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CNN's Continuing Coverage on the ongoing War in Israel. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired October 31, 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)

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London with our continuing coverage of Israel's war on Hamas.

As Israel steps up its ground offensive into Gaza, the Israeli Prime Minister says now is the time for war and there will be no ceasefire until Hamas is resigned, quote, "to the dustbin of history." Explosions have been ringing out in Gaza in recent hours with these new images coming in just a short while ago.

You can see heavy smoke hanging over the horizon. The IDF says that its forces have struck about 300 targets in Gaza over the last day alone, including military sites in underground tunnels belonging to Hamas. Earlier on, Benjamin Netanyahu rejected criticism over civilian casualties, insisting that Hamas was preventing people from moving to the safe zone in southern Gaza. The Israeli military says dozens of Hamas fighters have been killed during the recent advance. Hamas claims Israel's attempts to enter Gaza have not been successful, quote, "except in some limited areas."

Meanwhile, Hamas has released a second hostage video. And in it, we see three women who are believed to have been held captive since October the 7th. And new details are emerging about how a female Israeli soldier was rescued from Hamas. Israeli Defense Forces say Private Ori Megidish was saved during a special operation aimed at getting her out with boots on the ground. The IDF added that she's been medically checked, is doing well, met with her family, and has been able to share information about her captivity with Israeli intelligence.

A closer look now at the Israeli military's ramped-up offensive in Gaza, as well as the fighting on a second front. CNN's Jim Sciutto has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (voice- over): An Israeli tank inside Gaza apparently fires on a passenger vehicle. A sniper takes up position in a window of an abandoned building. Israeli infantry advancing on the ground.

And in a brief moment of apparent triumph, Israeli soldiers raise the Israeli flag over a Gaza hotel.

The outside world's vision into the extent and size of the Israeli ground offensive so far is limited. The IDF said those ground forces have struck some of their first targets.

REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL ARMY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): Dozens of terrorists were eliminated last night who had barricaded themselves in buildings and attempted to attack the forces that were moving in their direction.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): One measure of their forward progress, CNN geolocated the video where the soldier raised the flag on the hotel, more than two miles inside Gaza. One geographical marker in a ground campaign playing out mostly out of sight.

What remains visible are Israeli strikes on Gaza and rockets fired from Gaza into Israel. Despite weeks of Israeli bombardment, Hamas is still keeping up its rocket campaign.

The Israeli prime minister said that his war cabinet is refusing calls for a humanitarian ceasefire.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen. This is a time for war.

SCIUTTO (voice-over): On Israel's northern border with Lebanon, clashes on a second front. Israeli forces trading artillery and small arms fire with Hezbollah and other militants. The IDF says this is an Israeli strike on Hezbollah military infrastructure in Lebanon.

Our team found ourselves in the crossfire Sunday as shells fired from Lebanon rained down on the Israeli town of Arab Al-Aramshah.

(on-camera): You can hear mortar and artillery fire going out. That is from Israel towards Lebanon. We've also heard artillery fire coming from Lebanon. And the concern is the soldiers telling us that there are possible infiltrations across the border from Lebanon by presumably Hezbollah fighters. And that's why the level of concern is so great.

(voice-over): The near constant exchange of fire stretches all along the Northern frontier with communities marked here in black under mandatory evacuation.

[03:05:06]

The constant sirens and threat of rocket attacks, driving many Israeli residents south, away from the border, and closer to safety.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Northern Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE) NOBILO: Our Clare Sebastian has been tracking all of the latest developments for us. Clare, let's begin with what Israel is describing as the active rescue of a hostage that was being held. They were at pains to correct the language from release to active rescue. I think trying to make the point that the ground incursion doesn't necessarily prohibit the release of hostages, which is the family's concern.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Bianca, I think that is exactly the point here. This was the first of its kind. release for hostages they said on humanitarian grounds but this is the first time we've seen an actual rescue and the wording is critical take a listen to how the Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson described this to CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN CONRICUS, IDF INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: She was in fact rescued, actively rescued by Israeli security forces. This was a joint IDF and ISA, Israeli Security Agency, operation with boots on the ground. Thanks to the operations -- the ground operations that we are conducting in northern Gaza, special forces were able to come in and based on intelligence, get her out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So this -- So this, Bianca, was Ori Megidish, who is a female IDF soldier. Obviously, the emphasis there is on Israel using this as proof. They say that the ground operation serves rather than threatens the efforts to get hostages out. I think there's an element also of emphasizing this as a way of restoring the reputation somewhat of the Israeli Defense Forces and the intelligence services, given the failings of October 7.

So there is that. But there are significant questions around what happens to the 238 hostages that the IDF says are still being held by Hamas, whether this shows that they can continue to get them out.

Significant questions, significant concerns, including in the U.S., that this will be complicated by that ground offensive. And also because Hamas also showed its hand on Monday when it comes to those hostages releasing the second video. We saw three women in this video, three hostages were not showing it, of course, because of the risk that they were under duress plus the propaganda value for Hamas of this, but they were seen railing against Israeli President Netanyahu, the one in particular who was speaking, saying that he had promised to get them out. We know that talks have been ongoing involving Qatar, Egypt, even the U.S. to try to get a significant number of hostages out.

As I said, the concerns are that this is hampered by the ground offensive despite Israel's claims. So the worry is that this is still a significant part of Hamas' toolbox, really, in trying to prevent or slow down. this ground offensive, Bianca?

NOBILO: Clare, what do we know so far about how the ground offensive is shaping up? We also keep hearing from the IDF that they want to avoid civilian casualties, which is why they're asking people to evacuate from north to south. But airstrikes are continuing in southern areas.

SEBASTIAN: They are continuing. The IDF is presenting this as a sort of slow, meticulous, with the words of the IDF spokesperson this morning saying that they are looking for Hamas operatives and infrastructure and going in where they see them. He said that they are focusing on the north of Gaza in particular which is why they have renewed their calls for people to evacuate saying that this is the sort of the epicenter of where Hamas operates.

But he also said that if they see any Hamas targets elsewhere in the enclave, they will also be targeted. So it's not going to be limited to the north of the Gaza Strip. You can see this is a new video coming in from the Israeli Defense Forces this morning, showing Israeli ground troops in Gaza. They say it does not seem, looking at this video, like they are in the middle of a dense urban environment as of yet, perhaps mostly on the outskirts, as they push forward. But this is ongoing, and we certainly get the sense, given the ongoing airstrikes, given the renewed evacuation order, that it is ramping up. Bianca?

NOBILO: Clare Sebastian, thank you.

Ami Ayalon is the former head of Israel's National Security Service and he's with us now from a village near Haifa in Israel. Thank you very much for being with us this morning, sir.

AMI AYALON, FORMER DIRECTOR, ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE, SHIN BET: Thank you.

NOBILO: Can we pick up on the point that my colleague was just making in terms of Israel's ground offensive. And we're hearing from the Israeli government that the differentiating factor, one of many between Israel and Hamas, is that the fact that civilian casualties are trying to be avoided, it's not a war objective for Israel to kill civilians. How then do we understand the fact that airstrikes are continuing in southern areas where civilians are being asked to evacuate to for safety?

[03:10:08]

AYALON: The way I understand what we are doing today in the south area of Gaza, we are hitting only, and I emphasize only, a military installation of Hamas. We are not destroying buildings.

And this is a way to explain that on one hand, yes, it is a war. On the other hand, we have to avoid, as much as possible, civilian casualties. But as long as this war will continue, we shall not stop. And I have to remind to myself and, of course, to you that Hamas is doing everything by using his people as a human shield.

So it is becoming more and more complicated. And unfortunately, and I'm sad to say it, it will be, it is a bloody war and it will be a bloody war on both sides. And what I want to emphasize is something which is not exactly related to your question. What is missing today is a public debate and at least on the Israeli side is the day after.

I think that we have to understand that the whole context of this war, we can achieve our goals only if we shall bring to our understanding the concept of a better future. And better future for all of us is to revise the process which will create a reality of two states.

Now why it is so important? Because once we speak about it, once we declare that this is the goal of this war, the goal of this war, we do not have war against the Palestinian people. And we have a war with Hamas. And in order to destroy Hamas, we have to understand that Hamas is not only a terror organization.

It is, but it is not only a terror organization. Hamas is an ideology that created an organization. And as long as we can destroy the military wing of Hamas by the use of military power, as Adil al- Qassam, we can even hit the political leaders who led this horror that we faced on the 7th of October. But we cannot destroy the ideology. And as long as we shall not destroy the ideology, Hamas will regain its power. Because the power of Hamas comes from the support of the people.

Now, the only way to destroy the ideology, this radical ideology that became a type of an ISIS ideology, is by presenting another ideology. And the only ideology that the Palestinians will support and they will shift their support from Hamas is a political horizon, political horizon of two states. Palestinians are a people.

And what they want is, they call it freedom and to see the end of occupation. Now, we have to understand it. This is the only way to destroy Hamas as an organization. And this is the only way to win this war, in addition to the use of our military power.

NOBILO: Of course. And I actually wanted to get to that point with you, this idea that obviously you can destroy Hamas' infrastructure. You can eradicate the Hamas terrorists who currently exist or the Hamas membership, but it doesn't mean that more aren't going to be generated in their place because of what is happening right now. And obviously any counter-terrorism expert would warn of that.

But what is realistic here? Because obviously there is some sentiment turning against Israel because of what people see as a -- as some indiscriminate attacks on civilians within Gaza, you obviously will need the international community on side and will need Palestinian hearts and minds to want to get on board with a more moderate ideology where people can live together. I mean it just seems like everything that is actually happening now is taking the situation so far away from that.

[03:14:59]

AYALON: I totally understand and unfortunately I totally agree. I think that we should not be able to convince the world that we are not only killing Hamas activists and we are not only killing without our intention, civilians who are used by Hamas in order to as a human shield, as long as we shall not present the day after and the day after should be a political horizon to both people.

We did mistakes in the past. They did mistakes in the past. It didn't work during the 90s, but it is for us to learn our mistakes in the past and it is for them to understand it. And I believe that it will even shape the attitude of the world when they see these horrible, I don't know, pictures that are sending from the battlefield.

So if you ask me, I think that, well, I'm not in a position to give advice to the American people, American leadership or the international community. But in this case, I think that it will not come. This, you know, better future concept will not come from the Israelis and it will not come from the Palestinians, it should come from the international community.

If I understand President Biden and Macron and even the Saudis and many Arab leaders, they start to talk about it and I hope that they will present it and I can, well, the way I understand ourselves, the way I understand Israelis, the moment that it will be on the table.

We should accept it not our government today probably not our prime minister, but we should change our government if People will understand that it is a viable better future. I know it because, you know, there are some deeper weights in the behavior of the Israelis when Israelis a week ago were asked who should replace Hamas when and if the vacuum after we shall defeat Hamas.

And between 70 to 80 percent of the Israelis said that it should be the Palestinian Authority. Now, we couldn't hear this answer, I don't know, a month ago. But today we are looking to everybody who is ready to talk to us in order to replace the horror that was presented by Hamas.

And I believe that this initiative should come from the international community. In this case, I think that Biden, which is perceived in Israel as a great leader who, I don't know, many Israelis, I believe, that see him as a grandfather of this nation, the way he supported us. So it's for him, it's for the Saudis, because it should come within the context of a regional initiative based on the Arab peace initiative.

NOBILO: Ami Ayalon, I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to me this morning. I wish we had more of it and I hope to be able to speak to you again soon. Thank you so much.

AYALON: Thank you. Bye.

NOBILO: Coming up on the program, more than two million people in Gaza are in desperate need of clean water, according to UNICEF. How they're coping, next.

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[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NOBILO: The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says it has received food and medical supplies from 26 trucks that entered Gaza on Monday. But aid organizations say that is not nearly enough and the humanitarian situation on the ground is grave. They warn the lack of clean water, fuel and other supplies are putting civilians in danger, as are Israeli airstrikes. The United Nations is calling for the Kerem Shalom crossing, which links Gaza to Israel. to open, to allow humanitarian deliveries to come through.

The chief of UNICEF says the lack of clean water in Gaza is on the verge of becoming a catastrophe. Melissa Bell shows us the gravity of that situation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Gaza, the fight for survival grows more desperate by the hour. Civil order is breaking down with U.N. aid warehouses swarmed. Many of these people have been displaced and are now in desperate search of the basics.

The water shortage so bad that some are now turning to the sea for the supplies they so desperately need.

SAMER ABDELJABER, REPRESENTATIVE AND COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR PALESTINIANS, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME: Very difficult. The services are not set up for this. The shelter, which we call it shelter now, is supposed to be a school. So in a classroom that's supposed to have, what, 20 kids or 30 kids attending school every day, you have more than 170 to 100 people sleeping, eating, drinking there. And those are the people that we know. Those are the people that we used to talk all the time, laugh all the time.

BELL (voice-over): All eyes are now on the Rafah crossing, the last lifeline in and out of Gaza.

Before the war, some 400 trucks a day went into the enclave, according to the World Food Programme, a flow now reduced to a trickle, with fewer than 200 getting through Rafah since the war began.

[03:25:06]

A crossing that is now as crucial as it is uncertain.

MAHMOUD HUSSEINI, DRIVES TRUCK CARRYING AID (through translator): We will keep going until the end, until they get all their humanitarian needs. God be with them. We are their Egyptian brothers. Our hands are in their hands. We've been here for 15 days already, and we will stay for as long as it takes.

BELL (voice-over): It's at the nearby Arish airport that aid from all over the world arrives, before being loaded onto Egyptian Red Crescent trucks on their way to Rafah. The convoys also go through inspection by Israeli officials at the Nitzana crossing before the aid can be delivered to those who so desperately need it.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Since we got here 20 days ago, we only got two coupons worth of aid, each of which is only sufficient for a small child.

BELL (voice-over): A stranglehold that aid agencies warn is unlikely to be fixed without a ceasefire.

ABDELJABER: There is definitely going to be dehydration. There's definitely going to be starvation. There's definitely going to be a health crisis. Malnutrition is going to be an issue. You're talking about people who are reducing food to avoid going to the toilet. It's as simple as that.

BELL (voice-over): Meaning that for now, for those inside Gaza, there is little hope that more aid will get in and even less that they will get out.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Still to come, Israel issues its highest travel alert for parts of Russia after an anti-Semitic mob storms an airport. We'll have video and analysis about the incident.

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[03:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that there will be no ceasefire with Hamas militants, saying, quote, "This is the time for war." Israeli troops are advancing further into Gaza, according to a CNN analysis, and Israeli military officials say that they've sent more ground forces into the enclave.

Meanwhile, Israel is warning people in northern Gaza with increasing urgency to evacuate. Mr. Netanyahu insists that he is not imposing collective punishment on Palestinian citizens. But the main U.N. agency operating in Gaza says that the entire population there is being dehumanized by this war.

Israel has issued its highest travel warning for Dagestan and other areas of southern Russia after an anti-Semitic mob stormed an airport there over the weekend. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for firm actions following Sunday's violence. Putin also pointed blame at Western intelligence agencies and Ukraine, suggesting that they use social media to stir up. the unrest. Kyiv has denied the claims, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling the incident a signal that Moscow's hold on power is slipping.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): For the second time this year, Russia is losing control over events. We see that mutineers are heading to Moscow and no one is stopping them. We see that the power vertical in Dagestan is evaporating, leading to a real upheaval.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NOBILO: Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict, some college campuses and communities across the U.S. are also seeing a huge rise in anti-Semitism. Cornell's university president says police are investigating a series of antisemitic threats made against the school's Jewish community and plans to step up security for Jewish students and organizations. And in Beverly Hills, California, a Holocaust survivor's home was targeted in antisemitic graffiti, the woman's daughter told CNN.

I'm joined now by Mark Galeotti. He's the founder and CEO of Mayak Intelligence. Great to speak to you this morning. Thanks for joining us.

MARK GALEOTTI, FOUNDER AND CEO OF MAYAK INTELLIGENCE: Pleasure.

NOBILO: The mob in Dagestan is problematic for Putin. I just want to get into the fact that he's blaming this, as he often does, on sort of fomenting by Western intelligence agencies in Ukraine, because Putin's case is barely for invading Ukraine was to eradicate Nazism, and then he has this anti-Semitic mob in a Russian republic trying to attack passengers getting off a plane and that's difficult for him to deal with and he still hasn't condemned Hamas outright for the attacks of October 7th.

GALEOTTI: I mean it's worth saying that we have seen condemnation of the attacks even though Putin is still desperately trying to balance on the fence to maintain his relationship with Israel, but also with the Arab world. But yes, I mean this is problematic and it's particularly problematic not simply because of the straightforward politics of imaginary Nazis everywhere, but because he has to deal with a Muslim population, which is an increasingly large share of the Russian population, it's about 10 percent now, disproportionately represented in the armed forces, and is clearly subject to a certain sort of jihadist tendencies, which is as often directed against Moscow as it is against Israel.

NOBILO: Because the channel on Telegram, I believe, where upon the details of this flight that was arriving from Tel Aviv was posted, is one that is an Islamist channel, but it's also an anti-Putin or anti- Russian channel because they're agitating for their own independence. So as you say, that's another important element here.

[03:35:01]

GALEOTTI: Yeah, exactly. And this is the admittedly rather flimsy basis on which these claims whereby they're saying, secret services and such like. You know, we have this channel, Morning Dagestan, which absolutely has helped whip up some really very vicious anti-Semitic actions, not just the airport incident, which has been linked to an exiled Russian who is now based in Kyiv, who, though he says he's had no contacts with it, no relationship with it since autumn of last year.

But, you know, for all of these reasons, there is just enough to give them this excuse. But when it comes down to it, what Putin doesn't really want to basically attack is the fact that he has a real problem currently with Muslim extremism in the North Caucasus.

NOBILO: So this is one example of the rise in antisemitism that we are seeing globally since October the 7th and Israel's retaliation to that. There's also been a rise in Islamophobia, at least in the United Kingdom and in some other areas, but the antisemitism recording of those attacks seems to be higher.

And what do you think is going on there? Obviously people are having very deeply emotive responses to what they're seeing online, these images of Palestinian civilians being killed, losing their children, hospitals being attacked, but it's obviously more complicated than it seems. So what's going on behind this rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia?

GALEOTTI: Look, I'm essentially a Russia specialist, so I'm not necessarily the best place to talk about what happens elsewhere. But what strikes me is one of the key differences between the responses is that in the West, essentially support for the Palestinians has been associated with a kind of, you know, form of leftism, which also associates it with an attack on, you know, American dominated global hegemony and the like.

The interesting thing that when one compares it with Russia is actually, which obviously Russia has a long and dark history of antisemitism, which actually has been beginning to decline. I mean, we see the current Russian generation in a whole variety of opinion polls, they are actually much less antisemitic than their ancestors.

But also what we find is actually that it is amongst Russian nationalists that one finds a lot of support for Israel, the country, if not necessarily the wider Jewish cause because they think Israel is an example of a country that stands up tough for its own interests and such like.

So, I mean, I think there's a lot of complexities in this whole issue, but the big difference, as I say, is that in the West, support for the Palestinian cause, at the very least, is associated with certain sort of left-wing sort of causes, whereas in Russia, it's actually much more clearly linked to whether you happen to be Orthodox Christian, not religious at all, or indeed Muslim.

NOBILO: That's really interesting. So Mark, I don't want to extrapolate too much from what happened in Dagestan, so do correct me if I am, but it's interesting that what happened at the airport, be it the Telegram channel, which as we've just discussed, Islamist, anti- Russian, it shows that there can be a coordination and a result of that is based online, which could be threatening to Putin's control to some extent, how much of an issue is social media in that regard for Putin, or is it becoming more so?

GALEOTTI: I think it's becoming more so. I mean, what we have to recognize is that Russia is a security state with a very powerful, very brutal, but also often very effective internal security apparatus. And it's quite striking that one of the first moves that the authorities did with these protests and riots at the airport is to immediately jam communications so that not just phone calls but also social media could not be used to try and summon more people and coordinate operations and the like. So they're very sort of clearly aware of this.

The problem is for the Kremlin is that you have a whole variety of different organizations, different social media channels which have been very active in the North Caucasus trying to stir up Russian, young Russian citizens who happen to be of Muslim origin against the Kremlin.

And Russia's internet is not like China's. It's not one in which actually the state can create this sort of massive firewall around the country. Now, it's quite easy to circumvent the various controls. And so this is a sort of constant running struggle.

And the FSB is very good at tapping phones and watching people's meetings. It still has a lot of trouble actually handling the social media side. So a lot of the agitation against Moscow has indeed moved into social media.

NOBILO: That's fascinating. Mark Galeotti, really interesting to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

GALEOTTI: Thank you.

NOBILO: We'll be right back after this short break.

[03:40:05]

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NOBILO: A group challenging Donald Trump's eligibility for the ballot in Colorado used former President Donald Trump's words against him in court on Monday. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington played clips from Trump's infamous election night speech where he falsely claimed victory and when he urged supporters to fight like hell at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.

Marshall Cohen has more.

[03:44:54]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Day two of the Trump disqualification trial kicks off Tuesday in Denver, Colorado. That's where a group of voters, Republicans, and independents filed a lawsuit against the former president, trying to make the case that he is not eligible to serve again.

That's because of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified after the Civil War. And it says that any American office holder who swore an oath to the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection is disqualified from returning to office. It's from the 1800s, but it's still the supreme law of the land. It hasn't been enforced barely in over 100 years, and that's why some people think that this is going to be an uphill climb. But here is one of the attorneys for those challengers in court yesterday with his opening statements arguing that this is the law of the land and the law needs to be enforced.

ERIC OLSON, LAWYER FOR COLORADO VOTERS CHALLENGING TRUMP: Our Constitution prevents people who betrayed their solemn oath, as Trump did here, from serving in office again. Colorado law gives these voters the rights to make sure their votes will count by coming to this court and ensuring that only eligible candidates appear on our ballots. Trump engaged in insurrection and therefore cannot appear on the ballot.

COHEN: So that's the perspective of the challengers. Of course, on the other side of that courtroom was Donald Trump's attorneys, the former president not attending this trial in person. Instead, he has a team of lawyers there, and they have been making the case that this lawsuit is improper.

It's taking the voice of the voters out of the 2024 election and trying to subvert the electoral process. Take a listen to what one of Donald Trump's attorneys said in his opening statements on Monday.

SCOTT GESSLER, TRUMP LAWYER: And this court should not interfere with that fundamental value, that rule of democracy. It's the people who get to decide. And this lawsuit seeks to cancel that principle. This lawsuit is anti-democratic. It looks to extinguish the opportunity, extinguish it, the opportunity for millions of Coloradans, Colorado Republicans and unaffiliated voters to be able to choose and vote for the presidential candidate they want.

COHEN: So we're expecting more witness testimony on Tuesday. This trial is supposed to go all week, and then eventually the judge in Denver has said that she wants to issue a ruling by Thanksgiving, but that's not going to be the final word. No matter who wins, who loses, everyone I've spoken with is expecting an appeal in this case that may go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Marshall Cohen, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The stars of "Friends" have broken their silence over the death of their castmate Matthew Perry. In a joint statement provided to CNN, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Lisa Kudrow write, we were all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now, we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.

Perry starred as Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom from 1994 until 2004, and he died Saturday at his home in L.A. The cause of death has not yet been determined, and Matthew Perry was 54.

We'll be right back.

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[03:50:00]

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NOBILO: We have pictures coming in right now from Kenya where King Charles III and Queen Camilla are being welcomed in Nairobi. Kenya's president William Ruto and his wife, First Lady Rachel Ruto, are leading the ceremonial welcome at Kenya State House. It's Charles' first visit to a Commonwealth country since he became King. The state visit comes as Kenya celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence from Britain.

The U.S. military says its troops have been under attack for weeks now in Syria and Iraq. Pentagon officials tell CNN that Iranian-backed militias have attacked U.S. forces almost two dozen times since mid- October.

Oren Liebermann, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: We have seen a continuation of the attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East since October 17th. That number now, according to the Pentagon, stands at 23 attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria over the course of the last two weeks or so.

The problem here is that the U.S. carried out strikes on facilities in eastern Syria linked to Iranian-backed troops that had accused of carrying out the attacks on U.S. forces. The purpose of those narrowly targeted strikes was to send a message that the U.S. would protect itself and try to also send a message of deterrence against Iran and Iranian proxies to tell them, look, the U.S. will protect its own interests there and carry out strikes if needed.

But since those strikes, we've seen about a half a dozen more attacks on U.S. forces. So that message not getting across. The question, will the U.S. act again? Will it carry out more air strikes on the Iranian- backed groups it accuses of striking U.S. forces, or at least attempting to with rockets or drones? The U.S. has left open that possibility, but it has to weigh that against the risk of escalation, a broader escalation in the region, which is very much something the U.S. is trying to avoid.

From President Joe Biden on down in the White House, they have tried to draw a distinction between the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, and other efforts, other actors in the Middle East, trying to point out that the U.S. presence in Iraq and Syria is about the ongoing defeat of ISIS.

But those are not distinctions that have been recognized by many actors, including these Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East, and that has made it difficult for the U.S., even as it tries diplomatically, militarily even, to try to keep these conflicts separate.

[03:55:09] Oren Liebermann, CNN, in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: In Jerusalem, volunteers put together an exhibit outside City Hall Monday as a tribute to the people taken hostage by Hamas. These rows of empty beds and cribs are meant to represent the hundreds of Israelis who were kidnapped on October the 7th. Visitors to the exhibit stand in silence and prayer. Some stop to take photos, others hold signs of their missing loved ones.

Well thank you for joining us. I'm Bianca Nobilo and I'll be back in just a few moments with more news after this break.

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