Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
New Israeli Strikes Rock Hezbollah Targets in Beirut; Liz Cheney Campaigns with Harris at Wisconsin Rally; Increasingly Inflammatory Rhetoric from Trump on Campaign Trail; China Says Its Coast Guard Ship Ventured Into Arctic Ocean; Biden Surveys Storm Damage, Calls for United Response; Dominican Republic to Deport Up to 10,000 Haitians a Week. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired October 04, 2024 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR: James Carville, always a pleasure to hear your voice. Thank you so much.
[00:00:07]
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you. It's one thing to take, Laura. One thing to take.
COATES: All the way. That's all the way full.
Make sure you tune in.
CARVILLE: There you go.
COATES: CNN Film, "Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid" premieres Saturday, October 5, at 7 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
Hey, thanks for watching. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" is next.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, Israel reportedly takes aim at Hezbollah's possible new leader in its latest round of airstrikes on Beirut.
Negotiators reach a tentative agreement to reopen U.S. ports and send striking dockworkers back to their jobs.
And China's Coast Guard sails into Arctic oceans in a joint exercise with Russia.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: It is 7 a.m. in Beirut, Lebanon, a city rocked overnight by another round of punishing Israeli attacks. Live pictures to you coming from the Lebanese capital.
Israel says it is taking aim at Hezbollah targets, including the group's intelligence headquarters. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSIONS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Lebanese authorities say at least 1,400 people have been killed throughout the country in the past few weeks. Hundreds and hundreds more wounded. Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed.
A source telling CNN the IDF targeted a possible successor to the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an airstrike last week.
But the fate of Hashem Safieddine is not yet known. The IDF says its goal is to eliminate Hezbollah's threat to the residents of Northern Israel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GEN. HERZI HALEVI, IDF CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF (through translator): We will not allow Hezbollah to settle itself in these places in the future. The severe blows against Hezbollah in all areas in Beirut, in the Beqaa Valley in South Lebanon will continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson tracking the latest developments.
Ivan, Israel keeps saying this is a limited operation, but realities on the ground in Lebanon suggest otherwise on many levels. Bring us up to date.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sure. And there are historical precedents where Israel has carried out what it described as limited operations such as earlier this year in Rafah, in Gaza. And it turned out to be a much larger operation.
This week, Israel announced it was drawing another division to its ground operations in the North of Israel against Hezbollah, which suggests this is not going to be limited. It will be much, much bigger.
The fighting continues to rage. The Israeli military says that there were some 230 projectiles fired from Lebanon into Israel but no reports of any civilian casualties.
A ninth Israeli soldier was killed in the ground operations in that border area.
On the Lebanese side, as you pointed out, more casualties. The Lebanese Health Ministry says at least 37 people killed on Thursday, more than 150 people wounded in the Israeli airstrikes.
Among the casualties are two separate Lebanese army soldiers who were killed in two different incidents near the Israeli border.
Why is that particularly important? Well, Israel says it is fighting against Hezbollah. The Lebanese army is funded and supported by the U.S., Israel's ally. And in these cases, the Lebanese army says that its men came under direct fire in one case while conducting a rescue and evacuation operation; in another case when they say that their base was hit in the area of Bint Jbeil, and that they then fired back.
It just shows how complicated this conflict is in the mountains of Southern Lebanon.
The damage -- we do not yet know, as Israel has claimed, that it was targeting a senior Hezbollah official who -- this is, of course, after Israel successfully killed the leader of Hezbollah a bit more than a week ago. So, we do not know the status of that Hezbollah official.
Meanwhile, there are increasing warnings from humanitarian organizations about the toll that this is taking on Lebanese society and on the healthcare sector.
Listen to the head of the World Health Organization.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: In Southern Lebanon, 37 health facilities have been closed while in Beirut, three hospitals have been forced to fully evacuate staff and patients, and another two were partially evacuated.
[00:05:12]
And yet healthcare continues to come under attack. In Lebanon alone, 28 health workers have been killed in the last 24 hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: Twenty-eight health care workers killed in just 24 hours, which suggests that the massive Israeli aerial bombardment of Beirut and Southern and Eastern Lebanon is hitting a large number of civilians, as well.
There have been growing calls from governments around the world to evacuate their citizens from Lebanon. The U.S. government says that it was able to successfully send planes to evacuate about 250 Americans and family members. There are only a limited number of flights that are sold out, flying out of Beirut airport amid the bombardment of Beirut, if you can believe it.
And the State Department says it is charging $283 a seat to every American that's evacuated -- Michael.
HOLMES: Wow. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. Appreciate the update, Ivan. You know the country well. Thank you so much.
All right. Joining me now from Sydney, Australia, journalist Antony Loewenstein, longtime regional analyst and author of "The Palestine Laboratory."
Always good to see you, Antony. A former senior Israeli military official told CNN when it comes to Israel, quote, "Are you responding to intention or to results?"
Now, when we look at Israel's declared policy of so-called escalation to deescalate in Lebanon and what it might do now in Iran, what do you think Israel's broader intentions are?
ANTONY LOEWENSTEIN, AUTHOR, "THE PALESTINE LABORATORY": I mean, first of all, it's worth saying that escalations for de-escalation or whether it's the other way around is just an absurd Orwellian term that means nothing.
I mean, anyone who's watched the news in the last year has seen that. We've seen massive escalation from Gaza to the West Bank, from Yemen to Syria.
Look, Israel's, I think, long-term goal here, and it's been articulated by Netanyahu and many of his government members. And also, frankly, many in Israel itself is, I would argue, to expand Israeli borders.
This was the case before October 7, but Israel sees a unique once-in- a-generation opportunity to expand their borders.
What do I mean by that? The possibility of, say, even occupying parts of Southern Lebanon. Obviously, Gaza is now decimated. There's a talk about potentially permanently occupying at least the Northern part of Gaza.
The West Bank is occupied, has been for over half a century, and that occupation is deepening.
And the delusion, of course, about that policy is that -- a belief that you can militarily dominate, kill, assassinate, imprison your enemies, perceived enemies.
But none of it, none of it is bringing Israel long-term security, let alone Jews around the world such as myself. None of it is. In fact, it's the opposite: that it's enraging huge amounts of people globally.
And the evidence of that is overwhelming, in terms of people who are protesting on the streets.
You can kill leaders, Michael. You can kill Hezbollah leaders, Hamas. Israel's been here before. And the end result was, in fact, growing opposition to their policies, not less.
HOLMES: Yes. I want to ask you about this, too. Israel is bombing Beirut. And of course, there's been almost total destruction of Gaza, 1,400 dead in Lebanon the last couple of weeks, thousands wounded. Israeli boots have been on Lebanese soil.
And yet, there was U.S. and Western outrage that Israel came under Iranian missile attack. Some say there's a double standard, depending on who's bombing what.
What are your thoughts on that?
LOEWENSTEIN: I mean, double standard is a polite way to put it; it's hypocrisy. And a lot of people see this, that the idea somehow that Israelis are under attack, but you never see that similar language used about Gazans under attack, or people in the West Bank or, for that matter, Lebanese, Yemenis, Syrians.
We have a very -- when I say "we," many in the West have a real hypocrisy and, frankly, racism when we talk about different people.
We in the West deserve safety, security. If you're Jewish, if you're Israeli, you deserve security. If you're Arab, Palestinian, Muslim, somehow implied maybe you're suspicious. The language that's often been used by so many Western media outlets in the last few -- not all, but many -- really shows that.
The language when we talk about Russian attacks on Ukraine, very clear. Russia is attacking civilians. It's indefensible, which it is.
But when we talk about Israel attacking civilians, which has been the vast bulk of the war in the last year, in a multitude of theaters, the language somehow is couched in vagueness, or we don't mention who the main perpetrator is.
That, I think, goes to the heart of so much the hypocrisy that people see, which is why, by the way, so much the audience of Western press in the last years is declining.
HOLMES: Yes. When -- when you look at Israel's rejections of ceasefires in Gaza, the attack on Hezbollah's leader after the Biden administration said a ceasefire is close, and Israel was in on those talks. Keeping the U.S. in the dark on things like pager explosions.
[00:10:14]
Do you get a sense from Israel's actions that they have -- I don't know -- slipped from the sphere of influence from Washington, that Benjamin Netanyahu was on a mission of sorts and won't be stopped?
LOEWENSTEIN: I mean, to some extent, Netanyahu is on a mission, but I don't accept the idea that America somehow is blind to this.
I mean, we constantly read in the last year regularly in the press Biden's concern, Biden is upset. Kamala Harris is worried. She's expressed sympathy for Palestinians.
What matters in the end are policies. And what matters is that Israel is still being sent massive amounts of weapons from the U.S. None of that has changed. We read in the last week, the U.S. administration has been happy with Israel's escalation in Lebanon.
In the end, what matters are actions. And Biden's legacy is pretty clear. He'll be leaving office in a few months, and he's essentially given carte blanche, and support, and arms to the most significant attack and death toll of Palestinians in their history, far more than 1948 in the Nakba, where there were roughly 15, 20,000 Palestinians killed in that war that Israel, for its -- for its establishment.
There's been 40, 50, 60,000 Palestinians dead. That is Biden's legacy. And all the talk about his concern means nothing, because facts on the ground speak for themselves.
HOLMES: Antony Loewenstein in Sydney. Good to get your thoughts. Thanks so much.
LOEWENSTEIN: Thanks, Michael
HOLMES: Now, the U.S. economy may have dodged the bullet from the huge strike of port workers along the Eastern and Gulf Coasts of the U.S.
On Thursday, their union reached a tentative deal with the employers, offering a $4 an hour raise each year until 2030. Union members will be back at work on Friday, even though they're yet to ratify the agreement.
This was the comment from President Joe Biden after the announcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The dock workers are going back to work. And in the next 90 days, they're going to settle everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The strike, which began this week, threatened to upend U.S. exports and imports ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season.
One union leader explaining what the agreement means to workers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT COWAN, PRESIDENT, ILA LOCAL 333: It means that they can -- they can provide food on the table, pay their bills. They don't have to worry anymore of possibly losing our cars or their homes or anything like that.
You know, we're just coming back off a major catastrophe, maritime tragedy with the bridge collapse. We were out of work for two months. Now we're out of work for a few more days. We're very excited to be back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney joined Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail for the first time on Thursday, Cheney telling a crowd in the battleground state of Wisconsin, that she is proudly voting for Harris in November and said Donald Trump, quote, "can never be trusted with power again."
CNN's Eva McKend is in Wisconsin with more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: This was a very different campaign event for the vice president. She typically talks about reproductive rights, the economy, gun violence. This was not that.
This was a conversation for the country about core values. The vice president joined by Liz Cheney. Cheney, seemingly recalling some of her work from the January 6th Committee. She strenuously outlined for voters the many ways, in her view, the former president threatened the peaceful transition of power.
The vice president warning this audience that there is no guarantee that, if former President Trump is re-elected, that he would honor his oath to the Constitution. Take a listen.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. And as you have heard and no, he refused to accept the will of the people and the results of an election that was free and fair. As you have heard, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers.
He threatened the life of his own vice president and refused to engage in the peaceful transfer of power.
And let us be clear about how he intends to use power if elected again. He has called for jailing journalists, political opponents, anyone he sees and deems as being an enemy.
[00:15:06]
He has pledged to destroy the independence of the Department of Justice. And he called for deploying our active-duty military against our own citizens.
MCKEND: This was a message for a very specific type of voter: conservatives and independents that have no appetite for the former president but may otherwise sit this election out.
The vice president, Liz Cheney leaning on those voters essentially arguing that this election is too urgent for them to skip. Also leaning on their sense of patriotism in this hour.
Eva McKend, CNN, Ripon, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Donald Trump bashed Liz Cheney while speaking to FOX News on Thursday, mocking her congressional loss and saying she was terrible.
And at a rally in Michigan, he slammed the White House response to Hurricane Helene, falsely accusing Biden and Harris of stealing money from FEMA.
CNN's Kristen Holmes reports from Detroit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former President Donald Trump was slated to give a speech on the economy. And while he did touch on some economic points in Saginaw, Michigan -- he talked about how some of the policy proposals he has if he is reelected, including no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime --
K. HOLMES (voice-over): -- he also veered off-topic, pretty much half or more of the time, talking about everything we have heard from Donald Trump in the past, including re-litigating the ABC debate; talking about Kamala Harris's ascension to the top of the ticket. At one point, he called Nancy Pelosi crazy yet again, having nothing to do with any policy on the economy.
But one of the things that he continued to fixate on was the federal response to Hurricane Helene. Now that's not that surprising, given the fact that Donald Trump and his team have been working to tie Kamala Harris to the current administration, which is not that hard to do. She is the vice president.
But now, he is fixated on this idea of the federal response to Helene. He has been claiming over and over again that it has been disastrous. That is not what we have heard from Republican and Democratic governors on the ground, particularly on a day like today, where President Joe Biden was on the ground there, assessing some of the damages, promising some more resources.
But he also made this claim. Take a listen.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country, including 1 billion for gift cards for illegal aliens and putting them up in luxury hotels, with a gift card -- with a gift card to welcome them to America, as our veterans are sleeping on the sidewalks below those hotels.
K. HOLMES: Now, one thing to point out here. This obviously mixes two things that Donald Trump wants to talk about over and over again: immigration and failures of the current administration.
But we are told that this is not accurate. While FEMA does have some resources that go towards grants for migrant housing, that is a completely different account than disaster relief. The two of those things would not be conflated.
But obviously, as we know, Donald Trump often tries to take some part of the truth and bolster it out there to try and use incendiary language. It appears that's what he was doing there tonight.
Now, one interesting point I want to note.
K. HOLMES (voice-over): He is going to be on -- in Georgia on Friday, standing next to Governor Brian Kemp, the popular Republican governor who he has been at odds with for years. This is the first time the two of them will appear side-by-side since before the 2020 election.
Of course, as we remember, they had a huge falling out when Kemp decided to certify the election in Georgia, going against Trump's wishes.
However, Kemp has said that he was going to try and help Donald Trump --
K. HOLMES: -- win the presidency this cycle.
Kristen Holmes, CNN, Detroit, Michigan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: U.S. officials say they have busted another Russian hacking operation that was underway in the run-up to the presidential election.
The U.S. Justice Department and Microsoft say they have seized more than 100 web domains linked to Russia's intelligence agency. The hackers didn't target political campaigns are election infrastructure. Instead, they went after about 30 civil society groups, including media outlets, think tanks, and NGOs.
They also obtained sensitive data about U.S. government employees, which could be used in future influence operation.
No response from Russia yet, but it routinely denies similar accusations.
China's Coast Guard is trying to extend its footprint in the region the U.S. considers its own turf. It says one of its vessels conducted a joint patrol with Russian ships in the Arctic Ocean in recent days.
The U.S. says Chinese ships have never been spotted so far North.
[00:20:03]
As Marc Stewart reports, the move is likely intended to be a message to Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For years, the Arctic Ocean has been a point of interest for China amid its strong ties with Russia.
STEWART (voice-over): While this patrol, if it did, indeed enter the ocean, may have just been on the outskirts, the messaging and images from the Chinese government show the symbolism and importance of the region to China.
Let me show you some of the pictures we've received. We see a shot from above of the Chinese Coast Guard vessel. There's a helicopter taking off flying around officers are singing the national anthem on deck along with some ceremonial moments.
An officer from the Chinese Coast Guard said this voyage is about security.
HE FENG, OFFICER, CHINESE COAST GUARD: (through translator): The arrival of China's Coast Guard vessel formation in the Arctic Ocean demonstrates the CCG has the ability to safeguard international maritime security.
China actively fulfills international obligations, participates in global maritime governance, and shows an image of a responsible major country.
Meanwhile, it's also showcasing its professional abilities in maritime law enforcement.
STEWART (voice-over): Analysts point out this is a broader pattern of collaboration and designed to send a message to Washington, whose maritime activities in the South and East China Seas have annoyed Beijing.
A retired U.S. Navy captain who has worked in intelligence feels this presence in the far North is significant, because it implies China is extending its Coast Guard into areas the U.S.
has traditionally considered to be its own domain.
The U.S. has raised concerns about China's presence in the region and its coordination with Russia as we see the two nations tighten their security and economic ties on a broader level.
STEWART: No official response from the Russian government, although state media did publish a report on the patrol.
Marc Stewart, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: Still to come on the program, Taiwan getting hit by a devastating tropical storm, causing widespread damage, closures and power outages. We'll have a report.
And President Joe Biden calling for an end to rabid political division as he leads the federal response to hurricane relief in the U.S.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. HOLMES: Two people have been killed as what was Typhoon Krathon batters Taiwan. It made landfall Thursday with the strength of a Category 1 hurricane.
It has now weakened to a tropical depression that is still dumping heavy rain on the island.
Those caught in the storm rattled by its force.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIU CHIH HSIANG, WITNESS (through translator): The wind was really strong after noon time. It got really strong around then. It felt like the house would be blown away. Staying upstairs, it felt like it was the end of the world: really scary. Look at this scene. I've never seen such a severe typhoon like this in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[00:25:05]
M. HOLMES: Damage is widespread. Hundreds of flights have been canceled. Close to 100 households lost power. School and stock markets were closed.
Before hitting Taiwan, Krathon hit the Philippines where more than 23,000 families are estimated to have been impacted.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, around 100 elephants have been evacuated from a popular elephant park to escape flash floods. The founder of the pack told CNN this was the biggest evacuation ever done. But even so, they were unable to evacuate 13 of the park's elephants, who remain trapped in rising waters.
The animals that park rangers were able to evacuate are now waiting out the rain on a nearby mountain.
And the death toll from Hurricane Helene has risen to at least 213 people across six U.S. states. More than 200 people in North Carolina are still unaccounted for as new before and after photos show the extent of the hurricane's devastation.
The Category 4 storm cut an 800-kilometer path of destruction across the U.S. Southeast, with water levels rising higher than they've ever been.
The National Weather Service calls it a once-in-a-one-thousand-year rainfall event.
In many areas such as Chimney Rock, North Carolina, entire parts of towns, including bridges, roads, and buildings, were wiped away.
And President Joe Biden surveyed devastated areas in the Southeast again on Thursday, first in Florida alongside Republican Senator Rick Scott. Later in Georgia, where he said it is time to come together and break down the rabid pattern -- partisanship in U.S. politics.
Ryan Young reports on the president's stop in Valdosta, Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, all throughout Lowndes County, which is 500 square miles, you see destruction like what's behind me.
You see this house right here with a tree across its roof. And the house next door has a tree across its roof. We've seen this repeat itself over and over again. Crews have been working their way to clear streets to make things safe
for residents.
YOUNG (voice-over): But that's why the president showed up here. We know that this has been such a powerful storm that they need federal assistance in this area president went through to see the areas that were damaged.
We know agriculture has been greatly impacted. Small businesses have been impacted, and they need federal assistance.
BIDEN: Moments like this kind of put politics aside. Again, it's not one state versus others. It's the United States. Our job is to help as many people as we can. As many as we can.
And also, by the way, when you do that, I hope we begin to break down this rabid partisanship that exists. I mean this sincerely. There's no rationale for it.
YOUNG (voice-over): We saw senator Warnock here. We also saw the mayor of Valdosta with the president.
You see that tarp back there on that roof. Tarps are being handed out to citizens all throughout this county, because they know more rain could be coming, and trying to protect homes throughout this area.
They're also giving out ice and water.
But more than 70 percent of this area is without power. There are power crews that are working from all across the United States here. We saw a crew from Mississippi that's trying to get lines back up, get critical power back on.
It's still very hot here. The residents here are suffering more than one way, because without power, as several small businesses, people aren't getting paid. They're not able to go out I didn't get food.
So, these are things they want to see restored very quickly. It's something that we'll continue to watch.
YOUNG: Ryan Young, CNN, Valdosta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: Evacuation orders, massive explosions, and fear in the heart of Beirut. We'll hear from some of its residents. That's when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:31:10]
M. HOLMES: An update now on our top story. Israel's intense bombardment of what they describe as Hezbollah targets in the Beirut area.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSIONS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. HOLMES: You see there the fireball and plume of smoke rising over the Southern suburbs.
The Israeli military once again issuing evacuation orders for several buildings in the capital. Another blast hitting central Beirut, a highly unusual occurrence.
An Israeli official telling CNN they've been going after senior Hezbollah commander Hashem Safieddine. He is considered to be a possible successor to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the militant group, who was, of course, assassinated by Israel last week in a massive explosion.
It is unclear if Safieddine has been killed, though.
Israel has accused Hezbollah of hiding weapons, facilities beneath buildings in Beirut and the IDF says it is, quote, "determined to destroy" the group's infrastructure near the Lebanese border.
Hezbollah, meantime, claims to have carried out more than 30 assaults against Israel on Thursday. The back-and forth fighting prompting growing calls for restraint.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMRAN RIZA, U.N. RESIDENT & HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR LEBANON: I know it's not a humanitarian solution that's going to come from this. And I know it's not a military solution that's going to come to from this.
It has to be a diplomatic, political solution to it. But to move towards that, we need a ceasefire. We need a cessation as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. HOLMES: Now that explosion in central Beirut, as we said, highly unusual, even in times of war between Israel and Lebanon. Well, it seemed to wipe out what little sense of safety remained in the Lebanese capital.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are in the heart of Beirut just hours after a rare Israeli strike.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): And the fear and anxiety here he is palpable.
It's the first time an Israeli strike hit the center of the city since all-out war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006. Even then, strikes like this were rare.
This is the second time this week that we've seen attacks outside the Southern suburbs, Hezbollah's seat of power.
The target appears to have been a Hezbollah-affiliated house authority office in a residential area. And several medics were killed.
KARADSHEH: This happened in the middle of the city in the middle of the night with no prior warning. A terrifying development for the people of Beirut.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Even here outside the American university in cultural and commercial neighborhood, people say they know longer feel safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're getting scarier because it feels like by the day, things are escalating, and we don't really know what area is safe anymore.
I feel like it in Gaza, it started the same way and then it escalated. Yes. So, you always worry, like, will it keep on going, and will the West speak out? Or are we just another country in the Middle East?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a thing like the unknown. We don't know how long this is going to stay. How long is it going to extend? Is it going to be just limited to the South? Or is it going to be all over Lebanon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are now literally paralyzed. We cannot do anything. We have to stay at home, and everything is deteriorating. Our futures are literally -- we have a blank idea about what the future is. We don't know what will happen next.
KARADSHEH: The Lebanese have seen it all: conflict and crises. And many fear this is the beginning of a long war.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. HOLMES: A U.S. official telling CNN the Biden administration doesn't think Israel has yet decided how to respond to Iran's missile strikes.
Tehran fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities on Tuesday in response to the killings of both Hezbollah and Hamas's political leaders by Israel.
[00:35:05]
Most of the projectiles were shot down, though some did get through.
U.S. President Joe Biden says he hasn't personally spoken to Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu about the attack, but the U.S. and Israel are discussing hits on Iranian oil reserves as possible targets.
On Wednesday, Mr. Biden warned against striking Iranian nuclear sites.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you support an attack on Iran's nuclear sites by Israel?
BIDEN: The answer is no, and I think there's things -- we'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do. But they -- all seven of us agree that they have a right to respond.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. HOLMES: Those comments drew a response from former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR UNDER DONALD TRUMP: Even if that's his opinion, why do you tell Israel's adversary -- and by the way, Americas adversary -- in Tehran, what you're not going to do?
Let them worry about it. You can make the decision, but telling them what you're giving up or what you hope the Israelis give up is just a failure of Diplomacy 101.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. HOLMES: The Israeli prime minister has called the Iranian attack, quote, "a big mistake and vowed, quote, "whoever attacks us, we will attack him."
Haitians living in the Dominican Republic are worried about their future after the government announced a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration. Details for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. HOLMES: Thousands of Haitian immigrants are facing an uncertain future in the Dominican Republic. Many of them fled there due to rampant gang violence and unrest in their country. But they soon may be forced to return to Haiti.
CNN's Jessica Hasbun has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA HASBUN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Dominican Republic announced that this Wednesday, it would start massive deportations of Haitians --
HASBUN (voice-over): -- living illegally in the country, expelling up to 10,000 of undocumented Haitians a week.
That would quadruple the numbers that Dominican migration authorities have been reporting up until September of this year. These actions have been taken, according to Dominican President Luis
Abinader, because of the inefficiency up until now of the U.N.-backed mission in Haiti, fighting the gangs that control up to about 80 percent of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
Let's take a listen to Dominican President Luis Abinader.
LUIS ABINADER, DOMINICAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We could see at the United Nations that the process of support to the Haitian national police was slow.
And that is why we said at the United Nations that, if they did not act quickly, we were going to take special measures. Today, we are starting to take those special measures.
HASBUN (voice-over): The government spokesmen, Homera Figueroa, told reporters that the government made the decision after noticing an excess of Haitian migrants in Dominican communities recently.
[00:40:07]
He said authorities also agreed to strengthen border surveillance and controls to fight human trafficking.
The Haitian minister of foreign affairs, Dominique Dupuy (ph), expressed, via X, her concern, saying they're a series of discriminatory measures for the mass deportation of Haitians. Dupuy (ph) called for the respect of international treaties and inalienable rights of every child, woman and man affected by this decision.
Haitians consulted by CNN also expressed their concern. While hoping Dominican authorities will focus their efforts exclusively on undocumented migrants, they worry that might not be the case on the ground.
By September of this year, Dominican authorities have reported the deportation --
HASBUN: -- of roughly 172,000 Haitians. That number is expected to rise exponentially.
For CNN, Jessica Hasbun, Santo Domingo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: FIFA, the world football's governing body, says it will look into a Palestinian request to ban Israel from participation.
The Palestine Football Association had asked for the action back in April, saying the Israel Football Association should be banned for violation of international law, based on the occupation of Gaza and discrimination against Palestinian athletes.
The timeframe for a decision has been delayed multiple times, but FIFA says they will now investigate.
Israel rejects the accusations. FIFA did not say when a decision might come.
King Charles got his moves on Wednesday at a reception celebrating the commonwealth diaspora.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: There he goes. The king is traveling to Samoa later this month for the commonwealth heads of government meeting, where delegates from 56 nations will gather.
To give them a taste of what to expect guests at the Samoan reception, including former rugby player Freddie Tuilagi, cheered him on as they taught him a traditional dance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDDIE TUILAGI, SAMOAN FORMER RUGBY PLAYER: That's the whole soft (ph), you know, commonwealth here, the countries. We're here to, you know -- to keep a pit of tastes to the king, what he expects to get back home. A lot of dancing, a lot of laughing. A lot of woo!
He's going to love it. He'll love it. You know, all the country looking forward to have the king dance. So, we are looking forward to having him there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The great rugby player. You wouldn't want to tackle the king, though. All right, mate?
Thanks for watching, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But first WORLD SPORT coming your way after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:45:32]
(WORLD SPORT)
[00:58:06]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
