Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Israel Strikes Gaza & Lebanon After Flurry Of Rocket Attacks; Israeli Military: 34 Rockets Fired From Lebanon Into Israel; Israeli Prime Minister Vows Enemies Will "Pay The Price"; Israel Strikes Gaza And Lebanon After Flurry Of Rocket Attacks. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 07, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton, the head right here on CNN Newsroom. Mideast tensions erupt in violence, Israel launches airstrikes into Lebanon and Gaza. That's in response to rockets fired from Lebanon, which Israel blames on Palestinian militants.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
NEWTON: Those are chants of shame on you, and they rang out in the Tennessee House of Representatives, as two members are expelled after a protest on gun reform, details, plus why another lawmaker who took part in that, continues right now to say that race played a part. And dozens of arrests in France following more demonstrations against the government's controversial pension reform plan. We'll be live in Paris with the latest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Paula Newton.
NEWTON: So, an extremely volatile and dangerous situation continues to unfold in Israel, Gaza, and now Lebanon, two days after Israeli forces stormed one of Islam's holiest sites. The Israeli Military launched new strikes on both Gaza and Lebanon, saying it went after targets belonging to Hamas militants. Now, Lebanese state media is reporting some damage in southern Lebanon, and says families have been displaced. The Israeli strikes follow a flurry of rockets fired from Gaza toward Israel, some of them reportedly intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome. Now, the Israel Defense Forces retaliated with yet another round of air strikes on Gaza, which Hamas controls. The Palestinian health ministry, meantime, says one of those strikes damaged a pediatric hospital, and as you can imagine, it scared the children inside.
Israel blames Palestinian militants for a barrage of rocket attacks from Lebanon into northern Israel. Many were intercepted, but there was some damage. It was the largest attack from Lebanese soil since the war with Hezbollah 17 years ago. Meantime, Hamas released a statement saying it holds the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the consequences of such grave aggression, which reflects the atrocious nature of the fascist Israeli leaders and their policies. Hamas is calling on the Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation to try and intervene here.
We want to go now to CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. She joins us now live from Jerusalem. And Selma, obviously, a day where there is a measure of risk in the hours ahead. What more can you tell us?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. To really get the context of what's going on, as you mentioned, you really have to go back to Wednesday when Israeli Police raided, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque. There was very dramatic social media footage that showed Israeli Police beating worshippers, beating people inside with battens, with rifle butts. That was extremely inflammatory to the Muslim world, as you can imagine, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.
In response, we saw rocket fire coming from Gaza, rocket fire coming from southern Lebanon, as well as you mentioned the largest barrage coming from that region in years since the 2006 war. Most of those rockets intercepted, but after, of course, there was barrage of rockets again coming from Gaza in southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to respond. Take a listen to what he had said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: As for aggression against us from the various arenas, we will hit our enemies and they will pay a price for every act of aggression. Our enemies will discover again that in moments of truth the citizens of Israel stand united and unified and support the actions of the IDF and the other security forces to protect our country and our citizens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Now, just hours after that statement, the Israeli Defense Forces says it did carry out retaliatory strikes in Gaza, as you mentioned there. The Palestinian Health Ministry said a hospital was struck in one of these attacks, causing damage. The Israeli Military, for its part, says it was targeting weapons sites, including an underground tunnel that was being used for weapons transfers. It also - the Israeli Military said it also hit southern Lebanon as well. There are no casualties, no death toll there as far as we understand. It's important to note here that Israeli authorities blame Palestinian militants, either Hamas or Islamic Jihad for that barrage of rockets that came from southern Lebanon. Of course it is Hezbollah that dominates southern Lebanon.
So, an important indication there to make that separation. Hezbollah for its part has neither confirmed nor denied any responsibility, any involvement, but indeed of course condemned that raid Al-Aqsa Mosque, right now, of course, raised tensions.
[03:05:00]
But, you see this very measured tip from top for all - from all the sides. You're coming at a very timing here, is everything, of course, piling. Paula, a very sensitive time. Of course, Passover, the Passover holiday is underway. Today is Friday. Friday prayers are scheduled to go ahead as normal with no restriction so far, we understand at Al-Aqsa Mosque. But, the question is, has everyone responded in kind, if you will, at this stage, or do things escalate further? Of course, there are calls for calm from all parties involved. But, there are fears that the status quo there on Temple Mount known as Haram al-Sharif or the noble sanctuary by Muslims, there are fears from them that the status quo is changing. Prime Minister Netanyahu has, of course, pushed back on that. But, that means that any tiny movement is being watched and responded to, Paula.
NEWTON: It sure is, especially as you point out, it is Friday. It is Ramadan. We have Friday prayers, Passover, and in fact, also a sacred holiday for Christians as well. Salma Abdelaziz, thanks so much for wrapping up for us from Jerusalem.
Our next guest is the Author of "Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations". Ronen Bergman is also a Staff Writer at The New York Times, and he joins us now live from Tel Aviv.
I have to ask you, the question is always right, is this likely to escalate further, but at this point in time, how do you contain the situation? And I'm asking you this in the midst of what is, of course, a very familiar cycle, right, violence and retaliation. I'm wondering, what's different though--
RONEN BERGMAN, STAFF WRITER, NEW YORK TIMES, & AUTHOR, "RISE AND KILL FIRST": Yes.
NEWTON: --this time given the turmoil in Israel? Is the risk of miscalculation much more serious this time?
BERGMAN: Much more. I think we have reached the most serious situation in the inclusion of all fronts, all adversaries of Israel, and the most serious challenge that Israel has faced since the last all outward with Hezbollah in 2006. Israel was engaging in wars with Hamas. But now, we're talking about something completely different. You asked how to contain the situation. I think the first challenge, and this is challenge mainly for the Israeli Police, is today in the prayers on the holy mountain, and how to be able to contain whatever happens on the mountain while not repeating the same kind of footage that we saw from two days ago.
This is - the Temple Mount, as the Jews call it, I think it's the most sensitive place on earth. And it's extremely volatile, can explode and can explode the region. We see that everything and, of course, this is on top of a region that was tensed (ph) in a very charged moment anyway. But, what started this sequence of events was the riots in the reply or the operation of the police immediately afterwards. So, this is coming now. And if the police is able to contain the situation there, if the leaders of the Waqf (ph) and the Arab population are able to contain that, I think this would be a first challenge.
The second thing would be for - a domestic one for Prime Minister Netanyahu, on one hand trying not to escalate to an all-out war. And then the other to address--
NEWTON: Sorry. We seem to have lost the audio there from Ronen Bergman. We were getting an indication of everything that is at stake there, and the fact that he fears that this could escalate further. Our apologies again, not sure if we have them again, but I believe we have - oh, can you hear me, Ronen?
BERGMAN: Yes.
NEWTON: Perfect. So,--
BERGMAN: Did we lose the signal?
NEWTON: We lost it. Could you just pick it up, though, right now at the point you were saying that how crucial this is for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu right now. Ronen, can you hear me? I believe we've lost him, and we will leave it there.
Still ahead for us this hour, we will discuss the current situation on the ground in Gaza, and the possible paths forward with Omar Shaban. He is the Founder and Director of PalThink, a Palestinian think tank.
Now, U.S. President Joe Biden, meantime, is condemning the expulsion of two Democrats from the Tennessee House of Representatives as "shocking and undemocratic". Republicans (ph) say their actions last week violated House rules. Listen.
(VIDEO PLAYING)
NEWTON: It was the scene, and that is Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson, protesting the lack of action on gun violence after the Nashville school shooting.
[03:10:00]
Jones and Pearson were expelled, Johnson was not. More now from CNN's Gary Tuchman.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a tumultuous day here on Thursday at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, outside the Capitol and inside the Capitol. There were hundreds of protesters here afraid of what might happen, the three Democratic legislators, and indeed what they feared did happen. The Republican supermajority in the House of Representatives voted to expel two of them. Those two representatives expelled were Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, accused of disorderly conduct after an incident last week. A third member, Gloria Johnson, was also part of it. She survived by one vote. She is still in the legislature.
But, those three legislators said they were not being acknowledged. They walked into the well of the House of Representatives last week, and started talking about what they wanted to see with gun reform, after the horrifying school shooting that happened here in Nashville. But, they were declared "out of order". They violated the rules. Typically, in a legislature or in Congress or in a City Council, if you violate the rules, you get a slap on the wrist or maybe you're censured, but the decision was made to fire them, to expel them, despite the fact that they were elected in their districts by tens of thousands of voters. They are now gone.
When the decision was made for those two men to be expelled, people screamed and yelled. They actually had a die in where people were lying down in the halls of legislature. And when it all ended, and when the Representatives came out, there were Tennessee troopers separating the protesters from the legislators as they came out. It was a wild day and a very unusual day in American politics. This is Gary Tuchman, CNN, in Nashville, Tennessee.
NEWTON: Now, the two expelled lawmakers could be reappointed to their seats, or they could win them back in upcoming special elections. Here is Justin Jones speaking with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN JONES, EXPELLED TENNESSEE LAWMAKER: This came after the Speaker shut off her microphones. We were not called in as a Democratic lawmaker to speak. And so, it was our only way to uphold our constitutional duty. Tennessee Constitution Article Two Section 27 says that lawmakers have a right to dissent from and protest against any action or legislation as injurious to the people.
And so, while I broke the House rules, have held my ultimate constituents, 78,000 constituents in my district, District 52, many of them, these young people here who are demanding that we act and demanding that we do something and that we needed to say that on the House floor. We needed to make sure that those young people, their voices, their demands or grievances were held - were heard on the House floor. I didn't go there as an individual. I went there as a representative of 78,000 people of District 52. And that's why I went to the well, and many of my colleagues act on this crisis of mass shootings that is plaguing our nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, CNN's Alisyn Camerota, meantime, asked Gloria Johnson why she thinks she was spared while Jones and Pearson were voted out. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA JOHNSON, TENNESSEE STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: I'm a sixty-year-old white woman, and they are two young black men. I am listening to the questions and the way they were questioned, and the way they were talked to. I was talked down to as a woman mansplain to, but it was completely different from the questioning that they got. And this whole idea that why - that you have to almost assimilate into this body to be like us.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Oh, can you give us an example? I mean, what were - how were they spoken to that struck you as racist?
JOHNSON: Just in a demeaning way, and saying that if you're going to come into this body, you have to act like this body and that sort of thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: A new round of nationwide protests, meantime, in France against the government's pension reforms, escalating to clashes and scuffles with police Thursday. The French Interior Minister says more than 150 police officers were injured, some of them seriously, and authorities detained more than 100 people. Right across the country, nearly 600,000 people took part in these protests. CNN's Senior Producer Saskya Vandoorne joins me now live from Paris. And you have been following this for several weeks, arguably months. We want to know, Saskya, where is this protest headed? Because we've certainly learned that it's lost a bit of steam, even though the clashes themselves were quite something.
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, yes, Paula. I mean, they have been going on now for two and a half months. And so, a lot of people thought that they would be losing steam. But, if yesterday is anything to go by, half a million people taking to the streets in France, that is still quite significant, even though it was a lower turnout than some of the previous protests. Now, these have become kind of familiar scenes now in France. We saw yesterday the protests began rather peacefully, and then scuffles did break out. And what we have seen in the past few weeks is that radical fringe slightly grow. And so, that is violent minority to try and take on the police, and that's where you see the violence in the evenings.
But, on the whole, it really has been peaceful protests that we've seen.
[03:15:00]
Now, they're calling for another day of protests next Thursday. So, we expect more people to take to the streets. We expect another day of strikes, as they try and get the government to listen to them, and of course, to remove that pension reform, Paula.
NEWTON: Why those protests, Saskya? I mean, Macron has said that he is going to stick to this. And yet, could this really affect him politically?
VANDOORNE: Yes. I think, Paula, it will affect him politically. I mean, he has paid a high price for this pension reform. The majority of French people are against it. His popularity rating has taken a tumble, and he will have to do something to try and win that trust back. The Constitutional Council is expected to rule on the reform next Friday. So, we're here whether or not they will greenlight it, or they may deem that some parts of it are unconstitutional, or the whole thing, in fact. But, if it does get greenlit and then the protests die down, he will have - still have to do something, as I said, to try and gain back that trust. Take a listen to what the head of the CGT Union had to say about Macron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOPHIE BINET, FRENCH GENERAL CONFEDERATION OF LABOR: Today, wanting to force through this reform creates chaos. Emmanuel Macron was the President of the rich, and now he is the President of chaos. And so, I think that the wisdom of the Constitutional Council should be to do what the head of state obviously refuses to do, that is, to say, to consider that in order to move on for the country to start to run against serenely, the reform must be withdrawn. There was no other way out than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANDOORNE: Now, we were just hearing from another trade union head of the CFDT, and he was saying that they will respect the Constitutional Council's ruling. But, that does not mean that they may - they might stop their protests. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and certainly a lot of interest around the world just in terms of how this issue has really coalesced around these protests and how they continue. Saskya Vandoorne for us in Paris. Thank you.
Now, from troubles at home to international relations in China, French President Emmanuel Macron is there to foster his relationship with President Xi Jinping. Plus, Ukrainian troops fight back as Russia has reportedly gained more ground in Bakhmut. We'll have the latest assessment about the situation on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: French President Emmanuel Macron is wrapping up a three-day visit to China. On his last day, he is set to meet with students at Sun Yat-sen University, and he is going to also meet with Chinese investors. Not, later, Mr. Macron is scheduled to have dinner with President Xi Jinping. You see him there. Actually, those are live pictures of him speaking to those students. On Thursday, the two leaders struck a deal on nuclear and wind energy. They also discuss solutions to end the war in Ukraine. Now, Mr. Macron is hoping for a breakthrough, and counting on President Xi to reason with Russia. Listen.
[03:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: The Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to the stability that ended decades of peace in Europe. I know I can count on you. Moreover, under the two principles I've just mentioned, to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table. And we will come back to this in detail. But, we need to find a lasting peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP0
NEWTON: CNN's Marc Stewart has been following all of this for us from Tokyo. And you listen to Macron there speaking clearly in front of Xi, and yet you wonder, was this a one-way conversation about getting involved in the Ukraine conflict and trying to help?
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a very good point, Paula. At this point, there seems to be some indication that perhaps President Xi is not necessarily changing his position, but he is open to discussion. For example, President Xi said he would join France on a call to other nations to not make any bold statements or moves that would perhaps make things worse. We also heard from a French diplomatic source that President Xi is willing to have a phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the time is right. So, that remains to be seen.
But, the landscape isn't all that different. There is a clear difference of opinion from what we are hearing from the west and from China. So, for example, we heard President Macron say that he feels very much that Russia has been the responsible party for disrupting decades of peace in Europe. Yet, we have President Xi say that for the moment he is going to take this open peacekeeping type of position, but not condemning Russia, and strengthening or continuing diplomatic and economic discussions with Russia.
So, right now, we have a lot of words, but very few sides of any kind of action, Paula, that's going to lead to any kind of wholesale shift as to where this conflict in Ukraine is heading, and if a large superpower such as Russia is going to have any more influence than it has perhaps in the past.
NEWTON: Yes. It should be pointed out that Macron himself set the expectations that he could convince China possibly to get involved. So, we'll see what happens in the next few days and weeks.
Meantime, Taiwan is still a point of friction, right, Marc? Right now, U.S. lawmakers actually in Taipei, and they have a not so subtle message for China.
STEWART: Right. That includes Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican, but also a bipartisan delegation. What we are hearing from the American Institute in Taiwan, this is a visit to talk about things such as security, such as trade, such as investment, at a time when Taiwan is searching the world for allies. You mentioned President saying Wen's recent trip to the United States. Of course, it's the visit with Representative McCarthy that got so much attention. However, she also met with leaders in Central America. And this comes at a time when Honduras cut off diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of establishing them with China. And it's a struggle that Taiwan is now facing. So, this American presence in Taiwan is to say, you have friends, you have supporters from around the world, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and given it's a bipartisan delegation, safe to say that this will be American posture for some time to come. Marc Stewart for us. Appreciate it.
Now, also on this story, a short time ago, China announced sanctions against two American organizations for hosting the Taiwanese leader during her brief stopovers in the United States. China loudly condemned Wednesday's meeting between President Tsai, and the U.S. Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, in California. In retaliation, China said it was sanctioning the Reagan Library where that meeting took place. The other sanctions target the Hudson Institute which gave Tsai an award while she was in New York. Now, here is what the Chinese Foreign Ministry had to say within the past few hours.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAO NING, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: China will take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And Taiwan's Foreign Ministry, meantime, responded quickly, calling China sanctions irrational and absurd. Meantime, President Tsai is returning home at the same time as we said that that bipartisan delegation is in Taipei, and it is being led, as Marc said, by the Chairman, Michael McFaul, of that Committee. Now, McFaul himself warned that China, in his words, should think twice before considering an invasion of Taiwan.
Britain's Military intelligence believes Russian attacks are gaining more traction in Bakhmut.
[03:25:00]
Now, the Ukrainian Military released this video showing troops fighting house to house and damaged buildings. But, British intelligence says it believes Russian troops have "gained some momentum there and have likely advanced into the City Center". Meantime, Ukrainian officials are making it clear they're not ready for any territorial concessions to Russia. That appears to walk back remarks from a top presidential advisor who suggested to the Financial Times that Crimea could be up for negotiations.
Now, a Ukrainian aircraft producer wants to get the world's largest airplane back in the sky. The Antonov-225 was one of a kind which Ukraine built in the 1980s. It was an engineering marvel before it was destroyed in the early days of the war. But, as David McKenzie reports, Ukraine is not ready to give up on it.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The first hours of the war, Russian elite forces descending on Hostomel Airport outside Kyiv. Their intended launch pad to the capital, it didn't work out. Ukrainian forces famously pushed the Russians back, and they made a discovery at Hostomel, the pride of Ukraine, the remarkable AN-225 or Mriya cargo plane gutted in the fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPTAIN YEVHEN BASHYNSKY, PILOT: It was feeling like you're part of something great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: It's the first time pilot Yevhen Bashynsky has come back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Yevhen, coming back here, it must be quite hard for you. What's the emotion like?
BASHYNSKY: It's very hard to be here, and to see all this situations, destroyed plane, destroyed hangers, it's quite hard to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: The Ukrainian Antonov Company says it wants to rebuild this one of the kind giant, no matter what it takes. Designer Valeriy Kostyuk says they've already retrieved much of what they can use.
You can feel the extraordinary size of this plane inside the fuselage. Mriya was the heaviest plane in the world that it could carry up to 250 tons inside or even on top.
Designed to transport the Soviet-era Buran spacecraft, the Antonov Company refurbished the Mriya multiple times. With six turbofan engines, each with more than 50,000 pounds of thrust, and a 32-wheel landing gear system, the Mriya was a marvel, an outsized hit with plane spotters and aviation enthusiasts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: When you were flying this plane, so many people wanted to take photos of it, follow it. What was that like?
BASHYNSKY: I was feeling great responsibility, not only to operate this plane properly, correctly, but it was also a great responsibility because you're attracting a lot of attention. A few days after, you can open the YouTube and see, Oh, what have you done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: But, to put Mriya back in the sky, the Antonov Company says it could cost nearly a billion dollars and take years. But, for Ukrainians, it's a point of pride. David McKenzie, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
NEWTON: Tensions in the Middle East, Oregon on the rise with another cycle of attacks and reprisals, threatening to escalate further. We'll get some analysis from Omar Shaban. He is the Director of a Palestinian think tank in Gaza. Plus, Donald Trump is on a full-court press against the Manhattan District Attorney and the judge who may oversee his potential trial. Those details and much more, when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN HOST: And welcome back to our viewers from all around the world. I'm Paula Newton and you are watching, CNN Newsroom. Palestinian authorities in Gaza claim an Israeli air strike deliberately damaged a children's hospital there. Now, no casualties were reported, but the Ministry of Health says the attack as you can imagine caused distress among the young patients there. The Israeli military says it's been carrying out strikes against Hamas targets in Lebanon and Gaza. Lebanese media reports several families were displaced by those attacks. That's the latest escalation since tensions flared earlier this week, when Israeli police twice raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during Ramadan prayers.
The strikes against Hamas came just hours after a barrage of rockets nearly three dozen and all were fired from Southern Lebanon toward Israel. The IDF says most, but not all were intercepted.
Joining us now from Gaza is Omar Shaban, he is Founder and Director of Pal-Think for Strategic Studies. I want to thank you for being with us. And I have to ask you, what are your fears at this hour as Gaza now has been pulled into this latest conflict.
OMAR SHABAN, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, PAL-THINK FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: Thank you very much for having me. We are happy that the escalation over the night has ended, it is not sure that things will continue to be calm, despite our understanding that Israel and Hamas both declared publicly and through mediator that they are not interested in escalation.
Yesterday, Israeli shelled several targeted in Gaza, no human injuries, some destruction here and there. And Hamas and other militia and Gaza have responded by sending rocket, but to the NBT land (ph). And that this is - this was the game between Israel and Hamas and other militant group in Gaza in the last couple of years. We call it the rule of the game.
So, as long as there is no casualties here and there, things will be under control. And this was agreed upon Israel and Hamas in Egypt, couple of weeks ago, there was indirect negotiation and mediation by the Egyptian in Cairo where two both sides agreed not to escalate as it was in 2001-2022.
NEWTON: Yes, so you're hopeful that this can still be contained. And yet the situation especially when it comes to those pictures, right, the provocation that so many people are turning to. Are you still hopeful, especially given today's Friday prayers, it is Ramadan.
SHABAN: Look, there was a big fear in the previous week to Ramadan, that during Ramadan will go for escalation as it happens in the past couple of years. 2021 during Ramadan, 2022 and the previous year because in the - during Ramadan, the Israeli settler invade incursion to catch - Al-Aqsa Mosque, which this is the red line for the Palestinian and this year, things were softer than the previous year.
In general, there was some - there is some sort of agreement between the two sides. But if we look at the big picture, there are so - there are many elements make us feel that this escalation will happen. There is tension with Lebanon, there is tension with Syria, there is tension inside Israel, there is tension in Jerusalem, there is tension between Iran and Israel, the whole Middle East is under fire.
Hopefully Gaza will not be involved and I know that Hamas has sent the message that they are not interested and they will not be part of any escalation in the West Bank. However, it could be Israel accuse Hamas in Lebanon and Hamas is strong - has strong visibility and the bridges in Lebanon. But from Gaza. I think there will be no direct intervention from Gaza of what's going on.
So, in general, in particular, yes, I am not very scared that things will go escalation, but the situation is very fragile.
[03:35:00]
That any small, small mistake here and there could trigger a huge escalation, which Gaza doesn't want to be in.
NEWTON: Yes, I'm sure, especially as you say the risk of miscalculation at this point in time is quite high. I have to ask you, given the turmoil in Israel itself right now, and you have Netanyahu back in power, but with a completely different more Right-leaning coalition there. Do you fear the repercussions of that for Gaza? Do you feel that things have changed in any sense in terms of what you could have expected from a Netanyahu government before and what you can expect now?
SHABAN: Look, everybody knows this is the most Right-wing government in Israel since ever. And with this be able like smart, rich and big (ph) is not good not only for the Palestinian, but also is not good for Israel itself. There is huge tension within the Israeli society. And this government might, might exploit its internal problem to create - by creating outside problem and this is - this was the strategy of Netanyahu in the past couple of years, whenever he has a problem at home, he try to create or to encourage or to trigger a problem outside with Lebanon, with Syria, with Gaza.
The whole situation in the Middle East is not - is not good and is not positive. This kind of Israeli, they are taking measures against the Palestinian in Jerusalem, the house demolition, and, of course, they tried in the early days of formulation this government to impose a new measures in Gaza. You need to know that Gaza still under blockade. Gaza has been under blockade for the passivity (ph) these since 2007. Situation yes is much better, a little bit economically. But still Gaza is under Israeli siege, under blockade. Two-thirds of the Gaza people are young people who are not able to travel. And many people cannot go to Jerusalem to pray during Ramadan.
And the Israeli government need to understand that this blockade needs to be soften in order to create stability here and big, big, big picture. We need to have a (inaudible) the U.S. administration has been involved in the past couple of years since Joe Biden came to power. And more economic approach, but not as a political approach. There is no U.S. political initiative to bring the two sides together.
NEWTON: Yes, perhaps they are not the party to look to at this point in time. But I have to ask you, I don't have a lot of time left. But do you feel that you are getting the support that you need from your Arab allies?
SHABAN: Unfortunately not. The position within the Arab has been - hasn't changed fundamentally, some Arab countries, they stopped to support the Palestinian and not only politically - not only financially, but also politically. We need to blame ourselves as a Palestinian because we are divided, we didn't have election for the past 15 years, we didn't reform our home. Yes, we are to be blamed partially. And some Arab accused us you are not doing the right things for your own cause. And I am a bit so (inaudible) I believe that we need to be frank.
Yes, the Palestinians have to do something in order to regain the support of the Arab and even the Western community, if we cannot gain the support of the government, at least we need to get the heart of the people. Yes.
NEWTON: Yes. And it has to be noted. The people of Gaza, very young population, they're the young people of Gaza counting on something to change, finally. Omar Shaban, thanks so much. Really appreciate your time on this.
SHABAN: Thank you very much.
NEWTON: Now, the Biden Administration is blaming conditions created by Donald Trump for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. A report summary released Thursday, doesn't admit any mistakes and says President Biden followed his military leaders recommendations, CNN's Natasha Bertrand reports.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: The White House said on Thursday that it would be transmitting to certain congressional committees a long-awaited after-action report outlining lessons learned from the lead up to the withdrawal of Afghanistan and of course, the aftermath, as well as that Abbey Gate bombing that took the lives of 13 U.S. servicemembers as that very chaotic evacuation was taking place.
Now this report is classified and members of Congress are going to be able to read a hard copy of it. But they of course, will not be able to disseminate it widely. However, the White House is kind of getting out ahead of this and they released their own summary of their perspectives of the lead up to the withdrawal and the lessons that they believe the administration has learned since.
Namely, among those lessons, are the fact that they will now begin evacuations much sooner than they did with Afghanistan. They say that they delayed those evacuations, essentially because they did not want the world to lose confidence in the Afghan government and for the Afghan government to collapse.
[03:40:00]
Well, now they say that they're prioritizing faster evacuations and they're also working more aggressively to communicate the risks to Americans who may be in these situations where the security environment is deteriorating very rapidly, as we saw with that rapid Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
So, while the White House says that they will be taking these lessons learned and applying them elsewhere, they also are arguing very fervently that this was a bad hand that was dealt to them by the Trump Administration. And they say that everything that they did was really a reaction to deals that President Trump made with the Taliban that forced the Americans to withdraw from Afghanistan, reduce their presence there, and thereby leave the Afghan government and the Americans in country a lot weaker.
That is the argument the White House is making. Obviously, this after- action report going to Congress, it will remain classified. But it remains to be seen, of course, whether any of this will be made public for now, however, the administration really pointing the finger back at their predecessors. Natasha Bertrand, CNN at the Pentagon.
NEWTON: Donald Trump's next court date in the hush money investigation is not expected for many, many months, but he and his allies are already pressing their case in the court of public opinion, specifically attacking the integrity of the Manhattan DA and the presiding judge. CNN's Kara Scannell tells us what they're saying now.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Allies, the former President Donald Trump are on the offense. Trump allies suggests the New York judge overseeing Trump's indictment on charges of covering up a hush money payment ahead of the 2016 election should recuse himself from the case. They point to three donations totaling $35 that Judge Juan Merchan made in July of 2020. $15 went to the Biden campaign. $10 each went to two voter turnout groups.
One legal expert tells CNN that on their face that donations appear to be forbidden under New York and Bar Association Codes of Conduct. But he said it does not come anywhere close to support a recusal. A spokesman for the court declined to comment.
Meanwhile, District Attorney Alvin Bragg is pushing back on House Republicans who are seeking information about his investigation, tweeting the House GOP continues to attempt to undermine an active investigation, an ongoing New York criminal case with an unprecedented campaign of harassment and intimidation. Repeated efforts to weaken state and local law enforcement actions are an abuse of power and will not deter us from our duty to uphold the law.
Bragg's comments came after the Republican Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan subpoenaed a former top prosecutor at the District Attorney's Office, Mark Pomerantz for his testimony. Pomerantz resigned last year after Bragg stopped him from seeking charges against the former president over the accuracy of his financial statements.
The committee has set a deadline of April 20th for his testimony. Pomerantz has previously said the district attorney's office directed him not to cooperate. Kara Scannell, CNN New York.
NEWTON: Stormy Daniels says absolutely she would testify against Donald Trump if the hush money case ever goes before a jury. Now in a new interview with a TalkTVs Piers Morgan, Daniels said that when she watched Trump in court on Tuesday, she felt the king has been dethroned. Now, the former adult film star also lamented that violent threats against her have now become way more specific and graphic, allegedly by people who are no longer trying to hide their identities.
OK, still ahead for us, a CNN exclusive with the CEO of JPMorgan Chase. So, why he thinks storm clouds are gathering around this economy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:00]
NEWTON: So, there's a new warning that the odds of a recession in the U.S. may be going up and it comes from Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, the nation's largest bank. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Poppy Harlow., he said a recent collapse of two U.S. banks could push the economy a bit closer to the edge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN REPORTER: Has this banking crisis even though you think it's almost over which I'm really glad to hear, though increased chances of a recession here.
JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: Yes. But I look at like it's not definitive. It's just like another weight on the scale. And think of it as you know people who says it's like raising rates another 50 basis points or something like that. We are seeing people reduce lending a little bit, cut back a little bit, pull back a little bit. It won't necessarily force recession, but it is recessionary.
HARLOW: Storm clouds ahead, you say maybe some for the economy.
DIMON: Yes. I mentioned the QT higher inflation for longer, the war. Those are pretty strong things. If you look at history since World War II, we've not kind of faced it like that. It's still early in that that we're going for longer. We don't really know the outcome of QT. I think we'll be right about QE and QT for 50 years.
HARLOW: Quantitative Tightening.
DIMON: That quantitative--
HARLOW: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Two longtime adversaries in the Middle East, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have now concluded an historic agreement to restore their respective embassies and to resume a more cooperative relationship. And at the center of the dramatic reconciliation. Beijing marks a key moment in China's expanding global influence. CNN's Becky Anderson has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECK ANDERSON, CNN REPORTER: Iran and Saudi Arabia, two Middle Eastern powers overcoming years of hostility, signing an agreement to reestablish relations and reopen embassies. The two sides also taking steps to resume direct flights and issue visas. But this pivotal meeting not taking place in the Middle East. They flown to Beijing, China acting as the guarantor of this agreement, and to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the security, stability, and development of the Middle East region.
VAIL NASR, PROFESSOR, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: First of all, we're seeing a China that has gone beyond its usual only business to get into security matters. And is also building a relationship of trust with Saudi Arabia. I think it's a big deal that Saudi Arabia is trusting China to deliver Iran and to monitor an agreement.
ANDERSON: The two broke off relations in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran was ransacked. For years, the two have opposed each other on most conflicts in the region, from Yemen to Iraq and Lebanon. Iran accused of being behind a major attack on Saudi Arabia's Aramco oil facilities in 2019, claimed by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
And at their lowest point, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, compared Iran's supreme leader to Hitler.
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, SAUDI ARABIA'S CROWN PRINCE: He wants to create his own project in the Middle East, very much like Hitler, who wanted to expand at the time.
ANDERSON: The reestablishment of relations comes after multiple rounds of negotiations between the two sides, Saudi Arabia trying to tone down regional tensions, as it seeks to diversify its economy. Iran trying to come out of its international isolation, following months of mass protests and years of sanctions. The United States apparently welcoming the agreement.
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We support dialogue. We support direct diplomacy. We support anything that would serve to deescalate tensions in the region, and potentially help to prevent conflicts. If this is the end result of what was announced in recent days, that would be a very good thing.
ANDERSON: But it's a diplomatic win for a more assertive China, with Beijing vowing to play an active role in the region. Becky Anderson, CNN Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: The search is now underway for the 10 people onboard in Japanese military helicopter. The country's defense minister says the chopper crashed on Thursday off the coast of Southern Japan and it disappeared from radar near Okinawa's Miyako Island.
[03:50:00]
So far, crews have found parts of a window frame, door and rotor blade. Those onboard included two pilots, two mechanics and six passengers. One was a senior commander of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force. Still ahead for us, the Masters is underway at Augusta National, we'll check the leaderboard and see how five-time champion Tiger Woods is back (ph).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Hundreds of earthquakes were reported near an active volcano in Colombia Thursday and now there are calls to speed up the evacuation of 2500 families near that volcano. Colombia's Geological Survey says it detected 7100 seismic activities Wednesday. And there are fears the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in the northwestern part of the country could erupt within days or weeks. Volcano previously erupted in 1985, killing 25,000 people.
An amateur mathematician appears to have solved a geometry problem that has puzzled scientists for more than 60 years. Now, he's come up with a 13-sided shape called the hat. That just makes me dizzy, because it looks like one. It's also dubbed an Einstein, not for the physicist, but German for one stone and it apparently means it can cover a surface without a repeated pattern. And that's key, that's a first for a single tile.
The creator a retired printing technician got help from a math professor and two other academics. The shape will not be copyrighted so that everyone can enjoy working with it in decorative arts and architecture.
Now, rain is forecast for Augusta, Georgia today which could put a damper literally on the second round of the Masters. Right now, three golfers share the lead. American Brooks Koepka, Norway's Viktor Hovland and Spain's Jon Rahm. All at seven under par. Tiger Woods meantime is nine shots back, complaining of a sore leg after day one. CNN's Don Riddell is there.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: A really difficult day for Tiger Woods during his opening round at the Masters. A 74, a two-overpass score would have fallen well short of his expectations. And given that it was such a glorious day here, it was more than 80 degrees sunshine from start to finish. Given that the weather is going to change, it's going to be wetter and much, much cooler. Tiger perhaps knows that he's missed his chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, FIVE-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: Well, I feel like I drilled good. I just didn't do the job I need to do to and get the ball close. Today was the opportune time to get the ball, get the round under par and I didn't do that today. Most of the guys are going to load today. This is - this was the day to do it. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be a little bit better, a little bit sharper and kind of inched my way through it. I mean, this is going to be an interesting finish to determine with the weather coming in. If I can just kind of hang in there. Maybe kind of eased my way back. Hopefully, it'll be positive towards the end.
(END VIDEO CLIP) RIDDELL: You know, Tiger Woods hasn't missed the cut at Augusta since the mid-90s. But he's got it all to do if he wants to play a part of the proceedings here this weekend.
[03:55:00]
So, a difficult day for Tiger Woods, not so much for one of his playing partners, Norway's Viktor Hovland. He shot a brilliant 65 with an eagle on the second and he never looked back from there. So, a seven-underpass score for Viktor Hovland. The World Number three Jon Rahm, he had a double bogey on his first hole, also ended up with a 65 saw a superb comeback performance from Jon Rahm.
And what about Brooks Koepka. He might just be the story of the opening day. Koepka is one of these breakaway rebel LIV golf players. His game has really been in the wilderness for a few years. But he won on the LIV tour in Orlando at the weekend, he came out and shot a 65. And he could be a key part of the conversation over the next few days. As the narrative continues between the LIV guys versus the PGA tour guys, that would certainly make things very interesting. Back to you.
NEWTON: That is Don Riddell, and he continues our coverage of the Masters over this weekend. So, it is now Good Friday, perhaps the most somber day on the Christian calendar. And that is because it commemorates Jesus's crucifixion and Pope Francis will preside over the Way of the Cross today at the Colosseum in Rome.
Now yesterday, the pontiff led Holy Thursday services, as is tradition, he washed and kissed the feet of 12 people at a local juvenile jail. The 10 boys and two girls were seated on high platform so the pope didn't have to kneel down now. Now, Pope Francis has ongoing knee issues and has trouble walking. The ceremony recalls when Jesus washed His disciples feet at the last. And you can see the pope there despite his health troubles just in recent days, is determined to celebrate Holy Week as he always has, pope.
OK, I'm Paula Newton. I want to thank you for your company. Stay with us. CNN Newsroom with Bianca Nobilo and Max Foster starts in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
