Blogger News Network

July 30, 2006

In the deadliest single incident in the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict, An Israeli airstrike demolished a three story building in the village of Qana in southern Lebanon, reportedly killing at least 54 displaced civilians, about 37 of them children, who were sheltering there.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called it Israel's "heinous crimes against civilians", and called off a scheduled meeting with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice saying "There is no place on this sad morning for any discussion other than an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well as an international investigation into the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now."

Anger spread across Lebanon and the Arab world, several thousand protesters gathered in front of the United Nations headquarters in Beirut and some smashed their way into the building. The protesters chanted "Death to Israel, Death to America".

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his cabinet of his "deep sorrow" at the civilian deaths in Qana. He also said the assault in Lebanon would go on. "We will not blink in front of Hizbollah and we will not stop the offensive despite the difficult circumstances"

Israeli military spokeswoman, Capt. Noa Meir said that the building was not the target, "There were missiles being launched 100 to 300 meters from the building. We don't target civilians and had we known there were civilians there we would not have fired on that site,". " We do everything we can to prevent civilians from being killed, while Hezbollah operates from these areas because they want civilians to be killed.", Meir added.

A spokeswoman for Israel's military said "These areas south of Tyre are areas from where scores of rockets were launched toward northern Israel, especially Nahariya and the Western Galilee. All villagers from these places were warned, days in advance, to vacate area, through leaflets, media alerts and in some cases telephone calls. The sole responsibility for fighting in these populated places rests with Hezbollah, which chooses to fight from these areas."

International reactions

The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said "The Arab Republic of Egypt is highly disturbed and condemns the irresponsible Israeli attack on the Lebanese village of Qana, which led to the loss of innocent victims, most of which were women and children," a statement from the presidency said.

King Abdullah of Jordan said: "This criminal aggression is an ugly crime that has been committed by the Israeli forces in the city of Qana that is a gross violation of all international statutes."

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said "I think Israeli officials and some American ones should be tried for these sorts of crimes".

The French president Jacques Chirac, released a statement "The president learnt with concern about the act of violence which cost the lives of numerous innocent victims, notably women and children in Qana." "France condemns this unjustified action, which demonstrates more than ever the need for an immediate ceasefire without which there will only be other such incidents."

Foreign Secretary of the w:United Kingdom, Margaret Beckett, called the strikes "absolutely dreadful" and "quite appalling". She said "We have repeatedly urged Israel to act proportionately,"

The Pope Bendedikt colled all resonple to lay down the wepons.

Potent symbol

Qana became a potent symbol of Lebanese civilian deaths by Israeli military bombings after an earlier incident in April 1996, when Israeli bombings killed more than 100 civilians sheltering at the base of U.N. peacekeepers in the village during Israel's "Grapes of Wrath" campaign.

Sources

• "Dozens killed in Lebanon air raid". BBC, 30 July 2006

• Edward Cody, Robin Wright and Jonathan Finer "At Least 50 Killed in Israeli Airstrike". The Washington Post, 30 July 2006

• "Israeli attack draws outrage". Al Jazeera, 30 July 2006

• Hussein Saad "Israel air strike kills 54 civilians". Reuters, 30 July 2006