Olmert rejects calls for truce after Qana raid

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday rejected calls for Israel to halt its offensive in Lebanon following an air raid in the village of Qana that left dozens of civilians dead.   

"The state of Israel, the government and the IDF (armed forces) express deep regret for the incident," Olmert said at the end of a weekly cabinet meeting.   

"Despite the hard incident I will not request the defense establishment to stop the fire or change the type of operations," he said.   

"We will continue to act with no hesitation against Hezbollah. We will not stop this operation and explain to the world that we are doing the right thing."