U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan initially had planned to hold a meeting Monday that would have brought together nations willing to send troops for an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force. But diplomats said the meeting was postponed to give more time for efforts to bring peace to the region.

However, the Bush administration's resistance to a simple and immediate cease-fire was losing support around the world.

And, although pro-Israel sentiment runs deep in Congress, Sen. Chuck Hagel broke with the president on Monday and said Israel's pounding of Lebanon was hurting, not helping, America's image in the Middle East.

"The sickening slaughter on both sides must end now," Hagel said. "This madness must stop." Hagel has also been critical of the administration's Iraq policy.

Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned Israel's response to Hezbollah rocket strikes as "disproportionate," suggesting a split between Prime Minister Tony Blair and other members of his Cabinet.

Straw, who was removed from his post in May, is the Leader of the Commons, a senior Cabinet position.

Blair denies a Cabinet rift, but has said the U.S. must work faster to stop the violence.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said the talk of a larger peace package must wait until the firing stops.

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, hours after the Israeli government agreed to a 48-hour halt while investigating its bombing in Qana.

En route home from the region Monday, Rice said that in response to a U.S. request for clarification on the new airstrikes, "the Israelis tell us that it's close air support for their forces that were being engaged."