Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Israel Accused Of Land Grab In Syria; Georgia's Parliament Elects Far-Right President; Answers Demanded Over Drone Sightings. Aired 3-3:30a ET

Aired December 15, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, welcome to all you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN Newsroom.

Western and regional leaders meet to discuss the future of Syria as Israel is accused of an attempted land grab in the midst of the chaos.

More unrest in Georgia as the parliament elects a far right former football star as the country's next president.

And U.S. federal agencies face pressure to give the public more information following weeks of mysterious drone sightings on the East Coast.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. has been in direct contact with the lead group of Syrian rebels, a group Washington still considers a terrorist organization. The news comes after Saturday's diplomats meet in Jordan to discuss Syria's future, attended by representatives from the U.S., Europe, and the region. Blinken said the contact with HTS was an effort to locate missing journalist Austin Tice. He also explained what's expected of a new Syrian government, including respecting the rights of all Syrians. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, we've been in contact with HTS and with other parties. We have impressed upon everyone we've been in contact with the importance of helping find Austin Tice and bringing him home. And we've also shared the principles that I just laid out for our ongoing support, principles, again, that have now been adopted by countries throughout the region and well beyond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, Hezbollah says it lost its military supply route through Syria with the fall of the Assad regime. Hezbollah's leader says he's hoping the rebels will consider Israel an enemy. Israel has continued to carry out airstrikes on Syria since the rebels took power, and Israeli troops have moved into the buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights. Israel says the move is temporary, but Arab countries are calling it an attempted land grab.

Last hour, I spoke with Louis Fishman, an associate professor at City University of New York's Brooklyn College, and I asked him about tensions between Syrian rebels and Israel. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOUIS FISHMAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, BROOKLYN COLLEGE, CUNY: A week ago, Assad was just escaping the country. So, we need to give it time.

And I think with Israel, you're going to see that eventually it will pull back. They've hit numerous military targets throughout the week, basically destroying most of the military power in Syria. So, we're going to have to see what happens with that. But at the same time, we're going to have to look at, you know, what's going to happen in the country.

And I think, first and foremost, is that we have to remember that this is about the Syrian people. And this is about the resilience of the Syrian people. And they're going to decide their future and how they move forward.

So, we're going to-- in the next few months, there's going to be lots of ups and downs, on one side with Israel, but on the other side with Turkey, with other powers, trying to make a power grab, basically, in a country that is on a new path.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. The Syrian people obviously will have a strong say, but as you say, so many other countries involved. So, let's look at that bigger picture. Right now, the U.S. is taking this central role in the Syria summit that was taking place this weekend in Jordan. You've suggested that with Iran marginalized, the U.S. has come out of this as the sole international power in the region.

So, I'm wondering about the U.S. role in, in rebuilding a new Syrian government. I mean, the let's face it, the American track record for rebuilding in the Middle East is questionable, to say the least. So, what challenges might the U.S. face in promoting stability and preventing further conflict?

FISHMAN: Well, I think that's the million dollar question here. As we know, Trump is somewhat of a wild card. And at first he said, you know, well, we're not going to get involved in Syria, but that's not going to happen. We know that Russia has pulled out their forces, and as you said, that Iran is completely marginalized.

So, today, the only power in the Middle East is the United States. And it's a bit ironic that if it is the only power, why are there so many conflicts in the region.

So, I think the Trump administration is going to have to make some very bold decisions about how to limit Israel's power and to also introduce some plan for the Palestinians, although, unfortunately, I don't see it coming with the Trump administration.

[03:05:12] Now, in the greater picture with Syria, I think what we're going to see is there's going to be tensions, of course, between Turkey and the United States. The U.S., you know, has about 900 military personnel in Northern Syria. And that is the area that's under Kurdish control that is going to go head on with the Turkish-backed militias, which already started. So, in some sense, I think what this conflict has showed us, or this new beginning in Syria is that everything really is connected.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Many people in Syria are searching for their missing loved ones. CNN's Clarissa Ward visited a morgue in the capital, Damascus, where the bodies left behind reveal signs of the cruelty inflicted by the Assad regime. Now, we just want to warn you, you might find the following report disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A woman wails on the floor of the Mujtahid Hospital. My mother, she's been missing for 14 years, she says. Where is she? Where's my brother? Where's my husband? Where are they?

Dr. Ahmed Abdullah shows us into the morgue, where about 35 bodies have been brought in. Discovered in a military hospital days after the regime fell, they are believed to be some of the last victims of Bashar al-Assad.

Take a look. This is the crime of the regime, he says. Even in the middle ages, they didn't torture people like this.

Another man points to their tattered clothing, evidence he says that most were detainees at the much feared Sednayah prison. Even in death, they are still only identified by numbers.

Everyone here heard about the horrors that took place in Assad's notorious prisons, but to see it up close is something entirely different.

A lot of them have bruises, have horrible wounds that seem to be consistent with torture. I just saw one woman retching as she came out of the other room. Families are now going through trying to see if their loved ones are here.

There's not enough room for all of them in the morgue. So, a makeshift area has been set up outside. More and more families stream in. The light from their cell phones the only way of identifying the dead.

My only son, I don't have another. They took him for 12 years now, just because he said no. 12 years, my only son, this woman shouts. I don't know anything about him. I ask Allah to burn him, she says of Assad. Burn him and his sons like he burned my heart.

A crowd swarms when they see our camera. Everyone here has lost someone.

All of these people are asking us to take the names of their loved ones, to help them try to find them.

It is a mark of desperation. Such is the need for answers. But finding those answers will not be easy.

At the military intelligence facility known as the Palestine Branch, officers burned documents and destroyed hard drives before fleeing. But their terror was on an industrial scale. Troves and troves of prisoner files remain. It will take investigators years to go through them.

Below ground, more clues etched on the walls of cells that look more like dungeons.

So, you can see this list of names of, it looks like, 93 prisoners here. There's also a schedule for keeping the cell tidy. And just graffiti everywhere, people trying to leave marks for someone to find.

Down here, insects are the only life form that thrives. It's clear that anyone who could survive this will never be the same again.

The cells are empty, but the doors are finally open. The quest for answers is just beginning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD (on camera): The one thing the Assad regime did do a very good job of was documenting its own crimes. And so the question now is how long will it be until you start to see human rights groups investigators coming into Syria to try to start the vast process of poring through all that data. And then what's the next step towards getting some sort of justice for these people?

[03:10:00]

Could these Syrians choose to do what the Ukrainians did, which was essentially to open themselves up to be under the jurisdiction of the ICC? That would be the hope of many Syrians, but the disappointment as well for a lot of people you talk to here is that Bashar al-Assad is very unlikely to ever see his day in court because, of course, he is now in exile in Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Russia appears to be pulling its troops back from the frontlines in Northern Syria, but Reuters is reporting that Russia plans to keep its two main bases in the country. A video from the Russian naval base in Tartus shows camouflaged Russian equipment and troop activity. Earlier this week, satellite images showed what appear to be Russians packing up military equipment at one of its bases.

Now, you can see the location of the two Russian bases on this map. Russia operates an air base at Crimea Khmeimim and a naval base in the port city of Tartus.

Meanwhile, social video from Homs shows a Syrian waving a shoe as Russian troops pass, a gesture that's considered an insult in Middle Eastern culture.

Hospital officials in Gaza say a strike on a municipal building has killed the mayor of Deir al Balah and at least 11 other people. Gaza Civil Defense says the building was targeted while employees were inside. Two children are among the victims. The Israeli military says it intended to kill the mayor, accusing him of providing Hamas with combat assistance.

The IDF also says it took steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians. Gaza's government media office calls it a heinous assassination.

The sitting president of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, who's been vowing to stay in office, says lawmakers have made a mockery of democracy by installing a new president. On Saturday, Georgian lawmakers elected Mikheil Kavelashvili, a far right ex-soccer player. Reuters reports he'll be inaugurated on December 29th.

Opposition parties weren't at the vote, they've been boycotting parliament. Now, this is the latest escalation between the pro-Russian government and the opposition, which is fighting to join the European Union. Kavelashvili was elected by an electoral college of lawmakers, not the usual national election.

Hundreds have been arrested as pro-Europe demonstrators have been protesting for weeks against Georgia's pro-Russian political tilt.

And joining me now live is Tina Dolbaia, associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and she's in Washington, D.C. Thank you so much for being here with us.

So, things were already at a boiling point before the installation of this new president. Now, there's this, the current president vowing to stay. So, we're heading towards a showdown, I presume, on that inauguration day two weeks from now. How do you think this will all play out?

TINA DOLBAIA, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Well, first of all, thank you so much for inviting, Kim, and thank you so much for covering this topic. Yes, as you have correctly mentioned, the inauguration is happening in two weeks on December 29th. The acting president, President Salome Zourabichvili, has said that she's not stepping down. She remains the legitimate president of Georgia because the current government is illegitimate and unconstitutional. Therefore, the current presidential elections that took place today were also illegitimate and unconstitutional.

And there are, as you have mentioned, hundreds of thousands of protesters who are in the streets for more than two weeks already also agree with President Zourabichvili. The opposition, progressive opposition, also agrees with President Zourabichvili.

As for the international community, so far, Kavelashvili was congratulated on his election by several presidents and leaders around the world. This was president of Azerbaijan. We also had Khachaturyan, the leader of Armenia, congratulate him, some leaders from Serbia and Belarus.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

DOLBAIA: So, these are the people who actually -- besides them, he has not received any kind of official congratulations from the international community.

BRUNHUBER: Right, okay, so obviously there's a deep split in terms of the perception of this government. Now, the crisis was I guess sparked by the government's decision to suspend pursuing membership in the E.U., and that's what sparked these massive protests. We were showing pictures of that just moments ago. I think the polling suggests some 80 percent of Georgians want closer ties with the E.U. So, that's why there's been so much anger. There's been, you know, some violence in the streets.

How far do you think the protesters will go and how far could the government go to suppress them?

DOLABIA: Well, protesters are peaceful. That's the key here.

[03:15:00]

And despite them being peaceful, there have been violent crackdowns. The government is using -- is also obviously using disproportional force. They are using tear gas. They are also enacting laws after law to intimidate the protesters. For instance, recently, they passed this accelerated bill in the parliament forbidding protesters to mask.

In the past, protesters were using masks to protect themselves from tear gas. Now, they won't be able to do that. Also, there are a bunch of civil servants, more than hundreds or hundreds, that signed a petition, urging the government to continue its European path. And because of that, as well, they are seeing this process happening within the government as well, they are also enacting new laws that would that would give the current ruling party, the Georgians, power to fire civil servants easily.

So, they are obviously trying to intimidate the protesters. However, again, the key is to remain peaceful. The key is to remain within the law, within the Constitution. That is something that also President Zourabichvili has urged all the protesters.

And that is what is happening in the streets now. People are using every lawful, constitutional, legitimate mean to protest. However, we are seeing from the government that they are not backing down. They do not want to, they are not showing any sign that they want to sit down, actually sit down with the opposition, with President Zourabichvili, with civil society to discuss all these issues.

Also what they are saying regarding -- they are also saying that they have they have seized the process of joining the European Union just for years, but it does not mean the effort won't stop. They will continue to work this path. But it seems illogical because why would you seize any efforts to join European Union and why would you abort this effort until 2028 if your goal is to eventually become part of the European Union? So, there are obviously a lot of things that are very illogical in Georgians' statements.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. We'll have to we'll have to leave it there, but certainly tensions will be coming to a head as we roll towards that inauguration day, certainly a story we will keep on top of it. We really appreciate you helping to unpack it for us. Tina Dolbaia, thank you so much.

U.S. officials are growing increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration's response to drone reports as many across the northeastern U.S. are left with more questions than answers. Just ahead, what we know and what we don't know.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: South Korea's new acting president is promising to restore much needed stability and trust in the country's government.

[03:20:05]

Han Duck-soo was elevated to the presidency on Saturday after Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached for declaring martial law and plunging the country into political chaos. Han was President Yoon's prime minister at the time and was being investigated over his role in the martial law decision. But South Korea's main opposition party says it won't seek to impeach acting President Han in order to avoid what calls excessive impeachments, confusion and further instability.

Han spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden Saturday to reaffirm their key partnership. The White House says Biden expresses appreciation for the resiliency of democracy and the rule of law in South Korea.

Despite the Biden administration downplaying drone reports over the eastern U.S., many government officials are clamoring for a more public response amid the sustained lack of information and transparency.

Julia Benbrook has the latest from the White House.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Federal agencies are facing intense pressure to give the public more details about these unexplained drone sightings. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, at the local level, the state level, and here in Washington, are pushing for more answers and saying that they need more transparency from the administration. This after some of those reported drone sightings happen near residential areas as well as critical infrastructure and restricted sites.

Now, U.S. officials from the federal agencies leading the response those reported drone sightings in the tri-state area are acknowledging the unusual nature of what is being observed, but at the same time attempting to downplay the reported drone sightings.

In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that his agency knows of no threat or nefarious activity. He said that the government has state of the art technology as well as experts to New Jersey following those first reported sightings and that technology has not confirmed any of the drone sightings. Instead, it's confirmed that at least some of the reports were actually small aircraft.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We believe that there are cases of mistaken identity where drones are actually small aircraft and people are misidentifying them. There very well may be drones in the sky, of course, but those are commercially available. One can go into a convenience store and buy a small drone. There are also commercial drones as well,

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: addressing calls to shoot down those unidentified drones. Mayorkas said, quote, it's not as though anyone can just take down a drone in the sky that in and of itself would be dangerous.

Mayorkas pledged to be transparent and promised to provide an update if his team sees any cause for concern.

At the White House, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

BRUNHUBER: And President-elect Donald Trump has his own ideas of how to respond to the drone crisis. He posted on Truth Social Friday that the Biden administration should either release the information they have on these mysterious drone sightings or shoot them out of the sky. As more drones are reported near sensitive sites across the eastern U.S., city officials aren't buying the repeated assertions that there's no cause for concern.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIK PETERSON, NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLYMAN: You can look up in the sky and see these. They're using drones and the way that they're moving. They move forward. They stop. They hover. They move sideways. They stop. They hover. They move backwards. So, they're just lying to us that there are we're not seeing what we're seeing. And more importantly, they're lying to us. That's not a safety threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Still ahead, extreme weather in northern California leads to a weather first. We'll tell you about the tornado warning issued for San Francisco. That's coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: Pope Francis just arrived on the French island of Corsica. It's the first recorded visit of a pope to the largely Catholic island of 350,000 people. He's due to speak at a conference on popular piety in the Mediterranean, which includes everything from saying the rosary to joining with others, to support charities. The pontiff is also set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron before returning to Rome in the coming hours.

Now, the visit comes after last week's reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which the pope didn't attend.

Cyclone Chido turned deadly as it slammed into the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Officials say it killed several people and is causing the worst storm devastation in the islands since 1934.

Now, footage from social media shows winds in excess of 200 kilometers per hour ravaging through houses with heavy rain forcing residents to stay in solid shelters. Officials say emergency services have been mobilized, ready to launch rescue missions once the worst of the storm passes.

For the first time ever, a tornado warning was issued for San Francisco on Saturday. The National Weather Service confirms a tornado didn't actually touch down, but the damage left behind is consistent with more than 120 kilometers per hour straight line winds. A flood advisory and high wind warning was also issued for regions along the coast.

A former fine dining chef turned full-time gingerbread man, yes, that's what he's actually called, he just won the Guinness World Record for the largest gingerbread village. Have a look here. This is Gingerbread Lane created by John Lovitch of Missouri.

His love of Christmas inspired his career change to gingerbread specialist. The baked town has more than 1,000 buildings, a New York taxi, a subway car, and a newsstand. Lovitch estimates he's whisked together a combined 25,000 pounds of the batter in his career. Although Christmas obviously is still a few days away, Lovitch has already started on next year's Gingerbread Village.

I could eat my way through that whole city.

I'm Kim Brunhuber live in Atlanta. The Journey Matters is next. Then Ben Hunte will be here with more CNN NEWSROOM in about half an hour. Please do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:00]