First time for hardtalk. Welcome to hardtalk. Im stephen sackur. Israels intensifying Military Assault on lebanon has involved everything from Booby Trapped electronic devices to bunker busting bombs. As the Death Toll mounts, prime Minister Netanyahu says the target isnt the people of lebanon, its the armed militant group hezbollah, which continues to fire rockets into israel. So what, if anything, can the lebanese Government do to stave off a Gaza Style Catastrophe . My guest is lebanons economy minister, Amin Salam. Is his Government the very definition of powerless . Minister Amin Salam in beirut, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you, stephen. Pleasure being with you. Thank you forjoining me. War is happening to lebanon, war is happening to lebanon, minister, and yet war minister, and yet war is the last thing that is the last thing that lebanon wants. Lebanon wants. How does that make how does that make you feel right now . You feel right now . You said it, stephen. You said it, stephen
Minister amin salam in beirut, minister amin salam in beirut, welcome to hardtalk. Welcome to hardtalk. In gaza, through diplomatic thank you, stephen. Thank you, stephen. Pleasure being with you. Pleasure being with you. Thank you forjoining me. Thank you forjoining me. War is happening to lebanon, war is happening to lebanon, minister, and yet war minister, and yet war is the last thing that is the last thing that lebanon wants. Lebanon wants. How does that make how does that make you feel right now? you feel right now? you said it, stephen. You said it, stephen. It s the last thing we need. It s the last thing we need. It s the last thing we would it s the last thing we would have wanted to happen have wanted to happen and we were hoping and praying and we were hoping and praying and doing our best for the past and doing our best for the past year, since the war started year, since the war started in gaza, through diplomatic channels, through every channel possible, to avoid going i
The country causIng severe floodIng and landslIdes. Lebanon has banned WalkIe TalkIes and pagers from all flIghts out of the countrys only commercIal aIrport In operatIon. The move comes after explosIons were trIggered In pagers and WalkIe TalkIes used by hezbollah. The attacks kIlled at least 37 people and Injured thousands. Israel hasnt confIrmed It was behInd the attacks but Is wIdely assumed to be, and Its Defence MInIster, yoav gallant, has saId Its openIng a new phase In the war. And these are pIctures from the IsraelI mIlItary, whIch says It hIt hezbollah Infrastructure In an overnIght attack across The Border. It says It carrIed out AIr StrIkes on seven targets In southern lebanon. The us says Its Involved In IntensIve dIplomatIc efforts to prevent the conflIct escalatIng further. The leader of hezbollah, whIch some western states have desIgnated a terrorIst organIsatIon, Is expected to address the events In a speech later today. ThIs Is the moment a blast rocks beIrut. Hezboll
A second day of explosions in lebanon this time involving walkietalkies used by hezbollah. Lebanon s health ministry says at least 20 people were killed in tuesday s walkietalkie explosions. More than 400 others were wounded. Hezbollah, coming to bury its dead in south beirut today. Casualties of a new chapter in middle east warfare, killed not by air strikes, but by exploding pagers. Apparently, a message from mossad. Among the dead, an 11yearold boy. But even the mourners weren t safe. Explosion. Suddenly, the sound of another blast. Chaos and panic filling the street and a rush to evacuate one of the wounded. The authorities say, this time, walkie talkies exploded, not just in beirut. Here, at a cell phone shop in the southern city of sidon. Israel is being blamed for the past 2a hours of unprecedented attacks. Sirens. Well, one more ambulance there passing by. We ve been seeing them in the last half an hour or so. Also fire brigade trucks. People have been looking at the sky, worr