IAF Suspends Operations For 48 Hours
The Israeli Air Force has announced it will cease operations over Lebanon for 48 hours or until a complete inquiry into the Qana incident is finished. They reserve the right to act if they determine attacks are about to be mounted on Israel.
Israel agreed to a 48-hour suspension of aerial activity over southern Lebanon after it bombed a Lebanese village on Sunday and a number of children died, a US official said.
The attack marred US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's weeklong mission to halt the fighting between Israel and Hizbullah.
The suspension of over-flights was announced by US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli. He said Israel has reserved the right to attack targets if it learns that attacks are being prepared against them.
"The United States welcomes this decision and hopes that it will help relieve the suffering of the children and families of southern Lebanon," Ereli told reporters traveling with Rice.
The Prime Minister's Office confirmed the report.
But the officials left open the possibility that Israel might hit targets to stop imminent attacks on Israel, and that the suspension could end sooner if the military completes its inquiry into the Kafr Kana tragedy in less than 48 hours.
Israel also said it would allow a 24-hour period where all residents of southern Lebanon who wanted to flee northward would be able to do so, in coordination with the UN.
A US State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the evolving situation, said Rice had been working on such an agreement for some time before the attack on Kana, Lebanon.
Ereli said that Israel will coordinate with the United Nations to allow a 24-hour period of safe passage for all residents of south Lebanon who want to leave the region.
"We expect that Israel will implement these decisions so as to significantly speed and improve the flow of humanitarian aid," he added.
There is a 24 hour safe passage window in place. Any civilians left in Southern Lebanon after this are either there by choice or are being held there as human shields. The world needs to pay attention to that fact.
