MIDDLE EAST: Israel announced yesterday it would ease humanitarian access to Lebanon so relief groups could deliver food, medicine and other emergency supplies.
"In spite of the very difficult situation on the ground, Israel is acutely aware of the humanitarian situation," Israeli UN ambassador Dan Gillerman told the UN Security Council.
Israel earlier had announced it would help create a corridor leading out of Lebanon, to ease the way for those seeking to flee. But Lebanon's representative, Nouhad Mahoud, said he could not "salute and pay tribute" to Mr Gillerman's announcement "because the whole world has witnessed how the Israeli military machine has turned Lebanon into ruins".