Israeli missile kills family of seven

From correspondents in Tyre
July 25, 2006

A FAMILY of seven, including at least two children, was killed when an Israeli missile slammed into their home in southern Lebanon, police said today.

The deaths pushed the toll in Lebanon since the start of Israel's offensive against Hezbollah two weeks ago to 381 killed, according to a compiled count of reports from medics, police and Hezbollah.

Almost all of them, 334 people, were civilians.

The continuing Israeli air strikes in Lebanon came during a visit to the region by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

According to security forces, 27 Lebanese soldiers and police have been killed since Israeli attacks began July 12. About 800 civilians and 81 soldiers and police have been wounded.

Hezbollah said that it has lost 19 of its fighters, plus one from the allied Amal militia.

At least half a million civilians have been displaced by the conflict, which UN agencies and European countries are calling a "catastrophe".

Beirut itself was spared Monday as Rice made an unannounced visit to speak with Lebanese leaders, and that relative calm in the capital continued Tuesday as she pursued her mission in Israel.

Much of Lebanon's civilian infrastructure have been destroyed by Israeli warplanes and artillery, including most main roads and bridges, petrol stations, grain silos, factories, water pumping stations, and communications and television towers.

"Seventy-five percent of our industry sector no longer functions," the vice-president of the Industry Association of Lebanon, Charles Arbid, said.

"What's strange is that the bombings hit all the chain of production, from manufacturing to suppliers," he said.

Prices for certain goods were soaring because of soaring transport costs reflecting the blows to fuel supplies and risks to truck drivers who were often targeted by Israeli warplanes.

Lebanon's finance minister, Jihad Azur, told AFP last week that his country had suffered "several billion dollars in damages."

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