Israeli resumes bombings as Muslim nations outraged

BEIRUT – Israel launched fresh air strikes on Beirut yesterday after a lull of several days in its onslaught which Lebanese officials say has killed more than 900 nationals and wounded over 3 000 others in three weeks.

As the world’s Muslim nations expressed outrage at international “double standards” over the offensive by Israel, Premier Ehud Olmert reiterated that his country would not halt its drive against Hezbollah guerrillas in south Lebanon until an international force of some 15 000 combat-ready troops was deployed there. The difficulty of assembling such a force was highlighted when the United Nations postponed for the second time a meeting of countries that might contribute troops.In intensified diplomatic efforts within the region, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose country is a strong supporter of Hezbollah.Moratinos said Syria had promised to use all of its influence on Hezbollah in a bid to bring an end to the fighting in Lebanon.”The Syrian authorities are going to exercise all their influence over Hezbollah and over the various actors in the conflict,” Moratinos said.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country is another staunch supporter of Hezbollah, was quoted as telling the world’s Muslim nations summit: “The real cure for the conflict is elimination of the Zionist regime, but there should be first an immediate ceasefire.”The summit of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference demanded an immediate ceasefire, with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi telling delegates: “Muslims are angry even in moderate Muslim countries.”Over the Lebanese capital, explosions lit the night sky as aircraft circled overhead carrying out the first such strikes on the battered city since Israel declared a partial bombing lull on Sunday.No details of casualties in the assault were immediately available, but southern suburbs of Beirut, considered a stronghold of the Hezbollah Shiite militia, have been largely reduced to rubble after heavy previous attacks.Israeli jets also struck the northern region of Akkar, near the Syrian border, the second attack there in 24 hours after two bridges were hit early Wednesday, Lebanese police said.During the night, seven civilians, including an 80-year-old couple, were killed in an intense bombardment of the Tyre region in south Lebanon.The fresh air strikes came after Hezbollah fired its biggest salvo of rockets at Israel on Wednesday, in apparent retaliation for an Israeli commando operation in which five suspected guerrillas were snatched from a hospital.One Israeli was killed in the barrage of 230 rockets, the heaviest in 23 days of fighting sparked by Hezbollah’s July 12 attack inside Israel in which eight Israeli soldiers were killed and two captured.Nampa-AFPThe difficulty of assembling such a force was highlighted when the United Nations postponed for the second time a meeting of countries that might contribute troops.In intensified diplomatic efforts within the region, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose country is a strong supporter of Hezbollah.Moratinos said Syria had promised to use all of its influence on Hezbollah in a bid to bring an end to the fighting in Lebanon.”The Syrian authorities are going to exercise all their influence over Hezbollah and over the various actors in the conflict,” Moratinos said.Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country is another staunch supporter of Hezbollah, was quoted as telling the world’s Muslim nations summit: “The real cure for the conflict is elimination of the Zionist regime, but there should be first an immediate ceasefire.”The summit of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference demanded an immediate ceasefire, with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi telling delegates: “Muslims are angry even in moderate Muslim countries.”Over the Lebanese capital, explosions lit the night sky as aircraft circled overhead carrying out the first such strikes on the battered city since Israel declared a partial bombing lull on Sunday.No details of casualties in the assault were immediately available, but southern suburbs of Beirut, considered a stronghold of the Hezbollah Shiite militia, have been largely reduced to rubble after heavy previous attacks.Israeli jets also struck the northern region of Akkar, near the Syrian border, the second attack there in 24 hours after two bridges were hit early Wednesday, Lebanese police said.During the night, seven civilians, including an 80-year-old couple, were killed in an intense bombardment of the Tyre region in south Lebanon.The fresh air strikes came after Hezbollah fired its biggest salvo of rockets at Israel on Wednesday, in apparent retaliation for an Israeli commando operation in which five suspected guerrillas were snatched from a hospital.One Israeli was killed in the barrage of 230 rockets, the heaviest in 23 days of fighting sparked by Hezbollah’s July 12 attack inside Israel in which eight Israeli soldiers were killed and two captured.Nampa-AFP