Even as Russia said on Saturday it backed a plan for the foreign ministers of all countries ‘‘really able’’ to help restore peace in West Asia to meet in Rome next week, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev described Israel’s military bombardment of Lebanon as an ‘‘absurd’’ over-reaction to Hizbollah attacks. He said he respected Israel’s right to retaliate but said Israel’s reaction was ‘‘not proportional to the things that caused these flashes in the first place’’.

‘‘It is understandable that ... there has to be a response, because they’ve been subjected to those unending terrorist attacks ... But I cannot agree to the fact that because two servicemen were kidnapped, half the country of Lebanon has been bombed.’’

He also said President Bush took a contradictory position on the current violence. ‘‘On the one hand I believe that the President initially said that the Israeli reaction was justified ... At the same time I saw that he was suggesting that he didn’t want an escalation in that conflict... Overall I believe that the United States could have taken a more appropriate position.’’