The escalating civilian death toll in south Lebanon from Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments, and the inability to evacuate casualties, is causing mounting alarm to United Nations peacekeepers who have found themselves almost powerless to assist. “This is the absolute priority for us,” says Milos Strugar, senior adviser to the UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, known by its acronym as UNIFIL. The 2,000-strong peacekeeping force has been deployed in Lebanon since 1978, a buffer between Israel and Hizbullah and previously Palestinian militants. “It is really getting very, very bad. It’s unbelievable.” Full Story