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The Situation Room
Ehud Olmert Says Israel at Crossroads in Fighting Terrorism; President Bush Vents Frustration Over Mideast Conflict; U.S. Prepares to Evacuate Americans from Lebanon
Aired July 17, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: To our viewers, you are in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information is arriving all the time. Standing by CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, a relentless exchange of bloody attacks and bitter words in the Middle East. It's 11:00 p.m. in Israel, where we're getting new reports of rocket fire on northern Israeli cities, even as Israel continues pounding targets in Lebanon. We will have live reports from the region on these new strikes from both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Also now underway, an exodus from Beirut. The United States and other nations scrambling to get their citizens out of the line of fire. This hour, an update on the evacuation plans and the thousands of Americans at risk right now in Lebanon.
And President Bush preparing to send his top diplomat to the crisis zone. It's 4:00 p.m. in Washington. Mr. Bush has just returned home from the G8 Summit after venting his frustration with the Middle East crisis in some pretty graphic terms. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
On this sixth day of the Middle East crisis, Hezbollah says it fired dozens more rockets on the Israeli port city of Haifa today, including a new barrage just a short time ago. A three-story building under attack collapsed. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is vowing his nation will not flinch in defending itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): My fellow Israelis, there are moments in the life of a people when it has to look at the present reality and say this far and no further. And I say to everybody -- this far and no further. Israel will not be the play thing, not of terrorist organizations, not of a terrorist authority and not of any sovereign state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Israel says it won't stop its assault on Hezbollah's home base in Lebanon, among other things until two Israeli soldiers are freed. Israeli tanks briefly crossed into Lebanese territory earlier today, while its war planes and artilleries pounded targets in and around Beirut. Lebanon now says at least 170 people have been killed in attacks there. Israel reports 24 of its people have been killed in the conflict so far. Lebanon's prime minister is accusing Israel of cutting his nation, quote, "into pieces." And a Lebanese representative is pressing that point at the United Nations today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOUHAD MAHMOUD, LEBANESE REPRESENTATIVE: I don't see how, by destroying the whole country, you can reign over one part of it. I mean, this is the wrong way to go about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We will be speaking live with the Lebanese envoy Mahmoud, that's coming up in the next hour right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Right now there's a new international push to remove foreigners from harm's way in Lebanon, including the evacuation of some 40 British citizens. The U.S. military says it's positioning forces on land, sea and air to try to get thousands of Americans out of the Beirut area.
President Bush will continue monitoring the crisis now that he's back at home here in Washington. Earlier in Russia at the G8 Summit, he was caught in front of an open microphone, venting his frustration over the Middle East conflict.
He also revealed he's planning to send the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region. No date for Dr. Rice's trip has yet been set. We have reporters covering all aspects of this story.
Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is standing by with a full report. CNN's John Vause is in northern Israel. Let's go first to Beirut though. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, has the latest from the Lebanese capital. Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the shelling has been continuing through the day, shells raining in on Beirut earlier in the day, hitting some trucks down in the harbor area, the port cities the Sidon and Tyre in the south target. In the east, targets hit in the Bekaa Valley and targets in the south of Lebanon, from where Hezbollah are firing their missiles into Israel.
We have also seen some diplomacy here. Today in Beirut, the U.N. representatives here came in, met with the prime minister. The efforts there to try and get the cease-fire going. But the conclusion of that meeting, that this was just a preliminary talks, many steps to go.
The French prime minister Dominique de Villepin also in the country meeting with the prime minister today. He said it's a difficult situation, there is no magic solution. His country, France, brought a ship into Beirut today, into the harbor, very close to where those missiles struck earlier in the day and began taking French nationals out of the country, 1,200 on this first ship. Another 5,000 almost waiting to leave.
There were some Americans on board that ship, told me that they were upset the American embassy hasn't done more to get them out of the country. The U.S. embassy here says it's getting closer to being able to evacuate. People have seen the British bring in helicopters here today as well, to evacuate about 40 British nationals, the most needy getting out of those helicopters. British war ships on the way though to evacuate more British people. Wolf?
BLITZER: Nic, earlier there was Lebanese television, and other sources in Lebanon, Hezbollah were insisting they shot down an Israeli war plane, an F-16 flying over Beirut. The Israelis flatly denied it. What's the latest on that incident?
ROBERTSON: Wolf, I think after careful analysis and getting rid of some of the hyperbole, what appears to have come down is some sort of surveillance pardon, not even a drone, possibly something that came off and discarded from a aircraft as it flew over, possibly some surveillance blimp that was being used, but certainly not a fighter aircraft and certainly not a surveillance aircraft, either. Something much less significant, Wolf.
BLITZER: And I take it Beirut is still a city pretty much deserted, although we see a motorcyclist driving behind you right now.
ROBERTSON: You know, the southern suburbs, Wolf, where a lot of the strikes have been, the streets are deserted there. People have taken shelters in school or they've gotten out of the city if they can.
In the north of the city, there is still a lot of traffic around. That area hasn't been targeted as much. The businesses there, some are closed, some are open. I talked to a man who owns a huge beach front resort. He told me it's down to only two or three percent over a week ago, so people are staying away.
But on the streets in the north of the city, people still about, in this part of the city, just a few more coming out. They are getting used to the situation. But in the south where most of the shelling is, people are just staying right out of the way, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right Nic, stand by, we're going to be coming back to you. Nic Robertson is on the scene for us in Beirut.
At the same time, Israelis are pounding Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and elsewhere from northern Israel. CNN's John Vause is on the scene for us. He filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hour after hour, day after day, for almost a week now, these Israeli howitzers have pounded southern Lebanon, while warplanes and helicopters attack from the air.
Just across the border, the impact is devastating. Lebanese civilians are dying. Homes, buildings and bridges destroyed. The Israelis are aiming for mobile rocket launchers like these: small, quick to set up, hard to hit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wherever you see Katyusha rockets launched from Lebanon, we actually can see it here as a target. So these people here -- actually, the artillery, are shooting exactly to the place that's been shot from in Lebanon.
VAUSE: But there's little Israel can do once the Katyushas are in the air. About a thousand Hezbollah rockets have hit Israeli towns and cities. Kryat Shmona is right on the front lines, and life here has come to a standstill. For a few hours, residents come up for air. They spend most of the day and all of the night terrified in underground bunkers.
(on camera): So how many people would be -- would stay in here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty people, something like that.
VAUSE (voice-over): Mordekai Kadusha (ph) says along with many others, he's close breaking. The bomb shelters are hot and stuffy, there's little to do, he says, except wait for the next attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You cannot go relax when you hear boom, boom, boom.
VAUSE: And if this firepower is not enough to stop the Hezbollah rockets, Israel still has the option of sending in ground forces, tanks. Armored soldiers are gathering on the border, they are waiting and praying. John Vause, CNN on the Israel-Lebanon border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And we are going to go back to John Vause live as soon as he's available. We understand the location where he's at right now coming under fire. We will go to John Vause in northern Israel as soon as he's available.
Let's move on to President Bush's role in trying to tamp down hostilities in the Middle East. In the process, he vented his frustrations with the crisis in not such a diplomatic way. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has been traveling with the president. Suzanne?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, President Bush is back in Washington, but here in St. Petersburg during the G-8 summit the president was dogged with questions about how the U.S. would work with its allies to try to de-escalate the crisis in the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): At the conclusion of the G-8 summit, it was a picture of unity. The leaders of the world's richest countries issuing a statement seemingly in lock step on confronting the Middle East crisis. But a rare behind-the-scenes moment captures the frustration of raw diplomacy. During a luncheon photo op, with microphones set on the tables, the candid conversations of the world's most powerful leaders were being transmitted unbenounced to them. Most notably between President Bush and his closest ally, British Prim Minister Tony Blair. Earlier in the day, Blair and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan publicly rolled out a plan.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: Extremely concerned about the situation.
MALVEAUX: To send international forces to help end the cross- border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel. Privately President Bush expresses frustration.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What about Kofi Annan? I don't like the sequence of it. His attitude is basically cease-fire and everything else happens, but you see what I'm saying?
TONY BLAIR, GREAT BRITAIN PRIME MINISTER: I think the thing that is really difficult is you can't stop this unless you get this international presence agreed.
MALVEAUX: Publicly President Bush has condemned Syria and Iran for supporting Hezbollah strikes against Israel but privately he failed to convince the other G-8 leaders to make the same judgment in their group statement. Mr. Bush urges the U.N. to do more, specifically calling for Annan to reach out to Syria's leader Bashar al-Asad in fairly explicit terms.
BUSH: See the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over.
BLAIR: Cause I think this is all part of the same thing. What does he think? He thinks if Lebanon turns out fine, if he gets a solution in Israel and Palestine, Iraq goes in the right way, he's done it. That's what this whole thing is about. It's the same thing with Iran.
MALVEAUX: At this point Blair realizes their conversation is being picked up and turns off the microphone, but Blair is asked about their candid talks, including Mr. Bush's cursing at a press conference later on. Not missing a beat, Blair is back on message.
BLAIR: What the president was saying, what I'm saying is that everybody around the table should use their influence on Syria to try to get this to stop.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: The White House spokesman says that while the president's private comments may have been more blunt, that they certainly are consistent with what the president has said publicly in calling for peace in the Middle East, Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux traveling with the president. e thanks very much.
Let's immediately go to Haifa, Israel. Christiane Amanpour is standing by. There are important developments happening right now. What's the latest Christiane?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, as you mentioned, John Vause was unable to talk to you because of a barrage of rocket fire. We could actually hear the impact as that was going on, and we've been able to hear impact quite a distance away from us, perhaps closer to the Israeli border with Lebanon. This has been going on for quite sometime during the day. Here in Haifa we have heard about six times, at least, the air-raid sirens going off this morning and several times those were accompanied by incoming rocket fire from the Hezbollah positions.
We witnessed ourselves throughout the day rocket fire that had fallen short and into the sea and some that had fallen onto the land and indeed one had almost brought down a building, certainly brought down the face, the facade of one building, and there were some injuries. Tonight, as well, there has been, as I say, rockets falling in the northern Israeli area, the town of Safed, where near a hospital there a rocket fell, shattering glass and we're told that five injuries have been incurred over there, but as this keeps going on, the Israelis say that they are determined to put Hezbollah out of business.
They are telling us that they don't have any plans to widen this war, no plans to attack Iran or Syria, unless of course they are directly attacked by those countries. On background we are hearing from officials that there is no plan for any kind of ground invasion of Lebanon and at the moment it seems they are trying to establish a buffer zone, which apparently they think they can patrol from the area, buffer zone between Hezbollah and the southern border of Lebanon, buffer zone between Lebanon and Israel, Wolf?
BLITZER: It's after 11:00 p.m. in Israel right now. It's clearly nighttime. It's dark. How unusual is it for these rockets to be coming in from southern Lebanon at night? We had been told earlier they were doing it during the daylight hours, because at night you can see the lights going off and it's easier presumably for Israelis to target those Katyusha rocket launchers at night than it is during the day, but you say right now, even though it's dark, these rockets are coming into Israel?
AMANPOUR: Yes, we certainly heard the impacts and the same happened last night and over the last few nights. I can't tell you about the light of the outgoing from the Lebanese side but, certainly, we have seen and heard the impacts coming in after the daylight hours.
BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour we're going to have you stand by. We're going to come back to you soon. Christiane is on the scene for us in Haifa, thank you Christiane for that. Let's go to Jack Cafferty in New York. He's joining us with "The Cafferty File." What a mess Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Horrible. Sending international peacekeepers to the Middle East one of the options being discussed now. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are both calling for an international stabilization force to go to Israel and help end the fighting. They say it would be the first step in a series of actions to stop the violence, however, Blair acknowledged that British troops are, quote, somewhat stretched because of the Iraq war, masters of understatement those Brits.
The European Union is also considering sending peacekeepers to Lebanon. But Israel's prime minister wants Lebanese forces to take control of the border with Israel and wants the Hezbollah military disarmed. So the question this hour is this, is sending an international peacekeeping force to the Middle East a good idea? E- mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com. Our go to CNN.com\CaffertyFile, Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you very much. It's going to be a busy week here. We are getting word that John Vause, our correspondent, is now joining us from northern Israel. He's on the phone with us. John, I take it the area where you are, has just come under fire from southern Lebanon, is that right?
VAUSE: That's right, Wolf, we have actually moved our location, because it's simply no longer safe to be there. We were with an Israeli artillery unit somewhere in the northern part of Israel.
They have been shelling positions within southern Lebanon. So much outgoing traffic for the better part of the day, but then within the last half hour, 50 minutes or so, four Katyusha rockets came in and we took cover, we killed the lights. We stayed down for a while. And then we decided that that location is no longer safe, so we have moved to the outskirts of a town called Matula, right near the border. However, we are moving to a bomb shelter.
BLITZER: John, is it normal for the Hezbollah to be launching these rockets at night? I he asked Christiane, who is in Haifa, this questions. She said, yes, they have been getting the barrage from the Katyusha rockets at night as well as during the day. How normal is it though from your vantage point for these Katyushas to be coming in at night?
VAUSE: When this all began last week, what we saw was a lot of the Katyusha rockets being launched in the morning, around 7:00 as many people were making their way to work and then being launched again in the early evening, the late afternoon as people were coming home, or heading out to the evening.
The reason for that is obvious, more people on the streets, therefore more people could be killed or hurt. But now, certainly, the pace of the Katyusha rocket fire and other missiles has certainly picked up as this military campaign by the Israelis escalates across Lebanon, Hezbollah is retaliating with fairly regular fire. Not just with Katyusha rockets, Wolf, but it seems a lot of other missiles, as well.
BLITZER: And the word we are getting John from you and our other correspondents and producers in the northern part of Israel is that Israelis are either living under ground in bunkers or they have escaped. They have driven south towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to get out of harm's way. Is that the sense that you get from the area? VAUSE: We just arrived at a bomb shelter on the outskirts of Matula. There's probably about five families deep underground now in this bunker. I have just come up briefly to check in and let you know what's happening. But certainly this is a scene being repeated especially in the towns very, very close to the border with Lebanon. Others taking shelter in safe rooms. But what people are saying to me is those who have stayed here at least, is well, where is safe right now?
We know that earlier tonight the Israeli military confirmed to us they had actually hit, with an air strike, a long-range missile, possibly Iranian made that could reach Tel Aviv. Apparently, Israeli Air Force jets fired on a transport truck, destroying some of the missiles, setting another one off which then crashed into the ground later. Later it was erroneously reported by Lebanese television that that was in fact a downed Israeli F-16. Israel says that all of its warplanes are accounted for. But the fact that Hezbollah has these missiles up to 200 KM, 120 miles or so, which could reach Tel Aviv, for many people is indicative that no where is safe.
BLITZER: John Vause, stay safe over there on the outskirts of Matula in northern Israel. We will get back to you very, very soon with all the latest. We are not leaving this story. We will continue to watch it here in THE SITUATION ROOM. Also coming up after the short break, Americans and Europeans trapped in Lebanon. Desperate to escape the fighting. We will go live to the Pentagon for the latest on efforts by the U.S. military to try to rescue, to evacuate U.S. citizens.
Plus members of Congress, including Senator Hillary Clinton speaking out on the Middle East crisis. We are going to go live to Capitol Hill to find out what they are saying right now and later. A very, very deadly day in Iraq. Let's not forget what's happening in Iraq. We will have much more on that, much more on our top stories from around the world and the latest on the crisis in the Middle East. Stay with us, you are in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: New warfare and new diplomatic moves in the Middle East crisis. President Bush planning to send the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region at some point in the future. No word yet on when she will be heading out. Meanwhile U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the British Prime Minister Tony Blair are calling for an international force to be sent to the Israeli/Lebanese boarder. Oil prices that have been rising amid the turmoil in the Middle East fell a bit today. U.S. crude oil prices closed down nearly two dollars to $75.30 a barrel. And new casualty counts to report, Lebanon now says 170 people have been killed and 429 have been wounded in the fighting there. This day six.
Israel says 24 people have been killed in the conflict and more than 300 wounded. There's other important news happening as well. We will go back to the Middle East in a moment but first, let's check in with CNN's Betty Nguyen. She is joining us from the CNN center with a quick look at some other stories making news, Betty. BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there Wolf. At least 40 people were killed in a flare up of violence in a town south of Baghdad today. Iraq's defense ministry says two car bombs exploded in a market. Officials say dozens of heavily armed gunmen then opened fire. Authorities say at least two suspected terrorists were detained. Three U.S. soldiers were killed in separate violence and that brings the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq to 2,550.
Well the death toll is expected to rise after a powerful earthquake and Tsunami struck the Indonesian island of Java today. Indonesia's Red Cross says at least 80 people were killed when a six- foot wave crashed into beach resorts along Java's south coast. The tsunami was triggered by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake deep in the Indian Ocean. Witnesses say thousands of people raced to higher ground as that wave approached.
A smooth landing for the Space Shuttle Discovery. Take a look. It touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning. During a 13-day mission Discovery's six-member crew went on three space walks and dropped off supplies, equipment and a German astronaut at the International Space Station. This is NASA's second shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster.
Hundreds of family members, friends and rescue workers are dedicating a seaside memorial in New York. It honors those killed when TWA flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Ten years ago today the Paris bound Boeing 747 exploded shortly after takeoff from Kennedy Airport, killing all 230 people on board. Investigators believe a spark from a short circuit ignited that plane's central fuel tank.
BLITZER: Betty thank you very much. Coming up the strategy behind the fighting. I will speak with two military experts, retired U.S. army Brigadier General James Spider Marks, and Israeli brigadier General Michael Hertzog. He's currently visiting in Washington. Plus, what do you think about the conflict? Bill Schneider takes a closer look at what Americans are saying. Stay with us, much more coverage of the crisis in the Middle East right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Northern Israel under attack again in the still exploding conflict between that country and Hezbollah guerrillas. Israeli security officials report a new barrage of rockets fired only in the past few minutes from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. We just heard from Christiane Amanpour in Haifa and John Vause near Matula in northern Israel. We will go back there to get the latest.
At least one reportedly hit Haifa where a three-story apartment building was destroyed by an attack earlier in the day. Israel pressed its assault on Hezbollah's home base of Beirut today, striking numerous targets and Israeli aircraft hit a truck in Beirut carrying missiles that could reach, potentially, Tel Aviv from southern Lebanon. Some Americans have fled the danger in Beirut for Cyprus and the U.S. military now moving forward with a much more robust evacuation plan for U.S. citizens.
About 25,000 American citizens, maybe many more, are estimated to be in Lebanon but it's not clear how many actually are trying to leave right now. The open warfare between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in the Middle East continuing. CNN's Tom Foreman is here in THE SITUATION ROOM. He is going to show us a little bit about some of the targets that have been hit on both sides.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How much has happened in a week here, Wolf. It's unbelievable.
BLITZER: This is only day six.
FOREMAN: Unbelievable, a short period of time, but take a look at what has happened. Once again we give you a point of reference. There's Africa, we are moving up here to the Lebanon-Israeli border, small area, about the size of New Jersey. That's Israel down here. That's Lebanon up here. It all started on that border. Since then, let's look at what Israel has done, it started off after these two soldiers were kidnapped six days ago. Israel started attacking right across the border, trying to seal off the Hezbollah forces.
Lebanon, independent country, sovereign nation, but Hezbollah, these rebels work in the southern part of the country with autonomy. They can't be controlled and they control the border. Since then it has expanded substantially. Israel went onto hit the Beirut Airport many times, they knocked out the runways, they knocked out fuel supplies, they knocked out supply roads and they have really hammered southern Beirut. This is a place where many Hezbollah leaders are believed to have operations bases. They have been hammered so much that a lot of people in the area are believed to have retreated up into these mountains to hide out.
Many of the people of the entire city of Beirut have gone into hiding up there to avoid that. All the way into north Lebanon there have been attacks. Up in Tripoli, all up in here there have been attacks. Radar stations along the coast were knocked out and then in the Bekaa Valley, which is one of the places it is believed that Hezbollah has brought in missiles from both Syria and Iran, supplied that way through the Bekaa Valley. That's been hit.
And that's basically what's been happening, in terms of how much Israel has just been hammering Lebanon right now -- tricky stuff, because Lebanon is a sovereign nation. And even though they are going after Hezbollah, they are having to do so within the confines of a nation that is saying, it's fine that you are trying to get these guys.
They are actually not saying that at this point. But, nevertheless, what they are saying is, you are running rampant over our country to do it.
But now let's look just a little bit south and see what is happening on the other side. What is being done by Hezbollah is pretty much limited to these missiles. But there have been a lot of them. They are believed to have thousands and thousands of short- range missiles, which they have been firing across the border, hitting all sorts of border towns here.
But more importantly to the Israelis, they have also hitting down here at Haifa. Again -- gives you a sense of scale -- this is only about 20 miles from the border. But, up until now, Hezbollah has not hit that area. It has really terrified people. At least 20 missiles are believed to have landed within the city. This is only about 30 -- only about 300,000 people living in this town.
So, that puts it about the size of Louisville, maybe, or Anchorage, Alaska, something like that, Newark. That's about the size. So, you can understand the impact of all these rocket attacks. That's not counting the ones which may have come along just very recently.
So, Wolf, that's what we are looking at. And, of course, the big concern is what's going to happen as this goes on, because, as you can see, from a little problem on the border, it has already spread to a much bigger area.
BLITZER: And a lot of death and destruction in the process.
FOREMAN: We will have more on those rockets and the capability of those in the next hour.
BLITZER: They're really rockets. They are not missiles.
FOREMAN: Yes. Yes. They're rockets.
BLITZER: They're the Katyusha rockets.
FOREMAN: I think we use them somewhat interchangeably, but rocket, correctly...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: The generals who are about to come here are going to be quibbling over words like missiles vs. rockets.
FOREMAN: I'm sure...
(LAUGHTER)
FOREMAN: I'm sure they are.
BLITZER: So, we will just correct the record and point out that these are mostly rockets, although there is an assumption that the Israelis have that Hezbollah has been provided with some short-range missiles as well. They tried, apparently, to launch one earlier today, but...
FOREMAN: If one is coming at you...
BLITZER: Yes.
FOREMAN: ... you don't care what it is.
BLITZER: That's right.
FOREMAN: You just want to get out of the way.
BLITZER: Tom Foreman, thanks very much for that.
As I said, two generals standing by to speak with us here in THE SITUATION ROOM, a U.S. retired general and an Israeli general. Both will give us a little bit more on the military aspects of what's going on.
Meanwhile, the open warfare between the Israelis and the Hezbollah fighters stirring some very strong emotions and reactions among the members of Congress here in Washington.
Let's check in with our congressional correspondent, Andrea Koppel -- Andrea.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, almost a week after Hezbollah attacked Israel, the House and the Senate are gearing up to finally take on the issue this week. Congressional staffers say that the Republican leadership had hoped to wrap things up on Friday, but they couldn't get enough members to agree on a text.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL (voice-over): Far from the Middle East, in New York City, close to 2,000 Jewish-Americans rally in support of Israel -- also on hand, New York Democrat Senator Hillary Clinton.
(APPLAUSE)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Israel has every right to defend herself. And the world must know that the United States, our government and our people, will stand with Israel.
KOPPEL: A sentiment echoed in Washington by Congressman Eric Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the House. In a sharply worded statement, Cantor called Hezbollah's actions an act of war against the state of Israel.
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), VIRGINIA: It's very clear that there was an armed attack against the state of Israel. Any time there is that type of aggression, I view that as an act of war.
KOPPEL: House Republican leaders hope to hold two hours of open debate on the latest Middle East crisis as soon as Tuesday. A bipartisan resolution is currently the focus of heated discussions.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers tell CNN, among the main sticking points, whether to criticize the Lebanese government for failing to rein in Hezbollah, and whether to offer Israel a blank check to defend itself.
Arab-American Congressman Darrell Issa agrees Congress should condemn the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Hamas and Hezbollah, but stops short of giving Israel a green light to do whatever is necessary to get them back.
REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, certainly, Israel has a right to use any and all means appropriate to recover their soldiers. But, you know, seeking out a soldier is not bombing a bridge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: On the Senate side, they're also trying, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, to reach consensus on acceptable language for a bipartisan resolution as well.
But one complicating factor, Wolf, is that John Warner, the senior Republican, who is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, is so far withholding his final word on a resolution. In fact, he is so far the most influential player who is unwilling to offer unconditional support for Israel, according to Senate staffers.
That's because Warner worries that the U.S. is the only country that can rein Israel in. And, if it doesn't do so, that could have dire consequences for U.S. troops in Iraq. In particular, he believes that things could spin out of control very easily -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Yes, Senator Warner, on Friday, issuing a statement, urging some restraint on the part of the Israelis.
KOPPEL: Mmm-hmm.
BLITZER: Thanks very much for that, Andrea Koppel, on the Hill.
And, when we come back, we are going to have a little bit more on what U.S. public attitudes are -- Bill Schneider making sure that we know what is happening on the public opinion front. That's coming up.
Also, the diplomatic moves -- in the next hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM, I will speak live with the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Daniel Ayalon. I will also speak live with the top representative from Lebanon's Foreign Ministry. He's now at the United Nations, Nouhad Mahmoud -- all that coming up, much more of our special coverage on the crisis in the Middle East, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Only within the past hour, more shelling of northern Israel -- we are going to go back to the scene live, watch what's happening.
We are also watching what's happening on this side of the Atlantic as well -- many Americans closely observing the situation in the Middle East and wondering, whatever happened to the peace process?
Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has been watching this situation as well -- Bill.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Wolf, we have seen many tragic conflicts in the Middle East. But this one is different. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): This war, unlike previous wars, is Israel vs. radical Islamic movements, Hamas, Hezbollah and their supporters in Iran and Syria. That should bring Israel and the United States closer together.
MARTIN INDYK, DIRECTOR, SABAN CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY AT BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: There is a common enemy and a common interest in defeating them.
SCHNEIDER: In February, shortly after Palestinians elected a Hamas government, American public sympathy for Israel reached a high point. At the same time, optimism about the prospects for peace reached a low point. Now the prospects for peace look bleak.
President Clinton's ambassador to Israel blames the Bush administration's view.
INDYK: The best way to deal with the problems of the Middle East was through regime change and democratization, rather than through the promotion of negotiations for peace and an end to have Arab-Israeli conflict.
SCHNEIDER: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had a harsh name for that argument.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Because now we are fighting extremism, because now we are pressing for a democratic voice for the people of the Middle East, that somehow that has now caused the current crisis, I think, is grotesque.
SCHNEIDER: Critics argue that elections in the Middle East have backfired.
SHIBLEY TELHAMI, ANWAR SADAT PROFESSOR FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: People have two real choices, and only two real choices, the ruling elites and the Islamists. There's nothing in between.
SCHNEIDER: Dangerous radicals have gained a foothold in power. Secretary Rice's view: It was worse before, when the U.S., she said:
RICE: Was pursuing stability, at the expense of democracy, and it turned out, as we learned on 9/11, or July 7 here, or in any -- in London or across the world, was getting neither.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER: If the Palestinian cause gets hijacked by extremists, it's hard to see how there can be a land-for-peace deal or any peace negotiations at all. That has many Arabs, as well as Israelis and Americans, worried -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, as well they should be.
Thank you very much, Bill Schneider, reporting.
Up next, we are going to take a look at the military situation, as open warfare continues, day six of the crisis in the Middle East -- two generals, an Israeli general, a U.S. general, standing by to share their thoughts.
Also, at the top of the hour, we will go live to Haifa. Christiane Amanpour is on the scene for us. We will go live to Beirut. Nic Robertson is there for us -- much more of our special coverage.
Stay with us. You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Israel's prime minister is vowing to stand tough against Hezbollah in Lebanon. What does that mean for the Middle East crisis? Could the U.S. military be -- be pulled into the situation right now.
Joining us now, two experts, Israeli Defense Forces Brigadier General Michael Herzog. He's currently a visiting military fellow at the Washington Institute For Near East Policy. And also joining us, retired U.S. Brigadier General James "Spider" Marks. He's our CNN analyst.
First of all, that video we saw earlier of what Lebanese television initially said was an Israeli warplane being shot down, you -- what -- what do you know? What happened?
BRIGADIER GENERAL MICHAEL HERZOG, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: To the best of my knowledge, they claimed, say that an Israeli airplane was shot down.
But, when our people analyzed the films, they came to -- to the conclusion that Hamas -- Hezbollah tried to launch a long-range rocket, a Zelzal rocket, with a range of over 120 kilometers. That's a rocket that can hit Tel Aviv.
We also know that probably...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: And what they saw was what, this rocket going up, but then...
HERZOG: Going up and exploding. That was -- it failed for some reason, maybe a technical reason. We don't know.
Later on, our Air Force managed to strike at the Zelzal launcher, which is very important, because they have many missiles, but few launchers.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: But, mostly, what's been coming in so far have been rockets, Katyusha rockets, which have a much shorter rage. If the Hezbollah manages to fire off a much more sophisticated, longer-range missile, that changes the equation for the Israelis.
BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it does.
But Hezbollah has the Katyusha, which is in between five miles to -- to 12 miles, in terms of capacity. And it has the -- the Fajr 3 and 5, that gets it out between about 25 to 45 miles. But the Zelzal is a rocket, if I'm not mistaken. It's not a missile. So, it does not have any form of guidance, other than azimuth and attitude and go.
BLITZER: So, it's not a Scud.
MARKS: It's not. It doesn't have any guidance. So, it's a free rocket over ground.
BLITZER: But it still represents, you point out, a threat to as far south to Tel Aviv?
HERZOG: Yes, absolutely.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: How many of these rockets do they have?
HERZOG: It's not clear, but we believe that they have dozens of long-range rockets. There have 30,000 rockets as a whole, a few hundred medium-range and long-range rockets. And some of them can reach Tel Aviv, yes.
BLITZER: And they -- they certainly surprised the Israelis when they had a pretty sophisticated rocket or missile that -- that damaged, seriously damaged, killed four Israeli sailors on that -- that warship off the Lebanese coast.
HERZOG: That is correct.
They fired a C-802 short to sea missile. That's originally a Chinese-manufactured missile, which was improved by the Iranians and fired by Hezbollah. And I would say I assume Hezbollah that wouldn't fire this missile without Iranian consent.
BLITZER: A lot of analysts I have spoken to have suggested it would be crazy for the Israelis to do what they did in 1982 and send ground forces back into southern Lebanon, given the fact that, over these past six years, since Israeli withdrew from Lebanon, there have been land mines, IEDs, all sorts of explosive devices planted there, and a lot of Israeli soldiers would, even if Israel does have a military advantage, would be killed in the process, almost like the insurgency that is going on in Iraq.
MARKS: Wolf, the thing you have to realize is that Israel stands to gain -- and I won't speak for your nation -- but Israel stands to gain if it can clear some area in southern Lebanon, because all that does is, that pushes the rockets further north, and it decreases the distance that they can interdict into Israel.
Now, clearly, it's going to be dangerous, because, as you describe, there would be mines. There would be booby-traps. There could be potential ambushes. But those are conditions. And within those conditions, you still have to execute operations. And you need to clear out the Hezbollah that exists in southern Lebanon.
BLITZER: What about the notion of Israeli ground forces, with armor moving back in to south Lebanon?
HERZOG: I don't think that you are going to see the same kind of operation that Israel has undertaken in 1978, the Litani operation, or in 1982.
What you are probably going to see are limited operations inside the Lebanese territory to clear kind of a land strip out of Hezbollah positions, land mines and so on, and ultimately make it easier for another force, Lebanese army, perhaps, supported by international elements, to go down and assume of the -- control over the border zone between Israel and Lebanon.
BLITZER: A lot of us remember what happened in 1983, when U.S. Marines, with the best of intentions, were sent in by President Reagan into Beirut. Two hundred and forty-one U.S. soldiers were killed in that truck bombing at the compound.
Now we hear that Marine ships, Navy ships and Marines and other U.S. troops might be deployed to try to evacuate U.S. citizens from Lebanon. How complicated, how worrying a situation is this for the United States military?
MARKS: An evacuation is always very, very difficult, primarily because you have families and you have U.S. citizens that are not necessarily enthusiastically leaving Lebanon in this case.
There has got to be a very clear inventory about who is getting on the aircraft, or who is getting on the ship, or who is getting on the truck. So, it's a very deliberate, precise operation. And it's fundamentally lethargic. It takes time. It's slow-moving.
BLITZER: One final question -- Zev Schiff, the military analyst for the Israeli newspaper "Ha'aretz" said -- wrote earlier today that it's still only just starting, the Israeli military campaign, still a long way to go. Is that your assessment as well?
HERZOG: I think it takes some time before we see a cease-fire in place. That depends on the terms of the cease-fire. I mean, the Israelis said exactly, stated their terms, namely, that you want to see a Lebanese army go down south and assume control and sovereignty, and you want to see a serious treatment of the issue of disarmament of Hezbollah.
So, I think talks about cease-fire are just beginning. But it may take several days, perhaps even more, before you get to a real cease-fire.
BLITZER: All right, General Herzog, thanks very much.
General Marks, thanks to you as well.
And coming up: He's not a familiar name to many Americans, but that could certainly change if the crisis in the Middle East continues to escalate. We are going to take an in-depth look at the man who heads Hezbollah.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: While attacks rage on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanon border, the Internet is giving us an unprecedented look into what's happening on the ground in this conflict.
Joining us now to help us walk through what we're seeing on the Internet is our senior Internet producer, Alex Wellen.
What are we seeing?
ALEX WELLEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNET PRODUCER & CYBER CRIME ANALYST: It's extraordinary.
We're getting firsthand accounts. We're getting photographs. There's a video I want you to take a look at here, Wolf, and our viewers to listen to. If you listen carefully -- this was posted on a popular site called YouTube.
This was viewed more than 100,000 times. You hear the sirens. You see this person in -- in Haifa, actually, in Israel, just about 30 or 40 miles outside of the Lebanese border. And what's -- you hear that carefully? That sound is of rockets, of rockets landing, we believe.
And this is the kind of thing that's being distributed on the Internet. Other things that we want to point to, as far as Haifa is concerned, this here is a hallway where people are listening to these sounds and -- and using their Internet access.
Another site in Haifa points out that it's live from an Israeli bunker. That's what it's called. It just surfaced. That -- now, I should mention to you, Wolf, the positive is that we see these images right away, real time. But they are definitely politically charged. People have their sides, on the Lebanese, maybe Israeli, or Hezbollah.
So, as we move on, let's change. Let's move closer to the border. This is a -- a kibbutz here and close to the border. And what we see is, we're going to see photographs of people leaving, children getting out of the way, getting out of this kibbutz, to a safer area. They hear rockets all the time as well.
Now let's go over the border. If we go over the border to Blogging Beirut, this site is extraordinary, everything minute by minute, photographs. Here you see the containers, pictures of containers for supplies. We also see this. This is a popular tourist site -- no one. It's sometimes what we don't see which is so telling -- also, the streets abandoned. "Not a stray cat can be seen" is the caption associated with that.
Also, an American in Beirut talks about -- no photographs, but, again, texts, talked about what it's like in a Katrina-like experience, where everyone is evacuating. A trip that took about two hours ordinarily is now taking 12 hours. So, we are getting insight into something like we have never seen before.
BLITZER: And we are going to see a lot more of this in our next hour here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Alex, thanks very much -- a whole new dimension to watching this story unfold, the Internet. We are going to have more on this story coming up.
While much of the world is focused on the Middle East crisis, the U.S. Congress right now taking on a culture wars issue at home and an issue that pits President Bush directly against several members of his own party.
Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, is covering the battle over funding for embryonic stem cell research.
What's the latest, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.
Well, just as the Senate opened two days of debate this afternoon, the White House released this statement, reiterating President Bush's promise to use his first veto on this bill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): In stem cell labs like this at Johns Hopkins University, scientists hope to find cures for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Dr. John Gearhart says progress is stymied by limits enacted by President Bush on federal funds for research using excess embryos from in vitro fertilization.
DR. JOHN GEARHART, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: The current set of cells that on we have will never see a patient. There are too many issues about those cells. And We want to work with the better material. That's the key in all of this.
BASH: The Senate is poised to pass legislation lifting those restrictions, setting the stage for a dramatic political moment, the president's first veto ever, on an issue supported by the majority of the American people and some fellow Republicans.
REP. MIKE CASTLE (R), DELAWARE: I -- I don't know how you can really turn your back on research that could potentially help one out of three Americans who have some sort of affliction out there, particularly when you're using nothing but excess embryos.
BASH: It is an intensely emotional and politically dicey debate, especially wrenching for Republicans.
Majority Leader Bill Frist is one of several self-described pro- life Republicans who says science is paramount.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: To limit cell lines available for federal research, those original limits, given what has happened in science today and what we have learned, is too restrictive.
BASH: Others call research with any embryo immoral.
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK (R), KANSAS: Since when do we look at human life to the point that we would use taxpayer dollars to destroy human life, innocent human life?
BASH: Both sides opened the debate with human stories to make their case. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research, like Kathy Pells (ph), said her daughter's birth defect was helped with stem cells from cord blood, not embryos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two weeks after we came back from Duke, she -- she looked up at me and smiled for the first time ever.
BASH: In terms of politics, Republicans are worried about the ramifications of a maiden Bush veto on a popular issue four months before Election Day.
So, along with the bill they know Mr. Bush will veto, they plan to pass two stem cell measures he will sign.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Now, one of those measures is aimed at promoting methods of research using stem cells without destroying embryos. Democrats will call that nothing more than political cover for Republicans. They intend to use the Bush veto, if there is one, against Republicans as a weapon this November.
But, Wolf, the truth is, the politics of stem cell research is about as untested as the science -- Wolf. BLITZER: Dana Bash reporting for us -- Dana, thank you for that.
And, up next, we are going to get right back to our stop -- top story, the crisis in the Middle East. Could international troops help keep the peace in the Middle East or just make things worse?
And thousands of Americans right now caught in the crossfire in Lebanon, what is Pentagon doing to try to move them out of harm's way ASAP?
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Check back with Jack. He's got "The Cafferty File" -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are calling for an international stabilization force to go to Israel and help end the fighting.
The question is, is sending a stabilization force to the Middle East a good idea?
James writes from Boyero, Colorado: "An international peacekeeping force in the Middle East would be great. They should be tasked with helping Israel leave the occupied territories and return to their pre-'67 borders, where they belong. This would be a giant step towards peace."
Sam in New York: "A cease-fire with terrorists is a bad idea. We don't seek truces or cease-fires with al Qaeda. And Israel needs to destroy Hezbollah. Unfortunately, the terrorists hide among innocent people, who will be hurt. There really is no alternative but to kill the terrorists."
J.P.: "Jack, what's the use of an international peacekeeping force? To protect the Hezbollah terrorists and allow them to attack Israel again? I think it's better to allow Israel, which is doing the dirty job for the rest of the world, to go after these terrorists and protect its borders."
Jim writes: "Having an international force establish peace in Lebanon/Israel would be a great idea, if it was practical. The only time a U.N. force has ever worked is when it is maintaining a peace that was already agreed to by both sides."
William writes from Phoenix: "Looks like Israel's doing what George Bush said he was going to do before he and Cheney set their sights on Iraq's oil. That is fight the war on terrorism."
And David in Garland, Texas says: "It would be slightly better than sending homeland security."
Wolf?
BLITZER: Jack, thank you very much.
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