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Ashkelon, Israel Targeted by Hundreds of Rockets Fired by Hamas; Israel Bombards Gaza with Airstrikes as Hamas Fires More Rockets; Ashkelon, Israel, Citizens Advised by Hamas to Leave; Interview with Israeli Defense Forces Spokesperson Maj. Libby Weiss. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired October 10, 2023 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, yes, yes. I can't think of a scenario where I've been, sort of, looking at rockets that are outgoing, and a colleague, a dear colleague, you, Clarissa, are -- being underneath it, and it's a bad eerie feeling. And I just -- when I see the rockets coming out of there, I want to be picking up the phone and say, guys, they're coming. They're coming. But I know the defense system here is so strong that you'll get -- as I'm seeing them come up, you are getting the sirens immediately. I mean, you're getting those intercepts right over your head there.

We're actually -- from where we are, we actually see the rockets aimed and rockets themselves taking off and making those intercepts. And we've been looking -- I know you're trying to figure out and if you can get underneath the cloud of smoke that John is pointing at that cloud of smoke now, we've been watching it get bigger. It was small, a dark cloud of smoke. Now, it's like big and billowing and the smoke's gone kind of gray. But something's on fire there because it hasn't gone out. It's putting out more smoke.

When I see those rockets going out there, and the intercepts above your head, I'm just thinking about you and your team, Brant (ph) and Clayton (ph). And I'm hearing -- and I'm hearing small arms fire behind me there, that's the Israeli Defense Force, I believe, will be firing towards Gaza. I don't know if they've seen anything, small arms fire, guns, heavy machine guns, small machine guns.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: Yes, Nic. We can --

ROBERTSON: Kate, back to you.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, Nic. No, we can hear that small arms fire. We heard it right over your shoulder. Have you been hearing that since the rockets, since this barrage, kind of, started up right -- basically right at 10:00 a.m. eastern?

ROBERTSON: Yes, not really. I mean, we don't get much small arms fire. But that, you know, we had it in this town, Sderot, two days ago. We had it and we knew that the IDF was going after some Hamas militants in the town, because that's coming from -- towards Gaza, does that mean some Hamas militants have been spotted maybe at the border fence, trying to get through the border fence. Have they popped at a tunnel.

We're seeing intercepts. Clarissa, there's -- I believe that there are missiles coming your way because I'm seeing intercepts above your head, so take cover.

WARD: Yes, yes. I'm here. Can you hear that?

ROBERTSON: Yes, they're going up. They're intercepting right now.

WARD: OK. Yes, you can see right here. There you see them right above us, that's the Iron Dome intercepting. I'm just sort of crouching here on the balcony, but you can see that Clayton -- Clayton just keep a little bit inside -- yes. So, this is just the sirens went off a matter of seconds ago. And now, we're hearing as those rockets -- it looks like most of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome up there. You can see the plumes of smoke from where they were literally stopped in their tracks.

It seems that maybe it is a little bit quieter right now. Not clear -- oh, there's another one. Hold on. You can hear a jet overhead now as well. It's not uncommon in these situations. You'll hear the intercepts. You'll hear the Iron Dome at work, and then pretty quickly after that, you'll hear jets and then the distant thud of a strike in Gaza. Still hearing those rockets being intercepted.

And it just gives you a feel for the volume of rockets that are being used. I think that many people, initially, had been surprised by how many, how many rockets, how extensive the stockpiling -- oh, you can hear another -- sorry. How extensive the stockpiling and how effective it's been in terms of the sheer amount of the rockets and some of them longer-range rockets and missiles as well.

So, now, it appears to be a little bit quieter. We can still see those plumes of smoke from where the Iron Dome was activated. We can still see a plume of darker smoke lower on the horizon from where one of those rockets appears to have made impact earlier on. But clearly, Hamas trying to send a very sobering message to the people of Ashkelon today. They warned people. They told them, leave by 5:00 p.m. And it has been pretty unrelenting in the -- I forget how long we've been out here now, but -- what are we talking, 35 minutes of pretty sustained, I would say, barrages of rockets coming into this seaport city.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: That's actually remarkable, Clarissa. It's John Berman here. We're seeing it real-time, the Iron Dome intercept those rockets over your head.

[10:35:00]

And if we can just show people this map very quickly so it will remind people where Clarissa is. She is in Ashkelon, right. Our Nic Robertson -- and this is really, also, remarkable. Nic Robertson was here in Sderot looking over Gaza as the rockets were being shot out into Ashkelon where Clarissa is.

Clarissa, we hear -- heard the explosions and blasts there. Was that from the sky? Can you distinguish between intercepts or whether there was impact on the ground from that last barrage?

WARD: Yes, you can usually distinguish. There's a slightly different sound when they are intercepted in the sky as opposed to when they make a direct hit. I will say the first barrage right at 5:00 was the most sustained, the most intensive, and the most amount of direct hits from what we heard. We don't know where those hits may have happened with the exception of that one location where it appears that one of those rockets hit, again, we don't know exactly what was there.

But we've been going out every day now and seeing the impact and effect that some of these rockets have, and they destroy cars. They destroy homes. They leave craters in the streets. And of course, they have a very palpable effect on the psyche of ordinary people.

I think I hear a drone now. Again, drones very common at the moment for obvious reasons. We heard some jets before as well. We had been hearing, pretty much, constant jet activity yesterday, but more so even the day before. And it is this utterly discombobulating sense for people who live here between on the one hand sirens going off, and people are frantically running to try to get to shelters and crouching, and then you hear explosions in the sky. And then five minutes later, everything feels quiet again. You can hear the sea.

It's hard to imagine how people can live like this day in and day out. It is extremely difficult to, kind of, find any sense of equilibrium. And we have definitely noticed that the tempo in Ashkelon today, this afternoon, has dramatically escalated, John.

BERMAN: Clarissa, thank you. Standby for a second. Let's go back to Nic Robertson in Sderot.

Nic, you were hearing firing. Describe what you were hearing and what you think it might have been.

ROBERTSON: We were hearing what sounded like small arms fire, machine gun fire. And that, typically, the Israeli Defense Forces won't fire their machine guns unless they're close to a target. And then we could hear what sounded like exchanges of fire, sustained bursts of fire coming from that direction towards the border fence there. As Sara was saying, it's literally 2,700 meters, I think is what you said, Sara. The distance where we're at and the border fence.

And if Hamas is still trying to make incursions, we were down there in that area today. We were probably about 700 meters from the border fence earlier today. And there are a lot of Israeli troops down in that area. Combat troops in jeeps, in tanks, in armored vehicles. They're ready for the potential of more Hamas militants trying to slip inside Israel. So, it's possible that that's what we've just heard there.

But the fact that the gunfire has subsided tells me that whatever that contact, to use the military parliament (ph) was -- the contact is broken at the moment. They're not engaged in the firefight. So, that is over, unless we hear it start up again. But what we did hear during -- when Clarissa was under that bombardment again just in the past few minutes, we did hear a lot of artillery fire being fired from the Israeli forces into Gaza, that's very accurate artillery that they use to try to target the firing points to try to get the Hamas militants who are firing the rockets.

And further south in Gaza, I did hear a series of even bigger explosions, and those may have been associated with that fighter jet. I'm hearing another sound explosion, detonation ripple through the air. That may have been associated with the fighter jet that both Clarissa and I heard flying in -- over Gaza just in the past few minutes.

SARA SIDNER, CNN NEWS CENTRAL CO-ANCHOR: It is really disturbing that you're hearing that gunfire because this is the thing that a lot of the residents are so concerned about whether or not the area is clear and free of Hamas terrorists who had come into the country in a way we had never seen before in the 75 years of its history. I do want to ask you about that.

[10:40:00]

As far as you have been told -- and we're going to be speaking with the IDF Spokesperson, Libby Weiss, in just a bit here from the Israeli military. But as far as you have been told and you have heard, has Sderot been cleared of the Hamas terrorists who have infiltrated at one point and caused all of this havoc and mayhem?

ROBERTSON: The answer to that is yes, they have. The answer also to the question is, can the Israeli Defense Force be a hundred percent sure that they have rounded up everyone in all the corner outside of Sderot and other places, and I asked that to the general in charge of driving Hamas out of this particular part of the border area. And he said, no, I can't be 100 percent sure. You don't know what you don't know. You don't know if somebody is hiding in a house for a couple of days waiting to come out and mayhem.

But in the, sort of, strict sense, has the Israeli Defense Force gotten control of this place? Do they own the streets? Yes, they do. Might a gunman pop up, it's possible. It's unlikely, but it's not impossible. And you still see. I mean, from where I stand, I see multiple patrols, police patrols, army patrols going through here. No one is dropping their guard. And you can double and triple that the closer you get to the border fence as well.

BOLDUAN: So, guys, let me know when Clarissa is back up and ready because I know we were going to head back to her whenever she is.

In the meantime, Nic, I was just thinking back. I took a note when you were speaking to a major general as you were kind of heading into the area earlier today. And you were asking him -- and he speaks to, kind of, the posture that all Israelis need to be in. And right now, you asked him how he was feeling. And he said, it's not a time for feeling. It's time to do. And just -- it was, kind of, an extraordinary conversation you had with him as you were entering this area, now seeing that what they're now dealing with, it was really extraordinary.

ROBERTSON: Oh, when you stand next to somebody who has the command of troops in action, there's always going to be a fire in their eye. At one point, he kind of really rubbed his face down when he was off- camera. And I -- and that's the sign of somebody being really tired. And I said, have you had any sleep? And he said, no, I haven't slept since Saturday.

But the fire in his eyes, for the intensity of the work that his done and what is to come to keep his men safe, to keep Hamas out, to return the streets of Israel to the citizens of Israel, that -- that's right there. And I think that gets to what he was saying that, you know, he's not done. And I asked him the question, well, are you going to go into Gaza? Is there going to be a ground incursion? And he said, right now, all I am looking at is the hundred yards in front of me.

And I think that really sums up. I mean, he'll get his command and his orders but he commanded himself out of his house in retirement Saturday morning. He said -- he just said, I'm going. And he went to help. And it's a right that this -- he now has thousands of troops at his disposal. He's cleared out the most of Hamas in the area. So, he is waiting for those next orders.

My sense is that, you know, having got those -- that Kibbutz back, that was sort of a pause. But it wasn't a pause to rest back, it's that kind of pause you take before you go to move forward, and he connected to all of that.

BOLDUAN: All right. Nic stick -- we're going to come back to you in just a second.

Sara.

SIDNER: I wanted to bring now in Major Libby Weiss of the Israeli Defense Forces. She is a spokesman for the IDF. Libby, what can you tell us about what is happening right now in Ashkelon? If there have been any injuries? If there have been any deaths or any major destruction? We did notice a huge plume of smoke, and we wanted to know where that may -- where that missile may have hit there in Ashkelon.

MAJ. LIBBY WEISS, SPOKESPERSON, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: Well, today has just been a day of multiple barrages as, of course, everybody is seeing. We are getting reports about a home in Ashkelon that suffered a direct hit from one of those rockets. But of course, the situation is very, very dynamic. And we expect to keep getting more updates from the field as the minutes go by.

SIDNER: OK. So, at this point in time, we are looking -- I just want to let you know that we are looking, Major Weiss, at the Gaza Port that has also been struck. I want to keep you right there, please don't go anywhere because we have a lot of -- more questions to ask you. But we have our Clarissa Ward who is in Ashkelon, watching all of this unfold.

Clarissa, what are you experiencing right now?

WARD: Well, it is quiet now after a very intense 40 minutes or so. We are seeing on Hamas Telegram channels, videos of fires allegedly in the city, allegedly because of the rockets.

[10:45:00]

Of course, we do not just put these videos up on air for very good reason. We need to try to verify and get a better picture of where those rockets may or may not have hit.

I will say from our vantage point after the first volley where we heard more direct impacts, the Iron Dome does seem to have intercepted the vast majority of those. We also spoke to our driver who is, you know, down in -- near the lobby, and he just sent us a picture of shrapnel -- some shrapnel damage to our car, which I think really -- it just speaks to the fact that, you know, when these things do land, they spray shrapnel everywhere. A very large area. And so, they do create a lot of damage that's why you see these burnt-out vehicles and things of that nature.

But so far, we have not heard anything specifically about casualties. Of course, I would defer to the IDF spokesperson or who you were just talking to, if there has been a house directly hit then, you know, we'll have to see what exactly transpired there.

We visited a house that was directly hit yesterday. And the man who had been at home was very lucky. He had gone straight down to the shelter that he had built for himself. And so, he was OK. So -- but the house, itself, suffered heavy, heavy damage.

The streets now quiet, but you're starting to see a couple of cars, maybe more than you had before. Perhaps now, a feeling that the worst of the bombardment or the barrage is past us. Although, frankly speaking as we have seen since we've been here these last few days, you might have a lull for a little bit, and then it picks up again. But nothing on the sustain and the intense level that we saw for -- from 5:00 to 5:30 or so here in Ashkelon.

SIDNER: Clarissa Ward, thank you for giving us that update where you are in Ashkelon. And you have just been -- experienced a huge barrage of rockets coming over from Gaza into that seaside city. We are also looking at pictures live right now from the Gaza Port. You are seeing all of those boats. This is a fishing area. A lot of people trying to go out to and get their food by using some of these boats. There have been lots of incursions over these boats going out into that waters that Israel is very keen on seeing what they are doing. But we should also note, there have been huge plumes of smoke. And we've actually seen some of the air strikes drop right into the sea there.

I want to go become to Major Libby Weiss with the Israeli military, the Israeli Defense Forces. I do want to ask you, we heard -- you have from Clarissa there about what has been happening in Ashkelon, and not sure quite about the things that may have been hit there. And we should try to pull up a picture of Ashkelon as soon we can or show that video of what we saw earlier

But we have also heard about what is going on in Sderot, that there has, according to our Nic Robertson who was there just about 10 minutes ago, that we heard some fire that was -- it sounded like it was from the ground, and that it was automatic weapon fire. Can you give us any idea what that have been about, whether or not there could possibly be Hamas terrorists who have come into the area of Sderot that had -- that were fired on by the Israeli military.

WEISS: Well, what I can say, of course, is that, you know, we are cautiously saying that we have regained control of the communities like Sderot, like the other communities along the Gaza border. But has been stated of course, we know that Hamas is constantly trying to infiltrate into the State of Israel, once again what they've continued do since Saturday morning.

Of course, we are trying to gather as much information as we can now about what's taking place. But this is something that we know they are continuing to do, and we are monitoring it, obviously, very closely. And it explains the very, very large number of soldiers who are there in the area, scanning to make sure that not another Hamas terrorist is able to infiltrate into Israeli territory.

SIDNER: I wanted to also ask you about a house that Clarissa Ward said she saw being hit in Ashkelon. Is there -- do you have any information on whether or not people were injured or killed in that home or have you heard of this attack on the home?

WEISS: Yes, we haven't heard any information yet. We are in touch, of course, with the police here who is also taking a point on those types of events. But we will be finding this out as we speak likely to understand what exactly took place. But you know, we are i0nstructing everyone to stay in shelters. Of course, to follow the guidelines. When we hear the sirens, you know, there's a chance will hear -- I will hear a siren now.

[10:50:00]

And of course, I will run to the shelter, and it's something that we have seen time and time again is the best way to protect our lives during this -- these barrages of rockets.

SIDNER: Yes, you are in Tel Aviv, we should mention to people, which is much farther away from the border where we have --

WEISS: Yes.

SIDNER: -- shown Nic Robertson in Sderot and where we have shown Clarissa Ward in Ashkelon.

I do want to ask you this. There are -- the entire country is talking about not just this war, but specifically about the hostages. And we have just heard some riveting and gut-wrenching comments from some of the families who have -- who are American, who have their loved ones, they believe who have been taken. And one of the things that they said was, we have heard nothing. Not a word from the Israeli military, from Israel officials, or from U.S. officials.

Can you give us any update of where, how many hostages Hamas has taken and what is being done? What is the plan to try and get them back to safety? WEISS: Well, first, I have to say on a personal level, we are all just devastated and horrified. And the sense of sadness and devastation that we are all feeling here is overwhelming, and it is something that the entire country feels nonstop.

In order to try and get more information and to better understand what is taking place with their wellbeing, and their status, the IDF has two generals who are now working both within the military and with the families to try and get as much accurate information as possible. Of course, it's complex. The battle is ongoing here within Israel and we want to be sure that we're able to bring accurate and vetted information to families.

But I do have to say that the fastest way for these hostages to return safely is for Hamas to do that, and that is something that could be done right now without any conditions, without any terms. And that would be the single fastest way for them to come home. But the entire country right now is focused on bringing them back, and we are all thinking about them constantly.

SIDNER: You talked about Hamas. Hamas' military wing spokesman has said that they will kill hostages every time Israel bombs civilians' homes without any warning. Will that threat change anything that the IDF is doing in Gaza?

WEISS: Well, first, I think it speaks to the -- just the depravity of Hamas. Again, we are talking here about old women, elderly people, grandparents, children, toddlers. I mean, I think it just once again echoes the horror that we are all feeling. And it's important to note that the IDF at this stage is always striking Hamas targets. Those are the targets. And the point of that is just to stop Hamas' capability of being able to continue to attack us as we have seen.

The operational reality is, of course, a very, very complicated one. And we are committed and thinking constantly and working constantly to bring back those hostages. But of course, the call here is to Hamas to release them immediately. To have these people come home to their families and to their loved ones without any conditions or terms.

SIDNER: Are there any negotiations between Israel and Hamas at this moment over the hostages or a third party? I know Qatar has said it's getting involved. The United States has offered help in several different ways to try and get involved. Do you have information on that front?

WEISS: I don't. That is certainly something that within the government and, you know, other non-military stakeholders who are taking an active role in that. But, again, this is something that we are thinking about 24/7, certainly within the military realm. We have now, as I mentioned, two generals who have come to take this as their mission. And truly the entire country here is thinking about them, and we want to do everything that we can to bring them home safely as soon as possible.

SIDNER: Hamas has not been concerned about slaughtering or kidnapping the elderly, children, you know, mothers, women, girls. And they've conducted a terrorist attack on Israel. I think the world has seen that. But Israel is saying there's going to be a total siege on Gaza. What will that look like and how concerned is Israel?

[10:55:00]

What kind of steps is the IDF taking to try and mitigate the number of civilians killed in the most densely populated city, perhaps one of the most densely populated cities on Earth?

WEISS: Well, first of all, the airstrikes that are taking place are against Hamas military targets. Now, of course we know, and this is something that we have been saying for years that the reality on the ground in Gaza is an incredibly challenging one because not only does Hamas have no regard for our elderly, children, and innocent civilians. But they also have no regard for their own.

And we understand that, of course, they have long placed their assets within civilian areas in the Gaza Strip. We are doing, at this stage, the maximum that we can operationally in light of what is taking place to minimize the impact on civilians. But again, we understand that this is a very complex operational reality on the ground. And we need to make sure first and foremost that Hamas does not have any capability to be able to continue attacking us, whether that's an attempt to infiltrate, whether it's all of the rockets that you have been seeing, whether it's by other methods. And that right now is something that we absolutely have to do for our survival.

SIDNER: Do you plan on having a ground offense at this point?

WEISS: It's something that the government would have to decide. We in the IDF are prepared for any eventuality. And we will take our orders from the government and be able to deliver on whatever it is that we have to do.

SIDNER: Major Libby Weiss, thank you for taking the time in what is an incredibly difficult moment in the history of Israel. We appreciate you coming on the show.

WEISS: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right. You're looking at picture now from Gaza Port. Those are Israeli strikes inside Gaza. You can see those boats smoldering there, the docks as well. We've also been following the Hamas strikes on Ashkelon inside Israel. Hamas has fired hundreds of rockets. Our Clarissa Ward has seen them landing in that city, and then being hit from the sky by Iron Dome.

And we are just getting word from Israel Defense Forces that air raid sirens are going off now in the north of the country. Obviously, enormous concern about that region because of what might happen with Hezbollah over the border in Lebanon. So, we have a lot of developments. Our live coverage continues right after this.

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