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TWA Flight 800 Victims Remembered; Heat Wave Hits United States; U.S. Military Evacuates Americans From Lebanon

Aired July 17, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: No signs of a letup -- here's what we know right now about crisis in the Middle East.
U.S. military helicopters are taking Americans out of Lebanon. And that's only the beginning. The State Department is planning to evacuate thousands more in the days ahead.

After six days of fighting, the death toll keeps rising. Lebanon reports 165 people killed, more than 400 wounded -- in Israel, 24 deaths reported, more than 300 wounded. Today, Israeli missiles targeted Beirut's port and an army barracks. Hezbollah rockets again fell on the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

Through it all, Israel pressed on in Gaza, where Palestinian sources say two more Palestinians have been killed. Also, there's word that several homemade rockets were fired into Israel from a northern Gaza town. Northern Israel is bracing for more rocket attacks.

CNN's John Vause is there.

John, bring us up to date.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the last few moments here, the artillery rounds have fired into southern Lebanon on a number of occasions, firing these .155-millimeter rounds from northern Israel into the southern part of Lebanon.

The plan, according to Israel's defense minister, is to try and create some kind of buffer zone between Israel and the Hezbollah militants to try and stop the rockets, the Katyusha rockets, and other missiles being fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into -- on to Israeli towns and cities.

Essentially, Israel wants to try and clear out that entire area of southern Lebanon of those Hezbollah stronghold positions. Now, despite all of this artillery fire and all of the airstrikes, which have been going on for the last few days, and the bombardment from the Israeli navy as well, Hezbollah continues to fires rockets, more than 60 in the last 24 hours, according to the Israeli military.

Once again, the port city of Haifa came under attack. A building there was hit. At least 11 people were injured in that attack. As the Israeli artillery -- you can hear it firing behind me -- continues to shell those positions in southern Lebanon -- as well as this artillery, we are told a small number of Israeli soldiers crossed over into Lebanon, not a major offensive, we're told, more of a hit-and-run attack on Hezbollah positions as well.

Israeli defense officials say that they had also used airpower to destroy a long-range missile capable of reaching Tel Aviv. They say a transport truck was hit, sending one of those missiles flying into the air.

Now, this incident was originally reported on Lebanese television as a downed Israeli F-16. The Israelis, though, say all of their warplanes have been accounted for -- and Israeli intelligence warning, though, that Hezbollah still has a significant arsenal of missiles and rockets capable of reaching deep inside Israel -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John, two questions for you.

You mentioned the -- the aircraft possibly that was shot down -- one of our IDF sources saying that, even if indeed an F-16 was shot down, they wouldn't come out and announce that, because they would to rescue -- or make an attempt to rescue that pilot.

So, that was sort of an interesting bit of interesting we got from our sources. Now, from where you are right now, you are saying that -- that those weapons being fired are happening how close to you. And what exactly is going on? Can you give us details, because we didn't know if that was actually live ammo or something we were hearing on tape?

VAUSE: Yes. No, that was live -- that was live ammunition fire from here into southern Lebanon.

We are probably within a few hundred feet of the closest Howitzer to us. There's a dozen Howitzers in position here. They don't fire all at once, obviously. They get the coordinates. And depending on where they are firing into, what part of southern Lebanon they want to hit, that then -- that is then -- depending on which Howitzer is used to hit which area of southern Lebanon.

They have been firing -- firing fairly regularly. What we have been told by the Israeli military commanders here is that, once a Katyusha or another rocket is launched from Southern Lebanon, they have intelligence, both from drones, which are collecting information all the time, also intelligence on the ground.

They can pinpoint, fairly accurately, where that Katyusha rocket came from. That is when they fire with the Howitzers. That is when they try to destroy those mobile Katyusha rocket launchers. They are very quick to put up, very quick to break down. They are mobile.

And we're told they're very difficult to hit, which is why, quite often, you will hear two or three, maybe even up to five artillery rounds being fired at a time -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, John Vause, appreciate your report.

Well, as missiles head into Lebanon, Westerners are heading out -- the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Italy all starting evacuations. Now we're learning more about a stepped-up U.S. effort. Let's get more from Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.

Hey, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Well, it's -- well, it's just a trickle now of Americans getting out of Lebanon. It's expected to become a flood in the next couple of days.

The first Americans out, a small group of about 21, who were helicoptered from the U.S. Embassy compound yesterday, arrived at a British air base in southeastern Cyprus on CH-53 helicopters that are from a Marine expeditionary unit that has been operating in the Red Sea.

Pentagon sources say that more helicopters will be joining the three that are there now, and that, by tomorrow, a half-a-dozen helicopters will be able to ferry Americans out. Today, another 43 went out. So, that was 64.

But the State Department is anticipating, upwards of 5,000 Americans may want to leave Lebanon in the coming days. And, to that end, they have chartered a cruise ship known as -- called the Orient Queen, a Greek flag ship, which is going to be heading to Beirut, expected to arrive by tomorrow, could provide transportation for upwards of 750 people, perhaps even more, as they load up the ship for what is a fairly short run, about 150 miles, estimated to take about 12 hours or so, between Lebanon and Cyprus.

In addition, the U.S. has moved a destroyer, the USS Gonzalez, into the eastern part of the Mediterranean to provide security for that operation. And, for now, that's the basic plan. Once Americans get to Cyprus, they basically need to find other ways to get to commercial transportation to get them where they want to go, their ultimate destination.

There is some consideration of perhaps chartering some commercial airliners to fly into Cyprus to help ease the burden on commercial air carriers to get them to other transfer points in Europe. But, at this point, the people who get there are going to be on their own -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks so much, Jamie.

Well, if you have family in Lebanon whom you want to register with the State Department, head to this Web site at Lebanon.U.S.embassy.gov, or call 961-454-4037.

And for Americans living in Lebanon who need help getting out, call 01-202-501-4444. Or, if you have loved ones in Lebanon, you can 1-888-407-4747.

Now to Beirut, where evacuations are under way.

CNN's Alessio Vinci brings us up to date -- Alessio.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Kyra.

Germans and Italians have left already by road in the last few days. The French government has already began in earnest the evacuation of its nationals.

A Cypriot -- a Greek, actually, ferry has arrived here earlier today. It's being loaded with people as we speak now. We understand that, by tonight, 1,200 people will be leaving. Eight hundred of them are French. The other 400 will be other European nationalities, and, we understand, on board of that ferry, also some Americans who perhaps have some French relatives.

They are telling us, of course, they are leaving this country because they are afraid of the war -- one American lady telling my colleague Nic Robertson that she was happy that she had the possibility of taking this ferry, because she felt, in her views, that the American government was not doing enough and was not quick enough. Obviously, now we know that the Americans are bringing a similar boat, or -- or a -- or a similar cruise ship to the region in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the British government is also organizing its own evacuation. Nothing has started yet, but we have seen choppers coming and going. Today, two choppers have left. They -- they take out -- they took out 40 people, those in need of special care, special need, the elderly. Perhaps people -- young children had to be reunited with their parents -- again, there, no evacuation yet, but in the planning stages. And, possibly, in the coming days, this will happen.

Important to note here today, Kyra, today, is that all those who are evacuating, there is no real panic. I mean, everything seems to be under control here. Even there, the port, earlier today, the French government, everything was orderly. There was calm. There was -- everything was -- they seemed to be very well-organized.

And, indeed, if the Americans are organizing a similar evacuation, you can expect scenes at the airport where people will be able to board those ferries without really risking shelling -- from the Israeli side, anyway.

PHILLIPS: Alessio Vinci in...

VINCI: Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: ... Beirut -- thanks, Alessio.

Let's get straight to Tony Harris with new developments -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, got an e-mail for you.

The e-mails that we were bringing you have been just so packed with emotion. CNN is asking folks who are being impacted by this, folks kind of caught in the middle in this on both sides, in Lebanon and in Israel, to send in their stories from, essentially, the front.

Here's the address: YourViews@CNN.com. And, then, there are people who have friends and relatives in the region who are watching our coverage, of course, and then feel compelled to send us an e-mail.

And this is Kate Milford, Connecticut, who writes: "My 80-year- old mother-in-law, who raised five kids on her own during a civil war, is hiding in the mountains. She is old and gray and makes the most incredible food in the world. She has seen more fighting and war than anyone should in their lifetime. My nieces and nephew, an energetic foursome under 12 years old, play in the house, until sonic booms from jets overhead shake them to the core. They are the ones who suffer, not Hezbollah.

"If I had one wish for them, it would be that they never see the war and fighting my mother-in-law has seen. I am describing my family in Lebanon, but I could just as easily be describing grandmothers, nieces, and nephews in shelters and safe houses in Gaza or Haifa. They are the ones who suffer, not Hamas or the IDF. They are probably all scared, and angry, and sad as mine are" -- just another e-mail from someone deeply affected by what's going on in the Middle East.

Once again, that e-mail address: YourViews@CNN.com -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right.

We have been talking with Adib Farha, former Lebanese government adviser, Tony. He was saying the same thing, that it's very much the civilians...

HARRIS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: ... that suffer when all of this -- we're going to talk to him a little bit more...

HARRIS: Oh, great, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: ... coming up. Appreciate it, Tony.

HARRIS: Sure thing.

PHILLIPS: Well, 10 years ago today, TWA Flight 800 took off from New York's Kennedy Airport, headed for Paris, but a problem with the fuel system brought that journey to a horrifying end. The jumbo jet exploded, and 230 people were killed.

Friends, families, and rescue workers are gathering on Long Island today to remember.

Our David Mattingly is there also -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, when flight 800 exploded, it happened about 10 miles out to sea right behind me.

And, today, family members are gathering to remember that day. Nowhere was hit harder, however, than a small town in Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice-over): In Little Montoursville, Pennsylvania, 16 students in the high school French club and five chaperones were headed to Paris for what was meant to be the trip of a lifetime.

These snapshots were taken only minutes before they boarded a bus for the long ride to JFK airport that day.

Cheryl Nibert's mother took the photos.

DONNA NIBERT, MOTHER OF CHERYL NIBERT: She was excited about seeing the Eiffel Tower and taking in all the sights. And she had her pictures all lined up.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Pictures? What do you mean?

DONNA NIBERT: She was going to stand under the Eiffel Tower with a loaf of French bread.

MATTINGLY: In Pennsylvania that night:

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is after 2:00 a.m., and a vigil of sorts is taking place here at Montoursville High School.

MATTINGLY ... students hugged and cried. So did parents.

DONALD NIBERT, FATHER OF CHERYL NIBERT: There's just a lot of shock. Families are struggling just to -- just to even accept what's taken place.

MATTINGLY: No town was hit harder. A media army invaded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bodies of many of those students.

MATTINGLY: Feeding on grief.

(on camera): Did you feel like you were a prisoner even here in your own home, in your own town?

DONALD NIBERT: To some extent, yes. When we went to some events, memorial services, any service they would have, we would always enter through a back door, without going through the front door, where the media would be.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): When Donald and Donna Nibert went to the cemetery to select a burial place for their daughter, a newspaper photographer caught them on camera.

DONALD NIBERT: He either had a very powerful telescopic lens or he was hiding behind one of the tombstones. He took our picture, selecting the grave site. Caused my wife -- when she saw that, she just burst out in tears. If I would have known it at the time, I would have killed the man. I would have ripped his throat right out.

MATTINGLY: Montoursville is a close-knit community, where almost everyone shared the pain. But few knew what to say. BOB FRANCIS, NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: I mean, one of the things that you hear people say in great tragedies like that is, "I know how you feel."

I mean , that is the biggest crock. You know, unless you -- it's happened to you, you don't have a clue how these people feel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And this day is strictly for the families.

I want to show you something that is going just to the side of us here. A large tent has been set up. These are all family members of Flight 800.

They have come for the 10th anniversary today, some of them coming back year after year. But this is, by far, the biggest gathering they have had in some time. There are special ceremonies here featuring Governor George Pataki and former New York Mayor Giuliani.

They are going to be dedicating a memorial that is nestled here in the sand dunes off Long Island, just as close as -- as land will reach to the crash site. And, at that memorial, one of the most prominent features there is a large, black marble wall containing the names of all 230 men, women and children who died on that flight.

And that day was a lot like the day you see right now, Kyra. It was a hot summer day, a great day to be at the -- at the beach leading up to that terrible tragedy.

PHILLIPS: Well, David, I had a chance to see your special documentary over the weekend. You did a tremendous job. And I appreciate your brining us the live shot today, keeping us posted on this.

MATTINGLY: My pleasure, Kyra. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

We are going to take a quick break. We will be -- no, actually, we are going to check in with Tony Harris, working more develops...

HARRIS: Just...

PHILLIPS: ... developments, rather, on our top story today, of course, developments in the Middle East.

HARRIS: Kyra, just got a couple of things I want to show you very quickly. And then I will let you get to break.

First of all, we have got pictures, we understand, of -- of an Italian ship coming into Cyprus, as nations continue to work to get their nationals out of country.

But this is what you are seeing right now. Let me describe this for you just a second. This is exclusive video to CNN of about 20 Americans arriving in Cyprus, in country, on a bus, and now being dropped off at a hotel in Cyprus, OK?

So, what you are looking at right now is video, exclusive to CNN, of 20 Americans who have made it out of Lebanon, have now arrived in Cyprus, on to the island of Cyprus, and have just been dropped off at a hotel there, where they will take up residence.

And now I want to show you the other piece of video, maybe -- I'm not sure a video or still pictures. We will see in just a second -- OK, night video arriving just a short time ago of an Italian ship getting Italian nationals out of Lebanon, about 400 Italians, we believe, perhaps some people of other nationalities as well, arriving in Cyprus just moments ago.

So, this, again, just to give you a -- a -- a sense of how the other countries who are impacted by this with nationals, the Italians, the French, as you know, or British, with helicopters on the ground, getting about 40 of their citizens out of the country earlier today, that all the countries are coming together now and executing these evacuation plans to get their nationals out of country, about 400 Italians or so on this ship arriving a short time ago in Cyprus.

And if we can go back to the pictures of the Americans, exclusive video, CNN video, of about 20 Americans arriving in Cyprus, just off of a bus, and now heading into a hotel, where they will get some rest, and then plan the trip to their next destination.

Just wanted to show you that video just into us here at CNN -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Great. Tony, thanks.

HARRIS: Sure thing.

PHILLIPS: We will talk more.

HARRIS: OK.

PHILLIPS: Oppressive and excessive -- the heat is on. After a break, we are going to see what some cities are doing to keep people cool.

You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: More now on the crisis in the Middle East -- I want to get back to my guest, who says that Israel is targeting the wrong nation.

Adib Farha is a former Lebanese government adviser. He joins me once again from Wichita, Kansas, a place where he has to live, because life was not made easy for him, shall we say, in Lebanon.

Mr. Farha, you and I were just talking during the break, which I think is fascinating. You were a part of establishing this hopeful democratic government. And a lot of people are stepping back, saying, how do you have a democracy when you have an organization like Hezbollah as a legitimate part of the government? Some would say it just doesn't make sense. The U.S., Israel calls this a terrorist organization. How could they be part of a democracy?

What do you say to that?

ADIB FARHA, FORMER LEBANESE GOVERNMENT ADVISER: Whether we like Hezbollah or not -- and I don't -- the -- the prime minister would not have been able to put together a cabinet without giving Hezbollah at least one seat. If he had -- they demanded at least one seat, if not more.

And, if he had not given them one seat out of 20, then no Shiite would have joined the cabinet, and, therefore, you could never have put together a government. So, the decision was to put together a government of 20 that includes one Hezbollah guy. That facilitates the formation of the government.

And, at the same time, hopefully, it would incentivize Hezbollah to become more Lebanese in its loyalty and its allegiances. Unfortunately, Hezbollah continues to do Iran's bidding. They want to have their cake and eat it, too. They are part of the Lebanese government, yet, they continue to operate outside the Lebanese law, outside international law. And their interests and their loyalties are certainly not for Lebanon.

We are discovering that every more -- every -- more and more every day. I mean, when...

PHILLIPS: So, let me...

FARHA: When asked...

PHILLIPS: Let...

FARHA: Yes. Go ahead.

PHILLIPS: Well, yes, Mr. Farha, let me ask you, then, I mean, when -- when Hezbollah became a part of this -- this government that was supposed to be a democracy, right, they basically pledged their allegiance, saying, look, we will be loyal to the Lebanese. We will not be loyal to Syria or Iran. Lebanese will be number one. It's obvious -- well, I'm -- I -- maybe I should ask you.

It -- it seems obvious that is not the case. So, can they be bounced out? Can they be tossed out of the governmental system?

FARHA: Absolutely not, because, if you bounce them out, then all of the other Shiite members of the cabinet would resign.

I have to point out to the viewers, by constitution, the cabinet has to be 50 percent Christians, 50 percent Muslims. And within the 50 percent Muslim Shia, it has to be shared proportionately among the Sunnis and the Shiites. So, if the Lebanese Shiites refuse to join the cabinet, there will be no cabinet.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

Condoleezza Rice now headed now to the area, we have been reporting that. How important is that? What does Condoleezza Rice need to do? And is U.S. involvement essential to trying to figure out some type of peaceful negotiations here?

FARHA: Well, you know, we have to remember that the Arab-Israeli conflict is the root of most of the problems in the Middle East.

And it has certainly given Iran, which has a different, totally different agenda, a very good -- very good excuse to rally support for its brand of Islamic fundamentalism.

I think it's very important for the United States to get back into the game. President George W. Bush has been fantastic, as far as Lebanon is concerned. And we greatly -- as pro-democracy Lebanese, we admire his positions.

However, on the general Arab-Israeli crisis, he has stepped back and just let it play out. I think it's very important for the United States to get back into the game. The United States is the only power that -- that can influence things.

And if there's any chance -- chance that there's going to be peace, I think the United States can broker it. Unfortunately, with the events of the last six days, I think peace is very, very far. It's farther than it's ever been.

PHILLIPS: Well, I have no doubt that we will be talking more.

Adib Farha, always appreciate your time, sir.

FARHA: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead: stuck in Lebanon, thousands of Americans awaiting U.S. military ships, jets, choppers, anything, even troops, to get them out -- the latest on evacuations straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, today, we can honestly say it's hotter than Hell.

Last we checked, the temperature in Hell, Michigan, was 89 degrees. Much of the rest of the country is sweltering, as the mercury hovers closer to 100. Add in the humidity, well, and it feels even hotter.

Heat warnings are in effect from New Jersey to Nevada. A number of cities have opened up cooling centers. And for many people, the coolest place to be is in the pool, the lake, or the ocean. Rain would be welcome, lightning not. Storms are in the forecasts for southern California, where firefighters are just now gaining on two desert wildfires. They have corralled about 70 percent of the so-called Sawtooth fire, which has burned nearly 62,000 acres and dozens of homes. The smaller Millard fire has grown to more than 22,000 acres. Only about a quarter of it is contained.

In Minnesota, a wind shift is blowing the cavity-like fire toward the town of Grand Marais -- no evacuations yet, though preparations are being made.

Any relief from that heat any time soon?

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is on the lookout.

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