Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Anti-U.S. Protests in Lebanon Prompt Heavy Police Action

Aired April 03, 2002 - 12:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Also watching the activity in Beirut, Lebanon earlier today.

For more on that, Brent Sadler, our Bureau Chief in Beirut joins us for what's happening there. Some graphic videotape shown hours ago, Brent. What's the situation now?

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Bill, you point to this concern about a second front opening up between the Israelis and the north of their country and the long, what's called a U.N.-demarked blue line, over which the Hezbollah guerrillas are now trading mortar rounds and rocket fire, we understand. And Israel retaliating with artillery and air raids.

And I can tell you that within the past half hour or so, a United Nations special representative for south Lebanon, Stephan de Mistura, has just come out of a meeting with Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. And the U.N. representative has said how serious the U.N. regards this attack over the Sheba farms. This is a disputed pact of land at the foot of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The U.N. saying that this is a very serious attack, particularly coming at a time when the region is so tense and comes on the back, as you say, of other incidents involving Hezbollah and the Israelis over the past few days.

Now this latest attack came several hours after we saw an expression -- a ground swell, if you will -- of anti-Israeli and anti- American sentiment spreading from Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps over the past few days here and spilling out onto the streets of Beirut and its suburbs. As many as 2,000 protesters marched on the heavily-protected U.S. Embassy compound on the outskirts of the city several hours ago, flashing with baton-wielding Lebanese security forces.

As angry demonstrators surged towards the embassy, tear gas and a water cannon were used to drive them back. Now demonstrators told CNN that they were being kept back about a kilometer, the best part of a mile away from the embassy. And they say that all that they wanted it to be was peaceful. Their anger and frustration by being kept back by their own, if you like, Arab security forces keeping them away are some the sight -- eyesight, if you like, of the embassy -- caused anger and frustration to boil over. They pelted security forces with stones, and then we had some pretty ugly scenes of tear gas being fired, canisters directly at some of the demonstrators, gas sending people running away, tear gas dowsing people. But they stood their ground, and in the end, the protests did revert to being peaceful and they carried on. But as I say, pretty ugly scene.

And it was the most violent protest in a series of demonstrations we've seen here this week denouncing Israel's invasion of Palestinian- controlled areas in the West Bank, the siege of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and perceived U.S. bias here towards the Israelis. And it's not only growing anger and frustration on the streets here, it's also being reflected at the highest levels of the political establishment here.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafik Hariri telling the Lebanese parliament earlier today -- in fact, calling, he said in parliament, on the international community to "...take action towards implementing international resolutions to force Israel," he said, "...to respect them and to prevent Israel," he said, "from expanding the area of tension." Mr. Hariri there referring to really ongoing situation developing as I speak to you in the south of Lebanon between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas -- Bill.

HEMMER: Brent, find clarification here for us. How much control or lack of it does the Lebanese prime minister over guerrillas operating in the southern part of his country?

SADLER: A very good question. He'd juggling many balls here, trying to satisfy the United Nations and other communities -- international communities like the French, for example. They've also been seeing him tonight.

But while he can have some impact on the international level, he has good contact internationally, it's the Iranians who supply Hezbollah politically and financially. And, of course, it's the Syrians who also support Hezbollah and their ongoing actions, which they regard as resistance against continuing Israeli occupation of that pact of line called the Sheba farms.

Listen out for the Sheba farms, because that's going to be the center. That will be the analysts here, the flash point, the trigger that could open up a whole new second front. And, you know, Arab leaders, heads of states, delegations that were here only at the end of last week proclaiming a new unprecedented triumph in offering an olive branch of peace to the Israelis, now deeply concerned, of course, that on the back of what they're saying was their genuine peace offer, Israel has waged its war against the Palestinians, they say. And possibly opening up a second front if this situation itself goes beyond the Sheba farms.

But I think Israel is making it quite clear that it won't tolerate this for much longer, and will hold both the Lebanese authorities and the Syrians, which is the main power broker of course here in Lebanon, as they're readily responsible for what Hezbollah gets up to along that border line.

HEMMER: All right, Brent, thank you. Brent Sadler, our bureau chief, again live from Beirut by telephone there north of our location here in Jerusalem. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com