- As I noted in my last post, 8 Canadians have been killed and 6 others seriously wounded in Lebanon.
Lebanese TV reports said some of the victims were from the same family and had come from Canada to spend the summer holidays in Aitaroun.
- The current death toll:
About 130 Lebanese, most of them civilians have died since the violence erupted on Wednesday. At least 24 Israelis, including 12 civilians, have died from Hezbollah rockets.
- International efforts to evacuate people from Lebanon have been stepped up. Why didn't Israel give people time to evacuate before it started the bombing? When they took out the airport as their first strike, they guaranteed that people from all over the world would be stranded in Lebanon.
- The Pope weighs in.
"The causes of such fierce confrontation are unfortunately objective situations of violation of law and justice," Benedict said, speaking from his holiday retreat in the Aosta valley.
"But neither the terrorist acts nor the reprisals, above all when there are tragic consequences for the civilian population, can be justified."
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano on Friday singled out Israel, calling its strikes on Lebanon an attack on a sovereign and free nation. He also expressed his closeness to the Lebanese people.
- 'Israel sends instructions to Lebanon through Italy'. Israel has two conditions for a ceasefire: 'handover of the captured soldiers and Hizbullah's withdrawal beyond the Litani (River).'
- Statement from the G8 leaders:
"These extremist elements and the countries that support them cannot be allowed to plunge Middle East into chaos and provoke a wider conflict," the G8 leaders said.
They also called on Israel to end its military operations and release Palestinian minsters and Hamas officials seized during raids into Gaza in recent weeks.
more to come...
- CNN reports that rockets have hit Nazareth (and Fredericka Whitfield reminded the audience that this was the place where 'Jesus' parents resided - like that's relevant).
- Daily Kos chickenhawks get a much deserved smackdown.
- CNN: Israel has bombed the Palestinian Foreign Ministry building.
- Wondering what the progressive's star Democractic candidate, chosen by the netroots to be the 2008 Presidential choice, Russ Feingold, has to say about this situation? Read his opinion here.
- Hundreds of people have been evacuated to Cyprus from Lebanon and Syria.
- Turkey's Prime Minister is pissed off at the US:
Erdogan complained that violence in the Middle East was also damaging the United States' efforts to enhance democracy and human rights in the region, hinting that Ankara might reconsider its role in such initiatives.
[...]
Turkey, one of Israel's few Muslim allies, sought to mediate in the early stages of the crisis when it sent a special envoy to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in a bid to convince Damascus to use its influence over Hamas to secure the release of the Israeli soldier.
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