Mideast Crisis: Talks Fail and Fighting Intensifyies

July 26, 2006 -- MIDEAST CRISIS-NEWS UPDATES

Fighting Rages in South Lebanon

Hizbollah guerrillas and advancing Israeli troops fought pitched battles at the entrance to a key town in south Lebanon on Wednesday and Arab television stations said up to 13 Israeli soldiers had been killed. (Reuters)

U.S., Others Fail to Agree on Cease-Fire

U.S., European and Arab officials holding crisis talks on Lebanon failed to agree Wednesday on an immediate plan to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. (AP)

Israel Troops 'Ignored' UN Plea

UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon contacted Israeli troops 10 times before an Israeli bomb killed four of them, an initial UN report says. (BBC)

14 Israeli Troops Killed by Hezbollah

Hezbollah inflicted heavy casualties on Israeli troops as they battled for a key hilltop town in southern Lebanon for a fourth day Wednesday, with as many as 14 soldiers reported killed. Lebanese officials, meanwhile, confirmed that four U.N. observers were killed by an Israeli airstrike on their post Tuesday night. (AP)

Hezbollah Leader Vows to Begin Launching Missiles Deeper into Israel

Hezbollah's leader, looking tired, vowed Wednesday that his guerrillas would begin firing rockets deeper into Israel, beyond Haifa. One of his deputies acknowledged that Hezbollah had not been expecting an all-out Israeli onslaught after the capture of two Israeli soldiers. (AP)

Nasrallah on Al-Manar TV: 'What is Important is in the Ground War is the Number of Losses We Inflict Upon the Israeli Enemy"

The following are excerpts from an interview with Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, which aired on Al-Manar TV on July 26, 2006. (Memri)

Iran Warns the West: Ignore Us at Your Peril

Iran warned the west yesterday that attempts to broker a Lebanon peace deal at today's Rome summit are destined to fail and it predicted a backlash across the Muslim world unless Israel's military forces were immediately reined in. (Gaurdian)

Allies Losing Patience With U.S. Terms for Cease-Fire

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's calls this week for a deliberate approach to building "a new Middle East" are facing increased skepticism among many who ordinarily would be America's strongest backers in efforts to end the conflict in Lebanon.(L.A.Times)

Many Americans Stuck in Southern Lebanon

About 100 foreigners, most American, remain stuck in Southern Lebanese port city of Tyre. (AP)

Lebanon Aid Convoy Updates

A UN-led aid convoy carrying much-needed humanitarian supplies made its way by road on Wednesday from Beirut to Tyre in southern Lebanon, which has been particularly badly affected by Israeli air strikes. (BBC)

IRAQ NEWS

Behind U.S. Shift on Baghdad, a Security Failure

The Bush administration's announcement that it will shift more forces to Baghdad is much more than a numbers game. It reflects a new strategy to reclaim control of the Iraqi capital and a new approach for deploying the troops. (New York Times)

AFGHANISTAN

Bombing Raids and Clashes Kill 25 Afghan Militants

Twenty-five militants were killed by U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday, as the U.S. military prepares to hand over security responsibilities in the violent south. (Reuters)

600 Taliban Killed in Bloodiest Month for 5 Years

More than 600 suspected Taliban fighters have been killed over the past month, the bloodiest period in southern Afghanistan since their regime was overthrown five years ago, US officials said yesterday. (The Guardian)

BIRD FLU

Glaxo Has Bird Flu 'Breakthrough'

UK drugs firm GlaxoSmithKline believes it has developed a vaccine for the H5N1 deadly strain of bird flu that may be capable of being mass produced by 2007. (BBC)

SADDAM HUSSEIN TRIAL

Saddam Says He Would Prefer Firing Squad

A thinner but combative Saddam Hussein returned to court Wednesday for the first time since his hunger strike and hospitalization, complaining he had been forced to attend the proceedings and asking to be executed by firing squad if the court sentences him to death. (AP)

INDIA TRAIN BOMBINGS

Engineer among New Arrests in Mumbai Rail Blasts

Two Indian Muslims, one of them a chemical engineer, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in this month's Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 180 people, police said on Wednesday. (Reuters)

Bali Bombers Execution Date Set

Three men convicted over the 2002 Bali bombings are set be executed next month, Indonesian officials said. (BBC)

IRAN NUCLEAR

India Warns Over US Nuclear Deal

Indian PM Manmohan Singh has said India will not accept any new conditions in the landmark nuclear deal with the US. (BBC)

Survey: 85% of Voters Approve U.N. Resolution

Eighty-five percent of voters approved the U.N. Security Council resolution condemning North Korea for its missile launches, while only 8 percent gave the opposite view, an Asahi Shimbun survey found. (Asahi)

LEGAL UPDATES

Jurors Find Andrea Yates Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity for Drowning Deaths of Her Children

Jurors found Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in her children's bathtub drowning deaths. (AP)

SOMALIA

Mystery Plane Fuels Somalia War fears

A mystery cargo plane landed in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Wednesday and the interim government said it was carrying Eritrean weapon supplies for rival Islamists. (Reuters)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Collapse of Global Trade Talks

By Tom Wright

Two weeks ago, members of the World Trade Organization agreed to a set of rules that would make it easier to track two-way and regional trade deals. The fear was that their proliferation would take attention away from efforts, already faltering, to reach a global pact on trade liberalization. (International Herald Tribune)

Lebanon: Precision in the Israeli Air Force's Campaign

The battle damage inflicted during the Israeli air force's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon has been far more precise and focused than most realize. (Stratfor)

Geopolitical Diary: The Debate over Israel's Air War

We heard the first rumbles of discontent from inside Israel on Tuesday. The complaints are muted and most decidedly do not come from an anti-war faction. Rather, the complaints originated from a few retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers and intelligence officials who would normally be fairly quiet during a crisis. The mere fact that we are picking up these discordant tones indicates to us that the unease is more widespread than it would appear and likely reflects growing tensions in the IDF. (Stratfor)

The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Elizabeth Sprague of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.