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One World with Zain Asher

Netanyahu Denies Israel Drew U.S. Into War with Iran; Goldman Sachs: Triple-Digit Oil Prices to Stay for Now; Lebanese PM Urges Trump to Intervene, Calls for Ceasefire; NRC: 1M Displaced in Lebanon Amid Humanitarian Crisis; Palestinian Man Says Israeli Settlers Sexually Assaulted Him; K-Pop Icons Reunited for "ARIRANG" Album, World Tour. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired March 20, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right. Coming to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. Bianna is off today. You are watching "One World".

Muslims across the world are marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Worshippers in Jerusalem prayed in the streets near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the

gates to the holy site are closed. Israel says it is for security reasons.

And in Iran today is the Ancient Persian celebration of Nowruz, a time to celebrate spring and new beginnings. Meantime, the U.S. Israeli war in Iran

is now approaching its fourth week. Iran confirms the spokesperson for the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps has been killed. Tehran warning that

even tourist sites worldwide are not safe for its enemies.

Iran is also continuing to target energy facilities across the Gulf. A Kuwaiti oil refinery attacks again by drones. Experts warn the oil prices

could remain high for years. In fact, an Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel acted alone in striking South Par's gas field, Iran's

largest one.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. So, Nic, we have a situation whereby Friday morning countries across the Gulf region

intercepting drones from Iran. All of this, of course, coming at a time of celebration, both in Iran, just in terms of the Persian New Year, a time to

mark new beginnings in spring, and of course, the end of Ramadan Eid walk us through its Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it did. Waking up here today, looking out across the city earlier in the day, feel very

peaceful, very calm. Fewer cars on the road, people at home celebrating with their families. And in the restaurants around here, people going out

with their families, with their children.

You can see whole sort of groups of different families gathering together with grandparents as well. Everyone dressed in their fines, handing bags of

gifts, traditional gifts for the holiday. But of course, in the background here, the war has been continuing. Saudi Arabia alone in the last hour or

so, incoming drones in the east of the country.

There, where the oil -- most of the oil facilities are, 20 drones total there in the UAE today, it was four ballistic missiles that were

intercepted, 26 drones. Bahrain missiles impacted their setting a warehouse on fire early in the morning.

And actually, the authorities in Bahrain, when they wanted to do their usual celebration for Eid, which is fire should some celebratory shots in

the air, they warned everyone a long way in advance, so no one would be shocked and surprised and worried about what was happening.

I mean, that's the level of attention in Kuwait, where we were earlier this week. We talked to people about the upcoming Eid and the government have

put in place tighter controls and restrictions, telling people not to gather in big groups, not to hold big weddings, canceling theater

performances six o'clock in the morning.

The Mina Al Ahmadi oil refinery was hit. That's caused a dent in production there. So not a day of celebration in the true sense of the word that

people would normally want to enjoy knowing that they're in peace. It's very much not the situation here at the moment.

ASHER: And Nic, just in terms of ongoing strategy when it comes to this war between the Americans and the Israelis. You know, we know that Trump came

out and talked about the fact that he's not necessarily 100 percent on the same page as Israelis when it comes to targeting energy infrastructure.

Just explain how much daylight there is at this point in time. Netanyahu came out at a press conference trying to sort of skirt the fact that there

might be any daylight between them, and then sort of really reiterating to the public that they are both on the same page. But based on what you know,

how much daylight is there between the two leaders about the strategy when it comes to pursuing this war now in its almost fourth week?

ROBERTSON: You know, I think Israel feels it as a much more immediate and existential threat. And certainly, that was the sort of language that Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was leading with in his briefing yesterday. Yes, is close the United States, but in his narrative, there is so much

evil in Iran it needs to be destroyed.

And I think when you listen to people in this Gulf region here, what they say is, and I think this is reflected in what I've heard from Israeli

sources as well, there's a real concern that the United States, President Trump could end the war on his terms when he is ready, and Israel would

feel that the job wasn't done.

So, I think the daylight here is that Israel feels that it needs to do as much as it can and effect as close to regime change as possible in a

shorter period of time as it can, in case the United States pulls out partially in the hope that people will come out on the streets and kind of

overthrow the regime, although the President -- Prime Minister Netanyahu, really seemed to accept that that may not be the case.

[11:05:00]

The ground boys being sort of laid by the White House and by the Israeli Prime Minister, that the population may not be able to come out on the

streets and overthrow the regime. But Israel is trying to accelerate, and by striking those oil fields, that was a way to accelerate, because it

would aim to shut down the energy supplies that keep the electricity going in Iran, keep the lights on, keep the systems functioning.

And in essence, put more pressure on the leadership, as Israel continues to go after leadership figures. So, I think Israel's agenda is a much faster

one. President Trump's is harder to nail down his -- the pressure on him is the pressure of the oil price rising is the voices within the United States

that say we can't afford this $200 billion uplift that the Pentagon is requesting for military spending.

So, I think that's where the difference is. And here -- and here in the Gulf, it really is trying to stay out of the war and hope that Israel

doesn't escalate in a way that Iran responds with its escalation on oil facilities here that might ultimately cross that threshold that the Saudi

Foreign Minister two nights ago, spoke about the potential for a military response, that that remains an option.

Look, it's really, really hard to know, because there is no obvious off ramp, and this was continuing at a pretty ferocious rate, and the Straits

of Hormuz remain closed with no sense that that's going to end soon either.

ASHER: Yeah, it does put both leaders, but especially President Trump, in a massive bind. All right, Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank you so

much. A small price to pay, that's how U.S. President Donald Trump is describing the calls for an additional $200 billion in Pentagon funding.

As our Nic Robertson was just talking about their Trump is not offering specifics and what exactly the Pentagon needs the funding, forcing only

that he wants to ensure that the U.S. military has, quote, vast amounts of ammunition.

Meantime, the Trump Administration is bypassing Congress to expedite the sale of billions of weapons, in weapons, rather to Gulf allies in the UAE

and Kuwait. Let's go straight now to our Kevin Liptak joining us live now from outside the White House.

So, $200 billion clearly, not necessarily, at least for everyone, a small price to pay. And by the way, might I add, that's on top of the Pentagon's

$1 trillion annual budget. And $200 billion just to put that into context for our viewers, Kevin, that is actually more than the U.S. has spent in

the entirety of the Ukraine war. Just explain to us what the reaction has been by members of Congress, especially on the Republican side.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, it's a massive amount of money. And sometimes I think when you hear, you know, billions or

trillions what talked about in Washington speak, it can get kind of confusing, but this is an enormous amount of money.

I mean, as you pointed out, it's a fifth of the entirety of the Pentagon's budget over the last year. And what it's doing is causing some of these

questions and anxieties that already existed in the Republican Party about where this war is headed.

It's causing those to sort of bubble to the surface. And you hear many Republicans on Capitol Hill saying that they don't think that they can get

behind a funding request of that size, unless the administration, and unless President Trump spells out in much more detail about where this

conflict is headed.

Because when they see that kind of figure, you sort of start to think about a prolonged conflict, something that doesn't necessarily appear to be

ending in one week or two weeks or three weeks, which is what the Pentagon had been laying out up until this point.

And so, when you listen to GOP leadership, particularly, they say they at this point, don't think that they have the votes for funding bill of that

sum, unless the president comes out and offers some more specifics about why he needs that amount of money.

Now, yesterday, he said it would go towards, quote, vast amounts of ammunition. The Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledges that. Quote, it

takes money to kill bad guys, but neither of them offering specifics about where exactly it would go.

Already one GOP lawmaker, Lauren Boebert from Colorado, has said explicitly that she will be a no on any war supplemental at this point. She's sort of

an outlier many other Republicans not necessarily saying exactly where they stand on it. But it does, I think, just underscoring the anxieties among

Republicans that the president could have gotten himself now into the kind of endless war that he campaigned against.

Now the White House says that that nothing of the sort is happening. They say that he has these defined objectives, you know, the four points

military points that he wants to achieve in this war.

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But I will say when questions come up about how this war will end, they have been a lot vaguer. You know, it is not quantifiable. It's talking

about what the president quote feels in his bones. That's what he said this week, which I think is leading to anxieties among Republicans about where

this is all headed.

When you layer on top of that, the question of boots on the ground, that's the decision that's in front of the president now, whether to send American

troops into Iran to continue fighting the conflict. That, of course, is a line in the sand for many Republicans. I think it will make holding this

coalition all that much more difficult going forward.

ASHER: All right. Kevin Liptak, live for us there. Thank you so much. And a reminder to you to tune in for our CNN Town Hall war with Iran with Dana

Bash and studio audience will question a panel including U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, that's at 09:00 p.m. Eastern at the times on your

screens there, depending on what part of the world you live in.

The oil fields in the Gulf region are under attack, and that's directly impacting your bottom line. How long will that be the case for experts

weigh in after the break? The global fallout from the Middle East conflict, the price ordinary people will have to pay everywhere, from Europe to Asia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, get ready for more pain at the pump. Goldman Sachs believes triple digit crude oil prices are here to stay for a while. That's

because of the shutdown of course, of the Strait of Hormuz and the damaged energy infrastructure in the Gulf region.

Right now, the global benchmark Brent Crude is at $109 a barrel. U.S. benchmark WTI is trading at $96 a barrel. Let's bring in our Business and

Economics Reporter Anna Cooban. So, Anna, the sort of major sort of new line is the fact that the White House is actually considering lifting

sanctions on Iran Ian oil that's already at sea.

That this is huge. I mean, the idea of lifting sanctions on your enemy during war. But the rationale, just in terms of what Scott Bessent is

saying, is that it would sort of diversify the areas to which this oil would have gone to. So typically, it's mostly going to China.

It now means you can have other countries also getting Iranian oil. The increase in supply would also lower prices. But how long for? How long do

we expect these sorts of increases in supply from Iranian oil to actually lower global prices of oil for Anna?

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ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: Well, this measure suggested measures Zain is really tinkering at the edges of the problem.

Fundamentally, the Strait of Hormuz is largely blocked. That needs to be reopened. And we've also seen the U.S. temporarily lift sanctions on a

Russian crude that's already at sea.

So clearly, the United States is prepared to sort of renege on some of its key sort of diplomatic economic measures, tools of pressure on its

adversaries in order to try to alleviate some of the issues that they're seeing. You know, gas prices across the country the average gas price is

now it's at its highest level since October 2022.

And so, the pain at the pump is causing the United States to really take these very unexpected measures. And I just want to point to this

infrastructure -- these infrastructure attacks that we've seen over the past a couple of days, they've really ramped up. Yes, we've had some

assurance from Israel, on the sort of advice for the United States to not go after Iranian key energy sites.

But still, a lot of the damage has been done this attack by Iran on Qatar's Ras Laffen LNG facility, the largest in the world. Qatar Energy has come

out to say that now 17 percent of its capacity is offline and it might take up to five years to rebuild that.

And we've had these predictions from Goldman Sachs that high oil prices are likely to stay through 2027 even saying that there is a very real

possibility here that we could see Brent, the global oil benchmark, topping the all-time record set in 2008 during the financial crisis, which was $147

a barrel.

So, Zain, whatever these measures may be -- they're really tinkering at the edges. The fundamental problem is that we are still at war, and the Strait

of Hormuz needs to be reopened.

ASHER: Yeah, that is the bottom line. Anna Cooban, live for us there. Thank you so much. Well, the shock waves are extending far beyond the energy

markets. From Brussels to Bangkok, people are at the risk of surging fuel prices, fuel shortages and potentially going hungry as well.

Last week, South Korea imposed its first wholesale fuel price cap in 30 years. In addition to temporarily closing schools, Pakistan has actually

also cut some government salaries too. Thailand has ordered some officials to work from home. The Philippines has introduced a four-day work week.

While in Bangladesh, motorcyclists lined up for hours to fill their tanks due to a cap on fuel purchases. Europe already dealt with energy shocks

four years ago, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It worked to diversify energy shifting to the Persian Gulf.

Let's focus on how Europe and Asia are responding to the economic impact of the Middle East war. Rob Schmitz is an International Correspondent for NPR.

Joins us live now from Berlin, while Journalist Ashish Valentine is in Taipei, Taiwan.

Ashish, let me start with you, because China is an interesting one here, because obviously they are an ally of Iran, and they're one of the sorts of

few ships that are actually being allowed through the Strait of Hormuz. But they are also the world's largest oil importer as well.

And that is really important to note. Just explain to us how this war is going to be affecting China's strategy? And what they're doing to

essentially supplement the rising -- the rising oil prices around the world?

ASHISH VALENTINE, JOURNALIST: Yes, China is a really interesting case, because Asia as a whole is very severely impacted by the supply shocks.

However, China has actually spent years preparing for specifically this kind of scenario. And so compared to other Asian nations, even compared to

nations all over the world, China is already very reliant on green energy, about half of all new cars sold in China are EVs or hybrids.

China also has a pretty massive stockpile of oil, and Iran has also been letting certain ships through that are destined for China. So, China is

stressed about the situation, just as all other countries in the region are stressed, but compared to other high-tech economies, such as Taiwan, South

Korea, Japan, China is actually writing this out fairly smoothly. And China's concerns are more mid to long term, whereas other nations concerns

are very short term.

ASHER: Rob, let me bring you in for the European perspective, because Europe did have sort of the experience something very similar to this,

obviously four years ago during the Russia Ukraine war. And at that time, a lot of the conversation centered around energy independence.

Just explain to us what lessons have been learned from that particular crisis. And also, you're dealing with various sort of countries now that

are not only dealing with rising energy costs because of the Russia Ukraine war, which we saw four years ago, but additional rising prices because of

the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

ROB SCHMITZ, INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, NPR: Yeah, some of the lessons that were learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine were that well in

Germany, at least, where I sit, is that Germany was reliant on Russia for far too much of its natural gas.

[11:20:00]

More than 50 percent of central gas supply came from Russia. That was immediately cut off. And that forced Germany to then focus on getting

natural gas from Qatar, which obviously right now, that's a big problem, as well as the United States and Norway.

Now, what's happening now with the war in Iran is going to increase prices. Of course, we were seeing 35 percent increases in the price of natural gas

throughout Europe. And this is going to lead countries like Germany, which is the largest economy in Europe, to rely more and more on the United

States for its imported natural gas through LNG.

You know, one problem here is that Europe is increasingly dependent on the U.S. for LNG, for liquefied natural gas. It relies on us for 96 percent of

its LNG. So that's a big problem, especially since the relationship between European Leaders and President Trump has really never been worse.

ASHER: And to that point, what are the options here for European Leaders? I mean, they don't necessarily want to assist the United States militarily in

the Strait of Hormuz. I mean, some have talked about potentially assisting in a kind of defense capacity, but there's a lot of reluctance.

See, there's a lot of you know, non-committal talk, but at the same time, they are being severely impacted by rising oil prices. So, what can they

do?

SCHMITZ: Yeah, that's a good question. I think that Europe right now finds itself into in a really sticky situation. It wants to be somewhat compliant

with President Trump's request, but it also wants to keep an arm's distance. And so right now, there was a European Union summit yesterday,

but they were talking about this throughout the day.

I mean, and I think what's worth mentioning too here is that European consumers are starting to feel some of the price impact of this war. You

know, gasoline in the United States right now is around four or $5 a gallon. Here in Europe, it's around $9 a gallon.

So, if you think it's bad in the U.S., come to Germany, where it's around $9 a gallon to fill up your car. So, this is starting to be felt by all

sorts of, you know, on every level. And as this war goes on, you're going to find that natural gas prices being so far up, electricity is going to go

up.

You're going to have inflation that will be a product of that. So, you're going to see this kind of follow, just like we saw after the war in Ukraine

when it started.

ASHER: And Ashish, you mentioned that China is relatively shielded from all of this. I mean, obviously Iran has been sending oil to China at a

discounted rate, which they've obviously enjoyed, but Chinese ships are still being allowed through the Strait of Hormuz.

And you also mentioned that they've really sort of planned out this possibility for some, quite some time to come. So, they are relatively

shielded. What about other Asian countries though Ashish?

VALENTINE: Yes. Asia as a whole is very severely affected. Last year, for example, about 90 percent of all liquefied natural gas passing through the

Strait of Hormuz went to Asia. Now, just because Asia as a whole is very severely affected, doesn't mean that every country or economy here feels

that the same way.

You basically have tiers, where at the very top you have the high-income economies, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, these economies are heavily reliant

on liquefied natural gas, but they have the economic power to buy it at a higher price when the price rises, which is exactly what's happening right

now. On the other hand, you have economies like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, which are dealing with severe fuel shortages.

And in India, there's a pretty interesting internet trend that I've seen through some family members, where there's internet memes where someone

wants to marry a woman, and the woman's family is not interested in taking his offer, but then when the father finds out that the groom has an extra

gas cylinder at home, suddenly he becomes a more attractive marriage prospect. So that's just an example of how people are trying to make light

of the situation.

ASHER: That's hilarious. Yeah, that is funny. Ashish Valentine and Rob Schmitz, live for us there. Thank you both so much. Appreciate it. All

right, still to come, new images showing the chaos of war. Lebanon's Prime Minister, urging the U.S. to find a path to peace. Those details ahead as

the country's death toll climbs.

Plus, looking for the helpers. In a few moments, I'll speak with a humanitarian professional about Lebanon's worsening crisis and emergency

responses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:25:00]

ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today. As Israel continues

to target top Iranian leaders. Iran state media reports the spokesperson for the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been killed.

Israel says it killed the Iranian intelligence minister in an earlier strike. Tehran is warning that tourist sites and recreational areas

worldwide are no longer safe for its enemies. Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel acted alone in striking South Par's gas field, which marked a major

escalation in the war and caused global energy prices to spike.

The Israeli Prime Minister says he would comply with President Trump's demand that Israel would refrain from attacking Iran's important energy

sites. U.S. President Trump confirms the Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in funding. He calls the major request quote a small price to pay.

This comes as the administration bypasses Congress to expedite the sale of billions in weapons to Gulf allies, UAE and Kuwait. Gulf Nations are

reporting new Iranian drones and missile attacks. Fires broke out at a Kuwaiti oil refinery after state media says it was hit by drones.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain also say they've been targeted in strikes on Friday, while Israel says it's been working to intercept missiles from

Iran. An urgent message for peace from one head of state to another, Lebanon's Prime Minister, calling on U.S. President Donald Trump, to quote,

play a decisive role in ending the war.

In recent weeks, the Lebanese Government says more than 1000 people have been killed. The Israeli military continuing their operations against

Hezbollah and now ordering further evacuations from Southern Lebanon. All of this mounting destruction sparking a major humanitarian crisis.

The Norwegian Refugee Council estimates that 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon. Meantime, Israelis ramping up its air strikes and

ground offensive in Lebanon. And as CNN's Isobel Yeung reports its children who are often do get caught in the line of fire.

[11:30:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This mother is carrying the body of her six-year-old daughter, Yasmina (ph). Israeli, bombs pierce her

grief. She's also burying her three other daughters, nine-year-old, Mallika (ph), Zara (ph) 12 and Zainab (ph) 13, along with their cousin 11-year-old,

Sadiq (ph).

YEUNG: Just absolutely heartbreaking to see these body after body after body, tiny little bodies. These ones having to be carried on the bed

because there's just only parts and remnants and pieces of them left. These are just five of over 110 children killed this month.

YEUNG (voice-over): The IDF say they're targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, and that Hezbollah are using civilians as human shields. CNN obtained

permission from Hezbollah to film in Southern Lebanon.

YEUNG: It is just apocalyptic round here. And to think that, I mean, just a couple weeks ago, this was a buzzing, lively neighborhood with shops, and

these are people's houses, and now it's just all been turned to rubble. Must be so eerie staying here, and yet you still do see people. You see

people in their homes. What are you still doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stay here.

YEUNG: Why are you staying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go, well, this my house.

YEUNG: Are you the only person who stayed? Or is there other about families who stayed as well?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know, get family. I know, marry you. You want to marry me.

YEUNG: These kids obviously have been out of school for the last two weeks since the beginning of the war, and this group now is trying to do some

activities with them, try to have some semblance of normality. What are you scared could happen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (FOREIGN LANUGAUGE)

YEUNG: What would you say to the people who have power over this war right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

YEUNG: It's a pain no child should know a generation who should have their entire lives ahead of them, now pulled into a war they never chose and

crushed beneath the violence that engulfs them. Isobel Yeung CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Israel's military says it will look into the incident that CNN has documented involving children's deaths. My next guest serves as the Head of

Mission and Head of Programs for Doctors Without Borders in Lebanon. Jeremy rather Ristord joins us live now from Beirut.

Jeremy, thank you so much for being with us. I mean, I really want our audience to truly get a lay of the land in terms of what the ordinary

people in Lebanon are going through during this war, but also previous wars? I mean, they are continually dragged into conflict. Conflict,

oftentimes that they would rather not be part of, because of Hezbollah.

When it comes to food insecurity, when it comes to over potentially a million people displaced, when it comes to increased bombing and targeting

of neighborhoods in and around Southern Beirut and even when they are warned by the IDF, listen, you guys have to leave this particular area. The

area where they have to leave is so vast that it's very difficult for them to calculate where exactly the safe places are to go to.

And our Isobel Yeung was just reporting on that mean, the psychological and physical impact of all of this on children is especially dire. Jeremy, just

explain to our audience who might not understand, what are people in Lebanon, especially Southern Lebanon experiencing right now?

JEREMY RISTORD, MSF HEAD OF MISSION FOR LEBANON: Thank you for having me on. As you said, as we just heard, over 1 million people have been forcibly

displaced, either by Israel's so called evacuation orders, or by the relentless bombing on shellings on their strike.

1 million people that amounts for almost a quarter of the Lebanese -- of the country's population. On many of them, of those people left in a matter

of hours, not taking anything with them. So, people with chronic condition, living without their medication, leaving everything behind.

[11:35:00]

12 percent of this population is currently residing in overcrowded shelters that have been opened very, very quickly by the Lebanese institution, but

they remain in very dire conditions with limited access to the most essential goods, blankets, water, but also to services such as access to

medical care.

In parallel, as you mentioned, we've reached yesterday, according to the Ministry of Health, over 1000 people being killed by Israeli strikes, but

also well over 2500 wounded. So, it puts also an enormous strain on the -- system.

ASHER: And you know, some people may or may not know this, but Lebanon actually houses one of the largest refugee populations in the world,

whether we're talking about Syrian refugees, Palestinian refugees. So, these are people who are, yes, used to being displaced, but now being

forced to be displaced yet again, and many of them are living already in extreme poverty. Jeremy, how would you assess the international response to

all of this in Lebanon?

RISTORD: As you pointed out, I think this conflict doesn't happen in a vacuum. And Lebanon has been experiencing since 2019 a very severe economic

crisis, with today 7 out of 10 people living below poverty line. To this, you need to have, as you pointed out, some already refugee population

Syria's a lot of other vulnerable populations, such as migrant workers.

Then comes the 2024 conflict that has devastated the south of the country on the has caused very big, big economic impact and already led to a mass

displacement. So many of the people today experiencing this, this conflict have been repeatedly displaced on the population of the state, has very,

very little capacity to absorb the current shock without a significant amount of international support and principle support.

So, we do see a bit of financial support being now arriving into the country from the international community. But this needs to be scaled up

very, very quickly to not avert a humanitarian crisis, because we are already experiencing one, but to alleviate as much as possible the burden

on the population.

ASHER: And for aid workers in in Lebanon, how dangerous is it to do your job right now in that country?

RISTORD: That's one of the main constraints that we have today on as MSF, as you know, as Doctors Without Borders, we rely on the generosity on the

trust of over 7 million individual donors. So, we were able to scale up very, very rapidly since the very first days.

But as you pointed out, air strike impacting big part of the country population are still staying in the south in the areas under the so-called

evacuation orders. As of yesterday, the Ministry of Health has recorded almost 100 attacks on medical centers or emergency medical services. Over

40 medical or paramedical personnel have been killed, over 100 of them wounded.

So today, one of the main constraints in our action is to be able to operate in that environment with enough guarantees for our safety. So, we

do call for the different parties to the conflict to ensure that civilian and civilian infrastructure is as it should be protected, but also, the

same goes for medical and humanitarian missions that need to be protected on access to the population in need needs to be facilitated.

ASHER: Yeah, because public services are near breaking point. And it is important to know that this doesn't happen in a vacuum. I mean, aside from

the fact that Lebanon is dealing with multiple crises, and as you point out, its face, multiple conflicts with Israel in such a short space of

time.

But on top of that, Lebanon was already dealing with a major economic crisis, even before this current war. I mean, my biggest fear is, how long

this could really drag on for? What is your biggest concern, Jeremy, since you are actually on the ground?

RISTORD: As you're saying we don't know long it could it could go on. The more it drags on, the more protracted the needs are going to increase on.

People are residing in collective shelters with, you know, no privacy. The risk of the security and safety of the people is not insured today.

And actually, strikes are happening well beyond the areas and the evacuation order, so we are seeing definitely amounting vulnerabilities

within the population that are being displaced.

[11:40:00]

On another point of concern is that this conflict risks breaking apart the very fabric of the Lebanese society in its multicultural dimension.

ASHER: All right. Jeremy Ristord, thank you so much for the work that you're doing. And we appreciate you explaining to audience what people in

Lebanon are going through right now. Thank you for that. And for more information about how you can help the civilians impacted by the conflict

across the Middle East go to cnn.com/impact, and you'll find information there on how you can assist ordinary civilians in in Lebanon as well.

All right, coming up, a Palestinian man who says he was brutally sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers is speaking out about the alleged attack, but

he claims nearly took his life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. Palestinian man in the West Bank says Israeli settlers sexually assaulted him. Israeli settlers, have increasingly used violence

against Palestinians in attempts to drive them from their homes. With sexual assault appears to be a new weapon in the settlers' arsenal of

intimidation. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us, live now from Tel Aviv with more. Jeremy, what more do we know?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, over the course of the last two and a half years we have been covering the rise in settler

violence in the West Bank. We have seen beatings, we have seen arsons, we have seen killings, but this is the first time that I have reported and met

a man who says he was sexually assaulted by settlers, and this is his harrowing story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (voice-over): His eyes still bloody and bruised Qusay Abu Al Kabash (ph) is determined to tell his harrowing story. An Israeli settler attack

unlike any other. I was standing here. The settlers came. They attacked me. They dragged me in here he says. These are the zip ties they use to bind my

hands. They cut my trousers and belts and here are my boxers. They took them off me. Abu Al Kabash says, the masked and armed settlers then

sexually assaulted him.

They zip tied my genitals and squeezed tight on them while continuing to beat me. They dragged me from there, and then poured water over me, and

then dirt. They were dragging me while I was undressed with my hands and legs bound my genitals bound all the way up the hill.

[11:45:00]

DIAMOND: What was going through your mind when that was happening?

DIAMOND (voice-over): I thought they were going to kill me, beat me to death. Abu Al Kabash's relatives who were present at the time also

corroborated his account. So did two foreign activists, volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement, who told us they were beaten and

violently dragged by the settlers.

Abu Al Kabash said the settlers also stole his livelihood, hundreds of sheep that once filled these pens. He says the settlers also beat his

father, wife and even his children, threatening to return if the family doesn't leave their land.

They said, we're going to steal your sheep. We're going to steal your women. We're going to rape your women. We're going to take your girls.

There wasn't a single ill phrase that wasn't uttered.

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians has skyrocketed since October 7th, but sexual assault appears to be a new weapon in the settler arsenal

of intimidation. The assault came days after prosecutors dropped charges against five soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian prisoner

inside a notorious detention facility drawing uproar from Israeli human rights organizations.

Israeli police are now investigating the attack on Abu Al Kabash and his family, telling CNN they've arrested seven suspects. Police said the case

is under a court issued gag order, but there is little faith here in Israeli investigations settler attacks in the West Bank are rarely

prosecuted, and Abu Al Kabash's wait for justice is filled with fear.

I'm worried they'll come back, that they'll kill us in the middle of the night, beat us to death, or burn our village like they said they would.

DIAMOND: What will you do if they come back?

DIAMOND (voice-over): What can I do? We'll get beaten once again. What can we do he asks. He'll beat us and burn us, finish us once and for all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (on camera): And in addition to what the settlers allegedly did to Qusay (ph) we also understand that the settlers stole hundreds of sheep.

They also smashed various surveillance cameras that were in the area and stole the phones from all of the individuals who were present, which is why

we haven't yet seen any video surface of this incident.

Again, the Israeli police have said that they've arrested seven suspects so far, but we will have to see whether or not that actually leads to any

actual prosecution, Zain.

ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv. Thank you so much for that harrowing report. All right, we'll be right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:00]

ASHER: A stunning display in the heavens as a drone show celebrates one of the biggest comebacks in K-Pop, "The Return of BTS". Drones formed images

of the music superstars who are back with their new album "ARIRANG", as well as their first live show in three years ahead of a world tour.

"ARIRANG" is the group's first album nearly four years. The singers took hiatus because of military service in South Korea, but have been working on

solo projects. The BTS army is mobilizing worldwide. Let's speak to CNN En Espanol Correspondent, Cristopher Ulloa, who is in Santiago, where the band

is set to perform.

They are huge in Latin America. I mean, obviously they're huge across the world, but particularly, there is a massively strong fan base in Latin

America, as I understand it. Even the Mexican President came out and requested additional tour dates. Just talk to us about the excitement upon

the release of this new album Christopher?

CRISTOPHER ULLOA, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Hi Zain. Yes, that's correct. We're talking about BTS, the most important K-Pop group in

history. They have already sold millions of records and albums in the whole world. Concerts in stadium sold out in just minutes. And of course, you

were saying a huge fan base and very compromised fans call themselves as army.

The expectation after this four-year -- it's very big. And of course, Latin America is not an exception. In the context of this new world tour, BTS

will perform at least in 79 shows during this year and when they will also visit Latin America, and the countries are Colombia, Argentina, Chile,

Peru, Mexico, and also Brazil.

But why is this so much important for Latin American fans? And why does this have this impact in between them? We can check it out, like in Mexico,

the resellers of the tickets for the concert, were selling those for prices as high as $9,000 in Peru. In the other hand, the army were trying to plant

new trees in very dry areas so the BTS members could see a better view from the plane.

And here in Chile, the situation is a little bit more complicated, because still, there is not a stadium officially confirmed for the two dates that

BTS have already announced for the shows in October. It's a very complex situation, and it really varies and depends to the country. But still, it

has a lot of influenza and also importance.

If we go back to Mexico, there are even new groups of music that take very heavily inspirations on the K-Pop there is Almas, a new group of girls in

Mexico that mixes the K-Pop Music and also another genre such as Strap.

Here in Chile, we have another group called QARE that just have performed in the latest version of Lollapalooza here in our country. And there is

also another group called Santos Bravo, which reunites different members from different countries of Latin America. And they're also already working

with hype, the same music company from BTS.

It's a very important influence. And we talk to experts, and also the official fan club for BTS here in Chile, and their answer is clear. K-Pop

music is a whole package. They have very work lyrics. They have very complex methods of composition, and they also have very dynamic

choreographies.

So, the touch and the approximation, with the fact -- with the sounds, it's very different and not the traditional way, just as the other music genres

that were used. So, they have a narrative. They have a story. They have a world which they really try to introduce us.

The attention and all the eyes of the worlds, of course, right now are in South Korea, in the City of Seoul, where BTS is scheduled to perform

tomorrow in the first live performance after these four years. And of course, this event is going to be extreme to the whole world. And all the

eyes, as I just were saying, are already put on this on this new concert in the City of Seoul, Zain.

ASHER: Yeah. And I think about a quarter of a million people are expected to attend that concert tomorrow night.

[11:55:00]

But as you mentioned, the situation in Chile is a bit complicated, so I really hope that Chilean fans actually get to attend concert and watch BTS.

All right, Cristopher Ulloa in Santiago. Thank you so much.

And finally, before we go, the NCAA's March Madness is off to a wild start with major upsets and nail biters in the opening round of the college

basketball tournament. The 11th seed VCU Rams stunned sixth ranked UNC, 82- 78 in overtime, the Tar Heels were leading by as much as 19 points in the second half, but the Rams stormed back, earning VCU its first tournament

win since 2016.

Meantime, Duke fans got quite a scare earlier for much of the game against underdog Sienna. It really looked like Duke could be the third ever number

one seed to get bounced in the opening round, but the Blue Devils took the lead with a little more than four minutes to go and secured their spot in

round two. All right, stay with CNN. I'll have much more "One World" after the short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END