World in brief: Survivors criticize bomb comments
Japan’s defense minister said Saturday that the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States during World War II was an inevitable way to end the war, drawing criticism from atomic bomb survivors.
“I understand that the bombing ended the war, and I think that it couldn’t be helped,” Fumio Kyuma said in a speech at a university in Chiba, just east of Tokyo.
Kyuma also said he did not resent the U.S. because the bombs prevented the Soviet Union from entering the war with Japan, according to Kyodo News agency.
The remarks, rare for a Japanese Cabinet minister, were quickly criticized by atomic bomb victims.
Kyuma said later that his comments had been misinterpreted, telling reporters he meant to say the bombing “could not be helped from the American point of view.”
Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Israeli missiles kill 7 Palestinians
Israeli aircraft sent missiles hurtling down on Gaza three times Saturday, killing seven Palestinian militants and sending a clear signal that Israel would not tolerate attacks following Hamas’ bloody takeover of the coastal strip.
Around the time of the second strike, militants fired two crude rockets that struck the southern Israeli town of Sderot, just over the border from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said. No injuries were reported. Earlier in the day, a rocket landed short of Israel, falling in Palestinian territory.
Beirut, Lebanon
Anti-Syrian officials fleeing for safety
About 20 anti-Syrian lawmakers in Lebanon have temporarily left their conflict-ridden country this summer – apparently seeking safety abroad amid mounting security threats and the recent assassination of an outspoken politician.
An Associated Press count found more than two dozen lawmakers, many from the leading majority party bloc, have left Lebanon in the past 10 days. Some have returned, but about 20 remain abroad.
A senior Arab intelligence official said Lebanese lawmakers allied with U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora were advised to seek shelter elsewhere after names appeared on a hit list. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Many have traveled to Egypt, an ally of the United States and Saniora’s government, according to the official and others familiar with the travel plans.