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Lou Dobbs Tonight
Israel and Hezbollah Step Up Their Attacks; U.S. Prepares to Evacuate Americans from Lebanon; Syrian President Bashar Assad Could Play Important Role in Mideast Conflicts; Sectarian Violence Against Iraqi Civilians Intensifies; Kofi Annan Calling for Creation of New International Security Force for Southern Lebanon
Aired July 18, 2006 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, the Israeli air offensive against Lebanon entering its second week. Israel says the offensive could last weeks more.
We'll be live with our reports in Beirut.
Three of the country's leading experts on the Middle East join us here.
And the United States stepping up its efforts to evacuate Americans from Beirut, but there's rising criticism in this country about the scale and the speed of the U.S. rescue operation.
We'll have live reports tonight from Washington, Cyprus, Beirut and Israel.
ANNOUNCER: This is LOU DOBBS TONIGHT, news, debate and opinion for Tuesday, July 18th.
Live in New York, Lou Dobbs.
DOBBS: Good evening, everybody.
Israel tonight says its offensive in Lebanon could last for weeks. Israeli military commanders say Israel could deploy massive ground forces into Lebanon. The new Israeli warning comes as Hezbollah fired more rockets at Israel, killing an Israeli civilian today. Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon today killed at least 17 Lebanese.
More than 300 Americans today fleeing Lebanon on U.S. helicopters and a ship chartered by Sweden. U.S. plans to evacuate much larger numbers of Americans today were delayed as a chartered cruise ship failed to arrive in Beirut until late this evening.
Nic Robertson tonight reports from Beirut on the continuing Israeli bombardment of Lebanon.
Chris Burns reports from Larnaca, Cyprus, on the slow-moving U.S. effort to evacuate our citizens from Lebanon.
And Lisa Sylvester reports from Washington on Syria's unwavering support for Hezbollah and other radical Islamist terrorists groups around the world.
We begin with Nic Robertson in Beirut -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lou, the shelling was heavy in the port city of Tyre. Civilians caught up in that, children wounded, taken to hospital along the border with Israel from where Hezbollah shells its rockets into Israel.
There was heavy Israeli shelling into the southern parts there. People fleeing that area, fleeing north.
In Beirut here, there was shelling of the southern suburbs, again, the Hezbollah stronghold, and parts of that stronghold have been off limits to journalists recently. CNN was given exclusive access, taken into areas there. The Hezbollah officials wanting to show us the civilian damage they say that's happening there. They wanted to show us that they don't have military stockpiles there.
They also wanted to tell us that their morale is good, that they'll fight to the death, that they'll keep fighting.
They took us around that part of the city in a way that they haven't done before. Very interesting now that they want to show the level of damage that's being inflicted upon them. But they say it's not hurting their military capability in Beirut.
Two U.S. evacuations stepped up again today. Four CH-53C Stallion Marine helicopters on two journeys, to and from Cyprus, a 50- minute journey. They took out women and children. They were wearing flotation devices, having the craniums -- the air protection helmets that defends ears against excessive noise, having those put on their heads before being flown out.
More ships due to come in, more cruise liners due to come in to take American citizens. Some 2,400 may be get out tomorrow if the cruise liners get in here, and as many as perhaps 25,000 Americans here still waiting to get out -- Lou.
DOBBS: Nic, thank you very much.
Nic Robertson reporting from Beirut.
We'll have more from Beirut here tonight.
The United States is preparing now to begin a large-scale evacuation of American citizens, as Nic just reported. But that rescue operation is now being widely criticized for being too slow compared with the efforts of other nations. So far, U.S. Marine Corps helicopters have flown fewer than 200 Americans from Beirut to Cyprus.
Jamie McIntyre has the report from the Pentagon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A week into the crisis, only a few hundred Americans have gotten out of Lebanon. At the U.S. Embassy Tuesday, about 60 more of the neediest cases, as judged by the State Department, boarded Marine Corps CH-53s for a third day of helicopter evacuations. But in addition to chartered cruise ships and ferries, the U.S. has now ordered a fleet of nine Navy ships, including the helicopter carrier USS Iwo Jima, to Lebanon. And not just as backup, but as primary transportation to kick the evacuation effort into high gear.
VICE ADM. PATRICK WALSH, U.S. 5TH FLEET COMMANDER: We are going to use U.S. Navy vessels to transport American citizens out of Beirut in to Cyprus. We will do that in conjunction with the ferries that are moving people back and forth.
MCINTYRE: The chartered cruise ship Orient Queen is now docked at the port of Beirut and is expected to leave Wednesday with between 800 and 1,000 Americans, according to U.S. commanders.
Next in will be the U.S. amphibious assault ship Nashville, which can carry another 800 evacuees. It's a warship, and Lebanon is a war zone, but the U.S. isn't expecting any trouble.
WALSH: This is an environment we would consider permissive; however, we're very much aware of the movement of weapons into the area and how the situation can change rapidly.
MCINTYRE: The U.S. is also chartering up to four more commercial vessels, including one already under contract, the ferry Rahman, which can carry 1,400 passengers and could be en route in another day or so.
The State Department continues to argue it has moved as fact as practically possible given that the Beirut airport is unusable and Lebanese roads are unsafe.
HARTY: We decided that it was far more prudent to take a measure of the situation on the ground and to, in fact, begin to effect a sealift as a much safer alternative.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCINTYRE: And U.S. commanders said they simply couldn't get warships there any faster because of what they call a time-distance problem. Simply put, you can only sail so far, so fast, and some of the ships were tied up. The USS Iwo Jima was collecting marines who were on exercises in Jordan, and the other ships simply weren't nearby.
But, Lou, now the U.S. says they are proceeding to Lebanon in what they call "best speed."
DOBBS: We hope so. And, Jamie, thank you very much for that.
Jamie McIntyre reporting from the Pentagon.
U.S. officials tonight say the United States could evacuate as many as 2,000 Americans from Beirut tomorrow. They will be taken to Cyprus, the center of the international rescue operation.
Chris Burns now reports from Larnaca, Cyprus -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lou, just over my shoulder, there's a Greek frigate that just arrived here that's supposed to be carrying some 150 mainly Greeks and Greek Cypriots. It's just the latest among the ships that have arrived in the last couple of days.
There's also through the night to arrive a Norwegian chartered ship with some 200 mainly American students from American University in Beirut. But we just found out, and so did the officials here, that there are some 800 mainly Scandinavians that are on that ship as well, and now they are scrambling to try to find accommodations and ways to take care of them, to feed them, even.
This is how things are moving. They are moving very, very quickly.
They're also -- they also just found out that there are another 1,600 people arriving tomorrow night aboard a ship, mainly Scandinavians, a thousand of them, but also 600 other nationalities. Americans have been mixed in with a number of these ships.
Also tonight, a French chartered ferry is supposed to go back over to Beirut to carry over perhaps another 1,200 people. And then, of course, the American operation really kicking in tomorrow, especially with that Orient -- the Orient ship that could carry as many as 800 to 1,000, plus a second that has been commissioned that could carry 1,200.
They could move as much as 200 -- 2,000 people a day. And the defense by the Pentagon why this has been taking so long to get off the ground is security, security, security. These -- each of these ferries are being escorted by destroyers of the U.S. Navy, and they see this as the utmost importance. They want to make sure that this is not only an orderly departure, but also very secure -- Lou.
DOBBS: Absolutely, Chris. Thank you very much.
Chris Burns reporting for us live from Larnaca, Cyprus.
Hezbollah today fired new rocket barrages at towns and cities in northern Israel. Israel's third largest city, Haifa, again one of the principal targets.
Paula Hancocks reports from Haifa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Israeli military say that more than 750 rockets have been falling on northern Israeli towns since Thursday 6:00 a.m., since this escalation in violence. Now, we under that many have been falling on Haifa this Tuesday. This is the third largest city in Israel.
And also, in the late afternoon, a barrage of rockets fell on many different northern Israeli towns. In Nahariya, medical sources tell us one person was killed after a rocket hit directly that person's house.
Also, around about 12 rockets fell at the same time in that particular town. That's an increase of what we usually see in a barrage.
Also, Safed, several were wounded. That's about 10 miles from the border. Haifa, (INAUDIBLE), Hatzor, all these northern Israeli towns were hit at the same time.
Now, we've been hearing from the Israeli military that they want anything between a week and three weeks to continue their operations. They want to make sure that they get as many Hezbollah targets as they can.
And we've also heard from politicians, most notably the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, that the conditions for a cease-fire are very rigid. He wants these two soldiers that had been kidnapped last Wednesday to be released.
He wants Hezbollah off the northern Israeli-southern Lebanon border. He wants Hezbollah also to be disarmed, as was agreed in a U.N. Security Council resolution which was passed two years ago but not implemented yet.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Haifa, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOBBS: Coming up here, an update on the war between Israel and Hezbollah. And we'll have live reports for you from an Israeli artillery unit on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Also, Syria tonight refuses to end its support of Hezbollah. We'll have a special report on Hezbollah's deep ties with radical Islamist terrorists fighting to destroy Israel.
Also, outrage on Capitol Hill today after the U.S. government charges American citizens for the cost of their evacuation from Beirut. We'll have that special report.
And President Bush says Syria is trying to reassert its influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah. Three of the country's leading authorities on the Middle East join us to assess the situation and U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: A Greek warship carrying evacuees from Lebanon has just arrived in Cyprus. And the United States tonight says it's expanding evacuations of our citizens from Lebanon. More than 300 citizens evacuated from Lebanon today. The United States is now sending nine Navy ships to that region to help in the evacuation of thousands more of those U.S. citizens. New Hezbollah rockets fell on northern Israel today. At least one person killed. Israeli airplanes killing more than 30 people in attacks on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
Israel today accused Hezbollah of smuggling new weapons into Lebanon from Syria with which to attack Israel. Israel and the United States say Syria has sponsored radical Islamist groups such as Hezbollah for years.
Lisa Sylvester now reports from Washington on Syria's role in the radical Islamist war against Israel and much of Western civilization.
Aneesh Raman reports from Damascus on Syria's close ties with Hezbollah.
We're going to go to Lisa Sylvester first -- Lisa.
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, the State Department says Syria has served as a haven for terrorists and the country has worked against U.S. interests in Iraq. But now Syrian President Bashar Assad could play a crucial role in the crisis in Lebanon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER (voice-over): A Hezbollah rocket smashed into this three-story residential building in Haifa, Israel. This woman cries out, "My son, Hayal (ph)! In Lebanon's similar pictures, rubble and wreckage in the wake of an Israeli strike.
As each side prepares for a new volley of attacks, attention is focusing on Syria. Syria has been a defender of Hezbollah. Israel says Hezbollah's rockets are being smuggled into Lebanon from Syria.
DANIEL AYALON, ISRAELI AMB. TO U.S.: The Syrians are now -- directly are responsible for continuing -- continuation of terror, from Hezbollah, from Hamas.
SYLVESTER: President Bush made it clear Syria is not doing enough to diffuse the crisis.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we recognize is that the root cause of the problem is Hezbollah. And that problem must be addressed. And it can be addressed through -- internationally by making it clear to Syria that they've got to stop their support to Hezbollah.
SYLVESTER: Syria and the United States have had a rocky relationship over Syria's support of radical Islamist organizations and over allegations it's been a gateway for insurgents into Iraq.
But the current conflict has opened a potential window for diplomacy with Syria.
JOE CIRINCIONE, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: I would guess that its leaders see this crisis as an opportunity for Syria to reassert itself in Middle East diplomacy. SYLVESTER: But so far, there are no plans for U.S. and Syrian officials to meet at the negotiating table.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER: Now, what the White House does not want is for Syria to use the ongoing conflict as an excuse to return to southern Lebanon. The Syrian military had a presence there for 29 years. It was finally forced out just April of last year -- Lou.
DOBBS: Lisa, thanks. Lisa Sylvester reporting from Washington.
The Syrian government tonight refuses to respond to international pressure to end its support of Hezbollah. In point of fact, the Syrian government has been organizing huge protests to demonstrate Syria's close ties with Hezbollah.
Aneesh Raman reports from the Syrian capital of Damascus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just outside one of Syria's oldest mosques, amid the sea of people, the face of one man stands out, Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah. He's everywhere here.
Next to pictures of Barbie, there's Nasrallah. Aside soccer stars, Nasrallah again. His face and the flags of his group, Hezbollah, are flying prominently these days.
This shopkeeper is giving them away for free in support of what here is referred to as "the resistance."
And as for its leader...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Nasrallah's popularity is bigger than a mountain and higher than the sky. He's now getting support from god and from the people.
RAMAN: In Damascus, there are now posters that for the first time, we're told, feature the Syrian president alongside Hassan Nasrallah. And music stores are getting in on the act, too. This one just today started selling nationalist Lebanon music.
"I sell the CDs," he says, "to feel that I did something to support the resistance, even if it's just one percent. Nasrallah is a hero and he is my leader."
(on camera): Hanging high here at the main market in Damascus is a banner that praises Hassan Nasrallah, a sign of the near uniform support that exists here for Hezbollah.
(voice-over): And that allegiance is only strengthening now with the Israeli airstrikes. Many here told me it is also spreading.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), you'll like Nasrallah. (INAUDIBLE), like example, which time you see for one photo for (INAUDIBLE) and you can see for photo for Hassan Nasrallah. Malaysia, you can see photo for Hassan Nasrallah. (INAUDIBLE), because the president (INAUDIBLE). You see the photo everywhere.
Here you see the eyes if you like it for him. Because that president from Arab jealous for him. You see the photo everywhere.
RAMAN: He is a man labeled a terrorist by the U.S. and Israel. A man who some Muslims accused of dragging Lebanon into an unnecessary war. But here he is regarded as a freedom fighter and emerging even more so now as a unifying voice in the Muslim world, where there is discontent about the West these days. There is also, it seems, pictures of Hassan Nasrallah, and increasingly the flags of Hezbollah.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Damascus, Syria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOBBS: And tonight a new threat against Israel from Iran. The speaker of Iran's parliament today warned Israelis that no part of their country will be safe from the ongoing attacks by Hezbollah.
The remarks came before an anti-Israel rally in Tehran, and they contradict Iran's official position it has no role in these hostilities. Previously, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had openly called for Israel's destruction.
Coming up next here, the latest on the urgent airlift of American citizens from Lebanon tonight. A Greek warship carrying refugees has just arrived in Cyprus. We'll have the latest for you. Tens of thousands of Westerners remain stranded in Lebanon.
We'll have that live update.
And Israel says its military campaign against Hezbollah could last weeks. Three of the nation's most prominent Middle East experts join us.
We'll also have live reports from Christiane Amanpour from the Israel-Lebanese border, Nic Robertson from Beirut.
And a massive car bomb attack in Baghdad today. The civilian death toll in Iraq is rising dramatically. We'll have the latest for you from Baghdad.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: Tonight, under stinging criticism, U.S. officials are intensifying their efforts to evacuate American citizens from Lebanon. Only a few hundred of an estimated 25,000 Americans have been able to flee harm's way.
And in Haifa, as in many Israeli cities, residents enter another night hunkered down in their bomb shelters. Haifa, Israel's third largest city, has been the target of a seemingly endless barrage of Hezbollah missiles and rockets.
Israel says tonight it will continue striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon until the security of Israel is guaranteed. Israel says its campaign against Hezbollah could last weeks more.
Some newspapers in this country are questioning Israel's military strategy and their political decisions and urging Israeli restraint.
Kitty Pilgrim reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the scenes of shelling continue for a seventh straight day, some U.S. editorial writers have taken on the role of cautioning Israel.
Nicholas Kristof in "The New York Times" warns Israel of what he calls a trap. "If Israel continues with a limited air war for a couple of weeks, it will produce enough television footage of bleeding Lebanese to anger the world."
Washington Post" writer Richard Cohen arguing that, "The greatest mistake Israel could make at the moment is to forget that Israel itself is a mistake," pointing out, "Creating a nation of European Jews in an area of Arab Muslims has produced a century of warfare and terrorism."
He writes, "There is, though, a point in cautioning Israel to exercise restraint, not for the sake of its enemies, but for itself. Israel must not use its military might to win back what it has already chosen to lose, the buffer zone in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip itself."
John Podhoretz of "The New York Post" talks about Israel's response to the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. "The casus belli was on a very small scale indeed, even for the Israel-Palestinian conflict." Adding, "Israel cannot permit itself to be drawn into a war with these two countries that began as a result of these three kidnappings, no matter how justified."
E.J. Dionne of "The Washington Post" cautions, "So let there be at least a brief cease-fire to let the world take account of the catastrophe on its doorstep."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: All of these writers admit they understand Israel's motivation for the military action, but they also express deep reservations about the consequences of those actions -- Lou.
DOBBS: Actions with which Israel and those Arab nations have lived now for almost 60 years.
Kitty Pilgrim, thank you very much.
In Iraq, a U.S. soldier died after his vehicle was hit by an IED earlier this month near the town of Ramadi.
2,553 of our soldiers have died since the beginning of this war. Since the explosion of violence in the Middle East last week, 10 of our troops have been killed in Iraq. Almost 280 Iraqi civilians have been killed in that very same week. More than 30 Iraqi troops have been killed as well.
Sectarian violence against Iraqi civilians today intensified. More than 50 people are dead tonight after a massive car bomb attack south of Baghdad.
Arwa Damon reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bearing the brunt of Tuesday's violence again, innocent Iraq civilians.
At 7:30 in the morning, in the southern city of Kufa, a suicide car bomber drove his vehicle into a group of day laborers, a gathering of day laborers, killing at least 59, wounding over 130. This comes on the heels of another deadly attack that happened just over 24 hours prior to that, this time in Mahmoudiya, in which at least 40 Iraqis were killed after a series of attacks against a marketplace. Innocent Iraqis killed there just shopping for fruits and vegetables.
The United Nation's mission to Iraq releasing a report earlier stating that in the last six months alone, over 14,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed. This number does not count Iraqi security forces who have been killed.
The most chilling example cited in there is that of a 12-year-old boy, who they say was kidnapped, sexually assaulted. His body later on found by the Iraqi emergency police.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOBBS: We have two live reports coming up here next from the Israel-Lebanon border. We'll be going to Beirut. Christiane Amanpour and Nic Robertson will have the very latest for you on the deepening crisis in the Middle East.
And then, CNN cameras gaining access to Hezbollah's rubble-strewn stronghold located in suburban Beirut. We'll have that special report as well.
Also tonight, diplomacy is stirring. Is the United States deliberately moving slowly in order to give Israel the opportunity to inflict maximum damage against Hezbollah targets?
I'll be talking with a panel of expert who will share their insights with us on this conflict and U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DOBBS: A top Israeli commander tonight says large numbers of Israeli troops could be launching a ground offensive soon into Lebanon if Hezbollah does not stop its rocket attacks against Israel. Israeli artillery units tonight are bombarding Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.
Christiane Amanpour reports from the Israel-Lebanon border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For four days and four nights, this Israeli artillery unit has kept up a steady onslaught on Hezbollah positions just across the border. And their mission is not nearly done.
BRIG. GEN. GAL HIRSCH, IDF: The directive is dismantle, attack, destroy the abilities of Hezbollah, and clear the threat from the Israeli citizens.
AMANPOUR: Brigadier General Gal Hirsch is the northern front battle commander.
This is about never again letting Hezbollah build up missiles and military that can attack up north, as far south as Haifa, and maybe even beyond.
Every shell that is fired, every barrage of their multiple-launch rocket systems is aimed at pushing Hezbollah back, to never again let them occupy positions right here on the border with southern Lebanon.
It is about creating a buffer zone. Indeed for Commander Hirsch and his men, this is do or die.
HIRSCH: We cannot fail. We don't have any other choice. We cannot live under this umbrella of terror missiles. And we will attack and attack and fight for our lives.
AMANPOUR (on camera): The commander of the northern operations up here says that they are right now in the first phase of this operation. But there are contingency plans for a possible phase two, and that could involve elements of some kind of ground operation inside Lebanon. He says there are additional brigades and divisions ready should the order come. And this whole offensive could last several more weeks.
Christiane Amanpour, CNN, with elements of the Galilee Division in northern Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOBBS: Christiane Amanpour now joins us live from the Israel/Lebanon border. Christiane, tonight, are the Israelis continuing their shelling through the evening? AMANPOUR: Yes, they are. We can hear them even as we speak. It's a continuous barrage of heavy artillery fire from these positions, and presumably elsewhere, they are continuing their air operations as well.
It's about -- apart from what we said -- dismantling component by component the Hezbollah military ability. Also, it's about deterrence and about their relationship, Israel's relationship with Hezbollah, Hamas, or the countries around here, and having to do what they are doing right now, they say, in order to make sure that they don't get threatened like this again.
DOBBS: And Christiane, the effectiveness of the Israeli artillery, are they receiving word on their success rate there?
AMANPOUR: Well, I asked that, and you know, there are conflicting things we get from various different Israeli sources. Some say it has had a tangible effect on diminishing the amount of Hezbollah rockets that are coming into Israel. Others won't be fully drawn. But everybody we ask say that they are not at the peak of this operation yet.
It's going to take still more time, and they talk about literally component by component, dismantling the military infrastructure that Hezbollah has, mindful of the fact that a lot of it is what they call small-signature targeting. In other words, it's mobile. It's small, in placement. It's not a huge, you know, formal military infrastructure. So they are having to go after it in a slightly less conventional way.
DOBBS: Thank you very much, Christiane. Christiane Amanpour from the Israel/Lebanon border. Be safe, Christiane.
Israeli aircraft have also been maintaining around-the-clock bombardment of targets in Lebanon. Lebanese officials say the Israeli strikes have now killed almost 200 people over the past week. Nic Robertson with a report from Beirut.
Nic, just how intense are these Israeli strikes in your judgment? How much damage are they causing?
ROBERTSON: Well, Lou, we can hear Israeli aircraft flying around overhead right now. We've heard them before at night. It doesn't appear as if they've dropped a lot of ordnance over Beirut. One station was reporting one strike on the southern side of the city.
At this time of night, we might have heard one or two loud explosions in Beirut. The preponderance of fire seems to be coming from those artillery positions Christiane was talking about into the south of Lebanon. There have been missiles fired from aircraft or bombs dropped from aircraft at other locations in the east of Lebanon and in the southern port city.
But as we went into -- went into the southern suburbs of Beirut today, with Hezbollah officials, they have made some of these areas off limits to journalists recently, but they took me right into a heavily bombed area.
One place we went to, that the Hezbollah official told me the Israelis have said they were bombing the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah's house, his headquarters. It was a huge hole, it looked as if a bunker-buster bomber had gone in there, because it was down, the bulling was completely collapsed, disappeared. There was a big hole, sort of two floors down in the ground.
But I've asked Hezbollah here, politicians today, I've said, is Israel degrading your military capability as they say they are? He told me, absolutely not. I said, do you have missiles that can reach Tel Aviv? He said, it is important for the Israelis to believe that we do. He wouldn't commit one way or the other.
They maintain a sort of secrecy about what they have, about their capabilities, and this seems to be part of their psychological game, their psychological warfare plan, if you will, to perhaps say more than they actually have. But they imply they can go a lot further right now, Lou.
DOBBS: Nic, thank you very much. Nic Robertson from Beirut. And Nic, again, be safe.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan today calling for the creation of a new international security force for southern Lebanon. Israel said it's too soon to discuss any such mission, and says Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon must be defeated first. Richard Roth reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If it's Tuesday, it must be Jerusalem for United Nations diplomats racing through the Middle East. After talks with Israel's foreign minister, both Lebanon and Israel have now been presented with what the intermediaries call concrete ideas on resolving the crisis.
TERJE ROED LARSEN, U.N. MIDEAST ENVOY: I think both parties agree that it is necessary, indeed, to have the political framework in order to reach eventually a cease-fire.
ROTH: To build on any short-term solution, U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan expanded in Brussels on his proposal for an intervening military force along the Israeli/Lebanon border. There is already a 2,000-man observer mission there now.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: They will have a different concept of operation, and hopefully a different mandate from the Security Council that will allow them to operate in the south and help stabilize the situation.
ROTH: The current U.N. mission uses binoculars more than guns. The assignment was called an interim force when it was established in 1978 to patrol after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon. It's called UNIFIL, and all it can do now is count Hezbollah rocket launches near their positions and duck from incoming Israeli assaults. MILOS STUGAR, UNIFIL SPOKESPERSON: It does not have enforcement powers. It depends on the mission and mandate given by the Security Council, and on the political will of the parties with which to cooperate.
ROTH: The European Union told Kofi Annan it was ready to offer troops for a new force.
JEAN MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: That we, as France, I would say -- I would say we think that it's an interesting idea.
ROTH: The United States is cautious.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: But I think it's cart before the horse to talk about deploying a force before we know what the overall military or political resolution of the question will be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: It will take some time to put together any new international force, and soldiers will have at least the 70-mile curving improvised Lebanon/Israeli border to start with -- Lou.
DOBBS: And, Richard, two years ago, the United Nations, its resolution requiring Hezbollah to disarm -- it obviously has not. And with that security force in southern Lebanon, the observer force, obviously not working well at all.
Richard, thank you very much. Richard Roth from the United Nations.
President Bush discussed this worsening Mideast conflict with congressional leaders today. The president demanded Syrian and Iran force Hezbollah to end its attacks on Israel. President Bush said Israel has every right to defend itself against the escalating attacks. Elaine Quijano is at the White House with the very latest for us -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And Lou, President Bush said pointedly today that he believes Syria is trying to get back into Lebanon. This more than a year after Lebanon's Cedar Revolution when Syria pulled tens of thousands of troops and security agents out of that country.
The president's comments came after a briefing with bipartisan congressional members on his G-8 trip. Mr. Bush said that the root cause of the current Middle East crisis is Hezbollah. He says the world must not only deal with that organization, but also with the group's backers, Iran and Syria. And the president also suggested Hezbollah's attacks might be a way for Syria to reassert its influence in Lebanon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Syria's trying to get back into Lebanon, it looks like to be. We passed the United Nations Resolution 1559, and, finally, this young democracy, or this democracy became whole by getting Syria out.
And there are suspicions that the instability created by the Hezbollah attacks will cause some in Lebanon to -- to invite Syria back in, and that would be -- that's -- it's against the United Nations policy and it's against the U.S. policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: And on the diplomatic front, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met here in Washington today with Egypt's foreign minister. She made clear that the United States believes that there should be a cease-fire in the Middle East, but only when conditions are, quote, "conducive to do so." The Bush administration believes that the underlying problem of terrorism must be dealt with first.
As for a trip to the region, Lou, Secretary Rice was very vague on a timeframe, saying only she would go when it was quote, "appropriate and necessary," Lou.
DOBBS: Thank you very much, Elaine Quijano from the White House.
We've just received reports of another explosion in Beirut. We're going to be, we are there now. You're looking at pictures from Lebanese television. A loud explosion. We'll be going to Nic Robertson for details as soon as we can. That coming up here in just a matter of moments.
We want to turn now to the poll question, which is, who do you believe is in the best position to bring a peaceful end to the crisis in the Middle East, the United Nations, the European union, the Arab league or the United States? Please cast your votes at LouDobbs.com. Your results coming up later in the broadcast.
Up next, new Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon. We'll have the very latest for you. Nic Robertson will be here. And we'll be reporting on the urgent airlift of Americans from Lebanon.
The United States faces new criticism tonight that it waited too long to begin this rescue operation. That report as well.
And is the United States doing all it can to stop Hezbollah from attacking Israel? We'll be joined by our panel of Mid-east experts here next. Stay with us.
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DOBBS: We've just heard from Nic Robertson in Beirut on the attacks, the Israeli airstrikes against Beirut today. Now within just moments these pictures you're looking at from Lebanese television of new strikes. Two strikes, just within the last two or three minutes. There goes the, there's the first, the first, the second explosion. Obviously a large-scale attack taking place there on the part of the Israeli forces. This a suburb, a southern suburb, of Beirut.
Nic Robertson is there. Nic, let's turn to you. Tell us what's happening. ROBERTSON: Well, Lou, it sounded as if there were two very large bunker-busting-type bombs that went off. And I would describe them as bunker-busting bombs, because there was a sort woomf (ph) and then a bang right after which. We've heard that over last night as well, where there's a sort of an initial impact and then a fraction of a second later a huge blast following that.
We heard two of those, perhaps separated by about 30 seconds here. That happened about five minutes or so ago. Shortly before that, we'd heard the aircraft flying overhead. Wasn't clear where they were going. It was the second time we'd heard the aircraft in half an hour, then those two blasts going off. They sounded to us as if they are going off in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which begin about two miles from where I am right now.
The area we were in before is about five, seven, or eight minutes drive from where we are. It is normally a densely populated area. A lot of the people in the areas, in those suburbs have moved out, are out of their homes or in shelters or collected in scores.
But these blasts here sound as if they were targeting perhaps where Israelis military planners thought people might be hiding in bunkers below the ground. And, again, I say that just because of the sound of the detonation, that it sort of had an impact and then a secondary very big explosion after that. Two of them, Lou.
DOBBS: With your experience, we'll take your judgment on that, and best guess. Nic, I notice, and I'm sure others do, that Beirut, a city obviously being attacked by Israeli fighter jets, and being bombed, a lot of lights are on in the city. Is that usually the case here? There?
ROBERTSON: They are coming and going. There are parts of the city where the lights are off. The electricity power here goes on and off in this particular area. Some of the buildings here have generators. Right now, this area seems to have the main city's supplies. Electricity, by and large, so far, hasn't been completely knocked off. The grid still seems to work. We have heard of one main generating system that has been taken out over the past couple of days.
But, these large explosions, you don't really know exactly what they are targeting. The electricity supplies or buildings or people hiding in basements. You don't know what they are targeting until, perhaps, the daylight hours. When we got a chance to look in the southern suburbs today at some of the damage, and it is very extensive. In some places, buildings, apartment buildings, four, five, six stories high, have been collapsed with the force of these blasts, Lou.
DOBBS: Nic, thank you very much. Nic Robertson reporting from Beirut.
When this crisis began, an estimated 25,000 Americans were in Lebanon. So far, very few of them have been evacuated. Amid rising criticism of the U.S. government's response, the Pentagon has hired at least two commercial passenger ships to accelerate the exodus. Today a firestorm erupted over a U.S. law that requires those Americans to pay for their own evacuation. Andrea Koppel has the report, Andrea.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lou, Democrats and even some Republicans just aren't buying the explanation that was offered today over at the White House and the State Department. In fact, in this letter, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joe Biden, wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying that, in fact, five years ago, in 2001, it was the State Department that specifically asked Congress to add a provision to the Foreign Policy Reauthorization Act, specifically asking for the reimbursement of travel funds.
Joe Biden wrote, "the law provides you the necessary flexibility not to seek reimbursement when it's not practicable. I believe the current crisis in Lebanon is such a case."
We saw as the day went on today, Lou, that the rhetoric was ramped up especially by Democrats who seized upon this issue, in particular using the K word, Katrina, comparing the United States' perceived slowness in responding to the Americans in dire need of getting out of Lebanon, comparing it to the slow reaction of the Bush administration after the Hurricane hit both Louisiana and Mississippi.
Now, in particular, we've heard from Senator Debbie Stabenow. She's a Democrat from Michigan. She's got tens of thousands of Arab- Americans in her state. She's introduced a bill calling for the Bush administration to waive the fees for anyone who can't pay for them. And we've also heard from a Republican, from John Sununu, who himself is a Lebanese-Americans, he said he called top State Department officials to the Hill today and asked them to waive those costs immediately. Here's what John Sununu said.
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SEN. JOHN SUNUNU (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Perhaps the State Department or the administration can find a way to minimize those costs, find a way to waive those costs. I think there are probably members of Congress, given the extraordinary nature of this situation, that would be willing to step forward with a resolution, with legislation, that might enable them to do that.
But, we're dealing with students at the American University of Beirut. We're dealing with American citizens that have had family in the region, been traveling to Lebanon for months or even years. This was completely unexpected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Now, other Republicans are also jumping on this bandwagon, Lou. Tonight, the Majority Leader John Boehner sent out a press release calling for the immediate evacuation of Americans and to waive the travel costs, Lou.
DOBBS: An idea that I would wager every American would suggest is the appropriate thing for the superpower to do. It shouldn't matter if they are Lebanese-American or Arab-American, every American citizen should be ought to be able to expect to get out of a country and be helped by his or her government in doing so. Andrea Koppel, thanks for being her. Thanks for the report.
A reminder now to vote in our poll, who do you believe is in the best position to bring a peaceful end to this crisis, the United Nations, the European Union, the Arab League or the United States? Cast your vote at LouDobbs.com, the results coming up in just a few minutes.
We're going to "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer, his broadcast coming up at the top of the hour here -- Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, very much, Lou.
Coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM," Americans desperate to leave a war zone in Lebanon. We're live in Beirut, where there are fresh Israeli airstrikes this hour.
We'll also take you to Cyprus where a ship carrying evacuees has just arrived.
Also, this isn't the first time Americans have had to make a mad dash to safety from Lebanon. Brian Todd will take us back to 1983, when hundreds of U.S. Marines died there, and we first heard the name Hezbollah.
And is there any hope for a diplomatic solution to the crisis? I'll speak with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. All that, Lou, coming up right at the top of the hour.
DOBBS: Looking forward to it, as always, Wolf, thank you.
Coming up next here, the very latest on tonight's Israeli airstrikes against southern Beirut, and an update on U.S. efforts to evacuate our citizens from Lebanon. Stay with us.
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DOBBS: Israel tonight launching new airstrikes against targets in southern Beirut. These airstrikes have taken place just within the past several minutes. We are now told that these explosions are taking place near Beirut International Airport, two massive explosions. We have no word, obviously, yet on the targets hit, nor any word on casualties.
The United States and other countries are stepping up their efforts to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon. We received word just a short time ago that a Greek warship carrying hundreds of evacuees from Lebanon has now arrived in Cyprus.
And now to assess the situation, I'm joined by three of the leading authorities on the Middle East. Here in New York, I'm joined in New York by Hooshang Amirahmadi, a professor of international relations at Rutgers University, the founder and president of the American Iranian Council; from Washington, Edward Luttwak, a senior fellow from the Center of Strategic and International Studies serving as a consultant for the Defense and State Departments; from Chicago, General David Grange, CNN's and our very own military analyst, and he's had firsthand experience leading U.S. troops in Lebanon and fighting against Hezbollah.
Let me turn first you to, if I may, Ed Luttwak. This situation has moved. Some are suggesting, disproportionately from the standpoint that Israel's striking Lebanon. Do you agree?
EDWARD LUTTWAK, SR. FELLOW, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC & INTL. STUDIES: Well, the Israelis are going down a target list. They are hitting some targets with artillery that you keep showing, airstrikes that you also show -- by the way, when the sky lights up like that, it must have been an ammunition depot they hit -- and with raids that mostly have not been announced or published. And they are not crossing into Lebanon. And, therefore, the process of going -- got down the target list is slow and noisy.
DOBBS: It is ...
LUTTWAK: It has not led, as you noted, to massive casualties. We are not seeing 1,000, 2,000 people being killed. We are seeing the casualties which are, of course, tragic, but, you know, they are actually less than it would be if it was a ground offensive, of course.
DOBBS: Professor Amirahmadi, do you take the same view?
HOOSHANG AMIRAHMADI, PRES. AMERICAN IRANIAN COUNCIL: Well, I don't. Obviously, Israelis have the right to self-defense, and the Hezbollah have done something seriously wrong, started this conflict, but I think what Israel is doing now is a little bit disproportionate as a response.
But, then again, I think perhaps the time has come for both sides to agree to a cease-fire, to exchange prisoners or whoever that they have taken, and go back to the normal process. I think this is there -- this is not the right way to do.
DOBBS: Dave Grange, you fought against the Hezbollah. Do you believe that the Israelis are even near completing their mission against them?
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I don't think so. And I believe that quietly we are very happy that they are doing what they are doing and they do pick it up. This is a war on terrorism. The Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, at least the militant arm is, and who -- if they don't take them on, who is? Who will disarm the Hezbollah? And, so, that's what's happening. And it's going to continue.
DOBBS: Ed Luttwak, Professor Amirahmadi also suggested some support for the idea for a peacekeeping force, a cease-fire here. Do you concur?
LUTTWAK: Lou, I'm afraid this is going to be a tremendous embarrassment to everybody but, you know, we -- last year, the United States followed France, followed the leadership of France, to get the Syrians out of Lebanon.
DOBBS: Right.
LUTTWAK: The theory of that was that the Lebanese Christians, the Sunnis, the Druses would get together with some of the Shia in order to build a national government with real power and, of course, they would disarm Hezbollah as per the same resolution. So that was the theory of it.
Well, I think we all have to be grownups and accept the fact that the theory didn't work. There is no Lebanon politically. There is no Lebanese state. And, therefore, we have to sort of apologize and tell -- outside of Syria, come back all is forgiven, because we have only two alternatives now.
One is to allow the Israelis to go down the target list and the general correctly says that in a way it's a struggle for all of us, because Hezbollah killed Americans before it ever killed any Israelis. Killed many Americans before they killed the first Israeli, so we might do that. Let them go down the target list, for which they might need days, weeks.
The alternative is to recognize that there is no Lebanon and to ask the Syrians to come back, because -- on condition that they disarm Hezbollah and force Hezbollah to be a political party, which is good enough for them, should be good enough ...
DOBBS: Is -- Professor Amirahmadi, is what -- Ed Luttwak suggesting is that -- what are your thoughts?
AMIRAHMADI: Well, I think, yes, a group within Hezbollah is terrorist. And I'm for the dismantling their infrastructure, disarming them, and the U.N. 1559 has to be implemented. I think at the time what we need to do is get really America and Iran together on this.
The only country that has influence over Israel is the U.S., and the only country that has influence over Hezbollah is, actually, is Iran, effectively. If we could bring them together, you will be doing it.
DOBBS: General Dave Grange, the United States, your experience in fighting Hezbollah, the Israelis say they want to dismantle the infrastructure -- in this case, that's an ambiguous word -- of Hezbollah, and they want to kill as many Hezbollah as possible. Is that -- give us your assessment of that approach.
GRANGE: Well, first of all, you can't do it from 1,500 feet in artillery fire. It will set conditions, but the only thing to take down terrorist organizations is to do it face to face, and you're going to have to do it with people on the ground, regrettably, and it'll cause casualties, but it's the moral domain when you fight terrorists, and you have to take them on on the ground.
DOBBS: David Grange, Ed Luttwak, Hooshang Amirahmadi, we thank you very much for being here.
AMIRAHMADI: Thank you for having me.
DOBBS: The results of our poll tonight, 34 percent of the you say the United Nations is in the best position to end this crisis, 13 percent the European Union, 37 percent the Arab League, 16 percent the United States.
We thank you for being with us tonight. Please join us here tomorrow. For all of us, thanks for watching. Good night from New York. "THE SITUATION ROOM" begins right now with Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.
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