Peres: Arab planes allowed to bring aid during war

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres disclosed Wednesday that planes from Arab countries were permitted during the war to fly over Israel on their way to Lebanon to deliver food and medicine. Peres, who was holding talks with US officials, declined to provide any details, such as which countries had overflights and how many flights were permitted by Israel. On Lebanese civilian casualties, Peres said Israel had made a 100 percent effort to avoid hurting Lebanese civilians. He said Hizbullah, in violation of international law, "used human shelters to hide their arms." Also, Peres said "to the best of my information," the two IDF soldiers abducted by Hizbullah "are alive and they are healthy."