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One World with Zain Asher
New Airstrike Hits Southern Beirut; Lebanon's Prime Minister: "We Have To Look For A Ceasefire"; Lebanese FM: Hassan Nasrallah Had Agreed To Ceasefire; Israeli Strikes On Gaza Continue Amid Widening Conflict; Desperation Grows To Find The Many Missing In Wake Of Helene; Trump Threatens To Deport Legal Haitian Migrants In Ohio. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired October 03, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:49]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: And live from New York, I'm Paula Newton. Zain and Bianna are off today. You are watching ONE WORLD.
We have more breaking news just into CNN. In just the last few minutes, you see some of the video there. Another airstrike in Beirut. You can obviously
also hear it as the sun is setting. These are the latest images of this newest strike, as you can see, sunset in Beirut.
Now, we can see the plumes of smoke. And also, you can look at what happened earlier today. And those were strikes in southern Beirut in the
middle of the day. You know, extraordinary here. We just see an airplane from the Beirut airport going through that area. And so many have remarked
how extraordinary it is that the airport remains open as these strikes are ongoing.
Now, Israel's military says its airstrikes a few hours ago targeted Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters. Israel struck the heart of Beirut
for the first time in nearly two decades. At least nine people were killed, that's according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister made an urgent plea for a ceasefire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAJIB MIKATI, LEBANESE CARETAKER PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We have to look for a ceasefire. That's my message. Stop fighting. We don't
need more blood. We don't need more destruction. Why is Israel is not accepting a ceasefire today?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Israel is, in fact, issuing evacuation orders for another 25 villages in Southern Lebanon, signaling what could be a broadening of its
ground incursion.
And on another front, Israel is vowing to retaliate soon for Iran's missile strike earlier this week. Israel promises the response will be, quote, very
strong.
Now CNN reporters are covering the story from all angles. Jim Sciutto is standing by for us in Tel Aviv, Israel. But we do, of course, want to begin
in Beirut where we find our Jomana Karadsheh.
I mean, fair to say, look, these recent strikes as you've learned in the last few hours have really been unsettling people. What can you tell us
about these latest strikes and also how they're impacting civilians despite what Israel is telling us about its targets?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Paula, in the last few minutes, we heard a distant blast coming from the direction of the southern
suburbs of Beirut. It's unclear right now what the target of that strike was.
But, again, you know, this is coming at a time where we've seen the Israeli military really ramping up these strikes over the last 24 hours or so.
And we're just speaking about Beirut right now. You know, this is ongoing, as you mentioned, in southern Lebanon, in the Beqaa Region in the east as
well.
But here in Beirut, a few hours ago, you had those three large blasts that we heard. And then we saw those plumes of smoke rising from the southern
suburbs of Beirut. And we have heard from the Israeli military saying that they were targeting a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters, as they have
described it.
Here, we heard from Hezbollah saying that their media office was in that strike. Now, unclear if there were any casualties, but that strike happened
with no prior warning. And this is something that we have seen as well since last night with this intensification of these strikes.
You had about a dozen or so strikes that hit the southern suburbs and some of them later on in the evening, the IDF's Arabic language spokesman did
put out a post on X telling the residents of several neighborhoods, in the suburbs to evacuate the area and that they will be carrying out strikes.
But before that there were strikes, there was no warning that they were coming. And then, of course, you also have that strike in the heart of
Beirut, Paula. This is something this country has not seen since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
We understand from authorities here that the target of that strike, what was hit there was an office in a building belonging to a health authority
that is affiliated with Hezbollah. And according to the Ministry of Health, nine people were killed. We understand they say at least seven of them were
medics.
[12:05:17]
But the fact that this happened in the middle of the city, in the middle of the night, has really terrified people so much. This is a residential area.
And there was no warning that this was coming in the middle of the night.
And so you have this feeling here when you speak to people, they tell you that they are starting to see that these strikes are spreading beyond the
southern suburbs where Hezbollah is known to have a heavy presence.
Seeing that, seeing another strike earlier this week within the city limits as well, has really put people on edge. We were out on the streets of
Beirut today speaking to people. And almost everyone you speak to, tells you they are absolutely terrified of what might be coming next.
They hear these statements from the Israeli side saying that their operations, this ground offensive is only going to be limited, that it's
targeted. But a lot of people really tell you they don't believe that.
They are very concerned that Lebanon, they say, is going to be a repeat of what they have seen in Gaza. And when you speak to the civilians, you speak
to so many families who have been displaced over a million people have been forced out of their homes because of these airstrikes across the country.
I mean, Beirut is not the city that it was just two weeks ago. You have people who are camped outside on the streets, by the seafront, in the, you
know, parks and on the sidewalks, families with young children, more than a million people.
I mean -- and now the concern is, as you mentioned earlier, these evacuation orders for more neighborhoods, for more villages in the south,
they're really, really worried that number is only going to rise and the feeling amongst people is that this is just the beginning of what they feel
is going to be a long war, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. Chilling to think about it. And as you pointed out earlier, there are times when these strikes come with no warning whatsoever.
We do want to go to our Jim Sciutto who's on the ground in Israel for us. I mean, what more is the IDF saying about what this targeting is all about,
especially given what we just heard from Jomana? The fact that these strikes are in Central Beirut. Some of them just a couple miles, Jim, from
the seat of government in Lebanon.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN U.S. CHIEF ANALYST: Yes. Well, listen, as Jomana said, the IDF has identified the target of one of the strikes today in Southern
Beirut. They say that it was a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters. They have not yet identified the intended targets of the other strikes.
But listen, this is not -- this is not an unfamiliar pattern. Israel picks targets, as they are doing now in Lebanon, in Beirut. We've seen it in
Gaza. They describe them as military targets, often, perhaps all the time they are. But they can often be in heavily populated areas where at least
the danger to civilians is clear. And oftentimes, you have a large number of civilian casualties. We saw that with the Nasrallah strike that leveled
a number of buildings. And that was one, of course, where there was no warning in advance.
Listen, what's playing out before us is that Israel is now waging war against Hezbollah really across much of Lebanon now from Beirut to Southern
Lebanon from the air and now on the ground in recent days in Southern Lebanon where there have already been firefights and losses for Israeli
forces.
So this is a multi-front war. It's a dangerous one. And it's one that is expanding, at least on a couple of those fronts, right, certainly in
Lebanon, and now concern about an expansion in the direct conflict between Iran and Israel.
NEWTON: Jim, again, we are standing by as we continue to see more activity there in Beirut. And that's what we can see. Of course, we don't have any
more information on if there are other strikes going on throughout the country.
I mean, Jomana, I was just reading that our information tells us that Lebanon is saying 160,000 already people have gone from Lebanon back into
Syria. Can you give us -- just paint us another picture of both what you've seen on the streets there, of people sheltering wherever they can? And then
others going back to Syria now in very large numbers, understanding that they may be safer there than they are in Lebanon.
KARADSHEH: I mean, this says so much about the situation, doesn't it, Paula? When you see people going across the border back into war-torn
Syria, because they say they have no choice. They are worried about what is going to happen in this country. That's 160,000 people, according to the
U.N.'s refugee agency. And it's Lebanese civilians as well as Syrians as well who have gone back, returned in recent days as they've seen this
escalation.
[12:10:06]
I mean, if you look at what's happening inside the country, the Lebanese government says, up to a million people, perhaps more, have been displaced
in a matter of days. And the government has tried to set up shelters, but it just can't do that fast enough to deal with the number of displaced that
is continuing to grow by the day.
I was speaking to a government minister a few days ago, and he said to just put this perspective, the 2006 war, that 34-day war between Israel and
Hezbollah, about 600 to 800,000 people were displaced.
And right now, days into this, you have more than a million people have been displaced, and you see these evacuation orders and this feeling that
this is only the beginning of an unfolding war right now.
And, you know, you go out on the streets of Beirut and you see people, just as I was mentioning earlier, with no place to go. They've gone to these
shelters. There's no room for them. They're overcrowded shelters. So you have people who've camped outside by the waterfronts of the city. You know,
the iconic Corniche of Beirut is now turned into an area where you have so many displaced families there with mattresses. Some people setting up tents
there.
And you go into Downtown Beirut and it's the same scene there. And, you know, we were there earlier today and you had all these families in the
downtown area by the Blue Mosque of Beirut sitting there and they were talking about those airstrikes last night because in the -- in Central
Beirut because it's really close to where they are.
And people were saying how terrified they were when that happened. These are people who already fled their homes. And they said that a number of
people packed up and just ran. Where to? No one knows because people really feel that they have nowhere to turn to.
I mean, when you look at the fact that people are actually sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, it just says a lot about the state of the country
right now and, you know, unfolding crisis after the other that they have to deal with.
And again, that heart of Beirut strike, it just really -- you know, you get a sense of the anxiety, the apprehension, the fear when you speak to people
and they tell you that they just don't know what is going to happen next, that any area they feel in Beirut could be struck and they're absolutely
terrified.
NEWTON: Yes. And that chilling thought that some have said to you that they fear they will become the next Gaza.
Jomana Karadsheh in Beirut, Jim Sciutto for us in Tel Aviv, stand by for us as we continue to await what happens next there in Beirut.
Now though, I want to bring in a guest, Saleh El Machnouk is a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute and joins us now as well from Beirut. I
want to thank you for joining us.
And just could you try and put some of this into perspective as we continue to see this unfold in Beirut, realizing now that these likely will not be
limited strikes. I mean, what is the feeling there about what is about to happen next?
SALEH EL-MACHNOUK, NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: It's an infuriating feeling. It's really mayhem in Beirut. And what's most
infuriating about it is what we're witnessing today has been for a while now, both predictable and --
We are here 40 years after the Israeli invasion of 19 (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY), 24 years after the Israeli withdrawal of 2000, 19 years after
a nationwide struggle to build a sovereign state in Lebanon. Here we are, witnessing the worst of all possible worlds, a 2006 potential repeat on
steroids, and also one step away from turning into another Gaza with unfettered Israeli aggressivity and the use of human shields.
The real problem that we've seen is, despite everything that has happened, we've seen the Deputy Secretary General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, showing,
through his speech, that Hezbollah is invested primarily in its own survival, even if this means suiciding five million Lebanese.
First, by insisting on the linkage of Lebanon's mayhem to the war in Gaza and Hamas' survival, but also now, by calling and attempting to lure an
Israel ground invasion and an attempt to re-legitimize itself.
While the Lebanese people, five million of them, have said in poll after poll after poll, that they are not in favor of this proxy war and that 55
years of their history, since 1969 is enough proxy wars, regional wars, at the expense of -- expense of the Lebanese people. They didn't vote for this
war. They didn't approve this war, they didn't condone this war. But the issue is that today, they have no voice and no seat at the table.
[12:15:15]
NEWTON: But, Saleh, I have to ask you, I mean, look, that situation has not changed in nearly a generation. You and I both know that. So what changes
now? You know that if we speak to so many people, civilians on the ground there, they feel they have no voice, that they are helpless, that the
government there in Lebanon is impotent for a variety of very complicated reasons.
So what next? They seem to have no voice in this conflict. I know that you have, for years, called out to kind of shake the bonds of whether it was
Hamas or Hezbollah. How to do it?
EL-MACHNOUK: So one silver lining to what's happening today is that Lebanese, across the political divide, across the sectarian divide, seem to
be coming together on three main key points. The first is that they do not want an Israeli territorial invasion of their country. Second is they do
not want any Lebanese armed group to fight on behalf of Iran. And they've seen that Iranian expansionism in the region has only led to failed states
and death and destruction.
And they also want a change in the political governance structure of a government which tries to talk to the international community in one
language, saying that they want 1701, but also domestically prevent the Lebanese army from doing its job.
And therefore, the main thing that needs to happen today is for the international community to meet the Lebanese people in those three key
demands, not through platitudes, not through half-baked diplomacy, but by recognizing that it needs to pay, and put maximum pressure on both Iran and
Israel, not to use Lebanese territory in their proxy wars, support the Lebanese army in a way that is unprecedented.
I am talking about a full-fledged diplomatic, military and financial support for the Lebanese army.
NEWTON: OK. Saleh, but I do want to get --
EL-MACHNOUK: And these things -- these things will change things on the ground.
NEWTON: OK. But how realistic is that? And I'm going to point to something here. I want you to listen to Lebanon's foreign minister in and what he
told Christiane Amanpour, the fact that Nasrallah, Hassan Nasrallah, before he was killed, had agreed to a ceasefire. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Are you saying Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a ceasefire just moments before he was assassinated?
ABDALLAH BOU HABIB, LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: He agreed. He agreed. Yes, yes. We agreed completely. Lebanon agreed to ceasefire. But consulting with
Hezbollah, the speaker, Mr. Berri, consulted with Hezbollah, and we informed the Americans and the French that what happened.
AMANPOUR: So --
HABIB: And they told us and -- that Mr. Netanyahu also agreed on the statement that was issued by both presidents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: You know, I wonder how much you believe that if that's true. And if you do, what does it tell you about American diplomacy right now, and any
potential that it has to actually have any influence on what's going on right now?
EL-MACHNOUK: I have to -- I have to unfortunate -- I do not do this happily, but I have to clarify something for international viewers. There
is not one Lebanese citizen that actually takes the foreign minister of Lebanon seriously.
The entire political class in Lebanon has been co-opted by Hezbollah in what became known as the Mafia Militia Alliance, a Faustian pact where the
political sectarian political class has taken over the state and ravaged it with corruption in return for covering for Hezbollah's military action and
its armed wing.
Whether it's the foreign minister, whether it's the prime minister, these people are not in power as a result of elections. They are people that are
imposed by Hezbollah on the Lebanese people. They have zero credibility as partners of the international community, unlike in 2006, where there was a
government that could negotiate with the international community.
And that brought about U.N. Security Resolution 1701. That remains to this day, the only way and the only path forward in ensuring that this is the
last -- the last of Lebanese-Israeli wars, because we're faced with a choice today. This is either the last of Israeli-Lebanese conflicts, or
this is the end and the death of Lebanon as we know it.
So we've been listening to the foreign minister of Hezbollah and not the foreign minister of Lebanon.
NEWTON: Understood. We will leave it there for now. Reminder that Resolution 1701 was supposed to bring an end again to that conflict in
2006. And I repeat, we have a generation of people in both Lebanon and Israel that continue to live with this conflict.
[12:20:09]
Saleh El-Machnouk, we have to leave it there for now. We'll continue to check in with you. Appreciate it.
We will have much more on our breaking news on what are, again, more airstrikes in southern Beirut. We'll be back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And more breaking news this hour, another Israeli airstrike hitting Southern Beirut just a short time ago. This is the first video that we're
actually getting of the new explosion. It follows another barrage of daytime strikes in those southern suburbs.
Now, that was after a round of strikes. Israel's military said it was targeting Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters and communications unit.
The U.S. has repeatedly called for de-escalation, but so far, as you can see, that has fallen on deaf ears.
Kevin Liptak is live for us at the White House. Natasha Bertrand joins us from the Pentagon.
Kevin, I want to go to you first. You know, the president was off to see some of the damage from Hurricane Helene recently. He was on the lawn and
indicated that they were, quote, talking about it in terms of a strike in Iran, and that had to do with hitting its oil facilities.
As we are looking at this unfold, what more is the White House saying? Because they continue to call for de-escalation, but it's in weeks now that
all we've seen is things get worse.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And I think what the White House is looking for now is a measured response from Israel towards
Iran as a reprisal for what happened in Israel over the last week or so.
But I think, you know, there's an open question of how much leverage President Biden has when he's talking to the Israelis about how they want
to respond. We did hear from him yesterday when he was asked about an Israeli strike on nuclear sites inside Iran. He said he could not support
that. He would advise against it.
But when he was asked today about those oil facilities, he did leave the door open, although he didn't come out explicitly and say that he would
endorse that kind of strike.
And as you would imagine, that kind of strike would only cause oil prices to spike. That is the last thing President Biden wants five weeks before an
election. So this is all very complicated for him.
And I think when you talk to American officials, they are in consultations with the Israelis talking about how they see this all playing out. But
certainly, President Biden hasn't yet gotten on the phone with his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. They actually haven't spoken since August.
[12:25:01]
And I think it is an open question about how much leverage President Biden actually has, in all of this, or whether he's left sort of on the sidelines
to watch this all play out.
At the bottom, or at the end of the day, his great fear is that this will all trigger a wider war, a regional war, a further escalation that could
potentially draw the U.S. closer into contact, direct contact with Iran, which is really sort of the last thing he wants. And so, certainly,
President Biden watching this all very closely.
The other thing that he said today was that there would be new sanctions on Iran. And that's something that he and the other leaders of the G7 had been
talking about yesterday in that virtual phone call.
It remains to be seen what exactly those sanctions will look like and how much effect they will have. The U.S., of course, has already mounted a lot
of sanctions on Iran already. So it remains to be seen what areas they think they can still target and have a great amount of effect.
But President Biden, watching this very closely, he also said today that he didn't expect this counterstrike to occur today during the Jewish holiday
of Rosh Hashanah. But certainly they do believe that this could occur in the coming days. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. A startling fact there that you give us that Netanyahu and President Biden have not spoken since August. That is extraordinary.
Although, of course, the two governments are keeping in close contact.
Natasha Bertrand of the Pentagon, I want to go to you now. I do want to highlight the fact that the IDF is now reporting that about 100 launches
have come from Lebanon into Northern Israel in just the last few hours.
I do note they say that most of them are along the Metula area in that border area. I've been to that area. We are not talking about anything
that's crossing deep into Israel.
Having said that, Natasha, what more are you hearing, given the fact that the United States has obviously bolstered any of its defenses and any of
the military hardware and, you know, advice that it can give to Israel and repositioned a lot of assets there in the last few weeks in anticipation of
this?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And that's exactly why the U.S. military has bolstered its force posture in the region is because
of the risk of further dramatic escalation in this fighting.
Now we reported yesterday that the U.S. intelligence community does believe that around 50 percent of Hezbollah's projectiles have been taken out in
these Israeli airstrikes, leaving them of the supply that they once had of things like rockets and missiles and drones. And so that has severely
weakened their capabilities here.
But as we can see, you know, they have continued striking back. And we saw that, you know, eight IDF soldiers were killed just yesterday in the
fighting in Lebanon. And so what the U.S. military is preparing for here is really a conflict that escalates even further than just Israel and Lebanon
and actually expands into that war with Iran.
And that is what everyone is waiting to see at this point if the escalating tit-for-tat between Israel and Iran actually continues and draws everyone
into this large regional war.
The U.S. has warships pretty much all over at this point in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the Red Sea, in the Arabian Sea, near Iran to prepare for
the possibility that they have to again be intercepting these missiles.
And, of course, one of the biggest jobs of the U.S. military, if it comes to it, is to help evacuate U.S. citizens. And that is why there are
thousands of U.S. Marines currently in the Eastern Mediterranean preparing for that exact contingency if it becomes necessary for the U.S. to conduct
this kind of mass evacuation operation.
But for now, there are simply thousands of U.S. troops that are currently in the region, essentially on a heightened standby alert, to come to the
aid of Israel if need be by helping them with additional air defenses and, of course, to help defend the many other U.S. troops who are in other parts
of the region, including Jordan, Iraq, Syria, who could be vulnerable to attack by Iran's additional proxy groups.
NEWTON: Ye. A lot to think about. And as we point out, the Pentagon are getting ready for all eventualities.
Kevin, back to you at the White House. There has been a lot of criticism of the Biden policy here and whether or not they could have done more, should
have done more. There is a debate whether they could have done anything to influence Israel on any level.
You know, I am watching the price of oil. It's up nearly five percent today. How front of mind is the election right now? And the fact that
Americans may be very unsettled looking at their screens right now and wondering what impact it will have on their lives and on their military.
LIPTAK: Yes. I think we can safely say that there's nothing that Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, wants less than a full regional war in the
Middle East breaking out in the weeks before the election because, of course, it will amount to a referendum on the Biden-Harris administration,
that they were unable to contain this conflict to Gaza, that they weren't able to use whatever leverage that they had on the Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and to lower the temperatures across the region.
[12:30:05]
And certainly when you talk to White House officials, they do say that they have tried to, you know, put the finger on Netanyahu to try and get him to
ease up in Gaza, to try and come to a ceasefire agreement both in Gaza and on the Israel-Lebanon border.
But, you know, certainly Netanyahu himself also is aware that an election is coming in the United States.
And there is a sense, among White House officials, you know, at their most frustrated moments, who wonder whether Netanyahu, who knows that he has a
very staunch ally in Donald Trump, could be trying to sort of, you know, make this -- make conditions right for a Republican victory in November.
Now, I think the Israelis would vehemently deny that, but it is a question that you hear administration officials asking.
The other sort of aspect to this is that the election makes it very difficult, I think, for Democrats to come out and forcefully criticize
Netanyahu and forcefully criticize Israel, particularly at a moment when it is under attack from Iran.
And they wonder whether Netanyahu could see this opening to really do something quite forceful in Iran, knowing that he wouldn't necessarily get
much pushback from the current administration because of its political sort of bind that it's in.
So, this is all a very complicated dynamic. But I think, you know, for Harris and for Biden, they are aware that this is a situation that looks
like it could tip out of control very easily. They very much want to not do that, to contain it, to try and end the fighting and end the violence. But
at this point, it's not very clear how they will go about doing that.
NEWTON: OK. And again, as you said, just a little over a month to an election in the United States. Kevin Liptak for us from the White House,
Natasha Bertrand at the Pentagon, appreciate it.
Coming up for us, Israel's war in Gaza shows no sign of letting up, even as the conflict expands to Lebanon. We will have the latest on the situation
there on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:07]
NEWTON: We're now on the breaking news out of Lebanon. In just the last half hour, there's been another Israeli airstrike into Southern Beirut.
Now, that attack followed a barrage of daytime strikes on the southern suburbs.
Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters. At least nine people were killed, that's according to the Lebanese Health
Ministry.
Now, as the conflict in the Middle East continues to expand to Lebanon and Iran enters the arena, Israel continues its attacks in Gaza. Nearly 100
people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in the past 24 hours alone. Eight people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a school
building in Gaza on Wednesday. The IDF alleged the school was being used as a command and control center by Hamas.
Earlier in the week, 90 people were killed in multiple Israeli airstrikes. A member of Gaza's civil defense said the strikes began on Tuesday in an
area where hundreds of displaced people were taking shelter.
Now, clearly, the war in Gaza, as you can see right there on your screens, shows no signs of letting up, even as Israel expands its operation to
Lebanon and signals, in fact, retaliation against Iran.
Time now for The Exchange. Scott Anderson is the director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, and he joins us now from there.
Scott, I hope you can hear me. And I see you there now. I really want to thank you for being here.
Given all that is going on in Lebanon and beyond, you know, the lack of focus may lead some to assume that maybe the situation in Gaza has
improved. Can you set us straight on that? What have the last few weeks been like there?
SCOTT ANDERSON, DIRECTOR, UNRWA AFFAIRS IN GAZA: Yes. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved at all. In fact, to the contrary, the situation
continues to worsen. You highlighted all the deaths I heard in your intro over the past week.
And what we've really seen the last few weeks is an increase in activity here in Gaza, not a decrease.
We continue to face constraints and getting aid in. In August, a million people did not receive food. In September, that number climbed to 1.4
million. At a time when children should be in school, they're not. This would be the second school year in a row that they have missed the
opportunity to learn. And the health situation continues to worsen, despite the fact we were able to implement a successful first round of the polio
campaign.
So the biggest concern amongst all that is we are headed to winter. It will be the second winter now of this conflict. And the resilience people have
built up over that time is just not going to -- not going to be there. And we're very concerned about disease and cold and everybody not having enough
to eat.
NEWTON: And that is a very stark outlook indeed. I know in the months this has gone on, nearly a year now of conflict, that there have been
challenges, controversies about aid getting in. There have been warnings about famine.
Can you let us know exactly what the situation is on the ground, given things that are basic, like, clean water, hygiene, food? Is more aid
getting into Gaza?
ANDERSON: No. Unfortunately not. And it really started back in May when offensive in Rafah began. And ever since then, our ability, the ability of
the internationally humanitarian community to bring aid in at scale has been very much challenged.
There's no police to speak of in Gaza to help make sure that there's an enabling law and order environment. And in Rafah, in particular, what we're
seeing is basically organized crime that's preventing aid from getting to people that are very much in need.
So all the constraints that we faced have led us to the situation where we're in now where people aren't getting enough to eat. And there's not
enough clean water. There's not enough medicine. And it's very difficult for everyone every day.
And the things that we all very much take for granted, like water and food and medicine, they're just not here for people. In addition to that,
everybody's still living in tents or makeshift plastic structures. And it's going to start raining.
As I said, winter's coming in the Mawasi area, where we have about 1.4 million people. We're pretty sure some of them have built their tents in
areas that will flood, which will create another challenge. So it's just incredibly dire circumstances that people face every day and they're just
struggling trying to survive every day.
NEWTON: What do you think when you see everything that's going on in Gaza and yet there has been less focus on it by many, surely not your
organization, but certainly donors, there has been some donor fatigue.
What do you think now when you see what's going on in Lebanon and to have the people of Lebanon thinking to themselves, we're fearful that we will
become the next Gaza?
ANDERSON: Yes. I mean, I think firstly, one thing I would say is we're seeing great reporting from Lebanon. Unfortunately, we don't see that in
Gaza. There has not been international media here since the conflict began. That's something that we would call for and hope that media can come here
and tell the story of what's happening on the ground.
[12:40:11]
But our concern is, as you mentioned, there is a possibility of donor fatigue. Needs are growing across the region. My focus is here in Gaza. And
what we're going to see is the needs are going to continue to increase the longer the conflict goes on.
So we're very concerned that we have too many people here trapped in this horrible conflict and there's not going to be funding and supplies provided
to make sure that their very basic needs such as food, water and shelter are met every day.
NEWTON: Yes. And as you said, the winter can be incredibly miserable. When you think it's the second one, many families will be under tents.
Scott Anderson for us in Gaza, glad to check in with you. Appreciate it.
Now, U.S. President Joe Biden is getting an up-close look at the shattering impact of Hurricane Helene. Hear what he's saying about the federal
government's response. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: The death toll continues to rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. At least 200 people across six states are now reported to have died
after Helene ripped through the southeastern U.S., causing massive destruction. And it's been a week now, a week, if you can believe it, since
the hurricane made landfall. I mean, look at that.
Many people, sadly, are still missing and unaccounted for. And because of continuing power outages, road closures and the disruption of cell service,
rescue and recovery efforts remain challenging. It's incredible.
One of the many people missing since the storm passed through is Steve Cloyd of Eastern Tennessee. His son Matthew spoke to CNN earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CLOYD, FATHER STEVE CLOYD IS MISSING: This isn't something you think of when you think of hurricanes. You think beaches, you think palm
trees, you think coasts. You don't think, you know, mountainside cabins in the middle of woods, in the Appalachian region. It's not something you
think about. You don't -- your mind doesn't go there.
So like I said, when I got the phone call from my mom telling me that my dad was in trouble, at first, I was just confused. Like what do you mean?
What do you mean? I never knew this was going to be something that was -- that this hurricane is going to affect this entire region in this way. I
wasn't prepared for the phone call.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[12:45:12]
NEWTON: We hope they get some good news there.
In the meantime, President Biden is continuing his visit to see for himself how badly the southeast of the United States has been hit. The president
arrived in Tallahassee, Florida, just moments ago. You see him there to see the aftermath of the storm there.
There will be -- he'll be giving a briefing on the situation. And then he's off to Georgia to survey the damage there. On Wednesday, the president had
this message for everyone affected by the storm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States, the nation has your back. The nation has your back. We're not leaving your back on
your feet completely.
In a moment like this, we put politics aside. At least we should put it all aside, and we have here. There are no Democrats or Republicans, there are
only Americans. And our job is to help as many people as we can, as quickly as we can, and as thoroughly as we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Laura Lee is the Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director. She's here to share some of her insights on the storm damage in parts of North
Carolina. And I thank you for being with us on what is such a difficult week, so far, and more really troubling days ahead for the entire state.
You know, people are still clearly coping with the shock of what happened. Just listen to Matthew Cloyd. He's wondering what happened to his father
and doesn't know -- this has been nearly a week and no one's gotten to him.
What are people saying there about the response from the state and the federal government, despite the fact that President Biden just said there,
look, we've got your back?
LAURA LEE, DIRECTOR, BLUE RIDGE PUBLIC RADIO NEWS: You know, it's hard to say that people are saying much about what is happening at that level,
because as you said, the concern is so much search and rescue and meeting basic needs on the ground.
I think the questions that we're getting constantly, especially in Asheville are about water. So, in addition to all of the, you know,
horrific catastrophic, some of that apocalyptic scenes that we see, we also have people struggling every single day because there's no water here.
There's very little food.
And as you mentioned, the connectivity of Wi-Fi or cell phones has been very badly damaged.
NEWTON: Can you tell us a little bit about what it's like day in, day out there at Asheville? I mean, we just heard again, Matthew talk about the
shock of this, the fact that no one expected this kind of horrific damage from a storm like that.
LEE: No one expected anything of this magnitude. We had saturated grounds from rain prior to the storm hitting. But, you know, this is the mountains.
This is the Western part of North Carolina.
We expect these things in the North Carolina coast. I think, you know, even though there were some preparations made caught very off guard with the
expanse of how catastrophic this would be. And to so many communities and pockets in places that were already difficult to traverse, but already have
some challenges with Wi-Fi, with cell phone connectivity, and this has just made it that much worse.
NEWTON: In terms of what you guys are hearing on the ground, search and rescue is still going on. Is there anything that is really going to be a
breakthrough in terms of logistics or communication or anything? Do you see that in the next 24 or 48 hours?
LEE: Well, our hope is that the sort of first step, at least on some of these issues is getting roadways. I mean, we have hikers, people on ATVs
riding up into the mountains, trying to get supplies to people, trying to find people who are isolated who we can't -- people can't get in touch
with. So I think getting access is step one.
They -- you know, the city has told us, the county has told us, it is very difficult to evaluate the water situation because they can't even get to
the sites to figure out what the problems are, much less begin to address those.
So it's really pretty desperate because there's not much by way of timeline here for what the solution is going to be.
NEWTON: And given that, what are people saying, though, about the local state of preparedness, state, federal government? I mean, are they
wondering if more should have been done prior to the storm and what more could be done now?
LEE: Certainly questions about what could have done prior, although I think -- because we're talking about immediate basic needs, it's, you know, can
you get us food? Can you get us water? When can we get cell networks back up?
I mean, there are people who may be OK, but they can't communicate to their families. We took our website, bpr.org, to a text-only version because
people, you know, were having difficulty getting that information. People are huddling around their crank radios, we've learned, listening to these
updates and reports because the information just, you know, isn't there.
So, I think for a lot of people, it's not so much a big policy issue. It's just day-to-day basic necessities that have got to get met.
NEWTON: Yes, understood. And you can certainly think about people that are huddled around a radio the way they would have been decades ago, just
trying to figure out what's going on.
[12:50:06]
And I know what you're saying, people do not have politics in their mind right now at all. On the other hand, we are looking at the devastation.
Asheville is not an insignificant population in terms of that wants to vote on election day.
Do you see that there will be huge challenges with getting people to vote in November?
LEE: I think there's no way around massive challenges here. I mean, if you look at the breakdown from 2020, Donald Trump had 23 of the 25 counties
that were affected. So I think, you know, and it was by a very small margin in North Carolina then. I think the poll shows a very small margin now.
So those get out the vote efforts that may be taking, would have taken place in these last few weeks of the campaigns, that's not going to be top
of mind.
I will say the Board of Elections here has said they're going to move forward. They're training poll workers. They're anticipating making
adjustments and having flexibility to try to get people the opportunity to vote. But it remains to be seen if that's going to be a top priority for
people when they're, you know, continuing to search for food and water.
NEWTON: Yes. And we certainly hope weeks from now that they are not searching for that. We hope that things, you know, get much better,
especially as you said, with just the basics, hopefully, by the weekend.
Laura Lee, I really appreciate checking in with you, and best of luck to all of you there on the ground. Appreciate it.
LEE: Thank you so much.
NEWTON: Now, Donald Trump is once again turning the focus of this election to his key campaign issue and that's immigration. And he's announcing
hardline policy proposals.
Trump is now threatening to deport legal Haitian migrants living in Springfield, Ohio, if he's elected in November. Take a listen to what he
said during an interview with "NewsNation" on Wednesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You have to remove the people and you have to bring them back to their own country. They are -- in
my opinion, it's not legal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you would revoke the temporary protected status?
TRUMP: Absolutely, I'd revoke it and I'd bring them back to their country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What if they won't receive them like they're not?
TRUMP: Well, they're going to receive them. They'll receive them. If I bring them back, they're going to receive them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: For weeks now, Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, have spread baseless conspiracy theories about Haitian migrants abducting and eating
pets in Springfield.
Melania Trump, meantime, is at odds with her husband on another key central issue, reproductive rights. Here's what she said in a new video posted on
social media today. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELANIA TRUMP, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard. Without a doubt, there is no
room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth. Individual freedom.
What does my body, my choice really mean?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And this comes after "The Guardian" reported excerpts from the former First Lady's new memoir expressing support for abortion rights.
Now, we will be right back when we'll update the breaking news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:55:38]
NEWTON: I want to bring you right up to date on our breaking news. Another Israeli airstrike hitting Southern Beirut that was just a short time ago
and follows three earlier daytime strikes on the same area, and also an intense night of bombardment.
Now, the IDF also struck at the heart of the capital early Thursday for the first time in nearly two decades.
At least nine people were killed, that's according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Israel says it is also coming under attack with about a hundred
projectiles launched from Lebanon into Israel today.
The U.S. and the U.N. have repeatedly called for de-escalation.
And that does it for ONE WORLD. I'm Paula Newton. Stay with CNN as we continue to update the breaking news. I want to thank you for watching.
"AMANPOUR" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
