A "clean" war

It's difficult to look at the pictures of destruction from Lebanon and to pronounce this as being a "clean" war but it's worthwhile to look at some numbers.

Any war where hundreds are killed and hundreds of thousands are displaced from their homes is a tragedy. But the casualty numbers are less in this war than in previous wars.

In the first Lebanon War in 1982 between 6000-800 Lebanese civilians were killed as well as 300 Israeli soldiers in the first week alone. Losses this time are much less so far (100 Israelis and 900 Lebanese) because Israel is being very careful to limit its own losses and those of the Lebanese civilian population. The attack in Qana (the final toll by UN oberservers is 28 not 60 as first reported) is regrettable and Israel has expressed its regret. I don't know of other countries at war that express regret for casualties on the other side. It should be noted that the Katyusha rockets which killed 3 people yesterday in Haifa, not 3 km from my home, were fired from the same village of Qana.