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Putin Vows Revenge on Ukraine; Harris Looks to Woo Anti-Trump Republicans; Interview With Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired August 13, 2024 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:34]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Wolf Blitzer. This is a special edition of the CNN NEWSROOM. We are reporting live today from Tel Aviv, Israel.

And new this morning, Israel's military says Hamas just fired two rockets towards Tel Aviv, where I am. But sirens were not activated this time. That's because the IDF says one of those rockets fell into the Mediterranean Sea and the other did not make it out of Gaza.

Here in Tel Aviv, we could hear a large boom, though, from that rocket that fell into the sea. And it was pretty scary to hear that boom. In Northern Israel towards Lebanon, tensions have also been running very, very high.

This is the scene over the town of Nahariya, just north of Haifa, as Israel's Iron Dome intercepts rockets fired by Hezbollah in South Lebanon towards Israel, a sense of anxiety here as Israel warns that attacks from Iran and its proxies such as Hezbollah and Lebanon across the border from Israel could come at any time.

Just two days from now, talks are scheduled to resume on a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and a deal potentially, let's hope, to free all the remaining hostages.

Joining us now is William Cohen. He's a Republican and former U.S. senator from Maine, and he served as the defense secretary of the United States under President Bill Clinton.

Mr. Secretary, thanks for once again joining us.

It's been two weeks since Iran vowed to avenge the killing of a Hamas leader on Iranian soil. Iran blames Israel. Israel has not claimed responsibility. Why has Iran, in your opinion, not struck Israel yet?

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, I think they're looking at the force structure that they would face in the Middle East from Israel and now the U.S. forces are there, there to help defend Israel.

So I think it's a word and quite a signal of caution for them. Wolf, we have been talking about this for years now in terms of what's going on in the Middle East, all the way from Kissinger through to what's taking place now with the Biden administration.

The word miscalculation is always on our lips. Hezbollah had to know when they fired rockets into the Golan Heights and killed 12 Israeli children that Israel was going to respond. Israel had to know that if they killed a leader of Hamas while in Iran attending the funeral of the new president, Iran was likely to strike back.

So the question is, we're watching all of these climbing up the ladder of, what kind of response? Iran is holding back now sort of a Damocles sword hanging over Israel, saying, we will strike at a time and place of our choosing. And so now the Israelis are anxious, as they should be, that a major strike might take place.

I would just simply forewarn the Iranians, do not do this. Prime minister Bibi Netanyahu has been waiting for a time when he and we can attack Iran's nuclear-building program. And this will be a prime time.

If they launch a major attack against Israel, I would think that the United States in talking with Israel in terms of, what do we do in response, and I would tell the Iranians they better watch Natanz, Fordow, their two major facilities and others, that the Israelis might in conjunction possibly with the United States decide they're going to take out the biggest threat that they fear.

And that is Iran's nuclear weapons program that has been activated ever since Donald Trump canceled the agreement that the Americans had and the Israelis had with Hamas. So, this is a very tough time. I hope the Iranians don't respond. I hope they see this as an opportunity for them to look like they are trying to take a step for peace in the Middle East and not do something in terms of a major attack upon the Israelis, which I fear and I assume the Israelis will respond in a way that we can all anticipate will be very substantial.

[11:05:00]

BLITZER: It would be very substantial indeed.

In a rare move, Mr. Secretary, the Pentagon has publicly announced that it has sent a guided missile submarine to the Eastern Mediterranean not far from where we are here in Tel Aviv. How much of that is intended as a message to Iran?

COHEN: Well, I think it is a strong message.

This submarine is not there to knock down rockets or missiles. It is there to punish. It is there to launch what they call TLAMs, Tomahawk missiles. I believe they have as many as 150 or 160 aboard the Georgia.

Those will be directed towards targets, possibly in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, where we might have our forces put at risk from attacks on our forces there and in Syria. And they could go very well into Iran. So this is serious. This is why I think the Iranians have an opportunity to say, OK, we have a right to respond, in our judgment, under the rules of the game, so to speak. But we're not going to. We're going to hold back and see if we can't

take -- and I want to use this phrase, very different context -- one small step for mankind. Let us not pursue this tit for tat that's going to escalate into a major war, where hundreds, if not tens of thousands will die, including American soldiers in the region.

So I am asking the Iranians stop, look and listen. I said earlier in another interview, this is this is a very serious crossroads that we're at. And you can pursue this path of peace. And the Israelis have to understand as well they can't keep launching attacks and think that the Iranians are not going to respond.

So what I want to see is both sides take this step that they can take on Thursday. Hamas should show up. They should be willing to sit down and say, we want a way to have a cease-fire, a return of hostages and no incentive to start killing each other.

There's too much killing going on. There's too much killing going on. Too many innocent people are dying on the Israeli side and certainly on the Palestinian side. Those kinds of attacks cannot take place. We can talk about precision-guided munitions, trying to reduce collateral damage.

But you can put a precision-guided munitions in a mosque or a synagogue with 100 or 200 people inside. And so then you say, well, why are you putting and killing people inside a mosque? Well, there might be 10, 20 Hamas militants there.

Well, what's the calculation at that point? What if there were two militants there and 150 people? Is that the mad calculation? We're going to say, well, I'm going to kill them all anyway?

So we have to really step back from this because there is tremendous firepower on the part of the Israelis. We now have firepower on the part of the United States and Iran has its tentacle spread in various ways, asymmetrical warfare at the very least, which could touch our troops in Iraq, in Syria, and off the shores of Israel at this particular moment.

So this is a serious time. And I think the Iranians and Hamas...

BLITZER: Yes, Iran has proxies all over the region, yes.

Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for joining us.

COHEN: Yes, they have...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: The former U.S. defense secretary, William Cohen.

We will continue this conversation, to be sure. Appreciate your joining us.

Aviva and Keith Siegel were kidnapped from their home by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel. She was freed after 51 days of captivity, but her husband, an American citizen, we're talking about Keith Siegel, is still being held by the terrorist group.

Hamas released video of Keith Siegel back in April. It was the first time in months that he -- it was clear that he was still alive, at least then.

Aviva Siegel is joining us right now.

Aviva, first of all, how are you doing?

AVIVA SIEGEL, FORMER HOSTAGE HELD BY HAMAS: Thank you so much for having me.

And how am I doing? I'm doing -- my heart and my body and my head and everything of me is all for bringing Keith and the hostages home. And that's what I do all the time. I try and talk to anybody that will listen to me. So, thank you for listening to me.

And I want to tell the world, stop wars. Stop wars. Innocent people get killed and get hurt. And Keith and 115 hostages are still in Gaza. And it's so cruel to leave them be. It's not human. And us as humans should not allow people to go through what they're going through.

I was there and I know what they're going through.

BLITZER: Are you confident or hopeful, at least, that the hostage release cease-fire talks that are scheduled to resume on Thursday, whether in Doha, Qatar, or in Cairo, will achieve anything?

[11:10:03]

SIEGEL: I'm begging the world, please let it happen. I'm begging the world.

I don't -- I can't even imagine what will happen if it will fall apart, because I will fall apart and so many people will fall apart. We are waiting and waiting, and we have been waiting for so long. And I just hope that the hostages are taking care of themselves as much as they can and keeping strong, because we're coming.

We're coming to take them out.

BLITZER: Have you heard anything from Keith, your husband, since that video that we all saw? He's originally from North Carolina. His father was a professor at the University of North Carolina, UNC.

But you have no contact? No one sends messages or anything like that? You don't even know for sure he's still alive?

SIEGEL: That's true. We don't know anything. We don't know if Keith's alive. We don't know if Keith's alone. We're just keeping our hope. And I'm going to keep my hope and keep on going to bring Keith home.

BLITZER: Because I know you and other families of American hostages who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza have regular conversations with U.S. officials, including President Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. You had one recently. How did that go? SIEGEL: I think, first of all, I want to say thank you. I want to say

thank you to Sullivan. I want to say thank you to Austin. I want to say thank you to Biden. I love them. I love them.

I feel their heart. I know what they're doing for us. And I just want to say that please be strong, stronger than the world and get them out.

BLITZER: Let's hope that Keith comes home soon.

Right now, Israel, as we know here in Tel Aviv, is on high alert. There were some rockets from Gaza that landed in the Mediterranean not far from where we are right now. There was a large boom. I don't know if you heard it.

But are you confident that perhaps this upcoming war that everyone suspects is going to happen might not happen?

SIEGEL: I wish it won't happen. I'm against wars. I'm against killing. I think that humans have a right to talk and they have to figure out how to make things work better.

The leaders of the world should lead the world to be a good world for everybody, for the people in Gaza and the people in Israel and the people in Iran and all over the world.

BLITZER: I want to quickly get your reaction to something that Prime Minister Netanyahu said in this interview with "TIME" magazine.

He said: "I'm not concerned with my political preservation. I'm concerned with my country's preservation. I want to end the war. I'd end the war tomorrow if I could. To leave Hamas in place not only means that they would have the ability to repeat the savagery of October 7, but go well beyond that."

What's your response to the prime minister?

SIEGEL: I want to tell the prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, you have to get the hostages out. You should stop this war and do everything you can, because leaving Keith and the hostages lying on a mattress just like a rug in a corner in the dark starved and begging, begging to come back, it's not human.

He should do everything he can.

BLITZER: You were a hostage for, what, more than 50 days. So you know what we're talking about.

Aviva, thank you very much.

SIEGEL: Thank you.

BLITZER: Good luck to you.

SIEGEL: Thank you so much.

BLITZER: And we will stay in touch.

SIEGEL: Thank you. Thank you so much.

BLITZER: Appreciate it.

All right, still ahead this hour: Republicans who don't back Donald Trump are lining up behind Kamala Harris right now, and they're connecting tonight for an online rally.

We're going to speak to one of the participants. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:18:02]

BLITZER: Vice President Kamala Harris is harnessing the frustration many Republicans across the country feel with former President Trump and turning it, trying, at least, to turn it into some momentum for her campaign.

Harris has already gotten support from dozens of Republican activists through the Republicans for Harris coalition, a group set to have an online rally later tonight.

Joining us now is one of the participants, CNN senior political commentator and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger.

Adam, thanks so much for joining us.

Do you have a sense of how many Republicans will be on that rally and call later tonight for Kamala Harris?

ADAM KINZINGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I don't know the exact number. I know that it was -- they're going to end up broadcasting it on YouTube because it ended up being a lot bigger than they had even planned for.

So it's going to be interesting. I think, look, this is one of the -- every campaign always tries to do like Democrats for Bush or like Republicans for Obama. This is one of the biggest groups of a different party for a party for somebody like Kamala Harris that I have seen.

There's a lot of momentum behind this. And, as you know, Wolf, I mean, the Republican Party has basically left a significant amount of people that identify as Republicans by changing its views on everything, including Ukraine, which is a very important issue, including the strength of our democracy.

So I think it's going to be a pretty big event, to be honest with you.

BLITZER: So what, if anything, are Republicans, especially those in key battleground states, risking by going against their own party's nominee for president?

KINZINGER: Well, look, I mean, you go against -- the Republican Party, let's just be honest, it's become a cult where you can't have a difference of opinion.

I mean, you're -- the only thing you're required to do in the GOP, it's easy and it's also like crazy, which is just pledge basically total allegiance to Donald Trump and whatever his views of the day are or his whims of the day are.

[11:20:01]

So, if you go against that, I mean, the thing you risk as a Republican is the party, which is totally different than it used to be five to 10 years ago, basically is like, well, you're not part of us anymore, because that's what cults do. They push people aside and make examples of them.

But, look, there are enough Republicans that understand that, look, we took pride in being associated with the Republican Party, but we believe in what we believe in more than we believe in any kind of a label with the GOP.

We have strong personal views and understand that we can exist outside of a party label. We don't need that reaffirmation from the Republican Party to feel good about ourselves. So it's a tough decision, no doubt, for anybody that does that.

BLITZER: Do you think the Trump campaign, Adam, has any strategy at all to address this issue of Republicans like you, for example, supporting the Democratic nominee?

KINZINGER: No.

I mean, look, Donald Trump made it clear. Look, when Nikki Haley, who weirdly endorsed Donald Trump, but not surprisingly, when she dropped out of the race, he said, I don't want Nikki Haley's donors. I don't want her people. Just stay away.

I mean, it's like this. We have to have the purity of the cult. We don't want anybody that has the ability to have an independent thought or a thought outside of Donald Trump. So, if his strategy is to say, leave, I mean, I'd say it's not a very good strategy. Maybe there's a few people that are like, well, then I better just adopt whatever Donald Trump wants, because I can't get rid of this label as Republican.

But I think there's going to be a significant amount of crossover, not the majority of Republicans, obviously, but a significant crossover for Nikki Haley. And I don't think you're going to see very many, if any, Democrats that are like, you know what, I have thought about it over the last eight years, and now I'm going to vote for Donald Trump.

BLITZER: Right now, there are some new polls that actually show, Adam, that Kamala Harris is less popular among Republicans than President Biden was when he was the presumptive nominee.

What's your reaction to that?

KINZINGER: Well, that's totally expected because she's a much tougher opponent. I mean, you can't imagine anybody -- if you feel threatened by this person, so if you're a Republican, you're hardcore for Donald Trump, and all of a sudden there's a very effective candidate that's winning the race, you're going to be much more scared of that person.

You're going to have much harder feelings on them than if there's somebody that you didn't feel was a political threat. And we see what's been coursing through, frankly, Donald Trump. You see it by his meltdown. He went from thinking he was going to coast to election to now recognizing he probably isn't going to win, or at least it's going to be a pretty tough road for him to hoe.

So yes, I think that's why she's less popular because they're sitting there going, oh, my goodness, she's a real threat and she can become president of the United States.

BLITZER: Yes, she's slightly ahead in several of these key battlegrounds states, like Pennsylvania, for example, Wisconsin, Michigan. It's very close, within the margin of error, but she's doing a lot better in those states than Biden was doing against Trump.

So let's see what happens.

Adam Kinzinger, thanks so much for joining us.

KINZINGER: You bet.

BLITZER: And still ahead: As Ukraine makes an unexpected resurgence in the war against Russia, Vladimir Putin is vowing revenge right now. What the Russian president is threatening. We have details that's coming up next.

You're with us live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:27:57]

BLITZER: Welcome back to a special edition of the CNN NEWSROOM. We're reporting live from here in Tel Aviv, Israel.

We're also following major developments in Russia right now. Vladimir Putin is vowing revenge following Ukraine's military surprise assault. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The main task is certainly before the Ministry of Defense to squeeze out, knock out to the enemy from our territories, and together with the border guard service, ensure reliable protection of the state border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Ukraine claims to control nearly 400 square miles of Russian territory following last week's military offensive, which has spurred mass evacuations in the Russian-controlled Kursk region. And, this morning, we're getting a new video of what's happening on

the front lines there. Video from a Russian soldier's body camera appears to show a trail of dead bodies near the border region with Ukraine.

I want to warn our viewers what you're about to see right now is disturbing.

Joining me now, the former NATO supreme allied commander, retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark.

General Clark, thanks so much for joining us.

Ukraine says they have no plans to annex the region technically, officially. But what do you think their goal is right now?

WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I think they have multiple goals. Of course, there's the distraction to pull in Russian reinforcements away from other sectors.

But, also, if they can go deep, they can go out to the source of the manufacture of some of these glide bombs that are coming in. They can go after logistics. They can go after training facilities in there. So there are strategic objectives that they can reach in there.

BLITZER: What do you think Putin's response to Ukraine could actually look like?