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Middle East Tensions Escalate As Iran Attacks Israel; Arab Nations Call For Restraint As Israel-Iran Conflict Intensifies; Trump's Criminal Trial To Begin Today In Manhattan. G7 Leaders Condemn Iran's Attack; Middle East on Edge after Iran Attacks Israel; World Leaders React to Iran's Attack; In Elite Company at Augusta. Aired 1- 2a ET

Aired April 15, 2024 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:25]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's 9:00 a.m. in Abu Dhabi. Hello and welcome. I'm Becky Anderson coming to you from our Middle East, broadcasting hub wherever you are watching. You are more than welcome and the world the Middle East right now waiting to see how Israel will respond to Iran's unprecedented areas assaults on it as the bombardment ended on Sunday morning, local hours and all out.

Diplomatic push has begun aiming to avoid any further escalation. G7 nations met virtually and regional leaders spoke with their global counterparts in an emergency session Sunday of the UN Security Council, the Secretary General called for restraint.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The Middle East is on the brink. The people of the region are confronting the real danger of a devastating full scale conflict. Now is the time to defuse and deescalate. Now is the time for maximum restraint.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Israel now says about 350 drones, missiles and rockets were fired from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Nearly all were intercepted, while the US says itself intercepted more than 80 drones and at least six missiles but insists it won't join any retaliatory strikes.

Israel's War Cabinet has not decided on a response. A source tells CNN but the council is divided but a call from the U.S. president convinced Israel's Prime Minister to delay retaliation, at least for now.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now. If not, sorry, when not if seems to be the message from the Israelis, how they will respond to what work retaliatory strikes by Iran is as yet unclear, it seems. PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. And Becky, the

fact that this war cabinet meeting went on for hours is very telling the fact it didn't end until Sunday evening. And then when it did end, they hadn't decided on an option.

So what they've done now is they've gone back to the military, and they've said, you have to give us more options. Obviously what they had in front of them was not what they were willing to do at this point. But this is a coalition that is very right wing. You have some very forceful voices within this Israeli administration that are really pushing to go hard and fast against Iran.

And then on the other side, you do have the Biden administration, and you had the U.S. President talking to the Israeli prime minister, urging him to show some restraint, saying that it should be seen as a win, because very few of these drones and missiles got through and there was very little damage.

But at this point, Israel has made it fairly clear that they are going to do something. We don't know exactly what at this point. We did have the Israeli president's head soul who spoke to CNN on Sunday. So let's listen to what he said about it.

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ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT: I think we're operating in a very focused way and a very responsible way. And I'm sure there will be a decision accordingly, that will make sure that we protect and defend the people of Israel, and of course, serve the idea of this coalition that has emanated all of a sudden in front of our eyes opposing the aggressive acts and the and the operations of Iran in the region for so many years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: And one of the words he used when he was speaking to warfare was cool headed saying this is the way that is working with these options at this point, one senior Biden administration official telling CNN as well, that they don't believe Israel is looking to escalate the situation. But Israel has made it very clear that they do have to respond in some way.

ANDERSON: It's interesting, because as you rightly point out the options suggesting it won't get involved in any offensive action by Israel. Obviously, there are U.S. bases around this region and the Iranians have warned that those will be in play. Should there be a response that includes the United States around this region an echo of calls for deescalation.

[01:05:10]

We've just heard from Omani officials expressing, quote, profound concern over the recent escalation between Israel and Iran. The ministry emphasizing the position of the Sultanate of Oman, which calls for adherence to international laws and the necessity for the Security Council to assume its responsibility towards maintaining international peace and security, again, that echoed through calls from this region to that U.N. Security Council that met in emergency session on Sunday, Paula.

HANCOCKS: Well, they did have this emergency session. And as you can imagine, I think we could all predict what was going to happen. You had the Israeli ambassador, accusing the Iranian ambassador counter- accusations, and there was a lot of animosity, of course, within the Security Council itself.

And it was really an opportunity for both sides to voice their anger, to voice what they believe should happen next. And we've heard from the Iranian side that they believe that the matter is now concluded. They've pointed out that this was a retaliatory strike to a suspected Israeli strike on a diplomatic compound of Iran's in Syria at the beginning of the month. They say that this is the counter attack to that and they consider it the matter closed.

Now, of course, the matter isn't closed, because Israel has said that it does need to counter attack in some way. It's just what that counter attack is how big the retaliation is. And would it be in some kind of form that won't lead to escalation. But we have had calls from the region saying the U.N. Security Council needs to do more.

But the U.N. Security Council is completely split at the moment, there's going to be no resolutions passed. There's going to be very little agreement when you have the U.S. on one side and Russia and China on the other side. So it's very difficult to see how the UN Security Council would be able to settle the matter at this point.

ANDERSON: Both sides, it seems and I say sides, I'm talking about Israel and Iran here and let's remember, you know, 350 projectiles headed towards Israel. 99 percent of which were intercepted as far as the IDF are concerned but that is an enormous assault. This is the second assault on Israel security in six months. The first of course, as far as Israel is concerned is October the seventh.

This is an attempt by Israel to reestablish a system -- strategic deterrence, you will hear the same thing from the Iranian side. The supreme leader there obviously under enormous pressure domestically, and with what is known as his Axis of Resistance, the proxy groups around this region which as we understand were involved to a degree in what happened overnight on Saturday.

Interesting, complicated and worrying times. Thank you. Paula Hancocks with me here in Abu Dhabi.

Earlier our Richard Quest spoke with Tal Heinrich, the spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They discussed the hours long meeting of Israel's war cabinet. Richard asked about the disagreement reported by CNN analysts, Barak Ravid, who described a rift in the council between those calling for an immediate response to Iran's attack as Paula has just been explaining, and those urging caution, here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TAL HEINRICH, SPOKESPERSON FOR ISRAELI PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: You see, the deliberations taking place inside the war cabinet will remain inside the war cabinet. And we can speculate and discuss them on air for you know, various reasons but Israel will make its own considerations.

You know, our sense of security was very much shattered in Israel October 7, when Hamas attacked us and Iranian proxy then on October 8, when Hezbollah joins in and we will not allow this to become the new normal, so to say, with 100 ballistic missiles fired from Iran towards your territory.

Of course, yesterday was an unprecedented Iranian attack, the Islamic Republic on full display firing more than 60 times of explosives our way and it was met by an unprecedented response.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: So accepting all of that, accepting it. And now throwing into the mix. The U.S. saying don't retaliate. President Biden telling your Prime Minister, look, do not up the ante. That seems to be the message from Washington.

HEINRICH: So where they said Israel will make its own considerations. We're a sovereign country but of course when we calculate our next moves, we also take into account various factors. We consult with partners with our best friends.

[01:10:00]

We share our concerns. We take advice and so forth. But the Prime Minister, he articulated a principle but by which we are going to follow. He said if anyone's trying to hurt us if anyone's hurt -- threatening to hurt us, we will hurt them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: We've discussed international efforts at diplomacy began almost immediately after the Iran attacks. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with his counterparts in the U.K. and Germany. Both the British and German Foreign Ministers condemning the attack in and I, quote the strongest possible terms, according to the US State Department, the German Minister spoke with her Iranian counterpart as well, condemning the attack and a phone call with him and calling for an immediate stop to all violence against Israel.

While other countries in this region where I am and remember we are broadcasting to you from our Middle East hub here in Abu Dhabi are calling for restraint on both sides of this conflict as well. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry spoke with his counterparts in Israel and Iran on Sunday warning any further escalation could destabilize the Middle East even more.

The Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement expressing concerns over any quote, potential severe repercussions and social media posts. The Ministry called on the U.N. Security Council to step up and manage the situation given the threat to international peace and security.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also spoke with Iraq's Prime Minister to discuss steps to prevent further escalation in the region.

Officials here in the UAE responding as well the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying, it calls for resolving differences through dialogue and through diplomatic channels.

Joining me now is Abas Aslani, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies. Abas, you are joining us from Tehran. And I just want our viewers to see a couple of the front pages of media base there. This one, a new global equation. And this, making history in Jerusalem.

How is or how are these attacks being described, received there? And if it's as a success, is that despite the fact that very few of these missiles and drones actually reached their targets?

ABAS ASLANI, JOURNALIST: Well, Becky, this was quite an unprecedented attack directly against Israel, and this is what is being viewed in Tehran, and it was intentionally meant not to, you know, cause casualties and to kill people in those opera -- in that operation. But it was meant to make the point that some of those missiles can, you know, hit the targets and can infiltrate into the iron dawn.

You know, there have been on written protocol in the past that Iran or Israel, they wouldn't, you know, target directly each other in the region. But Israel for the past few years have, or at least months have been crossing this line. And there was a mindset or thinking in Tel Aviv that Iran would not respond.

And in the wake of the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the U.S. or maybe Israel, they thought that Iran acts as a rational actor and would not engage in a, let's say, serious and significant escalation, meaning to engage directly.

Iran wanted to change this calculation and the mindset and it's -- it seems that, you know, the rules of engagement at the moment have changed. And from now on, there is a potential that in case that Iran's interests are targeted in the region or even the Axis of Resistance, it is highly, highly likely that they will get back directly to Israel.

ANDERSON: Right. Well, the commander of the IRGC said as much, he said, this has created a new equation with Israel. I want our viewers just to have a listen to specifically what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOSSEIN SALAMI, COMMANDER, ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS (through translator): We decided to create a new equation. And that is if the Zionist regime attacks our interests, assets, personalities and citizens at any point, we will attack them from the Islamic Republic of Iran. The honest promise operation is a prominent and very clear example of this new equation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And does this mean that Iran will now respond directly to attacks from Israel on its assets around the region?

[01:15:05]

And I include in that it sort of Axis of Resistance and Hezbollah in Lebanon, for example, Iranian assets, Hezbollah assets in Syria, as well. And further afield, I just want you to give us a real sense of what was said and how that may resonate going forward.

ASLANI: Well, Becky, talking of a, let's say, measure objective and this and a new equation, Iran mostly means establishing or reviving a deterrence in the region against Israel, against the United States or some other regional countries who are cooperating with both, you know, actors in the region.

Iran wanted to make sure that there will be no further serious attacks against even in nationals officials or interested in the region, including in Syria, and they wanted to start this at a point, you know, measuring the number of casualties will not be a good gauge to measure the success of this operation.

But it was mostly wanted to make a strategic point. And that's then, you know, from now on Iran, you know, has tried to establish a deterrence that will prevent further Israeli attacks against Iranian interests in future.

For example, if you look at what is happening in Gaza, there have been more than 33,000 people killed there. But this has not been a success for Israel. And for Iran, also, by this operation, didn't want to cause casualties, but to make the point that it will not hesitate to get by directly. And this was for the first time happening between Iran and Israel.

ANDERSON: OK. Let's be quite clear, you say that Iran didn't want to create casualties by lobbing 350 projectiles, however, well, telegraphed that attack was there was clear opportunity for those not to have been intercepted, nobody can say for sure that they would have been intercepted.

And so there could have been significant casualties. And we were not for the multi-layered defense systems provided by partners to Israel, things could have been an awful lot worse. So, I think that's important to point out. I mean, you're certainly providing the narrative with regard the regime's position, but I think it's important to point that out Iran, for the first time then directly attacking Israel, something it has been threatening to do since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

Just how significant a moment is this for Iran's leaders, after all, the Iranian economy is struggling under sanctions, and the (INAUDIBLE) hitting record lows. And people in Iran really want the prospect of war added into this mix.

ASLANI: Well, this was a quite a turning point for the country, because it kind of, let's say, change the resulting engagement in the region. They wanted to establish deterrence, but at the meantime they wanted to avoid a regional war and a significant escalation in the Middle East. So that's why it was quite complicated.

But let's not forget that, you know, increasing the level of pressure can also create other opportunities. At the moment, we are seeing that there are diplomatic efforts by the United States or other European countries or, you know, Eastern powers in order to somehow mediate for a kind of ceasefire in the region, it seems that the recent sanctions between Iran and Israel have added to the urgency of the necessity of establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza, because the status quo can carry its own risks.

And if, you know, there was a ceasefire in Gaza, and if Israeli and Hamas war ends, I think this can also have some other benefits for Iran, because from day one, Iran has also been demanding for the house of the, you know, attacks on the people on Gaza. And if that is the case, and if this pushes that, you know, ceasefire process this will can be a good result in the end. And Iran sees this, I think from a different from different perspectives.

ANDERSON: No, understood. I mean, and that's the reason to have you on sir and to be able to sort of do a deeper dive on that perspective. Abas Aslani in Tehran. Thank you for joining us.

Let's get you to Paula Newton in Atlanta for what's coming up next.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, fascinating interview, Becky. Thanks so much. After the break, I will have the latest on Donald Trump's historic criminal trial set to begin in just a few hours.

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Paul Newton in Atlanta. Thanks for joining us. We will return to Abu Dhabi later in the show. But first now to our other top story. We are just hours away from the start of Donald Trump's historic criminal trial in New York.

Jury selection is set to get underway today. That will be the first time a former U.S. president will go on trial for criminal charges. Trump is accused of falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

The Republican presidential candidate is pleading not guilty. In a Truth Social post, he says I will be fighting for myself but much more importantly, I will be fighting for our country.

CNN's Zachary Cohen has more now on how the jury selection process will work.

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ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Donald Trump will make history when he arrives in lower Manhattan on Monday as the first former president to face a trial over criminal charges. The trial is expected to last about two months, but we'll take his first step forward with the beginning of jury selection whereas on both sides will ask hundreds of potential jurors a series of questions about their feelings toward Donald Trump and the fact that he is a current candidate for president.

The goal is to narrow down the pool to 12 jurors plus a handful of alternates who can render a verdict fairly, that process could take days or even potential weeks, but once elected they will be able to watch Trump throughout the duration of the trial.

[01:25:05]

Going forward, Trump will largely trade the campaign trail for the courtroom where he's expected to be four days a week, it appears likely that Trump will continue to try to use his court appearances to rally support for his presidential campaign. But despite the showmanship the stakes are high for the former president. He faces 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in the first degree. And if convicted, he could be sentenced to probation or a maximum of four years in state prison on each count. Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now earlier, I spoke with former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti, and he shared his expertise on choosing a jury, and what Trump may try to do during the selection process. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I've tried a lot of cases and jury selection is often where you win or lose trial. And really, you often don't know whether you've selected a good jury for your client or a bad jury for your client until after the trial is over.

So, there's no question that for Trump, everything is really riding on that. His best hope is to try to have one or two jurors who just are very favorably inclined towards him and are unwilling to convict. So he's going to be, you know, having his legal team trying to find those jurists.

Realistically, I expect him to raise lots of issues regarding the jury, but I expect that most of them are not going to have legal wait, I think they'll slow down the process. And I expect to Judge Merchan to take that process very seriously. But at the end of the day, we're going to be able to select a jury and move forward to this trial.

NEWTON: And then they're going to be going through that evidence. Now while the trial itself may end up reading, like the anatomy of a scandal. This is really as you're going to explain to us a trial about fraud, about allegations of financial crimes.

Is that really though, the former president's best defense here, right, I mean, many have said that this is white collar crime, and that it isn't a case that should have been brought by New York.

MARIOTTI: So really, the issue here is whether or not there was falsification of business records. In Trump's defense is going to be that he had no idea that those business records were being falsified. In other words, he can admit that he was involved in a scheme to cover up an alleged affair, whether he admits his true or not.

But he could say that, for example, he had no idea that these payments to Stormy Daniels were being reflected in the books and records of the Trump Organization as payments for legal services. That would be a complete defense. And ultimately, it just comes down to his credibility versus the credibility of the other witnesses that the prosecution is going to be putting out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: And you can watch CNN special coverage of the Trump Hush Money Trial today at 9:00 a.m. New York Time, 2:00 p.m. in London.

Now when we come back, Becky Anderson will be live again from Abu Dhabi as we continue to follow developments in the Middle East after Iran unprecedented attack on Israel.

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[01:32:04]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

I'm Becky Anderson coming to you live from Abu Dhabi, where the time locally is just after half past 9:00 in the morning.

Israeli officials say they are determined to respond to Iran's large scale retaliatory attack, but is still figuring out the timing and scope of any action.

The IDF says Iran launched about a 350 missiles and drones at Israel. But most of them were shot down by the Israeli military and its partners, including the United States. U.S. Central Command says its forces intercepted more than 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles fired from Yemen and Iran.

Well, in an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, America's deputy ambassador to the U.N. reiterated the country's support for Israel and condemned Iran's attack in the strongest terms. But he said, the U.S. is not trying to escalate tensions in the region.

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ROBERT WOOD, U.S. DEPUTY AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: -- Iran or its proxies take actions against the United States or further action against Israel Iran will be held responsible.

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ANDERSON: Meantime, the U.S. and other leaders of G7 countries are condemning Iran's unprecedented attack quote, "in the strongest terms". CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has the details.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden on Sunday spoke with G7 leaders following Iran's attacks against Israel to coordinate, quote, "a united diplomatic response", the key word there being "diplomatic" as they sought non-military actions.

Now, in a joint statement following those discussions, the G7 leaders said the following. Quote, "With its actions Iran has further stepped toward the destabilization of the region and risks provoking an uncontrollable regional escalation. This must be avoided. We will continue to work to stabilize the situation and avoid further escalation."

Of course, that has been the primary focus for the White House containing the risk of a wider regional conflict. And U.S. officials said that Sunday, there were constructive talks to this end.

But in a phone call on Saturday night, President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. will not participate in any offensive action against Iran. Instead cautioning Israel to think carefully and strategically about its next steps toward Iran.

Now, the U.S. has also assessed there wasn't any major damage to infrastructure within Israel and that Israel should take this as a win. They were able to take down missiles and defend themselves against Iran.

But of course, the big question is whether the Israeli prime minister will heed the advice of President Biden. The two have had public riffs over the handling of the war in Gaza. And so it's unclear what the Israeli prime minister will decide moving forward.

[01:34:54]

ALVAREZ: But the White House making clear over the weekend that they do not want to see any further escalation in the region.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN -- the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Joost Hiltermann is program director for the Middle East and North Africa with the International Crisis Group. He joins me live from Doha in Qatar.

An important dateline as we consider the region's response to what happened overnight Saturday into Sunday morning. The U.S. at this point as Priscilla was just reporting there, is seeking a united diplomatic response to this weekend's attack. And that is certainly what this region that you and I are in is seeking as well.

Will they get that or can you see further military action and an escalating conflict that spills out to this wider area, Joost? JOOST HILTERMANN, PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Thank you, Becky.

Yes. I think it really is in the hands of the United States which is trying to contain any Israeli response to the Iranian mass attack yesterday. So if a (AUDIO GAP) -- then I think we'll see a de- escalation in the region for now the situation remains extremely tense because the war in Gaza continues. And Iran and the allied groups have said that their actions are also linked to that war.

ANDERSON: It's interesting that you say the decision about what happens next, to all intents and purposes, lies in the hands of the United States not in the hands are those in Tel Aviv or in Tehran.

You recently wrote a piece in foreign affairs called and I quote, "America, Iran and the Patrons' Dilemma. The backers of Israel and Hamas didn't start the war in Gaza but they can end it."

I just want to explore that slightly further with you, given what you've just said about the root of this and anything that happens going forward is that Gaza conflict. How has Iran's decision to strike Israel last week linked to Israel's war then in Gaza, if at all?

Certainly let's be quite clear. Iran has said this was response to an attack on its consulate, or its diplomatic quarters in Syria. Nothing to do with Gaza was the headline, at least.

HILTERMANN: Well you're absolutely right. The thing is it all started on October 7 of last year when Hamas attacked the Israeli community ringing the besieged Gaza strip. And this came as a surprise to Iran and it brought Iran and its other allies or it's called members of its axis of resistance into direct conflict with Israel.

This has stayed within certain bounds, but it was -- it's been very dangerous sort of standoff for the last six months. And this brought about also the attack by Israel on Damascus on April 1st.

So this is what Iran now had to respond to so I think it's all -- its coming out of the original war that started in Gaza.

ANDERSON: In your article, you write about patron states and clients. In this sense, is the U.S. a patron of Israel? And how is the war with Hamas and the strikes armed by Iran harm that relationship to your mind?

HILTERMANN: You know it is -- so both Iran and the United States, in this particular conflict are patrons, because they both have states or non-state actors that are part of their alliance trying to advance or protect our interests. This is true for the United States and Israel. It's true for Iran and its non-state allies, as well as Syria.

So you know, when these, these client states carry out actions in their own interests they may or may not agree with the overall strategic interests of their patrons and that can bring the patrons into some trouble that Hamas showed that on October 7. And I think the attack on Damascus on April 1st by Israel did the same for the United States.

[01:39:55]

ANDERSON: Do you expect to see a ratcheting up of this conflict on the northern front which is the fight between Israel and Hezbollah, very specifically in the south of Lebanon, in the north of Israel. You know, Hezbollah many will describe is a client to the patron state that is Iran. Is that a front that you share concern about opening up and widening this conflict at this point?

HILTERMANN: Well, at this point, violence escalating everywhere in the region as a result of this spiraling (AUDIO GAP).

Iran has said no this was all (INAUDIBLE) clients also relatively under control. That includes Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The question is, because Israel is feeling so touched in its security, especially after October 7 and by the Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel since that time what Israel wants (AUDIO GAP) reaction attack --

ANDERSON: Ok. Joost, I've lost your sound. And it's been good to have you. Apologies for the technical issues that we are having, but I've heard your points and they are well taken.

Thank you for joining us.

Well, President Biden urging U.S. lawmakers to pass the aid bill for Israel and Ukraine after Iran's attack on Israel. In a call with congressional leaders, he stressed the quote "urgent need" for the House to pass the package as soon as possible.

The aid package has been stalled in the House for weeks facing opposition from hardline conservatives. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he will move forward with a vote on additional aid for Israel. He did not mention if aid for Ukraine would be part of that package.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says, aid is crucial for both countries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): The good news is that the supplemental -- that the security supplemental that passed the Senate has not only what Israel needs, but what Ukraine needs as well. And if we can pass that this week, it will really help.

The best way to help Israel and to help Ukraine is to pass the supplemental this week. And I've called on Speaker Johnson to do that. There was a consensus on the phone among all the parties that we had to help Israel and help Ukraine. And now hopefully we can work that out and get this done next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Chuck Schumer.

Still to come, getting more reaction from around the world to Iran's attack. Our special coverage continues in just a minute.

[01:43:09]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, leaders in Asia are condemning Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel this weekend. Japan's prime minister says quote, "it further aggravates the current situation in the Middle East".

Let's bring in CNN's Kristie Lu Stout from Hong Kong, Kristie.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Becky, countries across the region here in Asia are speaking out after Iran's retaliatory strike on Israel. We heard from Japan and South Korea, they both strongly condemn these strikes. Indonesia and Malaysia, they're urging restraint.

And China expressed deep concern while calling for an immediate ceasefire while calling out what it calls countries with influence. Now, this is what we heard from China's ministry of foreign affairs on Sunday.

I want to bring up the statement for you, a MOFA spokesperson saying, quote, "The conflict must end now. China calls on the international community, especially countries with influence to play a constructive role for the peace and stability of the region," unquote.

Look, the bigger picture here is China to wants to be a peace broker in the Middle East region where it sources a lot of oil, lot of energy. But analysts point out that from the perspective of Beijing, the off-ramp here is not for China to use any perceived leverage on Iran and to restraint Iran, but for the United States, this country of influence as it calls it to restrain Israel.

Now also here in the region, we've heard from India and Pakistan, these governments express concern. According to India's ministry of external affairs. He said this quote, "We call for immediate de- escalation, exercise of restraint, stepping back from violence and return to the path of diplomacy."

Pakistan's government said, quote, "For months Pakistan has underlined the necessity of international efforts to prevent expansion of hostilities in the region and for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Now Australia, a very close ally of the United States, has condemned these attacks, Iran's attacks on Israel saying that quote, "Iran has ignored our call and those of many other countries not to proceed with these reckless attacks. Australia continues to support regional security, including that of Israel," unquote.

This attack has raised the threat of a wider conflict and countries across the Asia-Pacific region, Becky, much like the rest of the world, are very, very much on edge, Becky.

ANDERSON: Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong with the regional perspective there.

Thank you. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. My colleague Paula Newton is standing by in Atlanta and will have more use for you from there, Paula.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much, Becky.

Just ahead for us golf's world number one slips on another green jacket enjoying some very elite company at Augusta.

[01:49:27]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: WNBA star Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle are expecting their first child. The couple shared the news on Instagram and said the baby is due in July. Griner is a nine-time WNBA all-star who plays for the Phoenix Mercury. She's also a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Team U.S.A.

The athlete had spent ten months, you'll remember in custody in Russia after being wrongfully detained in 2022. And a big congratulations so that happy family.

Now American golfer Scottie Scheffler has captured his second career green jacket, joining a very elite group of players to win the Masters multiple times and further cementing his status as the top player in the world right now.

CNN's Don Riddell, he spent the weekend at Augusta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Scottie Scheffler is winning at life right now. Seemingly everything he touches turns to gold. A four- stroke victory at Augusta on Sunday gives the American world number one his second Masters title in the space of just three years.

It's his third tournament victory in four attempts. And now he can return home to spend time with his wife, Meredith ahead of the imminent birth of their first child.

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER, GOLF CHAMPION: My priorities will change here very soon. You know, my son or daughter will now be the main priority along with my wife. So golf will now be probably fourth in line.

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SCHEFFLER: But I still love competing. I don't plan on taking my eye off the ball anytime soon. That's for sure.

RIDDELL: Scheffler held his nerve and attempts final round at Augusta, consolidating his overnight lead by shooting a four under par score. He quickly recovered from a couple of drop shots on the front nine, making a total of seven birdies throughout his round.

And as the clutch of challengers steadily faded away, he coasted home to a majestic win. Scheffler is now unquestionably the man to beat in men's golf.

But a major new star announced his arrival. This time last year, Sweden's Ludvig Robert was an amateur player and in his very first major tournament, he played superbly, finishing second on seven-under- par.

And although Tiger Woods finished in 60th place, he's looking on the bright side, the five-time Masters champion made history by making a 24th consecutive cut at the Masters and it was only the third time that he played four rounds of golf since that devastating car crash three years ago.

The next major tournament will be the PGA championship in a month's time, by which time Scheffler will be a father and his rivals will be hoping that with a baby in his arms he will finally take his eye off the ball. Back to you.

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NEWTON: Not likely. And he's probably going to be just as good at holding the baby bottle as he is holding those golf clubs.

I want to thank you for watching. I am Paula Newton. CNN continues with Max Foster in London after a short break when we will have more of our continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.

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