Special report: Israel launches Gaza assault

    TUNIS, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Libya and Yemen on Sunday jointly appealed to the international community, the UN Security Council in particular, to take timely and effective measures to stop Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territories and protect the Palestinian people, reports from Tripoli said.

    In a joint statement issued at the end of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh's visit to Libya, the two countries pledged to continue their support for the Palestinian people and work toward unifying Arab countries' stance on this issue through the Arab League.

    Israel started an offensive in the Gaza Strip on June 28 after Palestinian militants attacked an Israeli army post, killing two soldiers and captured another. Over 52 Palestinians have been killed in the strikes.

    The two countries also urged Israel to sign on international treaties banning proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in order to make the Middle East a WMD-free region.

    On situation in Iraq, the statement welcomed all efforts aimed at resolving the war-torn country's sectarian conflicts and accelerating the pullout of foreign troops. Enditem