Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

U.N. Security Council Meeting to Draft Resolution; Israeli Defense Forces Press Conference; Missiles Launching in and out of Tyre; Missiles Striking Haifa; Arye Mekel Interview; Tour de France Winner Floyd Landis Fails Second Drug Test; No Public Appearances by Fidel or Raul Castro

Aired August 05, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Our coverage of the crisis in the Middle East begins right now. Here's what we know. A major diplomatic development at the United Nations; France and the United States have agreed on a draft resolution aimed at ending the fighting. It still has to pass the full U.N. Security Council. The council meets several hours from now.

The fighting rages on meantime. A key target, the Lebanese port city of Tyre as Israeli warplanes strike more targeting, Israeli commandos clash with Hezbollah fighters on the ground there.

In northern Israel, more Hezbollah rockets rain done on Haifa and Kiryat Shmona. Rockets also struck a village in the Galilee region killing three people.

We're expecting a news conference by the Israeli Defense Forces this hour. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

And Breaking news this hours, the U.N. Security Council is getting its first look at a draft resolution to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. The United States and France came to an agreement about two hours ago. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton says they are preparing to work over the weekend. Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, is on the phone right now.

Oh, and there he is live, not on the phone, sorry about that, Richard. All right, they're expected to continue to look over this draft resolution throughout the day before there's a meeting at about 3:00 Eastern Time?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, these video phones are really good quality. Fredricka, the Security Council in about three hours will get the agreed upon resolution that France and the United States have now worked out. Ambassador John Bolton of the United States talked to reporters after the latest round of discussions with the French, here in New York.

That's John Bolton that we were about to hear, but he told reporters, we have an agreement and he's going to be showing it to the other members of the Security Council. They already have it in their capitals. This agreement opens the door, according to the diplomats, for potential solution diplomatically, to the conflict in the Middle East.

But it still has to be seen how all the parties, Israel, Lebanon, Hezbollah, respect the agreement. This resolution that would still are to be adopted, after what the French and the United States have worked out, that vote could be in the next few days, Condoleezza Rice and other foreign ministers -- or foreign secretaries would be here in attendance.

Key points that may are papered over and solved some of the differences between France and U.S., this resolution, according to the terminology, calls for a cessation of hostilities. That was one of the key sticking points, the exact wording: "calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks in the immediate cessation of Israel of all offensive military operations."

And according to the resolution, if adopted, it would be the existing U.N. peacekeeping force there that had been already monitoring developments, but not exactly responsible for peace enforcement. That organization known as UNIFIL, they would monitor whether all the parties are living up to this agreement -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Richard, why is it so important, say some, that France has come out along with the U.S. to agree on this draft resolution? What's the relationship that France may have with this region of the country -- of the world?

ROTH: France has much deeper and closer, and at this moment, more credibility with the Arab world than the United States does. France has historical ties in Lebanon. France has been working with the United States for the last several years very closely on the Lebanese situation, passing resolutions, fighting together, Paris and Washington, for resolutions to get Syrian forces and Syrian intelligence agents out of Lebanon, all in a bid to support the fledgling new Lebanese government.

That's been an overall aim of the Bush administration, one of the key areas they've held up discussion here on, they don't want an immediate cease-fire that just holds for a day. The Bush administration has been saying consistently they want something that would make deep inroads into changing the environment there, support the Lebanese government, disarm Hezbollah, unlike the other Security Council resolution of a few years ago which was never really enforced.

WHITFIELD: Richard Roth, live at the U.N., thanks so much.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: All right. I want to take you straight to the press conference of the Israeli Defense Forces.

BRIG. GEN. NOAM FEIG, DEPUTY CMDR. ISRAEL NAVY (through translator): The force reached the area clandestinely as part of our abilities to reach the that area and it prepared to operate around this target. It is a four-story building. In each of the entrances there are 16 apartments, and the forces prepared to attack in three circles, as I explained earlier.

There is the outer circle, which secures the entire area, there is a closer circle which secures the area around the building, and there is the force that infiltrates the building itself.

After laying out the forces in the area and deciding upon the precise tactic at the force attacks, the Hezbollah forces within the building. In fighting within the apartment where the Hezbollah forces were hiding, four terrorists were killed. They were part of the launching cell.

As they entered the apartment, one fighter was hurt and an additional fighter was hurt later on. Both of them were treated by the medical forces in the area, commanded by the medical officer, surgery was performed in the area and in the course of combat, the fighters retreated as part of the planning at 0500. All in all was an hour and 45 minutes of fighting.

In the course of the fighting, particularly within the apartment, six additional soldiers were lightly wounded in the confrontation, primarily because of shrapnel and these are superficial wounds. The two earlier men injured earlier are in stable condition and their condition has in fact improved and I'd like to take this opportunity to wish them a speedy recovery.

Following this confrontation, aerial forces were also launched. They produced the necessary security for the infantry. I'd like to commend the cooperation and full coordination between the two forces. Which were capable of assisting one another, optimally, in withdrawing from the point of operations and allowing the helicopters to enter, the force came up against armed terrorists who opened fire against us, short range, and our soldiers killed them. Five additional terrorists were thus killed.

I'd like to show you a film which depicts our arrival at the target and then I will sum up. What you see here is the movement of our fighters, of our soldiers, they are approaching the house and preparing in order to surround the house and to prepare to enter it. You see our soldiers, the ones at the front, the first three in the upper right-hand corner, here you see them approaching the target. You see one of the gates through which they entered as they moved in on the target.

Their entry can be detected in the lower part of the picture. You see them moving along the building and in a moment, you will see them enter it. The set-up at the entrance to the building and the movement inwards is within a residential, an ordinary residential neighborhood. All in all, the combat begins here, you see it beginning within the apartment, grenades were thrown, short range fire was fired and our soldiers killed the four terrorists.

Later, the soldiers converge as a single unit and realign, take care of the wounded, perform an operation as I described earlier, a surgery, and later withdraw by helicopter.

To sum up, I'd like to say the following -- various naval forces took part, aided by intelligence forces and the air force. This was commanded by the naval commander and achieved its full goals. The very process of having such operations within enemy territory and attacking operational forces is significant strategically beyond the combat against the particular target.

The combatant demonstrated specially admirable solidarity and military acumen and skill. The cooperation between the navy and the other forces was optimal and allowed us to perform a complex operation. The navy will operate wherever necessary in order to prevent rockets being launched towards Israeli civilians. So much for my briefing. Any Q&A?

QUESTION: Could you tell us more about the flotilla?

FEIG: These are senior officers. You are now asking about the launchers. The launchers are long-range launchers, the same unit that launched rockets against Hadera were in Tyre, they are part of the same force.

QUESTION: When such an operation is performed, right after the rocket launching, to what extent can you say it was planned in advance and to what extent is it based on intelligence that has been compiled over the recent weeks? Could you say that the same unit actually performed other operations in recent weeks?

FEIG: Well, first of all, the flotilla has been operating throughout, throughout this war in various operations. It has taken part in several raids. I cannot go into detail at this point.

This particular operation was prepared very thoroughly by the fighters commanded by the commander of the flotilla. The forces and the commander chosen for this particular operation were handpicked for battle within a built-up area, a residential area, where some of the people in the surroundings are civilians.

QUESTION: Were some of the people reservists in the flotilla?

FEIG: Yes. Some of the fighters and some of the officers were, in fact, reservists. I could even tell you that one of the people wounded is a reservist and one of the commanders who led the force into the apartment is a reserves officer.

QUESTION: Was this operation planned in advance or did you prepare it because of the shooting yesterday?

FEIG: This operation was planned as part of an ongoing process based on intelligence and our knowledge of the terrain and our preparations to ward off various attacks. It was carried out yesterday in response to the shooting from Hadera and it was planned in such a way that it could be performed very quickly.

QUESTION: It involved great risk. Could such an operation have been performed with less of a risk?

FEIG: In a civilian area where children, the answer in my opinion, is there's no avoiding that risk. Thank you very much. WHITFIELD: Well, just as we're hearing the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, explain how in Tyre, they used the naval commandos, intelligence, and Israeli air force to take out a five-story apartment building in Tyre, claiming the lives of what they say to be at least four Hezbollah fighters, as well as civilians. Now we're also hearing this breaking information out of Hezbollah that they will cease-fire when Israel assaults stop. And the Israeli soldiers leave Lebanon.

All of this coming just a couple of hours after the U.S. and France agree on a draft U.N. resolution to end the conflict, the full U.N. Security Council is to meet later on today behind closed doors at 3:00 p.m. And of course we're continuing to watch all of these moving parts throughout the day.

Meantime, Tyre, Lebanon continues to be the target of the Israeli assault. Our Ben Wedeman is there.

And Ben, we're hearing from the Israeli naval commandos or leader of the naval command, talk about how they were able to execute this assault on this five-story apartment building by use of grenades, by use of helicopters, et cetera, claiming that many Hezbollah fighters were killed, but talk to me about the casualties.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we understand from the Israeli army is that they killed seven Hezbollah members and these men were involved, apparently, in the planning and execution of these long-range rocket attacks on Israel, specifically on the city of Hadera, which is north of Tel Aviv.

Now, of course the Israelis sustained casualties as well, eight wounded, two of them apparently seriously wounded. And of course, we heard all of this as it was going on. It began very early in the morning. I was woken about 3:30 by intense air activity, both helicopters and low-flying Israeli war planes, they were bombing targets around this city, on the outskirts, basically.

And so it was obviously, it was a very big operation that went on. As far as we could tell about three hours, if you include the air cover and possibly the softening up of targets before these commandos actually hit the ground -- Betty -- Fredericka. I'm sorry.

WHITFIELD: Fredricka, that's OK. All right, well if there were Hezbollah fighters that -- whose lives have been claimed in this, also the Israeli Defense Forces are indicating there were some civilians killed as well. Do you understand or know any of the circumstances of that?

WEDEMAN: We understand four civilians were killed in addition to one Lebanese army soldier, the Lebanese army was also involved in the fighting at the northern edge of the town, one of their armored personnel carriers was hit. Now subsequent to this attack just a few hours later, two men were killed by a rocket fired from apparently one of these unmanned drones.

They were riding on a motorcycle and of course motorcycles is one way that Hezbollah moves around the town quickly, getting around obstacles and things like big holes in the roads that have been created by Israeli bombs over the last 25 days -- Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ben Wedeman, thanks so much from Tyre, Lebanon.

Well, it is day 25 of the Middle East crisis and bloody clashes in Tyre, Lebanon are just the beginning. In Israel, rockets rain on Haifa, Western Galilee, and Kiryat Shmona. We begin our coverage in Southern Lebanon with John Roberts. He's traveling with Israeli troops and he reports that fierce fighting is underway and has been all morning.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of fighting going on in the vicinity of where I'm embedded with an Israeli reserve group. We can hear tank fire outgoing, the mortar fire, as well. The group I'm with call themselves the "Tank Hunters."

We came in on foot last night. It's an infantry unit walking for about seven hours deep into Lebanese territory, deep into the heart of where all the action is. It's a very dangerous area, a number of Israeli soldiers have been killed in this general area in the last few days, three in an area not too far from where I am right now.

The goal of these "Tank Hunters" is not to go out and kill tanks because the only people that have tanks right now are the Israelis. What they are tasked with is going out, finding out the Hezbollah fighters, trying to neutralize them and also get a handle on these Katyusha rockets that are still being fired. While the ones that are hitting Haifa are being fired from the area of Tyre, according to the Israeli Defense Forces.

There are many more going into central towns and ones eastern along the border. It's believed they are being fired from this area of Southern Lebanon and so this group is going to go out very soon and start looking for those Hezbollah fighters, looking for those Katyusha rocket launchers, trying to neutralize them.

The here goal is to hold as much territory as quickly as possible so that they can get a buffer zone established in hopes that that international peacekeeping force or international stabilization force is going to come in -- you can hear a tank firing just there in the background.

There is not a whole lot of trust here for this two-part resolution at the United Nations. The Israelis have seen what UNIFIL can and cannot do. And it's mostly cannot do since 1978. That's the U.N. force that's been in Southern Lebanon.

And so an expansion of that force really isn't really very satisfactory to them. They will need to pull out if this resolution is adopted, but it could be that once the resolution is adopted and the U.N. force starts to expand -- we've got a rocket coming in here. We got a rocket coming in -- and it seems to have passed overhead thankfully.

WHITFIELD: Goodness. Are you all right, John? ROBERTS: But what I was about to -- that was one of those Katyusha rockets flying right over our heads, ostensibly, presumably aimed toward northern Israel. Everybody in the unit that I'm with took cover. Oh, but what as I was saying, it was likely Israel would have to sort of drag it -- I don't want to say drag its feet, but would have a slow withdrawal from this area if this expanded United Nations force comes in because they do not trust the United Nations. They want this large, some 15,000 members, it's being talked about, the international force to come in here, that's when they would fully withdraw.

WHITFIELD: John Roberts there reporting from southern Lebanon as he's embed with Israeli Defense Forces just as Katyusha rockets were flying overhead.

Now, just across the border, our Fionnuala Sweeney is in Haifa, Israel.

And Fionnuala, a few things, the idea of, just recently, having a press conference kind of justifying their strike on a building in Tyre which they said was a Hezbollah launching operations site. And then secondly, is there any kind of reaction coming out of Israel about this agreement between the U.S. and France on this draft U.N. resolution?

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: None so far, Fredericka. Officials being very tight lipped about it. We were talking earlier to some officials here in Haifa who had come from Jerusalem and they refused to discuss it even off the record because they want to make sure that they're -- what they're saying is with one voice and they want to make sure that any that comes out -- any statement or reaction will come from Jerusalem and the United Nations itself.

Here in Haifa, it's been a rather busy day when it comes to the rockets that have been flying over Lebanon into this country. More than 170 rockets, Fredericka, falling across northern Israel, three people dead, one seriously wounded, and several lightly wounded, an indication that despite the hammering that the Israeli military has given Hezbollah, that they are still capable of firing rockets.

And of course much criticism of Israel in parts of the world for what is happening in Lebanon and destruction there. Earlier I spoke with Avi Pazner, he's a government spokesman for the Israeli government and he knew where the blame lay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVI PAZNER, ISRAELI GOVT. SPOKESMAN: I think the people of Lebanon understand very well that the man who has caused this destruction and these deaths is Nasrallah who has caused the destruction of Lebanon and now is running away from the south.

I think that deep inside, they know that. They know that Israel has nothing, not against Lebanon, not against the people of Lebanon, we don't want to conquer, we don't want to occupy, we just want the Hezbollah out of our sight. (END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: Well, also Israel bracing for longer range rockets. Last night, three rockets hit Hadera, which is just south of Haifa, here, Fredricka, it's just 40 kilometers north of Tel Aviv, and no one was injured. But that has always been the fear that Hezbollah are going to launch longer range rockets towards Tel Aviv and if that happens that will be a serious escalation of this conflict -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fionnuala Sweeney, thanks so much from Haifa.

And we have much more ahead this hour on the escalating crisis in the Middle East. After the break I'll be joined by the consul general for Israel, plus the man now in charge of Cuba, but just where is Raul Castro? Why hasn't he made a public appearance since taking over for his ill brother, Fidel Castro?

And a positive test is not what Floyd Landis wanted, but that's what he got. What's next for the Tour de France champ? That story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The fighting in the Middle East involves words as well as weapons as both sides seek to win the battle for world public opinion. Last hour, we heard from a senior advisor to the Lebanese prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMAD CHATAH, ADVISER TO LEBANESE P.M.: The prime minister clearly has disagreements, political disagreements, with Hezbollah. This country was undergoing a serious debate before the war started regarding Hezbollah. No, there is no unanimity, there's no consensus on Hezbollah remaining in our group.

Actually we have in our constitution a provision that says no, there will be no more armed groups. Of course the problems that Lebanon has with Israel and the south including territorial problems, prisoners, over flights and problems like these have been used to have the conflict continue for years and years and years. We are saying no more armed groups on Lebanese soil.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well try to bet the other side. With me now Arye Mekel, the consul general for Israel in New York.

Good to see you.

ARYE MEKEL, ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL: Thank you, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: What did you say about that response? No armed troops on Lebanese soil, period? MEKEL: Well, if he -- by armed troops we means Hezbollah, we are fully in agreement. This is exactly what the government of Lebanon was supposed to do six years ago when we left Lebanon. If now they are reaching this realization, then this war was worthwhile.

WHITFIELD: The U.S. and France agreeing on a U.N. draft resolution, Hezbollah already speaking out saying as long as Israel is in Lebanon, they will keep fighting. What are the conditions that that Israel is setting?

MEKEL: We have made it clear all along. We know how this war is supposed to end. By the time it's over, Hezbollah cannot be anywhere near the Israeli border, they have to be disarmed, they cannot have the capability of sending missiles or rockets towards Israel and our hostages have to be freed, the Israeli kidnapped soldiers. These are our conditions and this is what the U.N. resolution will have to reflect.

WHITFIELD: Will Israel be happy with these multinational forces in Southern Lebanon as a replacement?

MEKEL: We have said that we will agree to that, but we want real soldiers, the prime minister said, not retirees, soldiers that will actually fight if Hezbollah tries to return to southern Lebanon, but yes, we agree to that.

WHITFIELD: What do you mean by that? How do you set those conditions?

MEKEL: Well, if these are to be real soldiers from European countries and perhaps some other countries that have a vested interest in Iran and the Shiites not taking over Lebanon. And if Hezbollah will try to come back to the south, these soldiers will have to stop it by weapons. This is what soldiers do.

WHITFIELD: What's the kind of timetable that you think is reasonable here?

MEKEL: So far, we have set no timetable, we said all along, we'll continue to fight until Israel is safe. But we'll see how the U.N. progresses. If the resolution meets our demands I think we may see some light at the end of the tunnel, but for now, we are continuing to fight until Israel will be safe.

WHITFIELD: Well, what's your understanding of the draft resolution? What if anything, is, you know, your government willing to say about what it likes or doesn't like about this draft resolution now being looked over, poured over through the rest of the U.N. Security Council.

MEKEL: I haven't seen the draft resolution, but I used to represent Israel at the U.N., and I know one thing, that there's always a big difference between the initial, the first draft and the final resolution, so a lot will still happen before we will see a final resolution here. WHITFIELD: Talk to me about your country's concerns about the latest strike of Hezbollah hitting as far deep into Israel as yet, but the strike in Hadera, just about 25 miles away from Tel Aviv. Is it your feeling that Nasrallah is living up to -- or threatening to live up to the promise of hitting Tel Aviv as long as this conflict continues?

MEKEL: He's desperate. He's trying to do whatever he can to try and gain some credibility in the world or in Lebanon. But let's make no mistake, by the time this is over, Hezbollah will be destroyed. Israel will not be defeated by a bunch of terrorists, and the resolution here will be very clear, very decisive without any question.

WHITFIELD: But with this latest strike in Hadera, is it your feeling now that perhaps that strike or the threat of a strike of Tel Aviv is that much more plausible? Isn't it certainly possible they have the weapons in which to do so, to reach Tel Aviv?

MEKEL: They are trying to use whatever they have, whatever the Iranians gave them and they have in their arsenal. But, again, let nobody be mistaken. Israel is strong, mighty, resolute. Our citizens are strong. Hezbollah will be destroyed. And if we have to, it will be house by house, terrorist by terrorist, missile by missile.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arye Mekel, the consul general for Israel in New York, thanks so much for your time.

MEKEL: Thank you, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Another story coming up. Rocking the sports world, the second test result of a Tour de France champ is out. It's not good for him, and it's not good for the sport. What is Floyd Landis saying now? That story next.

And he's been in power for a few days now and yet no one has seen him, at least publicly. Where is Raul Castro? we go in search of, straight ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now in the news, Israel unleashes more deadly airstrikes in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry says one of the attacks killed a Palestinian woman and her two children, and a Palestinian militant.

Israel's military offensive in Lebanon is still sparking protests. This was the scene earlier today in London. Protestors called for an immediate cease-fire.

In Iraq, no signs of let-up of the violence there. In Baghdad, an Iraqi police officer was shot to death this morning. Nine bullet- riddled bodies were also found across the Iraqi capital. and in Baquba, a roadside bomb exploded near a market and a bus station, wounding at least nine people. In Arizona, two men are being held without bond after their arrests in a serial shooter case. Police say they're believed to be responsible for killing six people and wounding 18 others. The shootings terrorized Phoenix for more than a year.

And former Senator John Glenn and his wife are recovering from a traffic accident. Police in Columbus, Ohio, say the couple suffered minor injuries when their car collided with another car last night. They were taken to a Columbus hospital. At last word, they were said to be in fair condition.

And all that testosterone? Tour de France winner Floyd Landis fails a second drug test. His title is on the table, but Landis' lawyer says they plan on proving he never took anything illegal.

Our Will Selva has been following this story, and this is just outrageous, not just in the sports community but just everywhere because you have to wonder why, if indeed he did take these synthetic testosterone doses, then why in the world would you risk everything knowing these tests come immediately after winning a leg?

WILL SELVA, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: That's the $64,000 question.

WHITFIELD: I don't get it.

SELVA: I think everybody is asking that, and we just have to remind people that this is going to be a lengthy process. We're not just going to get an answer.

WHITFIELD: It's not a done deal.

SELVA: It's not a done deal already, and it's going to be take a long time before we finally get a resolution to all of this, Fred. Floyd Landis did expect to hear that his backup B sample would come back positive.

And with that said, as we mentioned, it will be a long time before we find out what Landis' fate will be. One of his lawyers thinks the decision won't come until December of this year or January of next year.

Now, after his stirring stage 17 comeback, Landis submitted a urine sample revealing an 11:1 ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, well above the four to one limit allowed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The B sample confirms the findings of the test. The samples contain synthetic testosterone indicating that it came from an outside source.

Now the International Cycling Union will refer the case to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The USADA will gather evidence while Landis prepares a defense. If he's found guilty, he faces a two-year ban and will be the first Tour de France winner in its 103-year history to have his title stripped.

The title will then go to the runner up, Spain's Oscar Pereiro, but even after the ruling, Landis can still appeal the decision. Landis' Swiss-based team, Phonak, says it will not help Landis in his fight to keep his Tour de France crown, and has already fired him.

He's denied taking performance enhancing drugs and says his testosterone level is naturally high. He continues to maintain his innocence and in a statement released this morning Landis said, quote, "I will fight these charges with the same determination and intensity that I bring to my training and racing. It is now my goal to clear my name and restore what I worked so hard to achieve."

Now that the B sample came back positive, Landis' lawyer says he'll enlist experts to examine Landis and the testing procedures. To put it in perspective now, Fred, how long this process could take, it was year-and-a-half before a final ruling was made in the doping case of fellow American cyclist Tyler Hamilton, so when we say this process is going to take a long time, you take the example of Hamilton, it a took a year-and-a-half.

WHITFIELD: Well, that's remarkable because, OK, even if Landis -- sorry about that. We've got some breaking news taking place right now, Will.

So let's just now take some live pictures right now. I don't really have a clear understanding of what we've got going here, but in Kiryat Shmona, these Katyusha rockets -- as we were reporting earlier today, that had been a target location -- and now we're seeing new remnants of Katyusha rockets hitting that town.

You're looking at live pictures coming now of Israeli television. And of course, when we get you more information about what kind of casualties that may be resulting from these rockets hitting this town, we'll be able to bring those to you. But those are the latest pictures.

All right, Will, hopefully we're going got get a chance to talk about this some more because this, too, is a very explosive topic about Floyd Landis and disappointing on so many levels.

SELVA: I know. I can even tell in your face, your intonation too.

WHITFIELD: I know. I want to talk some more about it, but I'm so sorry to have to cut you off, but we've got that breaking news. We're going to -- oh, wait a minute. Now I'm getting the green light. We can continue talking. I like that.

SELVA: OK, we can talk.

WHITFIELD: OK, because now this is what I'm wondering. I don't want to write off Floyd Landis, but if the Spaniard, Periero, gets a chance to then, you know, get the yellow jersey ...

SELVA: Right.

WHITFIELD: ...we're talking about a year nearly of lost time -- we're talking December or January ... SELVA: Right, December, January.

WHITFIELD: ...that he didn't get a chance to enjoy being on the podium ...

SELVA: I know.

WHITFIELD: ...the victory, and what it feels like to be the winner, to wear the yellow jersey.

SELVA: I know, and the other thing you have to remember is there have been various reasons for why there was unusually high levels of testosterone that have been offered up: dehydration, alcohol, perhaps, because he did drink before his stage 17.

WHITFIELD: And medically and scientifically, does that sound legitimate? Really?

SELVA: Well, again, it's one of those things that's going to be examined in this case, right. Then there was also the thyroid medication that he's taking, and there's also cortisone injections that he was taking for his debilitating hip injury.

Now, those two defenses, his doctor has said, that's highly unlikely that it was because of the cortisone shot to his debilitating hip or the thyroid condition. Now, that's according to his own physician.

Now dehydration, that defense has also come under fire because he was ahead of the pack. He was ahead of the Phonak team car and they were providing him with the necessary fluids to stay hydrated. So that's come under fire from one of the leading anti-doping experts.

WHITFIELD: And in his defense, I've heard other folks in the medical community say, you can't dope up the night before and then suddenly the next day have winning results. So that kind of dispels the whole notion of him doping up the night before that one stretch -- was it race 17?

SELVA: Race 17.

WHITFIELD: That he suddenly did so well.

SELVA: Right, and he's not naive. He knows that people are going to lock at this and say, well, wait a second here. There's something suspicious going on here because he did make up eight minutes, eight seconds, was in 11th place, and then he went to 3rd place and was 30 seconds behind.

So he's understanding that people are going to throw up their suspicions. I know that you were even saying, hey, this doesn't seem right. But again, he is going to be allowed his due process and he's going to go through the entire process and they're going to look at all the evidence and see what makes sense and what doesn't.

WHITFIELD: So potentially harmful, not just for that one athlete, Floyd Landis -- his entire team -- but the entire sport.

SELVA: Yes, and Landis also had mentioned that he had taken eight tests during the Tour de France and they all came back negative. He took eight tests and all of them came back negative. So, again, a lot of circumstances here that you have to consider.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right, Will, thanks so much and thanks for hanging with me here.

SELVA: Sure, thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: I know we're going to talk about this some more, because, you know, we're talking months time before this could be resolved.

SELVA: I know. I know.

WHITFIELD: Crazy. All right, thanks a lot.

SELVA: Sure, thanks, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, why are some Iraqis now rallying in favor of Hezbollah? And what does this mean for U.S. efforts in Iraq? We'll take a close look straight ahead this hour.

And later, with Fidel Castro recovering from surgery and his brother apparently calling the shots, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sends a message of support to the Cuban people. How does that message resonate? Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Day 25 of the fighting in the Middle East, and here's what we know right now. A major diplomatic development at the United Nations. France and the United States agree on a draft resolution aimed at ending the fighting. It still has to pass the full U.N. Security Council, however. The Council meets behind closed doors several hours from now.

Meantime, the fighting rages on today, a key target, the Lebanese port city of Tyre. As Israeli warplanes strike more targets, Israeli commandos clash with Hezbollah fighters on the ground there.

In northern Israel, more Hezbollah rockets rained down on Haifa, and Kiryat Shmona. Rockets also struck a village in the Galilee region, killing three people.

The crisis in the Middle East heats up even as the United Nations looks for ways to cool it down. Let's take a look at Israel's military strategy, from the ground and from the air.

Our military analyst, retired Major General Don Sheppard joins us from Tucson, Arizona. Good to see you, General. Well, even though there is talk this of this draft resolution that the full Security Council at the U.N. will want to look over, that certainly does nothing about stopping Hezbollah of Israel and their military strategies.

We know right now that the Israeli ground forces want to move further up to the Litani River. How significant is that?

MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Now, that's significant, Fredricka, because the Litani is about 20 miles into Lebanon and that will keep at least the Katyusha rockets -- no the longer range rockets, but the Katyusha rockets -- from the northern part of Israel.

Israel's strategy is very clear. They want to clear Hezbollah, they want to provide a buffer zone, they want to disarm Hezbollah, and they want to get back their detainees. Those are all tall orders, the tallest of which may be disarming Hezbollah.

WHITFIELD: Well, at the same time, we heard earlier this morning from a representative with the Lebanese government who says, you know, the agreement is no armed troops in southern Lebanon so that Israel is able to occupy with its troops in southern Lebanon and move its way further up north to the Litani River as you were explaining. Isn't this further incendiary?

SHEPPERD: Yes, it is further incendiary, no question about it. But the whole idea is to work toward a U.N.-brokered force that goes in. Basically, you would have a buffer zone as this is playing out. It would be some initial troops that would go in to establish the initial support bases and this type of thing, and then you would have a force of 10,000 to 20,000 in this zone that would keep military action from taking place in the zone.

The problem is that both the Israelis and Hezbollah have to agree and then the other problem that can be is once this force gets in, it has to be capable of enforcing this agreement including going against either side. And, again, these are tall, tough orders.

WHITFIELD: So let's talk about the capabilities of this multinational force. We heard from the Israeli consul general, who's in New York, who says we don't want retired forces. We want the real deal, ground troops, active duty, ground troops who would be able to enforce this area. How would these members be plucked and from where?

SHEPPERD: Yes, that's rhetoric, but what he's basically saying is, from an Israeli standpoint, they would prefer European troops. There was some early talk about Egyptian and Turkish forces, at least as an interim force, going in.

Of course, Egyptians being Arab and Turkish not being Arab but being an Islamic nation, they thought that would be kind of a good force to go in initially. But what Israel is saying, whoever goes in has to be competent to fight and to enforce before they're going to accept it.

WHITFIELD: All right, General Don Sheppard, thanks so much. Always appreciate your insight.

SHEPPERD: Pleasure. Well, now let's think further south -- south of the U.S. Cuba's government beefing up its security this weekend saying it fears the United States is planning to attack. The White House says there is no such threat.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro has not seen in public since his operation for internal bleeding on Monday. Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice broadcast a message of support to the Cuban people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: It has long been the hope of the United States that a free, independent and Democratic Cuba would be more than just a close neighbor. It would be a close friend. This is our goal now more than ever. And throughout this time of change, all of you must know that you have no greater friend than the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, that was the statement broadcast into Cuba but whether a lot of Cuban people were actually able to hear it, that is still unknown. It's been several days since Fidel Castro's brother, Raul, was temporarily put in charge of Cuba, and yet, he has made no public appearances either, leading some to ask, where is Raul?

CNN's Morgan Neill is in Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along the capital's famed Malecon sea wall, no one is in the mood for a party.

In fact, a carnival set to begin Friday is postponed. This Havana native says until ailing President Fidel Castro is well enough for a party, Cuba as a whole won't celebrate.

On Monday, the government announced he was handing over power temporarily to his brother Raul Castro, due to surgery to stop intestinal bleeding. And while life looks surprisingly normal in much of the country, a sense of unease is growing. Since Monday's unprecedented announcement, neither Fidel Castro nor his brother Raul has been seen in public.

"He should have appeared by now," says this bookseller. "The people are worried. At least one of them should have shown up by now."

Some Cubans speculate Raul Castro is keeping a low profile for good reason. They say he doesn't want to give the impression he's taken over for good.

Even among dissidents, there have been no visible signs of celebration here, no talk of regime change, just the opposite. Various groups have staged pro-government rallies. This group of military workers, for example, shouts their allegiance to Raul Castro, and best wishes for President Fidel Castro's recovery.

(on camera): But in their unguarded moments, many Cubans say they just wish they could hear from the man now at the country's helm.

Morgan Neill, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now disturbing images out of Baghdad. Followers of Muqtada al-Sadr are rallying in support of Hezbollah. What does this mean for the future of Iraq? We'll take a closer look.

And later, heavy downpours force evacuations in El Paso, Texas. Will it ever dry out? Your weekend weather forecast coming up.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Day 25 of the fighting in the Middle East, and here's what we know right now. A major diplomatic development at the United Nations -- France and the United States agree on a draft resolution aimed at ending the fighting. It still has to pass the full U.N. Security Council. The Council meets behind closed doors in a couple of hours.

In the meantime, the fighting does rage on, a key target, the Lebanese port of Tyre. As Israeli warplanes strike more targets, Israeli commandos clash with Hezbollah fighters on the ground there.

And in northern Israel, more Hezbollah rockets rain down on Haifa and Kiryat Shmona. Rockets also struck a village in the Galilee region killing three people.

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is bringing about an unexpected show of solidarity. From where, by whom, and why just might surprise you. CNN's Brian Todd has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By the thousands they flood the streets, carrying certain flags, burning others, shouting their adoration for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, not in Beirut, but in Baghdad. They were called to the streets by their own Shiite leader, the cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has proven to be a lethal foe to coalition forces in Iraq and now denounces Israel.

A show of solidarity that brings a warning from experts. Israel's cross-border war with Hezbollah may be crossing another.

COL. PATRICK LANG, MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: The more excited the Shia are about the fate of their brothers in Lebanon, the more they are to become aggressive on the ground in Baghdad. So this can only make the situation worse.

TODD: Worse in a city that, according to top military chiefs in the Pentagon, is becoming more chaotic and violent every day. But asked about the possibility that this rally supporting Hezbollah could lead to more destabilization in Iraq, an American combat commander plays down the threat.

COL. BRIAN JONES, U.S. ARMY: There are some who would try to whip the normal man into a frenzy to have him attack the Americans, but most people understand that our role here is not one of aggression at this point.

TODD: Still, many remember the way al-Sadr led his militias against the Americans just two years ago: vicious, costly street battles in Shia-controlled areas of Iraq that put a price on al-Sadr's head before he backed down.

THOMAS RICKS, AUTHOR, "FIASCO": I think in the eyes of a lot of Iraqis he successfully attacked U.S. forces. He never paid a price for that. Many U.S. soldiers died at the hands of his militia, yet here he is.

TODD (on camera): Here he is very publicly throwing his support behind Hezbollah, a support that analysts believe may lead him to send some of his militia to join Hezbollah in Lebanon, and for Hezbollah possibly one day to return the favor all with the blessing and support of Iran.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, more now on this breaking information. The U.S. and France agreeing on a draft U.N. resolution to help end the fighting in the Middle East. Well, now reaction from the White House, in this case, the western White House with President Bush vacationing in Crawford, Texas.

Our Suzanne Malveaux is on the phone with us now. Suzanne, what's being said?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, I just talked to White House press secretary Tony Snow who said that the president has signed off on this U.N. Security Council draft resolution, that he is happy with the progress that has been made so far, but said he does not have any kind of delusions about what is ahead to end the violence in Lebanon and Israel.

We are told by Tony Snow that there will be more than one resolution. The goal for today, of course, is the U.N. Security Council meeting at 3:00, an informal meeting to table the first resolution and hopefully get a vote Monday or Tuesday or so.

We should be getting more details from the Undersecretary of State Nick Burns who in about 30 minutes will hold a conference call with reporters from the Crawford ranch to talk about some of the details of his resolution.

Also here in Crawford is now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, as well as national security advisor Stephen Hadley. We are told they are going to have a busy weekend with the president, working the phones again, and concentrating on not only this first resolution, but a second resolution that will create the political conditions, they say, for a lasting peace -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux in Crawford, Texas.

And while Condi Rice and others are meeting with the president there in Crawford, Texas, it's my understanding that the Secretary of State would also want to be in attendance for that vote that is now likely to take place at the U.N. either Monday or Tuesday. We'll keep you posted here on CNN.

A look at the top stories in a few moments, but first a preview of "IN THE MONEY," up next.

ANDY SERWER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks.

Coming up on "IN THE MONEY," tanks for the memories. Find out where you end up if you trace a tank of gas back to the source.

Plus, get real. See what the U.S. can learn from Israel about doing business in war time.

And dumbing up. We'll look at why corporate America works like a frat house. All that and more after a quick check of the headlines.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com