Death of innocent ppl just increasing , all in the name of so
called save private X or corporal Y etc, etc.
Israeli strike 'kills four UN observers' as Rice
leaves
Four UN observers were killed Tuesday when an Israeli aerial bomb
struck their base in southern Lebanon. There are unconfirmed
reports a Canadian is among the dead.
A bomb directly hit the building of the observer force in the town
of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said
Milos Struger, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon
known as UNIFIL.
Struger said UNIFIL had dispatched a rescue team which was trying
to clear the rubble when it came under more fire from Israeli
forces.
A senior Lebanese military official said the dead included
observers from Canada, Austria, China and Finland.
However, the Department of National Defence has not confirmed the
report. The federal government would only say there's been a
significant incident involving a Canadian UN observer.
One Canadian soldier, with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light
Infantry, is currently serving with the UN at the base in Khiyam as
part of a mission called Operation Jade.
Annan reacts strongly
"I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate
targeting by Israeli Defence Forces of a UN Observer post in
southern Lebanon that has killed two UN military observers, with
two more feared dead," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, after
rushing out of a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.
"This coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long established
and clearly marked UN post at Khiyam occurred despite personal
assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that UN
positions would be spared Israeli fire."
But, Israel's ambassador to the UN denied his country would
deliberately target a UN post.
"I am shocked and deeply distressed by the hasty statement of the
secretary-general, insinuating that Israel has deliberately
targeted the U.N. post," said Dan Gillerman.
Gillerman said Israel would investigate: "We do not have yet
information what caused this death: it could be the IDF (Israel's
military), it could be Hezbollah."
Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign
Relations, said he was surprised by Annan's comments.
"Israelis have generally gone out of their way to avoid civilian
targets," he told CTV Newsnet. "So why Annan would come out with a
statement like that is, I think, quite surprising."
Kupchan said it was too early to speculate on how or why the post
was bombed, but said that in some cases UN and Hezbollah camps are
right next door to each other.
But, Sunil Ram, a defence and security analyst, told CTV Newsnet
that the Israelis had shelled the base at least 14 times before
bombing it with what was clearly a guided bomb.
Iran warns of broader battles
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
warned Tuesday that the conflict between Lebanon and Israel could
trigger "a hurricane" of broader fighting in the Middle East.
Ahmadinejad's country is a major backer of the Hezbollah militant
group and a sworn enemy of Israel. In his comments, he referred to
a proverb that says: "He who raises the wind will get a
hurricane."
"That proverb fully relates to the Middle East, which is a very
volatile region," he said. "And it will be a strong hurricane which
will strike really hard."
--Associated Press
"UN posts like this are very well marked. The Israelis knew it was
there; it's been there for years.
"But then when the Indians tried to send a rescue mission in there,
they then shelled the troops who were trying to get to the post. So
how much more deliberate do you want it to be?"
On Monday, vans marked with Red Crosses had come under fire.
Beirut struck again
Tuesday's bombing came as Israeli forces pushed deeper into
southern Lebanon, part of a campaign to stop Hezbollah
missiles.
Israel also pounded Beirut with new air strikes, marking the first
attacks in Lebanon's capital in almost two days.
At least four large blasts were heard as a heavy gray cloud was
seen billowing from the southern district -- a Hezbollah stronghold
that has been heavily bombarded.
Al-Jazeera TV reported 20 Israeli rockets hit the Dahiyah
neighborhood as a succession of blasts set off car alarms in
central Beirut and sirens were heard.
In return, Hezbollah rained rockets down on the northern Israeli
city of Haifa, injuring at least five people.
Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, issued a taped
television message saying guerrillas would now start firing rockets
deeper into Israel, beyond the northern port city of Haifa
