Mired in hate, stained by blood - Education News - theage.com.au

Mired in hate, stained by blood - Education News - theage.com.au:

The present crisis in Lebanon was sparked two weeks ago when Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack from Lebanon into Israel.
Eight Israeli soldiers were killed and five others were wounded in the July 12 raid. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says the abducted soldiers were captured to pressure Israel into releasing prisoners. But in one commentator's words, Hezbollah was also asserting itself as a 'champion of the Palestinians'. The conflict in Lebanon was, in part, precipitated by events in Gaza. Palestinian militants in Gaza kidnapped an Israeli soldier on June 25. Israel responded by sending in its forces. The July 12 Hezbollah raid followed.

Israel has so far refused the prisoner exchange, labelling the Hezbollah raid an act of war. Israel launched a sea blockade and air strikes aimed at cutting Lebanon off from the outside world. Airports, ports and highways have been the main targets. Late last week, Israel expanded its attack with a ground assault on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has responded with continued attacks on northern Israel, with some rockets - supplied by Iran - reaching Haifa, the country's third-largest city.

By Friday, the fighting had killed more than 300 people and wounded 600 in Lebanon. According to the UN emergency relief co-ordinator, a third of the dead or wounded are children. The Israeli attacks have also displaced some 500,000 people.

In Israel, 30 people were dead and more than 200 were injured.