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U.S. and Allies Responds to Houthis' Attacks; Donald Trump Uses Speech in Court Against Political Enemies; Houthis Promised to Retaliate. U.S. Lawmakers Reacts to President Biden's Decision; Israel Denies Genocide Case by South Africa; Houthis Saw Retaliatory Strikes From U.S. and U.K. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 12, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada, and all around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

I want to get to our breaking news this hour. The U.S. and Britain going after Houthi militants in Yemen who are backed and funded by Iran. Not long ago, Iran condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of international law.

And Russia has requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council later today. The coalition strikes are a direct response to the worsening surge of Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis claim they've been targeting vessels with a connection to Israel as a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza.

Many of the Houthi launches have been intercepted by the U.S.-led coalition that had primarily been playing defense until now. American fighter jets have been taking off from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier to carry out their mission.

The U.S. president issued this statement, quote, "these targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical commercial routes. I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary."

And we're also hearing from the Pentagon. Let's listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We reserve the right to protect and defend our forces, to defend the global trade that transits through the Red Sea, and to take necessary steps to, again, make sure that the Houthis understand loud and clear that it's unacceptable to the international community to continue to conduct these reckless, dangerous, and illegal attacks against commercial shipping and mariners that are transiting this vital waterway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: A senior U.S. military official says it's not clear what percentage of Houthi assets have been destroyed at these locations in Yemen, but he says the amount was quote, "significant."

Now Houthi militants are lashing out against the U.S. and U.K. strikes. One senior leader issued a statement saying quote, "we will confront America, make it kneel down and burn its battleships and all its bases and everyone who cooperates with it no matter the cost."

The Houthi leader also called on the world to prepare for America's defeat and vowed not to abandon the people of Gaza.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following all this live from Abu Dhabi. So Paula, from a U.S. perspective, do you get the sense that these strikes are basically it or do you expect a longer, more broad campaign against the Houthis?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, everybody we're hearing from the U.S. side, including the U.S. President Joe Biden, is saying that they wouldn't hesitate to carry out more if needed. And the expectation is that there will be some kind of retaliation from the Houthi side.

Now, what we've heard from one senior administration official is he said that this may well not be the last word on the topic. And when we have more to say and more to do, you will hear from us. So they have announced more than 60 targets have been targeted at this point.

But we also know that one resident has told us in recent hours that there is smoke and they believe there may have been another target hit. But we are waiting for confirmation or any clarification from the Pentagon at this point.

But the U.S. is definitely leaving the door open for further attacks if need be. Now we've heard from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels that they will retaliate. We have heard from a spokesperson saying, quote, "they were wrong if they thought that they would deter Yemen from supporting Palestine and Gaza." Also hearing from the leader on Thursday that if these attacks took place that there would be repercussions, saying that what has happened is barbaric to terrorists and a deliberate and unjustified aggression.

So Kim, I don't think anybody believes that this is the end of it. It is something that the U.S. had warned for some time, that if these Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and U.S. and U.K. assets in the Red Sea continued, that there would be consequences and this is what we have seen.

BRUNHUBER: All right, and Paula, as I mentioned, it wasn't just a U.K. -- U.S. strike, the U.K. was a partner as well as several other countries. How important is that?

HANCOCKS: Well, I think from the U.S. point of view, they would believe that it does add legitimacy. The fact that this is not them acting unilaterally, they do have the support of many other countries because it is many countries that are affected by these commercial vessels being targeted in the Red Sea.

[03:05:06]

And also on Wednesday, you had that United Nations Security Council resolution which condemned the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and said that they should stop. There were 11 countries voting in favor, there were four abstentions, including Russia and China, which is really the best that the U.S. could hope from Russia and China at this point.

So it did show that there was widespread support for the condemnation and that also would have likely given U.S. officials some sense of legitimacy that this is something that they could carry out and it wasn't just the U.S. and the U.K. carrying this out as well.

We understand there was support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands and the operation that they have ongoing in the Red Sea to try and protect commercial vessels traveling there does have many more countries signed onto it. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi, I appreciate that.

The Houthi deputy foreign minister is warning the U.S. and U.K. to prepare for severe repercussions. Another senior leader says the militant group has already launched retaliatory attacks.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So those targets in the town in the southwest of Taiz, in the western port city of Hudaydah, along the border or close to the border with Saudi Arabia, the town of Sada, and also around Saada, the capital, those targets there at radar sites, at ballistic missile launch and storage sites, cruise missile launch and storage sites, drone launch and storage sites, those are intended, as the coalition says, as the United States says to send a message but they're intended to degrade the Houthis ability to target shipping in the Red Sea.

But already the Houthis are saying that they are going to respond against U.S. and U.K. interests. It was U.K. typhoon fighter jets that targeted two different sites. It was the United States missiles and fighter aircraft that targeted other sites.

So Houthis say that they're going to respond and it's not quite clear how they're respond to U.K.-US. interests in the region, how will they respond. The potential here for escalation is very real, and it could be that the Houthis continue to try to target shipping in the Red Sea to send a message.

Remembering of course that after October 7th, they began by trying to target Israel by sending cruise missiles to Israel, and that some of those were intercepted by the United States, by the U.K., and also by Saudi Arabia. So, there are a number of different ways and places that the Houthis can target back.

They've had a long-running war against Saudi Arabia that only just ended not so long ago, where they were sending long-range cruise missiles to the capital Riyadh. They've sent drones into the United Arab Emirates. So there's a number of ways that they can destabilize in their own view U.K. and U.S. interests in the region by doing it not just in the Red Sea but more broadly across the region.

So, the concerns of the Saudis about the potential for escalation are very real. They've been worrying about the October 7 attacks, Israel's response to that escalating tension, the northern border in Israel with Lebanon and Hezbollah, all these Iranian backed proxies trying to stoke tensions in the region and the Houthis are the one that seem to have precipitated this particular escalation.

The Saudis of course are saying that the freedom in the Red Sea is of vital importance to the region. So, there are lot -- while they are not part of that military coalition in the Red Sea, they are clearly giving it a green light to go ahead. But this potential right now, depending on the Houthi response, this is a very, very volatile time right now.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Tel Aviv, Israel.

BRUNHUBER: For more analysis we're joined by Mick Ryan, a former commander of the Australian Defense College. And he's speaking with us from Brisbane, Australia.

Thank you so much for being here with us.

So, first your assessment on what these strikes may have accomplished from a U.S. point of view.

MICK RYAN, RETIRED AUSTRALIAN ARMY: Well, it's good to be with you. It appears that they've hit around 60 targets and this will include not just launch sites, but probably missile storage sites, UAV storage sites, but also the command and control and sensors that they use to target ship and to provide guidance data to these missiles.

So it would have been a comprehensive first strike, but I expect that they'll be doing analysis and there will probably be follow up strikes.

BRUNHUBER: So follow-up strikes, I mean, the Biden administration says these strikes may not be the last word, so what could the next word be?

[03:10:04]

RYAN: Well, it would be very unusual if they got everything they wanted to hit in one strike. I mean, that's just very difficult in these circumstances. The Houthis are not taking a backward step. They're leaning into more aggression here. So, I expect that there will be other missile sites, other storage depots that they will want to hit in the coming days or indeed in the coming weeks. BRUNHUBER: Yes, you mentioned the Houthis and their response. I mean,

they've said they will respond. How do you think that might happen and where?

RYAN: I thought the previous package was a pretty comprehensive rundown, but there are ways that they might hit back beyond their current weapons systems. They may want to use terrorist attacks in the region or sea mines in some of these sea trading routes. That would be a very difficult challenge indeed for the navies of the world to ensure freedom of navigation through those areas.

BRUNHUBER: So what kind of message do you think this is sending to Iran and could this constant friction against these Iran-backed proxies like the Houthis actually, force the West into a confrontation with Iran itself?

RYAN: Well, at the moment, the west is tackling the proxies that Iran uses. So, it doesn't have to confront the United States or Israel directly, whether that's Hamas in Gaza or the Houthis here. And Iran will need to watch itself and really be careful that it doesn't overstep with these proxies and precipitate a direct confrontation. It isn't keen on a direct confrontation with the United States. That's why it uses proxies.

BRUNHUBER: What impact do you think this might have, sort of broadly on Israel's war on Hamas, for example, derailing any Saudi peace efforts?

RYAN: Well, certainly there will be an information warfare dimension to this. The Houthis will certainly want to maximize the information impact of these strikes as more western aggression against Palestinians and Arab people more generally. So I expect we'll see a fair bit of propaganda over the coming days from the Houthis and others who are associated with them, including Hezbollah and Iran.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll leave it there. I really appreciate your analysis, as always, retired Major General Mick Ryan. Thanks so much for speaking with us.

RYAN: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right, much more to come on our breaking news when we come back. Also, ahead, we'll tell you about closing arguments in Donald Trump's New York civil fraud trial and the familiar but false claims he's making.

Plus, Hunter Biden enters a plea during a hearing in his federal tax case. Now, a date has been set for his trial. We'll have details on that just ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:15:00]

BRUNHUBER: U.S. and Britain have been striking Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen as a direct response to a surge of Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. Iran is condemning the strikes, but for a week, U.S. officials have warned the Houthis stop the attacks or there will be consequences.

CNN's M.J. Lee has more from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M.J. LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden saying Thursday night that the U.S. is sending a clear message to the Houthis that their ongoing attacks in the Red Sea will no longer be tolerated. He said in a statement that he will also not hesitate to direct further measures to protect U.S. personnel and the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

U.S. officials, of course, have been warning for weeks that the Houthis must stop its attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. And last week we saw U.S. officials give what they said was a final warning.

And what we are learning tonight is that the attacks that we saw from the Houthis on Tuesday, this was just two days ago, had targeted some U.S. vessels. And what we are told by sources is that had it not been for this defensive coalition called Operation Prosperity Guardian that was already set up by the U.S. and a number of its allies in the Red Sea, that we may have seen situations where ships were sunk by these attacks.

And that there was even an instance within the last month where a commercial vessel that carrying jet fuel may have been hit. The senior official saying that some of these were basically close calls.

Now it was after these Tuesday's attacks that President Biden were told convened his national security team and asked them to draw up a number of possible plans for retaliation. And that is what ultimately culminated in these airstrikes conducted by the U.S. and the U.K. with the support of a number of other nations.

And what one senior military official said Thursday night was that while it's not possible to say exactly what the damage was, that the damage to the Houthi rebels and Houthi assets for the time being could be described as significant.

M.J. Lee, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And this just in, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be in Kyiv in the coming hours, that's according to a statement from his office. It also says Britain's military aid to Ukraine in the next financial year will reach more than $3 billion. That will include more than $250 million for the production of military drones.

The U.K. calls it the largest delivery of drones to Ukraine from any nation. Ten Downing also says Sunak will sign what it called a historic security agreement with Ukraine, which will include the U.K.'s commitment to consult with Ukraine if Russia ever invades it again.

All right, to New York now, where both sides wrapped up closing arguments in Donald Trump's $370 million civil fraud trial. The judge is expected to rule by the end of the month.

Trump delivered what were effectively campaign speeches both inside and outside the courtroom. He repeated a litany of false claims, insisting that records at issue in the case were accurate when the judge has already determined he's liable for fraud. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:20:03]

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: These ones were all good. The banks were extremely happy with me. They still are. We built a great company. We have a company that's very liquid, very strong, great assets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent, Paul Reid, is in New York and has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Former President Trump getting the last word in at closing arguments. Usually closing arguments are an opportunity for lawyers to summarize their theory of the case. And the day kicked off with Trump's lawyer Chris Kise laying out their theory of the case, arguing that this is a political persecution and that his client, Trump, had no intention of defrauding banks and that the banks were never harmed.

But after Kise wrapped his remarks, he then asked if his client could have a few minutes to address the court. And look, the judge granted it, saying, I'll give you five minutes. And the judge had previously set a restriction on Trump, saying, you can participate in closing arguments, but you can't give a campaign speech.

And that's exactly what Trump did, attacking the judge, attacking the attorney general's office, and insisting that he is a, quote, "innocent man."

Now, Trump addressed the public on his way into court, on his way out of court, those remarks in court, and then had a press conference. It appears that he got a real return on investment here in terms of amplifying his argument that he is being targeted because of a desire by his political opponents to try to, quote, "interfere in this election."

But I want to note something that the attorney general's office said in their closing arguments. They noticed that even though Chris Kise talked for two hours, other attorneys got up and laid out their closing arguments. Not one person address the false financial statements that Trump submitted that misrepresented his assets by billions and those are really the key to this case.

Paula Reid, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: President Biden's son Hunter pleaded not guilty to tax related charges in a federal court in California on Thursday. Prosecutors say for tax years 2016 through 2019 Hunter Biden spent his money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels, exotic cars and basically everything but his taxes.

His attorney argues that the charges are part of a political hit job. Republicans have accused President Biden of benefiting financially from his son's business dealings with Ukraine and Chinese companies. Now these claims remain unproven. The judge has set Hunter Biden's trial date for June 20th.

All right, we'll get back to our breaking news after a short break. The U.S. and U.K. launching air and sea-based strikes against Iran- backed Houthi targets in Yemen. Also ahead, Israel is set to defend itself against accusations of genocide in Gaza. We'll have details on the historic hearing next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:25:00]

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. and U.K. launched a series of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Now these strikes are retaliation for a barrage of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Western officials say the campaign involved British tornado fighters, jets and the U.S. Tomahawk missiles.

Now they report hitting more than 60 Houthi targets including drone and missile sites as well as radar and surveillance facilities. U.S. says the Iran-backed Houthis have launched at least 27 missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes in recent months. More than 2,000 ships have been forced to re-route to avoid the vital waterway.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement that read, in part, this action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade in one of the world's most critical waterways. Today's coalition action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will bear further costs if they do not end their illegal attacks.

But the Houthis have heard that language before when they were put on notice by the U.S. and its allies to stop their attacks on shipping.

But as Oren Liebermann reports, they didn't listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: After repeated warnings to the Houthis in Yemen to stop attacking international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, one of the world's most critical waterways, the U.S. and the U.K. got to the point where they felt compelled to act.

Early Friday morning Yemen time at about 2:30, according to U.S. Central Command, the U.S. and the U.K., backed by several partners, carried out a series of more than a dozen strikes against sites in Yemen used by the Houthis. Radar systems, storage and launch sites for UAVs, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. These are significant.

The U.S. not trying to start a war or escalate with the Houthis, but these are the systems they have used repeatedly to attack international shipping lanes. According to U.S. Central Command, they have launched at least 27 attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Again, an absolutely critical waterway, and those attacks have forced some of the world's largest shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea, forcing them to add thousands of miles. The U.S. set up Operation Prosperity Guardian with more than 20 other countries to defend those shipping lanes, but that was purely a defensive operation.

When those attacks continued and certainly after Tuesday when we saw the largest such barrage launch from the Houthis, the U.S. stepped in, prepared its plans and finalized those plans and then acted, carrying out those series of strikes intended to degrade the ability of the Houthis, an Iranian-backed proxy in Yemen, to target international shipping here.

The U.S. is trying to contain this so it doesn't escalate too much, but fully aware of the risk of escalation here, knowing the Houthis have promised to respond to any American action.

[03:29:58]

It's worth noting that even with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in the hospital, following complications from a surgery for prostate cancer, he tracked this very closely. It was intimately involved in the planning over the course of the past 72 hours, holding two calls with President Joe Biden and multiple daily calls with the NSC, the chairman of the joint chiefs, and the commander of U.S. Central Command, General Kurilla.

Earlier on Thursday, he gave the order to execute those strikes and we saw those play out late in the evening. The U.S. essentially carried out the warning that we have seen them threaten repeatedly that if the Houthi attacks on international shipping continue, the U.S. and the U.K. will be forced to act. And that is what we have seen.

Of course, the question, where does this go from here? As the Houthis promise a response, and do the Iranians essentially get into this and respond in their own fashion? Those are questions the U.S. has asked, and to find out the answer, they will watch the region very closely.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Now we're getting mixed reactions from congressional leaders to the U.S. strikes against Houthi rebels. Some Democrats are criticizing President Biden for not getting congressional approval, which is required by the Constitution. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): He should have come as the Constitution requires to Congress. And that was echoed in a bipartisan way by Senator Mike Lee, Representative Jonathan Jackson and many other senators and congress people.

The Constitution requires that if there is not an imminent threat of self-defense, that he has to come to Congress. And here we know by your own reporting that this has been going on since December. He's assembled an entire international coalition. He certainly should have come to Congress so that we can discuss whether this actually could put more American troops at risk.

I'm concerned about retaliation in Iraq and whether it could draw us into a Middle East war. And I believe that he did not follow the Constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Senator Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders welcome the strikes, but they blame President Biden for not acting sooner. Here's what a former defense secretary in the Trump administration had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ESPER, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Look, I think it's a bold action by President Biden. I think it's overdue. And based on what we've seen so far, I think it's fairly comprehensive and should go a long way to deterring the task of degrading their capability to continue conducting these attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: According to a congressional source, leaders in Congress were briefed by senior Biden administration officials earlier on Thursday.

Next hour, Israel is expected to defend itself at a top U.N. court against South Africa's accusation that it's committing genocide in Gaza. Pretoria made its case on Thursday at the International Court of Justice. It's calling on the court to order a halt to Israel's military campaign in Gaza, arguing that Israel's attacks are intended to quote, "bring about the destruction of the enclaves of the Palestinian population." A lawyer for South Africa says the world has failed the people of Gaza. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLINNE NI GHRALAIGH, LAWYER REPRESENTING SOUTH AFRICA: Despite the horror of the genocide against the Palestinian people being live streamed from Gaza to our mobile phones, computers and television screens. The first genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real time in the desperate so far vain hope that the world might do something. Gaza represents nothing short of a moral failure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Israel strongly denies the allegations, calling the case atrocious and preposterous. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): South Africa's hypocrisy screams to the high heavens. Where was South Africa when millions of people were being murdered and uprooted from their homes in Syria and Yemen? By whom? By Hamas's partners. The world is upside down. Where were you? We know where we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I want to bring in Catriona Murdoch, a partner at Global Rights Compliance and an international human rights expert.

Thanks so much for being here with us.

So, I want to start with what we saw there, the International Court of Justice. How strong is South Africa's case against Israel, accusing them of genocide? How strong is that case, do you think?

CATRIONA MURDOCH, PARTNER, GLOBAL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE: I mean, it looks very compelling. I think it's important to stress that they, for the procedures in terms of provisional measures, they only need to establish a prima facie case of genocidal conduct. But certainly, the content of their application in the hearing and information that we saw yesterday looks incredibly strong, as well as the information and evidence that we've seen over the last 13 weeks.

BRUNHUBER: How do you expect Israel to defend itself, do you think, which they'll be doing in the coming hours?

[03:34:51]

MURDOCH: Well, I think, I mean, it's going to be an interesting day, certainly. The conduct that we've seen in the statements that they've made in the run-up and indeed even conduct as of yesterday. I think we can expect more of the same in terms of denials and a blatant disregard for their conduct.

BRUNHUBER: Most of the accusations in that case center around the deaths of civilians in Gaza in the context of bombing by the Israelis, but there are also accusations from human rights groups that Israel is using starvation as a weapon.

So first, you know, just on the scale of what we're seeing here, some experts have said this could be one of the largest man-made famines in recent memory. What are you seeing?

MURDOCH: Absolutely. I mean, I think it's really important to stress that the body that classifies food insecurity, the IPC, they made their findings in the beginning of December and they found that this is the highest level of people facing acute food insecurity that that initiative, that the IPC initiative has ever classified before and that's since 2004.

So, we really are seeing staggering numbers of those at risk of famine and acute food insecurity. And this is actually one of the eight factors that South Africa is arguing that underpins the genocidal conduct and intent of Israel. So, it really is a staggering situation.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, you mentioned that report. I mean, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of a war crime. I mean, you have experience assessing this in various countries. Do you believe that what we're seeing now is a war crime?

MURDOCH: I mean, I think over the last 13 weeks, we've looked at this very, very closely. And on a preliminary assessment, I would entirely agree with Human Rights Watch and others that have come out. This has all the hallmarks of this being used as a war crime. The deliberate use of starvation as a method of warfare, I think it's very clear at this stage.

BRUNHUBER: OK, you say deliberate. So, I want to ask you about this. The head of the Israeli agency that facilitates aid in Gaza said yesterday there is enough food going into Gaza and he said, quote, "Israel has not and will not stand in the way of providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. They're not part of terror. They are not our enemy."

So international agencies and most Gazans themselves have said there definitely isn't enough food going in. International law says that intentionally using starvation of civilians as a weapon, a method of warfare by depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supplies is a violation.

So that word intentionally, how important is that if you're trying to prove wrongdoing here?

MURDOCH: It's a really good question. So the intent component of this crime, the war crime is really the crux of the crime itself. In many way, it's comparable to genocide in that sense in that the intent can actually surpass some of the physical acts that you're dealing with.

So you need to establish two things, you need to establish that there's an intent to deprive civilians of, as you describe, objects indispensable to survival, but then you need a second element which is a deliberate intention to starve the civilian population.

Now I think that the Israel kind of counter position that aid is you know, is freely allowed in and there isn't any obstructionist is frankly quite absurd. I mean, we know there's an average of 70 food trucks were entering Gaza before the war every single day. Last week I think there was average just over 100 trucks were able to

get in. But even if they have the access into the area this is coupled with an almost impossible situation to deliver that aid when there is such a sustained campaign of bombardment.

So it really is a compelling and impossible situation for humanitarian actors.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

MURDOCH: I think in terms of the intention as well, I mean, very rarely do you see perpetrators broadcasting their intention. That's not something that tends to happen. But in this situation, we've seen this on a number of occasions where this is deliberately being broadcasted by senior Israeli officials. And there's numerous statements to that effect. So.

BRUNHUBER: So I want to ask you, you know, starvation as a war crime specifically has never been prosecuted as I understand it. You're calling for an independent investigation led by your group. I mean, what would you be looking for? Have you had a response to that request? Do you think Israel would allow, allow that given they continue to bar foreign journalists from accessing Gaza to cover the war?

MURDOCH: No, I certainly don't think we'd get any access granted by Israeli officials or other Israeli parties. So, you know, this would be an independent investigation, and it's really, really important, especially at this particular moment, to preserve the information and archive that information in a way that can be used for future legal proceedings.

[03:40:01]

Whether that's before the ICJ or whether it's before International Criminal Court or other accountability mechanisms. So, there is a huge amount that can be done without field access. I think over the last five investigations we've conducted, two of those have been in, we've had field access, the rest has been entirely remotely conducted using open source and testimony and engagement with survivors and witnesses outside of the affected area.

So what we'd be looking for is more and ensuring the information we're seeing around attacks on objects indispensable to survival. So the attacks that we're seeing on fuel facilities, on shelter, agricultural facilities, that those are really neatly looked into. And then also analyzing further the rhetoric and statements of intent that we're seeing.

BRUNHUBER: Yes.

MURDOCH: That would be how we would be proceeding.

BRUNHUBER: All right, so much online. We'll be watching that ICJ course as it winds its way later today. I really appreciate getting your expertise on this. Catriona Murdoch, thank you so much for speaking with us.

MURDOCH: Thank you very much. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Well, U.S. also sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, but now we're learning some of the most sophisticated weapons supplied to Kyiv weren't properly tracked. That's ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:45:00]

BRUNHUBER: More now on the U.S. and the U.K strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Iran-backed militant group has issued a strong condemnation, calling the strikes barbaric and unjustified aggression, while Tehran is calling it a violation of international law and Yemen's sovereignty.

This comes after the U.S. and Britain struck dozens of Houthi targets, including radar, drone and missile sites. The strikes are in response to weeks of Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, one of the world's key commercial sea lanes.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making a case against pressing the pause button on the ongoing conflict with Russia. He visited Latvia and Estonia on Thursday as part of a trip that also includes a stop in Lithuania.

Zelenskyy said that pausing the war would give Moscow a badly needed break before Russia would strike again. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): To not allow the conflict to freeze. To not give Russia the opportunity to prepare for a powerful counterattack in a year, in two, in three, in five, to not let them do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: In Estonia, Zelenskyy repeated his call for allowing Ukraine into NATO. He said Kyiv should be invited to the alliance's summit in Washington this July.

The U.S. military has not properly tracked more than a billion dollars' worth of weapons for Ukraine. That's according to a new report by the Pentagon's inspector general. The weapons belong to a category that requires enhanced monitoring after their exports, like javelin missiles and night vision equipment.

The watchdog says it's outside the scope of its investigation to find out what happened to them, but the Pentagon suggests there's no reason to believe foul play was involved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: There remains no credible evidence of illicit diversion of U.S. provided advanced conventional weapons from Ukraine. We do see some instances of Russia continuing to spread disinformation to the contrary, but the fact is, as we observe the Ukrainians employing these capabilities on the battlefield, we're seeing them use them effectively.

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BRUNHUBER: The report came as congressional Republicans are stalling more than $60 billion in U.S. military aid for Ukraine. The findings could bolster their argument against sending more aid.

Media in Iran report its navy has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and is now believed to be diverted to an Iranian port. U.K. authorities say the vessel was boarded by at least four armed people early Thursday and of course was set for Iranian waters. Iran says a court ordered the seizure in retaliation for the U.S. confiscating the same ship and its oil last year.

The U.S. State Department condemned the move. Maritime monitoring website Tanker Tracker says the vessel is a Marshall Islands flag crude oil tanker named St. Nicholas.

All right, still to come, millions in the U.S. are under a threat of severe weather and millions more can see bone chilling cold and snow. We'll bring you the forecast after the break. Stay with us.

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[03:50:00]

BRUNHUBER: We're following breaking news from the Middle East where the U.S. and U.K. launched a wave of missile and air strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen. Just a few minutes ago the British junior armed forces minister said that no more U.K. missions in the area are immediately planned.

The strikes were in retaliation for a recent wave of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The U.S. Air Force reports hitting more than 60 targets at 16 locations. One senior U.S. official describes the damage as significant.

Yemen is vowing to retaliate and Russia is calling for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

Across the United States, millions are under threat of severe weather today and millions more can look forward to bone-chilling cold snow, even blizzard conditions. More than 240 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken across the country through Tuesday courtesy of a massive storm system impacting the U.S.

Meanwhile, more than 50 million people in the southeast are under a severe storm threat today where tornadoes, high winds and large hail threaten the region. And in the northeast, another round of rain is prompting flood watches for more than 35 million people along the eastern seaboard.

Well, it seems Boeing's problems with its 737 MAX-9 jets are far from over. A class action lawsuit has been filed in the state of Washington against the aerospace giant on behalf of passengers aboard last Friday's Alaska Airlines flight 1282. It alleges passengers were physically injured and emotionally traumatized after a piece of the plane, the door plug, flew off in midair.

[03:54:53]

Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says it's opening an investigation into Boeing's quality control. Boeing said it will fully cooperate -- it cooperates fully and transparently with the investigations.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Our breaking news coverage of tensions in the Middle East continue next with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the United States and all around the world. I'm Bianca Nobilo.

[04:00:00]

CNN ANCHOR, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Max Foster, joining you live from London.

Just ahead on CNN Newsroom.

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PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: These strikes were intended to be very surgical, very precise and very deliberate to --

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