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CNN Sunday Morning
More Hezbollah Rockets Slam Into Northern Israel; Israeli Planes Pound Targets in Southern Lebanon
Aired August 06, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: More Hezbollah rockets slam into northern Israel today. Israeli officials say at least 10 people were killed, and there was also fierce ground fighting in southern Lebanon. CNN's Matthew Chance will join us from the Israeli-Lebanese border in just two minutes.
In the meantime, Israeli war planes, they are pounding towns in southern Lebanon. Lebanon security forces say at least five civilians have been killed, and in five minutes from now, we are going to have a live report from the port city of Tyre. Air strikes there are targeting suspected Hezbollah positions again today.
The U.N. Security Council is trying to work out final details of a draft resolution aimed at stopping all of this fighting, and it calls for a full cessation of hostilities. Now, Lebanon's prime minister says it needs to be beefed up. The Council could vote on it tomorrow.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: There are protests in Indonesia today against the Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon. Demonstrators rallied in the capital of Jakarta to show support for Lebanon and for Palestinians in Gaza at the West Bank. A U.S. military hearing is under way in Baghdad to determine if five U.S. soldiers should face court martial in the alleged rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and the killing of three of her relatives. We'll have a live report from Baghdad in just a few minutes.
Iran says it will not suspend its nuclear program. Iran's chief negotiator today called a U.N. Security Council resolution setting an August 31st deadline to stop uranium enrichment illegal. For complete coverage of breaking news and today's stop stories, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
NGUYEN: Take a look. The scene of yet another deadly Katyusha rocket attack on Israel. From the CNN Center right here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is August 6th everybody, 7:00 a.m. here, 2:00 p.m. in Kfar Giladi. About two hours ago, the northern Israeli town was hit by Hezbollah rockets. We are going to take you there live in just a moment. But in the meantime, good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And good morning everyone, I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us. Not only did Hezbollah hit Kfar Giladi, a barrage we understand of Katyushas, also landed in and around Kiryat Shmona. The details just ahead Betty. NGUYEN: All right let's get you caught up now. Here is the latest death toll from both sides of the border. Israel says 79 people have been killed in that nation. And in Lebanon, officials report 693 fatalities in more than three weeks of fighting. Hezbollah has not released official casualty figures. Now Israel's military says it has killed approximately 400 Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah denies that figure.
HARRIS: 26 days of near constant bombardment by Israel has not prevented Hezbollah from firing its rockets into Israeli territory. So far today, Israeli officials have counted 30 rockets landing inside Israel, at least one hit a crowd of people near the kibbutz of Kfar Giladi that is near the Lebanon border. Ten people are known dead in that attack. Yesterday Israeli police reported at least 170 Hezbollah rockets inside Israel resulting in three people killed.
NGUYEN: All right. Today's rocket attack on northern Israel is among the deadliest to date. At least 10 people killed, nine wounded, according to Israeli ambulance services. The Israeli military's mission is to stop these rocket attacks. Obviously, they have not succeeded yet. CNN's Matthew Chance joins us from Kfar Giladi in northern Israel. Matthew, give us the damage report there.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well the damage, certainly too human life, seems very extensive, Betty. There's been a barrage of Katyusha rockets fired from Hezbollah positions in south Lebanon over the course of the past two hours or so. One of those rockets is said by police to have hit a crowd of people, many of them believed to have been Israeli military and exploded, obviously causing widespread casualties. The latest figures that we have are at least 10 dead as a result of that rocket explosion. Over the course of the past hour helicopters have been coming and going from the scene where the rockets struck, ferrying the injured as well away to hospitals.
This is a place, Kfar Giladi, which is very close to the Lebanese border. It's a small Israeli community. It has a contingent of Israeli military guarding the entrance to the settlement, as it were, to make sure it's not infiltrate by Hezbollah guerrillas, as has happened so many times across this border over the past several years. And so it is a big attack here. Certainly the deadliest attack for Israelis since this conflict with Hezbollah began 24 days ago Betty.
NGUYEN: We're hearing some noise in the background there, Matthew. Talk to me about what's going on behind you.
CHANCE: Well, there's a lot of stuff going on behind me. The security forces, you can see have sealed off the road that goes into Kfar Giladi. There's a lot of artillery shells you may be able to hear behind me as well because in the other direction there's been a ferocious barrage of Israeli artillery and tank fight into southern Lebanon as well, supporting the 10,000 or more Israeli troops that are currently on the ground inside Lebanon battling Hezbollah fighters, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Matthew Chance joining us from Kfar Giladi. Stay safe. We appreciate your time. We'll check in with you soon.
HARRIS: CNN's John Roberts is embedded with Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. He joins us by phone. And John, amazing reporting yesterday during these hours. At least one rocket flying overhead, as you were reporting. Give us a sense of the view from your position today.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Tony. At this moment, it's coming the other way for our unit. They just called artillery in on a couple of positions that they think are suspicious. They haven't seen any Hezbollah activity in those areas, but they think that they could be places where Hezbollah could hide. So they've called in some provisional, preventive, if you will, artillery, to soften up those positions to make sure that if there is anybody in them right now that they want to get, at least they would not be usable in the future.
But I'll tell you, in the unit that I'm with right now, a bit of a shocker went through them when they heard about the 10 guests in Kfar Giladi. This is a very small country. A lot of people know other people. There was also a couple of casualties in fighting in southern Lebanon, one death that we know of in (INAUDIBLE), which is just a little bit to the east of where this unit is operating. Heavy intense fighting in (INAUDIBLE) now for a number of days. And being as though these reservists that I'm with now are veterans of previous wars, they know a lot of people who are in the reserve units. They know a lot of people who are in the regular army now. Every time an Israeli soldier is killed, it really hits home for them there.
There is also talk here among the unit today as to what this United Nations resolution agreement means. Would it mean an end to the hostilities, or would it just mean another go around with Hezbollah in the future? They're not sure. They want to see the details of this. They believe that the United Nations force cannot do anything to keep Hezbollah off the border. And so it looks like, as I talk to the commander of this unit that I'm with here today that Israeli forces are going to be in Lebanon, in his words, a long, long time. Tony?
HARRIS: John, just very quickly, give us a sense, we know the ground units are moving in now with the objective of clearing out these Hezbollah strong holds. But from your position as a reporter embedded, what does that mean practically on the ground for these soldiers? What does it mean in terms of the actions that they're taking?
ROBERTS: Well, it's a little bit unusual, Tony, in that they're not going right into the cities and sweeping the Hezbollah fighters out of the cities. They tried that in Bint Jbeil, and it did not work out well. You remember eight soldiers killed on that date. So what they've been doing is they've been trying to take the high ground around these towns, occupied some buildings on the perimeter of various towns in southern Lebanon and then push forward and do it again. What they're trying to do is control as much territory, as much area as they can, without getting back into the streets for that really tough street to street fighting though it is still going on in some villages.
HARRIS: Ok, John Roberts reporting for us from southern Lebanon. John, appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Israel reportedly launched more air strikes in southern Lebanon this morning. CNN international correspondent Karl Penhaul joins us from the port city of Tyre. Karl, it seems like every time we speak with you, there is more developments, more action in that area. Tell us what's happened so far today.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well again this morning Betty, there have been a series of cross-border strikes. We've heard Hezbollah rockets and missiles going out from areas east and south of Tyre. In the last few minutes, Israel has once again been pounding an area just to my south, just before we came on air. A number of large explosions apparently caused by the most recent Israeli artillery bombardment earlier on in the morning, in an area of cliffs to the south, we heard explosions, again, maybe from artilleries or war planes there. Again, each time they strike these areas, there's an aerial drone up there that tries and detects some positions, and then a mixture of war planes and artillery get called in. That's what's again been happening this morning and especially that comes on the heels of that commando raid yesterday, Betty.
NGUYEN: Karl, it seems like, since this conflict began, Tyre has been hit very, very hard, basically daily, it almost seems. Yet more rockets keep flying out of Tyre. Is Israel doing any damage at all to Hezbollah in that area?
PENHAUL: Well, certainly after the Israeli Defense Force briefing yesterday about the objectives of its predawn commando raid Saturday, what they said there was that they had killed the commanders of a Hezbollah unit in charge of long range rockets. We entered the apartment that was attacked, and we did see evidence of ammunition, some rocket-propelled grenades and magazine clips there. But again, as you say, the very fact that rockets and missiles continue flying out from this area means that there are many more units still in this area, and we understand possibly small cells, three, four man cells in charge of firing these rockets and that's still very much going on. Betty?
NGUYEN: CNN's Karl Penhaul in Tyre, a place obviously we'll be speaking a lot about and to Karl a lot this morning. Thank you Karl.
HARRIS: All right, let's get the view from Haifa now. CNN's Paula Hancocks is there. Paula, good morning to you.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony. Well we have seen the single most deadly rocket attack here in northern Israel just a few hours ago. Just north of Kiryat Shmona, the northern most town in Israel, we saw a huge barrage of rockets landing at a kibbutz. One of those rockets killed 10 people and seriously injured four more. Now we understand the people were standing outside just at the entrance to one of the communal areas in that particular kibbutz and that's where that deadly rocket hit. We've also been hearing sirens across the morning and the early afternoon in many different towns across northern Israel. There are some injuries in other areas as well, but really this one area, this kibbutz which is right on the border with Lebanon has been the most deadly since this conflict began. Now, at the same time, as we're getting information from the Israeli Defense Forces every single morning telling us how many rocket launchers they've destroyed in air strikes overnight, how many rockets they've destroyed as well. Just in a matter of hours, Hezbollah is launching even harsher rocket attacks. We understand in this particular one, where 10 people died, eyewitnesses said that the barrage of rockets lasted more than 15 minutes. So Hezbollah really is proving that it is more than capable at this point of hurting Israel. Tony?
HARRIS: Ok and that is the view from Haifa, Israel. Paula Hancocks, thank you.
A programming note now. Israeli and Lebanese officials weigh in on the Middle East crisis this afternoon on CNN's "LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER." Wolf's guests will be Israeli vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Lebanon's Economy Minister Sami Haddad. That all begins at 11:00 a.m. eastern.
NGUYEN: And the latest on the crisis in the Middle East, that is just a few moments away. Stay with CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We have breaking news to tell you about. This just in to CNN. Three Chinese United Nations peacekeepers, they were wounded today when the U.N. headquarters in Lebanon was hit by mortars. We understand that they were moderately wounded. I don't know the extent of those, but apparently not life-threatening at this point. Now, officials said this Chinese contingent base was struck by Hezbollah shells and that peacekeepers have not been evacuated as of yet. As you know, this conflict continues to escalate. Today three Chinese United Nations peacekeepers have been injured in this fight as U.N. headquarters have come under fire by Hezbollah shells. That's the latest information. We'll bring you more on this breaking news as we get it.
Ok, so it is day 26 of this deadly Israeli Hezbollah conflict. Here is what we know. A barrage of Hezbollah rockets struck near a kibbutz in northern Israel just a short time ago. At least 10 people are dead because of it. Israel has been hammering targets all across southern Lebanon, and Lebanese security forces report at least five civilians killed in one of those airstrikes. So far today, Israel says Hezbollah has launched 30 rockets into Israel. Yesterday they counted at least 170.
HARRIS: And here's the latest death toll from both sides of the border. Israel says 79 people have been killed in that nation, and in Lebanon officials report 693 fatalities in more than three weeks of fighting. Hezbollah has not released official casualty figures. Israel's military says it has killed approximately 400 Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah denies that figure.
Now to the other crisis, the war in Iraq. A military court hearing is under way in Baghdad for U.S. soldiers accused of rape and murder. A family of four was killed in Mahmoudiya five months ago. CNN's Harris Whitbeck is live in Baghdad following today's hearing. Harris, good morning.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Tony. The case is being described by some as potentially as damaging to the U.S. military image in Iraq as the Abu Ghraib prison case was a few years ago. Under way now at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, an article 32 hearing in which military investigators will weigh the evidence to determine whether five soldiers will be submitted to courts martial. Those soldiers, as you said, are accused of rape, of premeditated murder, and of dereliction of duty for having failed to report the incident to their superiors. Again, the proceeding that is under way today is an article 32 hearing. It has been compared roughly to a grand jury hearing in the civilian court system in the United States. But basically what it does, again investigators look at all the evidence to determine whether they should proceed with a court martial. If there were a court martial and if guilty charges were confirmed, the penalties in these cases would be death. Tony?
HARRIS: And, Harris, how long before we get a decision from this hearing?
WHITBECK: The hearing today could last several days. We have no word. But we do expect it to go on for several days.
HARRIS: Ok, CNN's Harris Whitbeck for us in Baghdad. Harris, thank you.
NGUYEN: And that does prompt us to our e-mail question today. Do military scandals impact your opinion of the war? Tell us what you think. Our e-mail address is weekends@cnn.com.
All right, more breaking news to tell you about this morning. As we've been reporting, there is this U.N. resolution to end the fighting in the Middle East. That still has to be passed by the U.N. Security Council. But in the meantime, we are getting some reaction to that resolution. The latest reaction coming from the parliament speaker in Lebanon who says that he rejects this U.N. resolution. And to be quite frank, it really doesn't come as much of a surprise because following the announcement of this resolution and some of the details, the Lebanese prime minister yesterday said that the resolution was not adequate, and the Lebanese ambassador to the U.N. also said that the resolution lacks a call for withdrawal of Israeli forces, which are now in Lebanon. So apparently, Lebanon not completely pleased with the proposed resolution that the U.N. is working to get passed. It is a first step, but, again, there are some conflicts with that. And the latest coming from the parliament speaker who says this draft is inadequate. So we'll see how this plays out as still the U.N. has to vote on this.
HARRIS: Another busy morning.
NGUYEN: Another busy morning.
HARRIS: Of breaking news, we will catch you up on all of it after the break. You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Here's a few stories making news across America. A vandalism at a Jewish chapel is being investigated as a hate crime. A groundskeeper at the Glen Haven Memorial Park and Mortuary in San Fernando, California, called police after making the discovery. So far, there are no suspects.
NGUYEN: Now to Maryland, Montgomery County police arrested three people in connection with the theft of a laptop. Now this is an important laptop. It was stolen from the home of a Veteran's Affairs employee back in May. Now, the hard drive had social security numbers and birthdates for more than 26 million military personnel, veterans and their families. The FBI determined the files were not compromised. That's the good news. One suspect was already in custody on another charge.
HARRIS: The man's a beast, a beast, I tell you. How he managed to scarf down 58 brats in 10 minutes, beyond me.
NGUYEN: My stomach aches just thinking about it.
HARRIS: You're watching the final moments from Saturday's Johnsonville bratwurst eating contest in (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: What was that little move?
HARRIS: Yeah, you have to create space.
NGUYEN: Oh my gosh, look at his stomach.
HARRIS: That's nice, that's a six pack.
NGUYEN: Is that really his stomach?
HARRIS: That's a two pack?
NGUYEN: Scary is what that was, I don't know what that was.
HARRIS: Belly distended there. The winner, Kobayashi, 160 pounds, that's all he weighs. He's from Japan.
NGUYEN: Doesn't he win all of these contests?
HARRIS: He wins all these things. He just won the big one in Long Island.
NGUYEN: Some big hot dog eating contest. I think the key is to dip it in water, right, don't you think?
HARRIS: Yeah.
NGUYEN: Why I know these things, I have no idea.
HARRIS: This can go south really fast if you want it to.
NGUYEN: Look at Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's so horribly wrong to see something like that. I mean why doesn't he just unhinge his lower jaw and shovel it in there? I mean how proud do you think his parents must be? That's our boy.
NGUYEN: Did you see his stomach? That was the most disturbing part. It was full -- anyway, let's move on.
WOLF: Children across America are having nightmares because of that tease.
HARRIS: Antacid is the word, right?
WOLF: I know, I know. Just awful stuff.
HARRIS: Reynolds good morning.
WOLF: Good morning. Gosh, what a transition, going from brats to weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Israeli airstrikes pound villages in southern Lebanon today as well as roads and bridges linking Beirut to eastern and northern Lebanon. And yet Lebanon rejects a cease-fire proposal. CNN's Anthony Mills joins us live from his post in the Lebanese capital. Anthony, what's the latest from where you are?
ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. The latest is a continuation of violence in this country. In the south, where we've just had confirmation from a U.N. spokesperson that three Chinese U.N. peacekeepers have been lightly to moderately injured in an air strike on their base. There has also been the bombing of a village by the name of Ansar in the south of Lebanon. Internal security forces are telling us that five people were killed in that strike and six injured. According to U.N. sources in the south, there is a continuation of artillery fire, of aerial bombardment, and indeed activity by Israeli helicopters. At the same time, elsewhere bombardment in Lebanon in the north and the east where bridges and roads linking really two parts of the country, the Bekaa Valley to the coastal plain have been damaged. And a short while ago I spoke to Lebanon's transport minister, Mohammad Safadi, who told me that 85 percent -- more than 85 percent of Lebanon's bridges have now been destroyed and that the damage to this country's infrastructure is now at least $2.2 billion. Tony?
HARRIS: Ok, Anthony Mills for us in Lebanon. Anthony, appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: In other news, it was a day many of us will never ever forget, and neither has Leslie Haskin. She was on the 36th floor of the first tower on September 11th. And coming up in our "Faces of Faith," she shares how that day led her to where she is now. HARRIS: And he's a bad dog.
NGUYEN: He looks like a bad dog.
HARRIS: Barney was hired to guard the goods, including Elvis' boyhood teddy.
NGUYEN: No, he didn't. No. Say it isn't so.
HARRIS: We'll tell you the rest of the story. The rest of the story after this break.
NGUYEN: That's a bad, bad dog.
Hey, adding some new to go with the old, how about that? For the WIC program. Ok, here's the new. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, they will be added to the juice, eggs, cheese, and milk that have been staples of the government's Women, Infants and Children program, WIC as it's called. The new additions to the low income nutrition program will be finalized next year. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: Can't catch a breath around here, can you?
NGUYEN: I tell you, it's been like that for weeks now.
HARRIS: Wow! I'm Tony Harris, good morning, everyone. Here's a look at headlines now in the news.
NGUYEN: And here they are. Israeli emergency officials say at least 10 people were killed when Hezbollah rockets slammed into a town in northern Israel today. Four other people were critically injured. Israeli officials say at least 30 rockets landed in northern Israel today alone.
Israeli war planes are pounding towns in southern Lebanon again today. Lebanon's internal security forces say at least five people were killed in the village of Ansar. Now there's also fierce ground fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces in several southern Lebanese towns.
A draft resolution to stop all of this fighting is getting a negative reception, I should say, from Lebanese officials who call it inadequate. Reuters reports Lebanon's parliamentary speaker says his country simply rejects it, and the U.N. Security Council will try to work out final details today ahead of a possible vote tomorrow. Now, it calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
HARRIS: A U.S. military hearing has begun in Baghdad to determine if five U.S. soldiers will be court-martialed. Four are accused of conspiring in the rape and killing of an Iraqi girl and the deaths of three of her relatives. A fifth faces charges he knew about the alleged attack but did not report it.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator says the U.N. has no right to make Iran stop enriching uranium. A U.N. Security Council resolution demands Tehran halt its nuclear program by August 31st. If it doesn't, it could face possible sanctions. Iran says it will reject the resolution.
Tens of thousands of people are gathering in Hiroshima, Japan to call for world peace. 61 years ago today, the U.S. dropped the world's first atomic bomb on the city. Listen to this. More than 140,000 people were killed. For complete coverage of breaking news and today's top stories, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
NGUYEN: Let's get you caught up on the latest death toll from both sides of the border in this current Mideast crisis. Israel says 79 people have been killed in that nation. In Lebanon, officials report 693 fatalities in more than three weeks of fighting. Hezbollah has not released official casualty figures, but Israel's military says it has killed approximately 400 Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah denies that figure.
HARRIS: The U.N. is expected to vote this week on a draft resolution aimed at ending the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, but the plan is already being rejected by the Lebanese parliament speaker. CNN's senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth looks at this proposal and the controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. terms it a fusion resolution with France, but instead it has turned on some negative energy from Arab diplomats.
NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER, QATARI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We waited for three weeks to come up with something, which -- that cost Lebanon a lot.
ROTH: After weeks of wrangling, the proposed resolution calls for a full cessation of hostilities with the demand for an immediate end to Hezbollah attacks and offensive Israeli operation. Not included, any U.N. demand for an immediate end in fighting and no withdrawal, at this time, by Israel from Lebanon.
NOUHAD MAHMOUD, LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTRY: It lacked, for instance, a call for withdrawal of the Israeli forces which are now in Lebanon, that's a recipe for more confrontation.
ROTH: But the diplomats who cooked up the resolution say it deals with the crisis and beyond.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The point we've made repeatedly is that the cease-fire, cessation of hostilities, has to be in the context of a fundamental transformation of the issue in the region. Otherwise, we will simply risk a repetition, as we have countless times before, without actually solving the problem. ROTH: Most important, all countries and militias will have to accept the terms of the resolution. The current 2,000 man U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon would monitor the truce. If all goes well, a second resolution would be adopted that would authorize a larger international peacekeeping enforcement mission to deploy in southern Lebanon. A buffer zone would be established excluding all but the Lebanese army and U.N. approved troops. An arms embargo would bar all shipment of weapons into Lebanon for everyone except the army. Lebanon has a history of thorny deadly disputes involving neighboring countries, and the resolution tries to pave the way to a solution of many of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think that looking, you know, all of us, TV screen, you know, what is happening in Lebanon and in some cities in the northern part of Israel, that we have to act responsibly and go swiftly.
ROTH (on camera): Legal experts from Security Council countries will spend the weekend tweaking the resolution after input from other countries. China, Russia, and Japan seemed encouraged. A vote is possible in a few days but first Arab concerns may have to be addressed. Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Speaking of those concerns, let's talk about that for a minute. The draft resolution to end the Middle East conflict is not generating much enthusiasm in Arab capitals. CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Damascus, Syria with the view from there. Aneesh, what are some of the sticking points?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESONDENT: Betty, we sat down just a short time ago with Amr Moussa, the Secretary General of the Arab League. He had come here from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, en route to Beirut, Lebanon. He said the draft resolution as it is essentially is unacceptable. That it has come too late, and it falls far too short. His main sticking point in addition to some others was on the prisoner swap that has been a precondition from the start by the Lebanese government. The abducted Israeli soldiers that Hezbollah has in turn for Lebanese prisoners that are in Israeli jails. He said that the wording within this resolution mandates that the Israeli soldiers be released but suggests almost that the same happen for the Lebanese prisoners. I also asked him about whether the Arab League condemns the initial abduction by Hezbollah of the Israeli soldiers that sparked, of course, this entire crisis. At the start, we heard from more moderate Arab governments like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, condemnation of that incident. And so it's a way, if you will, to test the waters of Arab leaders. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMR MOUSSA, ARAB LEAGUE GENERAL SECRETARY: Why should we? Why? We condemn destruction of Lebanon. As for the abduction, today the Israeli army abducted the speaker of the Palestinian House. So why should we condemn an abduction and allow another abduction? This double standard is killing the people in this region and agitating them.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: Now, in this interview only on CNN, he also went on to paint a stark picture of what is likely to come at whatever point this violence ends. Near uniform support that exists among Arab leaders now to the Lebanese government for whatever they want out of this peace deal. They will back them if they reject this draft constitution. And he reminded the world essentially that the root cause of all this, the Israeli-Palestinian issue, not only remains unresolved it is crippled with difficulties. And that until that is resolved we could see this region essentially combust because of what we've seen in the past few weeks. Betty?
NGUYEN: Sounds like there a lot of hurdles to overcome. Aneesh Raman, thank you for that, joining us live from Damascus, Syria.
HARRIS: And Betty more breaking news into CNN. This according to Reuters, the Reuters news service is reporting that an Israeli general has told the Israeli cabinet today that the army has captured one of the Hezbollah guerrillas who took part in the abduction of two Israeli soldiers, that back in July, on July 12th. That, of course, was the incident, the precipitating incident that has led to all of the fighting that we've been witnessing for the last three weeks now. And it continues even today. So once again, just to bring you this bit of breaking news, an Israeli general has told the Israeli cabinet that the army has captured one of the Hezbollah guerrillas who took part in the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers on July 12th. Now, you see there a shot of our international desk. We are working to independently confirm this. We will do that, and we will bring you an update on this story as soon as we get it.
NGUYEN: And in just a few minutes, you're going to meet a woman who survived the fiery 9/11 attack on New York's twin towers.
HARRIS: I'll talk with Leslie Haskin about how surviving the World Trade Center attack saved her life in more ways than one. That's in our "Faces of Faith" segment coming up in about three minutes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's get you a little more information on what Tony just told us about that breaking news out of Jerusalem. CNN now confirms that the Israeli army says it has captured the Hezbollah guerrilla, at least one of them, that took part in the abduction of two Israeli soldiers. They were kidnapped back on July 12th, which was pretty much the beginning of this conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Again, the Israel army, Israeli army says it has captured one of the Hezbollah guerrillas that took part in the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. As soon as we get more information on this, we'll bring it to you. But in the meantime, CNN has confirmed this information. Stay with us for more news on that. Well, it is day 26 of the deadly Israeli Hezbollah conflict. Here's what we know. A barrage of Hezbollah rockets struck near a kibbutz in northern Israel just a short time ago. At least 10 people are dead because of it. Israel has been hammering targets all across southern Lebanon. Lebanese security forces report at least five civilians killed in one of those airstrikes. And so far today, Israel says Hezbollah has launched 30 rockets into Israel. Yesterday they counted at least 170.
Now the latest on the death toll from both sides of the border. Israel says 79 people have been killed in that nation. In Lebanon, officials report 693 fatalities in more than three weeks of fighting. Hezbollah has not released official casualty figures. However, Israel's military says it has killed approximately 400 Hezbollah fighters. Now Hezbollah denies that figure.
HARRIS: We will never forget where we were or what we were doing the minute we heard that a plane crashed into the twin towers. It's been almost five years. Survival stories can't help but jar us right back to that day. Between heaven and ground zero is penned through the eyes, a recollection of Leslie Haskin, she was on the 36th floor of tower one on September 11th. Her story truly embodies what it means to see a phoenix rising from the ashes. She joins us this morning from Stamford, Connecticut. Leslie, good morning.
LESLIE HASKIN, AUTHOR & 9/11 SURVIVOR: Good morning.
HARRIS: How are you?
HASKIN: I'm good. How are you?
HARRIS: Well you know what, let me ask the real how are you question this way. Almost five years since you went through that horrific experience, your life changes in so many ways as a result of it. Almost five years later, how are you?
HASKIN: Can I say I'm blessed?
HARRIS: Yeah, sure, sure, sure.
HASKIN: I'm blessed. I am blessed. I have been through -- it's been a nightmare for five years. It's been just an incredible journey for me to lose everything and then to gain those things that I never thought it was that I needed, and that's a sound and solid relationship with the Lord. So I am well.
HARRIS: Leslie, when you say you lost everything, what do you mean? Because some folks will say, wait a minute. You have your life, you're here. What do you mean when you say you lost everything?
HASKIN: Well, pre-9/11, I have to say that I was a corporate climber, and so I lived for the things that my hands built for me, the career, the homes, the cars, the fancy clothes, the trips, everything. And after 9/11, because of my mental and emotional state, I wasn't able to go back to work. The company went out of business. I lost my home, my car, my mind, and everything else. HARRIS: What do you mean you lost your mind?
HASKIN: I was committed to a psychiatric hospital after 9/11.
HARRIS: You were?
HASKIN: I was, yes. And diagnosed with severe post traumatic stress disorder.
HARRIS: And describe that disorder as it manifested itself in you. What did you see? What did you see? What did it mean to you?
HASKIN: Well, basically for me I was stuck in 9/11. I thought the dangers from 9/11 followed me every day. I was unable to discern one day from another. Loud noises startled me. I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't eating. I thought the Taliban was living in my backyard. It was just a nightmare. I was unable to get in touch or to grasp any reality whatsoever.
HARRIS: So, Leslie, you describe September 11th, that morning as perfect. The kind of day you wish you didn't have to go to work and earn a living. You were on the 36th floor.
HASKIN: Right.
HARRIS: You were talking to a co-worker.
HASKIN: Uh-huh.
HARRIS: Pick it up from there. What did you hear? What did you see?
HASKIN: I was standing in front of the window, and if you've ever been to the World Trade Center, we have these gorgeous floor to ceiling windows, and I was standing in front of the window speaking to one of my assistants. And all of a sudden out of nowhere came this loud, thunderous roar, and the building shook, and we felt the impact of the plane. We didn't know it was a plane at the time, but there was this huge explosion that came from underneath us and above us and around us all at the same time. It was so big that it made the building rock back and forth. It sort of swayed back and forth like that. And then never really righted itself, but it settled in on a slant so that our feet were slanting downward.
HARRIS: Wow, that is -- you also say, "I had never seen fire so angry." What does that mean?
HASKIN: You know, I think our minds are relative. We can describe things based on what we've seen before, and we kind of relate it to a fire we've seen on television or one down the street or I don't know what everybody's experience is, but I had never seen in my life a fire that -- like the one that was in the World Trade Center. You see, what you were seeing from the outside was this building that was still standing with this huge gaping hole and smoke coming from it. But from the inside, within seconds from the impact of the plane, the floor above us was already starting to collapse onto us. And there were these huge explosions of fire that was so hot that in the stairs where we were trying to leave the building, or evacuate the building, it had to be over 100 degrees. The fire was -- I've never seen anything like it, never.
HARRIS: Leslie, let's show everyone the book again because we have to leave it here because we've got more breaking news to share with folks, as you know, there are events happening in the Middle East.
HASKIN: Right.
HARRIS: By the moment. Here's the book again, "Between Heaven and Ground Zero." Leslie Haskin is the author. Her recollections of that horrible day. Leslie, thank you for your time this morning. We appreciate it.
HASKIN: Thank you so much for having me.
HARRIS: Ok, thank you Leslie.
HASKIN: Bye.
NGUYEN: Ok, let's get more on this breaking news. Israeli army is reporting that it has captured one of the Hezbollah guerrillas responsible for kidnapping two Israeli soldiers back on July 12th, which pretty much sparked the latest round in the violence between Israel and Hezbollah. We're going to go straight to CNN's Paula Hancocks, she is in Haifa, Israel, for the latest on this. And what I understand, Paula, is the information about this came about through interrogation. Tell me what you know.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Betty, these details are still coming in at the moment, so there's very little concrete information that we can give you. But we do understand from the Israeli Defense Forces that one Hezbollah fighter that they were interrogating, we don't know exactly when he was abducted, but they did believe that he was a part of this original plan, the original abduction of two Israeli soldiers back on July the 12th. And this is what the information is that they're giving us at the moment. And, of course, this abduction of the two Israeli soldiers is what sparked this entire crisis, this latest conflict. This is why the Israeli forces went into southern Lebanon and started air strikes in southern Lebanon. So this is fairly significant news because it would suggest that the IDF through its interrogation might be able to get some information on where these soldiers are being held. There is no information at this point. The IDF doesn't know where they're being held. We're hearing from the Lebanese government as well, the prime minister and his spokesman, they don't know where these two Israeli soldiers are being held. So it would be a fairly significant development that during interrogation they did find out that he was probably part of this original operation. Betty?
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Paula Hancocks from Haifa, Israel, with the latest on this breaking news that we're reporting to you today. Thank you, Paula.
And you're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING, we'll be back with much more.
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NGUYEN: It's day 26 of this deadly Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. Here's what we know. A barrage of Hezbollah rockets struck near a kibbutz in northern Israel just a short time ago. At least 10 people are dead. Israel has been hammering targets all across southern Lebanon. Lebanese security forces report at least five civilians killed in one of those airstrikes. And so far today, Israel says Hezbollah has launched 30 rockets into Israel. Yesterday they counted at least 170.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Do you like dogs?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I love dogs. I'm a dog kind of guy.
NGUYEN: See if you like this poor little pooch after you see what he has done. The shame of it. The embarrassing shame of it. Take a look. This is Barney, the guard dog. He was hired to guard an exclusive and expensive teddy bear collection with possible links to Elvis. You know, the king of rock. Well, our Jeanne Moos has the story of a once proud guard dog now disgraced.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You'd look down cast too if you just ate Elvis' teddy bear.
You ain't nothing but a hound dog.
MOOS: Well actually, he's a Doberman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Barney, what did you get up to there?
MOOS: This is what he got up to, disemboweling teddy bears in a British teddy bear collection he was supposed to be guarding.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just ran amok for about 10, 15 minutes.
MOOS: And the first bear he mauled was Mabel. Here's Mabel pre- attack. This stuffed bear from 1909 or so, reportedly once belonged to Elvis. And now?
DANIEL MEDLEY, MUSEUM DIRECTOR: The owner is quite understandably very upset.
MOOS: An Englishman with a reputation for eccentricity supposedly paid $76,000 for Mabel at a Memphis auction. We can't prove Elvis ever owned it.
I just want to be your teddy bear.
MOOS: Barney ran amok at a tourist attraction called Wookey Hall, famed for its caves and now famed for the carnage in the teddy bear collection. The irony is that the attraction's insurance company insisted to have highly trained guard dogs patrolling the place.
GREG WEST, SECURITY GUARD: He just went absolutely berserk. All I can think it is, it has something to do with the scent of the bear.
MOOS: Must have smelled Elvis. The king's scent sure drove women wild, why not a Doberman? The alleged Elvis bear was left partially decapitated and with a chunk out of its chest. Will Barney end up doing --
The jailhouse rock with me.
MOOS: Apparently not, but as a guard dog he's been fired and retired to a farm. British reporters are lucky Barney didn't tear the stuffing out of them.
RACHEL ROYCE, BRITISH REPORTER: Find out why this dog won't be guarding hundreds of teddy bears anymore.
MOOS: Guess she didn't smell like Elvis. Hang your head in shame, Barney, for what you did to all those teddy bears.
I'm all shook up.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
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HARRIS: Good morning, everyone. Breaking news to tell you about. Israeli military leaders say a Hezbollah fighter involved in the kidnapping last month of an Israeli soldier has been captured. We'll bring you more details as we learn them. You may recall the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers on July 12 was the catalyst of the current crises.
Other headlines now in the news. A short time ago an Israeli kibbutz near the Lebanese board took a hit from a Hezbollah missile. At least ten people were killed, four others were critically wounded. A live report from the scene is just ahead.
On the other side of the border Israeli ordnance has been raining on targets all across southern Lebanon. The coastal city of Tyre is once again in the crosshairs just as it has been for the past 26 days. We will take you live to the city in about three minutes.
NGUYEN: Well a proposed U.N. resolution to end this fighting in the Middle East is now before a Security Council, but already Lebanon's parliament speaker says Beirut rejects the draft resolution because it would allow Israeli forces to remain on Lebanese soil.
A military hearing is underway in Baghdad. U.S. soldiers are accused of raping and murdering a young Iraq and killing three of her relatives back in March. This hearing is to determine whether the soldiers will face court-martial. We'll have a live report from Baghdad 15 minutes from now. HARRIS: And Betty a new message from Al Qaeda's number two men in videotape, Ayman al- Zawahiri says members of an Egyptian militant group have joined the ranks of al Qaeda.
Two teens arrested in what was the worst breach of government data ever. The 19-year-olds from Maryland have been arrested in the May theft of a Veterans Administration laptop and hard drive. The stolen property contained sensitive data of more than 26 million vets and military personnel. The third suspect is already in custody on other charges.
NGUYEN: Well, CNN has been following the stories in the region, dealing with the conflict in the Mideast and as we've been telling you the Israeli military says a Hezbollah fighter involved in last month's kidnapping is in custody now. There's also a massive barrage of rockets on an Israeli village near the Lebanese board. That attack killed ten people and there has been no letup of Israel's assault on suspected Hezbollah targets all across southern Lebanon.
Five civilians were reported killed in an air strike on one Lebanese village. CNN does have reporters all across the region bringing you the latest on the fighting and diplomatic efforts to end it all. Plus our colleagues at the international desk, well they are monitoring Arab media. You see them there. So we are plugged in at all angles to keep you informed on top of this major story as those developments come in.
Let's get right to it, shall we? CNN's Matthew Chance is in northern Israel for the latest both on today's deadly rocket attack and the capture of the Hezbollah kidnapper. Lets start with the capture of that kidnapper. What do you know about that so far?
CHANCE: Well, Betty, another great bit of information has been made clear us to by the Israeli military, but we understand from military sources that one of the people involved in the raid of July the 12th, the Hezbollah fighters that penetrated into Israel attacking the small contingency of Israeli soldiers and taking two of them back in to south Lebanon, one of the Hezbollah fighters involved in that raid has now been captured according to Israeli defense officials. He's admitted and confessed to being involved in the raid, under interrogation.
It is unclear when this individual was taken by the Israeli forces, but you may remember a few days ago there was a commando raid of the Lebanese city of Baalbeck in northeastern Lebanon and there they captured a number of people described as Hezbollah members and took them to Israel for interrogation. It may well be that this individual was caught in that group. We have no confirmation of that yet, Betty.
NGUYEN: Matthew, is that gunfire that we continue to hear in the background there?
CHANCE: Yes, it is. There's been a ferocious artillery barrage that's been continuing minute by minute out of this side of the Israeli territory across behind me into southern Lebanon. They've been pounding away at Hezbollah positions. And of course as we've been reporting over the past several hours, Hezbollah rockets have been raining down in the other direction as well, striking an Israeli kibbutz just a short distance behind me. The road has actually been sealed off to the area where the rocket struck because there are so many dead bodies that have not been cleared up by the Israeli officials who are up there right now.
Emergency workers are clearing through the damage and taking away the human remains. We understand that at least 10 people were killed when a Katyusha rocket struck a crowd of Israeli soldiers according to Israeli media who were guarding outside the Kibbutz, which is here just a short distance from the Lebanese border. So it is certainly one of the most painful, single strikes on the Israeli forces since this conflict of Hezbollah began 24 days ago, Betty.
NGUYEN: Matthew Chance. Thank you for that report.
Tony.
HARRIS: OK. On the phone with us right now is Guy Spiegelman. He's with the Israel Defense Force. Guy thanks for taking the time to talk us.
GUY SPIEGELMAN, IDF SPOKESMAN (via telephone): How are you doing, Tony?
HARRIS: Great. Great. Give us more details of what you can tell us about the capture of this Hezbollah guerilla who you believe has shared with you information about the July 12th kidnapping of two of your soldiers?
SPIEGELMAN: As you know, the IDF has been operating in Lebanon by the air of the land and the sea. We've been staging raids deep into Lebanese territory, landing commandos as well as our forces operating on the ground. One of those and I won't share specifics. We captured a few operatives one of which we now know was involved in the original kidnapping of those two Israeli soldiers who were waiting for their return in Israel and which sparked this conflict. We have remember how this conflict began, with the Hezbollah attacking Israel and kidnapping our soldiers and launching over three thousand rockets into Israel.
HARRIS: Guy, let me get to the critical question here. You captured this Hezbollah guerilla. What information has this guerilla shared with you about the current condition of your two soldiers?
SPIEGELMAN: Well.
We're in the middle of gathering that information right now and I want to give you more details on that at the moment, but the information that we're getting is important information. That's all I will say, and we continue with our operations to capture Hezbollah terrorist operatives in order to gain more information to secure the release of our soldiers and also to cripple their capabilities. So the kind of attacks that we've seen today, unfortunately one of the most deadly attacks today that we can stop these attacks once and for all. HARRIS: OK Guy before we get to the attack today that you're mentioning, you are referring to let me ask you whether or not you are confident, optimist take you will learn information that will ultimately lead to the recovery of your soldiers.
SPIEGELMAN: Our intelligence force are working around the clock in all matters of ways including via the investigation of this particular suspect, and we are confident that we will gain information and make some progress into identifying the whereabouts and the well- being of our two soldiers.
HARRIS: Is this guerilla that you captured, the Hezbollah guerilla that you captured. Is this person providing to you in the course of the interrogation, information that is helping you in targeting some of the positions, the Hezbollah positions in Lebanon?
SPIEGELMAN: I can tell you that this particular operative as well as many others that we have captured have been -- the information that we're gathering from these terrorist operatives have been used in the planning of further attacks by Israel into Lebanon in helping us identify terrorist targets in Lebanon.
HARRIS: OK Guy, you were referring a couple of moments ago to the attack on --
SPIEGELMAN: Yes.
HARRIS: What can you tell us, what more can you tell us about the aftermath, what you've learned about that attack?
SPIEGELMAN: Look. This is a deadly attack. It was a group of people that were hit directly. As you know, Hezbollah has been using rockets loaded with small ball bearings designed to cause maximum human casually and we've seen a terrible example of the effects today with at least ten people losing their lives in that attack.
We've seen dozens of rockets launched all throughout the north of Israel today. We've been spreading the message to the citizens and the residents north of Israel. Stay in sheltered areas. Not one person has been injured while they've been in a sheltered area and they've been listening to the orders of our home front command they'll all be safe and all be alive today. So we are really making maximum effort now to tell all our citizens and residents in the north of Israel stay in their sheltered areas, that the Katyushas are still falling and they're trying to cause maximum damage.
HARRIS: Guy, if you would, offer some clarification to us, please, we are getting conflicting reports that you may have lost military personnel in this attack.
SPIEGELMAN: At the moment, we have a situation until such time as things clear up. These things sometimes take a couple of hours just to clear up. We want to make sure that we are checking all the facts and we don't want to release any false information. There have been some casualties and soldiers, but I can't go further than that at this stage. HARRIS: And Guy one final question. The talk of a draft resolution that is now being considered by the full U.N. Security Council. Does that mean anything practically on the ground right now to the IDF?
SPIEGELMAN: At the moment, we're going about our operation as we have over the last three and a half weeks targeting and taking out terrorist targets throughout Lebanon and pushing our ground forces, securing slowly, but surely positions within three to four miles of the border. We have not yet been told to stop that operation.
We still have a lot of work to do. Hezbollah is a mess. Their weapons over the last six years with the help of the Syrians and Iranians were determined to destroy the infrastructures so that when and if the cease-fire comes and an international force is on the ground their work will be a lot easier because the IDF has taken out the heavy infrastructure and equipment the Hezbollah have amassed.
HARRIS: Guy Spiegelman, is a spokesman for the Israel Defense Force. Guy, thank you for your time.
NGUYEN: Well Tony talk about that proposed U.N. resolution to end this Mideast fighting. It is drawing some support from President Bush, a lot of support. CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us from Crawford, Texas, where she is traveling with the president. As you heard, Suzanne a lot of folks in many Arab countries especially are not pleased with this plan.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. White House officials are dealing with the very delicate, diplomatic situation here. We heard from the Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora telling our Brent Sadler that this resolution was not adequate, also hearing from the parliament speaker in Lebanon who is a negotiator for Hezbollah saying that they outright reject this U.N. Security Council resolution. So far White House officials are down playing those differences, saying hold off, wait a minute, we still have a lot of negotiating and talks to go. We heard from Tony Snow yesterday and of course Secretary Rice as well as national security adviser Stephen Hadley are at the Crawford ranch with President Bush this weekend trying to do the delicate diplomacy to get the other 15 members of the U.N. Security Council onboard but also to get the Lebanese as well as the Israelis onboard with this resolution.
We know that Rice has been in contact before with Siniora on numerous occasions. She also in her first round of diplomacy was with Siniora, but with Nabih Berri, the negotiator for Hezbollah. There is a clear sense that they are speaking to these officials. We heard from the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton saying that we're dealing with people on the highest level of the government here and, of course, the big sticking point is the fact that this resolution does not call for immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops in Lebanese territory. That is what they are asking for.
U.S. officials say that is something they are going to deal with in a second phase, the second resolution, they're trying to craft that as well, and the big question Betty of course is whether or not that is going to be good enough for the Lebanese government.
NGUYEN: That was my question, about withdrawing Israeli forces from Lebanon. Because that according to the Lebanese ambassador that is a main point of contention. We'll see how this plays out.
Suzanne Malveaux in Crawford, Texas. Thank you for that Suzanne.
What to give you this programming note right now. Israeli and Lebanese officials will weigh in on the Middle East cries this afternoon on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." His guest will be Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Lebanon's Economy Minister Sami Haddad that begins at 11:00 Eastern.
So should U.S. soldiers be court-martialed, five of them for what happened in Ramadi, Iraq.
HARRIS: That's what a military court is trying to determine this morning. A live report is straight ahead. You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: It is day 26 of the deadly Israeli/Hezbollah conflict. Here's what we know so far. The Israeli military says a Hezbollah fighter involved in the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier is in custody. It's not yet clear exactly when he was captured and or when his alleged role in the kidnapping was discovered.
In the meantime a barrage of Hezbollah rockets struck near a Kibbutz in northern Israel earlier today. At least 10 people are dead and Israel has been hammering targets all across southern Lebanon. Lebanese security forces report at least five civilians killed in one of those air strikes.
HARRIS: And Betty we want to get the view from Tyre, Lebanon. Let's go to CNN's Karl Penhaul, he is there. Karl good morning to you.
PENHAUL: Tony, for the last few hours Israeli military has been pounding positions just south of Tyre, probably three, four miles south of Tyre that's come under very heavy bombardment by Israeli artillery and also warplanes and occasionally the warships that are anchored off Lebanon's coast, running the blockade are also weighing in and firing their guns on to the coast just south of Tyre and Lebanese intelligence source that I spoke said that by the looks of things, the targets are a rural area outside a triangle of villages there and it seems that that is the area where the Israeli military suspects that Hezbollah is using for continued rocket launches.
In the course of this morning according to United Nations spokesmen on the ground, three Chinese U.N. observers were slightly wounded. They say by an incoming Hezbollah shell. Also according to the Lebanese military, one source is telling me that a Lebanese soldier has been killed and two others wounded in the course of Israeli shelling in and around the town of Mansour, which again just south of the city of Tyre, Tony.
HARRIS: Karl, if you could, take us back to yesterday and the Israeli commando raid on Saturday and what was found.
PENHAUL: A very bold raid there according to the Israelis. A small elite unit of commandos came in. Both sides describing that operation because for the Israelis they say that they managed to kill three or four Hezbollah commandos who were in charge of firing long- range rockets from the region around Tyre down into Israel and for their part the Hezbollah fighters and Lebanese army who were also involved in that firefight have said they killed an Israeli soldier and wounded seven others.
Of course, the Israeli military so far hasn't confirmed that any of its soldiers were killed in that fight, but has said seven or eight were wounded. When we went through to the apartment that was raided by the commando unit, we looked inside and it was quite clearly used by Hezbollah fighters. Obviously impossible at that stage to tell what rank and what importance those Hezbollah fighters were, but we found a lot of ammunition that was spread over the floor with rocket-propelled grenade rounds and also some magazine clips that looked to be from Kalashnikov assault rifles. There was fire and it was difficult to find any more evidence of what had been going on there.
Tony.
HARRIS: That's CNN's Karl Penhaul for us on the phone from Tyre, Lebanon. We're going to take a break. We will come back and talk to Harris Whitbeck. He's in Baghdad. You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: U.S. soldiers could face court-martial for an alleged brutal attack in Mahmoudiya, Iraq back in March. Now they're accused of raping and murdering a young Iraqi and then killing her father, mother, and sister. A U.S. military court hearing has begun in Baghdad. Let's get the latest, CNN's Harris Whitbeck is there joining us from the Iraqi capital. What do you know, Harris?
WHITBECK: Betty, it proceeding got underway this morning, the case according to some people, could as damaging to the image of the U.S. military as the Abu Ghraib Prison case was a few years ago. The case revolves around what happened in this house in the town of Mahmoudiya one night early last March. Accusations of rape, premeditated murder and destruction of evidence allegedly by five U.S. soldiers who man a near by checkpoint. Private 1St Class Bryan Howard, Sgt. Paul Cortez, Specialist James Barker and Private 1ST Class Jesse Spielman. Sergeant Anthony Yribe is not charged with participating in the rape and killings but is charged with dereliction of duty for having failed to report the incident to his superiors.
The hearing read by a military investigating officer is taking place on a U.S. base in Baghdad, Camp Victory. It is the first step towards a possible court-martial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is ultimately task is to determine whether there is reasonable basis to believe that those crimes were committed and then he simply advises the party of his opinion, what he's been able to find.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITBECK: A sixth soldier, Private 1St Class Stephen Green is no longer at the service having been discharged for a personality disorder in May. He is facing similar charges in a civilian court in the United States. Military prosecutors say the soldiers had been drinking the night of the crime, they went into the house, raped a woman whose age has not been determined but according to the mayor of Mahmoudiya was only 14, and then killed her, her parents and 5-year- old sister before setting fire to their bodies.
Iraqi public opinion about the case revolves around jurisdiction and the immunity from prosecution in Iraqi court U.S. soldiers enjoy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: We believe that immunity given to international forces is what emboldened them to commit such crimes in cold blood. This requires that such immunity should be reconsidered. We should participate in investigating crimes committed against the Iraqi people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITBECK: But U.S. legal experts say the proceedings, which will be closely followed in Baghdad, will serve to assure confidence in the U.S. military justice system.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will watch this process unfold. They will watch what a fair trial looks like in accordance with due process and the presumption of innocence and they'll make their own judgments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITBECK: Some have already made a judgment. Last month an Islamic Website posted video of two kidnapped U.S. soldiers who were beheaded and disemboweled in "revenge for our sister who was dishonored by one of the soldiers."
Again, the Article 32 hearing, which is underway, will determine whether there are enough elements for court-martial to proceed and we expect this hearing to last several days.
Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. Harris Whitbeck in Baghdad. Thank you for that Harris.
The shelling continues between Israel and Lebanon this morning and we are live all over the region and we'll have the latest at the top of the hour. Stay with us.
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