Middle Orient

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, has said she believes a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon could be forged this week.  Rice, who has just ended a diplomatic mission to the region

Syria on Saturday slammed Rice’s call for an international force to pacify southern Lebanon as an occupation force that would do the Zionist regime’s job.  An editorial in the official Tishrin daily said: “The international force proposed by Rice intends to occupy southern Lebanon and it, instead of

Air strike kills more than 60, including 37 children as Lebanon shuns Rice; US says Tel Aviv agrees to 48-hour suspension of aerial activity in south QANA (Agencies) — An Israeli air strike Sunday killed more than 60 Lebanese, mostly women and children, when it leveled a building where they …

KING ABDULLAH AND Saudi King Abdullah on Sunday strongly condemned Israel’s “ugly” massacre in the Lebanese village of Qana as the deadliest attack on Lebanon so far drew torrents of rage across the world. At a Jeddah meeting, the two leaders said the “grievous crime flagrantly breached” humanitarian principles and …

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel’s bombing of a Lebanese village on Sunday will make it harder for US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to continue to justify Washington’s refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire.

GAZA (Reuters) — Thousands of Palestinians protested on Sunday after an Israeli air strike killed 57 people in a Lebanese town and Palestinian groups vowed revenge attacks on the Jewish state. Sympathy runs strong among Palestinians for fellow Arabs in Lebanon, caught in Israel’s offensive against Hizbollah fighters.

BEIRUT — A sister of Hizbollah fighter Mustafa Zalzali wears mourning black for her brother, but his death in battle with Israel elicits more pride than grief. “We thank God almighty for making us the family of a martyr,” she said.

TYRE  — Nine-year-old Hussein Mahdi writhes in pain on a Beirut hospital bed, trying not to lie on burned parts of his body. His doctors say the severe burns on his chest, face, hands, legs and back were caused by phosphorous incendiary bombs dropped by the Israelis on civilian areas …

BAGHDAD (AP) — Four US Marines were killed in a Sunni Arab rebel stronghold west of Baghdad as pressure mounted Sunday in parliament to replace the country’s interior minister because of the security crisis in the capital. Also Sunday, a US F-16 jet dropped two precision-guided bombs on a building …

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Reuters) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice started talks in Israel on Saturday to seek a deal on an international force to end fighting in Lebanon but Hizbollah charged her trip would only serve Israeli interests.