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CNN International: Hamas: Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh Assassinated In Tehran; Israel Says Beirut Strike Killed Senior Hezbollah Commander; Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Israel Will Face A Harsh And Painful Response. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired July 31, 2024 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers from around the world. I'm Becky Anderson in London.

The top Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, assassinated in the capital of Iran. This raising new fears of an all-out war in the region. CNN has a team of reporters across, the very latest details for you.

OMAR JIMENEZ, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": And I'm Omar Jimenez in New York.

We're also following political news out of the United States where Kamala Harris is going on offense, daring Donald Trump to debate her, as J.D. Vance makes wild claims about who is really in charge at the White House. I'll discuss with our panel later on in the show.

ANDERSON: It stopped for a while. We began in the Middle East then, which has been shaken by the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil. According to Hamas, he was killed hours ago in Tehran when the room where he was staying was hit by a rocket. Now, he had been attending events marking the inauguration of Iran's new President, and his death sparking fears of a growing regional conflict between Israel and its neighbors. Well, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard is out with a warning for Israel over the killing, saying quote "Undoubtedly, this crime of the Zionist regime will face a harsh and painful response from the powerful and great front of the Resistance, especially Islamic Iran."

Well, Haniyeh's death comes hours after Israel confirmed it had carried out a strike in Beirut, in Lebanon, killing the most senior military commander of Hezbollah. Well, it's another Iran-backed militant group. This breaking news comes just hours after that claim of the assassination of Hezbollah's most senior military commander. According to Israeli Defense Forces, Fouad Shukr is -- was killed in a drone strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut. An IDF spokesman says the strike was in retaliation for last Saturday's rocket attack in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights. Israel blames Hezbollah for that incident, which killed 12 children. Hezbollah denies the claim. All right. CNN has reporters across the region covering the very

latest on this breaking news. I want to start in Beirut with Ivan Watson. Israel confirming that it was behind that targeted attack on the Hezbollah senior leader, not commenting on whether it has anything to do with the assassination of the Hamas political leader in Tehran overnight. What's the perspective where you are, Ivan?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've heard a chorus of condemnations of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and they range, of course, from Iran, which was hosting Haniyeh and is calling for revenge and issuing threats directly to Israel, and by extension to the U.S. as well, but also from other countries in the region that do have ties with Israel and are traditionally seen as allies of the U.S.. Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, all condemning this assassination, and the condemnation is echoing from the governments of China and Russia as well.

The Iranian threats extend to the UN mission of Iran in New York, which issued this post on social media, quote, "The response to an assassination will indeed be special operations, harder and intended to instill deep regret in the perpetrator." The Iranian foreign ministry going a step further and basically saying that the U.S. government is responsible for what they describe as a heinous act of terrorism with Haniyeh's killing, saying that the U.S. is responsible because it's a supporter and accomplice of Israel.

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in an interview, he said that the U.S. was not involved nor was it aware of the assassination plans for Haniyeh, and Blinken reiterated a call for a ceasefire when it comes to the nine-month war in Gaza, which has killed nearly 40,000 people.

[11:05:00]

But, that call rings very hollow right now, because the Prime Minister of Qatar, one of the crucial nations and mediators that's been involved in trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, came out with his own statement, which is quite critical of Israel, saying, how can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side, meaning Ismail Haniyeh, who was clearly an important voice in the negotiations towards a ceasefire? So, the question of a ceasefire of return of Israeli hostages now beyond up in the air. It seems like effort to try to broker some kind of deal has been torpedoed by these back-to-back assassinations.

And then there is the question of, what will proxies in the region of Iran do? What will Hezbollah here do? Beirut still reeling from the assassination that took place last night, which we don't know yet the status of Fouad Shukr, this top Hezbollah official who the Israeli -- the Israelis targeted. We do know that at least two children and two women were also killed by the Israeli air strike that sheared off the side of a five-storey building, and their funerals were held today in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Condemnations, of course, for civilians killed in these deadly attacks. Becky.

ANDERSON: Let me bring in Nic Robertson. Ivan, thank you. Nic is in D.C., following developments for us from there. You've just been listening to Ivan Watson. I mean, the Foreign Minister of Iran very directly calling out the United States as being behind the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh because of its support for Israel. Israel, let's be quite clear, not either confirming or denying whether it was involved in this assassination, but many around the region and elsewhere believe Israel to have been behind Ismail Haniyeh's death. Where does this leave, Nic, the Blinken administration, its calls for de-escalation around the region, and its current strategy, not just on the Gaza conflict, on the ceasefire and hostage talks, the kind of wider Middle East strategy at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Look, it's very clear that through the whole war in Gaza, the United States standing in the Middle East has been eroded, and its intentions called into question, and there being further -- will be further called into question over these two assassinations, particularly of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. So, for Prime Minister Netanyahu, if Israel was responsible, as all indications are, absolutely he knew what he was doing by sanctioning the targeting of Haniyeh, taking out the more moderate, and these are relative terms, but the more moderate head of Hamas, not only nixing any chance of hostage negotiations, but removing the potential in the future for having a more moderate partner to deal with.

Now, it's become very clear to many of the United States partners in the region that Israel, it appears, is taking a maximalist position and has been trying to sort of escalate tensions in the region and escalate towards potential all-out escalation. Now, the concern is, this has taken a significant step closer, despite what Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, that just is going to have a hard time being taken at face value in Tehran, and certainly among the Hezbollah leadership as well, and the Hamas leadership, of course, and why, in part, because just a few days ago, just last week, Prime Minister Netanyahu was in D.C., speaking in front of Congress, standing ovations for him. That went down very well. It was a success. There were, of course, many questions about what he didn't say. But, the perception in the Middle East is that he returns from Washington strengthened.

And apparently, by acting in this way, these two significant assassinations, it creates the impression that he has it in premature, if you will, of the United States that he has to use a term, a carte rouge to do what he wants. That may not be the case, but that's the perception. And that's why the situation is so dangerous. That's why the tensions are so high. And that's why the United States is going to struggle because of the erosion of its standing, going to struggle to get it calls for calm and diplomacy heard and acted upon.

ANDERSON: Nic, thank you.

Let me bring in National Security Analyst Beth Sanner now, joining me live from Washington, D.C.

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I mean, there are certainly those around the region and beyond who say that Benjamin Netanyahu has been acting with impunity. You'll have heard what Nic just said, the sense around the Middle East region that he left with a sort of an invitation to, frankly, do what he wants to do at this point. How does the Biden administration deal with what seems like an emboldened Benjamin Netanyahu, who through these two assassinations, Israel accepting responsibility for just one, of course, but through these two assassinations, and leaving both it seems, the ceasefire and hostage talks, in disarray, and the possibility of a wider regional conflict?

BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, & FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF U.S. NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Exactly. I think that Nic really handled that well. When you look at Israel-U.S. interests, I would say that this is a Venn diagram, right, taking us back to our geometry where we have shared interests in this middle section, but that it is a middle section. It is not 100 percent shared interests. And I think that that's what Nic is really bringing out to us in great detail there, and it's very important.

So, this -- and Netanyahu's speech before the joint session of Congress, in my mind, really jammed the Biden administration. Those applauses were mainly from the Republicans. And when Netanyahu stood up and he said, Israeli interests are U.S. interests, our interests are your interest and our fight is your fight, that's the standing another -- one of the standing ovations that he got. And when Israel goes in and they strike, the person in Beirut, we told them, don't strike Beirut, they did, but that person was largely responsible for the death of 241 Americans, 300 total, in the marine bombing in 1983. What are we going to do? Criticize counterterrorism operations of killing a person that we have a $5 million bounty on? No. And the same with the Iran.

So, I feel that Netanyahu is really picking his priorities, and the United States is not getting what it wants. But, the American ability, in fact, that is very low, Becky.

ANDERSON: I'm really interested. I want to pick your brains as it were with the amazing background that you have for insight about what Kamala Harris does next, 90, what, 97 days before this election. We know she has basically got many of the President's team around her now because this is such a sort of short period of time and in the campaign. But, what does she do with regard to Israel at this point? Does she does make a break, for example, from Joe Biden's unwavering and unconditional support for Israel, perhaps providing some parameters, clearer parameters for what that support might look like going forward, in what looks like a very worrying period for the Middle East going forward?

SANNER: This is her toughest, I think, thread that she has -- a needle that she has to thread right now in terms of policy, and there has got to be a lot of discussion and probably disagreement within the administration somewhat on what to do, but I don't think that there is any ability right now to change course. I think that you'll see the balanced rhetoric, more pressure on the Gaza humanitarian situation.

But, look, we just are moving today, ordered a big amphibious group, our naval assets closer to Lebanon. We're getting ready for escalation. Secretary Austin, Secretary Blinken, we will stand by Israel. That is going to be the policy. But, I think this does set up a long-term issue. U.S.-Israel relations are probably not going to look the same in five years, as they do today.

ANDERSON: Beth, what does the U.S. readying itself to defend Israel, and we're very specifically here talking about the amphibious operation in the Mediterranean, what does that look like?

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SANNER: Well, they have three vessels that can shoot down incoming missiles. This is generally designed to provide additional air support to Israel. Let's remember that in April, when Iran sent those 350 about missiles, two kinds of missiles and drones all at once, all flying different speeds, cruise missile, ballistic missile drones, the United States shot down like 70 of those incoming, mainly the drones. And so, if they had not been there, it would have killed Israelis.

So, I think that, like this is very serious business. But, at the same time, Becky, I will say that the chance of escalation here, there are a few things that are kind of pushing that down, including the CNN report about the UN statement from the Iranians in New York saying that they will respond with special operations. So, a signal, not a guarantee, but a signal that maybe we won't see the same kind of barrage.

ANDERSON: Yeah. No. I think important that you bring that up and thank you for doing so. Your insight, Beth, is hugely valuable, as we continue to cover this breaking news, and consider the significance and likely consequences for the region. Thank you.

Well, still to come, fears grow of an escalation in the Middle East after the killing of a Hamas leader, very specifically, one of the most important political leaders in the organization. We speak to retired Colonel Cedric Leighton for his views on the crisis in the region.

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ANDERSON: All right. Returning now to our breaking news, the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, is dead. According to Hamas officials and Iran's Revolutionary Guard, he was killed in a missile strike in Tehran after attending an event honoring Iran's new President. Now, this is a major escalation that is heightening fears of a broader a war in the Middle East. Syria condemning the assassination as a quote "violation of international law". In a post on X, Iran's UN mission warns of special operations intended to instill deep regret in the perpetrator.

Iran's Supreme Leader also vowing to avenge the killing of Haniyeh, writing "You killed our dear guest in our house and now have paved the way for your harsh punishment. We consider it our duty to ask for the blood of our dear guest." Of course, no one has claimed responsibility for the assassination of the Hamas political leader.

Jomana Karadsheh is joining me now in the bureau here. [11:20:00]

But, that statement from the Supreme Leader very much pointing a finger of blame at the Israelis.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And this is pretty much what you're hearing from different capitals in the region as well. They are accusing Israel of doing the heinous, and the Israelis, of course, have not yet confirmed that. They have in the past carried out, obviously, strikes and assassinations inside Iran without claiming credit for these attacks. This has really put the region right now in very dangerous positions. You know very well, Becky. There is a lot of concern coming in. You're hearing this from the different governments but you are also hearing it from people. There is a real fear of what might come next.

And we're not just talking about the assassination of Haniyeh here. We're looking at the events of the past 24 hours, the strike in southern Beirut suburbs, top Hezbollah commander killed, the assassination of Haniyeh, and you have the Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister telling you a short time ago. You also had a U.S. strike south of Baghdad on one of the Iranian proxies there, Kataib Hezbollah. And there is a lot of concern about these various groups, the Iranians, of these different groups, coordinating some sort of a response because they are going to have to respond to this. This has certainly moved the region into even more dangerous territory right now.

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KARADSHEH (voice-over): These some of the last images of Ismail Haniyeh before he was assassinated in the Iranian capital. He appeared defiant here at the country's parliament, among those invited to attend the new president's inauguration, just hours before what appears to be Israel delivering on its promise to target Hamas leaders wherever they may be.

The news of his assassination broke on Iranian state TV in the early hours Wednesday. Iran says he was assassinated at around 02:00 a.m. local time by a quote "airborne guided projectile" that hit a residence for veterans in northern Tehran where he was staying. Israel that's carried out assassinations and attacks inside Iran in the past has not claimed responsibility.

Unlike Hamas' military leadership that has gone underground since October 7, the political leader of the group has been its public face, living in Doha, traveling relatively freely and central to ceasefire and hostage negotiations. His killing, at least for now, dampens hopes for a deal anytime soon. Qatar, that's facilitated these negotiations, condemned the killing. Its Prime Minister posting on X, quote "How can mediation succeed when one party assassinates the negotiator on the other side?"

The timing, the target, and this happening in Tehran has pushed a region that has been teetering on the edge, even closer to all-out war. Haniyeh's assassination comes less than 24 hours after Israel says it killed top Hezbollah commander, Fouad Shukr, in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs.

FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: I would think there is a great possibility that this will see an orchestrated regionwide campaign that brings the various Iranian sponsored militias, from Iraq, from Yemen, from Lebanon, and maybe even Tehran itself, in a direct response on Israel. But, I feel like we're actually a notch closer to a regionwide conflict today than we've ever been.

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KARADSHEH: And Becky, the assassination taking place on Iranian soil seen as a provocation, and what an embarrassment for the Iranian regime that is right now vowing to respond to this. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement saying that it is Tehran's duty to avenge the killing of Ismail Haniyeh. The question is, how and what are we going to see next? And that is certainly something that has people across the region and the world bracing for what comes next.

ANDERSON: And look, and like him or not, there will be people in the Hamas organization, who do, there will be many people around the world who have very little sympathy for Ismail Haniyeh, given his role in Hamas over the years. But, he was, let's be quite frank, he was, I'm clear about this, he was a critical interlocutor in these ceasefire and hostage talks. He resided in exile in Doha. These are indirect talks, of course, between Israel and Hamas. There have been much hope that those talks could make progress in Rome this week.

[11:25:00]

The sense now is and with the Qataris very specifically saying they are mediating these talks, very specifically saying, how can these talks continue in good faith when you assassinate one of the negotiators? That being Ismail Haniyeh. It begs the question, what happens next? At the heart of what is going on in the Middle East at the moment is the Gaza conflict, now into, what, its 10th month, with 40,000 dead, a humanitarian catastrophe, and no end at this point in sight.

KARADSHEH: I mean, you look at the situation on the ground in Gaza, and people clinging on to the hope that the ceasefire negotiations will get somewhere, and we have been hearing this so much in recent weeks and recent months from people inside Gaza, saying they have gotten to a point, Becky, where they are now just giving up on life, people saying we just want to die right now and not go through this. And you also have the families of the hostages that want their loved ones back. So, when you look at this current situation right now, very unlikely that we're going to see any progress being made with these talks.

ANDERSON: The Turkish Foreign Minister today suggesting that Israel, although not naming Israel as behind the Hamas political leader's assassination today, suggesting that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, does not want peace in this region. You hear that time and time again from many of the sources and experts that we speak to currently. Thank you, Jomana in the house for you.

Well, for a look at what this strike today on the Hamas political leader in a room, in a house in Teheran means for the war between Israel and Hamas, I want to bring in CNN's Military Analyst Cedric Leighton. The U.S. says it was -- had nothing to do with this assassination. Would the U.S. have been given a heads up by Israel that this was going to happen, Cedric?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Becky, highly unlikely. In this particular case, I think the Israelis wanted to compartmentalize this information. And if they did provide any information to the United States, it would have been just before the strike. That's kind of typical behavior in these situations, and especially when the target is as sensitive as Haniyeh, it would basically be the modus operandi of Israeli military and the Israeli political leadership not to tell the United States that this was going to happen.

ANDERSON: Let's just hear from the U.S. Defense Secretary, Cedric. This was Lloyd Austin just some hours ago.

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LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I don't think war is inevitable. I maintain that. I think there is always room and opportunities for diplomacy. And I'd like to see parties pursue those opportunities. If Israel is attacked, we certainly will help defend Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the U.S. commitment to Israel ironclad, and I quote, in there. But, does the Biden administration need to be more specific about what it expects from Israel in a situation that is frankly so tense?

LEIGHTON: Yeah. That's one of the key problems here. Clarity of language, Becky, I think is essential in a situation like this. Now, whether or not what one says is actually translated in the way that one means is, of course, another matter. And I think what the Israelis want to do, at least the Israeli political leadership, as it's currently constituted, what they want to do is they want to continue these conflicts up to a certain point. That does not necessarily mean that, what a huge conflagration, but what it does mean is that it basically keeps the political situation in kind of a limbo state, which is advantageous to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

From a military standpoint, the United States is absolutely going to defend Israel, like it did a few months ago when Iran locked its missiles and rockets and UAVs against Israel, and of course, with the help of the US and other allies, including Arab nations. The Iranian attack was thwarted. That kind of support is definitely going to be there. Now, it sounds as if the Iranians are going to possibly mount a different kind of attack if they do seek revenge, and I think they will seek revenge at some point in time. But, that really remains to be seen how the U.S. can support Israel in those situations, but suffice to just say, the United States will definitely support Israel's right to exist, but they also want to see peace in Gaza and in the rest of the Middle East.

ANDERSON: Cedric Leighton, good to have you on, sir. Thank you very much indeed.

[11:30:00]

Just who was Ismail Haniyeh? More after this.

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ANDERSON: well, more now on our breaking news out of the Middle East. Iran promising retaliation after the assassination of the Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Hamas is blaming Israel and says a rocket landed directly on the room where Haniyeh was staying. His killing is a major development, heightening fears of a broader war erupting in the Middle East. Hamas, of course, has backing from Iran. Well, Haniyeh was 62. He was a well-known figure in the Hamas hierarchy. He was born in a Gaza refugee camp. He joined Hamas in the late 1980s, during the First Intifada and rose through the ranks of the organization, becoming its political chief in 2017. Soon after that, he was named a specially designated global terrorist by the U.S.

Well, let's go live to Israel and to CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Haifa. Look, I think it's really important to point out that Iran has, to a degree, co-opted the Gaza conflict and the Palestinian issue to its gain, as it were, in its -- as it keeps Israel squarely in its own crosshairs. At the beginning of the conflict, we did talk about whether there had been some consternation by Tehran about whether Hamas had actually overstepped the mark on October 7th. Be that as it may, one of the key leaders now of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, killed, assassinated in Tehran, in Iran, Iran pointing the finger squarely at Israel. Jeremy, from the perspective where you are, just how significant is Ismail Haniyeh's death, and what do you believe at this point the consequences might be.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is very significant for a number of reasons. I mean, it's significant because of who Ismail Haniyeh was, because he was Hamas' political leader, the organization's most visible face throughout the course of this war. It's significant because of where he was killed, in the capital of Iran, on Iranian soil, in an operation that the Iranians and Hamas say Israel was responsible for, and it's also, of course, significant because of the timing of all of this, and the timing is critical, not only because we are in a moment where the region has already been on a knife's edge, but also because we have seen these ceasefire negotiations for weeks now picking up steam, gaining momentum.

[11:35:00]

And now, one of its key interlocutors, Ismail Haniyeh, who was critical to those negotiations, has now been killed. Taken out of the picture. He was also viewed as someone who was somewhat more pragmatic within Hamas, in particular, as it related to these ceasefire negotiations. And so now, you would think that Yahya Sinwar, who was viewed as much more of a hardliner, much more militant, much more set in continuing this war in Gaza, will have considerably more influence, although there is no certainty that he will succeed Haniyeh in any way as the group's political leader.

Ismail Haniyeh, though, was also on the list of Hamas officials who Israel and Israel's Prime Minister himself had vowed would be taken out at one time or another. It was back on November 22 when the Israeli Prime Minister said that he had directed the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, to strike and kill Hamas' leaders wherever they may be, in retribution for the October 7 terrorist attacks that Hamas carried out. We don't know the extent to which Ismail Haniyeh was involved in the planning, in even knowing about the preparations for this October 7 attack.

But, we certainly do know his reaction afterwards. He was seen on October 7th, watching footage of Hamas' massacre through Israeli towns and cities that day, celebrating it with other Hamas leaders, and then going into prayer, thanking God for what his organization had done on that terrible day. And so, because of all of that, Israel made clear that he was effectively a dead man walking and that he would be killed at some point, and now Israel showing not only that it made good on that promise, but also that it was capable of doing so several thousand kilometers away in the Iranian capital.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And he was a target, I mean, of Israel, but hiding in plain sight, moving around very freely around the region and beyond. One has to ask, why it was that this assassination was in Tehran, on the day that it actually happened. We know. Thank you, Jeremy.

So, we know what happened, the assassination overnight, Iranian time, of the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. What we do not know at this point is what the consequences of that assassination might be. But, we will continue to report on the story and keep you bang up to date on what happens next. I mean, yeah. Get you back to Omar Jimenez now, who is in New York. Omar.

JIMENEZ: Yeah. And Becky will continue to bring our viewers those details as we get them.

Coming up, though, not only will we follow some of those details, but we're also going to ask two former U.S. lawmakers about the potential fallout here. We've also have other stories, including the Olympics that we are following. Stay tuned. We'll be right back.

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[11:40:00]

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JIMENEZ: Welcome back. More now on our breaking news coverage with the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Now, Hamas blames Israel for the deadly over -- a deadly strike overnight. And a short time ago, a Hamas spokesman said Israel would quote "pay the price for this heinous crime". Now, Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iran's new President. Hamas says he was hit and killed by a rocket strike in the room where he was staying. Now, the strike came hours after Israel has claimed that it had killed Hezbollah's most senior commander in Beirut. Israel says that strike was in retaliation for a deadly rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah, though, has denied it was responsible. Meanwhile, Haniyeh's death is raising fears of a major escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

I want to bring in former U.S. Republican Congressman Charlie Dent, and former Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan. First, I just want to start on where I left off there, the geopolitical ramifications of Ismail Haniyeh's death. Now, whoever occupies the White House after the November election, could have to deal with the fallout from this crisis. And before we start, I just want to take a listen to how Donald Trump is trying to frame Kamala Harris on the foreign policy front.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They look at her and they say we can't believe we got so lucky. They're going to walk all over. And I don't want to say as to why, but a lot of people understand it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: So, Charlie, what do you make of that assessment? Who do you think has the edge, I guess I should say, when it comes to this particular foreign policy situation?

CHARLIE DENT, FORMER U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: Well, it seems to me that Kamala Harris is trying to distinguish herself a bit from Joe Biden. I don't always take too seriously everything that Donald Trump says on foreign policy. But, what we're witnessing here is a continuation of the proxy war, where Israel has been striking at radical leaders and Hezbollah and Hamas outside of Israel and in other countries in Lebanon, and in this case, Iran. This has been going on for some time, just as Iran has been using its proxies to attack Israel, and Hezbollah, and of course, Hamas. So, this is where we are. This is not a new phenomena, but obviously, this could escalate.

But, it seems to me that Kamala Harris is trying to accommodate both Israel and Hamas in her remarks. She is trying to walk a fine line equivocating. I think it is better that she take a strong stand in support of our ally right now and then try to equivocate, which might send mixed signals to Israel's adversaries.

JIMENEZ: And given what Trump said, and I think this is part of the dynamic that Kamala Harris was trying to get out in her rally last night, I want you to take a listen to some of what she said about Trump at her rally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do hope you'll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage, because as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face. (END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: And of course, that's about questions over whether Donald Trump will actually agree to debating Kamala Harris. But, Tim, I guess my question there is, weeks before the actual announcement, you were calling for Harris to replace Biden. And I'm curious, does your thinking then line up with the reality that we're seeing now?

TIM RYAN, FORMER U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT, & 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yeah. I mean, this has been an explosive week, week and a half, where you're seeing there in Georgia the kind of energy and support that's now behind the campaign, that as of three or four weeks ago, many Democrats were burying their heads in the ground and not sure how things were going to turn out. So, much different place now electorally. And as to what Donald Trump said, we all know what he is trying to say, that she is maybe weak because she is a woman. Those of us, and I know Charlie included, we know a lot of very strong women who are very competent and know how to do their job.

And I would just ask people to remember, she was a district attorney in San Francisco. She was the attorney general in California. I mean, those are some significant positions where you are putting really bad people away. You are in some significant negotiations, intense negotiations, and she is tough and can do the job, and I think that would be very applicable to our geopolitical interests that we have as a country and those aren't Democrat or Republican interests.

[11:45:00]

Those are American interests.

JIMENEZ: And Charlie, I want to get your take on that same topic, because for whatever people might have thought that Biden needed to step down or step aside, did you think that Harris would have the level of enthusiasm that we've seen in sort of the first two weeks of her being in this race?

DENT: Well, look, I think Democrats -- you have to commend the Democrats for doing what they had to do. They needed to remove Joe Biden. He was a feeble candidate. He was certainly diminished. And they did what they did. And Harris has brought a level of energy and enthusiasm and money to the campaign that was lacking. So, credit to the Democrats. Now, how long would this enthusiasm last? I don't know. How will Kamala Harris play in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin? Well, that remains to be seen. But, she is a formidable candidate. Everybody knows it.

And look, when if you're running against any Democrat -- any Democrat running against Donald Trump, a wet mop is going to get 45 percent of the vote against Trump. So, she starts off with a pretty high base right there. So, she could do that. And now, because of her -- because of this energy she has brought, she is closing the gap. And she is -- and the Republicans did not want to run against her. They wanted to run against Joe Biden for all the obvious reasons.

So, right now, we have a real serious contest. It's a tight race. And she is within striking distance. She can win this. Whether she will or not, we don't know. But, the Trump people are a little bit on their heels right now, and they hope they get to a better place. But, we'll see.

JIMENEZ: And Tim, I want to play two clips here that I think hit at the crux of what might be two of her thorniest issues in this race. First, Harris talking about Trump, then J.D. Vance talking about Harris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: He tanked, tanked the bipartisan deal because he thought it would help him win an election, which goes to show Donald Trump does not care about border security. He only cares about himself.

SEN. J.D. VANCE (R-OH), 2024 VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you fill up your tank at the gas station, maybe you should send a bill to Kamala Harris. But, make no mistake, the affordability crisis that Kamala Harris created is destroying the middle class in this country. It is the biggest concern American families have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIMENEZ: Now, obviously, those two things touching on border security and the economy. How vulnerable do you believe Kamala Harris really is on those fronts in the eyes of American voters?

RYAN: Well, I think it's kind of funny that they start with how incompetent she is, and she can't do the job and all of this. And then, at the same time, they blame her for every bad thing that's happened in the country in the last few years. So, I think people will see through that. Voters will see through that. I think she has got a great rebuttal on the immigration issue. We all wish that President Biden would have acted a little bit sooner, but he did act. And there was a very strong bipartisan bill led by Senator Lankford, who Charlie and I served within the House, a good man, a good Christian, and a rock solid Republican, put the bill together and got Democrat and Republican support and then President Trump literally called Mitch McConnell and others and told them not to support that bill.

And I think when the campaign is about the future versus the past, the toxic politics that we've been dealing with relations to the Vietnam era with Trump, it's that kind of politics that people will wholly reject. And I think that's one more step into the future that Kamala Harris will take, and people will see through that. And J.D. Vance has so many anchors around his neck and he has taken Trump underneath with them. He has zero credibility now. I think he is at negative 15 percent approval rating, the worst any VP candidate has had probably in the history of the country. And so, his words aren't going to land at all. And so, I think we're really positioned for Kamala Harris presidency, potentially a Democratic House, and the Senate is going to be an uphill slog, but we may get that too. Who knows?

JIMENEZ: And Carlie, I'll ask you that same point. I mean, do you think she is -- she'll be able to separate herself from some of the real anger that people had toward President Biden on both of those -- on the economy and border fronts?

DENT: Well, certainly, I think Kamala Harris is vulnerable on the border, as Democrats are. And as Tim correctly pointed out, the issue is a bit more muddled now because Republicans blocked the deal that would have helped the situation. But, that said, the Biden administration was really late to the game to address the border crisis and the abuse of the asylum system. So, I think that this is a vulnerability for Harris. Republicans will continue to pound her on that, as they will on inflation.

Now, to be fair, inflation is driven largely because of us coming out of the pandemic, but you can make a strong case that the American Rescue Plan overspent and overstimulated the economy.

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As we were coming out, demand was high and supplies were low, and that just juiced it. And so, I think that the Democrats are very vulnerable on those two issues. Whether or not Republicans and make that stick, we don't know, because Republicans have their own vulnerabilities, which, of course, are women's health and abortion rights. That is a very big vulnerability, which for Kamala Harris, frankly, is much better at prosecuting that case, than was Joe Biden. So, game on.

JIMENEZ: Yeah. We will see what happens. The story is going nowhere, under 100 days, fellows. Former Congressman Charlie Dent, former Congressman Tim Ryan, thank you both for your insights.

RYAN: Thank you.

JIMENEZ: All right. Still ahead, Paris Olympics organizers promised a river clean enough to swim in, but it's been a struggle. We're going to have the latest from Paris.

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JIMENEZ: Will they or won't they? That was the big question hanging over the triathlon events at the Paris Olympics. Concern about water safety in the River Seine left the swimming portion of both the men's and women's events in serious doubt. There had even been talk of holding the two triathlons without a swimming element. But, earlier today in Paris, the river was given the all clear, and both the women's and men's events went ahead. Later on Wednesday, it's a gold medal match -- golden medal watch, I should, say for U.S. swimming legend Katie Ledecky. She is looking to defend the title she won in Tokyo 2020 in the 1500 meter freestyle.

For all that and more, joining us is CNN World Sport's Patrick Snell. Patrick, what are we looking for today?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi Omar. Yes. So many really powerful and exhilarating storylines from Paris. Simone Biles, of course, taking center stage yesterday. And just in a few hours from right now, all eyes on another superstar of these games, swimming sensation Katie Ledecky, as you mentioned. Let's get to earlier today, though, over there in the French capital.

After all those concerns over the rain and dangerous E. coli levels, the triathlons did go ahead in the River Seine. There was more rain overnight in Paris, but officials deeming the water quality sufficient for competition on this day. The men's event had been pushed back due to concerns over the water quality and the health of the athletes swimming in it, but the women's did go ahead as scheduled, and a really impressive win for home-grown favorite Cassandre Beaugrand, the 27-year-old. She actually grew up, Omar, in the Paris suburbs. What a win for her. She crossed the line in one hour, 54 minutes, 55 seconds, to claim France's sixth gold medal of these games, giving those fans who've been lining the streets there since three in the morning a big cheer. A great win for the host nation.

After that, a sensational sprint finish in the men's. Team GB's Alex Yee, he won silver at the Tokyo Games, and the 26-year-old going one better this time after finishing just six seconds clear of New Zealand rival Hayden Wilde. Yee's time, one hour, 43 minutes, 33 seconds. Wonderful moment for the London up.

Simone Biles and her teammates celebrating an emphatic gold in the gymnastics team competition that was on Tuesday, and laying those ghosts from Tokyo three years ago to rest. It had been the vault where Biles had experienced that attack of the Twisties that caused her to walk away from competition for so long. Thankfully, no sign of it last night.

And finally, gold medal for Team New Zealand in the Women's Rugby Sevens final on Tuesday, the Kiwis beating Canada 19 to 12. The Canadians were surprise finalists here, and they held a 12-7 halftime lead.

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The Black Ferns showing their experience, two tries in the second half, New Zealand's women. Love this competition and why they went silver in Rio, and now back-to-back goals in Tokyo and in (inaudible) as well, as I send it right back to you.

JIMENEZ: Incredible, as always. Excited for all the events. Olympics, such a great time to enjoy sport. Patrick Snell, really appreciate it.

All right. And for everybody else, that's all we got for CNN Newsroom. A lot of news to follow, including we're going to keep you posted on developments out of the Middle East with the killing of a Hamas political leader. Much more on that.

That wraps this hour, as I mentioned, of CNN Newsroom. I'm Omar Jimenez in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is up next.

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