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CNN Saturday Morning News

Crisis In The Middle East; Anniversary Of TWA Flight 800

Aired July 15, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News."
Israel strikes on multiple fronts. The Mideast crisis grows deeper today. Israeli forces stuck Gaza City this morning. Israel says the target was a building used by Hamas militants to store rockets. Palestinians say a house was hit, killing at least two people. Now we're going to go live to Gaza in about six minutes, so stay along with us for that.

In the meantime, Israel says it has recovered the body of a sailor missing after an attack by Hezbollah militants. Three others are still unaccounted for. Israeli officials say its warships were attacked by a missile, not a drone, as one newspaper reported.

Well, loud explosions rocked Beirut just a short time ago. Israel is stepping up its attacks on targets in Lebanon. Its forces hit targets in northern Lebanon today for the first time since the fighting started. We're going to go live to Beirut in just minutes.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A developing story out of Baghdad this morning. Iraqi police say the head of the Iraqi Olympic committee and at least 30 staffers were abducted at gunpoint today. The kidnappers reportedly wore Iraqi military uniforms and drove government vehicles.

In southern California, two large wildfires merged overnight into one giant blaze, covering more than 100 square miles. Officials say dry lightning is a serious threat today in the rugged terrain which is covered with dead trees. More on this story in about 20 minutes.

President Bush and Russia's President Putin have signed off on a new plan for finding nuclear terrorism. The two met face to face today ahead of the G-8 economic summit. That begins in about four hours. Officials say their agreement seeks to bolster control of nuclear materials to keep them out of the hands of terrorists.

Homeward bound. Space shuttle Discovery unhooked from the International Space Station just two hours ago, ending a visit that including three space walks. Discovery is due to arrive back here on earth Monday. For complete coverage of breaking news and today's top stories, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER: You want to open war? We will go to the open war. And we are ready for it. And we are ready for it. War, war on every level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Strong words from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after Israel increases its attacks on Lebanon. Is the Middle East at the brink of an all-out war? That's the question today.

From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Boy, what a busy morning it is. July 15th, 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 3:00 p.m. in Beirut and Jerusalem.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And, good morning. I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us.

We are certainly following developments in the Middle East. And let's show you how we are doing just that. As you know, Anand Naidoo is at our international desk. Behind him - - and Ron get me a picture of this. There's Anand right now. Sort of getting and gathering all of the information that is coming from our international desk.

I see Allison (ph) there. I see Atia (ph) there. I see Cindy (ph) there. And what they are doing -- these are teams of journalists, interpreters, analysts and we are monitoring a number, as many as nine different television stations coming out of the Middle East.

What we are doing -- any time -- it's any time from -- anywhere from six to nine channels when one station, for whatever reason, loses its signal, what we do is we pick up other stations coming out of the Middle East. We are monitoring stations from Al-Arabiya, Al-Jazeera, Reuters, Hezbollah TV, which, as you know, is banned in the United States. But we are able to get these pictures. Record these pictures and turn them around for you and put those on air. We are also monitoring Palestinian television, as well. Israeli television, as well.

So what we are doing is covering this story, not only with our reporters in the region, but also our international desk of experts and analysts and journalists. And Anand Naidoo is bringing all that together and we will go to Anand him for a latest update.

NGUYEN: And all of this as the Mideast plunges deeper into crisis. We are hearing reports of explosions in Beirut this morning. The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants intensifies.

Look at the video. Here's what we know right now. Israel expands its attacks in Lebanon. Israeli forces have struck targets in northern Lebanon for the first time since the fighting erupted on Wednesday.

And Lebanese security forces say a mini bus carrying 20 civilians was hit in the south. Hezbollah militants responded with another barrage of rockets into northern Israel. Several landed near the border town of Nahariya.

And Israeli forces say they have found the body of a sailor missing after Hezbollah attacked an Israeli warship. Three other sailors, well, they are still unaccounted for.

We'll recap the very latest on this breaking story for you once again in about 15 minutes.

HARRIS: We have correspondents all over the region covering the Mideast crisis. We'll hear from Alessio Vinci in Beirut, Paula Hancocks is at Nahariya, Israel, Paula Newton joins us live from Jerusalem and Ben Wedeman is in Gaza City, the other front in the Israeli offensive. We will also hear next hour from Aneesh Raman in Damascus, Syria, and Ed Henry at the G-8 Summit in Russia.

NGUYEN: But right now, the escalating conflict in the Mideast could have far reaching consequences. CNN's Tom Foreman looks at what could happen in a worst case scenario.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Governments all over the world are watching this relatively small region north of Africa here trying to figure out if the trouble can expand to a bigger area. Let's consider what we have. The southern part here is Israel. North of it is Lebanon. And the southern part of Lebanon, that area right there, is controlled by Hezbollah, an internationally recognized terrorist group that's been there for many years attacking Israeli across the border.

Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and took them hostage and now everything's broken out over that issue. Hezbollah is firing rockets into Israel. Israel is attacking in here, trying to put a ring of fire around Hezbollah.

They're attacking their command center, their communications, their supplies through Beirut. They've put a blockade out here in the Mediterranean Sea and Hezbollah has fired a rocket out here and hit one of their ships or some sort of unmanned drone. The bottom line is, Israel is saying, as long as these soldiers are missing, they will punish Hezbollah.

BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST : They have already demonstrated that they're having a pretty good level of success of slamming in to Hezbollah and bringing some great wrath down on Hezbollah that is long overdue.

FOREMAN: Hezbollah is showing no sign of bending on this at all. They blame Israel for attacking them for many years, they say. Going after their people. So they are sending out a call saying they will continue fighting. The soldiers will not be returned.

HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER: You want an open war? We will go to the open war. And we are ready for it.

FOREMAN: So back to the basic question. How could this expand beyond that immediate area? First of all, look at Syria. A long-time friend and supporter of Hezbollah. One of the concerns is that Israel might expand in to Syria in their pursuit of Hezbollah and the suppliers of Hezbollah. And that could excite the Arab world into a broader battle.

Beyond Syria, a bigger issue. Iran sitting over here. The United States and other nations, as you recall only a few weeks ago, were greatly concerned about Iran potentially developing nuclear weapons. If Iran used a regional conflict as any kind of excuse to speed up that process, or if the United States and other countries simply became worried that they might be doing that, this could give greater reason for forces to gather around Iran and put pressure on Iran.

And bear in mind, in the middle of all of this, is where Iraq is located. Full of U.S. troops. All the experts I talked to seemed to have no agreement as to how all of this might come together in a bigger, regional problem. But they say when you put all of these players in a row and you have a spark over here, the potential for something much bigger developing is certainly there. They hope not, but it is there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A look at the map and the region overall.

Along Israel's southern border, the Israeli military continues its offensive against Gaza. Israeli air strikes struck twice in Gaza this morning. CNN's Ben Wedeman is live in Gaza City.

And, Ben, good day to you.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, good day.

Those air strikes continue on Gaza. Sporadic, of course, compared to Lebanon. But just a few hours ago, Israeli missiles slammed into a three-story building in the northern part of Gaza City killing, according to Palestinian security sources, one Hamas militant, but also wounding eight people, civilians, including a woman and two children. Our information is that part of that building, at least, was apparently used for the manufacture and storage of missiles intended to be fired against Israel.

Now in the early hours of Saturday, we heard a large explosion when a rocket hit the Palestinian economy ministry. This seems to be part of an Israeli campaign to essentially cripple the Hamas-led cabinet. Just three days ago we saw also, in the middle of the night, as another Israeli missile strike hit the Palestinian foreign ministry. Before that, Israeli missiles hit the Palestinian prime minister's office.

So the level, the intensity, Tony, of the attacks on Gaza are much less, obviously, than Lebanon. Apparently the Israelis simply have their hands too full with Lebanon to focus on this situation here in Gaza.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK. CNN's Ben Wedeman for us in Gaza City. Ben, thank you. NGUYEN: All right. We are monitoring international developments. This one in Mumbai and the transit system there. We told you a little bit about it this morning. This on top of the bombings that occurred earlier this week. Let's get straight to Anand Naidoo at the international desk with the latest on this.

What do you know, Anand?

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, thanks a lot and good morning from me, again.

That's right, we are watching these developments out of the Middle East. We continue to monitor that minute by minute. But there has also been a development out of Mumbai.

Earlier on we reported that authorities there had shut down part of the rail commuter network because of a bomb threat that was called in. An anonymous call. Now we're hearing the Associated Press is reporting that that bomb threat was a hoax.

Police had earlier heard that there was a bomb placed at a very specific station. They shut down that station. They evacuated it. They shut down sections of the commuter network. But now we're hearing that that bomb threat was a hoax.

This follows, of course, those bomb explosions last Tuesday. Seven bomb explosions that killed up to 200 people and injured more than 800. That taking place at peak hour in the Indian city of Mumbai, the commercial capital of Mumbai. The latest is that bomb threat is a hoax.

Now let's turn to the Middle East. The latest we have from there is that Israel continues its attacks on targets in Lebanon. The latest we have is that 15 people have been killed. They were in a mini bus. This was in the central part of Lebanon. That after an Israeli strike on a mini bus over there.

And we've also heard that from the first time Israel is now hitting targets in the northern part of Lebanon. That is close to the Syrian border. They hit a bridge near the town of Hermel. They also hit a road over there and they've continued attacks in the southern part.

Those are the parts of Lebanon which are strongholds of Hezbollah, the militant group that is fighting the Israelis. They hit targets near the town of Tripoli and also the coastal road near the town of Tyre. Israel, of course, wants to cut off all links to the militants that are operating in the south of Lebanon over there.

Now earlier on we reported that an Israeli navy boat that was off the coast of Lebanon had been hit by a missile. Now a senior Israeli intelligence official is saying that Iranians held Hezbollah militants launch that attack on the boat there. There were four people that were missing. Four Israeli sailors. The body of one of them have been found. The other three are still missing.

We'll bring you the latest developments as we get them here at the international desk. Now back to Betty and Tony.

NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Anand.

NGUYEN: I want to get back to those reports of Israeli air strikes in Lebanon this morning. As we just head, Lebanese officials say one strike hit a mini bus carrying civilians. CNN's Alessio Vinci joins us live from Beirut.

Alessio, it's been a little time now. Have you been able to gather exactly why that mini bus was targeted?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. We don't know why it was targeted. But I've managed to get some more information regarding where it was going.

We understand from Lebanese security sources that this mini bus had left the town of Shamaa with 20 civilians on board. It was driving from the coastal town inland towards Bayada and it made a stop at a U.N. base in the town of Nacura (ph). That U.N. base, those people had asked for a refuge for shelter. And we understand from the Lebanese security forces that the -- someone there at the base turned them back and basically forced the mini van to proceed and to continue its journey towards Bayada.

And then it was shortly after that, that that mini bus got hit directly by an Israeli shell. So resulting, we understand, in the killing of 15 civilians. Presumably the other five are either injured or severely injured. So this is the latest information we're getting from the Lebanese security sources here that this mini bus had actually -- the people on board had asked for shelter at a U.N. base but that they were turned back.

Betty.

NGUYEN: Alessio Vinci thank you so much for that update. Of course, we'll be checking in with you throughout the morning.

In the meantime, viewers, please grab a pen and something to write on. If you have a loved one in Lebanon and you're watching us from overseas, here are the numbers that you can call. First of all, if you are overseas, call this number on your screen, 0-1-202-501- 4444.

Now, if you are here in the U.S., here's a number you can call to get information on loved ones. 1-888-407-4747. Again, 1-888-407- 4747.

And you can do all this online as well. It's accessible by the web. You can access it online at www.travelregistration.state.gov. Again, www.travelregistration.state.gov. And, of course, we'll have this on our Web site should you need to write it down a little bit later this morning.

HARRIS: Not all Americans are viewing these troubling pictures from a safe distance. American Rich Rumsey is one of an estimated 25,000 Americans who lives and works in Beirut. He joins us now from Beirut.

And, Rich, how are you? First of all, how are you?

RICH RUMSEY, LEBANESE AMERICAN UNIV.: I'm doing fine considering the circumstances.

HARRIS: OK. Talk about the circumstances. How safe do you feel? Unsafe do you feel?

RUMSEY: I feel safe, but there is -- there's no doubt I'd rather be home watching this on TV in New Jersey.

HARRIS: OK. Can you describe -- well, let me ask it this way. Do you want to get out?

RUMSEY: Yes. Again, I feel safe. I'm pleased with what the mission of my job is here. I'm concerned because my family wants me home now without question. I enjoy being in Lebanon when I can come and go. It's not so nice when I'm not allowed to leave or can't leave, without question.

HARRIS: OK. If you want to go. If you decide in the next moment from now that you want to go, can you get out?

RUMSEY: No. We can't leave yet. I've been in touch with the U.S. embassy and I'm told plans are being made to extract all the U.S. nationals. What the time frame is, I don't know at this moment.

HARRIS: How surprised are you by the escalation?

RUMSEY: Extremely. I enjoy my colleagues and friends in Lebanon because they're used to this. I am not. This is -- wartime is not something I've ever faced before and hearing shelling around the university is something that I'm not terribly comfortable with. But, again, I feel safe where I'm at. And I'm comfortable being here. But I would like the opportunity, when I need to, to be able to leave.

HARRIS: OK. Rich, be safe. We appreciate you talking ...

RUMSEY: Thank you very much.

HARRIS: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, you want to stay right here because there is more ahead on this busy Saturday morning. Coming up in about three minutes, the conspiracy theory behind the crash of TWA Flight 800.

HARRIS: And all morning out west, we're watching wildfires that are now a firestorm. Stay with CNN for the latest news from around the world. You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And once again, very quickly, want to update you on how we're covering this story that is developing in the Middle East right now. Of course, with our correspondents in the field, but also we are monitoring a number of Middle Eastern television stations right now. Lebanese television, for example. Al-Manar, which is Hezbollah television, which is banned in the United States, Al-Jazeera. We're also following what is being broadcast on Al-Jazerra and Israeli television right now.

Our team at the international desk of interpreters are giving us guidance and also bringing us the latest pictures as those pictures are coming in to CNN from these television outlets and others in the Middle East. We will continue to follow developments and Anand Naidoo is watching all of this for us from the international desk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDEN SOLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is believed that a 747 aircraft has exploded in midair about 20 miles south of New York's Long Island into the Atlantic Ocean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Ten years ago, TWA Flight 800 exploded moments after leaving New York's JFK Airport for Paris. Two hundred thirty people were killed. Federal transportation safety officials concluded the accident likely happened because of a spark in the center fuel tank. Well, Jill Ziemkiewicz was a crew member on that flight, making her first trans-Atlantic crossing. Her brother Matt joins us from New York this morning.

We want to thank you for coming in, Matt.

MATT ZIEMKIEWICZ, LOST SISTER IN TWA 800: Oh, you're welcome.

NGUYEN: Take me back to that day almost 10 years ago and tell me about Jill. This was her first trans Atlantic flight. Her first time working on an international flight.

ZIEMKIEWICZ: Right. Jill was a rookie flight attendant on the flight. It was her first international flight. Only being a flight attendant for a few months before that. Jill graduated college as a landscape architect and she wanted to pursue an exciting career as a flight attendant. It was a big surprise, though, that she really wanted to do this, but she was definitely determined to do it.

NGUYEN: Yes, it was an exciting time for her. We're looking at a picture right now. A picture that was, in fact, pulled from the wreckage by divers. A picture of you and your sister, Jill. Tell me about that picture. Not only where it was taken, and when it was taken, but how special this is to you today.

ZIEMKIEWICZ: Oh, well, it's very special. I mean, it was pulled by the divers from the wreckage of TWA 800 from the bottom of the ocean. It means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family. But this is just symbolic of the things that our family did. We had, you know, always big events. This was a birthday. You know, I'm not even sure which birthday it really was. We had -- you know every time we have a family event, we took a lot of pictures and we still do. And that's a perfect example of why.

NGUYEN: Well, looking at that picture today, almost 10 years later, do you still have questions about what happened on that flight?

ZIEMKIEWICZ: No, I really don't. You know, we put a lot of faith in the NTSB, the investigators, the FBI. You know, it's a shame that this accident was probably preventable. The only one I know of today and that's where the real tragedy is.

NGUYEN: So with all the conspiracy theories out there, you believe that this was a spark in the center fuel tank?

ZIEMKIEWICZ: Yes, absolutely. No question. It was a -- it's a design flaw that the industry knew about long before 800 and, unfortunately, the accidents happened a few times since 800.

NGUYEN: You have since taken this and become an advocate for plane safety. Tell me why you've started to do that and what exactly you're doing.

ZIEMKIEWICZ: Well, I'll part of a group called the National Air Disaster Alliance an it represents probably 100 or so domestic and international aviation accidents. It represents survivors, victims and family members of aviation accidents. And we had an opportunity to become an advocate, the voice of the victims so to speak, to make, you know, institute aviation reform because, you know, up until recently the aviation industry really regulates itself.

NGUYEN: Well, the best of luck to you. Thank you for your time.

ZIEMKIEWICZ: Well, thank you.

NGUYEN: And I know Monday's going to be a very difficult day but we appreciate you spending a little bit of your time with us today and sharing what you've gone through. Thank you.

ZIEMKIEWICZ: Thank you.

NGUYEN: And later today, CNN presents "No Survivors." A in- depth look at what went wrong with TWA Flight 800 and why air travelers could still be at risk. That is at 7:00 p.m. Eastern tonight and tomorrow.

And quickly, we are monitoring all the developments throughout the Mideast as this crisis escalates. You're looking at live pictures right now of our international desk. They are monitoring the wires. They are watching several different television networks coming out of the Mideast, including Hezbollah television. Something that is banned here in the U.S. We're going to bring you the latest developments on this as we go to break very quickly. But stay with CNN, there's more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And just an update. We are continuing to follow breaking news out of the Middle East. Our correspondents are gathering the very latest information. So far, fighting has intensified between Israel and Hezbollah. Twenty civilians were reportedly killed in an attack on a mini bus in southern Lebanon and thousands of Americans are trying to get out of the country. A live report ahead at the top of the hour.

NGUYEN: And more than a million new cases of skin cancer expected to be diagnosed this year. But it is preventable and treatable. Find out the simple steps you can take to prevent this potentially deadly disease. Watch "House Call." That's next right here on CNN.

HARRIS: And, once again, as we give you a short of our international desk, we are monitoring -- there's Allison and you saw Saad (ph) and Ali (ph) a little earlier -- monitoring developments in the Middle East. We will have the latest from our international desk. Anand Naidoo is there at the top of the hour for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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