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Israel Ramps Up Strikes on Beirut and Other Parts of Lebanon; Hundreds of Families Flee to Lebanon Coast; Trump Stresses "Very Good Relationship" with Zelenskyy and Putin; Harris Aims to Close Polling Gap on Immigration; Evacuation Ordered over Possible Failure of Tennessee Dam; Hurricane Helene Takes at Least 49 Lives; Lebanese Health Minister Says "We Are in a Full-Fledged War"; NY Mayor Arraigned on Federal Charges; Activists Fling Soup at Van Gogh Paintings; Miss University Korea Contestant is 80. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired September 28, 2024 - 03:00   ET

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

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A very warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.

Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM, Israel ramps up its strikes against suspected Hezbollah targets, forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Millions of people in the southern United States are waiting for their power to be restored in the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Helene.

And the race for the White House focuses on the border as U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris makes her first visit there as a nominee.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from New York, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Paula Newton.

NEWTON: It's 10 am in Lebanon and its capital is reeling from the worst round of Israeli strikes in nearly 20 years. And some of its residents no longer have a place to call home.

CNN crews at the scene, say the city was pounded continuously overnight and strikes are still underway northeast of there. Now, because of that, some hospitals in parts of southern Beirut will now be evacuated.

That's where the IDF said it struck residential buildings, that house Hezbollah weapons caches on Friday. But their residents no longer have a place to live and they camped up on sidewalks overnight. You can see them there, often with little more than the shirts on their backs.

Some of them saying they were lucky to be alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOLDI, BEIRUT RESIDENT: We have no -- we are here for now. So we don't know. Maybe here is safe. We don't know. So we are just here by the grace of God.

AHMAD ISSA, DISPLACED CITIZEN (through translator): We fled under fire because we didn't receive the news. We were at home and had no other place to take shelter. We escaped the shelling but, thank God, we were able to get out with our children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Now, all of this happening a day after the IDF targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to an Israeli official. Now the source said it's too early to say if he was killed.

In a speech at the U.N. on Friday, Israel's prime minister said his country is only doing what it has to do.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Would war with Hezbollah, which has hijacked your country and threatens to destroy ours, as long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely.

And that's exactly what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: Standing by to give us the very latest details, Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong, Nada Bashir is in London.

First to you, Nada. You know, we were just seeing some pictures of the absolute night of terror and I'm sure many are asking themselves what now, preparing for what could be a sustained military campaign from Israel.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.

There's a huge amount of fear, of confusion and panic amongst civilians across Lebanon, particularly in Beirut after the severe strikes that we saw over the course yesterday and overnight. We've been hearing from Lebanese officials, of course.

The Lebanese prime minister, Najib Mikati, called on the international community to do more, to take action, to run on what he described as Israel's tyranny in the region. A similar message from Lebanon's foreign minister, speaking in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, warning that the situation could spiral out of control.

Not just in Lebanon but more broadly across the Middle East. Again, reiterating that call for international intervention. But of course, what we've seen so far is really a rejection from the Israeli government of any hope of a ceasefire. That is of course, a huge concern for the civilians in Beirut and

across Lebanon. We have seen hundreds of thousands now displaced, as you mentioned, Paula. We've seen many overnight taking shelter, sleeping on the street for safety because of course, these strikes have been targeting areas that are densely populated.

Filled with residential buildings. Just yesterday, we saw the southern suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut targeted repeatedly. This is an area crammed, filled with apartment buildings, where civilians with families living there.

It is a busy city and it is impossible to imagine how civilians will be able to find any point of safety if these strikes are targeting the heart of Beirut.

And of course, we have been hearing now from the Israeli military about these evacuation warnings that are coming through to civilians, telling them they are, according to the Israeli military, close to Hezbollah targets, that they need to get out for their safety and protection, to move more than 500 meters.

But what we've also seen over the course of yesterday and overnight is that the timeframe between these warnings coming in and the ability for civilians to actually get out is very, very narrow.

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So it means that many aren't actually able to gather all their belongings together, their children and their families and get out to safety in time. And of course, this really is reflecting what we're seeing in Gaza, as well as troubling reflection there around the evacuation orders.

We have heard from the Lebanese government saying that they will be providing some aid, some funding to the poorest families that have been displaced. But it is anticipated that this aid would only be distributed to around 10,000 people.

Again, just a fraction of the number of people that have been displaced. According to Lebanon's health minister, speaking to our CNN colleague Jomana Karadsheh, around 400,000 to 500,000 people are believed to be displaced across the country.

And it feels as though we're only seeing an escalation that certainly the feeling following prime minister Netanyahu's address at the U.N. General Assembly.

NEWTON: And again, important to keep in mind, this is a country that was already reeling from economic and political upheaval.

Ivan, to you in Hong Kong, Israel is certainly trying to decapitate Hezbollah.

Do they expect more of a reaction from Iran or any other regional reaction here? IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's

something to watch. I mean, we've heard statements from the Iranian government condemning this and accusing the U.S. of being complicit in the Israeli attacks.

There was a statement that came out of the government of Syria, Lebanon's neighbor, also condemning what it characterized as Israeli terrorism in Lebanon. And you have to remember that Hezbollah and its fighters helped in Syria during its civil war.

They fought on behalf of the Syrian president Bashar al Assad against a largely Sunni Muslim uprising against him. And that was a very unpopular intervention by Hezbollah into the neighboring civil war.

There have been incidents in past weeks, where Houthi militants have fired long range projectiles at Israel and the Houthis are backed by Iran.

Just in the last day or so in Iraq, an Iraqi Iran-backed militia claimed responsibility for firing a drone at the southern Israeli port of Eilat.

But we have not seen a massive retaliation of any form from the Iran backed armed groups in the region, where there was a fear that, if this war escalated, they would all be sucked into the conflict.

And then the final big question is, what has happened to Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, the archenemy of Israel?

Israel claimed in its first wave of massive bombings on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday evening to have targeted Nasrallah.

We have not heard any statement from that movement about his current status.

There have been some statements denying, for example, Israeli accusations that some of the buildings that it targeted in Beirut had been storing weapons.

And we've also seen in the last hour or so a claim from Hezbollah that it had fired missiles at the Ramat David military base and airfield in Israel.

We've also seen air raid sirens going off in Israel itself and a report from the Israeli military of a surface to surface missile from Lebanon landing in central Israel without causing any damage.

One final note, bizarrely, amid all this carnage and violence around Beirut, there are still Middle East Airlines flights landing and taking off from Beirut airport, even though that's just a few miles away from where the fires still burn from last night's Israeli aerial blitz.

NEWTON: And we were seeing some of that video there as many tried to escape Lebanon at this hour. Ivan Watson for us in Hong Kong, Nada Bashir in London. Thank you to you both. Now Donald Trump has been promising without any detail, we add, that a

resolution to the war in Ukraine, if he's elected, will happen.

On Friday the former president met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower in New York. Trump says he, quote, learned a lot from meeting with Zelenskyy but he wants to see a fair deal between Ukraine and Russia. Take a listen to this awkward exchange between the two men.

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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We have a very good relationship. And I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin.

And I think if we win, I think we're going to get it resolved very quickly. Very quickly. I really think we're going to get it resolved quickly.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I hope we have more good relations between us.

TRUMP: We're going to have a lot. But, you know, it takes two to tango.

I think that we can work out something that's good for both sides.

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It's time.

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NEWTON: The Republican nominee also hit the campaign trail in the battleground state of Michigan on Friday. During one relatively brief town hall, the former president answered questions from voters and repeated his standard talking points on illegal immigration and the economy.

At one point, he attempted to link rising grocery prices to immigration. At an earlier event, Trump criticized Kamala Harris for visiting the southern border Friday.

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TRUMP: She didn't go there for four years. Now, today, she shows up.

I don't know. Maybe she's already gotten, I doubt it, but she's -- went to the border today. She wants to see if she could salvage -- make up some lies.

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NEWTON: Now all the polls show Kamala Harris is vulnerable on that immigration issue. She's not running away from it. She went to the border Friday to confront the issue head-on. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez has more now from Arizona.

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PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Vice President Kamala Harris, casting herself as the solutions-oriented candidate on the U.S.-Mexico border. But it was notable how she said she would do that.

In remarks here in Arizona on Friday, where she said, for example, that she would take additional action to toughen border security. And that included barring migrants from seeking asylum unless it was at a legal port of entry, a departure from decades-long protocol.

Take a listen.

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KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Those who cross our borders unlawfully will be apprehended and removed and barred from reentering for five years. We will pursue severe criminal charges against repeat violators.

And if someone does not make an asylum request at a legal point of entry and instead crosses our border unlawfully, they will be barred from receiving asylum.

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ALVAREZ: The vice president there drawing out a difference from President Joe Biden and his administration by going a step further on border security.

But she also said that she wanted to pursue immigration reform and address those undocumented immigrants who have been in the United States for a long period of time, as well as those DREAMers who were brought to the U.S. as children.

Now the vice president on multiple occasions also needled former president Donald Trump on that bipartisan border measure that he and Republicans tanked earlier in the year.

Saying the former president, quote, "wants to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem."

The vice president also noting at the top of her remarks that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants.

But ultimately, these were remarks of the vice president, trying to take what's been a political vulnerability, turn it on its head and try to close that polling gap with former president Donald Trump on the issue of immigration -- Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Arizona.

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NEWTON: Joining me now is Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at the University of Essex.

Good to see you. Natasha, you know, V.P. Harris there, she stepped way over to the right in this speech on the issue of the border.

Can it work to win over independents and some Republicans, of course, without risking, you know, support in her own party?

I mean, what she articulated there was a fairly tough border policy. It could have been a Republican border policy a few years ago.

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Yes.

That's a really good point.

It does sound like the Democrats are sounding more like Republicans on the issue of immigration because this is probably the issue where Harris is struggling the most against Trump in that more Americans think that Trump is doing a better job at handling immigration.

And so she's trying to tackle it head on. And she was also going to Arizona, a state of all the (INAUDIBLE) swing states, this is probably the swing state where she's struggling the most and where immigration would be one of the most important issues in Arizona.

So she tried to go on the attack, talking about tougher policies regarding asylum seekers, and also trying to criticize Trump as just sort of this agent of chaos that is unserious, that doesn't know the complexities of the immigration crisis, the fact that you need more funding for immigration judges, more funding for border agents.

And she tried to sell herself as a prosecutor, someone that has gone after drug cartels and is tough when it comes to implementing the rule of law.

It's really not clear whether or not this is going to be enough to change the minds of those that have already decided. I would think that they're pretty much set in their viewpoints, whether they're for Trump or for Harris until last undecided voters.

And so she's trying to make a pitch to them. But I don't know if it's going to work. This is just one of the weaker issues for her. But she did the best she could to try to appeal to those voters, that she would be tough on immigration. And as mentioned, much more toward the Republicans on this issue.

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NEWTON: Was there a risk to highlighting it, though?

She hasn't been to the border in years and the Biden administration did have issues, with record-breaking numbers of migrants crossing the border. LINDSTAEDT: So I don't think it was necessarily a risk to highlight

it. You could also say that, at the moment -- and I mean according to the statistics -- we have the lowest number of encounters at the border, around 56,000 since September of 2020.

And she can also highlight the fact that there was a bipartisan immigration bill that was supported by some of the most -- some of the most ardent Republicans and that Trump basically torpedoed the bill because it wasn't going to help with his campaign.

So there are elements of this, if she attacks it head-on, might work for her.

NEWTON: In terms of Trump and his meeting with Zelenskyy, I mean, they seem to be speaking from different planets here. But here's the thing. For Trump voters or even some independents, they hear Donald Trump talk about peace. They hear the Biden administration talking about sending more military aid and helping Ukraine fight on.

I mean, at this point, is this a better stance for the former president, to literally say, look, we want peace and not discuss the intricacies of how difficult that is to get there?

LINDSTAEDT: So while the same time that Trump is saying, we want peace, he's also basically saying that he supports Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin, who is considered by many to be a war criminal, a dictator, who has been so aggressive in this war in Ukraine, he's basically saying that they're the same.

It takes two to tango was what he said, that he has a good relationship with Putin. And these are the types of statements that are just dumbfounding to me, how he could speak this way, legitimize Putin's actions.

And he's basically trying to pressure Zelenskyy to give up a lot, a lot of territory, which they're never going to do in order to make peace. So those people that already support Trump, this doesn't matter to them, they support whatever he says. But this isn't going to appeal to those that see Russia as a real threat.

I think one of the intelligent things that Harris did in the debate was to highlight to Polish Americans, for example, the several hundred thousand Polish Americans that are in the state of Pennsylvania, the threats that come from Russia under Putin and how aggressive he's been.

NEWTON: Indeed and going to Poland, they will tell you, where they articulate very bluntly and clearly, the threat that Russia poses. Natasha Lindstaedt, we'll leave it there for now. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

LINDSTAEDT: Thanks for having me.

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NEWTON: New Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. Ahead, an update on the damage and death toll plus the unknown fate of Hezbollah's leader.

Plus we're keeping an eye on the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Helene. Some people in eastern Tennessee are being told to evacuate before a dam breaks apart. Stay with us.

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NEWTON: Lebanon is reeling from the worst round of Israeli strikes in nearly 20 years.

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NEWTON (voice-over): You are looking at live pictures right now from Beirut, you see the smoke rising there, the city and other parts of Lebanon have been under constant Israeli bombardment since Friday.

A senior Israeli official tells CNN that some of the strikes targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. There's no word at this time if Nasrallah is alive or dead. The strikes flattened buildings in densely populated residential areas. Lebanon says the attacks killed at least six people and wounded more than 90 others.

The U.S. says it was not informed of the attacks beforehand.

Turning now to the devastation left by Helene in the southeastern United States with millions still in the dark are coping with high water. Officials are urging residents in three Tennessee counties now to move to higher ground immediately because of a dam that could fail at any minute.

The Tennessee Valley Authority's River Forecast Center has activated a condition red warning for an imminent breach of the dam.

Meanwhile, much of Asheville, North Carolina, look at that, swamped by flooding from Helene's torrential downpours, which came after some 10 inches of rain fell in previous days.

Now at least 49 people have died across five states after Helene made landfall in Florida Thursday as a category four hurricane. CNN's Carlos Suarez is in Gulfport, Florida, with a look at the destruction that was left behind.

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DIA VARTSAKIS, OWNER, NEPTUNE GRILL: We've lost everything in this building.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A common refrain along much of Florida's West Coast.

VARTSAKIS: Now there's nothing, just some sticks.

MAJOR LIZ ALPERT, SARASOTA, FLORIDA: This is the worst probably we've seen in our area in 100 years. I know I've been in Sarasota for 22 years and I've never seen anything like this.

SUAREZ: Heavy rain bringing historic flooding, forcing water rescues.

MATTHEW HELLER, TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA, RESIDENT: Holy cow, that storm surge, the whole lower level of my home was filled with water. I ended up hopping on to one of my little kayaks to float around in my living room.

This has been just a heck of a storm surge. It's wiped out all my neighbors. I see just the destruction going all down the road.

SUAREZ: Boats thrown about, power lines down, homes and businesses destroyed.

VARTSAKIS: Some of it's outside, some of it's in here. This is by far the worst I've ever had.

SUAREZ: And even amidst the flooding, massive fires, rescuers pass a burning home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody in your house?

SUAREZ: Using their resources instead to search for survivors.

RANDY VON ALLMEN, GULFPORT, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Boy, it's devastating. I've never seen something like this. I've known people that lived here 20 years that said they've never seen anything like it.

SUAREZ: After slashing Florida, Helene pushed north, battering Georgia and the Carolinas, also leaving life-threatening flooding.

In Atlanta, communities left underwater as Helene held its strength as a hurricane until halfway through the state of Georgia.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the worst I've ever seen. I've seen the creek high, like right up to the bottom of the bridge but nothing like this.

SUAREZ: But it wasn't finished yet. Helene's massive size spread the rain and misery into North Carolina, where a relentless deluge caused historic flooding in Asheville just one day after a one-in-1,000-year rainfall saturated the region.

GOV. ROY COOPER (D-NC): This is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of western North Carolina.

SUAREZ: And Helene continues to move, now into Tennessee, bringing rising water and dangerous flooding.

In Erwin, Tennessee, more than 50 people were stranded on the roof of a hospital surrounded by raging floods. Helicopters were sent to save them.

MICHAEL BAKER, ERWIN, TENNESSEE, ALDERMAN: They're currently taking patients and staff off of the roof of the hospital and then transporting them back into the city of Erwin. This is a serious situation. I would dare to say this is a life-and-death situation.

SUAREZ: Back here in Pinellas County, the National Guard has been deployed and they're the ones that are going to be organizing the safety and recovery effort moving forward.

And one of the things they have to figure out is how they're going to remove the nearly half a dozen sailboats that crashed into several structures out here, including the one right here behind me -- Carlos Suarez, CNN, Gulfport, Florida.

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NEWTON: Beirut takes its worst hit from Israel's military in nearly two decades. Still ahead for us, heavy strikes leave many without a place to live and the fate of Hezbollah's top leader still unclear this hour. We'll have an update ahead.

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NEWTON: An update now on the latest developments in Lebanon. Beirut is recovering from the worst Israeli strikes in nearly 20 years, amid questions about the fate of Hezbollah's leader.

Now CNN crews at the scene say Israeli warplanes pummeled the city continuously overnight. More strikes are now underway northeast of there. And we are hearing that some hospitals in southern Beirut will be evacuated. That's where the IDF said it hit residential buildings on Friday that housed Hezbollah weapons caches.

Now Lebanon says at least six people were killed and more than 90 injured. Residents of those buildings now have no place to live and many spent the night on the city sidewalks with just the few possessions they managed to escape with.

Earlier Friday the IDF targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. That's according to a senior Israeli official. The source said it's too early to say if indeed he was killed.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that the Israeli strike was already underway, he says, when he spoke with Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on Friday and he called for a diplomatic solution.

In an exclusive interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Austin spoke about the consequences of a possible all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.

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GEN. LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Wolf, an all-out war between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel would be devastating for both Lebanon and Israel. And, again, we anticipate that we'd see a number of people displaced, casualties that, you know, equal or exceed what we've seen in Gaza.

And so, again, the best way forward in our view is a diplomatic effort, a diplomatic solution.

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NEWTON: Now President Joe Biden, meantime, directed the Pentagon to assess the force posture of U.S. troops in the Middle East following Israel's strikes on Beirut.

A U.S. official says the president was briefed several times by security officials on Friday as those events unfolded. CNN's Alex Marquardt is at the United Nations with details.

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ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Biden administration officials are really distancing themselves from this huge Israeli strike in southern Beirut.

Today, President Joe Biden saying that the U.S. had no advance knowledge, no participation in this Israeli strike. The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, he said he only found out from his Israeli counterpart once the operation was fully underway.

And now top U.S. officials are warning of the potential consequences. Here's secretary of state Antony Blinken on Friday, take a listen.

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ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: The events of the past week and the past few hours underscore what a precarious moment this is for the Middle East and for the world. Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorism; the way it does so matters.

The choices that all parties make in the coming days will determine which path this region is on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Now this comes just a few days after the White House put on the table a proposal for a 21 day truce between Hezbollah and Israel, which prime minister Netanyahu of Israel appeared to dismiss out of hand, saying that Israeli troops will continue fighting with Hezbollah with full force.

We got a bit of an explanation from a senior Israeli official, who told reporters that it was an honest misunderstanding, essentially that Israel still had more questions about this ceasefire proposal while the U.S. wanted to see it implemented more imminently.

Now at the same time, a senior Israeli official is saying that the decision to target Nasrallah on Friday was a very tough call, that if Nasrallah was indeed killed, that he would be the latest in a long line of Hezbollah commanders, well more than half, Israel believes, of Hezbollah commanders have been taken out recently by Israel.

But if Nasrallah is indeed dead, this Israeli official saying that it could be a pivot in this conflict because he is an irreplaceable figure.

Prime minister Netanyahu cut short his trip here to New York, flying back to Israel on Friday night, a rare move for him to travel on the Shabbat but really highlighting the seriousness of this situation and what may soon be coming -- Alex Marquardt, CNN, at the United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: We go live now to Tel Aviv and retired Israeli colonel Miri Eisin.

She's a senior fellow at the International Institute for Counterterrorism and a former Israeli intelligence official.

Good to have you here as we try and parse exactly what's gone on.

What do you believe are Israel's motives right now, given these very bold military moves?

COL. MIRI EISIN, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES (RET.): Right now, I'm sitting in Tel Aviv and, for the first time from my point of view, for the last 11.5 months, Hezbollah was the one that attacked Israel every single day, from October 8th.

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EISIN: There are some injured but we've been told how to act, not just in the last 11.5 --

(CROSSTALK)

NEWTON: But the issue is could they still --

(CROSSTALK)

NEWTON: -- but the issue -- right.

But the issue is could they still overwhelm the defenses that Israel has in place if they choose to, given what you said at the opening, right, that it is well armed and has been rearming now for nearly two decades? EISIN: I think that the game changer is, if Hassan Nasrallah was

taken out -- because, Paula, he was the one who oversaw the last 32 years.

He was the secretary general of Hezbollah terror organization, designated as such by the U.S., by the U.K., by the world. And in that enormous arsenal that was there, you also need command and control.

So I do think that that double action of taking out all of those top echelon leaders, the commanders, the ones who need to give those instructions and, at the same time, Israeli jets have been attacking the different caches of weapons that you've been talking about.

How can it be, that in southern Beirut in a Hezbollah headquarters terror organization, you have enormous caches of weapons that are inside the suburban areas?

This is horrible. It's what they do all over. It's how they have a safe haven. And Israel has said enough is enough. They cannot use that against us.

I worry here, I am still waiting to see what will be left of that. Let's see how much we've done in the Israeli attacks to preempt against their capabilities.

NEWTON: In terms of preemption, though, obviously, Iran is watching.

Do you believe they will retaliate against Israel?

EISIN: Wow, isn't that the $64,000 question?

I'm saying right now as an Israeli, Hezbollah, for the Islamic regime of Iran, it was the foot forward, it was the one that they backed and armed and cultivated. And Hezbollah itself was the one that then cultivated all of the other proxies, both in Syria and Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen.

I don't know if the Islamic regime of Iran will act. But I do know that when the Islamic regime of Iran acts, it does so in a terror way. It could be against Jewish and Israeli targets anywhere in the world. That's the way that they work. That's the way that they do that.

They could also try again to fire directly against Israel, as they did on the night of April 13th-14th. Hard to tell at this stage.

NEWTON: All right, Colonel Eisin.

And we will continue to watch with you as the hours unfold here on this Saturday. Appreciate your input.

Now Lebanon's health minister described the situation in his country as a, quote, "full fledged war."

And that was before Israel's attack on Beirut on Friday. The health minister sat down with CNN's Jomana Karadsheh for an interview on Thursday and spoke about the Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in his country. Take a listen now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FIRASS ABIAD, HEALTH MINISTER, LEBANON: I think we are in a full- fledged war. There's no doubt about that. And you know, irrespective of what you want to call it, you know, we have civilians, innocent people, women, children being indiscriminately attacked, targeted.

We have, you know, residential buildings being blown to smithereens.

[03:40:00]

We have, you know, hospitals, ambulances, primary healthcare centers being

targeted. But this is war. There's no doubt about that.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The people we've spoken to say that they are worried about seeing what is happening and has happened in Gaza repeat itself here in Lebanon.

Is that something you're concerned about?

ABIAD: Well, it's the same perpetrator and it's using the same excuses. They're using the same weaponry. Of course, we are very much concerned.

It's -- we are concerned for our community. We are concerned. You know, we do not want to see the carnage that is -- that happened and has -- I mean,

happened in Lebanon nor did we want to see it. And that's -- and that's why I think it's imperative on the international community to take action and

to apply the required pressure on Israel to cease what it is indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

And the paper that was put forth by the U.S., by the G7, by the Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and which Lebanon accepted would have been a very good

place to start but unfortunately, it seems that, you know, everyone is intent on finding a diplomatic solution to this conflict, except one party

that wants to continue with its indiscriminate attack on civilians.

KARADSHEH: So do you believe Hezbollah would agree to that proposal?

ABIAD: Hezbollah has stated publicly that with a ceasefire in Gaza, all hostilities or all activities will cease. And you know, I think that even

if Hezbollah -- let's say Hezbollah was not on -- let's remove its excuse, let's remove this pretext and find out for, you know, what its true

position is.

But I think that the -- you know, the international communities' called for a ceasefire and is the right place to start. Lebanon does not want war.

This is what they do and this government has said, this is what the Lebanese population has said. And I believe that a diplomatic solution is

the right way out of this conflict.

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NEWTON: Still ahead for us, in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has been arraigned on federal charges but a top adviser says he did nothing wrong. That story after the break.

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NEWTON: New York Mayor Eric Adams was arraigned on fraud and bribery charges in federal court on Friday. It comes amid calls for him to resign and signs the investigation is not over yet. CNN's Kara Scannell has that story.

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ALEX SPIRO, ADAMS' ATTORNEY: The mayor entered a plea of not guilty, he's innocent.

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York City Mayor Eric Adams making his first court appearance sitting beside his attorney in a packed courtroom, Adams spoke in a clear, even voice when he entered his plea.

Leaving court, Adams was silent but he showed no signs that he's planning to step aside as New York Governor Kathy Hochul is said to be considering a provision in state law that would allow her to remove Adams from office.

SPIRO: This isn't even a real case. This is the airline upgrade corruption case.

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D-NY): And I asked New Yorkers to wait to hear our defense before making any judgments,

SCANNELL (voice-over): Adams is facing five criminal charges related to conspiracy, bribery, soliciting foreign donations and wire fraud. DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: We allege that Mayor Adams abused that privilege and broke the law, laws that are des -- designed to ensure that officials like him serve the people, not the highest bidder, not a foreign bidder and certainly not a foreign power.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Prosecutors alleged for nearly a decade, Adams sought thousands of in illegal campaign donations from Turkish government officials and businessmen and he received more than $100,000 in free or discounted business class flights and stays in luxury suites, prosecutors say.

According to the indictment, by 2021 a Turkish official told Adams it was his turn to return the favor.

Adams pressured the fire department to allow the Turkish government to occupy the consulate, even though the skyscraper did not pass a safety inspection, prosecutors alleged. Four days after he intervened, Adams allegedly asked his Turkish allies for another free upgrade on an international flight.

Prosecutors say Adams tried to hide the alleged crimes by creating a fake paper trail and excluding the gifts from public disclosure forms. When authorities sought his phone last year, they said Adams claimed he forgot his password and was unable to unlock it.

The indictment also details a conversation where a staffer texts Adams, allegedly saying, "To be on the safe side, please delete all messages you send me."

Adams responded, "Always do."

If convicted, the 64-year-old Adams faces up to 45 years in prison.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It would be best for Mayor Adams to step aside.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Calls for his resignation have grown louder, with many New York officials demanding he step down.

ADAMS: I look forward to defending myself.

SCANNELL (voice-over): Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

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NEWTON: Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing new allegations.

He's accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in a new civil lawsuit, the 11th suit he's faced in as many months. Jane Doe alleges she was drugged with unknown substances more than once during 2022 and once woke up with injuries without knowing how she got them.

She also says she was forced to take ketamine, was made pregnant and suffered a miscarriage. Combs is in federal detention, awaiting trial on a range of racketeering and sex trafficking charges. CNN has reached out to Combs' representatives for comment. For the first time in its history, the Miss Universe pageant has

dropped all age limits. Stay close. We're going to introduce you to the South Korean beauty who proves you're never too old to dream.

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NEWTON: Climate activists threw soup on two of Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" paintings in London Friday.

It's just hours after fellow members of Just Stop Oil were sent to jail for doing the same thing two years ago. The National Gallery says the three suspects were arrested. No paintings thankfully were damaged but gallery patrons were shocked, as you can imagine, about what happened.

Now in the last attack, two women tossed soup at the art, then glued themselves to the wall. The "Sunflowers" paintings were safe. The damage to the frame cost some 10,000 pounds. British media report, one woman received two years in jail. The other was sentenced to 20 months.

Now to an incredible story out of South Korea.

Could the next Miss Universe be a gorgeous 80-year-old woman?

Her legions of fans certainly hope so. CNN's Mike Valerio introduces us to a beauty queen who proves it's never too late, apparently, to chase your dreams.

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MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a story of how stunning self-confidence, reinvention and total perseverance decades in the making can lead to revolutionary change.

Meet the sensation that is Choi Soon-hwa. At 80, she's the oldest contestant to reach the finals of Miss Universe Korea.

Choi used to be a full-time medical caregiver and it was one of her patients who told her she needed to become a model.

CHOI SOON-HWA, CONTESTANT, MISS UNIVERSE KOREA (through translator): I was really interested in acting and fashion since I was a child. But I forgot all about them during my life.

But when my patient said that, my childhood dream came alive at once. My ears just immediately opened up.

[03:55:00] VALERIO (voice-over): One day, Choi spotted a senior silver model on a TV show. So she called the TV station and got the name of the academy where the model learned to build couture confidence.

Now Choi is the instructor, trying to teach me the walk.

Of course, it's the student who's the problem.

And Choi told us how she perfected her approach during late-night caregiving breaks.

CHOI (voice-over): I've never walked in straight lines until the age of 17. So model walking, posing and smiling were really difficult. I practiced walking, posing and smiling every night from midnight to 1:30 am or sometimes as late as 2:00 am for two years.

VALERIO (voice-over): This is the rehearsal for Monday's Miss Universe Korea competition.

It's Choi and 31 others vying for the chance to compete at this year's Miss Universe pageant in Mexico. It's the first year Miss Universe has dropped age limits, paving the way for Choi to enter, strike a pose and vogue.

As for her message to the world ...

CHOI (voice-over): You have to do what you wanted to do, the things that you gave up to raise your kids. You have to do that when you're old. And when you do that, you'll be super happy and encounter happiness at every moment.

VALERIO (voice-over): Mike Valerio, CNN, Seoul.

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NEWTON: A group of artisans in Indian Kashmir are reviving and preserving an ancient craft. The weavers create rare and beautiful Kani shawls. They work in a small village called Kanihama. It's known as the Loom Village for good reason.

The weavers use hand looms to create the shawls' intricate patterns. They are so detailed that it can take up to three years to finish each shawl.

I'm Paula Newton. I want to thank you for joining us. Kim Brunhuber picks things up from here from Atlanta. He'll be here in a moment.