Israel Steps Up Attacks As Haifa Building Collapses

A three-storey building has been destroyed by Hezbollah rockets, wounding at least two people, as the guerrillas kept up their fight with Israel Monday.

Medics at the scene said other people may be trapped beneath the building’s rubble.

It’s the latest attack on Israel’s third-largest city, and follows a deadly weekend offensive that claimed the lives of eight people.

Meanwhile, Israel ground forces have entered southern Lebanon to attack Hezbollah bases even as air attacks on the country continue, setting fire to harbours and fuel storage tanks. It’s unclear how many have been killed or injured in the latest bombardment, but one air strike in the southern part of the country apparently missed its target – a Hezbollah site – and hit a private house instead, killing two people.

The Israeli military has warned civilians to leave southern Lebanon as it retaliates for the Haifa assaults. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that there’d be “far-reaching consequences” for the attack on that city.

Israel contends its planes targeted 60 sites overnight, and officials in Lebanon say the bombings killed 17 people and wounded more than 50 others.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah didn’t appear ready to back down in a televised address.

“When the Zionists behave like there are no rules and no red lines and no limits to the confrontation, it is our right to behave in the same way,” Nasrallah said, adding that his fighters struck Haifa to get back at Israel for its strikes on Lebanese citizens.

Seven Canadians of Lebanese descent died over the weekend in an Israeli attack on their village. Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay promised two commercial ships would be sent to the coast of Lebanon to evacuate the estimated 40,000 Canadians stranded in the country.

While Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President George W. Bush stood up in Israel’s defence, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called for international forces to stop the attacks on both sides.

The Middle East crisis is chief on the list of discussion topics at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg. British Prime Minister Tony Blair maintains fighting won’t stop without set conditions for a ceasefire.

“The only way is if we have a deployment of international forces that can stop bombardment coming into Israel,” he said.

Other G8 leaders worried about the rising number of civilian casualties in the bitter conflict and urged both sides to consider a more peaceful solution.

The death toll on both sides has risen to more than 200.

• If you’re trying to find out the status of loved ones in Lebanon, you can call Canadian Foreign Affairs at 1-800-267-8376

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