handy to get the scale on this.... amazing what a small distance it is.
--
Hongpong.com

Hezbollah politicians back peace package

By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer
24 minutes ago

Hezbollah politicians, while expressing reservations, have joined their critics in the government in agreeing to a peace package that includes strengthening an international force in south Lebanon and disarming the guerrillas, the government said.

The agreement — reached after a heated six-hour Cabinet meeting — was the first time that Hezbollah has signed onto a proposal for ending the crisis that includes the deploying of international forces.

The package falls short of American and Israeli demands in that it calls for an immediate cease-fire before working out details of a force and includes other conditions.

But European Union officials said Friday the proposals form a basis for an agreement, increasing the pressure on the United States to call for a cease-fire.

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday they too want an international force dispatched quickly to the Mideast but said any plan to end the fighting — to have a lasting effect — must address long-running regional disputes.

"This is a moment of intense conflict in the Middle East," Bush said after his meeting with Blair in Washington. "Yet our aim is to turn it into a moment of opportunity and a chance for broader change in the region."

By signing onto the peace proposals, Hezbollah gave Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora a boost in future negotiations.

Going into Thursday night's Cabinet session, Hezbollah's two ministers expressed deep reservations about the force and its mandate, fearing it could turn against their guerrillas.

"Will the international force be a deterrent one and used against who?" officials who attended the Cabinet meeting said in summing up Hezbollah cabinet ministers concerns. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the debate.

But afterward, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi announced that the package had been agreed on by consensus in a rare show of unity by a divided administration.

While all sides seemed to be looking for a way to stop the fighting, details of plans taking shape on all sides were still fuzzy. And it was not at all certain Hezbollah would really follow through on the Lebanese government plan that would effectively abolish the militants' military wing. It may have signed on to the deal convinced that Israel would reject it.

But the agreement presents Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with a package she might find hard to ignore when she returns to the region.

The plan approved by the Cabinet was an outline that Saniora presented at an international conference in Rome on Wednesday.

It starts out with an immediate cease-fire. Following that would come:

• the release of Lebanese and Israeli prisoners; Israeli withdrawal behind the border; the return of Lebanese displaced by the fighting.

• moves to resolve the status of Chebaa Farms, a small piece of land held by Israel and claimed by Lebanon. The proposal calls for the U.N. Security Council to commit to putting the area under U.N. control until a final demarcation of the border.

• the provision by Israel of maps of minefields laid during its 18-year occupation of the south.

• "the spreading of Lebanese government authority over the entire country," meaning the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south, with the strengthening and increasing of the small, lightly armed U.N. peacekeeping force currently there.

The provisions do not spell out the order in which the steps must take place, but Saniora has said the government cannot spread its authority in the south unless the Chebaa farms issue is resolved. Israel's hold on Chebaa has provided Hezbollah with a rationale to maintain its arsenal and its "resistance" against Israel.

U.N. experts have previously determined that the territory is part of Syria's Golan Heights, now held by Israel. But Syria has said the patch of land is Lebanon's.

Also left undetermined is the contentious issue of the size and mandate of a peacekeeping force in the south. The current nearly 2,000-member force, deployed since 1978, is virtually ineffectual and its main task now is to patrol the Blue Line, monitor and report violations and deliver aid. Four U.N. border observers were killed in an Israeli airstrike this week.

The Lebanese government has previously rejected international demands that it disarm Hezbollah and move the army into the south. Without Hezbollah consent, the move could tear the country apart due to the movement's deep support among Shiite Muslims.

The rare united stand between Hezbollah and anti-Syrian politicians who dominate the government could give Lebanon a stronger say in any resolution of the conflict. A divided government may encourage unilateral U.N. Security Council action on the Lebanon crisis without consulting Beirut.

Visiting EU envoys, led by Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, met Friday with Saniora and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, the de facto negotiator for Hezbollah.

Tuomioja, representing the EU Finnish presidency, said the troika appreciated the Lebanese government's plan which "we think forms a good basis for a regional agreement."

My father was a freedom fighter in Denmark after Germany invaded.
How is Hezbollah any different?
Hezbollah was formed after Israel invaded Lebanon.
In WWII they were freedom fighters, now they are terrorists.
Hello! What is the difference?
I don't agree with Hezbollah, but I don't agree with Israel.
Born a Rosenberg and a grandmother who renounced her faith because of Israeli actions in Palestein. She said it was happening agaist all she believed in.
Who is right? I don't know!
I am now leaning towards the Muslims.
So is my father.

_{repressive governments mix administrative clumsiness & inefficiency with authoritarian tendencies.}

By Cihan News Agency
Friday, July 28, 2006
Zaman Daily News:

"The 1st division commander of Iraq’s Kurdistan Democrat Party (IKDP), Fahmi Sofi, claimed that about 200 Turkish soldiers entered two kilometers into Northern Iraq on Wednesday. His statement came from the Voice of Iraqi Radio.

While debates about a cross-border operation continue in Turkey, Iraqi Radio announced that the Turkish military advanced into the Dohuk region, passing the Iraqi border.

Deputy Commander Sofi stated that about 200 Turkish soldiers passed the border around 3:00 pm in a statement he made to the station broadcast from Baghdad.

Sofi claimed that village guards accompanied the Turkish soldiers; however, a few hours later they retreated to the Turkish border.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery troops bombed camps near Zaho last night, reporters said.

Whether there were casualties or not remains unclear. Reportedly, fire broke out in some wooded regions.

Another related news story on a website called ‘Peyamner’, known to be the broadcasting body of IKDP, also reported that a division of the Turkish military entered the Kveste village region in Ahmediye bound to the Duhok city in order to conduct an operation against the terror organization PKK.

The troops returned to Turkey a while later, the news reported, adding that Turkish soldiers entered Kvesta the night before, but no conflict had occurred in the region."

From The Independent:
Israel's secret war: the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Palestine
By Anne Penketh in Gaza City
Published: 29 July 2006

A 12-year-old boy dead on a stretcher. A mother in shock and disbelief after her son was shot dead for standing on their roof. A phone rings and a voice in broken Arabic orders residents to abandon their home on pain of death.

Those are snapshots of a day in Gaza where Israel is waging a hidden war, as the world looks the other way, focusing on Lebanon.

It is a war of containment and control that has turned the besieged Strip into a prison with no way in or out, and no protection from an fearsome battery of drones, precision missiles, tank shells and artillery rounds.

As of last night, 29 people had been killed in the most concentrated 48 hours of violence since an Israeli soldier was abducted by Palestinian militants just more than a month ago.

The operation is codenamed "Samson's Pillars", a collective punishment of the 1.4 million Gazans, subjecting them to a Lebanese-style offensive that has targeted the civilian infrastructure by destroying water mains, the main power station and bridges.
...
In Gaza, Palestinian land has already been bulldozed to form a 300-metre open area along the border with Israel proper. And in both cases, the crisis will doubtless end up being defused by a prisoner exchange. With Lebanon dominating the headlines, Israel has "rearranged the occupation" in Gaza, in the words of the Palestinian academic and MP, Hanan Ashrawi. But unlike the Lebanese, the desperate Gazans have nowhere to flee from their humanitarian crisis.
...
Only a few miles away, on the other side of the border, the Israeli army says it is taking pains to minimise civilian casualties. Hila, a 21-year old paratrooper who is not allowed to give her last name, says the Hamas fighters in Gaza - like Hizbollah in Lebanon - deliberately mingle with the civilian population as a tactic. Weapons are stored in the upper storeys of houses where families live downstairs, she says. "The terrorists deliberately choose places where we can't retaliate."

But these places are being hit. And Mr Shaath is scornful of the disproportionate Israeli reaction to the Palestinian rockets. Five Israelis have been killed by the 10km range Qassams since 2000.

Mrs Ashrawi believes Samson's Pillars are no closer to falling. "Israelis think they are searing the consciousness of the Palestinians and the Lebanese with a branding iron. But if people have a cause they will never be defeated."

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1202850.ece

The Gaza Strip has been a humanitarian disaster area since the Hamas election triumphs and Olmert's so-called "unilateral withdrawal", which left Gaza an open target for IDF artillery and rocketry on a daily basis. Even well before the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers, Olmert has subjected the Gazans to horrific acts of terror, strangling them economically as well as subjecting them to the military assaults. And, who cares? Just more Arabs, getting in the way of Freedom on the March, the "new" Middle East "birth pangs", and the rest of the geopolitical blatherings of Bush, Rice, Blair, Bolton, and the rest of the war criminals now in charge of the West.

After two air raids destroyed the bridge over the Orontes river in the Bekaa Valley, cutting off the town of Hermel from the rest of the country, Israel said it was flying new missions against bridges in southern Lebanon but provided no further details. Residents said there were no casualties in the attack in the Bekaa Valley.

The Israeli army also said that seven of its soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, in heavy fighting the day before when Hezbollah attacked a ridge overlooking the villages of Bint Jbail and Maroun al-Ras — areas of strong support for the guerrilla movement.

As the fighting continued, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was bringing a package of proposals to Lebanese and Israeli leaders aimed at ending the fighting. She plans to meet first with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Saturday night, said Mark Regev, spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry.

Rice's peace plan seeks an international agreement on a U.N.-mandated multinational force that can provide stability in the region, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

It also proposes disarming Hezbollah and integrating the guerrilla force into the Lebanese army, a commitment to resolve the status of a piece of land held by Israel and claimed by Lebanon, a no-go buffer zone be set up in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah returning Israeli prisoners, and the creation of an international reconstruction plan for Lebanon.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Avi Dichter said on Israel radio Saturday that it was unacceptable for Lebanon's government "to hide behind the claim that a terror organization is operating on their ground and they cannot stop it." He said Israel holds the government fully accountable for what Hezbollah is doing there and that "Lebanon is paying the full price these days."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060729/...lebanon_israel

BEIRUT Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headed to Jerusalem on Saturday to discuss ways to end the 18-day-old war in Lebanon as Israel rejected a U.N. plea for a truce to aid civilians trapped by fighting.

"There is no need for a 72-hour temporary cease-fire because Israel has opened a humanitarian corridor to and from Lebanon," said Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner.

While Israel has let aid shipments through its blockade of Lebanon, international relief agencies say they have been unable to get Israel to guarantee safe passage to civilians in southern areas hardest hit by Israeli bombing aimed at Hizbollah.

U.N. Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Jan Egeland asked on Friday for the 72-hour truce to let relief workers evacuate elderly, young and wounded people and deliver emergency aid.

Hizbullah: Patience is our virtue

Guardian newspaper reporter accompanies four Hizbullah gunmen hiding in Tyre apartment; terrorists say Katyusha fire aimed at Israeli commando and Golani soldiers
Ynet

A reporter with the Guardian newspaper visited Hizbullah areas in Tyre in south Lebanon. Hizbullah, according to a Guardian report published Saturday, has been preparing for the current fighting with Israel for years with Iran's assistance.

The group has called up reserve men a month ago and gunmen are waiting for IDF soldiers in secret hideouts.

The report paints a picture of an impenetrable organization whose members are recruited a young age and do nothing but follow strict orders.

Hizbullah supporter carries group's flag, Nasrallah poster (Photo: AP)

The group has already set itself a target once the fighting with Israel ends: Lebanese politicians critical of the group.

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad describes a hideout full of arms and books where he met Shiite cleric Sayed Ali and three other Hizbullah terrorists.

The four are in a room waiting for IDF soldiers.

"Patience is our main virtue, we can wait for days, weeks, months before we attack. The Israelis are always impatient in battle and in strategy," Sayed Ali, who claims to be a descendant of the prophet, told the Guardian reporter. "I know them very well."

Ali fought with Hizbullah for 17 years and was arrested and jailed by Israel during its 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Over the last five years he has been studying theology in Tehran.

Hizbullah asked him to return home a month ago part of their reserve call-up campaign.

Pointing to banana plantations over the hills Ali told the Guardian reporter: "I have fought for years in these groves. We used to sit and wait for them to make a move and then we would hit. They always moved too quickly, too soon."

"We stay put and we don't move till we get our orders, and this is why we are not like any other militia. A militiaman will fire whenever he likes at whatever he likes," explains a gunmen who says he has been involved in firing Katyusha rockets into Israel. "We have specific orders. Even when we fire rockets we know when and where to fire and each of the men manning the launchers runs to a specific hiding place after firing the rockets."

The men say they seek hiding because every launching pad is targeted by Israeli jets within 10 to 15 minutes.

'Hit commando and Golani soldiers'

Another terrorist, claiming to be Sayed Ali's brother, says Hizbullah teaches its fighters to be patient. "During our training we spend days in empty buildings without talking to anyone or doing anything. They tell me go and sit in that building, and I go and sit there and wait."

Ali who is the commander of his village says he is waiting for further instructions as how to act. "Hizbullah hasn't even mobilized all its active fighters, and the Israelis are calling their reserve units," he said.

"We don't take anyone who knocks at our door and says 'I want to join'. We raise our fighters. We take them when they are young kids and raise them to become Hizbullah fighters. Every fighter we have believes that the ultimate form of being is martyrdom," Sayed Ali says, showing pride in the group's discipline and secretiveness.

Ali told the Guardian that he has been preparing for this fight for years and admits that Iran supported Hizbullah all along. "When we defeated them in 2000 we did that with (Katyusha) rockets. We had six years to prepare for this day - the Americans are sending laser-guided missiles to the Israelis, what's wrong if the Iranians help us? When the Syrians were here we would get stuff through their supply lines, now it's more difficult."

'If Israel wins we will go back dozens of years'

Ali and his men said they see the current fighting with Israel as a war of survival, not only for Hizbullah but for the Shiite faith.

He says the struggle is not just against Israel but also against the Lebanese Sunni. "If Israel comes out victorious from this conflict, this will be a victory for the Sunnis and they will take the Shia community back in history dozens of years to the time when we were only allowed to work as garbage collectors in this country. The Shia will all die before letting this happen again."

He warned that even if the international community asks Hizbullah to lay down its arms in the frame of a ceasefire he and his men will keep their arms.

"This war is episode two in disarming Hizbullah. First they tried to do it through the Lebanese government and the UN. When they failed, the Americans asked the Israelis to do the job."

He refuted Israeli claims the Hizbullah has been weakened: "Things are going very well now, whatever happens we are winning. If they keep bombing us we will stay in the shelters, and with each bomb more people support the resistance. If they invade they will repeat the miserable fate they had in 1982, and if they hold one square foot they will give the Islamic resistance all the legitimacy. If they want to kill Hizbullah they have to kill every Shia in the south of Lebanon."

"The real battle is after the end of this war. We will have to settle score with the Lebanese politicians. We also have the best security and intelligence apparatus in this country, and we can reach any of those people who are speaking against us now. Let's finish with the Israelis and then we will settle scores later."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3282996,00.html

EU to help Lebanon cope with major oil spill

The European Commission (EC) is to help Lebanon cope with a huge oil spill south of Beirut caused by an Israeli air strike on a power plant, the EC said on Thursday.

"The Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lebanon has asked for assistance from the European Commission's Monitoring and Information Center (MIC) to mobilise the help of EU Member States in cleaning up the pollution caused by an estimated 10,000 - 35, 000 tons of heavy fuel oil," said the EC in a press release.

The heavy oil has so far contaminated at least 70-80 km of the coastline north of Jieh. The spill has affected rocky and sandy public beaches as well as ports and marinas.

People's Daily:
http://english.people.com.cn/200607/29/eng20060729_287904.html

-- Happy fishing in ocean of noise!

Hizbollah says stop "aggression"; Rice in Israel
29 Jul 2006 14:51:52 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Adds Rice arrives, Israel won't demand immediate disarming)

By Tom Perry

BEIRUT, July 29 (Reuters) - Hizbollah pledged on Saturday to deny the United States and Israel any political gains from the war in Lebanon as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Jerusalem to discuss ways to end the 18-day-old war.

Israel rejected as unnecessary a United Nations plea for a truce to aid civilians trapped by fighting.

Hours later, an Israeli air strike killed a woman and six children in a house in the southern village of Nmeiriya, medics said. At least 469 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Lebanon in the conflict, and 51 Israelis have died.

In an interview with Reuters, Hizbollah's deputy chief Naim Kassem demanded an immediate halt to "Israeli aggression".

Asked how Hizbollah viewed U.S. demands for its guerrillas to disarm and make way for an international force in south Lebanon, Kassem said: "America and Israel have no right to get a result from their defeat. There is no (military) victory for America and Israel for them to make political gains."

Pressed on possible deployment of such a force, he said Hizbollah had decided not to talk about this in public.

President George W. Bush said the conflict in Lebanon was part of the wider struggle against terrorism and any strategy to end the violence must address the threat posed by Hizbollah.

"As we work to resolve this current crisis, we must recognise that Lebanon is the latest flashpoint in a broader struggle between freedom and terror that is unfolding across the region," he said in his weekly radio address.

Rice was due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to discuss the outlines of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

"She will be able to tell us exactly what kind of international force has to be sent here and what kind of resolution has to be passed by the United Nations," Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said.

Rice, who will meet Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora later in her Middle East mission, said she expected her talks to be tough. "There has to be give and take," she added.

In a softening of Israel's position, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Israel would not demand the immediate disarming of Hizbollah as part of a deal to end the fighting.

The official said Israel would demand that the proposed peacekeeping force in south Lebanon keep Hizbollah away from the Israeli border and prevent the group from replenishing its stockpile of rockets from Syria and Iran.

"But disarming Hizbollah now is not what Israel is demanding," the official said, adding that disarming the group would not be part of the peacekeeping force's mission.

MORE

hmmm a huge give from Israel, Bush trying to press more lies, Rice way over her head.... lets thank them for emboldening the ME

Sayed Hassan Nasrallah says that until now Israel hasn’t been able to make any military progress
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The Israelis couldnt achieve a military victory in the military sense, the destruction of houses and targetting civilians is not a military victory
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As an answer to those who's asking for whom HA is going to give this victory,,,I wonna assure you that our victory is going to be first for Lebanon,,and to all the lebanese who resisted with us and to all the arabs who supported us.
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As a Christian Lebanese I am proud of Hassan Nassrallah a HERO from my country.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sayyed Nasrallah to resistance fighters: You are the pride of this nation and you are the men of "Allah"
Sayyed Nasrallah: Thank you for the honest, steadfast and proud people Sayyed Nasrallah: We praise Syria for receiving and taking care of thousands of Lebanese who took refuge in Syria
Sayyed Nasrallah: All we ask from Arab leaders is not to cover for the Israeli aggression
Sayyed Nasrallah: We did not any Arab leader to foght for us or defend us
Sayyed Nasrallah: The victory of the Resistance will be the victory of every honest Arab, Muslim and Christian
Sayyed Nasrallah: The victory will be the victory of Lebanon as a whole Sayyed Nasrallah: Israel wants to achieve in politics what if failed to accomplish militarily
Sayyed Nasrallah: Thousands of air raids did not prevent resistance from targeting northern cities
Sayyed Nasrallah: Targeting Afula is the beging of another phase

excellent speech, calling for unity in between the lebanese! making sure that all the people shouldnt be scared in HA won, cos this is for Lebanon, Christians and Muslims will come out winners!
he sent a message also calling for unity between the sunnis and shi3as!
most of all, his message came at the right time to point at the way the war is going on, how israel is trying to hide its loss!

HN was calm, asked the arabic countries not to help military, but by negociations, so that Lebanon wont be under this barbaric attacks!

i think that was the best speech frm the beginning of the war! and his tone was clear: we won or are on the way of winning this war! we=Lebanon!
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liked how he was asking for unity and dedicating the victory for all lebanese people.I also noticed that when talking about the resistors ,he was about to shed tears,for the first time on TV.
He replied clearly to those who are betting on internal conflicts.
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This man is a real giant, a unique hero of the best kind, and a true Lebanese to the bone!

His speech was so good especially giving hope that Lebanon will rise again but this time both beautiful and strong.

He sent his second son to the battlefield and was very emotional speaking about the resistance fighters saying that he kisses their feet that refuse to give up.

He used all the right words: Cedars of Lebanon, The high mountains of Lebanon, the wheat in the valleys of Lebanon and the unity of all Lebanese.

Special words went to those who are sheltering, helping and supporting the refugees. He was very thankful and grateful to both the refugees and those who are helping them.

He is convinced of our victory and dedicated already this victory to Lebanon, all of Lebanon: Christians and Muslims united and strong. He said we are following the steps of Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohamad. That was so strong in my opinion!

He wants the government to be strong and not dilute the victory already secured in military terms.

His final words were strong to Bush and Olmert: we (as Lebanese) are here forever and you cannot wipe us out. You will change, your days are limited but we are here to stay.

May the good Lord save this man and protect him!

Long live Lebanon... United we stand!

United we win!!!
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He is really carismatic, he chooses the right words for the situation, may god be with lebanon, may god be with the honorable persons fighting in very rude conditions.
We have 2 giants in Lebanon 2 true and honorable heroes: General Michel Aoun and Sayyed Hassan Nassrallah
Long live Lebanon, long live our honorable heroes..
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Great Speech, persuasive. Calling for unity. No words to put more, Very great speech. God Bless You HN
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. أنتم عنوان رجولتها، وأنتم خلود الأرز وتواضع القمح وشموخ الجبال في بلادنا. أقبل رؤوسكم وأياديكم القابضة على الزناد، وأقبل أقدامكم الغارسة في الأرض. يا من أعرتم لله جماجمكم، شكرًا لكم، لأنكم قبلتموني أخًا لكم. أنتم رجال الله الذين بهم ننتصر

wow...
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Sayyed Nasrallah: The victory of the resistance will be the victory of every honest Arab, Muslim and Christian
29/07/2006

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed in a televised speech on the airwaves of Al-Manar TV channel, the fundamental element for ending the confrontation is the developments on the battle ground. In his forth televised appearance since the beginning of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, Sayyed Nasrallah said that the Israeli enemy is trying to find exits out if this crisis as he failed to materialize any military achievement. His eminence added that Israeli maritime and ground forces have been defeated and thousands of air raids did not prevent the Islamic Resistance from launching rockets against Israeli settlements in northern occupied Palestine. Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the Israeli enemy is hiding its losses while imposing a firm media blackout adding that their surveys are all fabricated within the framework of Israel's psychological war. Hezbollah's chief also said that bombing "Afula" is the beginning of a new phase and that there are many cities that have been chosen as targets. "The courage of the resistance fighters will defeat the arrogance of the Zionist entity," he added. Sayyed Nasrallah also said that Israel is an obedient tool to serve the American plot. His eminence said: "we all know that despite all this destruction, we are in front of an historic opportunity to liberate our land, sea, sky and detainees." On the internal level, Hezbollah's chief stressed Lebanon needs a national determination not less than the determination of the resistance fighters and the Lebanese people who left their homes and towns. "Lebanon needs a comprehensive national determination," he said. His eminence warned that the enemy wants to achieve through politics what he failed to achieve militarily. Sayyed Nasrallah added: "We emphasize on the cooperation of the government and some political parties in accordance with what the Lebanese people want." He also said that the victory of the Islamic Resistance will be the victory of Lebanon as a whole and will be the drive to materialize national unity adding that the victory will also be the victory of every honest Arab, Muslim and Christian. Sayyed Nasrallah called for downplaying some positions and "fatwas – religious decrees" so as not to be dragged into serving the enemy. Hezbollah's Secretary General also addressed Arab leaders telling them: "we don’t want you to defend us or to fight for us, all we want from you is not to cover for the Israeli aggression" adding: "we are not seeking enmities." His eminence praised Syria and Iran for not encouraging anyone against Lebanon and its people. Sayyed Nasrallah thanked Syria for receiving and taking care of thousands of Lebanese who sought refuge in the neighboring country. The Islamic Resistance leader did not forget the steadfast people in his speech: "We have promised you of victory, you will return home with honor and pride as you have always been." And to resistance fighters, Sayyed NAsrallah said: "As you said, you are the sincere promise, you are the freedom of the detainees and you are the protectors of the country. You are the honor, the real history of this nation, you are this nation's manhood and the eternity of the cedars. You are the glory, like the high mountains of Lebanon, you are the hope after Allah and we bargain on you. You are the men of Allah, no matter how long this war takes, we are the men of this war, no matter what the sacrifices are."

http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=512&language=en

21:15 Two Indian peacekeepers wounded in IAF strike on UN post in south Lebanon (AP)
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Rice hopes cease-fire can be reached by Wednesday

source: haaretz.com
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Khaled Abu Toameh | July 30

Hizbullah's top commander in southern Lebanon is a veteran Fatah operative who was very close to former Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat when the PLO was based in Beirut, Fatah officials said over the weekend.

They identified the man as Imad Mughniyeh, a former officer in Arafat's Force 17 presidential guard who has been in charge of Hizbullah's military operations in south Lebanon for the past decade.

"Imad Mughniyeh is the overall commander of the Islamic Resistance [Hizbullah's armed wing] in southern Lebanon," said a Fatah official who said he knew Mughniyeh well during the '70s and '80s.

[Comment: Now that's some whacky packaging - dunno whether this one's being spun for the stateside audience, or what. In any case, here's hoping Imad, if he's really there, has a real bad war. ~ JPD]

"We declared war on terror, it's not even a noun, so, good luck. After we defeat it, I'm sure we'll take on that bastard ennui." - Jon Stewart.

Lebanese crowd breaks into U.N. HQ in Beirut
30 Jul 2006 09:57:24 GMT
Source: Reuters

BEIRUT, July 30 (Reuters) - Lebanese protesters broke into the United Nations headquarters in Beirut on Sunday, smashing windows and ransacking offices, after an Israeli air strike killed at least 40 people in south Lebanon.

Around 2,000 people gathered outside the building in downtown Beirut and witnesses said the crowd hurled stones and broke windows before some burst inside.

Protesters chanted "Death to Israel, death to America. We sacrifice our blood and souls for Lebanon". They tore down a United Nations flag outside the building and ripped it to shreds.

Members of Hizbollah, the Shi'ite group that sparked the war 19 days ago when it seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border raid, tried to restrain the crowd.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hizbollah ally, appealed to the protesters to end the attack on the building.

"Give the world a chance to stand by us," he told a local television station.

They protesters gathered after an Israeli attack killed at least 40 people, including 23 children, in the southern Lebanese village of Qana. Following the attack, Lebanon cancelled a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying she was unwelcome until a ceasefire was declared.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30807889.htm

Hamas vows attacks on Israel after Qana bombing
30 Jul 2006 10:16:34 GMT
Source: Reuters

GAZA, July 30 (Reuters) - The governing Palestinian movement Hamas on Sunday vowed to carry out attacks on Israel that could include suicide bombings in response to an Israeli air strike on the Lebanese village of Qana that killed 40 civilians.

"In the face of this open war against the Arab and Muslim nations all options are open, including striking the depth of the Zionist entity," Mushir al-Masri, a senior Hamas lawmaker, told Reuters.

Asked if that meant suicide bombings against Israelis, Masri said: "All options are open. Every means is allowed. This is a crime and state-terror and a crossing of all red lines."

Hamas carried out nearly 60 suicide bombings against Israelis during a Palestinian uprising that began in 2000, and its armed wing has fired homemade rockets from Gaza into Israel.

Shortly after Hamas issued its statement on Sunday, a rocket fired from Gaza slammed into the Israeli border town of Sderot. Medics said a 29-year-old woman was moderately wounded. Hamas's armed wing claimed responsibility for the launch.

Besides its offensive in Lebanon against Hizbollah, Israel has been engaged in an offensive against Palestinian militants for more than a month since militants, including members of Hamas, abducted an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid from Gaza.

The Israeli air strike on Qana in southern Lebanon killed at least 40 civilians, including 23 children.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30807102.htm

Israel raid kills 40, Lebanon cancels Rice visit
30 Jul 2006 10:11:34 GMT

and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem July 30, 2006. Olmert said on Sunday that Israel had told residents of the Lebanese village of Qana to leave before a raid that killed at least 40 civilians, Israeli media said.
REUTERS/POOL
Previous | Next Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R) and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem July 30, 2006. Olmert said on Sunday that Israel had told residents of the Lebanese village of Qana to leave before a raid that killed at least 40 civilians, Israeli media said.
REUTERS/POOL
Previous | Next Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R) and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem July 30, 2006. Olmert said on Sunday that Israel had told residents of the Lebanese village of Qana to leave before a raid that killed at least 40 civilians, Israeli media said.
REUTERS/POOL
Previous | Next Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert opens the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem July 30, 2006. Olmert said on Sunday that Israel had told residents of the Lebanese village of Qana to leave before a raid that killed at least 40 civilians, Israeli media said.
REUTERS/POOL Background
Lebanon crisis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
More (Adds U.N. HQ in Beirut attacked)

By Hussein Saad

QANA, Lebanon, July 30 (Reuters) - An Israeli air strike killed at least 40 Lebanese civilians, including 23 children, on Sunday, prompting Lebanon to tell U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice she was unwelcome in Beirut before a ceasefire.

Hundreds of protesters chanting "Death to Israel, Death to America" stormed the U.N. headquarters in Beirut, even though witnesses said Hizbollah officials tried to discourage them.

Rice, who plans to stay on in Israel, said she was deeply saddened by the air raid on the southern village of Qana, but stopped well short of calling for an immediate ceasefire. It was the bloodiest single attack during Israel's 19-day-old war on Hizbollah guerrillas.

Hizbollah vowed to retaliate. "This horrific massacre will not go without a response," it said in a statement.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said he would not hold negotiations before a ceasefire and officials said they had told Rice her planned visit to Beirut could not go ahead.

The dawn air raid pulverised several buildings in Qana, including a three-storey house in which dozens of displaced civilians were sheltering, killing many people in their sleep.

A Reuters witness counted 40 bodies and rescuers said the death toll might rise to 55. Lebanese Red Cross officials in Beirut said 23 children were among the dead and that at least 17 more bodies were feared to be still under the rubble, seven of them children.

Demonstrators carrying Lebanese and Hizbollah flags attacked the U.N. headquarters in downtown Beirut, ransacking offices and tearing down a United Nations flag and ripping it to shreds.

CEASEFIRE Siniora denounced "Israeli war criminals". He demanded an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and an international investigation into "Israeli massacres".

Rice said it was "time to get to a ceasefire", confirming she would not go to Beirut but would stay in Jerusalem. "My work towards a ceasefire is really here today."

But she reiterated that a ceasefire could not mean a return to the status quo before the war, which began after Hizbollah seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

Earlier Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a weekly cabinet meeting: "Israel is in no rush to reach a ceasefire before we get to that point where we could say that we reached the main objectives we had set forth.

"This includes the ripening of the diplomatic process and preparing the multinational force."

The United States says the priority is to remove the threat posed to Israel by Hizbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria.

The Qana air strike occurred as Rice was in Jerusalem on a mission to get Israel and Lebanon to agree on an international force to deploy on the border as part of a ceasefire deal.

Olmert said Israel had told Qana residents to leave before the raid, saying Hizbollah had fired rockets at Israel from the village and its environs.

Israeli forces thrust across the border overnight, sparking clashes with Hizbollah guerrillas.

French President Jacques Chirac condemned the Qana bombing and said it underlined the need for an immediate ceasefire. Jordan's King Abdullah called it an "ugly crime".

GRIEF AND ANGER

Distraught people in Qana screamed in grief and anger amid wrecked buildings as others scrabbled at slabs of concrete with their hands to try to reach people buried in the debris.

Red Cross workers covered the corpse of one dead child with a blanket. A woman in a red-patterned dress lay crumpled and lifeless in the broken masonry. A leg poked out from the rubble nearby. Another child lay dead in the street.

"All the residents were warned and told to leave. No one was ordered to fire on civilians and we have no policy of killing innocent people," Israeli media quoted Olmert as saying.

MORE

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30778296.htm

Lebanon cancels Rice visit after attack
30 July 2006

QANA: An Israeli air strike killed at least 40 Lebanese civilians, including 23 children, on Sunday, prompting the Lebanese government to cancel a planned visit to Beirut by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The raid on the southern village of Qana was the bloodiest single attack during Israel's 19-day-old war on Hizbollah and rescuers said the death toll might rise.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said he would hold no negotiations before a ceasefire and officials said they had told Rice to stay away from Beirut until the fighting stopped. Siniora denounced "Israeli war criminals". He demanded an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and an international investigation into "Israeli massacres".

The air strike, whose target was not immediately clear, occurred as Rice was in Jerusalem on a mission to persuade Israel and Lebanon to agree on an international force to deploy on the border.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said his country was "in no rush" for a ceasefire, and Israeli forces thrust across the border sparking new clashes with Hizbollah guerrillas.

A three-storey building in Qana where dozens of displaced civilians were sheltering and several other houses were destroyed in the dawn raid (local time), killing many people in their sleep.

A witness counted 40 bodies. Lebanese Red Cross officials in Beirut said rescuers had extracted 38 bodies from the devastated buildings, including 23 children, and seven wounded. At least 17 more bodies were feared to be still under the rubble, seven of them children.

Red Cross workers covered the corpse of one dead child with a blanket. A woman in a red-patterned dress lay crumpled and lifeless in the broken masonry. A leg poked out from the rubble nearby. Another child lay dead in the street.

Israel's military said it had warned residents of Qana to leave and that Hizbollah bore responsibility for using the village to fire rockets at the Jewish state.

Distraught people in Qana screamed in grief and anger amid wrecked buildings as others scrabbled at slabs of concrete with their hands to try to reach people buried in the debris.

Israeli warplanes struck Qana only hours after Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah threatened to rocket more cities in central Israel if attacks on Lebanon continued.

"There are many cities in central Israel which will come into target range ... if the barbaric aggression on our country and people continues," he said.

Lebanese television stations described the raid on Qana as a massacre. The village is already a potent symbol of Lebanese civilian deaths at the hands of Israel's military.

In April 1996, Israeli shelling killed more than 100 civilians sheltering at the base of UN peacekeepers in Qana during Israel's "Grapes of Wrath" bombing campaign.

At least 523 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 51 Israelis have been killed in the conflict that erupted after Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12.

Olmert said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting: "Israel is in no rush to reach a ceasefire before we get to that point where we could say that we reached the main objectives we had set forth. This includes the ripening of the diplomatic process and preparing the multinational force."

Confirming a major new incursion into Lebanon, the Israeli military said tanks and troops had rolled across the border at Metula, under cover of artillery fire and air strikes, to try to find and destroy Hizbollah rocket launchers.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said at least one soldier had been wounded in fighting, in which she said Hizbollah had also suffered casualties. Hizbollah reported fierce clashes.

Before Lebanon cancelled her visit, Rice had said she hoped for a deal on ceasefire terms to be outlined in a UN Security Council resolution that may be presented as early as Tuesday.

After meeting Olmert on Saturday evening, Rice held talks with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Sunday. She had been expected to meet Siniora in Beirut later in the day.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper quoted defence sources as saying the army had orders to accelerate its offensive, assuming it had another seven to 10 days before it had to stop fighting.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3748422a10,00.html

30 Jul 2006

CAIRO, July 30 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned as "irresponsible" on Sunday an Israeli air strike on the Lebanese village of Qana that killed at least 40 Lebanese civilians, including 23 children.

"The Arab Republic of Egypt expresses its profound alarm and its condemnation of the irresponsible Israeli bombing of the Lebanese village of Qana, which resulted in innocent casualties, mostly women and children," a statement from the president's office published by the state news agency MENA said.

The Qana air strike occurred as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Jerusalem on a mission to get Israel and Lebanon to agree on an international force to deploy on the border as part of a ceasefire deal.

The attack prompted Lebanon to tell Rice she was unwelcome in Beirut before a ceasefire.

Mubarak, who had earlier said that Israel's actions had gone "way too far" in Lebanon, repeated an earlier call for an immediate ceasefire and said the calm would pave the way for "diplomatic action to end the causes of the current deterioration".

Reuters

Analysis: Another massacre in Qana
By Sana Abdallah Jul 30, 2006, 13:23 GMT

AMMAN, Jordan (UPI) -- Lebanese rescue workers, with Red Cross symbols across their vests, dig out tiny bodies from under the rubble and carry their limp corpses in their arms. The small, twisted and charred bodies are in pajamas; the curls on a little girl`s head still bounce as her lifeless body is being carried away.

The scene is once again in the southern Lebanese town of Qana.

Around 55 civilians, most of them children and women hiding from the relentless Israeli air strikes, perished in an early dawn Israeli air strike targeting the two-storey house where members of two families had taken refuge as the Israeli military offensive against Lebanon entered its 19th day. Eight people inside the house survived and more bodies remained under the rubble.

The images, many of them aired live by the Qatar-based al-Jazeera satellite channel, unleashed widespread rage across Lebanon and much of the rest of the Arab world.

In Beirut, thousands of protesters gathered in front of the U.N. building in central Beirut to denounce Israel and the United States, while a mob stormed the building, breaking the windows of a building representing an organization they see as having provided the legitimate cover for the Israeli assault.

Shouting slogans supporting the Shiite Hezbollah organization, demonstrators demanded the expulsion of the U.S. ambassador from the Lebanese capital, blaming the continued war on Washington, which has been largely seen as inciting Israel to try to militarily eliminate or weaken the resistance before a ceasefire. They say it was American 'smart bombs' that are killing and destroying their people and country.

The developments came as Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was in Israel on a second Middle East tour in a week to promote a plan to deploy an 'international stabilization force' on the Lebanese-Israeli border and to put in motion a ceasefire that would usher in a 'new Middle East.'

While no exact time was set for her visit to Beirut, which was expected Sunday or Monday, the Lebanese government told Rice she was not welcome before an immediate ceasefire is declared.

In a joint news conference with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora demanded an 'unconditional and immediate ceasefire in the aftermath of these continuous massacres...We cannot accept any action without an immediate ceasefire and there can be no progress otherwise.'

He added that the attack on the Qana household was 'no mistake, it came after heavy artillery first.'

Israel immediately blamed the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah organization for the attack, saying its fighters were shooting rockets from the building, and later claimed the Israeli Defense Forces had warned the residents of Qana to leave their town before targeting it.

Relatives of the victims told Arab news channels that all Hezbollah fighters had left Qana and the towns at the outset of hostilities that began on July 12 when Lebanese guerillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed another eight in a cross-border operation.

They said the Shalhoub and Hashem family members who perished could not afford to flee towards Beirut as taxis were asking for $1,000 per car to Beirut.

In addition, they complained, the roads from southern Lebanese towns to the north have been coming under constant fire by Israeli war planes for the past 19 days. As one relative shouted into a television camera: 'At home we`re not safe, on the road we`re not safe. Where are we supposed to go?'

Sunday`s attack was reminiscent of an Israeli air strike against a U.N. shelter in Qana in April 1996, in which 108 Lebanese civilians, most of them women and children, were killed during Israel`s 'Grapes of Wrath' offensive.

It was another Israeli military operation that aimed, but failed, at eliminating Hezbollah.

If anything, the group gained more strength at the time as its fighters continued to strike against Israeli occupation forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israeli towns, ultimately ending of the 22-year Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon in May 2000.

Lebanese and Arab analysts say they see the 'second Qana massacre' as an 'intentional act of desperate revenge' against the Lebanese after the Israeli forces failed to weaken the Shiite guerilla group or defeat them in the battle fields in the southern border villages of Maroun el-Rass and Bint Jbeil.

They see the targeting of Lebanese civilians in general, in which the death toll has risen to almost 750 by Sunday and 800,000 displaced, is intended to pressure the population and the political forces that sought to disarm Hezbollah, according to Security Council Resolution 1559, to rise against the Islamic resistance.

However, the war has only united the diverse political forces in this tiny country of 3.8 million people, and the Qana attack closed whatever rifts remained on how to stop the confrontations.

It also appeared to have changed Lebanese conditions for releasing the two captured Israeli soldiers. House Speaker Berri told reporters that the 'conditions for exchanging prisoners have now changed.'

Berri, who was authorized to represent Hezbollah, Friday proposed a ceasefire and exchanging the two Israeli soldiers with the Lebanese prisoners held in Israel, backing out of earlier demands to exchange them for other Arab and Palestinian detainees.

Analysts say that the 'second Qana massacre' might be the event that will stop the Israeli assault on Lebanon, just as the first one ten years ago ended the 'Grapes of Wrath' offensive.

Parliament member Gen. Michel Aoun, a Christian who leads the Free Patriotic Movement, said another 'miracle' might come out of Qana, or the 'miracle' of stopping this war.

The first miracle to which Aoun was referring is a Biblical one, where it is believed that Jesus Christ made his first miracle in Qana, or Biblical Cana. It is said that Jesus turned a large quantity of water into wine at a wedding feast he was attending in the town.

However, there is no Jesus Christ today to perform the miracle of ending the bloodshed in Lebanon.

But, like Jesus died to save humanity, the Lebanese and Arabs hope the blood of these children might just be what saves their nation.

PM: No ceasefire until goals achieved

Nathan Guttman | Washington D.C. | July 30

The Jerusalem Post - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that Israel would not rush into a cease-fire to end 19 days of fighting in southern Lebanon until it achieves its goals there.

"I think it needs to be clear that Israel is not in a hurry to have a cease-fire before we reach a situation in which we can say that we achieved the central goals that we set down for ourselves," Olmert said before the government's weekly cabinet meeting.

"This requires a ripening of the diplomatic process and a specific agreement regarding the formation of the force that will operate from the areas from which Israel was threatened in this period."

[snip]

The UN Security Council will begin deliberations Monday on the make up of the international force. At present, only France, Italy, Turkey, Ireland and Poland and India have expressed their willingness to send troops for the force. On Wednesday the Security Council is expected to meet on the foreign ministers level and try to reach a comprehensive agreement on the mandate of the force and the terms for a cease-fire.

[emphasis added]

[Comment: Boy, are these guys going to end up regretting this. ~ JPD]

"We declared war on terror, it's not even a noun, so, good luck. After we defeat it, I'm sure we'll take on that bastard ennui." - Jon Stewart.

Israel told US they need 10 more days to finish the offensive in Lebanon and cripple Hezbollah permanently
Media Release
Jul. 30, 2006
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/12219.asp

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he needed 10 days to two weeks to finish the offensive in Lebanon, according to a senior Israeli government official.

Olmert met with Rice on Saturday night to discuss the 19-day-old Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon. Their meeting came before an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qana killed more than 50 people early Sunday.

Following that strike, Olmert and Rice scheduled a new meeting on Sunday evening

Israeli Strike Is Deadliest in Fighting So Far

By SABRINA TAVERNISE, New York Times
Published: July 30, 2006

QANA, Lebanon, July 30 — A series of Israeli airstrikes in this small mountain town today killed dozens of people in the deadliest single attack in the war here so far. At least 54 people were killed, with 37 of them children, news agencies reported.

Rescue workers and neighbors worked frantically to find survivors among the wreckage of a house, where two large extended families were hiding in a garage. Six small children, their mouths open and full of dirt, were brought out and laid on stretchers.

"I felt as if I was turning around, and the earth was going up, and I was going into the earth," said Mohamed Chaloub, a father of five who was thrown into a doorway and managed to escape. All five of his children, including a 2-year-old child, were killed. His wife, sister and aunt were also killed.

Neighbors said they ran to the house after the first strike, around 1 a.m., and that they heard screams and tried to reach people trapped inside, but the strikes persisted and they could not reach them. In the morning, rescue workers pulled bodies of 22 people out of the rubble, but neighbors said more bodies were inside.

The death toll climbed as rescue workers retrieved more people from the collapsed building, carrying limp bodies away on stretchers and in blankets.

The strike came as thousands protested in Beirut and a mob of young men started breaking windows and damaging buildings. Television footage showed crowds of men attacking a United Nations building in the capital.

at work fighting terror in southern Lebanon - http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/world/0607/gallery.israeli.airstrike/gal.02.child.afp.gi.jpg

Lebanon's PM thanks Hizbollah for its 'sacrifices'
Reuters
Sunday, July 30, 2006 20:23 IST

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora thanked Hizbollah on Sunday for its "sacrifices" in its war against Israel.

"We are in a strong position and I thank the Sayyed for his efforts," Siniora said when asked about a Saturday statement by Hizbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calling on the government to take advantage of Hizbollah's steadfastness against Israeli military might.

"I also thank all those who sacrifice their lives for the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon," he added.

Siniora, a member of Lebanon's anti-Syrian coalition, has often been at odds with the Syrian-backed Hizbollah but the 19-day-old conflict appears to have brought the two sides closer together.

WFP says Israel refused OK for Lebanon aid convoy
30 Jul 2006 14:51:28 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Silvia Aloisi

ROME, July 30 (Reuters) - The U.N. food agency said it cancelled an aid convoy to southern Lebanon on Sunday because it did not have Israeli authorisation, but hoped on Monday to reach the village of Qana, where an air raid killed 54 people.

"We are hoping to get the green light to go to Qana tomorrow," said Brenda Barton, a spokeswoman for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered that humanitarian be allowed to reach the village.

She said a second convoy to the southern Lebanese port of Tyre was also planned on Monday.

Earlier, the WFP said it had been forced to scrap a six-truck convoy of medicines, flour, canned meat and vegetable oil to the southern Lebanese town of Marjayoun on Sunday after Israeli forces declined to give their consent.

"We are extremely disappointed, and indeed frustrated, that we have been unable to go ahead with this convoy. There are tens of thousands of people in the south who are in desperate need of assistance. Obviously this is a setback," Amer Daoudi, WFP emergency coordinator for Lebanon, said in a statement.

"The decision was in accordance with established security procedures in Lebanon, under which WFP requires concurrence from all parties involved in the conflict for humanitarian aid convoy movements. This is the first time that such concurrence has not been forthcoming," the statement said.

Aid workers have complained they are finding it impossible to get medical supplies and food safely to isolated villages in southern Lebanon because of the Israeli bombardment.

Olmert ordered on Sunday that aid workers be allowed to reach Qana after an Israeli air strike there killed at least 54 civilians, including 37 children. He expressed "deep sorrow" at the bombing.

more

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

(July 30, 2006 -- 11:17 AM EST // link)
.
So here, this morning, we have news of the IAF attack on the south Lebanese village of Qana, in which more than 50 people were killed, mainly women and children. The fact that Olmert, Peretz and Halutz offered an immediate apology and pledged an investigation tells you it's probably just as bad as it sounds.
.
Since Hizbullah doesn't broadcast news of their casualties, I think the damage Israel is doing to its fighting strength on the ground is likely being understated. But I don't see how we can argue, at this point at least, that Hizbullah as a movement doesn't seem strengthened by all this. Hopefully there's some way out of this in which the underlying problem here can be solved -- Lebanon's lack of control over the belligerent militia controlling its southern border. But it's hard to find the signs promising at this moment. And for Israel, one number tells the irreducible story. 140 rockets fell on northern Israel today. That's the highest count since July 12th when the whole thing started. And in terms of how Israel understands its own security, that's the most damning thing: even using main force, they can't stop the rocket attacks on their civilian areas.

including from Arabic-language sources

IDF saying that it made an intrusion in khiam

Michel Aoun to LBC: time for an emergency government. whats happening is not open to negotiations. We request an unconditional cease fire

NewTv
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Translation: 8 israeli soldiers from Golani elite under a house rubble after resistance hit.
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5 civilians killed in a house in Yareen
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WWW.TAYYAR.ORG

LBC: Hezballa capture new Israeli Goulani soldiers.

big fires in Mtelleh in north Israel
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4 New Raids on baysariyeh

Hezbollah launches rockets on Al Mtole .

Source NewTV
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Israel is targeting The Martyr Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil. Few People are wonuded.

Source NewTV
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14:52 Solana says EU working to reach immediate cease-fire in Lebanon (Reuters)

14:51 EU`s Solana: Nothing can justify Qana attack (Reuters)

14:47 Olmert orders that humanitarian aid be allowed to reach Qana (Reuters)

14:46 Olmert expresses `deep sorrow` over bombing of Qana (Reuters)

14:27 Syrian FM: U.S. rejection of immediate cease-fire `unacceptable` (Reuters)

14:25 Halutz: IAF was unaware civilians were sheltering in a Qana building (Reuters)

14:22 Arab League chief calls for international probe of Qana `massacre` (Reuters)

14:12 IDF soldier lightly wounded in rocket strike near Kiryat Shmona (Haaretz)
____________________________________
15:41 Syrian President Assad calls Israeli attack on Qana `terrorism`(AP)

15:22 Haaretz reporter moderately hurt in strike on Kiryat Shmona (Haaretz)

Olmert to Rice: Israel needs 10 days to 2 weeks of continued fighting

Tel Aviv: 100 protesters demonstrate against IDF attack in Kfar Qanna

Around 100 Peace Now demonstrators are protesting outside of the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv against the IDF's attack on Kfar Qanna in southern Lebanon. The protest was held parallel to the protest in Beirut outside of the American embassy.

The protesters are clashing from time to time with passers-by and drivers are attacking them. (Ynet)

(07.30.06, 17:34)

The Yesha Rabbinical Council announced in response to an IDF attack in Kfar Qanna that "according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as 'innocents' of the enemy."

All of the discussions on Christian morality are weakening the spirit of the army and the nation and are costing us in the blood of our soldiers and civilians," the statement said. (ynet)
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Iran denies aiding Hezbollah

Iran denied Sunday it was helping Hezbollah in its fight against Israel in Lebanon. "We haven't deployed any forces there (Lebanon)," said Hamid Reza Asefi, spokesman of Iran's foreign ministry.

"We don't send weapons to the resistance. We don't support them militarily. If we choose to give them future military support, we will announce it. We have no fear of Mr. Bush and company," he claimed. (AP)
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18:00 Police: 140 rockets hit northern Israel Sunday, largest one-day total since July 12 (Army Radio)

saleh ghandour hospital attacked by the zionist terrorist army in bint jebil.the hospital staff have being injured.the needy in the hospital including the wounded call for their aid .they need water and medicine.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora thanked Hizbollah on Sunday for its "sacrifices" In its war with Israel.

"We are in a strong position and I thank the Sayyed for his efforts," Siniora said when asked about a Saturday statement by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calling on the government to take advantage of Hizbollah's steadfastness against Israeli military might. (Reuters)

Hizbullah Destroyed A Zionist Tank Killing And Wounding Its Soldiers In An Attempt The Zionist Made To Enter The Southern Lebanese Town Of Adaiseh.
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The corespondent of the national news agency says:the town of mifidon has being attacked by israeli tank fire.six casualties is repoted,some from the same family.
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http://www.fromisraeltolebanon.com

this website shows everything the Israeli's have been doing in lebanon
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17:50

the zionist terrorist army have pulled out from taibeh
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phosphoric bombs on Kfarkela (NBN)
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4 soldiers lightly injured from anti-tank missile in southern Lebanon
(19:07 , 07.30.06)

MDA: 59 Israelis injured from rockets
(18:50 , 07.30.06)

ynet

Remember the neocon notion of "constructive chaos" as a catalyst for total Middle East makeover? Plunge the entire area into massive conflict, and from that "birth pang" will spring a revitalised and democratic region? Given the Bush Administration's actions re: Israel's war in Lebanon, ostensibly aimed at eradicating Hezbollah, there are ominous reports - unconfirmed, but from sources tapped by the Jerusalem Post, for example, that Bush's people are urging Olmert to somehow bring the fight to Syria, and thence threaten Iran...the implication here is that US airpower will yet again be used for aiding in "regime change", as both US and Israel remain in thrall to shock and awe strategies. For a recapitulation of "constructive chaos", see this article:

Lebanon as a new target: The Neocons Policy of "Constructive Chaos"

by Thierry Meyssan

July 28, 2006

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=MEY20060728&articleId=2840

US prevents condemnation of Israel in security council

The UN Security Council will meet for a session in two hours in order to read a declaration by the Security Council's president following the IDF attack in Kfar Qana in Lebanon.

Sources in Washington have told Ynet that the US won't allow the Security Council to take a decision containing a condemnation of Israel. (Yitzhak Ben-Horin, Washington)

(07.30.06, 21:53)

ynetnews.com

Other developments:

Qana villagers refute IDF claims building fell hours after strike
IDF renews ground offensive in south Lebanon, clashing with Hezbollah near Dovev; Hezbollah fighters hurt. 22:18

Last update - 22:18 30/07/2006

Peretz: Fighting in Lebanon to continue at least two weeks

By Yuval Azoulay, Yoav Stern and Amos Harel, Haaretz Staff and Agencies

Hours after an Israel Air Force strike killed at least 54 people in the southern Lebanese town of Qana, Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday that Israel would continue its military assault on Hezbollah targets for at least two more weeks.

The Israel Defense Forces convened a press conference Sunday evening, admitting that while the IAF did indeed strike the building in which the civilians were killed, the attack itself occurred near midnight, while reports of an explosion and the structure's collapse were only received at around 8:30 A.M.

The air force did resume bombing Qana at 7:30 A.M., however the strikes were carried out on targets at a distance of 460 meters from the building.

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"The question we don't have an answer to is what happened between 12 midnight and 8 in the morning," said IAF Brigadier General Amir Eshel.

Lebanese villagers in Qana who were witness to the bombing, however, say that the building's collapse occurred in the wee hours of the night.

Witnesses at the scene corroborated the IDF claim that the strike on the building, which is located in the Hariva neighborhood of Qana, was carried out at 1:00 A.M. After the initial strike, some of the building's residents exited in an attempt to survey the damage, in effect saving themselves.

A few minutes later, IAF planes struck the building once again, causing the walls to collapse on the residents who did not vacate, killing them in the process.

Arab media began reporting on the incident after dawn Sunday, approximately seven hours after the strike. The reports did not note, however, that the building collapsed a short time prior to Arab journalists' arrival on the scene.

IDF Head of Operations Directorate Major General Gadi Eizenkot said the Qana incident "will not loosen our grip," adding that aerial strikes intended to harm Hezbollah's capability of launching rockets into northern Israel will continue.

Maj. Gen. Eizenkot noted that Hezbollah operatives fired a total of 150 rockets into Israel, some of which struck Haifa. Eshel pointed out that rocket fire into Haifa has waned in the last few days.

"This is tied to our operations," Eshel said.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday expressed "deep regret" for the Israeli air strike that cost scores of life in the south Lebanese village of Qana, but said Israel would not declare a cease-fire until it had reached the targets it had set at the beginning of the war.

Olmert, responding to harsh international criticism on the strike, said that Hezbollah had used Qana as a base for launching hundreds of rockets at Israel.

"From the village and its surroundings, hundreds of Katyusha [rockets] have been fired at Israel, toward Kiryat Shmona and Afula," Olmert said during a cabinet meeting, according to a participant.

In Israeli media accounts, Olmert was further quoted as saying that "All the residents [of Qana] were warned and told to leave. No one was ordered to fire on civilians and we have no policy of killing innocent people."

Qana was the scene of an April, 1996, in which Israeli shelling of a base of United Nations peacekeepers in Qana killed more than 100 civilians sheltering there during Operation Grapes of Wrath.

The international outcry over the 1996 Qana village shelling effectively ended the operation. It was also said to be a factor in the subsequent election defeat of then-prime minister Shimon Peres, whose support among Israeli Arabs was sapped by the Qana deaths.

The Lebanese Red Cross officials in Beirut said Sunday that more than 54 people were killed in the air strike, including 27 children.

Peretz has ordered an investigation of the incident.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday "This horrific massacre will not go without a response."

Some 40 targets were hit in IAF strikes overnight across Lebanon. Among the targets were buildings used by Hezbollah, rocket launchers and bridges.

IDF renews ground offensive
The IDF renewed its ground offensive in south Lebanon on Sunday morning. A Nahal division, backed by armored troops, began operating in southern Lebanon, heading toward the village of Taibeh.

Also Sunday, IDF troops clashed with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, north of Dovev. Hezbollah fighters sustained injuries in the clashes.

An IAF strike Saturday closed Lebanon's main crossing point to Syria for the first time since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, security sources said.

Three air strikes hit the road between Lebanese and Syrian immigration offices in the Masnaa area of the eastern Bekaa Valley, approximately 1 km inland on the Lebanese side of the border, they said. There were no casualties.

Traffic on the border had been interrupted by IAF attacks nearby, but it was the first time it had been declared closed in the 18-day Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had struck the road to cut arms supply routes from Syria to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

"The military attacked the road from Lebanon to Syria to prevent the smuggling of weapons," an IDF spokeswoman said.

An IDF officer said early Sunday that despite continued arms smuggling from Syria to Lebanon, Israel has no plans of attacking Syria, Israel Radio reported.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/744332.html

21:47 Cabinet to convene for emergency meeting Monday at 9 P.M. (Haaretz)

21:45 Palestinians attack UN offices in Gaza following IAF strike on Qana (AP)

21:37 Witnesses: Those who fled Qana building between the two strikes lived (Haaretz)

21:31 Lebanese MP: 15 children killed in Qana were disabled (AFP)

21:28 MP, 8 other U.K. women who planned visit to Ramallah, denied entry into Israel (AFP)

20:59 Four IDF soldiers wounded in south Lebanon (AP)

20:47 Egypt summons Israeli ambassador over Qana attack (Reuters)

20:43 Lebanon says will present evidence to int`l judicial officials against Israel (Haaretz)

20:42 Blair says ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel `cannot continue` (AP)

20:39 Memorial service held in Jerusalem for the 4 UN peacekeepers killed in Lebanon (AP)

an attempted Israeli incursion in Yammoune (Bekaa valley area in eastern Lebanon) was foiled by Lebanese Army anti-aircraft guns.

Lebanese army stops Israeli helicopters landing
30 Jul 2006 19:33:41 GMT

BEIRUT, July 30 (Reuters) - The Lebanese army opened fire on Israeli helicopters trying to land near a town in the Bekaa valley, preventing them from setting down, Lebanese security sources and witnesses said.

The four helicopters appeared to be trying to land Israeli soldiers near the town of Yammouni, they said.

The helicopters flew away before Israeli warplanes launched air raids on the area, the sources said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L30832182.htm