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AP - 33 minutes ago
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israeli warplanes pounded Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold and roads around the country, killing at least 15 Lebanese as they fled the onslaught. Hezbollah expanded its rocket fire, hitting another of Israel's main cities, and Israel warned that the guerrillas could strike Tel Aviv. A senior Israeli intelligence official said Iranian troops helped Hezbollah fire a missile that damaged an Israeli warship off the Lebanese coast Friday night.
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israeli warplanes pounded Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold and roads around the country, killing at least 15 Lebanese as they fled the onslaught. Hezbollah expanded its rocket fire, hitting another of Israel's main cities, and Israel warned that the guerrillas could strike Tel Aviv. A senior Israeli intelligence official said Iranian troops helped Hezbollah fire a missile that damaged an Israeli warship off the Lebanese coast Friday night.
Bush demands Syria stop Hizbollah attacks
By Steve Holland
23 minutes ago
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -
President Bush demanded on Saturday that
Syria rein in Hizbollah attacks on
Israel but Russia's
Vladimir Putin said Israel's military response should be "balanced."
Hizbollah's attacks from Lebanese territory, Israel's retaliatory bombing raids and the resulting threat to Lebanon's fragile government emerged as a top priority for Group of Eight leaders at their St Petersburg summit.
At a joint news conference, Bush again declined to urge Israel to curb its attacks on Hizbollah targets in Lebanon, a position at odds with those of French
President Jacques Chirac and the
European Union, who have called Israel's action disproportionate.
Bush laid the blame for this week's upsurge in Middle East violence squarely on Hizbollah guerrillas for firing rockets into Israel and abducting Israeli soldiers. In response, Israel has bombed Beirut's airport and blockaded its port.
"The best way to stop the violence is for Hizbollah to lay down its arms and to stop attacking. And therefore I call upon Syria to exert influence over Hizbollah," Bush said.
Putin, whose government has expressed concern about the region sliding into war, said he agreed that Hizbollah's actions were "absolutely unacceptable."
"This is all true, and in this context, we consider Israel's concerns to be justified," the Russian president said. But, he said, "the use of force should be balanced."
"In any case, bloodshed should stop as soon as possible," Putin, host of the G8 summit, added.
COMMON GROUND
Putin said he would seek common ground with G8 colleagues "in order to bring the situation, as soon as possible, to a conclusion where concrete results can be achieved, not only on the cessation of combat but also in terms of building an enabling environment for Israel within secure borders."
Bush's national security adviser,
Stephen Hadley, told reporters the Hizbollah attacks have "threatened to plunge the region into violence."
He said a G8 statement was "coming together" and that Washington wanted to put "maximum pressure on Hizbollah to stop its rocket attacks and ultimately return the prisoners it has taken."
"Everybody is aware of the risks, everybody has a good idea of who is trying to drive this toward confrontation," he said.
Bush has argued that Israel has a right to defend itself but should work to minimize civilian casualties. But he has largely left discussions with Israeli leaders to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Hadley.
A supporter of Israel throughout his presidency, Bush is seen as unlikely to want to antagonize the Jewish state in the run-up to November's congressional elections.
The sudden crisis over Israel and Lebanon has come as Bush and his government struggle to help
Iraq's fledging government halt sectarian violence, while also seeking a diplomatic solution to the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.
Syria and Iran have influence over Hizbollah but Washington has little leverage over the two nations, having already imposed sanctions on them.
Bush has called on other Arab states to pressure Syria to stop Hizbollah, arguing in phone calls with Arab leaders that the group threatens to destabilize the entire region.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush wanted to work with France and other allies on getting Hizbollah out of Lebanon just as they worked to persuade Syria to leave the country.
(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan)
By Steve Holland
23 minutes ago
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -
President Bush demanded on Saturday that
Syria rein in Hizbollah attacks on
Israel but Russia's
Vladimir Putin said Israel's military response should be "balanced."
Hizbollah's attacks from Lebanese territory, Israel's retaliatory bombing raids and the resulting threat to Lebanon's fragile government emerged as a top priority for Group of Eight leaders at their St Petersburg summit.
At a joint news conference, Bush again declined to urge Israel to curb its attacks on Hizbollah targets in Lebanon, a position at odds with those of French
President Jacques Chirac and the
European Union, who have called Israel's action disproportionate.
Bush laid the blame for this week's upsurge in Middle East violence squarely on Hizbollah guerrillas for firing rockets into Israel and abducting Israeli soldiers. In response, Israel has bombed Beirut's airport and blockaded its port.
"The best way to stop the violence is for Hizbollah to lay down its arms and to stop attacking. And therefore I call upon Syria to exert influence over Hizbollah," Bush said.
Putin, whose government has expressed concern about the region sliding into war, said he agreed that Hizbollah's actions were "absolutely unacceptable."
"This is all true, and in this context, we consider Israel's concerns to be justified," the Russian president said. But, he said, "the use of force should be balanced."
"In any case, bloodshed should stop as soon as possible," Putin, host of the G8 summit, added.
COMMON GROUND
Putin said he would seek common ground with G8 colleagues "in order to bring the situation, as soon as possible, to a conclusion where concrete results can be achieved, not only on the cessation of combat but also in terms of building an enabling environment for Israel within secure borders."
Bush's national security adviser,
Stephen Hadley, told reporters the Hizbollah attacks have "threatened to plunge the region into violence."
He said a G8 statement was "coming together" and that Washington wanted to put "maximum pressure on Hizbollah to stop its rocket attacks and ultimately return the prisoners it has taken."
"Everybody is aware of the risks, everybody has a good idea of who is trying to drive this toward confrontation," he said.
Bush has argued that Israel has a right to defend itself but should work to minimize civilian casualties. But he has largely left discussions with Israeli leaders to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Hadley.
A supporter of Israel throughout his presidency, Bush is seen as unlikely to want to antagonize the Jewish state in the run-up to November's congressional elections.
The sudden crisis over Israel and Lebanon has come as Bush and his government struggle to help
Iraq's fledging government halt sectarian violence, while also seeking a diplomatic solution to the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.
Syria and Iran have influence over Hizbollah but Washington has little leverage over the two nations, having already imposed sanctions on them.
Bush has called on other Arab states to pressure Syria to stop Hizbollah, arguing in phone calls with Arab leaders that the group threatens to destabilize the entire region.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush wanted to work with France and other allies on getting Hizbollah out of Lebanon just as they worked to persuade Syria to leave the country.
(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan)
The wolf has been set loose.
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