Olmert Rejects Calls for Cease-Fire in Lebanon

They emphasized that airstrikes would continue if Hezbollah kept firing rockets into northern Israel, or if Israel determines that a rocket launch was imminent. By early afternoon (6:30 a.m. EDT), the air force had struck near Taiba, and the first rocket attacks of the day had been reported in northern Israel.

Rice told reporters that she believed groundwork was being laid for a permanent end to the conflict, which began July 12. Officials with her said passage of a cease-fire resolution could be quickly followed by the deployment of the first contingents of an international stabilization force to help put a cease-fire into effect.

During a refueling stop in Ireland, senior U.S. officials traveling with Rice said the airstrike near Taiba did not violate Israel's promise to suspend air attacks, because it was limited to "close air support" for ground operations.

"Generally the corridors are working. The aerial suspension is in effect. There was an exception for threats being prepared against Israel," one senior official said.

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters, "We're not back to square one at all. . . . We've advanced the ball considerably."

In Miami Monday, President Bush said the United States would work for a Security Council resolution this week that would "end the violence and lay the groundwork for lasting peace in the Middle East."

He made no specific mention of the Qana attack, but said that "we mourn the loss of innocent life, both in Lebanon and Israel." He said the United States is determined to deliver relief to those who are suffering.

In a speech at the port of Miami, Bush outlined "certain clear objectives" that must be achieved to secure peace: the Lebanese government must be empowered to gain control over all Lebanese territory, a multinational force must be dispatched to Lebanon quickly, Iran must end its military and financial support for Hezbollah, and Syria must also end such support and respect Lebanese sovereignty.

Casting the fighting across the Israeli-Lebanese border in broad terms, Bush said, "The current crisis is part of a larger struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of terror in the Middle East."

On Capitol Hill, Sen. Hagel questioned how the "systematic destruction" of Lebanon could "enhance America's image and give us the trust and credibility" to lead a peace effort.

"The sickening slaughter on both sides must end now," he said in a floor speech Monday. "President Bush must call for an immediate cease fire. This madness must stop."

Hagel said the U.S. special relationship with Israel "need not and cannot be at the expense of our Arab and Muslim relationships." It is in Israel's interest as much as America's that "the United States be seen by all states in the Middle East as fair," he said. "This is the currency of trust."