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CNN International: Biden to Address UNGA for the Last Time as President; Israel Launches Intense Strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon; Global Leaders to Address U.N. General Assembly Amid Conflicts; Ukraine's Zelenskyy to Address U.N. Security Council; Prosecutors to Bring New Charges Against Ryan Routh; John Weakens to Tropical Storm After Slamming Mexico; Florida Braces for Hurricane Helene Forming in the Caribbean; Mystery Over Source of Payment for Melania Trump's Appearance at a Fundraiser. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired September 24, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:10]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM": Hi, everyone. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Amara Walker. This is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, Israel carries out another day of deadly strikes on targets in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires rockets toward Israel. We are live on Tel Aviv for the latest. Plus, U.S. president Joe Biden is set to take center stage at the U.N. General Assembly for the last time. Can he offer any hope for a diplomatic solution in the crisis in the Middle East? And Melania Trump under the microscope, why a speaking fee pay to the former U.S. first lady is causing controversy?

We begin with the dramatic escalation of hostilities in the Middle East with Israel expanding its military activity in Lebanon and vowing to speed up offensive operations. Now, Israel says a second wave of airstrikes on Lebanon has been completed, saying it struck terror targets belonging to Hezbollah including buildings where weapons were stored. This comes as the IDF and Hezbollah traded attacks one day after the deadliest day of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon in 20 years.

Lebanon's health minister says 558 people were killed Monday, including nearly 100 women and 50 children, and more than 1,800 wounded in Israel's aerial bombardment. Israel's prime minister meanwhile says the Lebanese people are not their target.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I have a message for the people of Lebanon. Israel's war is not with you; it is with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens. To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: But as Israel warns it will continue to escalate its attacks, tens of thousands of civilians are trying to get out of harm's way. A member of the Lebanese parliament addressed world leaders in New York at the U.N. General Assembly and described the turmoil caused by these strikes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAHIA EL HARIRI, LEBANESE PARLIAMENT MEMBER (through translator): We are seeing a wave of exodus and the targeting of residential areas. The people of Lebanon are in serious danger after the destruction of large areas of agricultural land and the targeting of residential building. This has damaged the economy of our country and threatened our social order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And here's how one civilian described the chaos on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They struck right next to our house and our building was shaking. We got very stressed. This is why we had to leave and we came here. We were told it's safe here. The situation is very tragic. The strikes were right next to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: All right. CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Abu Dhabi and Nic Robertson in Tel Aviv. Nic, let's start with you. Nic, we are seeing a fresh exchange of fire today. No sign that Israel plans to slow down their campaign. In fact, Benjamin Netanyahu telling Israelis that they're headed into "complicated days." What is Israel's goal here?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, we've heard from the IDF Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevi, and he has sad Hezbollah must not be given a reprieve, said this in the last hour or so. Hezbollah must not be given a reprieve; we must continue full force. He said we will be speeding up operations across all areas and we need to continue these actions vigorously. So, this is very strong and clear language coming from the army chief of staff here.

It does set the direction and tone for exactly what we are saying at the moment, although it doesn't appear that the IDF has had as many airstrikes inside of Lebanon, where actually now, it appears up to three waves of attacks today. Incoming here, more than 100 different missiles fired by Hezbollah have flown into Israel, a lot of them have been intercepted. Some have landed, the IDF says a reservist soldier was injured by shrapnel falling. He has been taken to hospital for treatment.

By and large, the toll here is more -- far more on infrastructure fields than it is on people, certainly, compared so what's happening in Lebanon at the moment.

[08:05:00] As far as we know today, only that one injury of an IDF reservist. But the language really speaks to a continuing escalation. And I think when you listen to that, the language from Herzi Halevi, we must not give Hezbollah a reprieve, clearly, gives you the understanding that the IDF feel that the momentum is with them, and that they'll continue. And it's not only airstrikes, there have been artillery strikes, even tank fire across the border today.

So, that really tells you that some of these -- sort of the fighting is being taken to very close the border level, just over the border. But some of the airstrikes are, again, deep into the Beqaa Valley and we understand one thing now. Another thing at least coming from Lebanon is that information being provided by the Israeli forces to the Lebanese yesterday, they told to get out of the houses if there was Hezbollah operatives or military equipment near their homes.

The IDF is now telling those same citizens in Lebanon, if you have left your homes, do not go back to them until we, the IDF, give you the all clear. So, this is far from over.

WALKER: Well, Nic, a sober assessment. Let's head over to Paula now. We've been talking about this since day one, after October 7th attacks, that they were so many fears that this region could see a much wider war, and what we are seeing is a widening and escalating war. What are the concerns? What are people saying there at the region?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Amara, there are serious concerns in the region that this is exactly what was feared for months. We know the Biden Administration has been working feverishly behind the scenes to make sure this doesn't expand to a wider conflict. We see the U.N. secretary general as well, Antonio Guterres, calling on both sides to stop fighting immediately. But based on what we have heard just then from Nic, that does not appear to be an option at this point.

Now, here in the region, you have Egypt and Qatar condemning these Israeli strikes. Interestingly, both of those are the key mediators when it comes to trying to secure that ever-elusive ceasefire in Gaza, those talks appear to have seriously stalled at this point. You also have Jordan, who has condemned the strikes. King Abdullah saying that he supports Lebanon and his support is behind that country. And then we've also heard from Iran, of course, that key backer of Hezbollah.

There are many questions and fears about whether or not Tehran will involve itself in this. If it does, that is certainly very much an escalation of the conflict. But, the president was speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and he said to him that this is a human and humanitarian crisis, and that Israel risks tipping the region into a further conflict, also saying that it's important that Lebanon does not become another Gaza.

But this is the key question. There is no doubt that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified significantly and could well intensify even further. What is unclear at this point is how many others around the region may get involved. There are other Iranian proxies, the so-called Axis of Resistance. Whether the Houthis in Yemen, for example, become more directly involved at this point. And then you have also numerous militias in Iraq, in Syria who could potentially get involved.

But of course, the biggest concern is if Tehran decides that it does need to get involved in this, then that changes the dynamics significantly. The president also saying to Fareed that it is a very one-sided battle effectively at this point when you have Hezbollah against Israel, which is supported by the West and also supported by the United States. And also, we've heard once again from Iran that they have not yet retaliated against Israel for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Chief of Hamas, which was on Tehran territory, on Iranian territory.

Now, Israel didn't admit to that assassination. But, it is widely believed in the region that they were responsible. So, there are a lot of moving parts that could potentially make what is already a very dangerous situation more intense. Amara?

WALKER: All right. Paula Hancocks and Nic Robertson, thank you to you both.

In just about two hours time from now, Joe Biden will address the U.N. General Assembly for the last time as the U.S. president. He's expected to touch on many foreign policy issues, including the Middle East conflict we were just discussing.

[08:10:00]

U.S. officials say they are working feverishly to stop Israel's confrontation with Hezbollah from spiraling into a regional war. Before heading to New York Monday, Mr. Biden discussed the war with the president of the United Arab Emirates.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We also discussed our efforts to end the war in Gaza and a number of regional issues. I have even briefed on the latest developments in Israel and Lebanon. My team is in constant contact with their counterparts, and we're working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return to their home safely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: After speaking at the U.N., Mr. Biden will meet with Secretary General Antonio Guterres. CNN's Kayla Tausche is joining us now from the U.N. with more on what we might hear from the president. Kayla, obviously, the escalation in the Middle East is obviously raising the stakes for President Biden's message. What do we expect to hear?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Amara, we expect President Biden to, once again, press the need for a ceasefire as soon as possible, as he has done in many of his public engagements where the world stage has been the audience. Now, it's interesting because there are many leaders from the region that are expected to be here as well throughout the course of this week. The leaders of Qatar as well as Iran are expected to speak later today. And then on Thursday, the Palestinian president as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak as well.

So, any clues from them about what they see as the potential for any end to this conflict in the region or any potential additional escalation. But senior administration officials acknowledge that the escalation that we've seen between Israel and Lebanon, or between Israel and Hezbollah rather is going to be the focal point of many discussions on the sidelines here, with the real need being destabilize the situation even as a full ceasefire remains elusive.

You mentioned that administration officials have been working around the clock to try to get that deal, but despite the shuttle diplomacy that many of those officials have been engaging in, it simply has not been within reach and there's some frustration about what they see as the potential desire or lack thereof on the part of Hamas and Israel as well to actually clinch that deal. And certainly, the escalation that we've seen in recent days would appear to be case in point. So, we will see what President Biden says on this front, whether he mentions the situation in Lebanon in particular, but we expect him to treat this as more of a capstone address despite the fact that the last year since he most recently addressed the United Nations has been an incredibly volatile one.

WALKER: It sure has. How worried, Kayla, are administration officials about the IDF stepping up these attacks against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon? And what are they saying about this apparent strategy to escalate in order to de-escalate by Israel?

TAUSCHE: Well, certainly, the United States has been establishing quite a bit of distance from Israel in its pursuit of this escalation within Lebanon. When there was the pager and walkie-talkie detonation last week, the U.S. took pains to say that it had no knowledge and no involvement of what Israel was planning to do there. And certainly, the question at that time was, what happens next and what does Israel plan to do next? And at the time, there was a real fear that there would be an escalation that would follow. Certainly, that is what has happened.

And so, there has been both fear of an escalation as well as frustration for a lack of -- for lack of a better word, awareness about what Israel has been planning and doing. And certainly, you can imagine that there is quite a bit of conversation happening behind the scenes about what happens next, and how or whether there will be an end anytime soon.

WALKER: Kayla Tausche in New York as the UNGA is meeting now. Thank you so much. And as our own Paula Hancocks mentioned earlier this hour, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has been talking about the deepening conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He sat down with my colleague, Fareed Zakaria, on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering for an exclusive interview. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) FAREED ZAKARIA, CNN HOST OF "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS": Will you council Hezbollah to restrain itself? We know that Iran has a lot of influence over Hezbollah.

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Hezbollah by herself cannot stand against a country that is armed to the teeth and has access to weapon systems that are far superior to anything else. Now, if there is a need, Islamic countries must convene a meeting in order to formulate a reaction to what is occurring now. If we are speaking of Hezbollah alone, what can Hezbollah do alone?

The regional countries, Islamic countries must sit together and prior to anything more severe taking place, I do believe that international organizations -- today, we did have a meeting with -- at the United Nations with Mr. Guterres; and tomorrow, we will see such discussions and topics taking place, and we must not allow for Lebanon to become another Gaza at the hands of Israel.

[08:15:25]

Hezbollah cannot do that alone. Hezbollah cannot stand alone against a country that is being defended and supported and supplied by Western countries, European countries, and the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: And you can watch the full interview with Iran's president on Fareed Zakaria GPS this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. And that's 3:00 p.m. in London.

With the world's attention focused on the Middle East, the Ukrainian president is at the United Nations to push for support in Kyiv's battle to resist Russia's aggression.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: The world needs a peaceful future and sustainable development. And I say this as the president of Ukraine, a country resisting Russia's brutal colonial aggression. Putin has stolen much already, but he will never steal the world's future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address the UNGA on Wednesday. Ahead of that, he is expected to speak in the coming hours to the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body. Let's bring in CNN's Clare Sebastian. Hi, Clare. So, what do we expect Zelenskyy to say to the U.N. Security Council?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know Amara, the central theme I think if this diplomatic blitz that Zelenskyy is undertaking in the U.S. this week is to firm up international for Ukraine, increase it if possible, and of course, present this so-called victory plan, which involves different ways -- military, diplomatic -- of strengthening Ukraine ahead it of what may, Zelenskyy says, turn into peace negotiations, although we are nowhere near that point as of now.

But I think, speaking to the U.N. Security Council, his presence number one and possibly his speech as well, will highlight what has been the sort of structural inability of the U.N.'s most powerful body to do anything about Russia's invasion of Ukraine because of the veto system, the fact that Russia is one of the P5, the permanent members of the Security Council that wield a veto and they've repeatedly used it, of course, in any resolution concerning Ukraine.

Now, look, there are -- there is talk of reform of the Security Council at the U.N., the U.S. has said it's in favor of adding new members from the developed world, but there's no talk yet of reform of that veto system. So, it is likely that could come up. But, Ukraine is at a point now where it really feels like it's running out of time on the battlefield with still shortages of weapons and manpower, and geopolitically looking ahead to the U.S. election. And President Zelenskyy was asked about how that election could impact the war in an interview that aired on the U.S. network, ABC, in the last hour. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY (through translator): I would not want this to influence the support of Ukraine. Of course, I would want that no matter who is elected, that Ukraine does not suffer. And that's why understanding that the policy towards Ukraine can change, and then -- and therefore, we need to prepare in advance, and that is why the 'victory plan'. I wanted to discuss it with candidates until they -- until one of them becomes the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So, you can see the importance there of the victory plan as it relates to the U.S. electoral calendar as well. He struck a relatively domestic tone in that interview. He said, we are closer to peace than we think. But asked about that, the Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said that any war ends in peace he said, but Russia achieving its goals is absolutely uncontested. And he said, as soon as these goals are achieved one way or another, the special military operation will be completed. So, it doesn't seem like they're anywhere close to peace negotiations as of now. Amara?

WALKER: Do you get the sense, Clare, that Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials might be concerned their conflict is being overshadowed by what's happening between Israel and Hezbollah right now?

SEBASTIAN: You know, I think certainly, we haven't seen them talk about it openly, but the conflict in the Middle East, now what seems be a widening conflict in the Middle East is certainly on their minds. This is, of course, a world of scant military resources. Zelenskyy and Ukraine are very worried not only about the political will to provide weapons and continued support to Ukraine, but the levels of production. I think no coincidence, of course, that his first port of call on this trip to the U.S. was at an artillery ammunition factory in Pennsylvania. So certainly, they are concerned about how this widening war in the Middle East could affect them.

[08:20:00]

And I think they have seen obviously, not they're flattering parallels in the level of U.S. and western support for Israel versus Ukraine. There was that moment in April where, of course, British and American fighter jets helped shoot down Iranian drones over Israel and Zelenskyy didn't shy away from making that parallel, saying Ukraine is not protected, its skies are not protected by rhetoric alone. And so, it's certainly something they are watching.

WALKER: Clare Sebastian, thank you.

All right. Still to come, more on the escalating crisis in the Middle East, we are getting word of another Israeli strike in a Beirut as world leaders gather for the annual U.N. General Assembly. Can diplomacy bring the region back from the brink? And Donald Trump plans to return to the site where a bullet grazed his ear back in July, what his campaign hopes to do while there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALKER: We have breaking news just into CNN, Israel's military says it has carried out an airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut. So, you're looking at pictures coming out of Lebanon. The IDF calls it a targeted strike and promises more details later. A CNN team at a nearby hospital says they could hear sirens and first responders rushing to the scene. Obviously, this is a huge source of concern for world leaders as they convene at the U.N. General Assembly, that those fears of a widening conflict, obviously, very top of mind right now, as Israel has stepped up its attacks against Hezbollah inside Lebanon.

Of course, evacuations are also underway, as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on residents there to leave. We've seen a lot of people leaving their homes after getting these automated text messages and calls urging them to evacuate. So, this is a scene right now after an Israeli airstrike in the suburbs of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. We'll, of course, stay on top of this and bring you more as we get more information. It looks like an ambulance has just arrived there, as you can see at the bottom of your screen.

Moving now onto American news here in the U.S., a U.S. prosecutor says he plans to charge Ryan Routh with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump. The prosecutor was in court on Monday and said Ruth traveled to West Palm Beach, Florida for one reason only, to kill Trump. Ruth was arrested a short distance from Trump's golf course after a secret service agent spotted a gunman in the bushes near where Trump was playing.

So far, Ruth has only been charged with two gun-related offenses. And a source tells CNN that Trump plans to return to the site of the first attempt to assassinate him, in about two weeks from now. He will visit butler, Pennsylvania on October 5th. That is where he was shot in the ear back in July. On Monday, Trump made a number of stops in Pennsylvania where polls show him neck and neck with Kamala Harris.

[08:25:00]

His message was one of fear, telling farmers that if he loses, China will drive them out of business. And he also told female voters that he is the only candidate who can protect them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Because I am your protector. I want to be your protector. As president, I have to be your protector. I hope you don't make too much of it. The country is falling apart. We are going to end up in World War III, and all they can talk about is abortion. That's all they talk about, and it really no longer pertains because we've done something on abortion that nobody thought was possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Let's talk more about the Trump campaign and what he's been saying. Let's bring in CNN's Alayna Treene. A lot more doom and gloom, only I can help you and also, Alayna, Trump, casting doubt on the early voting process. Tell us more.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: That's right. It was actually really interesting to watch, Amara, because yesterday in Pennsylvania, he urged voters to get out and vote early for him before quickly reversing course and calling the practice stupid and arguing that it could have cost him or he blamed it really thinking that it may have cost him the 2020 election. Take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

D. TRUMP: And we've got to get out and vote. You can start right away. You know that, right? Now, we have this stupid stuff where you can vote 45 days early. I wonder what the hell happens during that 45. Let's move the (inaudible) votes. You've got about a million votes, and then let's move them. We are fixing the air conditioner in the room, right?

Now, it's terrible. What happened the last time was disgraceful, including right here. But we are not going to let it happen again. To -- you know, too big to rig, right? That's one way you do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, Amara, I mean, not only were those remarks contradictory in themselves, him urging one thing and then disparaging the practice in the second half of that statement. But it's also very contradictory with what Republicans and his own political operation are trying to do. We've seen the RNC, including Chairman Michael Whatley, his daughter-in-law, the Co-Chair, Lara Trump, repeatedly urging voters on the airwaves in different battleground states to vote early.

They also launched a program last month, trying to make it easier for Pennsylvania voters specifically to request mail-in ballots, calling it one of the most -- saying that it would make it more secure than ever. And even J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's own running mate, yesterday, was telling voters that they need to take advantage of all pathways for voting. So again, this is very different from what Republicans around him are trying to argue and part of that is, because I know from my conversations with Trump's senior advisers and those close to the former for president that he still harbors a lot of resentment around early voting.

He blames it for what he believes was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, claims we know that are just not true, that are false. But, it's still something that he harbors and he's using that in his rhetoric on the trail, even as Republicans around him have acknowledged that the negative rhetoric toward early voting in the lead up to 2020 may have actually cost him votes. And so, in an election like this one where it's going to be one of the tightest elections we've seen in modern history, Republicans really want to take advantage of this and get as many votes as they can, which means you need to lean in to early voting.

But Donald Trump, as we know, his teleprompter may say one thing, he believes another and may veer (ph) off script and we kind of saw that play out yesterday as he was speaking in Pennsylvania.

WALKER: Alayna Treene tracking the Trump campaign. Always good to have you, Alayna, thank you.

Still to come , a strike in Beirut and have a live report from the Lebanese capital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:57]

WALKER: We want to update you on that breaking news out of Lebanon. These are pictures out of a suburb in Beirut, Lebanon's capital, after Israel's military says it carried out an airstrike there. The IDF calls it a targeted strike and is promising more details to come. A CNN team at a nearby hospital says that they could hear sirens and first responders rushing to the scene, and we did see that just moments ago. Ben Wedeman is live for us in Beirut. Ben, what do you know?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this strike took place about 40 minutes ago in the southern suburbs of Beirut. It's the second, what appears to be a targeted strike on that part of town. Yesterday's strike apparently did not kill the intended target. This time there are rumors going around that the individual who was killed was one, Talal Hamiyah, who according to the U.S. State Department is in charge of what's known as Hezbollah's external security organization that's involved in attacks outside Lebanon. And there's a $7 million reward on his head.

However, there's no confirmation on that. And the Hezbollah has yet to put out any statements, although they did put out a picture on one of their Telegram channels of a building in which you can see there is significant damage to it. Also, we've seen on social media pictures of what appears to be a dismembered body draped over a car. So, that's what we have at this point. What we are seeing outside of Beirut, of course, continued Israeli airstrikes in the south, in the Beqaa Valley, not quite as intense as what we saw yesterday.

And of course yesterday, according to the ministry of health, since yesterday morning, the death toll is almost 560 at this point, with more than one 1,800 injured. Among the dead, of course, 50 children and 94 women. Amara?

WALKER: Ben, what are you seeing then in terms of how residents are responding? Are they evacuating? Where are they going?

WEDEMAN: Well, in fact, we just got back from a school that's been turned into a center for the displaced. And what we are seeing is that, that school has 1,000 people in it according to the man who runs that center. And he says at this point, they're at full capacity, that many other schools and institutions are being opened up to host people coming from the south. People who have come from the south are telling us that they spent as many as 14 hours on the road, trying to get out of the south towards Beirut, that they saw massive destruction, lots of dead along the road as well.

Many of them simply jumped into their cars and left without bringing any food or water. They paint a picture of chaos in the south, of terrorists. People are flooding --fleeing further north as Israel's bombing yesterday was particularly intense. I mean, when you talk about the death toll, it is the largest single-daily death toll since the September 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacres. Amara?

WALKER: Ben Wedeman, thank you for that context. Live for us there in Beirut. Iran's president tells CNN that Lebanon must not become "another Gaza" at the hands of Israel. Former U.S. Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta is weighing in on these escalations and he says the situation has crossed a threshold.

LEON PANETTA, FORMER UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, Iran has always been at the heart of the problem because they have in fact, been supplying these proxy forces that do their dirty work.

[08:35:00]

And they've been doing it for a long time and Iran has stated very clearly that they're going to continue to support Hezbollah. Whether or not there's an opportunity with the new president in Iran to try to see whether at least you can begin some kind of dialog, I don't know, but that's probably worth an effort. But I think right now, to be truthful, we've crossed a threshold here between a war that tries to apply some restraint and a wider war. We are clearly walking into a much wider war, and that makes it much more difficult for any of the parties to agree to any kind of solution.

WALKER: That was Former Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta. Now, world leaders are gathering for its annual session of the U.N. General Assembly. They are calling for restraint. Let's see how effective their efforts are. Let's bring in CNN Political and National Security Analyst David Sanger. He's also the White House and National Security Correspondent for "The New York Times." David, good to see you this morning. We've been talking so much about fears of a widening war, a regional conflict just growing bigger and bigger. Are we seeing the beginning of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: We may well be. And certainly, I think in some ways that is Israel's intent. I mean, these were the largest strikes we've seen, Amara, since 2006 and as you just heard from Ben, some of the worst casualties we've seen since 1982. So, that would suggest that the Israelis have made a fundamental decision that they're not going to do what some call mowing the lawn, which is to say, do minor strikes that try to sort of brush back Hezbollah, but nothing that gets at the fundamental stores of weapons.

And clearly, they've gotten at some of those at huge human cost as you've seen. Yesterday, in the strikes, we saw some secondary explosions that would suggest that in fact Israeli intelligence, at least in some instances, was right and they were hitting weapon stores but, as I said, comes at a huge human cost. And of course, it is Hezbollah that began this by striking Israel right after the October 7th attacks.

WALKER: So, talk to me then about what apparently is this strategy, Israel strategy, escalating to de-escalate, how would that even work?

SANGER: Really interesting question, interestingly, you used that phrase because it comes out of actually a Soviet and then Russian nuclear doctrine, which is to say that you do such an overwhelming strike that you're basically trying to convince Hezbollah that their linkages to Hamas, that their linkage that they would not stop attacking Israel until Israel was out of -- completely out of Gaza is just not worth the price to them.

Now, for President Biden who has been trying to convince Prime Minister Netanyahu for the better part of a year now, not to let this war expand and not to run the risk of direct confrontation with Iran, as Leon Panetta was just describing, this is basically the undoing of his efforts. But, his relationship, as you and I have discussed before, with Netanyahu is pretty poor at this moment.

WALKER: Might Israel be able to cow Hezbollah into submission? And if that does indeed happen, then doesn't that risk Iran retaliating and getting involved?

SANGER: It's a really interesting question. We don't know what Hezbollah's breaking point is. I've spoken to a number of analysts who believe that Israel may be misreading Nasrallah, the Hezbollah longtime head. I don't know whether or not they can break them. I think the Iranians have a very hard calculus here and you just mentioned the new Iranian president is at the U.N. this week for the first time, he clearly is looking for some openings to the West. So, he has got real disincentive to get in the middle of this. WALKER: U.S. President Biden will be speaking in about two hours from now, addressing the UNGA. Let's quickly touch on what you expect to hear from President Biden. Obviously, it raises the stakes of his speech, but also with all due respect to this governing body, the UNGA and its mission to prevent conflicts, it really hasn't been very successful at preventing conflicts as there are several raging right now around the world.

[08:40:00]

I mean, how effective could this year's 79th gathering be?

SANGER: Not very effective. And of course, the conflicts issue is largely in the Security Council where Russia and China have been perfectly willing to exercise their veto powers along the way. And you know what worries me about this particular era in history, is that five, years ago, we frequently worked with Russia and with China, for example, in the Iran nuclear negotiations, to convince her Iran to give up what we've believed to be a nuclear weapons program. They were on the U.S., European side of the table.

If that negotiation were to resume today under any kind of auspices, I suspect they would be on the Iranian side of the table. But I think you'll see the president try to argue that he has made significant progress, he has rebuilt alliances, and he has stood up against Russia for Ukraine. That's really his best line of argument at this point.

WALKER: David Sanger, we will leave this conversation here, a lot going on today. Thank you so much for your time.

SANGER: Great to be with you.

WALKER: Thank you. Still to come, John makes landfall as a hurricane in Mexico while Florida braces for a potentially devastating storm that is forming in the Caribbean. We'll have a full report from our weather center.

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WALKER: Welcome back, everyone. We want to update you on that breaking news out of Beirut, Lebanon. Israel's military says it has carried out an airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The IDF calls it a targeted strike and is promising more details about this strike, why it was targeted, later. But you can see here in live pictures, in Beirut, in the suburb, of people just standing around, I would imagine, many in shock after these strikes damaged what looked like to be a mid- or high-rise. You could see there in the background, some kind of bulldozer, excavator that's being used to get rid of some of that rubble and clear the streets there.

But obviously, a really dramatic and dangerous time as we are seeing this escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. And of course, the question is does this spiral into a full-scale war between the two parties? That's very latest from there. Of course, we'll stay on top of this strike that happened in Beirut, Lebanon just hours ago. Meantime, a powerful storm that hit Mexico as a Category 3 hurricane has now weakened. John brought life-threatening flash flooding and unleashed winds of up to 120 miles per hour along the southern coast of Mexico.

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While it's expected to slow down even further in the coming days, officials warn it will still be a significant rainmaker. Meantime, another major storm is rapidly forming in the Caribbean and expect it to become a Hurricane Helene, and it could hit Florida later this week. Let's bring in Derek Van Dam from the CNN Weather Center. Hi, Derek, what is the latest? Looks quite busy behind you there.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, it's menacing. And Amara, it's quite hard to comprehend the fact that we could have two major hurricane strikes in North America in a 72-hour period. So we had Hurricane John -- major Hurricane John make landfall into southern Mexico late last night. And now, we are facing down the prospects of another major hurricane, which is now classified potential Tropical Cyclone 9. I'll get to those details in just a moment, but let's talk about John because John kind of defied all odds, really strengthening right before that last few minutes before landfall, a trend that we've seen over the past decades due to the warming waters and the warming planet that we find ourselves in. This is Tropical Storm John. So, it has weakened from a major hurricane to a tropical storm, and it is moving rather erratically, kind of to the west, northwest, almost parallel with the southern coastline of Mexico.

There's Acapulco, they got hit pretty hard last night, heavy rainfall and of course, strong winds associated with this system. But look at this incredible strengthening feat that this storm went through, it actually went through two rapid intensification cycles. That's dropping 24 millibars in 24 hours or increasing the wind speed by 35 miles per hour. What it did was actually increased by 85 miles for hour in a 24-hour period, that's a lot of numbers. Basically in a day, it strengthened to 135 kilometers per hour wind speed. That is a short amount of time to go from tropical storm to major hurricane.

And you know what? This storm is going to wring itself out in the mountains of southern Mexico and it's going to bring torrential life- threatening rainfall and flash flooding to this region. So, we are going to watch out for that. It is kind of topping out our scales there with that shading of white. And then guess what? John is not done yet. There's some models showing the storm re-emerging into the eastern Pacific, re-strengthening and then taking advantage of more monsoonal moisture and bringing more rain and wind to the area. So, definitely a difficult time for that part of Mexico.

But now, let's get to what's happening in the United States. Well, right now, it's just over the western Caribbean, but potential tropical Cyclone 9 has prompted the National Hurricane Center to issue hurricane watches. This is for Florida's Gulf Coast, anywhere from Tampa Bay northward towards Apalachicola, this big bend region. That's where we could have the greatest impacts in terms of storm surge which could, by the way, get up to 15 feet. That is incredible. Lots of shallow water being pushed in from the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The storm will strengthen, likely to become a major Category 3 hurricane before making landfall late Thursday into Friday, and then moves inland. And Amara, I know we both live and reside in Atlanta. This is an area we need to monitor closely for the potential of wind impacts, heavy rain, and flash flooding, and even the potential of power failures and electrical faults with this system.

WALKER: I guess, that's why we are seeing so much rain in the forecast this weekend in Atlanta.

VAN DAM: Yeah, that's it.

WALKER: Derek Van Dam, good to see you at the CNN Weather Center. Thanks.

VAN DAM: Thanks.

WALKER: Melania Trump has rarely appeared on the campaign trail for her husband during the current run, his current run for the White House. And now, we are learning she was paid to speak at a fundraiser for a Republican group earlier this year. Brian Todd has the story.

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MELANIA TRUMP, WIFE OF DONALD TRUMP: Thank you all.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new CNN report uncovering mystery over who paid Melania Trump for a speech at a political event. The Former First Lady got $237,500 for speaking at one Log Cabin Republicans fundraising event in April, according to former President Donald Trump's latest financial disclosure form. But the forum doesn't say who the donor was. The Log Cabin Republicans tell CNN it wasn't them. Campaign finance and ethics watchdog say, not knowing the source of the money raises troubling questions.

NORM EISEN, FORMER OBAMA WHITE HOUSE ETHICS CZAR: It could be an individual who has a conflict of interests, who wants something from a future president.

TODD (voice-over): There are also questions being raised about the timing of her paid appearance.

KATE ANDERSEN BROWER, AUTHOR OF "FIRST WOMEN": It's not unusual for a Former First Lady to earn six figures speaking, but it is unusual during a campaign season.

TODD (voice-over): Officials for Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton say those first ladies did not get paid for any fundraising appearances during political campaigns.

EISEN: Typically, these appearances are associated with raising money for the campaign associated groups, not for your own pockets.

TODD (voice-over): This comes amid a barrage of videos Melania Trump is posting on social media, promoting her upcoming memoir titled "Melania."

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Videos ranging from a discussion of her renovation of the White House Rose Garden to a video defending her past work as a nude model.

M. TRUMP: Why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photoshoot? Are we no longer able to appreciate the beauty of the human body?

TODD (voice-over): And there's a video speculating about the assassination attempt on her husband in July.

M. TRUMP: I can't help but wonder why didn't law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech? There is definitely more to this story and we need to uncover the truth.

TODD (voice-over): But Melania Trump still has barely appeared anywhere to support her husband this year. She didn't attend his hush money trial in New York. And aside from this grand entrance at the Republican National Convention --

ANDERSEN BROWER: She hasn't been on the campaign really much at all. I mean, she was only at the RNC that one night and she didn't even speak. And for Melania, a lot of it is about making money, right?

TODD (voice-over): So far, the former president says he hasn't read her book.

D. TRUMP: Go out and get her book. She just wrote a book. I hope she said good things about -- I don't know -- I didn't -- so busy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): A spokesperson for Melania Trump declined to comment in response CNN's questions about the payment for at least one Log Cabin Republican event. Sources supportive of the former first lady who attended the Log Cabin events, but who didn't know she got paid for at least one of them defended her, saying she has a right to decide how to spend her time and to get paid for her time.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

WALKER: Brian, thank you. We are going to take a short break. Back after this.

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WALKER: You won't find Macau International Airport on the list of the world's top-20 airports. In fact, it doesn't even crack the top-50. However, 25 years after its hand over from Portugal back to China, Macau has its sights set on growth. Marc Stewart takes us to our next stop, Macau.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to Macau International Airport.

SIMON CHAN, CHAIRMAN, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, MACAU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: Basically to Macau, more than aviation (inaudible) we'll do it from ground up.

STEWART (voice-over): Built on reclaimed land on the eastern side of the Macau Peninsula, the airport began operating in 1995 with one terminal, ten gates, and a single runway. Macau International Airport is one of the smallest major airports in southern China, still its conception was a huge source of pride for the small region. Flag carrier Air Macau is based here, mainly serving Mainland China. Since the disruption of the pandemic in 2019, the airport has only recovered nearly 80 percent of pre-pandemic passenger traffic.

BRENDAN SOBIE, FOUNDER, SOBIE AVIATION: Observers say what they're missing is still (inaudible) particularly Korea, but also Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, all these other markets are down -- Thailand. These were kind of their main markets pre-COVID. In terms of the after China, which is obviously by far the largest market.

STEWART (voice-over): Overshadowed by nearby cities in both size and capacity, Simon says Macau and its airport need a unique strategy to grow.

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CHAN: Macau is a small city, but connectivity is very important. So, besides expanding the airport, the interconnectivity between Macau Airport and the city around are very important.

TODD (voice-over): Macau is linked to nearby Hong Kong and Zhuhai through a 55-kilometer sea-crossing bridge.

SOBIE: What that does is it opens up a lot of opportunities to kind of attract passengers or tourists or visitors from visiting multiple destinations in the region. But it also makes it easier for somebody heading from one destination to use an airport in another destination.

TODD (voice-over): New routes are being added and the airport has announced plans for expansion, which is due for completion in 2030. Although it's unlikely it will outgrow its neighbors, operators at this little airport say it still has a big role to play in the region.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: All right. That was Marc Stewart reporting. Thank you so much for being with me here on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Amara Walker. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is next.

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