[Amidst apocalyptic imagery from the attack by the Israeli state on Lebanon warnings come from Washington DC blaming Iran and Syria for the current crisis - see the paragraph about Washingtion's reaction. Those warnings may hint at the pretext for something even more horrific - the long awaited US attack on Iran - or Syria. SR]
Bombs rain on Lebanon
July 14, 2006
Herald Sun-News
ISRAEL has vowed to cut Lebanon off from the world after its jets bombed Beirut airport yesterday and killed at least 34 civilians in other attacks.
The reprisals in the deepening crisis came after Hezbollah guerillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight.
Israel's military last night said it would blockade Lebanon by sea, land and air.
Several Australians are believed to be stranded in the country after the attacks on Beirut's international airport, which forced flights to divert to Cyprus.
Australia closed its embassy.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has urged Australians still in Lebanon to seek refuge.
With Lebanon's sea and air links cut, Hezbollah retaliated by firing 60 Katyusha rockets at Nahariya in northern Israel.
A 40-year-old woman was killed and at least 21 people were wounded.
An Israeli military spokesman said the airport was hit and ports blocked because they were used to transfer terrorists and weapons to militant groups in Lebanon.
The development came as Israeli fighter-bombers carried out their biggest offensive in Lebanon since Israel's 1982 invasion.
The bombers also blasted the Hezbollah TV station in Beirut.
The Israeli attacks in south Lebanon alone killed 34 civilians, including eight children, and wounded 52.
One family of 10 and another of seven were killed in their homes in the village of Dweir near Nabatiyeh, Lebanese officials said.
Israel's Cabinet held an emergency meeting and decided to attack after a cross-border raid on Wednesday by Hezbollah guerillas, who grabbed the two Israeli soldiers and demanded a prisoner exchange. Israel insisted it would discuss no such swap.
Israeli Agriculture Minister Shalom Simchon said his Government wanted to "change the rules of the game in Lebanon".
He said Israel needed to "make the Lebanese Government understand that it is responsible for what happens in Lebanon".
But the Lebanese Government said it did not know of the Hezbollah operation, did not condone it and bore no responsibility for it.
The Lebanese Cabinet, which includes two Hezbollah ministers, urged the UN Security Council to intervene.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was last night trying to contact a group of Australians reported to be trapped at the airport when it came under attack.
The fighting erupted on Wednesday after Hezbollah captured the two Israeli soldiers in a strike that killed eight other Israeli troops.
Israel immediately blasted bridges and roads in southern Lebanon in response.
Israel has long demanded the Lebanese Government disarm Hezbollah, which is an avowed enemy of the Jewish state.
The US yesterday urged restraint on both sides but said Israel had a right to defend itself.
"We have to remember how this started with the Hezbollah attacks across the border and the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers," a US official said.
"Hezbollah's activities are working against the interests of the Lebanese people."
The official said the White House blamed Syria and Iran for the Hezbollah attacks on Israeli soldiers.
"The Syrians and the Iranians bear some responsibility by virtue of their harbouring Hezbollah," the official said.
Lebanon said its only international airport would remain shut for at least 48 hours after the strikes.
"The airport will be partly operational within 48 hours, but reopening the airport is a political decision that will be decided by the Cabinet," Transport Minister Mohamad Safadi said.
"The runways have all been hit, although some less than others," he said. An airport official said the closure had cost the nation $5 million in one day.
"This does not include damages, which will be determined later," the official said.
But France and Russia yesterday condemned the Israeli army strikes.
"We obviously condemn this disproportionate act of war," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said.
He said the attacks "run the risk of plunging Lebanon back into the worst years of war, with the departure of Lebanese who will want to flee while they were in the process of rebuilding their country."
Russia also blasted Israel's "disproportionate use of force" against Lebanon and the Palestinian territory, saying civilians were being made to suffer.
"One cannot justify the continued destruction by Israel," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry described the situation as extremely worrying and Israel's bombing of the airport as "a dangerous step on the road to military escalation."
The Israeli army has warned Lebanon to evacuate all residents from a southern Beirut neighbourhood where it believes Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah lives.
An Israeli helicopter gunship killed Nasrallah's predecessor, Sheik Abbas al-Mousawi, in 1992.
AUSTRALIANS concerned for family or friends in Lebanon should try to contact their loved ones directly then phone DFAT on 1300 555 135, the spokeswoman said.
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