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ZAHN: Hezbollah would be
pushed north to Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. And that
could be the new front line. It is already a very
dangerous area. You could call it Hezbollah's
heartland.
And, tonight, Michael Ware is in Beirut, just back
from a trip to the Bekaa Valley, where he has seen
firsthand what a well-organized military machine
Hezbollah has built up there.
And he joins us now with the details -- Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula.
Yes, what we saw in the Bekaa Valley brings into
question one of the central planks of the Israeli
Defense Force campaign. Despite the intensive
bombardment, and despite the deep-strike commando
raid by the Israeli forces, there is very clear signs
that Hezbollah's military apparatus not only remains
in place, but is still effectively functioning.
What we saw is that, where a bridge was destroyed,
very quickly another bridge was thrown up. Where a
road was cratered one day, the next, it was filled
back in. In other places where bombs had made
obstacles in roadways, very rapidly, people found
detours, even as the dust was still settling.
And it was evident, from dealing with their militia
fighters, some of their commanders, and some of their
political people, that their forces still remain, by
and large, intact.
Indeed, according to one Hezbollah official that we
spoke to, he cautioned that the guerrillas have yet
to call up their reserve forces, claiming that, even
if the Israeli statements of killing hundreds of
Hezbollah fighters is true, that still is only a very
small proportion -- he suggested 10 percent -- of
their total fighting force. Paula.
ZAHN: So, in your conversations with any of the
Hezbollah military leaders you spoke with, they won't
even concede they have been degraded at all, whether
it comes to supplies or their ability to bring
weapons in from Syria?
WARE: Well, clearly, as in all wars, the information
campaign is almost as much a part of it as the actual
fight on the ground.
The Israeli Defense Forces are very guarded about
what they say and their capabilities, as are
Hezbollah and its guerrilla forces. Clearly, they're
not willing to concede any ground publicly. What we
took is our own observation.
I mean, apart from the fact that well over 100
missiles flew again today south across the border
into Israel, we could visibly see their forces in
place. We could visibly see the supply routes, though
bombed, still open. We could visibly see the wealth
of support they had among the community.
So, very much, what we have learned is based upon
what was before our eyes -- Paula.
ZAHN: Michael Ware, giving us a really good view of
what the Israelis are up against.
And, of course, I guess the most stunning thing to
come out of the report is just how well-equipped they
are to rebuild, and rebuild so
efficiently.