Bush defends Israeli attacks in Lebanon

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060713/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

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"Israel has a right to defend herself," Bush said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "Every nation must defend herself against terrorist attacks and the killing of innocent life."

Merkel appealed for restraint by all sides and said it was up to the militant group Hezbollah to defuse the situation, triggered by its cross-border raid from Lebanon into Israel and the capture of two Israeli soldiers. She called the violence a "very disturbing situation" that "fills us with concern."

The Mideast eruption came at an awkward time for Bush. His strong support of Israel put him at odds with European Union allies two days before a summit of world leaders in Russia, where the United States is counting on a united stand against Iran's nuclear ambitions and North Korea's long-range missile test. The violence also presents Bush with yet another major crisis in the Middle East, along with the Iraq war and the Iran standoff.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Syria must act responsibly and bring pressure on those involved.

"This is a situation that can be resolved if parties take responsible action," Rice said at a news conference here



On this photo released on Thursday, July 13, 2006 by the German Federal Office for Press and Information (BPI), U.S. President George W. Bush, cuts wild pork during a barbecue in Trinwillershagen near Stralsund, northern Germany, on Thursday, July 13, 2006, as Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel, right, watches. (AP Photo/Guido Bergmann, Pool)