New York: The UN Security Council expressed "extreme shock and distress" at the Israeli attack that killed at least 57 people in the southern Lebanese village of Qana.
A resolution passed unanimously by the 15-nation Security Council was directed at "the shelling by the Israeli defence forces of a residential building in Qana, in southern Lebanon, which has caused the killing of dozens of civilians, mostly children, and injured many others."
Lebanese Red Cross and Civil Defense workers carry the body of a small child covered in dust from the rubble of his home that was hit in an Israeli missile strike in the village of Qana, east of the port city of Tyre, Lebanon Sunday, July 30, 2006. Lebanese Red Cross officials said 56 people died in the Israeli assault on the village, including 34 children. Rescuers dug through the debris to remove dozens of bodies. (photo: AP)
After sessions earlier in the day, the vote late Sunday concluded six hours of meetings. The resolution was read aloud by Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, the French representative to the UN and current president of the Security Council.
The US blocked a stronger statement that would have directly condemned Israel. The Israeli military says that the Qana incident was a "tragic" accident of war.
The Security Council also discussed the Israeli announcement that for 48 hours it would limit air strikes in southern Lebanon to targets that directly threatened Israel.
"We must condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. I am deeply dismayed that my earlier calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities were not heeded," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the emergency session.
The cessation would give Israel time to investigate Sunday's deaths of at least 57 people in Qana, while allowing Lebanese civilians a period of safe passage to leave the area.
Israel and Hezbollah, the Shia militia based in southern Lebanon, have been battling since July 12, when Hezbollah fighters captured two Israeli soldiers at the Lebanese border.
Diplomats at the UN said that the news of the temporary cessation of air strikes received a positive response among Security Council members.
Washington has previously blocked attempts to demand an immediate ceasefire, favouring Israel's contention that a durable end to hostilities is not possible without the disarmament of Hezbollah, which has continually launched missiles into northern Israel since July 12.
The closed-door session at UN headquarters in New York included Israeli Ambassador to UN Dan Gillerman. Earlier Sunday, Gillerman offered apologies for civilian casualties in Lebanon while noting that Hezbollah celebrates civilian deaths caused by its rocket strikes into Israel.
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