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Israel Army Chief Says War With Hamas Will Last Many More Months; Baghdad Condemns U.S. Strike On Iraqi Military Positions; Ukraine Claims It Destroyed Russian Tank Landing Ship; Parasite Actor Lee Sun-kyun Found Dead In Seoul; Top Netanyahu Aide Meets With Biden Officials; Netanyahu Confidant Meets with Senior U.S. Officials; Cold Snap in Beijing; Kenyan Start-up Wasoko Among Fastest Growing Companies; Trump to Political Foes: "May They Rot in Hell"; Gangs Force Trafficking Victims to Scam Americans Online. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired December 27, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:20]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN. Israel says the war with Hamas would likely intensify and continue for months, as the military focus shifts from the north of Gaza to the south. And beyond Gaza, what's driving a low level ongoing tit for tat conflicts between U.S. forces and around back militants.

Criminal gangs in Myanmar forcing human trafficking victims to take part in a fast growing scam stealing millions of dollars from unwary Americans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.

VAUSE: Israel's most senior military commander Herzi Halevi says his forces have operational control in northern Gaza. And the ground offensive is now expanding to urban areas in central and southern Gaza, including around the city of Khan Younis. But the war isn't likely to end anytime soon. But he says it could be many more months before Israel makes its military objective of destroying Hamas.

Israeli officials say so called terror targets in Gaza are being hit from the ground, the air and the sea. And on Tuesday, dozens of fighter jets they say struck more than 100 Hamas targets including tunnels, shops and infrastructure.

But dozens of Palestinians have been killed in recent days. All up Hamas control health ministry says the death toll in the enclave is now approaching 21,000 Since the Israeli military offensive began 81 days ago. CNN though cannot independently verify those numbers. (INAUDIBLE) senior Israeli military chief describe what's coming ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HERZI HALEVI, ISRAELI CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF (through translator): The war will go on for many months. And we will employ different methods to maintain our achievements for a long time. There are no magic solutions. There are no shortcuts in dismantling a terrorist organization only determined and persistent fighting. And we are very, very determined.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The war in Gaza intensifies and calls for a ceasefire growing louder. A close confidant of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington meeting with senior U.S. officials about the next phase of the conflict. CNN's Will Ripley following developments he has the very latest now reporting it from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have some new information from the Israel Defense Force about the number of soldiers who have been killed since the ground operation began on October the 27th. That's 20 days after the horrific attacks of October 7 that took the lives of 1,200 Israelis, 161 IDF soldiers have been killed in Gaza making this a very deadly conflict for them and even deadlier for the people of Gaza where the death toll is now approaching 21,000 according to the Hamas controlled health ministry, with the number of injured more than double that nearly 55,000, although CNN cannot independently verify those numbers.

Now the new information from the Israeli government and the military, they are now close to dismantling Hamas battalions in the northern part of Gaza. But they have shifted the intensity of their military operation just southern Gaza, and also central Gaza where we saw airstrikes over the weekend that led to a very stunning death toll and just 124 hour period of at least 250 people killed making that one of the deadliest days since this war began.

But Israel says this is the new reality since October the seventh, and there are many months of fighting to go because Hamas is a type of organization that has essentially embedded itself within communities making mosques and schools and even residential apartment buildings potential military targets if Hamas is believed to be operating either in or underneath those facilities. They do, of course have an extensive network of underground tunnels.

The Israelis say that Hamas leadership will fall but the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning that it could be a very long fight ahead. Scores of people killed in central Gaza and the pictures have been heartbreaking people kneeling over the rubble, mourning the loss of young children. In many cases, sometimes entire families crushed underneath the rubble as Israel intensifies its operations.

Around the region, there are fears of an expanding conflict or regional conflict after the death of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps member that Israel has not confirmed any involvement in but nonetheless Iran pointing the finger vowing to avenge this death at the right time and in the right place. They say this is a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman that Israel now says they're essentially having to defend themselves in what they call a multi arena war, fighting a war on several front fronts with Iran and Iran back proxies Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and also the Houthis in Yemen.

The United States also conducting strikes after attacks on U.S. sites in Iraq and Syria. This is a conflict of the U.S. and Israel very much don't want to see expanding larger than it already is right now.

[01:05:04]

But that may be an impossible thing to prevent and avoid considering all of these latest developments.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Our thanks to Will Ripley there and there's been condemnation from Baghdad about those us retaliatory airstrikes on Iran-backed militants inside Iraq, described by the Iraqi prime minister as a hostile act. More now from CNN Oren Liebermann report again from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rising tensions in the Middle East with U.S. fighter jets carry out a series of strikes in Iraq, against Kataib Hezbollah, one of Iran's regional proxies. The U.S. said the Monday strikes targeted drone facilities used by the militant group and its affiliates.

Mourners leading a funeral procession through the streets of Baghdad, as U.S. Central Command said the strikes likely killed a number of militants.

President Joe Biden ordered the strikes after Kataib Hezbollah recognized by the U.S. as a terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the Monday drone attack on U.S. forces in Iraq. The attack injured three U.S. service members the Pentagon said including one in critical condition.

In a statement, the National Security Council said the president places no higher priority and the protection of American personnel serving in harm's way. The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria had been targeted approximately 100 times since October, when the Israel-Hamas war started. The U.S. has tried to calibrate its retaliatory strikes to send a message to Iranian proxies in the region without sparking a wider war.

Last month, the U.S. also carried out strikes against Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, killing at least eight of their fighters, according to the group. Iraq's government has condemned both of the attacks calling them hostile acts that are unacceptable under any circumstances. The unrest has not been limited to land. Over the weekend, the U.S. is a one way attack drone launched directly

from Iran struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean. No U.S. Navy ships were in the vicinity. The attack caused no injuries. But it did spark a fire on the ship according to Central Command, as it raised concerns of a broader conflict the U.S. has been trying to avoid.

LIEBERMANN: U.S. Central Command says according to their preliminary assessment of the U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, there were no civilians affected. However, the Iraqi government says there were 19 people injured approximately one servicemen and 18 others including civilians. So that is part of the reason the Iraqi Government is angry over these strikes again also seeing them as an infringement of Iraqi sovereignty. An important point here is as the U.S. operates with its forces in Iraq, at the invitation of the Iraqi government. Oren Liebermann, CNN in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Live to Berlin now and David Sanger, a CNN political and national security analysts, as well as White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Good to see you again, David.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you, John.

VAUSE: OK, so beyond Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, there is this ongoing low intensity conflict between U.S. forces in the region and Iran back militants. So explain these tit for tat strikes. Why do they begin and what are they meant to achieve?

SANGER: So really great question, because the Iranian endgame here is not at all clear to us. One thing American officials will tell you is they think that these various strikes, while perhaps not coordinated, out of Tehran, certainly encouraged in Tehran, are all part of a broader response to the Israeli action inside Gaza, and that as long as the Gaza conflict goes on, they think these attacks will go on.

And these ranges that you heard there from will and from aren't from the Red Sea, where obviously there's been attacks on shipping to the attacks in Syria and Iraq. And, of course, Hezbollah's actions out of out of Lebanon.

So this poses sort of two big strategic questions for the US. One is, how do you establish some determines here without triggering that border war that you were just discussing? And the second question is, what do you do in the border relationship with Iran, to make it clear to the Iranians that this is not in their long term interest? And I think U.S. officials are stymied both of those.

VAUSE: Well, just as a reminder here, the U.S. State Department says Iraq is a key partner for the United States in the region, as well as the voice of moderation and democracy in the Middle East. And earlier this week, U.S. forces based Iraq came under attack is what we reported on by the Iran backed militants, U.S. responded with limited airstrikes, which the Iraqi government condemned as hostile acts which infringe upon Iraq's sovereignty deemed unacceptable under any circumstances or justification.

[01:10:05]

That doesn't sound like somebody a key partner would say. So what's Iraq -- what is a Iraq stand middle of this?

SANGER: Well, Iraq, so I'm pretty precarious position and one of the reasons that the President Biden did not want to strike inside Iraq previously, he didn't want to destabilize the Al Sudani government, which includes the political winning of this Hezbollah group that was responsible for the attacks.

And that's the Iraq we are left with today, one that is, you know, pretty fragile, parts of which are clearly under very strong Iranian influence. The Iranians have a significant political influence inside Iraq.

And that's just the reality. And of course, had they called the Iraqis and sought permission to do this kind of strike, it would have immediately tipped off the Iranians.

VAUSE: Which is part of this sort of expanded front, if you like, that the Israelis are now dealing with also part of that. I want you to listen to the Israeli Defense Minister talking about the number of this multi-faceted arena, if you like that, Israel is now facing and how the war with Hamas has expanded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOAV GALLANT, ISRAELI DEFNESE MINISTER (through translator): We are in a multi arena war, we are being attacked from seven different sectors, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Judea and Samaria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. We have already responded and acted in six of these decrees. And I say here in the most explicit way, anyone who acts against us is a potential target. There is no immunity for anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And you play it all. There seems to be the Houthi fighters in Yemen, again, backed by Iran. They've, you know, attacked more than 100 ships from 14 nations in recent days, as well as firing missiles and successfully Israel. Keep in mind, but the Israeli Defense Minister said about no immunity.

This newly declassified intelligence suggests that Iranian support throughout the Gaza crisis has enabled the Houthis to launch attacks against Israel and maritime targets, though Iran has offered deferred operational decision making authority to the Houthis.

We spoke about this other day. So here's the concern, how likely and under what circumstances would Israel and the U.S. be willing to end what is essentially a proxy conflict with Iran and engage in a direct conflict?

SANGER: That's the key question that's underway right now, John. Because right now, these have been pretty much pinprick counter attacks against operations that Hezbollah has been running, the drone facility that was struck on Monday in response to that attack on the U.S. base in Erbil.

But President Biden's been understandably hesitant to attack directly inside Iran, in part because they're not entirely sure what the target would be there. He's attacks with one exception have not been launched out of Iran. And because he doesn't want to escalate, and you can understand why that would be. We've got enough issues underway in the Middle East already.

But when you just heard the Israeli general refer to how there is one area where they have not responded yet, he seemed to be clearly alluding to Iran itself. I think President Biden will be very hesitant to go take military action inside Iran, absent a major move in the Iranian nuclear program.

VAUSE: David, it's always great to have you with us, especially early in the morning there in Berlin. Thank you for getting up early. Thank you for being with us. Appreciate it.

SANGER: Good to see, John.

VAUSE: You too. Thank you. And with that, we'll take a short break here on CNN. In n a moment, Ukraine claims a major blow to Putin's Navy, or Russian forces take control of a key piece of real estate. Details ahead.

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VAUSE: Ukraine's top General has warned the city of Avdiivka could be just months away from becoming the next Bakhmut. The battle for Avdiivka is already one of the deadliest and most destructive on the Eastern Front.

You remember the battlefield Bakhmut left the entire town destroyed. It was grueling warfare lasting for months on end. You'd have Ukraine's commander in chief says his forces have withdrawn from Maryinka a village about 40 kilometers from Avdiivka and Russian forces are now in control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL VALERY ZALUZHNYL, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, UKRAINE ARMED FORCES (through translator): The methodology is exactly the same as it was in Baku street after street is destroyed, block after block or fighters are buried, and then we have what we have. So again, this is war. And the fact that we have now withdrawn to the outskirts of Maryinka and in some places have already equipped positions behind Maryinka, there's nothing in this that can cause any public outcry there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says control of Avdiivka could determine the outcome of the war. He said that also about Bakhmut. Well, Ukraine's general says even if forces are withdrawn from the city, they'll make that decision to save people and then retake it later.

Now to southern Ukraine and the city of Kherson were civilians waiting at a train station for evacuation of come under Russian fire. According to Ukrainian officials, one person was killed four others hurt during the attack. Around 140 People were packed into the station trying to flee the city, which despite being liberated more than a year ago has come under near constant Russian attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): It's a difficult day. There has been a report on the shelling of Kherson, a Russian attack on a train station, an evacuation train. All services are now on the spot. There were many civilians on the spot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Now to what appears to be a major maritime victory for Ukraine, claiming to have destroyed a Russian Navy landing ship in Crimea, occupied Crimea and an overnight strike Tuesday.

That apparently was a ship going up in a massive explosion on board apparently Iran attacked drones Shaheds. CNN though has not been able to independently verify that the Russian ship was actually destroyed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YURII IHNAT, SPOKESPERSON, UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE COMMANDER (through translator): This is such a powerful events for us. In fact, we destroyed both the ship and the occupiers through well-coordinated actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: No confirmation from the Russian Defense Ministry the shippers destroy but there has been an admission it was damaged in the Ukrainian attack. Russian appointed official in Occupy Crimea says a person was killed, two others injured.

If the ship was in fact destroyed, it would be the third major military hardware loss for Russia in less than a week.

Let's head to Canberra now, Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst of Defense Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. It's good to see you, Malcolm.

MALCOLM DAVIS, : Good to see you, John.

VAUSE: OK, so the ship which appears to be sunk. It's the Novocherkassk, a 360 feet long lander designed to land troops and vehicles during amphibious assaults. Can carry 10 tanks, 340 personnel, ships regular crew that 87 people.

And judging by the explosion posted on social media we just saw it may have had a lot of ammunition on board as well. So what is the sort of the significance here? The impact of the ship's destruction on Russia's Navy in the Black Sea and its operational capability or the fact it was destroyed wall doc input in Russian occupied Crimea?

DAVIS: One like I think I have to say both and certainly intelligence indicates that it was carrying large numbers of Iran and supply and Shahed drones.

[01:20:00]

So if in fact that is the case, then not only has Russia lost a major surface asset for its Flexi fleet, but it's also lost a significant amount of weapons to which to strike Ukraine. And the Russians are focusing very much on hitting Ukrainian critical infrastructure including power generation electricity, that sort of thing. Those Shahed drones are a key weapon for the Russian offensive against Ukraine.

So I think that irrespective of however you look at this, it's a very convincing Ukrainian win with the use of Storm Shadow missiles against that ship, that potentially could have also taken out a significant number of Shahed drones.

VAUSE: And timing is everything. And it comes at a very critical moment support from the U.S. and the E.U. is wavering for Ukraine, a point not lost on Britain's defense secretary tweeted this on X. This latest destruction of Putin's Navy demonstrated those who believe there's a stalemate in the Ukraine war or wrong. They haven't noticed over the past four months 20 percent of Russia's Black Sea fleet has been destroyed.

So, that seems to have gone under the radar, in many ways, will be enough to win back support, especially in the U.S. where Republican lawmakers have been critical of like a progress by Ukraine and a counter offensive.

DAVIS: Look, I think every victory that Ukraine gains is important because it does send the message both to Washington D.C. and Brussels, that really, Ukraine can win this war, if the West stands behind it. And that is crucial. If

the West gives up on Ukraine, if the military aid dries up in 2024, then the wall will stay out -- stalemate in 2024. And the Russians then have superior military industrial capacity to Ukraine to build up its capabilities so that maybe in late 2024, early 2025, the Russians can then go on the offensive.

And I think what you would then have is the risk of Ukraine, basically collapsing in the wake of a Russian offensive if they lacked the ammunition and the weapons with which to defend against it. So it really does send an important message that it's vital for the West to continue to stand by Ukraine and ensure that Ukraine wins decisively and Russia is defeated decisively.

VAUSE: One of the Ukrainian military chiefs made the point that this calculation he made was that he didn't think that a country that would lose 20 percent of its Black Sea Fleet like Russia had, incur such huge losses in the number of, you know, troops deployed to the battlefield like Russia has, and to also losses in hardware, like tanks and APCs, that kind of stuff., would continue on with this sort of grinding war of attrition.

It seems to be the only way Putin knows how to play at war, when they get to win. A major conflict is to grind, you know, the opponent to the ground.

DAVIS: Exactly. It's a very old style of attritional warfare. You basically throw human beings into a meat grinder. It's World War I, we have drones and precision guided munitions. And essentially, this is the sort of fighting that we saw on the Western Front in 1917 (INAUDIBLE) while essentially we're seeing the same thing now, but with much more advanced weapons.

And Ukraine's position can be held with Western support. But if that Western support falls away, then Russia's superior military industrial capacity to produce weapons and to throw humans into the fight starts to win through and then we are in a situation where Russia begin to see great victory within its grasp.

And that has implications not just for Ukraine in terms of Ukraine losing its state and also losing humans in areas where Russia controls the territory. It also has implications for NATO, and for NATO's Eastern frontier and its security, because a Russian winning Ukraine will embolden Putin. He'll have the time then to rebuild and rearm so that maybe in the second half of this decade, Russia might be tempted then to direct his attention towards NATO directly.

VAUSE: Yes, he took Georgia, he took Crimea. Now we're in Ukraine. See what happened to that. Malcolm, great to have you with us. Appreciate your time.

DAVIS: Thanks very much.

VAUSE: Confirmation from police that South Korean actor Lee Sun-Kyun has died. He won international fame for his role in the Academy Award winning film Parasite. According to police, the actor's manager file a missing persons report. 48-year-old was later found dead in his car.

Live now to Hong Kong and CNN's Hanako Montgomery. So Hanako, what more do we know about his death?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so Lee Sun-Kyun's death, John, was an extremely tragic and very sudden death. Of course, this actor was beloved in South Korea and also globally.

Now what South Korean police have told CNN is that they presume his death was a suicide. What we also know is that he was currently being investigated for alleged drug use since October of this year.

[01:25:00]

He was brought into questioning three times by the police, most recently on December 23 when he was questioned for 19 hours. He was released on Christmas Eve.

Now it's important to note that for all of the drug tests that Lee took, as requested by the police, they all came back negative. Now on social media, there has been an outpouring of grief around his death. Of course, he had international fame and international fans, especially after the release of Parasite, which was the first non- English language film to win Best Picture at the 2020 Oscars. It also picked up three other awards.

But in South Korea, he was also a household name. He starred in a number of films and TV shows in a career that spanned two decades. So, now as we look to confirm more facts and details about his death, of course, fans across the world are mourning his very tragic and sudden death.

VAUSE: Hanako, thank you. Hanako Montgomery there live for us in Hong Kong.

We'll take a short break, when we come back, Israel says it's a multi arena war and warns long fight is yet to come. The latest on the war with Hamas. That's next.

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VAUSE: In Washington, the next phase of Israel's military offensive in Gaza has been the focus of high level talks between Israeli and U.S. officials. Both sides are at odds over when the IDF will transition away from the high intensity phase of the war, with high civilian deaths and widespread devastation to more focused on targeting Hamas leadership and improving humanitarian conditions. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Washington with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Senior U.S. officials meeting on Tuesday with a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The hours long meeting comes as the U.S. looks for Israel to move away from its high intensity war.

Now, Ron Dermer met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken here at the White House along with national security adviser Jake Solomon. The big question going into the meeting was what the next phase of the war looks like especially Israel's gout ground operation in Gaza.

Up until this point, Israel has assured the U.S. that it plans to transition to a low intensity war with a more precise military strategy and targeting of Hamas leadership. But they haven't offered a timeline. So U.S. officials were looking for more information on that again, as that death toll continues to rise in Gaza.

Now over the course of the day senior Israeli officials were expressing confidence about the nature of the conversations between the U.S. and Israel, describing them as good and saying that the U.S. and Israel are on the same page.

[01:29:42] But President Biden is under increasing domestic and international

pressure over the destruction and devastation in Gaza. And he said earlier this month that Israel risks losing support on the international stage if it doesn't contain those casualties.

So the U.S. officials and the close confidant of Benjamin Netanyahu meeting here at the White House try to get more answers on what this next phase looks like.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN -- at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: For more now on the backroom diplomacy underway in Washington and what it means for Israel's war with Hamas, we are joined by Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Welcome back, it's been a while. It's good to see you.

STEVEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thanks.

VAUSE: Ok. So here's how Mark Regev, a senior adviser to the Israeli prime minister characterized talks with the U.S. over the operational tempo of Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK REGEV, SENIOR ADVISER TO BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: We can have different discussions on this tactical issue or that tactical issue. We listened very attentively to whatever Washington says, and I believe they listened very carefully to whatever we say to them.

But ultimately, we are on the same side of this. We want to see Hamas destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: You know, for years, as spokesman for the Israeli government, Mark Regev was pretty much the master of spin. He is at it again right now? Or is this just really an attentive discussion over tactics between two friends?

COOK: Well I think he is both the master of spin and there are differences between the United States and Israel. I think the administration has made no secret of the fact that it has serious reservations about the way in which the Israeli military operations have unfolded especially with the number of dead Palestinians and the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.

At the same time, Regev is quite right that the United States and Israel share the same goal which is the destruction of Hamas. There was a report just on Christmas Day that the United States' 250 cargo planes plus 20 ships, have delivered some 20,000 of pounds of military equipment to the Israelis since the beginning of the war.

So despite whatever significant differences there are about tactics, the United States remains it seems fully supportive of Israel's overall strategic goals.

VAUSE: If there is a difference, it's over timing here. When does this transition from high intensity conflict to a more, you know, specific targeted one.

And the IDF chief of staff, the Israel Defense Forces echoed comments from Prime Minister Netanyahu a day earlier, about the duration and intensity of the fight in Gaza. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERZI HALEVI, ISRAEL CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF (through translator): this war has necessary and not easy goals to achieve. It takes place in complex territory. Therefore the war will go on for many months. And we will employ different methods, to maintain our achievements for a long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So when he talks about the need for different methods here, is that sort of recognition that Israel will have to scale back, not necessarily because of the conditions on the battlefield but because of diplomatic and political realities beyond Gaza?

COOK: Well, it's hard to say, I think the Israelis from the very beginning, understood that global support would dissipate relatively quickly. I think what they're finding as they moved out of the northern Gaza Strip, into the southern part of the area is that it is a much different kind of fight.

That is where the Hamas leadership is. It requires them to actually break down doors, to go into tunnels. It's just a different enterprise for them. And that is why he's hinting at, this will be a longer and different kind of fight.

The Israelis have proven thus far to be impervious to international criticism. Reasoning that no matter what they did that they would be criticized. So I suspect whatever is being said, on the streets of western capitals is not really moving them. It's more the complexity of the fight that they're confronting.

VAUSE: There's also this possibility of a wider escalation. CNN is reporting that U.S. Navy intercepts a barrage of drones, missiles over the Red Sea fired from Yemen. This was during a ten-hour period according to U.S. Central Command.

You know, Israel's defense minister says his country is now fighting a multi-front war and the U.S. continues to carry out these retaliatory air strikes on Iran-backed militia groups in the region which have carried out attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

The fighting right now though seems to be relatively low level but it is picking up. It has gained intensity over the last couple of weeks. This is not heading in the right direction. I guess that's where the concern is beyond Gaza right now.

COOK: Yes. It is not heading in the right direction. Of course it's almost continuously since October 7th, both Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen 0have been targeting Israel.

[01:34:52]

COOK: With the help of United States, particularly in the Red Sea, the Yemeni drones and missiles have not struck Israel.

But there is the very, very concerning effort on the part of both the Houthis as well as well as Hezbollah, as well as the Israelis to actually pre-empt Hezbollah. There is a very serious concern about a widening and intensification of the regional conflict. That is, as the Israeli defense minister has admitted, already underway.

VAUSE: Steven, good to see you. Thanks for being here.

Steven Cook there, senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Thank you.

COOK: Thanks for having me.

VAUSE: The past 81 days have been nothing short of a living nightmare for the families of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. Time is not on their side and that goes both ways for Liora Argamani, whose daughter was kidnapped October 7th. But Liora is terminally ill, and has just one wish -- to see her daughter again before she dies.

In a letter to the U.S. president, she wrote, "I'm terminally ill with stage four brain cancer -- excuse me -- all that's running on my mind before I part ways with my family forever is a chance to hug my daughter, my only child. For one last time."

The video you're about to see is disturbing.

Her daughter was abducted at the Nova Music Festival October 7th. Her family wants that video of her kidnapping to be seen in hopes that she can be found.

VAUSE: Well, just months ago Beijing was seeing some of its hottest weather in history. Now the Chinese capital is struggling to keep warm. A record-breaking cold snap leaves the city shivering. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: A year of weather whiplash for Beijing just six months ago (INAUDIBLE) under record temperatures, that was in June. Now many are struggling to stay warm amid the longest cold snap since record- keeping began in 1951.

CNN's Marc Stewart has details

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China has been shivering through bitter and biting cold.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it is the coldest winter in the past 20 years.

STEWART: For around two weeks the Chinese capital has seen sub-zero temps, the longest cold snap here since records began in 1951.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The temperatures very low.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to wear this kind of clothes for this weather.

STEWART: By bike and by foot it is a struggle to stay warm in this megacity.

This is what's known as a hu ton (ph), a collection of small homes in narrow streets, very typical here in downtown Beijing. But many lack central heating, and that can be challenging and expensive when the temperatures take a plunge.

This man showed us his home and how he keeps warm.

[01:39:52]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We use electric heating.

STEWART: Even though the government helps to pay the bill for some families it can still be a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frankly speaking, this is not as good as the high- rise which has 24-hour central heating. But it's not too cold here right now either.

STEWART: The arctic chill has been felt far beyond Beijing. Across the country, coal-powered plants have been on full drive to warm up homes.

Yet problems at a plant in central China force heating in one city to be temporarily cut. And in northwest China the weather got in the way of rescue efforts after last week's deadly earthquake.

Residents in the quake zone set bonfires to get warm. A burning stove and a bowl of warm noodles enough to comfort these children.

Back in Beijing, the forecast is for the cold wave to pass. Making tasks in the city of more than 20 million people a bit more tolerable.

Marc Stewart, CNN -- Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: According to a recent report by (INAUDIBLE) Africa, financial technology raises the most funding for African start-ups. But other sectors are now growing at a faster. Kenyan e-commerce start-up WASOKO is a prime example recognized by

"The Financial Times" as Africa's fastest-growing company in 2022. It continued its meteoric rise this year expanding into Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSHUA MURIMA, HEAD OF ENGAGEMENT AND INVESTOR RELATIONS, BRITER BRIDGES: Trade in Africa is largely informal. We're starting to see the emergence of new products in the retail tech, the likes of business-to-business commerce, that seeks to shorten the supply chain between manufacturers and the end consumer.

DANIEL YU, CEO/FOUNDER, WASOKO: We started Wasoko in order to enable small mom and pop stores across Africa to get what they need, as conveniently quickly and affordably as possible.

With the Wasoko app retailers are able to place an order at any time for essential goods such as rice, soap, toilet paper and get those products delivered to their store free of charge, at the same day or the next day.

With that Wasoko actually handles all of our operations ourselves, sourcing these products in aggregate at the best price as possible, from manufacturers such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble, but also local companies who make up the majority of our supplier base as well.

From there, we operate our own distribution centers where last mile delivery fleet of local logistics providers integrate with our technology as well to make the deliveries to the shops quickly and conveniently to enable those goods to be made available for those communities.

Wasoko has been on a very long and often very difficult journey, starting our business all the way back in 2016. We've expanded now to six different countries not just in Kenya but also in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and most recently into the Democratic Republic of Congo as well.

The biggest challenge for us in growing has definitely been managing and maintaining the adequate levels of products, to make sure that we're always available for our customers across markets.

What we see is that as a result of a lot of challenges in the supply chain that oftentimes goods are not available from manufacturers even when there is demand for them in the market.

Our biggest achievement has been building up this customer base over 200,000 shops across the six countries in which we operate. There are over 10 million of these mom-and-pop stores across Africa so there's still a long ways for us to go. But we're very excited about the traction that we've achieved so far.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And with that we'll take a short break. Back in a moment. [01:43:53]

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VAUSE: In the true spirit of the season, Donald Trump has wished his opponents a warm and joyous Christmas. No, he didn't. He wanted them to rot in hell.

He aired his grievances on social media especially against President Biden and special counsel Jack Smith.

Here's Kristen Holmes.

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KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, former president Trump continuing his quote/unquote Christmas messaging into the week, posting on Truth Social on Tuesday, "Biden's flunky, deranged Jack Smith should go to hell."

Now, this of course, comes after his posts on Christmas Day where many world leaders or former world leaders were calling for peace and unity in a time of war.

This is what Donald Trump was doing on Truth Social, posting "Merry Christmas to all, including Crooked Joe Biden's only hope, Deranged Jack Smith, the out-of-control lunatic."

Goes on to say, "May they rot in hell. Again, Merry Christmas."

This is not the typical messaging you would see from any sort of world leader, but it is a message you would see from Donald Trump who has made an entire political career of being the victim and airing these kinds of grievances, particularly when it comes to his legal cases.

Donald Trump's agenda is to play this out in the court of public opinion, and he does believe that this rhetoric of attacking Joe Biden, of attacking Jack Smith is working for him because he sees those poll numbers.

And when you look at that, when you talk to senior members of his team, it is clear that he is not going to tone down this rhetoric, or this language at any point.

And it's not just these attacks that we see out on Joe Biden, or Jack Smith, but it's also his aggressive anti-immigration rhetoric. As he has continued to ramp up that language, those poll numbers, at least in Iowa, have continued to rise.

So right now, there is no political pressure on him to tone it down, to pull it back at all. Now, obviously, this could change if he's the GOP nominee, if he does go up against Joe Biden in a general election and need to find more moderate voters. But again, that remains to be seen.

Kristen Holmes, CNN -- Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Kanye West has apologized for his anti-Semitic remarks, posting an apology in Hebrew on Instagram Tuesday, writing this. "I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or disrespect and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused."

It's not clear what prompted West's post, now known legally as Ye. But here's a clue, Ye is expected to release his new collection of music titled "Vultures". And it follows a host of offensive statements he made about the Jewish and black communities.

In response to Ye's apology, the Anti-Defamation League said, "After causing untold damage by using his vast influence and platform to poison countless minds with vicious anti-Semitism and hate, an apology in Hebrew maybe the first step on a long journey towards making him amends."

American tech giant Intel plans to build a $25 billion dollar chip- making factory in southern Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls it the largest investment in Israel's history.

Intel already employs nearly 12,000 people in Israel, and has invested more than $50 billion over the last 50 years.

The new plant is set to open in 2028. Intel also wants to expand operations at an existing chip-making factory near Gaza. This is also in southern Israel, despite the ongoing war.

Well, shoppers in the U.S. won't be out to buy the latest Apple Watch anytime soon -- bummer. The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled Apple's latest watch violates patent registered to another company.

And with the White House as expected not overturning the ban as a last-minute emergency action, a couple of (INAUDIBLE) watchers like Series 9 and Ultra 2 cannot be sold in the U.S. until Apple makes a few changes.

Apple says it is pursuing both legal and technical options to try and get the watches back on the shelves. That includes promoting a redesign for U.S. customs approval. The company is asking for a stay on the ban until U.S. customs can consider the new design. That's expected to happen by the middle of next month. It's only a few weeks, it will be ok.

Criminal gangs apparently based in war-torn Myanmar not far from the border of Thailand are scamming millions of dollars online from thousands of unsuspecting Americans. And they are forcing human trafficking victims to do their dirty work.

[01:49:52]

VAUSE: Here's CNN's Ivan Watson with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a living hell, day in and day out.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is one of tens of thousands of U.S. victims of a fast-growing new form of financial fraud.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bad guys are getting good and they are getting better.

WATSON: Scams run by gangs working in the war-torn corner of Southeast Asia.

Is this a form of modern-day slavery?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely, yes. And no one can do anything about it.

WATSON: Using fake online profiles and modern-day slaves.

How did the bosses keep you working?

JAMES BARNACLE, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: They're operating like slaves. If you are not working, they'll get punished.

WATSON: In northern California, CY is piecing together his life.

CY, VICTIM: I can never forget or forgive myself losing that kind of money.

WATSON: He asked to remain anonymous to protect his family after he lost more than $1 million to a scam called Pig Butchering. It started in October 2021 with a text message from a stranger.

CY: This person texted me out of the blue from WhatsApp.

WATSON: What was the name of the person you were communicating with?

CY: She claims her name is Jessica.

WATSON: The two quickly became friends. She shared photos and CY talked about the pain of caring for his dying father. After nearly a month, the conversation turned to money.

CY: She started to introduce me to cryptocurrency, trading gold using cryptocurrency.

WATSON: Jessica showed CY how to invest by installing a trading app on his phone that he says looked legit.

CY: Around this point is when she was instructing me or showing me how to deposit my money to crypto currency.

WATSON: You thought in just a matter of weeks, you doubled your money?

CY: Yes. WATSON: Little did he know, he was a victim pumping money into a sophisticated con, for the scammers a pig fattened for the slaughter.

CY: I logged back in, the (INAUDIBLE) is gone. What the heck had happened? What did I do? That is 30 years of my life -- my life building up this wealth.

WATSON: Panicking, CY begged Jessica for help.

CY: Please help me, I don't know what else I can do. I don't have any more money. I cannot buy anything. I lost everything.

WATSON: But Jessica disappeared and probably never even existed.

BARNACLE: The victim thinks that they're making an investment opportunity, doesn't understand that they are by cryptocurrency, transferring it to the bad guy.

WATSON: The FBI says it's seen exponential growth in losses due to pig butchering scams with more than 20,000 victims reported so far this year.

BARNACLE: This is the professionalization of fraud services.

WATSON: an organization representing scam victims tracked their crypto transfers halfway around the world to this border region in Myanmar.

U.S. scam victims say they've been able to trace their money to places like this. This one compound across the river is just inside the territory of Myanmar.

And that is where we're learning about the conditions inside that some people who worked there, they say that they were first forced against their will to try to scam Americans out of their hard-earned money in conditions that they described as amounting to modern-day slavery.

This compound is where an Indian man named Rakesh (ph) says he was forced to work for more than 11 months without pay for a Chinese criminal gang.

The guards have spotted us -- until they recently released him back to Thailand.

Where was the job supposed to be?

RAKESH, VICTIM: They told me in Bangkok.

WATSON: He, too, was the victim of a scam. Rakesh, he doesn't want to be identified and he says he first flew to Thailand for what he thought was an IT job. Instead, he says he was tricked into crossing the border to Myanmar where a Chinese gangster told him to work, or else.

He threatened to kill you.

RAKESH: Yes. He warned me like that. WATSON: And the job, spent 1d hours a day on social media targeting Americans with a fake profile.

RAKESH: They provided for us, I got a Russian girl. With using a Russian girl's fake profile I need to scam the people.

WATSON: Posing as a Salt Lake City-based investor named Clara Sinona (ph), Rakesh flirted online with potential targets.

Rakesh shows secretly filmed images of what at first glance seems to be an ordinary office. But he says the bosses routinely punished workers, forcing them to do hundreds of squats, and beating them if they did not produce.

And you have helped rescue people who are trapped inside behind the barbed wire --

MICHELLE MOORE, AID WORKER: Yes.

WATSON: -- of that very compound?

MOORE: Yes.

[01:54:55]

WATSON: Michelle Moore is one of a group of aid workers are based in Thailand who have helped rescue hundreds of victims of trafficking like Rakesh over the last 18 months.

What are the measures that are being used to keep them there?

MOORE: Lots of psychological manipulations, coercion, physical torture.

WATSON: She drives me along the border.

MOORE: Just there, green roof.

WATSON: Showing compounds only a stone's throw away where she says trafficked victims are forced to work as online scammers.

MOORE: This is why it's modern slavery. And it's right under everybody's nose.

WATSON: satellite images show rapid construction of these compounds on the border territory of Myanmar, over just three years. Thailand's minister of justice labels these facilities as hubs for criminal scamming activity.

TAWEE SODSONG, THAI JUSTICE MINISTER: These scammers have to use telephone signals to communicate. That's why they base themselves near the Thai border so they can use Thailand's telephone network.

WATSON: But he says Thailand has no jurisdiction to crack down on suspected criminals operating across the border in Myanmar. CNN asked the military government in Myanmar why it hasn't taken

action against alleged criminal gangs operating on its territory. And did not receive an answer.

So for now, no one is going to stop this poisonous cycle of exploitation, where trafficked victims in Southeast Asia work like slaves to scam Americans out of their savings.

Ivan Watson, CNN -- on the Thai border with Myanmar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Grab some popcorn, pull up a chair. It is spokes season, and the ultra-shot vision from the Hubble Telescope has an ultra-shot view. This photo, taken in October when Saturn was 850 miles from earth. And there they are, apparently ring spokes which can be seen from a few rotations of the rings. And then, poof, gone.

NASA's Voyager 2 first photograph of the ring spokes in 1981. They have long baffled astronomers of the number and appearance can vary depending on the season. It's a good one this year. It's expected to ramp up during Saturn's equinox.

Something to (INAUDIBLE).

Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.

CNN NEWSROOM continues after a short break.

See you tomorrow.

[01:57:14]

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