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One World with Zain Asher
Lebanese health Ministry: At Least Nine Dead, 300 Plus Injured In walkie-Talkie Explosions; CNN: Lebanon Pager Attack Was Joint Mossad-IDF Operation; Fed Expected To Cut Interest Rates For First Time Since 2020; Later: Sean "Diddy" Combs To Appeal Being Denied Bail; Haitian Community In The U.S. faces Fallout From False Claims; CNN Analysis Of The Israeli Operation Against Hezbollah; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired September 18, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[12:00:32]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching ONE WORLD.
And we begin this hour with breaking news out of Lebanon yet again. For the second straight day, communication devices are exploding. And this time, it
appears to be walkie-talkies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(EXPLOSION)
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ASHER: At least nine people are dead, hundreds have been wounded, and that's according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. That blast that you just
heard in Beirut set off panic in the streets, as you can see here. That was amid a crowd attending a funeral for Hezbollah fighters.
Early reports indicate the explosions took place in Southern Lebanon and in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
GOLODRYGA: And it comes one day after hundreds of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded nearly simultaneously across Lebanon.
The country's health minister says at least 12 people, including children, were killed on Tuesday and nearly 3,000 others injured.
CNN has learned those coordinated explosions were part of a joint operation between Israel's military and intelligence service.
ASHER: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins us live now from London.
So, Nick, what are you learning about how the Israelis might have been able to engineer and coordinate both of these attacks, which took place, by the
way, roughly around the safe -- same time on both days.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I mean, just a step back here. We don't know if Israel were behind the second wave
of attacks. It's highly likely that they were, owing, as you say, to the fact that it appears this second wave occurred 24 hours after the first
wave of pager attacks, which CNN has learned the Israeli Mossad and military were behind.
It's highly likely, too, given the nature of the low-tech devices used here, that indeed the Israelis may have been behind it. But we don't even
have at this stage, I believe, Hezbollah accusing them directly.
There is chaos and some degree, I'm sure, panic here. Lebanese security source telling my colleague, Tamara Qiblawi, that we're talking about 30 to
40 explosions they've reported so far. The death toll having risen today to nine and 300 injured. That's significant because it's getting close to
yesterday's. And given how few comparative blasts we're seeing today, that would suggest that the impact of these was significantly more.
Now, one of these series of images you're seeing there is of a funeral for somebody killed in the pager explosions. And that, I think, is telling,
because it speaks to what this Lebanese security source was saying too, that these walkie-talkies, who seem to have been the predominant source of
these 30 to 40 explosions, are used for crowd control security by Hezbollah themselves. And that specific event there, many yellow flags, many
Hezbollah members there.
And so these devices too, from the social media videos we've been seeing, more potent in their explosive power, the pagers, according to "The New
York Times," have small amounts of explosive inserted into them. And there are thousands for yesterday's wide-scale explosions.
These are so far, we think, less blasts, but possibly more potent ones. And so we're dealing here with an extraordinary moment, where it may be that
the low-tech devices, the pages that Hezbollah resorted to, to keep their communications away from the smartphones that Israel could track, has
suddenly found themselves 24 hours later reaching to yet a more low-tech device to continue talking amongst themselves, and that those too have been
targeted.
The net result is going to be, I think, extraordinary unease in Hezbollah's ranks. People aren't sure how they can communicate safely, if the person
they're trying to communicate with is indeed unharmed. And I think that will impact Hezbollah's response in two ways. It will reduce their
capability and their sense of certainty if they want to do something on a wider scale.
But it may also, too, in this moment really of acute weakness, perhaps for internal reasons to restore morale or for external reasons to remind people
of their deterrent values. It may force them into something more irrational or larger scale.
We simply don't know at this stage, but the remaining question too is whether these two coordinated waves of attacks are a prelude to something
larger. We'll see that in the days ahead.
ASHER: All right. Nick Paton Walsh live for us. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And let's bring in Ben Wedeman who is outside the American University Medical Center in Beirut.
So, yet another day of chaos and confusion there, Ben, as we noted just today as Hezbollah members were being buried. Yet another round of
explosions, this time with walkie-talkies.
Give us a sense of the mood on the ground, specifically there at the hospital, which remains inundated with those who were brought in yesterday
after the first round of explosions.
[12:05:10]
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Obviously, the doctors, the surgeons have been working around the clock here trying to
deal with the injuries from yesterday.
And just within the last half hour, we saw an ambulance come with another injury from, it appears, today's round of explosions.
According to Lebanese security sources, somewhere between 15 and 20 blasts went off in Beirut. One of them at a funeral for people killed yesterday in
those pager blasts. An eyewitness told us, he saw a man had, seems to have, his arms were severely damaged as a result of the blast that took place
there.
In addition to that, the security sources are saying there are a similar number of blasts today, walkie-talkies, it's believed, in Southern Lebanon
as well.
And of course, the Ministry of Health, within the last hour, has put out new numbers for today's blast. Nine people killed so far and more than 300
injured.
Now, just a little while ago, we spoke to a surgeon who came out. She was on the same plane with us arriving in Beirut this morning. She said that
she had operated on seven individuals, all of them with similar wounds, missing fingers, faces mutilated by blasts, all the victims, young men in
their 20s and 30s.
Now, this tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 P.M. local time, we're expecting Hezbollah Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, to make a speech. That will
probably give a good indication of where Hezbollah is going.
Obviously, we are in the midst of a serious escalation of tensions as a result of the events of the last 25 or 26 hours. The expectation is that
Hezbollah is going to respond. And I think, as Nick was just talking about before you came to me, the question is, what can Hezbollah do at this
point, given that clearly its communications network, its intelligence networks have been seriously compromised?
GOLODRYGA: Yes. That is a big question. And that's one that we'll ask our next guest. Ben Wedeman, thank you.
Fadi Nicholas Nassar is U.S.-Lebanon Fellow at the Middle East Institute. He joins us now from Beirut.
So as we've been talking about, an unprecedented back-to-back series of explosions really seeming to compromise the command center within
Hezbollah. Hassan Nasrallah, earlier this year, telling members of Hezbollah to avoid using cell phones and to go for weaker technology, and
that is by the use of walkie-talkies and pagers, and yet, we've seen what's happened over the past 24 hours.
How much does this compromise and weaken Hamas' command and control system?
FADI NICHOLAS NASSAR, U.S.-LEBANON FELLOW AT THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Well, first, thank you so much for inviting me and putting a spotlight on
an increasingly concerning situation.
I believe you were referring to Hezbollah, not Hamas's capabilities.
GOLODRYGA: Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, Hezbollah. Hezbollah, yes. Forgive me.
NASSAR: Great. Well, let's you know, I think it would be helpful to your audience to sort of contextualize this.
We're really still piecing together the details, but this already stands as the most significant security breach since Hezbollah and Israel clash last
October.
Back then, Hezbollah opened a limited front end support of Hamas. And since then, the two, and to an extension, alongside with Iran, have been
struggling over a balance of power and the rules of engagement 2006.
Now, this mass attack also comes on the heels of the assassination of a top Hezbollah military leader in Beirut earlier this summer. It does mark a
major escalation.
And most importantly, it shows that for Israel, there's no going back to October 6. The massive scale of the attack with thousands injured and
scenes of widespread chaos powerfully challenges Hezbollah's claim that their response to Israeli assassination had restored deterrence.
Now, something just to hit at the heart of your question is that Israel appears to have gained a considerable advantage in both military and
intelligence capabilities, effectively showcasing its ability to escalate the conflict and penetrate Hezbollah's defenses with increasing precision.
ASHER: You're right about the fact that Hezbollah has, of course, taken a beating over the past year or so. I mean, obviously, we talked about the
assassination of that Hezbollah commander that happened a few months ago. We're still actually waiting. We were talking about this yesterday for Iran
to respond to the assassination of Haniyeh as well.
[12:10:02]
But just in terms of where Hezbollah goes from here, how did they respond to this? We do know that Hassan Nasrallah is going to be speaking tomorrow.
He's taken a cautious approach in the past. What do you expect him to say in response to this level of humiliation, for lack of a better word?
NASSAR: Look, you know, you ask the question that's really on everyone's mind. Where are we going from here? And are we heading towards a full-scale
war between Israel and Hezbollah?
Now, it's really hard to say exactly what will happen next. After all, very few of us are in the rooms where such critical decisions of war and peace
are made.
But here's what I would have your audience sort of impress on them. One thing is certain. The millions of everyday people who will be most affected
by this situation have no say in the decisions that will dramatically alter their lives. They'll be watching that speech like you and me.
GOLODRYGA: In terms of Israel attempting to reestablish deterrence, do you think they've been able to do that, thus far, assuming this operation is
over? Because that's where we were yesterday, thinking it was a one-time thing, and operation, again, noting how unprecedented this has been.
Now we've seen it go into day two, and the question is, where does it go from here? Has deterrence been reestablished from Israel's point of view at
this point today?
NASSAR: Right. You know, you ask an important question. I think it's very clear from the series of attacks, whether it was the earlier assassination,
whether it's high-level assassinations, was it the mass scale attack we saw yesterday, or today, another wave of blasts, although I do caution your
audience to wait till all the information is verified as the story (INAUDIBLE).
Look, one is clear, Israel's military superiority is increasingly apparent, as is its willingness to cross previous red lines through attacks of such
scale. All of this underscores that it's really in control over the escalation neither that could reshape a wider regional balance of power.
ASHER: Israel has said quite a few times that one of their key priorities in this war is to ensure that Israelis who have been forced to evacuate
from northern Israel are able to go home again.
When you think about what's happening now in terms of these back-to-back attacks on the communication network of Hezbollah, obviously, we know that
Hezbollah is going to retaliate. We don't yet know how, but we know that they simply cannot do nothing.
I mean, is this really the right way for Israel to achieve its goal? I mean, surely, it's going to have the opposite impact.
NASSAR: You know, as I said, and I do caution this, you know, I think it's always great to practice, at least on my end, some humility.
Very few of us are in the war rooms where those decisions are made. One thing, however, is clear, and I would stress this, those civilians,
millions of civilians, whether we're talking about in Israel and Lebanon or across the region, are waiting, holding their breath for what comes next.
And the reality is very few of us will have those answers.
GOLODRYGA: You're absolutely right to point that out and to caution some humility on all of our sides, right, as we're watching this unfold.
But let me ask you about the pressure internally on Hezbollah within Lebanon itself, because Hassan Nasrallah surely knows the weight of the
Lebanese people and their concern of not wanting to repeat what we saw the last major war between Israel and Hezbollah, and that was in 2006 and the
damage that was inflicted upon Lebanon, the numbers of people that were killed, the damage to the economy.
Now seeing what's unfolded in the last two days in Lebanon throughout the country, how much pressure is there on Nasrallah specifically not to
overreact and escalate even further this conflict with Israel, perhaps even opening the door then to a third major war between the two sides?
NASSAR: You ask a tough question and it's an important question. You know, I can imagine that Hezbollah must face and many questions. A lot of
pressure will come up if Hezbollah cannot defend itself and its own operatives. How can it claim to safeguard Lebanon?
And if it has failed to deter Israel, as it continues to claim it has, what does this mean? The vast majority of Lebanese do not aspire for conflict.
But are they heading down this road ever since Hezbollah opened a limited front in its support of Hamas and a wider war with Israel?
[12:15:02]
GOLODRYGA: Well, we'll continue to follow these developments closely.
Fadi Nicholas Nassar, thank you so much for joining us.
ASHER: All right. We've got a program note for you --
NASSAR: Thank you for that.
ASHER: -- on this story. Lebanon's foreign minister is going to be joining our very own Christiane Amanpour next hour with his reaction to a second
day of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah communication's devices.
We're also learning more about Sean "Diddy" Comb's alleged illegal activities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARC AGNIFILO, SEAN COMB'S ATTORNEY: It was adults and consensual and everybody who was there wanted to be there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: You'll hear more from Comb's lawyer just before he asks the judge to let the rap mogul out on bail.
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ASHER: All right. The U.S. Federal Reserve is less than two hours away from what will likely be its first interest rate cut since the height of the
COVID pandemic in 2020.
Stocks were mixed Wednesday morning as investors anticipate the rate decision. There they are pretty much flat. They're going to be in a holding
pattern until we get that decision in a couple of hours from now.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Investors are hoping for a bold move from the Federal Reserve, expecting a quarter point or even half point cut, which would
signal a crucial turning point for the U.S. economy.
For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Julia Chatterley. So, Julia, I think it really does focus on what specifically we will see regarding this cut.
Will it be a quarter point cut? Or will it be half a point cut? And what does either move suggest about the state of the U.S. economy?
Explain why. The amount of this cut is so significant.
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN ANCHOR, FIRST MOVE: It's unique, first and foremost, that a couple of hours out from this rate decision. And we actually don't
know what the Federal Reserve is going to do, whether they do a quarter point or a half a percentage point cut.
I'll tell you, the market, which was hoping for the bigger cuts, been moving in the last couple of hours. It really is a coin toss now.
Firstly, it's going to come down to what Jay Powell has to say about the choice he made. Why was he confident enough to go for a small one? Why was
he concerned enough to go for a big one.
But actually, the key for me today is their forecasts. How low ultimately do they think they can bring rates down? Because in the end, guys, that's
what matters for American borrowers and for our wallets. How low will interest rates go?
ASHER: Yes. And that was going to be my next question about, what this means for consumers, right? What does it mean for ordinary people who have
really suffered because of these high interest rates we've seen over the past couple of years?
[12:20:04]
CHATTERLEY: Yes. High interest rates and high prices, of course. That's why we got high interest rates to bring them down. It's a good question. It
depends if you're a borrower or a saver.
Borrowers first. Let's talk about that. For credit cards, the average rate on a credit card right now, guys, is 25 percentage points. This rate cut is
going to be a rounding error on a rounding error. Got to look for zero interest rate balance transfers. Got to look at smaller banks if you have a
credit card. Less about the Fed today and more about that.
Auto loans, still higher than they were pre-pandemic. So are car prices, whether they're used or new. It will help at the margin as rates come down,
but again, it depends on your credit history. It depends ultimately on what car you're buying. Shop around is the follow through on that.
For mortgages as well, we're already at 18 month lows. It is good news if you have a home equity line of credit or you have an adjustable rate
mortgage. Those rates will come down.
Final point, if you're a saver, now is the time to lock in high rates because they are going to come down lower. Now is the time to try and take
advantage of the fact that we have relatively high interest rates. Don't miss that and, again, shop online.
Guys, 2:00 P.M. We'll see what happens.
GOLODRYGA: I'm surprised we don't have a countdown clock.
ASHER: Great advice from our Julia.
GOLODRYGA: Julia Chatterley.
CHATTERLEY: You're on set.
ASHER: One hour, 40 minutes. You're going to be a busy girl today, honey.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. It's already been quite busy.
ASHER: And we'll see what happens.
GOLODRYGA: Long day for you.
ASHER: Julia, thank you so much.
CHATTERLEY: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. In about three hours, Sean "Diddy" Combs will be back before a judge, this time, asking to be let out of jail.
GOLODRYGA: Now this comes a day after the music mogul pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. The judge denied bail,
but Combs' camp hopes the judge will reconsider.
ASHER: Federal prosecutors accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise that included drug-fueled sex party, that included male prostitutes, and
violent measures to keep the participants quiet. Combs' attorney denies that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AGNIFILO: I interviewed myself the different men who, you know, were being brought sort of into Mr. Combs and this person's, you know, intimate
situation. I've flown around the country. I've interviewed a large number of them. There's not the slightest inkling, according to the interviews
that I've done, of anything that's coercive, non-consensual. Nobody was too drunk. Nobody was too high.
These were adults in a relationship. This is a 10-year relationship. We can't forget that. This is a 10-year relationship. And it was adults and
consensual, and everybody who was there wanted to be there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Let's bring in CNN's entertainment correspondent, Elizabeth Wagmeister.
Worth reminding everyone, it was your stellar reporting, Elizabeth, that got the world to see that horrific video of Cassie being abused in that
hotel room. That was such important work. And I'm sure, you know, it means so much, obviously, to a lot of people who have suffered abuse in their
life to be able to have someone like Cassie file lawsuit and obviously we are speaking out about this very important issue.
I do want to talk about what's happening in terms of bail. He's been denied bail so far. Walk us through what happens next. He could be held behind
bars until trial.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: He could be. So right now for Sean "Diddy" Combs, this is a monumental moment, what is
about to happen in a few hours at a bail hearing. His team is fighting for his freedom.
As you said, Zain, he is being held. He was denied bail yesterday. He faces a minimum of 15 years to life in prison, if convicted, on all the charges.
So, theoretically, if he continues to be denied bail today, there is a possibility that one of the biggest names in music never lives the life
that he knew.
Now, of course, his team is starkly fighting against that. In fact, just this morning, a few hours ago, they sent a new bail proposal letter. And I
want to you through some of what they are proposing to the judge, who by the way, today is a different judge who will be hearing their arguments.
They're asking for home detention on a $50 million bond. They're asking to restrict female visitors to his residence at his home in Miami, aside from
family. They're also saying that he will undergo regular drug testing. He will maintain a visitor log and he will have no contact with grand jury
witnesses.
Now, why this is significant is because yesterday, prosecutor said that Diddy has been in touch with witnesses. Of course, that would be a big no-
no in the eyes of the judge who is hearing this.
Now his team says that is not true, but this is what the prosecution is alleging. The judge yesterday also said that she was incredibly concerned
about Combs' substance abuse and said that these are crimes that happened behind closed doors. So those are the reasons yesterday why his bail was
denied. Again, a different judge today, so we will see what happens in just a few hours.
[12:25:15]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Elizabeth Wagner, again, I want to second the words that Zain said at the beginning of this conversation, such important and
pivotal reporting from your end that really changed the course of this story and clearly the investigation. Thank you again for joining us.
And still to come for us, more on our breaking news out of Lebanon. We'll be live in Tel Aviv with a regional view.
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GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. I want to turn now to our breaking news story, a second day of Hezbollah communication devices exploding in Lebanon. This
time, it appears to be walkie-talkies, a day after Israel exploded pagers used by Hezbollah.
GOLODRYGA: And one of the key questions surrounding this Israeli operation is why now? The CNN analysis finds several possible answers to that
question. The first is sources say Israel was worried that Hezbollah might, at any moment, discover that the explosives were in the pagers.
ASHER: The pager attack also serves as a distraction from Israeli prime minister's political problems. Up until the attack, the conversation with
Israel was all about whether or not Netanyahu would replace his defense minister.
[12:30:02]
GOLODRYGA: And there is also the theory that Israel knows a larger conflict with Hezbollah is inevitable and that this is a way of getting that
started.
ASHER: Or perhaps the wireless attacks are a warning to Hezbollah's leaders, a message that Israel is capable of hitting them and hurting them
any time it wants.
Jeremy Diamond joins us live now from Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, what is the end goal here? I mean, you have two back-to-back attacks destroying Hezbollah's
communication networks.
What is Israel's strategy here? Where does it go from here?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: You know, that much is really unclear at this stage.
As you guys have noted, there are a number of potential explanations for why Israel may have chosen to carry out yesterday's attack at this moment
in time, and whether or not there is -- this is simply a kind of target of opportunity, one for which the window was perhaps closing because Hezbollah
was about to discover this breach in its communication systems, or whether this is part of some broader war strategy remains to be seen.
What we do know, though, is that certainly yesterday's attack and today's as well, if indeed it is also confirmed to be Israel that is behind it,
have certainly escalated tensions perhaps to their highest point since late July when Israel carried out those back-to-back assassinations, first of
the Hezbollah commander, senior commander Fuad Shukr in the southern part of Beirut in late July, and then the next day killing Ismail Haniyeh,
Hamas' political leader in the Iranian capital.
There's no question that this is the most significant escalation at least since then. And certainly, this is even more embarrassing, I would argue,
for Hezbollah in terms of the number of devices that were targeted, the number of locations that were hit simultaneously in these attacks, and the
kind of psychological impact that it is having, not only on Hezbollah itself, but also on the Lebanese people and the extent to which that may
factor into Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leaders, own political calculations about how much to escalate, how much he needs to retaliate in
order to save face, in order to show strength after weakness has very much been demonstrated by this successful Israeli attack that has exposed some
key vulnerabilities in Hezbollah's communication systems.
What we do know is that amidst these escalating tensions, the Israeli military certainly on a heightened footing of alertness and of
preparedness, as the 98th Division, a key division that has been fighting in Gaza since the early days of the war, is now being diverted away from
that front and being sent to the northern front with Lebanon, as Israel's military prepares for the possibility of war.
We just heard a moment ago from Israel's Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, who is talking about in this nearly year-long war now, talking about the
fact that Israel is making preparations in the north and that more may soon follow.
But it is important to caveat all of this, that we have heard time and again from Israeli officials that we are on the precipice of something big,
that we are on the precipice of all-out war. And yet, time and again, as these tensions have escalated, we have also seen them dissipate once again,
as both sides have made very clear in one calculus after the next that they are ultimately not looking for all-out war, at least until now whether or
not that calculus changes at this very precarious moment is certainly something that we're watching for.
ASHER: Yes. I mean Hezbollah does not want an all-out war with Israel certainly not, but as you point out, Hassan Nasrallah does have to save
face somehow. So a lot of people are concerned about the risk of overreaction here.
Jeremy Diamond live for us. Thank you so much.
All right. Time now for The Exchange. Joining us live now is Steven Cook. He's a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council of Foreign
Relations.
So, Steven, I'm just going to basically bring up a point that our Jeremy Diamond just brought up there. This idea of obviously we know that Hassan
Nasrallah is speaking tomorrow.
How much does he need to retaliate in order to save face, but at the same time, avoid a larger war with Israel?
STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL OF FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, this has been the dilemma that Hassan Nasrallah has had
since the beginning of the wars, to position Hezbollah as legitimate and, in fact, the leading resistance in support of Hamas, but without triggering
a major escalation and an Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
It's clear that what the Israelis have done, over the course of the last two days, has rattled Hezbollah. And find it hard to imagine that they can
regroup in a short period of time to take the Israelis on, at least in a major ground operation.
They have tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of rockets that are trained on Israel, and they can respond in that way. But of course, the
Israelis would then respond in kind with a major operation.
[12:35:07]
So this is a very delicate moment. Nasrallah has been criticized for speaking, for talking tough, but never really delivering. So tomorrow will
be crucial.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And this comes as just moments ago, the Israeli Defense Chief, Yoav Gallant, said, quote, we are entering a new phase in this war
as the forces now shift to the north and the border there with Lebanon.
So I guess that raises the question, is Israel's goal, at least at this point, to deter Hezbollah from continuing to lob missiles and rockets into
the north and see the return of tens of thousands of Israeli civilians to the area? Or is this Israel's first step towards opening the door to a
larger scale war between the two sides?
COOK: Well, you should note that the Israelis, just two days ago, added to its official war -- their --
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
COOK: -- aims, the return of northern residents to their homes. So this could very well be the opening of what the Israelis have been promising for
months now.
We know that diplomacy hasn't gotten very far. The Israelis have said that they would be interested in a diplomatic solution to this problem, so long
as it wasn't just a piece of paper that Hezbollah would actually withdraw to the Litani River, which is about 18 miles north of the border.
There's been no evidence, despite tremendous effort on the part of American diplomats, to head this off. So the Israelis may, in fact, be taking
matters into their own hands. And that these exploding beepers and walkie- talkies may be the opening salvo in something big.
ASHER: The U.S., we know, has been really trying to put pressure on both sides, especially on Israel, in terms of not expanding the war to Lebanon.
We know that the U.S. envoy, Amos Hochstein, has visited the region many, many times.
What have those efforts actually amounted to, Steven?
COOK: Well, the administration does believe it has a piece of paper that is the basis for a diplomatic agreement. And the administration has also
relayed to the Israelis what they believe will be the massive amount of damage caused to Israel as a result of a widening of the conflict.
Nevertheless, this is existential for the Israelis to allow Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons to essentially shrink Israel as to hand Hezbollah and
Iran a strategic victory. So the Israelis are prepared to take on and sacrifice much in order to return their people to their northern towns and
communities.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. You mentioned Iran there, and it raises the question of what, if anything, we'll see out of Iran. I mean, also another question is
why their ambassador to Lebanon was carrying, it appears to be, a pager for Hezbollah, but we know that he also was among the injured yesterday.
What positions does this -- and what pressure does this put on Iran to act, whether via proxy or directly, as it's had in the past in unprecedented
fashion just in the last few months, lobbing over 300 projectiles into Israel at this point, given the escalation that we're seeing?
COOK: Indeed. In addition to the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, there are unconfirmed reports that somewhere in the neighborhood of about 20 Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps --
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
COOK: -- personnel in Syria were killed as a result of this.
It's -- I find it -- I find it hard to believe that the Iranians and Hezbollah will not respond in some way to this.
Of course, they were deterred from responding to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, a number of months ago by the demonstration of American power in
the region. But, of course, an American aircraft carrier has now left the region.
So there is likely going to be an Iranian response to this, along with Hezbollah. At some point, perhaps in the coming days, perhaps the Israelis
will thwart these efforts. But nevertheless, there is likely, as Yoav Gallant said, a new phase in this war.
The Israelis believe that they have to change the terms of the game here. The rules of the game. They believe that they have obviously been under
attack, not just by Hamas and Hezbollah, but also Iran. And these are clear messages that the Israelis are willing to change the rules of the game
using force.
ASHER: All right. Steven Cook, live for us there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us, CNN visits Springfield, Ohio, where people are trying to get on with daily life, despite the fear and tension stoked
by false rumors about migrants.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:40:29]
GOLODRYGA: The Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio continues to feel the fallout from false claims made by the Republican running mates.
ASHER: Yes. The editor of "The Haitian Times," a U.S.-based newspaper, says that someone sent police to her house saying that someone had been murdered
there. Of course, it was a hoax, but it is emblematic of the harassment Haitian immigrants have faced since Donald Trump and J.D. Vance's false
accusations.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Omar Jimenez got reaction to those claims from members of the Haitian community.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The sun hasn't even come up yet. It's about 4:30 in the morning. And we're about to jump in this van here that
essentially goes around and picks up Haitian immigrants who don't have transportation for themselves, and it gets them to job opportunities
throughout the wider Springfield area.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): One after another, Haitian workers piled in on their way to their factory job in a nearby town.
JIMENEZ: This will be our seventh pick-up. We pull up. They're sitting on the porch ready to go.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The company that organizes these vans says the demand for workers is high. Many just don't have a way to get to work. The
president estimates most of their business comes from Haitian immigrants.
COREY WORDEN, PRESIDENT, JOB TALENT CONNECT STAFFING: At this point, we are probably a 60-40, split. They add a great benefit to our workforce.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): These hopeful workers showed up just as the doors opened, Tuesday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When would he like to start to work?
JIMENEZ: He says, today.
WORDEN: We're averaging 18 to 25 people a day.
JIMENEZ: And that's people looking for new jobs?
WORDEN: Yes. People that are actively looking for employment.
VILBRUN DORSAINVIL, HAITIAN IMMIGRANT AND SPRINGFIELD RESIDENT: We leave Haiti because of the chaos.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Vilbrun Dorsainvil was a doctor in Haiti. He says he fled because he was going to be kidnapped. He's been in Springfield now a
little over three years, but he had to leave his fiance and young daughter back home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm trying to deal with it but, you know, it's still very hard.
JIMENEZ: How old is she?
DORSAINVIL: She's three and a half right now.
JIMENEZ: Yes. So she would have been just born right as you were leaving?
DORSAINVIL: Not even yet born. Not even yet.
JIMENEZ: So you haven't met your daughter yet?
DORSAINVIL: Oh, I haven't. We just talked through video call. I didn't want to leave, to tell you the truth, so I had no choice.
JIMENEZ: It was either -- it was either your life or getting to see the birth of your daughter.
DORSAINVIL: Yes.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): His doctor credentials also didn't carry over. So for now, he's studying to be a registered nurse. Recently, though his schooling
has been virtual because of initially believed threats of violence.
[12:45:05]
Also elementary schools and government buildings were evacuated in recent days, along with an annual festival celebrating diversity, canceled.
GOV. MIKE DEWINE (R-OH): These threats have all been hoaxes. We have people, unfortunately overseas, who are taking these actions.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): As a precaution, though, the governor announced nearly 40 state patrol troopers will be stationed throughout the school
district to sweep each building for threats and stay on site for security.
It comes in the middle of what's been a surge in Haitian population to the roughly 59,000 in Springfield, which had been declining in population. The
city now estimates 12 to 15,000 immigrants, many, if not most of them Haitians call Springfield home.
DORSAINVIL: We are hard worker and we are paying a lot of taxes.
JIMENEZ: Yes, yes. All to try and make Springfield better.
DORSAINVIL: Better.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): And while the influx has boosted the local economy, city officials say, it's also strained resources.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are getting really fed up.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): It's been a major topic of conversation.
MIGUELITO JEROME, EXECUTIVE MANAGER, NEW DIASPORA LIVE RADIO: Where we feel like people are acting based on fear, panicking. And the Haitian community
itself, it's confusion.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): Including around opportunities.
GYASI JONES, SPRINGFIELD RESIDENT: With those jobs being open, you know, whose job this is to take? It's an open job.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): The added tensions in recent days, though, has taken a toll.
DORSAINVIL: I was feeling a little bit down. I feel better right now. My teachers, coworkers, friends, they reach out to me somehow, asking me, how
are you holding up? OK? We love you. We need you here.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): You still see Springfield as a beautiful place?
DORSAINVIL: It is.
JIMENEZ (voice-over): He balances his new life with his old one, dreaming of uniting them both.
DORSAINVIL: Sometimes they call me, and there is a lot of shooting in the neighborhood. The best way to get them right here in the United States,
it's through the school process, because after graduation, you can, like apply to get a green card through this, I can get them.
JIMENEZ: Now, even outside of recent politics, I mentioned we were seeing strains on resources here, and that has been pretty prevalent in various
aspects. For example, the state of Ohio announced new resources for primary healthcare because they say some of those arriving may have not had the
best healthcare to that point.
Also, the state announced more state patrol to help support local law enforcement for an increase in dangerous driving conditions which the state
attributes to inexperienced Haitian drivers and all others who disregard the law.
So the tensions and pressure points within this community are there and they've been there well before, again, the recent spotlight that the city
has been put in.
But as the city has made clear, this isn't a situation where Haitians are being forced to come here based on even just the ones we've spoken to. They
say they heard from other previous Haitians that came here that this was a great place to live. So they decided to come here too.
Omar Jimenez, CNN, Springfield, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:50:48]
ASHER: All right. I want to update you now on our top story. The Lebanese Health Ministry reports at least nine people have died and more than 300
others are injured in a new series of explosions. A source tells CNN the explosions involved walkie-talkies.
GOLODRYGA: Now, this comes a day after pagers belonging to Hezbollah members exploded, killing at least 12 people, wounding nearly 3,000.
CNN chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst, John Miller, joins us now live in New York.
And, John, you talk to experts in this field, security experts, who are just saying this is an unprecedented event that you have seen. No one has
taken credit for it, but most people do believe that this was Israel behind now two days of attacks and attacks on really not sophisticated modes of
communication by Hezbollah members that have impacted thousands of communication devices.
Talk about how this possibly could have happened, how this infiltration worked.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, while those devices are rudimentary in terms of communication, what was
done to compromise them was extraordinarily sophisticated.
It meant getting in between Hezbollah's procurement system, which is the subject of much review and security internally, within Hezbollah and
creating a trusted person along that supply chain, in this case, a company that was supplying, not the manufacturer, but supplying these devices and
then being able to open those devices up, completely redesign them inside to contain a small amount of high explosives, a sophisticated and tiny
initiator or detonator, and to repurpose the power source, in this case, likely the battery for both devices, to also be the power source for that
explosive.
And the idea that this was replicated across, perhaps, several thousand devices basically means that whatever intelligence agency put this
together, and it has been suggested, Mossad and the Israeli military working together, had to create a factory to redesign, repackage these
devices and repurpose them to be weapons against their own users. We haven't really ever seen anything like that is scalable to this.
ASHER: But it's not just the fact that they did it across thousands of devices. It's that they did it not just once, but also twice. I mean,
obviously we're seeing today what looks like explosions involving walkie- talkies. Yesterday, it was obviously pages.
So you're talking about perhaps Israeli intelligence opening these devices up and repurposing them, adding explosives to them. Possibly, possibly.
Obviously, we don't know.
But when you think about how that could have been done. I mean, walk us through that. Because we know that the pagers were -- there was a Taiwanese
company that owned these pagers. They pointed out that it was manufactured, that these pagers were manufactured in Hungary. Hungary is now saying,
these pagers never came to Hungary.
So there's all sorts of finger pointing and it had nothing to do with us. Just walk us through how, how on earth could this have happened in terms of
infiltrating the supply chain in this way.
MILLER: It means that an intelligence agency had to create a cutout that looked like a real part of the supply chain, either a customs broker that
would handle these things coming into a port, or a delivery service that would get them from where they were being shipped to the place.
But in other words, an operation that would be a legitimate link in the chain that would have access to the devices where they would take them out
of package, open them up, redesign them, repackage them to look like the original packaging and send them on.
Incredible sophistication, but that's the tactical end of it. The strategic end of it is almost more brilliant because it's not just a move that could
take out and injure, and as we see kill, a large number of Hezbollah fighters and operators and support people in the field.
And remember, Hezbollah is an organization of according to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader, 100,000 people. What that probably looks like is
30,000 people who work Hezbollah every day, and then tens of thousands who are on call to step up for their particular mission when they're called
for.
[12:55:15]
When you take that and now say that they have developed a lack of confidence in the organization, they have decreased coordination with the
organization by degrading their security where they have increase the idea that they don't have security because of this compromise where they've done
damage to create fear, degrade its image among other organizations and sponsors like Iran, they are literally creating an atmosphere where they
are causing the organization, not just to be damaged by an Israeli intelligence operation, but to be tearing itself apart from the inside.
That's a remarkable psychological operation.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, psychologically, I was just going to say, it's not very reassuring when you don't know, A, how to get in touch now with your chain
of command and also to see this happening, not once, but two days in a row. We'll continue to follow this developing --
MILLER: And wondering what's next.
GOLODRYGA: And wondering what's next. Exactly. This is Israeli Army Chief says, we have more capabilities. We have not yet activated. So obviously,
we'll continue to watch this region.
John Miller, thank you so much.
That does it for this One Hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. "AMANPOUR" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
