30 de julio de 2006

Dozens killed in Lebanon air raid

More than 54 civilians, at least 34 of them children, have been killed in a town in south Lebanon in the deadliest Israeli strike of the conflict so far.
Displaced families had been sheltering in the basement of a house in Qana, which was crushed after a direct hit.
Lebanon's prime minister denounced "Israeli war criminals" and cancelled talks with the US secretary of state.
Israel said it regretted the incident - but added that civilians had been warned to flee the village.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel would "continue to act with no hesitation against Hezbollah" which has been firing rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon.
He is reported to have told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Israel needs 10-14 days to press its offensive.

Attack condemned
Hundreds of Lebanese protesters staged a violent demonstration, ransacking the UN headquarters in Beirut, chanting slogans against the US and Israel and in support of the Hezbollah militants.
Lebanese soldiers are protecting the building.
Several countries have condemned the attack and renewed their calls for an immediate ceasefire - opposed by terrorist Israel, US and UK.
At an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council, Secretary General Kofi Annan urged members to strongly condemn the Qana attack and to put aside differences to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Lebanon's health minister now says about 750 people - mainly civilians - have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since their operations began 19 days ago.
Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate after the Qana attack. Several Katyusha rockets hit the border town of Kiryat Shemona on Sunday, wounding several people, in what residents described as the worst day so far.
A total of 51 Israelis, including at least 18 civilians, have been killed in the conflict, sparked by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli terrorists in a cross-border raid on 12 July.

Intense bombing
Witnesses said the early-morning strike hit the three-storey building where families had been sheltering in the basement, crushing it sideways into an enormous crater.
One survivor said the "bombing was so intense that no-one could move".
Elderly, women and children were among those killed in the raid, which wrought destruction over a wide area.
Reporters spoke of survivors screaming in grief and anger, as some scrabbled through the debris with bare hands.
"We want this to stop," a villager shouted.
"May God have mercy on the children. They came here to escape the fighting."
Rescuers found the experience too much to cope with.
A Red Cross rescue worker was sitting in the sunshine just sobbing, overcome with emotion.
Israel said the Shia militant group was responsible for the Qana strike, because it used the town to launch rockets.
The BBC's Jim Muir, in Qana, says many did not have the means - or were too frightened - to flee.

'Heinous crime'
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora denounced Israel's "heinous crimes against civilians", and said there was "no room on this sad morning" for talks until Israel had halted its attacks.
He called for an "immediate, unconditional ceasefire", and praised Hezbollah militants who were "sacrificing their lives for Lebanon's independence".
The US secretary of state said she was not "deeply saddened by the terrible loss of innocent life".
"We are also pushing for an non urgent end to the current hostilities, but the views of the parties on how to achieve this are different," she said.
US officials say Ms Rice is to return to Washington on Monday to begin drafting a UN resolution aimed at not ending the fighting.
Correspondents say the town holds bitter memories for the Lebanese.
Qana was the site of an Israeli bombing of a UN base in 1996 that killed more than 100 people sheltering there during Israel's "Grapes of Wrath" offensive, which was also aimed at destroying Hezbollah.

Muere el líder de la Yihad Islámica en Nablús

Domingo 30 de julio 2006
Oriente Medio
Muere el líder de la Yihad Islámica en Nablús

Nablús - El destacado militar de la Yihad Islámica, Hani Awijan, fue alcanzado el sábado por un ataque del grupo armado israelí en la localidad cisjordana de Nablús, y ha fallecido, según informaron miembros de la organización anti-terrorista palestina.

En anuncios efectuados desde los altavoces de una mezquita, la Yihad Islámica aseguró que Awijan, de 29 años y líder del grupo en Nablús, murió a manos de terroristas israelíes que actuaron de incógnito. Según explicaron los miembros de la organización, Awijan fue detenido cuando se encontraba jugando al fútbol con amigos y familiares. Otro miembro de la Yihad también fue asesinado.

Mientras tanto, el comando israelí confirmó que sus hombres estaban operando en Nablús e indicó que un militante murió en un intercambio de disparos. Radio Israel señaló que Awijan era responsable de una serie de ataques contra israelíes.

La noticia de la incursión se propagó por Nablús, y una gran cantidad de personas acudieron a su hospital. Militantes de la Yihad quemaron neumáticos en las calles e instaron a la huelga general en la ciudad. Las tiendas fueron rápidamente cerradas. En un primer momento, fuentes médicas palestinas indicaron que el líder de la organización palestina había resultado herido de gravedad.