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Isa Soares Tonight
Trump Renews Threats, Touts "Serious" Talks With Iran; Israeli Offensive Expands Into Southern Lebanon; Fidel Castro's Grandson Criticizes Cuban President; Some TSA Workers Start Receiving Their Back Pay; U.N.: Two Peacekeepers Killed In Blast In Southern Lebanon; Israeli Offensive Expands In Southern Lebanon. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired March 30, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Max Foster in for Isa Soares. Tonight, President Donald Trump
issues new threats to Iran, saying if a deal isn't reached soon, the U.S. will obliterate the country's energy sources.
Then, as Israel pushes further into southern Lebanon, aid groups are ringing the alarm bell, saying the war has now displaced 20 percent of the
country's population. We'll have the very latest. Plus, we'll take a closer look at the world of hyper real reborn dolls, which look uncannily like
newborn babies.
We'll have much more ahead. Now puzzling mix of diplomacy and threats from the American President, and signs that the war with Iran could escalate as
energy shortages stretch across the globe.
Here are the latest developments for you in an online post, President Donald Trump wrote that the United States is in serious talks with a new
and more reasonable regime. But in that very same message, he threatened to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure if a deal isn't reached.
Tehran rejected President Trump's claim that it had accepted most of the U.S. proposal, saying the plan contained largely excessive, unrealistic and
unreasonable demands. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wouldn't say who the U.S. was negotiating with, but says there are fractures in Iran's
leadership.
The White House believes talks are progressing well as the U.S. military operation moves forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The United States is conducting more intense, targeted strikes with devastating combat power
with each passing day to destroy the threat posed by the Iranian terrorist regime as President Trump sought out to do a month ago.
It's no surprise that we are seeing the remaining elements of the regime become increasingly eager to end the destruction, and come to the
negotiating table while they still can. Despite all of the public posturing you hear from the regime and false reporting, talks are continuing and
going well. What is said publicly is, of course, much different than what's being communicated to us privately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, oil prices remain volatile, that's after President Trump told "The Financial Times" that taking Iran's oil would be his favorite thing.
More on the markets in just a moment. Our Kevin Liptak in Washington following all of this.
The messaging is a bit confusing. I think, you know, a lot of the reporting around these talks is that it's not clear who the talks are with, and
whether they have absolute authority in Iran.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, and that's to be frank, a confusion that exists inside the administration as well. Yes, that
they are passing these messages between the intermediaries.
You know, the Pakistanis, the Turkish officials, but they don't necessarily know whether the people on the other end of those messages have ultimate
decision-making power inside Iran. It's one of the big questions that is sort of hovering over these budding peace talks.
It's something that Marco Rubio sort of tacitly acknowledged in interviews earlier today, because when you do hear officials in Tehran speaking about
these peace plans, and about the 15-point document that the U.S. has proposed to end the conflict, they do not sound particularly open to many
of the points.
You know, the Foreign Ministry said today that it was excessive that it was unreasonable, and a large part of what Karoline Leavitt was doing from the
White House over the last hour was really trying to square what had been a relatively optimistic outlook from President Trump with what you're hearing
from the Iranians.
And she said, essentially that their private messages have been far more sort of open to discussions that what they're talking about behind the
scenes is much more -- it's heading in much more of the right direction than perhaps it would be indicated by what they have been communicating in
public.
But she didn't necessarily divulge what led the President to say in that Truth Social post that this new Iranian regime was more reasonable than the
one that had been replaced.
Because certainly, when you talk to Iranian experts and analysts, they suggest that many of the individuals that have come along and to replace,
for example, the supreme leader, other top officials who have been assassinated.
[14:05:00]
They say that those are in fact, more hardline replacements, that the regime, since the start of this war, has only become more entrenched and
more extreme. And so, you hear the White House really trying to sort of navigate this into a place where it does appear that diplomacy is
proceeding fruitfully.
Now, at the same time, there is this other contradictory message that's coming from the United States, which is this additional build-up of
military assets, even as President Trump states that he is looking to achieve a deal.
So, you have, for example, the 82nd airborne heading into the region. You have the marine expeditionary units headed into the region, all suggesting
that the President is nearing a decision on sending American troops into Iran for some sort of operation.
Whether it's to take Kharg Island, that key export hub, or whether it's to go in and to try and retrieve the nearly 100 kilo -- 1,000 kilograms of
nuclear material. The White House saying today that those options are not off the table, but suggesting that the President is very interested in
trying to see where this diplomacy ultimately goes.
FOSTER: Kevin, thank you. We're going to go to Jeremy Diamond, he's in Tel Aviv, but aware that he's just had an evacuation warning as well. What's
going on, Jeremy? OK --
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Coming from Tel Aviv --
FOSTER: Sorry, where -- obviously, he's had to go to a shelter there, so, he's lost signal. Kevin, if I could go -- just get back to you. I want to
ask you about the threats the President has made against the energy infrastructure.
This has obviously alarmed a lot of people around the world, because that would affect everyone in Iran. I mean, some people arguing it could even be
a war crime.
LIPTAK: Yes, and particularly, that sort of parenthetical in the Truth Social post that he was eyeing desalination plants in Iran. You know, this
could potentially amount to a war crime under international law.
The White House is sort of downplaying that idea, saying that the Armed Forces in the U.S. always adhere to international law, but that the
President is very serious about Iran coming to a deal, essentially putting the onus on Iran's leaders to try and negotiate a way out of this conflict
before the President has to rely on these options that he has now been publicly floating for a week now.
Because, remember, it was last Monday that the President or was last Friday that the President said that he was going to target an Iranian nuclear
power plant -- not a nuclear power plant, just an energy plant within 48 hours if they didn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He backed off that threat on Monday morning, he extended the deadline ten days. Now, the President is reiterating that he still has this threat on
his mind.
But it is, I think, an interesting indication, that for as long as this conflict has been going on, the President seems mostly focused on the
Iranian regime here about trying to get them to come to the table.
The actions that he is describing potentially taking here would have an enormous effect on the Iranian people, on the civilian population of Iran.
And when you think all the way back to January of where this conflict began, and where President Trump's mind was back then, it was to try and
come to the aid of the Iranian civilian population of the protesters on the street.
Now, all this many months later, the focus of the President, very much not on the Iranian civilian population.
FOSTER: OK, appreciate it, thank you, Kevin. I think we can now speak to Jeremy in Tel Aviv. But you had to move position, Jeremy.
DIAMOND: Yes, that's right. We just got air raid sirens coming in here to Tel Aviv, the first that we have had in the Tel Aviv area today. In fact,
in the last 24 hours, there's really been only a few sirens that have sounded in the area.
There were sirens in northern Israel earlier today -- as we were coming down into this reinforced stairwell here, we did hear one of those
interceptor missiles being fired off, and then subsequently heard a boom, indicating a very likely interception of the latest ballistic missile from
Iran.
But we'll, of course, be checking for any reports of falls as we've been seeing Iran using these cluster ammunitions increasingly against Israeli
residential targets here. What we've also been watching for today is the hit that happened today at a Haifa Oil Refinery.
This is just the latest time that we have seen Iran and its proxies targeting that oil refinery in northern Israel. And it's especially notable
as we are seeing this escalation of Israeli strikes in Iran against infrastructure targets.
Iran also clearly playing the same game here as it targeted that oil refinery facility. And now, of course, also talking about striking
universities as a result as well.
FOSTER: OK, Jeremy, appreciate it, thank you, Kevin also in Washington. So, could the U.S. actually seize Kharg Island, and what would a potential
ground invasion look like?
[14:10:00]
Defense analyst Brynn Tannehill is a Navy veteran and a former Iran analyst for the U.S. Naval Reserve as well. Thank you so much for joining us. We're
talking about Kharg Island because when Donald Trump talks about attacking energy infrastructure, that's the real Iranian prize, isn't it?
BRYNN TANNEHILL, U.S. NAVY VETERAN: Well, that's the Iranian prize. And it's where they're drawing their money currently. Some estimates place
Iranian revenue off of oil at twice what it was prior to the beginning of the conflict due to rises in oil prices and rises in production.
FOSTER: I wanted also just discuss with you, we had some numbers earlier today. I just wanted to put to you as someone who has experience of these
sorts of missions, but we're told that 3,500 U.S. sailors and marines have arrived in the Middle East, which is notable because we were obviously
waiting for this flight carrier to arrive in the Middle East.
And that was the signal that they were going to start the war. And then, there's talk about ground troops. And we've got 3,500 U.S. sailors and
marines arriving there. What could they do with that number of military?
TANNEHILL: So, the marine expeditionary unit centered around the USS Tripoli arrived, I believe, last Friday. There's two more en route, which
could take up to another 30 days to arrive. We're also seeing elements of the 82nd Airborne moving into the theater, along with potential reports
from the first mount -- I'm sorry, the 10th Mountain Division in the 101st airborne potentially.
What I am looking for to signal what's going to happen, and it's not just Kharg Island. They could also potentially take places like Abu Musa and the
Greater Tunbs if they want to control, if the U.S. wants to control entrance and exit from the Strait of Hormuz.
But looking at Kharg Island, I would expect airstrikes on the island, which we've already done or more airstrikes as Iran has been reinforcing defenses
there. Looking at airstrikes on the Iranian mainland, followed up by marines and airborne troops being delivered by helicopters or by MV 22
Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
They would seize ingress and egress points and try and secure them so that heavier equipment can be moved in probably by air. The marines won't be
able to come in via amphibious craft unless the U.S. secures control of the Strait first.
But why would the U.S. take control of -- take control of Kharg if they've already secured the Strait, which is kind of the number one priority for
the U.S. at this time, I believe.
FOSTER: Yes, that's --
TANNEHILL: And for the Iranians.
FOSTER: Yes, so, they need the access to the Strait around Hormuz in order to get to Kharg Island. So, we're not going to see any movement in terms of
ground --
TANNEHILL: You know --
FOSTER: Troops you're saying.
TANNEHILL: With amphibious assault, correct. Yes --
FOSTER: Yes --
TANNEHILL: So, if they want to have like a landing craft going up on the beaches, you're going to have to get closer to the island with the
amphibious assault carriers, right? Like the Tripoli and the other ones that are in the Marine Expeditionary Unit with it.
So, if that's unavailable, they're going to have to use MV 22 Tiltrotor aircraft to insert the marines. And with the airborne, 82nd Airborne might
be involved in securing the airfield at Kharg Island.
FOSTER: If you were running that mission, what would your concern be? Because, you know, we come very close to the much higher possibility of
casualties, don't we?
TANNEHILL: We do. And so, my main concern, the thing that would frighten me the most is the use of medium range loitering munitions that are FPV, first
person view. Iran has something similar to the lancet drones used by Russia.
And there's a lot of propaganda value to Iran releasing videos of marines dying very up-close and personal from the drones during their terminal run.
And that could have a significant effect on U.S. public opinion on the war. Those videos start happening and those casualties start happening.
FOSTER: Yes, that is the big risk, isn't it? Of this move, the political impact at home as well, of course, on, you know, the risk to troops. Brynn,
really appreciate your analysis again. Thank you. Well, with President Trump threatening to expand the war, one moment -- and talking about
negotiations, the next investors have rattled and unsure what to do.
All prices keep moving higher amid fears the Strait of Hormuz won't be reopening anytime soon. The U.S. benchmark, West Texas crude is above a
$100 a barrel again, levels not seen since 2022. European leaders say all of this is likely to impact consumers for a while.
[14:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRIEDRICH MERZ, CHANCELLOR, GERMANY (through translator): This war affects us all. It has entered our everyday lives. For weeks now, petrol and energy
costs for German households and businesses have been rising.
And finally, we must once again step-up police protection outside synagogues and Jewish communities. If this war escalates into a major
regional conflict, it could place an even greater burden on Germany and Europe as heavy as we last experienced during the COVID pandemic or at the
start of the war in Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Let's talk about the oil prices then with Anna. And very interesting report by JPMorgan where they basically mapped out when the
shortages would appear. And it's actually quite a simple process, isn't it? So, the last shipments left the Middle East at the end of February.
They normally arrive in Asia first. We're getting shortages there in southeast Asia, but it will inevitably come to Africa, Europe and America
as well.
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMIC CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, this report laid it out that if we have the status quo, you know, everything
remains as it is. The Strait of Hormuz basically blocked off, then we will get this crisis moving westwards around the world.
It's a global crisis, but it's also a regional crisis. So, we've seen these shortages in Asia, high prices having an impact. And that's because it
takes around 10 to 20 days for oil to get to Asia. Well, now at day 31 of the conflict, and so, between day 20 and 35, that's when, you know, post a
ship leaving the Strait of Hormuz.
That's when we start to see those shipments arrive in Africa and Europe. And so, this crisis is going to rumble its way westwards throughout the
world. And so, it's no surprise then, that we're starting to see European countries introduce these energy-conserving measures like we've seen in
Asia.
The Philippines was the first country to declare a national emergency. And now, we're seeing Poland introduce a fuel price cap like South Korea. And
we're seeing France introduce subsidies, fuel subsidies for fishing and farming industries. So, this is a rumbling crisis, but it's moving west.
FOSTER: And just -- when I talked about this earlier, people pointed out, Nigeria has oil. Europe has a supply of oil from Norway, for example, and
the U.S. has a lot of its own domestic oil supply. Just explain how that doesn't actually make a difference.
COOBAN: Well, it makes -- it makes some of it -- some difference. I mean, Asia, 60 percent of its oil comes from the Middle East. So, it gets it
first. But it also feels the real -- like physical shortages. And that's kind of where we're heading to at the moment.
Europe has more of an inventory in general. It's also got this Atlantic basin that it can get oil from. The U.S. produces its own oil, but it's
still going to be impacted very severely --
FOSTER: It's not enough --
COOBAN: It's not enough --
FOSTER: Very sleaze(ph), yes --
COOBAN: It's not enough, and then with the price, especially in the United States, that's where -- it's -- even though it's massive oil producer, it's
not insulated from high prices, and that's what we're seeing at the moment.
FOSTER: Is one of your concerns that, you know, when it does start to bite, psychology sort of takes over and people start panic-buying, stocking up,
and that only exacerbates the problem?
COOBAN: Well, we've already seen Japan actually urge people -- I mean, Japan gets 90 percent of its oil from the Middle East. So, that's -- you
know, trends are really suffering. And the Japanese government has urged people not to panic, buy toilet roll because people -- you know,
psychologically, people are worried about product shortages --
FOSTER: It's always toilet roll, isn't it?
COOBAN: It's always toilet roll. We saw where he -- in the COVID pandemic, but --
FOSTER: Yes --
COOBAN: You speak about psychology --
FOSTER: Yes --
COOBAN: And so, we don't want to get to a point where we're panicking as we have seen in parts --
FOSTER: But that's an impossible situation, isn't it, for authorities? Because it's very hard to manage.
COOBAN: It's extremely hard. And you know, we saw the International Energy Agency come out with this global plan. I mean, when Russia invaded Ukraine
a few years ago, where there was a sort of energy-saving measures for Europe. But now, the IEA is talking about energy-saving measures for the
world --
FOSTER: Yes --
COOBAN: Saying, please, turn down your air-con --
FOSTER: Yes --
COOBAN: Share, you know, car journeys. This is, you know, talks about it being a regional crisis, but it is fundamentally, you know, the world is in
this chokehold at the moment, and it doesn't seem to be abating.
FOSTER: Just because we're in the U.K., but there was an interesting example today, wasn't there? Keir Starmer hosting a meeting with business
executives, which almost -- you know, to deal, you know, so they can help with this Iran issue, which is sort of alarming in itself because he's
saying, I can't -- we can't do this on our own as a government, we need business.
COOBAN: Yes.
FOSTER: But then afterwards, he just comes up with these very generic comments, saying we're planning for it. But with this distrusting
government, without the specifics, it's hard to believe many of these leaders, particularly when we went through similar crises not that long
ago.
COOBAN: Also, without being a fatalist about it, it's difficult when we're talking about the global price of oil for any one government to really --
you know, truly bring down the price. I mean, they can offer subsidies, but that will only go so far.
And you can only do that for so long before those costs are passed on to the taxpayer. So, you know, it's -- everyone is in a bit of a bind at the
moment, and I think a lot of people feel a little bit powerless with the scale of this crisis.
FOSTER: OK, Anna, thank you as ever. Still to come tonight, a CNN exclusive from Cuba. We'll hear from the grandson of former leader Fidel Castro and
the issues where he might actually agree with the U.S. President, Donald Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:20:00]
FOSTER: Moscow says it's broken the fuel blockade imposed on Cuba by the U.S. Russia -- Russian state media reporting a tanker with nearly 730,000
barrels of oil has reached a Cuban port. These reports are yet to be verified by CNN.
But President Donald Trump, who restricted vital fuel shipments from Venezuela to Cuba, says he's OK with the development and will not
retaliate. He also says the fuel must only be used for humanitarian purposes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a tanker out there. We don't mind having somebody get a boat-load because they need -- they
have to survive. It wouldn't bother me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, that report is true as far as you know --
TRUMP: Well, I would say -- I told them if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: More from Cuba now, where CNN's Patrick Oppmann sat down with the influencer grandson of Fidel Castro, the man who led the Caribbean Island
for almost five decades. In an exclusive interview, they discussed his political preferences with his -- or differences, rather, with his
grandfather and his surprising support of Donald Trump's economic policies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CUBA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this social media satire video, Donald Trump arrives in Cuba to buy the island. While this
Trump is a fake, he's dealing with a real member of the Castro family.
Fidel Castro's grandson, Sandro Castro, an influencer and nightclub impresario who says he has no interest in politics. The very public face of
an otherwise still mysterious family that has held power in Cuba for nearly seven decades.
At an interview in his apartment in Havana, Sandra Castro says he is a sign of the changing times on the communist-run island.
(On camera): And what would your grandfather, Fidel Castro, say that you're more capitalist than communist?
SANDRO CASTRO, FIDEL CASTRO'S GRANDSON & SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
OPPMANN: But all the capitalists had to leave Cuba.
S. CASTRO: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
OPPMANN: When we arrived for the interview, the neighborhood Castro lives in is in a blackout, a near-constant condition these days with the U.S. oil
blockade and power plants breaking down. Sandro Castro's apartment is lit by an electric generator, but from his balcony, the surrounding houses are
in near-total darkness.
[14:25:00]
He shows me his one-bedroom bachelor pad, how he lacks paint for the wall. How his fridge is nearly empty except for the Cuban beer he's always
drinking. I point out that the appliance is a foreign brand that most Cubans could never hope to afford.
His famous last name, Sandro Castro, wants people to know, doesn't come with any special treatment in a Cuba on the edge of economic collapse.
S. CASTRO: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
OPPMANN (on camera): Even for a Castro (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
S. CASTRO: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
OPPMANN: But bigger Castro must help you --
S. CASTRO: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuba faces unprecedented U.S. pressure to open politically and economically. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio; a Cuban-
American, has been reaching out to Cuban officials, including members of the Castro family.
In one of his videos, Sandro Castro pretends to receive a call from Rubio, who he then hangs up on. Rubio has said Cuba needs new leadership, and that
could include Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel stepping down, despite Fidel and Raul Castro's support for Diaz-Canel over many years. Sandro
Castro says he is no fan.
(On camera): Do you think President Diaz-Canel is doing a good job?
S. CASTRO: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
OPPMANN (voice-over): Cuba's leaders reject attempts to blame them for the crisis, and Sandro Castro says, officials have questioned him about his
often surreal and critical postings. As well, Cuban exiles regularly attack him online, he says.
(On camera): Why do you think there are people, though, that hate the Castro family so much?
S. CASTRO: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
OPPMANN (voice-over): Sandro Castro says he supports Trump's calls to open the economy, if not his threats against the island. At the end of his
video, he takes the U.S. leader on a tour of Havana, hope from at least one member of the Castro family.
That historic deal with the U.S., and opening on the island are possible. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: To Venezuela though next where the U.S. has reopened its embassy in Caracas for the first time in seven years. The move symbolizes a rapid
improvement in ties between the two countries. Almost three months after the U.S. capture of ex Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department also removed, "do not travel" advisories for a number of regions in Venezuela. We're going to take you to
a short break now. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:18]
FOSTER: U.S. airport security wait times seem to be easing back to normal. Thankfully, a week ago, travelers were stuck for hours in long lines, some
that stretched out into parking lots. Today, with some TSA workers getting back pay, lines took significantly shorter. President Trump on ordered the
agency to resume paying TSA agents who've been working without pay since mid-February amid a partial government shutdown. Ed Lavender joins us from
George Bush International -- Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.
A relief for passengers, but also for these poor agents as well. Ed?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think passengers are walking into this terminal today, Max, and just kind of
flabbergasted by what they're seeing here because it is so dramatically different from how this looked last week. Look, this was all filled with
people. Let me show you around the terminal here.
Last week, when we spoke, all of this was filled with thousands of people. The lines spilled outside the terminal into the vehicle passenger drop-off
area where they had made makeshift lines, and for people to get through security there. It also spilled up to two floors below, where we are on
this level. But here now the wait times are under 10 minutes. So everything moving much in a much different way.
Now I should also point out that this isn't perfect by any means. There are usually nine security checkpoints at this airport that are up and running.
They are still functioning at 2:00. And some of the services like TSA pre and clear, those as far as we know, are still not up and running as well.
But we do know that there were plans in the works to bring in about 32 additional TSA employees from other parts of the country to bring them in
here to help out and alleviate the pressure.
And we've also seen ICE agents working a little bit more up close with passengers instead of hanging around like the periphery that we saw so much
last week. But now, when we look into the security area throughout the morning and the afternoon, we have seen at times where ICE agents are
working the checkpoints where people are turning in their IDs and working that. I've also seen a few at different times of the day depending on the
shift, where they have been helping passengers put their personal belongings on the conveyor belt leading in through the screening process
and the X-ray machines, and that sort of thing.
So that seems to have changed a little bit. And obviously this fluctuates a little bit depending on when, if there's a shift change in the passenger
load, and that sort of thing. But regardless, throughout the day today, this has been dramatically different from what we've seen in the past. And
this is an airport that has really taken the brunt of this shutdown.
The TSA callout employee, callout rates have been around 40 percent. Now, we have data from the last day. It was around 35. So fewer employees
calling out and showing up to work here as well. This is some of the employees have told us they are starting to see their pay being backfired,
filled in their bank accounts. Not everybody, though.
I have talked to a couple of TSA employees who say they have still not seen the pay deposits in their bank accounts just yet. But perhaps that's
starting to come online for a lot of these people, and perhaps that will begin to alleviate the pressure that so many passengers and these airports
have been under for weeks now. Max.
FOSTER: Ed, appreciate it. Thank you so much. Some good news today, at least.
Still Trump tonight, a new alert about the impact of Israeli strikes in Lebanon, and how many children are being displaced there. And then the
Israeli military has taken disciplinary action after soldiers assaulted and detained a CNN crew covering settler violence in the West Bank.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:37:34]
FOSTER: Two U.N. peacekeepers have now been killed in southern Lebanon after an explosion destroyed the vehicle after another deadly incident less
than 24 hours earlier. The U.N. mission says they were Indonesians and that the human cost of this conflict is far too high. UNICEF says Israeli
strikes in the southern part of Lebanon have displaced 20 percent of the country's population in just three weeks. It estimates 19,000 children are
forced to leave their homes every single day.
Want to go now to Jim Sciutto. He's actually joining us from a bunker in Tel Aviv after a warning siren. Jim? Jim. A few minutes ago.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: That's right, Max. This is the second time in the last several minutes where there has been a missile
fired and an interception. We can see them. In fact, we can see the Israeli interceptors rising up in the sky to meet those missiles. Second time we've
had this air raid warning in just the last few minutes after what was a relatively quiet day.
Now, Max, as you know, this is a multi-front war for Israel. And on Sunday went up to the northern front, the northern part of Israel, where Israel is
engaged in, well, an open conflict with Hezbollah there, pushing further into Lebanon as the fire in northern Israel continues.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NISAN ZEEVI, SECURITY SQUAD VOLUNTEER: Okay, let's go to the --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.
SCIUTTO (voiceover): It's a fact of life on Israel's northern border that incoming Hezbollah fire comes frequently and without warning.
SCIUTTO: So this is life up in the north. They say about 40 warnings like that a day. We just had two of them in the span of five minutes.
Combination of rockets, sometimes anti-tank missiles, but also increasingly drones. And some of them can't be intercepted.
SCIUTTO (voiceover): The kibbutz Kfar Giladi lies just about a mile from the border with Lebanon. After the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Israel
evacuated communities like these. But during this war, they're staying.
ZEEVI: You know, our children in the shelter for more than 29 days in a shelter, not allowing to go out, you know, all the economic ecosystem
collapse.
SCIUTTO (voiceover): What's different now is that Israeli forces are pushing into southern Lebanon, they say to push Hezbollah further back.
[14:40:05]
CAPTAIN "M", ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: At the hills past the wall you would have seen --
SCIUTTO (voiceover): This company commander, the IDF only allows us to identify him as Captain M. regularly leads operations inside Lebanon.
SCIUTTO: What leads you to go across? Is it a particular threat or is it just establishing a regular presence?
CAPTAIN "M": It's a bit of both. More often than not it's a concrete threat. That's a we'll get from the intelligence that we have. Terrorists
that are trying to come near the border, that we have ammunition that is stored somewhere, that there are tunnels that are still around, whatever it
is.
SCIUTTO (voiceover): Visiting the north himself, Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israeli forces would push even further into
Lebanon.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (voiceover): In Lebanon, I've just instructed to further expand the existing security zone in order to
decisively thwart the threat of invasion and to push anti-tank missile fire away from our border.
SCIUTTO (voiceover): It's a move that Zeevi and other northern residents welcome.
ZEEVI: This time the IDF actually did what us, the civil society that settled here years ago, expect them to do.
SCIUTTO: Which is?
ZEEVI: to go in front of us, not behind us. We cannot be the first line with his bellow.
SCIUTTO (voiceover): The Israeli government now speaks of military operations all the way up to the Litani River, some 20 miles into Lebanese
territory, to create this so-called buffer zone. Israel has now forced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians from their homes in the
southern part of the country. And yet Hezbollah fire continues. Today the IDF is prepared to operate inside Lebanon for as long as they are ordered
to.
CAPTAIN "M": I can tell you that when we get an order, we will do whatever we need to do. And I think, and I want to believe that the army will make
decisions for what is best for the Israeli civilians that live here.
SCIUTTO (voiceover): The questions for Israel are how much further into Lebanon and for how long. For now, Israeli officials leave those questions
unanswered.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCIUTTO: Of course, the other unanswered question, Max, is are these wars against Hezbollah and Lebanon and against Iran, do they end or do they just
pause? What is victory exactly for Israel? Same question could be said for the United States, or is it going to be chapters of an ongoing war in
southern Lebanon, deep up into the country in Beirut, and in Iran?
We've already seen a couple chapters of this war going back to June last year, and now against Iran, and many chapters against Lebanon. The question
is, when does it end? And that's one that is also unanswered.
FOSTER: Just explain to us, Jim, how significant what's happening in Lebanon is. If we take away what was happening in Iran, this would be a
huge story, wouldn't it? But somehow it gets overshadowed by the Iran war.
SCIUTTO: Well, they are connected, of course, because Hezbollah is backed by Iran. But the war in Lebanon goes back, as you know, decades to the 80s
in a long and bloody Israeli occupation of Lebanon that only ended in 2000. So, yes, of course, by itself, it is a nation at war. The goal there is to
eliminate Hezbollah.
Hezbollah deeply ingrained in the society, even in the political system. The question is, does that happen purely by force? Is there some
negotiation? There have been ceasefires in the past. Those ceasefires have certainly not led to an end of the military conflict.
FOSTER: Okay, Jim, appreciate it. Stay safe. Thank you.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is condemning a surge in settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. He's vowing to bring those
responsible to justice, saying, quote, "grave offenses against innocent people undermine the rule of law."
Accountability is rare for the near-daily attacks against Palestinians and their homes, cars, and land. Israeli human rights groups and opposition
leaders call it Jewish terrorism. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert even told the Guardian that he's taken the extraordinary step of asking the
International Criminal Court to intervene. The U.N. Human Rights Office says the violence is coordinated and strategic, accusing Israeli
authorities of playing a central role in directing, participating in, or enabling the attacks.
The Palestinian Health Ministry says settlers have killed at least five Palestinians in the West Bank in just the past month alone. CNN's Jeremy
Diamond and his team earlier went to the West Bank to report on settler violence, and they witnessed the military stepping in after a brutal attack
last week on Palestinians, but not to take action against the settlers.
Soldiers detained our crew along with several Palestinians instead, and one of our photojournalists was even assaulted.
[14:45:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIAMOND (voiceover): Producer Abeer Salman identifies us as journalists before translating the soldiers' commands.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sit down, sit down.
DIAMOND: So the soldiers just immediately came up and started pointing their weapons directly at us, telling everyone to sit down immediately.
Obviously, we're not posing any threat here.
DIAMOND (voiceover): The commander comes straight for our camera, and within seconds, a soldier has just put photojournalist Cyril Theophilus in
a chokehold, forcing him to the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't touch him like that. Don't touch him like that. Give me my phone. Give me my phone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, the Israeli military's top general has now suspended all operational activities of the reserve battalion involved in that incident,
calling it a serious ethical and professional failure. One soldier was dismissed from military service entirely. The IGF says military police will
investigate the assault on CNN's photojournalist and the Israeli journalist union demanding full prosecutions. We'll be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Hyperreal dolls, they're becoming popular with adults. They're called "Reborn" dolls and are being embraced by art collectors or mothers
who suffer the loss of a child. Christina Macfarlane dives into the fascination and backlash surrounding this uncanny world of lifelike
creations.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh, look at her.
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): All around the world, grown women are falling in love with hyper-realistic dolls. They look and
feel uncannily like newborn babies. With some posts racking up millions of views on TikTok, I've been going down a rabbit hole on this phenomenon for
months and decided to head to one of the largest doll shows in the world, the big event in the Netherlands, to understand what this is all about.
MACFARLANE: The skin feels so incredibly real. Can I hold her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course. She's heavy for her.
MACFARLANE: She's quite heavy, yes. It's a very surreal experience to be here because you are just surrounded by babies, newborns, toddlers looking
at you. And there are lots of people here pushing their baby dolls around in push chairs, carrying them in slings.
[14:50:03]
MACFARLANE (voiceover): Here, collectors and creators can stock up on everything for their Reborn dolls, as they're known.
MACFARLANE: Take a look at that. Glass baby eyes for your baby heads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This car is for Grace Kelly.
MACFARLANE: This exact one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.
MACFARLANE: Grace Kelly. This is Grace Kelly's?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MACFARLANE (voiceover): And above all, they can mingle free of judgment for a change.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live alone, and babies is my hobby.
MACFARLANE: Do you enjoy carrying her in a sling like this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's my therapy baby. When I say it's my therapy baby, they don't think you're crazy.
MACFARLANE (voiceover): The term Reborn first came into play in the 90s when doll aficionados in the U.S. started adding more realistic features to
factory made dolls. Now, Reborns are handmade from scratch and using vinyl or silicone, and they've become a booming industry.
MACFARLANE: So, if I were to buy this now, it's 10,000.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MACFARLANE (voiceover): With reborns.com just one of several retail websites saying it sells on average, dozens a day. Many sculptors and
artists like Nathalie Moiselet from France, say they make a comfortable living selling their lifelike creations worldwide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to insert the hair, open the mouth, create tongue. It creates an emotion. I don't sell dollars. I sell emotions.
MACFARLANE (voiceover): And boy, can it be emotional.
MACFARLANE: And at the moment here, the baby's chest is breathing. Oh, my goodness. Wow.
MACFARLANE (voiceover): These days, the Reborn community is mainly split into two camps, art and therapy.
ZOE MILLER, THERAPY ADVOCATE: I always say to people, please don't judge.
MACFARLANE: This is Zoe Miller, a Reborn Therapy advocate and artist who tries to educate people on social media. The British mother of six says
Dolls came into her life after her kids moved out and amid various health struggles, including with multiple sclerosis.
MILLER: If I'm having a flare-up, it can be really scary. And they just give me that sense of like, everything's going to be okay. It's taking my
mind off of what's happening right now and. And brings my anxiety down a lot.
MACFARLANE: You have six children, seven grandchildren. People will wonder why you need to have baby dolls.
MILLER: That's fine.
MACFARLANE: Can you explain?
MILLER: Because I can't have another baby. I'm 50 years old next year, and I love babies. And I have had some trauma in my past, like many women, and
I have lost babies. That leaves a scar somewhere, you know, and that's happened to me. So for that fact -- sorry. I was going to cry then.
MACFARLANE: It's okay.
MILLER: Sorry.
MACFARLANE (voiceover): Zoe gifts Reborns that she paints herself to women for therapy, including those who have lost their own children, like her
friend Sharon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no. Hi. Hello. How are you? Come on, sweetie. Oh, you've had a long journey.
MACFARLANE: Two of Sharon's children died tragically, one at just 21 months. In recent years, she's turned to Reborn dolls to help her cope with
the grief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have two girls and a boy now. Yes.
MACFARLANE: How does that help you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels a good gap. I won't say it fills it completely because nothing's going to replace my children. Sorry. But yes,
they really help me. They really do help me. Do you want to hold her?
MACFARLANE: I would love.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. You're very welcome.
MACFARLANE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That way.
MACFARLANE: Yes. Oh my gosh. It's like having a newborn all over again, you know, it's -- it's like my body remembers. I'm a mom of two. And my body
feels a bit tricked right now, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MACFARLANE: Okay, Sharon. It is very cold.
MACFARLANE (voiceover): Zoe and Sharon know a lot of people can't understand their love for these dolls. But it's clear how much they help
soothe their trauma. And I for one, think there's nothing wrong with that. Christina MacFarlane, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Right, we're going to move on. NASA saying it plans to launch its first crew lunar mission in over half a century this week. It's 80 percent
go for astronauts are due to embark on a 10-day mission flying around the moon on board this, the Artemis II moon rocket. It'll take them deeper into
space than any human has ever been before. Their aim is to test NASA's systems ahead of its planned moon landing mission in a couple of years.
[14:55:05]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA KOCH, ARTEMIS II MISSION SPECIALIST: Really, the question is not should we go? But should we lead or should we follow? That's how I see it
because everyone, many countries have recognized the value that there is in exploring further into the solar system, to the moon, and onto Mars. They
recognize that not only can we gain all these extremely tangible benefits, but that we have the opportunity to answer the question that could be the
question of our lifetime, which is, are we alone?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, it took just three minutes, and they were gone. Three priceless paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, and Matisse have been stolen from a
museum in northern Italy. Four thieves wearing hoods burst into the museum, grabbed the paintings, and ran out in just three minutes. The pieces stolen
are said to be worth more than $10 million. And the heist happened more than a week ago, but was only revealed now. Police still searching for the
suspects.
A slightly different heist is also making headlines. Thieves in Europe have grabbed a truck full of KitKats, 413,000 KitKats. The truck was on its way
from Italy to Poland and was carrying 12 tons of the chocolate-covered wafers. If you don't know them, a spokesman for Nestle says they applaud
the thief's taste but would like their chocolate back.
Thanks for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. I'll have what we know next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
