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US and UK Launch Airstrikes on Houthi Rebels in Yemen Amid Rising Tensions; Winter Storm Disrupts Iowa Caucuses with Frigid Temperatures and Snow; Swatting Incidents Pose a Threat to Judges, Prompting Concern; Israel Faces International Scrutiny in The Hague Over War Crimes Allegations. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired January 12, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A vow of retribution from Houthi rebels after airstrikes by the U.S. and the U.K. A move to protect shipping lanes from strikes from the Houthis, but one that risks escalating the crisis in the Middle East. I'm going to speak to, we'll be speaking to Senator Mark Kelly about the attacks. And a deep freeze for presidential campaigns. Republican candidates were already up against the clock in Iowa with the caucuses just days earlier. Now a storm is putting campaign plans on hold, and it could be a major problem on Monday, too.

BORIS SANCHESZ, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, an alarming rise in swatting. It's not a new phenomenon, but it is increasing at a disturbing rate. An investigation now into who could be behind these calls targeting judges, potentially putting their lives at risk. We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN News Central.

We start this hour with a volatile situation in the Middle East taking another dangerous turn. Last night, the United States and United Kingdom, along with other nations, fired dozens of missiles at Houthi targets in Yemen. A Pentagon official says they destroyed a significant number of the Iran-backed group's military assets. The White House says the strikes were in self-defense. They were a response to a string of Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea in recent months. The Houthis, of course, are armed and backed by Iran.

They control a large portion of Yemen after some two decades of brutal fighting, a war that's led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, and what the U.N. says is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

KEILAR: Today, a huge demonstration in Yemen's biggest city, protesting the U.S. This is the capital city there, the attack, leading to condemnation from many countries in the Middle East. But President Biden is warning further action could follow. Let's go to the Pentagon, where we have CNN's Natasha Bertrand. Natasha, we're learning more about how this attack was carried out. What can you tell us?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Brianna, this was a very large, multifaceted attack that was carried out by both the U.S. and the U.K. The U.S. actually used about 22 fixed-wing fighter aircraft, including F-18 fighter aircraft that launched from the Eisenhower strike, the Eisenhower aircraft carrier that is currently in the Red Sea. They launched 80 Tomahawk missiles against targets across Yemen that are controlled by the Houthis, including command and control nodes, as well as some weapons depots that they were using to drones.

And they also, even a U.S. submarine was involved in these attacks on these Houthi targets in Yemen. So just a very big, complicated attack here that the U.S. was hoping would significantly degrade the Houthis' abilities to continue launching these missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. We still don't know just to what extent those capabilities have been degraded and whether the Houthis will need time to regroup, for example. But we are actually already seeing signs that the Houthis are still able to launch these missiles.

We saw just earlier today reports that they launched a missile into the Gulf of Aden near Yemen, targeting vessels that were operating there. So clearly they don't yet seem deterred. The question about whether they are going to have the capabilities to launch the kinds of attacks that they have in the past, that remains open. Now, the question now that the U.S. is getting is, well, how are you going to respond if the Houthis do continue to launch these attacks? Because obviously the big concern here is escalation, particularly given that the Houthis are backed by Iran. So, will Iran join this conflict to try to defend them? Here's what National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said about that earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINTOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: We share that concern, Becky. We don't want to see this escalate. There was a huge diplomatic effort that preceded these attacks. And I think it's safe to say that you can expect to see the United States continue all those diplomatic consultations and discussions going forward. We know people are anxious there about escalation. We are, too. [14:05:09]

And again, everything we're doing and everything we're trying to do is to prevent any further escalation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERTRAND: Now, the Houthis themselves are vowing to retaliate against this major joint operation by the U.S. and the U.K. And they said in a new statement that, quote, American and British interests are, quote, legitimate targets. And that the U.S., U.K. and all of those allied with them in the Red Sea are unacceptable and they violate all laws and they will be dealt with in a, quote, appropriate manner. They say that they're going to continue to try to prevent the passage of Israeli ships or those carrying goods to the occupied Palestinian ports, whatever the cost. So clearly the Houthis, you know, could be a lot of bluster. We'll just have to see whether they have the same capabilities that they have over the last several months.

SANCHEZ: And Natasha, this was not a unilateral move by the United States. How did this multinational collaboration, fall into place?

BERTRND:A lot of diplomatic work behind the scenes as John Kirby was just laying out, Boris. You saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken, he was in Bahrain just earlier this week, about one day before this massive attack was launched by the U.S., U.K. with the support of several other nations, including Bahrain, really key because Bahrain is an Arab ally of the United States and importantly has one of the biggest Shia Muslim populations.

So, their participation in this, their support was really key for the United States to kind of get legitimacy in striking the Houthis, as well as a number of other countries who bought into this, including Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. So the U.S. feels that this coalition was necessary in order, again, to create legitimacy for these strikes, which they are saying were very firmly in self-defense.

KEILAR: All right, Natasha Bertrand, live for us from the Pentagon. Thank you. And let's go now to the White House, where we have MJ Lee. MJ, this, of course, played out with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. In the hospital, what is the administration saying about his role in this?

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Brianna, we learned last night that President Biden had specifically directed Secretary Austin to oversee these airstrikes that we saw overnight. And we were told that Secretary Austin basically followed everything and monitored all of this in real time from the hospital, where officials say he had sort of the full suite of communications access that he would have needed for all of this.

We heard John Kirby earlier today, telling reporters that all of this had been executed seamlessly and that there was really nothing different here than any other day when Secretary Austin might have been involved in something like this, and that the key difference really was only the location that he was doing this from the hospital. And one senior administration official I spoke with earlier, who had spoken multiple times with Secretary Austin, told me that he had sounded normal, that he was very much in command of all of the issues.

And they basically argued that they didn't have any concerns with the idea of Secretary Austin executing all of this from the hospital, that it's sort of no different than whether he, if he were doing this from the road, for example, when he was traveling. But there's no question, Brianna and Boris, that there are a lot of questions right now for the White House and obviously Secretary Austin just about the handling of his health situation, precisely the fact that he had been hospitalized. But for so many days, actually, officials, including President Biden himself, did not know about it. And that's why, of course, there is this ongoing government-wide review to try to figure out exactly what happened and also just to make sure that that doesn't happen again. SANCHEZ: And MJ, there has been pushback from some Democrats on the

Hill. They argue that President Biden should have sought congressional approval for those strikes. What's the White House response?

LEE: Yeah, the criticism, Boris, actually has come from both the White House and the White House. And I think that's a very important point. So, this is bipartisan criticism that we are talking about. The White House is simply saying that these airstrikes were completely justified, that, for one, that this was done in self-defense. And then, second, the U.S. has an obligation to protect their U.S. personnel overseas and to protect the commercial routes that we are talking about, specifically in the Red Sea.

And the White House has said that there were some congressional notifications that were made, particularly to the heads of some of these key congressional committees and some in congressional leadership. And they're also just sort of trying to make clear the urgency of the situation and the reason that we ended up seeing these airstrikes overnight. They said these attacks from the Houthis, of course, were very persistent. They laid out the U.S. vessels had been targeted, that there were some close calls that would have basically happened had it not been for this setup of this defensive coalition set up by the U.S. and its allies in the Red Sea. So, taking some criticism, but also trying to explain why we saw the airstrikes overnight.

SANCHEZ: MJ Lee, thanks for that update from the White House. Thanks so much. Let's dig deeper now with a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

[14:10:09]

Joining us is Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. Senator, thank you so much for coming on with us. I just want to point to the criticism that MJ just walked us through from your colleagues on Capitol Hill, specifically some progressives, saying that President Biden should have sought congressional approval to carry out this attack. Do you agree?

SEN. MARK KELLY, (D) ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: No. I mean, he has a responsibility to notify us, and we have a responsibility to protect our interests and our national security. I mean, the Houthis have been attacking, attempting to attack global shipping and even putting U.S. personnel at risk for nearly a month now. These are Iranian proxies, and we have an obligation to respond. I'm wanting to look at the argument from Congress.

SANCHEZ: I'm going to look at the argument from congresswoman Barbara Lee. Violence only begets more violence. Are you concerned that an attack like this is exactly what Iran wants to drag the United States into a broader regional conflict? Doesn't this increase the potential of that?

KELLY: I think the Iranians want to use their proxies against us and Israel. We've seen that with Iranian proxies in Iraq, in Syria, with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Maybe not at the scale that they expected. The Houthis, though, have in some sense led their Iranian proxy coalition here against the West with their attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea. And now these attacks are starting to threaten U.S. personnel as well. We put together a global coalition. We warned the Houthis that this had to stop, and it didn't stop, and we have a responsibility to respond.

SANCHEZ: Whether the Houthis or Hamas or Hezbollah, the root of these groups is Iran. They wouldn't be able to carry out what they do without support from Tehran, which we should point out, according to international inspectors, has put its nuclear program on steroids. Should the United States take a more aggressive approach against Iran?

KELLY: Well, I mean, we don't want a larger conflict with Iran. That is clear. At the same time, the Iranians have spent a lot of time, effort and money to get other groups like the Houthis or Hezbollah to do their bidding in the Middle East. And when it threatens our interests, I mean, we rely, as a country with oceans on both sides, we rely on global shipping. Our allies rely on it. We could not let this continue. This was becoming a dangerous situation. We responded in an appropriate way. My hope is that the Houthis get the message. If they don't, they retaliate. I imagine there'll be another response.

SANCHEZ: To that point, there are a lot of Americans that are weary of another conflict for the United States in the Middle East, especially given what we saw with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, what we saw play out after the United States left Iraq. To those who are skeptical about the United States being involved in the Middle East, what's your message to them about why the U.S. has to carry out patrol over areas like the Red Sea?

KELLY: Well, I mean, we as a nation rely on global shipping. Our European allies do. We put together a coalition. Diplomatically, we address this with the Houthis. I would tell those folks that the Middle East right now is in turmoil. What happened on October 7th was unprecedented. The situation in Gaza is incredibly challenging. We have a humanitarian crisis there. I was just there last week. I was in Israel, Jordan, and in Saudi Arabia, meeting with our allies and talking about the situation not just in Gaza, but with the Iranians as well. Our allies do not want a larger conflict with Iran.

At the same time, we can't accept the Iranians using their influence against us in a way that affects our national security. You know, folks might not think that this, you know, has an effect on them today. But if global shipping cannot go through the Red Sea, over time, this will have a serious economic impact on our country. So, you know, I am, you know, I understand why the White House did what they did. They did notify Congress. I don't agree with my colleagues that we have to get congressional approval. We had U.S. personnel that were at risk, and our allies were at risk as well.

SANCHEZ: Congressman, I want to dig in on what you mentioned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and your meetings, along with other lawmakers in the region. Specifically, part of the group that you were with met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. From the conversations that you had, are you confident that Israel is doing everything it can, as it says, to protect civilian life in Gaza? [14:15:19]

KELLY: Well, we encourage them to do more. We met with not only Netanyahu, but also with Yoav Galat, the defense minister, met with the head of Mossad and Shin Bet. And I'd say to a person, we encourage them that they have to do more to avoid this humanitarian crisis that they currently have. That the loss of civilian life is so significant, and it has to be addressed. Specifically, I address with them the use of unguided munitions. Upwards of 50 percent of what they're using is unguided, and they have to do a better job here. Now, they do notify --

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: How is that message received?

KELLY: I think it's received well. I mean, they do -- they seem to get it. I expect that they're going to do better. We'll have to see over time. They do a lot of notification before they conduct a strike in Gaza. The problem is they're dealing with a terrorist organization that intentionally co-locates itself with civilians, with women and children. But Israel has to defend itself. You know, what happened on October 7th, you know, I don't know, Boris, if you had an opportunity to see the 45-minute video that Israel put together.

But if you see that, you'll get a real sense for the barbarity. And it's something that Hamas wants to repeat. They have clearly said, given the opportunity, they're going to do this again. And Israel needs to do a better job. I expect them to do a better job in reducing the civilian population. I expect them to do a better job in reducing the civilian casualties. At the same time, they do have a right to defend themselves.

SANCHEZ: Candidly, Senator, I have not seen that video, but I've read very detailed descriptions about what's on it. And just from that, I do not want to see it. It sounds abhorrent. Senator Mark Kelly --

(CROSSTALK)

KELLY: It's difficult. It is difficult to watch. At the same time, I think it's important that folks in your position do, if you get an opportunity, to take a look, to understand the, you know, the, just the barbarity of what happened on October 7th.

SANCHEZ: Senator Mark Kelly from Arizona, we very much appreciate the time. Thanks for joining us.

KELLY: Thank you, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Of course. Still ahead, weather alerts from coast to coast and north to south as well. Strong storms, bitter cold, snow, flooding, rain, gusty winds, all of that sweeping across the country and record low temperatures expected in Iowa for the state's presidential caucus on Monday. We're tracking it and how the candidates are making their final push to voters. KEILAR: Plus, genocide or self-defense, Israel is responding to South Africa's accusations about its war in Gaza.

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[14:20:09]

KEILAR: Millions of Americans are right in the path of a dangerous winter storm that is sweeping across the country. Right now, nearly every single state, 49 out of the 50, under some type of weather alert.

SANCHEZ: And CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa is tracking the conditions. All of this ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday. Elisa, forgive my pronunciation of meteorologist. That was terrible. How cold is it going to get?

ELISA RAFFA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I mean, in Iowa on caucus day, we're talking about temperatures not reaching zero and wind chills cold enough that you can get frostbite in 10 minutes or less. So dangerous cold. But like they mentioned, we're looking at alerts from this winter storm that's going to pull in that cold all across the country. Every state except Arizona has some sort of alert for cold, for wind, for rain, for flooding. You can see on the radar here where things are busy, we've got some of that snow that's packing from Omaha to Chicago.

Some strong thunderstorms to the south where we've got some lightning still would have threatened me. Some damaging winds going into the afternoon. But that snow continues to pump across Iowa into the Great Lakes. And it also comes with some gusts of 245 miles per hour. That's why we have that blizzard warning in effect in the orange for most of Iowa through the day today for up to 8 inches of snow plus the 45 mile per hour wind gusts. Winter storm warnings stretch into Chicago.

As all of this moves east and northeast, a flood watch is also in effect for a lot of the northeast here and even the mid-Atlantic. We're looking at 1 to 2 inches of rain on top of already saturated conditions and snow melts. So, a lot of flooding there. Here's a look at how this plays out. Continuing to pull the snow into the Great Lakes with those gusts, 35 to 40 miles per hour. You can see the heavy rain across the southeast lifting into New England as we go into the day tomorrow.

Then that cold really starts to spill in, that arctic air. And that's what's going to make the caucus one of the coldest that they've ever seen. Look at these wind chills. These are overnight wind chills at minus 45. That is the real feel. Frostbite in 10 minutes or less. That is dangerous. That is life-threatening and very extreme. And we're going to keep them as we go into Monday. Here's a look at the caucuses, the past ones, right? Temperatures in the 30s and 40s for the most part. 2004, you had a temperature of 16.

This will by far be the coldest caucus with that high temperature at only minus 4. That is the air temperature probably not getting to zero. And then once you factor in the winds, we're looking at wind chill values. Like I said, minus 30, minus 35, minus 40. So incredibly dangerous. The forecast high temperatures again across the state not breaking zero on Monday.

SANCHEZ: I'm supposed to head there tomorrow.

KEILAR: Sure, it'll be fine.

RAFFA: Layers, layers.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, layers. People are talking about how it might affect turnout among voters. I'm afraid about how it might affect my turnout. I think I'm going to probably shelter in place. Elisa Raffa, thank you so much. There are just three days to go, again, before the Iowa caucuses. Concern is growing that this frigid weather, is going to keep people at home. You see the countdown here. As a matter of fact, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just called off the rest of his campaign events in the state today because of the snowy conditions. Nikki Haley previously cancelled her in-person events. She's going to hold tele- town halls instead.

[14:25:19]

KEILAR: You don't have a choice, Boris. You have to do this, Miami man. Jessica Dean is with us, braving the deep freeze in Des Moines. Listen, the three of us, I think we're used to slightly warmer weather, just how we grew up. Jessica, how are the conditions changing the candidates plans in the final push before the caucuses?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Boris, come on in. The water's fine. It's great down here. The candidates have been scrambling and the campaigns are making adjustments. Look, this weather is serious. It certainly snows in Iowa all the time in the winter. That's not new. But as we just walked through with that weather forecast, this is extreme weather. This is extremely cold, blizzard conditions right now. And so, we have seen the campaigns adjusting. You mentioned that Nikki Haley cancelled all of her events. She's been holding teletown halls. Governor Ron DeSantis was able to get in one event this morning.

They have cancelled a slew of events, but then added one that was a little closer by where they were to go see some volunteers in Urbandale, Iowa. So, they are adjusting as they go. But it's certainly very hard to get around here. There's not really many people on the streets at all. I'll listen. I'll let you listen to what Governor DeSantis said just a little bit ago to the volunteers he talked to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON DESANTIS (R), PRESIDENTAL CANDIDATE: I'll ask you for your support on Monday. I know it's going to be cold. I know it's going to be not the most pleasant, but I don't think you'll ever be able to cast a vote that has more impact given the circumstances. We don't know what the turnout's going to be. It could be much smaller than what it's been in the 16th cycle. That's possible. So, if you're going out and you're bringing four or five different friends with you or family members, that is going to pack a punch in a way that voting in a general election just simply wouldn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And that was him actually talking to potential supporters earlier today. And so looking ahead to Monday, wind chills of up to negative 40. So, it feels like that outside. We see the Trump campaign. They're already starting to lower their expectations, saying that in so many of the polls that the former president has had such a commanding lead that it may not be as big of a lead because not that many people, fewer people may be getting out. We've also heard again and again from the DeSantis campaign and the super PAC aligned with him.

In the months leading up to this, Boris and Brianna, that they have a ground game that's unparalleled, that's unlike anything that's been done before. And guess what? On Monday, that is going to be put to the test. We're going to see who turns out on caucus night in a very cold Iowa.

SANCHEZ: I've been watching the snow pick up behind Jessica. She's giving that report on the flagpole behind her wavering --

(CROSSTALK)

DEAN: This isn't fun? You don't want to do this?

SNCHEZ: Looks like a good time.

KEILAR: He's from Miami. It's so funny.

SANCHEZ: I don't have the blood for that.

KEILAR: No, he does. But I don't know. He goes back to Miami all the time. He just can hardly handle D.C., Jessica. It's cold here. You look great. You're like totally doing fine in this weather.

SANCHEZ: I hope you get back in that warm car as soon as possible.

KEILAR: Thank you, Jessica Dean.

SANCHEZ: Jessica Dean, thanks so much.

DEAN: Thank you.

KEILAR: All right, still ahead, Israel is back in court at The Hague responding to the unprecedented war crimes case against its government. What could come out of this international trial?

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