U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan distributed his report on the July 30 massacre at Qana, Lebanon, to U.N. Security Council members late Monday night, noting “a pattern of violations of international law” by Israel and calling for a more thorough investigation. “The attack on Qana should be seen in the broader context of what could be—based on preliminary information available to the United Nations, including eyewitness accounts—a pattern of violations of international human rights law,” said Annan. “Accordingly, I support the calls for a more comprehensive investigation.” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told S.P.A. on Tuesday that although Annan has fulfilled the international request for an immediate report, the secretary-general would also like to hear the views of the Security Council members. Early on July 30th, the Lebanese authorities informed the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) that the southern Lebanese village of Qana had been hit by Israeli air strikes. The report indicated that 28 bodies had been found in one apartment building and more were probably under the wreckage, but the search had been called off due to the ongoing hostilities in the area. The Israeli military contends that Qana was struck because it “is the center of Hezbollah's regional headquarters,” according to a letter provided to Annan by the government of Israel. Annan's report says that “UNIFIL is not in a position to confirm of deny whether Hezbollah was launching military activities from Qana in the days prior to or on 30 July,” especially because UNIFIL is not stationed in the area. The government of Lebanon did confirm that the 28 bodies found so far were all civilians.
