Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a Shiite, singled out Sunday's Israeli airstrike that killed at least 56 Lebanese, mostly women and children, in the village of Qana. The deadliest attack in nearly three weeks of fighting has triggered an international uproar.

Iraqi's burn an American flag during a protest march denouncing Israel's Sunday attack in southern Lebanon, Monday, July 31, 2006, in the Shiite area of Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq's Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi on Monday accused Israel of carrying out 'massacres' in Lebanon in the strongest criticism of the Jewish state by a top official of the U.S-backed Iraqi government. Sunday's Israeli airstrike killed at least 56 Lebanese, mostly women and children, in the southern village of Qana. [AP Photo]

"What happened in Qana is a repetition to these crimes that happened to our nation decades ago. It's time for this nation to stand up and stop this aggression and all forms of aggression that could affect any of its parts," Abdul-Mahdi said.

"These horrible massacres carried out by the Israeli aggression, incites in us the spirit of brotherhood and solidarity," he said in a speech attended by Iraq's president, the prime minister and other top government officials.

The comments were harsher than the criticism leveled by Iraq's president and the deputy prime minister on Sunday. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, another Shiite, had also condemned Israel's offensive before traveling to Washington last week, provoking criticism from U.S. lawmakers.

Several Democrats boycotted his speech to Congress on Wednesday and Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean called the Iraqi leader an "anti-Semite."

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