Amnesty Hits Out At Israel
Amnesty International has accused Israel of deliberately committing war crimes in Lebanon.
The human rights organisation has claimed that the destruction of Lebanese civilians' homes "was an integral part of the military strategy" and demanded a UN investigation.
But Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry, has insisted that his country acted legally.
He said: "Israel's actions in Lebanon were in accordance with recognised norms of behaviour during conflicts and with relevant international law.
"Unlike Hizbollah, we did not deliberately target the Lebanese civilian population. On the contrary, under very difficult circumstances, we tried to be as surgical as is humanly possible in targeting the Hizbollah terrorist organisation."
According to Amnesty, 50% of civilian homes were flattened in the southern villages of Markaba and Qantarah and attacks destroyed 80% of the homes in the nearby village of Tayyabah.
And the group says every building in the town centre of Bint Jbail "was destroyed or extensively damaged".
Research for the charity Donatella Rovera said: "There is clear evidence of disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks."
Amnesty added that it is "quite clear" that Hizbollah also carried out war crimes.
Mr Regev said that Lebanese infrastructure was "targeted only when that infrastructure was being exploited by the Hizbollah machine, and this is in accordance with the rules of war".
Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier has been killed and three others wounded in southern Lebanon. Officials and Arab media have reported that their tank drove over a land mine - Israel has not yet commented.
If confirmed, it will have been the second Israeli death in south Lebanon since a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement on August 14 ended 34 days of ferocious fighting.
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-13539288,00.html?f=rss
Amnesty International has accused Israel of deliberately committing war crimes in Lebanon.
