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Palestinian Authority President Addresses UNGA in Video Message; Former Secretary of State Pompeo States Recognizing Palestinian State Empowers Hamas; Ursula von der Leyen Affirms Shooting Down Russian Jets "On the Table"; Call to Earth: Photos from Tanzania; Syrian President Addresses U.N., Meets Trump and Dignitaries; Syria's Suwayda, from Relative Calm to Sectarian Violence against Druze. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 25, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:58:50]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Well, welcome slightly early to the second hour of our show from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu
Dhabi. Time is just before 6 in the evening here.
And you have been listening to the Palestinian Authority president, who thanked nations there that recently recognized an independent Palestinian
state. Mahmoud Abbas himself did not appear in person at U.N. headquarters in New York because the Trump administration denied him entry into the
United States.
Well, our Jerusalem bureau chief, Oren Liebermann, and our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, back with me this hour. They've been
listening in to what Mahmoud Abbas had to say.
Let's kick off with you, Oren.
What did you make of what you just heard?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Quite the similar speech to the one that Mahmoud Abbas made just a few days ago, as
part of the French-Saudi summit, in support of a two-state solution. He hit a lot of the same points. And perhaps this is no surprise.
He began by condemning Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza.
[10:00:00]
Talking about more than 65,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Israeli strikes, the humanitarian crisis unfolding there and calling on the world
to step in.
But from that point -- and he did this again in his speech a couple of days ago -- he condemned the Hamas terror attack of October 7th, the killing and
kidnapping of Israeli civilians.
And he said, this is not the will -- or this is not the path of the Palestinian people.
[10:00:25]
(MISSING CAPTIONS)
[10:00:37]
LIEBERMANN: -- needs to be governed by one institution, one government and one rule of law. And because of that, Hamas does not have a role to play in
that. So important points that he made here. Again, these are points he has made for the second time this week.
That other speech earlier this week, as part of the French-Saudi summit, also hitting a lot of these same points. He called for a ceasefire and
international aid to step in as part of implementing a recovery and reconstruction plan, not only for Gaza but also for the West Bank.
Where he made it a point to condemn the Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank that have targeted Palestinian civilians, have uprooted
trees, have attacked villages across the territory. So he hit this point as well.
It's not just Gaza that will need reconstruction and rehabilitation; it is the West Bank as well.
He also called on Israel to release the tax monies that are supposed to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority under agreements between Israel
and the PA. These have been held by far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.
So in terms of what we heard, these are, again, the points we heard earlier in the week. It's significant that he says them at the U.N. General
Assembly. And even if he is not there, the topic of what's happening across the Palestinian Territories is obviously a major topic in New York.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely.
And both you and Nic Robertson, I'm going to bring in now from London -- all of us have been listening in to how the Palestinian -- the issue of a
Palestinian state or statehood has been galvanized this week at the United Nations.
Nic, an important speech then from Mahmoud Abbas; if not necessarily new news, substantive. We have heard much of it, of course, before, as Oren was
suggesting.
And I guess there are two questions really at this point. This speech is by a man who is 90 years old. There is a question about just how relevant
Mahmoud Abbas is these days, as the president of the Palestinian Authority as it stands today.
I mean, any day after, it seems any agreed day-after would necessarily look to a reformed Palestinian Authority.
And would that be the institution or the authority that was running any Palestinian state going forward?
Not yet clear who would run that institution. Not yet clear.
So just how significant, though, do you think what we've just heard is?
And what about the relevance of the man delivering that speech?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Mahmoud Abbas is not widely respected among Palestinians inside of the West Bank. And one of the
reasons for that, he has been seen as ineffective and criticisms of cronyism and corruption.
And the fact that there have been calls to have elections, which, you know, to replace him, that have not been held.
That said, he remains the relevant voice from the Palestinian Authority and he has political credibility and he has diplomatic credibility. You know,
trying to read between the lines to see what's new there, I think, you know, his reference to the meeting on Monday that was hosted by the Saudis
and by the French about the conflict in Gaza.
And him laying out his points, as Oren specified there, of what's acceptable to the Palestinian Authority, you know, looking for clues there.
And perhaps some of the clues come from that meeting that president Trump had with Arab and other international leaders, talking here about
Indonesia.
And this is a glimpse from what Mahmoud Abbas was saying there, that the Palestinian Authority would nominate somebody to run Gaza. But there would
be others, international Arabs, that could be involved alongside them.
[10:04:45]
So perhaps we're seeing there the beginning --
(MISSING CAPTIONS)
[10:06:20]
But there's no political reality of that emerging on the horizon or a mechanism for it at the moment.
ANDERSON: Let's reinforce what he also said. He says Hamas has no role in a Palestinian state in Gaza going forward. And that they must lay down
their arms. Thank you, Nic.
Oren, I think it's really important just to step back for a moment. The Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, will speak at the U.N. tomorrow in
person. Perhaps more importantly, his meeting scheduled -- at least we will see him -- meeting Donald Trump on Monday. I have no idea what he's doing
over the weekend.
Perhaps you can -- you have more. You have more information.
Be that as it may, what's going to be really important, isn't it, is just what comes out of these meetings between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald
Trump?
We know that there's a 21-point post-conflict Gaza peace plan, which is doing the rounds, with -- between the Trump administration and its Middle
Eastern and Gulf allies.
But at this point, it really is down to the agreements that Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump are going to make about what happens going
forward, correct?
LIEBERMANN: Absolutely. Netanyahu very much prides himself on his personal relationship with president Donald Trump. And that's where that's where the
key decisions will be made.
Can Netanyahu shift what appears to be Trump's position on annexation on parts of the occupied West Bank?
That is to say, can Netanyahu convince Trump to allow him to annex parts of the West Bank as Netanyahu's far right coalition partners are demanding?
How much pressure does Trump put on Netanyahu to come to a ceasefire as quickly as possible?
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said there could be a breakthrough in the coming days. Now I think we've heard that too many times to just believe it
outright. But there is a focus, a renewed focus on this topic.
And there was, at least from regional sources, broad agreement on the 21- point peace plan between the U.S. and the Arab states and mediators and diplomats, who sat and listened to the plan. They asked for a few other
points to stop annexation of the West Bank, more humanitarian aid in Gaza.
But the broad pictures of it had agreement. And that's a key point to watch coming out of this. First, going into Netanyahu's speech at the U.N. in
less than 24 hours now but also coming out of that Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
It's worth pointing out, just for a second, going back to Mahmoud Abbas, a lot of what he talked about Hamas disarming, no Hamas role for governance,
elections across the Palestinian Territories.
These are points that, at least in theory, match what the U.S. and Israel are looking for. And yet Abbas is largely brushed aside as irrelevant or
incapable of enforcing what he's talking about here.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's fascinating. It's good to have you both. Thank you.
I'm going to leave it there because I want to bring in Diana Buttu, who is a Palestinian political analyst and human rights lawyer.
And you've also, as I understand it, been listening in to not just the prerecorded delivered speech by Mahmoud Abbas today to those gathered at
the UNGA but you'll have been across everything that's been going on in New York since Sunday, of course.
And the U.S.-French -- sorry; the Saudi-French summit on Palestinian statehood.
[10:10:00]
So taking a pause and stepping back, Diana, where do you think we've landed this Thursday?
DIANA BUTTU, POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think, Becky, the people realize now that there needs to be an end to the genocide of Palestinians.
But the problem is, while everybody's talking about stopping genocide, ending genocide, they're doing so through a roundabout way, through this
idea of recognition. And that's very troublesome.
So as Gaza is being erased, they're suddenly talking about recognizing a Palestinian state. Instead, they should have been talking about doing
action, like an arms embargo, making sure that Israel doesn't get weapons and placing sanctions on Israel, cutting trade ties.
This is the type of message that I was hoping to hear from the U.N. to make sure that it remains relevant. But instead, it appears to me just how out
of touch with reality it actually is when you hear statements of recognition at the same time that Palestine is actually being erased.
ANDERSON: Those statements of recognition, very much, you know, galvanized the momentum for those decisions by several nations, European and others.
Certainly, the result of the efforts put in not by the United Nations but by the Saudis and the French on the sidelines of the UNGA at the summit on
Sunday. And so I just wonder, I understand where you're going on this. You know, this is pretty symbolic stuff. Yes.
But where's the concrete action?
You're absolutely right to call that out. You would, I expect, also call out the fact that, without the Israeli leader, Benjamin Netanyahu,
accepting that Palestinian statehood should be a horizon, should be a reality, going forward.
And amid these -- this uptick of talk about annexation, what's the point in these declarations of Palestinian statehood?
There's nothing behind it.
Is that your point?
BUTTU: Yes, that's precisely my point. But it's also beyond that. I'm pleased to see that they're finally recognizing that Palestinians should be
free. But at the same time, it's taken far too long, Becky, to get to this point. And it's so conditional, even just the statements that they're
making about these people can't be in government.
And there has to be elections and these people can't be ruling in Gaza and so on. And an international force. And it's Palestinians that require an
international force to protect them, because we've been the ones who've been subjected to genocide.
And so this colonial approach that that the world is coming at us with, yes, I'm happy that there is recognition but I want to see something
concrete. I want to see this genocide ended. And that's where this is falling short. So I'm pleased to see that they've finally woken up. But I
want to see them take it a step further.
ANDERSON: The former U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, echoing the current secretary of state, Marco Rubio, suggesting that recognizing a
Palestinian state will give Hamas claims that achieving this was their doing. It empowers Hamas.
I just heard you say, look, all of this suggestion of, you know, these people shouldn't be in power, these, you know.
Are you suggesting that you don't agree with those nations who say -- and there's a pretty overwhelming narrative here that says Hamas should not be
in power going forward, that Hamas should disarm and should have no role in governance going forward.
I mean, we just heard that from the Palestinian Authority president himself, Mahmoud Abbas.
BUTTU: So Hamas long ago said that they don't want to take part in the governance. But my point is that it's up to Palestinians to decide. It's
not up to other people to be deciding our future. It's up to us to be deciding our future.
And when we get down, go down the path of selecting who is a leader, who's an acceptable leader and an unacceptable leader, then that is what is
interference. And that is entirely unacceptable.
So I think that, if we're going down the path of recognition, we should remove these colonial vestiges of saying that we can be free only/if and
instead be looking at the year 2025.
[10:15:00]
And saying, it's about time that we give Palestinians their freedom on their own land rather than saying that if the Palestinians behave a certain
way and so on and so forth.
Remember, it's the Palestinians who've been living under Israeli occupation and under Israeli military rule and it is us who need our freedom. And
because of that, it's time now for these sanctions to be placed on Israel, because it has denied Palestinians their freedom for all of these years.
It's not up to Palestinians to prove that they're worthy of their freedom. It's up to the world to impose sanctions on Israel for denying Palestinians
their freedom for all of these years.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you on. Diana, thank you very much indeed.
The perspective, folks, of Diana Buttu, here on CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson.
Well, last hour I spoke to Firas Maksad -- thank you, Diana -- managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group. He is
in New York at the U.N., speaking to diplomats behind the scenes there.
Take a listen to his insight about Mr. Trump's meeting with Arab and other Muslim allies, where the president put forward his peace plan for Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIRAS MAKSAD, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: It's important to paint the backdrop to this meeting that took
place yesterday between President Trump and the leaders of eight leading Arab and Muslim countries.
It was the negative backdrop. This came a few days after an Israeli unprecedented attack on a GCC capital, an attack on Doha, Qatar, in which
there were emergency summits held, in which, of course, the Saudis then very quickly moved to sign a mutual defense pact with the Pakistanis.
A shot across the bow to the United States for the added -- inadequacy of its security umbrella in the region.
And so, this was the general backdrop that was at least less than positive, one would say. The coming out of the meeting, these states had a very
different feel. President Trump presented a white paper of 21 points about the day after in Gaza.
The understanding so far is that that is loosely based on a play on that has been in the works, led by Tony Blair, the firm -- the former British
Prime Minister, but also with the involvement of Jared Kushner.
It envisions Gaza being under an international trusteeship with a board of governors comprised of those leading Arab and Muslim states, with the
participation of other international community, that then leads the process of reconstruction, rebuilding and stabilizing Gaza.
Now that said, there are still differences. This is a draft. My understanding is that some of these Arab countries are in the process of
drafting a response to the American position.
But what was key in that paper is the American guarantee that the Israeli threat of annexing parts of the West Bank will not go through and that the
U.S. will take a clear line against that position.
One that, again, very much undermines the Abrahamic Accords, the key foreign policy achievement of the Trump administration's first term in
office.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was Firas Maksad, speaking to me next hour -- oh, next hour -- last hour.
Still to come, an airport in Denmark forced to close because of unauthorized drones in its airspace. We are following the investigation and
we'll do more on that for you after this.
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[10:20:00]
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. Denmark says it can't point any fingers yet after a number of drones forced its second airport closure this week. The drones
appeared near the Aalborg Airport on Wednesday night, forcing a temporary halt to operations.
In addition, police are investigating reports of drone sightings near at least three other airfields in the country. Well, CNN's Sebastian Shukla is
following this story for us from Berlin.
And there is an investigation now ongoing.
What more can you tell us at this point?
SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good afternoon, Becky.
Well, what the Danish authorities are saying now is that this is clearly a hybrid attack which has taken place on these multiple different airports as
you alluded to, including that Aalborg one, which is toward the north of that Danish nation there and the Scandinavian country.
What the authorities, though, are stopping short of saying is, who is responsible for this?
The police told CNN earlier today that it clearly is a professional actor who is behind this but have stopped short of accusing the Russians or
accusing any other state actor of being behind this.
But the Danish prime minister trailed earlier this week, that this series of incidents that have happened over the last few days is or could be part
of a Russian campaign, a broader campaign that we're seeing across the country.
We should say, for their part, the Russians have called that an absurd accusation. But, Becky, it's nevertheless a reminder and another indication
that there is something afoot when it comes to somebody testing Europe's security.
And it's something that has got other European leaders and ministers particularly concerned, too. I want you to take a listen to what the German
defense minister had to say today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS PISTORIUS, GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): It comes as no surprise, even if my colleague, Mette Frederiksen in Denmark, obviously
cannot say anything where these drones come from.
The suspicion is obvious. This is part of Vladimir Putin's strategy without us being able to say anything concrete in this case, as I said. But it is
part of what we experience every day.
We are not at war but we are also no longer at complete peace. We are being attacked. Hybrid and disinformation campaigns are now also by drones. That
is the reality we are facing and dealing with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUKLA: The German defense minister there, who also took -- stood up in the Bundestag yesterday, Becky, and said that German ships operating in the
North Sea had also been surveilled by Russian reconnaissance aircraft whilst they have been on training missions out there.
So if we put it all together and what we saw with the violation by drones from Polish airspace and also that the Romanian airspace, too, NATO members
are being affected now by a seeming consistent attack or pressure from a state actor. It could well be Russia in the case of Denmark.
But European nations are now coming together, to coalesce, to think about what they should do. And we're hearing now more vociferous calls and the
extension and use of NATO Article IV, something that hasn't been exercised by many countries for many years, being used more often. Becky.
And I think that is just a sign of how serious this particular set of circumstances are being viewed by those European nations, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes. It's good to have you. Sebastian, thank you so much.
Seb is in Berlin, where the time is just before 4:30; 4:23, to be precise.
An emergency NATO meeting left allies divided on how to respond to Russian aircraft that entered NATO airspace. Around 20 Russian drones have been
launched into Polish airspace in the past two weeks.
Poland is in favor of shooting Russian aircraft down. Donald Trump has said he agrees. But other countries, including Germany, are urging restraint.
European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen said this to my colleague, Christiane Amanpour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How do you react to this constant testing, testing, testing by actual military of the
NATO airspace?
I know you're not officially NATO but many of your nations are. Drones into Poland, into Romania and fighter jets into Estonian airspace. President
Trump was asked again yesterday, do you support NATO shooting down any unidentified flying objects or planes, Russian, that fly into NATO
airspace?
He said, yes, I do.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: So, as you rightly said, I'm not NATO but I have a personal opinion.
AMANPOUR: Yes? What is it?
VON DER LEYEN: And yes, my opinion is we have to defend every square centimeter of the territory.
[10:25:04]
And that means if there's an intrusion in the airspace, after warning, after being very clear, of course the option of shooting down a fighter jet
that is intruding our airspace is on the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as Russia keeps pushing the boundaries, a consensus seems to be harder to reach. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Are NATO going to start shooting down Russian jets in their airspace?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Mr. President, do you think that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace?
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes, I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Well, that idea raises a whole load of questions and it's something that president Trump has said that NATO should do. And indeed, European
leaders have hinted toward after a series of drone incursions into Poland and elsewhere and indeed into Estonian airspace by Russian jets.
But the question is, of course, will this happen over European land or over European sea?
And quite what would the purpose or time spent by these Russian jets be in NATO airspace?
Secretary of state Rubio went on to talk about whether or not these jets would be attacking. And Trump talked about backing these NATO members,
depending on the circumstances.
Look, I think a lot of this is messaging, about saying to the Kremlin, don't push the envelope further. I should point out, too, that the drones
that made the incursion into Poland, some of them were indeed shot down. And fast-moving Russian jets could potentially make incursions into
airspace and get out before NATO scrambles jets.
But the premise of Russian jets being shot down, yes, that is an enormous escalation, potentially. But at the same time, too, flying hostile jets
into NATO airspace isn't itself a very aggressive Russian move. They've been toying with the idea for months, years, even.
But in this new environment, it seems a much more fraught, hot-button issue. And ultimately, this is about saying to the Kremlin, here's a red
line, don't cross it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh reporting.
Coming up, Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa is taking massive steps on the global stage, from speaking at the U.N. to meeting president Trump for the
second time.
But how does that fit in with the reality on the ground of sectarian violence?
Our report is up next.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. Here are your headlines this hour.
And the Palestinian Authority president has delivered a prerecorded speech at the united General Assembly -- U.N. General Assembly.
[10:30:00]
A short time ago, Mahmoud Abbas thanked governments that recently recognized an independent Palestinian state and said he was ready to work
with U.S. president Trump, Saudi Arabia and others to achieve peace.
Denmark says it can't point any fingers yet after mysterious drones forced its second airport closure this week. The drones appeared near the Aalborg
airport on Wednesday, forcing a temporary halt to operations. Police are still investigating reports of drone sightings near at least three other
airfields in the country as well.
U.S. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem says evidence from a deadly shooting at an immigration facility in the U.S. state of Dallas, in Dallas,
suggests the suspect was targeting ICE.
One immigration detainee was killed and two more were critically injured after a sniper opened fire from a rooftop near the facility on Wednesday.
Shortly after the shooting, the suspect was found dead with a self- inflicted gunshot wound.
ANDERSON: Well, two big names on the forefront of climate change came together midweek in Manhattan for a conversation about leadership in an age
of climate disruption.
Former prime minister Tony Blair and his Institute for Global Change and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Climate Initiative
hosted Wednesday's event during New York City's Climate Week. In a CNN exclusive, Elex Michaelson sat down with the two men on carving a climate
path forward in the age of Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, FORMER CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR: The bottom line is that he just never believed in it.
And to me, I said to myself, OK, then I cannot really go and be on his team, because I'm a big believer that we have to do something about
reducing pollution and we have to do something about, you know, having people die, 7 million people a year die.
And so I felt very strongly about what the way I was thinking. And I totally understand that not everyone has to think like me. But what is
important is that we let people know, OK, so that's how our president feels.
But that doesn't mean we should stop everything, because so many people say, oh, my God, if America doesn't move forward, then does it make any
sense to move forward at all?
It's nonsense, because the fact of the matter is that every state in the United States has its own environmental laws.
TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINSITER: We got to focus on what we can actually do. And if you -- you see, where I think we've been at risk in the
climate argument is not in persuading people that there's a real problem. Because I think most people accept they can see that.
ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump doesn't.
BLAIR: Well, people are going to take different views of it. But one thing I think that's really important is to accept that a lot of the time we've
been making this argument on climate, we've not been making it in a way that's likely to persuade people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Tony Blair and Arnie Schwarzenegger.
Coming up next on CONNECT THE WORLD, we tag along with world-renowned wildlife photographer Chris Fallows in Tanzania again on the search for his
new, thought-provoking image. It's our "Call to Earth" series and it's all this week. Stand by for that.
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[10:35:00]
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ANDERSON: Well, all this week on "Call to Earth," we are on what is an epic journey with world-renowned photographer Chris Fallows, who devotes
his artistry to inspiring change. Today, we head back to one of the national parks in northern Tanzania, where Fallows looks to capture more
thought-provoking images. Have a look at these.
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CHRIS FALLOWS, PHOTOGRAPHER AND CONSERVATIONIST: We're in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania and it's an incredibly beautiful sight.
We've got two of Africa's icons here, the enigmatic baobab, probably the most charismatic tree in all of Africa and then the world's largest animal,
the African elephant.
And my idea here is to try and marry these two icons together in a moody, artistic image.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: South African photographer Chris Fallows travels the continent in search of authentic moments like this to add to his portfolio,
which helped to buy land to protect habitat in Africa.
But as a passionate naturalist with a soft spot for elephants, he's often stopped in his tracks.
FALLOWS: Sometimes as a photographer, you can be obsessed with taking a photograph. But some of the most beautiful moments in what we do is
actually just sitting and observing these incredible creatures in action.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More often than not, Chris is accompanied by his wife and fellow naturalist Monique.
FALLOWS: The diameter of this baobab is truly phenomenal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And as first-time visitors, they're excited by the prospects.
FALLOWS: What an incredible thing to see.
MONIQUE FALLOWS, AUTHOR AND NATURALIST: Chris doesn't focus on taking just a wildlife photograph. He's always wanting to try and capture the essence
of an animal or of an area. So it's more of an artistic impression.
C. FALLOWS: That's quite clean there. And we've got the elephants in the general area now. So what I've done is I've gone to a tree where I hope the
animals are going to move toward, based on evidence around the tree, that they've been there before and then trying to set up the shot in as
esthetically pleasing a way as possible.
But what I'm trying to do is create separation with the background. This tree stands alone and proud.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As is often the case, this particular herd was camera shy and walked off in the opposite direction. Then, luckily and
unexpectedly, a unique opportunity presented itself.
C. FALLOWS: So we've got a magnificent sight here. We've got a leopard in the bowl of a beautiful baobab and incredibly, we've got elephants under
it.
But my focus right now is on the leopard. You don't get to see this very often. It's truly beautiful.
Leopards can be extremely shy at times. She's pretty relaxed for now.
So we've been here three hours now and three hours really isn't very long to wait for us. But you're always anxious you're going to miss something.
But we're waiting for her to come down this beautiful, gnarled and textured trunk of the baobab and it might be in the next five minutes. It might be
in the next three hours. She might not come before sunset. So it's always a game of waiting.
So that leopard gets up, that's going to be absolutely dynamite.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While many pictures were taken, Chris says he didn't end up with the quality of image that he would add to his collection.
C. FALLOWS: I hate clipping the top of the tree, so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the experienced pro, it's all in a day's work and tomorrow presents a new day with fresh opportunities, a renewed focus and
hopefully, some cooperative subjects.
C. FALLOWS: Failure is part of the process, you know and it's not necessarily failure if you don't get the shot first time because you spend
a lot of time in a place, you begin to understand really what makes for an iconic photograph.
So we'll keep going. For me, this is building blocks and whatever I get is great. It might not be the iconic shot that I put into my portfolio but
it's all about learning what makes each area special and then ultimately capturing it at the end of the day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And we will have a lot more from "Call to Earth" tomorrow. And you can watch the full documentary, "Beyond the Lens," this weekend, only
on CNN.
[10:40:04]
And I will be back with more news after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, Syria's president Ahmed al-Sharaa has had a rather monumental week at the U.N. General Assembly, giving the first address by a
Syrian leader in nearly 60 years, where he urged for sanctions relief to help his country rebuild from decades of Assad's brutality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN PRESIDENT: Through intensive diplomatic activity, Syria restored its international relations and forged regional and global
partnerships and achieved the gradual lifting of most sanctions. And we call now for the complete lifting of sanctions so that they no longer
shackle the Syrian people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, he also met U.S. president Donald Trump yesterday, just as he did in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, back in May.
And he met with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to formally restored diplomatic ties. Quite a visual for the Kremlin, of course, which
propped up Assad's regime.
Well, perhaps no moment is more striking than al-Sharaa sitting down with the U.S. general who arrested him for fighting with Al Qaeda against the
U.S. invasion of Iraq. There you see General David Petraeus with al-Sharaa at a global summit earlier this week, where he said he was a fan of the
Syrian leader.
Well, it is a stunning turnaround, an open embrace from the international community when, just under a year ago, al-Sharaa had a $10 million bounty
on his head for terrorism.
While some Syrians are excited that their countries are returning to the global stage, the pageantry is a stark contrast to the glaring issue that
al-Sharaa barely addressed this week, the pain and fear many of Syria's minorities feel around the country, ways as a country undergoes waves of
sectarian violence.
And I want to spotlight the Druze community in particular, which, during a series of escalating tensions back in July, came under an unprecedented
violent attack in Suwayda in southern Syria.
Our own CNN technical director and editor, Rhea Balan (ph), is from Suwayda and, through his lens, we've put together the story of Druze civilians, who
were caught in the crossfire of government-affiliated and militia violence. And a warning that this report contains disturbing and graphic video.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RHEA BALAN (PH), CNN TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AND EDITOR (voice-over): This is Suwayda in southern Syria a decade ago, through the eyes of a CNN producer.
Life followed a simple rhythm: farmers in their fields, vineyards under the sun, ancient cities dotted the hills.
Echoes of Suwayda's deep history, home to Syria's Druze community, an ethnic religious minority in the Levant but where people of all faiths
lived in peace. Churches and mosques stood side by side, from quiet countryside to a city alive with music and daily life.
[10:45:00]
A pocket of relative peace and semi-autonomy while much of Syria was engulfed in civil war. In July 2025, all of that changed. Suwayda awoke to
a different sound.
Tensions between Druze and Bedouin groups erupted into sectarian violence. Troops and militia affiliated with the new Syrian government, which had
overthrown Bashar al-Assad, marched toward the city to stop the fighting.
The interior minister called it a, quote, "national mission" to protect civilians and restore order.
But Druze civilians say they bore the brunt of the violence at the hands of government-aligned fighters. They reported gruesome attacks, which they
viewed as part of a systemic persecution against several minorities under the new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Several eyewitnesses shared suspicions with CNN that the government's entry to Suwayda was a pretext to tighten control.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): This attack on Suwayda was carried out by members of the Syrian ministry of defense and the Syrian
ministry of interior. They relied on foreign terrorist mercenary militias. It was a systematic sectarian killing targeting the province of Suwayda.
Executions on the ground.
BALAN (PH) (voice-over): Syria's president maintained that the military was operating in Suwayda to de-escalate tensions and denounce the crimes
that unfolded in the process without specifying whether his forces were complicit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL-SHARAA (through translator): Syrian state is committed to protecting minorities and religious communities throughout the country. It remains
determined to hold accountable all those involved in crimes against the nation and will not allow anyone to escape justice.
We denounce all crimes that have occurred, whether inside or outside Suwayda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu akbar.
BALAN (PH) (voice-over): Yet the U.N. human rights groups and witnesses on the ground told another story, a story of fear, humiliation and a city
dragged into violence it never sought.
The warning signs were visible months prior, after waves of sectarian violence against Syria's Alawite and Christian religious minorities.
Then across Syria, spontaneous protests erupted, with chants calling for the Druze to be wiped out. Syrian government-aligned military personnel
shouted slurs, promising humiliation, not protection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They entered in indescribable numbers, killed our sons, killed our women, burned our homes and displaced
us. They deprived us of water. They deprived us of everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALAN (PH) (voice-over): More than 30 villages burned to the ground and roughly 175,000 families forced from their homes, carrying little more than
what they could hold, according to the U.N.
Possibly the youngest victim, a 3-month-old baby, her father telling CNN she was killed alongside her mum. U.N. experts reporting hundreds more
killed, wounded, abducted and allegations of rape. They are in contact with Syrian officials with no updates as of yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Many victims fell because of systemic killings, accompanied by torture. Alongside all this came looting
and arson. These buildings stand before you now. They burn it until it turns black, like the darkness of their hearts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALAN (PH) (voice-over): Video obtained by CNN showing churches set ablaze along with Druze shrines and temples, sacred places reduced to ash. What
began as the promise of protection left behind devastation, grief and a community wondering why it was targeted at all.
The violence drew in a key power just beyond Syria's borders, with a longstanding interest in Suwayda. Israel launched airstrikes, claiming to
protect the Druze community, while Damascus operations inside Suwayda were backed by its top ally, Turkiye.
Caught in between were the people of Suwayda, watching as they felt their province turned into a battleground of regional agendas.
[10:50:00]
By July the 20th, a ceasefire was cemented between Syrian government forces, Israel, Druze and Bedouins. Damascus withdrew its troops but the
scars remain, grief rippling from village to village, touching nearly every family. A humanitarian crisis still unfolds. Centuries of history lost in
hours.
Yet amid the devastation, people endure, burying their dead, tending to the wounded, clinging to fragments of daily life. For Suwayda and Syrians
across the country, this feels like a turning point.
Will it lead to autonomy, federalism or another cycle of repression?
The answer hangs in the balance, suspended between hope and fear.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: -- Gareth Browne, who is "The Economist's" Syria correspondent, who captured the sentiment of this week well, quote, "Mr. Sharon's legacy
at home will not come from a podium in New York."
Gareth, it's good to have you. Thanks for joining us. Let's start by unpacking this gruesome, this gruesome violence in Suwayda. You and I
talked at the time back in July. This was, of course, the Druze.
Just how deep is mistrust at this point in al-Sharaa's government?
GARETH BROWNE, MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT, "THE ECONOMIST": Well, I think, from the Druze perspective, I'll paraphrase a businessman I spoke to
recently. It's not a case of a lack of trust. There is no trust. No trust at all.
And I think for a lot of the Druze in Suwayda, since the violence in July, really, they see Ahmed Al-Sharaa's government in Damascus as an existential
threat.
And the key here is that you have two parties who are speaking different languages and, you know, from conversations I've had with ministers in
Damascus, people close to al-Sharaa, close to the government, people trying to mediate, is they simply don't understand how they are perceived through
Druze eyes since the violence in Suwayda.
And that's as an existential threat to the Druze community. And, you know, it seems like every effort that Damascus puts into trying to somehow
reconcile or bring Suwayda back to within the orbit of the, you know, the central government of Syria, they push it further away.
They use certain individuals, Druze individuals, who are really kryptonite within their own community. And I don't think that Damascus really has a
realistic understanding of how it's viewed in Suwayda or how to even go about reconciling with that Druze community in the south.
ANDERSON: Whether or not it prosecutes the crimes that unfolded there, of course, still outstanding.
You wrote in your piece about Trump's Syria envoy, Tom Barrack, that he is, quote, "Mr. Sharaa's biggest champion in Washington. But even he admits
that, if another Suwayda occurs when Mr. Sharaa lost control of his security forces, the love-in could fizzle.
"Another such episode would probably mean that sanctions would remain. Those lobbying for him will find it much harder if he continues to make
mistakes at home."
Are these mistakes?
Can he actually crack down on extremist fighters at this point?
BROWNE: I think only he knows the answer to that. And you know, if he wants to crack down on, you know, those armed groups, those actors, who are
really responsible for the brunt of the violence, not just in Suwayda but also in the coastal massacres in March, then he needs to do more to broaden
his community, his coalition.
You know, when he came into power in December, he promised this inclusive government. He promised to try to bring people in to the umbrella, into his
tent. And actually, the opposite seems to have happened.
And he's increasingly reliant on this Sunni tribal base at the cost of, you know, relations with Syria's various minority communities, whether it's the
Druze or the Alawites. And the Syrian strategy, his strategy so far has been all about America.
Get America on board, get the Caesar Act lifted, get the sanctions lifted and, if you can win them over, then you can get the Syrian economy going
and everything will fall into place.
That's all been well. And he's actually been quite successful. He deserves credit for that strategy. But it's come at the expense of dealing with
these problems at home, you know, dealing with the sectarian violence, these vast gulfs between sectarian communities, which, you know, 10 months
in, they really seem to be growing.
[10:55:00]
And Sharaa doesn't seem to be doing a lot about that.
ANDERSON: I guess, simply put -- and you speak to these, you know, enormous support that he is getting, from Syria, from Saudi, from Qatar and
the UAE, inking a deal with DP World, for example.
I mean, of course, you know, this economy cannot get on the move with this backing unless these sanctions are lifted. I guess it just leaves me to ask
one very simple question of you. And we've got about 60 seconds left.
So it is simply this, where does al-Sharaa go from here?
BROWNE: Well, I think there's a race against time. You know, there's probably a matter of 4-6 weeks to get the Caesar Act into the NDAA and get
it repealed. Otherwise it could be in place for another year or two.
And you sense that his government is also -- is holding its breath. Caesar Act needs to be repealed in this window and there needs to be no major
incidents of violence. Otherwise that could jeopardize the whole thing.
And if that happens, his whole international project -- I mean, it's been a great PR exercise but it will mean nothing for people on the ground in
Syria, in Damascus, in Homs, in Suwayda, in the coast. So this is a critical period that he's moving into.
ANDERSON: Yes. Always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
And that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next. From the team here, it's a very good evening.
END
