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Israel's Cabinet Approves Hostage Release Deal; Former CEO Sam Altman To Return To OpenAI; IDF Claims To Have Completed The Encirclement Of Jabalia; Israel's Cabinet Approves Hostage Release Deal; Two Lebanese Journalists Killed in Apparent IDF Strikes; Saudi Crown Prince is Calling on All Countries to Stop Exporting Weapons to Israel Amid Conflict; U.S. Retaliates After Attack on U.S. and Coalition Forces in Iraq Says Pentagon; White House Declassifies Intel That Wagner is Preparing to Provide Air Defense Capability to Hezbollah or Iran; Iceland Braces for Volcanic Eruption. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired November 22, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[02:00:24]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world as we continue our breaking news coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. I'm Rosemary Church. Israel has signed off on a deal to release at least 50 hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. In a move that's bringing hope to families waiting for the return of their loved ones.
The government overwhelmingly backed the deal after a six-hour long Cabinet meeting for hostages to be freed are expected to be women and children. In exchange, Israel will pause its air and ground campaign against Hamas for four days. Hamas says 150 Palestinian prisoners also women and children will be released from Israeli jails as part of their deal.
Qatar delivered the proposal following weeks of continuous negotiations and now says the humanitarian pause will be announced within the next 24 hours. Hamas says the deal involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid, medical supplies and fuel into Gaza. And earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said the deal was set to include Red Cross visits to hostages that are still being held in Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden released a statement welcoming the deal adding that it should bring home additional American hostages. And he said "I will not stop until they are all released." Among the Americans taken hostage by Hamas is Abigail Edan who's just three years old. Her great aunt spoke to CNN earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIZ HIRSH NAFTALL, GREAT-NIECE HELD BY HAMAS: I'm very hopeful our family is hopeful this little three-year-old is somewhere in Gaza. I hope that she is with the mother that was taking care of her at that time with her own three kids. And I just hope that Abigail is being taken care of and loved and that this deal will follow through and that these hostages -- these children will be back home with their families in the next couple of days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Scott McLean is following developments and joins us live from Istanbul. Good to see you, Scott. So, at last a deal to free about 50 hostages held by Hamas has been struck and approved by the Israeli cabinet. So, what happens next as families wait and hope that their loved ones will be released in that initial group?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Rosemary. Yes. We do not know the names of the 50 Israeli hostages that Hamas will release beyond the fact that they are all Israeli citizens. Some of them are dual nationals, but all of them Israel says are in fact, Israelis or hold Israeli citizenship. But we do have some news when it comes to the Palestinian prisoners that will be released.
Again, 50 Israelis are being exchanged for 150 Palestinians all during the course of a four-day pause. Israel has actually just published publicly a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners that are set -- that are slated to be released. This group of names, details, the crimes that they have committed or are accused of committing, not everyone has been convicted, it seems. Most of them it seems from an initial look are teenage boys.
Some of them are also women in their 20s and 30s. Some -- most teens are convicted or accused of relatively minor crimes like damaging a security area or throwing stones. Others are actually serving longer prison sentences for more serious crimes. Now, why are there 300 names on this list when only 150 are actually being traded? Well, presumably it's because there could be more.
Israel says that this deal allows for more hostages to be released. They say that for every 10 hostages that Hamas is willing to hand over, Israel is willing to pause the fighting for an additional one day. So, potentially, there could be more Israelis exchanged, more Palestinians as well. And there are no shortage of Palestinian prisoners that could potentially be exchanged as well.
The vast majority of them are adult men though. An NGO that tracks this says that there are some 8300 Palestinian prisoners serving time in Israeli jail right now. 3000 of them they say by the way are under something called administrative detention.
[02:05:06]
Meaning they don't actually know the charges against them. Now, when it comes to this pause on the ground, Rosemary, obviously the Israelis are concerned that Hamas will simply use this time to resupply themselves and regroup. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear that they would do the same. He also says that this does not mean that the war is over. Listen.
And I would like to make it clear here again, the war continues. The war will continue until we achieve all of our goals to eliminate Hamas, to return all our hostages to ensure that the day after Hamas, Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: So, the IDF has also made very clear that they are also in support of this deal. And they are still fighting on the ground happening right now. The official pause has not happened. We're waiting for details which should be released in the next 24 hours. Right now, troops, they say have the Jabalia Refugee Camp surrounded. They are also -- that is north of Gaza City. They are also pushing into areas southwest of Gaza City, as well.
The Qataris who brokered this deal say that look, the international community should take this opportunity to take this pause to try to pursue the path of diplomacy. And in the meantime, they are focused on making sure that when this deal actually does come into effect, or when this pause comes into effect, that all parties respect the terms of it. Rosemary?
CHURCH: And Scott, how did this deal come together? Walk us through the process, if you will.
MCLEAN: Yes. With great difficulty, I think it is fair to say. There are a number of challenges that are obvious right off the hop. First off, you had a lot of parties involved. You had the Egyptians, the Americans, in addition to the Israelis, and Hamas. Plus, you had the Qataris who were mediating this. We understand that the Qatari Prime Minister was in direct contact with the leader of Hamas is Ismail Haniyeh.
This took place over many weeks, obviously. And it was quite complex. You had, obviously indirect communication taking place between the Israelis and Hamas, which added time. You also had poor communications in Gaza as well. It also wasn't entirely clear for some time, whether Hamas actually knew the precise locations of where these hostages were actually located or Hamas leadership knew the precise locations and Israel didn't have assurances that they were, in fact alive.
And that the deal, actually, according to sources almost broke down when the Israelis entered the Al Shifa Hospital complex. It was some behind the scenes furious diplomacy that got things back on track and all ultimately led to this deal. Prime Minister Netanyahu also pointed out in his speech to Israelis yesterday that President Biden was instrumental in getting this deal done. He says that he managed to improve the deal when he got involved, though he didn't say precisely how his involvement was helpful. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Scott McLean joining us live from Istanbul. Well, more now on the reaction from the White House to this hostage release deal. CNN's Arlette Saenz is traveling with President Biden and filed this report from Massachusetts. ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is welcoming this deal between Israel and Hamas to release about 50 hostages after weeks of painstaking negotiations from top administration officials including conversations President Biden himself held a with leaders involved in these talks. Now the U.S. believes it's possible that three Americans could potentially fall into this category of the 50 women and children that could be released in the coming days.
That could also potentially include three-year-old Abigail Edan. She is an American citizen whose parents were killed in that October 7th attack by Hamas. The U.S. says that they are working tirelessly to ensure the release of all American citizens who have been held hostage and they are hopeful that after this initial release, that this can provide incentives for Hamas to release more hostages as well.
But this all comes as the administration, the White House has been in constant contact with leaders in the region as they have been working through these negotiations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that President Biden himself had gotten involved and that he believes the President had improved these negotiations. The President had spoken with the Emir of Qatar twice last week.
Qatar, of course, acted as a key mediator in these talks between Israel and Hamas. And now the U.S. will be closely watching to see how many Americans will be included in this initial release. Officials say it'll take about 24 hours to implement the deal before they can begin seeing these hostages released. But the White House certainly welcome in this news as they are hoping to get some of these hostages back home to their families.
Arlette Saenz, CNN traveling with the president in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
[02:10:06]
CHURCH: Breaking news from the tech world. OpenAI cofounder Sam Altman is returning to the company as CEO less than a week after being fired by the board of directors. The company behind ChatGPT posted on X that it has reached an agreement with Altman and will be adding new members to its board. Microsoft hired Altman to run a new Artificial Intelligence Group on Monday. He says he's looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on its partnership with Microsoft.
Well, a big moment in the often lawless world of cryptocurrency. The world's largest crypto exchange Binance and its CEO pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal money laundering violations. As part of the settlement, the company will pay more than $4 billion in fines. CEO Changpeng Zhao has agreed to step down as the leader of Binance. He is one of the most powerful figures in the industry.
U.S. authorities say Binance gave people free range with their transactions, enabling everything from child sex abuse and narcotics to terrorism funding.
Well, still to come. Forever scarred by war, we will bring you the stories of children in Gaza who lived through Israeli airstrikes but at great cost. And they may be far from Gaza, but they're watching the events very closely. We speak to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon about the war today and what it means for them.
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[02:15:27]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, more on our breaking news this hour. Israel's cabinet has approved a deal to secure the release of at least 50 hostages, women and children being held by Hamas in Gaza. In exchange, Israel has agreed to a four-day truce in its air and ground campaign against Hamas. And Hamas says Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners. Also women and children held in Israeli jails.
Omri Shitivi whose brother is being held hostage by Hamas joins me now from Tel Aviv. Thank you so much for talking with us at this very stressful time for your family. Of course, with your brother, Edan, believed to be one of the hostages being held by Hamas. What are your thoughts now that you know a hostage deal has been approved by the Israeli cabinet but only for women and children at this stage?
OMRI SHITIVI, BROTHER TAKEN HOSTAGE BY HAMAS: Right. So first of all, we are -- of course, we are very about -- very happy about the deal. And for everyone will be back to their families. So, this is the first thing. We hope that will be, you know, some changes and in the -- in the future after it -- or through the deal. Because we know it would be four days and each day and need to be a people, I heard that the Hamas needed to search about all the hostages.
Like if it's a baby, so I understand they don't know where it's all the babies yet. And what I understand that after that, it can be a few days, like each day after the -- after these four days will be -- if Hamas will need still, they can bring more people like 10 days for each day after the four days if they need more time. So, we hope and we believe that you've Edan is alive and he's OK. And we will see him and this is our feelings like for the -- for the next days, I'm sure it's going to be very intense and nervous. So --
CHURCH: And Omri, have you and your family received any official information from the Israeli government about this deal and what might come next particularly, of course, for the men who are not included in this initial deal?
SHITIVI: Yes. We have our like representative from -- like kind of the -- from the government, from the official organization of this hostages and all the -- all this situation. So, of course, he called me today and yesterday and told me about the deal and about the conditions. So, I -- this is the thing that I said before about the four days and this is something that I know like officially from him.
CHURCH: And Omri, tell us about your brother Edan, what should the world know about him? What would you like to share about him with all of us?
SHITIVI: So, first, Edan is -- Edan is a wonderful guy. He -- no way can say that he's a student for sustainability and an environment. And the word is something that's very important for him, he want to make an impact. You just registered for a volunteer with achievement in Africa to build their houses. And he just adopted dog one week, just one week before the October 7th. And this is what he aim and he took responsibility, try to escape, he took with him and other two guys.
And was they was murdered by Hamas terrorist and Edan escaped. So, just want the world to know that he needs our support.
[02:20:05]
He need your help and he's a survivor but he needs your help, he need our help. All the world leaders help and --
CHURCH: And Omri, Israel is also making it very clear it plans to resume its military campaign hostage releases end. How concerned are you that this could endanger your brother if he's still there in Gaza at that time?
SHITIVI: So, I don't really know because I'm not military professional or strategic for wars or I don't know what is it. And just hope that all of them will be saved and will be OK. I'm -- I trust my government to do their best and the military to do their best to bring them back. I heard from the government, this is the top priority of this efforts to bring them back. So, we hope they will save them.
CHURCH: Omri Shitivi, thank you so much joining us from Tel Aviv and talking to us about your brother Edan who is a hostage with Hamas and we hope that he will be released soon at some later stage as we watch this deal play out. Many thanks for joining us.
SHITIVI: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, Israel's military says it has pushed further into a tunnel underneath the Al Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza. Images released by the IDF show what they believe to be a blast door after it was breached, as well as a tunnel passage beyond the bridge doorway and what looks to be to further doorways off to the side. Despite Israel and Hamas reaching a deal on a four-day truce and a swap of prisoners and hostages, an IDF spokesperson said the army would ensure its military achievements will be maintained in Gaza.
Meantime, the IDF deployed what appeared to be a heavy smoke screen around Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza amid other explosions.
CNN crews captured this video of the blast that shook windows and doors across the border in Israel. The Israeli military claims it has completely encircled the northern city of Jabalia as well. Airstrikes hit the city on Tuesday as hospitals struggled to accommodate new patients despite shortages of fuel, electricity, food and water.
Well, new radar satellite data shows that up to half of the buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7th. That roughly accounts for as many as 23,000 buildings. Researchers obtained satellite radar imagery using a method similar to echolocation to map out the region. Across all of Gaza, they say at least 20 percent of buildings have been damaged since the start of the war.
Well, the destruction has displaced nearly 1.7 million people in Gaza. According to the U.N.'s main relief agency there, about 930,000 of them are sheltering in overcrowded U.N. facilities, sharing one shower for every 700 people on average. Some are just children trying to escape the danger with their families. Their lives now forever changed by the war.
More now from CNN's Nada Bashir and a warning her report contains images that may be disturbing.
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NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER (voiceover): Bandaged and sore still healing from emergency surgery. For 11-year-old Asif Abdulhadi (ph), this wound is a constant reminder. The trauma he and his friends have faced. They had been paying outside near his home in Gaza City. When they say an airstrike hit.
I was walking with my friends and then suddenly the missile fell, Asif says. I found myself on the ground lying on my right side. I kept trying to stand up but there was rubble on top of my leg. When they removed the rubble, I saw that my foot had been ripped off.
A huge soccer fan. He played at the local academy and had dreams of becoming a professional soccer player.
I've been watching and playing soccer since I was a little boy. It's still my favorite sport, Asif tells us. Now the Israeli occupation has destroyed my dreams.
Down the hole is 12-year-old Malik Altifadna (ph). His family fled their home in Beit Hanoun after receiving a warning from the Israeli military. They moved from city to city. Searching for safety. Followed each time by yet more airstrikes.
[02:25:09]
I wanted to take photos to become a photo journalist, Malik says. How can I hold a camera now with one arm? My whole life has ruined. All of my life, I haven't had a chance to live happily.
While some here are now slowly coming to terms with their new reality. More wounded children arrived and Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital every day. It is now the main working hospital in Gaza. Others left in a state of complete collapse. Just Monday, more wounded were rushed to this hospital after a U.N.-run used to shelter displaced Palestinians at the Beit Hanoun Refugee Camp was hit.
The resulting death toll still unknown. It's unclear who was responsible for this specific attack. Hamas claims the Israeli military bombed the school, though CNN cannot independently verify this claim. The IDF yet to respond to CNN request for comment. But as airstrikes and shelling intensify in the north, Gaza's children are as is so often the case paying the highest price. With thousands wounded or killed with hopes for the future lost. Nada Bashir, CNN, in Jerusalem.
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CHURCH: Qatar was instrumental in mediating the hostage release deal. Just ahead. What Qatari officials say their top priority is now a report from Doha after the break.
Also ahead, how the scars of the past are being revisited for some of those watching the crisis in Gaza today. We hear from Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon.
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[02:31:15]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Our breaking news this hour, Israel's cabinet has approved a deal to secure the release of at least 50 hostages, women and children being held by Hamas in Gaza. In exchange, Israel has agreed to a four-day truce in its air and ground campaign against Hamas, and Hamas says Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners, also women and children, health in Israeli jails. In addition, Hamas says that deal calls for hundreds of trucks to deliver aid to all parts of Gaza. It's not clear when all this would start. The Israeli government says an extra day could be added to the truce for every ten additional hostages released. But Israel is also making clear, it plans to resume its military campaign once the hostage releases end.
Qatar's lead negotiator says the deal it helped negotiate should push the international community to increase diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Qatar also says it priority now is to ensure the agreement is followed, while it works to secure a long-term ceasefire and lasting peace. More now on Qatar's role and the negotiations from CNN's Becky Anderson in Doha.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ABU DHABI MANAGING EDITOR AND ANCHOR: Some hours after it was confirmed that Israel's cabinet had approved the hostage deal, Qatar announced the success of its joint mediation efforts with Egypt and the United States. The details of the deal as we now understand them are 50 women and children released from captivity with Hamas for the exchange of Palestinians, women and teenagers, held in Israeli prisons. And the opening of the Rafah border for more fuel, including for more aid, including fuel, to be brought back across that border, crucial for humanitarian efforts, of course.
And in a statement from the lead negotiator in Qatar, Doctor Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, he said, and I quote here, "Qatar's aim since the start of this escalation has been to find ways to reduce tensions, stop the bloodshed, protect civilians, and protect a regional spillover. The international community must now seize the brief window of opportunity to generate further momentum for the diplomatic track, recognizing it as the only viable route to ending the conflict - in both the short and long term." Qatar's statement earlier suggests that the pause will start within around 24 hours. And a statement from the lead negotiator went on to say Qatar's priority now is to ensure that the terms of the agreement are respected and this statement includes the term "Redoubling our efforts to secure a long-term ceasefire, end the war, and work towards lasting peace through a comprehensive political process." Perhaps not a surprise that Qatar would be seeking a long-term ceasefire in this statement, after all, that has been its position from the outset of this conflict.
Becky Anderson, CNN, Doha.
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CHURCH: And after they are freed, some of the hostages may face more uncertainty. CNN spoke with Jason Rezaian, a "Washington Post" opinion writer who spent 544 days imprisoned in Iran before he was released in early 2016.
[02:35:00]
CHURCH: He talked about what life was like after his release. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON REZAIAN, FORMER PRISONER IN IRAN: You are raring to go. You want to get back into the world. You want to see the people that you have been missing. But you are not ready for it. You have been conditioned to be in captivity and it takes a long time to get used to freedom again. And I think, you know, when people who haven't been through it here that, they think to themselves, well, that sounds sort of odd. It is out.
The whole experience is not like anything that we are raised and educated and ever ready for. So once you've had that experience, just the process of mentally slowing down, your shoulders kind of releasing the tension, the elevated tension that has persisted constantly, waking hours and sleeping hours for so long. It's not something that's easy to describe, and it's not something that's easily to come down from.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Rezaian also pointed out that the hostages in Gaza will have a lot of psychological turmoil to work through. I want to turn out to the Israel-Lebanon border where tensions continue to escalate. Two Lebanese journalists and a number of civilians were killed in what is being reported as IDF strikes. The U.S. says it's concerned by these reports but would not confirm the origin of the strikes.
The Israeli military says, it's aware of the claim the incident is under review. Hezbollah retaliated against Israel for those deaths, launching attacks on an IDF military base, amongst other targets. The Israeli military has not confirmed any damage or casualties following Hezbollah's reported attacks. Elsewhere in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees are closely watching developments in the Israeli-Hamas war. Thousands of people live in the Shatila refugee camp, in southern Beirut, where for some there is a sense of history repeating itself.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has more.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The old in the Shatila Palestinian refugee camp have seen it all. For the young, it is just the beginning of a life crammed together with more than 14,000 people into a quarter-mile square.
WEDEMAN: This Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut is hundreds of miles from Gaza. But for the many people here who lived through previous wars, the war in Gaza seems very close.
77-year-old Nadre Johan (ph) came here as a baby from her home in what was then Palestine. She's seen from near and far war after war, but is still shocked by the images from Gaza. How do they have the heart to do this to children, she asks. The pain she feels for all the innocents. When I see Israeli children, I think they feel the same way we do when we lose our children, says Nadre (ph). In the end, a child is a child. The mother of a child is a mother, whether she's Israeli or Palestinian.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The scars of the past are plain to see. In September 1982, the Israeli military stood by as their Lebanese Christian allies slaughtered over 1,000 Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, here and in the neighboring Sabra district. Fading posters plaster the walls with the faces of heroes past who promised much, but could deliver little for the people here.
Camp residents trace their roots back to Haifa, Jaffa, Akka. They ended up here after what they called the nakba, the catastrophe, when more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes when Israel was established. The scenes from Gaza painfully reminiscent of the past. A past storekeeper Mohammad Hafifi (ph) fears that is repeating itself.
Doesn't anyone have an iota of humanity, he asks. Even a rock when faced with the news from Gaza would go soft. But the world confronted with cascades of blood, closes its eyes. The eyes here are open, but they can only watch from afar.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Shatila refugee camp, Beirut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:40:00]
CHURCH: Next, a significant development in the recent attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. We have the details, next.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. The Saudi Crown Prince is calling on all countries to stop exporting weapons to Israel. According to a Saudi state news agency, Mohammed bin Salman is urging international collaboration to halt what he calls Israel's "brutal crimes in Gaza." Speaking to a BRICS (ph) extraordinary virtual summit on the conflict, MBS also called for immediate aid entry to address the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
[02:45:00]
The Pentagon is giving more details about an attack by Iran-backed militants on an airbase in Iraq on Monday. The U.S. Defense Department says a close-range ballistic missile was used against U.S. and coalition forces. It's the first time such a missile has been used against U.S. forces since the recent unrest broke out more than a month ago.
Natasha Bertrand has more.
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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Iran-backed militias fired a close-range ballistic missile at U.S. and coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq on Monday, according to the Pentagon, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing attacks on U.S. forces across the region. In response, a U.S. military aircraft killed several of the militants that the U.S. says were responsible for that attack by firing on a vehicle that the militants were traveling in near that airbase.
The U.S., for this attack, used a U.S. AC-130 gunship which is capable of firing artillery at ground-based targets. And the officials say that the strike was done in self-defense. But the attack on Al-Asad brings the total number of Iran -backed strikes on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria to over 60 since October 17th. The attacks have injured dozens of service members, leaving over two dozen of them with traumatic brain injuries.
The U.S., meanwhile, they have respond of these attacks three separate times before, including by launching airstrikes on Iranian weapons and training facilities inside Syria. And the U.S. has urged Iran directly to reign in the militias. But the groups, they still have not been deterred and the attacks have continued almost daily since last month. Even so, the Pentagon sees its approach as working for now because they say the war between Israel and Hamas has not spilled over into a wider regional conflict, particularly one that involves the Iran- backed militant group Hezbollah.
But, the ballistic missile attack on Al-Asad really marked a clear escalation this week and one the U.S. has been working very hard to avoid.
Natasha Bertrand, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: Newly declassified intelligence from the White House suggests the Wagner Group could be preparing to provide air defense capability to either Iran or the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. The private mercenary organization has become known for its involvement in Russia's war on Ukraine. The new intel does not specify where the missile system would be coming from. But CNN has previously reported that the Group was tasked with delivering a surface-to-air missile system to Hezbollah from Syria. The possibility that Hezbollah could soon have a new air defense system comes amid concerns that the militants are considering opening a new front in Israel's war on Hamas.
Still to come, Iceland on alert for a potentially imminent volcanic eruption. We will take to the air with Iceland's Coast Guard for a firsthand look at the volcanic threat that has forced an entire town to evacuate. Back with that and more in just a moment.
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[02:52:30]
CHURCH: People in Iceland are on edge as officials say there is a high probability of a volcanic eruption any day now. The looming eruption has force evacuations and authorities say it's an ongoing process to allow some residents to temporarily return home to gather some of their belongings. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Taking off straight to the emergency zone, we're on a mission with Iceland's Coast Guard to the already affected area by what could soon be a massive volcanic eruption.
PLEITGEN: You can see how everything here is on a knife's edge, but of course, the authorities are doing everything they can to save the town and save the infrastructure.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The town is called Grindavik. Massive cracks in the roads show the places where pressure from an underground magma stream has already burst through the earth's crust. The ground now uneven, as the crew says they have been observing the rift widening in the past days.
ANDRI JOHANNESSON, HELICOPTER PILOT: We see differences between days. We see the -- sometimes we see it crack a little bit wider.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Grindavik was evacuated and could soon be completely destroyed by hot lava, authorities fear.
PLEITGEN: From up here, you can already see just how extensive the damage already is to the town of Grindavik, and that crack that you see runs all the way to the ocean.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iceland is in an area of massive volcanic activity. While this part of the country had been dormant for around 800 years, scientists say, in the past two years, volcanic activity has come back to life with several major eruptions.
We fly over the most recent one, past the mouth of the volcano and over seemingly endless lava fields still steaming hot even months after the actual eruption ended. On the ground, crews are working around the clock to try to build a border (ph) to protect this geothermal power plant. And we also see the world famous Blue Lagoon hot springs. Normally a major tourist attraction, now closed down and also evacuated. The economic toll already immense.
PLEITGEN: What do you think it means for the people there?
HRANNAR SIGURDSSON, FLIGHT MECHANIC: I can't even imagine. Losing their houses and maybe their work, their whole life, it's just -- it's crazy.
[02:55:00]
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iceland's government says a major eruption here remains highly likely and it could happen in a matter of days. Iceland's Coast Guard aviators say they are on alert all the time.
JOHANNESSON: In case of the volcano starts, then we will fly over the area to evacuate the people.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Reykjavik, Iceland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Search and rescue teams have recovered the bodies of three people, including a young girl, after a landslide in Alaska. That massive slide swept through three homes, late Monday, as it careened down on a highway near the southeastern town of Wrangell. One woman was found alive and is receiving medical treatment, but another adult and two children are still missing. The area received more than three inches of rain in the 24 hours just before the slide.
I want to thank you for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more "CNN Newsroom" after a short break. Do stay with us.
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