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Israel Massing Reservists Near Gaza; American Civilians Trapped in Gaza; Gaza Bombarded with Airstrikes; Maj. Libby Weiss is Interviewed about Israel. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired October 11, 2023 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:58]

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with breaking news for you this hour. The U.S. is now in talks with Israel and Egypt to help get Americans and other civilians out of Gaza.

But, as that's happening, there is fighting right now on two fronts. Israel is responding to air and ground attacks from its north and its south. Right now the IDF says 300,000 Israeli reservists have been called up to fight and are, quote, "ready to execute the mission."

This is as new rounds of Israeli air strikes have been hitting critical Hamas targets in Gaza. But to the north, Israel is intensifying shelling inside Lebanon, while at the same time preparing for a ground offensive.

Our CNN journalists are capturing the massive military presence that you've been seeing just there, is now staging itself just outside Gaza on the border in Gaza. Israel is making major advances it says as it prepares for its ground game.

Overnight, the Israeli military says the system Hamas has been using to detect aircraft has been destroyed.

Much of Gaza now in ruins as officials there say the city is expected to run out of power any moment.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The death toll in Gaza now stands over 1,000, with more than 263,000 people displaced. In Israel, more than 1,200 killed as family of those taken hostage continue to endure an excruciating wait.

Look at the picture of that crib overturned there.

When Hamas first attacked, we were told that women, children and babies were, quote, "butchered." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it to President Biden on the phone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We were struck Saturday by an attack whose savagery I can say we have not seen since the Holocaust. I mean we had hundreds massacred, families wiped out in their beds and their homes. Women brutally raped and murdered. Over 100 kidnapped, including children.

We have never seen such savagery in the history of the state. And they're even worse than ISIS. They are even worse than ISIS. And we need to treat them as such.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: From the U.S. State Department, this morning, another sobering assessment that they believe the American death toll from this terror attack will rise today. The latest from President Biden is that 14 U.S. citizens were killed in the Hamas attack, 20 or more Americans are still unaccounted for.

And, overnight, Israel's defense ministry put out this video showing the first shipment of U.S. munitions arriving to help in whatever Israel decides to do next.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond leads us off. He's in southern Israel for us.

Jeremy, what's the latest you're seeing from there.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, the Israeli military has called up more than 300,000 reservists. This is one of the largest mobilization efforts in this country's history. What exactly they are prepared for, we do not yet know. But the high speculation is that this could be a prelude to a possibly massive ground invasion of Gaza. That, though, has not yet been confirmed.

But what you can see behind me, Kate, is that mobilization effort in action. You see all of these cars, these are reservists. Thousands of reservists coming from all across Israel, coming to this base in southern Israel to prepare for the next phase of this military campaign.

And all of these folks are coming in, some are in uniform, some are in civilian clothes, but they are getting ready -- they are getting ready for the possibility of a ground invasion. That is what we've talked to a lot of -- several military reservists. They don't know exactly what their orders are, but they say that they are ready, they say that they are preparing to respond to these terrorist attacks from Hamas over the weekend, which have really shaken the soul of this country.

You know, Israelis are no strangers to terrorist attacks, no strangers to war.

[09:05:02]

But what happened this past weekend has really shaken this country to its core, largely because of the surprise nature of this attack, how well it was coordinated and how far these militants from Hamas were able to get inside of southern Israel. And so what you are seeing now is a unified response from this country, not only the reservists who are being called up, some of whom aren't called up and simply start heading directly to their basis to await their orders.

But you also see civilians. We saw folks yesterday who were delivering food to the soldiers. As we were driving down here, you see folks all along the road, some cooking barbecues for soldiers at various points. We've seen military hardware moving.

One thing is clear, Kate, this is a country on a war footing. What exactly comes next, that is in the hands of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. And we don't yet know whether he has made a decision to go into Gaza with ground forces.

BERMAN: You know, Jeremy, I think what has shocked the Israeli people, and people around the world, is who exactly was killed, babies, children, and how they were killed, the shear brutality of it.

On our screen right now so people know, we're looking at live pictures from Gaza. You can see the smoke billowing up over that region, as it has for days and days.

Jeremy, yesterday at about this time was the beginning of a large rocket attack from Gaza into southern Israel. What, if anything, are you seeing above you so far today?

DIAMOND: Well, earlier today, as we were making our way to southern Israel, we passed by the city of Ashkelon just as the latest barrage of rockets from Hamas was heading for that city. We were able to see some of those Iron Dome interceptions. And of course we know, from some of the images from this morning, that there was actually -- there were actually direct hits from those rockets, which isn't always the case. As we know, the Iron Dome system in Israel is very, very effective, but it is not 100 percent foolproof. And that is why we saw those hits on a residential building. There were, last time I checked, there were at least two confirmed injuries to individuals in the city of Ashkelon.

And this is the reality. This is the percussive tempo, the sound track, if you will, of life along the Gaza Strip in these Israeli communities is that the sound of those rockets being fired, the Iron Dome missiles intercepting them, the boom in the air and then you see those plumes of smoke. And this really is both the imagery and the sounds of life around here at this precarious moment.

SIDNER: All right, Jeremy, we are looking -- again, we just want to mention that we are looking at live pictures. You are on one side of the border. This is in Gaza. Huge plumes of smoke. Usually our reporters who are close can hear planes flying over before there are air strikes, but this does appear to be an air strike. It looks very similar to the ones that we have been watching for the past several days now.

We should also mention that we are just getting this in, the head of the Gaza electricity power company says that the electricity is officially out. There are people, of course, that have generators, hospitals in particular, but even the hospitals, we are hearing, are very, very low on fuel because all of these things have been cut off. Israel cutting off all of those things, electricity, water, food to the area as they prepare for a ground incursion.

Jeremy, I think we're going to be going back to you where you are. You have been seeing all this. You're talking about seeing some of what appears to be a preparation for a ground incursion. Have you been hearing anything from, for example, the IDF, the Israeli military, as to when that might happen and whether it is imminent?

DIAMOND: Yes, you know, they are not telegraphing any timelines, nor are they telegraphing whether or not there is an intention to actually go in with a significant ground invasion.

What we do know is that the Israeli prime minister and the defense secretary have made clear that what is to follow, what the Israeli military response will be towards Hamas will be unlike anything that Israel has done in the past, signifying that it is going to be of a larger scale than previously. We know that on the road along Gaza you can see artillery starting to be put in place. You can see tanks, armored personnel carriers, you know, driving along the border. You know not -- I'm not talking about directly at the border, but within a few miles of the Gaza Strip. We were able to see some of those.

But there's also one thing that's clear in Israel is that they know if Hamas was able to pull off this coordinated surprise attack on Saturday, then that also likely means they prepared for an Israeli military response and that they also likely prepared for that possibility of a ground invasion.

[09:10:06]

That means booby traps. That means additional tunnels have been dug. And that also means reinforced positions of Hamas fighters inside of Gaza.

So, the Israeli military brass knows that as they prepare for this next phase, whatever that phase may be, they need to be very cautious about preparations that Hamas may have undertaken. And so it's an open question as to how long this military buildup that we are watching, you know, right behind me start to take place, how long exactly does that buildup last?

BOLDUAN: Jeremy, thank you so much. We're going to get back to you very soon.

Let's get over to Natasha Bertrand. She's at the Pentagon for us right now with some more reporting.

Let's start first on the talks, what you're hearing about talks with the United States and others, and how to get Americans out.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yes, Kate, so we are told that the U.S. is in discussions with partner countries, including Israel and Egypt, to try to establish some kind of humanitarian corridor out of Gaza because, as Jeremy laid out so well there, the Israeli military is continuing to strike Gaza. They cut off all electricity and water and there are Americans inside Gaza who are really desperate to get out, as well as, of course, other civilians.

And so what we are hearing at this point is that Egypt, while they are willing to send medicine and food and other supplies into Gaza using a corridor, they are not willing to open a corridor going the other way, to allow civilians out of Gaza. And so right now the U.S. is working with partner countries to try to establish, of course, a pathway for civilians to get out.

Americans have expressed a lot of frustration to CNN in interviews in recent days, saying that they don't believe that the U.S. has been able to help and that they are desperate for a way out as Israel continues to pound Gaza with air strikes and with other kinds of attacks. So, right now there are now - there is no timeline on when that corridor is actually going to be open, but State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, he did tell us just this morning, quote, "we're doing these discussions quietly like a lot of the diplomatic efforts we undertake. It is not productive to speak about publicly," he said, "but it is something that the U.S. is trying to achieve."

BOLDUAN: Yes, there's a lot of moving parts that goes into that and will be likely more developments on that one.

Talk to me also -- talk to us also about the new reporting that you have about what the U.S. and allies are doing in terms of the warnings they're now putting out to Hezbollah.

BERTRAND: Yes, Kate, so the U.S. and allies, they are very concerned that Hezbollah could use this opportunity to join the war on Israel's northern border there. And they have issued several warnings to Hezbollah through intermediaries, including the Hezbollah aligned speaker of Lebanon's parliament, warning them to stay out of the conflict. France has also issued several warnings to Hezbollah at the request of Israel, we are told, telling them to steer clear of this war.

Now, at this point, the U.S. is backing up its warnings with action. We saw that the U.S. sent an aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean as a deterrence measure to try to deter any potential actors, including Hezbollah, from feeling tempted to enter the conflict. At this point, we should note, that administration officials do not necessarily see Hezbollah as eager to join this war. There are a number of political and economic risks that the administration does not believe Hezbollah is willing to take at this point. But, of course, that could change and things could quickly spiral and escalate. We've already seen a number of clashes on Israel's northern border between Hezbollah and the IDF. So things are very tense right now and U.S. officials and allies across the region there watching this very closely.

BOLDUAN: Yes, absolutely.

Natasha, great reporting, as always. Stay close to it. We'll get back to you.

John.

BERMAN: All right, with us now, retired U.S. Army Major Mike Lyons.

Major, great to see you. Let's focus in on the region we're really talking about right now, Gaza, down at the southern end of Israel right now. And we were just talking about the people inside Gaza. Gaza, by the way, roughly twice the size of Washington, D.C., with three times the population. More than 2 million people. The only way out, potentially right now, would be Rafah, down here on the border with Egypt. What does that mean for the 2 million people in here as Israel potentially moves in and what does that mean for Israel as it potentially plans a ground invasion?

MAJOR MIKE LYONS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Yes, think concrete jungle. That's the level of built up areas that exist, especially in the north here. And you can tell from the map here as to where those areas are, up in here and up in this area right here. So, the civilians are going to have to make a hard decision, and that is to try to get to the south where it's going to be safer because any ground operation likely does start when it does start will be in this northern area here. It's likely through Eras (ph), right through the north.

We've seen this before. In the last -- when they last came here in 2014, Israeli forces came in this way, they came through here and then they came through here. I have to think Israeli forces in the south will allow a safe passage of those civilians there, but a lot of them will still get trapped up in this northern region.

[09:15:02]

BERMAN: I want to ask, Jeremy Diamond brought up a really interesting point. Again, here is Gaza. I'm going to draw the outskirts here so people can see more firmly. All in through here, by the way, the kibbutz (ph) that Hamas terrorists attacked on Saturday. Jeremy said there are concerns that Hamas might be prepared for a ground invasion. What could Hamas do to slow down the Israelis if they did move in?

LYONS: I think they have been preparing for it. You have to assume that Israeli counteroffensive has got to be -- after those defensive operations, they've got to likely know where they think they're coming through. So, this is a hard border here. There's only certain areas which would allow the speed and shock effect was what Israel would like to bring into that fight. Those positions now have been built up and they've got defenses. So, I think this - kind of the second thing that Israel had to get, besides President Biden's permission, or for logistics to come through, they have to soften up those defensive positions. So, I think that's why it's going to take a few more days at least.

BERMAN: I what to bring up what could be an even greater concern in terms of the security of Israel right now, and that is the north of the country. Let me draw the borders of Israel here because it doesn't really show up on our map. But you can see here, this is Israel. Down here is Gaza, where all the fighting has been recently. But an enormous amount of concern toward Lebanon because of Hezbollah, which has set up shop really in the southern part of that country.

One of the things we learned from 2006, when there was fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, was that Hezbollah has multiples more in terms of strength and forces and missiles. LYONS: Yes, tanks. They have anti-tank equipment and the like. It

comes down to numbers, 170,000 active duty Israeli forces. They have to put at least 100,000 down here in order to have any kind of offensive operation there. And then they have to make a tough decision, whether they garrison it or whether they just leave it alone. And that leaves them 70,000 of active duty forces to focus in the north, which is why they recalled those 300,000. I have to think half of those reservists are going to be told -- their orders are going to be, get to the north and just stay there because this is where the greatest risk comes from.

If Hezbollah recognizes that they've overcommitted to the south now, they're going to look at this as an opportunity that they - they'll never see again. They'll have the Israeli army somewhat on the ropes and now they can attack to the north and really put Israel in a bad way.

BERMAN: That is really interesting. So, no matter how much they do here, they've got to leave tremendous numbers in terms of reserves to deal with the potential in the north.

I just want to note that Tel Aviv, we can see Tel Aviv, the capital - well, Jerusalem considered the capital, also Tel Aviv, the most populous city right there. Gaza -- Hamas can't hit Tel Aviv with rockets but Hezbollah has much more in temples of technical capabilities.

LYONS: Yes, and they can come from well north of Lebanon. They can come from areas where, again, Iron Dome could likely knock them out, but you're talking patriot missiles now at that level because those fly at a much higher altitude. The Iron Dome system, you know, gets those lower, smaller range rockets there. These rockets could come from much further away.

BERMAN: Major Mike Lyons, great to have you. Thank you very much for that.

LYONS: Thanks.

BERMAN: Sara.

SIDNER: Thank you, John.

All right, this is a live look right now at Gaza. On your right you are seeing smoke billowing. On your left you are seeing some of the damage from strikes.

We have now learned, just in the past few minutes, that the only power station that exists in Gaza for the electricity grid no longer has any fuel. The power is officially out unless you have a generator.

With Israel's constant air strikes and a blockade on all sides, there is no fuel, no water, no food getting through. The humanitarian crisis there will most likely expand. The latest on the aftermath of the attacks by Hamas and the situation in Gaza.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:22:43]

BOLDUAN: Showing you live pictures. These are live pictures from Gaza as we are now seeing, once again, another day we're seeing Israel pounding Gaza with airstrikes.

We've also learned from the IDF that some 300,000 Israeli reservists have been called up to the fight. That's -- you've got the fight that could be coming in Gaza. You also -- they're taking on pressure, they're taking on the fight, also potentially in the northern part of Israel at the border with Lebanon. The death toll right now more than 1,200 people reported killed in Israel. The death toll in Gaza now rising as well.

Let's get the very latest. Joining us right now is a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, Major Libby Weiss.

Major, thank you, once again, for coming up. I know you're in southern Israel.

Could we first, though, talk about the border with Lebanon. What is happening at the northern Israeli border with Lebanon?

MAJ. LIBBY WEISS, SPOKESPERSON, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES: Hi. Thank you for having me.

You know, it is a situation that we are monitoring very, very closely. We have seen several isolated events in the last few days of mortar fire and infiltrations from Lebanon. Of course, though, we are sending a message as loud and clear as possible which is to tell any other terrorist organization or any state that harbors or sponsors them to not engage in this conflict and to not test us at this time. Of course, we're monitoring what's happening there very, very closely.

We have seen several isolated events in the last few days of mortar fire and infiltrations from Lebanon. Of course, though, we are sending a message as loud, as clear as possible, which is to tell any other terrorist organization or any state that harbors or sponsors them, to not engage in this conflict and to not test us at this time.

And, of course, we're monitoring what's happening there very, very closely.

BOLDUAN: We do know that three IDF soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah in the north. That was on Monday. Have more Israeli soldiers been killed in the north since? Because that is what Hezbollah is claiming today.

WEISS: You know, I don't have anything to add to what you -- to what you mentioned. And, of course, when we have, you know, additional news, we'll be able to share it with you.

BOLDUAN: One of your colleagues said today that 300,000 reservists are gathering near the Gaza border. Would it be wrong to read this as meaning a ground incursion into Gaza is hours or just days away? WEISS: I would read it as saying that the IDF is prepared for any decision that the government will make.

[09:25:05]

Decisions to escalate the conflict to a ground invasion would be something that the government would have to - would have to decide. As the IDF, of course, we need to be ready for whatever decision may be made. And that's how I think would be the best way to interpret it.

BOLDUAN: Gaza's only power station is now reporting just this morning, just this hour, that it is out of power. The power is out in Gaza. Yes, people have generators. Those will be running out in just a matter of days, if you will.

What does that mean for the IDF? It's very clear what it can mean for civilians in Gaza, but what does that mean for the IDF to have the power out in Gaza?

WEISS: Well, our goal with this -- with this war, of course, is to make sure that Hamas has no military capability of being able to strike us again. I apologize for the noise. There's a lot going on around me here. So, apologies for that.

But that's -- that's what it means. And, of course, we want to make sure that Hamas doesn't have any of the resources to continue targeting and killing Israelis.

BOLDUAN: The defense ministry put out video this morning of the first shipment of munitions from the United States arriving. What can you tell me about that? How much was it? What was it? And what - what -- where is it intended? What's the impact of it for the IDF?

WEISS: Well, of course, I think as the president discussed in his speech last night, there is no clear sign of the strong ally that we have in the United States in the sense that I think much of the world is with us and wanting to fight Hamas and make sure that the massacre that we saw is not something that happens again. You know, of course, I can't go into sort of specifics of what that means, but I think it's a very, very strong sign of the support that we have from all over the world, and certainly from the United States.

BOLDUAN: But safe to say at this moment, when you're calling up 300,000 reservists, not everyone has the equipment that they will need in order to pull off a ground incursion?

WEISS: I'm sorry, can you repeat the question? I don't hear very well because of the noise behind me.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. But safe to say with munitions coming over from the United States, is it safe to say that all of the 300,000 reservists, the largest call-up that you've had, that it also means that not everyone on - that will be on the front lines has the equipment that they need in this moment to pull off a successful ground incursion? WEISS: Again, I would not be talking right now about (INAUDIBLE) a

ground incursion. Of course, right now we want to be prepared for any kind of scenario. And there are very close discussions that are being had at all levels with our American allies about potential scenarios and what kind of support potentially could be needed down the road. But, you know, that's the most I can comment about that right now.

BOLDUAN: Some civilians in Gaza are saying very clearly they want to - they want to get out and - but they cannot get out. Where do you suggest people in Gaza to go to flee, Egypt?

WEISS: Well, first of all, I would suggest that if they are given advanced warning that they should move any kind of distance from where they are, and I would say more than that. I think that there are large questions that need to be asked to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a, as to why they decided to launch this massacre in the first place and why they deployed their assets deep within - deep within civilian areas.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely, but in the immediate - we have - there - there are civilians in Gaza asking to get out. There is a lot of talk that the Rafah crossing is not - that has been closed, or at least temporarily. And there was a statement from the IDF that seems to have been clawed back that going to Egypt was a suggestion. So, I'm just trying to get clarity if Israel has a suggestion where people in Gaza should go.

WEISS: Well, again, first I would say that if they do receive any kind of advanced warning, to simply put distance from where they are and go somewhere else, even within the Strip. And beyond that there is another border that the Gaza Strip has with Egypt. And I - you know, I can't speak to that -- to that situation at this stage.

BOLDUAN: Major Libby Weiss, thank you so much.

Sara.

WEISS: Thank you.

SIDNER: All right, amid the escalating conflict in Israel and Gaza, the most innocent among us, children, are caught in the intense violence. I do want to warn you that these images are disturbing, and they are graphic. The Israeli Defense Forces tell CNN that Hamas has carried out a massacre in a village in southern Israel where they say women, children, toddlers and the elderly were, as they say, quote, "brutally butchered in an ISIS way of action."

[09:30:01]

You see that crib overturned there. And, again, that included babies, brutally massacred.