NEW DELHI, July 26: India on Wednesday condemned Israel’s ‘disproportionate and excessive use of force’ in Lebanon but at the same time criticised Hezbollah for kidnapping two Israeli soldiers.

Junior foreign minister Anand Sharma in a statement to parliament demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities, saying Lebanon had become a ‘victim by default’.

His comments came in response to criticism from the Congress-led government’s communist allies that New Delhi had not reacted to Israel’s bombardment and raids on Lebanon.

The issue was raised in the lower house of parliament by Communist Party of India leader Basudeb Acharia, who described the Israeli blitz as ‘a full-scale assault’ in ‘brazen violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions’.

In a statement on July 13, the Indian foreign ministry had called on Israel and Lebanon to ‘eschew violence, de-escalate the situation, and return to the path of negotiations’.—AFP