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New Israeli Airstrikes in Southern and Eastern Lebanon; Hezbollah Leader's Killing Deepens Fears of Wider Conflict; Joe Biden Calls for De-Escalation of Conflicts; At Least 61 Dead, Nearly 3M Still Without Power in 5 States; Lebanese Officials Estimate One Million Displaced by Attacks. Aired 5-6 am ET

Aired September 29, 2024 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:44]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and around the world. This is CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber, live in Atlanta.

We're following the latest developments in the Middle East, following the Israeli airstrike in Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Now, the Israeli strikes have been going on for days now, and they're showing no signs of letting up, despite new fears of wider war in the region.

Have a look here. We have new video from Lebanon showing some of the damage from today's Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. Lebanon's state news agency says the Sunday strikes have killed at least 10 people.

Meanwhile, we've just heard from the IDF that a number of projectiles have been fired from Lebanon into Israel. Now, all this is happening as the U.S. says Israel is moving troops to the border with Lebanon, a possible sign of preparations for a cross-border incursion. Israel says a ground operation is only one of the options it's considering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESPERSON: We need to understand there's a huge amount of different tools that we have in our toolbox. Ground operations is one of them. We are preparing for that, if it is required, if we receive the instructions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an airstrike on Friday, leading to fears of a wider conflict. But the group says it won't stop fighting while Iran is threatening to deliver what it says will be a crushing blow against Israel.

All right. For more, I'm going to throw now to Becky Anderson, live in Abu Dhabi -- or in Tel Aviv, rather.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: And it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Let's get to Abu Dhabi, where my colleague Paula Hancocks is standing by. You've been monitoring the very latest. We know there have been further Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Paula, who's been targeted and where?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we have information from the Israeli military that they have targeted yet another Hezbollah commander. This one, Nabil Qaouk, is head of the Preventative Security Unit. According to the IDF, they say that he is close to the top of the leadership in Hezbollah.

So just another example of how many of these commanders the Israeli military is targeting at this point. Now, it comes, of course, just two days after Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, was targeted as well. And there have been commanders of different parts of this group being assassinated over recent weeks, which the Israeli military says is weakening and has severely weakened Hezbollah itself.

Now, at this point, we do understand that there is activity on both sides of the border. We know that Israel has been targeting, it says, a number of infrastructure facilities, also a number of launches and also, they say, weapons caches. And there have been a number of missiles coming from the Lebanese side as well, so from Hezbollah.

Even with this aerial bombardment by Israel, we are still seeing Hezbollah firing these missiles into northern Israel. In fact, a little earlier today, Hezbollah did say that they had fired a long- range missile towards the Jerusalem area, the Israeli military confirming that they had, in fact, taken down and intercepted something in that area. So a reminder that Hezbollah does have these long-range missiles as well.

Well, the big question, though, of course, is whether or not the Israeli military is going to carry out a ground invasion to follow up on this aerial bombardment that we have been seeing over recent days. Let's listen to the IDF.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAFTALI BENNETT, FORMER ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER: Hezbollah has been badly, badly damaged. You know, we killed the CEO, Nasrallah. We killed most of the board of directors of Hezbollah. We killed most of the executive management of Hezbollah, the senior management. Whoever did the beeper attack took off the hands, faces and bottoms of thousands of middle management in Hezbollah.

[05:05:21]

So Hezbollah right now is temporarily badly harmed and injured. But if we let go of them now, they'll just recover and hit us back in two or three or five years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So that's the former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pointing out that there is a time for Israel to continue and not a time to be considering a ceasefire, as we know, the Biden administration and others have been pushing for at this point.

Now, the assassination of Nasrallah has been condemned widely across the region, even some countries who don't necessarily support Hezbollah or believe in what they are trying to do in the region. But let's listen to one of those reactions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BADR ABDELATTY, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We staunchly condemn the Israeli escalation. It's dangerous and it knows no limits. It is pushing the region to the brink of the abyss. We categorically reject and strongly condemn Israel's current aggression vis-a-vis Lebanon. This is a flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, its territorial integrity, its unity and its political independence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: So this is the great concern, as it has been for months now, that this conflict is going to become wider. We've heard from one senior Biden administration official that they believe that if Iran, of course, the main sponsor of Hezbollah, if Iran believes that Hezbollah is losing and they believe that they could lose this group as a buffer zone, as a last line of defense, then they could very well get involved as well.

We've certainly been hearing rhetoric from the Iranian side that there has to be some kind of retaliation. The same from Hezbollah. As of now, Becky, we wait to see what that looks like.

ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely. Paula, it's good to have you. Thank you.

Paula Hancocks is live in Abu Dhabi for you.

Avi Mayer is the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post. I'm delighted that he joins us now from Jerusalem. And thank you for joining us this Sunday morning.

As Israel reserves the right to go into Lebanon with troops on the ground, that is only one of a number of operational options. Meantime, information coming in that another key Hezbollah asset has been assassinated in Lebanon.

Also news that Hezbollah has been involved in further strikes on Israel. What's your perspective on what has been achieved to date?

AVI MAYER, FORMER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, JERUSALEM POST: Well, Becky, it's important to realize that Hezbollah is not in fact Iran's last line of defense, rather its first line of offense against the state of Israel. For the past 11 and a half, nearly 12 months, Hezbollah has subjected northern Israel to a constant bombardment, forcing 1% of Israel's entire population to flee, essentially depopulating that area.

And so there's a great deal of relief in Israel, but also around the region. The elimination of Hassan Nasrallah. Of course, we've seen celebrations in Syria, where Hezbollah was actively involved in the Assad regime's campaign of oppression and elimination in that country. And so I think what you're seeing now is the possibility for a new beginning.

I know Israeli officials are talking about some kind of a new arrangement on the northern border in accordance with U.N. Resolution 1701 that would push Hezbollah up past Litani River, where it's supposed to be, and replace it with the Lebanese army, asserting that country's sovereignty in that region. One can only hope that that's what will happen at this point.

ANDERSON: And Iran's malign influence around this wider region, and very specifically through its backing for Hezbollah, has had a huge impact on this wider region. And there will be many in positions of leadership around the Middle East and the Gulf who will not mourn the loss of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his sort of board, as it were, and those commanders in significant positions below him, many of whom are dead now. But we also just heard from the Egyptian Foreign Minister concerned about the escalation around the region.

Now, the prime minister here, Benjamin Netanyahu, said this is escalation to de-escalate, using the term that many around this region have been using for months now. They want to see de-escalation, as does, of course, the United States.

[05:10:12]

And whilst Joe Biden has put out a statement of support for Israel's operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, we do also know there is a significant ambition for a ceasefire at this point. What's your perspective on that?

MAYER: Well, Becky, those who suggest that these events of the past few days, the elimination of the entire leadership, essentially, of Hezbollah, may actually ease the way towards a ceasefire. It enables Israel to decompress in the north, perhaps enabling it to refocus on the south and focusing on exactly what it is that Israel wants as an endgame.

I would look past the rhetoric being heard from some Arab leaders at this time. I think, as you said earlier, there's widespread relief across the region at the elimination of Hezbollah, which, of course, was a key asset, remains, to some extent, a key asset of Iran, but has been significantly weakened. I think that does open the door towards more moderate influences in this region, hopefully towards some kind of de-escalation and a ceasefire agreement between Israel, Hamas, and other players in the region.

ANDERSON: Yeah, and you talked -- we hear a lot of talk in this region about navigating a new Middle East, looking at an architecture of economic integration and de-escalation that will take this region forwards, not backwards. The concerns, of course, being voiced by many, including the Egyptian Foreign Minister, as we just heard then, are of what happens in the short term, as opposed to what may or could happen longer term.

Avi, it's really good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us with your insight this morning.

U.S. President Joe Biden hailing Nasrallah's death as a measure of justice, but he is still urging, as I say, a ceasefire in the conflict. CNN's Kevin Liptak reports from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: White House officials are reacting to the death of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, with something of dueling sentiments. Certainly, there are no tears being shed inside the White House for Nasrallah's death. They describe him as a terrorist with American blood on his hands.

But at the same time, they do warn that this could potentially cause the situation in the region to deteriorate after what President Biden has said is an attempt to de-escalate tensions in the region. And you saw these dueling sentiments reflected in the President's statement that was released almost 24 hours after that operation in Beirut, the President saying that "his death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians." The President says, "Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror."

But the President also goes on to say that, "ultimately our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means. It's time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability."

And it was interesting to hear from President Biden on Saturday as he was leaving church in Delaware describing his ultimate goal for the region. Listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, is a ground incursion into Lebanon inevitable?

JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: It's time for a ceasefire.

LIPTAK: So you hear the President there say it's time for a ceasefire. Of course, President Biden and his top officials were working for the majority of this week to try and achieve a 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border. They had worked on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York to try and secure a statement and a proposal to reach that ceasefire deal. And they thought that Israel was on board, and they were infuriated the morning after they announced it to hear the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, essentially brush that deal off.

And then it was a day later on Friday when these strikes in Beirut occurred. President Biden says that the U.S. wasn't involved and had no forewarning. And certainly, it does give you a sense of the widening disconnect between the President and Netanyahu. They have not spoken for more than a month. And what American officials say is certainly that President Biden is still trying to work on these diplomatic arrangements. But obviously, this strike that took out the Hezbollah leader only complicates that situation further.

And now what they're watching for is any sort of reprisal from Hezbollah or what remains of it, and certainly from Iran. And that is something that President Biden was briefed by his national security team on earlier on Saturday. They say he talked about looking at the U.S. forces in the region, the status of those forces, but he also directed the diplomacy to continue.

[05:15:07]

Of course, President Biden very focused on trying to reach these ceasefire deals, but the status of them still remains very much uncertain.

Kevin Liptak, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Marched in Ramallah on Saturday to condemn the killing of Nasrallah. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared five days of mourning. Lebanon announcing a three-day period of public mourning, as have Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric expressing a statement of deep sorrow over the killing of Hezbollah's leader, calling Friday's attack a horrific massacre. And here's how former Palestinian Authority Minister Majida Al-Masri reacted to the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJIDA AL-MASRI, FORMER PALESTINIAN MINISTER (through translator): If Netanyahu thinks that the assassination of the great leader, the master and the icon of the resistance Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will impact the resistance and will impact our ability to continue our struggle then he is delusional and we will see that he is in the coming days. On the contrary this will inflame the resistance and the fighters and their willingness to struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: We'll have a lot more from the Middle East as this, our breaking news, continues this hour.

BRUNHUBER: And days after Helene slammed into Florida as a record- breaking storm, inland residents far from the Gulf Coast are still dealing with the destructive remnants. We'll have the latest after the break. Stay with us.

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[05:20: 28]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LILLIAN GOVUS, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, BUNCOMBE COUNTY: We still have massive flooding, as you showed earlier, that we are trying to rescue through. We have been doing swift water boat rescues now for multiple days. We have folks who are trapped. I had a phone call earlier today from a woman who was trapped at a church with 30 other people, and some of those people had -- did not -- were not able to make it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So that was a North Carolina official talking about the situation in Asheville after the remnants of Helene moved through the region. At least 61 people have been killed, and nearly 3 million remain without power in five states days after the storm slammed Florida. Emergency services in western North Carolina are overwhelmed.

Two-thirds of Asheville's residents are without power, and the city is under an overnight curfew. Officials say a Tennessee dam that was in danger of collapse is holding, but many roads and bridges across the region are closed due to flooding or landslides, and more rain is expected this weekend.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen Florida counties in the Big Bend and Tampa regions are under boil water notices in the wake of Helene. Officials there say they're working to get water facilities operational. CNN's Ivan Rodriguez has more on the storm's aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region Thursday night as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane, leaving coastal communities like Key and Beach, Florida, nearly unrecognizable.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Clearly, you saw a storm surge in excess of 15 feet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, there was just houses everywhere, and now there's nothing.

RODRIGUEZ: Most of the communities in Big Bend still don't have power. Recovery from this historic storm will be long, especially for people still waiting on insurance claims from the last hurricane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still fighting with our insurance for, my store and my house down here that were damaged in Idalia last year. So I'm still, I mean, we're months away from an end in that situation.

RODRIGUEZ: In North Carolina, more than 400 roads in the western part of the state were closed as of Saturday morning. Since Thursday, Buncombe County received over 5,500 911 calls and conducted more than 130 swift water rescues. Parts of Asheville, North Carolina, have been left under several feet of water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of the businesses are absolutely wrecked. I've never seen anything like that since I've lived here.

RODRIGUEZ: Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell is on the ground in Florida Saturday surveying the destruction. The agency says it deployed more than 800 staff to support states affected by Helene, and their distribution centers are fully stocked.

In Key and Beach, Florida, I'm Ivan Rodriguez reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The owners of the NFL's Carolina Panthers are pledging $3 million to hurricane relief efforts. The David and Nicole Tepper Foundation, in partnership with the Panthers and Charlotte FC, announced the commitment on Saturday. The money will go to help people across the Carolinas.

The Panthers said on the team website that the funds will go to food banks and pantries, local community foundations, and other agencies providing services.

Many residents of southwestern Mexico had to be evacuated from their homes on Saturday as the remnants of Hurricane John continued to pound the region. The storm, originally a Category 3 hurricane, weakened but then returned as a Category 1.

Now, it's no longer considered an active storm, but its effects are still being felt. Flooding and landslides have killed at least 22 people. Responders in Acapulco are carrying out rescues by boat, jet ski, and helicopter.

ANDERSON: More concerns growing about what happens next here in the Middle East after the killing of the top Hezbollah leader.

Still ahead, what the U.S. says could be the Israeli military's next move.

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[05:27:56]

ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, live in Tel Aviv for you. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

A quick update on the breaking news out of this region. Israel says it carried out new airstrikes in Lebanon today, hitting targets in the east and south of the country. At least 10 were killed in today's strikes, according to Lebanon's state news agency. This is a look at some of the damage in the city of Tyre. The IDF claims that a Saturday airstrike killed the commander of Hezbollah's what's known as preventative security unit.

Meanwhile, the IDF says in the past hours, multiple projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel. Well, the U.S. now says Israel is moving troops to the border with Lebanon, a possible sign of preparations for a limited cross-border incursion. Israel says only that a ground operation, just one option that it is considering.

Well, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an airstrike, of course, on Friday. Hezbollah says it will keep fighting. While Iran, its backer, is threatening to deliver what it says will be a crushing blow against Israel.

Earlier, CNN spoke with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. We asked him if a ground offensive would be necessary to achieve Israel's military objective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENNETT: Well, the objective is actually to remove the threat of Hezbollah once and for all. Hezbollah has been terrorizing Israeli people for about 35 years now. They've shot tens of thousands of rockets on Israelis throughout the year. The years murdered hundreds of Israelis. They killed my own best friend. And it's time to remove this whole threat from Israel, and this is an opportunity.

How to achieve it, you can do it with or without an incursion. I'm not going to give the government advice, but this is what we need to do, because this is a watershed event and a huge opportunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, that's Naftali Bennett speaking to CNN earlier.

Saleh El Machnouk is a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute, and he joins us now from Beirut. I want to talk very specifically about what is going on in Lebanon and what might happen next.

[05:30:11]

The Lebanese army is calling for, and I quote them here, "The preservation of national unity in the aftermath of the continued Israeli strikes." Given Hezbollah's deeply embedded role in Lebanon, can you describe the significance on Lebanese society of what we are witnessing and the likely consequences, or what those likely consequences could be domestically going forward?

SALEH EL MACHNOUK, NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thank you, Becky. This is a real (technical difficulty).

ANDERSON: Dr. Saleh El Machnouk, I can't hear you particularly well. I think it's going to be one of those moments when we say, let's redial, take a break, come back after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson. We have, over the past some hours, seen the assassination of quite a significant number of the top order of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Saleh El Machnouk is an on-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute, joining us now from Beirut. And thank you for persevering with us. I think we've re-established you.

What you and I wanted to discuss was the significance on Lebanese society of what we are seeing at this point. Of course, Hezbollah has a hugely embedded in politics and society in Lebanon. And what the likely consequences might be domestically, Saleh?

[05:35:05]

MACHNOUK: Thank you, Becky. (Technical difficulty).

ANDERSON: Saleh, apologize Saleh, it is impossible to hear you. We'll try again. Your analysis and insight is so important to us. Unfortunately, the line is just not stable enough at this point. Apologies, viewers.

Our top story out of the Middle East, of course. Israel says it's carrying out new airstrikes today in Lebanon. And the IDF now claims that a Saturday airstrike killed the commander of what is known as Hezbollah's preventative security unit.

Meanwhile, there are fears of a wider war in the region after Israel's killing of Hezbollah's top leader in Beirut. U.S. officials say they see the possibility of a limited ground incursion into Lebanon as Israel moves forces to its northern border.

The conflict has families in Lebanon sleeping on beaches and in public squares. A Lebanese crisis official tells CNN that more than 100,000 people are officially registered as displaced. Up to a quarter of a million are said to be staying in shelters.

Gonzalo Vargas Llosa is a representative for the U.N. refugee agency in Syria and joins us now from the Syrian-Lebanese border crossing.

And, Gonzalo, we have already seen a significant number of people fleeing Lebanon into Syria. Some of those are Syrians who had fled the conflict, the decade-long conflict or more, into Lebanon, now making their way back to a very unstable situation, and Lebanese also moving towards Syria across that border.

Can you just give us an assessment of what you see happening on the ground and your concerns about what is happening and what happens next?

GONZALO VARGAS LLOSA, REPRESENTATIVE, UNHCR SYRIA: Yes, thank you very much, Becky. So, yes, we are here right on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon. Right now, behind me, there are queues of about at least two, two and a half kilometers of vehicles, of buses, of cars, and also of people walking.

We have been here now for four days, and the estimate is that at least 70,000 people have crossed since Tuesday. And, yes, that is correct. There are basically two groups. So one group is Syrian refugees who have been in Lebanon and who have been there as a result of the conflict here and who are coming back.

And then there is this second group of Lebanese who are fleeing the violence and the bombing in their own countries and are coming to seek shelter in Syria.

ANDERSON: Right.

LLOSA: And I think, Becky, that the first thing to point out, and I think you hinted at this, is the extraordinary situation that we are having today. They are going from one country, which is under bombing, to another country where there is still, you know, war in parts of that country now for 13 years, and also a country which has been absolutely devastated on the economic -- on the economic side. So these are the types of incredibly painful choices that the people just behind me are making.

ANDERSON: So you share the concerns that either sort of civil war in Lebanon, the collapse, total collapse of the Lebanese economy and society could provide a very frightening scenario for the wider region going forward. After all, it was the conflict in Syria and the collapse of the Syrian economy that had caused so much wider ripple effect across this wider Middle East region. You fear more of the same, do you, and worse?

[05:40:07]

LLOSA: Well, I think it's the people that fear the worst. I mean, every person that we have spoken to who have crossed this border over the past four days, I mean, they are asking for one thing. They are asking for the violence and for the bombing in Lebanon to stop. They don't understand what they have done wrong, what is it that has happened for them to deserve this.

You know, just a couple of days ago, we were also here. There was this Syrian woman who crossed the border. You know, she was carrying two dead children, her two dead children, who had died as a result of the bombing in Lebanon. And she's Syrian and wanted to bury them here.

And, you know, that's the question that she was asking herself. Why have I been put in this impossible and extremely painful position? So what everybody crossing this border wants is the fighting, the bombing to stop.

ANDERSON: Gonzalo, that which you've just related is so heartbreaking and so distressing. From your perspective, then, what is your message? You know, our viewers will clearly hear the message that you are hearing from those crossing the border at this point, the total fatigue and frustration, the fear of what might happen next. From the agency's point of view, what's your message?

LLOSA: Look, first of all, Becky, I really want to stress the, I mean, extraordinary generosity of the Syrian people. You know the situation in this country. In the past four days, they have opened their borders, not only to receive their own citizens, the Syrians who are crossing back, but also they have opened the border to thousands and thousands of Lebanese.

They have actually facilitated the entry of the Lebanese to an extent that they no longer even require passports or the standard ID. Just any piece of paper that has their name on it is being accepted so that they can come in.

And, you know, we have seen scenes of so many Syrians opening their homes also to Lebanese. You know, Syrians who have nothing, who are incredibly poor, they are opening their houses to give shelter also to the Lebanese.

So this message, I think, is very important. And the last message is that this country needs more support to deal with the immediate emergency, what is happening today, what has been happening for the past four days, but also for the next weeks, for the next months and so on. Because this is a country that is suffering from chronic underfunding on the humanitarian operation.

ANDERSON: And Gonzalo, just before I let you go, there have been unconfirmed reports of strikes in Syria. Is that anything that you have witnessed? What can you tell us?

LLOSA: Look, as I said, I mean, you know, the conflict that has been going on for 13 years in this country, it is not -- it is unfortunately not over. So there is still violence taking place every day in Syria.

Fortunately, fortunately, the four border crossing points from Lebanon to Syria, where UNHCR colleagues and our partners are, those have not been targeted and are currently open 24 hours a day.

ANDERSON: Gonzalo Vargas Llosa at the Lebanese-Syrian border. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

On the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres says that he is deeply alarmed by the significant escalation over the past 24 hours and called for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza as well.

[05:45:03]

He said, "This cycle of violence must stop now and all sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, people of Israel, as well as the wider region cannot afford an all-out war."

BRUNHUBER: All right, after the break, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are set to hold rallies on opposite sides of the country today. We have the latest on what could be one of the closest presidential races in U.S. history. That's coming up. Stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: In the coming hours, Kamala Harris is expected to hold a rally in Las Vegas. While campaigning on the U.S. west coast, the Democratic presidential nominee has been monitoring the situation in the Middle East. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Vice President Kamala Harris echoing President Joe Biden on Saturday over the developing situation in the Middle East, saying that Israel has a right to defend itself and also calling for de-escalation. Saying this in a statement, "Hassan Nasrallah was a terrorist with American blood on his hands. Across decades, his leadership of Hezbollah destabilized the Middle East and led to the killing of countless innocent people in Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and around the world. Today, Hezbollah's victims have a measure of justice."

[05:50:06]

Now, the Vice President also joined a call with President Joe Biden and the national security team to continue to get an update on the situation, review the U.S. military posture in the region, and also direct those continued diplomatic efforts.

But all of this was unfolding as the Vice President has been on the campaign trail. On Friday, she was in Arizona speaking on immigration along the U.S. southern border. Then on Saturday, she was at a fundraiser. And on Sunday, she will be at another fundraiser here in Los Angeles before heading to Nevada for a rally.

Now, the situation in the Middle East has factored in politically as she has also had to grapple with some protesters at her rallies who are protesting the situation in Gaza. And in those moments, the Vice President has said that the administration is working toward a ceasefire and calling for de-escalation in the region.

Now, the Vice President, I'm told by sources, is continuing to monitor the situation as she's on the trail the next several days and also staying close with her national security team.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday, making a stop in Wisconsin. He focused on immigration and border security. And he attacked Harris' record after her visit to the border. He told the crowd that every town in America would be, quote, "transformed into a third-world hellhole if Harris is elected." Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Border czar Harris went to the border to lie in the most shameless and horrible way possible at the very site where she released so much suffering, misery, and death. There's no greater act of disloyalty than to extinguish the sovereignty of your own nation right through your border. No matter what lies she tells, Kamala Harris, can never be forgiven for her erasing our border, and she must never be allowed to become president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: During his speech, Trump again referred to undocumented immigrants who commit crimes as animals, and he called them, quote, "stone-cold killers." Well, the U.S. Vice Presidential debate is only days away, but at its

final event before the showdown, Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, made no mention of Democratic VP hopeful Tim Walz or the debate stage. Instead, he launched attacks at Kamala Harris, blasting her record on the economy and immigration.

And we just want to remind you to watch CNN's special coverage of the vice presidential debate between Walz and Vance. Jake Tapper and Erin Burnett will get things started at 7 p.m. Tuesday in New York at 7 a.m. Wednesday in Hong Kong.

In battle in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams heads back to court on Wednesday. Adams pleaded not guilty to five federal corruption charges Friday, and he says he has no plans to resign, but the decision may be out of his hands.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul may make the decision for him. We got details from CNN's Gloria Pazmino.

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GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT The Mayor kept a pretty low profile here in New York City on Saturday. He went to church when he was entering church. He was asked whether or not he would resign. The Mayor did not answer the question. But we know from his comments in the past few days that he has no intention of stepping down and that he is going to fight these charges. At least he has said that he has every intention to do so.

And we got a chance to listen and learn a little bit about what the defense in this case might look like. The Mayor was arraigned on Friday. He declared himself not guilty. And his lawyer spoke to a reporter outside of the federal courthouse, saying that the gifts and the luxury travel and the airline upgrades that are outlined in the indictment were nothing more than that, just gifts and free upgrades. He said that the political donations that the Mayor received were secured by staffers who did not tell the Mayor that they were taking donations from foreign nationals.

So we're starting to see just how the Mayor may potentially be defending himself in this case.

I want you to take a listen to Alex Spiro, who is representing Eric Adams, shortly after the arraignment on Friday. Take a listen.

ALEX SPIRO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This case isn't even a real case. This is the airline upgrade corruption case. There are no emails, text messages, or any corroboration whatsoever that the mayor knew about anything having to do with these campaign donations. The entire body of evidence is one staffer. One staffer that says there was a conversation. What you have not learned is that that staffer has lied, and the government is in possession of that lie.

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PAZMINO: Now, Spiro is referencing a former Eric Adams staffer who we now know is cooperating with the government.

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Now, the question in all of this, beyond the indictment and beyond the charges, is how the Mayor is going to survive the political fallout that has resulted from all of this. We know that he does not plan on stepping down. But Governor Kathy Hochul is the only person who has the legal authority to remove him. And our sources close to the Mayor had told us that she was looking at the legal language just to make sure that she was keeping her options open.

This weekend, we are also hearing from the Reverend Al Sharpton. He called on Hochul not to use that power, saying that the Mayor deserves the right to due process and that there is no political precedent here in the city for removing a sitting mayor.

That, of course, would be a very politically fraught choice for Governor Hochul to make. So we will see just how this plays out over the next several days.

Of course, in the meantime, the Mayor has to get back to the work of running the city. And the question is whether or not he is going to be able to do that successfully while he also defends himself from these very serious charges.

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BRUNHUBER: The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral on Saturday.

A two-person team is now on the way to bring two NASA astronauts home from the International Space Station. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS since June after their Boeing Starliner capsule was deemed too risky for the flight back to Earth.

The Dragon is due to link up with the ISS about 5.30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. A NASA astronaut and Russian cosmonaut will now join Williams and Wilmore for five months of work aboard the floating lab, and all are due to head home in February.

All right, you've been watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. CNN This Morning is next.

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