Israel has agreed to suspend its aerial bombardment of southern Lebanon for 48 hours, starting immediately, to allow for an investigation into Sunday's bombing that killed 54 civilians, a US State Department official said last night.
Israel will also coordinate with the United Nations to allow a 24-hour window for residents of southern Lebanon to leave the area if they wish, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told a briefing in Jerusalem.
The move by Israel came after international outrage mounted as at least 54 civilians, including 37 children, died in an air attack on Qana.
The UN Security Council met in emergency session yesterday to discuss the attack on Qana.
France circulated a draft resolution calling for an immediate halt to the violence and for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire, with the deployment of an international force to Lebanon.
Speaking in San Francisco, Mr Blair said that military action on both sides would have to stop immediately if the security council endorsed such a resolution. "I think there is a basis for an agreement that would allow us to get a UN resolution, but we have to get this now. We have to speed this entire process up, get a resolution now and, on the passing and agreement of that resolution, then the hostilities have got to stop and stop on all sides," he said.
US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice cut short a visit to the Middle East and returned to Washington last night after Lebanese prime minister Fouad Siniora said there was no point in diplomatic discussions until the violence ceased.
Washington continued yesterday to resist calls for an immediate ceasefire but urged Israel to take more care to avoid civilian casualties. "We extend our condolences to the families of the Qana victims and to all the people of Lebanon. This was a terrible and tragic incident. We continue to urge the Israeli government to exercise the utmost care so as to avoid any civilian casualties. This tragic incident shows why this is so critical," said White House spokesman Blair Jones.
UN secretary-general Kofi Annan will today preside over a meeting of possible troop contributors to an international force for Lebanon, which would include the EU, Turkey and countries now contributing to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
Speaking before yesterday's emergency meeting, Mr Annan said that the security council was in danger of undermining its own authority if it did not take action to end the conflict in Lebanon. "People have noticed its failure to act firmly and quickly during this crisis," he said.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said he was shocked and appalled to learn of the Qana bombing and said such attacks were "only making a solution more difficult". He added: "This strongly underlines the clear message the Government has been giving out, which is that an immediate ceasefire on all sides is urgently necessary."
Mr Ahern has instructed the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, to strongly protest at tomorrow's meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Government has banned the US from using Shannon to transport munitions to Israel.
The decision was taken "in light of the changing situation since the conflict has escalated", said a Department of Foreign Affairs official. "Any request to transport weapons through Shannon for use in that conflict will be refused. Those flights will not be allowed land in Ireland."