UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called Wednesday for the immediate release of kidnapped Israeli soldiers and condemned Israel's immediate retaliation
"I condemn without reservations the attack in southern Lebanon, and demand that Israeli troops to be released immediately," Anna said after a meeting in Rome with
Premier Romano Prodi.
Annan spoke hours after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, triggering an Israeli assault with warplanes, tanks and gunboats against southern Lebanon as Israeli troops crossed the frontier to hunt for the captives. (AP)