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CNN Live Today
Hezbollah Rockets Hit Near Haifa, Other Cities Today; Condoleezza Rice's Itinerary: Beirut, Israel, Rome; Israeli Helicopter Crash was Accident
Aired July 24, 2006 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. Welcome to our second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. We'll be joining Miles O'Brien in just a moment in Haifa, Israel.
First, let's take a look at what we know right now.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice begins her diplomatic mission to the Middle East with an unannounced stop in Beirut, there meeting with Lebanon's prime minister. Then on to Israel for meetings with leaders in that country.
Meanwhile, Israeli ground troops push deeper into southern Lebanon. There's word that they've been facing heavy fighting from Hezbollah guerrillas.
From Beirut to the Israeli border, Damascus, Syria, to Jerusalem, CNN has reporters all across the region to bring you the very latest on the fighting and diplomacy. Live reports are straight ahead.
And our correspondents include my colleague Miles O'Brien, standing by in Haifa in northern Israel.
Miles, hello.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you very much, Daryn.
Haifa, Israel, really has been in the crosshairs of these Hezbollah rockets really now almost two solid weeks. Day 13 now of these attacks.
It wasn't a particularly busy day, fortunately, for the residents of Haifa. Three times the air raid siren blared, and probably a half- dozen rockets or missiles were headed this way. All of them fell harmlessly, causing no damage or injuries that we know of.
Just take a look at the map and you'll understand why Haifa has ended up being the focus of so much attention here and, frankly, the place where a lot of blood has been shed in this nearly two-week-old conflict. Haifa is the largest city in the north of Israel. Nearly 300,000 people live here. Between 15 and 20 miles to the border with Lebanon. And, of course, that southern part of the region is a stronghold for Hezbollah, the so-called party of god which the United States and Israel would characterize as a terrorist organization.
Now, last night, Israeli air force jets singled out and bombed some sites in Tyre. Tyre, Lebanon, being a suspected source of many of the rockets that were headed this way. Sunday was a very busy day here. The air raid siren going off now less than nine times. At least 16 rockets headed this way, a total of 100 all throughout northern Israel.
Today that number is less. Perhaps that airstrike was successful, perhaps that Israeli push farther into southern Lebanon has something to do with why we have seen fewer of those rockets headed in that direction.
One thing we have seen in this direction is a move toward diplomacy. The United States now, nearly two weeks in, putting some diplomatic boots on the ground, so to speak.
Condoleezza Rice, with a previously unannounced publicly visit to Beirut, reporters on the plane, they had a refueling stop in Shannon, Ireland, we're told. After the doors shut, were headed to Beirut, not, in fact, Jerusalem as first initially indicated. She met with the prime minister of Beirut, and now, we are told, is meeting with the speaker of the parliament there who is an influential Shiite, represents another Shiite group, but may hold some sway with this group, Hezbollah, which is, after all, members of the Shiite Islam sect as well.
CNN's John King is in Jerusalem, anticipating Condoleezza Rice's arrival there. It will be a later than we expected, but she obviously has more meetings to attend to before this diplomatic mission is anywhere near over -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Miles. This mission just beginning. And many saying, why did it take so long for the United States to send its secretary of state to the region? Thirteen days, as you noted, since the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah began.
Many saying, why wasn't the Bush administration here sooner? Of course, there are others saying, where has the Bush administration been over the last five and a half years in this region? But the secretary of state is on the ground.
As you noted, she is in Beirut, a dramatic first stop for her, unannounced, but always planned, U.S. officials say. Not put on the public schedule because of security concerns.
An interesting exchange happened a short time ago after one of her meetings. Secretary Rice was asked by the reporters with her, "What is it that the Lebanese want from the United States?" And her answer was this: she said, "I'm deeply concerned about the Lebanese people and what they are enduring. I'm obviously concerned about the humanitarian situation."
Now, the Lebanese government, of course, will take any additional humanitarian assistance the United States and anyone in the world community can provide. But we know point blank from that government that what it wants most from Secretary Rice is a commitment to come here to Israel and to press the Israelis for an immediate end to the hostilities, an immediate cease-fire.
And we also know that Secretary Rice is not prepared to give the Lebanese government what it wants most. She will come here to Israel tonight, meet with the foreign minister, tomorrow meet with the prime minister and other top Israeli officials. And while she says she wants a "sustainable cease-fire," we are also told by her and other U.S. officials back in Washington and those traveling with her that they simply do not believe the conditions are yet "ripe," in their terms, for a cease-fire.
They believe that until Hezbollah either has its rocket supplies destroyed or moves back, is pushed back from southern Lebanon so that its rockets can't reach towns like Haifa in Israel, that it would not be right, that it would undermine Israel's security to push for an immediate cease-fire. So this diplomatic mission getting under way with the U.S. secretary of state. Obviously the highest profile U.S. presence in the region here in some time.
But, Miles, for all the high profile, what we are being told is very low expectations. Conversations here in Israel, the conversations in Beirut, more conversations and negotiations in Rome. But no one on the U.S. side, anyway, expects any agreement to actually get a cease- fire in place for at least a week. Perhaps more -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: And what about the Syria question, John? Many people would suggest to you that before anything can happen on the cease-fire front, whatever the timing, somehow, some way, the Syrians need to be engaged.
KING: No question. Many would say to this administration and are saying to this administration, we understand your differences with the Syrian government. We are not saying embrace the Syrian government. But, many of the rockets being fired on Israel, intelligence sources and other governments would say, are shipped from Iran, into Syria, then down to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
So, if you were going to stop the weaponry, stop the arsenal of Hezbollah, you must engage Syria at some point. But for now, the Bush administration says there will be no high-level contacts with Syria, that it will rely on Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, others in the Arab world to get its message to Syria that it believes Syria can end its isolation and not risk further isolation in the world by breaking its relations with Hezbollah, by breaking its ties with Iran.
But right now, Miles, that's one -- this administration is being criticized in many quarters, in some cases from traditional allies, by those who would say, don't be so stubborn, sit down with Syria. But for now, the Bush administration says it won't do that -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, Syria wants to talk. That's what we hear, anyway.
John King in Jerusalem. Thank you very much.
The fighting across the border into southern Lebanon continuing in a furious way today. The Israeli defense forces, having seized Maroun al-Ras, a city on a hill, literally, the high ground, obviously a strategically important place and a Hezbollah stronghold, moving down to Bint Jubail, which is known as a Hezbollah headquarters, perhaps sort of a de facto capital of Hezbollah, if you will, in southern Lebanon.
We've heard reports of casualties on the part of the Israeli defense forces, reports of prisoners being taken, Hezbollah prisoners. And in the midst of all this, a helicopter crash, apparently accidental, after returning from delivering rockets or bombs on the target there in that part of the world. But nevertheless, an Israeli helicopter crash.
Watching all this for us right along that border, just south of that border with Lebanon and northern Israel, is CNN's John Roberts -- John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.
We were right along the border just a couple of minutes ago. We've since moved our position to an artillery battery that's close to the border between Israel and Lebanon.
We were up in the area where that helicopter went down. The Israeli defense forces saying that it was brought down by a mechanical problem. It made a forced landing. It looked like a pretty terrible forced landing as well, because the carcass of the helicopter was quite burned out.
Of course, on the other side, Hezbollah is saying that it was their fire that took down the helicopter. So we have competing assessments and competing explanations for how that helicopter went down.
We understand that there may have been casualties in that helicopter, though the actual extent of those casualties is still under Israeli censorship. We hope to have more on that for you coming up in the next few minutes, if not the next couple of hours, at the very latest.
What I can tell you about the fighting is that is has moved beyond Maroun al-Ras, as you were saying just a moment ago, Miles, into Bint Jubail, which is another few miles further into Lebanon from Maroun al-Ras. Yet, at the same time, Israeli defense forces are taking fire from small pockets of resistance on that hilltop town of Maroun al-Ras, firing down into a couple of Israeli towns. Avivim being one of them, Yaron (ph) being the other.
They're sort of right in the shadow of that hill along the border with Lebanon. And as well, this artillery battery that we're down here with, while the guns are silent right now, they are tasked with providing both supporting fire for the advancing Israeli forces, as well as trying to put down some suppressing fire on those Katyusha rocket positions which really began the day quietly.
There was one rocket early in the morning that was fired in Haifa, where we were and as you were, Miles. You know there was nothing much until about 2:00, 3:00 in the afternoon, when suddenly Hezbollah opened up with a barrage of 98 missiles. And that, according to defense force spokesmen Captain Duran Spielman (ph), who we just had spent time with, is the most number of rockets that they have fired in a two-hour period.
So, still fighting raging across the border here. The artillery prepared to lay down either fire in support of the troops on the ground, or suppressing fire when Hezbollah tries to get those Katyusha rockets off -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, John, the fact that the guns are silent there, does that imply that it's just too risky, that their troops are in such close contact with the enemy that it's unwise right now for them to be lobbing in artillery?
ROBERTS: No. When you're engaging in a fire support mission, as this artillery battery and another one on top of a hill not far from here has, what they do is they're in constant contact with the troops on the ground. The troops will say, "We need some fire support here to help us advance a little bit," maybe scare Hezbollah away from the center of town and move them back from the line that they're holding.
They'll lay in that fire support, then they'll back off for a little while, either to let the troops advance or to see if the enemy is going to shoot back. Then they'll call in more artillery.
It's a -- it's a game, really, sort of, give and take here. And also, when they see those Katyusha rockets fire, they have drones up in the air, they also have Cobra helicopters that we saw up in the air firing those Hellfire missiles on some Katyusha rocket positions.
They will get coordinates from either those drones, from those spotting helicopters, or from aircraft higher in the sky who will tell them through triangulation where those Katyushas are coming from. Then they'll asked to lay down counterfire on those.
So, it really is -- it's a 24-hour-a-day operation, Miles. But what we have seen since the very first week of this engagement is that Hezbollah is no longer firing those Katyusha rockets at night. It seems that the heat signature that comes off of them is just too great, they're too easy to pick out where they've been firing them from. So what they will typically do now is they will wait until the heat of the day, when the hot sun -- and it gets warm and dry here, in the low 90s -- when that hot sun tends to mask the heat signature from those rockets a little bit more, it makes it that much more difficult to figure out where they're being fired from.
M. O'BRIEN: John Roberts, good explanation. Thank you very much.
John Roberts, just south of the border with Lebanon in northern Israel.
Meanwhile, the evacuation of foreign nationals in Lebanon wishing to leave continues. In particular, Americans. About 12,000 Americans now have evacuated. Have gotten a lift out of there through the good graces of the military and those ferries that have been called into service. As it stands right now, another 2,000 are making their way out. And the evacuation is at the point where it's beginning to wind down.
The question is, what's next now for the military?
CNN's Barbara Starr in Larnaca, Cyprus, with more on the latest in that -- what appears to be the end game for the evacuation -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, at least the end of one phase of the evacuation.
Military spokesmen out here in the region say that they think they are pretty much done sending those amphibious warships into Beirut to pull Americans out, those dramatic pictures that we've all seen over the last several days. But they are waiting to hear from the embassy about what might be next.
There are, in fact, though, a number of commercial charter ships that are going in and out of Lebanon that are continuing to take Westerners out of the country, including Americans. But at the moment, don't expect to see any more of those big amphib transports. They think they're pretty much done, at least with that phase of it -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Barbara. So, what is next for the military? There is -- you know, we keep talking about this humanitarian crisis in southern Lebanon, and, for that matter, problems in the southern neighborhoods of Beirut, where a lot of bombing has been focused.
Will the U.S. military have a role in any of that in getting some help to these civilians who have been injured and displaced?
STARR: Miles, you're exactly right. What's really emerged here over the last 24 hours or so is the obvious, humanitarian aid into Lebanon now the top priority.
I can tell you, just behind me at the pier here, there is a ship even loading up, a French ship, as we speak, taking in medicine and supplies from the international relief organization Doctors Without Borders. So, that type of material already beginning to move out of the port here in Larnaca, Cyprus.
There is an international naval armada here in the eastern Mediterranean on standby. Six U.S. Navy warships, a good number of British ships, French ships are here. Even ships from the Indian navy.
Everyone is on standby here, waiting to see if there are requests, orders or any guidance about military involvement in that humanitarian relief effort. What we do know is the U.S. military and those six amphibious warships and those two destroyers are prepared, if asked, at this hour, to escort in civilian ships carrying humanitarian relief and supplies. They are even quite capable, they tell us, if they get the request from the White House and from the Pentagon. The military ships could begin taking in humanitarian supplies very quickly on their own.
They have a good deal of capability to do that from those six ships. They're ready, only waiting to be asked -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: CNN's Barbara Starr in Larnaca, Cyprus.
Thank you very much.
Back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Miles. Thank you.
We're going to look at some delicate diplomacy taking place. The secretary of state is in the Middle East. Her goal, try to find a way out of the conflict.
Details ahead on that topic.
And when the safe room isn't really so safe. A rocket hits a home, but quick thinking saves the family.
That story ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We are just past the quarter-hour. Let's take a look at what we know right now.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice begins her diplomatic mission to the Middle East with an unannounced stop in Beirut. Then on to Israel to meet with leaders there.
And dramatic video from just inside the Israeli border. These are explosions in the town of Kiryat Shmona, one of several cities targeted this morning by Hezbollah.
And now more on the secretary of state's mission to the Middle East.
For that, I'm joined by Richard Murphy. He is assistant -- former assistant secretary of state. Also served as ambassador to Saudi Arabia and to Syria. Clearly knows the region very well.
Mr. Ambassador, good morning. Thanks for joining us.
RICHARD MURPHY, FMR. ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE: Good morning, Daryn.
KAGAN: Let's talk about the timing here. Some saying it's too soon for the secretary's visit because there's no guarantee of a deal. Some saying that -- the Syrians saying it's too late, you should have been here, Americans, a lot earlier. MURPHY: Well, there's no deal ready to be struck at this moment, but it's an interesting moment in the area that for once Israel is open to and encouraging the arrival of a multinational force in Lebanon to replace its troops.
KAGAN: Let's just stop and talk about that for a moment.
MURPHY: Yes.
KAGAN: Because just to even hear the Israelis say, yes, an international force in that southern part of Lebanon, we think that's a good idea, that's a turn of events.
MURPHY: That is. In the past, they've been very suspicious, very negative that an international force would just get in their way if they had to move back into Lebanon or carry out cross-border attacks. Now they're saying, we can't handle it by ourselves, we don't want to be in Lebanon for the long run. So the answer could be an effective international force. And that's a change.
KAGAN: Let's look at the development of the day. Secretary Rice makes what some are calling a surprise visit in Beirut. The State Department saying it's not a surprise, we just didn't announce it because of security reasons.
But she goes there and she's looking to shore up the Lebanese government. But not coming through completely with what they want. And that is a cease-fire.
How do you say both things?
MURPHY: Well, she can't -- she can't assume she's satisfied the Lebanese government. They're now in the red another $2 billion of infrastructure damage and the lives of their citizens put at risk.
So, they would like an immediate cease-fire, but her mission is based on saying that there's no point in an immediate cease-fire, that won't solve anything. You're looking for a solution, apparently. Let me work out a longer running solution than an immediate cease-fire would allow.
KAGAN: By all indications, it looks like this could go on at least another couple weeks.
MURPHY: Well, I think you're right, because Israel isn't about to hand over to the Lebanese army in the south. And there's no way that an effective force can be fielded in several weeks. So, I look for a continued Israeli presence despite what they're saying today.
KAGAN: What do you think the next move is, Mr. Ambassador?
MURPHY: Well, the next stop is...
KAGAN: Israel.
MURPHY: Is Rome. Well, she's in Israel already, I think. KAGAN: Oh, OK. Yes. Yes.
MURPHY: In Rome she will meet with Arab representatives, excluding the Syrians. For the moment, they're going to try to work through the Arabs, apparently, be it the Saudis or the Egyptians, in getting messages to the Syrians. While we have a charge there, he's not -- not been a major channel of communication between our two governments. We've had -- we've had no ambassador there for the past 15 months.
KAGAN: And can this happen, can progress go forward without involving the Syrians? And must it?
MURPHY: Not in my opinion, no. And the Syrians have cast their lot increasingly with the Iranians. So there's that factor in play as well.
Is it possible to encourage the Syrians to get engaged in a serious wide-ranging resolution of the problems? The Syrians have already said yes, as long as you're dealing with root causes such as the Palestinian issues and the occupation of Syria's Golan Heights.
KAGAN: And that does not appear to be in play at this time?
MURPHY: Well, that's not going to be quick. And just how far the Israeli interest extends to the broader range of problems is not clear.
KAGAN: Former ambassador Richard Murphy.
Mr. Ambassador, thank you for your time, again, this morning.
MURPHY: Thank you.
KAGAN: I appreciate your perspective, once again.
We're watching what's happening at the Pentagon, looking for developments regarding evacuations of Americans. There still are more who want to get out.
We'll have a live report just ahead.
Also, those fleeing for safety and caught in the crossfire. You'll hear one family's story ahead on CNN.
This is the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Haven't heard anything yet today about the Americans still trying to get out of Lebanon.
For more on that, let's go to Jamie McIntyre. He is at the Pentagon with more information on that.
Jamie, good morning. JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Daryn.
You remember those estimates about maybe 5,000, maybe 8,000 Americans wanting to get out? Well, so far, they brought out nearly 12,000 Americans by ship from Lebanon to Cyprus, although a few went to Turkey as well. And they're bringing another 1,200 today.
But the U.S. military is saying that the military assistance to that evacuation is winding down now. It's basically going to end. They're bringing out 1,200 on the Orient Queen. That's that chartered luxury cruise ship. And they'll still run some of those charter ships back and forth until they believe every American who wants to get out is actually out.
But the role of the warships is pretty much over at this point. And the U.S. military mission is shifting to delivering humanitarian assistance.
And what they're doing is flying in supplies, mostly medical supplies, blankets, some other things to Cyprus. And then they're loading them on some of those smaller ships, including one of the chartered craft, and also the military ship Swift. It's a swift boat to take supplies into the Port of Beirut and then give them to nongovernmental organizations for distribution in Lebanon.
What you won't see is any U.S. Marines or military personnel going into Lebanon to distribute supplies. They're not going to do that. You won't see those big warships delivering supplies either, because essentially they're not an efficient way to do that.
But the U.S. is assisting -- the U.S. military assisting the State Department in the delivery of humanitarian supplies. USAID has the lead role in that. And again, in particular, they believe that medical supplies are needed, so they're making that the first priority -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jamie, quickly, what about the issue of Americans who weren't in the Beirut area? There was concern about getting them out. What's the progress been on that?
MCINTYRE: Well, you know, originally there was some concern that they might even have to go in and fly them out by helicopter. But the State Department says that they've been able to coordinate rides for those people. They got most of them, they think, up on Friday.
Friday was the peak day, by the way. Four thousand people -- Americans came out of Lebanon on Friday.
KAGAN: In a single day.
MCINTYRE: But, do they think that they have every single American who wants to get out? No, they don't. So they are continuing to tell people, if they need assistance getting out, to contact the embassy, to get word to the State Department. And they are going to continue to try to make arrangements, as I said, including running some of those chartered ships.
But, since the bulk of the evacuation appears to be over at this point, for Americans, anyway, the U.S. warships are going to sort of stay over the horizon in case they're needed again. But they don't anticipate that.
KAGAN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.
Jamie, thank you.
We'll check on what Israel is doing, making its move deeper into southern Lebanon. Boots on the ground crossing the border. And the strategy and the challenges to that move coming up.
Also, now out of harm's way and in her mother's arm.
Saving Baby Serena, that's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We want to go live right now to the United Nations. We do expect within the next 15 minutes to hear from Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
With more on that and what's happening at the U.N., here's Richard Roth.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Daryn, the United Nations here is working on a diplomatic front, waiting for Condoleezza Rice's visit to end to the region, and then they'll still have to decide here if they're going to be authorizing some type of international force.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair talked about that in London today, and his deputy British ambassador here described what the diplomats are considering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN PIERCE, DEP. BRITISH AMB.: Well, there will be a lot of Security Council activity looking at the sorts of ideas that the secretary general came up with, talking further about the force, working out what the real options are, how they all fit together. Obviously Secretary Rice's visit is a very important part of that.
And I think -- though we hope to hear from the president of the Security Council later -- but I suspect work will get under way here on a draft text. Don't yet know what that text will be, but that that won't come to fruition until after we hear from Secretary Rice's visit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Now the United Nations is also issuing a major appeal for humanitarian aid, money to come in from the international community to help the people of Lebanon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAN EGELAND, U.N. EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR: We are today launching this appeal of $150 million for the Lebanese people; 800,000 are not displaced or in desperate need for international humanitarian assistance, but of course we're also asking for a cessation of hostilities. Too many civilians are suffering, both in northern Israel, and all over here in Lebanon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: UNICEF is also issuing an appeal for $23 million as part of that overall $150 million in funding. And, Daryn, we're expecting to hear from Kofi Annan talking to the press about Lebanon and other matters, perhaps in about 10 minutes -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, we'll go back to the U.N. when that begins. Thank you, Richard.
From diplomacy to the military angle to the Israeli tanks and troops are moving deeper into Southern Lebanon today. The Israeli military says its planes have hit more than 270 targets across Lebanon in the past 24 hours, but the ground operation is just getting started.
For more on that, let's talk to Gal Luft. He is a former member of Israeli Defense Forces, and he is now with the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.
Good morning. Thanks for being with us.
GAL LUFT, INST. FOR ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: Sure.
KAGAN: Tell me about some of the challenges that Israel faces as it moves into Lebanon on the ground.
LUFT: Well, first of all, let's say what Israel is trying to do. Israel not trying to reoccupy the land like it did in 1982. We're not talking about the establishment of a security zone. What we're talking about is Israel moving in a cleanup operation which aims to remove the presence of Hezbollah from the vicinity of the border.
Now, the challenge is, that we are dealing with a formidable force. The Hezbollah troops are, just like in many other fronts of the global war on terrorism. They are fanatics, religious fanatics. They are not afraid of dying.
KAGAN: And let's talk about that point right there, because we're hearing reports from Israeli soldiers that have been across the border and back, and they say it's very difficult to fight somebody who is not afraid of dying. There's a big difference when you face a man or any kind of soldier who wants to live versus doesn't care about dying.
LUFT: That's, I think, a challenge that many Western militaries are facing as they move into places like Iraq, Afghanistan, dealing with fanatics who are not afraid of death, and actually cherish death in many respects. Makes soldiers from western societies much more difficult to deal with them. And I think that this is where training and technology and sophisticated weapons can fill the gap.
But by no means it's going to be a knife cutting through hot butter. It's going to be a tough challenge, and the Israelis are very aware of this.
KAGAN: What about the training level of the Hezbollah fighters?
LUFT: They are very well trained. They had instructors coming from Iran, from the Revolutionary Guards to -- many of them have gone to Iraq -- to Iran to undergo training. And they know they are very well fortified. They know the ground. They know the terrain very well. They have support of the local population. There is a very large Shiite population in Southern Lebanon. So they have many advantages over the Israelis, and that's why the Israelis are very careful as they make the decision to what extent they need to increase their ground -- the presence of ground in Southern Lebanon.
KAGAN: I want to get back a to point you were making in the beginning about how do you hold this area? Israel has been very clear. It does not want to have an occupation again. And so really for the first time, we're hearing them being open to an international force, which they hadn't in the past with other conflicts.
LUFT: They definitely don't want to hold the ground. They don't want to establish long lines of communications and logistics efforts. They know that if they do this, they will get bogged down in a situation similar to what they had before, and we need to remember, that in the past, Israel had the support of a local militia called the South Lebanese Army, a militia that was disbanded. And now many of the members of the South Lebanese Army are no longer allies of Israel. In fact, they are very bitter opponents of Israel at the moment, because they feel that they were betrayed. So it will be difficult for the Israelis to operate on the ground, and that's why they want to focus mainly on air campaign, bombardment from the air and very surgical operations from the ground on a very small scale.
KAGAN: Gal Luft, thank you for your perspective and thank you for your time.
Now Let's head back overseas to Haifa, Israel. Miles has the latest from there -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Daryn.
It's about 6:35 p.m. in Haifa, and the question here is, do you know where your shelter is? Everyone here has to know where to go when the sirens start waling. In this case, we're in this hotel here. You take a walk here about 20 or 30 yards, and we've had to do this three times today as the rockets have come in. Just about a half dozen have made their way here. We're told as many as 98 rockets in all have reigned down on northern Israel. But the western part, this part, Haifa, has been spared today for whatever reason.
Anyway, we walk in here. We go downstairs, and we wait until we get until we get the all-clear. This is really just part of the routine. It kind of Takes you back to World War II, when the blitz on London, people here in Haifa getting a firsthand taste of what life was like in World War II as the Germans sent those V-bombs into London and terrorized that population. This population, as well, doing the best they can to also keep a stiff upper lip.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Shlomo Yosefsberg was waiting for us on the sidewalk in front of his home just moments after yet another close call.
SHLOMO YOSEFSBERG, HAIFA, ISRAEL RESIDENT: The bombs, one killed. OK? And 10...
O'BRIEN (on camera): Ten of them?
S. YOSEFSBERG: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Ten hurt?
S. YOSEFSBERG: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED TRANSLATOR: Ten bombs.
O'BRIEN: Ten bombs? Ten of them?
S. YOSEFSBERG: Bomb in all, 12. Twelve bombs.
O'BRIEN: Really?
S. YOSEFSBERG: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Twelve bombs.
Wow!
UNIDENTIFIED TRANSLATOR: Oh, wow!
O'BRIEN: So lots of -- lots of noise here.
Were you inside?
S. YOSEFSBERG: Inside... O'BRIEN: The whole time?
UNIDENTIFIED TRANSLATOR: Wow!
S. YOSEFSBERG: It's always...
UNIDENTIFIED TRANSLATOR: And you could hear it?
S. YOSEFSBERG: Yes.
Well, it's going...
O'BRIEN (voice-over): We didn't linger. And once inside, we met his wife Hava, with a fresh tale of fright.
HAVA YOSEFSBERG, HAIFA, ISRAEL RESIDENT: It's scary. You can't say it's not scary. So we sit there and we have a radio there. And we open the radio. And I'm sitting like this for luck. You can hear the boom, boom. OK? You can hear it.
This is close. It was very close. And we know it was close because the friend of his, she was working there. So we called each other and she's -- she told me exactly where it was. And then we heard everything on the news. And the other place that's the most -- really bad, a lot of casualties, you know -- we have to go.
(AIR RAID SIREN SOUNDING)
O'BRIEN: Suddenly, we were running into their shelter, something every Israeli home must have by law. We waited and watched and listened.
(on camera): How do you know it's clear now? Well, do they...
H. YOSEFSBERG: A minute after it.
O'BRIEN: A minute after?
H. YOSEFSBERG: Yes. You can go out.
O'BRIEN: It's clear.
All right.
H. YOSEFSBERG: Yes.
O'BRIEN: OK. So this one...
H. YOSEFSBERG: And you can (INAUDIBLE) -- I can go down.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
H. YOSEFSBERG: And...
UNIDENTIFIED TRANSLATOR: She said she (INAUDIBLE)...
H. YOSEFSBERG: And I have a siren again and I run-again.
O'BRIEN: Right.
H. YOSEFSBERG: But now we can go down. I can go.
O'BRIEN: You are -- could you hear it? Could you hear anything?
H. YOSEFSBERG: Yes.
O'BRIEN: What did you hear?
H. YOSEFSBERG: Two falls but (INAUDIBLE).
O'BRIEN (voice-over): And just like that, it was over. We returned to the living room while Shlomo headed for the kitchen. Bombs be damned, we were guests. And here in Israel, guests get white glove treatment.
(on camera): That's what I call hospitality. That is the definition right there. The bombs are...
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: The bombs are hitting you and you're cooking us macaroni? What?
(voice-over): We savored the food and the remarkable hospitality and then asked them what life in Haifa is really like these days.
(on camera): What's is like being a target, living life as a target?
H. YOSEFSBERG: It's like a duck, you know?
S. YOSEFSBERG: Well, we hate it (INAUDIBLE).
H. YOSEFSBERG: And like a duck in the pool.
UNIDENTIFIED TRANSLATOR: A sitting duck?
H. YOSEFSBERG: A sitting duck. And we're waiting. (SPEAKING IN ARABIC)
H. YOSEFSBERG: For him, we are always a sitting duck because when we are at peace here, every few years we have a war. So it can start now, then. And I don't know after a year. So we're always in the middle.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Here in Israel, the enemies are near and the war is really never over.
(on camera): If they could hear you now talking, what would you say to them?
H. YOSEFSBERG: That we are mothers and we have children and grandchildren, the same like them. And we want peace. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Hava and Shlomo are proud grandparents now -- two little boys and a girl. Look at that red hair. Where did that come from?
They worry about them now and in the future. But they aren't hobbled by that fear. Like Londoners during World War II, they are determined not to leave the vestiges of normal life.
(on camera): So you think it's important to go back to work?
H. YOSEFSBERG: If you -- it's more for the normal life, you know, to -- not to get crazy.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
H. YOSEFSBERG: Not to get crazy because...
O'BRIEN: It would be easy to get crazy with bombs coming down on you, right?
H. YOSEFSBERG: Oh, yes.
Some people can't stand it.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): And so on a day when the sirens blared a half dozen times, when some of her neighbors were killed or their homes wrecked, Hava Yosefsberg, a nurse, got in her car and reported for duty.
H. YOSEFSBERG: If everyone was getting hysterical, I don't think we can hold it. It's our war, even though the soldiers work at (INAUDIBLE), but it's the people's war.
O'BRIEN (on camera): Yes.
What do you mean by that, the people's war?
H. YOSEFSBERG: All the bombs are here...
O'BRIEN: Yes, oh, I see.
H. YOSEFSBERG: ... so where is the war?
O'BRIEN: I see what you're saying.
H. YOSEFSBERG: It's here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: The war is here in Haifa, and it continues. Let's head back outside and take a look at the daylight, Daryn. But the fact is that this is part of the reality here, probably for quite some time to come.
Those Katyusha rockets just keep raining down. We're told upwards of 100 came down today. Once again, as we say, Haifa spared the worst of it today, unlike yesterday, with all those rockets that came in and a couple of deaths. In this case, no damage or injury to report. And a lot of people here, I'm sure, breathing a sigh of relief. Having said all that, there aren't as many people here as there should be.
Back to you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Miles, thank you. Where are you headed tomorrow?
O'BRIEN: We're going to head down to Jerusalem with Condoleezza Rice and some important meetings under way with the prime minister of Israel. And on into Ramallah and the leader of the Palestinian Authority. We will be focused there tomorrow on the diplomacy and where things lie and if there is, in fact, a diplomatic solution -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. My -- what I have to say you and our crew, please be safe.
O'BRIEN: We will.
KAGAN: Thank you.
We're standing by. Expect the secretary-general, Kofi Annan, at the United Nations, to speak very soon. We're watching out for that.
Also, stories ahead. Now out of harm's way and in her mother's arm, a beautiful little girl, Serena (ph), how she got caught up in what's happening in the Middle East, and how she made it home safely. That's still ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a look at what we know right now.
A big surprise in Beirut. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice starts her mission to the Middle East with an unannounced visit to Lebanon's capital. Next stop is Israel.
Israeli and Hezbollah forces still battling it out in northern Israel. More rocket attacks and more civilians injured. Along the Lebanese border with Israel, an Israeli military helicopter goes down. Israel says it was an accident.
And to New York now. We're standing by, waiting for the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is expected to begin speaking very soon. We will go there live when it happens.
While we're waiting for that, we'll tell you of a story of a mother and her 2-year-old daughter. They were separated by war half a world away. These are pictures of the happy ending. The mother considered going to Lebanon to rescue her baby, then a relative risked his life to get the child out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MEHLIKA AAD, REUNITED WITH DAUGHTER: It's just now amazing just to have my daughter in my arms.
KAGAN (voice-over): A mother and child reunion. Mehlika holds little Serena like she'll never let her go. She did let her leave with her dad to visit family in Lebanon. The father came home, and then the bombs fell.
AAD: I wanted my daughter next to me. I wanted her -- I wanted to smell her. I wanted to see her smile. And I couldn't do none of that. I know she was safe, close to my husband's family. They were taking care of her, but it just -- that when the war happened, we just didn't know how to get her here.
KAGAN: Serena's uncle had an idea. The family lived in the Bekaa Valley, Hezbollah heartland, the site of Israeli bombing; too far from Beirut, where Americans were being evacuated. So Serena's uncle scouted out a land route, first making a test run himself, then returning to get Serena.
In the middle of the night, they took a dangerous crossing into Syria, then travelled onto Jordan, finally making it to Amman's airport and a flight to New York. Now with Serena home, her mom is thinking of other children trapped by the war. She's raising supplies, calling her cause "Operation Serena."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want help. I need whatever you can bring, water, food, clothes, just to send it over, just to send it over to make sure those kids, they have blankets to go to sleep at night, they have water to drink, they have food to eat. I wouldn't want anybody to go through what I went through.
Look at that baby's face. Absolutely precious. We're going to hear more from Serena's mom. She'll be a guest later today on CNN's "LIVE FROM" beginning at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
But before that, we'll be going live to New York City, expecting to hear from Secretary-General Kofi Annan. That should be coming up any minute.
Right now, a quick break. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's get back to Haifa, Israel, and our Miles O'Brien -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Daryn.
It is now approaching 7:00 p.m. here in Haifa. And the fact of the matter is, for the residents of Haifa, they know that as the sun goes down, the risk also goes down for additional Katyusha rocket firings. The fact of the matter is, the Israeli Defense Forces are better able to track the heat signatures of those rockets when they're fired at night. So most of the firings that we've been seeing, most of the air-raid sirens, most of the attacks have occurred during the light of day.
So, perhaps, although you can't say things for certain, perhaps a respite lies ahead, for the people of Haifa tonight.
And today in general, compared to Sunday, a much quieter day here. Perhaps a half dozen rockets in the general environs of Haifa, causing no injuries or serious.
Ahead on CNN, CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney will be coanchoring from this location, along with Becky Anderson live Beirut.
Fionnuala, what do you have in store?
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, basically, we're going to be trying to cover the conflict from both sides of the border at the same time. Becky, my colleague in Beirut, will be talking to the Lebanese finance minister, and we are here going to be talking to senior military officials.
Condoleezza Rice also due in Israel within the next hour or two. We're not expecting her to say anything tonight. I think she's having a private dinner, according to diplomatic sources, with the Israeli authorities here. But of course then there will be a lot of diplomatic activity tomorrow as people try to reach a cease-fire.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it's, I guess, in many respects, so much attention, so focus on this meeting, to you expect anything to come out of it immediately would be a bit naive, wouldn't it?
SWEENEY: Well, I think we've been certainly led to believe that not a lot is going to come out immediately. I think she's also going to go to Ramallah to see the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. But her line has always been that there can be no cease-fire. Any cease-fire with the return to the status quo would be a false promise. So I don't think we're being led to believe that there's going to be any lull in the fighting anytime soon.
O'BRIEN: Of course much of this involves the expectation game. And when you talk to a lot of people who are involved in government will tell you that a secretary of state won't get on a plane until there's something in the works, something that's sort of been pre- arranged so she can walk away with something. It'll be interesting to see what that something might be.
SWEENEY: Well, I think what people are trying to do here is build an international consensus. That's been the line. This military action continue until some kind of multinational force has been put together, until Hezbollah has been crippled, as far as the Israelis can do that kind of job. But also what the Israelis are saying, and also the West, particularly the United States, is that this is the responsibility of the international community, not just the responsibility of Israel or indeed Lebanon.
O'BRIEN: Fionnuala Sweeney, we'll see you and Becky Anderson in just a few moments. Thanks very much. Back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: Miles, thanks very much. I'm Daryn Kagan. Keep watching CNN. "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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