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The Situation Room
Two Israeli Helicopters Collide; Hezbollah Remains Defiant
Aired July 20, 2006 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Lou. And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you the latest on the crisis in the Middle East.
Happening now -- breaking news, two Israeli military helicopters collide in northern Israel. New details are coming in right now.
Also this hour, Hezbollah defiance and growing fears of a full- scale ground war. It's 2:00 a.m. Friday in Beirut where Hezbollah's chief insists Israeli attacks haven't put a dent into its firepower. We're live on the battlefields in Lebanon and in Israel.
Plus, the slow journey home. The USS Nashville ferries hundreds of Americans out of Lebanon to safety in Cyprus. We're on the ground to meet the ship coming in right now.
And America's diplomat challenge. It's 7:00 p.m. in New York where the secretary if state, Condoleezza Rice is set to meet right now with the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Are they at odds over the crisis and calls for an immediate cease-fire?
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Up first this hour, the breaking news out of northern Israel. The Israeli military says two of its Apache helicopter gunships collided today near the border town of Avivim. Two crewmembers were on board. There are no reports of casualties.
Also tonight, the Israeli military confirms two more of its soldiers were killed in ground battles with Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon today. That brings the total number of Israeli deaths in the conflict to 31. Lebanon's prime minister now says more than 330 of his people have been killed in the conflict today, day nine.
Israel unleashed new air strikes in and around Beirut tonight. Israel estimates its warplanes have destroyed about half of Hezbollah's military strength. But Hezbollah's chief denies that, saying Israeli forces haven't harmed the group's leaders or diminished their firepower. And he's refusing once again to meet Israel's demand and release those two kidnapped Israeli soldiers.
Some 1,000 Americans fleeing the fighting in Lebanon are expected to arrive very soon in Cyprus. They're onboard the USS Nashville. The United States says more than 3,000 Americans have been evacuated from the danger zone in Lebanon.
CNN has been on top of the story since the conflict began. We have reporters posted throughout the Middle East watching every angle. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is standing by in Beirut. Chris Burns is in Cyprus. Suzanne Malveaux is over at the White House. But let's begin our coverage with the breaking news. Christiane Amanpour is in northern Israel ready to tell us about those helicopters - Christiane.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Well we've been tracking it for a while when we heard that there had been perhaps one helicopter down and then colleagues who had been over there told us it could have been two and finally the IDF, the Israeli military, confirmed that inside Israeli territory not far from Avivim where these fierce clashes have been going on for the last couple of days between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces, two Apache helicopters have collided.
There are casualties, although we're not -- we don't have details on that and under censorship rules we can't report anything about that and in terms of what caused this crash, the Israelis are saying that they're investigating it. They don't immediately know whether it was a case of hostile fire that caused it or whether it was just an accident. But they are investigating -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Christiane, we're going to bring you back shortly to talk about your visit to an Israeli air base earlier today. Thank you.
As Israel tries to bomb and battle Hezbollah into oblivion, Hezbollah is firing right back with rockets and words. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson once again on duty in Beirut. What's the latest there, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, every night the air bombardment in Beirut is different. This night there was a round of missiles fired, bombs dropped on the city just after dark, perhaps around 8:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m. this evening.
It has been relatively quiet since then. That is the sort of sporadic (INAUDIBLE) nature of the bombing. But the Hezbollah chief, Saeed Hassan Nasrallah, has come out appearing on television now in a defiant speech, perhaps trying to show that he's still alive after the Israeli defense forces said that they were targeting -- targeted him last night. He has come out on television here and he's telling the people of Lebanon that the Israeli forces, the Israeli strikes are not having an impact on Hezbollah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER (through translator): Secondly, I assure you today that Hezbollah is holding steadfast and we have apprehended the strike. And third, we are now on our way to reach the stage of the initiative and fourth, we will deliver the surprises that we promised and there are also new surprises that we will keep to ourselves for the next phase. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Well, Wolf, one of the new phases of this war as we look at is the increasing propaganda, if you will. Hezbollah officials taking journalists today to see a site that is -- was -- looked to the journalists that visited it and indeed to CNN's Alessio Vinci, who went there, as a mosque under construction. Israeli said that they had bombed a site in the southern suburbs of Beirut last night with 23 tons of bunker busting explosives targeting the leadership of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah included the tour that the journalists were taken on today showed them a mosque with a sign outside showing that it was under construction, what it was for.
The mosque did have a basement, a bunker system underneath it, but it was very much under construction. That was the conclusion of all the reporters there and that was the only conclusion they could draw from what they were shown. But increasingly both sides here trying to get their point across, speaking out on television, taking journalists to show them what they want them to see -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Beirut for us. Nic thank you very much. Nic Robertson for us on the scene.
And this just coming in to CNN -- the USS Nashville now has reached Cyprus with more than 1,000 Americans onboard. This is a warship. Let's go to Chris Burns in Larnaca for more on that. A very, very significant journey. This is a U.S. Naval warship that has finally reached where you are, Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, yes, after days of some Americans in Lebanon complaining that the Americans were slow on the get-go on this evacuation, we're seeing this, a huge operation now, and this is the first time we're seeing a U.S. warship pulling here into Larnaca, Cyprus with some -- 1,000, perhaps as many as 1,200 Americans that they loaded up in a very dramatic situation.
But before we get to that, why don't we pan over to the ship itself. It's being towed into position right now. Let's give you a glimpse of it as the tow boats, as the tugboats are pulling it into position over there across at the other end of the port over there. This is just one of seven ships, an international flotilla bringing in thousands of people today.
And those Americans were loaded on today on the -- from the beaches of Beirut. Some 40 U.S. Marines arrived there with landing craft. The first -- actually the first time that the U.S. Marines have landed in Beirut since 22 years ago when the U.S. Marine barracks was bombed by a suicide bomber of Hezbollah back then that killed 241 U.S. military personnel.
They loaded them on -- the Americans on today on the landing craft and took them over to the USS Nashville, which has made this five, six-hour trip over here. They will be processed. They'll be taken on buses and processed over here at the customs house and then taken on -- either directly onto airplanes or there are others that may go on to hotels or there's also a fairgrounds that the U.S. government has commissioned to put -- they have put in cots in these large warehouse sort of sized hanger (INAUDIBLE) sized buildings to put people up for the next day or two before they can move on. The U.S. government expects to move as many as 6,000 Americans evacuated out of Lebanon through here and on to the United States - Wolf.
BLITZER: And a lot of those on the deck of the USS Nashville. We can see them clearly as this warship comes into the port of Larnaca. Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent, has been onboard the Nashville as well. We're going to touch base with her and get her thoughts. Chris, thank you very much. Chris Burns reporting for us from Larnaca in Cyprus.
Much more coming up -- let's check in though first with Jack Cafferty in New York -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: You can tell the midterm elections are getting closer, Wolf. President Bush is facing a growing backlash to his foreign policy from conservative intellectuals and commentators. "The Washington Post" reports these are the same people who used to praise the president for what they saw as his willingness to confront threats around the globe. Now they're complaining about everything from the president's policy in Iraq where they say there aren't enough troops or a strategy to beat the insurgents to the administration saying little to Egypt and Russia who are cracking down on dissenters, to North Korea firing missiles without consequence, to Iran playing for time to develop weapons while the administration fiddles around with diplomacy with European allies.
Some also say the perception that the administration is weak is empowering Syria, Iran and Hezbollah in the latest conflict in the Middle East. The White House says Mr. Bush listens to all these criticisms, but he believes that diplomacy is working by bringing other countries together to isolate Iran and North Korea. Here's the question.
What does it mean if the conservatives are distancing themselves from President Bush's foreign policy? E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. I already glanced at one letter. Somebody wrote and said it just means that conservatives are slower than the rest of us -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jack, thank you very much. Jack Cafferty reporting for us from New York. And by the way, if you want a sneak preview of Jack's questions, plus an early read on the day's political news and what's head in THE SITUATION ROOM, here's what you do. You sign up for our daily e-mail alert. Just go to CNN.com/SituationRoom and follow the instructions.
Coming up, the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan calling for an immediate cease-fire to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but will the United States go along with that strategy? We're going to go live to the White House. That's coming up.
And no let-up for the Lebanese after nine days of fighting. What's the mood right now in Beirut? We'll go to Beirut. I'll ask a top political analyst, a former adviser to the Lebanese government.
And Israel says it will not stop until it drives Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon and wins release of its soldiers. But how long might that take? I'll talk about Israel's military strategy with a former top Pentagon intelligence chief.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets with the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan tonight. And there's word from the State Department that she may travel to the Middle East as soon as next week. Let's check in with our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, of course that meeting is very important this evening. It comes amid a time when those Israeli strikes in Lebanon are creating even more civilian casualties and creating a rift between the United States and its European allies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SOUNDS)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Amid criticism of American foot dragging to bring an end to the crisis in the Middle East...
(SOUNDS)
MALVEAUX: ... Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will up the diplomatic stakes by engaging in talks on the ground.
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: She intends to travel to the region as early as next week.
MALVEAUX: Her trip comes as Israel warns its attacks are far from over.
ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI SECURITY CABINET MEMBER: Hezbollah has been hurt considerably. This does not mean that you will not see new other picks that may happen again or sirens or missiles. It's not over yet.
MALVEAUX: While the international community continues to pressures the Bush administration to call for an immediate cease-fire.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: What is most urgently needed is an immediate cessation of hostilities.
MALVEAUX: Although the Bush administration rejects calls for a cease-fire, it also rejects the suggestion that it's giving Israel time to neutralize Hezbollah, even as civilian casualties mount.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Oh, contraire. I mean what we have said -- Secretary Annan wants the same thing we want, which is a cessation of violence.
MALVEAUX: Senior administration officials say U.S diplomatic efforts are focused oh getting donors to help reconstruct Lebanon and to create lasting change in the south, including establishing a 12- mile buffer zone along the Israeli/Lebanese border, expanding the U.N. force that's been there since 1978, imposing an international arms embargo aimed at Hezbollah, and beefing up Lebanon's army. But how will Secretary Rice help broker the peace?
MARTIN INDYK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: There's no question that we are not in a position now to talk to Iran, Syria or Hezbollah about this crisis.
MALVEAUX: The Bush Administration has no diplomat ties to Iran, nor does it recognize Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization. So far talks with Syria have been dismissed by U.S. officials as pointless, so where would Rice even begin?
DAVID SCHENKER, WASH. INST. FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Because of the close relationship between the United States and Israel, Secretary Rice can be effective in dealing with this (INAUDIBLE). However, in the case of Lebanon, there's really no address and no one to talk to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And that is because political analysts say that Hezbollah has a strong influence within the Lebanese government -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne at the White House. Thank you very much.
Since Israel vows not to end its campaign until its job is done, how might Lebanon cope? Joining us now from Beirut is Roula Talj. She's a political analyst in Lebanon. Roula, thanks very much for joining us. I know you've been committed because I've known you now for several years to the peace process in your part of the world. What's been the reaction among Lebanese to what's going on? Are they taking out there anger on Hezbollah for starting this or on the Israelis?
ROULA TALJ, LEBANESE POLITICAL ADVISER: First, good evening, Wolf. Yes, actually, the public opinion in Lebanon is unfortunately split. There are many supporters of Hezbollah's actions. And of course some of the Lebanese are unhappy with it because they thought it was not good timing or it wasn't on their agenda or whatever. But since the escalation of the attacks on civilians, mainly women and children, you know the toll -- the death toll came up to 350 and the injured are around 1,000, mainly are women and children. I think the support or -- people who are -- were against this attack are being neutralized by these images.
BLITZER: What is the mood, Roula, as to how to resolve this? The Israelis say that Hezbollah has to return their two soldiers and stop launching rockets from the south. You've been a keen observer of this situation for a long time. How do you resolve this immediate crisis? TALJ: First of all, Wolf, let me tell you one thing. I found it outrageous and unacceptable for a super power like the United States who has got the power to stop the fighting immediately actually to be opposed to the cease-fire. This is one because it would have been in Washington's interests and, you know, interests to show that Washington -- I'm sorry -- still stands for American values.
And we were shocked by the decision or the -- the talks of Mr. Bolton today stating that the victims of terrorist attacks cannot be compared to the victims of self-defense. And I think this is very racist and I think Mr. Bolton should be held accountable for such statements because it's hurting America's image in the Middle East. And I'm still -- I think the Security Council can stop the fighting immediately, can bring the two parties, the Lebanese government, actually it will strength the Lebanese government and would bring it together with the Israelis, maybe not on direct talks, but somehow indirectly force these two parties to sit down like grown-ups and discuss the best interest of their people through a peaceful solution. Once and for all, peace should be made in the Middle East, Wolf. I think the Palestinian issue should be solved.
BLITZER: All right.
TALJ: A two-state solution has to be immediately installed or else, Israel, the moderates in Israel, the moderates in Lebanon, the moderates in the whole world are in jeopardy. I think the extremists are gaining ground. Violence is leading to more violence and it's really becoming unbearable and it's going to leave the worse -- unfortunately, and I'm sorry to say that, but you can feel it up in the air...
BLITZER: Roula...
TALJ: ... it's going to lead to worse confrontation.
BLITZER: Roula, we're almost out of time, but take us a little bit into your life over these past nine days. What has it been like in Beirut?
TALJ: Beirut, it turned into a phantom city. We don't see but fortunately we have reporters from all over the world. I live in downtown Beirut, so I live in a phantom city. And I'm very pleased to see reporters, to see officials, U.N. officials (INAUDIBLE) next to their building here. And you know, and Lebanese fled Beirut, whoever can leave Beirut left it already to the mountains and outside the country. It's very sad. I never witnessed downtown Beirut this way since the civil war stopped, Wolf. It's very tense. It's very sad. It's unfortunate.
BLITZER: Roula Talj, good luck to you. Be careful over there. Good luck to your family and your friends and to all the Lebanese people. Roula Talj, a former adviser to the Lebanese government as well.
And still to come tonight in THE SITUATION ROOM, we'll go back to Beirut. CNN's Anderson Cooper is standing by to join us live with the latest from the embattled Lebanese capital. And we'll also take you live to the Syrian capital, Damascus, where Lebanese civilians are fleeing by the tens of thousands.
Stay with us, much more on the crisis in the Middle East. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Just add more of our complete coverage of the crisis in the Middle East. We'll take a closer look at Israel's military strategy and Lebanon. Can it work?
First, though, other important news we're watching. Fredricka Whitfield joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta -- Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Wolf. Iraqi and U.S. soldiers are joining forces to root out al Qaeda. They have surrounded some towns west of Kirkuk, Iraq to seize insurgents blamed for killing Iraqi soldiers and police. Hours after the operation launched, a car bomb exploded in Kirkuk, killing five people.
Other car bombs detonated in Baghdad and north of Iraq's capital killing six. A U.S. Marine also died in fighting (INAUDIBLE). The spokesman for coalition forces in Iraq admits it has been a tough week. But Major General William Caldwell adds it will take time to turn things around.
The northeastern U.S. is bracing for what could be rough weather. Tropical Storm Beryl is churning up the coast toward Massachusetts. Beryl has weakened a bit with top winds dropping to 50 miles an hour. A tropical storm warning still covers Cape Cod, Nantucket Island, and Martha's Vineyard. A tropical storm watch is up for parts of Long Island and Connecticut as well.
And President Bush says he looks forward to signing a renewal of the landmark Voting Rights Act. It's headed to his desk after the Senate approved a 25-year extension gave 98 to zero vote came shortly after President Bush addressed the NAACP for the first time since he took office. He pledged to improve relations between the GOP and African Americans -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Fred, thank you very much for that. And just ahead, we're going to go back to Beirut for the latest from the Lebanese capital. CNN's Anderson Cooper just flew in on a U.S. Marine chopper. He's standing by to join us live. And we'll also go to CNN's Christiane Amanpour in northern Israel, the base of a full-scale military operation.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Happening right now -- breaking news, two Israeli Apache helicopters collide in northern Israel causing an undetermined number of casualties. The Israeli military also confirms that two more of its soldiers were killed in ground battles with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.
And tonight, Hezbollah chief is denying Israel's claim that it's wiped out about half of the group's military power. He says Hezbollah's leaders are unharmed and they won't free two kidnapped Israeli soldiers.
Also another 1,000 Americans escaping the fighting in Lebanon finally are safe in Cyprus. They've arrived only moments ago aboard the USS Nashville. Other Americans now are flying back to the United States from Cyprus. A second planeload is due to land in Baltimore later tonight.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Let's go to the front lines in Beirut, once again battered tonight by Israeli warplanes. CNN's Anderson Cooper has just landed there. Anderson, I think it's no easy assignment getting in to the Lebanese capital. How did you do it?
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, we actually got an exclusive ride on a Marine Corps helicopter, an empty chopper that was going from Cyprus to Beirut. On Sunday the Marines established what they refer to as an air bridge that links Cyprus to Beirut. They used these large capacity heavy lifters, these choppers, about four of them making flights every day, landing in the U.S. embassy, getting Americans out. We took the ride from Cyprus early this morning, landing directly in the U.S. embassy. When we got of the chopper, which was empty, there was about 30 or so Americans getting ready to board.
It all took about five minutes from the time the chopper landed to the time the Americans got their equipment on, were loaded up onto the chopper and the chopper took off. That was just the first flight out this morning. There would be three other flights as well.
U.S. embassy officials are bringing in the patriarch of Lebanese Maronite Church, a sign, they say, to the Lebanese people that the U.S. government is not abandoning Lebanon. They're simply trying to get their civilians out, but they can take about -- only about 100 or so, about 120 or so Americans out by this air bridge every day.
The real numbers of Americans leaving, as you said, Wolf, at the top of your program, was aboard the USS Nashville. Marines landing early this morning here just a little bit outside of Beirut on a beach that's connected to the U.S. embassy. That really the first time that the Marines have landed here in Lebanon since the mission here back in the early 1980s and, of course, the U.S. Marines ended up withdrawing after the embassy bombing blamed on Hezbollah, Wolf.
BLITZER: Anderson, you were there in Beirut a little more than a year ago, after the assassination of the Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri. You're now back a year later. You've only been there, what, a few hours, but give us your initial impressions between then and now. ANDERSON: It is really shocking, the difference. I mean, it was back in March of last year. There was so much optimism. There were more than a million people poured into a square very close to where I'm standing now, for the first time in their many of their lives, speaking out and calling for Syria to get out of Lebanon.
And Syria did, in fact, get out of Lebanon, withdrawing their military assets, withdrawing most of their intelligence services as well. A lot of people who were in that square back then cannot believe the change that has happened in such a short amount of time.
I ran into a young American woman on the street today who was wearing a T-shirt that she had made that said, "I love Beirut." And she was saying that just, you know, a week ago people were out dancing, going out to nightclubs. Then all of a sudden the world literally changed within a matter of hours once the bombings began.
It is so eerie being here, seeing the stores, these Tower Records, the Starbucks, all of these which were signs of progress, signs of the new Beirut, the rebirth of Beirut. All of that is closed. The city is virtually empty, and there is a pall which hangs over the city.
You know, you hear these -- not all of the city, as you know, is being bombed. It's largely the southern suburb of Beirut, but you hear the echoes of the shelling throughout the day. It is a very strange thing having been here, you know, a little bit more than a year ago and being here now, Wolf.
BLITZER: Anderson, be careful over there. Thanks very much. You have been doing some outstanding reporting over these past nine days. Anderson Cooper, by the way, is going to be back at 10:00 p.m. Two hours of "A.C. 360," Mideast crisis live tonight, from Beirut.
I want to take you once again to northern Israel right now. Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is joining us once again from there.
First, are you getting anymore information on the breaking news, these two Israeli Apache helicopters, Christiane, colliding somewhere over northern Israel?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not a lot more information, but what they are telling us is that they are still investigating it. At first they told us it was an accident. We reported that, and now they're saying they're investigating it.
We don't have reason to believe that it's anything other than that, at this point. There are causalities, and basically two Apaches collided quite near the town of Avivim, which is where these fierce ground battles have been going on over the last couple of days between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas, the Israel forces going to try and take out outposts of Hezbollah along the border.
In the meantime, the air assault continues, and we were at an air force base today. They explained to us how challenging it is to try to get actually military targets of Hezbollah's, because they're small and they're movable. Now during our report, because of Israeli censorship we were not allowed to fully reveal either the faces or the names of the pilots we spoke to.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Wave after wave of Israeli fighter jets take off from Ramat-David Air Force Base on the hunt for Hezbollah leaders, infrastructure, communications and logistics centers. Last night, this squadron dropped 23 of these one-ton bombs on what Israel says was a Hezbollah leadership bunker in Beirut.
Captain Wye (ph) was among those doing the dropping.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that it was a bunker and we know we hit the targets. I don't know the exact result or how much of it was destroyed.
AMANPOUR: Nor does the Israeli military. And Hezbollah says the target actually was a mosque under construction and denies its leaders were hit.
(on camera): Despite more than 1,000 sorties, and despite the onslaught of the command and control infrastructure, it doesn't seem to have had an immediate effect on the ability of Hezbollah guerrillas to fire their rockets from near the border.
(voice-over): The military says Hezbollah Katyusha cells can still operate relatively autonomously at the border. They can't easily be seen. And Major E admits it's virtually impossible to get their rocket launchers from the air.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a tremendous effort to get those launchers. And as you know, it can be a single guy with a rocket launcher on his deck. So it's very, very difficult.
AMANPOUR: But hunting them is the main focus up here at Israel's northern command.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we don't go and occupy the territory, which we don't want to do, you can't stop the one single rocket that they want to launch.
AMANPOUR: A ground invasion would be painful, as Israel already knows from its 18-year occupation of Lebanon that finally ended six years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: Now, as this ground assault, or rather the air assault, continues, we also asked the pilots about what they thought about the mounting concern over casualties on the other side because as you know, of course, the casualties are very rapidly mounting over there and they're much higher than on this side. And we asked the pilots about that, and they, you know -- of course, they expressed a lot of concern and a lot of regret. They say they do their best not to hit civilian targets. And, in fact, when they think a target order may involve hitting civilians, they come back and don't do it and they go back again when they think the place may be clear of civilians.
So, clearly, there's a lot of damage. There's a lot of civilians and a lot of people are being killed in Lebanon, a lot of it because some of the targeting is, obviously, going on in the suburbs and areas where Hezbollah is mixed up with the civilian population -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour, doing some great reporting for us from northern Israel. Christiane, thank you very much.
Despite a very distinct military advantage, Israel's battle against Hezbollah is far from easy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And joining us now to talk a little bit about Israel's military strategy is retired U.S. Army Colonel Pat Lang. He once headed a key Pentagon intelligence service and was the top DIA officer dealing with the Middle East for several years.
Pat, thanks very much for coming in.
Can this Israeli military strategy of trying to deliver a knockout punch to Hezbollah work?
COL. PAT LANG, U.S. ARMY (RET.): It doesn't make any sense to me. As you know, I've worked in all of these countries and with the IDF a lot, and studied it forever. And this just doesn't make any sense to me what they're doing, because as this Israeli Air Force major said, it's impossible to go around in a kind of hunt for all of these rocket launchers everywhere.
Hezbollah is a numerous, well organized, disciplined guerrilla army. They have reserves in depth of people among the Shia people of Lebanon. They've been organizing this ground for five or six years. There are all kinds of tank traps and ambush positions, all kinds of things like this.
It's a murderous place to go fight, and the idea that you can root people like that out, who are Islamic zealots and have -- cause them to quit and run away with air power and artillery and some small- scale operation, it's just not on.
BLITZER: So what do you see the Israeli military strategy -- I mean, I assume they appreciate the same factors that you appreciate.
LANG: I don't understand it. I can't understand it. The only way you can stop Hezbollah from shooting into north Lebanon is to move ...
BLITZER: Into north Israel. LANG: Into north Israel is to move their gun line back to the north far enough so that, in fact, they can't reach you. The only way to do that, in my opinion, is with ground troops.
Now, I know the IDF does not want to occupy part of Lebanon again, but they've somehow gotten themselves in a position in which there may be no other choice. And from what I understand, they're mobilizing large numbers of people and they're probably thinking it over.
The other part of their strategy ...
BLITZER: Because they tried that invasion for, what, 18 years, and it turned out to not such a great experience.
LANG: It was a terrible experience. The Lebanese lined up to fight them all over the place. It was a continual dribble of casualties all the time, which finally, politically, caused Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
And the other part of this, which is to cause the Lebanese government to be something that it is not, a unified government that has an army that's a real army, instead of symbol of national unity who will act against Hezbollah, that's just not on. The Lebanese don't have that in them to do it.
BLITZER: The brigadier general, Alon Friedman, of the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, was quoted yesterday as saying, "Israeli strikes have destroyed about 50 percent of Hezbollah's arsenal. It will take us time to destroy what is left."
Does that sound credible, that half of the rockets, half of the arsenal over the past nine days has been destroyed?
LANG: Well, there's no way for me to know and there's no way for them to know either, in any way. I mean, you know, I've fought this kind of war against guerrillas in various places before, and you never really know until you -- after you get to talk to the people who were defeated afterwards how many people you actually bagged.
The only way you know how you have worn them down by attrition is when the fire that comes into northern Israel starts to fall off and you run into less resistance when you go in on the ground.
BLITZER: I don't think he meant that they killed half of Hezbollah. I think what he said -- he meant they destroyed half of their rockets, let's say.
LANG: I don't think there's any way to know that. As I said, the only way you can know if those deep bunkers of rockets all over southern Lebanon have been emptied is if the fire into northern Israel starts to diminish. That's the only way you'll know.
BLITZER: All right. So put on your advice. You used to give advice to defense secretaries and top U.S. officials. If you were advising the Israeli government right now, the Israeli military, they've got rockets coming in from south Lebanon, they've got Hezbollah crossing the border, killing and kidnapping Israeli soldiers, this is a U.N. recognized border, what would you do if you were the Israeli military?
LANG: I would have advised them to take specific punitive action on the people who hurt them with the death of these soldiers and to negotiate an outcome with that.
BLITZER: What does that mean exactly, spell it out?
LANG: Well they've done this before. They've worked with the Germans and other people for the return of captured soldiers, things of that kind.
BLITZER: To do a prisoner swap?
LANG: That kind of thing.
BLITZER: But doesn't that encourage further terrorism down the road?
LANG: Well in this, as in many situations in war and politics, in fact you often have to choose between two bad alternatives. Now having done what they have done now, they are now in the position in which I think, probably in four, five, six days, a week, two weeks, whatever it is, they're going to decide they have no choice but to put a large force into southern Lebanon. And that's going to hurt them badly for a long time. In a lot of these things, once you start down the road, having made a bad decision, you're just stuck.
BLITZER: Pat Lang, U.S. Army colonel, retired. Thanks very much for coming in.
LANG: Good to see you, Wolf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And still ahead tonight, Lebanese fleeing their country by the tens of thousands and seeking safety next door in Syria. We're going to go live to Damascus, which is struggling to accommodate a sea of frightened refugees.
Plus, graphic and gripping images of the fighting on the Web. Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner is standing by to show us the situation online. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. Frightened Lebanese are fleeing to the east, seeking safety in Syria by the tens of thousands. CNN's Aneesh Raman is joining us now live from the capital, Damascus, with more on this part of the story.
Aneesh, update our viewers who haven't been following this part of the story. What's going on?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, our light just went out for a second there, but since this crisis began, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have been pouring across the Lebanese/Syrian border. Other refugees as well. Today alone, we're told, some 40,000 Lebanese came. And right behind me, you can see some of them gathered here at the main refugee center in Damascus.
Here, there are about 500 people. It's just getting towards 3:00 a.m. This, the more elderly group that are out. They tell me the stories of seeing the devastation, seeing the destruction within Lebanon. The sights that they saw that caused them to get out, and that stream of people across that border just continues and continues.
I was there over the weekend. I was there just yesterday and today. And the Syrian government really is very explicitly and purposely opening its arms to the Lebanese people, giving them shelter, giving them clothing, giving them food. When you speak to them, you do find a sense of anger, that the world is turning a blind eye to what is happening in Lebanon. You as well get a sense from them of growing support for Hezbollah and for Nasrallah. They've been chanting his name.
This over here, he's got a speech of Nasrallah's that he's got on him, if we can come it on the cell phone. This is circulating on the mobile phones here. And that is these sense here among these people that should be of concern to the West. Of course, it is a comment to Syria. They are growing, with affinity to the Syrian government. Syria of course with a very complicated history with Lebanon, and they are as well growing in support for Hezbollah.
They range in age. We have some video from inside that we shot of where people are sleeping. It's from a seven-day-old baby to a 90- year-old woman, and that 90-year-old woman had six of her sons who remained in Lebanon to fight with Hezbollah, Wolf.
BLITZER: Aneesh Raman in Damascus for us. No lights there, at least not in this live shot. We will check back with you. Aneesh, thank you very much for that.
And this just coming in to CNN. The House speaker, Dennis Hastert, has announced that bipartisan congressional delegation will head to the Middle East this weekend to assess the fighting between the Israelis and Hezbollah. The delegation will be led by the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra. He will be joined by Jane Harman, the vice chairman of the committee, Democrat of California. Other lawmakers will also attend. They will be meeting with what the speaker says will be U.S., Israeli and Palestinian officials. We know they're going to Israel, we're unclear where else if anyplace else they're going. Their itinerary not yet released. We'll watch that story for you.
Up ahead, unprecedented coverage of the Middle East crisis on the Web. Our Internet reporters are going to show you the situation online. Plus, Jack Cafferty wondering what it means if conservatives are now distancing themselves from President Bush's foreign policy. Jack standing by with "The Cafferty File." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: How will technology change the way we experience a war two, five, ten years down the line? For this welcome to the future installment, let's bring in our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, technology is getting cheaper and easier to use and Internet connections are getting faster. It's this combination of factors that's changing the way we witness conflict now and in the future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We seem to be pinned down by snipers.
SCHECHNER (voice-over): The '60s, Americans across the nation are glued to their televisions as they get first glimpses into a war in Vietnam. 1991, 24-hour cable television captures the first images of Operation Desert Storms, as hundreds of missiles drop on Baghdad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've never seen battlefield pictures like this before.
SCHECHNER: 2003, journalists are embedded with the U.S. military. And soldiers and Iraqis chronicle or blog in personal diaries online what it's like living in a war zone. By mid-2005 cheaper technology and websites like YouToo.com offer an easy way to share home videos world wide. This video, viewed nearly 20 thousand times, shows U.S. marines in Najaf, Iraq, firing machine guns. But the current conflict in Israel and Lebanon is providing unprecedented access, imagery and e-media.
Here a 27-year-old records Israeli bombs dropping on Beirut. And here, a terrified Israeli boy documents his sprint to a bomb shelter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time to go to the bomb shelter yet again.
SCHECHNER: Days into the conflict the sound of sirens and explosions are becoming routine. Here a 24-year-old woman drops everything and heads for protection.
In a hallway in Haifa, a young boy passes the time playing a video game. In the bottom corner, his frightened mother holds a pillow over her head.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHECHNER: Now Wolf, these are raw images that are unique and often subjective. Blogs and videos like this aren't always accurate or authentic and these are issues that will become greater challenges as more and more people put personal stories on line. BLITZER: Jacki, thank you very much, good report. Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour. Paula is standing by. Hi Paula.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi Wolf, thanks. In about six and a half minutes, we will have the very latest from our correspondents in Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Our top story coverage also takes you behind both sides front lines. Meet the family of an Israeli soldiers whose capture was one of the flash points that started this crisis.
I will also be talking with a news editor of a Beirut TV station that is supported by Hezbollah about what contact, if any, his news organization has had with that terrorist organization's leader and giving us the latest on what he sees as a huge humanitarian crisis unfolding in Beirut tonight, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much Paula. We will certainly be watching. Still here in THE SITUATION ROOM, the president's foreign policy being criticized right now by some conservatives who have long supported him. That's got Jack Cafferty wondering what it all means. Your email and Jack when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's check back with Jack with the Cafferty File.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks Wolf. The question is, what does it mean if conservatives are distancing themselves from President Bush's foreign policy and they're starting to. Here's some of the mail.
Gerald writes, "Distancing from President Bush by the present crop of conservative Republicans means they don't want to be as part of the problems that they created."
Fred writes, "My opinion is that the political conservatives are demonstrating just how phony they are in their outdistancing themselves from the president. They're only concerned with their own very narrow agenda, that ignores the reality in the world."
Ryan in Kirkland, Washington, "Jack, 'Conservatives' are realizing that the current mess in the White House could easily mushroom into a Democratic Party victory in the Congress. As usual they only bend their principles when the election is at stake."
Andrew writes in Florida, "They are making sure that the eventual political backlash that will come from President Bush's wrongful decisions will not affect them. The realization of the faults within the Bush Administration's policy has become bipartisan."
Jan in South Carolina writes, "It means President Bush is finally a uniter, not a divider."
And Ann in Hackettstown, New Jersey, "Republican terror alert rising to the red zone: be afraid, be very afraid of joining the ranks of the unemployed in November." If you didn't see your e-mail here, go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile. Check out that website, you'll see more of these online. Wolf.
BLITZER: Becoming a very popular website Jack. Thanks very much, see you tomorrow here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
We're going to leave you right now with some of the Hot Shots coming in from the "Associated Press," pictures from Middle East crisis likely to be in your hometown newspapers tomorrow.
In Beirut a Lebanese woman shouts anti-Israeli slogans in front of a destroyed Mosque that had been under construction.
In southern Lebanon, a Lebanese family flees the bombing in the south.
On a beach north of Beirut a U.S. Navy sailor helps coordinate the evacuation of Americans.
In Kiryat Shmona, in northern Israel, and Israeli couple walks down the steps of a bomb shelter to get married, that's happening right now.
Those are some of today's Hot Shots, pictures very, very often worth a thousand words. We're in THE SITUATION ROOM weekday afternoons from 4:00 to 6:000 p.m. Eastern. We're back for an hour at 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Until tomorrow thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" starts right now, Paula.
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