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Iran's Threat To Retaliate Against Israel Stokes Tensions; After Six Months Of War, No Consensus On What Happens Next; U.S. VP Kamala Harris Visits Arizona Over Abortion Issue; Remember O.J. Simpson Murder Trial; Cuba Spying Case Set In Miami Court; Ukraine Reels From Large-Scale Attacks On Its Power Grid; Celebrating 10 Years In Abu Dhabi. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired April 12, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

ANNOUNCER: This is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And you're with us for the second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi.

In the last 30 minutes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened his war cabinet as tensions with Iran ratchet up. All eyes are on

this story and we will get you the very latest.

First up, all the headlines this hour. And U.S. consumer sentiment index for April has just been released. The survey will be watched keenly by

markets as inflation proves stubborn there. We'll be breaking that down for you.

The U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visits the key battleground state of Arizona today. Abortion rights loom large as an issue for voters ahead of

the U.S. presidential election in November.

And Ukrainian officials are becoming increasingly alarmed at not just the number of missile fired by Russia, but by their accuracy. That after a

larger scale Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid.

Well, we begin with an alarming new threat of military escalation right here in the Middle East. I of course am broadcasting to you from our Middle

East programming hub here in the UAE. All eyes are on Iran whose leaders have vowed to take revenge on Israel after a deadly attack on its embassy

compound in Syria last week.

The strike in Damascus killed Iranian military commanders, and despite the best efforts of diplomats, tensions in this region are hurtling towards

breaking point. In the past hour the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his war cabinet saying it is preparing for all

scenarios.

Let's bring in Nic Robertson from Jerusalem.

Just how much of a threat are we looking at here, Nic? Is it clear?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The threats, it could be from small to severe and incredibly significant. The expectations at the

moment that abound in the region are that Iran will respond to Israel's strike on their consulate in Damascus on the 1st of April where one of

their very senior IRGC commander and several other lower-level commanders and other operatives were killed.

Iran has said it will. The expectation is they will. The question in the region at the moment is how, through proxy, direct on Israel, not direct on

Israel, Israel's interests in the region. And the general sense at the moment is this is potentially imminent. Of course, it creates jitters among

the Israeli public, and the very fact that there are various analysis of how this could go down, how an Iran response could go down, how they would

do it, and where they would do it.

The fact that there's a sense of it could be soon-ish, that can also be something that Iran feeds out through channels to create the jitters. It

doesn't even have to be real to be felt, but to that point, you have the head of U.S. Central Command, Germany Erik Kurilla, today at the Hatzor

Airbase in the south of Israel, meeting with the Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. That was earlier on today.

And this is very symbolic of Israel wanting to posture and show, and the United States posture and show, that they stand strong together. This

ironclad guarantee of support that President Biden has been talking about for Israel in the face of Iran's threat. And we heard from the IDF

spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, just last night telling the Israeli people that Israel is prepared for a possible attack.

ANDERSON: Nic, while this conflict in Gaza continues, there is real fear now that this conflict can spill out to the wider region. And of course,

what we're seeing between Iran and Israel is indicative of that. USAID is saying it's credible to assess that a famine exists in part of Gaza already

as the U.N. says that Israel is working to ramp up aid without a ceasefire in place.

What do we know about the current situation with regard aid getting into Gaza? And how are those in Gaza coping?

ROBERTSON: The northern part of Gaza is the most needy. 300,000 to 400,000 people the U.N. estimates. Senior U.S. figure in the humanitarian aid,

Samantha Powers, says, as you were saying there, that the need is dire, that it's reasonable to assume that people are on the brink of starvation.

[10:05:09]

And in fact officials inside Gaza say that a number of people, many of them children, have already effectively starved to death in northern Gaza.

President Biden when he spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a week ago today pressed him on that access of humanitarian aid to the north. The

following day or overnight even it was announced that a border crossing would open in the north, Erez. That didn't happen.

By Monday this week we heard from Israeli officials that it wouldn't happen. Then overnight last night, Israeli officials say they did get aid

directly from Israel into the north of Gaza, released about 30 seconds of footage showing what appear to be a couple, perhaps three trucks of aid at

night going in along a dirt road that appears to be the coastal route into the north of Gaza that the IDF have been using for their military

operations.

But what the White House has said that they're looking for is not just the ramp-up in aid getting in, which Israel says has happened in the past week,

which the U.N. says is still nowhere near the needs and requirements of the people of Gaza. But not only for those trucks to be getting in, for there

actually to be dispersed and reach the people that need it. And it appears we're still a long, long, long way from that situation.

This route of aid going from Israel into northern Gaza seemed far from fully established an operational as best we can understand from the limited

details we have at the moment. And we know that UNICEF, for example, were caught in crossfire trying to get their aid into northern Gaza while they

were in Gaza yesterday, despite being on an authorized agreed route and is parked in a safe, relatively designated holding space.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Nic. Thank you.

Well, for more than six months now, Israel has fought against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Well, the IDF is starting to withdraw some troops. There is

still no consensus on what is going to happen next nor what should happen in Gaza after this conflict ultimately ends.

Major General Tamir Hayman is an adviser to the Israeli defense minister. He's the current head of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel

Aviv. And this is a man who's been in the room when key decisions are made in Israeli intelligence and national security.

I had a wide-ranging conversation with him about Israel's strategic direction and Tehran's possible response to Israel's attack on its

consulate in Damascus. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. (RES.) TAMIR HAYMAN, ADVISER TO THE ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: What we could expect is some form of retaliation by Iran through UAVs,

rockets, maybe missiles. But the Iranians does not want to escalate it to a full-scale war. They want to retaliate in order to retrieve back their

honor. But they do not want to get the United States involved of the response to their retaliation.

So they need to balance that above the level of friction, above the level of retaliate, and below the threshold of a full-scale attack on Iran by

United States combined with Israel. So that's what we are expecting.

ANDERSON: Could Israel still pull back from this looming possibility after that consulate attack in Damascus? What's your view?

HAYMAN: What's done is done and you can't really pull that back. And I'm not sure that it would have done that. But right now, the motivation for

retaliation is in Iran hands, signaling by United States that just like done yesterday by President Biden. And mobilizing capabilities of United

States armed forces, and Israel doing those drills that we have done over the past few days.

Those strategic messaging signals to Iran to be careful when you try -- when you retaliate from your Iran soil to Israel. It will end up of

retaliation against in the first time directly from Israel to Iran and that can escalate. So it's all a matter of risk calculation that the supreme

leader in Iran must take. Would he risk escalating to a full direct war with Israel and maybe United States? The decisions right now in his hands,

not in the Israeli hands. Israeli will work about the response after the occasion, after the events will happen.

ANDERSON: Let's step back for a moment.

[10:10:01]

You have put out a strategic roadmap for, let's call it the day after in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire to allow for the release, the important

release of hostages still held in Gaza. And negotiations going forward, saying, quote, "The challenge for Israel's leaders at this time is to do

the right thing for Israel's history, not to achieve immediate short-term tactical gains. At this point in time, we must do everything in our power

to improve the country's strategic situation."

Is that really possible at this point?

HAYMAN: Sliding into a long attrition war, endless friction without the achieving of the objectives of the war and improving the overall status of

Israel is a negative element. We cannot afford Hamas to be the ruling entity and the ruling civilian address of Gaza. We cannot afford to end

this massive situation that we are facing without the retrieving of maximum hostages back to our home.

It's a moral duty. And we can grab the potential strategic connections in turning the Middle East new architecture by normalization between Israel

and Saudi Arabia. And in order to create that kind of a chain of events, you must start somewhere. And we suggest start with the hostage deal. After

the hostage deal, you get a ceasefire. Exploit the ceasefire to reimpose the reformed Palestinian Authority as a replacement of Hamas.

Instead of chaos, instead of no man's land, instead of rivalries of warlords that will create unstable situation, and that will achieve two

goals of the war. The returning back of the hostages and the relieving and the replacement of Hamas as the ruling entity and replacing it with a more

moderate, the relatively moderate ruling address, that is the Palestinian Authority. So you have already some sort of a coalition with UAE and Saudi,

and the level above it is the United States.

And you have United States, normalization with United States, some form of defense treaties with Saudi Arabia and maybe with Israel. Some form of

reconciliation or normalization or integration of Israel in a new Middle East architecture.

ANDERSON: Given how Israelis -- let's be quite clear -- reject the PA in the majority at present, how can you ensure that the PA can be accepted by

the Israeli public?

HAYMAN: No Israeli can accept right now a two-state solution as a practical idea. I think we should be more modest then because if everybody knows that

presenting that after the 7th of October is highly rejected by everyone. So we need to make the first step, not go all the way. The first step is

duplicating the situation in the West Bank to Gaza. And that can be explained and that again can be a reality.

But in order to create another belt, another measure of confidence, you need some form of international coalition.

ANDERSON: Do you believe you have the buy-in by in the first instance, the UAE, but secondly and very specifically, the Saudis on what is the sort of

interim period because the Saudis have made it very, very clear, the kingdom has said, you know, we stick by the Arab initiative of 2002, we

have to see a Palestinian horizon and that must be a two-state solution. So are you telling me that you believe that there is buy-in to at least in

principle and interim?

HAYMAN: The Saudis also wants -- once from United States the international acceptance. They want some form of civilian nuclear plants to be approved,

and they want to have some form of defense treaty that will deter its enemies. That's a lot to ask from United States. And in return, their

internal interest does not crucially involve with the Palestinian interest. So if there will be a vision of a two-state and a Palestinian Authority in

Gaza I think that for the first steps, it will be approved by the Saudis as well.

[10:15:04]

ANDERSON: Is the new Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, someone you think Israel can work with, a partner for peace? And if not, who?

HAYMAN: Those kind of officials that surround Abu Mazen are bureaucrats in the good sense of the word. They are not leaders in the more emotional,

charismatic manner that we need in order to get out from the situation that we are facing right now.

ANDERSON: You must have certain characters in mind. Are you prepared to put a name to a face?

HAYMAN: The plan, some of the plans from UAE that may -- that can be accepted in the Gaza Strip. There is this name of Marwan Barghouti that in

a case of a future hostage deal that he may be released out of the Israeli prisoner, and he is very popular among the mass of the Palestinians.

ANDERSON: Could he be a partner for peace with the Israelis, under a current government of Benjamin Netanyahu? I would expect not.

HAYMAN: He was, before the second intifada, he was a partner. You know, he was -- he worked closely with the Israeli officials but during the second

intifada he was directly involved in the murder of Jews, murders of Israelis. So in that element, it's hard for me personally to imagine it but

it was hard to imagine Arafat, it was hard to imagine Ezra. So right now I'm not sure that I would recommend that, but those are the names that are

there.

ANDERSON: But those on the very right wing of this coalition will not see this as a credible plan for Israel going forward. This plan has no legs

with this current government, sir, let's be quite frank.

HAYMAN: I know, I worked with Netanyahu a lot. He reads history intensively. He knows history. He's well aware of history and posturing. He

knows that right now the two paths forward, one leads to endless attrition war, without definite and obsolete triumphs. And the other one, if you will

take that, will lead eventually to historical reconciliation with our world and solving some parts of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. That's amazing

and you may create those treaties, defense treaties that will block Iran and strengthen Israel globally and regionally.

In the historical term even if that will be his ticket to the next election, it's not that bad tickets. Even if he will threaten the stability

of the current government and accelerate the path to election.

ANDERSON: Let me put this to you. I've spoken to a number of Palestinians who say a two-state solution is dead in the water. It is one state with

Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side that should be the future. That is the Palestinian horizon. Do you reject that outright?

HAYMAN: I think that is existential threats to the Jewish state one state. One state, one person, one vote that is either we will end up being not the

Jewish state or either we will end up not a democratic state. And I think that's crucial, existential threats, and I believed that most Israelis will

support that kind of -- that point of view. So some form of separation of entities is needed. No doubt about it.

The question is, how will the Palestinian entity will look like, whether it will be state, state minus a kind of a federation with Jordan, a kind of

autonomy, the solutions that the nails vary, but the overall architecture is there's no way out of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Tamir Hayman is a man who is extremely plugged in. Fascinating insight there.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from Abu Dhabi. Still ahead, the U.S. vice president heads to a key battleground state today to talk about

abortion rights.

[10:20:04]

We are live for you in Arizona. And as the Dow slides, we're getting a look at the latest snapshot of consumer sentiment in the United States and it is

not frankly exactly pretty. I'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: U.S. consumer sentiment, the latest numbers for that came in weaker than expected. We're just getting a look at the reading for April.

It's 77.9. 79 on this index is what had been predicted by economists.

Now the new data comes on the heels of two reports showing rising inflation. So not exactly a happy Friday for Wall Street. U.S. banks have

kicked off the corporate earnings parade. JPMorgan Chase say its key net interest income could be a little short of what Wall Street's analysts are

expecting in 2024. The bank CEO also warning of persistent inflation and that is not a new story from JPMorgan Chase.

Here is how stocks saw trading in New York and in Europe, U.K. shares are actually looking quite upbeat as Middle East tensions push commodity prices

higher. And that has an impact on the FTSE, for example, because it boosts shares of miners and oil groups, which are well-represented in that index.

Well, the U.S. vice president visiting the key battleground state of Arizona today with abortion rights in focus. Kamala Harris pushing the

Biden administration's support for reproductive freedom after the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated a near total ban on abortion based on 160-year-old

law. Harris is expected to focus on the wave of abortion restrictions imposed across America after Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices joined

to overturn Roe versus Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Well, Camila Bernal is with us this hour from Scottsdale, Arizona.

And I have got two questions with you -- for you. Why does this issue resonate so much with voters ahead of the U.S. presidential election in

November? Given what's just happened in Arizona, what does Kamala Harris expect to achieve there?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: OK. So, first of all, to answer your first question, I think that this is a very personal issue for a lot

of people really all over the country and here in Arizona. You know, I'm speaking to women who want to have children who already have children or

who say this can impact their children and their grandchildren, and even men who say they too are wanting to step up to support the women in their

lives. So it really is personal for a lot of people.

So what Kamala Harris is going to see here in Arizona is people who are really motivated and energized, and looking forward to that November

election, looking forward to possibly seeing this on the ballot when they go to vote in November.

[10:25:13]

And so what we're seeing all over the state in talking to a lot of the activists is an increase in the people that are wanting to volunteer,

wanting to get involved when it comes to this particular issue. I talked to proponents of abortion rights who are actually trying to get this on the

ballot. So they're collecting signatures all over the state and their goal is not just the 380,000 plus signatures that are needed to get this on the

ballot. But they say they're wanting to get about half a million signatures on the ballot.

And so what they're telling me is that since the Arizona Supreme Court made this decision on Tuesday, they saw a huge increase in the number of people

wanting to sign this petition, wanting to volunteer, wanting to donate money to this cause. Take a listen to what the spokesperson for the group

leading this issue had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAWN PENICH, ARIZONA FOR ABORTION ACCESS: People are going door to door in their neighborhood. People are tabling outside of their favorite local

coffee shops. This is not something that appeals to only Democrats, that Republicans, independents, women, and their loved ones believe in this, and

want to see this on the ballot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERNAL: And I also talked to the group. It goes too far, and what they're saying is that this particular ballot measure goes too far. They say that

voters are not educated on the language of this ballot measure and that more needs to be done and in terms of having this on the ballot in

November. But I've also spoken to providers who say they're extremely concerned about what they're having to do next because this new ban

essentially calls for sentencing for providers.

And so they will be particularly impacted by this near-total ban here in Arizona. And so what the provider told me, one of aid providers here in

Arizona told me was that she wants to stay in this state and will fight pass November to get legislation and to figure out what the language should

be when it comes to that November election and moving forward. And in terms of Kamala Harris and what she's wanting to accomplish here is to continue

to energize those voters and the people of Arizona.

This is a swing state, a battleground state. So, of course, she wants to get this message across to try to energize more voters to come out in

November and to support this issue, but also to support her ticket, and so this is sort of key in terms of this state, in particular, because of the

implications that has in the nationwide November election.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

It was dubbed the trial of the century. Everyone in America it seems watched O.J. Simpson's murder trial. Many people around the world, it has

to be said. And everyone had an opinion. Ahead will there ever be a case that big again.

And sentencing is set for a former U.S. ambassador in court over spying charges. More on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:31:02]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Half past 6:00 here in the UAE. Your headlines this hour.

An Israeli official tells CNN Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been meeting with his war cabinet to discuss the country's readiness against

possible action by Iran. Well, Tehran is threatening to retaliate for a deadly strike on its consulate in Syria, which it blames on Israel. Israel

says if Iran attacks, it will hit back.

Well, the head of the U.S. aid organization is raising grave concerns about a famine in parts of Gaza, saying for the first time there is reason to

believe it is already occurring in the north. Since Samantha Power made those remarks, the IDF says Israel has opened a new northern crossing for

aid supplies into Gaza, though it is not specifying the exact details.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Arizona today to focus on the Biden administration's support for reproductive rights. Her visit coming

after the Arizona Supreme Court reinstate a near total ban on abortion based on a Civil War era law. Well, abortion looks to be a key campaign

issue in Arizona, a battleground state in the 2024 presidential election.

Before social media and the internet, there was of course only television. And in 1995, millions tuned in is football legend O.J. Simpson was tried

for the killing of his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson's death this week has revived memories of the case. The trial of

the century united America, while exposing its divisions. Simpson was acquitted, but later found liable in a wrongful death civil lawsuit and

ordered to pay millions in damages.

Well, former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin covered the trial and has written a book about it. And he joins us now.

Jeffrey, you were in the courtroom covering trials. Just walk us through the significance of that moment and how it shaped the modern media.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, AUTHOR, "THE RUN OF HIS LIFE: THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON": Well, you have to remember how different the news media was in the mid-

1990s. Cable news existed, but there were many fewer stations. There was CNN, which broadcasts the trial gavel to gavel. There was something called

Court TV, which sadly doesn't exist in that form anymore. But there was no FOX News. There was no MSNBC. And there was no internet. There was no

social media.

So the fact that the existing media focused so intently on the O.J. case meant that there was essentially nowhere else to go but follow O.J. and the

fact is the case was incredibly interesting, so people weren't interested in going elsewhere. And so this incredible concentration of attention on

the case gave it an importance that I don't think any single news story could even achieve today because the news media is now so much spread out.

ANDERSON: Jeffrey, what made that case so captivating?

TOOBIN: Well, let's just put it this way. The case combined everything that obsesses the American people. There was violence, there was race, there was

Hollywood, there was sports, and the only eyewitness was a dog. So, you know, you had everything in operating at the same time and there was an

element of mystery, at least at first for many people about who did this terrible thing. And O.J. Simpson, because he had been such a ubiquitous

celebrity in American life initially as a football star and then as a broadcaster, an actor, and celebrity endorser, he was someone that everyone

in the United States felt they knew.

[10:35:17]

Then of course you had the extremely bizarre slow speed chase on the day he was arrested, which no one had ever seen anything like that before, which

transfixed the public even more on a story that continued to unfold over the next two years.

ANDERSON: If it doesn't fit, you must acquit. Those the words, of course, the famous line from his defense lawyer and we are watching images of O.J.

Simpson in court trying to put on that glove. And I mean, again, anybody who remembers this case 30 years ago will remember those images and that

sort of indelibly ingrained in your mind for life.

We've got another blockbuster courtroom drama for sure come Monday when Donald Trump's criminal trial kicks off in New York and look, the

implications for the country and indeed frankly the world can't be overstated. There is a sense of spectacle, though, isn't there, surrounding

Trump's legal troubles? You'll also be in the room for that. The cameras won't be.

What are you expecting and how might it stack up, for example, against the sensation as it were, that was the O.J. Simpson trial. I'm not comparing

the two, but I'm just saying, as a spectacle, as an event for consumption across whatever platform people are watching on these days, what are you

expecting?

TOOBIN: Yes. Well, I am comparing the two. I mean, they are, you know, similarly interesting to the American public, though, of course, as you

point out the consequences for the country and the world are much greater since Donald Trump is a leading candidate for president of the United

States again. As you mentioned, there will be no cameras in the courtroom, so you won't have the moment-to-moment interest that that the O.J. case

generated.

And you're going to have really two competing visions of what really went on in the Trump case. The prosecution is going to attempt to show that

Donald Trump's payoffs to the porn star Stormy Daniels were part of an effort to deceive the public on the eve of the 2016 election that this was

a case about Donald Trump using illegal means to win the 2016 election. The defense is going to attempt to show that this is simply an attempt to

embarrass a Republican candidate for president by a Democratic prosecutor involving salacious allegations of -- regarding a porn star.

And the two different visions of, you know, is this a serious case about violating the law or is this a political attack on a presidential

candidate. That's what the jury, once they select a jury which will not be an easy thing, will have to sort out.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Coming up, a former U.S. ambassador is due in court to face spying charges after admitting to giving intelligence to Cuba for decades.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:10]

ANDERSON: A former U.S. ambassador accused of spying for Cuba is expected at a Miami federal court today. Victor Manuel Rocha is set to plead guilty

in a case that has been described as one of the highest reaching and longest lasting breaches of the U.S. government by a foreign agent.

Carlos Suarez is in Miami and he joins me now -- Carlos.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, that's right. So we expect that the 73-year-old will be in a federal courthouse here in south Florida

later this afternoon alongside his attorneys where he is going to tell a federal judge that he is changing his plea from not guilty to guilty.

Now, in exchange for that, it's our understanding that federal prosecutors here will drop some of the charges against Manuel Rocha. He was facing

several charges, including being an illegal agent of a foreign government, wire fraud and lying to federal investigators.

Now, Becky, the details of this plea agreement are not known. It is still a mystery exactly how Rocha helped the Cuban government in the nearly two

decades that he worked at the State Department. The details of what he provided the Cuban intelligence services were not laid out in the

indictment that was handed up against him in December, though prosecutors did note that Rocha had a top-level security clearance and had access to

top secret information considering his work at the State Department, as you noted, having been the U.S. ambassador to Bolivia and at one point having

worked at the U.S. interests section in Havana, Cuba in the early 1990s.

Prosecutors believe that Rocha provided some of this information to the Cuban government as early as 1981, though it is important to note that he

was never charged with espionage.

Again, Becky, we expect that this hearing will be here later this afternoon and that right after he enters his guilty plea there will be a sentence. Of

course the details of that agreement, just how much time he's going to serve in federal prison, is still to be determined.

ANDERSON: Victor Manual Rocha accused of spying for 40 years. Good to have you, Carlos. Thank you.

Russian drone attacks overnight left an energy facility in southern Ukraine damaged. Vladimir Putin reported as saying recent strikes were in response

to attacks by Ukraine on Russia's energy industry. In Kyiv growing increasingly alarmed not just by the number of incoming missiles and drones

but also by their accuracy. Possibly indicating better intelligence and fresh tactics on Moscow's part.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kyiv's largest power plant destroyed. The energy company Centrenergo declaring

Thursday, quote, "a black day." The dark smoke on the skyline marking the end of the company's energy supply. All three of its power plants across

the country either destroyed or occupied.

Russian strikes systematically targeting power facilities have been a constant in Ukraine since late 2022, but have ramped up in recent weeks.

DTEK, Ukraine's largest power company, saying two of their plants were also targeted overnight. They say their facilities have suffered their worst

attacks this month since the war began, with 80 percent of their infrastructure already destroyed.

Employees trying to repair and to rebuild. The burnt-out skeleton of their facilities needing to be backed up and running as soon as possible, echoing

each other's calls for the world to ramp up its weapons support.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We need more air defenses. If we don't have air defenses, there won't be anything left. A lot of missiles

and drones get through and we get a lot of hits.

[10:45:07]

PLEITGEN: It's a call heard many times over with the Ukrainian president currently in Lithuania to meet European leaders and to ensure those calls

do not become white noise in this very long war.

Warnings by generals also becoming more desperate, with the country's parliament voting on Thursday to overhaul mobilization rules, potentially

allowing the military to call up more men.

GEN. YURIY SODOL, COMMANDER, JOINT FORCES OF UKRAINE (through translator): The enemy outnumbers us by seven to 10 times. We lack manpower. We are

holding the defenses on the last breath.

PLEITGEN: The bill still needing to be signed into law by Zelenskyy is a sign of an exhausted front line. Civilians in Kyiv spending the night once

again underground, a routine too familiar for a country resilient as ever.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Delphi, Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ANDERSON: Well, U.S. officials have confirmed that hackers linked to the Russian government used Microsoft to target U.S. federal agencies and

according to a top U.S. cyber official, Microsoft notified several government agencies that the hackers may have stolen e-mail correspondents.

That included usernames and passwords. But the official says there's no evidence yet that hacked credentials were used to get into active agency

systems.

Microsoft first revealed the hacking incident in January. Russia has denied involvement in what is this security breach.

Let's get you up to speed on the other stories that are on our radar right now. And a mass evacuation is underway in the Russian city of Orenburg

after snow melt push the Ural River beyond its banks, causing severe flooding in parts of Russia and Kazakhstan. Over 100,000 people had already

been evacuated in both countries. Water levels are continuing to rise with a peak expected there today.

Well, Mexico wants Ecuador to be suspended from the United Nations. It made the request to the U.N.'s International Court of Justice after Ecuadorian

police staged a raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito last week. Mexico says the action violated its rights under international law and is seeking a

public apology.

Well, the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani is expected to turn himself into authorities in California in the coming hours. He is

charged with bank fraud. Authorities say he stole more than $16 million from Ohtani to cover gambling debts.

Coming up, CONNECT THE WORLD has been reporting on the stories that matter from this region, from our programming hub here, and our reporting around

the region for 10 years now. We will be looking at our journey so far and where we go next, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, 10 years ago, we moved the show CONNECT THE WORLD WITH BECKY ANDERSON from London to Abu Dhabi. It was a big move, but I always

knew it was the right call.

This region is the epicenter of so many geopolitical and economic issues that shape our world. Sure we all know about the conflicts and dominating

the headlines they are so important, but there's so much more here.

[10:50:08]

Art, culture, a vibrant tech sector, AI business, and that's just taking off. My team and I knew we had to be here to tell these stories right. So

as we hit the 10-year mark, let's just take a moment to look back on the journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): For 10 years, I've been reporting on stories from the Middle East region and beyond.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and our show's new home.

Stories that move us. Make us laugh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm they. I go, what does that mean? She goes that's my pronoun. I go, oh, nice to you.

ANDERSON: Make us cry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was -- this was something.

ANDERSON: And ultimately impact our world.

BILL GATES, FORMER MICROSOFT CEO: It's not the case that we can just, you know, consume less and this problem will go away.

ANDERSON: I'm told on a good day you can see the spire of the Burj Khalifa from 95 kilometers. Well, I'm on my way up.

(Voice-over): From gazing over the world's tallest building to touring presidential palaces.

What will a new Turkey look like? And is this an opportunity for reconciliation?

This is First Station. The old railway station that serve the Jaffer to Jerusalem line.

What matters most to you?

(Voice-over): We've been there. Hearing from those that matter.

I'm Becky Anderson coming to you live from a tremendously busy Beirut.

(Voice-over): From protesters in Lebanon to refugees in Jordan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's telling us that she's buying just the essentials. She's buying rice, sugar, and oil.

ANDERSON: Hello, and welcome to what is this very special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD live from Iran's buzzing capital.

(Voice-over): Covering elections in Tehran or Tel Aviv.

Let's find out how the guy working here feel about this election.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any change, of course nothing changed in 20 years.

ANDERSON (voice-over): And social change in Riyadh.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A royal decree has been issued in Saudi Arabia, giving women the right to drive.

ANDERSON: An historic day for millions of women and their families here in Saudi Arabia.

(Voice-over): It wasn't full geopolitics, though.

There is only Mo Salah, and everybody on the street of Liverpool.

(Voice-over): We always managed to find some fun along the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to my home. Welcome to our field.

ANDERSON: Fantastic. My goodness.

(Voice-over): Especially on a football pitch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kids like any other kids in the world and if you listen to their stories, and from what they've been through, I mean, it's a

miracle that they are who they are.

ANDERSON: And living through the most surreal moments of our time.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, FORMER CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: We haven't even begun to see the end of it yet.

ANDERSON: Everyone is waiting, wishing, and hoping on a vaccine and rightly so. But there's already a very cheap, widely available weapon that we can

all use against what is this merciless scourge on our lives. And it of course is this. It's a mask.

(Voice-over): But the world opened up again. With even grander spectacles than before. The inspiration of music, concerts and live events returned.

ALICIA KEYES, SINGER: We all have powers. How are we going to use them? What are we going to use them for? What side are we going to choose?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022 is almost upon us.

ANDERSON: We covered a first regional World Cup that aimed to be bigger and better than ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a beautiful game. We beat them with Messi. Argentina, actually, one of the favorite to win the game. They were

unbeaten, 36 game, but guess who beat them?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every single person honestly, fans, media, partner, (INAUDIBLE) ever.

ANDERSON: And we've had policymakers and drivers of change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A young nation like the UAE can actually do as a true global citizen and helping address such a global challenge. We did not want

to miss out on that opportunity.

[10:55:06]

ANDERSON: Fighting the most pressing issues facing humanity today right here on our doorstep.

So this is tense. This is a neighborhood in east Jerusalem and many of the young men in this area have not been allowed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque today.

(Voice-over): As this region is once again the center of global attention, we'll continue to report these stories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My children and grandchildren who were on the kibbutz, this young family and another young family, experienced a living hell.

ANDERSON: Of family heartbreak and human suffering.

Tell me about Ahmad (PH).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Ahmad (PH) was just like his dad. A hero, a brave man with a strong heart.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Over the past decade, we've been broadcasting from and on the region, keeping you informed and at times entertained. And we'll

continue to connect your world from right here in Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END