40 To 1
The Prime Minister of Lebanon has just revised his initial claim of massive civilian deaths in an Israeli strike on a town. Initially, Fuad Saniora announced that 40 civilians had been killed, generating screaming headlines this morning. It turns out the count was a tiny bit off.
By about 39.
BEIRUT, Lebanon - The Lebanese prime minister said one person was killed in an Israeli air raid Monday in the southern border village of Houla, lowering the death toll from 40. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said at a news conference that he had based the initial tally on unspecified information that he had received.
He offered no other explanation for the error.
He had announced that 40 were killed in the attack during an emotional address during opening remarks at a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers.
"It turned out that one person was killed. They thought that the whole building smashed on the heads of about 40 people and it turned out, thank God because we are not happy if someone is killed, they have been saved," Saniora told reporters.
So, who gave him the original information? Hezbollah or Reuters? Inquiring minds want to know.
UPDATE: CNN actually corrected in rather quick fashion. Good for them.
By larwyn, Monday, 7 August , 2006 @ 3:15 pm
Could it be that Christians and other Lebanese, who do NOT support the Hezzies, make up the Red Cross on the ground and are behind all corrections of reports?
IIRC there were 2 reefers of the dead at Tyre, many of them children, scheduled to be buried.
The Red Cross was tracking these burials. It was these same trucks which showed up early at Qana with “green helmet” in command.
The Red Cross knew the Tyre dead had not been buried. So ~27 dead are deleted from the original figures.
We know thru WSJ articles per Jumlatt(sic) that people in Lebanon feel threatened by the Hezzies. Nasralla is quoted on possible revenge against non-supporters “after they win”. Therefore, I doubt the members of the RedCross would actually confront the Hez with
documented expose.
But it sure does seem they are doing it just in their recording of the actual burials and handling of the dead.
Hey, I love cowboys and believe in the heroes among we ordinary folk who rise to the occasion with courage. Think we should keep an eye on this and perhaps down the road, we can give kudos where due.