Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Israel Releases New Blitz on Lebanon's Roads, Bridges; U.N. Still Trying to Come up With Cease-Fire Agreement; Hunting Nasrallah
Aired August 04, 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: We're at the top of the hour. Let's tell you what we know right now about what's happening with the Middle East crisis.
Israel intensifies its attacks by ground and by air. Lebanon's civil defense says this airstrike in eastern Lebanon killed at least 25 people.
Israel pummels Beirut's southern suburbs, again targeting the Hezbollah stronghold, and warplanes take out the roads and bridges to isolate the city.
Meanwhile, support for Hezbollah grows across the region. In Baghdad, tens of thousands of Iraqis fled the streets to back the militant group.
Rockets cross the Israeli-Lebanese border, but the day's greatest loss still smolder in Lebanon.
Our Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler, is in the Lebanese capital with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): Emergency crews race to the rescue after Israeli warplanes unleash a renewed blitz on Lebanon's roads and bridges, retaliation for Hezbollah's deadly rocket fire at Israel the previous day. The main coastal highway connecting Beirut to Lebanon's northern border with Syria targeted.
Lebanese motorists caught in the early morning attack in sight of the famed Casino du Liban. Vehicles entangled in the wreckage of concrete and steel.
This was the last high-speed link for people to enter and leave the country by road. Travel now severely restricted by slow-moving byways and detours. Some eyewitness report heavier than usual movements of trucks along this now battered route just hours before the attack.
"My brother let one of the trucks pass him," says Camille Fakiya (ph), "a split second before the road went up in a big explosion."
Under the flattened heap of a bridge that spanned this wide gully, a desperate search for more victims. A man is missing, and they think he's buried under the mountain of rubble.
Bystanders in this Christian heartland of Lebanon watch in resentful silence, reeling from shock. Camille Chamoun is a Maronite Catholic activist. "Now that Israel has broadened the air assault," he explains, "hitting more of their vital infrastructure, the politically divided Christians are now under pressure to unite and rally behind the defense of the country."
CAMILLE CHAMOUN, NATIONAL LIBERAL PARTY: Public opinion is today against Israel 100 percent from this area, although before people were, you know, divided, saying maybe it will come to a happy end. But this is absolutely -- it has no explanation. In my opinion, it's very stupid.
SADLER (on camera): The punishing airstrikes may have achieved an Israeli military objective of strangling main supply routes into Lebanon from Syria for Hezbollah. But for the Lebanese as a whole, say government officials here, it's another devastating blow against a country that's been slowly dragged to its knees.
(voice over): Day by agonizing day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And let's bring in Brent Sadler, who's live from Beirut right now. A very large city, Beirut is. How are people dealing with this daily bombardment and the destruction of so much infrastructure there?
SADLER: Daryn, there's a new pattern to everyday life here. During the mornings and early afternoons, people are trying to go about part of their normal life. Some businesses are running. The majority of shops are closed for most of the day.
Electricity is in short supply in some parts of the city, and also we're seeing tremendous lines outside gas stations. This a feature I haven't seen really before in 25 years of covering conflict on and off in this country.
Later on in the day, about this time of the day, in fact, people start to head for home, the streets start to empty out, and people get concerned. As the sun drops, the possibility of renewed airstrikes rises -- Daryn.
KAGAN: You know, if you could provide some context -- unfortunately, this is a city that only knows too well how to deal with wartime. But how does this conflict in dealing with daily life compare to, let's say, the height of the civil war?
SADLER: Certainly during the civil war years there was tremendous hardship, but it really is the infrastructure damage inflicted on Lebanon by a regional superpower with a very powerful military from the air and on the ground. Up until now, the majority of the destruction has been in the south and, of course, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. But as each day passes, the Lebanese realize that the cost of rebuilding again is going to be massive. The country's already in a $35-plus billion debt rebuilding after the 15-year civil war. Provisional estimates put the cost of rebuilding now at least $2 billion. It may be much, much higher than that, according to officials, given what's been lost. And Lebanese just wonder how on earth they can pick themselves up again after that's what happened already, no matter -- no matter what worse is yet to come -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Brent Sadler live from Beirut.
Thank you for that context.
At the U.N., they're talking still about trying to come up with some kind of cease-fire agreement. Our Richard Roth, our senior U.N. correspondent, is following that -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, the eventual idea is to get a robust international peacekeeping force in between Israel and Lebanon in some type of buffer zone, but to get there the United Nations Security Council has to authorize that force. And France and the U.S., the main players, still are in disagreement over several aspects of the timetable.
France wanting an immediate declaration of a cessation of hostility, something we've been reporting for more than a week now, while the United States prefers getting an overall political framework and "where do we go from here" principles established so that there is no return to business as usual in the region, referring to Hezbollah, according to U.S. Ambassador John Bolton.
In Haiti yesterday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan was one of the few to go public on the state of the negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: I expect (ph) the first resolution which would seek cessation of hostilities and try and stop the war and the killing. I think people in Israel and in Lebanon have suffered enough and the civilians who are caught in between deserve a little bit of peace and consideration from the protagonists.
The second phase, the next resolution, will deal with the political framework for a longer-term settlement, which would also include deployment of a civilization force.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Annan referring to two resolutions. One diplomat today moving us away from that idea, Daryn. It's a back-and-forth one minute something's in, something's out. The point is, they're still negotiating. It will probably go through the weekend, and there may not be any type of vote until early next week.
KAGAN: You were explaining this a little bit in the last hour. It's not just even a matter of agreeing on points, but the sequencing, who goes and what goes first. ROTH: That's right, the timetable. When does a force go there? What are the mandates?
No country wants to offer troops if they think they're going to get shot at by Hezbollah or fired on by Israel. So, for -- they need to work everything out just to entice countries to offer troops to go into southern Lebanon because the U.N. has a force there now and they have had one for decades, but that's just to monitor events, not necessarily to either disarm or assist the Lebanese government in moving troops of their own into the south to get things under control, not just for today but for weeks and years to come.
KAGAN: Won't they be just as concerned at getting shot at by Hezbollah?
ROTH: Well, I mentioned that, both. They -- you never know where the danger could come at that point, and we've seen what happens to U.N. blue helmets in other areas. Stable at the beginning, and then things can turn sour when the headlines and the lights go away.
KAGAN: A dangerous time and place, indeed.
Thank you, Richard Roth, at the U.N.
Let's talk about the leader of Hezbollah. He's being hunted down, Hassan Nasrallah. Pressure building on Israel as he delivers a new videotaped message.
Our Brian Todd has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In his fifth media appearance since the fighting began, Hezbollah's leader shows his resolve.
NASRALLAH (through translator): I can assure you that the resistance will not be defeated and the resistance will not be broken.
TODD: CNN national security adviser John McLaughlin says the video gives few clues on Hassan Nasrallah's whereabouts.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: One could say that he looks a little tired, his eyes are a little red, and that would be normal considering the stress he's probably under. But apart from that, this is a scene that could be filmed in the basement of a garage or almost anywhere.
TODD: Former Israeli and Western intelligence officials we spoke to believe Israel is targeting Nasrallah for assassination. Israeli officials are more guarded when asked publicly if they're looking for him.
DANIEL AYALON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: We are certainly. And I think that the fate of Nasrallah should not be different than bin Laden. TODD: But experts say this is different than the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Nasrallah, they say, is on his home turf, protected by a growing number of local supporters.
A former CIA officer who tracked Nasrallah says in his younger days, he was in charge of hiding Hezbollah's Western hostages. Reports that Nasrallah is hiding in Syrian or Iran cannot be confirmed. Most experts believe he's still in Lebanon, always on the move, possibly in civilian clothes with only a few bodyguards, and taking precautions.
PAUL CRUICKSHANK, NYU CENTER ON LAW & SECURITY: He's definitely making telephone calls, because Israelis -- the Israelis can sort of intercept those and home in on his position. And he's being very, very careful where he travels, and who knows where he's traveling, because the Israeli Defense Forces have aerial drones, unmanned aerial drones in the area.
TODD (on camera): If the Israelis kill Nasrallah, could that backfire on them with the creation of a martyr? One former intelligence officer believes Israel would risk that if it means taking a top operational commander like Hassan Nasrallah out of the mix.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Brian is part of the team covering the world for "THE SITUATION ROOM." Join Wolf Blitzer at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and in prime time at 7:00.
Big news coming out of Arizona today. There could be a break in one of two investigations into possible serial killers in the Valley of the Sun.
Our Chris Lawrence is there on the scene -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, right now police are just about 45 minutes away from a news conference in which we may learn more about the two suspects already detained.
Again, we'll have more coming up in just a few minutes.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LAWRENCE: Right now, we believe that police got a tip that led them to an apartment complex in Mesa, Arizona, overnight. That is a suburb of Phoenix, about 20 miles from here, and they went to this complex, they served a search warrant and detained two suspects that are now in -- that are now in custody and currently being questioned.
They searched several dumpsters, they've recovered the car and took a car out of that area, also took several items from that apartment.
Now, this shooter, this serial shooter, has been linked to at least six murders. He has wounded or they have wounded 18 other people during a crime spree that has lasted well over a year -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So this -- as I was mentioning, this has been a very scary summer around Phoenix. Not just summer, but over a year.
LAWRENCE: Yes, that's an understatement. I mean, you've got this killer, police say, targets people who are walking alone or riding their bike, people who are coming home alone.
The last murder that was just this past weekend was a 22-year-old woman who was walking from her parents' house to her boyfriend's house when she was shot. It has changed the way people lead their lives here.
Women have been -- women have been buying pepper spray, taking self-defense classes. People have been staying inside a lot more. We talked with one man just a few minutes ago about what this may mean if indeed the serial killer is off the streets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes me feel a lot more relieved. I've been very nervous. I go on bike rides every morning to get my exercise in, and, you know, two -- two to four blocks from my house we had a shooting, and then a mile and a half from my house we had a shooting. And it's right on the route that I normally ride, and so this is a huge relief for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Yes, a huge relief, but people here feel that they're far from out of the woods just yet -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And so just to be clear here, there's two different investigations going on?
LAWRENCE: That's right. There is a separate serial killer. Police believe there are two serial killers operating independently, the serial shooter who they believe they may have made an arrest on, and also the "Baseline Killer," who in some ways is even more brazen and vicious than the serial shooter.
Women have been dragged out of a bus stop and then shot, teenage girls raped. Another woman and her daughter carjacked and assaulted and then shot.
It's just very vicious, vicious killings. Parking lot, car washes, bus stops. So this is an area that even if this serial shooter is caught and apprehended, as one person told me this morning, one down, one to go. They will not breathe easier until both of these killers are off the streets.
KAGAN: Chris Lawrence, live in Phoenix, Arizona. Thank you.
Once again, that news conference starts at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Let's give you some more background and separate out these two investigations.
The serial shooter is linked to 36 shootings dating to May of 2005. The 22-year-old woman that Chris just mentioned, she is believed to have been the latest victim of the serial shooter. And authorities say at least six people have been killed, 18 others wounded. Police say the shooter targeted people who were biking, walking or outside alone.
That is one of two serial killer investigations in Phoenix. The other that Chris referred to is the "Baseline Killer." That one blamed for 23 crimes, including eight murders.
If you have information relating to any of these cases, you can contact the Phoenix Police Department at 480-WITNESS or 1-800-343- TIPS.
Permanently disabled by a bombing in Iraq, a U.S. Marine is attacked again. This time, though, it happened here in the states.
Lance Corporal Mark Beyers says he and his wife were mugged by a gang of men outside Washington, D.C. Beyers is from western New York, and that's where we pick up our story.
Jodi Hovenden from our affiliate WIVB has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JODI HOVENDEN, REPORTER, WIVB (voice over): Lance Corporal Mark is a war hero from Alden (ph) who spent the last 11 months recovering and going through rehabilitation at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C. after losing an arm and leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq. But the 27-year-old Marine and his wife Denise have become the victims once again.
LANCE CPL. MARK BEYERS, U.S. MARINES: This happened so quick, I mean, it was probably less than a minute. We were kind of stunned, like, "I can't believe that just happened." Like, "Oh, my god."
HOVENDEN: The two Marines were mugged by five men as they left a restaurant in Washington.
BEYERS: And they said, you know, "Do you have a cigarette?" We said, "Yes, we have one." Just gave it to them and started walking away.
Then I got up to the car and I just heard Denise yelling at them and screaming, and I see three of them start walking towards me, and I said, "Uh-oh, this isn't going to be good."
DENISE BEYERS, MUGGED: When they came up to me, they were, like, "Give me your purse. Give me your purse." And they started grabbing at it. And I started fighting back.
HOVENDEN: Once the thugs had their money, they took off, but not before throwing Denise to the ground.
M. BEYERS: She was bumped up, she had bruises on her, and a couple of cuts, like, on the top of her feet, where they threw her down on her knees.
HOVENDEN: While the two do feel lucky the situation wasn't worse, they are also angry and believe they were targeted because Mark has a prosthetic leg and only one arm.
D. BEYERS: That, you know, somebody can not respect, you know, especially a war hero and do that, they prey on people that are weaker, or that they think, you know, are weaker than them, and it just makes me so angry.
HOVENDEN: Mark says coming under attack is something you'd expect while fighting a war, but not something you expect here at home.
M. BEYERS: You expect it. You know it's going to happen, but you come to the nation's capital, and you don't expect -- you don't expect something like that to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Incredible story. We'll get to hear more from Mark. Tune in tomorrow. We'll have a live interview with Mark Beyers and his wife Denise. That's 10:30 a.m. Eastern, 7:30 a.m. Pacific.
The world knows him as "El Presidente," but what is Fidel Castro like as a man and a father? See his estranged daughter only on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All right. Let's deliver it up. This won't hurt a bit. It's your daily dose of health news.
We're talking alcohol and cancer. A research report, what they call a casual link. They say more than 3 percent of cancers of the mouth, throat, colon, liver, and breast, among others are related to drinking alcohol. The research reported in the "International Journal of Cancer."
Obesity and air travel. More Americans are packing on the pounds, and that's weighing on the airline industry's bottom line.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains in today's "Fit Nation."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The soaring costs of fuel has airlines looking to trim the weight of their planes any way they can. For example, weight limits on baggage are being more strictly enforced. Some airlines have done things like removing on-board ovens or converting to lighter seats. Toilets are flushed during the extended ground delays to reduce the amount of water on board.
But there's one weight the airlines can't control, and that's yours. A decade ago, the FAA set the estimated weight per passenger at 180 pounds. In 2003, the average was upped by another 10 pounds.
Airlines are learning to deal with the fact that Americans are getting bigger.
DR. ANDREW DANNENBERG, CDC: As the average weight of the American public is going up, then airlines are necessarily having to fly more weight.
GUPTA: A study of the unexpected costs of obesity by the CDC shows that Americans' expanding bottoms are hurting the airlines' bottom line. One study showed airlines spending an extra $275 million a year just to pay for the fuel that's needed to carry traveling Americans' extra weight. And that was back in 2000, when jet fuel cost half of what it does today.
The ATA, the trade group for the commercial airlines, says it doesn't study obesity's impact on fuel cost, but that the CDC study sounds just about right. And the CDC thinks there's a general message here which affects us all.
DANNENBERG: I think it does point out one of the consequences of obesity in the population, obesity is a major public health issue that needs more attention.
GUPTA: And as if there needs to be another reason for Americans to lose weight, a few airlines have begun requiring what they call "customers of size" to buy two tickets to fly.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: You can get your daily dose of health news online. Log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness.
The address is cnn.com/health.
A city terrorized, but could there be a break in the case of the serial killer in Phoenix, Arizona? And is there more than one person doing this? Phoenix police report major developments in one of two serial killer investigations.
You're going to see the news conference live at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Arizona time.
We'll have more details coming up in just a moment on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We're about an hour and a half away from a news conference set to begin in Phoenix, Arizona. It could be a big break in the serial killer -- one of two serial killer investigations going on in the Valley of the Sun. Two men taking into custody.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
