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Israel to Suspend Air Attacks for Two Days after Strike in Lebanese Village

[Washington Post] Edward Cody and Jonathan Finer - Israeli warplanes hunting Hizballah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon on Sunday killed at least 57 civilians in the village of Qana, 15 miles southeast of Tyre. In response, after intense negotiations with the U.S., Israel agreed to suspend air attacks on southern Lebanon for 48 hours, State Department spokesman J. Adam Ereli announced. The suspension will not apply to other parts of Lebanon, nor diminish ground operations underway along the Israeli-Lebanese border. The pause could be jeopardized if Hizballah continues firing rockets or Israel detects an imminent launch, a U.S. official said. Prime Minister Olmert told Secretary of State Rice on Sunday in Jerusalem that he expected Israel's assault on Hizballah to continue for ten days to two weeks. Israeli officials expressed regret over the civilian deaths in Qana but blamed them on Hizballah fighters, who they said were firing rockets from the area. Capt. Jacob Dallal, an Israeli army spokesman, said civilians had been warned by broadcasts and leaflets to leave the Qana area because rockets were being fired from there. Capt. Noa Meir, an Israeli army spokeswoman, said, "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."
2006-07-31 01:00:00
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