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Iran to sends aid,

delegation to Lebanon

TEHRAN: Iran decided on Sunday to send officials to Beirut and a consignment of humanitarian aid to help Lebanon cope with the human tragedy created by Israeli attacks on suspected Hezbollah positions in the country, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

At a meeting presided by President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the government had discussed "the latest developments in Lebanon and notably the Zionist aggression in progress against residential areas," IRNA said.

The government decided to send "a delegation of senior foreign ministry officials to Beirut to convey messages of sympathy to the government and the Lebanese people," IRNA said.

IRNA said deputy foreign minister for Euro-American affairs, Mahmoud Vaezi talking to diplomats, had condemned the Israeli attacks Sunday and "deplored the laxity of international reaction to crimes committed by Israel".

Earlier Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati had urged western countries, including the United States which has backed Israel, to intervene "to put an end to the massacre of the Lebanese people".

Jordan meanwhile also called for an end to the military operation and expressed its "solidarity" with Lebanon.

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdelkarim Kabariti on Sunday "proclaimed Jordan's solidarity with its Lebanese brothers and underlined the need to put an end to Israeli military operations which could have a negative effect on the peace process," the official Jordanian news agency Petra reported. Kabariti made these remarks in talks with the Lebanese ambassador in Amman William Habib, it said.-AFP