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Isa Soares Tonight

Trump Plans to Replace FBI Director with Kash Patel; How Syrian Rebel Forces Took Over Aleppo; Deadly Airstrikes in Gaza; Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 200 in Gaza; U.N. Pauses Aid Deliveries in Gaza; White House to Announce Another Aid for Ukraine; Ukraine Fights to Hold Kursk. Syrian Jets Intensify Bombing of Syria's Rebel-Held Northwest; Unprecedented Protests Sweep Georgia After Government Scraps EU Bid; President Biden Pardons Son, Hunter, After Vowing Not to. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 02, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Isa Soares. Tonight, a war reignited. The Syrian and Russian

armies ramp up airstrikes following a surprise rebel advance. Dozens of civilians are caught in the crossfire as the fighting in Syria intensifies.

Plus, days of violent protests once again rocked Georgia. I'll be speaking to Georgia's President about what the future holds for the country wanting

to join the EU. Plus, President Biden shocking U-turn as he issues a full and unconditional pardon of his son, Hunter.

But we begin this evening with a dramatic shift on the frontlines in Syria. Syrian and Russian planes have stepped up attacks on Aleppo as well as

Idlib provinces in an attempt to slow a surprise advance by rebel forces. And we want to note that some find -- may find the following images about

to show you disturbing. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(EXPLOSION)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Now, the White Helmets volunteer rescue group say that dozens of civilians, including women were killed in the airstrikes. Earlier, CNN

spoke with a member of the White Helmets who has been dealing with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Syria right now for many years. Here's

what he had to say about the situation facing civilians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHALED KHATIB, MEDIA COORDINATOR, SYRIA CIVIL DEFENSE: Many like civilians from Aleppo and different cities were displaced from there, forcibly. So,

it's surprising that they are like -- there is a hope for them to get back to their home again. And -- but unfortunately, at the same time, we are

still afraid about what's going on, about the potential for more massacres.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Well, last week, rebels launched a sudden offensive that cost the Syrian government control of the country's second largest city, and that is

Aleppo, and posing one of the biggest challenges to President Bashar al Assad's regime in years. Someone who has reported extensively on Syria is

our Clarissa Ward who's tracking this developing story for us and joins us now from Beirut.

And so, Clarissa, give us a sense in terms of what you're learning about the territory that these rebels have gained, and the speed, critically, in

which they're gaining this territory.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Isa, essentially, the rebels have made more gains in the past four days than

they have in the last eight years. So, this is a significant moment. It's a moment that really caught everybody by surprise really.

Since Friday, we have seen Aleppo, now the second largest city in Syria as you mentioned, taken under the full control of rebels. They are pushing

also into the northern Aleppo countryside. They have consolidated full control of the province of Idlib, and they are now pushing towards the

central city of Hama.

Hama is the fourth largest city in Syria. It's a population of about 1 million people. Rebel leaders have been issuing warnings to the ordinary

people of Hama that they should avoid being near regime forces or those associated closely with regime. So, all indications are that an offensive

may be imminent.

We hadn't heard or seen much at all from Syria's President Bashar al Assad until last night when he sort of gave a photo opportunity, if you like, of

him meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister. And we have now seen, as you talked about initially, an uptick in the sorts of indiscriminate airstrikes

that we grew used to seeing during the height of the Syrian civil war.

But which we haven't seen in the last 4 or 5 years, the Russian Air Force, which of course played a key role in ensuring that Assad was able to stay

in power, does appear to be spearheading those airstrikes, or at least, some of them, they have been taking place in Idlib and Aleppo, primarily

dozens killed according to the White Helmets as you mentioned, and among them women and children.

[14:05:00]

So, a lot of questions as to where this offensive goes next and what the appetite is internationally. While many would like to see Bashar al Assad

face justice for the many war crimes he has perpetrated, there is also a sense that it is not the time, given the instability in the region to see

him fall and to see the Syrian civil war reignited.

SOARES: Let's talk about that instability. Of course, you are in Lebanon for us, both sides today, Clarissa, seems to be accusing each other of kind

of violating this rather fragile truce. In fact, in the last few minutes, we've heard from the State Department's spokesperson, Matthew Miller, who

says broadly speaking, his words here, Clarissa, the Israel-Lebanese Hezbollah ceasefire has been successful. Your take of what you're seeing.

WARD: Broadly-speaking, the ceasefire has been holding, but there have been violations, and they have been regular. We spoke to a U.N.

peacekeeping source who said that he estimates there have been roughly 100 violations perpetrated by Israel. Israel has said that it is not violating

the ceasefire, that it is simply enforcing the ceasefire.

And tonight, Hezbollah taking responsibility for firing two projectiles into an area that is controlled by Israel known as the Shebaa Farms. It is

officially under international law, viewed as being part of Syria. And according to the IDF, those two projectiles fell in open areas and didn't

cause any harm.

But certainly, the fear is that this could precipitate some kind of an escalation that would render this ceasefire null and void. And I think it's

very important to underscore, particularly here in Lebanon, there is no appetite for that. The people of Lebanon are exhausted. The economy is

beleaguered, they have paid a huge price as well in terms of how many people have been killed? Nearly 4,000.

And really, the overwhelming feeling one gets here is a deep desire to try to go back to their homes, rebuild their homes and very high fears if that

ceasefire could be in real jeopardy tonight, Isa.

SOARES: Our chief international correspondent for us, Clarissa Ward in Beirut this evening. Thank you, Clarissa. So, what does the wider conflict

in the Middle East and the wars waged against Hezbollah as Clarissa is there, saying, and Hamas actually mean for Syria in about 20 minutes or so

time, we're going to unpack all of this with my guest, Colin Clarke.

He's the Director of Policy and Research at the Soufan Group and an expert on international security and geopolitics. We'll talk about that in about

20 minutes right here on the show. I want to turn our attention to Georgia because the Prime Minister of Georgia says his goal is still to have the

country join the European Union. And the comments come after nightly protests for an initial reversal of that position.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(FIREWORKS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: And while the Prime Minister was -- spoke just a short time ago, he had previously said that Georgia would not discuss EU membership until

2028. And that comment we will try and get that to you, prompted the mass protests across the country. And critics say that despite the Prime

Minister's reassurances today, it would not change policy in Georgia.

And the poll shows the majority of citizens support joining the EU. I think it's about 80 percent -- 80 percent or so from the latest polls I remember

seeing on Saturday. Let's get the latest with our Sebastian Shukla. And Seb, I mean, we heard some strong words today from the Prime Minister of

Georgia, but the people of Georgia and their determination don't seem like it's stopping, right?

As we've seen for days, they keep coming on to the streets in significant numbers, Seb, and accusing the government of wanting to drag the country

into Russia's sphere of influence. Speak to that.

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, you're absolutely right, Isa. The people of Georgia are furious about this direction which the new

government, Georgian Dream has decided it wants to take Georgia down on. And I was talking to some people in Tbilisi just before I was speaking to

you, and they've said that protests have started again, that will mark now the fifth consecutive night, and that they're seeing the police deploying

tear gas, water cannon.

But protesters themselves are firing fireworks at police officers, too. There is really a standoff going on between both sides here, and that's

something that we've seen for days now and shows at the moment no sign of really abating in any way. The reason as you said for this, is that the

Georgian Dream wants to take Georgia or at least pause its discussions for joining the European Union.

Which is something that the Georgian people have wanted and is actually enshrined in their constitution, that they will -- that they will

eventually become members of the European Union. So, it's unfathomable for 80 percent of them to think that they will not be able to join a bloc like

that equally.

[14:10:00]

And Georgia has aspirations to also join NATO, although these protests are not necessarily talking -- are focusing on that. But with that, these

scenes have become commonplace in Georgia, and they are again leveled at the -- fall at the door of the government, because Georgian Dream, headed

by the Prime Minister, has said and embarked on a series of reforms that make Georgia look more pro-Russian than it is pro-European.

There was a law passed on foreign agents earlier this year, a Foreign Agents Bill which has many similarities to a highly draconian restrictive

law that Russia also has, but also even in social spheres as well, LGBTQ- plus rights have been severely eclipsed and hampered in the former Soviet state.

So, that gives us an idea about the path that Georgia -- Georgian Dream wants to take Georgia down. It's clearly pro-Russian, and we've been

hearing today from the Kremlin, they may -- Dmitry Peskov made a statement earlier today, which is -- which said "we've seen similar events in a

number of countries, probably the most direct parallel is the events of Maidan in Ukraine.

All signs are of attempting to carry out an orange revolution." That is -- that is a reference to the 2004 orange revolution that took place in

Ukraine, which President Putin believes was orchestrated or the United States at least had a hand in fomenting, which ultimately led to the 2014

crisis and ultimately now, we have that war in Ukraine.

Russia is worried about Georgia slipping out of its influence, and that is the most telling comment yet, Isa.

SOARES: Sebastian Shukla there for us, appreciate Seb. When you were talking, we were looking at live images. We can bring them up in just a

minute because joining me now is the President of Georgia's -- thus, Salome Zourabichvili, she is a guest we've had on repeatedly on the show.

Madam President, welcome back to the show. I just want to show our viewers these live pictures that are coming to us from Tbilisi in Georgia. Let me

just pause to listen to some sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: President, 11 minutes past 11:000 or so. And I want to pick up with right now the images we're seeing, seem to be pretty peaceful. But we

have been seeing, Madam President, pretty violent, violent crackdown over the last few days in across Georgia. You have suggested on X that this is a

deliberate tactic by the police or the armed forces -- say -- you said going after journalists and political leaders. Can you just expand on that?

SALOME ZOURABICHVILI, PRESIDENT, GEORGIA: Oh, yes, there is clearly a strategy. It's not the Armed Forces. It has nothing to do with the Armed

Forces. It's the special forces that do not belong either to the police or even to the anti-demonstration police. It's a very special black units that

are not identified, are wearing masks, so you cannot distinguish them.

And they have no numbers of identification which is contrary to any international rules. And those are those that are carrying out these

violent repression on the protesters that are very specific protesters. And tonight is a step further that the demonstrations had hardly started very

peacefully.

It was not as it was in the previous days, after a number of hours, they were just preventing the demonstrators to carry out their demonstration.

It's really fighting against the freedom of expression, freedom of protest. It's a basic right that are violated, not to say anything about the way the

people that are arrested are treated once arrested, because it's what the lawyers who can then get to them.

Have seen that there are -- 80 percent of them have injuries to the face and to the head which demonstrates a really systematic type of treatment of

inhuman treatment. So, all of --

SOARES: Yes --

ZOURABICHVILI: That policy, it's not a reaction to some forceful demonstration. It's a policy to try to limit the expression of the Georgian

people that is expressed in many cities around the country. Will of the Georgian people, not to go towards Russia to keep its European path, to

keep its right to be an independent and free country among its European community.

[14:15:00]

SOARES: And on that, we heard from the -- from Amnesty International just in the last hour, Madam President, from the international deputy director

for eastern Europe, he said, I talked about the physical, psychological and legal harm on those exercising their right to protest. He talked about

hundreds of protesters dispersed, arrested by police who have faced in some cases, it amounts to torture and other ill treatment.

Reports of severe injuries including broken facial bones, fractures and concussions among the detainees, and that he says is mounting. How worried

are you because the determinations that we can see right now on our air, they are determined to take to the streets every day so far, and the

numbers seem to be growing.

I know you on the streets too, you were protesting a few days ago, Madam President, how concerned are you about the violence against these

protesters?

ZOURABICHVILI: Well, I can only be concerned. I was not protesting on the streets. I went to see the protesters once, which is what a President

should do, but I cannot be protesting on the streets with them. I'm following every moment and every hour. I'm very concerned, but I'm also

very confident that these people are going to continue whatever happens.

Already we are seeing something we have never seen before in Georgia, which is that this protest not only is getting stronger in Tbilisi every day, but

it has reached out to the cities in the provinces which never happened. And almost every city in Georgia today is protesting very spontaneously. And

there -- because there are no special forces at this point in time, we can see how peaceful are these demonstrations where people are asking just two

things.

One is, give me my vote back, which was stolen during the elections, and second, give me my European future back. And that round the one major

demand which is let's have new elections. So, there is no revolutionary slogans here. There is nothing radical, it's a very peaceful, familiar

almost demonstrations as long as the police or these black forces do not start moving on -- moving in.

And they are asking something that is their constitutional right to express their will, the elections and reaffirm what we have all seen along all

these years that 80 percent of the population of this country wants its European future, wants its independence to continue, and does not want to

go towards Russia, which is the will only of this ruling party that has forgotten about the obligation of the constitution. And that is supported

only by a handful of people that have vested interests in this one party --

SOARES: Yes --

ZOURABICHVILI: And one man rule.

SOARES: On those two points that, you know -- give me your vote back -- give us back to the EU in terms of future. We heard -- we heard from the

Georgian Prime Minister today -- I want to play that first for our viewers and we can talk after that. Have a listen to what he said very briefly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IRAKLI KOBAKHIDZE, PRIME MINISTER, GEORGIA (through translator): I had a discussion about European integration with diplomats today at the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs, and they were instructed to put maximum efforts into the EU integration process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: So, basically hinting there, that his country still aims to join the EU despite of course, halting those accession talks. Do you buy that

Madam President?

ZOURABICHVILI: No, nobody buys it. But it's another sign that even among the last remaining supporters of this one-party rule, even there, people

want to hear that they too are heading towards Europe, which nobody, of course, believes there wouldn't be this mass of people on the streets if

they were not thinking that this one man rule is taking them towards Russia.

The Russian law, all the Russian laws that have been adopted since the beginning of the year. The Russian elections that we've had which were very

clearly very systematically organized, the frauds were all over the place, all of that is a very clear sign. And if nobody sees these signs, it's

enough to listen to Mr. Putin, to Mr. Medvedev, to Mr. Dugin and the compliments they are addressing to the Prime Minister -- bravery to turn

back his back on Europe and turn towards better relations with Russia.

[14:20:00]

SOARES: We have seen Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania imposing sanctions, I believe enough, something like 11 Georgian officials. We've also seen the

U.S. and the EU criticizing what they see as growing authoritarianism in Georgia and the aggression by the police. I wonder, well, you've got

something like matter of weeks, I think, Madam President in power. What would you like to see from the EU, from the U.S. in terms of response and

in terms of action here?

ZOURABICHVILI: Well, I'm talking to the leaders almost twice, three times, four times a day to -- I've been talking to the Baltic leaders, I've been

talking to the Polish President, I've been talking to the new European Commission that has come into place and to the President of the European

Council.

And to all of them, I think I'm saying just one thing, that this country is never going to surrender to Russia, that this country wants democracy,

wants freedom, wants Europe, and wants new elections to be able in a free and fair environment which was not the case to say it will, to say where it

wants to go.

And that is a right that every people in Europe should have. And Georgia has deserved over the years, has been fighting for that, has been very

resilient, even with occupied territories. And Georgian people deserve what this right is to come closer to Europe, and to eventually open these

accession negotiations.

And it is not the right of a government that was not elected because the elections were rigged. It's not the right to change the course of the

Georgian foreign policy and the Georgian future. Nobody has given them a mandate for that, not even --

SOARES: Yes --

ZOURABICHVILI: Their own supporters.

SOARES: Madam President, as always, I appreciate you taking the time to speak to us on the show. Thank you very much, Madam President, and of

course, we'll stay across those images coming to us from Tbilisi. It is very late at night, 11 minutes or so past the hour, we'll keep an eye on

those images because as we've seen in the last couple of days, they have gotten significantly violent.

So, we'll keep an eye on those large crowds as you can see there for the mean -- for the time being, though, seems to be pretty calm. Still to come

tonight, a stunning reversal, the political fallout begins as President Biden issues a sweeping pardon of his son, Hunter. Plus, he's vowed to

dismantle the FBI and take on what he calls a deep state. Now, he's Donald Trump's pick to lead the agency. We'll explain after this short break. You

are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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SOARES: Enough is enough. U.S. President Joe Biden had a shocking change of heart, issuing a full, as well as unconditional pardon of his son,

Hunter. Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced in the next two weeks on felony gun and federal tax charges. Now, that will not happen. In addition,

Hunter Biden cannot be prosecuted for any other possible federal crimes that may have been committed in a ten-year period.

Before making an about-face, President Biden had this to say on a number of occasions he would not pardon his son. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me ask you, will you accept the jury's outcome, their verdict, no matter what it is?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And have you ruled out a pardon for your son?

BIDEN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have.

BIDEN: I am satisfied that I'm not going to do anything -- I said I'll abide by the jury's decision, and I will do that and I will not pardon him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Let's bring in CNN's Marshall Cohen with more. And Marshall, I'm just seeing now sources telling CNN that in pardoning his son, President

Joe Biden did not go through, Marshall, Justice Department's office of the pardon attorney, which processes the application and advises the President.

What more, then, are you learning about how this decision were made?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Isa, yes, in the U.S., the President has unlimited power to grant pardons. Typically, the way that,

that works is that people who are convicted of crimes will file paperwork with the Justice Department explaining why they think they deserve a

pardon, and then it will be vetted, it will be scrutinized and the Justice Department will then make recommendations to the White House, to the

President on who deserves a pardon.

That's one way to do it. But it's not the only way to do it. And if you're well connected, if you are close with the President or the family member of

the President, you can just go outside of those channels and get a pardon. It has happened before, it happened a lot like this in the Trump

administration, and it appears that this is how it happened.

Obviously, no surprise there because Hunter Biden is the son of President Biden. But Isa, this decision yesterday landed with a thud here in

Washington because you just played that clip over and over and over throughout the year. President Biden said that he would not pardon his son.

He would not commute the sentence.

But after the Thanksgiving holiday and after some soul-searching and wrestling with this decision, he concluded that a pardon was appropriate.

And I got to point out, Isa, that this is a very broad pardon. It covers any potential crimes that Hunter Biden may have committed during a ten-year

span.

Let me read for you a little bit of what the President said last night in a statement announcing the pardon. President Biden said this, quote, "I said

I would not interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively and unfairly

prosecuted."

Two points there that I got to make, yes, it is true that he kept his word and he did not shut down this investigation, he did not fire the prosecutor

even though he could have done that theoretically as President. But when it comes to whether this was a selective prosecution, whether he was unfairly

targeted, multiple judges were asked to weigh in on that question, Hunter Biden raised that question with the judges.

They both said, no. They both refused to throw out the case on the theory that this was a selective, unfair prosecution. And we just got in a few

moments ago, Isa, the first comments from the prosecutors who brought the cases against Hunter Biden, and they said there was none and never has been

any evidence of a vindictive or selective prosecution in the case.

They conceded that with the pardon, the case is over, but they are not going down without pointing out that there was never in their view, any

evidence of any unfair prosecution, which of course is the entire justification that President Biden offered for why he pardoned his son.

SOARES: He landed with a thud, and I have a feeling it will reverberate for days to come in Washington D.C., appreciate it Marshall, thank you very

much. Now, let's turn our attention to political vibration, of course, from the pardon that -- being felt in Washington, I should say and beyond.

President-elect Donald Trump called the pardon an abuse, as well as miscarriage of justice.

In an online post, he also teased the possibility of mass pardons for those convicted in the January 6th Capitol attack. Hunter Biden's pardon may also

help rally Republican support behind Kash Patel, Trump's controversial pick to become the new FBI director. And there are questions today surrounding

the President-elect's incoming Press Secretary. CNN's KFILE has uncovered deleted social media posts from Karen Leavitt from 2021. She retweeted a

post praising then-Vice President Mike Pence for certifying the election. But she then ran for Congress as an election denier, falsely claiming Trump

won the 2020 election.

Our Steve Contorno is following the Trump transition developments from Florida. And, Steve, what have you learned at this hour about the

president-elect's election, first of all, of Kash Patel, because it seems he's receiving what is colloquially called as mixed reviews, which I can

only suspect points to kind of uncertain -- potential uncertainty when it comes to confirmation here?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Mixed reviews could be sort of a blanket term you can use for quite a few of Donald Trump's picks to lead these

agencies so far, and Kash Patel certainly fits that bill. He gives even some Republicans an uncomfortable feeling because of what he has said about

the Department of Justice in the past. He has accused them of being full of, quote, "deep state agents," of being used to weaponize and attack

Republicans. And he has said that he would like to see that agency completely cleared out on to an unknown effect than the FBI and the agents

and who serve within it.

And so, he would be a very unconventional choice to lead the department, given his past criticism of it. Of course, that is one of the reasons why

Donald Trump is potentially leaning on him in the first place. He is someone who also believed that Department of Justice has been used against

him. And so, he wants to see a reckoning within the FBI and he would use Kash Patel to that end.

I should point out though, that Kash Patel would only be able to step into that role and be nominated as FBI director in the case that Trump either

fires Christopher Wray, the current FBI director, or that individual steps down. And so far, he has not given any indication that he intends to do so.

So, we might also see a potential power struggle ahead as well.

SOARES: Steve Contorno, as always. Thanks, Steve. Still to come tonight, more on a rather precarious situation unfolding in Syria. My next guest

tells me the conflict equates to a microcosm for the great power competition there. That analysis coming up.

And a barrage of deadly airstrikes in Gaza amid hopes for a ceasefire. Plus, aid workers are facing yet another obstacle in an already dire

humanitarian crisis. Both of those stories after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:00]

SOARES: Welcome back. Returning to our top story this hour, and the unexpected and speedy offensive by Syrian rebel forces, who just in six

days have taken control of the country's second largest city, and that is Aleppo. It is a lightning offensive that has led Syrian President Bashar

al-Assad to call on his friends for help. But Iran and Russia, well, they have bigger fish to fry, with a weakened Hezbollah after crippling blows by

Israel, and the war in Ukraine approaching its third year. Our Fred Pleitgen has more for you from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Syria quickly descending back into all-out war. President Bashar al-Assad's

army seemingly caught completely off guard, retreating. As rebel groups make sweeping advances, taking much of the second largest city, Aleppo, and

capturing large amounts of arms as they move forward.

These are the tanks of the regime, this fighter says, the pigs. This is one, two, three tanks, four tanks of the defense forces, and there are

their buses.

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad calling on his biggest backers, Russia and Iran, to help bail him out. Meeting with Iran's foreign minister as Tehran

is already mobilizing regional forces for battle on the Syrian government's side.

The rebels will be confronted, Iran's foreign minister said, and I'm confident that this phase, like the previous ones, will also be passed with

pride by the government, the people of Syria, and the Syrian army.

In a show of force, Assad's military releasing this video, claiming to show their counter push in Syria's northwest, but acknowledging they're relying

on Russian air power to help their ground forces. The Russians now effectively fighting two major wars in Syria and Ukraine simultaneously.

Of course, we support Bashar al-Assad, the Kremlin spokesman said. We continue our contacts on the relevant levels. We are analyzing the

situation.

This as fighting in Ukraine grinds on at a steep cost in both lives and in money. President Vladimir Putin signing off on Russia's 2025 budget with

almost a third of the money now going to defense and military spending. And while Moscow's troops have been making steady progress in Ukraine --

PLEITGEN: Hello, sir, we're from CNN television.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- a senior aide to Vladimir Putin telling me the Kremlin hopes the incoming Trump administration will end the war on terms

favorable for Russia.

PLEITGEN (through translator): Do you think the Trump administration will be able to settle the Ukraine conflict?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Naturally, we hope that the new administration will approach this issue with a desire to maintain peace on

the planet, and not to incite war, pushing Ukraine to self-destruction.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And our thanks to Fred Pleitgen for that report. Well, my next guest says rebel groups in Syria are taking advantage of a distracted

Russia and Iran. For more analysis, joining me now is Colin Clarke. He's director of Policy and Research at the Soufan Group and author of the book

"After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future of the Terrorist Diaspora."

Colin, great to have you back on the show. I was having this conversation with our Clarissa Ward right at the top of the hour talking about how fast,

Colin, this offensive has moved and how many is taken by surprise, not least, of course, the Syrian army, Bashar al-Assad. What do you make, first

of all, Colin, of the speed of this?

COLIN CLARKE, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND RESEARCH, THE SOUFAN GROUP: Thanks for having me. Indeed, it's been a lightning strike offensive. What that

tells you is that this is in -- this has been in preparation for quite some time. That Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group leading the

offensive, has been likely trained, equipped, probably financed by some external actors, most likely Turkey, in its preparation for going in and

destabilizing -- further destabilizing Syria and the Assad regime.

[14:40:00]

SOARES: The timing of this is interesting too, and you and I were having this discussion in terms of the rebels clearly not only have been preparing

for some time, but they've taken advantage of the fact that the Iranian, Russian forces, who are of course Assad's allies, have been preoccupied

with other wars, right? They have had bigger fish to fry. Just speak to that, Colin.

CLARKE: Exactly. Look, the Russians have their hands full in Ukraine. I mean, they're at the point where they're bringing in North Koreans to help

them there. That shows you how desperate they are. And the Iranians have just come off of months of a shellacking at the hands of the Israelis. They

have their hands full in Gaza, in Lebanon, and really trying to protect their own regime from falling.

And so, with both those countries distracted, this was really the opportune time for such an offensive. Not only that, but if you look at the

transition in the United States from a lame duck Biden administration to Trump, many actors, both state and non-state actors, see this as a critical

window of opportunity to make and solidify gains on the ground.

SOARES: Yes. So, flesh that out a bit more than on a macro level. I mean, what does this tell us, Colin, about the forces at play? Because we have,

like you just stated, there's some significant players here, U.S., Russia, Iran, Turkey. Speak to the push and pull here.

CLARKE: Yes. So, this is really a microcosm or the epitome of great power competition. I think in the United States, when we talk about it far too

often, we describe it in terms of only state actors, but there's a lot happening at the non-state level here with HTS, other rebel groups. You've

got all of the big players in the region, global players as well, and everybody's trying to jockey for position to back their own proxy group or

to prepare for what comes next, many with Trump coming into office, see this right now and the next six to eight weeks as the time to solidify

gains, strengthen their own bargaining position and use these gains as leverage for whatever negotiations are to come.

SOARES: So, what does come next then, Colin, in your view? I mean, how prepared or otherwise are the Syrian Armed Forces? I mean, we know they're

vulnerable. We've seen already how much territory they gain. But what if the regime of Bashar al-Assad does -- were to fall? What would that mean

not just for Syria, but also for the region, this destabilization of the region?

CLARKE: You know, the fall of Assad would be a major domino in the region. And while it remains unlikely, stranger things have happened, especially

over the past several years, I think what I'm mostly concerned about is the new life that would breathe into a group like the Islamic State, which has

been biding its time, slowly regrouping. It would be then unleashed in Syria amongst a group of other organizations.

You still got the Kurdish question in Northeastern Syria. They're in charge of ISIS prison camps, like El Roge and Al-Hawl. You basically have a

jailbreak of ISIS fighters. It would be a disaster on so many levels, not to mention all of the different players trying to scramble. It would be

certainly at the very top of the Trump administration's foreign policy agenda on day one upon taking office.

SOARES: I know you'll stay across it for us and we'll have plenty of discussions on this, but as always, Colin, really appreciate your analysis.

Thank you very much. Colin Clark there for us.

CLARKE: Thank you.

SOARES: Now, hopes for cease foreign Gaza remain deadlocked. Despite renewed U.S. efforts. Health officials say Israeli airstrikes killed at

least 200 Palestinians in Northern Gaza over the weekend with 40 members of one family killed in a single strike. And this, as the U.N. agency for

Palestinian refugees says the humanitarian crisis has become, quote, "unnecessarily impossible."

It says he has halted aid deliveries through the main crossing point between Israel and Gaza. You can see there after more aid trucks were

stolen.

U.S. President Biden says he is devastated and outraged after the IDF confirmed the death of an American-Israeli soldier. The Hostage and Missing

Families Forum says 21-year-old Omer Maxim Neutra was killed during the Hamas terror attacks last year on October the 7th. The forum described Omar

as a warm, optimistic person who love sports.

And tomorrow here on the show, I'll be joined by Dr. Mahim Qureshi. She spent time treating patients in Gaza. And will be here to talk about the

alarming healthcare situation that has been pushed beyond breaking point. We'll have that conversation tomorrow right here on the show.

And still to come tonight, the White House is expected to announce another round of aid for Ukraine, as Russia ramps up its own spending on defense.

That is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:45:00]

SOARES: The White House is set to announce another military aid package for Ukraine. The $725 million aid package would come ahead of President-

Elect Donald Trump's inauguration. And it's larger than other recent ones from the United States. Trump has said he would pause aid to Ukraine once

in office.

As we mentioned earlier on the show, Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved a record setting defense budget of about $126 billion. The

spending will account for almost a third of Moscow's 2025 budget.

But Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines in the Kursk region are crucial battleground underway. Nick Paton Walsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): They have a three-second window, rushing out with a U.S. supplied Stinger and an

aging anti-aircraft gun to shoot down Russian attack drones in the fleeting moment they fly overhead in range.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Three kilometers from us.

WALSH: Three kilometers from them.

WALSH (voice-over): They could hit that and prepare to. But the radar is wrong and they pause to hear it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Turn there.

WALSH (voice-over): So, reposition the entire truck, but suddenly, the drone has vanished. It sounded like a decoy. But that usually means others

are coming. And the sky is filling up with drones in the next region.

A month ago, the targets here seemed endless. November was a record month for drones across Ukraine, that usually crash into towns, not this empty

field.

Their sound slices through the dark.

WALSH: It was pretty low and close, and while they think this is Ukrainian drones headed for Russia, the Russians also used this moment to take the

same routes to try and sneak their drones in.

WALSH (voice-over): Right now, a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia is underway, so they've been forbidden, even if they could, to fire. Each

night, they watch Russian drones weave their complex way out of their tiny range.

When the defenses fail, the icy silence breaks. Moscow pummeling the border town Sumy, here with a cluster munition missile that killed 12 in an

apartment block because Ukraine is still inside Russia, holding positions in Kursk.

This thermal drone image shows, just hours earlier, the dawn's fight in Kursk for Oleksandr.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The assault teams came in the dawn grey. There was almost not contact. We worked with bird (drones). Then the

infantry simply swept them up.

WALSH (voice-over): In the positions they've hit, no sign of the North Korean troops meant to be in Kursk. Instead, Chechens, even African

mercenaries, but above all endless waves of Russians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have the impression they have unlimited people. It's like the next Russians don't know what happened to

the previous Russians. So, they go there, into the unknown.

[14:50:00]

WALSH (voice-over): His Humvee is a mess. He hasn't slept for three days and shelling has damaged his hearing, but he knows what he'd say to

President-Elect Donald Trump, when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the '90s, we a promise protection.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You took away our nuclear weapons? You promised us protection? Yes, in simple terms, so keep your word. We're

being slaughtered, and you're still trying to play games, to defend your interests. You have to give everything your could to end this war in two

days. Who will believe the words of the U.S. or England, who are pissing themselves in front of Russia? Pardon my English.

WALSH (voice-over): Confident they can hold out in Kursk, less confident of how long the west expects them to.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Sumy, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: Now, Authorities in Guinea say 56 people were killed and many others injured in a crowd crush at a football match. One video shows fans

climbing a wall to try to get out of the packed stadium, you can see there. A local news report said fighting had started when fans grew angry over

refereeing decisions in clash with security officers. CNN has not been able to verify those reports.

And disturbing news coming out of Northwest Pakistan, where at least 130 people have been killed in sectarian violence. The violence flared 10 days

ago when gunmen ambushed a convoy killing dozens of Shiite Muslims. There has been no claim of responsibility for the assault, which triggered days

of attacks by rival groups. Last week, government officials brokered a ceasefire between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, but it did not hold.

Still to come on the show tonight, Oxford's word of the year is out. If you try and figure it out on social media, the grey matter in your mind may

decay. We'll explain, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: A new metro system in the Greek City of Thessaloniki has uncovered some ancient secrets. These are some of the artifacts found while

constructing the underground driverless railway system, now on display under protective glass inside one of the metro stations.

Now, archaeologists dug up some 300,000 objects, look at that, and the metro open this weekend, jammed with passengers eager, of course, to

experience the city's new rapid transit system. And speaking of Greece, the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will be on Quest Means Business

in a little over an hour or so for a lively discussion, as we all expect, with our Richard Quest. Don't miss that.

[14:55:00]

Now, spending too much time scrolling aimlessly on social media If so, you might be suffering from brain rot. That is a term that's so popular it's

actually just been named Oxford's Word of the Year for 2024. The Oxford University Press describes it as the deterioration of the person's mental

state after over consuming trivial content online. The phrase, brain rot, was first coined over a century ago by author Henry David Thoreau, but it's

use has skyrocketed in the last year amid growing concerns about the impacts of doom scrolling. You won't get brain rot if you watch our show.

That is for certain.

And just before we go, we have some news coming in to CNN. President-Elect Donald Trump has been posting the last few minutes on social media. He says

that there will be, quote, "all hell to pay in the Middle East," his words, if the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza aren't released by the time he's

sworn into office, as of course, January 20th.

Israeli officials believe some 101 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Most of whom were taken on October the 7th of last year. We'll stay across

this story. Newsroom with Jim Sciutto will have much more in the next hour. For tonight though, that is all. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END