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CNN Sunday Night

Countdown to Ceasefire in the Middle East; Travel Hassles Continue After Uncovering of Bombing Plot; Jill Carroll Speaks About Hostage Experience

Aired August 14, 2006 - 23:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Christiane. We are three hours away. Both slides have agreed to end the violence at 1:00 a.m. Eastern. And tonight, a special two hour edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, as we countdown to the ceasefire.
ANNOUNCER: 33 days of non-stop fighting. Could this finally be the end?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The government of Israel had decided almost unanimously this afternoon Israel time to adopt the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and to adhere to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Both sides nod yet, but don't rest assured. Paper and ink don't stop rockets.

Desperate and disgusted, intense last minute fighting sends hundreds over the edge.

And just when you think you have the security drill down, new Monday morning travel rules. Will you be stopped? Depends on what you look like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not use the excuse of shortage of resources and just justify harassing people because of their race or because of their religion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is a special two hour edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT: Countdown to a Ceasefire.

LIN: Good evening. Before we take you live to the Middle East and the countdown to the ceasefire, let's get you plugged in on all the big news of the weekend.

In fact, why don't we begin with the deadline? We are just three hours from the start of a U.N. brokered ceasefire in the Middle East. A plan is in place finally after more than a month of fighting.

Now just in the last 24 hours, both Israel and Lebanon's cabinets approved the ceasefire resolution.

And as the clock ticks, the fighting continues. Israeli forces pummeled targets in southern Lebanon today. And we learned from our coverage that Israel is trying to solidify its grip on Lebanese territory up to the Litani River.

Hezbollah responded with a record barrage of its own. 250 rockets slammed into northern Israel.

And now we want to hear from you. You get tonight's last call. Do you believe both sides will lay down their weapons at the ceasefire deadline? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620. We're going to air some of your responses later this hour.

Also, another big story we've been working on here. We've got new developments tonight in the hunt for suspects in the alleged airline terror plot. ABC News reports a major arrest could happen in Pakistan as soon as tomorrow.

Also, was relief money from last fall's deadly Pakistani earthquake diverted to the alleged plot? ABC officials - ABC at least is quoting officials as investigating.

Also, you're going to be glad to know in case you're flying this week that U.S. counter-terrorism officials are reducing the threat level for flights from Britain to the U.S. It's being reduced from red to orange. British officials made similar reductions to their threat levels earlier today.

Also, the security rules for your Monday flights are changing again. Starting today, small amounts of liquid nonprescription medicines will be allowed on board. Lipstick and baby food are also OK, but every passenger now has to remove their shoes for x-ray screening.

And remember Jill Carroll? She's the American journalist taken hostage in Iraq, and she lived to tell about it. Well, she's talking about her ordeal for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL: Bending down and kind of being shoved over, I was looking out the corner -- in the crack of a door that was open, you know. And I saw - you know, I saw Allen was there. And I saw them kill Allen. Then we got in a car we drove off. And they're screaming "jihad, jihad, jihad." And they were overjoyed like they won the lottery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: You're going to hear more of what she has to say in the second hour of our program.

Also in Iraq, the Iraq that left Jill Carroll left behind -- that Jill Carroll left behind remains a very dangerous place. There were five explosions within a single hour today in Baghdad. And 57 people were killed. Almost 150 others were wounded. Most of those hurt were civilians, including women and children.

Now the most powerful typhoon in a half century is still dumping rain on parts of China. At least 134 people are dead and 163 others still missing. An estimated 50,000 homes were destroyed at the hardest hit area along China's southeast coast.

And take a look at this. Cuba's communist youth newspaper has published these photos of Fidel Castro. Now in one of those pictures, you'll see that he's holding yesterday's edition of the party newspaper. Or is he? Well, critics and bloggers are questioning whether the photos are actually legit. Fidel Castro had intestinal surgery two weeks ago.

All right, a California wildfire in Los Angeles County caught our attention earlier today. The blaze damaged a power facility, knocking out power to several thousand people. And it also sent these horses running for safety. And part of the busy I-5 interstate had to be shut down for a while. Powerful images.

Now take a look at these pictures. They tell you that the war clearly is not over, at least not yet. We're just three hours away from a U.N. brokered deadline.

In this special edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT: Countdown to Ceasefire, we will take you live to the region, to see if troops are actually pulling back, whether Hezbollah stops attacking, and a compelling interview with the wife of a kidnapped Israeli soldier.

We are counting down to the truth. In fact, you can watch the clock in the lower right part of your screen there to see how much time is left until it's due to begin. Right now reading two hours, 53 minutes.

Israel is trying to push as far as into Lebanon as possible. In fact, in just the last few hours, air strikes hit across southern Lebanon. Explosions shook Beirut.

Our Jim Clancy joins me live from the Lebanese capital. Jim, can you give us an idea if there's still military action? Are you hearing those rockets fall?

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we haven't heard any military action. I can tell you that there were warning leaflets dropped at about 10:00 last night in some other areas of the southern suburbs. And now, hundreds upon hundreds of people are camped out along the cornice that runs along the seashore. Israeli military warning them they could become targets.

None of the civilians in this city are doing anything to challenge that notion when the Israeli military says that they run for cover.

Now the big question is, as we count down to a ceasefire, is this ceasefire really going to work? We are learning - we have learned from senior political sources here that Hezbollah's minister in the cabinet raised their hands and voted yes for that U.N. Resolution 1701 to accept it.

But at the same time when pressed in order to say that they would allow the Lebanese army to be the sole source of authority and the military be the only armed entity down in that area south of the Litani River, we understand that they didn't say anything. They looked back in stony silence, with a lot of questions.

The fighting goes on. Let me take you to the Bekaa Valley, al Jazeera broadcast some images showing the town of Brital. That is south of Ballback. The whole valley there -- one of the places where in the early 1980s, Iranian revolutionary guards trained the first Hezbollah fighters.

But this town was hit hard. We understand eight people were killed, 16 wounded. The eight who were killed were said to be three generations of one family.

Meantime here in Beirut, it seemed that both sides were taking it to the brink of this ceasefire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY (voice-over): Moments after Israel's security cabinet accepted the U.N. ceasefire resolution, a missile attack launched from the air destroyed a complex of buildings in one of Beirut's southern suburbs.

An Associated Press photographer on the scene said this specific area had not been hit in previous strikes. He photographed one of the victims, a young girl, aged about 12. A light ended on the eve of a cease-fire.

In the heart of the Lebanese capital, Martyr's Square a memorial beckons onlookers to contemplate the human tragedy of this conflict.

About a thousand candles, one for each Lebanese civilian killed in the month long war, burning softly in the fading light of day. A silent, solemn reminder of the cost of diplomatic delay.

(on camera): The promise of a ceasefire wasn't enough to keep more people from fleeing Lebanon. Here at Beirut's port, some 800 people of various nationalities boarded a ship that was put together by the Canadians. There were Russians, Canadians, Australians, and Lebanese, as well as other nationalities. Some old and infirm, others small children in the arms of their parents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say there's a ceasefire, but from the looks of it, you know, they're -- it doesn't look like there's a ceasefire, you know. They're continuing. So we decided it's safer to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They I'm scared that the bombs come on us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't trust anything.

CLANCY (voice-over): The stream of evacuees worries government officials. It is a signal that after working years and investing heavily in Lebanon's revival, its citizens are losing hope.

SAMI HADDAD, MINISTER OF ECONOMY & TRADE: We desperately need a ceasefire. We need it this minute and we need it today before tomorrow, because the destruction has been horrible. It is really our civilian population and our economy that have been targeted and destroyed.

CLANCY: Beirut has been hard hit, but Lebanon's south has been devastated by the war. Almost all major bridges have been damaged or destroyed. Some sources estimate that even if the conflict stopped today, damage to infrastructure, tourism, trade, and investment would total almost $10 billion.

At night fall, more Israeli strikes signal both sides would battle it out relentlessly to the deadline. And as from the start, it was likely that innocent civilians would be paying the heaviest price for the stubborn determination of the combatants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: And will the combatants continue to fight after the ceasefire deadline? Well, we're looking forward at least to seeing a stop in the air attacks on the major cities as well as those rocket attacks on Israel. That part of it all might hold.

But if you take Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah at his word, he says Hezbollah will continue to fight so long as any Israeli soldier remains on Lebanese soil. Back to you, Carol.

LIN: Well, Jim, is there any evidence that Israel is in coordination now with the Lebanese army to have that army move into southern Lebanon so Israeli forces can withdraw?

CLANCY: Well, only in terms of the resolution itself as laid out by the United Nations. That's where all of the coordination is.

But I can tell you right now that in the cabinet meeting that was held night before last, they sat there, the Lebanese army general according to my sources said, you know, I have to have the assurances of Hezbollah that I'll be the only one in charge of military operations in the south. The two ministers sat across the table. And in the words of one of the other cabinet ministers, they didn't reply. Complete silence.

So they're raising their hands saying yes, they'll abide with 1701 with reservations. And then they're saying those reservations would appear - amount to not to complying with some parts of it.

Back to you.

LIN: All right. Jim Clancy, thank you very much, reporting live from Beirut. Two hours, 47 minutes until this U.N. resolution ceasefire in place.

And in the meantime, where is Hezbollah's leader in all of this? Have you ever wondered why Hassan Nasrallah could freely make video appearances while the bombs fell across Lebanon?

Well, "TIME" magazine has Lebanese sources backing up Israeli claims that Nasrallah has been holed up inside the Iranian embassy in Beirut during part of the fighting.

"TIME" says the embassy may have secret tunnels leading to Nasrallah's now destroyed headquarters in a Beirut suburb. And Nasrallah didn't just get shelter. "TIME" reports that Iran gives Hezbollah as much as $300 million a year.

Now Israel claims that Nasrallah and his militants get that money and weapons, also weapons from Iran.

Our Aneesh Raman in Tehran. And he got a rare and revealing interview with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. That's coming up an hour from now on this special edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.

But right now, we want to go to northern Israel to see whether Israeli troops are starting the pullback from Lebanon. Israel was pounded today by 250 Hezbollah rockets, several of them hitting the frequently targeted city of Haifa.

So let's go live to northern Israel and CNN's Chris Lawrence on the ground there. Chris, do you see any movement on the ground?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we do, Carol. Take a look behind me. You can see that Israeli military vehicles are starting to make their way back from the border, coming back further into Israel.

But based on some of the tracer fire that we've seen, and some of the artillery barrage that we've heard, it's hard to believe that these two sides have agreed to stop shooting in less than three hours.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): These are the sounds of an imminent ceasefire. Israeli soldiers fire one mortar after another, while Hezbollah rockets burn parts of the border and another Israeli soldier is laid to rest.

As the ceasefire takes effect, two Israeli soldiers are still held captive more than a month after Hezbollah kidnapped them, sparking this battle.

SGT. YAN POLLACK, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: We are expecting our government to get them back.

LAWRENCE: Sergeant Yan Pollack says he has no hatred for his enemies on the other side.

POLLACK: Basically, we're defending our country, our homes from Haifa. And right now, the rockets are holding down all over the place.

LAWRENCE: Haifa took at least three direct hits as Hezbollah fired more than 250 rockets into Israel.

POLLACK: I've got a wife and three kids. I know what I'm fighting for.

LAWRENCE: Some of the Israeli commanders feel that the shelling on Sunday was even more intense than ever,as both sides tried to take last shots before the fighting is called off.

Privately, some soldiers wondered if it was all worth it and say they were stopped short of accomplishing their goal by the ceasefire. Israel says more than 100 soldiers have been killed since the conflict started. And the first two captured have not been returned.

POLLACK: One of the, I think, beautiful things in our army is that every commander when going out to the fighting, saying basically is promising his guys, us soldiers, that I'll get you back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Well, you can see over my shoulder that Israeli military vehicles continue to push their way back further into Israel coming back from the border.

As for the two captured soldiers, many here believe that part of the settlement will come down to a trade. Israel negotiating through mediators to exchange some Hezbollah prisoners for the return of their two captured soldiers. Carol?

LIN: Chris, in fact, I'm going to be speaking with the wife of one of those kidnapped Israeli soldiers later in this program. I'm wondering from speaking with the soldiers, did they have a sense in terms of how this withdrawal is going to be coordinated because it's supposed to be coordinated with the Lebanese army that is supposed to actually move into southern Lebanon. Have those conversations even taken place?

LAWRENCE: Many of the Israeli soldiers that I've spoken with say they do not expect to fully leave for days, possibly even more than a week. They feel that they will be in place and having to, a, make sure that Hezbollah does not rearm in southern Lebanon, and rounding up the Hezbollah guerillas that are still dug in, in some spots.

They feel they will still have to complete that mission as the international force takes its place along the border. Many here feel, or at least the Israeli soldiers that I've spoken to feel that will take at least a week. So they do not believe that this ceasefire is the deadline for them to leave the conflict entirely. Just ceasing their offensive and moving into more what they call a cleanup mode.

LIN: Chris Lawrence, that ceasefire taking place in two hours, 42 minutes. Thank you very much. Careful out there. We're going to be checking back with you over the next couple of hours.

The kidnapping of Israeli soldiers sparked the crisis in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can feel him in my heart. I know that he's still alive because we have special communication between us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Will the U.N. resolution bring him home? Confident and hopeful, the wife of one of the soldiers talks to us tonight.

Is Heathrow having a meltdown? The terror plot throws a wrench in Monday morning travel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snatching people by their nationality or ethnicity is not necessarily a good idea.

LIN: Passenger profiling? Allow extra time. How you look may determine if you're searched. You're watching a special two hour edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT: Countdown to Ceasefire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We're still counting down to the U.N. ceasefire in the Middle East, but we also like to check to see what you guys are interested in on our website, the most popular stories out there.

And this is one that you're really interested in. There is a new face on the FBI's most wanted list. Jacqueline Leberren has been on the run for 14 years. She's wanted in connection with the murders of three men who left her father's polygamist sect.

Also, you liked the story about Lance Armstrong who has some advice for embattled cyclist Floyd Landis. Lay low. Armstrong says Landis should stop talking to the media about failing drug tests after his Tour de France win.

Also, was the United States a target in the alleged plot to blow up planes over the Atlantic? The head of Homeland Security says so far, the answer is no. Much more on the investigation when this special edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT returns in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We'd measured this Middle East conflict in days since early July. It has been more than a month. And in theory, the fighting should stop in less than three hours.

So this is what we know right now. Dawn is breaking on the day U.N. Resolution 1701 demands the artillery, rocket fire, and air strikes cease on both sides of the Israeli/Lebanese border.

And the resolution got a thumb's up from Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah. But words are one thing, and practice is something completely different. All parties involved are wary of releasing their hold on south Lebanon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF: The difficulty is not only can we detect the explosive. The difficulty is what do we do with explosives made out of very common chemicals, chemicals that almost everybody has with them in their dry cleaning or their cosmetics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: That's our Homeland Security chief.

We are still counting down to the ceasefire in the Middle East, but we have more on the impact of the alleged London bomb plot. Now if you're traveling, you should know that Heathrow Airport in London still a backed up mess. And it's going to be a mess tomorrow and probably the next day as well. Developments on that front tonight.

Let's get them from CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

Christiane, you have the latest on the investigation?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, and the actual state of affairs at Heathrow and in the country. The Home Secretary has degraded the threat from critical, which signified an imminent threat to now severe, which says that a threat is highly likely. But that in itself, just degrading it one level to severe, is going to help at the airports tomorrow.

It's still going to be disrupted. We hear about 20 percent of travel planes and things may be cancelled, but now apparently passengers can take at least one item of hand luggage, of course they'll have to be careful what they put in it. But they're hoping that that might help the highly stressed and highly stretched handlers and screeners at the airports and try to get the process moving a little faster.

Now there has also been a development to show just how skittish and how worried and how alert people are. Tonight a BA flight that was headed from London to New York turned around shortly after takeoff because there was a phone that was ringing in the plane, a mobile phone. Nobody could figure out whose it was, and the pilot decided to turn back, come back to London, get rid of the phone, search the plane before he took off again.

But ahead of the rush hour Monday morning traffic, which starts in just a few hours from now, they have degraded the threat. And the investigation still persists, but they hope that they're going to solve some of this terrible backlog at the airports. Carol?

LIN: Christiane, I'm wondering if we could turn a page in your reporter's notebook in this whole experience. What is the reaction of people you've been talking to, people you know who live in London, to the possibilities of this London bomb plot?

AMANPOUR: Well, you know, all along it's been one of shock, obviously, because, you know, this happened with people of the community. But it's also been one of -- some stoicism.

You know, we always use that word about London. And it's true, though. England is like that. It has got on with it. But I must say, the nerves have really been frayed. The frustration level has really jumped, particularly at the airport because of these horrendous, massive delays. And it's not just passengers. It's also the airport staff. It's the screeners. It's everybody's been under a huge amount of stress, plus obviously the investigation.

You know, I was listening to a terrorism expert today. It is so labor intensive to, for instance, follow a suspect. It takes apparently something like 60 officers to follow one person covertly. So this is an incredibly difficult labor intensive, time consuming, minutely difficult process that has to carry on, Carol.

LIN: Before this is the payoff as well. Christiane, thank you.

Be sure to stay tuned to CNN all day Monday, because we're going to show you where America is most vulnerable to terrorist attacks. No matter what time you tune in, you are going to get essential insight on the threats and what you can do to stay safe, and whether the government's got a clue about any of this. "Target USA" all day tomorrow only on CNN.

Now talk about frustrated travelers. Security rules have changed once again. So before you pack up and head out, some things you should know.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm meteorologist Jackie Jeras at the new CNN Weather Center. The weather affecting your flights for tomorrow and tonight as well. We'll let you know who will be affected, coming up.

LIN: So Jacqui, no cake, no balloons, but there is a surprise. And it's stirring lots of speculation. Happy birthday, Castro.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Let's bring you up to speed with the headlines. We are just two and a half hours away from the start of a U.N.-brokered ceasefire in the Middle East. A plan is in place finally after more than a month of fighting. Now, just in the last 24 hours, both Israel and Lebanon's cabinets approved the ceasefire resolution. We're going to monitor the situation all throughout the night right here on CNN. Later tonight as that ceasefire goes into effect, we'll be simulcasting with our sister network, CNN International.

In the meantime, the clock is ticking down. The fighting is continuing as well. Israeli forces pummeled targets in southern Lebanon today and we learn from our coverage that Israel is trying to solidify its grip on Lebanese territory up to the Litani River. Hezbollah responded with a record barrage of its own; 250 rockets slammed into northern Israel.

And we have new developments tonight in the hunt for suspects in the alleged airline terror plot. ABC News reports a major arrest could happen in Pakistan as soon as tomorrow.

Also, was relief money for last fall's deadly Pakistani earthquake diverted to the alleged plot? ABC says officials are investigating.

And U.S. counter-terrorism officials are reducing the threat level for flights from Britain to the U.S. It's being reduced from red to orange. British officials made similar reductions to their threat levels earlier today.

Now, the security rules for your Monday flight are changing, again. Starting today small amounts of liquid non-prescription medicines will be allowed on board. Lipstick, baby food, also okay. But every passenger has to remove their shoes for x-ray screening.

And remember Jill Carroll? She is the American journalist taken hostage in Iraq and lived to tell about it. She is talking about her ordeal about the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL: (INAUDIBLE) down and kind of being shoved over. I was looking out the corner in the crack of the door was open, and I saw, you know, I saw Allen was there, and I saw them kill Allen. And then they got in the car and we drove off and they're screaming "Jihad, Jihad, Jihad," and they were overjoyed like they won the lottery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: What an amazingly brave woman. You're going to hear more of what she has to say later in this program.

Now, the Iraq that Jill Carroll left behind remains a very dangerous place. There were five explosions within a single hour today in Baghdad and 57 people were killed. Almost 150 others were wounded and most of those hurt were civilians, including women and children.

The most powerful typhoon in a half century still dumping rain on parts of China. At least 134 people are dead and 163 others still missing. An estimated 50,000 homes like the size of a small town in America were destroyed in the hardest hit area along China's southeast coast.

And a hard landing for passengers on this plane. In tonight's "i Report" Steve Hodell of Lincoln, Rhode Island took this photo at the airport near his home. Airport officials say the landing gear collapsed but no one was hurt.

Now, if you see news, we want you to go to CNN.com/i report. We want to see what you have. Send us what you have and join the world's most powerful news team.

Happy birthday, Fidel. One of the world's most enduring leaders turns 80 today, and we care because one of his closest allies is coming to visit which means we might, just might see more pictures of Castro to assess the state of his health.

CNN's Havana Bureau Chief Morgan Neill joins us live with more.

Morgan, there's all kinds of stuff on the Internet about these pictures that are coming out of Fidel holding today's newspaper looking apparently healthy. What do you know?

MORGAN NEILL, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Carol, what's interesting is that in the days just after Fidel Castro was forced to hand over power due to surgery, you heard very few Cubans say they were nervous, but as the days went by, more and more began to voice their worries, their concerns, their expectations that they get a glimpse of their leader.

Today, that's what they got.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEILL (voice-over): Early Sunday the first of two surprises Cuba's leadership, a message from ailing president Fidel Castro to his country. I feel very happy, read the headline in a state-run newspaper. More importantly the paper featured photos of the president, the first since he ceded power two weeks ago, following surgery to stop intestinal bleeding.

The next surprise? A public appearance from acting president Raul Castro.

Cuban television broadcast these images of Fidel's 75-year-old brother greeting Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez at Havana's airport. It's the first time Raul Castro's appeared in public since taking over from his brother.

In the newspaper pictures, Fidel Castro dressed in a track suit rather than his usual olive fatigues, is shown holding up Saturday's newspaper as if to prove when the photo was taken. In others, he's seen talking on the phone. The message? His condition has improved, but recovery will belong and filled with risk. No word on when or if he'll resume his duties as president. Nevertheless, here in the streets of the capital, a sense of relief.

This book seller says it's good the pictures came out so that Cubans know he's recovering as well as the Americans who said that he was dead and had been secretly buried.

This retired woman said she's both happy and relieved to see that the president is out of danger.

I hope he lives another 80 years says this man.

Outside Havana, media were invited to witness this show of support by sugar workers. While Fidel Castro has asked Cubans to postpone celebration of his birthday until December, he and his brother are taking advantage of the day to let Cubans know they're still in charge.

(END VIDEO PACKAGE)

LIN: I'm not sure if you can see but even on a Sunday night at around 10:30, there are plenty of Cubans in the street here. Many say they're relieved to see the pictures of the president. Nevertheless, at 80 years old and forced to hand over the presidency for the first time, many are wondering if Fidel Castro can ever be the omni-present force he has been here for decades.

We'll find out, Morgan, thank you.

Speaking of those pictures that Morgan was showing us in his piece, do you remember the one of Fidel Castro holding the day's newspapers? Well, that created a whole round on the blog. You know, you might recall it was a blog that exposed a doctored Routers photo of a Beirut bomb site earlier this week. So CNN Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg had been working on this. Does the blog that outed the Routers photo have anything to say about those Castro pictures?

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: They certainly do. That blog site is called littlegreenfootballs.com.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

The man behind that site is named Charles Johnson. He's posted the photo on his page there. He's actually titled a "Fidel fauxtograph," f-a-u-x. He actually says from looking at it, he cannot determine if it has been altered in any way. He seems to think it looks pretty legitimate just from what he's been seeing. He has been getting a lot of e-mails, a lot of questions from people who are asking about it. It's certainly a lot of fodder for the bloggers this weekend.

The next site we want to show you is called freethoughts. They're a little more convinced that something's different. In particular, they're pointing to the thumb on the newspaper there. You can see it right there. They're saying the outline of it appears as though the thumb was superimposed on the photo itself on that copy of the communist newspaper there.

Of course, we have to point out, can't confirm the authenticity of this blog site's worth, but it certainly is being talked about on that blog site, freethoughts.

The last (INAUDIBLE) one we want to show you is called foolsareus. This particular guy goes to a lot of detail. He compares the photo of Fidel Castro from several months ago to the more current photo that we've been seeing. He goes into a lot of detail with the teeth, with the nose, with the eyebrows. He pulls out all of these things and does a side by side comparison of them and he's pretty convinced that there has been some doctoring on these photos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

We have to point out that CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of any of this work. It's a lot of speculation from these bloggers, which is what happens, and Carol, this is a term in the blogging world, it's sort of called a "blog swarm." So as soon as they see something like this, a lot of them get involved and offer their opinions.

LIN: It's very CSI-ish. You, know, the dot...

SIEBERG: It is. You know, sort of the forensics of blogging.

LIN: They've got a lot of time on their hands. But it's pretty interesting.

SIEBERG: Yeah, absolutely.

LIN: Thanks, Daniel.

All right, the time it takes for you to get through security could depend on your race or religion. Passenger profiling? We're going to have that debate straight ahead.

Also, we continue to count down to the Middle East ceasefire. Will it bring her husband home? The wife of one of the captured Israeli soldiers joins me next in the next hour, actually.

And we're less than three hours from that ceasefire. Do you believe both sides will lay down their weapons at the 1 1:00 a.m. deadline, that's 1 a.m. Eastern time? Give us a call t 1-800-807- 2620.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The Middle East ceasefire just two hours and 17 minutes away. And if all sides do lay down their weapons as promised, a violence-plagued region will see the first quiet days in more than a month. This is what we know.

A key term of the U.N. Resolution 1701 is that southern Lebanon be weapons free. But sources tell CNN Hezbollah lawmakers are hesitant to disarm militant fighters in that region.

And the Israeli cabinet signed off on the resolution, but the foreign minister says Israeli troops will leave southern Lebanon only when Hezbollah does the same.

In the 11:00 Eastern hour, I'm going to be talking with one of our generals, our military analyst, on the weaknesses in this resolution.

In the meantime, both sides remain pretty skeptical of a lasting peace, so for now, they are trying to do as much damage to each other as they possibly can.

CNN's Paula Hancocks reports from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Israeli military calls this a cleansing of southern Lebanon in preparation for the arrival of Lebanese and international troops, Targeting Hezbollah at the same time Israeli politicians accept the U.N. resolution and the ceasefire.

According to the United Nations, the guns will fall silent Monday morning 8:00 a.m. Israel time. Until then both sides seem intent on inflicting as much damage on each other as possible

MARK REZEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: Until then the conflict continues, Hezbollah continues to rocket Israeli cities, Israeli townships, and we are of course, trying to hit Hezbollah positions in Lebanon to prevent those attacks.

HANCOCKS: Those attacks continued unabated Sunday, Hezbollah proving once again its rocket launching capabilities are intact. More than 250 rockets hit northern Israel, more than any other day since this conflict began, at least one of them deadly.

Even after this ceasefire, both Hezbollah and Israel say they reserve the right to defend themselves. Both Hezbollah and Israel are likely to stay in southern Lebanon.

TZIPI LIVNI, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): It was decided and accepted by the security council that there would not be a situation in which Israel would be asked to withdraw its forces creating a vacuum.

HANCOCKS: The longer the enemies are on the same turf, the more potential there is for further clashes. The U.N. believes it could take a week to ten days before the first of its troops can be deployed.

There is cynicism on both sides as to whether peace on paper can actually be translated into peace on the ground. And many Israelis believe that the fight against Hezbollah has just been put off for another day.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.

LIN: Also, we've got more on the countdown to the ceasefire. We're going to be this story throughout the night. The ceasefire deadline is at 1:00 a.m. Eastern time, and we have unparalleled resources with CNN International to cover this story. We have correspondents in all the places you need to know about, so stay with us throughout the night.

Also, we've got more on another really big story. Infiltrating terror cells, we're going to be talking about that. It helped to foil the alleged airline terror plot.

Still to come, how to fit in with the bad guys and come out alive.

Plus, whether you're white, black, Arab, Asian, Muslim, it could make all the difference the next time you fly.

You're watching a special two-hour edition of "CNN Sunday Night: Countdown to Ceasefire."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Welcome back. Here is the latest on the transatlantic terror arrests and the ongoing investigation. One of the alleged ring leaders of the plot, Rashid Rauf made his first court appearance in Pakistan.

Also, British police are reviewing evidence taken during raids on Internet cafes in and around London.

Meanwhile, long delays still frustrate air travelers who are dealing with the beefed-up security in Britain and the United States.

The alleged plot involved blowing up as many as ten passenger planes heading from the United Kingdom to the United States. So more than two dozen people are under arrest in Britain and Pakistan.

LIN: Now, the fact that the flying life has become a way of life, but many of the millions of airline passengers who stood in line this week have to wonder whether the screening process really works. Why should the grandmother get the same shake-down as the college student?

CNN's Gary Nuremberg has more on that debate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over):: With limited resources to spend on aviation security, does it make sense for everyone to undergo the same scrutiny at airport checkpoints?

REPRESENTATIVE PETER KING, CHAIRMAN HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: There's no doubt that people from the Middle East are more of a terror suspect than the 80-year-old grandmother from Sweden.

NUREMBERG: The Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committees says terrorist attacks like 9-11 should motivate screening guide lines

PETER KING: It was Middle Easterners. It was people of Arab descent who were Muslims and we should keep that in mind.

NIHAD AWAD, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: I will not use the excuse of shortage of resources and justify harassing people because of their race or because of their religion.

NUREMBERG: The Executive Director of the Council on American- Islamic Relations says King's approach is dangerous.

NIHAD AWAD: (INAUDIBLE) the man who's white with a crew cut was not suspected when he bombed the federal building in Oklahoma. So it takes one mistake to miss someone and just to have a massive loss of civilian life.

ROFI RON, ISRAELI SECURITY EXPERT: Judging people by their nationality or ethnicity is not necessarily a good idea. We have better ways to judge people and that is their behavior and their background.

NUREMBERG: Rofi Ron ran security at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurian airport. Israeli screeners question passengers and watch their conduct.

ROFI RON: It's all about using behavior and indicators that may lead you to the level of questioning that would help you blow up a cover story.

NUREMBERG: An approach being tried at some American airports.

MAICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Those are the tactics that we in the last year have now started to roll out in our own procedure.

NUREMBERG: A terrorist about to blow himself up is under enormous pressure and may act strangely. It may not be screeners alone who are looking for the signs.

ROFI RON: We have proven that law enforcement people and airport employees are extremely good at detecting suspicious behavior when they're trained to do that and when they're provided with the right tools and skills.

NUREMBERG: It's an evolution in American airport security, one that could shorten your time in security lines. Some day.

Gary Nuremberg, CNN, Washington.

LIN: Getting back to that alleged terror plot, you know, word is that a British agent actually infiltrated the group that's accused in this alleged terror plot.

Coming up, I'm going to be speaking to the man who actually interviewed Al Qaeda operatives, had them tell their story, and he ended up writing the definitive book on Al Qaeda. My interview with Rohan Gudirama (ph) coming up.

Also, a reminder to you that we are counting down to the implementation of this U.N. ceasefire coming up in just a couple hours. We are going to have coverage throughout the night with all of CNN's international resources. We're going to be simulcasting with CNN International when that ceasefire resolution is implemented, goes into place at 1 o'clock Eastern.

In the meantime, much more ahead on this special edition of "CNN Sunday Night: Countdown to Ceasefire."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: I think with all the reports of delays, Heathrow airport's still a mess, it's all the more important to bring Jacqui Jeras in to see the flight trackers, to see how flights might be going out, coming in tomorrow?

Jacqui? JERAS: Well, Carol, we have had some delays because of the weather, so on top of the security delays you're already dealing with, we do have a little bit of trouble. It's pretty minimal at this hour, but we do think quite a few hubs are going to be affected by tomorrow.

We're showing you on our flight explorer system right here, Chicago O'Hare airport which is right there on the map. And the reason why I'm showing you is look to the (INAUDIBLE). We've got this huge line of thunderstorms there just reporting departure delays right now between 15 and 30 minutes, because all those flights have to kind of squeeze in between these thunderstorms, trying avoid those in order to get to their destination.

Now, in addition to Chicago O'Hare we've got some other delays to deal with across the country. We've been watching delays into the Miami area as well as Newark, Miami because of thunderstorms, Newark, we've just been dealing with some volume issues.

What about tomorrow? Well, the northeast, what a great weekend you had, by the way. Wasn't it absolutely gorgeous?

Well, tomorrow, you're going to see more of the same. By the afternoon though, Pittsburgh could see some thunderstorms which could hold you up. Also, some big hubs like Detroit and Cincinnati, Chicago we think some of these thunderstorms could linger in the morning, but you should be fine, I would say, by midday into the afternoon. The southeast, Tampa and Miami once again, Memphis maybe late in the day and out west should be smooth sailing, maybe a little bit of fog that holds you up in San Francisco or L.A. Other than that, looking pretty good.

Carol?

CAROL LINE: All right, we need good news there, Jacqui. Thanks so much.

All right, the conflict between the Hezbollah and Israel has had its fair share of instigators.

Still to come, how Iran fits into the picture.

And we're about two hours away from that ceasefire. Do you believe both sides will lay down their weapons at the 1:00 a.m. Eastern deadline? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620.

And held hostage in Iraq, for the first time since her release, Jill Carroll tells all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL: Literally, these are people that will kill you at any moment, so you don't really -- especially after a few months or weeks you're not thinking normally.

LIN: The second hour of "Countdown to Ceasefire" continues at the top of the hour, two minutes away. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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