UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is in Israel today where he continues his tour of the Middle East. Appearing with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, Annan repeated his call for an end to Israel’s blockade of Lebanon and said he expects to step up the UN peacekeeping force on the ground.

• UN Secretary General Kofi Annan: “We have about 2,500 troops on the ground now and we are going to try and double that number and get it to 5,000 in the coming days and weeks and I hope that as we do that the Israeli withdrawal will continue and by the time we are at that level Israel would have fully withdrawn and we will have an effective credible force on the ground that we can continue to build on.”

UNICEF: 12 Lebanese Killed By Unexploded Bombs Since Ceasefire
In other news from the region, UNICEF says twelve Lebanese have been killed by unexploded cluster bombs since the ceasefire was reached earlier this month. The organization says the bombs remain a major threat to civilians, especially children.