Israeli Prime Minister Addresses the Knesset
HOLMES: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Michael Holmes, along Ralitsa Vassivela, as you look at live pictures coming from Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.</s>VASSILEVA: What we're seeing are pictures from the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital. We see smoke rising. We have reports of missiles that have hit this predominantly Shiite neighborhood and part of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.</s>HOLMES: These are the suburbs that Hezbollah are particularly strong in, the suburbs from which, Israel claims, many of the Katyusha and other rockets are being fired into many northern Israeli towns. Now this is a densely populated area. The targets from which these missiles are being fired into northern Israel are among residences. They're some fired from residences. And Israel has said many times, it will not hesitate to strike, despite the proximity of civilians.</s>VASSILEVA: And there have been leaflets that have dropped over the area several times to warn people to leave. But as you said, it's a very densely populated area.</s>HOLMES: Some people don't have the option to leave. But many actually left. But many have not been able to. Meanwhile, Israeli war planes have raided more targets, apart from what we've just seen, right across Lebanon, from southern ports to army barracks in the north. At least 17 more people were killed in Monday's attack. Lebanese say at least 165 people have now been killed. More than 400 injured in the past six days, the vast majority of them civilians.</s>VASSILEVA: Israel says it intends to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to stop Hezbollah attacks. Volleys of Hezbollah rockets sent residents of a northern Israeli town into shelters. In Haifa, part of a building collapse, injuring seven people. Israeli military sources say 24 people have been killed in the Israel/Hezbollah conflict so far. As Ralitsa said just before the break, Lebanese and the French prime minister has been meeting in Beirut, about this crisis of course, and they just spoke with reporters. Here's the sum of what the Lebanese prime minister had to say.</s>FOUAD SINIORA, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): France is the first friend of Lebanon because of the historic and good relationship between Lebanon and France. And we have a good friendship with the President Chirac, and this visit was dear to every Lebanese, and we send to President Chirac a salute and a greeting for this step that he's making to support Lebanon, and to initiate -- to work to do everything possible to support Lebanon, and to have Lebanon saved out of this gate of hell and craziness that Israel is committing on a peaceful country, Lebanon.</s>VASSILEVA: That was a statement by the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, just shortly addressing the crisis. The Group of Eight also issued a carefully-worded statement, blaming extremists for triggering the violence in the Middle East, and calling for an end to attacks by both sides. But they avoided using the word "cease-fire." Meanwhile, during a photo-opportunity session, an open microphone picked up a colorful exchange between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush. Suzanne Malveaux explains what exactly happened.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the conclusion of the G-8 summit, it was a picture of unity. The leaders of the world's richest nations issuing a statement, seemingly in lockstep, on confronting the Middle East crisis. But a rare behind-the-scenes moment captures the statement of raw diplomacy. During a lunch-in photo-op, with microphones set on the tables, the candid conversations of the world's most powerful leaders were being transmitted, unbeknownst to them. Most notably between President Bush and his closest ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Earlier in the day, Blair and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan publicly rolled out a plan...</s>KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECY.-GENERAL: Extremely concerned about the situation.</s>MALVEAUX: ... to send international forces to help end the cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel. Privately President Bush expresses frustration:</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: What about Kofi Annan? I don't like the sequence of it. His attitude is basically cease-fire and everything else happens.</s>TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think the thing that is really difficult is you can't stop this unless you get this international presence agreed.</s>MALVEAUX: Publicly President Bush has condemned Syria and Iran for supporting Hezbollah's strikes against Israel. But privately he failed to convince the other G-8 leaders to make the same judgment in their group statement. Mr. Bush urges the U.N. to do more, specifically calling for Annan to reach out to Syria's leaders Bashar Al-Assad in fairly explicit terms.</s>BUSH: See, the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over.</s>BLAIR: Cause I think this is all part of the same thing. What does he think? He thinks if Lebanon turns out fine, if he gets a solution in Israel and Palestine, Iraq goes in the right way, he's done it. That's what this whole thin's about. It's the same with Iran.</s>BUSH: I feel like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad and make something happen.</s>MALVEAUX: At this point, Blair realizes their conversation is being picked up and turns off the microphone. But Blair is asked about their candid talks, including Mr. Bush's cursing, at a press conference later on. Not missing a beat, Blair is back on message.</s>TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: While the president was saying what I'm saying, is that everybody around the table, should use his influence on Syria to try to get this to stop.</s>MALVEAUX: A White House spokesman says while President Bush's private comments may be more blunt, that they are consistent with what he has said publicly in calling for peace in the Middle East. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, St. Petersburg, Russia.</s>VASSILEVA: Well Iran's foreign minister says a cease fire is possible in resolving the conflict. Manoucher Mottaki spoke after meeting top officials in Syria. The two nations are considered the main backers of Hezbollah, a Lebanese-based group at the core of the conflict with Israel. Mottaki also said a truce, followed by a prisoner swap, would be a fair way in his words to end the fighting.</s>HOLMES: Well for more on that, other developments also, let's go via broadband to Hala Gorani. She is in the Syrian capital. Hala, bring us up to date from your perspective there.</s>HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well we heard in that interesting CCTV footage from the G8 summit, the U.S. president, George W. Bush there, telling the U.K. prime minister, Tony Blair, that things would get better if Syria simply exerted some influence over Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Well the view from Damascus, Michael, is very different. I spoke to a cabinet official a bit earlier who told me that Kyriet (ph) does not have such influence over the militant group. I started by asking Bouthaina Shaaban, I started by asking her about claims made yesterday that some of the missiles that hit Israel that were fired by Hezbollah were made in Syria. This is how she answered.</s>BOUTHAINA SHAABAN, SYRIAN MINISTER OF EXPATRIATES: Syria doesn't make missiles. And of course Israel throw accusations here. And the reality of the situation is that Israel is destroying the infrastructure in Lebanon, bridges and airports and ports, only to try and teach Arabs and Muslims a lesson, that there should be no resistance to Israeli occupation.</s>GORANI: There are also other claims that the Israeli ambassador to the United States made that weaponry coming from Iran transits through Syria to the Hezbollah leadership in southern Lebanon. Is that true?</s>SHAABAN: Well this is a very old story that Israelis have been been saying. And they were not able to prove it at any time that this true. It's not -- the story really is that Israel's occupation of Arab territories has to be end. And Arab prisoners have to be left. And that is the real reason of the explosion.</s>GORANI: So you deny this?</s>SHAABAN: Of course, of course.</s>GORANI: It's absolutely untrue? Is there concerns among Syrian officials that Syria is the next front of this latest war?</s>SHAABAN: Well, I think there is a concern all over the Arab world that what Israel is doing is to try and frighten the Arabs by its military force. And I think what the end result is that the Arabs are no longer afraid and I think the Arabs now believe that resistance to occupation is the duty of every Arab person. And no matter what Israel might destroy, we will always be here.</s>GORANI: So is there -- if there is concern, then there must be a plan that's being discussed for -- in case this happens. In case the Israeli military targets Syrian territory, what is the plan of the Syrian government?</s>SHAABAN: Well I don't know what is the plan because that will be a military plan. But I'm sure if Israel attacks Syria, Syria is going to respond.</s>GORANI: How?</s>SHAABAN: Well it's going to respond in kind.</s>GORANI: So you think what Hezbollah did by kidnapping those soldiers was the right thing?</s>SHAABAN: Well it was the reaction to the many Israeli violations.</s>GORANI: In this case, there was no Israeli violation of southern Lebanon.</s>SHAABAN: Well there were hundreds of Israeli violation. The problem is that the west only hears about what Hezbollah does. But it doesn't hear about what Israel does against the Arabs because they don't care about the Arabs.</s>GORANI: Can I ask you, is there a discussion between Syria and Iran regarding what's happening right now and what are those discussions?</s>SHAABAN: No. But two days ago, the president explained that Iran would be supporting Syria against any Israeli aggression that might be directed against Syria.</s>GORANI: All right. You heard it there, Michael from Bouthaina Shaaban, a Syrian cabinet minister, saying that Syria has no influence over Hezbollah. And importantly as well, as we saw from that foreign minister visit today in Damascus, Syria and Iran, there's no natural kinship before them, but common foes are bringing them together. Michael?</s>HOLMES: Hala, you know Syria pretty well. What are the people in the streets telling you, just the ordinary Syrians?</s>GORANI: Well, ordinary Syrians on the street are saying that this is what's happening right now, in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. They consider this an excuse in order for the international community to put pressure on Syria. I come to Syria rather often, reporting from here, and really, you can sense that there's something different in the streets. People are concerned. They think they might become the next targets. But you also sense from some of the people we've spoken to, defiance as well. They're saying that if war comes to them, they're saying that they'll stand up to any aggression that they feel might come to them from Israel. That's the sense I'm getting from the street right now. Michael?</s>HOLMES: All right Hala, thanks very much. Hala Gorani there reporting from Syria. We are going to take a short break right now.</s>VASSILEVA: And when we come back, we're going to look at what the United Nations is doing to try to end the conflict. Stay with us.