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Ehud Olmert Orders Army to Prepare for Broader War; U.N. Security Council Vote Could be Imminent on Middle East Conflict; Homegrown Terrorism

Aired August 11, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: An ominous development in the Middle East as the Israeli prime minister orders troops to expand the ground offensive in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, diplomats appear to be on the verge of a resolution aimed at ending hostilities at the United Nations.

And, on high alert. The British public is still on edge as investigators uncover new details about a terror plot to blow up airliners bound for the United States.

Hello and welcome.

I'm Fionnuala Sweeney, reporting from Haifa, in Israel.

Those are just some of the stories we're following this hour in our report broadcast around the globe.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, we're following two major stories this hour.

On a day many expected a possible solution to the Middle East crisis at the United Nations, Israel's prime minister orders his army to prepare for a wider war.

Also, new details emerging about the suspects in British custody accused of plotting to blow up planes in midair. We now have some names and ages, as well as more signs of a Pakistani connection.

We begin, though, with major news out of this country. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is ordering a broader ground offensive in Lebanon, reportedly dissatisfied with the draft cease-fire plan circulating at the United Nations.

Well, Richard Roth will pick up the story from the United Nations.

But first, let's go right to Paula Hancocks, who's standing by in Jerusalem -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fionnuala.

Well, that's right, Israel has given the green light for this broader ground offensive to begin. Now, this was something that was agreed in the security cabinet just a few days ago, but it just waited for the final approval from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the defense minister, Amir Peretz.

Now, according to agencies, they spent four hours in meetings this Friday to decide whether or not to approve this broader ground offensive, and they have decided to give it the green light. Now, we understand that it's because they are unhappy with certain wording in this draft resolution that's being hammered out at the moment.

Now, just earlier Friday, we had heard from U.K. and U.S. ambassadors that agreement on this wording was getting very close and there could even have been a vote this Friday. But we understand that Israel is not happy with a couple of the clauses, the one clause which deals with when exactly Israeli troops would withdraw and when a U.N. group would be put in its place, or when a multinational force would be put in its place, allowing the Israeli forces to withdraw.

Now, the main worry for Israel is if that if there is a gap between the two, then it would give Hezbollah a chance to rearm and reposition itself. And also, we understand that Israel wanted the resolution to spell out exactly how an embargo would stop Hezbollah from being rearmed during any period in which Israeli troops were withdrawing as well. And we understand that, also, the immediate release of the two Israeli soldiers who were kidnapped back in Israel on July the 12th, which actually sparked the conflict, is an issue as well.

So, at this point, we understand that Israel has approved an expanded ground offensive which could go as far as 30 kilometers, 18 miles, north of the Lebanese-Israeli border, up to the Litani River. So we're expecting to see that under way very soon -- Fionnuala.

SWEENEY: And Paula, how much is domestic politics playing into this as well? Because, you know, leading journalists beginning to call for Ehud Olmert's resignation if he accepts this U.N. resolution, and also the opinion polls beginning to show quite a downturn in support for Ehud Olmert and just how he's prosecuted this war over the last four weeks or more.

HANCOCKS: Well, interestingly, this Friday, we have seen polls which have shown the support for the war itself is still holding strong, although it has slipped slightly. But support for the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has definitely slipped, saying he has not dealt with this situation at all well. So, inevitably, this will play into what Ehud Olmert is thinking.

There are also those who are saying perhaps this could just be playing for time as well, as we have heard from military source, that the military would like another couple of weeks at least to be able to degrade Hezbollah's military capability as much as possible. They still believe that Hezbollah is a threat on the northern Israeli border, as we have been seeing as these rockets still continue to fall in northern Israel.

So, certainly, domestic pressure will be playing a part. But, also, Ehud Olmert will be listening to international opinion, he will be listening especially to what the United States has been saying. We understand that the Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, did speak to Condoleezza Rice a little earlier, saying that acceptance of this resolution was not necessarily definite -- Fionnuala.

SWEENEY: All right. Paula Hancocks, reporting from Jerusalem.

From me in Haifa, let's go now to my colleague, Hala Gorani, who's in Beirut -- Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: All right. Thanks, Fionnuala.

Well, as things appear to be taking a turn for the worst, a deal to end the hostilities at the U.N. could still be within hours, we understand.

Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, is standing by with more on that.

Richard, will this be viewed as a way for Israel to put pressure on negotiators or will it be viewed as a major setback?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: They know there's pressure on them. They're feeling it from everyone. And each country, though, still wants to defend its positions.

They still have to sell any resolution to Lebanon and Israel. Diplomats have described it as a Rubik's Cube, where unlocking the parts and then there's a problem the minute you turn one of the pieces, trying to get the timing and sequence under way.

Secretary of State Rice is currently meeting with Secretary- General Kofi Annan of the U.N. This is Rice walking by moments ago on her way to the meeting. She does say to reporters, "We're working for a vote today." That's what she's saying there.

Earlier, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton on expectations...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: I've been right every time, too, and I'll be right again this morning when I say we're getting closer. And I have every aspiration to vote this afternoon, assuming, of course, all the members of the council are willing to waive the 24- hour rule.

We are not yet at agreement, but we are very close. And if you'll excuse me, I now need to go explain that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The 24-hour rule deals with U.N. procedure on when a resolution is ready to officially be voted on.

John Bolton has worked out a resolution that he thought he had last weekend with the French ambassador, and then there were all kinds of changes. Lebanon sending troops in. Israel ready for a ground offensive.

Here's what France said this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMB. TO U.N.: Every morning since this cris started you ask me, "Mr. Ambassador, are you close?" The answer is, yes, we are close. Yes, the answer is we are close.

And every morning, you ask me, "Are we going to have a text?" The answer is, yes, I think we are going to have a text.

And the third question is, "Are we going to have a text today?" My answer is, it's likely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Seeing war is very easy to understand. Unraveling the diplomacy that might end a war, much more complicated. There are very technical terms which are significant to all of the parties.

The lone Arab country on the Security Council, Qatar, talked to reporters. He said that one of the main stumbling blocks remains a part of the United Nations charter known as Chapter 7, which would give U.N. peacekeepers an aggressive, expanded role, possibly to use force when, under this resolution, they would be required to be in southern Lebanon, along with government troops, while Israel leaves.

And that is still of concern, that rules of engagement policy still concerns Lebanon. That's why this resolution hasn't been totally accepted yet by that country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, there was concern about using Chapter 7 and what's going to happen to Shebaa if they agree. I think it seems there's new language now. I'm sure in two or three hours we will see, as I told you, another text.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: And to throw it into the stew further, Shebaa is the other contentious area of this resolution. The infamous Shebaa Farms, disputed territory that is still being worked out as to who will truly be in legal hands at that property at the foot of the Golan Heights.

Back to you -- Hala.

GORANI: All right. Richard Roth at the U.N.

Thanks so much.

Well, even as fighting remains intense across the Lebanese territory and northern Israel, there were also diplomatic discussions right here in Beirut.

Our Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler joins me now with more on that -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Hala.

I've just returned from the prime ministry building here, and I can tell you the diplomatic activity behind those closed doors is reportedly at fever pitch.

Now, special envoy to the United States David Welch here yet again. The third time in about a week. He's been meeting with Fouad Siniora, the Lebanese prime minister, as well as the key Hezbollah negotiator in all this, the speaker of the parliament, Nabih Beri.

Now, I understand the latest negotiations really, as Richard was saying there, focus on Chapter 6 or Chapter 7 language for the rules that would surround the deployment of an international stabilization force here. But I can tell you, according to my political sources close to the discussions, that already some 14,000 troops from various contributors, including France and, likely, Turkey, have already signed up to the idea of coming to Lebanon.

But even before that were to happen, if there is a vote at the United Nations Security Council in New York, then there could be an even faster deployment of perhaps 2,000 troops in south Lebanon primarily, perhaps coming out from the port city of Tyre, to try to hand in hand with the Lebanese army take over positions, providing Israel were to withdraw from those positions in a coordinated, but complicated and possible dangerous move.

Now, I just came back having spoken to Saad Hariri, who's the leader of the parliamentary majority here. He's been traveling the Middle East and Europe as the deliberations continue at the Security Council. He says he's cautiously optimistic that a vote can take place very soon and it will lead to positive results.

This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAAD HARIRI, LEBANESE PARLIAMENT MEMBER: I think if you look four days ago where we were and where we are today, we -- I think we are very close to a final -- final status tonight.

SADLER: So the beginning of the end of the war, do you think?

HARIRI: I think so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: So, a diplomatic solution hangs over the bloody battlefields of south Lebanon, and that's a place where we saw some movement from the Lebanese army today around the important position of Marjayoun. That's where Israeli troops punched against and partly took control of that area.

Lebanese troops escorted out of that very dangerous position between Hezbollah and Israeli military actions by the United Nations peacekeepers in south Lebanon. But perhaps if this plan is voted on by the United Nations Security Council and passes, perhaps heavy fighting, firing of Katyusha rockets into Israel by Hezbollah, and heavy bombing raids against targets in Beirut and throughout Lebanon might stop, but only if there's diplomatic agreement, and only if both Israel and Hezbollah give the green light -- Hala.

GORANI: All right. Our Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler there with the latest on the diplomatic front.

Also, on the military front, just to bring you up to date, also on other developments across Lebanon, Israeli warplanes have -- have again pounded targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Leaflets listing the names of supposedly dead Hezbollah fighters were dropped across the embattled city.

Israel says Hezbollah fired 81 more rockets into northern Israel today, wounding at least 10 people. Overnight, Israel struck a bridge near the Syrian border, killing at least 11 civilians.

All right. We're going to take a short break here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

When we come back, more on that thwarted terrorist plot in the U.K.

Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Let's turn now to the airline terrorist plot that some investigators say could have been on the scale of 9/11. We'll be going live to London's Heathrow airport in a bit.

But Britain once again is confronting the possibility of homegrown terrorism, as it's called.

Let's bring in our Kelli Arena. She's standing by live in Atlanta with more on what we know -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Hala, you're exactly right. This does look like yet another attack on British soil that was perpetrated -- or was going to be perpetrated by people who grew up there, homegrown terrorism, as you said, which is a threat not only in Britain, but around the world.

It actually, though -- Britain did get some help from the Muslim community this time. It turns out that it was someone from within the Muslim community that had some serious doubts about an acquaintance and thought that this person was acting very strange.

It was right after last summer's attacks in London -- went to authorities, and it turns out that yes, indeed, there was this alleged plot that was being hatched. And so, that was a good thing, shows that there is some -- you know, some cooperation and some awareness at least on the part of the public.

GORANI: Oh -- Kelli. OK. I thought we were going to some sort of sound bite.

ARENA: Oh, I'm sorry.

GORANI: Now, tell me, what was significant about this investigation? That's OK. What was significant about this investigation, versus other investigations that you've reported on?

ARENA: Well, I mean, obviously, it's a worldwide investigation, and it's very much still going on. There are some serious connections to Pakistan, Hala. You've got -- which raises the question of, is this al Qaeda related?

In the first place, U.S. officials have told us that there were two suspects, parts of this alleged group that went to Pakistan to meet with an alleged al Qaeda operative. We are also told by officials that there was money wired from Pakistan back to Britain.

So lots of -- lots of connections building up between the two. We saw that last time around last summer. As well, there are also some martyr tapes, we're told, which were found from two of the suspects.

As you know, terrorists often put together a tape that is to be aired after a suicide attack. The last time when London was attacked, we saw some of those show up on the Internet, hosted by al Qaeda. So this is spanning across the globe, even back here to the U.S.

GORANI: And I was going to ask you about that. What leads are being pursued in the U.S.? The targets, after all, were U.S.-owned airlines.

ARENA: Well, that's right. Well, there were some phone calls, we're told by U.S. officials, that were made by the suspects recently to the United States.

I'm told that there were a couple of hundred FBI agents assigned to this investigation. They ran down those leads. So far, they've come up empty.

There have been -- there's been a big sharp in the number of secret FISA warrants that have been issued. As you know, those are search warrants and wiretapping warrants that are issued in terrorism investigations.

Lots of activity going on here in the U.S., but up until now -- and I've checked with basically every quarter here involved in that investigation -- it does not look like there is anybody in the United States that had anything to do with devising this alleged plot. Again, you know, early days, this investigation remains ongoing.

GORANI: All right. Kelli Arena, reporting live from Atlanta.

Thanks very much. A quick break here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan in CNN Center in Atlanta.

More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes.

First, let's check on stories making headlines here in the U.S.

Here is what we know right now about the alleged airline terror plot.

British officials have named 19 of 24 suspects who are in custody. The men age in range -- they range in age from 17 to 35 and have names common in Pakistan.

Evidence of an al Qaeda connection may be growing. That word from government officials in the U.S. and Great Britain. They tell CNN two of the suspects may have met with a suspected al Qaeda operative in Pakistan.

Airlines here in the U.S. remain on high alert today. President Bush's homeland security adviser says it is safe to fly, even as the search continues for additional suspects in the plot to blow up the U.S.-bound airliners.

National Guard troops are helping with airport security in California, New York and Massachusetts. And passengers face a second security check for those newly-banned liquids and gels. The added security is adding to frustrations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought I was heading for Hawaii. I was supposed to leave here at 10:05. And they're sending me to Newark because there's a five-hour delay. And I'll miss my connecting flight. So I'm sitting here waiting for a taxi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Frustrations. Flight delays are expected for the next few days.

The Associated Press reports that two college students from Dearborn, Michigan, are being held in Ohio on terrorism-related charges. Police say the men bought hundreds of cell phones, had airplane passenger lists, even details about airport security checkpoints. The two were charged with money laundering and providing support for acts of terrorism. Friends and family say the Arab- American men are victims of racial profiling.

Take a look at this huge Delta plane. No match for just a little bit of mud.

The jet got stuck in rain-soaked ground just off the runway in Jackson, Mississippi's airport. Despite its might, the plane could not get out. More than 200 passengers were stranded for several hours before catching a ride on another plane.

Let's check in on the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Now in custody, six of 11 Egyptian exchange students. They failed to show up for their college program in Montana. Authorities picked up one at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

Officials say the student tried to exchange an invalid ticket for a flight to Montana. Still unknown, the whereabouts of five more exchange students. None of the students is expected of terrorist activities.

A devastating fire in southern Missouri. Police say flames tore through a house in the town of Steele, Missouri. Five children were killed. They ranged in age from 1 to 7. Police say all were in upstairs bedrooms. Three adults were also hurt.

A minister's wife charged with killing her husband could soon be free. On bond, that is. Mary Winkler's lawyers are trying to arrange a new bond deal so she can be released from a Tennessee jail today.

It won't be cheap. Bail is set at $750,000. A judge rejected an initial bond arrangement yesterday.

Winkler is charged with fatally shooting her husband Matthew nearly five months ago. That happened in the church parsonage.

And we want to join CNN International in progress right now.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... need to seek the high ground. There are two key areas. One further to the west, near Bint Jbeil, which has very much been in the news. The other is right here in this valley that I'm standing on top of.

That's Marjayoun. It is key terrain. This is considered by one U.N. (INAUDIBLE) I spoke to be the gateway to Hezbollah's Bekaa Valley. It also gives the Israelis a dominant position to oversee the border region.

This is a piece of terrain that the Israelis occupied for 18 years. They want it back again. And Hezbollah is not giving it up easily.

We have heard from multiple sources, U.N., Lebanese military, and Hezbollah, that a number of Israeli tanks were destroyed in the first battle. That's why with those heavy losses we're told the Israelis had to pull back to the Lebanese army barracks, knowing Hezbollah would not attack that Lebanese army facility.

GORANI: All right, Michael. As we watch that convoy there drive past you, civilians, as well as Lebanese army personnel, we understand the military aspect now. What about the humanitarian angle? What is the situation of these people who are fleeing Marjayoun and driving further north?

WARE: Well, the only thing on their mind right now is getting out of the free fire zone. As I said, the bombs are still falling. Only a very narrow portal has been opened by the Israeli Defense Forces.

In fact, this convoy has been delayed repeatedly throughout the day, waiting for the bombings to cease. And at one point, they had to stop to decide which route they took, the bombing was becoming so intense.

All these people want to do is get out. They have been under siege. They have been living on this, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting here in southern Lebanon along the border. It's very difficult to imagine just how tough this battle has been.

The Israelis attacked it with full force, and Hezbollah was there to meet them with anti-tank rockets, which, as I said, we are being told, destroyed an unknown number of the Israeli armor. So this has been a particularly intense engagement. These people have been more or less cut off, and right now the Israeli fighter jets are continuing to isolate the scene, closing the doorway behind this convoy, trying further to cut off the Hezbollah fighters and other fighters who have taken up arms to join them, hoping that they cannot be replenished or re-supply.

So these people have been in a desperate situation.

GORANI: All right. Michael Ware, in the thick of it there. Driving behind him, a military convoy, a U.N.-controlled convoy, allowing some Lebanese army personnel and civilians to leave the Marjayoun -- the town of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, a strategically important town But the humanitarian situation there, as Michael was mentioning there, dire for some of the people who have been cut off for the rest of the country for some weeks now.

We're going to take a short break here on YOUR WORLD TODAY. Do stay with us. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Becky Anderson at Heathrow Airport in London.

(NEWSBREAK)

ANDERSON: As Britain's investigators begin to take a look at the devils in the detail, Britain takes stock of some who have been born and live very close to those in the U.K.

Robin Oakley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After the drama, the detail. As the world digested the horror of a foiled air- terrorism plot that authorities say could have caused more deaths than 9/11, British police continued the painstaking search for evidence.

The interior minister confirmed that 24 suspects, who can be held for 28 days without charge, had been arrested. Most are young Muslims.

The British treasury, he revealed, have frozen the bank accounts of 19 of them in an effort to aid investigations.

But what of U.S. reports that five suspects are still at large?

JOHN REID, BRITISH HOME SECY.: The police, the security service think that we have apprehended the main suspects, but this is an ongoing operation. We are not in the list bit complacent. We will go where any further evidence takes us.

OAKLEY: Dr. Reed wouldn't say whether explosive components had yet been found, but he did confirm Pakistan -- where there had also been arrests -- had aided the investigation.

REID: This was an operation conducted largely in the United Kingdom and driven from here. But of course like many other such operations, it has an international dimension. We are very grateful for all the help and cooperation we have received from our international partners, including Pakistan.

OAKLEY: Seeking to keep life as normal as possible, British ministers acknowledge the problems.

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER, BRITISH TRANSPORT SECY.: Standing firm in the face of terrorism involves us all. Sometimes, as in yesterday, it means staying calm at the end of a very long check-in queue.

OAKLEY: But how soon, travelers want to know, will there be any relaxation in the tough new restrictions. Public safety comes first, they were told. But acknowledging that people needed to be free to travel, ministers said they'd discuss the right balance with airlines and airports.

ALEXANDER: We need to be able to come up with a regime which not only addresses the threat and reflects the nature of that threat, which not only encompasses the science and technology, but is capable of functioning in an environment as pressurized and busy as somewhere like London's Heathrow.

OAKLEY: And how safe are things now?

ALEXANDER: If we did not believe aircraft were safe, we would not let them fly.

OAKLEY: But again, the balancing factor.

REID: I don't think Douglas or I have ever said to anybody that we can give 100 percent guarantee that terrorists will never get through.

OAKLEY: Travelers are, however, finding movement just that little bit easier. The chief executive at London's Heathrow said life was slowly returning to normal. But he warned passengers, still, to come early, and come prepared.

TONY DOUGLAS, CEO, HEATHROW AIRPORT: This means arriving with no hand luggage, bringing those items allowed into the cabin in a clear plastic bag, being prepared for delays.

OAKLEY: Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Robin Oakley reporting there. While some of these who have been arrested, it seems many, if not all, of those who were arrested are British Muslims, the tipoff for their arrests may have come from within their own community. Let's get some reaction from Britain's Muslim community now.

Let's go to (INAUDIBLE) in east London, where Jason Carroll is standing by.

Jason, what do we know?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm standing actually in front of Wahid Zamin's (ph) home. You can see behind there is still police stationed out in front, still a number of the media here as well.

He's one of 13 suspects from east London now in custody. And most of the suspects, like him, are of Pakistani descent.

And we've been in the community through the day, much of the day, trying to get a sense of exactly how people feel about exactly what's happened. And it's interesting, most of the people we spoke to, Becky, tell me they don't believe in this terrorist plot. They say it may be some sort of government attempt to draw attention away from what's happening in the Middle East.

We also got a great deal of sense of anger, a sense of distrust, and a sense of concern from people, especially the Pakistani community, that from now on everyone here is going to be seen as terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check my passport! Check my underpants! Check what you want! (INAUDIBLE) to do that! You can't go around mucking around in people's houses, smashing their doors down, you know, causing friction, upsetting people's families! It's not right. It's not right.

CARROLL (on camera): Do most of you not believe what has happened in terms of the arrests off this block...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you believe?

CARROLL: well, I'm try to find out; I'm trying to learn. What do you believe?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seriously, I'm asking you, do you believe what's happening? You answer the question, do you believe what's happening, From a non-Muslim perspective?

CARROLL: From a non-Muslim perspective.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent until proven guilty. The thing is, right, they'll name all the people, they'll name that we caught them. And then three weeks later, you'll find out they're all innocent, and yet we get a bad name. It's about reputation as well. Twenty-one people, they'll mention their name; suddenly every Muslim in the community is, you know, assumed guilty as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: That's just a small sampling of what happened when we saw a group of people out here in the community.

The last gentleman you heard from there actually knows two of the suspects. His name is Ali. He told me he knows Ibrahim Savant (ph). He says that this is the man who converted to Islam just a few years ago. He played football with him, soccer in the U.S.

He also said he also knows Wahid Zamin (ph), who again lives here. He says he went to school with him. He said the two of them studied biochemistry together, and he said it's very difficult for him to believe that these two men in any way could have been involved, because, he says, In terms of what he knows of them, Becky, he says they only spoke of peace, they spoke of Islam, but only spoke of peace. He says he's going to have to see a lot more facts, and he's going to have to see some proof -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Jason Carroll there, gauging reaction in the Muslim community in east London, where, as we said, many of those who have been arrested have come, may not have lived there all their lives, but certainly were living when those raids were made early on Thursday morning British time.

Well, we'll have more on our continuing coverage of this foiled terrorist plot in the U.K.

Let's, though, move on to the Middle East, where there have been some significant developments this Friday.

Fionnuala Sweeney standing by in Haifa, in Israel -- Fionnuala.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, thanks, indeed. Yes, indeed, there have been some developments here in the Middle East. We'll come to those shortly. But for the moment, we want to stay with this story in Britain because of its significant.

One British intelligence official saying the plot first came to light after last year's July 7th terror bombings in London thanks to a tipoff from Britain's Muslim community.

Well, with reaction from that community to the event of the last 48 hours, we're joined by Dr. Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, the leader of the Muslim parliament of Great Britain.

Thank you very much for joining us.

GHAYASUDDIN SIDDIQUI, MUSLIM PARLIAMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN: Thank you.

SWEENEY: Given the spotlight that is once again on the British- Muslim community, how can it withstand the pressure? And how would you describe the British Muslim community as a whole now?

SIDDIQUI: The Muslim community is equally shocked and concerned when this news came. But, of course, as you have heard from young Muslims, everybody is worried and concerned whether they have any evidence, or they are now having arrested these men, they're looking for the evidence. And I think having seen what happened in past, on a number of other occasions, when people were arrested and no evidence was found, this has created a credibility gap.

People tend to -- not to believe the intelligence services, and this is adding to their alienation. I think this is something is what is worrying the community elders. They want to make sure that these actions have been carried out, based on some solid evidence, and evidence which can stand in court of law.

SWEENEY: There are those who say the moderate Muslim community is caught between a rock and hard place, at the same time concerned about these arrests, but also worried that the police will do the right thing. Is there a trust of the police? Do Muslims generally in Britain trust the police authorities in Britain to do what they regard as the right thing?

SIDDIQUI: No, no, of course this is the responsibility of the police, that if they have evidence, to take appropriate action, of course. But I think we also -- now only a couple of days ago -- the highest police officer, Muslim police officer, Mr. Bafood (ph), was saying how in his view anti-terror laws have been disproportionately used against Muslim, and this is what's alienating, making young people angry and frustrated. I mean, when we talk to them, of course they say, of course, we are British, but we are still treated as puckies (ph).

So I think these are the worries of the ordinary Muslim in this country. They think that if there are evidence, then of course it was right and fair that the government should take action, but they want to make sure that the evidence they have is credible. SWEENEY: Terry Guffaw (ph) is Britain's highest-ranking Muslim police officer, said this week that he is concerned that the new anti- terrorism laws that have been put into effect in Britain discriminate against Muslims and, in his words, run a real risk of criminalizing ethnic minorities. Is that a view which you would concur?

SIDDIQUI: Well, this is what the perception of the Muslim community is. They want to make sure that they are treated equally. And once this happens, then of course it's right and fair that you expect them to behave in a responsible way. I mean, as I have said, they say this is only a one-way traffic. They expect everything from us, good behavior, everything, but they do not treat us as equal citizens. And when the laws are applied, they're applied disproportionately against us. So I think we have to make sure this alienation is taken care of because it is in nobody's interest.

And I believe that the main problem in Muslim communities is social exclusion, marginalization, and which is of course creating condition for everything else. I think this is the core problem. I think somehow the government have to take note of it and do something significant and substantial.

SWEENEY: Dr. Siddiqui in London, thank you very much indeed for joining us .

We will have more after the break. And of course the latest developments from here in the Middle East. Significant developments this evening. The announcement by Ehud Olmert that he will order the ground offensive to begin in Lebanon.

Stay with us for that.

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GORANI: Welcome back. I'm Hala Gorani in Beirut.

Well, with food running low, the situation is becoming more desperate by the hour for some residents of southern Lebanon still stranded there.

Our Ben Wedeman has been in that part of the country almost since the conflict began. A little bit earlier, he filed this report.

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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sack by sack, workers move relief supplies from the International Red Cross across the Litani River into Southern Lebanon.

After repeated Israeli airstrikes, this is the only way for people and goods to get into the south.

But moving supplies in is easy compared to actually delivering them to those most in need. The trunk of Pierre Arone's (ph) car is full of food and medicine, including insulin. For a month, he's been driving back and forth between Beirut and Romash (ph), a Christian town on the border with Israel, ferrying supplies to his family.

But now, he says, the roads are just too dangerous, while life in Romash goes from bad to worse.

"People are drinking dirty water from a local well," Pierre tells me. "They're all getting sick."

Pierre's predicament is shared by almost everyone in the area.

(on camera): Tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians are stranded throughout the southern part of the country. Local and international relief groups would like to deliver vitally need supplies, if only they were allowed.

(voice-over): The warehouse of the International Committee of the Red Cross has supplies ready to go, but they can't go anywhere. The Red Cross won't move unless it gets the green light from Israel. Most of the time, the light is red.

ROLAND HUGUENIN-BENJAMIN, INTL. COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: We get only a very small percentage of all requests answered. We place like up to 10 requests a day and we had one answer in the past seven days.

WEDEMAN: Outside the Tyre office of the Lebanese Red Cross, blood-stained stretchers dry in the sun. This all-volunteer group doesn't wait for a green light to move. Several volunteers have been wounded in Israeli airstrikes.

"We're moving about, thanks to one thing," says Tyre Red Cross director Sami Yazbak, "the symbol of the Red Cross." It's all about mobility. Unable to deliver his supplies to his family, Pierre gives away some to a man who has even more trouble getting around.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Tyre, South Lebanon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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SWEENEY: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East. I'm Fionnuala Sweeney in Haifa, Israel.

The news in Israel within the last hour, the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announcing that the ground offensive, an expanded ground offensive, into Lebanon will begin. They have been waiting for a U.N. resolution to end this crisis, but Israel saying now that it has significant reservations about the wording of the U.N. draft resolution and that this has been communicating to Washington.

So in the meantime, Ehud Olmert, who's also lagging now in the polls, after more than four weeks of this conflict, has announced that a ground offensive will begin, a wider, expanded ground offensive in Lebanon.

Well, of course, meanwhile, the rockets have been continuing to fall across northern Israel, more than 80 rockets falling this day. A mother and her son, both Israeli-Arab, killed in a village when the rockets struck where they were earlier in the day in western Galilee. Now, this after Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, warned Israeli Arabs in Haifa to leave the city.

And it's all contributing to a mass exodus from northern Israel to elsewhere in the country, as Paula Hancocks reports.

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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Andraous Hadda is an Israeli Arab. He was determined to stay in his Haifa home. He and his family refused to move through four weeks of rockets.

But no matter what his personal feelings towards Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah chief, he is taking him at his word when he warns Israeli Arabs, leave Haifa. Rockets had started to hit too close to his house.

ANDRAOUS HADDA, HAIFA RESIDENT: Just 50 meters, and I believe that there's more like this in my roof because I heard them when they just came down.

HANCOCKS: As the Hadda family prepares to leave, two more sirens sound. The children run to the shelter nearby. A few seconds later, the parents say it's too late to make it there. The road is too exposed. Hadda counts the number of rockets. He can even tell us where they've landed.

One last meal in the house he has lived in for 23 years. He's going to his brother's house near Bethlehem in the Palestinian- controlled West Bank. Ironically, it's safer there.

HADDA: It's actually -- it sounds very weird, because most of the time when the West Bank was headed by Israeli and we were calling them to come over or to have a shelter, and now they are doing the, you know, opposite. They are asking us to come to them to have the safe place.

HANCOCKS: The Hadda family, just one of many families fleeing Haifa.

(on camera): Police estimate that almost half of the civilians killed by rockets in this conflict have been Israeli Arabs. One was killed instantly when a missile struck this Arab neighborhood in Haifa just a few days ago. Many of the neighbors here say there are not enough bomb shelters in the Arab areas, and also many Arab villages further north don't even have air raid sirens to warn them of incoming rockets.

(voice-over): Many Arabs have not left the north of Israel, either for financial reasons, or a belief they would not be targeted. But according to one Arab member of Parliament, there's another reason for high Arab casualties.

DR. JAMAL ZAHALKA, ARAB MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: The Israeli authorities located military officials near the Arab villages, especially artillery which is bombing Lebanon and there is a retaliation from Lebanon, so we demand them to move these facilities from the civilian areas of Arab villages.

HANCOCKS: After Nasrallah's warning Wednesday night for Israeli Arabs to leave Haifa, the exodus south Thursday has not just been Arab.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Haifa, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: That brings us to the close of our programming for now. Our special coverage of the crisis in the Middle East on an evening here in Israel, when the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announces that there will be a ground offensive expanded into Lebanon. We'll keep you posted on that. In the meantime, in Haifa, I'm Fionnuala Sweeney.

GORANI: And in Beirut, Lebanon, I'm Hala Gorani. Do stay with CNN, a lot more of our coverage after the break.

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