WHY YOU MIGHT SPOT A MINI-MOON
WHEN YOU’RE STAR GAZING.
THAT’S RIGHT
COMING UP LATER IN THE SHOW.
COOL STORY
>>> GOOD DAY
I’M TOM COSTELLO IN FOR HALLE.
AND WE ARE COMING ON THE AIR
WITH TENSIONS NEAR A FEVER PITCH
RIGHT NOW IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND
THE SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT
THIS MAN THAT YOU’RE LOOKING
RIGHT HERE, IBRAHIM AQIL, WANTED
FOR THE DEADLY BOMBING OF THE
U.S. EMBASSY IN BEIRUT THAT
KILLED MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE.
HE WAS ONE OF THE HEZBOLLAH
COMMANDERS KILLED IN THAT STRIKE
THAT ISRAEL JUST CARRIED OUT IN
BEIRUT
IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE TRUCK
BOMBINGS IN 1983 NEAR BEIRUT,
THE STATE DEPARTMENT JUST LAST
YEAR PUT OUT A $7 MILLION REWARD
FOR INFORMATION ON AQIL.
AND IT’S NOT JUST THAT MAN WHO
IS NOW DEAD.
ISRAEL SAYS IT HAS ELIMINATED
ALL 20 MEMBERS OF HEZBOLLAH’S
COMMAND.
THAT RAISES TENSIONS AND RAISES
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHEN, HOW, IF
HEZBOLLAH MIGHT RESPOND.
CAN IT RESPOND
WE’VE SEEN MULTIPLE ATTACKS OVER
RECENT DAYS.
ISRAEL ACCUSED OF BEING BEHIND
EXPLODING CELL PHONES AND
WALKIE-TALKIES IN LEBANON.
THEN TODAY’S STRIKE.
SO, THE ENTIRE REGION IS EVEN
MORE ON AN EDGE THAN A WEEK AGO.
LET’S BRING IN KEIR SIMMONS, WHO
IS ON THE GROUND IN BEIRUT
KEIR, TALK TO US ABOUT THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS MOMENT
TONIGHT, WITH THE MAN WANTED FOR
THE DEADLY BOMBINGS ON THE
MARINE BARRACKS AND THE EMBASSY
40 YEARS AGO NOW DEAD.
>> Reporter: IBRAHIM AQIL,
ACCUSED OF THOSE 1983 BOMBINGS
HERE IN BEIRUT, NOW KILLED BY AN
ISRAELI JET OVER BEIRUT.
IT IS A MOMENT IN A STORY THAT
HAS SO MANY MOMENTS THAT WEEK.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
PICTURES OF THE BUILDING THAT
WAS BOMBED, THE DEVASTATION,
FRANKLY, NOW 14 DEAD
THE NUMBERS WILL RISE, IS WHAT
WE’RE BEING TOLD, FROM THE
RUBBLE
JUST THINK ABOUT THAT LEBANON
HAS BEEN ON THE BRINK OF ALL-OUT
WAR FOR MONTHS
AND THOSE PICTURES ARE JUST THE
RESULTS OF ONE SINGLE ISRAELI
BOMBING.
AND WE SAW OVERNIGHT ARTILLERY
AND AIR STRIKES BY ISRAEL ON
LEBANON, HEZBOLLAH POSITIONS
AND THEN HEZBOLLAH RETURNING
FIRES WITH ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL
ISRAEL’S POINT -- AND THEY’RE
MAKING IT TO TODAY AGAIN -- IS
THAT THERE ARE TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF ISRAELIS WHO CAN’T GET TO
THEIR HOMES ALONG THE BORDER
THERE ARE LEBANESE WHO CAN’T GET
TO THEIR HOMES
AND ISRAEL SAYS THEY ARE
DETERMINED TO GET THOSE PEOPLE
BACK
NOW, WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE
DOING -- AND IT GOES TO THE
QUESTION OF THAT PAGER -- THOSE
PAGER AND WALKIE TALKIE ATTACKS.
THEY’RE TRYING TO PUT PRESSURE
ON HEZBOLLAH TO CONCEDE TO ALLOW
THAT TO HAPPEN
IF HEZBOLLAH DOESN’T CONCEDE,
THE QUESTION IS, WHAT THEN
>> YEAH.
KEIR, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD APPEAR
THAT HEZBOLLAH HAS BEEN SO
DEGRADED BETWEEN THE WALKIE
TALKIE ATTACKS, THE PAGER
ATTACKS, NOW THIS ATTACK TODAY
THAT TOOK OUT THE TOP COMMAND OF
THE ORGANIZATION
IS IT IN A POSITION TO LAUNCH
ANY SORT OF A SIGNIFICANT
RESPONSE TO ISRAEL
>> Reporter: IT DOES HAVE
SUBSTANTIAL FIRE POWER
I MEAN, THAT’S THE POINT,
HONESTLY
IT ALSO OF COURSE DOES HAVE THE
BACKING OF IRAN.
DEFINITELY WHAT HAPPENED THIS
WEEK WOULD HAVE DISRUPTED
HEZBOLLAH’S OPERATION.
I MEAN, THAT’S JUST CLEAR, ISN’T
IT
BUT THAT MAY BE TACTICAL RATHER
THAN STRATEGIC
SO, WHAT PART OF YOUR QUESTION,
TOM, GOES TO, WHAT DOES IRAN
REALLY WANT?
NOW, IRAN HAS BEEN -- WITH A NEW
PRESIDENT IT WOULD LIKE TO
NEGOTIATE, BUT OF COURSE ON ITS
OWN TERMS.
SO, WHO’S WINNING IN IRAN?
IS IT THE FACTION THERE THAT ARE
FULLY SUPPORTIVE, FRANKLY, OF A
FIGHT WITH ISRAEL AND ULTIMATE
RI WITH THE U.S.
OR IS IT THE FACTION THAT SEEMS
TO WANT SOME KIND OF DIPLOMACY
THAT’S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS.
I THINK WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS
REGION DOES DEPEND ON ISRAEL
WE ARE ON THE BRINK, WHETHER OR
NOT THE DIFFERENT SIDES WILL
STEP OVER THAT BRINK
YOU JUST CANNOT PREDICT THAT
RIGHT NOW.
AND IT HAS MANY PEOPLE HERE
VERY, VERY ANXIOUS