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Evacuating American Citizens From Lebanon; What Role Should U.S. Play in Mideast Conflict?; Warning Sirens Wail Across Haifa

Aired July 17, 2006 - 11:01   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Welcome back to the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

There is a lot going on this morning in the Mideast crisis. Here is what we know right now.

In the northern Israeli city of Haifa, several suspected Hezbollah rockets have hit over the last few hours. A correspondent on the scene reports that a rocket struck a residential building.

Israel continues its attacks on Hezbollah. Israeli bombs targeted a port in Beirut. An army barracks and areas in Beirut's southern suburbs were also hit.

As the conflict intensifies, several countries, including the U.S., are evacuating their citizens from Lebanon.

New developments from the Pentagon as well.

For that, let's go to our Barbara Starr, who is looking at evacuating Americans from Lebanon.

Barbara, hello.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Daryn.

Pentagon officials now confirming some new additional details about the evacuation plan.

First up, a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Gonzalez, is now being sent to the eastern Mediterranean. They are not saying exactly when it will arrive, but he Gonzalez, a destroyer, will position itself in the eastern Med for security for this evacuation operation as it unfolds.

Additionally, officials confirming that the U.S. Marine Corps group of amphibious warships that have been in Aqaba, Jordan, over in the Red Sea on an exercise are now loading up many of their Marines, coming back on board those ships. Those ships will get under way for the operation, not saying how soon they will actually get there.

A matter of considerable security for the United States military. But those Marines now loading up, and at least some of those amphibious warships making their way to the eastern Med. They are going to be standing by, ready to move in for the evacuation of Americans from Lebanon over the next coming days.

Additionally, a third item. We are told the State Department has chartered a commercial passenger vessel called the Orient Queen. That is a Greek flag cruise ship, essentially. We do not know where that ship is at the moment, but it has been chartered, put under contract, also to make its way to the region. It will be an additional asset on standby.

As this is unfolding, what appears to be happening is they are putting as many options, as many assets as they can into the region to get Americans out of Lebanon. They don't know at this point how many Americans exactly want to go.

They are collecting names. They have several hundred people on a State Department list that have already stated their intention, their desire to get out of Lebanon. That's several hundred but, Daryn, there are 25,000 Americans in Lebanon, and the military needs to be prepared, they say, to take them all out if it comes to that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, and how does this work, Barbara? So, the military comes and gets you, takes you out, let's say, as far as Cyprus. And then you're on your own?

STARR: No, not entirely. What the -- what will happen is the military will take Americans, give them safe passage, a secure route out of Lebanon. They will take them to Cyprus, and what they're trying to arrange from there are chartered commercial airliners that will come into Cyprus and take these people on to their destination, wherever they want to go in the United States, or to other places.

They know that a lot of Americans may be stranded without the financial resources to do it. They will be asked to sign a promissory note. Money will be fronted to them for them to make these arrangements.

KAGAN: Barbara, let me just jump in here, and I'm going to kind of blind side you with this, but these pictures that we're looking at here, these -- of course it's not just Americans who are trying to get out of Lebanon. There's a number of expats from different countries that live there. These are British helicopters, British military helicopters that are getting some Brits out of there.

While the U.S. is trying to coordinate all of this, I imagine there's a number of other countries trying to do the same thing.

STARR: That's absolutely right, Daryn. As we watch these pictures of this particular helicopter evacuation, clearly many countries now moving in.

We know the French are making some arrangements to send in that ferry that Alessio Vinci has been talking about to get their citizens out. Helicopters are moving in and out of many Western embassies in Beirut. You see people here moving very quickly to these helicopters.

This is an operation with some element of risk to it. They are not sure what they're facing in the possibility of small arms fire in the area.

All of these military forces are very practiced in this type of evacuation. But the way they minimize risks, Daryn, is to get in and get out very quickly.

So their people are being prestaged at their embassies, being told to go there in an organized fashion. The helicopters land, and then they move very quickly on to these helicopters. What the U.S. is doing, Daryn, of course, is trying to prioritize, get the very young, get the very old, and people with medical problems out of there as quickly as they can.

KAGAN: Understandable. Barbara, thank you.

We're going to keep these pictures up and go live also to Beirut.

Our Alessio Vinci standing by there at the port where a number of people showing up. They want out -- Alessio.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They want out, and they will get out, Daryn, because the French government has organized a ferry that has arrived here a few hours ago. I'm going to step out of the way here to let you look at what's happening here at the ports of Beirut.

This is a Greek ferry hired by the French government. And the evacuation of some French nationals has already begun.

This is a ferry that can cause 1,200 people. We understand already that about 800 are on board. By the time it will be completely filled, there will be some 800 French nationals, as well as 400 people from other European nations, as well, we understand, as some Americans.

A total of 500 children will be on board. Of course, priority is being given to families and to the elderly and to those who need to get out of here as quickly as possible.

There are about 20,000 French people, French nationals in Beirut. About 6,000 have registered. And we understand from the French Embassy officials here that all of the 6,000 will eventually be able to get out of here in the coming days because more ferries will be organized, and all of them, all those who want to leave, will be allowed to do so.

We understand this ferry has been given a safe passage, both by the Lebanese, as well as the Israeli government. It has been, of course, organized by the French government, whose prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, has just arrived here in Beirut. And he is meeting now with the prime minister of Lebanon.

We managed to speak to some people before they boarded the ferry. This is -- another two busloads are about to board. There are already some people on board.

People telling us, of course, they are leaving because they feel there is danger, that there is a war. We spoke to a woman who actually had two children. She is a French-Lebanese. Her husband is French. He is in Paris. She's going back there because, obviously, she does not want to be separated from him.

There is also one American woman on board. And she spoke to my colleague, Nic Robertson, who was actually, until a few moments ago, on board. And she said, "Thank god that I'm married to a French because I was able to come on this board." She somewhat criticized the American government here for not doing enough and too -- and quickly enough.

Of course, the Americans perhaps a much larger security concern than the French may have here. That said, we've heard from Barbara that -- Barbara Starr at the Pentagon that a similar ferry is being moved to the region already by the U.S. government. So it's conceivable that American citizens will be allowed to get on a ferry, as well, soon.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Alessio Vinci at the port in Beirut.

Thank you.

That leads us to the discussion, what role should the U.S. play in this conflict?

Jon Alterman is a director of the Middle East program for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is my guest from our Washington bureau.

Good morning.

JON ALTERMAN, CSIS, DIR. OF MIDDLE EAST PROGRAMS: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Before we go into what, let's just talk about how many options there are. Not a lot of options for the U.S. right now.

ALTERMAN: Not only are there now a lot of options, but in many ways we've seen this happen before. What will happen at some point is there will be some sort of international envoy, he'll be high level U.S. engagement. And hopefully, there will be a position between all the parties that people begin looking forward to disengagement.

The question really is when that happens. My guess is we're still possibly as much as a week or more away from the U.S. really fully getting engaged. What we saw from President Bush's comments in St. Petersburg, the ones that were picked up on an open mic, is he really thinks it's all Syria's fault and he doesn't really feel like holding back the Israelis.

KAGAN: And we also did hear that it looks like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will show up there at some point. But why the delay? ALTERMAN: It seems to me that you don't want to send an American envoy at a time when you don't think the American envoy can win the deal. Don't forget, after the intifada started in the year 2000, Bill Clinton called an urgent summit between Ariel -- between Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat. And after 36 hours of straight negotiations, he wasn't even able to get a written declaration. They just had an oral statement and they all went back.

You don't want to send an American secretary of state if you can't get an agreement. My guess is the Americans are going to hold back, possibly have others. Tony Blair said he might go, somebody from the U.N.

See if the parties look like they're willing to make an agreement before you put an American there. Because once you put an American there, there's nowhere else to escalate to.

KAGAN: Let's look at who the Americans talk to and who the Americans don't talk to. How hampered would U.S. efforts be without -- with a lack of relations with Iran and Syria?

ALTERMAN: It certainly hurts that we don't have an ambassador in Syria. The Syrians, I think, have been sending all kinds of signals they want to talk to the United States, and the United States hasn't wanted to talk to Syria.

My guess is the Syrians are going to be continuing to look for ways to open that dialogue. The White House is going to be very, very resistant.

The fact is, we have a very, very big and complicated agenda with Iran. This isn't a very good item to begin the talks with. My guess is we're not going to be talking with the Iranians, however important they would be in getting Hezbollah to back off.

KAGAN: And those that the U.S. does speak to, you have the Palestinians, but that's a very weak leader. And also, the Lebanese government. Clearly, we're seeing moment by moment just how weak that government is.

ALTERMAN: We talk to some Palestinians. We don't talk to Hamas. We do talk to the Jordanians and the Egyptians; we talk to the Lebanese prime minister. We talk to the Saudis.

They all have -- have been mostly in place. It seems to me, the governments in the Middle East have remarkably swung behind criticizing Hezbollah, criticizing Hamas, trying to get things quieted down. I think that's one of the reasons this won't spill over.

But we don't have very many options. And the people, as you point out, who most have the cards to play to help solve this conflict are people we simply don't talk to.

KAGAN: Finally, what do you think should be the next U.S. move of practical possibilities? ALTERMAN: Well, I think one thing that we can do very usefully is talk to the Israelis about where they're going strategically. You have an Israeli prime minister who doesn't have a lot of military experience, a defense minister who doesn't have a lot of military experience.

There's no question, the Israelis can do what they're doing and they can do it for a while. The real question is, to what end were you trying to go, and what steps get you closer to where you're trying to go?

I think that's a useful discussion to have over the next week as we begin to try to move the parties toward thinking that maybe that hitting back isn't going to solve the problem. We have to move toward negotiations. But we're not there yet.

KAGAN: Jon Alterman, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Thank you for your time today.

ALTERMAN: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: We'll continue to monitor all the latest developments from the Mideast. Looking at the new developments coming up next.

Also, we're going to take a closer look at Hezbollah and why it has such prominence in this region.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We're looking at live pictures from the Al Jazeera television network. This is southern Lebanon that you see on the other side of that haze. We continue to monitor a large number of Middle Eastern networks as we bring you complete coverage of the Mideast crisis here at CNN.

And with that, let's check on some of the new developments this morning -- actually, at this hour in the Mideast crisis, starting with this from the Pentagon.

Amphibious warships are heading to the eastern Mediterranean to get -- help get Americans out of Lebanon. More Marines are getting ready to head to the region, and the State Department has chartered a Greek flagship to send as an additional asset if needed.

In the northern Israeli city of Haifa, several suspected Hezbollah rockets have hit over the last few hours. Our correspondent on the scene reports that a rocket struck a residential building.

Israel continues its attacks against Hezbollah. Israeli bombs targeted the port in Beirut. An Army barracks and areas in Beirut's southern suburbs were also hit.

The sound of fear in Haifa, Israel. Warning sirens wailed across the port city earlier today.

That's where we find our Paula Hancocks with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dozens of rockets have been falling on the town of Haifa and other northern Israeli towns this morning. This is the third largest city in Israel, and we've seen many rockets land in and around the city.

Now, many of the rockets have actually been landing in the sea. You can see just across this bay here, that's north, and about 20 miles -- sorry, 25 miles, 40 kilometers in that direction is Lebanon. This is the direction that these rockets are coming from.

So, many landing in the sea, but we do understand that one did hit a building, a residential area in Haifa itself. Now, part of that building collapsed, some of it set on fire. So we understand at least 11 people were injured in that particular attack. But the casualty numbers have been lower on Monday as they were on Sunday.

Just behind me down the hill is the train depot that was hit on Sunday morning. Eight of the workers that were working on trains in that train depot were killed, more than 20 more were wounded.

This is one of the worst Hezbollah attacks that Israeli has seen in more than a decade. The streets at the moment are pretty much deserted, as they have been since this escalation in violence began.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Haifa, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Washington calls Hezbollah a terrorist organization, plain and simple. But like much in the Middle East, it gets a lot more complex than just that.

Our national correspondent, John King, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Beirut, 1983, the suicide bombings that killed more than 200 Marines, perhaps the first time most Americans became familiar with the work of Hezbollah.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FMR. ACTING CIA DIRECTOR: Hezbollah is often called the A team in the terrorist world. Prior to September 11, they had killed more Americans than any other terrorist group in the world.

KING: "Hezbollah" means party of god, and the radical Shiite group wants to eliminate Israel and develop a Muslim fundamentalist state modeled on Iran. Hezbollah is blamed by Israel and others for more than 200 attacks and more than 800 deaths since its founding a quarter century ago. MCLAUGHLIN: It really is in many respects a creature of Iran. Iran gives it a lot of money. It's been estimated at least $100 million a year. It shares Iran's aims strategically.

KING: But it is more than a terrorist organization. Hezbollah is a significant political force in Lebanon, holding seats in parliament and running cabinet ministries and building public support by running social welfare programs.

MCLAUGHLIN: About 250,000 of Lebanon's 3.8 million people benefit in some way from the schools, hospitals and other social institutions that Hezbollah sponsors.

KING: It was just a year ago that Syria bowed to international pressure and withdrew its troops from Lebanon, raising hopes at the White House of a democratic example in the troubled region. But Hezbollah has ignored a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding it disarm and effectively controls much of southern Lebanon.

So, for the president, it is yet another Middle East setback. Traveling in Europe, Mr. Bush blamed Syria for the escalating tensions in Lebanon and in Gaza.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Syria's housing the militant wing of Hamas. Hezbollah has got an active presence in Syria.

KING: But most regional and intelligence experts say the far bigger worry is Iran, who's already accused of stirring the insurgency in Iraq. And now some see Tehran has using Hamas and Hezbollah as proxies to stoke tensions just as the president tries to win support for sanctions against Iran for refusing to curtail its nuclear program.

MARTIN INDYK, SR. FELLOW, BROOKINGS INST.: There's a direct connection between Iran and Hezbollah that's very strong and well established, and an interest that Iran has in creating a diversion from its nuclear program.

RICHARD MURRAY, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO SYRIA: I'm concerned by the evidence that that suggests the Iranian capabilities to push and prod the diplomatic scene throughout the region. I think -- I think it's a nervous time.

KING: Whatever its motivation, the daring capture of two Israeli soldiers reopened southern Lebanon as a military battleground and reasserted Hezbollah's influence on the already volatile Middle East stage.

John King, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Frustrations and a four-letter word. President Bush sells diplomacy in a candid moment at the G-8 summit. The microphone was open. We'll tell you what the president said.

This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: President Bush heads back home as he talks -- as talks wrap up at the G-8 summit in Russia. Diplomacy was the watchword, but a four-letter word is grabbing the headlines.

Our White House correspondent, Ed Henry, explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The Mideast crisis dominated the agenda here at the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg right up until the final moments. An open microphone capturing a rather dramatic and colorful exchange between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that really highlights the tensions among world leaders about the way forward in the Mideast, that really stands in sharp contrast to the united front that was publicly presented by the G-8 leaders in their joint statement on the Mideast Sunday.

What happened first this morning is Mr. Blair met with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and then afterwards met with reporters, and they jointly called for an international stabilization force to head to Israel to end the violence. But such a force might require a cease-fire, which is controversial, because President Bush has not supported one on the grounds that the administration does not believe Hezbollah would follow it.

So, after the meeting with Mr. Annan, Mr. Blair then went to a lunch with President Bush and the other G-8 leaders. And the president expressed real frustration that the U.N. should be doing more to pressure Syrian President Assad to get control of Hezbollah.

I want to be clear, the leaders knew this was a photo opportunity. There was a microphone on the table. Tony Blair eventually turned the microphone off, but not before it recorded this...

BUSH: What about Kofi Annan? I don't like the sequence of it. I mean, his attitude is basically cease-fire and everything else happens. But -- you know what I'm saying?

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Yes. No, I think the thing is really difficult, is you can't stop this unless you get this international presence agreed.

BUSH: Yes.

BLAIR: Now, (INAUDIBLE).

BUSH: Yes, she's going -- I think Condi is going to go pretty soon. BLAIR: Right, but I don't -- that's all that matters. If you -- you see, it will take some time to get out of there. But at least it gives people...

BUSH: It's a process, I agree. I told her your offer, too.

BLAIR: At which -- well, it's only -- I mean, you know, if she's going -- or if she needs the ground prepared, as it were. It's obviously -- if she goes out, she's got to succeed, as it were, whereas I can just go out and talk.

BUSH: See, the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and it's over.

BLAIR: Because I think this is all part of the same thing.

What does he think? He thinks if Lebanon turns out fine, if he gets a solution in Israel and Palestine, Iraq goes in the right way, he's done it. That's what this whole thing is about. It's the same with Iran.

BUSH: I feel like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad and Make something happen.

BLAIR: Yes.

BUSH: We're not blaming Israel. And we're not blaming the Lebanese government.

HENRY: We played this tape for a White House spokesman, who said the president's words speak for themselves. The White House not offering any further comment.

The key exchange, of course, being the president, in rather explicit terms, saying that basically he believes the U.N. needs to do more to get Syria, to get Hezbollah, to stop the violence, and then this will be over.

Also, what should not be lost in this exchange is the fact that the president confirms what we've been hearing for days here at the summit, that he's planning to send U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Mideast to try and help defuse the situation and end the violence.

Ed Henry, CNN, with the president at the summit in St. Petersburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Thank you, Ed.

Israel's prime minister addressing the Knesset. We'll see what he has to say. The latest from Jerusalem just ahead.

Right now, a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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