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CNN International: Hamas Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh Killed in Tehran; Israel Says Beirut Strike Killed Senior Hezbollah Commander Fu'ad Shukr; Harris and VP Pick to Hold First Rally on Tuesday; in Venezuela, Protests Continue Amid Disputed Election Results; Team U.S.A. Gymnastics Brings Home Gold; Triathletes Swim in Seine After Water Quality Concerns. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired July 31, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:08]
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us around the world. I am Max Foster. Two back-to-back developments that could push a region already on edge closer to the brink. First, the assassination of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh. We are hearing reaction and condemnation from countries across the Middle East and indeed the world. Hamas says he was killed in Tehran on Tuesday after meeting with Iran's newly elected president, which you see here, and attending his inauguration.
Iran's state media say an airborne guided projectile was used to hit the building where Haniyeh was staying in the Iranian capital. Hamas was quick to blame Israel, calling it a Zionist strike. Israel says it doesn't respond to reports in the foreign media. Haniyeh has been part of Hamas for decades and was a key figure in the stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Former Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, posting on X says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing the region and the world to the brink of catastrophe.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, Jomana Karadsheh, both here with me now. Nick, first of all, just explain what a key figure Haniyeh was and what we know so about the attack.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, look, this is one of the leading moderate and most recognizable faces of Hamas and somebody who essentially deeply involved in all the negotiations that have been happening for months, who the U.S. invested so much political capital on the global stage and diplomatically over as well.
What we know about this attack is pretty limited at this stage. We know an explosion occurred at about two o'clock in the morning in northern Tehran. It appears to be that only Haniyeh and his bodyguards were killed by this blast. That would suggest something that was pretty precise, pretty targeted, maybe quite limited. And the phrasing been used by Iranian state media here is a guided airborne projectile, which frankly could be anything.
Might suggest it's less likely to be an Israeli jet firing a missile, but we still have so many holes in explaining how this extraordinary violation of Iranian security even occurred. And of course, it's 24 hours after the inauguration that Haniyeh was attending. It's a challenge to the comparatively moderate new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian. And it's also clearly direct challenge to the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini.
He said that Israel will face harsh punishment for attacking what he referred to as a guest in Iran's house. I'm paraphrasing there, but we're into a dark and very hard to fathom chapter here. The southern Beirut attack against Hezbollah left many deeply concerned. We could see a conflagration along the northern Israeli-Lebanese border. But now, we have a whole extra thought to have about quite how Iran, Hezbollah's key backer, responds to this extraordinary violation of their sovereignty.
FOSTER: I mean, they'll feel insulted. They'll feel violated. This was sovereign soil.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Quite an embarrassment for the Iranians, as Nick was saying. Their intelligence and their security apparatus, something like this happening on Iranian soil, very embarrassing. And this is why you are bound to see the Iranians responding somehow. But as Nick was saying, how, we don't know, we'll have to wait and see. But it is certainly something that has put the entire region yet again on edge, I mean this has just been a very, very dangerous 24 hours for the region.
FOSTER: Because these two together, if it was just one, it would be less concerning. They came together. So, how would you describe the --
KARADSHEH: There are some in the region who are seeing this as provocations and an attempt by the Israelis to push for some sort of retaliation, some sort of an escalation happening within 24 hours. When you have these two targeted killings taking place in Beirut and in Tehran, especially really in Tehran, the feeling is that this is pushing the Iranians, their proxies in the region, to some sort of response. What that is, we're all waiting to see.
FOSTER: And the keeps -- and we keep hearing that no one wants a war. Iran doesn't want a war. So, how do they respond? By making that point and asserting themselves in this incident, but not escalating to the extent where we're in now in a war?
PATON WALSH: Nobody wants to war really because it would be catastrophic for everybody involved. The U.S. doesn't want it ahead of an election, messing up their foreign policy Israel probably has overstretched after its long war in Gaza and is facing in Hezbollah an enemy with a phenomenal rocket arsenal that could do significant damage to their population centers. Lebanon does not want the specter of Israeli airstrikes over its key cities like Beirut where Hezbollah has a stronghold.
And Iran look, they try and walk ten-feet tall the whole time. And you heard the fiery rhetoric from the supreme leader today, but they're suffering from sanctions. They've just had years of unrest. Now, there's a more moderate president in power than Khomeini, frankly, would probably have liked to have seen. So, none of them really want it, but none of them can afford at this point to lose face, particularly Iran, after something like this.
But it's important to look at the two events of the last 24 hours in sort of slight separation there, completely connected in what will happen afterwards.
[08:05:00]
But the strike on southern Beirut, you could argue, was a targeted Israeli response for what happened in the Golan Heights over the weekend, the killing of predominantly teenagers playing football who (inaudible). We knew there'll be an Israeli response and they went a little bit further I think than anybody might have expected by hitting southern Beirut. But after that. you might consider a tit-for-tat had occurred.
This extra assassination of Haniyeh, fully within what Israel has always said it would do. They've always said they would go after Hamas leadership. Did they say they'd go into northern Tehran and carry out an attack like this? Well, they've done it before, frankly, with nuclear scientist in 2020. And so, a lot of questions as to what Iran is actually going to be able to do next.
FOSTER: Yeah.
PATON WALSH: And what's within it sort of pain threshold. And a lot of this will be factored in by the Israelis before they even launched an attack like this. But there's a key question and that's really U.S. involvement here. Secretary Blinken has said that they were not aware, they were not involved in this attack. (inaudible) belief to me, frankly, that there'll be no heads up to the United States of a move like this.
FOSTER: It would be courtesy, wouldn't it?
PATON WALSH: I mean, yeah, five minutes beforehand. But we simply don't know the full extent and I'm sure Secretary Blinken is telling the absolute truth here. But, if this means that a key movement like this was made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without telling the United States, then where is that relationship now? What traction does the Biden Administration even have after his recent visit to Washington?
KARADSHEH: And what does it do next? Where does -- yeah, the role of U.S. diplomacy right now to try and de-escalate this situation, right?
FOSTER: Yes. I want to ask you about the peace process because Qatar made an interesting comment, which was how can these negotiations continue? Qatar is obviously hosting them, if one of the key negotiators has been assassinated effectively.
KARADSHEH: I mean, it's a very strong statement coming from the --
FOSTER: (Inaudible) was right?
KARADSHEH: Key player in these negotiations.
FOSTER: Yeah.
KARADSHEH: Of course, there have been -- they've stalled over the past few months, but they have been ongoing and quite delicate talks at this point in time for the release of the hostages, for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. And there are critics of the Israeli prime minister who have accused him time and time again of attempts at sabotaging these talks because they've always felt that it is in his interest to prolong any war, the wars that are going on, to stay in office. It's all about his political survival, really, as many have seen it.
So, you've had this very strong statement coming from the Qataris, the prime minister posting on X saying that the approach of political assassination does prompt the question of how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side? So really, big questions about what happens next. But clearly, at this point in time, it's very hard to imagine that these talks are going to resume anytime soon.
PATON WALSH: Extraordinary to hear Secretary Blinken, this morning, talking about how the ceasefire is the goal, almost as though this extraordinary move by the Israelis to kill one of the negotiators they've been talking with for months, that it hasn't (ph) somehow disrupted the process.
FOSTER: And so, there was a hold at the very least, right?
PATON WALSH: I think you can say a few days, people aren't going to pick up the phones, particularly one of them. But I mean, we're in a horrific moment here, I think where the concept of U.S. traction slipping is there as we reach this very dangerous moment of unpredictability.
KARADSHEH: A lot of people asking question about the timing, why now?
PATON WALSH: Yeah.
FOSTER: Why now? Well, what's the theory?
KARADSHEH: It is a question for the --
FOSTER: What do you mean, why now, so close to the Beirut strike?
KARADSHEH: No, why now, like why go after Haniyeh right now --
FOSTER: Yes.
KARADSHEH: -- when where there was a feeling that these talks are back on track, when they are getting closer, when -- why is it happening? Why did the Israelis choose to go after Haniyeh right now?
FOSTER: And they've created the risk of a more hard-line leader coming in to replace him, presumably.
PATON WALSH: Ultimately, you will find a place down the line where Hamas and Israel are (ph) having to speak to each other again. Some way of solving the horrors of what's happening in Gaza now goes back to the negotiating table and we simply don't know how well it was going inside those closed doors. But this, certainly, means that any progress is out the window for a significant period of time.
But there are so many other calculations here that I'm sure are being taken behind closed doors that we're not aware of.
FOSTER: Yes.
PATON WALSH: It doesn't mean that they're good or that they're wise, but it does inform what happens next.
FOSTER: Nick, Jomana, thank you both very much indeed. News of Haniyeh's death comes just hours, of course, after Israel also claimed to have targeted and killed the top military commander of Hezbollah in a drone strike in southern Beirut. Hezbollah hasn't confirmed Fu'ad Shukr's death, but it has said he was in the building at the time of the attack. Lebanon's health ministry says two women and two children were killed and more than 70 others injured.
The IDF blamed Shukr for a deadly rocket attack in the occupied Golan Heights last weekend, as Nick was saying. Hezbollah has denied it was responsible for that attack, which killed 12 children. CNN's senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, is in Beirut. I mean, you would have been reporting on one incident, but you can't now ignore the second incident that happened in Iran. How or will Hezbollah be trying to decompress this?
[08:10:00]
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hezbollah has actually been surprisingly quiet since this strike happened last night. They put out one statement is saying that the as far as the strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut go, that civil defense workers are trying to clear away the rubble. And hopefully, the fate of Fu'ad Shukr, this senior Hezbollah commander will become clear. But, I think it's obvious that he is dead at this point, as the Israelis are claiming.
Now, certainly, tensions were already high when the strike -- after the strike happened. The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the heart of Tehran, however, really ups the tensions even further. Keeping in mind, of course, that not only Hezbollah, but the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq and Syria are all aligned with Iran, and don't forget that back on April 1, Israel struck a diplomatic complex in Damascus which set off rising tensions back then, which resulted not long afterwards on Iran launching more than 300 projectiles at Israel, at which point everyone thought that the region was on the brink of a massive regional war.
Now, this strike in Tehran was on Iranian sovereign territory, not a diplomatic compound in another country. And certainly, one would expect a similar sort of response from the Iranians. And given the strike last night in Beirut, it's not -- wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that Hezbollah might coordinate its counterstrike with Iran. Having said that, of course, the Hezbollah is very hesitant to get into a full-scale war with Israel. Keep in mind that Hezbollah is Iran's sort of insurance policy against Israel attacking Iran in a much larger way.
So, it's a complicated puzzle of contradictory and crossing interests here, but it's also a minefield of possible miscalculations and everyone seems to be stumbling through it. Max?
FOSTER: What are you most concerned about? Obviously, you know, there's always nervousness in Tel Aviv, for example, when tensions rise with Hezbollah. But, what are you concerned about? I guess, we're looking at the scale of the response coming from Hezbollah because they will probably feel the need to do something.
WEDEMAN: There will be something and keep in mind, of course, that over the last more than nine months, there have been a variety of instances where Israel has killed senior field commanders and Hezbollah responded with an intensification of attacks on Israeli positions, restricted to the border, restricted mostly to military positions. So in theory, one might expect that this might be the same thing, just to a greater magnitude. Hezbollah, obviously, for its own purposes, public relations has to do something.
But keep in mind, it does something every day. Yesterday, there were 11 reported strikes by Hezbollah on Israeli targets. Perhaps the response will be something much larger, but still within what are broadly known as the rules of engagement, an unwritten understanding between the two sides that both sides will focus predominantly on military targets, avoid mass casualties. Obviously, that wasn't the case last Saturday, when 12 Druze Syrian children were killed in what appears to have been an errant rocket firing by Hezbollah in the Syria, the Israeli occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
But, these rules of engagement have stayed in place more or less with notable exceptions. Since Hezbollah started opening fire on Israel on October 8, and I think both sides, apart from, for instance, the strike yesterday in Beirut, want to stay, for their own good, within those broad and sometimes broadening rules of engagement. Max?
FOSTER: Ben Wedeman in Beirut, thank you. More to come on our breaking news, the assassination of Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
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[08:16:55]
FOSTER: The latest on our breaking news, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in the Iranian capital of Tehran early on Wednesday. Iranian state media says he was killed around 2:00 a.m. local time by an airborne guided projectile that struck where he was staying in Tehran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps blamed Israel for the strike and said it will face a "harsh and painful response." Israel has so far not commented or claimed responsibility.
Israel has, however, claimed responsibility for a strike in Lebanon's capital that targeted a senior Hezbollah commander. Fu'ad Shukr was present at the time of the strike in southern Beirut, according to a statement from Hezbollah. Israel's military said that Shukr was killed in that attack. On Tuesday, Lebanon's health ministry says two women and two children were also killed in the attack.
And let's get more analysis. Sanam Vakil is the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. She joins me now. Thank you so much for joining us. I mean, Ben Wedeman just describing there, how he doesn't see any other option than Hezbollah responding in some way, even if it's just for PR purposes. So here's the question we're asking today, what the scale of that response will be?
SANAM VAKIL, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAMME, CHATHAM HOUSE: Well, thanks for having me. I don't think it's going to happen at this point. Iran also has made it clear, by pointing a finger at Israel (inaudible).
FOSTER: OK, we got stuck in there. We're going to try to come back to you. I'm so sorry. We've got a problem with your signal or sound or something, we're going to fix that and come back to you. Thank you so much.
I want to play you now an interview with Maha Yahya. She's Director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. She says a regional conflict could change Lebanon as we know it today. I spoke to her alongside with my colleague, Becky Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: I'm very concerned, the Khomeini just came out and said that this happened on Iranian soil and therefore, we have a responsibility to respond. Unlike the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, this did happen in Tehran. And so, I am very concerned and that Iran is going to want to respond in a certain way that sends a message.
However, I think they will think carefully about this, knowing full well that any kind of response is going to pull an American reaction and it's not just about Israel, it's also about the U.S. And the last thing Iran wants right now is to get into a direct conflict with the United States at this point.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR AND MANAGING EDITOR OF CNN ABU DHABI: Let me (ph) ask you this, it's Becky Anderson here out of London today.
YAHYA: Hi, Becky.
ANDERSON: Let me ask you, could you -- hi, good to have you on.
[08:20:00]
You're on the ground in Beirut. I've been watching what you've been posting over the last 24 hours in response, of course, to the assassination of the Hezbollah leader there. What -- how would you describe the atmosphere and what are your sources telling you about what happens next?
YAHYA: What happens next is really an unknown at this point. No one has any idea in terms of how Hezbollah is going to respond. They still haven't even announced that Fu-ad Shukr is dead. The statement that they've just put out earlier today said that he was in the building, but did not confirm that he was killed. Earlier reports had indicated that he was in the building, but had left, so we're not sure where things are on that front.
But the mood is very somber. People are very anxious and very worried about the prospect of an escalation, one that Lebanon cannot afford. Lebanon has been down this road so many times with Israel already -- 1978, 1982, 1993, 1996, and 2006. These are all dates of Israeli invasions of Lebanon or war between Lebanon and Israel. So, it's not something that the Lebanese want to see yet or live through one more time.
There's also quite a bit of cynicism around that the fact that Israel is using the horrific attack on Majdal Shams in a way to kind of eliminate more of its adversaries and do away with the prospect of any ceasefire with the Palestinians. They really want to turn this into a conflict between Israel and Iran rather than with the Palestinians. There's a lot of concern around that, which then means that this will not be limited to -- this is going to drag in the U.S. and others into the fold, especially if Iran's other partners and proxies in the region also get involved as we're all expecting, and as they have already.
FOSTER: You've obviously studied how Hezbollah operates for many years. Why do you think they're not confirming the death? Are they trying to figure out a strategy and a message there?
YAHYA: They are probably trying to figure out what to do next, on the one hand, and perhaps -- I mean, they may not have located the body, quite honestly. They are still searching under the rubble. The toll has now risen to four dead and 80 injured as a result of this attack. So, I think they're buying some time, probably to try and coordinate with Iran, and see how best to respond to this and in what way.
They cannot take it sitting down. At the same time, they understand that any kind of response is going to drag -- bring on another reaction from Israel and we could just go down the path of a regional conflict that will literally see the end of Lebanon as it is today.
ANDERSON: Yeah. I mean what a statement.
YAHYA: It's perfect.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
YAHYA: It says (ph) just the prospects are just terrific and it's frightening.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
YAHYA: The sense of adventurism I think and the sense of impunity that this particular Israeli government is showing. I mean, the key to all of this is a ceasefire in Gaza. Get a ceasefire, I mean enough -- enough bloodshed, enough killing.
ANDERSON: Yeah. YAHYA: Get a ceasefire in Gaza and de-escalate in the rest of the region.
FOSTER: We were talking a moment ago with our Sanam Vakil. She is the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. And I think we've got a better reception now. I was asking about the options you think Hezbollah has in front of it right now.
VAKIL: Well, glad to be back. I think Hezbollah is going to be working alongside Iran to coordinate a response. This is because a Hezbollah commander was attacked, Ismail Haniyeh was taken out in Tehran. And so, this is going to be a coordinated axis of resistance response. And Iran has made it clear that it will take a role in what to expect. This is as what (inaudible) stated earlier, a very dangerous moment, but it can't be calibrated because what we do know, is that neither Hezbollah nor Iran want a broader war. And so, they will try not to be goaded in (inaudible).
FOSTER: And then we then have to look again on how Israel will respond if they get this response. We did have a recent example, didn't we, where both sides were allowed to express their anger.
[08:25:00]
The other side and then it will calm down, and I guess, that's the best-case scenario right now.
VAKIL: That is what we can hope for. But certainly, what we do know now, nine months on October 7th with no progression that ceasefire negotiations or hostage release, is that the Israeli political and military establishment is looking to degrade the axis of resistance and seize an opportunity between now and the end of the year to do all it can to constrain and set back the axis of resistance, which is the bigger security problem that Israel faces.
And this has been Netanyahu's big claim and cause for as long as he's been prime minister. And this was sort of the aim of his pitch to Congress and probably behind the scenes to Biden, Vice President Harris, and former (ph) President Trump.
FOSTER: In terms of the wider world, America hasn't said very much about this. We don't even know if they were warned it was going to happen. I mean, what sort of questions have you got for Israel and the U.S.? We should expect, wouldn't you, traditionally for Israel to go to the U.S. first, but that's -- it's not entirely clear whether that happened this time.
VAKIL: Definitely. I mean, Secretary of State Blinken has said that the U.S. has not been involved, so it's throwing down those red lines. But I would be surprised if they were not informed in advance and it's important to understand the sequence of the past 48 hours. In addition to the strikes against Hezbollah, Haniyeh and in Tehran directly, the U.S. did (inaudible). There is a (inaudible), and perhaps the synergy between Washington and Israel to move forward in this (inaudible) and try to set back (inaudible) as best as they can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: OK. Sanam Vakil, thank you so much for joining us from the -- from Chatham House. Well, we are following breaking news out of Iran, the
assassination of Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. We are live in Israel to you next with the reaction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:13]
FOSTER: The assassination of Hamas' political leader could complicate talks to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. A source tells CNN, Ismail Haniyeh was instrumental in getting certain breakthroughs in those talks. The prime minister of Qatar, which host the political bureau of Hamas asked, "How can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?"
Ismail Haniyeh was killed just hours after Israel said it killed a senior Hezbollah military commander in a drone strike in Beirut. At least four other people were reportedly killed in that Israeli strikes targeting Fu-ad Shukr. Now, Hezbollah hasn't confirmed his death, but joining now to discuss all of this is Paula Hancocks who is in Abu Dhabi.
But first, we're going to get to Jeremy Diamond, who joins us from Israel. Just in terms of the statement we got, Jeremy, from Israel, it doesn't necessarily mean that they didn't carry out the strike, but they're not confirming it either.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's right. Israel as neither confirming nor denying that they took this action in Tehran, which we should note is status quo for them as it relates to these types of operations. There is little question though that Israel is indeed behind the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital. Iranian state media, Hamas, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, all saying that Israel was behind this. State media in Iran saying that it was an airborne guided projectile that was fired at the building where Ismail Haniyeh was staying at around 2:00 a.m. overnight, killing him, as well as killing a bodyguard who was with him.
Now, for months now, Israeli officials have said that they would go out and strike Hamas leaders wherever they were, who they viewed as responsible for the October 7th terrorist attacks. It's not clear exactly how much prior knowledge, how much involvement Haniyeh had in directing those attacks. But what is clear is that he was the group's figurehead abroad and beyond that, of course, he has since been involved intimately in those ongoing ceasefire and hostage negotiations for months now.
And at that, he was also viewed as a relatively pragmatic figure in those negotiations, certainly more so than Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza. And so, with his assassination now, there's no question that those negotiations which had quite a bit of momentum behind them in recent weeks are certainly dead in the water for now. It's hard to predict what the medium and the long term looks like for those negotiations, but at least in the immediate future, it's clear that no progress is going to be made.
Instead, the question now is to what extent will there be a regional escalation of this conflict. Already in the last 24 hours, beyond the death of his Ismail Haniyeh, there was also this targeted strike in the capital of Beirut of a senior Hezbollah commander, both of those instances putting this region that was already on edge, now teetering on the brink of a broader conflict. It's not clear whether all of these parties actually want that broader conflict, but certainly, that possibility is now very much in the air in this region at the moment. Max?
FOSTER: Jeremy, thank you. Paula, in terms of the regional reaction, indeed the international reaction, what is standing out for you today? You cover many of these sorts of incidents. Is it particularly nervous today in the diplomatic communities?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Max, we've seen a lot of and heard a lot of condemnation from the region itself. Those who either support Hamas or are allied with Hamas. We've not seen that condemnation, unsurprisingly, from those who are allied with Israel. The United States, for example, we've heard from the secretary of defense, we've heard from the secretary of state, both saying that they're aware of the reports of this killing, but not really commenting any further on this.
In fact, in the case of Secretary of State Blinken, he pointed out that he wanted to push once again for a ceasefire, pointing out how the U.S. has been pushing for this for some time. As Jeremy said, it's very difficult to see how those ceasefire-hostage talks could go anywhere, at least in the short term. Now, we did hear from one source familiar with these talks saying that this assassination could complicate mediation talks, saying that Haniyeh was instrumental.
Now, for those in the region that have condemned what happened in Tehran in the early hours of this morning, we have Egypt, Syria Turkey, Qatar condemning what has happened. The Palestinian president as well, Mahmoud Abbas, condemning this, saying it is a very dangerous event that has taken place.
[08:35:00]
And I want to point out some interesting responses that our CNN stringers in Gaza have had from those on the ground in Gaza. Those people who have been subjected to this war for months now, hearing about the death of their political leader, or at least the political leader, I should say, of Hamas itself, one saying, Ismail Haniyeh is the son of Gaza. He represents my entire people. Another saying, it's struck like a thunderbolt. So, we are hearing surprise and anger in some cases from those within Gaza.
And it certainly has been the case that we have heard some surprise around the region as well that even though Israel said that leaders of Hamas are a target after October 7th, that Ismail Haniyeh would be one that would be such a target at a time when mediation talks are so tenuous. Max?
FOSTER: Paula Hancocks, thank you, also Jeremy. For a look at what this strike means to the war between Israel and Hamas, I want to bring in CNN military analyst, Cedric Leighton. Thank you so much for joining us. I actually want to sort of get your perspective -- the U.S. perspective, what we're hearing from the U.S. about this and how involved they might have been in this, or at least what warning they had.
CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah, Max, I think it is very clear that the U.S. probably did not know very much about this, if anything, about this operation that took out Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
What is most likely is that the Israelis, if it did inform the United States, they would you have done so just before the strike. It's doubtful that the United States had their heads up, but if they did, there was very little time for them to react to it. And I think if they had known about it, they probably would have tried to stop it because, at this point, with the negotiations for the hostages being at such a crucial point, it would have been counterproductive in the U.S. view to take out somebody like Haniyeh.
FOSTER: It makes you question, doesn't it, how much influence America has over Israel right now?
LEIGHTON: Yeah. I think that's a very good question because, at this particular point, I think what we're seeing is that Prime Minister Netanyahu is in essence putting his relationship with President Biden in the ice cooler at this particular point. What I mean by that is, what he's doing is, he's waiting for president -- for the presidential election to see if Donald Trump becomes president again in the United States. And I think he believes -- that Netanyahu believes that he'll get a better deal for Israel if Trump is president. That is not necessarily going to be the case.
There are also some domestic political incentives for Netanyahu to, basically, conduct these kinds of operations and to show his toughness on the world stage. But, they may very well prove to be counterproductive in terms of getting the hostages back or providing for any other type of an off-ramp to de-escalate tensions at this point.
FOSTER: All the White House wants is a peace deal, all what -- all -- most people in Israel want a peace deal probably as well, certainly involving the hostages, they do as well, don't they in Palestinian areas, across the Middle East. This is not going to do anything to help a peace deal, it is certainly -- the very least, it's going to delay it.
LEIGHTON: Yeah, I think that's very true. And as Jeremy was pointing out in his reporting, it's very clear that this is going to basically put this peace deal on hold in the near term and possibly even in the medium-term. This is -- it's going to be very tough for anybody from Hamas or from Hezbollah to sit down with the Israelis. And of course, as far as the hostages are concerned, Hamas would be the key to that. Plus, Iran is in essence offended, to put it mildly, that a strike would occur on their territory and especially for somebody that they were treating as a guest, that it puts them in a bad light. And it also shows the weakness from a security perspective of the Iranian intelligence structure and their ability to, in essence, anticipate these kinds of attacks.
FOSTER: OK. Cedric Leighton, always appreciate your analysis. Thank you so much for joining us today.
LEIGHTON: You bet, Max.
FOSTER: Still to come, Kamala Harris closing in on picking a running mate. What we know and when we should know more as well, we'll have the details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:42:10]
FOSTER: The burning question in U.S. politics right now, who will Kamala Harris pick as her running mate? Sources tell CNN that Harris is studying up on all of the top contenders, and plans to begin formal interviews this week. And there could be an announcement by Tuesday, when a campaign official says Harris and her running mate who will hold -- will hold their first joint rally and that will be in Philadelphia. And that will kick off a tour of swing states.
CNN's Priscilla Alvarez at the White House tracking the VP search for us. I mean, is she giving anything away?
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are certainly keeping this close to the vest, but this is a condensed timeline to search for a running mate. But we know she is in the thick of it as she is expected to make this announcement in the coming days. What that means behind the scenes is reviewing binders with information of each of the VP contenders, as well as having informal and preliminary conversations with some of them. And the vice president asking her advisers who it would be the best governing partner if she were to win in November.
Now, some of the people on that list include, for example, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as well as others like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Now, we're also told that there hasn't been any formal interviews yet, but that those will be conducted this week. Now, of course, we anticipate this announcement to be made by Tuesday.
The reason for that is because there will be a rally next Tuesday in Philadelphia where the vice president would be joined with her running mate, and then it would kick off a travel blitz to battleground states including, for example, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. Now notably, all of these states, minus North Carolina, were ones that President Biden narrowly won in 2020 and the campaign is trying to keep those same states in play this election cycle and hoping to capitalize on the momentum of the last week. And part of the decision-making when it comes to who is going to be her running mate, is who is going to strengthen her chances in these states. So certainly, those conversations are ongoing and trying to find ways to build on the momentum and also pair her with someone who, again, could help her in some of these critical swing states come November. Now, of course, the vice president at her rally yesterday, again, building on that surge of enthusiasm, also needling former President Donald Trump, particularly on the debate.
There had been a pre-scheduled debate for September. The vice president saying she plans to stick to it and asking whether president -- former President Donald Trump is going to do the same? So, we're slowly but surely getting a good sense of her schedule in the coming days and weeks. Max?
FOSTER: OK. Priscilla at the White House, thank you so much indeed. The speed with which Kamala Harris' campaign has come together is pretty remarkable.
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Even when considering the infrastructure she inherited from Joe Biden, the number of volunteers and the strength of enthusiasm for her are pretty striking. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more on the support that has exploded around the Harris campaign.
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CHARITY DEAN, HARRIS SUPPORTER: It feels like we got one shot because it's not just the historical component here, it's also the alternative.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Charity Dean, the weight of the presidential race is suddenly a bit heavier.
DEAN: It was not just, man, we have an opportunity to make history. It's also, oh, my gosh, what happens if we don't?
ZELENY (voice-over): A week after Kamala Harris clinched the Democratic nomination --
KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When we fight, we win.
ZELENY (voice-over): -- the whirlwind of excitement coursing through the party is giving way to the urgent work of building a Harris coalition, after a year of trying to shore up President Biden's fraying one.
DEAN: Here is a refreshing new energy that we didn't have previously. That absolutely is generating interests from folks that we're not interested in a Biden-Trump race, but now, are definitely interested now that we have the vice president on the top of the ticket.
ZELENY (voice-over): Reverend Charles Williams of King Solomon Baptist Church in Detroit saw exhaustion over a Trump-Biden rematch vanish overnight.
REV. CHARLES WILLIAMS, SENIOR PASTOR, KING SOLOMON BAPTIST CHURCH: Instead of having something to vote against, now we have something to vote for.
ZELENY (voice-over): When we met Williams earlier this year, inside his historic church, his wariness was clear.
WILLIAMS: It's like two -- just the two old white guys duking it out.
ZELENY: Did it turn just like a switch?
WILLIAMS: When Joe Biden was in office, in all of his greatness, it was like churning molasses. The next day, all of the memes went away. The next day, all of the joke videos went away.
REP. HALEY STEVENS, (D-MI): We can be a little fired up for that, I think, right?
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ZELENY (voice-over): Here in Michigan, the contours of the new race are settling in as Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens heard firsthand, as she knocked on doors in her district.
STEVENS: How are you feeling about the switch with Biden to Harris?
REUBEN MAXBAUER, MICHIGAN VOTER: Feel good.
STEVENS: Yeah.
MAXBAUER: Yeah.
STEVENS: Energy is up, right?
ZELENY (voice-over): Reuben Maxbauer invited us inside to talk. He's excited for Harris, but wants to learn more about her positions, especially her policy on it Israel.
MAXBAUER: I don't think she has a clearly enough defined position, at least that we're aware of, that I can say whether she's -- whether she makes us comfortable or not.
ZELENY (voice-over): As she continued her walk, Stevens acknowledged that is one of the lingering challenges for Harris and Democrats in Michigan.
STEVENS: I'm not going to sugar coat. There's also still a lot of passions and tensions and emotions around the Middle East.
ZELENY (voice-over): A few miles away, signs of frustration over Israel's war in Gaza are clear.
CROWD: Ceasefire now.
ZELENY (voice-over): The Muslim and Arab community in Dearborn have largely broken with Biden. But Mayor Abdullah Hammoud now sees a potential opening.
MAYOR ABDULLAH HAMMOUD, (D) DEARBORN: Now with Vice President Harris, you see a renewed spark, especially amongst younger population, a more diverse coalition, and an opportunity to rebuild that coalition that helped put President Biden over the top.
ZELENY: So, can the vice president win Michigan without Dearborn in the Arab American vote?
HAMMOUD: I'm not a gambling man. But if I was, I wouldn't want to take that gamble. If Vice President Harris wants to be successful, that's a coalition that she needs a part of, in her corner, to help topple Donald Trump once again.
ZELENY (voice-over): Trump carried Michigan in 2016, along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. But in 2020, all three flipped, a Biden blue wall that led to victory. That burden now rests with Harris.
DEAN: Are you here for our event?
ZELENY (voice-over): And her ardent supporters like Dean.
DEAN: There was either fear or excitement, and I think the excitement overcrowded the fear and that fear has turned now into excitement.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Jeff Zeleny reporting for us there. Now, Venezuela heading into a third day of political uncertainty as the presidential election results remain in dispute. Protesters filled the streets of Caracas on Tuesday, demanding President Nicolas Maduro released the tallies of Sunday's vote and acknowledge his defeat at the ballot box. A local NGO says at least 11 people have died during those nationwide protests. Meanwhile, Maduro is rallying his supporters whilst he accuses the opposition of being criminals.
The Redemption Tour is complete. Simone Biles and Team U.S.A. Gymnastics clinch gold in the women's team finals yesterday. Their win is the culmination of a year's long comeback bid after they finished second in the 2020 Tokyo Games due to Biles' last-minute withdrawal. Biles now the most decorated American Olympic gymnast ever with eight medals. For anyone waking up after staying up late to watch Simone Biles and co, we have some good news for you from Paris.
After much anticipation, uncertainty, delay, the women's triathlon has happened. Cassandre Beaugrand taking gold on home soil, she roared across the finish line by boisterous French crowd.
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Fans were lining the streets from 3:00 a.m. to get the best view points, and it was worth it because the crowds even (inaudible). More news after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOSTER: More now on our top story, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that Israel will face a harsh and painful response for the assassination of Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyeh on its soil. Haniyeh was amongst 110 foreign dignitaries invited by Iran to take part in the inauguration ceremony for its new president. Iran's state media says an airborne guided projectile was fired at a building where Haniyeh was staying in Tehran.
Haniyeh was a key figure in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release talks. In a statement, a Hamas spokesperson says this assassination will not achieve the goals of the occupation and will not push Hamas to surrender. Let's bring in CNN's Alex Marquardt with more on U.S. reaction.
It doesn't really feel, does it, Alex, that they had much heads up on this?
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It doesn't, Max. And we're certainly waiting for a more full-throated reaction from Washington, D.C., because it does appear that the administration was caught off guard. And of course, what happens next may have significant implications for Americans in the region, for American service members who are based throughout the region.
All we have so far is Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is not even here -- he's traveling in Asia, who said that he didn't want to speculate about what happened. Israel has not confirmed or denied, for that matter, that it carried out this assassination. But he also said that the U.S. had no role or knowledge ahead of time. Now, it can often go both ways. Sometimes the U.S. is given a heads-up, like yesterday, when Israel went after the senior military commander of Hezbollah, Fu'ad Shukr in southern Beirut. This time, it appears the U.S. does not know or did not know that anything was coming.
But, this does begged the question of what happens next? After Israel struck those IRGC members in Damascus back in April, there was a massive Iranian response, more than 300 ballistic cruise missiles, as well as drones that the U.S. helped Israel defend against, along with other countries. So, what will Iran now do because this strike is arguably more provocative. It happened in Tehran. It happened to an esteemed guest of the Iranians and followed the inauguration of the new Iranian president.
And as I say, the implications may not just be for Israel, but could be for American citizens throughout the region. So, we are waiting to hear what the U.S. feels about this. I was speaking with a former U.S. official earlier who said that he believes that they will be seething about the possible implications for Americans, Max.
FOSTER: Yeah. I'm just wondering, now that Biden isn't going ahead with the election and this is a defining issue for him, does that give him more currency in a way, when he thinks about his legacy, about pushing Israel a bit harder on getting -- on representing U.S. interests here?
MARQUARDT: It's a very good question. And when it comes to the ceasefire, which is the sort of most immediate American effort to try to bring some quiet to Gaza, you could make an argument that the U.S. would be so fearful of what could happen next, that they may significantly ramp up the pressure on Israel to get there.
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In the meantime, I think those ceasefire talks are pretty much on ice, if not scuttled altogether. But you're right, Max, I mean, that we -- there is a possibility that not fearing re-election, that Biden could be a bit tougher on Israel. We have not seen an indication of that. There hasn't been any kind of preview of that. There hasn't been any more threats of withholding weaponry. But this strike against Haniyeh could significantly change things. So, that is certainly something we're looking out for, Max.
FOSTER: OK. We'll be back with you when we get more on that. Alex, thank you so much indeed.
Thanks for joining me here on CNN. I'm Max Foster. "Connect The World with Becky" is up next.
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