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Israel Hits More Targets in Lebanon, Hezbollah Militants Firing Back; U.S. Ambassador to U.N. Discusses Mideast Crisis; California Wildfires

Aired July 14, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to our developing story out of the Middle East. Israel is pounding roads and runways in Lebanon. Hezbollah militants firing back.
Here's what we know in the Mideast crisis.

The Beirut airport was the target of Israeli attacks again. Some planes were allowed to take off before the runway was hit again. More Hezbollah rockets rained down on northern Israel. Police say five towns were hit in less than an hour.

The U.S. State Department has given families of embassy employees and some non-emergency workers permission to leave Lebanon. The Pentagon is weighing the options for getting them out safely.

President Bush talked with Lebanon's prime minister over the phone to discuss his call for a cease-fire. Mr. Bush also spoke with other Mideast leaders about the crisis. It erupted when Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers.

Israel is keeping up the pressure on Hezbollah and keeping -- they continue to pound targets in Lebanon.

Let's go live to Jerusalem and our Paula Newton.

Paula, I understand the prime minister there once again meeting with his security group.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ehud Olmert, yes, meeting with his security group. They're still in that security meeting right now. And what they're trying to figure out is what to do about what's going on in those towns and cities in northern Israel.

There is a bit of panic there. And certainly, the government has informed people there to make sure that they head for bomb shelters or, at the very least, safe rooms they have in their home.

Ehud Olmert does have a problem on his hands. Before he went into the meeting he did indicate that this U.N. team coming here and doing a tour of the Middle East to try to mediate the situation, that he felt he could cooperate with them, but only if they were coming, in fact, to secure the release of the three Israeli soldiers still being captured.

It does not, Daryn, at this point sound like a government and a prime minister in a mood to compromise. And I think we did hear that earlier coming from Israel's representative at the U.N. -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And then let's talk about Syria and how it might be getting the focus both politically and militarily from Israel.

NEWTON: You know, that is the big fear here, that, in fact, Israel will take some kind of action against Syria. And, you know, it was a little bit more than two weeks ago that in a really dramatic move and a bit cheeky that Israeli planes buzzed the president's -- Syrian president's home while he was in it.

And you know that that was a not-so-subtle message of, look, we believe that you are interfering in Lebanese internal affairs. We believe that you are politically and monetarily providing support to Hezbollah. And we will not take it anymore.

We asked that question about Syria's involvement and what Israel intends to do about it directly to an Israeli official, but, Daryn, at this point, they're only saying that, look, our concern right now is for what's going on in Lebanon. But, of course, they're not going to be giving up anything tactically at this point.

And Daryn, everyone is still waiting on pins and needles to see if Israel will take that other step and also try and go in and perhaps, on the outside chance, actually go and continue with certain airstrikes in Syria -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Paula Newton live from Jerusalem.

Thank you.

Elsewhere, in Israel, one of the towns that was hit by rockets today was Nahariya. Our John Vause joins me. He is there with the latest -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Well, it is now eerily quiet here on this Friday evening, the start of the Jewish weekend. Normally, this main street of Nahariya would be packed with holiday-makers, but they've been told to go home. The shops have been ordered closed by police.

And the residents who are still here, some have left, but those who are here, and all of the residents within about 14 miles of the Lebanese border have been advised the take cover in bomb shelters and safe rooms. The hospital here in Nahariya has evacuated patients from the top floors to more secure areas in the hospital. And residents within about 30 miles of the Lebanese border, and that includes the major port city of Haifa, have been told to stay off the streets, to go to their homes and once there stay away from windows and doors.

Nahariya was one of at least seven Israeli towns and cities which earlier today was hit by a volley of around 70 Katyusha rockets. The Israeli military reports about 40 people were hurt, many of those suffering shock. So far, today, though, there have been no fatalities -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And so, this town is basically shut down, I would imagine, as people remain indoors?

VAUSE: Very much so. Everyone is taking cover. The shops have been closed. The hotels have essentially sent all the holiday-makers away. There are a lot of reporters here, as you can imagine, but this town is now shut down -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. John Vause, thank you, live from Nahariya in northern Israel.

Let's get the view now from the Lebanese capital of Beirut. And we will do that in just a bit.

Meanwhile, there are 25,000 Americans in Lebanon and possibly in harm's way. The question is, how do you get those Americans out? Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is at her post. And we'll -- we will get to that in a moment.

We're a little fluid here with our breaking news.

Let's go -- we focus a lot on the United Nations today. And, in fact, any moment we do expect to hear from the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who will have a chance to address the Security Council. But while -- and that's the representative from Argentina right now.

While we wait to hear comments from John Bolton, let's go ahead and check in with our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth.

Richard, we have heard different takes on the same international crisis earlier today.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, this is an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council. Real passions, more than you usually hear. And especially, of course, on the Middle East. That is to be expected.

We've heard speeches from a Lebanese foreign ministry official, also from the Israeli ambassador. And we're about to hear from U.S. Ambassador John Bolton.

Israel (sic) demanding, pleading for Security Council action to force a cease-fire, a halt to what the foreign ministry official called barbaric aggression by Israel. The Israeli ambassador countered with harsh, blistering words, accusing Hamas, Iran, Syria of being behind all of the violence, that rockets were fired even from private homes by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, that there's a secret room in some of these private civilian homes being used for a launching pads against Israel.

There may be consultations later in the day to adopt a statement, but the most significant action is the fiery speeches today inside the United Nations Security Council chamber. The Lebanese official who spoke to the council said Israel is undermining Lebanon's sovereignty as it endeavors to exercise sovereignty over its entire territory.

Israel has moved out of Lebanon several years ago and has said to the council, look, the Security Council, you 15 countries, passed resolutions endorsing our pullout. You're not stopping these militias like Hezbollah.

And now here's Ambassador John Bolton of the United States with his remarks.

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Thank you, Mr. President.

In recent days and weeks, we have seen an outbreak of violence in the Middle East, sparked by attacks and kidnappings which Hamas and Hezbollah carried out against Israel. Events continued to develop even as we speak.

Hezbollah's incursions across the blue line on July 12 were deliberate and premeditated provocation intended to undermine regional stability and are contrary to the interests of both the Lebanese and Israeli people. We unequivocally condemn the kidnapping by Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, of two Israeli soldiers and call for their immediate and unconditional release.

Provocations across the blue line by terrorist groups highlight the urgent need for full and immediate compliance by Syria and Hezbollah with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, including 1559, 1583, 1655 and 1680.

The international community has made clear its desire to see the central authority of the government of Lebanon extended throughout the country. In this context, we underscore the importance of the Security Council president's statement of June 18, 2000, and the secretary-general's conclusion that, as of June 16, 2000, Israel had withdrawn all its forces from Lebanon in accordance with Security Council Resolution 425 and met the requirements defined in the secretary-general's May 22, 2000 report.

As President Bush said yesterday, we are very concerned about the fragile democracy in Lebanon. While we have been working very hard with partners to strengthen democracy in Lebanon, we are also making clear that the democratic aspirations of the Lebanese people must not be undermined by the irresponsible and destabilizing actions of Hezbollah.

We have repeatedly made clear to Lebanon and Syria our serious concern about the presence of terrorist groups on their soil and the periodic attacks against Israel from groups and individuals in southern Lebanon. All militias in the Lebanon, including Hezbollah, must disarm and disband immediately.

KAGAN: We have been listening a bit to U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He joining Israel in pointing fingers at Hezbollah in this international crisis.

We -- if you would like to continue to listen to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, you can go ahead to Pipeline, cnn.com/pipeline, and we'll continue to stream that coverage there for you. Meanwhile, though, CNN has scored a huge exclusive, a chance to talk with the Lebanese prime minister in the midst of this crisis. Our Nic Robertson has that interview and joins me on the phone right now from Beirut.

Nic, what were you able to learn in your exclusive interview?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I talked to the prime minister. I asked him why the government hasn't done more to stop Hezbollah's actions. He said that the government's disavowed those actions but implied in his answers that he thinks this is now time to look at the bigger Palestinian-Israeli issue, something he says that's been going on since 1948, and that he hopes that this situation in Lebanon right now, the attacks, help to bring a focus on to that issue.

He did imply in his answers that he thought Hezbollah's actions had been a tactical mistake, but he -- but he stopped short of outrightly criticizing Hezbollah. I put it to him that the Israeli government has said that they won't stop until Hezbollah is disarmed, Hezbollah has said they will stop anyone that disarms them. He continued with his optimism that he thinks that this problem can be resolved.

He refused to say how long Lebanon could withstand the effects of a siege that are being installed upon them by cutting off the airport, cutting the roads, cutting the ports. He also implied in his answer that he believed Hezbollah hadn't acted in a vacuum. He implied that perhaps Syria and Iran were behind Hezbollah's actions in crossing the border and kidnapping two Israeli soldiers.

The situation this morning at Beirut airport, where a number of aircraft were able to fly out of the country before the airport was struck again, he said was a deal that was brokered between the Americans and the British to help get those planes out. He went on to say that there was a degree of control in what was happening.

I asked him who was he getting the most support from at this time in trying to build a comprehensive peace plan, which is what he was calling for. He said he was getting support from the Europeans, from the Americans , from the Chinese, and from the Russians, but he stopped short of saying that he was outrightly optimistic that the current round of fighting could be brought do an end.

He spoke in terms of this being an historic opportunity to deal once and for all with the problems in -- that -- between the Israelis and the Palestinians. I put it to him, "That it's an ambitious plan." He said, "The road has to start somewhere" -- Daryn.

KAGAN: In this exclusive interview, Nic, did he talk -- or did you address more this idea that basically this government is impotent in dealing with Hezbollah, that he doesn't have control of his own country, especially what's happening in the south?

ROBERTSON: You know, when I put that to him, the answer each time was that this -- it's not up to this government. He turned the tables back on Israel and said it's up to Israel to deal with their Palestinian problems and then you won't have the situation of an organization like Hezbollah arming themselves and trying to exert their influence in the area.

It was clear from his careful, measured answers that the prime minister stopped short of perhaps reaching to his true feelings. There was a -- I was left with a sense that there were things that he didn't actually say during the interview, implications that -- that -- that he recognizes that what Hezbollah has done is not in the best interest of Lebanon at this time.

But again, he said that this isn't something that's going to -- that's going to break up the current government, that the current government is strong. But it's very clear when analyzing this from the outside that the government here is not able to reign in Hezbollah at this time. And he spent a lot of the interview trying to avoid being pressed on that issue, of this government reining in Hezbollah.

KAGAN: Well, and just to put this in perspective, this is a relatively new government, one that is coming in to power as they're trying to move out Syrian influence. And many people in this government who wanted a disbanded Hezbollah. That is not in the interest of the Lebanon moving forward to have a powerful Hezbollah.

ROBERTSON: Indeed. And the prime minister expressed several times in the interview his hope that the United States would play a significant role in trying to bring about security and stability and de-escalate the situation here.

I asked him if he thought the United States would provide enough support, if he believed that President Bush -- President Bush's assurance that he gave the prime minister today that he supports and understands the position of the Lebanese government were enough. The prime minister seemed optimistic about -- about the support for the United States, although not overly optimistic.

KAGAN: All right.

Nic Robertson, live on the phone following his exclusive interview with the Lebanese prime minister. And I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of that and actually getting to hear the interview for ourselves just ahead.

Nic, thank you.

Well, let's now go elsewhere, in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Our Alessio Vinci is in the downtown area and has the latest from there -- Alessio.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Well, first of all, let me bring you up to date with the latest we have regarding casualty figures here in Lebanon. And that is according to Lebanese officials.

Sixty-three people have been killed in the last three days. Of these, most of them are (INAUDIBLE), but two are civilians. Two Lebanese soldiers who were killed in southern -- in southern Lebanon, as well as 167 have been injured.

And most of these casualties, of course, come from the southern part of Lebanon, the main area of operations there. But we understand also that new casualty figures have risen because of the attack overnight in the southern district of Beirut, an area of Beirut highly populated by Muslim Shiite, and, of course, also an area where the headquarters of the Hezbollah militia group are located.

And that is where Israeli jets bombed early this morning just before daybreak. That area there, destroying a bridge and destroying buildings belonging to that or affiliated to that organization.

Another area that has been coming under persistent attack in the last few days is the international airport here in Beirut. You may remember that that was one of the first targets in the city -- within the city that were chosen by the Israeli forces.

Well, we understand that this morning, thanks to an agreement between the Lebanese government and with the (INAUDIBLE) of the Americans, Lebanon was able to, first of all, repair one of the runways that had been destroyed by the Israelis, and then managed to fly out five MEA jetliners -- MEA is the national carrier here -- plus another six planes belonging to a former Lebanese prime minister.

And those planes managed to take off, and then within a few moments later, after those planes left, the Israelis destroyed one more time that same runway that had been repaired. And eventually later on, even targeting the car park at the international airport.

So, basically, that airport being one of the focus -- one of the focus points of the Israeli military action, because, of course, besides the three runways, the car park, the fuel depot also had been bombed yesterday. So, all of this, of course, as the conflict between the two sides intensifies not just around Beirut, but also especially in the south -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Alessio Vinci live in downtown Beirut.

Thank you.

A downtown Beirut that should be bustling in the middle of the summer season. Instead today looks pretty much like a ghost town. We'll have much more on what's happening in the Mideast ahead on our coverage.

Also, we'll go live to California. Two major wildfires could be on a collision course, getting close to merging. We'll talk about what that means as we look at live pictures from the Morongo Valley, very close to Palm Springs.

We will be back in a moment. We're back after this.

Plus, after three years of relative silence, ex-CIA operative Valerie Plame makes her case. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIE PLAME, EX-CIA OPERATIVE: Joe and I have filed this action with heavy hearts, but with a renewed sense of purpose. I would much rather be continuing my career as a public servant than be a plaintiff in a lawsuit, but I feel strongly, and justice demands, that those who acted so harmfully against our national security must answer for their shameful conduct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: They are suing the federal government, including the vice president and Karl Rove. We'll lay out the facts and look at the case and see if they have one just ahead this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: This just in to CNN. As rockets fall in Israel, we are learning more about where they might have come from.

Tony Harris has more on that -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Daryn.

The Israeli military, at least sources within the Israeli military, is out with some analysis of two Katyusha rockets that landed in Haifa some 30 miles south of the Lebanese border with Israel. Now, this is important, because for a rocket to land that far south in to Israel is evidence of the increased range within this family of Katyusha rockets.

So, after analyzing the rockets, the Israeli military says the rocket was made in Iran. Again, sources within the Israeli military saying that the rockets were made in Iran.

You heard just a moment ago, Daryn, from Nic Robertson in your conversation with him the Lebanese prime minister suggesting that Hezbollah received support from the incursion into Israel on Wednesday from Iran. And you've been hearing this morning much of the talk at the U.N. about Iran supplying money and material to Hezbollah. And now sources within the Israeli military stating their findings, that the longer-range missiles fired from Lebanon to Haifa were made -- were made in Iran.

We'll continue to follow developments in this story for you -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Tony, thank you.

HARRIS: Sure thing.

KAGAN: Let's head now to southern California. There's been concern about two major wildfires becoming one. Is that about to happen? Has it happened? Plenty of fuel nearby in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Let's check in with Kyung Lah, who is following the fire in the Morongo Valley in southern California.

Kyung, hello.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

The hazy air that you see behind me, it looks like it's a foggy day out here. It's actually not. It's a crystal clear day. What you're seeing behind me is the smoke from the Sawtooth fire.

Now, the fire department right now -- firefighters are trying to figure out if this fire, the Sawtooth fire, has, in fact, merged with another hot fire which is just west of here. At this point, they believe that these two fires may be about half a mile apart. It may be very well that they have collided, in fact, and have grown into a large wildfire.

But at this point, they believe they're still about half a mile apart. But they're set to collide just within hours.

Let's give you an update now on the Sawtooth fire. This fire, according to the latest information from the firefighters, is 53,000 acres. It has grown from 47,000 acres.

To put that in perspective, it's about 13 miles wide at its widest point. The containment remains at 20 percent, and there's still no figure on when there may be full containment.

The mandatory evacuation area remains the same. The Morongo Valley area remains under a mandatory evacuation. Hundreds of people still out of their homes, 2,000-plus homes total evacuated out of the Sawtooth fire area. Residents who have fled said that they are keeping an eye and watch on those hills.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just loading up for a hasty retreat. We are not packing everything. We're putting stuff that we need in the cars, and we're going to wait it out and see if we can't...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... get through this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's coming right over the ridge right now, so it's looking pretty close. It's looking like it could -- could happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: Now, the sun is starting to get high into the air. What we expect to see as the sun gets higher and higher and the temperatures rise and the winds pick up, as they have every single day here, firefighters do expect to see the flames pick up. At some of the highest points, Daryn, the fire has been about 100 feet tall.

KAGAN: And in terms of the merging, are they concerned -- does that make it more difficult or easier to fight? Because at least you lose one of the borders on each of the -- on each of the fires.

LAH: You're right. And you can draw a giant circle around it. That's one school of thought for firefighters.

But the other concern is that, then you have an even larger wildfire that pushes forward together as one giant front. So, firefighters at this point say they expected the merge, so they're just going to continue to draw that circle around and hope for the best.

KAGAN: All right. Kyung Lah from the Morongo Valley in southern California.

Thank you.

A different kind of smoke rising and the tension building in the Middle East through the eyes of a career diplomat who has just returned from Israel. We'll do that. We'll have that conversation just ahead.

This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A new development in the crisis in the Middle East.

Here is what we know at the half-hour. Israeli military sources telling CNN they believe longer-range missiles fired at the city of Haifa were made in Iran.

Two missiles fired from Hezbollah from Lebanon hit the northern Israeli port city for the first time late yesterday. Israel targeted the Beirut airport again today, but the U.S. helped broker a deal that allowed some planes take off before the bombs fell.

Hezbollah fired more rockets into northern Israel. Police say several towns were hit.

President Bush spoke by phone with Lebanon's prime minister to discuss the crisis. The prime minister wants the U.S. to help push for a cease-fire. The crisis escalated when two Israeli soldiers were captured by Hezbollah fighters.

Images of destruction, we have seen them on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border.

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