Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Israel Debates Increasing Ground Troops; Medical Services Overburdened in South Lebanon; Diplomatic Options Still on Table, Israel Says; Cyprus Crowded with Evacuees

Aired July 21, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips in the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
Headed north and ready for action. Israeli troops at the Lebanon border. Is it a full-scale ground invasion? Next.

Caught in the crossfire, the death toll rises on both sides. The humanitarian crisis deepens. We're live from a hospital in Southern Beirut.

Diplomatic strategy. Can Condoleezza Rice end the conflict? The secretary of state lays out her plan this hour. LIVE FROM starts right now.

The rockets, the air strikes, evacuations, casualties and blame. Here's what we know after 10 straight days of hostilities in the Middle East.

No Israeli ground presence in Lebanon yet, but that may soon change. Israeli tanks and troops are massing on the border, and thousands of reservists are being called up.

Lebanon's president warning Israel against sending troops to his country. Emile Lahoud tells CNN if Israel invades, it will face Lebanese soldiers ready to defend their homeland.

Some Israeli troops are inside Lebanon, about 1,000 of them. Sources tell us they're pinpointing Hezbollah targets, mainly in the south. CNN's reporters all across the region. LIVE FROM will have live reports throughout this program.

From crisis to conflict, a full-scale incursion. Well, Israel is calling up thousands of reserve troops. And a top Israeli general tells CNN, quote, "All reinforcements are going to the direction of Lebanon."

CNN's Paula Newton is watching. She's right there live in the middle of all the action. Paula, bring us up-to-date.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have certainly seen those reinforcements heading towards this border. Military sources tell us that there will be more than 2,000 troops here to help the few thousand already on the ground. They come with their tanks, their armored personnel carriers and even around me right now, Kyra, the artillery fire continues. The problem, Kyra, is that they've seen that air strikes have had limited effectiveness. Perhaps they've wiped out 40 to 50 percent of Hezbollah's capability. But those Katyusha rockets still continue to fly into Northern Israel.

Israel at this point is not convinced unless it goes in on the ground somewhat and tries to create a sterile buffer zone where Hezbollah can no longer operate that Israel will truly be safe.

We're not exactly sure what the end game is though, Kyra. On Sunday, we expect the Israeli government to have a cabinet meeting and decide exactly what that invasion will mean. Does it mean just a few more thousand troops, or is it a full-scale occupation once more -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And we've known, Paula, from the beginning of this a sign of usually massive infiltration is the dropping of leaflets in certain areas. Has that happened where you are?

NEWTON: It continues to happen in Southern Lebanon. They continue to pull in those leaflets, and they've now moved them further. So they're telling everyone in a 20-mile radius along on that border to continue to heed their warnings to leave. And that can only mean more aerial bombardments and obviously more clashes with Hezbollah.

Kyra, we've seen it in the last two days. Every time the Israelis try and go into Southern Lebanon, Hezbollah cells are waiting for them, either booby-trapping roads, or access points, or taking them head on with heavy machine guns, in some cases anti-tank missiles.

If they go in there, Kyra, it will continue to be ugly. The Israeli army knows that. They, at this point, are trying to determine what exactly their objectives will be, if they do, indeed, go into Southern Lebanon.

PHILLIPS: Paula, I know you've had a chance to talk to a lot of people in addition to military. What are the Israeli civilians saying to you? What are their feelings about this as you've been in sort of the local areas?

NEWTON: You know, it's always incredible in these conflicts, is that the people that are directly in the line of fire seem to really support their government. But across Israel, Kyra, everyone is unified, 90 percent, in a couple of polls, saying that they back this military operation.

What they say that they want is to remain safe. They want to make sure that if Israel goes in this time, and that includes on the ground, which means that they are going to come home -- that the Israelis are going to come home in body bags from Lebanon. They know that. But at the end of whatever this is going to turn out to be, people here in Northern Israel want to know that they are safe, and that is, for them here, the end game -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Paula Newton, great job. We'll be talking to you a lot.

Putting aside the military, the political, the diplomatic sides of the crisis, people are being hurt and killed every day. Our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, just arrived in Beirut. He's checking conditions at hospitals there.

Sanjay, how is it going?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's going pretty good, Kyra. Yes, we arrived several hours ago now and have tried to visit some of the hospitals on Beirut and South of Beirut, as well.

It's very interesting, Kyra. A couple of the obvious things maybe. There have been a lot of air strikes, which have caused a lot of injured people. And the hospitals are starting to fill up with those injured people.

But also what's interesting, and maybe obvious to some people, is that the people who sort of have chronic illness, just citizens of Beirut, are having a much harder time actually getting into the hospitals, as well.

You know, we visited one hospital, for example, because of air strikes, which occurred, you know, just hundreds of meters away from the hospital. They put all of their patients in the basement, two floors actually below the ground. And that's where they're trying to take care of patients. So radiology suite, for example, is now a maternity clinic. And they're trying to keep their patients safe that way.

The staff starting not to show up, supplies are starting to get in short order. And of course, the volume of patients starting to increase. And all of that, you know, sort of has the makings of what people refer to as a humanitarian problem, Kyra. And that's at least what I'm seeing initially here.

PHILLIPS: So when we're talking about the patients, are you seeing military types in there? Are you seeing Lebanese people from the outskirts being hit by certain weaponry? I mean, innocent civilian types? What exactly is the patient description?

GUPTA: For the most part here, and near Beirut, you know, sort of the southern suburbs, it's mostly civilians. We haven't really seen that many military types. I talked to some of my colleagues, who are a little further south, and they're saying there are more military types, military folks in those hospitals, you know, south of here.

But it's starting to change. You know, it's really just been interesting to watch. The demographics are changing, as you're starting to see -- you saw more civilians in the south, and now you're starting to see more civilians closer to Beirut as people are fleeing from the south, coming closer to this area. So it is probably just going to continually change.

What's also interesting, Kyra, maybe you just sort of get a sense of this from a geography standpoint. A lot of the bridges -- bridges have been targets, and the roads have been targets. So for example, someone is injured and goes to a very small hospital. Sometimes they'll have to be evacuated to a larger hospital. That may involve an all-terrain vehicle to get them through for a short time.

Then the patient is actually transferred to an ambulance, for example, to be taken to a bigger hospital. Some of the biggest hospitals in this area, in Lebanon, actually only are seeing five to 10 percent of all the injuries, because patients simply can't get there. The smaller hospitals are being overburdened right now.

PHILLIPS: Sanjay Gupta, we'll keep talking. Thanks so much.

More Katyusha rockets have hit Israel today, including Israel's third largest city. CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is in Haifa -- Fionnuala.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, yes, indeed, the last air raid siren warnings went off about an hour and a half ago, which was the fifth such warning to be followed as it usually is by a barrage of rockets, some 39 civilians injured, three of them seriously throughout the day.

It is now just after sunset. The Jewish Sabbath has begun here in Israel. But Haifa, perhaps a more secular city than Jerusalem, which normally shuts down over the Jewish weekend, normally would be bustling with people dining out on this Friday evening. For some hours now, there has hardly been any movement on the streets -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Fionnuala, any talk about the release of Lebanese prisoners, you know, back and forth. The initial deal that Hezbollah wanted to make was let prisoners go, and we will free the Israeli soldiers. We haven't talked about that in a while.

SWEENEY: Well, there are some developments on the diplomatic front. Condoleezza Rice, the U.S. secretary of state planning to head to the region early next week, leaving on Sunday. And here on Sunday in Israel, we're going to see three European Union heavy weights. The French foreign minister, the German foreign minister and also the British secretary of state for the Middle East. So there is clearly something in the works.

And a few moments ago, I spoke to Abby Gitner (ph), who's a very senior member of the Israeli cabinet. He has Ehud Olmert's ear, and he did say that prisoner release would be part of any negotiation solution.

What Israel also wants to see is the resolution that was passed by the U.N. two years ago imposed. It's known as Resolution 1559, and it would call for the Lebanese army to step into what is now being described as a buffer zone along the Israeli-Lebanese border in order to stop Hezbollah regrouping there once this military conflict ends, assuming it does end.

But I have to say, Kyra, that as much as the diplomatic goings on are ramping up, so, too, is the tension as Israel has announced that it is not necessarily planning a ground war, but it's certainly evaluating that and sending thousands of its troops up towards the Lebanese border -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Fionnuala Sweeney, thanks so much.

As expected, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be heading to the Middle East. Sources say she'll leave on Sunday. The official announcement later today. We're going to bring that to you live.

In the meantime, let's check in with CNN U.N. correspondent Richard Roth.

Hey, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Here at the United Nations, large anticipation for Secretary Rice's remarks here. Rice met with Kofi Annan last night, no doubt got very detailed about the way forward. Annan had a team in the Middle East recently. And now Rice will be going over there.

Rice, this morning, met with members of Annan's Mideast negotiating team.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I really would like to thank Mr. Nambiar, Soto (ph) and Brit Larson (ph) for joining me this morning. Obviously, we're all concerned about the situation in the Middle East and want to find a way forward that will contribute to a stable and democratic and peaceful Middle East.

We're looking forward to the report of these gentlemen, who have recently been in the region, and I want to thank them for going on such short notice and look forward to...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Rice's U.N. ambassador, John Bolton, a short time ago telling the Security Council that the idea of an international stabilization force to get between Israel and Lebanon will be discussed by Rice, Bolton again raising some of the problems that he thinks ins related to that force, would Hezbollah comply.

He says they haven't proven in the past that they can cooperate, and that terror is really the occupying force in Lebanon, driven by Iran and Syria, according to Ambassador Bolton.

Earlier, Vijay Nambiar, one of the members of that U.N. team who met with Secretary Rice today, talked to the Security Council about what, in his view, is really badly needed at this time in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIJAY NAMBIAR, HEAD OF U.N. DELEGATION: A political package is needed that gives the governments of Israel and Lebanon confidence that the horrors each country is now enduring will not be repeated. The end of the Hezbollah threat against Israel and the full respect by all Lebanese parties and all Lebanon's neighbors of the government of Lebanon's sovereignty and control.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: And the U.N.'s chief humanitarian coordinator issuing many appeals for international funding to help the people of Lebanon and appealing for large humanitarian corridors of access to help get people out of Lebanon -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That's a big focus about what we're talking about today. Richard Roth, thank you.

Diplomatic forces gearing up. We now know U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will head to the Mideast on Sunday. Stay with CNN for live coverage of the secretary's press briefing 1:30 Eastern Time. We'll take it live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: President of the United States landing in Colorado right now. These live pictures coming to us from KUSA. It's Aurora, Colorado, actually, and that's where Buckley Air Force Base is. The president is arriving to meet with U.S. troops that just got back from Iraq.

Well, sheep -- ships, rather, keep arriving in Cyprus. Evacuees from Lebanon are coming in faster than they could be flown out of their home country. CNN's Chris Burns joins me from an increasingly crowded island.

Hey, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. We're going to see some serious bottlenecks tonight. Some 13 ships will be arriving here and in the port of Limassol, not far from here.

Over my shoulder it's a little bit calm at this point. But this dock here will be taking on ships. We can pan across the way, over this way. You see four war ships. Perhaps it might be a little dark. But out there, there are Greek, French and Indian war ships out there. A little bit somewhat ironic, thinking that there's so much fire power here. But what they're doing is they're going out and evacuating people. That's easier to say than done.

That, in the distance, is a Greek transport ship. That will probably be moved, as well. These docks are going to be full of ships, bringing in thousands of people.

Now included among these are four U.S. amphibious assault ships that will be arriving over in Limassol overnight, about 1,000 people each. In fact, one of them has about 1,700 people. They were picked up off the beach today in Beirut, with amphibious landing craft, the Marines coming on board, the same thing that we saw yesterday, but this on a much, much larger scale.

They will be transferred here to various processing centers. Here, there's a customs place they're put through. And then they're boarded on buses on the other end and taken either to the airport or over to hotels or to a fairgrounds that the U.S. has commissioned with folding beds to put people up for the next couple of three days before they can be put on planes.

Six charter planes are being used to move the Americans back -- back home. That's not nearly enough to move all of them at once. And that's why there's a bit of a backlog -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So Chris, at the beginning, we all know how chaotic it was. A lot of Americans were complaining about how long this whole process was taking. Now, all these various assets have come in. It seems to be more organized. Are they satisfied?

BURNS: Well, Kyra, we haven't heard any of that grumbling on this end. We have heard a lot of grateful people on this end. Now of course, maybe some of those still stuck back in Lebanon, maybe pinned down in South Lebanon. They could require, actually, a helicopter evacuation and could have a different opinion about it. But what we have seen is a lot of people very tired, very worried, but very grateful that they're out of there.

And then of course, the argument that did require extra security. That took a bit of time to ramp up. And those four amphibious craft that are moving those people, as we speak, in this direction are being escorted by two U.S. destroyers. And it's because of that extra security that it took a couple -- three extra days to get going -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chris Burns in Cyprus, thanks very much.

PHILLIPS: Well, U.S. Marines on the ground in Beirut, helping to bring out Americans. But is there a bigger role in store for U.S. forces? Let's bring in retired Brigadier General "Spider" Marks. He's one of our CNN military analysts.

And I think -- I think that's just in the back of everybody's mind, Spider, wondering, you have so many various forces there, whether it's naval destroyers or Marines with the expeditionary forces that have capabilities. If, indeed, something was to get extremely hairy, would the U.S. forces step in and do something besides evacuations?

BRIG. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Kyra, it's not likely that the U.S. is going to step in, in a direct combat role unless they're invited in. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Clearly, the U.S. is going to continue to provide intelligence, logistics support, certainly the sea lift, the Marines helping with the -- or executing the non-combatant evacuations. But the U.S. won't get involved on the ground.

PHILLIPS: When you say invited in -- well, you bring up an interesting point about on the ground. I'll ask you about air assets in a second. But invited in, who would need to invite them into this? Obviously, there are two -- various sides here. There's the Lebanese government and there's the IDF, the Israel government. MARKS: Yes. The only way that the U.S. would be involved is if Israel invited it in and requested their assistance. They won't. Israel is a very deep ally. We've -- we've had this relationship, and we've spilled blood together before. It just is not going to happen unless Israel says we need the help. And frankly, they don't.

PHILLIPS: So now we see the IDF, Israeli Defense Forces and also special operations building up in masses, whether it's tanks or boots on the ground. What do you think is going to happen next? Is this more of an intimidation type thing, where they're lining up and showing force? Or do you think they're seriously getting ready to go in for an all-out ground war?

MARKS: Kyra, they're going to have to go across the border and go into Southern Lebanon and root the Hezbollah out. No question.

In order for the IDF to achieve the goals they've stated, they can't have it both ways. They can't do it through -- through the air. They cannot do it with artillery fire. You're going to have to get forces on the ground to root out the Hezbollah, isolate the buffer zone, if you will, and then reduce what's inside that buffer zone. You're going to have to. The Israelis are going to have to put forces across the border.

PHILLIPS: Now, Lebanon's president is saying look, the Lebanese army is going to respond. If Israeli forces come in, we're going to have to defend ourselves. So, do you see a situation where you'll have, or could you see a situation where you have the Lebanese army fighting the IDF, Hezbollah fighting the IDF and sort of having three various forces going at each other?

MARKS: That's what you call a hairball. That's a soup sandwich. Clearly, Lebanon could do that. But it wouldn't -- wouldn't surprise me at all if Israel went across with great speed, created a buffer zone, isolated some pockets, reduced the Hezbollah as quickly as they could and then raise their hand and say, "Look, we have no intention to occupy. We want to turn this over to somebody." And the Lebanese army is a likely candidate.

But Israel has to be convinced that they'll do a good job or Israel and Lebanon will be right back at it with Hezbollah.

PHILLIPS: Why wouldn't Lebanese army forces join up with the IDF?

MARKS: Well, they certainly have never before. It certainly could happen. It would be unprecedented. But it's not unlikely. I mean, if Israel can achieve the objectives on the ground that it needs to achieve, I could see where they could possibly have the Lebanese army come in and do a relief in place and reclaim their sovereign territory, and Israel goes back.

PHILLIPS: General "Spider" Marks, thanks for your insight.

MARKS: Thanks, Kyra. Diplomatic forces are gearing up. We now know that U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, will head to the Mideast on Sunday. She's going to lay out her plan for the region this hour. We'll bring it to you live. Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Diplomatic forces gearing up. We now know that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is going to head to the Mideast. Stay with CNN for live coverage of the secretary's press briefing. We're expecting it to start in about five minutes or so. We'll bring it to you live.

Well, we had one explosive rally on Wednesday. And since then, it seems that Wall Street has resumed playing defense. Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange.

Hey, Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much. We'll talk again.

Well, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is going to head to the Mideast on Sunday. She's going to lay out her plan for the region this hour. We're going to bring that to you live straight ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Money" magazine went in search of this year's top 100 places to live in America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were trying to find the best living small cities in the country. You had to be sort of in the upper tier in the quality of your schools. You had to have low crime. It had to be very safe. Housing to be affordable. We wanted racial and economic diversity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In third place, Sugarland, Texas. Naperville, Illinois, is second. And...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The No. 1 best place to live in America for 2006 is Fort Collins, Colorado. It's a place where there is an incredible amount of greenery. It doesn't feel like a city, and yet it has the night life of a city.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Other towns making the list with different points of interest, Bloomington, Indiana, where more than half of its residents are single. Dubuque, Iowa, the town with the shortest commute, 11 minutes. And the skinniest town, Roseville, California. Its residents have the lowest body mass index in the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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