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CNN International: Russia Launches "Biggest Wave" Of Airstrikes Since War Began; Ukraine: Friday Airstrikes Largest Since Invasion Began; U.N. Agency Says 150,000 Civilians Have "Nowhere To Go" After Israel Orders Evacuations In Central Gaza. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired December 29, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN HOST: Hello, and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. Just ahead, a grim end to 2023, as Ukraine is hit by the biggest wave of Russian air attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion. Then, disqualified again, another U.S. state kicks Donald Trump off the primary ballot for engaging in insurrection. And this is a wow moment, as a rogue wave sweeps away people and cars on the California coast. We will tell you what happened, next.

Explosions rocked cities across Ukraine after what officials there called the biggest wave of Russian attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion. In the capital Kyiv, the mayor says three people were killed and nearly 30 were injured. The Interior Ministry reports at least 18 people were killed and dozens injured across the country in places like Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and beyond. Among the buildings damaged, hospitals, malls and apartments. Despite the destruction, Ukraine's Prime Minister says air defenses shot down most incoming targets.

Nic Robertson joins us now with the details on this massive attack. Nic, why would Russia conduct an attack at this scale now, and what does the attack capabilities and Ukraine's defense tell us about their relative strengths at this time?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. I think number one, this could be Russian reprisal for the sinking of a tank carrying -- tank and troop carrying assault vessel that Ukraine successfully dispatched almost to the bottom of the sea earlier this week. It could be also that President Putin is now sort of engaging in this election run. Obviously, there is no real challenge to him, but he wants to make it seem as if he is winning on all fronts in Ukraine. When we talk about the number of missiles fired, and the number shot down, 114 out of 158, that means 44 got through, not an insignificant number.

And Ukraine relies on its Western partners for its air defense systems. It has multiple different surface-to-air defense systems, the radars that interlock how they track, where they can track Russian aircraft and missile movement. So, it's a complex system, and it requires a lot of ammunition to successfully shoot down all these attacking drones and cruise missiles, which means they rely very heavily for this part of their defense on West -- on these Western allies. And we've seen the European Union and the United States bulk providing hundreds of billions of dollars of committed military aid over a number of years.

And what Russia has done here is very sophisticated. It launched 36 drones earlier on in the night in a pattern that Ukraine is used to. They're pretty handy at knocking down those particular drones. And then, they put up, the Russians, about three o'clock in the morning, put up a number of strategic bombers, 18 strategic bombers, which kind of loitered out there for about three hours before they dispatched 90 different cruise missiles from those strategic bombers.

But, in the meantime, Russia has also put up some long-range bombers, eight long-range bombers, and they in that same period of time launched eight cruise missiles. They put up MiG-35s, which have the hypersonic cruise missile on board. They launched five of those hypersonic cruise missiles. They launched surface-to-air missiles, S- 300s, S-400s, on Kharkiv with deadly and destructive effects. So, what they're trying to do is outsmart, overpower, overrun Ukraine's air defense system, which is why I think we've heard from the Moldovans, Ukraine's neighbor, today saying, look, you need to support the air defense systems more. This won't have an immediate effect on the front line. But, psychologically and for the spirit of people who know they've got a winter of this potentially ahead of them, it's a tough moment.

NOBILO: Nic, what is the increasingly protracted nature of this conflict coming into its third year, February 24, 2024? Who does it put it the advantage, presumably Russia because of the manpower and numerical superiority? What are the biggest challenges that are facing Ukraine next year?

ROBERTSON: Yeah. Russia reaches into his own pockets its resources of armaments. Its own economy. Its resources of troops. So, it does appear to have deep pockets there where Ukraine reaches into its pockets. They're not its pockets. It's reaching in to the pockets of its friends and allies. And there are political differences about access to those pockets at the moment, these hundreds of billions of dollars I was talking about. So, Russia in one regard feels that it sort of has the preponderance of capability. Ukraine, on the other hand, feels if only it had the same unlimited access to resources that Russia appears to have, it could land decisive blow, which it hasn't been able to do this year.

So, it puts Ukraine potentially on the back foot here where it has to think more about defense than offense. And the critical infrastructure of power supplies throughout the country took a huge hammering last year, and not all of that's been repaired. It's sort of held together in a pretty rudimentary way. That is very vulnerable this winter. And Ukrainian politicians and the population are fully aware of what that can mean, another bitterly, bitterly cold, dark winter, potentially without water even.

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NOBILO: Nic Robertson, thank you very much. The UN Relief and Aid Works Agency is warning that 150,000 Palestinian

civilians have nowhere to go, as Israel presses its offensive into central Gaza. And there are dozens of reports that more Palestinian deaths from Israeli airstrikes around Khan Younis and Rafah as well as in central Gaza over the past day. Meanwhile, the Israeli Military says poor communications with soldiers in the field contributed to the accidental shooting of three Israeli hostages. It published a report on the incident which says troops failed in their mission to rescue the hostages.

Let's go live to Tel Aviv now and journalist Elliott Gotkine for more on this. Elliott, what further details do we learn from this report?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: Quite a lot of new details, Bianca. What this was effectively for the IDF was a kind of black swan in the sense that not only do they not expect to see three hostages wandering around the battlefield, but they didn't even imagine that such a scenario could unfold. And as a result of that, they've got this tragic sequence of events that ultimately led to Israeli soldiers killing three Israeli hostages. Now, what they say is, in terms of the chronology of the events, is that on December the 10th, soldiers discovered a note saying "Help" just by the side of a tunnel shaft. They believed that that was an attempt to try to entrap them, to try to lure them into some kind of ambush as it happened in the past.

In another incident on the same day, they heard cries for help in Hebrew. Again, they thought that that could possibly be a way of trying to lure them into some kind of trap. And then, on December the 14th, an Israeli drone captured images of a building on which "SOS, help three hostages" had been written. Again, they didn't think that this was genuine.

And so, what happened on December the 15th is that three Israeli hostages shirtless, holding up a makeshift white flag, appeared before Israeli soldiers. One of them identified them as a threat. They say that he didn't have great visibility, and he shot towards them killing two of them. The third ran into a building, was crying out for help in Hebrew. The commanding officer told him to come outside, told office -- told soldiers to hold their fire. But because of the noise of a nearby tank, two soldiers didn't hear that order to hold fire. And as a result, they shot this third hostage dead as well.

So, what the IDF is saying is, yes, it failed in its mission, and that it is obviously speaking and communicating to its soldiers to allow for these kinds of possibilities. But also, I suppose, making sure that soldiers follow operational procedures that if they see people emerging that are not a direct and immediate threat, as these three Israeli hostages were not, then that they need to take a moment to consider the situation to see if there is another way of dealing with this situation.

But, it's also worth noting, Bianca, that since October 7 when Hamas carried out this murderous rampage in Israel and also kidnapped more than 200 people, taking them back to the Gaza Strip, only one Israeli hostage has been rescued. A female Israeli soldier has been rescued alive by IDF soldiers. No other hostages have been rescued alive. The only ones that have been freed have been those that were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel as part of that truce that collapsed on December 1.

And that is another reason why the families who still have loved ones in the Gaza Strip, there are more than 100 people still being held in the Gaza Strip, that's why the families of those loved ones are so desperate to see another truce come into effect that will see their hostages returned home. They want them home and they want them home now. Bianca.

NOBILO: Elliott Gotkine, thank you so much.

Meantime, Lebanese and European officials are scrambling to calm the growing conflict between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel. The militant group claims to have carried out attacks on multiple barracks in northern Israel on Thursday. CNN's Nada Bashir has the details on those clashes.

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NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Smoke billowing from the mountains of southern Lebanon, a troubling and now increasingly frequent signal of escalating hostilities. Iran-backed Hezbollah claiming to have targeted an Israeli border city on Wednesday with 30 rockets. This in response to Israeli airstrikes on the Lebanese village of Bint Jbeil just hours earlier. There is nothing residents here can do to shield from the growing tensions gripping the embattled border region. Each air strike bringing with it more fear and more grief. This latest attack killing at least three, according to state media, but only one said to have been a member of Hezbollah.

AFIF BAZZI, BINT JBEIL, LEBANON MAYOR (TRANSLATED): This neighborhood, which is in the heart of the city, is supposed to be a safe area.

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Civilians were sleeping in their homes when suddenly we heard the sound of aircrafts above, and then these houses were destroyed.

BASHIR (voice-over): The situation on the border has long been tenuous, underpinned by a UN resolution adopted following the 2006 Lebanon War, calling for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. But, Israeli officials are now warning of an escalation, which could open up a new front in the Gaza war.

BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI WAR CABINET MEMBER (TRANSLATED): The stopwatch for a diplomatic solution is running out. If the world and the Lebanese government don't act in order to prevent the firing on Israel's northern residents and to distance Hezbollah from the border, the IDF will do it.

BASHIR (voice-over): Israel's unrelenting military operation in Gaza and the devastating civilian toll has sparked anger across the region. And while the U.S. continues to call on Israel to move towards what's being described as a low intensity phase of the war, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have warned of a long fight ahead, with plans to expand their military operation southwards already underway. Overnight Thursday, the foreboding red glow of fire illuminated the dark winter sky over Rafah. This is the very place civilians have been told to take shelter, a so-called safe zone and a crucial gateway for aid once again targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

In nearby Khan Younis, emergency teams work day and night to tend to the wounded and to recover the dead. Israel says it is targeting Hamas, and has issued renewed calls for civilians to evacuate. But, there is nowhere left to turn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): People sheltering in schools do not know where to go. First, we were displaced to Nuseirat, then to Rafah. We keep on getting told to move from one place to another.

BASHIR (voice-over): For the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, the vast majority now displaced in the south, there are no guarantees of safety, surrounded by a wall which has shown them no mercy and engulfed by a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable scale, leaving little hope for an end to their suffering. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

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NOBILO: If you'd like information on how to help with humanitarian relief efforts for Gaza and Israel, please go to cnn.com/impact. You'll find a list of vetted organizations there who are providing assistance on the ground. Once again, that's cnn.com/impact.

A powerful storm system is slamming the U.S. western coast and bringing with it dangerously high surf and flooding. Just north of Los Angeles, a rogue wave crashed over the seawall on Thursday, sweeping away everything in its path. Eight people were taken to hospital, and the threat isn't over yet. Coastal flood and high surf alert stretching from the U.S.-Mexico border to north of the Bay Area will remain in place throughout the weekend. And who better to discuss this with, Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. He joins me now from the CNN Weather Center. Derek, what a Christmas, New Year's treat to be reunited with you. So, tell us what was behind this wave, and what do people need to be looking out for?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. These rogue waves, they are so dangerous, so unpredictable, Bianca. They are typically about two times the size of the waves that surround that particular area. But, what forms a rogue wave that you saw on the video just a moment ago, sweeping people off their feet in Ventura, California -- Ventura County, California, in the southern sections of the state, well, it has to do with the ocean's swell. We get swell that traverses the oceans on a regular basis. But, the problem comes when that ocean swell meets with an opposing surface wave swell that's formed by an area of low pressure or powerful storm system that's traversing the ocean as well.

So, we get these opposing forces working together. Basically, what it does is it rapidly shortens the wavelengths. Remember, a wavelength is the distance between the crest of two waves. So, what happens when you shorten that very quickly, well, the result is a larger wave that builds and that rogue wave can be unexpected, it can come from different directions, and it can take people off guard, and of course, it can be extremely dangerous as well. That's what we've seen along parts of the West Coast of the U.S. Yes, there were warnings of high surf -- high surf advisories. But, some of these waves were larger than the surrounding waves. And that is why the Ventura County Fire Department called this a rogue wave.

So, we had the swell traversing the Pacific Ocean, but we also are getting this confluence of a low pressure system that's driving the surface wind right towards the coastal areas of California. So, these are working together to create these abnormally high tides -- abnormally high waves, coupling with high tides, the potential here for some of these coastal breakers to exceed the length of a telephone pole here exists, and we've already seen it in the video you saw just a moment ago.

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So, high surf warnings, especially for those vulnerable west-facing shorelines across Southern California into the San Francisco Bay area. That's an area we're monitoring for the potential for more high surf threats that could cause some coastal erosion as well, Bianca. Hope that was a succinct enough answer for you on this.

NOBILO: It certainly was. I mean, for me, you could go on for hours and I would never tire of it, Derek. But, very good to see you --

DAM: Appreciate it. You too.

NOBILO: -- in the CNN Weather Center. Thanks so much.

DAM: All right.

NOBILO: Still to come, Donald Trump is off the primary ballot in Maine, pending a possible appeal. We'll talk about what that might mean for the presidential race, when we come back.

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NOBILO: Maine's top election official says she will remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential primary ballot. Maine is the second U.S. state to ban the former U.S. President over his alleged role in the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. Maine's Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, who is a Democrat, issued her decision on Thursday. She cited the 14th Amendment, specifically Section 3 that prevents American officials who have engaged in insurrections from running for office. Bellows has paused her decision pending a potential appeal in the state's courts, which Trump's team said they intend to file. Earlier this month, the Colorado Supreme Court also ruled that Trump was ineligible for office.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins me now live from Washington, D.C. with more. Katelyn, I think it's very interesting here when it comes to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the language of engaging in insurrection. What is the threshold for that? And is it sort of a dead cert that Donald Trump's actions put him under that description? KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, in this

situation in Maine, the Secretary of State looked at that quite closely. She had to make a couple of findings here, first, that January 6 was indeed an insurrection. She thought that that was quite clear. She then had to decide that Trump engaged in that insurrection. And she acknowledged that's not an easy call. He hasn't been tried in criminal court, though, he has been charged. There hasn't been a jury of his peers finding him guilty or not guilty to make a clear finding there.

But, she looked at his words, what he was saying, what he was doing, the fact that he didn't call off these rioters and knew that the rioters were organizing themselves around their support of him with a clear goal to create an insurrection. And so, that was how she looked at that finding. But, it's not an easy thing. And what is happening in these states, these two states now, Colorado and Maine, where there have been findings that Trump is not eligible for their ballots, they're looking at it as not a hugely legal issue around criminal law.

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Is he in insurrectionist or not. It's a -- is he eligible, in the same way that, is somebody of a certain age eligible to run for the presidency? That's in the Constitution as well. And so, this is the sort of decision that the Secretary of State, she just looked at what the Constitution says. She looked at what Trump did, and she looked at, does he qualify to be on the ballot? Came to the conclusion, no, he does not, just like Colorado's court system had. That's though a very different thing than a lot of other states have determined so far. Many states who have seen challenges like this have said, no, we're going to keep Trump on the primary ballot. We don't think that these are legitimate things where we can remove him.

NOBILO: It's fascinating that you say to have such a potentially banal convention standing in the way and being the ultimate obstacle, hypothetically, for somebody running for President.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz, thank you so much for joining us.

Still ahead, the sign in the restaurant says it all, "Make hummus, not war." The Israeli-Palestinian owners of a Berlin eatery aim to serve up friendship and unity one meal at a time. Their story, coming up ahead.

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NOBILO: A popular Middle Eastern restaurant in Berlin is offering a vision of peace and partnership in the face of war. Its mission is to promote unity along with a culture-melding menu that shows how friendship and food can transcend politics. CNN's Lynda Kinkade has this story.

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OZ BEN DAVID, CO-OWNER, KANAAN: Sweet potato --

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This may look like an ordinary Middle Eastern restaurant --

BEN DAVID: -- with Jedra (rice and lentils).

KINKADE (voice-over): -- except one of the owners is Israeli and the other is Palestinian. Israeli entrepreneur Oz Ben David and Jalil Dabit, who is Palestinian, run Kanaan, a vegetarian restaurant located in Berlin, where they're serving up unity and friendship one meal at a time. The pair opened their business in 2015 with a mission to offer cuisine inspired by their heritage. But, when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, they shut the restaurant down for days out of concern for their staff's safety, but they say they reopened with a message of peace.

BEN DAVID: Everybody can get almost everything that they really imagine as long as we agree that both of us can sit on the table and create a shared plate together or share a plate together.

KINKADE (voice-over): A large sign hanging in the dining room reads "Make hummus, not war."

JALIL DAVID, CO-OWNER, KANAAN: Our vision is to show the people that Palestinian and Israeli, these people from different backgrounds, can work together and be really good friends.

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KINKADE (voice-over): Kanaan offers a variety of dishes, from za'atar (ph) and feta rolls to Shakshuka-Lasagne. But, it's their hummus that represents a melding of cultures.

BEN DAVID: I think it was the hummus recipe that become like our map or formula to how to communicate with each other. Each one has his own way to make hummus, and we can learn from the hummus and from the experience of sharing instead of fighting on something.

KINKADE (voice-over): The owners also say that they're proud of the fact that their employees are of many different nationalities.

BEN DAVID: It's something that coming here from the workers all the time, if you would ask them what is so surprising for you to work in first time with Israelis? They will tell you, we are shocked how much we are similar.

KINKADE (voice-over): They believe that despite being from one of the most contentious regions in the world, a love of food and an eating culture can create friendships, and help overcome differences. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: A successful launch for a SpaceX rocket on a secret mission for the U.S. Military.

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NOBILO: The Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center a few hours ago, carrying the X-37B space plane. It operates with no crew with its destination and purpose a mystery. The Military says the plane will carry out cutting edge research, how intriguing.

And as we count down to the end of 2023, you can join us, I say us, not me, and I'm very happy about it because I'm going to be at home under a duvet, on New Year's Eve for live coverage around the clock as the world rings in the New Year. This special coverage begins just before midnight in Sydney, midday in London, and morning in New York, and then carries on throughout the day and night, and you can see some of your favorites and my friends doing that. It will be quite fun.

Thank you for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. Have the happiest New Year. And World Sport with Patrick Snell is up next.

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