Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
CNN International: IDF: Investigating why Drone Attack didn't Trigger Alarm; Trump to Focus on the Economy in Pennsylvania; Massive Clean-Up Operations Have Begun in Florida; U.S. Sending 100 Troops, Anti-Missiles System to Israel; Taiwan Condemns China War Games as "Unreasonable Provocation"; NASA Sending Massive Spacecraft to One of Jupiter's Moons. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired October 14, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
AMARA WALKER, CNN HOST: Hi everyone, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is CNN "Newsroom". Just ahead a blow for Israel as Hezbollah attacks an Israeli army base, killing four soldiers and injuring dozens more. Scenes of devastation as Israel strikes a hospital courtyard full of civilians in Gaza. We'll have the latest details.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is sending one of its most powerful antimissile systems to the region, as Iran warns it will retaliate against any new Israeli attacks. And panda diplomacy, CNN travels to southwest China, where two pandas are preparing for their big move to Washington.
It is one of the bloodiest attacks on Israeli soil since the war broke out last year, a Hezbollah drone attack on an Israeli army base Sunday killed four soldiers and wounded more than 60 people. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the army base on Monday, and he vowed to investigate how the drone entered Israel without triggering an alert.
This as the U.S. announced, it will send an advanced antimissile system to Israel to help bolster the country's air defenses, along with about 100 U.S. troops to operate it. Meanwhile, in Gaza, four people were killed, dozens wounded in an Israeli air strike on a hospital compound where displaced Palestinians were sheltering.
That is according to the government media office. On Sunday, more than 41 people, including 13 children, were killed in other Gaza strikes, according to hospital officials. CNN reporters are covering the story from all angles. Ben Wedeman is in Beirut, Lebanon.
But let's start with Jeremy Diamond in Israel. Jeremy, obviously the strike by Hezbollah on an Israeli army base is a blow to Israel. What's the reaction, Ben?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it is one of the most significant attacks on Israel since the beginning of this war, more than a year ago, and it comes, of course, following weeks during which Israel has certainly felt like it has had the upper hand against Hezbollah, that it is fighting a significantly weakened Hezbollah. And yet Hezbollah showing the ability to penetrate deep inside Israel, striking an Israeli military base about 40 miles south of the Israel- Lebanon border, and that drone that actually struck the base actually went undetected, no air raid sirens going off, leading to major questions inside of Israel about how that could have happened and why this drone was neither detected nor intercepted.
The results are quite severe. Four Israeli soldiers were killed in this attack, and at least 61 others were wounded, eight of whom are considered to be in serious condition. The Israeli military is vowing that it will investigate this incident to understand why this drone was neither detected nor ultimately intercepted.
Hezbollah, for its part, says that it fired a round of rockets and fired those drones, at the same time, saying that it was able to successfully avoid Israeli air defense systems. They also talked about multiple drones being used, although the Israeli military has only acknowledged one drone actually hitting this base.
We should note that the Israeli military is, of course, continuing to carry out this ground operation in Southern Lebanon, stretching now approaching now two weeks since Israeli troops first went in there. Of course, they have described this ground operation as limited, targeted raids.
But we do know, of course, that the Israeli military has now established positions in Southern Lebanon from which it is fighting Hezbollah there. And of course, the question is, how deep into Lebanon will they actually go.
WALKER: Jeremy, thank you. And to Ben, Israel has refrained from striking Beirut in recent days. Is there a feeling that this drone strike could see an end to that pause?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The best answer to that, Amara, is this sound you may hear overhead, which is an Israeli drone flying over Beirut. It disappeared from the skies over the capital Friday evening and reappeared this morning, which certainly indicates that Israel is probably looking for targets for a possible strike.
Nonetheless, CNN is reporting that a source familiar with the matter has said that Israel and the United States have reached understandings, one of them being that Israel would refrain from strikes on Beirut.
[08:05:00]
These are understandings reached after Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden had a conversation on Wednesday, although Thursday evening there was a strike in the two strikes in the heart of Beirut that left 22 people dead and 117 wounded. Now, also part of those understandings, according to this source, was the deployment by the United States of this THAAD anti-missile system.
That's the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, which is capable of taking down ballistic missiles. So perhaps there is some sort of understanding. But given yesterday's successful Hezbollah strike on an Israeli military base, that may change this situation.
And certainly, in the past, we've seen that the United States thought they had understandings with Israel, and then Israel turned around and did the exact opposite. A good example, of course, is when the Biden Administration saying that Israel going launching a major offensive in Rafah and the Southern Gaza Strip was a red line.
And it basically now Rafah, as a result of military operations, there is a wasteland. So, the feeling is that perhaps there will be more strikes on the Lebanese capital, even though, as I said, we haven't seen anything since last Thursday evening, Amara.
WALKER: All right. Ben Wedeman and Jeremy Diamond, thanks to both of you. Let's bring in Nada Bashir now, who is tracking the developments in Gaza. Hi there, Nada. What can you tell us about this deadly strike in central Gaza, in this hospital courtyard?
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the second time that we've seen the hospital complex surrounding the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital targeted and struck in a week. But the videos that we have seen emerging from the scene last night in the aftermath is deeply distressing.
In fact, there is a lot of footage that we simply cannot show because it is too harrowing that strike took place in the early hours of this morning, around 01:00 a.m. according to eyewitnesses. Again, targeting the complex of the surroundings of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.
This is an area where thousands of civilians who have been displaced over the course of the war had been taking shelter in makeshift tents. This has been the case for months. This is an area that was known to be sheltering civilians, and what we have seen is these tents engulfed in flames.
Many were, of course, sleeping. There is distressing video of civilians still alive in these tents themselves engulfed in flames. Those trying to put out the fire simply unable to rescue those stuck inside. And of course, this is one of the last few remaining hospitals still functioning in Gaza.
It is one of the main hospitals that is providing care for those injured over the course of this war. It's somewhere where Doctors Without Borders has staff supporting Palestinian medics on the ground. And we've been hearing from Palestinian officials at this stage.
They've placed a death toll as at least 4 people killed and 40 others injured, but that death toll could certainly continue to rise over the course of the day. But again, we've heard from the Israeli military. They have claimed that this was, in their words, the location of a Hamas command and control center.
They have said that efforts were taken to mitigate civilian risk. But again, no actual evidence has been provided to support these claims. What we do know is that the military was aware that this was a place filled with civilians. We've heard from hospital authorities, they believe around 5000 people were sheltering on the hospital grounds, including women and children.
And of course, what we've been seeing in Gaza are these continued evacuation orders, which has made the situation four people on the ground extremely difficult in terms of finding anywhere that is safe and secure. For many, they would have hoped that a hospital would be a safe zone, would be protected.
Clearly, that is not the case. This hasn't been the case now for some time in Gaza, but deeply distressing to see the footage emerging there. And of course, this follows a series of other strikes across central Gaza. Over the weekend, we saw strikes targeting the Al Mufti school, a U.N.-run school, again, another shelter for displaced civilians, dozens killed there as well.
So, a huge amount of concern for the doubling down that we're seeing by the Israeli military in central Gaza. And of course, this is in addition to the desperate situation we're seeing in Northern Gaza, which has essentially been cut off. Not only are airstrikes continuing, but of course, the Israeli military is operating, in their words, with force on the ground there.
We've been hearing from many civilians who have said they are trapped. We've been hearing from medical workers who have said that they are trapped. They are not able to leave and escape the fear of their safety and security. So again, a very distressing situation on the ground.
WALKER: Yeah, a nightmare with no end foreseeably for those civilians.
[08:10:00]
Nada Bashir, thank you. With the latest poll showing no clear leader in the race for the U.S. President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump shoring up as much support as they can in the battleground states. Harris will speak later Monday in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is considered a bellwether county because it has voted with the winning candidate for the last four elections.
The Trump campaign also in Pennsylvania, he will hold a town hall in the coming hours focused on trade and the economy. A day earlier, the former president held a rally in Arizona where he continued to stoke fears about undocumented migrants, and he shook hands with a group of border agents on stage.
Kristen Holmes is in the U.S. capital with more on the Trump campaign. But first, let's start with Kevin Liptak with the latest on the Harris campaign. Welcome to you both. Kevin, the Harris campaign is making this renewed push to blackmail voters. What's the strategy here?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, today, she is unveiling quite a sweeping new proposal. It's an economic plan specifically designed to shore up support among black men. That's a group that Democrats have feared may be sliding towards Donald Trump in this election.
And clearly you see in this plan and in her campaign travel this week, this new imperative to try and bolster her support among that group. This plan is called the opportunity agenda for black men. At its heart, it's designed to create wealth, to help black men start businesses, to help them protect their assets.
It proposes a million new loans, up to $20,000 to black entrepreneurs, new apprenticeship programs hiring more black teachers, a new health initiative for ailments that specifically affect black men. And she's also reiterating her support to legalize recreational marijuana, which she has said before, but what she's saying today, she also wants to help black men become more involved in the nationwide cannabis industry.
So taken together, you really do see this concerted effort. And you know, Democrats have been warning about this for a while now, and even Harris's campaign officials do acknowledge that a lot of black men just feel marginalized by the Democratic Party. They are trying to boost that support.
We saw that start last week with the Former President Barack Obama, and you do see in her campaign schedule this week this concerted effort to talk to black men. Specifically, she will do that in Erie, Pennsylvania. Today, she's visiting a black owned small business. She's also participating in a town hall with the radio host "Charlemagne tha God".
His radio show is very popular among black millennials. The fear is not necessarily that Kamala Harris is going to lose among black men, polls show her winning actually by a wide margin. The concern is that she's underperforming compared to the recent Democratic candidates.
And in a race, that's this tight, any sort of slippage could really have an effect at the end of the day. Now, what we saw Harris doing yesterday is really starting to sharpen her attacks on Donald Trump when it comes to his fitness for office, you'll remember she released a letter from her own doctor.
It was quite unremarkable, really. They say she's healthy. They say she's fit for office. The real point of it was to draw a contrast with Donald Trump, who has not released his own health records. She says that's an indication he could be hiding something. Listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is unwilling to do a "60 Minutes" interview, like every other major party candidate has done for more than half a century. He is unwilling to meet for a second debate. It makes you wonder. Why does his staff want him to hide away? One last question, one must question, are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable --
(END VIDEO CLIP) LIPTAK: So, you hear there her trying to turn the tables really on Trump, who had long accused President Biden of hiding away this at the end of the day, is her closing argument, and you start to see her really sharpening it on the campaign trail.
WALKER: We sure are. And Kristen, Donald Trump, he's also keeping the focus on the economy today. We'll also be holding a town hall. What do we expect to hear?
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, he's saying he's going to keep the focus on the economy, but it's Donald Trump, and so we often know he goes off script. There will be questions about the economy, so there will be at least some part of the focus.
But one of the things we've really heard from Donald Trump lately is this ramping up of his rhetoric on immigration. It's become increasingly dark. It's become increasingly dangerous and polarizing traveled with him over the weekend. He was in Aurora, Colorado. He was in California, and you've really seen him doubling down on this idea on immigration, particularly saying at one point that the country was an occupied America.
[08:15:00]
At another point, referring to it as an enemy within, talking about using a National Guard and military forces in different ways. He's long said that he would do that for protesters, for example, or even possibly when it comes to the issue of immigration, part of the reason that you're going to continue to hear this is because of the fact that Donald Trump and his team believe that this rhetoric is helping him.
They believe in Donald Trump, particularly that immigration and dark language he used around it helped propel him to the White House in 2016 and they believe that it could help him again in November. Now talking about Kamala Harris, one thing that the Trump campaign has pointed out to me, as Kevin said, there is no indication that Trump would win black men in any way.
In fact, Kamala Harris is leading by a wide margin, but the fact that she is spending these final days pushing for black men, a demographic that has traditionally voted Democratic. That to the Trump team, is a sign that they are doing well. They believe that that is a base, and the fact that she has been to secure her base in these final days means that Trump is doing something right.
There is a reason he continues to double down on this rhetoric, and that is because they believe it is going to help him win again. We have seen that national polling showing a slimmer and slimmer margin. There are some indications from certain polls that Trump is chipping away at Kamala Harris's lead.
That is why you shouldn't expect to see any changes in Donald Trump's posture. He even was online posting on truth, social questioning Kamala Harris's cognitive ability, saying she should take tests, essentially saying, at one point, saying that she needed to pass a cognitive test on stamina and agility.
That is just Donald Trump really loading back those are loading up those personal attacks on Kamala Harris. There's no indication that she needs to take any kind of test like this. But he's not changing his rhetoric anytime soon.
WALKER: No, he is not. Kristen Holmes, appreciate your reporting. Thanks to you as well, Kevin Liptak. Still to come, a U.S. President, as U.S. President Joe Biden announces a multimillion-dollar recovery package for Florida's energy grid. We're going to have a live report on the cleanup operations and some of the worst areas affected by hurricane Milton.
Also, an exclusive update on the unlikely diplomatic exchange that's been warming relations between the U.S. and China for more than 50 years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WALKER: Recovery efforts are still in full swing after hurricane Milton hit Florida last week. U.S. President Joe Biden paid a visit there on Sunday, he was briefed by officials on the reconstruction efforts, and he thanked first responders for their work during this crisis.
He also praised the quote, resilience of the people of West Florida, who suffered two major hurricanes in just a matter of weeks.
[08:20:00]
Mr. Biden announced more than 600 million dollars in aid for the energy grid in the areas affected by Milton. Now following his visit to Florida, President Biden traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, and that is where Arlette Saenz is joining me live from. Hi there, Arlette, tell us more about Biden's visit. It was a second visit to Florida in the past few weeks, but he and Ron DeSantis did not meet.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, they didn't. Amara, but President Biden still tried to tout the way that the federal government and state officials are working hand in hand to deal with the aftermath of hurricane Milton. Now President Biden saw the devastation of this hurricane firsthand as he toured St. Petersburg, Florida.
He talked about how the devastation and destruction was not as widespread as had been anticipated, but did acknowledge the personal impact so many in the community are feeling after this hurricane. Now, the President talked about some of those federal response efforts and talked about the way that they've been working with state officials.
And also hailed the fact that this highlights how Americans can come together to help devastated communities. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Go look at the number that showed up around the country, from Canada, California, Nebraska, all over the country, to come here to help. Men and women in uniform, as I said, healthcare personnel, neighbors, helping neighbors and so many more people.
This is all team effort, folks. We made a big difference, and it saved lives. But there's much more to do. We're going to do everything we can to get power back in your home, not only helping you recover, but to help you build back stronger.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: Now, while President Biden was not joined by Governor Ron DeSantis on this visit, he was joined by two other Republicans from Florida, that includes Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, and Congressman Rick sorry, Senator Rick Scott, he said that really this disaster relief should be a bipartisan effort.
And one thing that the administration is also confronting in this moment is the need for additional disaster relief aid to be passed in Congress. Officials have said that they have what they need in the immediate future to deal with the response to both hurricane Helene and hurricane Milton, but they have warned that those funds could dwindle.
FEMA has already run through nearly half of the $20 billion that Congress had recently approved. They did that in just one week. Now, Biden has said that passing additional aid should be a top priority for Congress. They haven't given an estimate yet of how much they will ask for. But one thing that they are trying to assess is not just how to deal with this response effort, but also plan for any other natural disasters that could be around the corner.
There are still several weeks left in hurricane season. So, officials want to ensure that they have enough aid for FEMA, have enough aid for the Small Business Administration to help small business owners and homeowners recover some of the property that they may have lost, and they're pushing for Congress to do more.
Now so far, House Speaker Mike Johnson has shown no signs of budging, saying that he will not bring back the House early to deal with this matter, likely pushing any additional aid past the election, but it does come at a time when you have heard bipartisan calls for more funding for disaster relief, as they're trying to help so many of the impacted communities in Florida and states like North Carolina as well.
WALKER: Yeah, there are so many people who need these funds. It's very important. Just quickly before we let you go, Arlette, what's on the president's agenda for this week?
SAENZ: Well, President Biden is currently here in Wilmington, Delaware. Tomorrow, he is actually heading to Pennsylvania. He will be doing a political engagement in Philadelphia. It comes at a time when the election is just three weeks away. We're waiting to see exactly how President Biden will be deployed in those final weeks. Aides and those within the campaign have said that they believe that he can be beneficial, especially in states like those blue wall, states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where he won back in 2020 and he can appeal to those working-class union type voters. So, we will see how else the President is deployed. Going forward, there are only three weeks left until Election Day.
WALKER: Just three weeks, Arlette Saenz, good to see you in Wilmington, Delaware. Thank you. Meantime, millions in Florida are picking up the pieces and rebuilding their communities after two major hurricanes in just two weeks. Officials say the death toll from Milton currently stands at 23 and while power is being gradually restored.
Cleanup and recovery efforts are being hampered by the lack of fuel in some areas. In the hard-hit Tampa St. Petersburg area -- 77 percent of stations are out of gas.
[08:25:00]
Isabel Rosales has extensively reported from Florida in the immediate aftermath of hurricanes Milton and Helene. She's joining me now live. Isabel, can you hear me?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Amara, sorry about that. Lost you for a second there, but I can certainly get into you know what's happening on the ground in Florida, where it's such a daunting task for Floridians ahead to recover from this, a lot of them dealing with a lack of electricity, a lack of fuel to help them get to those areas to turn the page on this thing, and flooding is still a major concern there.
We have Sheriff Chad Chronister in Hillsborough County, who's been warning folks, hey, we're not out of the woods yet. They're still active flooding warnings for rivers like the Withlacoochee River in Pasco County. You have the Hillsborough River. You have the Alafia River over in the Valrico and Lithia area of Hillsborough County, where I was at.
And I saw so many homes cars underwater, truly just devastating conditions all of that while folks are still actively dealing with that is going to slow down recovery. And then let's talk about fuel. Fuel such an important resource there, suppliers are working around the clock to make sure that gas stations have that fuel.
So, people again can turn the next page in Florida, according to GasBuddy, a tracking website, 30 percent just under 30 percent of gas stations have no fuel, and that's especially true of Tampa and St. Petersburg over in Pinellas County, that were so badly hit.
The state saying that over 37 million gallons of fuel have been delivered and police are -- we've seen images of police escorting fuel tankers to make sure they get to those right areas and even opening up public fueling sites, giving people up to 10 gallons of fuel for free.
And we also heard Governor Ron DeSantis saying that a major priority here is debris removal that became hugely important before Milton was coming down, because all of that debris from Helene, while those are flying projectiles, extremely dangerous, and we are not out of the woods yet.
We're still in hurricane season, so what they've done is remove a lot of the red tape, sizing, weight restrictions for vehicles, to get that stuff out of there as soon as possible. And then, of course, FEMA funding also so important to give people, you know, money to work with to get their lives back as best as they can to a new normal.
Biden, of course, visited the area on Saturday, the Tampa Bay area, and he approved a major disaster declaration. This opens up FEMA funding for things like home repair, basic needs and temporary housing. Back to you.
WALKER: All right, Isabel, let's hope that there is not another storm as they continue these recovery efforts. Isabel Rosales, thank you so much. Still to come, Iran's Foreign Minister has a warning for Israel as Tehran braces for a possible Israeli attack, we will be live in Tehran, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00]
WALKER: And more now on our top story, the U.S. says it's sending an advanced anti-missile system to Israel, along with about 100 troops to operate it. The Pentagon says it wants to help bolster Israel's air defenses after Iran's unprecedented attacks against it this year. Now, this comes as Iran says it is ready to respond to any action or quote, misstep by Israel.
We are live in Tehran with CNN's Fred Pleitgen. Fred, we've heard that Iran will respond to any further Israeli attacks. What's the feeling there?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think right now, what we're hearing is a lot of pretty bold talk coming from the Iranians. It's something really Amara over this weekend, where we've heard the rhetoric really quite escalate here in Tehran.
One of the things that we were told by a source very familiar with the discussions exactly what you were just saying there, that the Iranians are now saying that they will respond to any attack coming from Israel, that there will be retaliation. And they'd say that they've actually informed all the countries here in the region about that, but specifically also informed the United States as well.
Now, of course, all that happens through intermediaries, as the two countries do not have direct diplomatic relations with one another, but the Iranian now -- the Iranians now being very clear about all of this, and at the same time, you have the diplomatic track, if you will, where you had the Foreign Minister of Iran who's been traveling various countries here in the region.
But the most recent stop was Baghdad and Iraq, where, once again, he said that Iran, at this point in time, is ready for war, but also ready for peace as he puts it. Right now, the Iranians make no secret of the fact that they believe that the situation here in the Middle East is extremely dangerous and could lead to a wider conflict at the same time, they have said that they do not want any more escalation.
Of course, they're also saying that, essentially, right now, they believe that the ball is very firmly in the court of the Israelis. And of course, the allies of these Israelis being the United States. The foreign minister, by the way, also warning the United States about deploying those terminal, high altitude air defense systems, anti- ballistic missile systems, along with U.S. troops to Israel, saying that that puts U.S. troops at risk.
One of the other things that we thought was quite interesting this weekend as well Amara is that the Speaker of Iranian Parliament landed in Beirut, Lebanon. He actually piloted his own aircraft flying into Beirut, and there, he not only spoke about Iran's support for Hezbollah, but also gave a warning to the countries here in the region not to allow Israel to use their airspace for an attack on Iran, saying that that could have negative repercussions for them as well.
So, you can see there's a flurry of diplomacy going on here in the Middle East, certainly by the Iranians at the same time, they also say that for them right now, deterrence is the name of the game Amara.
WALKER: Yeah, it has been for quite some time, hasn't it? Frederik Pleitgen, good to see you. Thank you. Let's get right to the Pentagon now and CNN's Oren Liebermann. Oren, I mean, this is a rare move by the U.S. to deploy troops, boots on the ground and military equipment to Israel, especially its prized THAAD anti-missile system. What's the reasoning behind it?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S., as Fred pointed out, is watching very closely Iranian threats to retaliate to any Israeli attack. The U.S., senior leaders here in the Pentagon and at the White House have been in touch with Israeli counterparts, and they know an Israeli response is coming.
They have tried to consult and not on that response and try to shape it in whatever way they can. But Israel has promised to respond, and that means Iran has promised to retaliate. We saw the potential damage, the impact, the power of Iran's barrage on October 1st, and even before that, on April 13th, a massive barrage of ballistic missiles.
So that THAAD battery deployment is specifically to assist in countering that threat, first, a deterrent, but then should Iran choose to retaliate in a similar fashion again? It is another system in Israel to carry out air defenses. Israel obviously has its own very capable air defenses, but at some point, and with barrages that large launch from Iran, it's not just a question of quality.
It is a question of quantity, and that is very much what THAAD, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, adds to the system. It's another system they're capable of intercepting short, medium and long-range ballistic missiles. It can intercept them at about 100 miles or more. It can detect them at more than 10 times that range.
So, you get a sense of its capability there. It has been deployed to Israel before, back in 2019 for training exercise. It's been deployed to the region, including after the October 7th terror attack on Israel, and before that, it actually had its first operational interception in the UAE back in January 2022 when it intercepted two Houthi ballistic missiles.
So, it has shown its ability in the past to intercept ballistic missiles, and that may be what it's called upon to do once again, and that's very much why the U.S. is sending the THAAD battery to Israel. As you pointed out the U.S. doesn't have many of these batteries, so each one of these deployments is a significant statement on the part of the U.S. as to where they see a threat and how to handle that threat.
[08:35:00]
We don't have a timeline on when the THAAD will arrive, but at least in principle, the system is designed to be able to deploy -- to be able to be deployed quickly on U.S. cargo aircraft. So, we're watching very closely to see how soon it gets to Israel and how quickly it is set up there?
WALKER: Oren Liebermann thanks for watching this for us. Appreciate it. Now, CNN is learning about at least one new strike inside Lebanon, in a city called Aitou this is at the country's north. Let's get back to CNN's Ben Wedeman in Beirut. Ben, what do we know?
WEDEMAN: Well, we know that the initial death toll, according to the Ministry of Health, is nine. That is expected to rise. This strike was fairly large and significant because it's up in an area called Zgharta, which is largely a very Christian area, sort of the Christian Heartland in Lebanon. So, the question is, what was the potential target?
Now there have been, of course, 1.2 million, at least 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced from the south of the country, from the Bekaa Valley and from the southern suburbs of Beirut. So, they may be people who took refuge in that particular area. But of course, it's not the only strike in Lebanon today.
We're seeing yet again, intense Israeli air strikes along the border area. Here in Beirut however, there has not been a strike since last Thursday. But clearly, the Israelis have they struck further north in Lebanon before this strike in Zgharta. So, it really fits the pattern of the escalating war, open warfare, full scale war between Israel and Lebanon, Amara.
WALKER: Ben Wedeman, thank you very much. Let's talk more about all that's going on with David Sanger. He's CNN's Political and National Security Analyst. David, a lot to talk about. Good to see you.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL & NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you. WALKER: Let's first of all focus on the THAAD anti-missile system that the U.S. is deploying, along with about 100 troops to help operate it. We know that Israel already has several other anti-missile systems in place like the Iron Dome and David Sling. What additional capabilities will the THAAD Battery give Israel?
SANGER: Well, they also have a THAAD that the U.S. sent after the October 7th terror attacks last year. But what this does is just reduce the chances that an Iranian ballistic missile attack could score many points inside Israel. So far, the Israelis have been quite lucky, on the two attacks that Iran has launched directly from its territory have not done very much damage.
That wouldn't have really been anticipated prior to these exchanges, which began in April. But I think the Israelis and the Americans think it's very possible that luck could run out, and so they want to bolster this and make the Iranians think it's going to be an even harder job to escalate.
Now the big unknown out here is when and how the Israelis are going to retaliate? You know, after the April attack Amara, they were very eager to strike back right away. This time, given the failures of the -- some of these attacks, they've taken a lot more time and seem to enjoy watching the Israelis, kind of the Iranians, I'm sorry, kind of dangle in anticipation of this.
WALKER: So yeah, that leads me to my next question about Israel's next steps, right? Obviously, I'm not going to ask you to predict when and how this is going to happen? But the fact that they haven't retaliated just yet, and now you have the THAAD anti-missile system being dispatched to Israel. Do you think that this will serve as a huge deterrent for Iran when Israel does retaliate against Iran?
SANGER: Well, we were listening to your previous reports and the Iranian recent threats, I think the Iranians are talking themselves into a position where they can't sort of let this thing lie the way they did in April, where they had done an attack on Israel. Israel retaliated, and everybody sort of called it a day, and I think that's going to be more difficult for them now.
It is interesting that the Israeli Defense Minister, Minister Gallant has said that the attacks would come in surprising ways and ways that the Iranians would not see coming. And that suggests more kinds of covert actions that they have done before, for example, making buildings blow up from sabotage inside.
[08:40:00]
They've done that to some facilities around the nuclear program and so forth. Rather than sending aircraft or barrages of missiles, there could be a combination of the two. But I think the Israeli calculation at this point is find ways to make a point without so backing the Iranians into a corner that you get into this escalating cycle of missile attacks and counter attacks.
WALKER: Also want to focus on what's happening with Lebanon and Hezbollah. There was this pause after -- you know the -- there was some kind of understanding reach between U.S. and Israeli officials and so, we haven't seen strikes in Beirut from Israel since Friday. But of course, now you have this attack on an Israeli army base on Sunday that killed four Israeli soldiers. How do you see this potentially playing out?
SANGER: Well, two separate parts of that. First, the awful attack over the weekend was a drone attack, and it's interesting that Hezbollah has turned to drones because they're a harder thing for the Israeli systems, including Iron Dome, which does short range missiles to pick up, and this one clearly pierce the defenses. It may have been launched in co-ordination with a missile attack that was basically meant to distract the Israeli defenses elsewhere.
The second interesting part of this is the Israelis are now trying to sort of win the propaganda war a bit more. They've invited reporters to come over the border and look at some hidden Hezbollah facilities that were right over the Israeli border and so forth. So, they're trying to ramp up the concept that this was an ongoing threat so close to their border that they could not put up with it the way the U.S. couldn't put up with such a threat if it was right on its borders as well.
I'm not sure whether or not that is going to win back much public opinion, but it is interesting that they are trying to make the argument here.
WALKER: And lastly, I'm just curious, you know what those conversations may be sounding like between the U.S. and Israel, especially that phone call between Biden and Netanyahu, the first in two months, leading to an understanding. What's your take on that?
SANGER: So, we don't know very much about that phone call. It's interesting how tight they have kept that. One has to assume that it was probably as tense as the previous ones they have had. And I see that there was a follow up conversation over the weekend between Defense Minister Gallant and Lord Austin, the U.S. Defense Secretary.
It does seem that these conversations may have led to a pause in the bombardment of Lebanon, which the administration has been deeply uncomfortable with, in part because the Israelis clearly are using a good number of U.S. weapons along the way.
But the history of these conversations between the president and the prime minister is that they reach some kind of short-term accord, but they can't seem to get on the same page for the long-term issues, signing the ceasefire and hostage exchange, coming up with a ceasefire agreement for Lebanon.
You may remember the U.S. thought it was on the verge of one two weeks ago, and it was just before the assassination of Nasrallah, the Hezbollah Leader. So, I'm not sure that at this point the prime minister is doing anything other than waiting out the election.
WALKER: David Sanger, always good to have you. Thank you.
SANGER: Thank you.
WALKER: China sends a message to separatists by launching military drills around Taiwan. We're going to get reaction from the region after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:00]
WALKER: Taiwan is condemning the latest round of Chinese military drills around the island, calling them an unreasonable provocation. Beijing is deploying warships and fighter jets around Taiwan as a warning to what it calls separatist acts, Will Ripley has more.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in the Taiwanese capital, there is certainly no palpable sense of panic. Most people just going about their daily lives, even as leaders condemn this latest round of People's Liberation Army drills.
China pointing to last week's speech by Taiwan President Lai Ching-Te as the reason for launching these drills, although experts say they were probably just combing through his speech, looking for any line that they could use as an excuse, frankly, to launch yet another round of military exercises.
They did the same thing after Taiwan's presidential inauguration back in May of this year. Those drills, by Taiwanese estimates, cost China millions of dollars. They say China spent billions of dollars during the whole year of 2023 staging military drills near Taiwan.
So, people around here are certainly used to this. In the scheme of things, these drills are not as large or intense as of yet as previous drills that we've seen, even though China did dispatch one of their aircraft carriers off the East Coast of Taiwan. But analysts say these exercises are still very dangerous and problematic, and a reason for Taiwan and the world to be concerned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN MING-CHI, CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY CHINA, NATIONAL TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY: I think they want to impose a new normal. They are approaching closer and closer, so it's highly dangerous that will leave us very short response time.
WEN-TI SUNG, GLOBAL CHINA HUB, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Beijing definitely wants to show force, but it doesn't want to show force to increase so much intensity or quality so as to almost force the hand of American presidential candidates to come up with much more tougher line posture against Beijing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: For its part, the U.S. is warning that these military drills have the potential to ratchet up tensions in this region. China's Coast Guard also involved. They put out a map on Chinese state media showing those red blocks the different locations around Taiwan where the drills are taking place, also at Taiwan's outlying Matsu Islands.
And what experts say is that this is intended to show Taiwan what a blockade could look like. Of course, a blockade, analysts say could be a precursor to an invasion. Taiwan relies very heavily on imports of among other things, coal to generate energy, so a blockade could very quickly turn the lights off here for a lot of people. And yet, regular folks who are aware of these drills say this has been happening. They're used to it, and they're going on with their daily lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TANG WEI-CHENG, TAIPEI RESIDENT: If they actually attack, we'll just have to deal with it. Hopefully they won't.
HSU PENG-SHENG, TAIPEI RESIDENT: I think no matter what happens, peace is the most important thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: Keeping the peace is certainly a priority of a lot of folks around here and these drills well-provocative experts say aren't really moving the needle any closer towards an actual armed confrontation will. Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
WALKER: Will, thank you for that. Two stupendous new guests, yes, I said it. Are preparing for a fresh start in the U.S. a CNN exclusive report on these unbearably cute bears. I know it's a cheesy morning. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:50:00]
WALKER: Preparations are underway for two giant pandas to move from Southwestern China to Washington, D.C. A team from the Smithsonian National Zoo is on the ground in Sichuan (ph) Province to help with the transition. And CNN is the only U.S. media there and our David Culver got an exclusive firsthand look at the bilateral effort to keep panda diplomacy alive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've traveled here to Sichuan, China for a rare look at preparing these pandas for their very long journey.
CULVER (voice-over): We're in and around the city of Chengdu. It's known for spicy hot pot it's mountainous landscape and giant pandas.
CULVER: We're actually going to go meet now with some of the folks from the Smithsonian National Zoo from D.C. who have flown here and are part of the transition team to bring Bao Li and Ching Bao back to the U.S. We can't go back there, but that's where Bao Li and Ching Bao are. They're in quarantine. And those you saw there were the zookeepers from the National Zoo, as well as some caretakers from China. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, they both have pretty different personalities. Bao Li has a huge personality, so he's very vocal, he's very energetic, and he's always kind of like up doing something. Ching Bao is the polar opposite. She can be almost always found in a tree or sleeping on her climbing structure.
CULVER (voice-over): The panda pair will fill a void at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. For the past 11 months, the panda exhibit has sat empty. Now as part of the terms of the Smithsonian's exchange program with China, late last year, the zoo's three pandas were sent back here to Chengdu.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think people realize how touched?
CULVER: When you're here I mean, in this setting, what has stood out to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here the sheer number of pandas.
CULVER: It's crazy really.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is crazy --
CULVER: Turn here and you're like, oh, wait, you can go there. You can go there. Nowhere else do we have something like this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nowhere else in the scenery is obviously beautiful, and the commitment.
CULVER: Pandas were on the brink of extinction, but in recent years, they've moved from endangered to vulnerable. But there's still more work to do.
CULVER (voice-over): The panda exchange, also called panda diplomacy, dates back more than 50 years now, when China gifted two pandas to the U.S. following President Nixon's historic visit.
CULVER: Today, they're given on loan, and they are a strategic diplomatic tool, serving as ambassadors of hope and spreading global goodwill. Somehow, pandas were able to unite nations, something we could use about right now. David Culver, CNN, Chengdu, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALKER: David, thank you. In an extraordinary first SpaceX has launched and landed part of the world's most powerful rocket system.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 4, 3, 2, 1. We have left Earth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: The starship was piloted remotely, and for the first time, its incredibly powerful rocket booster was navigated back to Earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can see those chopsticks the spectacular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALKER: That is incredibly spectacular. I understand those cheers for sure. The so called super heavy booster measures roughly the same as a 20-storey building, and in an extremely precise maneuver, the booster was caught in midair by a pair of metal pincers they called chopsticks.
[08:55:00]
And the successful landing is the latest step in SpaceX's mission to recover and reuse their equipment with the goal of making space travel cheaper. That was so incredible to watch. And SpaceX has another mission heading into space today, the massive Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch from Florida in the next few hours.
It is headed for Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons. And the clipper will gather information on the moon's icy shell, and could help scientists learn if there is actually an ocean underneath it. Scientists suspect that the ingredients for life could exist there. Wow. All right, thank you so much for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" with Eleni Giokos is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
