The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), although it admitted striking the building, initially denied that the explosion that caused the mass deaths were the result of their attack. This was contested by Qana's residents, who said the building collapsed due to the Israeli bombing. According to the IDF, the bombing was an attempt to stop Katyusha rockets supposedly being fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel from the village over a two-week period and said residents were warned to leave. International observers and journalists said there was no evidence the building served any military purpose. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora accused Israel of war crimes and asked, "Why, we wonder, did they choose Qana yet again?", in reference to an artillery shelling carried out by Israeli forces that killed over 100 civilians at a UN compound 10 years before. Kofi Annan urged the United Nations Security Council to condemn the attack.