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Survivors Rescued in Turkey Almost a Week After Quake; Turkish Government Faces Criticism Over Quake Response; U.S. Shoots Down Unidentified Object Over Michigan; Chiefs Win Super Bowl 38-35 on Late Field Goal; Heavy Fighting Reported on Front Lines in Eastern Ukraine; Cyclone Gabrielle Approaches New Zealand with Winds, Rain.; Israeli Mother Calls for Unity and Love after Children Die; Scientists: Great Salt Lake Drying Up Could be Ecological Disaster. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 13, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and a very warm welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.

[00:00:35]

Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM, anger and frustration in Turkey as survivors criticize the government for failing to prepare and failing to respond.

Watching the skies. The U.S. military shoots down yet another high- altitude object.

And no shortage of excitement at Super Bowl LVII. The Kansas City Chiefs crowned champions in quite a nail-biter.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Paula Newton.

NEWTON: More than 34,000 people are now known to have died from the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria one week ago. Incredibly, after more than 160 hours, emergency crews are still finding people alive under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

But now, after surviving the earthquake, victims are trying to survive the bleak conditions that they now face. In Turkey, hundreds of thousands have been displaced and are living in makeshift shelters, many struggling just to stay warm. Others overcome with despair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was not like any other earthquake. The roads were destroyed. Our houses were demolished. There was no building let. Whole cities were flattened. Everything disappeared. We can feed ourselves here, but no one knows how we're going to live.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's freezing, and we will be frozen to death here. If we sit inside the tent, we will freeze.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NEWTON: Now, meantime, a convoy of United Nations aid trucks crossed into Northwestern Syria on Sunday. That was through the Turkish border. The agency says the trucks are carrying comprehensive shelter kits.

Now, a top U.N. official tweeted from the border that the people of Northwest Syria "rightly feel abandoned." He added that it's his duty to, quote, "correct this failure as fast as we can."

Now, rebuilding efforts have been complicated in the country as political fault lines run deep. The sanctions have also created obstacles that humanitarian aid has to maneuver around.

And in the midst of all of this uncertainty, a few glimmers of hope have appeared in both Turkey and Syria.

CNN's Nada Bashir reports on the miraculous rescues that have defied the odds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Reciting a prayer, hoping for a miracle. This time, their prayers have been answered.

A weekend of remarkable rescues. Several survivors pulled to freedom after almost a week, buried beneath the rubble. In Hatai (ph), smiles of relief. This son telling his mother, "We are here. We are with you." And this little girl, still in a state of shock. But free at last.

Time, however, is quickly running out. This French rescue team working overnight to retrieve the body of a 6-year-old boy. Retrieving the dead, this colonel tells his team, is also a crucial part of their job.

In Northwest Syria, the grief is almost too much to bear. Rescue workers here say they are no longer holding out hope for more survivors. This is a region already decimated by President Bashar al- Assad's brutal war. Now crushed under the weight of one of the worst natural disasters this region has seen in a century.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): No matter how horrific this disaster was, no matter how big this crisis was, we've seen and lived through such terror before.

BASHIR (voice-over): Aid has finally arrived in Syria's rebel-held territories. Volunteers saying it's simply too little, too late.

Across the border in Gaziantep, life has been transformed. This elderly woman says she lost everything. But these are tears of joy. A phone call from her son to tell her that he is alive.

For others, hope is dwindling fast. This young woman sits waiting for news. Her mother and sister are still beneath the rubble beside her. "They are dying under there," she says, "and I am dying here." [00:05:01]

And now, as the death toll continues to soar, grief for some is turning to anger, and calls for accountability are only growing.

Nada Bashir, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, as the death toll continues to crime, there's anger, of course, and resentment, as you just heard from Nada, in Turkey over the government's response to the earthquake. Many say it failed to prepare for a catastrophic event like this, especially since the country had suffered devastating quakes in the past.

The frustration grew as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the affected areas and admitted to, quote, "shortcomings" in his administration's initial response.

Meantime, authorities say a property developer who was the contractor for some of the collapsed buildings has been arrested.

Joining me now, live from Washington, D.C., is Gonul Tol. She is the founding director of the Turkey program at the Middle East institute. And I thank you for joining us.

I first want to say, just we offer our sincere condolences, as we understand that you, as well, have lost family members. I can't imagine the grief all of you are suffering right now.

And, you know, we continually call this a natural disaster. And yet, as Nada reported in what we just showed you there, many have anger towards the man-made errors. I mean, how do you assess the government's response to this?

GONUL TOL, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, TURKEY PROGRAM AT THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: The government response was very slow. My family had to wait for 48 hours for rescue workers to arrive on the scene. And when they finally did, they told us that they had received instructions to focus their rescue efforts elsewhere.

And the second problem was the absence of Turkish troops on the ground. The military, which had been dispatched in previous -- the last, previous big earthquake, which happened in 1999, the military played a critical role in search-and-rescue efforts. This time it was not there.

So I think all these factors came together and significantly increased the death toll.

NEWTON: The other thing we've been discussing is that there are accusations of government negligence for not enforcing building codes that were on the books. And why? Some people point to corruption. Others say greed is insidious.

Do you believe that most will hold President Erdogan responsible for those failings?

TOL: I think so, because research shows -- shows that earthquake kills more people in countries where corruption is widespread. And in the 20 years he's been in power, President Erdogan enriched a small circle of associates from the construction sector without really -- by awarding them infrastructure projects, without competitive tenders and proper regulatory oversight.

And these companies embarked on a building spree, building infrastructure and homes in earthquake hotspots. And they did not pay any attention to -- to proper building codes.

And I believe he will face a consequence in the elections that are scheduled to be held in May. But he might postpone the elections.

NEWTON: You know, and let's talk about those elections. They were already contentious, and as you just pointed out, Erdogan is looking vulnerable. Probably more so now after this disaster.

And yet, do you fear that, given what's just happened in the region of the country that, unfortunately, will be destabilizing for politics in Turkey at a very fragile time?

TOL: Well, the elections are scheduled to take place in May, and President Erdogan might postpone them. Might postpone them to June. So

according to the constitution, he has to hold the elections by June.

And if that happens, if the elections are held, I think this could impact the stabilizing factor. Because there is growing anger towards Erdogan. Not just because of his slow response to the earthquake. But there are many problems facing the country, and the earthquake is only compounding those problems.

So if he holds the elections in June, I believe the opposition party has a good chance of winning. But if he decides not to hold them in June, I think the earthquake -- implications of the earthquake on -- for the elections will be less.

NEWTON: I don't have a lot of time left. In the time that we have, I do want to return to, obviously, the grief that so many people in Turkey and Syria are suffering, you included.

What do you want the world to know? Because we see, we all see such devastation and yet, you know, just the helplessness, the despair of people on the ground seems so profound.

TOL: That's right. And that's why this is a critical time for the world to come together for the people of Turkey. Because we really need help from the international community.

And Gonul Tol, I want to thank you for your insights on what I'm sure is a very difficult time for you as we continue to follow this story. Thanks so much.

[00:10:07]

TOL: Thank you for having me.

NEWTON: Now, you just heard about the great need there. For more information on how to help the earthquake victims, go to CNN.com/impact. There, you'll find a list of organizations working on rescue and relief efforts.

The U.S. military shot down yet another unidentified object flying over North America, the third in just the past three days. The latest incident happened over Northern Michigan, with a mysterious object that the Pentagon had been tracking, apparently, for about a day or so.

More now from CNN's Arlette Saenz.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the third time in as many days, President Biden ordered the takedown of an unidentified object in North American airspace.

The latest shootdown happening on Sunday afternoon. There was an objects seen flying at about 20,000 feet over Michigan's upper peninsula and nearing Lake Huron. It was then that officials say an F- 16 fighter jet shot it down.

Now officials have described this object is being octagonal in shape with strings attached to it, but no discernible payload. And officials have also said that it is connected to some radar contact that was found in Montana on Saturday evening.

Initially, fighter jets were sent up into the skies in Montana on Saturday to try to track down a possible object. They did not find anything. And that led NORAD and NORTHCOM to believe that it was a radar anomaly.

But then on Sunday, they reacquired that radar contact and did find this unidentified object flying over Wisconsin and then Michigan.

Ultimately, there was concern because of the height that this object was flying at, 20,000 feet, which could pose some threat to civilian aircraft. There was also concern about the path that it was taking. So the military leaders recommended to President Biden that he shoot it down, and he ultimately issued that order.

Now, this is just the latest in a string of puzzling events of aerial crafts being seen in the skies above the United States. Starting with that suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot off the coast of South Carolina just nine days ago.

And still so many questions about these other objects that were shot down: one off the Alaskan coast on Friday, and then another shot in the Yukon in Canada on Saturday.

Now, officials have been very careful and cautious about how they are trying to describe some of these objects. They say that they are still waiting for more information. And some of the big questions facing this administration is exactly

the size of these items. Also, the origin and what their purposes are. All of these questions, they are hoping to get some answers to as these recovery operations are all underway.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Now, as we just heard from Arlette, this all started with that suspected Chinese spy balloon last weekend. So big question here: are these four incidents connected?

We want to get some perspective from CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Steven Jiang. Steven, good to see you, and it's good to have you on this story.

We now know that one of these devices came from China, right? What more are we hearing, though, either from officials or media reports there, about these others?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Paula, the Chinese authorities have not officially responded to the latest developments over U.S. and Canadian airspace over the weekend.

But state media here has reported these latest developments and perhaps predictably, portraying U.S. military actions as bizarre. And also, exaggerated. And the always nationalistic global new -- "Global Times" newspaper, for example, in their editorial, portraying the U.S. military moves as clumsy performance art.

And I quote them here: "The grand takeoff of U.S. warplanes apparently satisfied some people's appetite for the 'China threat.'" It goes on to say, "It is not a good sign for the world if the country with the strongest military is constantly surrounded by this kind of extreme emotion and sees everything as a threat and, thus, wants to destroy it."

So this kind of colorful language, obviously, echoing the official Chinese government stance after the U.S. shot down the first confirmed balloon, that the U.S. overreacted.

Now, the Beijing authorities, obviously, still very much insisting that was a civilian device that drifted off-course because of weather, even though U.S. officials and many experts very much disputed that.

And the U.S., of course, has now sanctioned six Chinese entities relate to that balloon, which according to CNN's own reporting, is believed to be a part of a sweeping global intelligence campaign run by the Chinese government.

Now, the government here, obviously, has very much been working very hard to push back all of these allegations. And the latest sanction announcement is likely to get their condemnation as well as a threat of countermeasures, as well. But there is -- actually, there has been an intriguing development

here in China over the weekend. That is, state media on Sunday quoting local maritime authorities as saying they have spotted unidentified flying object off the coast of Eastern China. And the preparation was underway to shoot it down.

[00:15:1]

Local fishermen off the coast of Shandong province being warned to avoid dangerous -- avoid the dangerous area, but also was -- they were told to take photographs and even collect debris if conditions allowed.

So that obviously generated a lot of buzz, given what was happening over the U.S. and Canada over the weekend. Not to mention the Chinese military's previous promise to take similar actions after the U.S. shot down the first confirmed Chinese balloon.

But the thing is, we have not heard much in the hours since the initial reports came out. And that kind of silence obviously generating even more curiosity and speculation.

So Paula all of this, obviously, not happening in a vacuum. And these developments is now really part of a sign that this downward spiral in U.S.-China relations.

NEWTON: Yes, and so interesting that you say that they claim that there is some kind of unidentified object on -- in Eastern China, as well.

I don't have a lot of time left. But I really am interested to hear what you made off the fact that China seemed contrite at first, that this balloon had made it into North America. And then started with bellicose language again. Why the change in tone?

JIANG: Yes, you know, the thing is, obviously, that news came out, the balloon came out right before that highly-anticipated visit by U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken. So it seems like before this balloon incident, both sides did have that intention to reset, or restabilize relations.

And then, of course, the whole thing just went out of control when the balloon news came out.

So there's still some thinking that the Chinese may want to turn the page over quickly to get -- to get the relations back on track. But with domestic politics on both sides, it just becomes increasingly difficult -- Paula.

NEWTON: Steven Jiang for us. We'll continue to check in with you as we get more on this Monday about the incidents here in North America. Appreciate it.

Now, the Kansas City Chiefs. They're still partying there in Kansas City. Why? Because they're the NFL champions after a thrilling high- scoring Super Bowl LVII. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38 to 35, on a late field goal with

just seconds left in the game, and the Chiefs needed an absolutely ambitious epic second half comeback to make it happen.

For more on the game, CNN SPORT's Andy Scholes is at the stadium. You were at the game. I mean, really, when it came down to a field goal and you were looking at what, 11, 12 seconds on the clock, I can't imagine what it was like in that stadium.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORT: Paula, what a game. I can't tell you. You know, we went into this game with the teams so even on paper. You were just hoping it was going to turn out that way in real life, and boy, did it.

Super Bowl LVII is going to go down as one that many people will remember for a very long time.

We'll show you how it all went down. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, before the game, you could see how much this game meant to him. He had tears flowing out of his eyes as the national anthem was playing.

But he had plenty to be happy about. Early on, his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, setting a Super Bowl record, running for two touchdowns and throwing for another. And he did all of that in the first half.

This one right here, the bomb to A.J. Brown. Really wasn't looking good for the Chiefs at one point in this game, but they got a Hurts fumble and returned it for a touchdown. That was a huge play in this game, because it tied it up at 14.

But, all of Kansas City really holding their breath as Patrick Mahomes limped off the field after appearing to be injured his ankle right before halftime.

Eagles were up ten at the break. But Mahomes, he came out a man on a mission in the second half. They really fixed up that ankle. He led the Chiefs on three straight touchdown drives to give Kansas City the lead.

The Eagles, though, they would fight back. They came right down the field and Hurts getting his third rushing touchdown of the game. That's a Super Bowl record for a quarterback.

It all came down to the final minutes, and Mahomes, just coming through in the clutch. Even with that gimpy ankle, look at this long run right here to get the Chiefs into field goal range.

A defensive holding call helped the Chiefs run out the clock, and they would kick the game-winning field goal.

As the Chiefs win, 38 to 35, Patrick Mahomes, your Super Bowl MVP. And now he's now the first player ever to win Super Bowls and have two MVPs in his first six seasons.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PATRICK MAHOMES, QUARTERBACK, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS I told y'all this week, there's nothing that was going to keep me off that football field. And I just want to shout out my teammates. Man, we challenged each other. It took everybody to win this football game. So, shout out to my teammates that we're Super Bowl champs. Baby, let's go!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:20:05]

SCHOLES: Yes, and teams that were down by double digits at halftime of the Super Bowl had only won once in 27 times, Paula. But, great comeback there from the Chiefs.

And you can't say enough about their head coach, Andy Reid. He was dialing up all the big plays when he needed to the most.

And, you know, we did talk so much this week about this being the Kelce Bowl. The family invested the most in the Super Bowl was certainly the Kelces. And, Mama Kelce, she was on the field right after the game. You see her sharing and embrace with her son, Jason, who had just lost, consoling him.

But then she had to turn her emotions to Travis and have a celebratory hug with a big smile on her face there. So Paula, you can only imagine what she was going through the entire game. And then the emotions afterwards, having to have completely opposite emotions for her two sons.

NEWTON: I love it, right. Mom having to switch it on and switch it off there, right there on cue. You know, she said, she said she would do what you have to do as a mom.

Andy, before I let you go, you know, we've to talk about that halftime show. Rihanna really making quite a comeback of her own.

SCHOLES: Yes, she did. And you know, there was a lot of hype for this halftime show, Paula. A lot of people really looking forward to Rihanna.

And I would say, you know, it certainly lived up to the hype. Rihanna had so many hits. And the visuals of this performance were just awesome, between the fireworks and the Rihanna just floating in the sky on the platform.

There were like 200, 300 dancers throughout the entire show.

Now, you know, some people, you know, kind of living in the moment, calling this the best Super Bowl halftime performance ever. I'm not going to go quite there. Last year's was rather awesome with Eminem, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.

But this was certainly a great performance. And it was definitely up at the top, five top ten performances of all time. So a lot of people certainly pleased with what they saw from Rihanna. She certainly rocked the place and had everybody on their feet, dancing along. NEWTON: I did happen to catch it. And it was the stages, right? It was

the way she was -- it seemed like she was floating. We're seeing it right there now, and the It was as if she was just floating through the stadium. It was really impressive.

And, I leave you with this, Andy, a piece of news that maybe you're on top of as well, apparently telling the Hollywood Reporter, that indeed, Rihanna did that show pregnant with her second child. Congratulations to her. And for pulling off that halftime show and baby No. 2.

SCHOLES: Super impressive.

NEWTON: Isn't that great?

SCHOLES: Very impressive. Yes.

NEWTON: You are also super impressive, my friend. Thanks for that highlights package. I needed it, because I missed the back end of the game. So, I thank you, Andy.

Now, we will have more coverage from the Super Bowl. That's on WORLD SPORT with Patrick Snell in about 25 minutes from now.

Now, still to come with us, switching gears. Fierce fighting rages in Eastern Ukraine. We'll have the latest developments, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:25:04]

NEWTON: We are following the latest developments from Ukraine, where the military says Russian forces are keeping up a high grade of rocket attacks on the frontlines in the East.

Ukraine says nearly two dozen attacks were carried out in just a 24- hour period, primarily focused in several cities in Donetsk, including Bakhmut, and in the Kharkiv region, as well.

Ukraine's military also says Russia has set records, they say, hitting Ukraine's East with artillery fire, including in the Luhansk region.

Now over the weekend, Ukraine, reported a massive barrage of Russian attacks right across the country. Russia says it targeted key energy facilities and, despite that, the Ukrainian capital and several regions were able to avoid power cuts on Sunday.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy credits those working to restore power.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The very fact that, after constant terrorist attacks with rockets and Shahed drones, after a massive missile strike this week, we can have such peaceful energy days proves the professionalism of our energy workers and the extraordinary dedication of everyone who works to preserve our energy system.

We have to realize this is not yet a decisive victory on the energy front. Unfortunately, there may be new terrorist attacks from Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: CNN's David McKenzie is following the latest developments for us from Kyiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the last several days here in Ukraine, the heaviest fighting has happened on the Eastern front of this conflict.

Ukrainian and Russian sources even saying that the Russian mechanized brigade, tried to push through the town of Vuhledar, saw significant losses. And you see this dramatic video of them being pushed back, sustaining casualties from drone and artillery strikes

Now the defense intelligence of the United Kingdom saying this is the worst period of casualties for the Russians since the very start of this war. That's hard to stack up.

But certainly, it's been a very intense period of fighting there. The Russian forces have had -- the forces and, in fact, private military contractors have had somewhat more success to the North of that town in the Bakhmut area.

But, you're not seeing significant gains of territory in this period of attritional warfare here in this conflict.

In Kyiv, and the surrounds of the capital, they are saying they've managed to keep the lights on throughout the day, which is a significant achievement, says the energy minister, because of those recent attacks by missiles and drones by the Russians that -- many of them which the Ukrainians managed to shoot down.

He's also saying the repair work is enabling them to keep the lights on. That's significant, because Russia was looking to break the spirit of Ukrainian civilians by targeting infrastructure. Something they haven't been able to achieve.

David McKenzie, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Tens of thousands are without power in Northern New Zealand, as Cyclone Gabrielle bears down on the region with heavy winds and rain. We will have the latest in a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: And welcome back to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton, and you are watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Post Tropical Cyclone-Gabrielle is approaching Northern New Zealand, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and large swells.

At least 58,000 people now are without power across the North island due to the storm, and Radio New Zealand reports domestic flights in and out of Auckland have been canceled because of the storm, stranding even the prime minister, Chris Hipkins, in that city.

The storm is expected to weaken slightly on Monday and Tuesday. I want to get the latest now in the forecast from CNN meteorologist Derek van Dam.

And Derek, already late Monday afternoon there in New Zealand. And they've got a lot more to come with this storm, right?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, local time, 6:30 on Monday evening in Auckland, New Zealand. And this is what the satellite looks like.

You don't need to be a trained meteorologist to understand what's going on there. That center, right there, that is actually the center of the post-Tropical Storm Gabrielle. The eye wall, per se, that's kind of the terminology we use.

And of course, that's where we find the strongest of winds. You know how it's heading closer and closer to the Northlands, as well as the Auckland region. Well, let's take you there.

Let me show you what it looks like on the ground, just North of the city of Auckland. You see how the water is starting to surged up and over some of the local roadways there.

This is, of course, close to the coast. But you can imagine, as the storm edges closer and closer to the shoreline, we're waiting to see more scenes like this unfolding. That's a dangerous situation.

There's a roadway there, as well, starting to be covered by some of this onslaught of water that's being pushed up by the ocean.

Get back to my graphics, talk about what we can expect. This is the New Zealand Meteorological Agency's warnings. They have red warnings in place for the Northland, as well as Auckland, region. Much of the eastern sections of the North Island.

Look at the wording they've used -- significant flooding, impassable roadway, even isolated communities with this. Really, a trifecta of hazards coming to the North island of New Zealand, from flash flooding potential to damaging strong winds, as well as the potential for storm surge.

You saw that on a video, just a moment ago. And it's all thanks to this low-pressure system that continues to just really coast right along the Northern reaches of the North island.

Now this is going to start to see a change in the wind direction. So at first, more of the Northeasterly win for Auckland.

But as we head into Tuesday morning and into the day on Wednesday, we'll have more of a Southwesterly wind. And that's going to have a lot of moisture associated with it.

So it's not just the North Island that will fill the impacts from this. But also the South island, as well.

We've had wind gusts in excess of 150 kilometers per hour. That is significant, considering what happened two weeks ago across this region, with a deluge of rain that brought the flooding.

There will be damage from this storm system, unfortunately. I don't like to report on that. But this is the reality that we're facing. Some of the locations, just in the past 24 hours, doubling their monthly average rainfall totals for the month of February. And there's still more rain to come.

Look at this precipitation. Just starting to accumulate, very quickly across the North Island. And, the forecast rainfall totals going forward, Auckland, south into Wilmington and Christchurch, could exceed another 150 millimeters.

Keep in mind Paula, the ground is very saturated here. It won't take much to get the flooding going together.

NEWTON: Yes, as you've already told us, Derek, they've gotten so much rain in the last few weeks.

DAM: Yes.

NEWTON: Ana unfortunately, more to come. Derek, appreciate the update.

DAM: OK.

NEWTON: Now, an Israeli raid in the West Bank has left a Palestinian teenager dead.

It happened Sunday in the city of Jenin. Israeli authorities say the target of the raid was a man accused of terrorist activities against security forces. He is now in custody.

As for the teenager Israeli officials say their forces came under fire during the raid and returned fire. A number of armed individuals were also injured.

Now, the raid comes after a so-called ramming attack at a bus stop in Jerusalem Friday, a young man and a boy died at the scene. The boy's brother died on Saturday. Their father was injured and is now recovering at hospital.

The driver of the car has been identified as a 31-year-old Palestinian man. The U.S. secretary of state condemned the attack, saying, in part, "The deliberate targeting of innocent civilians is repugnant and unconscionable."

The mother of the two boys, who died, is now calling for love and unity, in her words. The plea for peace comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a stronger Israeli response to those Palestinian attacks. CNN's Hadas Gold reports now from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[00:35:03]

HADAS (voice-over): She has lost two of what she she calls her most precious jewels. But, somehow, Deborah Palley (ph) still has strength and her faith.

"These children were given to us as gifts, treasures to cherish," she tells reporters, as she clutches photos of 5-year-old Yakov (ph) and 8-year-old Asher (ph), plowed down on Friday at a bus stop, just around the corner, in what Israeli authorities say was a terror attack, carried out by a Palestinian driver.

Palley (ph) says she reached the scene to see paramedics administering CPR on one of her sons.

"We understood we were getting close to the place of death," she says.

Her two boys, buried side by side in Jerusalem, which has become the flashpoint in the current wave of violence sweeping the area. But this grieving mother, who believes her sons were killed for being Jewish, calling for peace and prayer.

"Don't look for someone to blame. Don't look for revenge," she implores. "We are in a place that there is a message from God. They have taken our sweet boys, the innocent. And so that we will be stronger."

Palley (ph) says she doesn't need to worry about her children anymore, now in heaven. Asking for prayers for her husband, injured in the attack, still hospitalized, under sedation. Six other children at home.

She calls for these sacrifices taken from the people of Israel, should not be sacrificed in vain. ""Take the sacrifice," she says. "The sacrifice will bring God's redemption."

Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: The Great Salt Lake is drying up, and that could cause an environmental disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONNIE BAXTER, DIRECTOR, GREAT SALT LAKE INSTITUTE: This is an ecological disaster that will become a human health disaster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Details of how this could impact millions of people. We'll have that next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NEWTON: Climate change is causing the water level of the Great Salt Lake to go down, exposing soil that holds literally centuries of toxins. And scientists warn that when the mud turns to dust, it will add to the air pollution. It could be dangerous, in fact, for millions of people.

CNN's Bill Weir now explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what is left of the Great Salt Lake. It hit record lows in recent months, exposing around 800 square miles of lake bend.

But, unchecked water use and climate change aren't just threatening the birds and sailboaters. And here, the western megadrought threatens a lot more than just snow sports, agriculture and industry.

[00:40:06]

WEIR: Because this lake bed holds centuries of toxic runoff. Mercury, selenium, arsenic -- some of it natural, some of it manmade mining ways. But if it turns to dust and adds to some of the worst air pollution in the country, this is a threat to the lungs of over two and a half million people.

BAXTER: We've done this experiment in history before. We know about dust storms. We know about particulate pollution. We know about heavy metals and how they're bad for humans. This is an ecological disaster that will become a human health disaster.

WEIR (voice-over): Bonnie Baxter is among the scientists who recently warned that the Great Salt Lake, as we know it, could be gone in five years, shriveled in the fingers of lifeless water before becoming the great toxic dust bowl.

BAXTER: You can kind of see a person standing out there, like the water would've been above their head just a few years ago.

WEIR (voice-over): This is what is known as a terminal lake, with no rivers to take minerals to the sea. So they build up overtime. Just like Owens Lake in California. After developers notoriously drained it a century ago to build Los Angeles. It both inspired the movie Chinatown and forced Californians to spend in the billions to control the toxic dust that remains a threat 100 years later.

BAXTER: This lake is 12 to 15 times bigger than Owens Lake. It's right next to a metropolitan center, which that lake was not. So, there are people who will breathe this dust immediately. And we're really, really concerned about that happening here.

WEIR: Right.

BAXTER: So, we have done that experiment. We shouldn't do it again. BRIAN STEED, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JANET QUINNEY LAWSON INSTITUTE, UTAH

STATE UNIVERSITY: It's human choices that led to that catastrophic event, right? We're looking at the Great Salt Lake, in a position right now as to where we can avoid that catastrophe, where we don't have to spend that billions of dollars in remediation in the future if we make choices today.

WEIR (voice-over): Brian Steed and John Lin are from rival Utah universities. One with a background in state government, the other an atmospheric scientist.

JOHN LIN, PROFESSOR OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: Well, the thing is, it's bipartisan, right? We all want clean air.

WEIR (voice-over): Together, they're part of the newly-formed Great Salt Lake strike team, out to convince everyone that every drop counts.

STEED: For a long time, I don't think that people were sufficiently talking for the lake. Now, I think that we have a lot of people interested -- the governor, the state, the legislature -- who's all very interested in coming up with different scenarios and different solutions so that we don't end up with that catastrophic outcome.

WEIR: It seems like the path of least resistance is for the state to pay farmers for their water rights. Is that going to happen?

STEED: I don't know. It remains to be seen. I mean, I think there's a lot of things that we can do that go to that extreme.

WEIR (voice-over): Among the signs of change, when U.S. Magnesium wanted to extend canals into the lake, the state said no. And, last year, the legislature finally began revising water laws written in the days of the Wild West.

BAXTER: Sometimes I feel like we take a step forward, and sometimes we take a step back. But, in general, all those pieces of water legislation that passed in 2022 were bipartisan and unanimous. Like, where does that happen anymore?

WEIR (voice-over): Fingers crossed, it keeps happening. Because the only thing that could keep the Salt Lake great is lots of snow and even more cooperation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: That was our CNN chief climate correspondent, Bill Weir, and we thank him for that report.

And I want to thank you for spending some time with me. I'm Paula Newton. Stay with us. WORLD SPORT with Patrick Snell is up next, and you want to stick around. He's got all the highlights from that epic Super Bowl.

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