about having to come home, they said.

"Unhappy as we are about this, it was the prudent decision," said Mrs. Ainsman.

Twenty Israeli teens who have joined the Pittsburgh contingent are still expected to arrive in Pittsburgh on Aug. 5 and spend several weeks. Organizers are hoping that plan won't have to change.

Other organizations are continuing their teen trips in the country.

Lisa Levinson of Squirrel Hill said her son's tour with Young Judaea, a Zionist youth group, was in Haifa when the first shells landed there last week.

"All the kids called home to say they were OK and leaving for Jerusalem," she said.

Pamina Ewing of Highland Park said her daughter is adamant about continuing her five-week trip with Habonim Dror, a Labor Zionist youth movement.

"They were on the Lebanese border the day before" the violence started, said Ms. Ewing. "The next day they were hiking in the Galilee.

"My feelings change hour by hour," she said. "I'm a little nervous, but she's getting a lot out of it and insists that she's safe in Jerusalem and wants to stay."