Israeli air attack kills 54 civilians, including 19 children

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QANA, Lebanon (CNN) -- Israel said it mistakenly destroyed a four-story building near a Hezbollah rocket-launching site in Qana, Lebanon, on Sunday where the Red Cross and Lebanese internal security sources at the scene said 54 people died, including 19 children.

A Red Cross official said the airstrikes hit a residential building that housed refugees, which Israel said was near Hezbollah rocket launching sites. Officials said they believed at least another 11 children were still under the rubble.

"I saw several bodies of children, women and old men," reported CNN's Ben Wedeman. "Residents were digging with the their bare hands, taking more and more bodies out. Parts of the town were completely bombarded, as if hit by a giant mallet in many places. I was told by one Lebanese army officer that they counted more than 80 individual strikes on the town." (Watch how parts of the town look like they've been hit by a giant mallet -- 1:52)

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council was to hold an emergency session about the Mideast crisis at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, U.N. officials said.

And U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will leave Jerusalem for Washington on Monday, senior State Department officials said.

Rice will work to negotiate a draft resolution to present to the Security Council this week aimed at bringing a halt to the crisis, the officials said.

In Beirut, outrage about the attack sparked violent protests at the U.N. compound. ( Watch how angry protesters use rocks, boards and poles to break into U.N. compound -- 2:30)
'We can't do anything for them'

The IDF said that residents had been warned to leave by radio announcements and by air-leaflets because it was a combat area.

"The building itself was not targeted," Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisen told CNN. "The building itself was next to the rocket-launcher sites and we are targeting all of those rocket-launcher sites. This was a mistake and we will have a full investigation."

A Lebanese emergency official -- speaking live on Al-Arabiya TV -- said rescuers lacked the heavy equipment to remove people still trapped under the collapsed building.

"We can't do anything for them under the rubble because we do not have the right equipment," the unidentified official said.

Red Cross worker Sami Yazbak, who was helping to pull bodies from the building, said many of the children who were sleeping inside were handicapped.

Video broadcast by Arab TV showed the bloodied bodies of women and children who appeared to be wearing night clothes. Many of the bodies were under rubble in the basement of the building.

IDF spokesman Jacob Dalal told CNN that Hezbollah has used the village to fire rockets into western Galilee, including the coastal town of Nahariya. Dalal said Israel was exercising its right to defend itself with the airstrikes.

Dalal said "there was a specific Hezbollah asset" the IDF was targeting. "We have been hitting rocket launchers from that village for several days," Dalal said.

"Clearly, we did not know the civilians were in the way," he said.

Dalal said Hezbollah turned the village into a war zone.

"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," Dalal said.

Qana, 10 miles east of the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre, was the location of an attack by Israeli forces 10 years ago in which more than 100 Lebanese refugees were killed. On April 18, 1996, Israeli artillery pounded a U.N. center crowded with civilians. Israel later said the attack was a mistake. At that time, Israel accused Hezbollah militants of hiding behind civilians.
Lebanese prime minister condemns attack

The attack prompted an impassioned television address by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

"Out of respect for the souls of our innocent martyrs and the remains of our children buried under the rubble of Qana, we scream out to our fellow Lebanese and to other Arab brothers and to the whole world to stand united in the face of the Israeli war criminals," Siniora said.

Siniora called for an immediate, unconditional cease-fire and an international probe, and rejected planned talks with Rice.

After the announcement, Rice canceled her planned visit to Beirut.

A U.S. official in Washington called the decision by the Lebanese prime minister "unfortunate."

In Jerusalem, Rice said she was "deeply saddened" by the deaths and would continue her peace mission.

"I will continue to meet with Israeli officials as we work to bring in place the elements the necessary to put an end to the conflict," Rice said during a Jerusalem news conference. "My work is here." (Full story)

Rice will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday evening.

France, Jordan, and the European Union said the attack underscored the need for an immediate cease-fire in the 19-day conflict between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia, which began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12. (Full story)
Hezbollah launches dozens of rockets

Also Sunday, Hezbollah militants launched 47 Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, wounding 10 people, Israeli police said.

Israeli Defense Forces said Sunday its ground troops were operating in the border village of Taiyba in southeastern Lebanon, an area Israel said Hezbollah uses to launch rockets.

Troops have killed at least three Hezbollah militants and found stockpiles of rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank missiles, a cannon with shells and a machine gun, IDF said.

IDF did not report any Israeli casualties.



Wow, you figure a country whose people have suffered so much in the last century would have a little more respect for human life. I am sure it takes 80 scattered rockets on a town to take out one Hezbollah base. Funny how history repeats itself only ten years later. Same "mistake" same excuses.

 

Come on man, dont be stupid....you know it doesnt unless its American or Israeli.

 

If it wasnt for the international media coverage, I wouldnt be surprised if it happened today.

 

The point is that US didnt try to harass China like Israel is to Lebanon because US knew China had the ability to slap them back.

And people, remember its only Terrorism if it is not backed by the US.

Also, the count has gone up to 60 and projected to climb even higher.

 

Actually nothing says that they had launched any rockets from there. Atleast in this report. Just that they suspected it to be a Hebollah launch site.

Even then, 80 ROCKETS!? Level a whole town? Doesnt seem even a little bit extreme? Considering we have the ability to lock on to a single vehicle through satellite and bomb them, do we really need to level a whole town to take care of one building? Call Israel whatever you like, but Hezbollah are terrorists and so are the Israelis. Just Israel has the US backing it and Lebanon does not have the army to defend itself.