U.N. official blasts Hezbollah

A United Nations humanitarian chief blasted Hezbollah for operating
among Lebanese civilians.
"When I was in Lebanon, in the Hezbollah heartland, I said Hezbollah
must stop this cowardly blending in among women and children," Jan Egeland,
U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief
coordinator, told reporters Monday in Cyprus, during a rest between Beirut
and the Gaza Strip.

"I heard they were making statements that they were proud of losing
fewer armed men than civilians. It's hard to see how they could be proud of
such a situation."

Some 400 Lebanese, many of them civilians, have died in Israeli
shelling ordered after Hezbollah killed eight soldiers and abducted two more
in a July 12 raid.

Israel insists it tries to avoid civilian casualties and blames
Hezbollah for using ordinary Lebanese as human shields.