UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- The Israeli bombing of a building in Qana, Lebanon, should be investigated as a possible violation of international law, the U.N. secretary-general says.
"The effects of the current conflict on civilians in Lebanon and Israel rise to a level of seriousness that requires further gathering of information, including violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a letter delivered Monday evening to the president of the U.N. Security Council.
He said the attack should be seen in the "broader context" and, pending further investigation, as part of a "pattern" of illegal acts.
The letter quotes the official accounts made available to the secretary-general by Israel, Lebanon and U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
The Israeli statement says Qana civilians - who number 12,000 in peacetime -- were warned of the July 30 early morning attack via leaflets and radio announcements, and urged to leave the village days in advance. It also says Qana has been the source of over 150 missiles launched into Israel and is the center of Hezbollah's regional headquarters, playing host to Hezbollah militants and weapons stockpiles.
Annan's letter says Qana's inhabitants are "meanly small farmers, shopkeepers and traders."
The letter also sites statements by "relief workers, human rights defenders and international journalists" that civilians were unable to flee either because the village was blocked, or because they were "old, sick or lacked money or fuel for transport."
The Lebanese account says two extended families, the Dhalhoubs and the Hashems, had taken refuge in the reinforced basement of a three-story building. Lebanon puts the death toll at 28, including 14 children, and says no weaponry was found in the building.
