Attack on Qana, Lebanon

From CNN reports: A deadly Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese town of Qana provoked stiff and swift condemnation across the globe Sunday as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon showed little sign of ending. Denunciations spread across the Arab and Muslim world, with citizens decrying the attack that killed civilians and diplomats reproaching the Israeli act as unacceptable at a time the world wants to find a solution to the 19-day crisis.

But Western reaction showed a split, with many calling for an immediate cease-fire, but the United States and Britain stopping short of supporting such calls. The U.N. Security Council met Sunday in emergency session, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan reiterating his call for an immediate cessation of violence. (Full story)

More than 60 bodies have been pulled from the rubble in Qana, the Lebanese representative to the U.N., Nouhad Mahmoud, said Sunday. Lebanese internal security officials said 37 of the dead are children. A Red Cross official said the Qana airstrikes hit a residential building that housed refugees.

Israel said the building was near Hezbollah rocket launching sites. Israel later agreed to halt airstrikes on southern Lebanon for 48 hours to investigate the raid, a U.S. State Department spokesman said. "This was a mistake, and we will have a full investigation," Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisen told CNN. "Hezbollah has chosen this as their launching ground for their attacks on us, intentionally endangering their civilians because they know that something like this is liable to happen," said Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jacob Dalal.

The actual time of the strike is uncertain, being described as "a pre-dawn raid" and "while people slept" in the media. The formal event was set to include time before and after the strike, from 01:00 to 06:00 GMT. Lebanon is 3 hours east of GMT, so this period begins at 04:00 Beirut time. The result is Chisquare 18335.5 on 18000 df for p = 0.039 and Z = 1.761.

Attack on Qana, Lebanon


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