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Growing Outrage Over Targeted Strike Against Haniyeh; Netanyahu Says Israel is Ready for Any Scenario; Dancers: Bad Weather Affected Opening Ceremony Performance. Aired 4:30-5a ET
Aired August 01, 2024 - 04:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:30:00]
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Megan Thee Stallion's appearance at Harris's rally and Kid Rock's and Hulk Hogan's appearances at the Republican convention as moments that generated a lot of buzz, especially potentially among younger voters.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: I did wonder, Max, where Taylor Swift was in all of this, whether she's waiting for a strategic moment?
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and she's gone quite quiet on Trump as well, hasn't she?
MACFARLANE: She has. Watch this space.
FOSTER: Huge crowd setting out in Tehran, meanwhile, to mourn the slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. We're live in Tel Aviv for you with Israeli reaction to his assassination.
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. Here are some of today's top stories.
Ukraine says it shot down all 89 Russian drones launched at Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight. Tuesday, 13 homes were damaged and a downed drone caused one fire. But Ukraine says the falling drones didn't cause any casualties or damage to critical infrastructure in Kyiv.
As the third day of rescue operations in southern India, where landslides have killed at least 178 people, including 26 children. Authorities in Kerala state say almost 200 people remain unaccounted for and warn that the death toll could rise.
[04:35:04] Former BBC anchor Hugh Edwards has pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. He appeared in a London magistrate's court Wednesday and admitted he possessed 41 indecent images of children among hundreds of pornographic images on his WhatsApp account. Edwards will be sentenced on September 16th.
FOSTER: Thousands of people turned out in Iran earlier to mourn the political leader of Hamas the day after his assassination. Iran's supreme leader led the prayers at Tehran University, saying it's Iran's duty to avenge Ismail Haniyeh since he was killed on Iranian soil. He's expected to be buried in Doha, Qatar on Friday.
The targeted strike on Haniyeh has caused widespread outrage with mass protests across the region. A Hamas spokesperson says Haniyeh was hit directly by a rocket in the room where he was staying in Tehran. Hamas vowed that Israel would pay the price, calling it a heinous crime.
More now from CNN's chief U.S. security analyst, Jim Sciutto.
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST (voice-over): The stunning assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran is a bold strike at the very top of Hamas leadership, but it is also a test of the relationship between Israel and the U.S., already strained by the ongoing war in Gaza.
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Something we were not aware of or involved in.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Close observers of the region see an Israeli leader who now feels unencumbered by a U.S. president.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We're prepared for any scenario, and we'll stand united and determined against any threat.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): Who's viewed in the region as a lame duck following his withdrawal from the presidential race.
In the near term, the strike very likely disrupts the tenuous negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages. President Biden has made completing the deal a central feature of his final months in office.
More broadly, in ordering assassination strikes abroad, the Israeli leader is showing his willingness to risk broadening the war. Senior U.S. official told me the Biden administration views such a risk as limited. The assessment is that none of the players, Israel, Iran or its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, truly want a regional war.
On Wednesday, White House senior advisor John Kirby downplayed escalation fears.
JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: We don't believe that an escalation is inevitable. And there's no signs that an escalation is imminent. This is something that we've concerned about since the 7th of October.
It's not like we're brushing off concerns at all. We're watching this very, very closely.
SCIUTTO (voice-over): However, the recent history of the region shows that neither side ever fully understands the other's red lines. As each side retaliates against the other in increasingly aggressive ways, the danger of escalation grows.
To that point today, a senior Iranian official tweeted: Undoubtedly, the Israeli occupying regime will pay a heavy price.
Enter one final variable to the calculus. Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Even some Israelis question whether he wants to extend the fighting to delay any political reckoning for the October 7th attacks at home.
Jonathan Dekel-Chen's 35-year-old son was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th. He says Hamas and the Israeli leader don't truly want peace. And the stalling only helps Netanyahu's political future.
JONATHAN DEKEL-CHEN, SON HELD HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: I could find no legitimate reason other than to satisfy his domestic political partners to delay any kind of progress, real progress.
SCIUTTO: In the weeks just after the October 7th attack, a former senior Israeli intelligence official told me that Hamas leaders would never be safe again anywhere in the world. And it appears that that is coming to be true.
If there is a potential silver lining here, there is some thinking that by taking out leaders of terrorist groups abroad, that Netanyahu might be able to claim some sort of partial victory against Hamas and therefore be able to return to the negotiating table.
But right now, the tensions in the region are extremely high.
Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.
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MACFARLANE: Alon Pinkas is the former Israeli consul general in New York. He joins us now live from Tel Aviv. Thanks for being with us.
There's, of course, much to discuss today. But I just wanted to get your perspective first on Benjamin Netanyahu, because we saw him give a very bellicose, confident address earlier today, warning Iran of the consequences of any further retaliation.
We know that Netanyahu has been coming under a lot of pressure within, domestically, within Israel to respond to Hezbollah. So what is the feeling there where you are today about the events of the last few days?
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And as Israel braces, the region braces for a response from Iran? ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Well, OK, so you asked like six questions. I'll try, I'll try and put them in some kind of coherent --
MACFARLANE: I guess what I'm asking is how are things feeling on the ground today, you know, given the head spinning events the last few days?
PINKAS: I know I was joking, Christina. OK, let me try and put them in some coherent order.
Mr. Netanyahu has wanted to prolong the war from October 7th. That distances him from the calamity and debacle of October 7th and portrays this as some kind of a different narrative, as if this is a broad regional war. So he has a vested interest in turning it into a broad regional war.
In that piece of footage that you just aired form him, notice that he takes credit for attacking the Houthis in western Yemen, for the assassination in Beirut of Fuad Shukr, the number two guy, allegedly the number two guy in Hezbollah, and for Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran the last night or a night and a half ago.
It is not worthy that he's not saying anything about the hostages, anything about the ceasefire, not a thing about a framework, a plan for the day after, nothing. All he's talking about, claiming credit in this respect, is the continuation of the war. Now, as for the sense, on the one hand, people are happy about it, and it's natural and it's understandable.
They feel good about this. It's revenge, it's vengeance, it's settling an account. That's fine, but that's not strategy.
And people are beginning to ask whether or not a serious, deep, cost- effective calculation was processed, at least was done here, in terms of the likelihood of escalation. Because if it does escalate, and Jim Sciutto was absolutely right in the previous report, that people only think they understand the other side's red line. People only think they can control escalation, and people only think they actually have some magical power over the spiraling dynamic that this creates. And so I think the next 48 hours are critical.
An Iranian response, which they vowed to do, that is limited, will be tolerated. An Iranian response that is not limited will not be tolerated. And before you know it, this expands.
So the public opinion on the assassination of these two guys in Beirut and Tehran, respectively, decide people are going to change their mind if this escalates.
FOSTER: Our correspondent Ivan Watson was in Beirut earlier in the program saying there's an ominous lack of, you know, rockets or attacks coming from Hezbollah towards Israel at the moment, and he suggested that might be the calm before the storm.
And that is combined, isn't it, with this statement from the Ayatollah calling for a direct hit from Iran into Israel, which isn't going via any of the proxies. And that is upper level, isn't it?
PINKAS: Well, it is. But if you recall, Max, that was done already in April. On the 13th and 14th of April, Israel and Iran exchanged a salvo of ballistic missiles and armed drones. 330 missiles and drones were fired from Iran, not via proxies, into Israel, 95 percent or so were shot down. By the way, by American, British, and some French forces along the way.
But yes, look, about the calm before the storm. They're enjoying this. I'm sorry for the bad term enjoying, but from an Iranian perspective, you have to understand two things.
Playing with the nerves of Israelis, creating uncertainty and unpredictability is something that they think they benefit from, number one.
Number two, from a broader perspective, the Iranians will concede, not publicly, but they will tell you, I imagine, that yes, Israel had two significant, even impressive tactical achievements. But strategically, given that Israel is bogged down in a war in Gaza, 75,000 Israelis have been evacuated from the northern border between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel is increasingly isolated in the West. Strategically, the Iranians think Israel is in a bad, a negative trajectory. So I don't know how that factors into their calculation of how to respond.
I will say one thing, and I know I'm going on too long. I will say one thing.
[04:45:00]
Once you hit someone inside Tehran, the capital of Iran, the day before or the day of the inauguration of a new president, it exposes Iran's vulnerabilities. It exposes an intelligence failure. It is sort of humiliating to the point that they will need to respond. They feel compelled to respond somehow. The extent, the scope of their retaliation is obviously what we all do not know yet.
MACFARLANE: We appreciate you going on, Alon, and we appreciate your thoughts. And obviously the big remaining question in all of this is where this leads ceasefire negotiations, not something we've got time to discuss just now. But thanks so much for joining us all the same.
And this just into CNN. The Israeli military says its fighter jets killed Hamas military chief in Gaza, Mohammed Deif, in a strike on Khan Younus on July 13th. Israel's claim that Deif was killed came nearly three weeks after it carried out the strike.
And during that time, Israeli officials said they had indications their strike was successful but were not able to confirm until he was killed until now.
FOSTER: Ahead, why some caffeine addicts are turning their backs on Starbucks and what the coffee chain is doing to win back customers.
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FOSTER: Cheering on Wall Street as the U.S. markets close higher on Wednesday as the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled a rate cut might be on the horizon.
MACFARLANE: Chairman Jerome Powell told reporters a cut in the benchmark lending rate could happen at the Fed's September meeting. That's due to recent progress in fighting inflation. But concerns remain over the strength of the U.S. job market.
Now, a growing number of coffee drinkers are snubbing Starbucks in yet another sign of customer fatigue with high prices at food chains. Never been a Starbucks fan myself.
FOSTER: No, but I think, to be fair, in London, at least, they're all insanely expensive at the moment.
[04:50:00]
Sales dropped 3 percent globally at stores open for at least a year, and 2 percent in North America. Research shows that customers are more interested in cold beverages than hot coffee. We don't want to wait long for their orders either.
MACFARLANE: I'll tell that to people in London. It doesn't feel that way here. Starbucks says --
FOSTER: We like queuing. It's a queuing ratio.
MACFARLANE: We love a queue, don't we? Yes. Starbucks says it plans to turn business around by investing in new technology to make cold drinks faster.
FOSTER: Now, performers in the Olympic opening ceremony got the chance of a lifetime to show off their skills, but it literally rained on their parade. Now they're speaking out about it.
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FOSTER: A bit of the iconic can-can dance there from world-famous Moulin Rouge. You might recognize the dance from the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which we loved. We went against the grain, didn't we, with a lot of people?
MACFARLANE: Yes, loved it. Unashamedly, yes.
FOSTER: Yes, brilliant.
MACFARLANE: Had a great time. Also having a great time was Saskya Vandoorne with some of the dancers you just saw in that performance. Take a look.
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SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): This is how you make an entrance.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Some 80 dancers from the Moulin Rouge put on a show at the opening ceremony.
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They say it was the performance of a lifetime.
ROMANE BOLLENGIER, MOULIN ROUGE DANCER: It was an amazing experience. Personally, it was one of my dreams to do the...
[04:55:00]
BOLLENGIER: It was an amazing experience. Personally, it was one of my dreams to do La ceremonie des Jeux because I really love the sport, like the value and everything.
VANDOORNE: The weather conditions were less than ideal. There was a lot of rain.
BOLLENGIER: The stage was really slippery, and that happened, like, the raining happened, like, 10 seconds before the music starts. So, yes, it was really the last minute.
DAVID TANDY, MOULIN ROUGE DANCER: There was no chance to organize our plan B.
BOLLENGIER: You couldn't change routines.
TANDY: Well, no, we were 80 dancers, about 80 meters along. As you can imagine, with 10 seconds to go, it's impossible to quickly change. So it was either commit or not, and to relay that message along wasn't going to be possible. So, for those that could, we did our best.
VANDOORNE: Did you expect the synchronicity or --?
TANDY: Oh, definitely.
BOLLENGIER: Yes, definitely. But we tried to do the best and never give up, like the Olympic Games.
VANDOORNE: And it was spectacular. Can you teach me a little move, potentially?
BOLLENGIER: Of course, of course.
VANDOORNE: OK, what can I --
BOLLENGIER: We have an easy one.
VANDOORNE: OK, easy one.
BOLLENGIER: You can just put the leg like that.
VANDOORNE: Yes.
BOLLENGIER: Just in front of the back leg.
VANDOORNE: Yes.
BOLLENGIER: You have your skirt like this.
VANDOORNE: Yes.
BOLLENGIER: And you can just shake like this, with a little scream.
VANDOORNE: OK.
(SCREAM)
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MACFARLANE: Saskya Vandoorne, born to can-can, that one.
FOSTER: Absolutely.
MACFARLANE: Glad to see the dancers have managed to dry off.
Now, elsewhere, a beach in Rhode Island was buzzing with the sound of dragonflies.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have never seen anything like this in my life.
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MACFARLANE: Swarms of insects took over the beach this weekend.
FOSTER: It's huge.
MACFARLANE: Jesus.
FOSTER: People were frightened. Others were fascinated.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At first, there was -- you know, there were a lot of dragonflies, and then there was millions.
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FOSTER: One expert says the dragonflies were migrating and they meant no harm to anyone. Often the case.
MACFARLANE: I'm glad I wasn't standing out there in this jacket.
Thanks for joining us on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Christina Macfarlane.
FOSTER: I'm Max Foster. CNN "THIS MORNING" is next.
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