July 25, (Reuters) – Here are developments in the Middle East on the 14th day of Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon.
* Israeli air raid in south Lebanon kills four U.N. military observers in attack which U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan describes as “apparently deliberate.”
* Israel says it regrets deaths of U.N. military observers in southern Lebanon and will investigate air strike that killed them.
* Deaths come on eve of international conference in Rome where Arab and some European nations are expected to call for immediate end to war over U.S. objections.
* Israel vows to pursue its war against Hizbollah and establish no-go zone for guerrillas in southern Lebanon until international force arrives.
* After meeting U.S. Secretary of State Rice, Israeli PM Olmert says both agree that disarming Hizbollah, deploying foreign force in its place are key to resolving crisis.
* Hizbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says conflict with Israel enters new phase and that guerrilla group will not accept any “humiliating” conditions for cease-fire.
* Israeli warplanes bombard south Beirut and launch 100 strikes across south Lebanon.
* Hizbollah rockets slam into Israeli city of Haifa.
* On battlefield inside southern Lebanon, Israeli troops and tanks fight Hizbollah in guerrilla stronghold town of Bint Jbeil; Israel says it kills up to 30 fighters.
* Death toll is 418 in Lebanon, 42 Israelis killed.
* Israel says its troops shoot dead senior Hizbollah commander Abu Jaafar near Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras.
* Rice says cease-fire can come only as part of wider deal.
* Aid workers start supply runs into southern Lebanon but some villages remain cut off, Red Cross says; U.N. agency warns food crisis looms in areas worst hit by Israeli bombardment.
* Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warns conflict could sweep through Middle East like hurricane; Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah says it could ignite wider war.
* Rice says need to remain focused on establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Amazing how many accidents the IDF have. The attack on the USS Liberty, killing 34? Accidental. Qana massacre in UNIFIL camp, 1996? Accidental. Bull’s eye hit on Red Cross ambulances? Accidental. Hitting the clearly marked UNIFIL compound 14 times despite communications with UN commander, and attacking the rescue team? Ooops, sorry.
If all this were true, the IDF wouldn’t be able to hit a lake when positioned on the bottom.
Sirocco – no shit. But at least they said they’re sorry and they’ll investigate it, that should be a great comfort to all involved. Now the next time I kill someone I can just say I was really sorry and am looking into it.
I’m surprised to see so little coverage of that attack on the Red Cross ambulance.
In a previous life, I worked a little bit with the ICRC. They are very, very politically cautious about humanitarian law, which they are supposed to be the official “keepers” of. They probably won’t make a huge fuss of it because they want to remain as impartial-looking in the conflicts they are involved in. The UN, however, can and should make more noise.
But all of this is a bit like all these accusations (including by the UN) that Hizbullah is somehow more guilty of targeting civilians, even if it kills more soldiers than civilians whereas Israel kills more civilians than soldiers. Totally disingenuous.