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CNN International: Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal In Effect In Lebanon; Celebrations In Lebanon After Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal; Jamieson Greer Picked As U.S. Trade Representative. Aired 11a- 12p ET
Aired November 27, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ISA SOARES, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers right around the world. I'm Isa Soares in London.
And ahead, right here on CNN Newsroom, a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel is now in effect. We are live for you in Jerusalem with a look at what it means for the region. Plus, sprinting to shape his administration, Donald Trump preparing for his second term with a flurry of job announcements and aiming for a very different transition from last time. And CNN goes to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine to show you how soldiers are adapting to their deadly situation.
But first, today, Lebanon's Prime Minister is calling it a new day. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is now in effect, sparking hope that it could open the door, of course, to peace in Gaza. Celebrations, both big and small, going on today on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border. This ceasefire brings a halt to the bloodshed that has been going on for more than a year. During the 60-day truce, Israeli ground forces must withdraw from Lebanese territory, while Hezbollah fighters have to retreat about 40 kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon borders, you can see there on your screen. The Lebanese leader hailed the agreement. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAJIB MIKATI, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER (Interpreted): Truly, it is a new day, concluding one of the most difficult stages of suffering that the Lebanese have experienced in modern history. It is actually the most harsh as well as hopeful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And the hope is the truce really can form the basis of a more lasting peace deal, one that could potentially lead to the end of the hostilities in Gaza. Hamas says it is committed to cooperating with, quote, "any efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza." A top Biden administration official had this cautiously optimistic take when he spoke earlier to my colleague John Berman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Since the beginning of this conflict, Hezbollah linked its fight against Israel to the fight that Hamas was having with Israel from Gaza, and it said, we won't stop until the war in Gaza ends. That link has now been broken, which means Hamas is isolated. Hamas is now under pressure. And all allies, not just from the U.S. and Israel, but the rest of the world, they're going to turn to Hamas. And so, there is now new-found opportunity and possibility to drive forward a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. But, I'm not going to stand here and make any predictions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, joyful reunions and hopeful beginnings in Beirut and beyond today after months of war. Thousands of evacuees are hitting the road, making the journey south towards their homes, though many of those homes may no longer be standing. Despite the hardships, though, the mood has been a celebratory one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): We're overwhelmed with joy, seeing the joy of people and hearing the car horns. There has been destruction. People have had to leave their houses and houses have been destroyed, but we're used to it, as southern people. Even if our homes have been destroyed, we stay with our heads held high, thanks to the resistance and Hezbollah
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: And so many people anxious, of course, to turn the page on war and return home finally, ignoring warnings from both Lebanon's army and the Israeli military. The ceasefire has been largely holding so far, though the IDF says Israeli troops fired in the direction of several vehicles as they tried to enter a restricted area.
Let's get more from our Nic Robertson, who is covering developments for us from Jerusalem, and joins us now. And Nic, we have been seeing, as we just showed you, is their celebration in the streets of Lebanon, others, very cautiously optimistic. I wonder whether that sentiment that we have been seeing as celebrations that we've seen in Lebanon, whether that's being reflected, Nic, where you are, and particularly with the roughly, what, 60,000 or so residents in the north who have been unable to go home? How is that deal being received there? Are they going home?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Residents, I've spoken to residents, our colleague Jeremy Diamond has spoken to in the north, all reflect pretty much the same sentiment. They feel let down by the government. Indeed, some of them sort of calling it a surrender. The reason they say that they feel that is because, to them, what they see in the deal that's been announced so far looks very much like the deal that was announced in 2006, UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for the same movements of the same Israeli forces, Hezbollah forces, UN, etc., and Lebanese army in the same positions. To them, it feels the same. And indeed, that resolution is sort of underpins this ceasefire agreement as well. They -- what they say is, look, while this may have reduced
Hezbollah's threat in the short term, they feel sure they'll come back.
[11:05:00]
Hezbollah will come back. And I think you even get that sentiment here in places like Jerusalem as well, where people are happy that there is a ceasefire, happy that there is one left front, and let's face it. Most of the rocket alarms over the past few months that have been happening in Israel, particularly in the center of Israel, have been as a result of rockets and drones fired by Hezbollah. So, it does bring a greater level of security and peace across the country.
But, there is a sense that for the loss of so much blood, 46 Israeli soldiers died in those operations inside of Lebanon, and 47 Israeli civilians died inside of Israel during Hezbollah bombardments, it's not an incredibly positive feeling. The government is playing it as a win, not only saying that they will strike Hezbollah if they break the terms of the ceasefire, but also saying they'll go after them if they import more weapons, if they try to rebuild their weapons stockpiles.
I think the reality is, for a lot of people, they knew the outlook in the north. They knew it was never going to be particularly good going back. But, I think they feel -- they do feel let down over this.
SOARES: Let's try and push it forward somewhat, Nic, because we heard the U.S. National Security Advisor, we just played it there, saying it's a new find opportunity for peace in Gaza. President Biden suggested last night as well that this deal gives new hope to ending the other war, of course, and that's with Hamas. Putting the hope aside for just the moment, what are the chance of this actually happening from the Israeli perspective? Because, of course, Hamas has said today it is committed to cooperating with, quote, "any efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza". So, what's the likelihood from what you're hearing there?
ROBERTSON: Yeah. And President Biden said he was going to increase the United States efforts --
SOARES: Yeah.
ROBERTSON: -- along with Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and Israel. We're not hearing any indications of political negotiations, movements from the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Their position is as it was before the Hamas ceasefire. He said that he wanted to focus on Iran. That was one of his reasons, he said it was important, Netanyahu said, he said it was important to have delinked Hezbollah's support for Hamas, something Hamas has said that they recognize, and in theory, would make them feel more isolated, although they were pretty much effectively isolated already.
So, the Prime Minister has already said his stated goal is to focus on the threat from Iran, not shift up gears and focus on getting a hostage deal in Gaza, and that is also, of course, disappointing to many of the families of the hostages right now. I don't see that -- I don't see the narrative in Israel shifting on that negotiation. Israel continues to strike in Gaza. 10 people killed in a school where people were sheltering in Gaza City today, the same school, by the way, where 100 people were killed in an Israeli strike back in August. The reality on the ground in Gaza hasn't shifted.
SOARES: And that is concerning indeed. Nic, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Now, let's go to Beirut and welcome to Ronnie Chatah. He is a political commentator and the host of the Beirut Banyan podcast. Ronnie, good to have you back on our air. You and I spoke, I think it was on Monday, yes, on Monday before this ceasefire deal. I just want to get your reaction to what has been reached so far. I know caveat here, we do not know all the details, but -- and the sense of the mood, Ronnie, on the ground, because you, of course, are there in Beirut for us.
RONNIE CHATAH, POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The mood is rightfully jubilant, and that this is now a moment for thousands of displaced Lebanese to get the opportunity to head home, of course, with caution. Even the Lebanese army is advising on how to head south, and not the entire south yet is accessible. But, that said, it is the end of this current battle, meaning, the ceasefire is taking hold. Of course, it's day one of a 60-day period where we'll have to see exactly how the Israelis and Hezbollah fighters, whether or not they actually adhere to this round, meaning, how it's enforced, and the enforcement is key here, because enforcement, 18 years ago, the burden was on the Lebanese state and the Lebanese army, in addition --
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: -- to a bolstered uniform support system. Right now, the onus is on the U.S. and the Israelis. And I think that is also spelling something else, which is this is a real victory for Israel, meaning, Israel has determined its security needs and its advantages, and it has won this round.
[11:10:00]
It's a defeat for Hezbollah, which is unusual, and that Hezbollah likes to portray these kinds of battles as victory. This is far from victory. This is a disfigured Hezbollah.
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: And in the backdrop, Iran seems to have gained some diplomatic leverage this round, because Hezbollah remains an armed force in this country.
SOARES: Several great points you made. I just want to break them down slightly. Let's start with the first point you make that -- and I know we don't know the specifics. Yes, we have started to see people returning home. We're just playing video there of people going back home. But, you're saying, and my understanding is that this deal is based on the 18-year-old, like you said, resolution, the UN Resolution 1701, pretty much serving as a blueprint here. But, how on the enforcement aspect, because it's -- like you said, Ronnie, this is day one, enforcement, oversight, how does it compare?
I mean, what is the likelihood of this holding, who oversees this critically here? Because, as we heard, Prime Minister Netanyahu saying yesterday, if Hezbollah rearms itself, fires a missile, they will attack. So, how exactly is this going to be able to putting -- be stuck together still, held together here?
CHATAH: It's a clear indication of how bad the situation is in Lebanon, that sovereignty is not even being discussed --
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: -- meaning, the Lebanese army and the Lebanese state is not the main participant. In other words, how the Israelis retaliate and how the Americans administer this enforcement mechanism, and all of its details have not been spelled out yet, but meaning, how the Lebanese army and the Lebanese state communicates with the Americans, and it could be more countries later, and how the Israelis retaliate if those risks are not taken care of. It's premature.
But, I think something is clear, and unlike 18 years ago, is that the Lebanese state did play a role 18 years ago, not just in 1701's creation, but the burden was placed on the Lebanese state to be able to prevent Hezbollah fighters from returning south, or Hezbollah infrastructure being rebuilt in the south. That's something the Lebanese state cannot do on its own. The type of serious diplomacy pointing at Iran has not taken place, ,meaning we don't know yet what Iran is interested in when it comes to this country, and how it can operate here with a shackled, capitulated Hezbollah. It's too early to tell how Iran is going to react long term. But, I appreciate the way you're asking the question, because it is quite stark that the Lebanese sovereignty is simply not there.
SOARES: Yeah. And the reason I ask that is because I don't think any other country, quite frankly, Ronnie, would accept that, hence why I might made that point, because the condition -- this is a fragile deal, many are celebrating, but a lot depends on the conditions that Israel is imposing here. So, I wonder then, what role the Lebanese government has here, because this is an opportunity for them to establish control of the country? But yet, you haven't had a President for years. So, where do you see, politically, the shifts going? Because you now have LAF, the Lebanese Armed Forces, trying to oversee control of Hezbollah. I mean, those are really strong frictions right there.
CHATAH: So, I'll add to the presidential vacuum, which is over two years --
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: -- the financial collapse, the largest one in modern history, the largest non-nuclear blast in the heart of Beirut, in Beirut's port four years ago, and of course, the political paralysis Lebanon has been dealing with for the better part of two decades. All of that added to a battered state, meaning, the ideal situation would be handing the Lebanese state the tools necessary to reclaim agency in a serious, effective manner. Some of that is in 1701. In other words, the Lebanese state is allowed to request additional support to monitor its entire borders, including Syria, meaning, including weapons flow coming from Syria into Lebanon, hasn't been done.
And add to that something else, the spirit of 1701, the essence of 1701 is neutrality, meaning, Lebanon dislodged as a regional battlefield once and for all. That's the essence of 1701. That is the safest way for Lebanon to survive in a long-term Arab-Israeli conflict that this country has paid a huge price for.
And I'll add something else.
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: This isn't the first time Lebanon and Israel have been at war. And unfortunately, in my lifetime alone, I've seen too much of this. I was one-year-old -- one-years-old when the Israelis laid siege to Beirut to push Fatah and the PLO out of Lebanon. But, the goal was never to destroy Fatah or the PLO. It was to neutralize them in Lebanon. In 2006, we're talking about 1701, the point was never to destroy Hezbollah.
[11:15:00]
It's to neutralize Hezbollah from fighting Israel.
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: It seems like this round, that has been achieved, at least in the near term, but that does not point success for Lebanon, because Lebanon is not neutralized. Lebanon remains a battlefield even until now. And it's important to note, Hezbollah exists. After this entire fiasco, Hezbollah remains the largest paramilitary force --
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: -- on the planet, and it's a sophisticated group that can survive these kinds of attacks. Dealing with Hezbollah is not a Lebanese concern only. Dealing with Hezbollah --
SOARES: Yeah.
CHATAH: -- means dealing with its primary sponsor, Iran.
SOARES: Let's see what happens in those 60 days, how Hezbollah behaves, the kind of relationship, if any, it has with Iran. It's certainly weakened. But, your point there is very good one. Well taken. Has the status quo changed when it comes to Lebanon and its future? That is a big question now.
Ronnie, always great to get your insight. Really appreciate it. Always love our conversations. Thank you very much.
CHATAH: My pleasure.
SOARES: And still ahead right here, Donald Trump's newest cabinet pick is key to his tariff plans. We'll look at his background and how the President-elect's promises are being received in Mexico and in Canada. Plus, today is expected to be a rough, busy one at the airports and on the roads, for the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. We are live at Ohio airport with the very latest.
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SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has announced more picks for top spots in his new administration. One notable choice is trade lawyer Jamieson Greer. Trump has picked him to be the next U.S. Trade Representative. Trade, of course, is expected to be a key focus in Trump's next term. On the campaign trail, he frequently spoke about imposing high tariffs on Chinese goods, but now he is making clear that neighbors such as Canada and Mexico will be included. The President-elect is proposing a 25 percent tariff on goods from those two nation -- nations, I should say. Mexico's President warns that one tariff will lead to another, risking a trade war and put shared companies at risk. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (Interpreted): President Trump, threats and tariffs are not the way to address the migration phenomenon or drug use in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Canada's Prime Minister, meantime, is trying a diplomatic approach to Trump's proposal. Justin Trudeau says he spoke to Trump about the challenges they can tackle together.
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JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: The reality is, we're going to continue to work constructively with the incoming administration to protect Canadian jobs, to protect Canadian growth, to take the responsible approach that isn't steeped in partisanship, that pulls together the team Canada approach that stands up for Canadians, instead of throwing our arms up and saying all is broken like the leader of the opposition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:20:00]
SOARES: Joining us now from West Palm Beach, Florida, is CNN's Steve Contorno. And Steve, we'll talk about trade tariffs in just a moment. But, let's first talk about filling these major roles, which is all happening rather quickly. Talk us through public health and economic roles. What we know about the two people selected here?
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Yeah. Let's start with Trump's choice for Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. He is a Stanford president. He holds degrees in both economics and in medicine, but he became well-known during the pandemic as one of the leading skeptics of COVID lockdowns, ironically, the lockdowns that Donald Trump helped put in place during his presidency, and he became a vocal voice, often aligned with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis against mitigation measures and other COVID-19 attempts to keep the pandemic at bay.
So, it's an interesting choice, because he now joins a department that is underneath RFK Jr. as the Director of Health and Human -- Secretary of Health and Human -- Humanities, sorry. And so, both of them are leading purveyors of sort of vaccine skepticism and COVID skepticism, now leading the nation's health department.
And then, on the Navy, we have someone who has no military experience, who Donald Trump named as the secretary, John Phelan. He is a private investment firm manager. He founded a firm, and he now leads it. So, it's an interesting choice there as well. And then, Vince Haley, who will be Trump's Domestic Policy Council Director. He became known in the aftermath of Trump's exit from Washington, as one of the people who was pushing these fake electors to help Trump overturn the election. So, continuing this fast-paced picks for Donald Trump, but also these unorthodox picks as well.
SOARES: Yeah, all happening rather quickly. Meantime, Steve, he is upping the ante on those tariffs that we're talking about that. We've been getting some reaction, we played there from Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, basically saying there is neither threats nor tariffs will solve the immigration or illegal drug issues with the United States. What do we know about Jamieson Greer, who, of course, has been named the next U.S. Trade Representative? Where does he stand on this? Where is he aligned? I'm guessing he is aligned. You better be aligned with the President-elect on this.
CONTORNO: He is quite aligned with him. And in fact --
SOARES: Right.
CONTORNO: -- he was the Chief of Staff to Trump's previous U.S. Trade Representative in his first term. So, he is not only aligned with Trump, but he is very familiar with Trump's approach to trade. He was in critical position when Trump renegotiated NAFTA with Canada and Mexico the first time, and he has been one of the people leading the negotiations in the tariff tit-for-tat that we saw during Trump's first four years. So, he is not only closely aligned with Trump, but he is intimately and has been intimately involved in overseeing Trump's trade policies in the past. And so, he is someone who will hit the ground running on day one.
And as we've seen already from Trump in the past 48 hours, trade and tariffs will be a top priority for him, as he uses it as a cultural and negotiating tactic on priorities that are not even related to trade, because, as he said, when he put in place or threatened to put in place these 25 percent tariffs in Mexico and Canada, it was all tied to their ability to stem the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.
SOARES: Steve Contorno there for us in West Palm Beach, Florida. Thanks very much, Steve. And Thanksgiving in the U.S. is just one day away, and airports and
freeways will be, as you would expect, packed. 18 million people expected fly for the holiday this year, and today is likely to be the busiest day. Everyone hoping the weather doesn't blow their travel plans, of course, but a storm is bringing a combination of rain and snow to the East Coast. You can see that. It's set to be the winter's first major outbreak of arctic temperatures. So, look out for significant lake effect snow for the Great Lakes and northeast.
We have complete coverage, of course, of the trouble and weather holiday for you. CNN's Whitney Wild is at Chicago, a busy O'Hare Airport there, and Meteorologist Derek Van Dam is tracking all the storms.
Whitney, let me go to you first. It looks busy behind you. Give us a sense of what you've been seeing.
WHITNEY WILD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've seen big crowds. We've seen smaller crowds, but this is pretty much going to be what we see through this holiday weekend. This is a record travel weekend. As you had said, 18 million people traveling this weekend by air. That represents a six percent increase over last year. Here at O'Hare, it's even more than that. The Chicago authority that oversees the airports, says that between O'Hare and Midway, they're going to see an 11 percent increase in flyers compared with last year.
[11:25:00]
That means, Isa, that they're going to see at least a million and a half flyers between those two airports. They're thinking Sunday is going to be the busiest day. But, if you have to travel, this is the day to do it. The weather is perfect. The cancelations are low. The crowds are pretty steady, and the security lines are moving pretty quickly. If I can take you on a little bit of a walk here with my wonderful photographer Leonel (ph). Look at this, Isa, five minutes through TSA. Five minutes through economy on a busy holiday weekend. You cannot get any better than that.
We talked to a couple of flyers this morning about their tips to make this go as smoothly as possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely pick your outfit the night before. That's what I think. Hang up your outfit. Know what you want to wear. Make sure it's comfortable. Buy some new shoes so that it's like you're excited about it --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- so that you wake up feeling, ooh, I get to wear my new shoes, a new outfit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, when things go wrong, it's like, why? I got a new outfit on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like you should bring like a lot of books, because, like -- like, if you are first traveling and you feel like, oh, it's going to be great, I'm not saying that long, I don't need like things to entertain me well, most likely you're going to need something to entertain yourself.
WILD: What are your travel tips to get through security smoothly? You've got kids. What are the tips for other families?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Follow my wife.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILD: Happy wife, happy life, Isa. That's what I always say.
SOARES: That's the secret. That's the secret. I should pass on that message to my husband. But, look, I mean, you've got the luxury there of people watching, which I love, by the way. And five minutes is not that bad. Is that -- does that tend to be the normal time it takes at a busy -- the busiest day for travel, Whitney?
WILD: It's hard to say. I've been in security lines that feel like they take forever, that take an hour. I think at this point this is so fluid. Everybody knows the system. If you're traveling, you're prepared. You know what the TSA rules are. It is 3.4 ounces. It's one quarter bag, one bag per person. So, I think at this point, this system is flowing pretty well. But, I know that TSA, the FAA, all of these airlines are going to great lengths to make sure things run as smoothly as possible. In fact, that couple that we interviewed said that their flight had been canceled, but they were able to get on a new flight really quickly. That's the kind of stuff that makes things so much more pleasant when you're traveling over a holiday weekend, Isa.
SOARES: Yeah, especially because the moment you get out of your door of your house, that's when the holiday feel restarts. Isn't it? And I love that kid, by the way. He said he wanted books, no screens. Isn't that wonderful?
WILD: I know.
SOARES: Really refreshing. Whitney --
WILD: Yes.
SOARES: -- great to see you.
WILD: It felt like a throwback.
SOARES: Yeah, right, exactly. Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks, Whitney. Appreciate it.
Let's go to Derek Van Dam. Derek. I mean, looking good. The mood is good. No cancelations -- I mean, minor cancelations. The weather. How is it looking in terms of forecast? DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. If they're traveling today by air, you've got the weather jackpot window. If you pick the right day to travel, it's the busiest day for airlines. But, tomorrow is going to be a completely different story. But, let's face it. Most people will be at their destination tomorrow for Thanksgiving.
I snapped this picture earlier this morning. This is the Atlanta skyline, and those are over a dozen contrails from the various jets that are flying overhead. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest hub in America. That area has just so many airplanes flying in and out of it, and that is currently green right now, green means go, and we've got a lot of green on this map. But, notice on the radar, lots of activity here coming out of Colorado. This has produced fresh snowfall in and around the Rockies. So, good news for the ski resorts, people getting an early start to their ski season, but bad news for travelers on Interstate 70.
The energy from this storm system is going to be the game changer going forward. So, you want to pack a book. You want to pack your patience, because the weather will change dramatically along the East Coast. Right now, no problems, right? But, watch how the system evolves and explodes in size, as we get into the day tomorrow. So, midday Thursday, that being Thanksgiving here in the United States, we will have a large storm system on the East Coast. It will bring rain to the big metropolitan areas, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and wet heavy snow across northern New England, the high elevations.
And then just to the south, this cold front you see here is not only responsible for trailing in some of the coldest air of the season across the U.S., but it's also responsible for the potential of some severe weather. So, we're going to keep an eye into the sky across the southeast.
In terms of rain and snow totals, we could see over half a foot of snow pile up across some of those higher elevations of northern New England. But, again, an all rain event for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown New York. We do, though, have winter storm watches in place where you see that shading of blue.
[11:30:00]
And Isa, I mentioned the coldest air of the season. We call this a continental air mass because it originates in the northern parts of North America, Arctic air, frigid temperatures, and we could see freezing weather all the way down to the Gulf Coast by the first parts of next week. So, a significant cooling trend expected for the eastern U.S. Isa.
SOARES: Stay warm, everyone, and safe. Derek, appreciate it, as always. Thanks very much.
DAM: Take care.
SOARES: And just ahead, the people of Lebanon and Israel just hours into a 60-day ceasefire. But, could the deal with Hezbollah also be a game changer for Gaza? Discussion, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Isa Soares in London.
We have been bringing you extensive coverage this hour of the major ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. And so far, the 60-day truce appears to be holding.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
SOARES: And this is what hope looks like on the streets of Lebanon's capital in Beirut. The Lebanese Prime Minister is calling the truce, in his words, "a new day for the Lebanese people". And U.S. President Joe Biden is heralding the latest push for peace in the region. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I applaud the courageous decision made by the leaders of Lebanon and Israel to end the violence. It reminds us that peace is possible. I'll say that again, peace is possible. As long as that is the case, I will not for a single moment stop working to achieve it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, as world leaders applaud the ceasefire deal, the Lebanese army says it is reinforcing its presence in the south of the country where it shares a border with Israel. And even as the world watches Lebanon, the focus is now shifting to whether this deal could improve hopes of the Gaza ceasefire. For its part, Hamas says it's committed to cooperating with any efforts, their words, to achieve a truce in Gaza.
Sunlen Serfaty joins us now from The View from Washington. And Sunlen, we heard the U.S. national security advisors say there is a new found opportunity for peace in Gaza today. We've very much heard the same line from the White House and from President Biden. I mean, with 60 plus days left of this administration, of President Biden's administration here, does they -- but do they -- does he believe they can achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas here? What are you hearing?
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Isa, it's very clear that the administration believes that they at least need to capitalize on this moment. We've heard them in the last 24 hours, really describing this time as a window of opportunity, that this time has the potential to be a game changer for the region, and specifically for ending the war in Gaza. And we did hear parts of that from President Biden himself, this new found hope that he said from the podium there in the Rose Garden.
[11:35:00]
He also did talk about the deal in Lebanon and how he says that implementation (ph) is key. Here is more of what he said yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Let me be clear, if Hezbollah or anyone else breaks the deal and pose a direct threat to Israel, then Israel retains the right to self-defense consistent with international law, just like any country when facing a terrorist group pledged to that country's destruction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERFATY: Now, meantime, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan just today did describe this as a new found opportunity, as you referenced, to potentially unlock some things for the war in Gaza. That's certainly something that President Biden would be pushing for. He said that from the Rose Garden yesterday, with his remaining two months in office, and Isa, it certainly would be a huge feather in his cap for the outgoing President to hand that off to the new administration.
SOARES: Indeed. Sunlen Serfaty, appreciate it. Thank you very much.
With me now is Jasmine El-Gamal, a Middle East analyst and a former advisor to the Pentagon. Jasmine, great to have you on the show. Good to --
JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISOR: Good to be back.
SOARES: Good to have you here. Just -- I mean, we've started seeing, and you saw the images we showed at the top of the show, the celebration, jubilation, of course, from so many in Lebanon who are returning home, returning to, I don't know what, so much has been destroyed, of course, and hesitation, it seems, from the other side, from Israel. How do you see this? Because this was, for the Prime Minister Netanyahu, the main objective was to try and get residents back. But, it doesn't seem like many of them want to go back. So, what do you make of the 60-day deal here?
EL-GAMAL: Right. Well, I mean, first of all, obviously it's a huge positive development. I mean, any stopping of the fighting --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- and a chance for people to go back and live their normal lives again is a good thing. I do, however, worry about the details of the deal and what it could mean moving forward. First of all, we -- the stipulations of the deal basically say that Israel can still strike Lebanon if it believes that it is acting in self-defense, if it believes that Hezbollah is trying to rearm, not even physically rearming, but even attempting to rearm. So, there are a lot of opportunities --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- where one side or the other could --
SOARES: (Inaudible). Isn't it? EL-GAMAL: Right, could scuttle the deal and that is probably a huge
part of the reason why Israelis are not so sure whether it's the right time to start going back to their homes. I mean, you have to imagine that people are -- have been living under extreme pressure --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- over these last few days -- sorry, these last few months. I mean, obviously both in Israel, Lebanon --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- and Gaza. And so, it's not just going to turn in 24 hours and people are going to say, OK, well, great, we'll start making arrangements to go home. People are going to want to see, is the ceasefire going to hold? Are the parties serious about it? Is this enforcement mechanism actually going to work? So many questions, right? So --
SOARES: Yeah. Indeed. It's still very early stages, but we don't have -- there is a lot of details that we don't have at this time, like you said, Jasmine.
But, in terms of the enforcement, who has oversight of this? What role do the French, the Americans play? Just put your diplomatic hat on. Do we have a sense of that? Because that is crucial, and it's different from the one in 2006.
EL-GAMAL: Right. So, it's more robust than the one in 2006. So, to clarify, in 2006 when there was a war between Hezbollah and Israel, there was a resolution that came about to end the war, UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and the Lebanese Armed Forces, the United Nations forces that were there in the south of Lebanon, there was a tripartite mechanism that was meant to allow the parties to communicate via UNIFIL to make sure that they were -- there were no misunderstandings. That didn't work very well. There were skirmishes. There were misunderstandings and miscommunications.
When I was at the Pentagon, I covered the Lebanon file, and so, I worked closely with the Lebanese Armed Forces. I went to Lebanon. I toured the south, and also with Israeli counterparts as well. And there were instances where that mechanism wasn't quick enough to dispel tensions in the heat of the moment.
And to your question, what's different about it now --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- is that it's more robust. Now, you have the U.S. involved. Now, you have France involved, and you have the stakes that are so much higher now. You have conflict all around, basically. And so, the impetus for parties involved in trying to make sure that this ceasefire holds is much stronger than it was even back in 2006.
SOARES: I'm glad you mentioned the Lebanese Armed Forces, and I wonder, there is no doubt that Hezbollah has been weakened on -- and degraded on so many levels. Its leadership decapitated. But, the next 60 days will be crucial, right, in terms of what it does. What about the frictions between the Lebanese Armed Forces and Hezbollah?
[11:40:00]
Where do you see the challenges there?
EL-GAMAL: Yeah. I'm so glad you asked that, because that's not a point that a lot of people have been focusing on. It's one that I worry about a lot, having worked on these issues and with those two parties before. Internally, the Lebanese, and domestically, the Lebanese Armed Forces are going to have quite the challenge in standing up to Hezbollah as weakened as Hezbollah is --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- right? They still have a certain amount of power and control, especially in the areas that they operated in. So, to have the Lebanese Armed Forces now coming in under this agreement, making sure Hezbollah is not rearming, making sure that they're not causing any trouble, making sure they're not posing a threat to Israel, having to take steps to enforce that, if necessary, that is going to very likely cause a rise in tensions internally within Lebanon, between Hezbollah forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces, and externally, the Israelis have not always trusted the Lebanese Armed Forces. They have always been worried. The Lebanese Armed Forces is the only non- sectarian, respected institution by everyone in Lebanon.
That said, the Israelis were always kind of putting doubts in like, what if they're cooperating with Hezbollah? What if Hezbollah --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- is infiltrating them? And so, you also have to be wary of the possibility that Israel once again can come and say, well, yes, Hezbollah is gone, but we're not quite sure about the LAF. Maybe they shouldn't be the south -- this far south. Maybe they should be more north. Maybe Israeli soldiers should be closer to that border rather than Lebanese. So, there are so many details --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- I think that a lot of people don't realize that have caused tension in the past, and that are primed in this really --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- tense environment to bring back those tensions, if the situation is not extremely, extremely well-maintained --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- and really concern and care is taken by all the parties.
SOARES: And of course with the political vacuum --
EL-GAMAL: Exactly.
SOARES: -- and economic disarray. There are so many challenges on a political level.
But, let's -- I want to focus just very briefly on Gaza, because we are running out of time. You heard that little clip we played there from President Biden. It seems to be that this is the moment, hoping this is the moment, hope is the word, for some sort of ceasefire deal in Gaza. It doesn't seem that Netanyahu's party and some of the more right-wing members of the party want that. So, what is the likelihood that this does bring about any sort of change in Gaza? Because it -- Hamas says it is willing to consider, to look -- to talk about a ceasefire.
EL-GAMAL: No, absolutely. You're always taking the words right out of my mouth, because I was going to mention that I think it's important also for viewers to realize and for people to kind of look back at the last year and understand and acknowledge that both Hamas and Israel, at various points over the last year, have been -- have refused to sign on the dotted line. And it hasn't always been Hamas, in fact, according to Israeli negotiators, and this was, in fact, a huge sticking point between Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, who was very frustrated --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- at Netanyahu for not taking a deal time and again when they had the opportunity. And so, it is not a given that just because a ceasefire is signed in Lebanon, if it holds, hopefully it does --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- that that translates over to Gaza, because Gaza has its own battleground. It has its own dynamics, and the relationship and the goals between Israel and Hamas and Israeli goals in Gaza are quite different, and the context is quite different from Lebanon.
So, I would caution to tie progress on one side to progress on the other side. At the end of the day, Isa, I think the important point to remember here is that whether in Gaza or in Lebanon, ceasefires are supposed to be a means to an end --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- not the end in itself. And if you look at the core issues that have caused these same conflicts over and over again in the region, between Hezbollah and Israel, between Hamas and Israel, and ultimately, between Iran and Israel, those issues actually haven't even been touched in this.
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: We haven't talked about occupation. We haven't talked about Iranian support for proxies using the occupation as an excuse. The ceasefire is meant to stop the fighting so that these core issues can be fixed and addressed, and that's going to be the challenge for the incoming Trump administration, is to see if they really take that piece seriously, and that it won't be a superficial piece --
SOARES: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: -- like it was back in his first term under the Abraham Accords, but an actual piece where the hard work is done to address those core issues.
SOARES: Yeah. Otherwise, we're back to square one. We heard yesterday Prime Minister Netanyahu saying the main -- one of the main points, one of his top three, really, the first one was focusing on an Iranian threat. The deal for that.
EL-GAMAL: Exactly.
SOARES: We didn't have time to talk about Iran or Saudi or -- because there is some much bigger conversation here.
[11:45:00]
Jasmine, really appreciate it.
EL-GAMAL: Thank you.
SOARES: Great to see you.
EL-GAMAL: You too.
SOARES: Thank you very much.
Now, we've got news coming in to us this hour. Israel says it will appeal the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, the ICC, for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The announcement comes on the heels of a meeting between Netanyahu and U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in Jerusalem, a strong supporter, as you know, of Israel. Graham vows to promote measures in Congress against the ICC and the countries that support it. And the court issued those arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, and a senior Hamas official, you remember last week, accusing them of war crimes. We will stay across. This news just coming in to us in the last few minutes.
And still ahead right here on the show, CNN takes you to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine with a look at how soldiers are adapting to their deadly situation. That report next.
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SOARES: Welcome back. Here are some of the international headlines we are watching for you today.
Eight hostile staff are under arrest in Laos in connection with the deaths of six foreign tourists. Two Australian teenagers, a British woman, an American man and two Danish women, all died from suspected methanol poisoning. Employees of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, all Vietnamese, were arrested on Monday, according to local media. An eagle-eyed satellite is hunting for methane leaks that are warming
the planet. Its early findings said that the oil and gas industry is belching methane gas at a rate three to five times higher on average than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency previously estimated the use of natural gas, which is up to 90 percent methane, is growing more widespread as of choice -- as a fuel of choice to generate electricity.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up his visit to Italy and is on his way back to the United States. Blinken, as you can see there, met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday morning. The State Department said, before the meeting, it was a chance for them to discuss the conflicts in the Middle East and Russia's war on Ukraine, of course, among other things. Earlier on the same trip, Blinken attended his last G7 foreign ministers meeting before Joe Biden leaves the White House.
And for Ukraine, the fighting grinds on as the war approaches a three- year mark. The outlook seems bleak for one unit in particular in Pokrovsk that is so low on infantry. It's resorting to drones instead.
Our Nick Paton Walsh has more. And a warning here, some of the video in his report is graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're running out of time, space, and people. Night is killing time for drones.
WALSH: They've switched on the anti-drone device because of the thread around here.
WALSH (voice-over): This Ukrainian drone unit of just two, hunting, but also hunted.
WALSH: I think I hear a drone, inside, inside.
[11:50:00]
Is it a Russian drone? Is it one of theirs? They don't know, but they have to carry on.
WALSH (voice-over): Dogs are not friends. Their heat signals can give their launch spot away to Russia's thermal cameras. They close in on the target, a house, jamming hits the signal, but they fire anyway. Russia advancing too fast here south of Pokrovsk in the east to miss any chances. The skyline speaks of how Pokrovsk is in Russia's crosshairs. Ukraine is short of manpower, but it is so bad here they say they must rely on drones, not infantry, to slow a brazen Russian daylight assault like this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): The situation is very critical. We lack infantry to fight and hold out for some time while the attack drone do their job. That's why we often see the enemy uncomfortably penetrating vulnerable areas. WALSH (voice-over): Watch how the first Russian tank here is
relentless. A Trump presidency and possible peace talks loom. Do they even have time for that here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): I cannot say how much time we have, if there is any time at all, because now they are pushing their troops to the front as much as possible. And then at one point they will go for an assault. They can go very far in one moment.
WALSH (voice-over): Talk here is abnormally negative, with weeks of costly and chaotic retreat on film, like these Ukrainians hit when they're mistakenly told this building didn't have any Russians in it. This house has an encircled Ukrainian drone unit without any infantry to help fight advancing Russians. So, they send a drone to fly just 30 meters across the street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Interpreted): I have no men. I'm (BEEP) alone. I'm (BEEP) alone. I love my job, whatever trash is happening, but we need other young people to love this job too. Our country is awake, but people in it are (BEEP) not. Guys are dying here. This is trash. Freezing this war is a double-edged sword. Do we give up the land my friends died for, or to continue taking it back and lose even more friends? If these two old me (Trump and Putin) start measuring (BEEP), Ukraine will be in the middle of it all.
WALSH (voice-over): Russian troops savaged in the assault. This footage shows a local in orange who is shown Russians where Ukrainians were hiding. They are led out, and shot while face down, part of a pattern of surrendering Ukrainians executed, say prosecutors investigating this incident a fortnight ago. Pokrovsk's key sites bombed, but so far, spared Russia's trademark devastation. It is possible. Some say Moscow is moving so fast. It thinks it will spend the winter here.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN outside Pokrovsk, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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[11:55:00]
SOARES: And before we go, one more thing. NASA astronauts traveling on board the International Space Station are sending out their Thanksgiving message to everyone who is celebrating right here on Earth, and they're offering a glimpse into their out-of-this-world feast. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, apples and spice --
SUNITA WILLIAMS, ASTROBAUT: Smoked turkey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and smoked turkey. It's going to be delicious. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, at least they're excited about those packets. With food packages floating, as you can see, they're weightlessly around them, the American astronauts talked about all the things to be thankful for. And fun fact there for you. Skylab 4 astronauts were the first crew to celebrate Thanksgiving in space back in 1973. Wishing them a very happy Thanksgiving on the ISS.
That's it for us. Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Isa Soares in London. Stick right here with CNN. One World is up next.
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