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Targeted Raids in Lebanon; U.S. Prepares for Iran Retaliatory Attacks; Jonathan Conricus is Interviewed about Israel's Raids; Devastation in North Carolina; North Carolina Residents Recount Escape. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired September 30, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: CUPP: The benefit of Harris, like abortion and women's reproductive rights. He's doing that in a way that does not appeal to these moderate voters. Certainly doesn't appeal to the suburban women that he lost.

So, he's getting it wrong. We'll see if the issues are big enough to win out and block out the rhetoric. But I'm just telling you what we're hearing from swing state voters, the very voters who will decide this

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and, look, polling is showing she's closing the gap in terms of where the gap wasn't -

CUPP: Immigration.

BOLDUAN: The economy. But immigration still, he - there is a lot of strength there to it. We'll see.

CUPP: Yes.

BOLDUAN: VP debate.

CUPP: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Rarely carries a lot of weight.

CUPP: Yes.

BOLDUAN: I don't know, considering it could be the last debate of the entire cycle -

CUPP: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Do you think this one is different?

CUPP: It's an inflection point. And because of the truncated nature of this election and just how wild this election has been, they need an inflection point. Everyone kind of needs another chance, another bite at the apple before November 5th.

So, I actually think there's going to be a lot of tune in. I think whatever happens tomorrow night could change some minds. But, yes, typically a vice presidential debate doesn't do much about an election. But we'll see.

BOLDUAN: What -

CUPP: This is not typical.

BOLDUAN: Nothing - nothing about this is normal, people.

CUPP: This is not typical, right.

BOLDUAN: Nothing is normal.

CUPP: Right.

BOLDUAN: It's good to see you.

CUPP: You too.

BOLDUAN: And neither are - neither are the two of us.

CUPP: No. No.

BOLDUAN: We like it that way.

Thanks, S.E.

CUPP: Yes.

BOLDUAN: A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts now.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with breaking news. Breaking moments ago, sources tell CNN that Israeli special forces have carried out raids inside Lebanon in recent days, as fears grow of an all-out regional war in the Middle East.

Incomprehensible damage. Hundreds of communities cut off from fresh water and much needed supplies, as rescue teams race to get to those stranded residents. We now have new numbers as the death toll continues to rise. And hear from residents from one devastated town.

And, two astronauts that have been stuck on the International Space Station for months, but this morning their ride home has finally arrived.

I'm Sara Sidner, with John Berman and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and the breaking news, as Sara just mentioned, CNN has learned of cross border commando raids by Israel into Lebanon, into the southern part of the country. These raids back-and-forth could be a sign that a larger ground invasion could be coming. Obviously, there have been airstrikes on Beirut for days now.

Let's get right to CNN chief national security analyst and anchor Jim Sciutto, who is in Tel Aviv.

Jim, these raids, what do they show and what do they tell us?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes.

Well, John, you could call the shaping operations, smaller special forces raids, as well as just the barrage of airstrikes that we've seen over the last several days, not just taking out Hezbollah leadership, but going after firing positions, missile launch sites, missile and rocket storage sites in southern Lebanon would all be part of laying the groundwork for a broader ground incursion or small scale invasion, whatever language you use. So, one can say that those operations have already begun.

And keep in mind what the Israeli goal here is, as stated publicly. We're not guessing about this. Israel's goal, as officials have described, is to move Hezbollah back from the border. And to do that, they - they seem to be making it clear, they don't just intend to do damage to Hezbollah forces along the border, but push them back. The typical dividing line is the Litani River, about ten miles back from the border. So that when you have the Israeli defense minister go speak to Israeli forces now massing on the northern border and use this phrase, "we will employ all the capabilities at our disposal," that's quite clear public signaling about what may very well be the next step.

And I think you could see these - these special operations raids, as well as the bombing and the strikes we've seen in recent days as part of that same ground operation.

BERMAN: Jim, what is now known about Hezbollah, as it is currently constituted, their will and ability to carry out retaliation?

SCIUTTO: Yes. You know what, John, I think to some degree, in recent days and weeks, if you go back, for instance, to the pager attack, as well as the killing on Friday of Nasrallah, we've seen something of a piercing of the bubble of Hezbollah's military capabilities. As advertised, this was Iran's strongest proxy weapon in the Middle East and against Israel. It's strongest piece of that ring of fire around Israel.

[09:05:03]

We talked to great length about the many tens of thousands of missiles and rockets, et cetera.

But now, in just a few days' time, Israel has not only dismantled its leadership right up to the very top, but it's taking out - taken out a lot of those very missiles which raises questions as to whether even if a decision were made by Hezbollah to carry out a sizable retaliation, who would make that decision and how would they communicate that to field commanders to then carry it out? It's not clear that they have the capability to do that. And I don't mean to underestimate Hezbollah's remaining arsenal or the threat, but the blow that Israel has struck in recent days really raises questions as to what they're capable of. And we should also keep in mind Iran's public comments, which has been

to say, we're kind of leaving this to Hezbollah to retaliate. We're effectively sitting this one out. Not to minimize Iran's own capabilities, but at least from the public messaging standpoint, they seem to be keeping their powder dry as well.

BERMAN: It is something that absolutely bears watching, is Hezbollah on its heels as much as it seems, at least from everything we see and hear.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

BERMAN: Jim Sciutto, it's great to have you there as our eyes and ears. Thank you so much.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, this morning, the U.S. is preparing its military as fears grow that Iran may be planning retaliatory attacks.

CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House with more on how the Biden administration is sort of viewing all of this at the moment.

And they're meeting at this very moment. What are you learning, Arlette?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sara, President Biden is hoping to prevent this situation from escalating into a wider regional conflict that could engulf the region. That is something that the administration has feared and really tried to work to prevent for the past year.

Now, a U.S. official tells CNN that one major area of concern right now is the possibility that Iran could be planning an attack in the wake of Israel's killing of Hamas leader Hassan Nasrallah just last Friday. So, the U.S. is working with Israel on its defenses, this U.S. official said, hoping that a joint defense and a change in the U.S. military posture in the region could potentially ward off a potential attack.

Now, this official did not outline what an Iranian attack would look like or specify the exact moves that the U.S. could take. But the Pentagon, in a statement on Sunday, did stress that if Iran tries to - or any of its partners or proxies tries to use this moment to target either American personnel or American interests, that the U.S. would respond to defend the American people. The Pentagon has noted that they have significant capabilities in the region, including a carrier strike group. And they are also working to increase the readiness of U.S. troops who could mobilize to the region.

Now, President Biden, on Saturday, convened a meeting of his national security team, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, to assess the situation in the Middle East, and also talk about the readiness of U.S. military forces.

And just yesterday he stressed to reporters that he believes an all- out war must be avoided.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can an all-out war in the Middle East be avoided?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It has to be. We really have to avoid it. We've already taken precautions related to our embassies and personnel who want to leave. And - but we're not there yet, but we're working like hell with the French and many others to (INAUDIBLE). Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: That last line there is a reference to the U.S. hope that there could be some type of diplomatic solution to try to return Israeli and Lebanese civilians back to their homes. President Biden also said he does plan to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu soon, though officials have not detailed how soon that conversation might happen. But Biden making very clear there that he wants to take whatever steps possible to try to ensure that this war does not spill out into a wider regional conflict that would engulf the whole region.

SIDNER: Arlette Saenz, thank you so much for your reporting there from the White House.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: And with us now to talk much more about all of this is the former IDF spokesperson, retired Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus.

Thank you so much for coming in. It's good to see you.

LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS (RET.), FORMER SPOKESPERSON, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (IDF): Thank you for having me.

BOLDUAN: So, this new reporting that Israeli special forces have been carrying out targeted raids into southern Lebanon, gathering intelligence ahead of a possible ground incursion. From your experience, if this is happening, do you think a ground incursion is inevitable?

CONRICUS: Well, nothing is inevitable. First of all, good morning to you and thanks for having me.

Nothing is inevitable. If, at this stage, ceasefire agreements or talks would be successful. And the French and the Americans would get Hezbollah to agree to implement security council resolution 1701 and move beyond the Litani River, then no such ground operations would be necessary.

[09:10:04]

Israeli civilians would be able to move back to their homes and the - I think Israel would be very happy to avail itself to other threats that it has against its national security, unfinished business in Gaza and elsewhere.

So, no, this is definitely something that can be avoided. But as the trajectory is now, it looks as if nobody is really making it something that can be avoidable. And Israel, as a sovereign country, has a responsibility towards its people, to allow them to go home safely. And I think the operations and the - what you refer to the information is part of making that happen and taking the necessary preparations in order to bring their civilians home.

BOLDUAN: President Biden said yesterday that there - the way he kind of put it was that there has to be a way to avoid a broader war. The trajectory that you - that you were just mentioning, do you think it is realistic to think the region will avoid a broader war?

CONRICUS: So, one thing that I think is given, and it is a must, is that Israeli civilians must be able to go home to their homes safely without being threatened by Hezbollah cross-border attacks or anti- tank missiles being fired at their homes, which they have been for the last eleven and a half months. So, that's the end situation that Israel needs to achieve. How do we get there? Do we get there by a ceasefire agreement or by military action? That's very much up to Hezbollah and their Iranian masters. They could, you know, understand the situation and they could understand that Israel is very serious about getting its people home. But at the end of the day, I don't think that Iranian masters are going to allow that to happen, and I think that they are going to push Lebanon over the abyss. I think that they are going to tell Hezbollah that there's no option but to push forward and to escalate this into war.

I, as an Israeli, would hope to see a different situation where it's not necessary and Israelis can go back to their homes without having Israeli ground troops in Lebanon. But eventually somehow -

BOLDUAN: I think you're -

CONRICUS: Hello?

BOLDUAN: Jonathan, I think you were hearing some of the natural sounds - some of the sound from some of the video we were showing, which can be confusing sometimes.

CONRICUS: Oh, OK. Sorry.

BOLDUAN: Let me - sorry about that.

Let me ask you this. Because at the same time when you add all of it up, that you were just describing, you also had Israel bombing Houthi targets in Yemen Sunday. Why? Why do that now?

CONRICUS: You know, the Houthis - no, you ask a good question because, when you ask why now and not nine or ten or 11 months ago, that's - that's a fair question because the Houthis have been firing missiles, ballistic missiles, at Israel for about ten and a half, eleven months and only now, now is the second time that Israel retaliated insignificant force against the Houthis. The first time was about a month and a half, two months ago, when Israel struck the Port of Hudaydah, and a few military facilities in the vicinity. Yesterday, Israel delivered a stronger blow against a more diverse target - targets in Yemen that are related to the Houthis. And the point here is to send a message to the Houthis that if you continue firing missiles at Israel, endangering our civilians, then there is a price to pay and please stop firing at Israel, it's a very simple thing.

BOLDUAN: Where there is also so much that is not even - nothing close to being simple when it comes to the region and where things are going right now.

Former -- Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, it's good to have you. Thank you so much for coming on.

John.

BERMAN: All right, this morning, new pictures of just the extraordinary devastation in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene. Somen places now just being reached for the first time. I still can't get over some of the images we're seeing from there. And we are just getting word the death toll is rising.

New details this morning of the method acting being used to prepare J.D. Vance and Tim Walz for their debate tomorrow night.

And new this morning, "The New York Times" just came out with an endorsement for president. They call Vice President Harris the only patriotic option.

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[09:18:52]

BERMAN: All right, just in, the death toll from Hurricane Helene is rising. One hundred and two people have now been confirmed dead, and that number will almost certainly rise. It is already the third deadliest hurricane to hit the United States in the last 50 years. The storm left a trail of destruction in at least six states. In North Carolina, the governor just told Kate that the storm wiped entire towns off the map.

CNN's Marybel Gonzalez is in Asheville, North Carolina, which has seen so many problems.

What are you seeing there this morning?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Yes, the devastation is very, very much here in Asheville, North Carolina. Take a look right behind us. The rainfall has subsided, but we're now beginning to understand the damage that it left behind.

This is just one of the hundreds of roads that have been closed and that remain closed this morning. And you can see why. Look at the heavy, heavy sludge, the mud on the streets, making them impassable to people walking by and also to cars. We saw some of them slipping and sliding, creating very dangerous conditions. Now, right now, this morning, as the sun has come up, we've seen people, groups of people going into these businesses.

[09:20:01]

We're actually surrounded by a lot of small businesses. They're going in to assess the damage. But we know that most of them are completely destroyed.

We're told that this may not just take weeks, but years for people to rebuild. People going back to the places where they work, saying they may not have a job to go back to. So, the impact are definitely long lasting. And all the while people are dealing with power outages. They don't have running water. Internet and cell service are also out.

We differently spoke with some residents about what it's been like for the last few days here on the ground.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUCY TAVERNIER, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: Well, we don't have any power. We haven't had any since Friday morning. We had water, running water, but we can't drink it. And now the pressure is so low that there's no water coming out anymore really.

It's undescribable. I don't know. It just was covered in litter and trees and mud and its stinky and it was all the way up the street up here. It just looks like the bottom of a river.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GONZALEZ: Now we know that over the weekend there were around 600 reports and counting of missing persons, people calling the county to say, I haven't been able to get in touch with my loved one. The good news is, the authorities are saying, you know, keep calm, keep holding on to hope because as those cell phone in those communication services are restored, hopefully they will be able to communicate and reach out to their loved ones.

Another thing that we're dealing with here, John, power outages. In North Carolina alone, over 450,000 customers have been impacted by these power outages. And we still do not know when they can expect to have the lights back on.

BERMAN: Yes, it's not a matter of lines being knocked down. It's a matter of lines being completely swept away. There may just be no power lines in some places.

Marybel Gonzalez, in Asheville, thank you so much for being there. Please keep us posted.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, we are finally getting a look at some of the greatest damage left by Hurricane Helene. Look at this before and after of the beautiful little village of Chimney Rock

Just up the road from there, our next guests woke up early Friday to the sound of boulder smashing into the bridge outside their house, and then they watched as that bridge completely washed away. Their neighbors' homes, washed away. And somehow, miraculously, they were able to escape.

Tyler Covarrubias and Lizzie Brewer took that video that you are looking at right now with those raging waters. They are joining us now live and safe from South Carolina.

First off, how are you two doing this morning?

TYLER COVARRUBIAS, SURVIVED HURRICANE HELENE IN NORTH CAROLINA, EVACUATED BY HELICOPTER: We're doing all right. We're getting better. It's been really difficult. And its - it's kind of - it's hard to put into words, but PTSD is kicking in.

SIDNER: I'm so sorry to hear that. And this is going to be a long road. We are looking at the roads and how many of them have been washed away. Hundreds have been washed away.

How did you two manage to get out with, I understand, your two kitties?

COVARRUBIAS: So, it was all a spur of the moment thing. We - that couple, Dillan (ph) and Larson (ph), that came across the bridge, they had a cat as well. They got - they got inside to our house. And we sat there for a little bit. And before we knew it, it was dire that we needed to get out. And we had gotten the cat bags ready. And, you know, that's all we were worried about at the moment is saving our animals. And we were looking around at things and that's when I really realized that none of what we owned matters right now and our lives, their lives, our cat's lives, that's all we have.

SIDNER: Lizzie, I'm curious, describe - we're looking at some of the video that you all took. And this is some of the - the - a photo, Lizzie, that you took of just mud everywhere where it usually would be like a front yard. Describe what you saw as you left your community.

LIZZIE BREWER, SURVIVED HURRICANE HELENE IN NORTH CAROLINA, EVACUATE BY HELICOPTER: Leaving, it - it was just unrecognizable when we were going around just looking to see if anybody was OK. I drive those roads all the time and I just couldn't even - I couldn't even picture where we were anymore. And just knowing that nobody is ever going to be able to live there probably, most of the people who have built their lives there aren't going to be able to finish their lives there. And it's just really horrifying. It's sad because there's still people there that are really hard to get to and we're really worried about all the people that are still there. And that's why we want to do this is so that hopefully this can reach the right people to really go in help, because it is - it - people - a lot of people that still live there can't physically get out and it is hard for any emergency personnel to get in.

[09:25:11] So, we just want to be able be able to -

COVARRUBIAS: Bring -

BREWER: Yes, bring this to attention so those people that are still there can get help because they need it so bad. They need it so bad. They're going to have to rebuild their whole entire lives, everything.

SIDNER: Lizzie, I heard you say something that is just devastating for anyone who has live in such a beautiful place. It's your home. You don't think that you will be able to rebuild right where you were. Can you just tell me why that is?

COVARRUBIAS: Never.

SIDNER: Where - where will you -

BREWER: I mean, just the terrain in general, driving on it, when it - before all of this, walking on any of, any of it, it's intense. It's not an easy route. I mean there's curves. The roads weren't in great shape to begin with. And now that they're completely destroyed, there's no way in or out via car. Barely human. I mean helicopters only had a few spots. Just a few. Maybe only two or three where they could safely actually land. And for most people to be able to get to those spots, it's physically impossible. So -

SIDNER: Tyler, you said that PTSD is kicking in. And I know this is an area where people come, for example, to Chimney Rock because it's so cute, it's so beautiful. There's only about 140 actual residents there. What is - what are you going through now? And what help do you think you and others will need as this goes on and on and on, trying to figure out where you go next?

COVARRUBIAS: That's a - what's been running through my mind the past day pretty much. But we're definitely going to need therapy from this. Our brains - we physically feel it, how traumatic it was. And I feel, you know, fuzzy. It's hard to think of words to say and put thoughts together. And it was traumatic. And I think we're going to be affected by this for a long time, if not the rest of our lives.

SIDNER: Yes.

BREWER: We don't know where we go from here.

COVARRUBIAS: Yes.

BREWER: We don't know where everybody else goes from here. We don't know. We don't know.

SIDNER: We're looking at just more of the video that you took. And you all were helicoptered out of there. And you're seeing the sort of beauty of North Carolina and the devastation all at once.

I just want to thank you both for taking the time this morning because I know rehashing and going over it again can be really, really, really hard. But thank you for talking us through it and also for reminding people, there are people that are still there. They are trapped. They are stuck. They have very little help that can get to them at this moment.

BREWER: Yes.

SIDNER: But, you know, the authorities say that they are trying and they will do everything they can to try and save lives at this point. But this has been an extremely devastating storm to hit the area in which you live.

Thank you, thank you so much for coming on this morning. I know this was really hard.

BREWER: OK, thank you.

COVARRUBIAS: Thank you for having us.

SIDNER: All right, take care of yourselves.

And if you want to help those who are impacted by this, like Lizzie and Tyler, visit cnn.com/impact or text "storm" to 707070 for ways to donate.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So much hurt there.

The Harris campaign are trying to go after Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in a new way on debate eve, in a 43-page report no less. What it is all about and now impactful it will be, we will discuss.

And the man charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump is due in court this morning. We are live from outside the courthouse.

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