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CNN Live Sunday

At Least 60 Dead in Israeli Airstrike in Qana; Condoleezza Rice To Head Back to U.S. on Monday; Demonstrations Storm U.N. Compound in Gaza City; U.N. Security Council Holds Emergency Sessions

Aired July 30, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here's what we know now about the Middle East crisis. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is ending her trip to the region after an Israeli bombing killed dozens of Lebanese civilians. The Lebanese government told Rice not to visit Beirut so she's returning to Washington tomorrow.
And Lebanon says the Israeli attack on a residential building killed at least 60 people, 37 of them children. Israel says Hezbollah had fired rockets from near the building and it accused the group of treating civilians as human shields.

Also today Israeli ground troops crossed into southern Lebanon and battled Hezbollah guerrillas. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the operation could last two more weeks.

The deadly Israeli air strike occurred in Qana, about 10 miles north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, and this report from CNN's Ben Wedeman contains graphic footage. We must warn you, some viewers may find it disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another stretcher, another body. The ambulances are full of the dead, children, women, old men, crushed while hiding in the basement. An Israeli bomb landed right next to a house in the village of Qana where dozens of women, children and old people had taken shelter.

"There's a 4-month-old baby under the rubble," says Qana resident, Riab Shalhoub (ph).

Lebanese army officers say they counted more than 80 strikes on Qana overnight, large parts of the town have been totally devastated. Those who've come to help pause as another Israeli jet roars overhead.

(on camera): This town was struck just after midnight, the Israeli army says it gave inhabitants fair warning to leave, some didn't.

(voice-over): Town resident say they couldn't. "We wanted them to leave but they didn't have any money," says Halih Shalhoub (ph). "Cars and ambulance were hit. They were forced to stay here."

"We offered several times to take them out," says this town resident, "but they were poor. They were hoping nothing would happen to them."

It's difficult to confirm Israeli claims that Qana is an important base of operations for Hezbollah. In April, 1996, during "Operation Grapes of Wrath" more than a hundred Lebanese civilians were killed when Israeli artillery hit a United Nations compound. Ten years later, death has come again to Qana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: And Brianna, all the people killed in that building were from two extended families. Plus, we're told by local officials, children who had been from a center for handicapped children. Brianna?

KEILAR: So Ben, what are the Lebanese people telling you? Is this pulling more people behind Hezbollah and against Israel?

WEDEMAN: Really, it was such a shock. And I've only been up in Qana today. I haven't had a chance to really go around. But people are shocked by the death toll in this one single incident.

As far as support for Hezbollah goes, Hezbollah does have a faithful core, but many Lebanese are increasingly impatient and tired of this war. They want Hezbollah to stop firing rockets on Israel. They want Israel to stop firing back onto Lebanon. Many people are simply exhausted and want this conflict to come to an end. That's why they look to the United States as the only power that really holds all the keys to bring about a cease-fire. Brianna?

KEILAR: And Ben, earlier you told us there were some things that were so graphic that you saw in Qana that there is no way that you could put them on CNN's air. What did you see?

WEDEMAN: Well, there are many, many bodies being pulled out. This was not a bomb. So they weren't ripped to pieces as we see sometimes. But some of them were in a very severe -- well, they were crushed, basically, crushed by tons of concrete. That sort of picture obviously we could not show on CNN. Brianna?

KEILAR: Of course not, Ben. Ben Wedeman, live from Tyre, Lebanon for us.

And Israel calling the Qana air strike a tragedy and a mistake. But the Israeli prime minister says the offensive against Hezbollah will go on at least 10 more days. Last hour I spoke to Israeli foreign minister -- ministry spokesman Mark Regev.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: Had we known that there were civilians in that building we wouldn't have targeted the building and I think that's the truest thing I can say. And as you said, does this do us any good? Forget the moral argument that we don't deliberately target civilians, which is an important part of our moral credo. But from any political military point of view it was a terrible thing that didn't do us any good, so of course, we didn't do it deliberately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was looking for solutions in Jerusalem this weekend, but she won't be heading on to Lebanon. The trip was canceled after the Lebanese government called off talks with the U.S. and John King joining us now live from Jerusalem with that part of the story. John?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And Brianna, U.S. officials here as part of Secretary Rice's delegation tell us that this is obviously a setback, the tragedy today has set back their diplomacy some. And yet they say they still think they are making critical progress toward getting agreement on a U.N. Security Council resolution sometime in the next week or so that would end the fighting.

Now, there are some signs, though, as Secretary Rice says, she's making progress -- some signs of tensions in the relationship with Israel as well. The United States has stood by Israel throughout this conflict, repeatedly rejecting calls and pressure from around the world for an immediate cease-fire.

We are told that her meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today that Secretary Rice voiced that hope I just spoke of, that perhaps the U.N. Security Council could bring an end to all of this over the course of sometime in the next several days.

Prime Minister Olmert though said Israel needs 10 days, maybe two weeks to achieve its military objectives. Administration officials are telling CNN they believe Israel is stalling now in part because perhaps because Prime Minister Olmert has such high support from the Israeli people here at home.

It was hours before the meeting with the prime minister, Secretary Rice was in a different meeting with Israel's defense minister when one of her aides interrupted and brought her word of the tragic bombing in Qana. Secretary Rice came out a short time later and met with reporters here in Jerusalem, acknowledging it had significantly complicated her diplomacy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: In the wake of the tragedy that the people and the government of Lebanon are dealing with today, I've decided to postpone my discussions in Beirut. In any case, my work today is here. I will continue to meet with Israeli officials as we work to put in place the elements necessary to bring an end to this conflict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Again, we're sensing some tensions with Israel. Yet United States officials say Secretary Rice believes she's making progress. Brianna, you can see it on her face, the strain of all this. You can see it on Secretary Rice's face. She will leave Israel tomorrow and head home. She will make a statement in the morning before she does so. Her focus then will be on that U.N. Security Council resolution and her aides here and U.S. officials back in Washington make note of the fact that she's well aware her personal credibility is on the line here. Brianna?

KEILAR: John King live from Jerusalem.

Let's take a look at world reaction now to the attack in Qana. Strong words of condemnation from Jordan's King Abdullah. He issued a statement saying, quote, "This criminal aggression is an ugly crime that has been committed by the Israeli forces in the city of Qana. That is a gross violation of all international statutes."

And this from French President Jacques Chirac, quote, "France condemns this unjustified action which demonstrates more than ever the need for an immediate cease-fire without which there will only be other such incidents."

And Pope Benedict XVI appealed for an immediate end to the fighting. He said, quote, "In the name of God I call on all those responsible for this spiral of violence so that weapons are immediately laid down on all sides."

An Israeli government spokeswoman had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIRI EISIN, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESWOMAN: Israel deeply, deeply is sorrowful, is saddened by what happened. This is definitely

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why was this building targeted?

EISIN: We did not target this building.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did not target it. Even though you had guided missiles, this was not targeted.

EISIN: The building itself was not targeted, as I said. The building itself was next to the rocket launcher shot -- the rocket launcher sites. And we are targeting all of those rocket launcher sites. This was a mistake. Israel deeply regrets this and we will have a full investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: In Gaza City, reaction to the Qana strike was stronger than just words. About 2,000 Palestinian demonstrators, some of them armed, stormed the U.N. compound. They smashed windows, ransacked offices, and clashed with Palestinian security officials. One person was taken away in an ambulance. Security forces fired warning shots to disperse the crowd.

And the U.N. Security Council went into emergency session today in the wake of the Israeli air strike on Qana. We go now to Richard Roth, our senior U.N. correspondent. He is live from New York. Richard? RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations is blaming both sides for violating international law, and he is extremely frustrated, wanted some form of cease-fire, cessation of hostilities days ago. Very upset the Security Council has not been able to rally behind that call. It's primarily because the U.S. opposes such a measure.

Kofi Annan spoke to the press following hours of emergency closed-door consultations. He's worried about the violence spiraling out of control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: They all conscious of the need to take measures to contain this situation. We are worried about possible escalation. I think if we are not careful what we're going to see is attack and retaliation and further attack and further retaliation and the situation could get out of hand.

ROTH: The Security Council's credibility is at stake, according to Annan. U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said Condoleezza Rice is working for a solution. He hinted the U.S. may go along with some type of statement today, but that it's purely about the Qana attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: In the council of discussion today, I think everybody obviously expressed their deep sadness at this tragedy and the deaths of the civilians in Qana. And I think what we're going to try and do today is see if we can agree on a presidential statement or a press statement that will express our profound regrets and condolences to the families of those who have died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And we're going to take you now to President Bush making some comments.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America mourns the loss of innocent loss. A tragic occasion when innocent people are killed and so our sympathies go out to those who have lost their lives today and lost their lives throughout this crisis.

I've been in touch with Secretary of State Rice twice today. She will be returning tomorrow, where she'll brief me on her discussions with the leaders in the Middle East. I also talked to Tony Blair. The United States is resolved to work with members of the United Nations Security Council to develop a resolution that will enable the region to have a sustainable peace, a peace that lasts. A peace that will enable mothers and fathers to raise their children in a hopeful world. May God bless those who lost their lives. Thank you.

KEILAR: And that President Bush with some comments live from the White House lawn before he heads off to Miami for a meeting with community leaders. We will also bring you more on what he said when Elaine Quijano joins us from the White House in a moment. We would also like to thank our U.N. -- our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth for his report just a moment ago.

And coming up, Hezbollah launching more attacks against northern Israel. Our Matthew Chance is on the border with the very latest. And is help getting to those in need? Coming up, my conversation with the head of UNICEF on the humanitarian crisis in the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This day, keeping up that very rapid pace, that very frequent pace of rocket attacks from southern Lebanon into northern Israel despite the heavy bombardment and despite the heavy artillery shelling and the work of the ground forces that's being done in southern Lebanon. They've still managed to withstand that.

Those ground operations are still continuing, particularly around the village of Taiyba (ph), which like Qana, where there was that tragedy earlier today, the village of Taiyba according to Israeli military is used by Hezbollah to fire its rockets into Israel.

Now, there are some explanations being carried out by the Israeli military and the Israeli government as to why they attacked Qana earlier today. They released a couple of video clips which they'd like to us take a look at.

The first one isn't from Qana. It's from July the 22nd, and it shows a location in southern Lebanon from where the Hezbollah militia are firing their rockets into Israel and hiding behind what's described by the Israeli military as a building similar to the one that was attacked in Qana earlier today.

There's a second video as well which is actually from Qana but it's not from the actual attack. It is from a few days ago we're told by the Israeli military. That shows again the same kind of thing, the way the Hezbollah fire their rockets from behind these civilian buildings into Israel.

Israel doesn't dispute the fact that it attacked Qana. It doesn't dispute the fact that it caused these killings by its fire. But it says because of Hezbollah's positioning near the civilian areas, it is ultimately responsible because it's hiding behind these civilians and it's putting those civilians at risk of Israeli attack.

So that's the Israeli position. The big question at the moment, Brianna, is whether the international pressure and controversy that is mounting over the death to so many civilians in southern Lebanon in this single attack, whether that will be enough for Israel to change its military plans. Back to you.

KEILAR: And you think there is any chance that Israel might scale back its military operations because of this tragedy?

CHANCE: Well, I think there's a chance of it, especially if international pressure grows on Israel and certainly if the United States can place -- or chooses to place any pressure on Israel to change its military tactics, possibly to go for an earlier cease-fire.

But at the moment there's certainly no sign of Israel changing its plan. Indeed quite the opposite. There's been a ferocious barrage of artillery strikes on southern Lebanon continuing. The air strikes have continued as well. And a big tank force of ground troops is poised a short distance from where I'm speaking to you right now, ready to go into southern Lebanon in a significant ground incursion when the order is given. So it looks like the military plan that Israel had before the Qana killings is still being carried out. Brianna?

KEILAR: Matthew Chance reporting live from northern Israel.

And earlier today I spoke with retired U.S. Brigadier General James "Spider" Marks about today's attack in Lebanon, how it might have happened and what role did Israel's unmanned drones play in the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.): The process works this way, the unmanned aerial vehicle, the drone, takes video of targets that it sees. It looks at very specific spots on the ground and it sees what Hezbollah is doing. It has very good locational data, very precise, down to the tenth digit. That's inches on the ground of where that activity is taking place. Instantaneously, that is relayed back to an attack platform; in this case it was an air force aircraft, an Israeli air force aircraft. It then launches a bomb off its rails and that bomb is satellite-guided, so it's got satellite accuracy into the target and it hits where it is aiming, very specifically. There are a couple of other options...

KEILAR: General Marks, I want to interrupt you real quick just to say that this video that we're looking at right now is not video of the attack. This is video that the Israeli military has released of a similar situation where Hezbollah, they say, is near a civilian location, and that they're launching their attacks. Pardon me, but continue on.

MARKS: You know, what that really demonstrates -- let's put in context, as we get into the details, the larger context is, this is how Hezbollah fights. It tucks up against civilian populations and civilian dwellings, wherever they are and it launches its rockets from those locations knowing that Israel has this capability to come right after it precisely. So Hezbollah understands how it's fighting. So what happens is Israel launches a bomb in this particular instance from an air force aircraft and it's guided into the target very, very precisely. It hits within inches of where it is aimed.

KEILAR: So then in this case, obviously something went wrong. Israel saying that it made a mistake. What could they have done?

MARKS: Brianna here's what happened probably is that this target was so close to a civilian population center. It was so close to a building and it had civilians inside that when the bomb hit the target, the blast effects of that bomb then caused collateral damage to the building. So one of two things, during the clearance of fire process that Israel went through, one of two things went through the determination. How close is the target to building and what's the size of the bomb, what's the blast of that bomb once it hits its target and then probably what Israel did not know is that this building was populated and it had a lot of civilians inside. They could have assumed that and absent knowing that that would have been one of the decisions that they had to make.

KEILAR: Should they have known this? Should they have known there were civilians in the building nearby?

MARKS: The point is if you don't know, then you have to assume the worst and that you make a determination, you either decrease the size of the blast or you make the call we're not going go for it because it's too close to that building.

KEILAR: So you see this as a mistake, then?

MARKS: Obviously it's a mistake. Israel has acknowledged that it's a mistake and it's one of the those parts that goes into this very complex and nuance call for fire and clearance for fire process and there is a human element in this and there's a human involved that could have said no, we're not going to make this call.

KEILAR: So Israel is obviously as we said admitting that this is a mistake, but also saying that it has leafleted these areas so that civilians know that there will be attacks urging civilians to leave. Is it realistic for Israel to expect those civilians to leave?

MARKS: Of course not. You can't assume that a leaflet by it self is simply clearance to something that is going to cause the death of civilians and it's as if you can't blame the victim for the crime. In this particular case, warning civilian populations and civilian centers that they need -- that people need to vacate is insufficient.

You still have to make a determination before you make the call for fire what the results you have to estimate as best you can what those results will be. Both good and bad in this particular case, you could not determine how many folks were in that building and you could not determine whether that building was loaded with a bunch of eggs from market or a bunch of human beings and sadly, it was filled with human beings.

KEILAR: General Marks, thank you so much for taking the time to talk us to today.

MARKS: Sure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And CNN brings you a special on the crisis in the Middle East tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. John Roberts hosts "THIS WEEK AT WAR" from Israel. It begins in less than two hours.

What about the U.N. security force that's already in Lebanon? How will their role change if another multinational force moves in? We'll have that story ahead. Plus, Mel Gibson says he's sorry for driving under the influence and for his, quote, "despicable statements to the arresting officers." That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: In Seattle, bond is set at $50 million for the man being held in connection with Friday's deadly shooting at a Jewish community center. He is suspected of killing one person and wounding five others. The Pakistani-Muslim man says he was angry over U.S. cooperation with Israel.

No arrests in New Orleans after six people were found shot to death in 24 hours. The latest bullet-ridden body was found in the middle of the street yesterday.

And before he left for Miami a few minutes ago, President Bush took in a wee version of the great American pastime this afternoon by hosting a T-ball game on the South Lawn. And a little factoid you might not have known, Mr. Bush is the first former Little Leaguer to become president.

Mel Gibson. He has plenty of memorable acting roles, but his performance during a drunk driving arrest last Friday is probably one he would like to forget. CNN's entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Belligerent and out of control", that's how Mel Gibson in statement is describing his behavior when he was arrested early Friday morning for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in Malibu, California.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says his blood alcohol level was .12. The legal limit in California is .08.

The Oscar-winning director is apologizing and admitting a problem with alcoholism via a lengthy statement he released through his publicist. In it, Gibson says he's ashamed of how he acted when he was arrested.

"I did a number of things that were very wrong. I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I apologize to anyone who I have offended. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior. And for that, I am truly sorry."

This statement comes as the entertainment news Web site tmz.com alleges Gibson launched into a tirade when he was arrested, swearing uncontrollably and hurling anti-Semitic and sexist remarks.

In his statement, 50-year-old Gibson didn't directly address the allegations, but apologized to the deputies involved. He also said, "I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."

Gibson has been accused of fueling anti-Semitism before. He produced, co-wrote, and directed the controversial 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ." The Jewish Antidefamation League called the movie's portrayals of Jews "problematic" and so negative that it warned the film could incite anti-Semitic violence.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has responded by neither confirming nor denying reports of Gibson's tirade, saying they intend to release something soon. Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: The humanitarian crisis is getting worse in the Middle East. We talked to a top U.N. official on what's being done to help the innocent.

And later we take a look at the U.N. force already deployed in Lebanon. Why have they been unable to keep the peace? You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Just when you thought you'd mastered the World Wide Web, along comes Web 2.0. What does it mean exactly? Is it a meaningless buzz word, or is it a great concept? And joining us now to explain it is Brian Cooley, editor at large with CNET. So Brian, do you need a new Web browser for Web 2.0?

BRIAN COOLEY, EDITOR AT LARGE, CNET: No. It's okay. Everyone relax. There is not a new Web. The idea behind Web 2.0 is that the Web has gotten more sophisticated. It typically means a site that has a lot of community interactions, where everybody is collaborating on the site and/or it functions like a piece of software, not just a flat Web site.

Let me show you. Here's one called Writely. Google just bought this one. Writely, as you can see, is an online word processor. You go there to write, print, and save documents instead of using Microsoft Word loaded off your hard drive.

SIEBERG: And then share it online as well.

COOLEY: And share it, send it, whatever you want to do. Here's another one from Google called Google Pages. Now, this is the idea that you would go and publish Web sites on the Web, not on your hard drive, and then push them out to the Web. It's a lot easier to publish Web sites. You see you have tools on the left here that let you do all that.

Here's one called Digg where folks get together, and they share their idea of what the most important stories are. So they're all each other's editors.

SIEBERG: So very organic. COOLEY: Very much. And then here's one called KeepVid that lets you go keep a copy of videos that you saw streaming on the Web, which often isn't possible. This lets you do that.

SIEBERG: All right. We'll have to wait and see what Web 3.0 holds in store for us.

COOLEY: Good for you. Who knows?

SIEBERG: Who knows? Brian Cooley with CNET, thanks so much for helping us out.

COOLEY: You're welcome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Four thirty-five in New York, 11:35 p.m. in Beirut and Jerusalem. And here's what we know now.

Survivors of an Israeli air strike on the Lebanese town of Qana call it genocide. The Israeli military calls it a tragic mistake. More than 60 bodies have been pulled from the destroyed building flattened by the IDF. Red Cross workers say many of the dead are children. The incident is drawing international condemnation.

The Qana bombing has also prompted an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, which is set to meet again later today. U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan wants what he calls a cessation of hostilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The council is the master of its own proceedings. But I hope that they will be able to realize how to drive home the point of how dangerous the situation is, and how it can escalate and get out of hand and the urgency for them to act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: But the Qana bombing has polarized emotions and potentially put up more road blocks on the pathway to peace. Lebanon's prime minister suspended diplomatic talks with the U.S. in light of the bombing and today thanked all Arabs who stand against Israel, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The White House called what happened in Qana a terrible and tragic incident. But the U.S. has not joined other nations calling for an immediate cease-fire. Will Qana change the U.S. approach to the crisis? Elaine Quijano continues our live coverage from the White House. Elaine, good to see you.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPODNENT: Good to see you too Brianna. The President's comments just a short time ago, of course, are coming as this White House is facing more pressure because of those images -- those disturbing images of violence out of Qana.

There has been, of course, mounting pressure already, even prior to this, by European and Arab allies for the United States to support an immediate cease-fire. You did not, however, hear President Bush today say that. Instead the President reiterated his view that a, quote, sustainable peace is what's need. Here's the President just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... in the Middle East is a reminder that all of us must work together to achieve a sustainable peace. America mourns the loss of innocent life. It's a tragic occasion when innocent people are killed. And so our sympathies go out to those who've lost their lives today and lost their lives throughout this crisis.

I've been in touch with Secretary of State Rice twice today. She'll be returning tomorrow where she'll brief me on her discussions with leaders in the Middle East. I also talked to Tony Blair.

The United States is resolved to work with members of the United Nations Security Council to develop a resolution that will enable the region to have a sustainable peace, a peace that lasts, a peace that will enable mothers and fathers to raise their children in a hopeful world.

May God bless those who lost their lives. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, President Bush made his comments as he was leaving the White House en route to Miami. He's got several events there: one tonight, several more tomorrow, including a visit to the National Hurricane Center.

The President, though, quite mindful of the power that images of war can have. Certainly, we have seen that with the Iraq war and the Bush administration's response to some images out of the Iraq war. We heard even a little bit of this on Friday when the President appeared in the East Room with British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- the President saying that there is a temptation to get the violence off T.V. screens.

But the President insisted that would not solve the problem. So the President showing today, wanting to show, that he is certainly engaged as this violence continues. But now confronted with these images, the President also expressing sympathy and condolences for those who lost their lives. Brianna?

KEILAR: Elaine Quijano, thanks for bringing us the very latest from the White House. And U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is calling for an end to the hostilities in the Middle East. Gary Nurenberg reports on the role of U.N. forces in the Middle East right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Secretary- General says he wants to end civilian deaths in the fight between Hezbollah and Israel.

ANNAN: Action is needed now before many more children, women, and men become casualties of a conflict over which they have no control.

NURENBERG: But Annan said the United Nations' interim force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, has rejected an Israeli request to help evacuate civilians from two southern Lebanon towns.

ANNAN: UNIFIL has refused to evacuate the villages, indicating that they don't have the capacity. And these requests often have come where the assistance is required from the government of Lebanon.

NURENBERG: UNIFIL itself, a force of about 2,000, lost four soldiers last week when an Israeli shell hit their observation post in an area where Lebanese security forces say Hezbollah had previously fired missiles. UNIFIL was first dispatched to southern Lebanon in 1978 to monitor the Israeli-Lebanon border. But it is not a fighting force.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: UNIFIL has no capability, zero, none, in terms of getting in between Hezbollah or anyone else and the IDF. But it's not their mission.

NURENBERG: Israel calls UNIFIL ineffective.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They couldn't do anything against Hezbollah. They couldn't do anything and wouldn't do anything to stop them. And in many cases Hezbollah was just all over UNIFIL'S position.

NURENBERG: But UNIFIL says its mission is to patrol, observe and report. Now there is talk of a new international force with a distinctly different mission -- to impose or keep peace along the border.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to have to have combat power. And it's going to have to have the ability to make peace. Making peace means you've got to be able to get into combat. You've got to be able to engage forces. You've got to be able to kill people.

NURENBERG: All things that might be required to help civilians evacuate a fire zone -- all things UNIFIL is now unable to do.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE) KEILAR: Is the Iraq conflict becoming the forgotten war? More U.S. troops died this week. And up next we're taking a closer look at the violence there.

Plus relief agencies are desperate to reach victims in Lebanon. Still to come, my interview with the head of the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, folks. I'm Reynolds Wolf with a look at today's allergy report. How about that?

We have got pretty good conditions for you if you happen to be in the northern plains through portions of the Mississippi valley. But in the Central Plains out toward parts of the Great Basin, the West Coast, the Pacific Northwest, as well as portions of the Carolinas, things are not too good for you. That's a look at today's allergy report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR GENERAL DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The strategy we're pursuing is the only logical strategy, which is you train and equip the Iraqis, you turn an area over to them, and then you leave and you hope they can do it. I don't know anything else that we can do right now.

The problem is the outcome is uncertain. We don't know whether the Iraqis are going to be able to hold their government together, whether they're going to be able to restore stability in Baghdad, whether they're going to be able to stop the sectarian violence, whether they're going to be able to disarm the militia. These are all very, very tall orders. But it's the key to the success of Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: In the latest harsh example of the challenges in securing Iraq, four Marines were killed in combat yesterday in Anbar Province. The region west of Baghdad has long been a hotbed of violence. But sadly bloodshed is now a frightening part of life around Iraq.

On average more than 100 Iraqis were killed each day in June. That's more than 3,000 civilian deaths last month alone. Imagine if that happened perhaps in Boston or Washington.

And joining us now is political scientist Liam Anderson. He's been looking at where Iraq's headed. He writes about it in "The Future of Iraq: Dictatorship, Democracy, or Division."

And Liam, a question that has been much repeated but is still worth asking: Is this a civil war that's going on?

LIAM ANDERSON, CO-AUTHOR, "THE FUTURE OF IRAQ": I would say that former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had it about right. He talked about three stages of a civil war. And I think Iraq is now in about stage -- somewhere between Stage 2 and Stage 3 -- Stage 3 being all-out civil war.

So I mean, we can haggle about the terminology. But if 100 people are dying a day, and there's massive population displacements going on within Iraq, then clearly we have an unsustainable level of internal violence.

KEILAR: And Liam, we saw Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. He was in Washington this week addressing a joint meeting of Congress. He has chastised Israel somewhat. He has not denounced Hezbollah. And he was heckled during his visit to Washington. Is his leadership going to get Iraq through this?

ANDERSON: Well, you have to understand, Maliki is the elected head of an Arab country. He represents a religious Shia Arab government. And Hezbollah clearly is a religious Shia Arab organization. So he's not going to condemn Hezbollah.

I also think for domestic political consumption, he really has no choice at least not to be pro-Israel. I thought he was quite moderate in his comments, and certainly more moderate than some leaders in the Middle East. But he's caught in a very, very difficult position, I think.

KEILAR: And along those same religious lines, the Associated Press now reporting that Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al- Sistani, is coming out looking for -- calling for an immediate cease- fire. How do you see what's going on between Hezbollah and Israel -- How do you see that affecting what's going on in Iraq?

ANDERSON: In terms of the -- I think the major effect will be, I think, for the U.S. in terms of its campaign to win hearts and minds in Iraq, let's say. Because I think most people in the Middle East don't make a differentiation between Israel and the United States. And so the U.S. is implicated, whether unfairly or not, in the actions of Israel.

I think Sistani doesn't have -- isn't going to have direct influence over Hezbollah. But he does carry quite a lot of influence among the Shia population in Iraq. So I think this will probably ratchet up domestic demands in Iraq for an immediate cease-fire. And again, it sort of stokes up the tension in the Middle East, I think.

KEILAR: And finally, Liam, something a lot of Americans want to know -- What is it going to take for U.S. soldiers to leave? And can they leave without leaving behind a government that's, one, in shambles or, two, will collapse soon after they depart?

ANDERSON: I think what it takes to leave is an option that apparently is politically unappealing, or unacceptable right now, which is that you have to negotiate with at least the major part of the insurgency which nationalists who are fighting because they're occupied by a foreign power as they see it. And that's going to mean offering an amnesty to these guys. And it's going to mean setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. But I don't think that's politically acceptable in the U.S. right now. But this is the way all of these sorts of conflicts ultimately end up being resolved. You have to sit around and negotiate with the parties with whom you can negotiate. So I think the solution is currently not politically acceptable in the United States.

KEILAR: Liam Anderson, thanks so much for joining us.

ANDERSON: Sure. Pleasure.

KEILAR: Meanwhile, UNICEF says it will need more than $150 million to provide humanitarian aid in the Middle East. But will the world donate to that cause? That story's next.

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KEILAR: The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, is appealing for nearly $150 million to provide humanitarian assistance in the Middle East. A short time ago I talked with UNICEF's executive director, Ann Veneman.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANN VENEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNICEF: Well, we are trying to get water and sanitation facilities to the people who are displaced. We're working to get assistance in terms of education. We're trying to get people with the kinds of supplies that they need, working with WFP on food and so forth. So the humanitarian side is what we're trying to do to assist the children of Lebanon.

KEILAR: And what about in Israel? How is UNICEF working there?

VENEMAN: In Israel we do not have a humanitarian operation. We do have what we call a national committee, who helps to raise money for children around the world on behalf of UNICEF, and who does advocate on behalf of children's issues in Israel.

KEILAR: So Ann, we're hearing from various organizations, from Doctors Without Borders, from the World Food Program, that at this point it's very difficult to get aid in to people in Lebanon, and that they're not having much luck. Can you update us on the status there?

VENEMAN: That is absolutely the case. It's one of the most difficult things. And that's why we're calling for a cessation of hostilities, even if it's a temporary one to allow people to get in and get some humanitarian assistance to these people.

To remove people that want to get out of the region, to provide medical assistance, to provide food, water, and sanitation to displaced people, and to provide more communications equipment -- these are essential, and it is essential that humanitarian workers be able to get in and provide these kinds of needed essentials to the people.

KEILAR: So Ann, yesterday Israel rejected a call for a 72-hour cease-fire to get humanitarian aid into Lebanon, saying that there were corridors that were in operation. But we're hearing from our people on the ground that those corridors, the access has been cut off. What are you hearing from your people on the ground?

VENEMAN: We have had some success in getting some loads of humanitarian assistance in. But over the last 24 hours or so, that has been very difficult. And so I would agree with what you've been hearing on the ground, that indeed our people are telling us the same thing.

KEILAR: So tell us what issues are kids facing, specifically. Children in Lebanon and Israel, what are the challenges that they're facing during this crisis?

VENEMAN: Well, I think one of the untold stories of this whole conflict is that children are so severely impacted. Children are 30 percent of the deaths so far. They are estimated to be about 45 percent of the displaced persons, people who are living in schools, in parks who don't -- who've had to leave their homes.

So I think that children are really suffering from this conflict. And it's a story that needs to be told. And it's the reason why we need a cessation as quickly as possible.

KEILAR: Ann Veneman, the executive director of UNICEF, thanks so much for taking the time to talk about the children's plight in the Mid East.

VENEMAN: Thank you.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KEILAR: And if you want to help with the humanitarian efforts, contact these agencies shown on your screen. They are some of the many agencies currently working in Lebanon.

And I'm Brianna Keilar. Thanks so much for watching. More straight ahead on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Next on CNN LIVE SUNDAY -- They sought safety. They didn't find it. An Israeli bomb kills more than 60 Lebanese, and many of them are children. Israel says it was a mistake.

Now, despite talks between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Lebanese officials, today also an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council and an impassioned call from Kofi Annan for a halt to the violence.

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