Twenty Lebanese children wounded in Israeli raids against Arab Salim
Lebanon-Israel, Military, 12/17/1999

With internationally banned shells, the Israeli occupation forces on Thursday bombarded the Arab Salim elementary school in al-Tuffah district in south Lebanon. The bombardment resulted in wounding 20 children. According to preliminary information, four of them were seriously wounded and are in critical condition.

Though Israeli Army sources claimed that the bombardment of the school was a mistake, the attack was strongly denounced in the Lebanese, Arab and international arenas.

Lebanese security sources said two internationally-banned type shells directly hit the Arab Salim school, situated in the area adjacent to the occupied part of south Lebanon. The school contains 500 children of both sexes in the elementary and preparatory schools aged between 5 and 12.

Private sedan cars and lorries took the wounded children to al-Nabatieh town hospital which is 10 km away.

The Israeli occupation forces bombarded the road conducive to al-Nabatieh upon transporting the wounded children.

Lebanese medical sources said the eight children who are seriously wounded are between 10 and 12 years old. They are Hussein Fayad Harb, Hussein Hamzeh Saadeh, Ali Youssef Hammoud, Malak Shamseddine, Mouna Farhat, Marwa Hassan, Hanan Moussa and Ali Shararah.

A statement released by the Lebanese presidency said that Israel and its agents are directly responsible for this new crime. He described the Israeli escalation taking place in south Lebanon as dangerous and called for an immediate meeting of the April Understanding committee.

Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, for his part, considered the Israeli bombardment against Arab Salim school as a new crime added to the "Israeli black record of aggressions against the innocent Lebanese civilians."

The April Understanding Monitoring Committee is due to meet today to discuss the urgent Lebanese complaint because of the bombardment of the Arab Salim school.

On the international level, France has expressed its strong shock over the Israeli bombardment which hit Arab Salim school. The spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry said that targeting buildings receiving children is an "nacceptable" matter. The French spokeswoman added that "France calls on all the parties to cease military operations that may endanger the lives of civilians and that aim to destroy civilian infrastructure."

The US administration expressed its regret for the attacke which injured the Lebanese children in the state-run Arab Salim school.

Meanwhile, Lebanese parliamentary sources said that the US ambassador to Lebanon, David Satterfield, asked Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in a telephone call to ease down the situation and for self-control.

Previous Stories:
  Lebanese resistance breaks into Sujoud position in south Lebanon   (12/16/1999)
  Lebanese resistance retaliates for Israeli attacks   (12/15/1999)
  Israeli official meets with Lahd   (12/15/1999)

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