Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Israelis Move Tanks, Bulldozers, into Maroun al-Ras, Lebanon; Hezbollah Rockets Rain Down on Northern Israel

Aired July 22, 2006 - 09:30   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning once again. I'm Randi Kaye monitoring breaking news at CNN's International desk.
We've been watching a situation in Maroun al-Ras. We want to take you back there. That is in Lebanon. It's a Lebanese border village, just across from Avivim, a rural village, just about two miles away from the Israeli Lebanese border.

About an hour ago, Israeli tanks, bulldozers, personnel carriers knocked down a border fence at a U.N. observation post there, entered southern Lebanon. They brought with them equipment carrying about 25 soldiers. They roared past a U.N. outpost and headed into this village where we are told that Israeli soldiers already have this village under control.

This is part of the Israelis trying to pinpoint their operations. Their goal there is to eliminate Hezbollah's infrastructure.

We want to make it clear, though, that this is not a major offensive or massive incursion. What we're seeing right now is some shelling, some tanks rolling through into that area just across from Israel where Avivim is, and into The Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras.

We'll continue to watch that here at CNN's International desk. Right now, let's turn it back over to Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you, Randi.

Want to give you more perspective now on what is happening this morning along the Israel-Lebanon border, as Randi was mentioning.

Joining us by phone from Oak Brook, Illinois, is CNN military analyst and retired Army Brigadier General David Grange.

General Grange, thank you for being with us today.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.), CNN ANALYST: Sure. Good morning.

NGUYEN: I know you've been watching the development. And in fact, I spoke with the IDF spokesperson just at the top of the hour and he was very careful to say this is not the prelude to a ground assault.

But looking at what we've seen so far and considering the fact those Israeli troops are massed along the Israel-Lebanese border; does it appear to you this is the beginning of a ground assault?

GRANGE: You know, I'm not exactly sure, but what I think is going on here is that they are taking down strong points and observation posts used by the Hezbollah to fire rockets, to report on Israeli movements and concentrations of troops along the border.

And so they take these down, combine arms teams. Those are made up of power from the air, and also on the ground, armored forces, which gives protection to the lighter troops that come in and actually go into the villages and go and destroy bunkers, et cetera, and engineers to get through obstacles. So it's a combined arms efforts taking down strong points inside the border.

NGUYEN: So this is very strategic, and also taking out television satellites as well as mobile phone satellites. Basically, knocking out communication there is in Lebanon.

Should troops go in, ground troops, what will they face inside Lebanon? Talk to us about that and the terrain?

GRANGE: I think the first part of this fight obviously is to isolate the Hezbollah. In other words, isolate from air and sea bridges to resupply, isolate from resupply from Syria. Isolate from Beirut, too, as well.

And what you're going to see here in this part is that actually I think it will be very successful as they fight the Hezbollah face to face with conventional weapons.

But once they then occupy the area, that's when the tough part comes. It's very similar to forces moving north into Baghdad, maneuver warfare. Than taking on later on an insurgency and the people, of hit and run, guerilla-type warfare.

So actually, this is a better part of the -- if there is a better part to war -- a better part of the operation for the Israelis as they move in.

NGUYEN: As far as the Lebanese, their President has said, the prime Minister has said, you know, what -- if you come in. You commit a ground assault then we will fight. So which would put them fighting along side Hezbollah, quite interesting.

GRANGE: Well, you know, I think he has to say that. The political influence that the Hezbollah party on that fragile government puts him in a little bit of a bind. And then there are some other groups, of course, that could go either way. They are on the fence.

And I think that he knows quite well that if you started moving the forces that do have, which are a little more antiquated military forces with equipment, antiquated equipment, down south toward the Israelis, the targets would be so easy to take out. I don't think h would throw his people in the fray that way just to be slaughtered.

So I think he has to say that. I personally don't really see a big movement of the conventional army, as small as it is, and antiquated as it is, moving south to join the fight in that way.

NGUYEN: What kind of military might does Lebanon coupled with Hezbollah have when you compare that to Israel?

GRANGE: Well, I mean, it's minuscule compared to Israel. Israel is a modern army. And it's not just the numbers of equipment that you have to look at. You have to look at the training and the leadership and the roundness in that type of warfare.

Where the Hezbollah has the edge, where any other Lebanese forces that join Hezbollah have the edge, is fighting from within the population in the...

NGUYEN: All right, General Grange, I'm sorry, I have to cut you off. We have some developments out of this crisis. We will speak with you later throughout the day, I'm sure. Thank you for your time -- Richard.

GRANGE: Sure.

LUI: All right, Betty, I want to get right now to Paula Newton who is at then northern part of Israel, close to the border with all the latest. She has been watching all the attacks that have been happening this morning -- Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, we just came out of an area of Edam. We're directly across from a Lebanese town called Maroun al-Ras. And there the Israelis have set up what will be their first foot hold in southern Lebanon.

Right now, the shelling there continues. We can also tell you we have seen some first some incoming Katyushas at what is an Israeli army post there along the border.

What is going on, though, is that they are trying to wipe out the area of Hezbollah rocket launchers and missiles. And they are also trying to begin to create what will be a sterile half-mile long strip that will create a buffer zone. And that is what they are trying to do right now.

They are also heavily involved in trying to de-mine the area. It might be an area by which by a ground invasion could start. But right now, the Israeli government says it has no intention of going in with a full ground force. They may make another decision on that tomorrow during a cabinet meeting.

LUI: You've been reporting for us that the attacks have been hitting the other side of the border on to Lebanon. And we're watching some of the shots right now as smoke do go into the air.

Has Hezbollah, have you seen any movement on that side in terms of troops, in terms of rocket launchers or any sense of military movement on that side?

NEWTON: No, we've certainly seen a lot in that same spot in the last couple days. But today, we did not see Hezbollah. Although, I have to tell you, we've moved away from your position now because there was two incoming Katyushas very close to that outpost. We certainly heard them and heard them -- we heard them land, which is why we moved away from the location.

That is very indicative that what happens here is that Hezbollah comes out, engages the Israeli army and then retreats to fight on. And what they are doing now is retreating to where other rocket launchers are.

It is, again, still been a busy day for Katyushas landing in northern Israel, which means Hezbollah is still capable, still armed and still fighting the Israelis. Whenever they try and come into Southern Lebanon.

LUI: But given that retreat, those Katyusha rockets that have been launched toward Israel, as well as you having to be moved, does that indicate then that perhaps they are moving forward, the IDF, in a new way?

NEWTON: They are not moving in a new way, the IDF. All they can confirm is that, in the area that we were looking at is that they do have a foot hold there, a foot hold they intend to keep.

They told us now for a couple days that they are going in for targeted operations. What is different here is that now they are going in and trying to stay in. And that means occupying even just a little bit of Lebanese soil. But that is what we saw with our own eyes on the hill there. And the Israeli army confirms that to us. It is a very small slice of Lebanon but they are there and they do intend to hold that position.

Paula Newton, thank you so Much at the Lebanese Israeli Border there.

LUI: Paul Newton, thank you so much, at the Lebanese-Israeli border there, giving us the latest.

NGUYEN: And, of course, we're going to continue to follow all of this as these developments come in minute by minute. Stay with CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: All right. Let's update the breaking news in the Mideast crisis for you. Here is what we know at this moment.

Within the past hour, Israeli tanks rumbled toward a Lebanese border village. The operation is seen as a widening of pinpoint operations in southern Lebanon. Not the start of a full scale ground invasion.

Israeli air strikes, meanwhile, disrupted television and phone service in northern Lebanon today.

And we are just getting word from the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation that one of its employees was killed and another wounded in those strikes this morning.

And more Hezbollah rockets rained down on northern Israel. Israeli officials say 10 people were wounded in those attacks.

Well, they have been described as more dangerous than al Qaeda. So is there a chance that Hezbollah could strike in the United States? CNN's Kelli Arena filed this story for "THE SITUATION ROOM."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hezbollah has never attacked on U.S. soil. But U.S. officials say, if the situation in the Middle East escalates further, that could change.

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: We are taking precautions here in the United States and to the extent that we have identified individuals associated with Hezbollah, that we are taking additional precautions to assure that we do not face any threat from these individuals.

ARENA: Counterterrorism officials stress there is no new intelligence suggesting Hezbollah is planning an attack against the U.S. But in an advisory sent to law enforcement partners late last week, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned "it is possible individuals residing in the U.S., who sympathize with Hezbollah, could act."

PAT D'AMURO, CHAIRMAN, CEO, GUILIANI SECURITY: Hezbollah is extremely well structured, very well trained and organized in a fashion that they have significant funding from state sponsors and would be a much more forcible entity to deal with than al Qaeda should they decide to start conducting attacks globally.

ARENA: Law enforcement Sources say there are active cells in the U.S., allegedly involved in everything from gathering intelligence, to raising funds, to smuggling arms and military equipment to Hezbollah fighters.

U.S. officials say there are investigations underway in at least two dozen U.S. cities, including Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York, involving at least 200 people.

Those investigations are mostly focused on people allegedly providing financial support to Hezbollah through traditional criminal enterprises.

D'AMURO: Those associations primarily Center on areas where you have Substantial Lebanese expatriate Shiite communities.

ARENA: One of the largest Shiite Muslim communities in the U.S. is in Detroit.

In March, prosecutors there Announced charges against 18 men for allegedly smuggling Counterfeit goods, including cigarettes and Viagra, and sending some of the profits to Hezbollah. Two of those men pled guilty. (on camera): Most experts do not believe that the current situation has escalated enough to prompt Hezbollah to directly attack the United States. The problem is it's not clear what the trigger could be.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUI: Well stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And you can see more of Kelli's reports on "THE SITUATION ROOM". Watch weekdays at 4:00 p.m. Eastern and again in "PRIME TIME." That's 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Our coverage of the Middle East crisis continues here.

NGUYEN: Israeli tanks enter southern Lebanon. The watch is on for a possible full-scale ground assault.

Our team of correspondents join us with the latest at the top of the hour. You don't want to miss it. Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Hello again, I'm Randi Kaye on CNN's international desk. We are monitoring all of the breaking news in the Middle East for you this morning. It's been a very busy morning already.

Israeli soldiers on the move. Want to show you video from LBC. This is the Lebanese Broadcast Corporation. They were the victims of air strikes this morning, one transmission tower, telephone tower, near Tripoli, another one near Mount Lebanon, two north of Junya (ph). Four different areas were hit.

We are told by LBC, this network, that one employee of theirs was killed in this air strike and one injured. Phone services out, some mobile Phone services out. The television service is out in that area. But we are continuing to get the satellite feeds.

And you can take a look there. You can see that people there are searching for survivors.

Also, we want to tell you about Israeli soldiers on the move in an area known as Maroun al-Ras. This is a Lebanese border village across from the city of Avivim in Israel. They're just a few kilometers apart.

Israeli tanks and armored vehicles have knocked down the border fence at a United Nation's observation post. We've been watching the shelling. Watching the firing there.

They raced past an outpost and headed into that village where we understand Israeli soldiers already have a presence. This is not a major offensive, we're being told by our experts here on the international desk. Not a massive incursion, simply to pinpoint their operations and take out Hezbollah's infrastructure.

But we will continue to watch this and watch the tanks roll through and the continued shelling throughout the day.

NGUYEN: All right, since this conflict began on July 12, to be exact, we have been asking you to weigh in with your thoughts.

And our Veronica De La Cruz joins us now with some of those.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we've received several e- mails, Betty, as you can imagine. I feel that these ones really paint a very vivid picture of what people on either side of the border have been experiencing.

So let's go a head and start with this one. This one is from Jane in Beirut, who said, "I was born in Lebanon and have lived here for most of my adult life. I have been evacuated from Lebanon three times in the past, the first in 1975. My own war is the decision that I have to make in deciding whether or not I am evacuated again this time. I have made my life in Beirut. The situation here has forced me to rethink not only safety but also to look at my longer term future in terms of what will be left of Lebanon after the Israelis have finished us off completely. It makes me want to cry thinking what it is I will be staying here for when it is all over."

And this one, Betty, from Nava, who is on the other side of Haifa, Israel. Nava says, "Another chilling quiet day breaks over my little northern Haifa bay town. The otherwise bustling mall across my neighborhood is deserted as residence who could take refuge in the center of Israel have abandoned these suburbs of Haifa. My children huddle tightly asleep on the floor in our small apartment shelter. The quiet outdoors is misleading. It's a thick, tense, anxious quiet, instantly violated only by wailing sirens, the repetitive booms and thuds of Hezbollah missiles. And then, that chilling quiet hovers over the Haifa suburbs again."

Well, if you would like to send us an e-mail you can log-on to our special report at CNN.com/Mideast. If you're on Pipeline, click on the Your Voice button.

Coming up next I will tell you how you can help those who are caught in the middle of this conflict, which has now become a complete humanitarian disaster. And that's coming up in the 10:00 hour.

NGUYEN: That's good information because I think a lot of us watch and just feel really helpless about the entire situation.

But if you can do something to help with the humanitarian aid then you feel like you're actually doing something. So Veronica, thank you.

DE LA CRUZ: You're welcome.

LUI: OK. And our coverage will continue. We're going to go to Reynolds Wolf right now to get us the latest weather at this moment -- Reynolds?

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: CNN SATURDAY MORNING's coverage of the crisis in the Mideast continues in just three minutes. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com