Return to Transcripts main page

First Move with Julia Chatterley

Israel Targets Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut; IDF Carries Out Powerful Airstrikes in Beirut; Israeli Strikes on Lebanon Strain U.S. Relations; IDF Striking Buildings Used to Store Hezbollah Weapons; Israel Notified U.S. only Moments Before Strikes. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired September 27, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: -- this strategy of continuing to escalate this war with Hezbollah to the point where we are

now seeing this very real risk of things escalating much, much more significantly. So, far, we have seen Hezbollah fire some 65 rockets into

Northern Israel in the aftermath of that very significant strike in Beirut.

But if indeed this sort of escalation is strike was targeting Hussain Nasrallah, if he was injured, if he was killed, I think you are going to

expect to see a very, very significant response from Hezbollah. And even just the death toll alone from this strike, which is only just starting to

come in, but given that several buildings in that area appear to have been flattened, it will be very significant. That in and of itself, I think,

will likely prompt a very significant retaliatory response from Hezbollah. We will see how that all unfolds.

Up until now the escalations we've seen over the course of the last week and a half have prompted Hezbollah to go further than they have before, but

still far short of what Israeli officials have been telling me for months they expected to see from Hezbollah in the event of a significant

escalation. And that is not hundreds of rockets a day, but hundreds of rockets being fired simultaneously into Israel, perhaps thousands of

rockets a day, that we have not yet seen. Julia.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: No, I'm just talking about the significance of the latest strikes that the IDF are now saying they're

carrying out as we speak, just in the hours following, as you said, the strikes that we saw on Hezbollah's headquarters.

I just went back over the transcript of when we heard just a couple of hours ago from Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari of the IDF, and he said, in the

heart of Deir in Beirut, Hezbollah constructed three buildings with designated underground spaces for storing strategic weapons with the

buildings above acting as a shield.

Jeremy, I'm just looking at the area that we're talking about. And again, they've talked about strategic strikes, but it does look to be a very

residential area in that sphere.

DIAMOND: Yes, it certainly is a very residential area. The Dahieh, as it is known, the southern suburbs. of Beirut are quite densely populated area,

and that is likely what has -- what will make the previous strike that we saw targeting Hassan Nasrallah extremely deadly, and what also makes these

targeted strikes on several residential buildings, or at least the underground spaces beneath them very, very dangerous for the local

population as well.

Now, the Israeli military contends that this is, as they do in Gaza, for example, with Hamas, they will contend that it is Hezbollah's fault,

putting this population at risk by storing weapons in these facilities. We cannot, of course, independently verify these claims by the IDF regarding

these very significant weapons being stored inside or beneath these residential buildings.

What is clear, though, is that when the Israeli military does choose to strike at these targets, there is obviously a very significant risk to life

for the civilians in that area. And as you know, earlier in this conflict, these strikes on Beirut, there is a reason why they were so rare, partly

because of the risk of civilian casualties and partly because it was viewed as somewhat of a red line with Hezbollah, but what was once rare has now

become -- or is certainly becoming almost commonplace.

Prior to this last escalation, over the course of the last week and a half, we had only seen the Israeli military carry out two targeted strikes in the

Lebanese capital since the beginning of this conflict. And now, just tonight this would mark the fourth strike on the Lebanese capital, three

buildings tonight that the IDF underlines and then, of course, the previous strike targeting Hassan Nasrallah. And even over the course of the last

week, we have seen another handful of strikes.

So, we're in a very new and dangerous place as it relates to this conflict, and it appears to only be heading in that one more dangerous direction

rather than in the direction of a ceasefire, as it seemed it might be just a couple of days ago.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, a clear escalation. And, Jeremy, I think that's the next point to make at this moment is what we've now heard from the United States

and that they were unaware that this operation was carried out. They were only informed, it seems, as the operation, the earlier operation to strike

Hezbollah's headquarters was underway. What more can you tell us about that? Because one would also question whether they were given any kind of

greater heads up about these latest strikes.

DIAMOND: Well, the United States is adamant that they did not have prior warning from the Israeli government before this operation commenced that

these strikes were going to be underway. I actually had a U.S. defense official reach out to me unprompted and highlight that fact, telling me

that they did not receive a warning prior. They only received a warning once this operation was underway.

[18:05:00]

It appears that that was before the strikes themselves actually happened. But certainly, as Israeli jets were already in the air prepared to strike

at those targets. And that is, of course, very significant because it's not just about striking Beirut, it's not just about striking this underground

command center, but it's also about striking the head of Hezbollah at this very tense moment. That is a clear and extraordinary escalatory action by

the State of Israel. And certainly, the United States would have liked to be consulted before taking -- before Israel took such a step.

Now, Israeli officials will contend that the defense secretary, Yoav Gallant, got on the phone with his counterpart, Lloyd Austin, before the

strikes themselves actually happened. And they feel satisfied by that warning that was given to the United States. They would also contend that

Israel is a sovereign country doesn't need to inform the United States. But of course, we know that the United States is the single largest provider of

security assistance and weaponry to the Israeli military. And so, there is a certain expectation of being informed on strikes that carry a

particularly high significance, as certainly this one did.

CHATTERLEY: Jeremy Diamond. Good to have you with us. Thank you so much for that. Let me bring in Nic Robertson now who's in Tel Aviv for us. Nic,

what we were just discussing with Jeremy was the fact that the Israelis are now carrying out further strikes in Lebanon. This time they say targeting

weaponry stores. They're also suggesting, I believe that they are patrolling Beirut Airport and won't allow planes to land carrying weapons

to that airport. What more detail can you give us on that?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, this is a type of warning that I think gives us an idea of the confidence with which the IDF

or the Israeli Air Force, at least, feels that it can operate in the skies over Beirut. They say that they're patrolling in the skies, in the vicinity

near Beirut Airport. It's right on the coast there. So, they can be out over the sea to a degree to get perhaps a better sense of safety and

security.

But what the IDF spokesman said here is, you know, we applaud what the Lebanese government has been doing that has been different to what the

Syrian government has been doing. The Lebanese government, the IDF spokesman said, has not allowed Iran or others to ship in weapons through

civilian airports, and that's significant. And we know on multiple occasions that, well, Israel doesn't admit to striking these targets at

Syrian airports, but in the past it has hit Syrian airports where it believes that Iranian weapons are being shipped and smuggled in.

But what they're saying now is, if there is any attempt by Hezbollah and its supporters, Iran, to ship additional weapons in to support them as

Israel takes out these weapon storage facilities in Beirut and other areas, these weapons that they say that they're taking out tonight that are stored

in the southern suburbs are anti-ship weapons, that any way that the airports, the civilian airports become used to bring in more weapons, that

Israel will respond to. And the clear indication is that they will respond by bombing the airport.

What we've seen Israel do over the past couple of days as well is target the places where they believe transshipments of weapons have been coming in

from Syria, from Iran, into Syria, from Syria into Lebanon. They've been hitting these small border posts, some of them that haven't been

operational for only a few years. These small back roads along the border between Lebanon and Syria.

So, this is a very, very clear warning that whatever scenario Hezbollah feels that it is operating in now and inside of Lebanon that it shouldn't

feel and its supporters, like Iran, shouldn't feel that they can then bring weapons in.

We know that the Iranian president has called what's happened in in Beirut today a war crime. We know that the Iranian ambassador in Beirut --

appropriate punishment or punishment appropriately. So, it's clear that Iran is looking at this with -- and Ben -- and rather Jeremy was talking

about this as well, how Iran may decide to support Hezbollah going forward. And Israel has drawn a red line, and that is do not ship weapons in through

the airports.

CHATTERLEY: I just want to draw attention of our viewers, Nic, to what we're seeing now. We're showing you live pictures of Beirut, Lebanon. It's

just past 1:00 a.m. in the morning there. We can see, if you look on the right-hand side of your screen, smoke appearing. We're just showing clear

explosions. You can hear the noises of them as the Israeli military has confirmed it is, as we've been discussing, striking what they say are

weapons storage facilities in the south of the nation.

[18:10:00]

Nic, come back to what you were saying here and we'll continue to watch to see if we see any more explosions of those strikes continuing to hit. How

does Hezbollah, how does Iran respond to what you're saying is a message from the Israelis that they are in control? It seems that the skies above

the Beirut Airport at this stage, that they're saying you're not going to bring any further firepower to support Hezbollah at this moment. It is an

incredibly delicate moment.

ROBERTSON: It is. And just sort of concurrent with the images that we have there from the center of Beirut and the aftermath of those strikes. We're

obviously on the coast here in Tel Aviv, 100 miles, perhaps a bit more away from Beirut. Jets fly pretty fast. I just heard a couple of -- the roar of

a couple of jet engines going past us here. It's not clear if these were the jets involved in that operation, but there are a lot of fighter jets in

the sky tonight going up and down the coastline here.

So, I think how does Hezbollah respond? That's the big question. And also, part of it is when do they respond? Because if they respond immediately and

they have fired more missiles into the upper Galilee, lower Galilee, middle Galilee, western Galilee areas this evening in the north of Israel, indeed,

there was a direct hit on the town, in Safed. There was -- the house was on fire. Another house in Safed was hit by falling shrapnel quite badly

damaged. I think there was one injury reported there from shrapnel as well.

So, there's been a limited response, you could call it perhaps a response, to what's happened tonight, this massive targeting that's going on in

Beirut. But the concern will be that Hezbollah will decide to launch an attack of a scale that hasn't been witnessed so far. Just a couple of

mornings ago, we were woken up by sirens just at dawn here in Tel Aviv. And that was because Hezbollah had decided to fire a ballistic missile towards

Tel Aviv. They said that they were targeting the intelligence headquarters, the Mossad headquarters that are near to Tel Aviv. The missile was

intercepted, nobody was hurt, nobody was harmed.

The thinking is that Hezbollah might try to mount a much more complex operation of many missiles like that to try to overwhelm the protective

defensive missile systems here. And one analysis is, the longer that it takes Hezbollah to respond means the more complex and sophisticated that

response may be.

CHATTERLEY: Nic, good to have you with us. Thank you for your perspective. Nic Robertson there. Now, our Jomana Karadsheh joins us now from Beirut.

Jomana, as Nic was saying there, we know air force planes are now patrolling the area around Beirut Airport. We've also been showing our

viewers the sounds, the images of explosions in Beirut. What are you seeing and what are you hearing at this moment?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Julia, in the last few minutes or so, our team here -- I was actually live on our sister

network, CNN U.S., and I did not see what was going on behind me, but some of our colleagues here did see a flash in the distance and a distant blast

that was heard.

And now, we are seeing -- of course, it's really dark out there, as you can see, but our camera is capturing smoke rising in the distance from Beirut's

southern suburbs. And earlier as well, we did hear a distant blast just coming as the Israeli military saying that is carrying out these -- what it

describes as these precise and targeted strikes in Beirut.

Just under two hours ago, the Israeli military's Arabic language spokesman posted on X. Evacuation order is very similar to those that we have seen in

the past 11 months or so in Gaza to the residents of several areas in the southern suburbs. Three buildings that he pointed out, saying that those

were IDF targets, that residents and people in those buildings and 500- meter radius around these buildings must evacuate because the IDF is going to be striking.

And we have heard as well from the Israeli military after that saying that they were going after Hezbollah missiles that they say are stored

underneath these buildings. And, you know, you can imagine the fear and panic that that has caused for many people when we're talking about one of

the most densely populated areas of this country.

[18:15:00]

And this coming just a few hours after those massive strikes that we had at about 6:00 p.m. local time on Beirut's southern suburbs. You know,

colleagues here who have -- know this country well, who have covered it say that these were the biggest strikes they have seen in Beirut, at least

since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. And what we understand from an Israeli senior official is that the target of that strike was Hezbollah's leader,

Hassan Nasrallah.

Now, the Israeli military has not officially said that he was the target, but, Julia, they say that they were targeting a -- the main headquarters of

Hezbollah. And if you look at those images of the aftermath of that strike and the kind of munitions that were used in those strikes, according to

some analysis of the crater and the aftermath, it is believed that 2,000- pound bombs were used. The Lebanese state news agency saying at least six buildings were reduced to rubble and the death toll from those strikes in

the last few minutes, we've heard from the health ministry saying that at least six people were killed and 91 others were injured, but they are

saying that death toll is not final.

And if you look at those images and, you know, we were here and we heard those blasts and I can tell you it's one of the biggest explosions I have

ever witnessed, the death toll is very likely to rise. The big question right now is, was Hassan Nasrallah indeed there? What is -- was he there?

Was he killed? Was he injured? Israeli military saying that they are conducting a post-strike assessment and that it might take some time.

Hezbollah has not said anything since those strikes. We have not had any official statements from Hezbollah. And our colleagues here have been

trying to reach their Hezbollah contacts, but we have not had any luck getting any information from them. But I can tell you the city in this

whole country very much on edge right now.

CHATTERLEY: Yes. Jomana, I was going to ask you that point, obviously, on the latest strikes what the IDF was saying. And as you said, they posted

that message in Arabic on X to tell people to evacuate those locations that residents must move as far away from those buildings as possible.

I know it's very difficult and I'm sure information is very scarce. Do we have any sense of whether people were able to evacuate in time and how

quickly that was done? Because it seems the strikes followed within a couple of hours as we're watching now.

KARADSHEH: I mean, that is the big question right now. I mean, the posts from the Israeli military spokesman on X was picked up by a lot of local

media here. People knew about it, but did people leave in time? We had some reports that people began leaving.

And I mean, if you also look back at what's been happening over the past few days, this is -- you know, you've had several strikes on the southern

suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah is known to have a presence. So, you already had a lot of people leaving. But when it comes to these specific

locations, it's very hard for us to tell right now. But we are continuing to try and get a clearer picture if people were able to evacuate.

But I can tell you, for the past few days, speaking to people here, speaking to officials as well, they have been saying that they are so

worried about this -- about their country turning into another Gaza. You know what some have described as the Gazification of Lebanon. And when you

see these sort of evacuation orders starting to come in. this is really terrifying for people because it is exactly what they have been fearing the

most that they will be seeing repeats of what has been happening.

And, you know, keep in mind, Julia, it has been escalation after escalation. One, you know, dangerous moment after dangerous moment that

this country has faced over the past 10 days now or so, but what they are going through right now, if Hassan Nasrallah was indeed in that building,

if he was targeted, I mean, this -- you can't really overstate what a dangerous moment this is for Lebanon and for the entire region.

CHATTERLEY: Certainly, and we'll wait for more information and news on that. As you say, at this moment, it's just speculation. But, Jomana, your

words do resonate. I spoke to the U.N. security general -- secretary general earlier in January, and he said his biggest fear was that Gaza was

mapped to Lebanon, and what we're certainly sparks some further concern about that fear.

[18:20:00]

Good to have you with us. Thank you so much. Stay safe tonight. Jomana Karadsheh there. You are watching live pictures over the south of Beirut,

Lebanon. You can see the smoke rising, further strikes from the IDF saying that they were targeting Hezbollah weapons storage facilities tonight. They

asked residents around the surrounding areas to leave in a warning in the hours before. We will continue to bring you further developing news as this

story continues.

For now, stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." And our top story this hour, Israel carrying out new airstrikes in Beirut, targeting buildings allegedly

storing Hezbollah missiles. Israel saying earlier today it struck Hezbollah's central headquarters. The group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was

the target, according to one Israeli official. His fate at this hour, unclear. However, the Lebanese government saying today's strikes killed at

least six people, wounding dozens of others. Hezbollah already responding with its own salvo into Northern Israel.

Israel waited until the last possible moment to tell the United States about that massive strike earlier in the day. Word didn't reach Washington

until Israeli planes were in the air. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that he was on the phone at the time with his Israeli

counterpart. He urged a de-escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: What I will say is that you've heard me say a number of times that an all-out war should be avoided.

Diplomacy continues to be the best way forward, and it's the fastest way to let displaced Israeli and Lebanese citizens return to their homes on both

sides of the border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: The U.S. so far unable to influence Israel. We're told that White House officials were furious that Benjamin Netanyahu had dismissed a

ceasefire proposal on Thursday. Alex Marquardt joins us now. Alex, the U.S. officials clearly frustrated at what appears to be a deep lack of notice

about the strike earlier on the Hezbollah headquarters. We don't know if they knew, and perhaps you can inform us whether they were aware of these

latest strikes that have taken place within the last hour.

[18:25:00]

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Julia, a lot of frustration this week in Washington and among the U.S. officials up

here in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. First, after their ceasefire plan that they put out on Wednesday night was essentially

dismissed out of hand by the Israeli prime minister. And then, today, when they saw the size of this strike that could have such massive

ramifications.

President Joe Biden very quickly saying that the U.S. had no role in this, had no advanced warning. You noted Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin saying

that he only found out once the operation was well underway.

We've been trying to figure out how it was that the White House put this plan on the table for 21 days of pause only for a few hours later, Prime

Minister Netanyahu to come out and say, well, we're going to keep fighting with full force? I'm told by a senior Israeli official tonight that it was

an honest misunderstanding. Essentially that the Israelis thought that there was going to be a lot more of a process. There were a lot more

questions to answer while the U.S. wanted to put this into place imminently.

So, what we're hearing tonight from U.S. officials is that diplomacy is still the best way out. Clearly, Israel thinks the military pressure is

what is going to get Hezbollah to back down.

A couple other interesting notes from a senior Israeli official who spoke with reporters earlier today, on the question of targeting Nasrallah

directly, this person said that it was a very tough call and that it could really pivot this conflict because he is someone who is irreplaceable.

Now, if Nasrallah was indeed killed, he would be the latest on a long list of Hezbollah commanders who have been killed recently by Israel. More than

half, we're told, and perhaps as high as 80 percent. So, of course, that will very much play into the Hezbollah response that will likely come soon.

And last thing, Julia, given the stakes here, given the seriousness, given the potential ramifications from here, Prime Minister Netanyahu is cutting

his trip to New York short. He is heading back tonight to get back to manage, really, these two conflicts on both the southern and northern parts

of Israel. It is rare, we should note, that the prime minister travels on the Shabbat, which, of course, starts at sundown on Friday. So, that really

does highlight the seriousness of all this. Julia.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, certainly extenuating circumstances. Alex, good to have you with us. Alex Marquardt there.

Now, Hassan Nasrallah has long been Hezbollah's most important figure. He helped organize a group of fighters in 1982 to resist Israeli occupation.

That group then evolved into Hezbollah. He became the group's secretary general 10 years later after Israel killed his mentor.

In 2006, under Nasrallah's watch, Hezbollah carried out a cross-border raid on IDF forces, and that attack sparked a 34-day conflict. For more on all

of this, retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark joins us. He's also a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander. General Clark, good to have you with

us.

We don't know yet the fate of Hassan Nasrallah. How significant would it be if this strike did indeed result in his death?

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: I think it's significant. And it will certainly impact the ability of Hezbollah to

respond both diplomatically and militarily.

But this comes on top of the essential decapitation of what's going on in Hezbollah between the exploding pagers, the cell phones, the numerous

strikes, and then this, it certainly accounts for the difficulty that Hezbollah must be having in terms of a coordinated response to Israel.

CHATTERLEY: What are they trying to achieve, the Israelis, with Hezbollah at this moment? It's a far bigger, better organized, at least until this

moment, organization than Hamas. What do you see as the ambition? To take out the leadership?

CLARK: I think the stated ambition is to get Hezbollah to move back 10 miles in accordance with decisions that were made in 2006. And Hezbollah

has never followed through on those decisions. But the -- I think the point of it is to put pressure on, to put punishment on until Hezbollah moves

back and to have the threat of the ground incursion to finish the job if Hezbollah doesn't move back.

If Israel goes in on the ground, it's going to be difficult. But on the other hand, they've got tunnels and other things that -- and Israel has

worked this in Gaza. Israel technology for fighting in tunnels has been improved. And so, they feel like they can do much more against Hezbollah

now than the effort in 2006.

[18:30:00]

They also feel like this is a sort of do it or not do it moment because Iran's very close to a nuclear weapon. If they don't have it already. And

Iran is weak economically, doesn't want to fight back, would like to preserve its frontline defense of Hezbollah, but doesn't want to risk

everything that the regime has in Iran over this.

And so, they feel like it's an advantageous strategic time to move against Hezbollah, and they can't tolerate having these rocket -- continuous rocket

attacks into Israel that are really disrupting the entire northern area of Israel. They can't live with that.

CHATTERLEY: General Clark, does the United States understand the importance of this moment and the decision to target Nasrallah,

specifically, if indeed he was there, as the Israelis believe he was, and it was worth it to do that without telling the United States or others, we

presume, in the International Community and put at risk the proposed 21-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel?

CLARK: The U.S. policy has been to try to do everything possible to avoid this escalation. So, the United States was very careful in the Red Sea

attacks against the Houthis not to escalate throughout the response against the Axis of Resistance. The United States said we don't want to escalate,

and they've encouraged Israel not to escalate.

So, I think there's a clear divergence in the U.S. perspective on this and the Israeli perspective. And the U.S. perspective is very understandable.

We don't know what the consequences of this fight could be. It has global implications, economically, it has implications on other nations in the

region if it escalates. And so, it's a very natural thing that the United States doesn't want this to escalate. But that's a different perspective

than what Israel must have at this time.

CHATTERLEY: General Clark, I have about one minute left. How do you expect Hezbollah and, by definition, Iran, to respond to this?

CLARK: I think Iran is not going to respond. I think Hezbollah is going to have a very uncoordinated but eventual response. And eventually, will be

forced out of its positions and move back. The Israelis have the momentum, they have the combat power there to inflict serious damage on Hezbollah,

and if it stays and persists, it's going to be catastrophically weakened.

CHATTERLEY: And the presumption then is the Israelis consider that a win. General Clark, great to get your insights, sir. Thank you. We'll continue

our breaking news coverage of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:35:00]

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back. The Israeli military has been carrying out new airstrikes in Southern Beirut, where it's now early Saturday morning. The

Israel Defense Forces saying it's targeting buildings storing Hezbollah missiles. This follows a massive airstrike on Hezbollah headquarters in

Beirut earlier Friday.

The group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was the target, according to one Israeli source. And while there's no word yet on his fate, a former senior

Israeli official telling CNN that Israel would not have attacked with such scope and power if it were not sure with a high degree of certainty that

Nasrallah was there at the time.

All this after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech to the United Nations, vowing to continue strikes in Gaza and Lebanon. His

office releasing this picture earlier showing Netanyahu approving Friday's strike on Hezbollah headquarters while he was in New York.

Ben Wedeman is in Beirut in the early hours of the morning there for us. Ben, and we continue to watch further strikes and explosions taking place.

Just describe what you're seeing and hearing.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Julia, within the last three to four minutes, we've seen another series of strikes. These

are not the massive strikes we saw at 6:00 p.m. local time on the southern suburbs, which left, we don't know how many people dead at this point.

These are smaller, targeted strikes. But these strikes just come a few hours after the Israeli spokesman, the Arabic spokesman on Twitter, or X,

put out warnings to the residents of Beirut to stay away from three buildings in two separate neighborhoods, telling people to stay -- to leave

those buildings if they're in them and to stay at least 500 meters away.

Keep in mind that this is a very densely populated part of Beirut. And of course, the local media had circulated those warnings far and wide. So,

what we saw and what we've been seeing is that thousands of people have been streaming out of those southern suburbs of Beirut and on what's up

groups, local WhatsApp groups, local WhatsApp groups, people are appealing for somewhere to stay and their notices about schools that are being open.

But certainly, what we're seeing is a level of fear from the residents of the southern part of Beirut. As it appears, Israel is ramping up its air

campaign against Hezbollah. Now, we understand that the death toll from that earlier massive blast in which -- rather bombing, in which it appears

Israel used 2,000-pound bombs bunker busters to flatten six buildings in the southern suburbs. The Ministry of Health is saying at this point that

at least six people were killed, more than 90 injured. Although, we do expect those numbers to rise given the level of destruction that happened

there.

Now, as a result of the skyrocketing tensions here in Beirut, the United Kingdom has announced that it is putting on extra flights to help British

nationals evacuate. And the United States -- rather, the Lebanese army has reinforced its security around the American embassy.

And an important point needs to be made here is that it's not lost on Hezbollah, nor is it lost on the population at large here in Lebanon that

it's the United States that's providing these weapons to Israel, even though American officials are coming out and saying we didn't know any --

we got no advance warning of this, but certainly, the fear is that as a result of the high death toll and perhaps the assassination of Hassan

Nasrallah that there will be a backlash against American interests here in Lebanon.

Now, I have been trying to get through to Hezbollah contacts all evening to find out the fate of the leader of Hezbollah, until now, they do not

respond to messages or phone calls. So, we're still waiting for some sort of confirmation for that, Julia.

[18:40:00]

Ben, thank you so much for that. And if and when you hear from them, you'll let us know, I'm sure. For now, stay safe. Good to have you. Ben Wedeman,

reporting there. Now, sources say Israel notified the United States only moments before the strikes earlier today.

U.S. officials say the lack of notice adds to frustrations, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed a ceasefire proposal between

Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday. Calls for a ceasefire are being heard elsewhere on the global stage. You're looking at a protest in Spain where

around 6,000 people marched, calling for a pause in fighting in both Lebanon and Gaza.

And let's take a look, too, at the wider implications of this attack. Sherzada Khan is the country director in Lebanon for the Aid and

Humanitarian Agency Concern Worldwide. And he joins us now from Beirut. Sir, good to have you with us. Just start by describing what it's been like

in Beirut for the last 12 hours or so.

SHERZADA KHAN, COUNTRY DIRECTOR IN LEBANON, CONCERN WORLDWIDE: Thank you for having me. As you know, the situation in Beirut is extremely tense,

particularly with the blast that happened in this evening, which shook the whole capital. I was just about to get on a call coming from my office when

the blast occurred, and the explosion was massive and it echoed throughout the capital. Immediately activated, you know, our emergency safety

protocols just to check on how our staff, our teams and their families are doing.

So, thankfully, everyone is safe. But the blast created sheer panic, silence were wailing and streets were filled with chaos right in my

neighborhood. I mean, we heard the sounds of that. We are still waiting for official reports on casualties. But the sheer terror of the moment is

something none of us could forget.

So, yes, it's very tense. It's very chaotic on the roads, in the streets, in the neighborhoods. And there are fears that there are going to be more

attacks in the following -- are following. So, the overall situation in Lebanon is -- as you might be following, is incredibly stressful for the

Lebanese communities as well as for the Syrian community who are living here.

Many people here, especially the younger generation, I would say, have never experienced a crisis of this scale. The strikes and the ensuing

displacement have been overwhelming, as we speak, with over 200,000 people displaced. The families are living in some makeshift shelters, some with

relatives in extremely poor, dire conditions. Women, children, the elderly, the people with disabilities are disproportionately facing the challenges

as a result of the crisis.

So, tragically, this is not the first time the Lebanese people and the communities here are facing such devastation. It has been like a crisis

after a crisis, and it is wearing down their resilience how much more they can endure before it becomes too much. So, nobody knows. Yes.

CHATTERLEY: Sherzada, we're just showing live pictures over the south of Beirut at this moment and we've just seen another explosion take place.

We're showing our viewers the smoke rising from those explosions over the horizon too. Did you just hear that? Did you feel that? Yes, you can feel

that.

KHAN: Yes, I did. I did hear it in the evening. I did. I'm hearing it now. I can see it from my window as well. So, I'm getting -- I'm receiving, you

know, messages from some of the groups. So, Beirut is awake. I mean, the people here, the communities here, they are not sleeping.

What I see happening now, I think it's heartbreaking. Every day brings new strikes. It's almost like the trend for the last week or so. And the

situation is spiraling. It's getting out of control, becoming more devastating by every passing hour.

The fear and uncertainty are overwhelming. None of us know what tomorrow holds. It's the fear of the unknown, you know, that is truly, truly

terrifying and worrying for the people, particularly who are in Beirut, the people in the southern areas who are displaced and now they are on the move

towards the northern area.

So, on one side they are facing -- you know, the half of Lebanon is facing the conflict, displacement and the remaining of the northern part, they are

grappling, you know, how to host, how to accommodate the IDPs. So, it is a chaotic situation.

[18:45:00]

CHATTERLEY: Sherzada, we just showed another explosion again that just took place there. As you've been mentioning, I know you work with the

United Nations, you provide emergency shelter, cash, first aid, and psychological support for people that are displaced. And as you were

saying, you've seen a dramatic displacement of people as a result of the violence that we've seen in Lebanon, even just over the past week.

For people that are watching, help us understand how people there are feeling and why a ceasefire that's been proposed by the United States is

vitally important?

KHAN: So, I'm working with concern and then we do collaborate and work with U.N. agencies as well. For example, UNHCR and others. I mean, this

war, this is the least thing -- you know, the last thing the Lebanese population, the Lebanese communities would want.

I mean, the -- they need peace. They need stability. Lebanon, as you know, has been grappling, you know, with so many challenges already in terms of,

you know, political, economic, and governance and other challenges. So, they cannot afford. You know, the children in this country should not be in

a situation as they are. They need to be in school.

This is the start of, you know, their academic year, September and October, and the schools are closed. Colleges are closed. You are (INAUDIBLE) just

to host, you know, displaced communities. So, the children need to be in school. The business community needs to be, you know, doing their own

businesses. The people should be working on building their lives and, you know, livelihoods. But this conflict and this war is making it difficult

for them.

Concern Worldwide, we are on the ground, already started supporting the displaced families. We are providing shelter, safe housing, protection,

emergency case assessment, but then the needs are immense. The gaps are huge. And while we are ready to scale up our efforts, I mean, without

immediate and increased support, it's becoming incredibly difficult to reach everyone in desperate need.

CHATTERLEY: I understand.

KHAN: The families --

CHATTERLEY: I know. And it's underfunded for 2024 as well, the situation, the humanitarian appeal, I know.

KHAN: Absolutely.

CHATTERLEY: So, we once again raised that point.

KHAN: Absolutely, yes.

CHATTERLEY: Sherzada, thank you so much. Stay safe tonight. We're thinking of you and everybody there. Thank you so much for your time.

All right. Stay with us. We'll have much more on the breaking news from Lebanon. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:50:00]

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back and breaking news into CNN regarding the U.S. stance on events in Lebanon. President Joe Biden has been briefed, quote,

"several times today" by his national security team following that series of Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah in Beirut. And Lebanon official

telling reporters that are traveling with Biden in Delaware earlier on Friday.

Just to give you a sense too, the official said that the president has, quote, "directed the Pentagon to assess and adjust as necessary U.S. force

posture in the region to enhance deterrence, ensure force protection, and support the full range of U.S. objectives. He's also directed embassies in

the region to take all protective measures as appropriate." And we'll continue to receive regular updates. Any further headlines from the White

House or the State Department, we will bring them to you.

For now, the Israeli military says it's been striking buildings in Beirut, allegedly used to store Hezbollah missiles. These are live images from

Beirut. We've been showing you them all hour, where we just saw another major explosion in the past few minutes.

Joining us now, Firas Maksad, he's the senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Sir, good to have you with us. We talked a couple of days ago

after the walkie-talkie and phone explosions. Fast forward to today, what do you make of the Israeli attacks, both on Hezbollah HQ and, of course,

these strikes on alleged weapons facilities too?

FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Julia, it's been an exceptional 10 days. Yes, we last spoke when it came to the attack, the

Israeli attack using the pagers, then the walkie-talkies, then essentially, decapitation of Hezbollah's -- most of Hezbollah's military leadership

absent one commander, Ali Karaki. And then, today, these exceptional strikes in the heart of the southern suburbs of Beirut targeted at

Hezbollah's headquarters with Hassan Nasrallah, the iconic leader of Hezbollah, presumably being the target and presumed dead by many at this

point.

So, there are days when the hinge of history turns. And this very much is one of those days, whether, in fact, Hassan Nasrallah is dead or alive, it

is almost indifferent, I don't want to say irrelevant, because the scope and scale of the Israeli attack means that for those of us who've been

watching the conflict now, for the better part of a year, that threshold from what has largely been a border conflict into a full-out war, that

threshold has been crossed today.

CHATTERLEY: And very quickly, as you said, that threshold is crossed, has been crossed. What do you expect to take place now? The United States

caught off guard, Iran, Hezbollah's response. What comes next?

MAKSAD: Well, clearly, from the reporting coming in about President Biden being briefed and commanding, telling the Pentagon to take all

precautionary measure to reinforce deterrence (INAUDIBLE), reinforce deterrence vis-a-vis Iran, but also to safeguard U.S. interests and

embassies. Clearly, here, President Biden is expecting a reaction. And that's something that his administration has been working hard to prevent,

to contain this conflict and prevent contagion.

There are early reports that it wasn't only Hassan Nasrallah that was in that bunker, but that senior Iranian military officials, the IRGC, the

commander in charge for Lebanon and Syria might have also been killed as a result of these strikes.

So, in the days ahead, we're looking at a scenario where it's going to be increasingly difficult for Iran and/or many of its regional proxies in

Syria, in Yemen, in Iraq, it's going to be increasingly difficult for them not to get involved.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, we're closer to an escalation than diplomacy towards a ceasefire as a result of the last 12 hours. Firas, we'll talk again. Thank

you for your time. And my apologies. It was brief.

Stay with us. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:55:00]

CHATTERLEY: At this hour, the Israeli military has been striking buildings in Beirut, allegedly used to store Hezbollah missiles. These are the latest

images where we've seen a major explosion in the south of Beirut in the past few minutes. It comes after a major Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese

capital, which Israel says targeted Hezbollah's leader. It's unclear whether Hassan Nasrallah was killed in those attacks.

The Lebanese health ministry says at least six people were killed and more than 90 injured. Iran's president says the Israeli assault is a, quote,

"war crime in which the U.S. is complicit," as Tehran vows retaliation.

Stay with us on CNN. More to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:00]

END