Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

CNN International: Iran Holds Memorial Service For Slain Hamas Political Leader; Netanyahu: Israel Delivered "Crushing Blow" To Enemies; ISF: "Eliminated" Hamas' Military Chief In Gaza In July. Aired 8-8:27a ET

Aired August 01, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:20]

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Well, hello, and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Becky Anderson in London, and this is a special edition of CNN Newsroom.

Thousands march in Tehran to remember slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, as the Middle East remains on edge over possibilities of a larger crisis.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": And I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is causing outrage once again, this time after questioning Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identity, claiming she quote "happened to turn black".

ANDERSON: Well, thousands marched in Tehran to remember slain Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, as the Middle East region remains on edge. Iran observing three days of mourning for Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in a predawn strike on Wednesday in the Iranian capital. Iran and its allies are vowing retaliation against Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied being involved. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on Wednesday, saying Israel had delivered crushing blows to its enemies. He said Israel would not give into calls to end the war in Gaza.

Well, separately, Israel is confirming that its fighter jets killed Hamas' military chief Mohammed Deif in a strike in Gaza in mid-July. The IDF released this video. At least 90 Palestinians were also killed in that attack.

All right. We've got CNN reporters standing by with the very latest. Ivan Watson is in Beirut. Let's, though, begin with Jeremy Diamond, who is today in Haifa, in Israel. And Jeremy, Israel confirming the death of the Hamas military chief. This is hugely significant, not least on the same day that we are witnessing funerals of two other Israeli enemies, one confirmed killed by Israel, the other dead in Tehran, likely at the hands of the Israelis. What can you tell us?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, no doubt about it, Becky. I mean, the images that we are seeing today of that memorial service for Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the funeral that will happen today in Beirut for Fuad Shukr, the Hezbollah senior military commander, and then now the Israeli military confirming that that strike nearly three weeks ago on -- that targeted Mohammed Deif, Hamas' military commander, all of those coming on the same day, just paints a really powerful picture of what the Israeli military and perhaps its intelligence services have been able to accomplish from their standpoint over the course of just the last few weeks.

These are, as the Israeli Prime Minister described, some quite crushing blows to Israel's enemies. And obviously, the Israeli Prime Minister and the military want to paint this picture of victory at a time when they don't have a ceasefire deal. They haven't gotten the hostages out. And the Israeli Prime Minister obviously looking for victories, which explains the speech that he gave yesterday.

But, there is also just a very real reality of these military accomplishments on the ground, and the extent to which it obviously delivers, not just a picture of victory, but some quite significant achievements for the Israeli military and its government. What it also does, of course, is significantly raise the temperature in a region that is already very much on edge. The Israeli Prime Minister acknowledging that himself in his remarks last night, saying that these are challenging days and that Israel is prepared for all scenarios. At this stage, there are no changes yet in the Home Front Command guidance, which is issued to civilians to let them know whether to increase their state of alert, their state of readiness for the potential for military action.

But, there is no question that we have seen reporting from The New York Times, for example, that Iran intends to strike back at Israel directly for the assassination of Home Front Command guidance in the Iranian capital. And there are clearly -- there is clearly a heightened state of readiness, a heightened state of alertness from the Israeli military itself, as we wait to see whether or not this very combustible region will in fact combust in quite extraordinary fashion perhaps. Becky.

[08:05:00]

ANDERSON: Well, let's get our viewers some images then of what we have been witnessing in Tehran, in Iran today. Ivan Watson, who is in Beirut, monitoring the situation there. What are we seeing? Just explain what's going on.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, the Iranians have been showing the highest kind of respect for Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, and there has been a funeral procession from Tehran University to Tehran's Azadi Square, prayers led by the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. We've seen images released of several of Haniyeh's surviving sons -- two of his surviving sons, embracing his coffin morning. He, it's expected, will be transferred, his remains, from Tehran to Doha, where he has been based for years now as a guest of the Qatari government, for his ultimate funeral.

I mentioned the sons in part because Haniyeh, two of his sons and several of his grandchildren were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza several months back. The Iranian government vowing retribution and revenge for the assassination of Haniyeh. We still don't have a lot of details about how this was carried out overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. And of course, Israel has not claimed responsibility for it, but all fingers are pointing towards Israel for this.

And Iran has also been pointing the finger at the U.S., arguing that the U.S. is Israel's most important patron, a supplier of weapons and funding, and claiming that Israel could not have done this without U.S. support. The line that has been coming out of the Biden administration out of its top diplomat, Antony Blinken, has been a warning of the threat of war in the region and saying that a ceasefire is more important now than ever in Gaza.

That's ringing on somewhat deaf ears with the Prime Minister of Qatar who has been the chief mediator in the months of talks between Israel and Hamas aiming at a return to the hostages. Qatar saying, how do you have negotiations when the partner at the negotiating table, Ismail Haniyeh, has just been assassinated? So, real questions about the future of any attempt at a negotiated settlement here.

Meanwhile, I'll point to here in Beirut, some diplomacy underway. The defense and foreign secretaries of the UK are currently here. They've been meeting with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister, also importantly, with the Speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri. He is a Shiite Muslim politician leader of the Amal Movement, and seen as an interlocutor with Hezbollah. And the British officials have been trying to also push diplomacy at this time of extreme tension in the region. Nabih Berri saying that quote, "Lebanon doesn't want war, but is prepared to defend itself."

Meanwhile, we're waiting for the beginning of a funeral for Fuad Shukr. That's that senior Hezbollah official who was assassinated on Tuesday evening here in the southern suburbs of Beirut by an Israeli airstrike that also killed at least five other people, including two children and two women. We are anticipating a speech from the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, to try to gain some insight about what the Iran and its allies in the region may do in response to these assassinations. So, we're waiting to hear what kind of messaging they will want to send, as there are vows of vengeance coming from Tehran. Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you both. And again, let's just perhaps underscore the importance of what we are seeing today, the Israeli Prime Minister describing a position of strength in suggesting that Israel is getting rid of its enemies. We see the splitscreen of these two funerals, one in n Tehran, in Iran, and one, of course, in Beirut, and that is what we are looking at here, the funeral of the Hezbollah senior leader killed by Israel, assassinated by Israel over the weekend, and on the day that we get the announcement from the Israelis that Mohammed Deif has been assassinated, the leader of the military wing of Hamas in Gaza.

Let's get more on all of this, Firas Maksad is Senior Fellow and Senior Director for Strategic Outreach at the Middle East Institute. He joins me now from Istanbul, where he is working. [08:10:00]

Firas, when we spoke pretty much this time yesterday after the assassination of the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and the Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, by Israel, you said and I quote, you "all bets were off now with regard where this region goes next." Now, this morning, Israel confirming it has killed Mohammed Deif, the head of the Hamas military wing. I just want to get your response to that very latest news.

FIRAS MAKSAD, SNR. FELLOW & SNR. DIR. FOR STRATEGIC OUTREACH, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Becky, it reminds me of the famous quote by the Italian political philosopher Antonio Gramsci, who says, sometimes decades pass by and nothing happens, and sometimes in weeks, decades happen. And I think this is such a moment in the Middle East. What's happened in the past 24 hours is incredible. And you're absolutely correct. We've had not only the assassination of Hezbollah's chief of staff, especially top military commander now, but also the confirmation of the assassination of Hamas' top military chief and the assassination of Hamas' political leader. That is extra ordinary.

And I think it's a moment for all of us, myself included, in the analytical class here, who for very long time had been saying that nobody, none of the involved belligerents in this conflict wants a full edge -- full-fledged war, not the United States, not Iran, that Hezbollah, not Israel. I think we have to reconsider in light of the events for the past 24 hours. And to be fair, I don't think it's only the narrow political interests of the Israeli Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, who we heard speak just yesterday, who said, I've been pressured to end the war and I will not end the war, and then pointed to all the victories and successes that he has had in all these assassinations.

I think there is a broad consensus in Israel. Bibi has never been as popular as he is today since October 7. And there is a broad consensus in Israel that the balance of power on the northern border with Lebanon is unsustainable. And everybody I talked to, who has been to Jerusalem, tells you that it's a matter of when and not if. This might be the moment, unfortunately, where we see something at a much -- on a much grander scale than many of us had imagined or hoped for.

ANDERSON: Hezbollah, considered Iran's political -- military wing, is it were in Lebanon, finance (ph) backed by Iran, what happens next with regard Israel and Hezbollah is a really important question. But, behind this, of course, is, what's the instruction from Iran? And The New York Times reporting on Wednesday that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued an order for Iran, one assumes proxies as well included in that, to strike Israel directly after Haniyeh's death.

I just wonder, firstly, what that looks like and who, at this point, can take the pressure out of the situation? We know, and you and I have talked about this, the U.S., it seems, have sort of run out of leverage with the region when it comes to trying to de-escalate. What about the Saudis, for example? What about Riyadh, another Gulf allies of the states, and those who have some friendship, or at least some communication with Israel, let's be quite frank? Is there anybody at this stage who needs to step forward and say, let's just think about where this goes?

MAKSAD: Yeah. I mean, I have to say, I would love to be a fly on the wall in these private conversations that are taking place between Washington and Jerusalem. I think despite the public discourse coming from the Biden administration that the old line that Israel has the right to defend itself, and that the United States will stand by its ally, there must be a great deal of frustration, to say the least, given what's materialized in the past 48 hours. Washington, the Biden administration, does not need that kind of escalation in the Middle East in an election year when we're three months away and there is just so much happening in domestic U.S. politics.

But, I do think that this is a good example of the limitations that Washington has in terms of trying to prevent even its closest allies in the region to step back from war, when in fact the calculus seems to be in Jerusalem that war and changing the balance of power is in its interests. And at a time if Washington is unable, in fact, to exercise that kind of leverage, I think that, frankly, its partners in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, others included, who don't have that kind of leverage, they might want to sit this one out, play the role of intermediaries, perhaps passing messages, especially the Qataris.

[08:15:00]

But, the reality is that there is not much that others could do if in fact Israel, in particular, but others in the region, I mean, the Iranians still have the opportunity to step back from, Hezbollah too, a more limited response. But, simply put, this is not the way things are going right now.

ANDERSON: Firas, your insight and analysis is really important. I'm so pleased that you've been able to make yourself available to us over the past, what, 24, 26 hours, and stay in close touch, and we'll chat again, because I'm afraid this story is not going away anytime soon. Firas Maksad, today out of Turkey for you, thank you.

Well, the death penalty is no longer on the table for the suspected mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Defense Department says Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has reached a plea deal with prosecutors after more than 20 years in U.S. custody. According to a letter sent to victims' families, he will get life in prison in return for pleading guilty to all charges.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand joins us now from the Pentagon. Natasha, what are the details and what's next?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you said, KSM, as he is known, he has been in Guantanamo Bay in U.S. detention for over 20 years. He was captured in Pakistan in 2003 and not formally charged until 2008. So, fast forward to today, and finally, prosecutors have managed to secure a plea agreement from KSM and two other defendants in relation, of course, to their role in planning the 9/11 attacks. Now, this comes after 12 years of pre-trial litigation. It was a very

complicated and convoluted process that prosecutors were not totally confident would result necessarily in them being convicted, and they were seeking the death penalty, which was going to be additionally complicated, especially because the CIA, of course, used torture in the early 2000s to elicit confessions. And so, there were questions about whether or not the evidence obtained during those enhanced interrogation sessions, as they were known, would be actually admissible.

And so, this plea deal, after 12 years of negotiations, after the last two years specifically related to talks about this kind of deal itself, it seemed like the best possible outcome, and prosecutors actually wrote a letter to the families of 9/11 victims, saying that it was their judgment that this was the best way to move forward here.

Now, of course, there are still a lot of questions and mixed reactions by the families about this outcome, but not necessarily because it takes the death penalty off the table for these defendants, but because they're concerned that this could now close the door on eliciting more information from these defendants about the events leading up to 9/11, and particularly Saudi Arabia's role. They want to get more information about just what role the Saudis played in the 9/11 attacks, and they're concerned that now this will kind of close the door on this entire chapter.

And so, the defendants are scheduled to be sentenced as soon as next year. There is going to be a hearing next week where they are expected to formally submit their guilty pleas. So, this is still kind of a process that has to play out a bit. But, the families are going to have some input here. They are going to be able to submit impact statements, for example, that could affect their sentencing. But, again, the death penalty for now is off the table, which is understandably eliciting a lot of intense emotions and reactions from family members as well as from lawmakers and politicians here in Washington, D.C.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. You are bang up to date.

Still to come, Donald Trump sits down with Black journalists and makes comments that many say, reveal his worst racist ideas. And we will tell you how Kamala Harris responded when Trump questioned whether she was really black. Stay with us.

[08:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Early in his political career, Donald Trump questioned then-President Barack Obama's birthplace. Now, Trump is returning to a similar playbook in his latest attack of presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. In a combative interview Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, Trump fired up a number of controversial comments, including one where he questioned Harris' racial identity. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've known her a long time indirectly, not directly very much. And she was always of Indian heritage and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black and now she wants to be known as black. So, I don't know. Is she Indian or is she black?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: For the record, Harris' mother was born in India and her father is from Jamaica. She attended the historically black university, Howard University. As Senator, she was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and has identified as black American her entire adult life.

Let's bring in now CNN's Alayna Treene with more on Trump's a wild interview. OK. So, he has not backed down, nor has he clarified anything that he said. In fact, he has doubled down, right, on social media.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's exactly right. He has definitely doubled down. He is not running away from these controversial remarks. Instead, he is amplifying them. He did post on Truth Social shortly after -- in the hours after being on that panel, where he reiterated the false claims about her heritage, and called her a phony. And he also continued those attacks at a rally.

But, look, I do want to just share with you, Fred, some of what the Trump campaign was thinking when they sent him to Chicago to participate on that panel. Part of this is that a lot of the media attention over the last few weeks has been focused on Kamala Harris, with the enthusiasm and the fundraising that she is seeing. And Donald Trump wanted to reclaim the narrative.

Now, of course, did he do that in a way that both he and his team think was effective? I think we can all agree that it went sideways. I did speak with one senior advisor, who noted that him going to that panel, and this was in the hours before, I should say, he showed up that that panel and that media appearance, more than anything Donald Trump has done in the last several months, had the most opportunity to go sideways. And like I said, I think we can all agree we did see that happen.

But, another reason that he wanted to go to Chicago yesterday and participate in this is because one of the main goals of the Trump campaign this cycle is to have him try to siphon away what they're calling minority voters from Democrats, and we've seen, Donald Trump has been doing better with black voters and with Hispanic voters. However, the entire race has now changed that -- now that Biden has ended his campaign and Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee. And so, part of that was trying to make inroads with them.

Now, I do think what's very important to make clear here is that these different journalists, Rachel Scott, Kadia Goba, they were asking very legitimate and hard-hitting questions, Harris Faulkner as well, trying to ask him, why should black voters vote for you after what you had said? And rather than him taking those seriously and answering them and using that opportunity to try and make inroads with the black communities, he attacked. And so, I think it's worth noting that he was given that opportunity.

[08:20:00]

That was the goal of yesterday, and in some ways, I think he squandered it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alayna Treene, thanks so much.

As for Kamala Harris, she responded by stating Trump's words are the same old show. Harris spoke to a black sorority convention, telling them Trump preaches divisiveness and disrespect. She added that the American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is tracking the Harris campaign for us. So, Priscilla, good to see you this morning. It was pretty clear Wednesday that Kamala Harris wants to stay above the fray by not further dignifying Trump's comments, instead saying, I'm quoting now, "It's the same old show". Are those words likely to be a familiar refrain for her on the campaign trail?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very likely. It certainly gave us --

WHITFIELD: I'm sorry to interrupt you. We've got breaking news out of Russia right now. Alex Marquardt is joining us. Alex.

[08:27:00] (CNN U.S. SIMULCAST)