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American Morning
Crisis in the Middle East; Rabies Scare
Aired August 07, 2006 - 07:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien this week.
New explosions this morning around the city of Tyre. That's in Southern Lebanon. Israeli artillery pounding suspected Hezbollah positions south and east of the coastal city. Israel also hitting areas near Sidon, about 25 miles north of Tyre. Seven Lebanese killed in strikes there. Israel has been targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers. Those rockets devastating parts of northern Israel. This is video of one of those rockets hitting Haifa, Israel. Three people were killed when several Katyushas hit the city. Twelve soldiers were killed in rocket attacks in another part of northern Israel. And 15 dead overall makes it the most deadly day for Israel during the 27-day conflict.
Let's get more on the deaths of those 12 Israeli soldiers. CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us live from northern Israel.
Matthew, good morning.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony. There have been more Israeli soldier deaths over the course of the past several hours as well. In fierce fighting that's taking place just across the border in Southern Lebanon, around the town of Bint Jbeil, which you may remember, there's been clashes there for the past several weeks. Israel at one point said it was in control of that town, but apparently guerrilla fighters of Hezbollah are still in there. They've been fighting with Israeli soldiers. At least one Israeli soldier has been killed, a number of Hezbollah fighters reported killed as well. Four Israeli soldiers injured, as well as other injuries across that part of Southern Lebanon, as Israel faces really tough battles against Hezbollah strongholds.
All this after that deadliest day so far for Israel in this conflict with Hezbollah. You mentioned that three people were killed in Haifa, with a rocket attack there. Also, a rocket had a direct hit on a military staging post just a short distance from where I'm standing right now, close to the Lebanese border, with devastating consequences.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE (voice-over): The deadliest attack on Israel in its war with Hezbollah. Here, the scorched aftermath of the rocket attack that killed at least 12 Israeli soldiers before they even got to the battlefield. They were reservists on standby in northern Israel. The rest of their paratrooper battalion had already left for Lebanon.
GIDEON GILADI, ISRAELI RESCUE WORKER: We have a small fire group who came right after the falling of the Katyusha missiles here. We came to help distinguish the fire, and I saw everything. I came about five minutes later. What we saw is horrible, horrible.
CHANCE: There were many injured, here being evacuated. According to witnesses, a barrage of rockets had rained down on their position near the Lebanese border. Israeli officials say the missiles are unguided, and it was a random strike. No less painful, though.
But the big concern now is what will be the consequences of this latest attack. Israel's guns unleashed a new barrage on Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon. This will continue, officials say, as will ground operations.
CAPT. GUY SPIGELMAN, IDF SPOKESMAN: We're going to be going on until the political echelon tells us to go on. But until we remove the threat from the people in the north of Israel. We're making good progress.
CHANCE: But many Israelis, frustrated with that progress so far, want more. The flames of conflict already burning in this region could so easily spread.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Israel is very clear, it's forces will stay on the ground or in control of the areas it's so far captured until such time as a multinational force is agreed, Tony, and deployed to replace them.
HARRIS: Matthew Chance for us from northern Israel. Matthew, thank you -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Arab League ministers holding an emergency meeting right now in Beirut. They're their to show their support for Lebanon, and also to discuss the proposed United Nations cease-fire resolution.
Let's get right to Anthony Mills. He is in Beirut for us.
Hey, Anthony, good morning.
ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Yes, the meeting in this capital, in the capital of Beirut, of Arab foreign ministers, comes against the backdrop of continued bombardment. Lebanese citizens here in the capital awoke again this morning to the sound, again, of resounding explosions echoing across this city. The target again, the southern suburbs, the Hezbollah stronghold, pounded repeatedly throughout the course of this crisis, but a lot of damage there. Meanwhile, these Arab ministers have been arriving here. Just a while ago, a convoy sped past us here, where we're standing, amid very tight security indeed.
But behind me, the road has been shut off. This entire downtown area has been closed off to vehicles. They don't want a repeat of the violent demonstration that was held here where I'm speaking to you, from just about a week or so ago, when the images came out of dead people being pulled from the rubble of a building housing refugees that had been bombed in south Lebanon. So they don't want a repeat of that. Very strong security on the streets, security forces, army, armored-personnel carriers.
And, meanwhile, the meeting -- well, we've had criticism across the board really, from Arab officials, both Lebanese, Syrian, and the secretary general of the Arab League, saying that the resolution in its current form is unfair to Lebanon for a variety of reasons, but mainly because it doesn't demand an immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon.
O'BRIEN: Anthony Mills for us this morning. Anthony, thanks.
Let's continue on that theme. The U.N. draft resolution, in fact, which is aimed, of course, at ending the Mideast fighting, could come to a vote likely tomorrow. Lebanon and other parts of the Arab world would like changes.
Let's get right to Mohammed El-Harake. He is Lebanon's consul general here in the U.S.
Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.
MOHAMMED EL-HARAKE, CONSUL GENERAL OF LEBANON: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Just a moment ago, Anthony was telling us about this meeting of Arab leaders, saying that they think this draft proposal is unfair to Lebanon, and one of the changes that they'd like to see is the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops. What other changes would you like to see in this draft proposal? Lebanon clearly is unhappy with it.
EL-HARAKE: We would like a cease-fire, an imminent cease-fire. When you have people drowning in the river, you don't discuss how to build a fence or what is the cause of the accident before saving the people in the river under the pretext that they might jump again in the river. That's the really meaning of a cease-fire right now.
We have one million people displaced. Israel is calling every day on whole cities to create. Sidon is almost more than 150,000. This morning, Al Hazira Kalaiti (ph), 50,000 people, they have been asked also to evacuate. So it can not continue like that. Where do they go? Lebanon is a small country, 10,450 square kilometers area only.
O'BRIEN: But the draft does call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, or Hezbollah would have to stop all attacks, and Israel would have to stop the offensive attacks.
EL-HARAKE: yes, but when you talk about cessation of hostilities, you talk about keeping the occupation, and when there is occupation, there is resistance. So we go back to square zero, and when there is resistance, there is fight. So we don't want a new resolution that doesn't bring about a solution. We don't want a resolution that adds the number of unimplemented of UNSC resolutions.
O'BRIEN: How surprised were Lebanese leaders in seeing this draft proposal? Some of the things I've read almost made it sound like some of the leaders of Lebanon seemed a little shocked by what was finally on paper.
EL-HARAKE: I hope I will not shock you, because always we feel that the USA always associates itself with the interests of Israel. So it gives a lot of attention to the Israeli interests, and scarce attention to the interests of Lebanon.
By the way, the USA and Israel keep saying, we like Lebanon, we love Lebanon; there is a kind of infatuation with Lebanon. This is the first time in history that there is a declared statement of love, and at the same time we witness killing a whole society, a whole country, displacement of one million people, a third of the population of Lebanon.
O'BRIEN: Well, speaking of exactly that, people say then take what's on the table and stop, get the cessation of hostilities. When you have in excess of 700 people, many civilians, who have been killed, isn't it better just to stop the hostilities, and Lebanon should be on board with this?
EL-HARAKE: I feel there is a contradiction between what Mrs. Condoleezza Rice is saying. She wants a sustainable cease-fire. This draft resolution is for a sustainable war, sustainable problems. Yes, if you want a sustainable cease-fire, we can not accept cessation of hostilities, keeping the occupation of south Lebanon, because we went through that already. Israel occupied Lebanon six times. For 58 years, Israel has been through wars. Why not trying something new? I mean, what they are talking about, the birth of the new Middle East. We are not witnessing a baby crying. We are witnessing a baby dying. So we see people lamenting, not rejoicing. So at least let us try a new method by (INAUDIBLE).
O'BRIEN: Israel would say, first of all, we're not going to withdraw our troops until some peacekeepers keep in, which isn't until the second phase of this proposed draft so far, No. 1. They'd also say, Lebanon has proven they can't control Hezbollah in the south.
EL-HARAKE: Let me tell you something. If they want to replace multinational force by the Israelis, it will be a replacement of war by war.
O'BRIEN: What do you mean by that? You mean if they bring in peacekeepers...
EL-HARAKE: Yes, if they come under chapter seven, not under chapter six of the U.N. charter, they will be a fighting force, so the fight will continue, because we have already an occupied land in Lebanon.
You should strengthen the Lebanese government by talking about everything, about exchange of detainees, about many things that are included in the Lebanese government plan.
O'BRIEN: So you think any foreign force that comes in which is a peacekeeping force, they would be charged with fighting Hezbollah and protecting essentially Israel?
EL-HARAKE: Israel has tried for 27 days to control Hezbollah. Now they are saying, they are asking the Lebanese government to control Hezbollah. They say that they are mingled with civilians. And at the same time, they say they are a fierce fighting force. They should make up their mind.
O'BRIEN: Why are those things contradictory? Why can't you be a fierce fighting force that disguises yourself within civilian population?
EL-HARAKE: No, no, because if you have prepared yourself well, as they have claimed, if you have dug in tunnels, if you are fierce fighters, you don't need to be a coward hiding behind civilians.
And secondly, what are the results on the ground? One-thousand civilians killed so far and 50 fighters of Hezbollah killed. Suppose that Israel is right, they destroyed 70,000 apartments. If the theory of Israel is true, if in each apartment there is one fighter of Hezbollah, and they have their smart bombs, they are very smart in targeting targets, why not having (ph) 70,000 Hezbollah fighters dead already?
O'BRIEN: Quick final question for you. If the U.N. says this is a draft, everyone has signed off on it, will Lebanon go along with it or no?
EL-HARAKE: There will be discussion today. We are not against it. We are discussing it. We are protecting our interests, and we are working hard for a better solution that will attain real peace in the region.
O'BRIEN: If you don't get that, if the draft that we see today is what is brought forward, would Lebanon sign off on it?
EL-HARAKE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Mohammed El-Harake, nice to see you. Thank you for coming and talking with us this morning. We always like to have to you.
EL-HARAKE: Thank you very much.
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT) O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, a big health scare at a camp site for Girl Scouts. How were almost a thousand girls potentially exposed to rabies? We'll tell you.
HARRIS: And later, embattled cyclist Floyd Landis joins us live. Hear what he has to say after a second positive test for doping. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Big scare for Girl Scouts who attended a summer camp in Northern Virginia. Nearly 1,000 girls may have been exposed to rabies.
AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has got this story.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Potentially scary stuff for a parent.
O'BRIEN: Yes, right. You don't think about that.
CHO: That's right. You know, there is some good news about this, though. Health officials say only about one percent of bats carry rabies, but once the symptoms appear, the disease is incurable. That's precisely why Girl Scouts who attended this camp are being urged to get vaccinated. Officials say, better safe than sorry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): As nearly 200 Girl Scouts arrived for the summer's final session at Camp Potomac Woods in Virginia, the camp was under a bat alert. Loudoun County health officials say nearly 1,000 girls who already attended the camp this summer may have been exposed to rabies from bats in their cabins, and 16 have been advised to get a month-long series of protective vaccinations.
DR. DAVID GOODFRIEND, LOUDOUN COUNTY. HEALTH DEPT.: The concern is that if a girl had gone to sleep at night, and particularly if she was a heavy sleeper, and was not under mosquito netting and there was a bat in the shelter, in theory, that bat may have come in contact with the girl while she was sleeping and she wouldn't have remembered it.
CHO: Officials are also concerned the girls may have touched one of the bats and not washed their hands.
LYDIA SOTO-HAIMON, GIRL SCOUTS COUNCIL: Clearly, that you know, we try to teach safety at all times to our girls, and we will not, you know, that's not a practice that we have had, and I think all the girls that have been involved have been notified and are being counseled appropriately.
CHO: But county health officials say there's a small chance any of the girls, some as young as seven years old, were infected by the bats.
SOTO-HAIMON: As you can see, it's tight screening.
CHO: Girl Scout leaders, meanwhile, are reinforcing cabins with extra netting and resuming camp business as usual.
SOTO-HAIMON: We have 186 campers that have come for the last week of resident camp. We have had some phone calls from parents about their children coming to camp, but we have a full house.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: So far, only 14 of the girls have started getting the shots and most of the parents have decided against it. Incidentally, tests on five bats came back negative for rabies, and health officials, Soledad, say the risk of getting the disease is extremely small, rather. They say they can't say there's no risk, but extremely small.
O'BRIEN: And those shots are painful. I remember how...
CHO: Yes, they can be, you know. They need to take six to nine shots. These girls are being pretty good about it, we hear, but the shots cost $2,000, and the...
O'BRIEN: Who's picking up the tab for that?
CHO: The Girl Scouts are picking up the tab.
O'BRIEN: Yes, painful and expensive. That's a bad combination. Alina, thanks -- Tony.
HARRIS: And up next, Andy's "Minding Your Business."
Good morning, Andy.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Tony.
Has Bono become a capitalist tool? And if you're thinking about going to Disney World, you'd better dig a little bit deeper. We'll explain, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, we're going to take a look at the top stories. It comes right after this short break. Stay with us.
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