Deaths continue in Middle East
Israeli army maintains artillery fire into Lebanon
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Sunday, 16, Jul 2006 08:33
Sixteen people have died in the Lebanese town of Tyre after the port was hit by Israeli artillery, while at least seven were killed in a similar attack upon a border town, following on from eight civilian deaths in Haifa this morning.
Eight people were killed in the Israeli port after Hizbullah rockets struck the coastal city, while the army has been resuming artillery fire and air strikes in southern Lebanon all day.
About 20 rockets hit roads and a train station in Haifa, with many wounded as a result. Israel's response included fresh attacks upon the Lebanese capital, as well as suspected Hizbullah strongholds in the south and east of the country.
More than 100 Lebanese civilians have been killed since Israel began targeting Hizbullah strongholds and parts of the country's infrastructure last week.
The eight civilian deaths in Haifa is the most the Jewish state has experienced since Hizbullah militants took two Israeli soldiers captive last Wednesday, the root of the entire crisis, bringing the total number of fatalities to 12.
In his first television appearance since Israel began military operations, the leader of Hizbullah, Hassan Nasrallah, pledged that the attack upon Haifa was only the "beginning".
"We will continue. We still have a lot more and we are just at the beginning. We promise them surprises in any confrontation," he said.
At today's G8 summit in St Petersburg, leaders discussed the escalating crisis and concluded that the most "urgent priority is to create conditions for a cessation of violence" that they hope will be sustainable and lead to a "more permanent solution".
The leaders urged Hizbullah to hand over the captive Israeli soldiers and to halt its indiscriminate missile attacks, while the Jewish state should cease military activities in both Lebanon and Gaza and return arrested Palestinian ministers and politicians.
Israel holds the Lebanese government entirely responsible for the actions of the Shia Muslim group, but the divided administration realistically has no power to disarm Hizbullah, which holds several posts in the cabinet and enjoys significant support in southern areas of the country.
Yesterday the UN security council failed to agree on a resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, following a plea from the Lebanese prime minister, Fouad Siniora.
Today's attack on Haifa confirmed Israeli fears that the range of Hizbullah rockets had increased, with the coastal city also hit earlier in the week, despite the town being 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Lebanese border, a distance previously thought safe from attacks.
The Israeli government is still insisting that the release of its two captured soldiers remains a precursor to any hope of a ceasefire.
Hundreds of foreign nationals are reportedly attempting to flee Lebanon, but the Israeli army's land, air and sea blockade has made this process even more fraught with danger.
Israel today also re-entered the Gaza Strip in a bid to release a third captured soldier.