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Hezbollah-Israel Cross-Border Fire Intensifies; MSF Condemns Israel's Evacuation Order For Nasser Hospital; At Least 22 People Shot, 1 Dead At Kansas City Super Bowl Victory Parade; U.S. Has New Intelligence On Russian Nuclear Capabilities In Space; Ukraine Claims To Have Sunk Russian Landing Ship In Drone Attack; Israeli Hostage Families Want Hamas Charged with War Crimes; Inside the U.S. Navy's Fight Against Iran-Backed Houthis; Prabowo Subianto Declares Victory Ahead of Official Results; Japan Slips Into Recession Due to Weak Consumer Spending; Zuckerberg Gives Harsh Critique of Apple Vision Pro Headset; Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan on His Hits and Flops. Aired 1- 2a ET
Aired February 15, 2024 - 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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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN Newsroom.
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MATTHEW MILLER, SPOKESPERSON, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE: We continue to be concerned about escalation in Lebanon.
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VAUSE: Well, Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon both say they don't want a war. Both sides seem to be doing plenty to start one.
Accusations the Israeli military is targeting Palestinians following an Israeli order to evacuate one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It seems like almost nothing is safe.
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VAUSE: Not even the Super Bowl parade celebrating the Kansas City's Chiefs with at least one person shot dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Cross border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon escalated Wednesday with Israeli airstrikes deep inside Lebanon in response to a deadly Hezbollah rocket attack on a town in northern Israel and a military base located there.
According to the IDF, Hezbollah military compounds control centers and what it calls terrorist infrastructure were targeted by those airstrikes. They came after Hezbollah rockets killed an Israeli soldier and wounded a number of people. Notable the Iran-backed militant group has not claimed responsibility for that attack.
The head of Israel's military calls the airstrikes in Lebanon a great achievement and added this is not the time to stop.
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HERZI HALEVI, IDF CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF (through translator): In the end, we will be ready for war. If it doesn't end in war, it won't end by compromising the achievements, Hezbollah will not be present here on the fence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Joining me now is Rami Khouri, the distinguished fellow of public policy at the American University of Beirut. Welcome back. It's good to see you.
RAMI KHOURI, DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC POLICY FELLOW, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT: Thank you, good to be with you.
VAUSE: So this escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah comes despite weeks, even maybe months of diplomacy by the U.S. Secretary of State to try and avoid a wider regional confrontation. Listen now to a spokesperson from the State Department.
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MILLER: We continue to be concerned about escalation in Lebanon. And we continue to believe that there is a diplomatic path forward. And we will continue to push forward to try to resolve this issue diplomatically. So both Israelis and Lebanese can return to their homes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I guess we'll get to the nuts and bolts of any kind of diplomatic solution in a moment. But for the past four months, Israel and Hezbollah have sort of had these cross border attacks are taking place almost with a nod and a wink, mostly a show of support to appease a domestic audience. So has that arrangement now changed? And if so, in what way and how?
KHOURI: Well, the arrangements more than four months of so from 2006 that's been going on for a long time. And it has only evolved a little bit over the last four months. The intensity has picked up a little bit on there's a little bit of change in the targeting where the Israelis are hitting where the Hezbollah people are hitting.
And one of the reasons I think that people are worried is that there's been about 80,000 people in Lebanon and another 80,000 in Israel who had to pull back from -- move out from their homes and move away from the border. And this is causing a lot of disruption and economic stress.
So there are real concerns on both sides. And but there's no basically doing tit for tat showing that they can't be messed with. But at the same time they don't want all out war.
VAUSE: Well as for a diplomatic solution less than a week ago, France put forward a possible ceasefire deal. In response to that, here's the head of Hezbollah speaking on Tuesday.
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HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH CHIEF (through translator): When the attack on Gaza stops and there is a ceasefire, the fire will also stop in the South. Let nobody think Lebanon is weak and afraid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So Hassan Nasrallah is saying that any deescalation in the north is now dependent on a hostage deal with Hamas in Gaza.
KHOURI: Well, the Israeli attacks on Gaza he said this clearly months ago, he was very cautious when the Gaza fighting started. He took his time and then made a couple of speeches. And they started doing things attacking small targets here and there. It's escalated a little bit on both sides, but it's still pretty controlled.
But the attacks from Hezbollah into Israel were a response to the attacks of Israel into Gaza, the vicious attacks by Israel.
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So this is -- this will bring very much together like the unsaddled, the Houthis in Yemen what they're doing. This -- there's a link between all of these military engagements all over the Middle East and between the U.S. and people in Iraq and Syria as well.
VAUSE: And much like Israel has plans for a buffer zone in Gaza. It's also working to clear the northern border of militants, which would mean, in some reports, 200,000 Israelis who have been forced to leave would be able to return home. He's more now from the IDF chief of general staff.
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HALEVI (through translator): We will push back all Hezbollah's capabilities. It will be much quieter here. There will be much more stability here. And then we will say that the residents can return. Is it happening overnight? Probably not. It will take some time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And clearly Hezbollah will have something to say about that as well. But it does get to the question. Can Israel live with Hezbollah on its northern border? The Israeli prime minister said Hamas is an existential threat. Where does that leave Hezbollah which has many more fighters who are better armed, better equipped and better trained?
KHOURI: Hezbollah is a way, way more powerful and sophisticated military force than Hamas'. And the Israelis have always seen Hezbollah as a much bigger threat. They were surprised by what Hamas did when it attacked southern Israel, but Hezbollah is the real concern of the Israeli generals, and also because of Hezbollah's links with Iran, which are closer and tighter than Hamas is linked with Iran.
So Hezbollah has always been the big fear for the Israelis. And they just don't know how to deal with it. They tried. They occupied South Lebanon for many years. They tried to have a surrogate army in South Lebanon and then tried just shooting across the border and nothing works. And Hezbollah has gotten strong enough to fight them in 2006 to a ceasefire.
And there's a kind of mutual deterrence along that border, which both -- both of them respected with rules of engagement. And so there's -- this bravado talk of the Israeli generals as cartoon stuff. We shouldn't take it seriously. They're just saying, we're tough. We're going to take care of our people. And we're going to show these people something.
Well, they've been trying to do that -- for 25 years they've been trying to do that, and they haven't succeeded. So there really has to be diplomatic resolutions for all of these conflicts, and all of the conflicts are linked. And they all revolve somehow, around Palestine and Israel. So all of these issues and that's resolved and they are Iran -- Israel tensions will probably be resolved as well.
VAUSE: Rami Khouri, thanks for being with us. So good to have you as always.
KHOURI: Thank you.
VAUSE: Doctors Without Borders the latest aid group to condemn and Israeli evacuation order of Nasser Hospital, one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza. The medical facility can't units has been under an Israeli military siege for weeks.
And now as Palestinians try to flee, doctors and medical officials say Israeli snipers have shot and killed at least two people and wounded several others in recent days. The W.H.O. also gravely concerned about the evacuation. The head of the agency demanding hospitals be safeguarded, and says there is no safe corridor to and from the Nasser complex.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is talking up a looming crowd defensive on Rafah despite mounting international concern over that ground offensive on Gaza southern most city. Netanyahu says action in Rafah would come after Israel allows the civilian population to leave the battle zone.
More than a million displaced Palestinians are seeking shelter there. It's not clear when or where the civilians can actually find safety and when they can do it. Meantime Arab nations at the U.N. say they're preparing a resolution at the Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
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RIYAD MANSOUR, PALESTINE U.N. ENVOY: From our perspective, we believe that the Security Council should shoulder its responsibility and act immediately on stopping the fighting, saving Rafah from this looming catastrophe.
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VAUSE: Israeli say they'll continue with talks for a hostage deal as well as a pause in fighting. But one diplomat tell CNN so far, the Israelis have rejected a counter proposal put forward by Hamas, demanding the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners. Details are from CNN's Nic Robertson.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Prime Minister Netanyahu really seems to be doubling down on his position on the negotiations over the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, he is saying it's up to Hamas to change their position is also appearing to double down on the thread of an IDF ground operation in that -- in the border town of Rafah right at the southern end of the Gaza Strip where there are about 1.4 million Palestinians at the moment.
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He is saying that there will be a military operation there a powerful one he's saying. He does say, however that that's once the civilians from that area had been evacuated, although no plan for that evacuation has yet been articulated publicly.
And this comes at a time when there is growing condemnation. A group of Arab nations is going to recommend to the U.N. Security Council that they vote on a resolution to have an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has said that his concern that there could be a massacre of people inside of Rafah. The UN's Special Rapporteur on Preventing Genocide says that there could be atrocity crimes and Rafah. The International Committee for the Red Cross have also raised their concerns. The German foreign minister in Israel Wednesday raised her concerns as well.
So there is a growing drumbeat of international opposition to any military offensive in Rafah but the prime minister here is still talking about it being a possibility now is this language that he's using to increase the pressure on her master give into his demands and his terms for the release of Israeli hostages. That's unclear, but he does seem to be doubling down on his positions at the moment. Nic Robertson, CNN Tel Aviv, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Well, it was meant to be a moment of celebration in the U.S. has been marred by another mass shooting. One person was killed more than 20 wounded in Kansas City at the Super Bowl parade for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lisa Lopez-Galvan was a volunteer worker at a community radio station, and she was shot dead. Please still searching for a motive in the shooting. More details now from CNN's Brian Todd.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the middle of a city wide celebration, panic. Shots fired in Kansas City, Missouri as a rally for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs was wrapping up. Multiple people were struck.
Officials say one person is dead, more than 20 wounded. Police say the shots were fired near Union Station in Kansas City in the vicinity of the garage.
CHIEF STACEY GRAVES, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI POLICE DEPARTMENT: As soon as the rally concluded, there were shots fired on the west side of Union Station. Officers were on scene in the area. I know one of the suspects was immediately pursued on foot.
TODD (voice-over): Police say three people have been detained. Witnesses described scenes of chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden people started crashing forward. Everybody started running there was screaming. We didn't know what was happening. But this day and age when people run you run.
And so I put my arms around her and we tried to push through so people wouldn't run on top of us. And there was a woman crying saying something about somebody had been shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But when we were heading west trying to get you know, backing away from it, we saw the police swarm a stairwell and then we heard another part from there. And that's when I was like, OK, we're gone.
TODD (voice-over): Police say they're still trying to determine what prompted the shooting. It's not clear whether the people struck by gunfire were specifically targeted, or whether the shooting was planned in any way.
STEVE MOORE, RETIRED FBI SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT: The crime scene becomes immensely larger if it's a planned attack. And I mean, you're talking a mile square sometimes for something like this. So they're going to be very quickly trying to identify who the shooters were and the motive for that shooting.
TODD (voice-over): Authorities are now appealing to the public for more information. They want people who were at the scene to share information, including any video they may have taken. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Earlier, CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem, told me this latest mass shooting, it's just more evidence that anywhere there's a public gathering in the United States, there's a risk of a deadly shooting.
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JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Or any congregation of people will be vulnerable to gun violence in the United States. It's a particularly American phenomenon. But an event like this is will never be perfectly safe. Right? So this is the challenge here is you have a parade, it's open to the public, it's both sides of the streets. It's a festive day, people want it to have fun.
And even if you harden everywhere, they had over 1,000 police officers from various jurisdictions deployed, even if you had three times that, at some stage, the hardened part of your security is going to have to stop and you're going to have to let a city, you know, keep moving and what we would call be a soft target.
And what we don't know now is the motive of the person and if it was related to getting into the hard target the parade area, or just what we would call as sort of an adjacent attack that then had implications of course for the parade that everyone was watching.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The FBI has set up a website asking for tips as well as videos and images from the shooting.
When we come back, new and probably U.S. intelligence on Russia's nuclear threat in space which was made public after a cryptic statement from a U.S. Congressman will explain more in a moment.
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Plus, send in the drones, Ukraine sinks another Russian warship. What this means that the Kremlin's a Black Sea Fleet a third now the bottom on the seafloor.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one. Ignition. And lift off. Go SpaceX. Go IM1 (ph) and Odysseus lunar lander.
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VAUSE: That was the scene just moments ago at the Kennedy Space Center, NASA, SpaceX and a company called Intuitive Machines launch intuitive lunar lander Odysseus on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The company expects Odysseus to touchdown on the moon next Thursday.
Its mission is successful, Intuitive would be the first private space company to land on the moon and will be the first moon landing for the United States since the last Apollo mission in 1972.
Intuitive Machines owns and operates the spacecraft but NASA has a major role in the mission. Several NASA scientists experiments are on board and it's paying the company $118 million to deliver them to the moon.
New U.S. intelligence has revealed troubling details on Russia's ambitions to place a nuclear anti-satellite system in orbit, how the information was released. It's also making news.
Early Wednesday, House Republican Mike Turner announced what he called a serious national security threat. And he urged the president to declassify certain intelligence. More details down from CNN's chief U.S. security analyst Jim Sciutto, reporting in from Washington.
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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: This is what we know at this hour. It's new U.S. intelligence it's about a new Russian military capability, specifically an anti-satellite capability with a nuclear components. So the idea to target U.S. or partner satellites in space, including surveillance satellites, nuclear or early warning satellites, with a nuclear component, which of course would, you know, expand the ability to destroy those capabilities in space, considered serious enough that the U.S. shared it with its five eyes partners, its closest Intel partners, including the UK, Canada, et cetera.
I should note this as well. And I've spoken to three people who are read in on this latest intelligence including two lawmakers, and they told me one this is not a clear and present danger. This is something that Russia is experimenting with looking into designing. It is not currently deployed, and not considered something that will soon be deployed. That's key.
Second of all, they've all said to me that this is highly sensitive intelligence, including the sourcing involved so they were surprised that you have a member of Congress that was going so public with this at this time. So that's very important.
As you said it was Mike Turner who started with something kind of cryptic about a new threat to the U.S. and it was reported who dug in to figure out exactly what he was talking about.
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But then later in the day you saw even one of his Republican colleagues, the speaker Mike Johnson, saying in his words, there is no cause for alarm right now. So it's serious, serious enough that they're sharing with their partners, but not one that is considered a serious threat today.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Our thanks to Jim Sciutto for that report. But Ukraine's count, about a third of Russia's Black Sea fleet has been disabled or destroyed. 24 ships one submarine, including a Russian landing ship.
According to Ukrainian officials, jetski-powered drones called sea babies punched holes in the side of Cesar Kunikov. The images are said to be recorded from the perspective of the drone as it approaches the vessel. And the next comes a huge fireball.
CNN though cannot confirm the authenticity of the images and the authenticity of Ukraine's claim.
The ship appeared loaded with military equipment when it went down now occupied Crimea. There's been no comment from the Kremlin. But we have more details now from CNN's Melissa Bell.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Cesar Kunikov moments before it was struck by Ukrainian drones. CNN can't independently verify would happen to the Russia warship. But the drones own footage shows extensive damage, with Kyiv claiming to have sunk the vessel.
Behind the attack Group 13, a special forces unit within Ukraine's Defense Intelligence. The drones they used the Magura, not the fastest, but maneuverable enough that they can get past Russian defenses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Their weapons are not designed for such small seed drones. In most cases, they use anti-ship guns.
BELL (voice-over): And drones behind it, part of Ukraine's plan to ship frontlines that have seen precious little progress for months now.
MYKHAILO FEDOROV, UKRAINIAN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): Technology can really save us. It's already saving us today, given the shortage of artillery rounds, given the fact that we have much less manpower in terms of numbers.
BELL (voice-over): The strike on the Cesar Kunikov off just the latest blow to Moscow's once formidable Black Sea Fleet, a third of which has now says Kyiv been either disabled or destroyed.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: They are actually been able to push the Black Sea Fleet away from the western part of the Black Sea. And this is a great achievement a great victory for Ukrainians.
BELL (voice-over): With important consequences also for Ukraine's ability to get green in and out of ports, a lifeline for a country fighting not only a land war in the east and south, but an existential political battle to keep allies and funding on side even as Kyiv ramps up the production of its own much needed weapons.
FEDOROV (through translator): This year will produce thousands of drones. I cannot say how many exactly. But I will say this, there is no limit.
BELL (voice-over): Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN military analysts and retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton joining us this hour for more of these lethal Ukrainian drone attacks, kind of late and good to see you.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGTHON (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you too, John.
VAUSE: OK, so here are the specs on the Madura V5 sea drone or sea baby, the fairly small five and a half meters or 18 feet long, a meter and a half, five feet wide, cruising speed 40 KPH or 25 miles per hour, top speed almost 78 kilometers per hour. That's about 50 miles.
And for the moment, at least Russia's Black Sea Fleet made up and some are Putin's newest, most modern warships is unable to stop them, not just because of the technology, but also the tactics. So, how the drones are being used? That's the key here. And so overall, how long can Ukraine hold on to this advantage?
LEIGHTON: Well, I think John, the key thing for the Ukrainians is that they need to keep doing this as long as they possibly can and achieve maximum damage on the Black Sea Fleet. The Russians are obviously not a static foe. They're not going to let this happen to them forever. So the Russians are clearly developing some defensive strategies. So far, they haven't been able to employ them.
But I would say that the Ukrainians have about nine months to a year before they have some significant challenges when it comes to launching these kinds of attacks against the Black Sea Fleet.
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE) a different story, a lack of military aid from the United States is starting to bite on the Ukrainian front lines. Here's Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser.
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JAKE SULLIVAN, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We've been increasingly getting reports of you Ukrainian troops rationing, or even running out of ammunition on the front lines, as Russian forces continue to attack both on the ground and from the air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So to what extent can the use of drones make up for a shortfall in more traditional military assistance?
LEIGHTON: It really depends on what kind of tactics are employed by the drones and by those who are you using them.
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So when it comes to land warfare, it's going to be a little bit different than naval warfare. There are, you know, fewer things of great size that you can go after like a ship or a, you know, on the Black Sea coast, for example. But what can happen, John, is that they can use certain tactics to go after in drone swarms to go after headquarters, to go after troop concentration and things like that.
So if the Ukrainians develop those kinds of tactics, and they're able to overcome Russian efforts to jam the drone connections, like the command and control nodes for the drones, things like that, they're going to be able to actually make some make some impact on the Russian forces.
But the question is, how many drones will they have? How quickly will they be able to employ them? And how innovative will their tactics be in response to what the Russians are doing? The Russians have to rely on mass, the Ukrainians are going to have to be much more agile and use more automated system, tools, drones, in order to compensate for that.
VAUSE: On Wednesday, Ukraine announced that three NATO members, Netherlands, Germany and Estonia had joined what's known as the drone coalition that's working to boost Ukraine supply of drones. It's a coalition of nations.
So what's the next likely stage here? And how Ukraine will adapt their use of drones? How they'll deploy them? What's sort of the next frontier? In some ways, if you like?
LEIGHTON: Yes, I think what will occur here is the Ukrainians are going to develop a kind of network of drones. There is in essence going to be injured interconnected web where the command and control nodes for the drugs are going to be used in such a way that they can concentrate drones on specific points in the front line.
If the Ukrainians do this, then they may be able to use some degree of force in the areas where they're hurting right now, such as Avdiivka, for example, on the junction of the eastern and southern fronts.
Those are the kinds of things that they're going to have to do, and they're going to have to have access to far more drones than they are currently using there currently, efforts underway, everything from crowd funding all the way to these efforts on the European side, where they're going to be using as many drones as they possibly can, and trying to obtain as many drones as they possibly can, in order to achieve that advantage.
But I think the future is going to be kind of a network centric approach to drone warfare. And that's going to, I think, create the environment where there'll be swarms of drones that will go after static targets on the battlefield.
VAUSE: And the futures now. Russia has also invested in drone development. That's the supply of attack drones from Iran as well. But how do they rate when compared to Ukraine in drone warfare?
LEIGHTON: Well, it seems to me that the Russian drones and the Iranian drones that the Russians are using are basically mid-level type technologies. They are not the kind of technologies that you would find with the more advanced drones that Western nations have. It, of course, depends on exactly what you're doing and how you're employing them.
But generally speaking, I think the Ukrainian drones are technically superior. The problem that the Ukrainians have is one of mass. In other words, the Russians have far more at their disposal far more drones than the Ukrainians do. And that very fact, of course, has its own a consequence. And that means that the Ukrainians are going to have to overcome the superiority and numbers that the Russians currently have.
VAUSE: Colonel Leighton, it's always. Great to have you with us, sir. Thank you.
LEIGHTON: You bet, John. Thank you.
VAUSE: After the break, we'll head to a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Red Sea part of an international naval coalition trying to protect commercial shipping from Houthi attacks.
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VAUSE: The families of some Israeli hostages are taking legal action against Hamas at the International Criminal Court. They want Hamas leaders prosecuted for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity for the October 7 attack. Israel believes more than 100 hostages are still alive and being held in Gaza.
More details now from CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in front of the International Criminal Court right now where about 100 different representatives of hostage families came here to deliver a scathing report urging the International Criminal Court to file charges against Hamas' top leaders arguing war crimes, crimes against humanity, even genocide.
They document in this report the kidnappings, the killings, the alleged sexual violence on October 7th. I flew here with those families on El Al flight 131 named 131 in order to commemorate the day 131 days since their loved ones have been held hostage in Gaza.
I spoke with many of the families on the plane and on the grounds here about how they're feeling about this moment.
OFRI BIBAS LEVY, FAMILY MEMBER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE: I really believe that justice is on our side. I don't think anyone can deny or ignore the evidence of the people returning from Gaza. The hostages or the videos that Hamas published himself.
And so I really think justice is on our side, and I hope the world will be on our side. DIAMOND: You can see these families are pushing for justice. They are
pushing for accountability but they also want to build pressure on those negotiations that are still very much ongoing this week.
They have seen as Israel and Hamas, progress has been building over the last several weeks towards a potential cease-fire, towards a potential release of hostages, but not enough progress has been made and there is certainly frustration here. Anger even not only at the Israeli government, but on the slow progress of negotiations overall as they continue to hope that their loved ones will return to them soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thanks to Jeremy Diamond for that report.
Yemen's Houthis are warning of increased attacks on ships in the Red Sea if the U.S. enforces its designation of the group as a global terrorist organization. The militants said Wednesday what comes next will be quote, "worse than what came before".
The Houthi were re-listed on the global terrorist list last month. And now the restrictions and sanctions that come with that designation will take effect Saturday.
The head of the U.N. aid operations for Yemen has raised concerns about the impact of the terror designation on Yemen's economy and civilians.
The other side of the U.S. action has been warships in the Red Sea responding nearly every day to Houthi missile and drone strikes.
Natasha Bertrand goes aboard some of those ships and shows us how they're dealing with what is a constant threat.
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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what the crew of a U.S. warship hears when a Houthi missile is headed their way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missiles away H0306. BERTRAND: CNN embedded with the U.S. navy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right center rudder, steady on course.
BERTRAND: In the southern Red Sea where sailors have been on the front lines of the fight against the Iran-backed rebels for over two months.
We're on our way now to THE U.S.S. Gravely which is one of the destroyers that has been shooting down missiles and drones that have been firing indiscriminately into the Red Sea.
Here off the coast of Yemen, U.S. warships tried to shoot down the Houthi missiles before they can cause any real damage. But the sailors have little time to respond.
[01:34:46]
LT. JG JAMES RODNEY, U.S. NAVY: We could have seconds or we could have minutes. I won't say much more than minutes.
BERTRAND: The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which the president ordered to the Red Sea in November in response to those Houthi attacks, has been working at a frenetic pace to keep up with the threat.
CAPT. MARVIN SCOTT, CARRIER AIR WING COMMANDING OFFICER: They have tried to target coalition forces, U.S. forces through swarm attacks using multiple UAVs, using multiple anti-ship listing missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles.
They are trying everything that they can, but we are prepared for anything that they might throw away.
BERTRAND: Fighter jets are launched from the Ike roughly 50 times per day, staying airborne for hours at a time so they can quickly strike targets inside Yemen and over the Red Sea.
We were woken up early this morning around 4:30 a.m. to the sounds of alarms blaring on this aircraft carrier, a sign we are told of a potential imminent threat by a Houthi drone that was flying over the Red Sea.
That alarm indicating that these fighter aircraft behind me, they had to be ready to respond potentially at a moment's notice.
That drone was quickly deemed no longer a threat, but it demonstrates how risky the mission is. The Houthis have also been trying to hit the jets flying over Yemen with surface to air missiles, officials told CNN.
You're flying these missions against the Houthis. Can you talk a little bit about what is unique or the most challenging aspect of these missions they are doing on your daily basis.
CAPT. JAMES HUDDLESTON, CARRIER AIR WING 3: Well, you know, first off, this isn't exactly where we expected to be on this deployment. Whenever you're doing something for the first time in a region, you know, that's not without risks.
But we have managed that risk to our strike group and our air crew through the management of combat power.
BERTRAND: With no end in sight to the Houthi attacks U.S. officials tell CNN, they don't know how much capability the rebels have left as they continue to be resupplied by Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) three is electronic attack.
BERTRAND: The commander of the carrier strike group told CNN they will stay in the Red Sea for as long as necessary.
REAR ADM. MARC MIGUEZ, COMMANDER, CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 2: For sustainability, we can go for a long time. We've got our logistics train already mapped out to stay here as long as the president needs us to stay here.
BERTRAND: Now, one of the biggest questions that we were left with coming off of those warships was just how much of the Houthis' capabilities the U.S. has managed to destroy. And its repeated strikes inside Yemen on Houthi targets, strikes that have become a near daily occurrence.
But officials on board those ships could not give us a good sense of just how much of the Houthis' weaponry they have actually managed to degrade. And that is obviously going to be a very key part of having the U.S. figure out just how long they're going to have to sustain this operation against the Houthis.
As of now, officials say it could go on for quite some time.
Natasha Bertrand, CNN -- in Bahrain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Unofficial results in Indonesia's presidential election shows a decisive win for the country's defense minister, who has already declared victory. Official results will be announced next month, according to state media. 85 percent of the votes have been counted enough to make that call.
Let's get live to Hong Kong. CNN's Anna Coren standing by with more details.
I guess it takes that long to count the votes when there's what 20,000 people standing for different roles, different positions within the government.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a huge logistical challenge this election was. But yes, the official results in the electoral commission will come down next month.
But there is no doubt that Prabowo Subianto will be Indonesia's next president. He has wanted this job for a very long time. He staged a takeover back in 1998 after the fall of the Suharto dictatorship. That failed. He then ran for president in 2014 and 2019 and lost both times to Joko Widodo, falsely claiming that the election had been stolen.
But, you know, according to Quick Count, this reliable pollster, he won almost 60 percent of the vote, which means there will be no runoff.
Now we just want to show you some footage that has come on into us here at CNN whilst those votes were being counted of Prabowo doing laps in his indoor swimming pool and then swimming up to the media to speak to them. He definitely is a man of the people.
Look, when he was greeted by his supporters last night, after his laps in the swimming pool at a Jakarta sports stadium. It may as well have been a victory celebration. He got a rockstar welcome and he said this is a victory for all Indonesians. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRABOWO SUBIANTO, INDONESIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): this victory must be the victory of the people of Indonesia.
Prabowo Gibran and all of the Indonesia Forward Coalition will embrace all elements and powers and become the president, vice president, and government president for all the people of Indonesia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:39:53]
COREN: But John, claims of vote rigging, massive fraud have been made from other presidential candidates. They vowed to investigate. And look, there have been a small number of protests staged in Jakarta today.
Prabowo has an alarming history. He's a former general under the Suharto dictatorship accused of human rights abuses, of kidnapping pro-democracy activists in the 1990s, and ordering the massacre of independent fighters in East Timor in 1980s.
At one point he was banned from entering the United States or Australia, but he's had this dramatic image make-over thanks to social media campaign and posts, perhaps most importantly, John has been the endorsement by President Jokowi who whilst he is outgoing, is still widely popular, John.
VAUSE: Man of the people with an indoor swimming pool.
Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Interesting days ahead. Thank you.
We'll take a short break. When we come back, Apple versus Meta and the battle of the VR headsets. But whose tech comes out on top? We'll find out in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well just when it seems Japan's powerhouse economy was back after decades of slow growth, comes word of recession. The latest government data shows two consecutive quarters of a shrinking economy. And Japan is no longer the world's third largest economy.
Live now to Tokyo and CNN's Hanako Montgomery. So clearly one of the issues here is they have an older population. They also have a shrinking population. And that's impacting the domestic economy a lot because other factors in the economy have been going like gangbusters.
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. As you described there, I mean, Japan is experiencing a demographic crisis. So we know that over 10 percent of the Japanese population is over the age of 80 and nearly a third of the country is 65 and above. That's very close to retirement age. Now, what this all means for the Japanese economy is that it's less
productive. There are less people working, less people making money for the country. And therefore, it means a shrinking GDP.
Now, according to data released this morning by the Japanese cabinet office, the 2023 nominal GDP for Japan was a $4.2 trillion U.S. Germany on the other hand was $$4.4 trillion U.S. which now of course means that Germany has the world's third largest economy.
And you know, I've been living in this country for over three years now and it is very obvious that it is a super-aged society. Whenever you walk down the street, you see very many old people in doctor's office. In beauty salons, most of the other people there are also old. So of course, the demographic crisis in Japan is greatly affecting its GDP.
But there are other factors here as well that are at play. One of them being the fact that the Japanese yen is very weak against the dollar. So the GDP, a country's GDP is calculated in dollar terms. And right now the Japanese yen is getting much, much weaker. In 2023, it was 141 yen to the dollar. Ten years ago, it was 80 yen to the dollar.
[01:44:55]
MONTGOMERY: Now another factor here at play is the fact that private consumption has gone down in the country significantly. Private consumption in Japan makes up more than half of the economy.
But in the last quarter it went down 0.2 percent. Why? Because domestic consumers were pulling their purse strings together, didn't want to spend as much money, which of course are all factors behind why Japan now has the fourth largest economy in the world, John.
VAUSE: Hanako, thank you. Hanako Montgomery there, live in Tokyo with the very latest economic data.
Well, Mark Zuckerberg is throwing out some fighting words about Apple's new mixed reality headset and hand-on-heart, he really believes when it comes to VR headsets Meta is better.
The Meta CEO posted a critique of the Apple Vision Pro headset, which retails for around $3,500. Zuckerberg says after using the Apple device, he's now convinced that Meta's headset is not only better value, it's actually a better product.
And he took on Apple's history of tight control over apps and product development.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ZUCKERBERG, CEO, META: Now look, I know that some fanboys get upset whenever anyone dares to question if Apple is going to be the leader in a new category. But the reality is, is that every generation of computing has an open and a closed model. And yes, in mobile Apple is closed model one. In this next-generation Meta is going to be the open model. And I really want to make sure that the open model wins out again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Meta Quest 3 retails for around $500, but it does have a more expensive pro version as well.
For those who live in the real-world. And I'm not familiar with virtual reality headsets this is what we're talking about. Take a look at this.
Geeky boys doing weird stuff on trains while wearing those headsets truly scary.
Our expert on geeky boys doing weird stuff is Mike Isaac, technology correspondent for "The New York Times". You knew that was coming. Good to see you
MIKE ISAAC, TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Yes. Thanks for having me. I was -- I was honored when you thought of me first yes.
VAUSE: You should be.
Ok. So Zuck is all fired up even more that he was about the Metaverse. Compared to Apple, his virtual reality headset is totally the best. Apple's Vision Pro sucks. It's expensive. I'm paraphrasing. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZUCKERBERG: I have to say that before this, I expected that Quest would be the better value for most people since it's really good and it's like seven times less expensive.
But after using it, I don't just think that Quest is the better value. I think that Quest is the better product -- period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Do I dare say he makes a good point because for consumers -- will it be a case of asking if Apple's Vision Pro is seven times as good as Meta's Quest.
ISAAC: you know, it's funny. I was about as skeptical as you going into this. Of course, Mark Zuckerberg is going to knock Apple's product. He's been working on virtual reality for a long time. But he made some pretty fair points throughout the video, you know.
For the $500 that you get buying Meta's VR hardware, you're not getting a lot -- a lot more than paying like seven times that amount to get Apples. They basically don't have any games. They don't have many apps. The resolution of the screens is really much nicer, but I feel like it's a real -- it was underwhelming compared to what all the hype building up for it, I guess is what I would say.
And I don't think he's crazy in some of his critiques. VAUSE: Ok, so with that in mind, here's how Apple has pitched their
Vision Pro. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality by seamlessly blending the real-world with the digital world. It's the first Apple product you look through and not out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Which raises the question, then what?
I think to your point, it's a bit like being the first guy with the CD player. Great quality sound, but you know, I need (INAUDIBLE) to play it.
ISAAC: No, you're exactly right. And I think that is the big problem in emerging hardware categories like this, like the Apple Vision Pro and even the Meta Quest sort of when it used to be called Oculus years ago and when they first bought it back in 2014, you know, it's very hard to change people's behavior and to get them to do new stuff, especially when it looks as ridiculous as some of these things do when people are wearing them in public, much less in private.
So I do think Apple has a long road to hoe to get there. That said, I think they also have the like, the power and brand power of Apple sort of putting its force behind this. And frankly Tim Cook wanting to sort of put his own mark on his key product invented under his tenure basically, you know, which hasn't really been something out there since the Apple Watch, which really was something that Johnny Ive created, not Tim Cook.
So I think they're going to push it hard.
[01:49:52]
VAUSE: Ok. So in terms of target audience the folks at Yahoo report, not only did Apple priced the Vision Pro well beyond Meta's Quest line of devices, it didn't even call the Vision Pro a headset. Instead, Apple refers to its latest product as a spatial computer.
Wow, ok. So if this is a VR war, it seems pretty one sided. Apple isn't really taking part, are they?
ISAAC: I think well, the verbiage, right there is very intentional, right? So you can -- you might feel a little bit not that much better, but a little bit better spending $3,500 or $4,000 essentially after tax and (INAUDIBLE) for a head computer compared to like a headset that you might get doing some occasional virtual reality and games with.
I do think that the big question is, you know, what does this product looked like five to ten years from now. This is always the Apple's sort really the latitude Apple is getting, you know, they put a first- generation product out there. It's got kinks to work out just like the iPhone.
So what does the second, third, fourth one look like? But there's so many sort of prohibitive barriers to entry on this. It feels -- it feels hard to give them as much latitude as you might have in the past as well.
Mike Isaac, it's good to see you. It's been a while. Thanks for being with us. Appreciate your time, sir and your insights. Thank you.
ISAAC: Thanks for having me. I'll wear the headset next time I'm on.
VAUSE: I look forward to that. The pink one with the snout will be great.
Thanks Mike.
ISAAC: Thanks.
VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back the Bollywood star known as King Khan. Shah Rukh Khan tells CNN's Richard Quest about some of his career stumbles. And the food he learned to suspect (ph).
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: I guess that was just a random clip of something. One of Bollywood's biggest stars could extend his stay this week at the World Government Summit in Dubai where he sat down with CNN.
Shah Rukh Khan was voted one of the most influential people by readers of "Time Magazine". He's acted in dozens of movies and TV shows and he's also host of a popular game show in India. After some self- described flops, Khan returned last year to blockbuster glory.
And he discussed his career with CNN's Richard Quest. He also mentioned he really wants to play Bond, James Bond.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Between 2018 and 2023, you just had two or three films that were not as successful. Suddenly he disappears and everybody thinks he's licking his wounds. He is feeling sorry for himself. He's what? And then he comes back in '23 with three blockbusters. What was going on in that interim period?
SHAH RUKH KHAN, BOLLYWOOD STAR: So you have a kind -- yes, I had massive flops. Ended it very, very badly and I was doing all of that. I was licking my wounds.
I was not a -- you know what I did? For four years.
QUEST: Go on.
KHAN: I've never said this to anyone, though I've mentioned it, but today here I'll tell everyone. I learned how to make the best pizza in the world. That's what I did. Honest to God. I stopped listening to stories. I stopped wanting to tell stories. [01:54:44]
KHAN: I found myself and made myself a small kitchen and I started learning how to make pizzas. And I learned, what you asked me like to begin with, perseverance because to get the perfect pizza, it takes millions of square pizzas before you able to make it completely round.
So I learned perseverance and I will make the best, best pizza beads in the world.
QUEST: Was it difficult to know now is the time to go back?
KHAN: I had become indulgent. I'd started becoming too innovative. I was looking for perfection and I started feeling I needed to look for excellent. I needed to be unique, but I needed to look at the audience what they want. An I'd stop hearing the crowds.
I used to go where the thousands and lacks of people waving at me, but I wouldn't hear or feel what they wanted to see of me. I was going there and waving and I'm saying whatever I make, I'll be innovative. So I did a film about a vertically challenged guy. I did a film about manic psychopathic fan. And I would like no people just like to see me giving hope and happiness and love. So let's get back to that.
QUEST: And as a result, the movies that you came back to make and there were three of them last year were huge successes. Therefore, that introspection clearly worked. That clearly did the trick.
KHAN: (INAUDIBLE). I think -- I think it just helped me realize that whatever you do, you have to do for the people or your consumers or your audiences. And yes, it also made me realize one very main thing that don't forget to pray. You have to pray and you have to get back to it.
QUEST: I'm going to leave you -- I'm sorry. I've forgotten. What was your name again? Your name is Bond.
KHAN: Bond, James Bond.
QUEST: He's available for, you know. Thank you, sir.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Taylor Swift, ready to kick off the next leg of her record- breaking Eras Tour. She landed in Melbourne, Australia early Thursday, according to CNN affiliate 9News, playing (ph) a frequent flyer points to Swift lately, over the weekend flying from Tokyo to the United States to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce win the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fans lined up at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne to catch a glimpse of the Grammy Award winner who just made history with a fourth Album of the Year win. Swift will spend this weekend in Melbourne with her performance and then next weekend in Sydney.
Next stop on this tour will be Singapore after all of that. Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues after a short break with Kim Brunhuber.
See you right back here tomorrow.
[01:57:13]
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