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Death Toll from Beirut Explosion Rises to 154; CNN Talks to Lebanese MP Gebran Bassil; The New Normal for Travel?; Saudi Crown Prince Accused of Assassination Plot. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired August 07, 2020 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:18]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought God save us. God save us, he recalls. We wanted to get out of here with the least possible damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: The people of Beirut are sifting through the rubble and trying to move on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It rises from the obligation from us as a society to look after and protect each other, he says.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Get your suitcase and then get a coronavirus test. Germany has some new requirements for incoming tourists.

Then, Saudi Arabia's crown prince stands accused of an assassination plot against a former senior official. We'll bring you the details on that this

hour.

(MUSIC)

ANDERSON: Well, the warnings were there, the action was not.

I'm Becky Anderson, hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.

Beirut is cleaning up the shattered homes and buildings after the devastating explosion on Tuesday. But will this disaster the latest in a

string of tragedies endured by Lebanon over the years lead to a political clean-up? An overhaul of the government beset by decades of corruption.

Well, the death toll from the blast has now risen to 154 and with many people still missing, that number will surely rise again.

Well, today as the city tries to return to some semblance of normal, the government is playing the blame game, detaining 16 port workers and

freezing the accounts of the port director and others, despite documents showing that government ignored repeated warnings for years about the

explosive materials stored at the port's warehouse.

Well, France's president weighed in on the need for reform during his visit to Beirut on Thursday. The residents mobbed President Emmanuel Macron as he

walked the streets as one shouting "Revolution". Mr. Macron vowed to help while making clear Lebanon's leaders must heed the call for change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): The requirement of a friend in times of need is to rush to the same when times are hard, but

not to hand out blank checks to a system that is not trusted by the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, President Macron is proposing a new political pact for the Lebanese government and he says he'll be back in Beirut on September 1st to

see if its leaders follow through.

If they can't, he says, he'll take political responsibility. I'm going to talk to Gebran Bassil. He was Lebanon's foreign minister from 2014 until

this year, basically, the whole time those highly explosive materials were stored at the port. He's currently a member of Lebanon's parliament and a

son-in-law of President Michel Auon. Bassil is embedded in the government's autocracy. He's also been a frequent target of protesters' fury.

Well, you can hear the derisive chants. What are people upset about? Well, a lack of basic services. Electricity doesn't run for much of the day in

the capital. The value of the Lebanese pound collapsing by more than 60 percent.

There's been an economic implosion while the political classes are accused of squeezing the country dry. Bassil is seen on the street as a key part of

that.

But he also has his share of supporters. He leads the country's largest Christian bloc in Lebanon sectarian power system. His party is also an ally

of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

Gebran Bassil joins me now from Skype.

We thank you, sir, for joining us.

In the aftermath of the explosion, you tweeted and I quote here: The grief of the victims and the devastation is great, but the will of life is

stronger than those responsible for the crime with intent, or negligence, must be tried.

Sir, you seem to imply you believe there may have been intent. What are you suggesting?

GEBRAN BASSIL, FORMER LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: Thank you for receiving me, first.

This is -- let me say -- divide it into two parts. One, that is negligence for no matter what because for six years, there is -- ammonium nitrate

present there in huge quantities.

[10:05:08]

So, no matter what the nation -- this should not have been for the first part and there is no justification for this and those who are responsible

for the negligence should be brought to justice.

The second part is how this took fire, because we know it cannot be ignited without another source. So this can be either an accident where the heat,

where the combustible joined the ammonium nitrate and then there was the explosion, or it can be a sabotage act or an attack.

So, nothing should be ruled out. It should be -- you know, examined by a thorough investigation to look at the reasons.

ANDERSON: The president -- your father-in-law, the president, Michel Auon, tweeting in the last hour, suggesting there are two possibilities for what

happened. Either he says negligence or external interference by either a missile or a bomb.

Which one do you think it is, sir?

BASSIL: I cannot think. I have to abide by an investigation that's transparent and respect the investigation. But in all cases, I repeat there

is negligence, and administratively and judicially, there should be accountability for those who allowed and permitted for a long period of

time six years the presence of such dangerous and hazardous material in the port of Beirut --

ANDERSON: Right.

BASSIL: -- in the heart of the city.

ANDERSON: It is widely accepted that Hezbollah have significant influence over the port where that huge haul of ammonium nitrate was stashed, and

most people we have spoken to find it inconceivable that authorities did not know that that ammonium nitrate was stored in that warehouse.

Hezbollah are an ally of yours. Should they be held accountable?

BASSIL: First, the authorities cannot say that they didn't know. Of course, they knew there were reports. Many reports were revealed in the

last two or three days, that they knew and they were warned. So no one can neglect the fact that the awareness is there.

Now, if Hezbollah proves to be involved in this, of course, he should be held accountable. If he is responsible one way or the other, if the

investigation proves this, he should take as part of responsibility and be held accountable.

Now, we are talking of a city, of the capital of Lebanon that has been devastated. People were killed, people were injured, and this cannot -- you

know, forgiven.

This cannot -- this is a chance for Lebanon to restore the state of the law. This is the chance for Lebanon to prove that he is willing to change.

This is the chance to say that justice is above all.

So this is not an act that can be disregarded.

ANDERSON: OK. Listen, customs officials repeatedly warned of the need to dispose of this highly combustible material. A security port report in late

2019 apparently identified problems with the warehouse where it was being held.

I put it to you again, and you have suggested that if Hezbollah are deemed responsible, they should be held accountable.

Do you accept that it is widely accepted that they have control over the ports? So at this point, the finger of blame points to Hezbollah.

BASSIL: No, we -- we should not accept that the Lebanese authorities who are well -- you know, recruited and paid are responsible. And there are

various -- you know, militarily and the civil. We have many administrative and governmental officials who are responsible for this from ministries to

customs to the port administration, to the intelligence units.

So even the judges who were referred to, to make decisions. Three judges, you know, and the prosecutor general.

So, no one should be ruled out from any investigation. It's the responsibility first of the Lebanese state to secure the port. Now, what I

refer to about Hezbollah if they are responsible on the presence of the material or of covering their presence or abusing them or being responsible

somehow for this accident, yes, they should take that part of the responsibility.

[10:10:07]

But if there's -- at the end of the day, there's the responsibility of the Lebanese state.

ANDERSON: The Lebanese state, the government, your father-in-law, the president, has said that there will be an investigation and those who are

responsible will be held accountable. There are many calls for an international investigation. Many people suggest that the government is

simply not now in a position, doesn't have the credibility to run an investigation.

Do you or will you support the possibility, calls for an international investigation at this point?

BASSIL: OK. First, this has happened since 2014, so many government, many ministers of transportation, many director generals in the administration

and heads of intelligence apparatus were responsible of this.

Now, the investigation is led by a government and by the judicial on the same line and parallel. So if they prove not to be efficient and

transparent and fast, then the request from the Lebanese for a more independent investigation could then be understood. We have to give the

place first to the officials, to the government, to the judges and if they prove any lack of responsibility --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: I understand what you're saying.

Mr. Bassil, Mr. Bassil, one of many complaints by the Lebanese about the state of their country at present is that is there no independent

judiciary. Today, they say it is politicized and used by the party that is governing to attack and degrade their political enemies.

So, I'll put it to you again, how is it possible to run an independent investigation domestically? And why is it that you can't today support the

call for an independent international investigation? Given that you are well aware of the state of the judiciary in Lebanon today.

BASSIL: Yes, you know, we have good judges despite what you are saying. Yes, there is the blame. The people have the right not to have trust in the

judiciary system, but there are good judges. We are protesting again this - - we are now in the process of adopting a new law for the independence of the judiciary system.

But still as I said, there are good judges. Maybe now under the big shock and under the pressure that this puts politically and from the people on

the street, this could be a good leverage on them, you know, to be efficient and independent. We are --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: You have been in politics, sir, you have been in politics -- sorry, let me stop you there. You have been in politics for a decade. A

decade during which the judiciary has been completely -- an independent judiciary has been demolished effectively.

Now you say this is an opportunity for, what? Reform at this point? You have been in a position where you have overseen effectively as a senior

politician the demise of an independent judiciary.

BASSIL: Yes, you know, there is the truth and there's the perception. I can understand both.

I can tell you we've been fighting. We are a force for change. We are fighting for change. We are paying a very high price in politics because we

are fighting for this change and for the reforms. And yes, we have to do this in the judiciary.

Now, this big drama can be turned into a big opportunity to solve things, to change things.

ANDERSON: OK.

BASSIL: Yes, we have to believe in our country and in our people and that our -- you know, the corruption is not our destiny.

We have to believe in the change. We have to fight for the change. Despite all that we are being, you know, that we are facing and what we are being

under -- sometimes misjudgment. But yes, it is not to allow us not to keep on fighting.

ANDERSON: Mr. Bassil, I invite you on my show today not because you represent the voice of the majority of Lebanese people, because, in fact,

you don't. For millions of Lebanese, you epitomize the nepotism and corruption of a ruling elite that has plunged this country into the pit of

despair. I invite you on today as the leader of the biggest party in parliament with significant influence within the government, with oversight

over the past decade of the energy portfolio which has sucked up the equivalent of half of the national debt and yet power not on for 20 hours a

day.

I invite you on to ask whether you will accept personal and professional responsibility for today's crisis?

BASSIL: You know, in Lebanon, you have to understand the system, how it operates. We are the biggest party, the biggest parliamentarian group, but

we are only 20 -- less than 20 -- we are 20 percent of the parliament. So we don't have the majority. Not in the parliament, not in the government.

And that's why we have been fighting for things that were not achieved. So, of course, we have to bear our share of responsibility not being able to

change, but not the share of responsibility of the corruption because we are anti-corruption. We are against the corruption.

We pay the price, we pay the price.

ANDERSON: All right.

BASSIL: But we are a democratic country, after all, and we accept the judgment of the people --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Right. Let me stop you there. Because one of the pillars -- OK. One of the pillars of democracy, and you've just used the word, is

accountability. If Lebanon is a democratic system, those in a position of power should be expected to be held accountable for what happens.

I put it to you again. Are you not prepared and should not this government be prepared to be accountable for this incredible situation that the

country finds itself in, not least were it to be negligence that caused this explosion, but for the -- for the complete economic collapse of the

country? Do you accept the fact that you and your colleagues must be held accountable?

BASSIL: You know, everybody was -- in the public responsibility should always be prepared for accountability. This is a matter of fact, but not to

be guilty of things you're innocent from and vice versa. So, this is political.

I, nor my party, had direct involvement in what happened nor a direct responsibility on the port o anything related to that.

ANDERSON: OK.

BASSIL: Still, still we are saying that we should have -- hold our responsibility if we don't follow this until the end, until people are --

the responsible people, not the innocent people, the responsible people should be taken to accountability --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: I don't hear -- I don't hear you accepting -- accepting the notion of accountability, but let me just move on because the French

president is certainly calling for accountability and specifically for reform.

He visited Lebanon yesterday. He rolled his sleeves up and he took to the streets to show his sympathy and support for those who have been affected

by this catastrophe.

I don't -- I didn't note a single member of the government doing the same thing. What is your response to the French president's appeal now for

reform? And what do you expect to hear from him next?

BASSIL: You know, in difficult times, you find your real friends, and President Macron proves to be a real friend of Lebanon, and I believe in

the coming days will show us more and more and more friends who will tell us and because of their friendship the truth, and what he said is true.

Yes, we need reforms and we should be pressured to do the reform, but the country and the people of Lebanon should not be pressured for the country

to collapse, you know? The political parties should pay the price, fine. But let us save the people, let us save the country.

And, of course, we should be pressured to the max to do the response (ph) because it's our responsibility and the whole system in Lebanon for not

being able to respond. We should do economical, financial, administrative, and judiciary reforms, but also, we should do political reforms by changing

our system from a congressional system to a civil state with a decentralized government (ph).

But yet, this is very complicated in Lebanon because this country cannot be operational or ruled properly under the current regime. We should do -- the

priority now is not to let the country collapse completely, because this -- and this is my call for the international community. This will bring more

optimism (ph) not only to the region, but to the West. This will bring more misery. Lebanon after all, after all is a unique country, based on

tolerance and acceptance of another and the diversity.

[10:20:01]

ANDERSON: Let me put this last thing to you. I was interested to hear your veiled threat to Europe about opening the doors for the Syrian refugees who

are being looked after as a result of the war there in Lebanon, a significant number of Syrian refugees. You appeared yesterday to threaten

Europe with the opening of those doors, sort of in out of the playbook of the Turkish president.

Those -- those refugees are people, not political pawns. They are people, most of whom who would like to go home to their home country but their

homes, their towns have been decimated by your ally, Bashar al Assad.

What's your response?

BASSIL: You know, thank you for asking me this question for me to clarify. You know, we have been gladly and generously receiving 50 percent of our

population as displaced and refugees out of the misery of the wars of others, and they were pushed out of misery to our land. We never, never

pushed anyone to leave on force and we're not threatening anybody.

We are only telling our friends in Europe because I told them personally, to all my European colleagues in 2016 (ph) in Barcelona that we should not

allow this to happen. To not to allow this to happen, help Lebanon keep on embracing them and to allow those --

ANDERSON: OK.

BASSIL: -- who are able to go back to their country to go back. So we are not threatening. This is in fact the immigrant -- the flow of immigrants --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Let me stop you there, sir, because it certainly sounded like a threat and a threat that we have heard before. Look, I'm going to have to

leave it there, sir.

BASSIL: Not at all. We are the most --

ANDERSON: We thank you very much.

BASSILL: -- the most humanitarian country on earth, 50 percent, 200 per square kilometer --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: I do understand that. I do understand that. That wasn't my point.

My point was it sounded like a veiled threat. I'm going to have to leave it there, sir. I thank you very much indeed for joining us.

BASSIL: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Next hour, we'll get another perspective on the political picture in Lebanon.

BASSIL: Thank you.

ANDERSON: And I'll speak with Bahaa Hariri. You recognize his name. He is one of Lebanon's most -- well, certainly from one of Lebanon's most famous

political families.

He's shied away from politics before. But that may now change. I'll talk to him about that and his country's way forward.

And next on CONNECT THE WORLD, we'll reaction what you just heard. Our Ben Wedeman will join us from Beirut. He'll also update us on the recovery

efforts there.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.

If you were with us before the break, you will have just heard Lebanon's former foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, say there's no justification for

the explosion in Beirut no matter what the investigation reveals, government negligence was absolutely involved.

[10:25:13]

But he stopped short of admitting any accountability for the disaster.

Let's get reaction to that from our Ben Wedeman who is live in Beirut. He's lived in Lebanon for years, he knows the country as well as anybody. You

were listening to my discussion with the former foreign minister, a man who is deeply entrenched in politics. The son-in-law of the president of

Lebanon.

Your reaction to what you heard?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he did say something interesting that one often hears from the Lebanese politicians

who are in power, who often say that we do need to change the basic form of the political system here which is based upon a political division of power

upon the basis of sectarian groups. But they often say that, but they do very little to achieve that because they are essentially part of that

system.

And one of the chants we have heard quite a lot since October 17th when the mass street protests was (SPEAKING ARABIC), which in Arabic means all of

them, meaning all of them. And that has been the demand from the street. They want the entire ruling political elite out and they want a system

based upon merit, politics based upon merit, upon ideas, upon vision.

Right now, Lebanese politicians it would appear look through a pinhole at very specific interests related to them, their clan, their extended family,

perhaps narrowly at their sectarian group. But rarely do you find a Lebanese politician who looks at the good of the country.

And this is what people want. Because it's not just about this catastrophe in the port of Beirut and we have just lost our power. And it's --

ANDERSON: That's all right. Keep going. We can hear you.

WEDEMAN: Lebanon has unreliable power -- OK, good. It's the fact that Lebanese -- young Lebanese, some of the most educated people, not only in

the region, in the world, who find jobs very easily outside of Lebanon, but can't find jobs in Lebanon.

It's a country where the infrastructure is literally falling apart. Despite the abilities of the people and the people want to somehow make a

connection with their very obvious inherent talents and the lack of any opportunity here based upon this political system which in a sense is

democratic. You have elections on a fairly regular basis, but who runs in the elections? For the most part, parties based on sectarian affiliation

and not upon ideas and visions.

Now, if I have time, I'd like to say that there are areas where things actually work. Hospitals, for instance, which have been through hell since

Tuesday functioned well. They did their best. Nobody paid a penny for the treatment they received as a result of their injuries.

So we visited one hospital and we have seen videos from others where good is being done by well-meaning, talented Lebanese people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): For Beirut residents, life is now divided between what came before and what came after. The staff member of the Barbell House

Gym captured these images on the phone. He was unharmed.

Shiva Karout is a trainer at the gym.

SHIVA KAROUT, TRAINER, BARBELL HOUSE GYM: As soon as I saw that nothing happened to me, I went up, run to the gym, tried to start helping people

out. A lot of people were wounded. A lot of people were on the floor, disoriented. We just picked them up and put them outside, took them to the

hospital.

WEDEMAN: Less than two days later with blood still on the weights, gym members are doing the heavy lifting to restore a semblance of routine.

In the Mar Maron Maronite Church, the priest conducts a live streamed mass, cut short by the tremor and then the crash of shattering glass.

Father Marwan Mouawad was sitting in the pews and immediately assumed it was a political assassination in the streets outside.

We thought God save us. God save us, he recalls. We wanted to get out of here with the least possible damage.

Glass shards tore into the pews mostly empty Tuesday evening because of coronavirus restrictions.

[10:30:05]

Two stained glass panels were spared. One depicting Jesus, the other Mar Charbel, a Lebanese saint renowned for miracles.

Not a miracle but perhaps a glimmer of hope that Lebanon spirit is far from broken is on vivid display in the crowded streets of Mar Mikhael, the

neighborhood next to the port.

Social distancing has been sacrificed in the effort to cling to a spirit of community. In a land where the very system of government is based upon

divisions between the countries, 18 officially recognized religious sex. Their work done for the day and ad hoc volunteer crew heads home, singing a

popular song with the refrain --

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: Well, Becky, I have to apologize, that was a bit of a cock-up, we actually did a story about the hospitals but things don't work so well in

the era of coronavirus. So that was yesterday's report -- Becky.

ANDERSON: It was a fantastic report and we absolutely applaud your work and if -- and if we have technical issues then I'm sure our viewers will

understand.

Ben, always a pleasure. Thank you, sir.

Still ahead, the French president tweets, "I love you, Lebanon", after the blast and he tells the government not to expect aid money without questions

being asked.

Plus, ahead of a crucial vote to extend the arms embargo on Iran, a top U.S. diplomat for that country resigns. The State Department bids farewell

to Brian Hook.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.

Well, any moment now, we are expecting to hear from the secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, about Tuesday's massive explosion in Beirut

which has killed at least 154 people.

The blast has become a global issue. Crowds mobbed the French president as he visited Beirut with people chanting the word "Revolution".

Well, the president of the European council is due to visit on Saturday. This as the U.S. says it will provide another $15 million in humanitarian

support to Lebanon.

Take a listen to what the French president had to say in Beirut on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACRON (through translator): The requirement of a friend in times of need is to rush to the scene when times are hard, but not to hand out blank

checks to a system that is not trusted by the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:35:11]

ANDERSON: Well, a blunt message during Mr. Macron's visit there, making it clear there would be no money or no aid money at least without strings

attached.

Three weeks, that is how long Mr. Macron is giving Lebanon's leaders to clean up their act, saying he will be returning to Beirut on September the

1st.

Let's get to Cyril Vanier now out in the French capital.

Mr. Macron now back in the country. His visit, what does it foretell?

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, it tells you that the French president wants to capitalize on the emotion caused by the devastating

blast in Beirut on Tuesday to try to trigger the change that has eluded Lebanon over the last few years.

I would take you back to 2018. France at the time was spear heading a movement by the international community to try to get Lebanon to reform

itself. They put upwards of 10 billion euros on the table, which Lebanon never got because it never reformed itself.

Then from October of last year to March of this year, there was a sustained protest movement by the people of Lebanon asking for deep change in the

country's political system, which hasn't occurred. Yes, some of the faces have changed, but the system itself is still in place.

Becky, earlier in the week you referenced the deep, corrosive, crippling effect of corruption on Lebanon and yesterday the French president had

similar words when he was calling on the leaders to overhaul the political system. He described the system that is crippled by organized corruption.

These words all the more notable because they were said on the soil of a sovereign country that was at the time hosting Emmanuel Macron.

So to get back to your question, Becky, the French president is hoping that this moment is going to be a catalyst for change and allow the kind of

reforms in Lebanon to take place that haven't taken place in the last few years.

ANDERSON: It's important to consider why French involvement particularly resonates. You know, a French mandate in the past that just yesterday we

saw a petition of some 44,000 people suggesting that the French should take the country back. Listen, you won't hear -- every Lebanese person

suggesting that, but I think that the context of France's involvement in the country is important to point out.

VANIER: Absolutely, Becky. It really was striking to see that petition. More than 50,000 people had signed it the last time I checked.

In 2021, for Lebanese people to be asking France which last ruled the country or was responsible for parts of the country more than 100 years ago

is really striking, Becky.

And look, there is an enduring and deep friendship between these two countries. This is not the typical scenario that France has with so many

former colonies where it's seen as a -- it was seen as a brutal, negative presence. That is not the case. Many Lebanese people still refer to France

with a word of affection, mother.

It was said to Emmanuel Macron yesterday when he met with the people in the streets of Beirut. One of them said I am your son, meaning I am the son of

France.

So, Becky, that friendship is enduring and it has manifested itself throughout time in the last 100 years. Think back to Jacques Chirac who was

in Beirut shortly after the assassination of former -- of late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.

Think back to the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, he was the one who helped secure the release of Rafic Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, from Saudi Arabia.

France has been a close ally to Lebanon, and there is also a strategic element to this. Lebanon is an important country in the region. It is

neighboring the Syrian civil war.

There are numerous foreign influences coursing through that country's political system. And that is why France wants to take the leadership in

trying to help put Lebanon back on the road to recovery, Becky.

ANDERSON: There are those who will say that there's a whiff of colonialism to all of this, but there is always a counter-narrative, isn't there?

Thank you, sir. Cyril Vanier is in Paris for you.

It's not likely anyone in Beirut will ever forget where they were or what they were doing the moment that blast happened on Tuesday.

[10:40:11]

A nanny and three children were watching the fire from the 17th floor window when the shock wave hit their building and the terrifying impact was

caught on this video. Have a look.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

ANDERSON: Unbelievable, isn't it?

Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories right now.

In the U.S. special envoy for Iran is stepping down. Brian Hook has been a vocal spokesman for the maximum pressure campaign against Iran and was

pushing to keep an arms embargo in place.

Well, the U.S. State Department is easing travel warnings for its citizens because of the coronavirus. In March, the agency issued a blanket advisory

not to travel overseas. Alerts are now being issued for specific countries, but the U.S. passport is still not welcome in much of the world due to the

rising cases of the deadly disease in the United States.

The U.S. jobs recovery is shifting into lower gear, according to the new report that came out just an hour or so ago. The U.S. economy added 1.8

million new jobs in July. That number is far lower than the month before and the U.S. unemployment still above 10 percent, the highest in many

years.

Well, more than 1 million cases of COVID-19 have now been recorded in Africa. More than half of them in South Africa. The World Health

Organization says testing in many countries remains a constant challenge and warned against easing restrictions. The continent's case numbers have

doubled in the last month.

Up next, from shock to outrage, as the people of Beirut find their feet, they're also finding their voices, and they have got plenty to say to the

political leaders of Lebanon. Details, up next.

Meanwhile, international aid pouring in. We'll look at where it is needed most.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, you're looking at the moment of the explosion on Tuesday in Beirut. It was captured on a security camera inside a Greek Orthodox

Church not far from the port.

[10:45:06]

No one was inside when the massive blast went off. And the altar was untouched. The priest there says he considers that a message of hope.

Well, hope can be a tricky business especially the snare of false hope. Don't get me wrong, resilience is big with the people of Lebanon but so is

rage.

They have been through so much. We are hearing from a Beirut woman, one of hundreds of thousands who lost their homes in Tuesday's horrific blast and

why she feels abandoned by the country's politicians. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): What are we doing? We come to pack some things from our house and take what we could take. We can't go to

the upper floor because it might fall on us.

Like everyone else, it is not just us. Everybody is out there in front of the whole world. Enough (EXPLETIVE DELETED), enough lying and enough. If

you want to cut my words, I don't want to curse a lot. We won't find people who lie more than they do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, people of Lebanon want more than just the wreckage of their city cleaned up. They are calling for the government to be cleaned up

as well.

The French president says he can help with that and Emmanuel Macron is vowing to return to Lebanon's capital in just three weeks to see how it is

getting on. Well, he was in Beirut on Thursday putting the government on notice that he and the world are watching what it does next. Mr. Macron

offered to help, but told Lebanon's political class not to expect a blank check.

Well, CNN's Arwa Damon is checking the mood on the street for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Could there be anyone left alive? It's a hope dozens of family members of the missing cling to.

Knowing that it's unlikely, but not wanting to accept that their loved one could be gone.

Others are laid to rest. Lives utterly shattered in the trail of destruction by Tuesday's explosion in Lebanon's capital city. Those who

survived are trying to pick up the pieces.

Glass and debris crunch below the feet of an army of volunteers, stepping in, where the government is not, attempting to clear the rubble of billions

of dollars of damage. They urge each other on, but for others, it's all just too much.

The intensity of the emotional rollercoaster that is being Lebanese has left them hollow shells.

"What should we feel?" asks one resident. "You cannot feel anything in Lebanon. There's nothing to be sad about anymore," he says.

As the cleanup continues, a rage grows across the country at how a new disaster could happen. Still, without any clear explanation or apology.

As French President Emmanuel Macron toured the wreckage, the first foreign leader to set foot here, he was surrounded by hundreds of Lebanese calling

for a revolution -- urging him, begging him, to do something. He vowed that France would stand with the Lebanese people, but cautioned its leaders.

MACRON (through translator): The requirement of a friend in times of need is to rush to the same when times are hard, but not to hand out blank

checks to a system not trusted by the people.

DAMON: From outside and inside the country, demands for answers grow louder, as calls emerged for an independent probe into the situation.

This is not just about accountability or how the country is going to rebuild emotionally and physically. It's about how it's going to find its

soul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Arwa is joining me live from just outside of Beirut.

You have left central Beirut. Why, Arwa?

DAMON: Well, Becky, we're on our way to a shoot to speak with a family that is still looking for their missing loved ones, but it's worth noting

that outside of Beirut is where a lot of people fled to after that explosion on Tuesday because of the toxic gases that were then released and

you had warnings coming from all sorts of authorities telling people to get out of the city as quickly as possible.

Also worth noting though, Becky, from all of these areas, you have the bus loads of volunteers who are heading back to Beirut to help in the clean-up

effort, to assist the charities that are on the ground and a lot of people have just jumped in to action.

And I'd just like to share, you know, some of what my charity's team in the field has been witnessing, you know? We're called INARA. We normally treat

war wounded children who aren't able to access the medical care that they need, but because we have certified paramedics and nurses, and because we

have a network to access those kinds of people, we were able to put a team together and deploy them to some of these devastated neighborhoods to work

alongside the clean-up crews, those who are distributing food aid while we are focusing on basic first aid.

And this is because a lot of those volunteers who are going through helping clear out the wreckage, who are helping people clean out their apartments

and their homes, they're getting injured in the process. Slight injuries, minor injuries but they don't want to overburden the hospitals and so

they're coming to our field station.

We also had a couple of people who were actually injured in the first blast. The massive explosion that happened on Tuesday that didn't make it

to the hospital, either because they were unable to or because they didn't want to because their injuries want so severe, again to ease some of the

burden off of the hospital.

And I have to say, Becky, it's been quite incredible to speak to, you know, my team at INARA, but also other volunteers about how they were able to

prioritize, somehow putting their own personal trauma aside to be able to get out there. And do something for the benefit of the city as a whole. For

the benefit of those who are most vulnerable and those who have been most impacted by this horrific tragedy, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And your charity work, phenomenal. That is INARA -- @inaraorg on Twitter.

Before you left the city, you filed a report about the atmosphere, about how people are feeling on the street. Just very briefly, if you can just

describe what you have heard.

DAMON: Well, actually, Becky, just before we came here, we were filming with some of the front search and rescue teams and we were speaking with

them, and while we were speaking with them, you know, people were driving by in their cars and they were shouting out their thanks and their

gratitude. Because, you know, as you've been reporting and you saw in the report that we filed, people feel abandoned by their government.

And so, at the very least when they see these foreign teams coming in, they feel as if they're maybe not that alone. Now, these French teams in some

areas, they're still hoping that they might be able to find some survivors. Look, they have experience in places like Haiti, for example, and they said

that depending on the conditions, you can still find people 72 hours later or even a little bit longer.

And the other thing that they're doing, Becky, is going through and trying to determine which buildings are unstable or unsafe and then clear out

those areas that might either fall down into the street or cause potential has hazardous injuries, because, obviously, key to getting more clues in to

clean up is making sure that the environment is safe.

The last thing that anyone wants to see is even more severe injuries at this stage.

But, you know, when you look at the people's faces the trauma is so deeply etched on it.

ANDERSON: Sure.

DAMON: But when you go out into the destroyed areas, you also see this movement of really coming together at the very least on that sort of ground

fundamental human level.

ANDERSON: And lest that we forget, that's of sheer necessity. Not because people necessarily want to, but out of sheer necessity.

Arwa, thank you.

An assassination squad sent overseas that's one of the accusations of a former intelligence officer, accusations that he's making in court. We'll

look at the other accusations against the crown prince when we come back.

And in about 15 minutes, I'll be speaking with Bahaa Hariri, a member of one of Lebanon's most prominent families. I'll ask him about his way

forward for his embattled country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:55:35]

ANDERSON: A former top Saudi intelligence official is accusing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of sending an assassination squad after him.

Saad Aljabri has field a legal complaint in the U.S. district court in Washington. In it, he alleges the squad was dispatched just days after

journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by members of the same group in 2018.

Let us bring Alex Marquardt in with more.

You have been looking at this complaint filed just yesterday. Why -- why is he filing this complaint now?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Well, a number of reasons, Becky. He makes this explosive new argument that, as you mentioned, Prince

Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, sent the hit squad that is known, according to Aljabri, as the tiger squad, to Canada to kill him in October

of 2018 and that as you noted the same month that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Istanbul.

He has all sorts of details in this 107-page complaint he filed here in Washington, D.C., that around 15 Saudi nationals flew to Ottawa

International Airport, among them were forensic specialists he says, that they were carrying two bags of forensics tools. They were -- they became

under suspicion of the Canadian officials at the airport and according to the complaint were turned around and sent back to Saudi Arabia.

Aljabri says that he got this information from what he calls Western intelligence officials, as well as private investigators. Now, Becky, it's

no secret that he is very much at odds with the crown prince, with MBS. The two have had several years of animosity. He is accused, Aljabri, that is,

by Saudi Arabia of -- of misspending $11 billion worth of the interior ministry's budget, of pocketing some of that himself. There's a warrant out

for his arrest in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia tried to extradite him.

But the reason that Aljabri says that MBS wants to go after him, is because he knows all about MBS, he knows his secret, he knows how he works, he

knows his corrupt dealings. And to answer your question, Becky, caught in the middle are two of Aljabri's children.

Now, when Aljabri fled Saudi Arabia in 2017, he left behind two children, Omar and Sarah. They're now 22 and 20 years old. At first they were banned

from leaving Saudi Arabia and in March, they were according to Aljabri arrested and he has not heard from them since. So they are very much at the

center of this complaint. And could well be one of the main reasons he filed this complaint.

And in the days that followed and months that followed his leaving Saudi Arabia, he got the increasingly aggressive text messages via WhatsApp from

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including one that said that they will -- he will use all available means to get to Aljabri -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Alex on the story for you -- thank you, Alex.

Well, there's a lot more to come in the next hour, of course. This is a two-hour show including the interview with a member of Lebanon's most

famous political family. Bahaa Hariri joins me.

And the full story on these images from a maternity ward in Lebanon, just before the blast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:00:00]

END