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CNN Sunday Night

Countdown to Cease-Fire

Aired August 13, 2006 - 23:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just two hours to go. Will both Hezbollah and Israel lay down their arms? And right now we're seeing activity in the skies of Beirut, a shower of leaflets falling down on that city. Jim Clancy is going to be live at that position, so stay right there for the latest out of Beirut. This is the second hour of a special edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, "Countdown to Cease-fire."
ANNOUNCER: 33 days of nonstop fighting. Could this finally be the end?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The government of Israel have decided almost unanimously this afternoon Israel time to adopt the U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 and to adhere to it.

ANNOUNCER: Both sides nod yes, but don't rest assure. Paper and ink don't stop rockets. Desperate and disgusted, intense last-minute fighting sends hundreds over the edge.

And just when you think you have the security drill down, new Monday morning travel rules. Will you be stopped? Depends on what you look like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not use the excuse of shortage of resources and justify harassing people because of their race or because of their religion.

ANNOUNCER: This is a special two-hour edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, "Countdown to a Cease-Fire."

LIN: I'm Carol Lin. You have been out and about all weekend, so let's get you plugged in. Right now we're going to show you a picture out of Beirut, it's happening right now. Those black dots are leaflets, falling, showering over the city of Beirut. Our Jim Clancy on the scene there, he's going to be with us in just a couple of minutes. Now that U.N. brokered cease-fire in the Middle East set to take effect in one hour and 57 minutes. We've got the countdown clock on our screen right there. The Israeli cabinet approved the resolution this morning. Hezbollah and Lebanon okayed the resolution just yesterday.

Now, the final day before the cease-fire saw some of the worst fighting in the Middle East. Israel struck targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut and parts of south Lebanon. Hezbollah launched more than 250 rockets into northern Israel. Deaths and injuries on both sides. CNN won't be leaving this story. All night CNN International will bring you full coverage. Also, we have new developments tonight in the hunt for suspects in the alleged airline terror plot out of London. "ABC News" reports a major arrest could happen in Pakistan as soon as tomorrow. Also, was relief money for last fall's deadly Pakistani earthquake diverted to the alleged plot? ABC says officials are investigating that. U.S. counter-terrorism officials are reducing the threat level for flights from Britain to the U.S., it's being downgraded from red to orange. British officials made similar reductions to their threat levels earlier today.

And remember Jill Carroll? She is the American journalist taken hostage in Iraq back in January. She was held for 82 days before being released. Well now she's talking about her ordeal for the first time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL, JOURNALIST: I was, like, oh, God, here we go. I have all these visions Al Jazeera, you know people on Al Jazeera being killed and I thought that's going to be me.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: You're going to hear more of what she has to say about her ordeal later this hour. Now the latest evidence that Iraq remains a very dangerous place. There were five explosions today in Baghdad, and it all happened within an hour. 57 people were killed. Almost 150 others wounded. Most of the hurt were civilians, including women and children.

Now, take a look at this, Cuba's communist newspaper has published photos of Fidel Castro. And in one shot, this one, he's holding yesterday's edition of the party newspaper. Or was he? You know critics and bloggers are questioning whether those photos are legit. Fidel Castro had intestinal surgery two weeks ago and lots of questions about his health.

All right, a California wildfire in Los Angeles County caught our attention earlier today because of these pictures that came in on a feed to the CNN Center. You can see the blaze sent these horses running for safety and it also damaged a power facility, knocking out electricity to several thousand people.

We are just under two hours away from a U.N.-brokered Mideast deadline on this special edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, "Countdown to Ceasefire." But for now, rockets, bombs and airstrikes, Israel and Hezbollah are trying to cause maximum damage before the cease-fire takes effect in just one hour and 54 minutes. The guns are supposed to be silent. But what really lies ahead? We're counting down to the truce and we're going to watch the clock at the bottom right of your screen to see exactly how much time is left until it's due to begin.

Now for a day supposedly dedicated to ending war, the past hour certainly looked and sounded like war on both sides of the border. Here is what we know. More than 250 Hezbollah rockets launched from inside Lebanon landed on Israeli soil Sunday. At least one person was reported killed. And Israel hammered Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in Beirut. A Lebanese diplomat accuses Israel of staging a grand finale. The U.N. resolution envisions Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon and international peace-keeping troops in. But there's no specific deadline for those troops to arrive.

In just the last few hours airstrikes hit across southern Lebanon and explosions shook Beirut. And right now there are leaflets falling from the sky. Jim Clancy has a bird's eye view of all of this happening right now live in the Lebanese capital. Jim, what did those leaflets say? Do you have any idea yet?

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not yet. The cameraman has gone over to pick one up. It actually landed on the roof here. I was going to tell you that I got a message from Ehud Olmert this morning. There were several whistles and booms as artillery came in. I saw them explode in the air about 5,000 feet up, 3,000 feet up. Huge packets of leaflets coming down on Beirut with a message. I'm hoping to find out what that says. We got just a fragment of it and it says, "Hezbollah serves Iran and Syria." So it's a message there that adds they have destroyed your country. When we get some more of the translation of what's in there, we're going to let you know about that. Right now we're really focused on the cease-fire. So far we have not heard any reports in the last couple of hours or so of any fighting or any major attacks. Of course, we are not on the battle lines. You can't tell what the situation is like there.

There's a lot of apprehension about all of this. There is a debate over whether Hezbollah is really accepting the terms of U.N. resolution 1701 or only those terms that it agrees with. All of that is going to be sorted out but it caused a cabinet meeting to be canceled last night, a cabinet meeting that was to work out the all important details of how the Lebanese army and U.N. forces would go in there and the Israelis would withdraw. That's got to be overcome if this cease-fire is really going to be a success. There's a lot of wondering about this cease-fire when it seemed both sides were trying to push it to the brink, continuing to drop bombs and fire missiles. Let me show you what I mean.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY (voice-over): Moments after Israel's security cabinet accepted the U.N. cease-fire resolution, a missile attack launched from the air destroyed a complex of buildings in one of Beirut's southern suburbs. An "Associated Press" photographer on the scene said this specific area had not been hit in previous strikes. He photographed one of the victims, a young girl, aged about 12. A life ended on the eve of a cease-fire. In the heart of the Lebanese capital, Martyr's Square, a memorial beckons onlookers to contemplate the human tragedy of this conflict. About a thousand candles, one for each Lebanese civilian killed in the month long war, burning softly in the fading light of day, a silent, solemn reminder of the cost of diplomatic delay.

(on camera): The promise of a cease-fire wasn't enough to keep more people from fleeing Lebanon. Here at Beirut's port, some 800 people of various nationalities boarded a ship that was put together by the Canadians. There were Russians, Canadians, Australians and Lebanese, as well as other nationalities. Some old and infirmed. Others small children in the arms of their parents.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They say there's a cease-fire, but from the looks of it, you know, it doesn't look like there's a cease-fire, you know. They're continuing. So we decided it's safer to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm scared that the bombs come on us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't trust anything.

CLANCY (voice-over): The stream of evacuees worries government officials. It is a signal that after working years and investing heavily in Lebanon's revival, its citizens are losing hope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We desperately need a cease-fire. We need it this minute and we need it today before tomorrow. Because the destruction has been horrible. It is really our civilian population and our economy that have been targeted and destroyed.

CLANCY: Beirut has been hard hit. But Lebanon's south has been devastated by the war. Almost all major bridges have been damaged or destroyed. Some sources estimate that even if the conflict stopped today, damage to infrastructure, tourism, trade and investment, would total almost $10 billion. At nightfall, more Israeli strikes signaled both sides would battle it out relentlessly to the deadline. And as from the start, it was likely that innocent civilians would be paying the heaviest price for the stubborn determination of the combatants.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: And a message today, this is a fragment of one of the leaflets that was dropped, really fired from artillery shells just a couple of minutes ago. The message today is that Israel will be back if there are any more terrorist attacks on the Jewish state. Back to you, Carol.

LIN: All right, Jim Clancy reporting live from Beirut as leaflets falling from the sky. A message from Israel. Now let's go to the front lines in northern Israel. Just in the last hour we saw signs of troops pulling back from the border there. CNN's Chris Lawrence standing by working that story. Chris, what is happening? Is there any more of a sign of withdrawal there?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not at the moment, Carol. Right now, you know, it's Monday morning here. The sun is coming up and a lot of Israelis are wondering is this truly a new day or is it going to be just more of the same? In the last hour, we did see about two dozen Israeli tanks pull back from the border and head right down this road. But we are still hearing sporadic artillery fire as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): These are the sounds of an imminent cease-fire. Israeli soldiers fire one mortar after another while Hezbollah rockets burn parts of the border and another Israeli soldier is laid to rest. As the cease-fire takes effect, two Israeli soldiers are still held captive, more than a month after Hezbollah kidnapped them, sparking this battle.

SGT. YAN POLLACK, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: We are expecting our government to get them back.

LAWRENCE: Sergeant Yan Pollack says he has no hatred for his enemies on the other side.

POLLACK: Basically we were defending our country, our homes from Haifa and right now rockets are falling down all over the place.

LAWRENCE: Haifa took at least three direct hits as Hezbollah fired more than 250 rockets into Israel.

POLLACK: I've got a wife and three kids down there, so I know what I'm fighting for.

LAWRENCE (on camera): Some of the Israeli commanders feel that the shelling on Sunday was even more intense than ever as both sides try to take last shots before the fighting is called off.

(voice-over): Privately some soldiers wondered if it was all worth it and say they were stopped short of accomplishing their goal by the cease-fire. Israel says more than 100 soldiers have been killed since the conflict started and the first two captured have not been returned.

POLLACK: One of the, I think beautiful things in our army is that every commander, when going out to the fight, basically is promising his guys, us, soldiers, that I'll get you back, dead or alive, I'll get you back.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Many believe that part of the settlement will come down to a trade. Israel negotiating through a mediator to give back some Hezbollah prisoners in exchange for its two captured soldiers. Carol?

LIN: Chris, you touched on it in your story, but I'm just wondering if you could flesh out the mindset out in the field even more. I mean are these soldiers optimistic that this cease-fire, if, in fact, it actually goes into effect at 1:00 eastern time, that it's going to hold?

LAWRENCE: Well, some of the soldiers that I spoke with said, quote, "You can't get everything you want in a cease-fire agreement." That there was going to have to be a cease-fire at some point. And that they would not be able to get everything they want. Other soldiers felt if they had been given more time, if they had been allowed to, what they feel, accomplish all of their goals, they could have dictated the cease-fire more on their terms and less on Hezbollah/Lebanon's terms. A lot of the soldiers feel that they will still be in position for at least the next few days, possibly for another week because they feel they are still responsible for disarming Hezbollah and making sure that they do not rearm in southern Lebanon. Many of the soldiers feel it would take about that long for an international force to get in place and they will have to stay in place until that happens.

LIN: All right, I will be talking with one of our military analysts about a timetable for that. Chris thank you very much. I want to take our audience to this live picture. You can barely make it out, but if you look very closely, you can see just small signs of fluttering. That is a series, perhaps thousands of leaflets being shot over the city of Beirut by the Israelis. We got a brief translation from our Jim Clancy at the scene that it essentially tells the Beirutis there that Hezbollah is to blame for the destruction of their city. We'll see if that has any credibility with the people on the ground of Beirut.

In the meantime, the banker of terror. Did Iran supply weapons to Hezbollah and how does the country fit into the equation? Our Aneesh Raman talks to Iran's top nuclear negotiator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hardest part is to go sleep alone and to wake up alone.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Hopefully all of that is going to change for the wife of an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hezbollah. Part of the U.N. resolution is to promise the safe return of her husband and his colleague. We are less than two hours away from the cease-fire and just moments away from my discussion with that wife. Will the deal bring him home? And after 82 days of captivity in Iraq, for the first time, reporter Jill Carroll breaks her silence. You're watching a special two hour edition of CNN's SUNDAY NIGHT, "Countdown to Cease-Fire."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We're staying with the Middle East story, but we want to show you what you guys have been picking on our Web site that you find the most interesting. There is a new face on the FBI's most wanted list. Jacqueline Lebaron has been on the run for 14 years. She's wanted in connection with the murders of three men who left her father's polygamist sect.

Also you liked the story about Lance Armstrong who had some advice for embattled cyclist Floyd Landis, lay low. Armstrong says Landis should stop talking to the media about failing drug tests after his Tour de France win.

And was the United Sates a target in the alleged plot to blow up planes over the Atlantic? The head of Homeland Security says so far the answer is no. Much more on how to infiltrate terror groups when this special edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT returns in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We've measured this Middle East conflict in days since early July, and now it's been more than a month. And in theory, the fighting should stop in less than two hours. So here is what we know right now. Early morning in the Middle East right now, and it is the day U.N. resolution 1701 demands the artillery, rocket fire and airstrikes cease on both sides of the Israeli/Lebanese border. The resolution got a thumbs up from Israel, Lebanon and Hezbollah in the last 24 hours. But words are one thing, practice is something completely different. All parties involved are wary of the release of their hold on south Lebanon.

Now, have you ever wondered why the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, for the last 33 days, he's avoided Israeli airstrikes even though his compound, his headquarters was bombed? How did he do it? Well in this week's "Time" magazine, Lebanese sources back up Israeli claims namely that Nasrallah had been hold up in the Iranian embassy in Beirut during part of the fighting. "Time" says the embassy may have secret tunnels leading to Nasrallah's now destroyed headquarters in a Beirut suburb. And Nasrallah didn't just get shelter. "Time" reports Iran gives Hezbollah as much as $300 million a year.

Now Iran has long maintained close ties with Nasrallah, but insist that it is not supplying Hezbollah with any weapons. Before this latest escalation in the Middle East, Iran's disputed weapons program grabbed all the headlines. The United Nations has given Iran until the end of the month to stop enriching uranium or else face sanctions. Putting it all together, CNN international correspondent Aneesh Raman, the only western reporter in Iran, he landed an exclusive interview with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator. So Aneesh joins us by telephone right now from Tehran. Aneesh, what did he tell you about what they anticipate in the United Nations and how that may have to do with what's going to happen in the Middle East in the next couple of hours?

ANEESH RAMN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well there's a heavy sense of inevitability here in Tehran. I was here some months ago, the people were behind the government in the pursuit of peaceful nuclear technology. This time around, though, after the latest U.N. resolution Carol, there's a sense that sanctions are now, perhaps, inevitable. The window closing dramatically quickly for any deal to be brokered. In terms of the latest news that's coming out of Lebanon, denials all around from the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Director Ali Larijani in an interview with me. He said the numerous reports Iran has and continues to arm Hezbollah are false, that there are Iranian fighters on the battleground. That is false. He says the weapons Hezbollah is using are things that they have acquired elsewhere.

In terms of money that they have contributed, he does not deny there is money going to Hezbollah, but Hezbollah like Hamas is a social organization and Iran insists that that money is only going towards humanitarian efforts. Now the denials are not surprising. We've heard them here before. What was interesting in the interview is a clear and growing confidence in the Iranian opposition to the west in their statements. When I asked about suggestions Iran had orchestrated this latest war to divert attention away from the nuclear issue that you raised. He said actually it was the U.S. and Israel that orchestrated this. How he asked could Iran have known how Israel would respond. I also asked him to respond to the U.S. ambassador to Iraq's very strong comments over the weekend that Iran is inciting further sectarian tensions in Iraq. Again, he said it's the U.S. that are doing that and said the U.S. ambassador had met with Sunni insurgents and told them to turn their arms towards Iran. This is a country that is A, if not the rising power within the region, that's how it sees itself. And importantly, Carol, they think here that any victory by Hezbollah, which they will classify is anything above absolute eradication by the Israeli forces, will be seen as a victory as well for Iran. Carol?

LIN: Well Aneesh, also they're going to be very interested in seeing how this U.N. resolution, enforcing this cease-fire is actually going to work out. And perhaps even if it does, they may take U.N. sanctions more seriously. So we'll see that battle going down in New York at the United Nations in the next couple of weeks. Aneesh, terrific. We're going to look forward to seeing your interview with the Iranian nuclear negotiator. Appreciate it.

We're still counting down to the cease-fire in the Middle East. We just want to tell you that it's one hour and 35 minutes away from that cease-fire going into effect. We'll see what happens. But we also want to bring you the latest on the transatlantic terror arrests and the ongoing investigation. One of the alleged ring leaders of the plot, Rashid Rauf made his first court appearance in Pakistan. Also British police are reviewing evidence taken during raids on Internet cafes in and around London. Meanwhile, long delays still frustrate air travelers who are dealing with beefed-up security in Britain and right here in the United States. The alleged plot involved blowing up as many as 10 passenger planes heading from the United Kingdom to the U.S. More than two dozen people are under arrest in Britain and Pakistan.

Now some of the most valuable information on the terror suspects may have come from a single source, a British agent who went undercover to infiltrate their alleged cell. It is the stuff of spy movies. To be sure and assuming an identity so convincing that the bad guys have no idea they're being watched. So how did he do it? Well, let's talk in San Francisco with Rohan Gunaratna, he is the author of "Inside Al Qaeda." Rohan gained the trust of Al Qaeda to investigate its leadership and its operations. Rohan, you take a look at the potential for this British agent to penetrate. Why do you think members of Al Qaeda opened up to you to describe their life, their beliefs, their operations?

ROHAN GUNARATNA, AUTHOR, "INSIDE AL QAEDA": They always want to leave behind histories. They want to tell why they did certain things. So that created the opportunity for me to interview a number of members of Al Qaeda, a number of leaders of Al Qaeda, many of who were in detention. Some of them were, of course, free. So we have seen that it is very important to interview them (INAUDIBLE) based interviews so that they will tell you why they did certain acts of violence and why they joined these organizations.

LIN: There has been an extreme crackdown, though, since 9/11 on Al Qaeda funding sources, their communications, their command centers. So if, in fact, these suspects in London and Pakistan belonged to Al Qaeda, how would a group like this have communicated and moved between Pakistan and the UK to form this kind of a plot?

GUNARATNA: There is very significant traffic between London and Pakistan. There are several hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis that move between these two countries. And as a result, it is very difficult even for their resource security and intelligence agency to keep track of everyone.

LIN: But where are they getting the money, where are they getting the resources to travel and to operate and to plan?

GUNARATNA: There's very significant funding that Al Qaeda and its associated groups have been able to raise in Europe. We have seen that they have used both legitimate sources of funding as well as credit card fraud, check fraud, bank fraud and other measures to raise funds.

LIN: So what would it have taken for this British agent to have infiltrated this organization? How good would this person have to be?

GUNARATNA: We have seen that both European and Asian security and intelligence agencies have recently had very good success in penetrating terrorist groups. So most government agencies today collect the intelligence, technically that is through signals intelligence. As well as by sending sources inside these groups as well as recruiting people who are already inside these groups. But what is so important is to develop a very solid understanding of the terrorist organization, of the terrorist network. And that will provide the background to do such infiltrations and recruitments.

LIN: A valuable resource. This British agent got pretty lucky. Rohan Gunaratna, thank you very much for sharing your experience and your insight.

GUNARATNA: Thank you.

LIN: Now, be sure to stay tuned to CNN all day Monday. We are going to show you where America is most vulnerable to terrorist attacks. No matter what time you tune in, you are going to get essential insight on the threat and what you can do to stay safe and whether the government's got a clue. "Target: USA," all day tomorrow only on CNN.

Right here, right now, it is the countdown to the cease-fire. Less than two hours, an hour and a half away, Israeli troops and tanks on the move right now. But is it in the direction spelled out in the resolution 1701? We're going to talk tactics, timetables as well, when this special edition of CNN SUNDAY NIGHT continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's bring you up to speed with the headlines right here on CNN. Filling the air just 30 minutes ago as thick as snowflakes over Beirut, leaflets dropped by Israel condemning Iran and warning of a military retaliation if Israel is attacked further. We are an hour and a half from the start of a U.N. brokered cease-fire in the Middle East, a plan is in place finally after more than a month of fighting. In the last 24 hours both Israel and Lebanon's cabinets approved a cease-fire resolution which goes into effect in one hour and 28 minutes. Now as that clock ticks down, we're seeing that the fighting is continuing. Israeli forces pummeled targets in southern Lebanon today. And we learned from our coverage that Israel is trying to solidify its grip on Lebanese territory right up to the Litani River in Lebanon.

Hezbollah responded with a record barrage of its own, 250 rockets slammed into northern Israel. Also if you're flying this week, you'll be glad for this information. U.S. counterterrorism officials are reducing the threat level for flights from Britain to the U.S. It's being reduced from red to orange. British officials made similar reductions to their threat levels earlier today.

Also the security rules for your Monday flights are changing again. Starting today small amounts of liquid nonprescription medicines will be allowed on board. Lipstick and baby food also okay now. But every passenger now has to remove their shoes for x-ray screening.

Just in the past few hours we have learned that Israeli forces have been ordered to start withdrawing from southern Lebanon immediately. Now, the question remains what shape or size of peace- keeping force will replace them. Nobody seems to know that yet. Some insight now from our military analyst, Retired Major General Don Shepperd joining me now from Tucson, Arizona. General Shepperd good to have you on this important evening as we count down to the cease- fire. The thing of it is that resolution 1701 is not specific about a timetable to get that international force in. Does that concern you?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: It concerns me a lot, Carol. There are lots of gaps to be filled in here. Remember that a resolution is basically an outline. After the outline has to come a plan, has to come rules of engagement, the force has to be defined, an initial force has to go in to do some scouting of where you're going to put bases and that type of thing. And then the force itself has to come in there. This can take several weeks, not several days but several weeks. So I think we are in for a lot more combat and a lot more conflict before we see a cease-fire really implemented if, indeed, it is, Carol.

LIN: Well, that for the international force in maybe a few weeks, but Lebanon has agreed to this resolution. And in it, it requires that the Lebanese army move to the south and occupy the south. Israel is supposed to be in conversation to coordinate that. Do you have confidence that the Lebanese army can move quickly enough and stand its ground?

SHEPPERD: No, I do not. The Lebanese army is extremely weak, it cannot stand up to Hezbollah, it has not done so for all of the years that it was supposed to do that, where Hezbollah was not supposed to be an armed force in southern Lebanon. Israel has no confidence whatsoever in the U.N., in the UNIFIL force, in the government of Lebanon, in Hezbollah or in the army of Lebanon. That makes this very, very difficult. So they are going to be very, very cautious about withdrawing from southern Lebanon and just allowing the Lebanese army to come in before Hezbollah is really disarmed in that area. We've got miles to go here and many things to get done before you see Israel back off out of southern Lebanon.

LIN: Chris Lawrence stationed up in northern Israel embedded with Israeli Defense Forces, officers there tell him that they're thinking they're going to be in southern Lebanon for at least another week. Is that going to be enough time to get an international presence into southern Lebanon?

SHEPPERD: It's enough to get an initial international presence into southern Lebanon. Then it can again, go in and scout for bases and this type of thing to be used by U.N. forces that follow on. But it is not enough time, in my opinion, for Israel to ensure that Hezbollah is out of southern Lebanon above the Litani River, cannot launch Katyusha rockets into northern Israel. And until they are assured of that, I don't think you're going to see Israeli forces withdraw entirely from southern Lebanon and turn it over to anybody, whether it's the Lebanese army or the U.N.

LIN: Could be status quo after this cease-fire is implemented in one hour and 24 minutes now General. Thank you very much. Don Shepperd, good to see you as always.

SHEPPERD: Pleasure.

LIN: Now CNN is going to be up all night live when the deadline passes throughout the night and all around the world. CNN International has full coverage and we'll be simulcasting with them. And is the cease-fire worth the paper it's written on. Coming up, we're going to find out if it if really holds any weight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The Middle East cease-fire just under an hour and a half away, one hour and 20 minutes now. If all sides actually do lay down their weapons as promised, a violence-plagued region will see the first quiet days in more than a month. Here's what we know right now. A key term of the U.N. resolution 1701 is that southern Lebanon must be weapons free. But sources tell CNN Hezbollah lawmakers are hesitant to disarm militant fighters in that region. And the Israeli cabinet signed off on the resolution, but the foreign minister says Israeli troops will leave southern Lebanon only when Hezbollah does.

And a western diplomat says that the resolution is a fragile truce, that means there could be a resurgence in large scale violence before peacekeeping forces arrive. So what does a cease-fire mean for soldiers on the ground. Our CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is in northern Israel and he answers that question for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Paying the ultimate price in Israel's battle with Hezbollah. Nimrod Peleg was a soldier killed in action at the weekend in southern Lebanon. His distraught family prayed he'd be the last to die in this conflict, but already he's not.

EHUD PELEG, SLAIN SOLDIER'S BROTHER: But today my pain is something beyond pale. I cannot run from it as it is my heart. It is my soul that has been ripped in a manner that can never be repaired.

CHANCE: Even in the hours before the cease-fire the violence doesn't stop. Hezbollah stepped up rocket strikes on Israel. Israel tripled its forces in Lebanon. Both sides bent on inflicting more pain, it seems, before time runs out.

(on camera): This has been a far longer, far more bitter conflict than many Israelis had expected or were prepared for. And even though there's been a U.N. brokered cease-fire, few here believe the war is really over or doubt there will be more battles with Hezbollah in the days and in the weeks ahead.

(voice-over): So talk here has turned to what the bloodshed has achieved. Israel's leaders insist the war has been a success. But many of the soldiers fighting it only partially agree.

CAPT. JONATHAN (SURNAME WITHHELD), RESERVIST, MILITARY DOCTOR: A lot of the structures of the Hezbollah have been upturned, destroyed, but on the other hand, you know, we can't say that we've taken them out of southern Lebanon.

CHANCE: And as some Israeli forces depart Lebanon, many thousands more are staying on, waiting for an international force to arrive. But Hezbollah is vowing to fight as long as Israeli boots are on their soil. This cease-fire may yet prove paper thin. Matthew Chance, CNN on the Israeli/Lebanese border.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Keeping the faith, the wife of a kidnapped Israeli soldier talks to us live next about her hopes for his return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can feel him in my heart. I know that he's still alive because we have a special communication between us.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: That was Karnit Goldwasser, talking about her husband, an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hezbollah. The brazen attack that led to his capture and that of a fellow soldier sparks the month old Middle East crisis. Now the cease-fire deal calls for their unconditional release. Mrs. Goldwasser joins me now by telephone from Israel. Mrs. Goldwasser, do you have any idea how the release of your husband is going to come about?

KARNIT GOLDWASSER, WIFE OF KIDNAPPED SOLDIER: Hi Carol. No, I don't have but I know that I want him really bad to be here with me.

LIN: I know you say that you feel him because you both have a special communication. You're just recently married, Mrs. Goldwasser, and our hearts go out to you. Do you think your public appearances, the fact that you've toured and spoke with Jewish groups around the United States and you kept this story alive, do you think this has any bearing on the fact that there is a cease-fire resolution in place. And that your husband, the call for your husband's release is in that resolution?

GOLDWASSER: I'm very (INAUDIBLE) that the call to release my husband is in the resolution. And I know that it's just in the beginning (INAUDIBLE) the operation, the preamble of the operation. And (INAUDIBLE) in the resolution. And I know that the government and the prime minister will do anything that it will be happened very soon.

LIN: Have they kept in touch with you? Is there somebody with the Israeli Defense Forces that has kept you apprised of everything that they are doing?

GOLDWASSER: Not for everything. Yesterday we met -- in Israel time it was yesterday for you it was today. We met the Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and he explained us the resolution and he told us and he will do anything (INAUDIBLE) will happen soon.

LIN: So when you heard that the Israeli security cabinet approved this resolution that the Lebanese cabinet approved of this resolution, even Hezbollah signing off on it, what went through your mind?

GOLDWASSER: I understand that 15 countries and international communities understand and call the release of my husband. I understand if they sign and if they call for the release, then he should be released soon.

LIN: And you have that hope. Karnit Goldwasser, our hearts are with you. Our prayers are with you, and we hope that you hear the news very, very soon.

GOLDWASSER: Thank you very much.

LIN: Karnit Goldwasser, the courage of a wife.

Well we also want to bring you up to speed on another big story that we're following as we also follow the countdown to the Middle East cease-fire. We want to bring you the latest on the transatlantic terror arrests and the ongoing investigation. One of the alleged ringleaders of the plot, Rashid Rauf, made his first court appearance in Pakistan. Also British police are reviewing evidence taken during raids on Internet cafes in and around London. Meanwhile, long delays still frustrate air travelers who are dealing with beefed-up security in Britain and the United States. The alleged plot involved blowing up as many as 10 passenger planes heading from the United Kingdom to the U.S. More than two dozen people are under arrest in Britain and Pakistan. Now the British raids on Internet cafes shows how big a role online technology plays in terror plots. CNN technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg is here to tell us how the terrorist used the Internet. Daniel, did the web actually come into play in this latest terror plot?

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: It certainly seems so from some of the folks we've been talking to, especially at the Terrorism Research Center. They talked about how they and along with law enforcement are looking at a number of Web sites, jihadist Web sites. These Web sites are almost always in Arabic. You pretty much need a login to get into some of these sites. They don't often have any sort of talk about a specific attack or anything like that. But they do at times, according to the Terrorism Research Center, share Web sites that have bomb-building information. They inspire others to try and get involved with this type of activity. So some pretty inflammatory stuff on a lot of these Web sites here.

We also talked to them about the idea of encryption being used to try and code the communication that's going back and forth, whether it's on e-mail or on particular Web sites. This data is concealed that way so that others can share it. This is a fairly high-tech way of doing it, often involving some techniques that they've developed themselves, which makes it harder for authorities to discover this information and to read it. But we also learned of a rather low-tech means from the folks at the Terrorism Research Center. This involves basically sharing e-mail by saving a draft message. So instead of sending an e-mail, all you need to do is on a web based account like Yahoo or Hotmail, just create the e-mail message, save it as a draft and then if someone else wants to read it, they just need to log into that e-mail account. It never gets sent so it can't be tracked that way on the Internet. It's some pretty interesting stuff that we're learning from these folks at the Terrorism Research Center. And Carol, it basically gives whole new meaning to the idea of the web of terror. Back to you.

LIN: I never thought of that. Daniel, interesting. Thank you.

SIEBERG: You bet.

LIN: Be sure to stay tuned to CNN all day Monday, we are going to show you where America is most vulnerable to terrorist attacks. No matter what time you tune in, you are going to get essential insight on the threats and what you can do to stay safe and whether the government's even got a clue. "Target: USA" all day tomorrow right here on CNN.

82 days in captivity and she was terrified the entire time. Jill Carroll, the journalist who was kidnapped by Iraqi insurgents, speaks out about her harrowing experiences, right after this quick break.

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LIN: American journalist Jill Carroll is telling her story. You might remember she was abducted by Iraqi militants back in January while on assignment for "The Christian Science Monitor." 82 days later she was set free. She says there were times she thought she would never get out alive. She also talked about the moments when she and her interpreter were attacked on the Baghdad streets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL, FORMER IRAQI HOSTAGE: I was looking out the corner and the crack of a door was opening, you know, and I saw, you know I saw, Allen was there and I saw them kill Allen. Then they got in the car and we drove off and they were screaming jihad, jihad, jihad, and they were like overjoyed like they won the lottery. The bread would like stick in my throat and I just -- my stomach -- I wanted to throw up -- I remember chewing chicken in my mouth that first day and like trying to swallow and like -- just having this gagging in my throat. Because your adrenaline is going and you're terrified and your heart is racing and you're sitting there. You don't know what's going to happen at any minute. And for all you know, they're going to come in any minute and just blow your head off.

They said there's something hidden in your hair and I was like no, no and I grabbed my head scarf and pulled it off. I took my little hair thing out so my hair was, like, loose. So you could there was nothing, you know no cell phone hidden in my hair, no nothing, no chip implanted in my scalp, you know like a homing device. Did you have anybody signal, signal your government, signal the military and I was like no, I'm not, you know I was hysterical. I also sort of became overly anxious to show him that I would never want to do this. I would never bring soldiers to this place. I was, like, oh, God, here we go. I have all these visions of Al Jazeera, you know people on Al Jazeera being killed.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Amazing woman. The first of Jill Carroll's 11 part series on her ordeal can be found on "The Christian Science Monitor" Web site, csmonitor.com.

And we asked and you answered and now your responses to our last call question. Will both sides lay down their weapons as the cease- fire deadline approaches? Here's what you had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe that they will not. I believe that Hezbollah will continue to bombard Israel. And since when do we make any kind of terms with a terrorist organization? Hezbollah is not the government of Lebanon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that either side will abide by the cease-fire because Hezbollah will continue to fire rockets and Israel will continue to retaliate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't think either side will lay down their weapons. They'll basically just wait for the other to make a false move.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe that Israel will abide to the cease-fire. However, unfortunately, Hezbollah will not abide to any sort of rules.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't think they will lay down their weapons because the Hezbollah is motivated by fanaticism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really don't believe that the cease-fire will be respected. It's almost impossible. They're firing at each other at 10:00 in the evening and three hours later everybody's going to lay down? Nah. I believe in Santa Claus too.

(END OF AUDIO TAPE)

LIN: Now, it is one hour and four minutes until the cease-fire deadline. We have already seen Israeli troops pulling back from the border. We saw flyers being dropped over the city of Beirut telling people in Beirut that they should blame Hezbollah and Iran for destroying their city. There is a lot going on, we want to find out what's happening. We are all over this story with correspondents across the region. CNN International is also going to be simulcasting with us as this deadline approaches as well as through the night. We will see what happens. It is already Monday morning in the Middle East. So stay with us.

In the meantime, right now we want to pause tonight to remember one of our own. CNN's director of field operations Dan Young passed away unexpectedly today. Dan worked at CNN for the last 25 years, most recently managing over 90 photojournalists across the nation. He joined the network in an entry level position but shortly afterward became a photojournalist, traveling the world shooting video for CNN. One of his first assignments, ironically, was the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Dan is remembered as a dear friend and colleague and he leaves behind his son Jake and wife Marty. We express our deepest sympathies to his family.

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