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New Israeli Airstrikes in Southern and Norther Lebanon; Israel Might be Preparing for Ground Offensive in Lebanon; Hassan Nasrallah Killed in an Israeli Airstrike Friday; Hezbollah Pledges to Continue Fight Against Israel; Hurricane Helene's Aftermath; U.N. Secretary General Calls for a Ceasefire and Hostage Release; Around 1 Million People Displaced in Lebanon; Harris and Trump to Hit Battleground States; Vice Presidential Debate Just Days Away. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired September 29, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

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

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: And I'm Becky Anderson in Tel Aviv, in Israel for you. We are following the very latest developments here in the Middle East, following the Israeli airstrike in Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

There are no signs of a let up in Israel's strikes on Lebanon, despite new fears of a wider war in the region. In recent hours, Israel conducted new airstrikes in the south and east of the country, killing at least 10 people, according to Lebanese state news agency. That's on the heels of a series of strikes that reportedly killed more than a thousand others over the past week.

But the U.S. says Israel is also moving troops to the border with Lebanon. That's the border in the south of Lebanon, of course. A possible sign of preparations for a limited cross-border incursion. Israel says a ground operation is only one of the options it is considering.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESPERSON: We need to understand there's a huge amount of different tools that we have in our toolbox. Ground operations is one of them. We are preparing for that if it is required, if we receive the instructions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, it reserves the right then to go into Lebanon on the ground. Hezbollah's leader, meantime, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed. In that airstrike on Friday leading to fears of a wider conflict, but the group says it won't stop fighting. While, back at Iran is threatening to deliver what it says will be a crushing blow against Israel.

Well, for more, let's get you bang up to date and head over to Abu Dhabi where Paula Hancocks is standing by Israeli strikes on Lebanon then continue overnight. It's 11:00 a.m. local here in Tel Aviv and in Beirut. What's been targeted overnight and what's been the impact, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, the Israeli military says that they're specifically targeting Hezbollah infrastructure. So, they say that means it is launchers that are positioned towards Israel. It's some of the infrastructure that Hezbollah operatives are using. And also, it is the weapons caches, which Israel claims are being kept in civilian houses, in civilian areas. So, this is what the Israeli military say that they are targeting at this point.

And it's what they've been targeting for days now, this aerial bombardment, trying to take out as much of the Hezbollah infrastructure as possible, as Israel does consider whether or not it wants to carry out this ground invasion. Now, one senior Israeli official has told CNN that it is not the preferred option for Israel to actually go in on the ground in into Southern Lebanon, but vocally and very publicly, the IDF is saying that they are preparing for that and they would be ready for that eventuality.

Now, of course, the big question is what happens elsewhere in the region as to whether or not this does become this wider conflict that everybody has been so concerned about for months now. We have heard from Iran, we've heard from the supreme leader saying that the fate of the region will be determined by the resistance forces at the top of which is a victorious Hezbollah. We've heard from the Iranian U.N. ambassador saying he's calling for an emergency meeting at the U.N. Security Council about this Nasrallah assassination. We also heard from the foreign minister. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: We express our sympathy and solidarity with the people of Lebanon. The Islamic Republic of Iran will be on the side of Lebanon and resistance by all means.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, we also heard from Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pointing out that the reach that Israel has is long. When you consider the number of not just leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas that Israel has assassinated recently, but also some of the commanders. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): And to the ayatollah's regime, I say, those who strike us, we will strike them. There is no place in Iran or the Middle East that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. Today, you already know that this is correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:05:00] HANCOCKS: Now, also, one senior U.S. official says that they believe that if Iran believes that they are about to lose Hezbollah, so if they believe that Hezbollah will not be able to act as this buffer zone or so-called last line of defense for Iran, then they may decide to intervene as well.

It's worth pointing out, though and bearing in mind, Becky, that Iran has yet really to respond to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas, which was in Tehran, Israel has not admitted to that assassination, but it's widely believed to be behind it. Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Paula. Thank you. Well, Maha Yahya is the director for the Carnegie Middle East Center. She joins me now from Antwerp this morning in Belgium. Expressions of sympathy then from Iran, not just from Iran for Hassan Nasrallah, but by those aligned with Iran, Shiite militia in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza of course.

There will be many who say that this is a huge, huge blow to what is known by those who support it as the Iranian Axis of Resistance here very specifically in the part of the world where I am and around the region. You argue in a recent piece that Hezbollah is in a bind as the conflict with Israel escalates the path forward for the party as one fraught with obstacles and will need to contend with a complicated domestic dynamic likely to challenge its political power in Lebanon.

And you make a very good point that, and I think is important to press home for our viewers. This is not just a very influential military organization non-state in Lebanon and around this region, but also one with a political wing and embedded in the fabric of Lebanese society. Just further explain the conceit of your piece and your argument here.

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning, Becky. Thank you for having me. It's good to be with you. Look, the Hezbollah historically has played an important role, particularly after Israel's 2000 unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon. And then, after the -- where they decided to maintain their arms and then after the assassination of Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, for which five members of Hezbollah were indicted a string of assassinations. I won't go through the history.

But in 2006, Hezbollah was seen by many as a hero, particularly Hassan Nasrallah for having defied Israel and withstood Israel's onslaught on Lebanon. After that, through a series of actions within Lebanon, it increasingly was being perceived as a sectarian figure. As you know, there were -- there was a sit in, we had a string of assassinations in Lebanon, for which -- many of which Hezbollah was accused of, but also, you know, obstructing the port explosion. The port explosion itself, the material that was there was assumed to be there at the request of Hezbollah. So, there were many factors that came into play where Hezbollah in Lebanon became the face of protecting the status quo.

But at the same time, its support as of 2011, 2012 for the regime of Bashar al-Assad also alienated a large -- you know, large swaths off the Arab population who, until then, saw him as a hero standing up to Israel and standing up for the Palestinian cause, standing up for the under trodden.

So, the domestic dynamics notwithstanding, his broader Arab appeal remained until 2011, 2012. I'm talking about Hassan Nasrallah, but also Hezbollah. As of 2012, the support for Bashar al-Assad, and frankly, I think Bashar al-Assad would not have stayed in power without the military and political support of Hezbollah and Hassan Nasrallah specifically, turned much of the Arab region, the broadly Sunni Arab region, against him. He was seen to be supporting a mass murderer, someone who was inflicting -- using chemical weapons on his own population.

So, in a sense, he went from being -- he remains a hero to -- as you said, to large groups of people, but to a broader public. And we've seen this in the reaction to his killing, he's seen as a villain.

ANDERSON: Yes. As he is --

YAHYA: It's a very mixed legacy.

[04:10:00]

ANDERSON: -- in many parts of this wider region, of course. Newsline magazine puts the significance of his demise this way, quote, "He proved the ideological and operational template for militias and Islamist groups that stretched far beyond Hezbollah. Even extremist groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group have borrowed from his playbook, imitating Hezbollah's ability to merge military action with political legitimacy and mass mobilization, and even emulating his style and persona."

To your mind, what are the wider consequences for this region, just as people fear a wider conflict here? So, there is a sort of flip side to this. What is the wider consequences of his being removed at this point, for this wider region?

YAHYA: I think it's a bit too early to tell. What is clear until now is that Iran will -- is unlikely to retaliate. I think Iran now is going to focus on trying to help Hezbollah stand their ground to some extent. They will not retaliate. It's unlikely. I won't say no. We can't be categorical. But it's unlikely to retaliate and get dragged into an all-out -- an even more larger regional conflict.

We've seen the reactions from the Houthis and the PMF, they have been, you know, modest at best in terms of what they could be doing if they really wanted to react and kind of activate this Axis of Resistance, this unity front strategy, which was the key reason why Hezbollah got involved in the Gaza conflict to begin with.

So, I'm not seeing any kind of -- any significant reaction at that point. They're still very careful about not wanting to trigger an all- out war. And I think it's this understanding that prompted Netanyahu's calculus and pushed him to, you know, keep pushing the envelope and carry out this assassination.

There's no doubt in my mind that the loss of Hassan Nasrallah -- I mean, he was an iconic figure and his loss will be felt for quite some time, for a long time, I think. He really was a pivotal actor in this Axis of Resistance. It wasn't just his charisma, his leadership, but it was also his personal relationships with all the different groups.

ANDERSON: As I say, the Iranian calculus is a nuanced one at this point. They're coming back into sort of a relationship with, for example, the Saudis and the UAE will be a consideration as they work out what they do next. Of course, the Gulf states are no friends of the Hezbollah group and its chief, Hassan Nasrallah. Maha Yahyah, thank you.

Well, U.S. leaders say they did not know about the strike in advance, but President Joe Biden is hailing the death of Nasrallah as a welcome development, stating his death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including the thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians. Ultimately, our aim is to de- escalate, he said, the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon and through diplomatic means. And here is Mr. Biden earlier in Delaware.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, is a ground incursion in Lebanon inevitable?

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Time for a ceasefire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, amid the possibility of a major escalation in the region, one U.S. official says Washington's posture is now -- for now is simply to be prepared for retaliation from Hezbollah, from Iran, or from both.

Well, in Ramallah, in the West Bank, protestors marched on Saturday to condemn the killing of the Hezbollah chief. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared five days of national mourning. Lebanon announced a three-day period of public mourning. And as we've said, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, also a state -- expressing a statement of deep sorrow over the killing of Nasrallah calling Friday's attack a horrific massacre.

Here's how the former Palestinian Authority minister, Majida al-Masri, reacted to the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJIDA AL-MASRI, FORMER PALESTINIAN MINISTER (through translator): If Netanyahu thinks that the assassination of the great leader, the master, and the icon of the resistance, Sayeed Hassan Nasrallah, will impact the resistance and will impact our ability to continue our struggle, then he is delusional, and we will see that he is in the coming days. On the contrary, this will inflame the resistance and the fighters and their willingness to struggle.

[04:15:00]

ANDERSON: Now, we will see, we'll have much more from the Middle East as our breaking news coverage continues this hour. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Thank you so much, Becky. The storm, once known as Hurricane Helene, is still wreaking havoc on the southeastern U.S. Residents of inland areas far from Florida are enduring catastrophic conditions. We'll have the latest when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: The weather system that was once Hurricane Helene is still causing chaos far from the U.S. Gulf Coast. At least 61 people have been killed and nearly 3 million remain without power in five states. Officials say a Tennessee dam that was in danger of collapse is holding, but many roads and bridges across the region are closed due to flooding or landslides, and more rain is expected this weekend.

Now, in Western North Carolina, emergency services are overwhelmed. Dozens of search and rescue operations have been conducted in the Asheville area, including 20 air rescues from places where there was other access. The city's fire chief described what residents are facing.

[04:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CAYSE, FIRE CHIEF, CITY OF ASHEVILLE: I can tell you the city of Asheville is in dire straits right now. We have had three or four days now of some significant rain. Fortunately, the rain has stopped not, but all the cascading events that come from that are starting to pile up. We've lost communications capabilities. We -- it's very difficult for us to move around the community. Many, many of the roads are closed. Trees are down. We're clearing those as quick as we can. And a lot of the critical infrastructure that we become used to every day in normal times is now gone and we have to work around it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: CNN Correspondent Rafael Romo is there in Asheville and has more on what residents are dealing with.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The accumulation of mud on this street, as you can see, is about two inches deep and there are debris everywhere. As you can see, this is a table. This is a door that came from a house or a building somewhere, there's a chair right there. And this is the way many streets here in Asheville look.

Now, officials are facing a massive recovery effort. Just to give you an idea of how bad the situation is here. There are still 105,000 customers in Buncombe County, which includes the City of Asheville, where we are, without power. Crews are working to try to make way to reach people who may need help. Also, 130 swift water rescues were made since Thursday, and a total of 5,500 people called 911.

Now, if you can imagine the force of the floodwaters, take a look at this metal power pole. It was brought here by the storm, and we don't even see where it came from. So, that gives you an idea about how bad the flood was. And there's also, according to the City of Asheville, 578 people who are seeking shelter.

Now, it rained since Wednesday and Thursday, about 10 inches of rain that's -- that was the accumulation and then, that was even before the hurricane or the remnants of the hurricane, I should say, Tropical Storm Helene, which brought an additional 12 inches of water. This is something that, according to officials here, is a one in 1,000-year rainfall event. So, that tells you exactly what people here are facing. Some of the scenes that they tell us they had never seen before.

Reporting from Asheville, North Carolina, I'm Rafael Romo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Many residents of Southwestern Mexico had to be evacuated from their homes on Saturday as the remnants of Hurricane John continued to pound the region. The storm, originally a Category 3 hurricane, weakened, but then returned as a Category 1. Now, it's no longer considered an active storm, but its effects are still being felt. Flooding and landslides have killed at least 22 people. Responders in Acapulco are carrying out rescues by boat, jet ski, and helicopter.

The owners of the NFL's Carolina Panthers are pledging $3 million to hurricane relief efforts. The David and Nicole Tepper Foundation, in partnership with the Panthers and Charlotte FC, announced the commitment on Saturday. The money will go to help people across the Carolinas. The Panthers said on the team website that the funds will go to food banks and pantries, local community foundations, and other agencies providing services.

ANDERSON: Well, concerns are growing about a wider conflict in the Middle East after the killing of the top Hezbollah leader. Still ahead, what the U.S. is saying could be the Israeli military's next move.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:25:00]

ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson live in Tel Aviv in Israel. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And a quick update on our breaking news story. Israel says it carried out new airstrikes in Lebanon today, hitting targets in the east and south of the country. At least 10 were killed according to Lebanon's state news agency That is happening amid fears of a wider war in the region following Israel's killing of Hezbollah's leader in Beirut.

Well, the U.S. now says Israel is moving troops to the border with Lebanon, a possible sign of preparations for a limited cross-border incursion, although Israel says a ground operation is only one option that it is considering. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an airstrike on Friday. The announcement of his death made public about 24 hours ago. Hezbollah says it will still keep fighting, while Iran is threatening to deliver what it says will be a crushing blow against Israel.

Well, Miri Eisin is a retired colonel of the Israel Defense Forces and a senior fellow today at the International Institute for Counterterrorism. Miri, it's good to have you. Thank you for joining us.

You would expect to hear these threats from Iran, but from the Israeli and very specifically IDF perspective at this point, what happens next to your mind?

COL. MIRI EISIN (RET.), SENIOR FELLOW, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COUNTER-TERRORISM AND ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES (RET.): First of all, we need to be sure that the threat that Hezbollah has posed with the enormous arsenal that Hassan Nasrallah oversaw both before 2006 and certainly, since the second Lebanon war in 2006, that that arsenal, which is right on the border, it's not just underneath the domestic urban areas of Beirut or in the Beqaa Valley, they put it on the border. They were planning to do a kind of October 7th attack. We need to be sure that threat is removed. And I think that that is the most immediate next aspect for the IDF.

ANDERSON: And while that arsenal is significant, we're talking about potentially some 130,000 sort of weapons in -- and including ballistic missiles, Miri, and that is a significant threat to Israel being, as you suggest they are, just on the other side of the Israeli border, what we haven't seen or hadn't seen to date from Hezbollah, run by Hassan Nasrallah before his assassination, what we hadn't seen was the significant use of that arsenal. Given his demise and the demise of so many of those commanders around him assassinated by Israel, what is the ability for Hezbollah at this stage? Do you think to use that arsenal?

[04:30:00]

EISIN: So, first of all, sorry, I'm going to push back just a bit, Becky. Hezbollah fired at Israel every single day from October 7th. That was not in defense of Lebanon. That was only about attacking Israel. Israelis evacuated. 70,000 people that have not been in their homes for 11 and a half months, and Hezbollah has been targeting and destroying those homes. So, it's not that they haven't used the arsenal. But what we're looking at right now, when we're looking at the bigger threat, is the chance of how we bring Israelis back home.

The City of Kiryat Shmona that you've been in, you reported from there in the past, and that city has been pretty much empty from October 8th. That's when Hezbollah joined into Hamas' attack. And so, in that sense, I think that what the IDF and here Israel is trying to do is not just giving a message, and this goes hand in hand with diplomacy, but it's doing an action.

Because I, Becky, don't know any other way right now to move those arsenals, Radwan Forces that were there on the border, out of there. I don't know any international force that will do so. And that means that we're going to have to do so.

ANDERSON: Yes. And you're right to point out that there have been, you know, daily strikes by Hezbollah on Israel since October the 8th. My point was the significance of that arsenal at their disposal as a group hasn't been depleted through those attacks and still poses an enormous threat, which is why Israel reserves the right to go in on the ground in order to fulfill its stated goal, which is the return of those tens of thousands displaced on the northern border.

The question is, is that going to happen any time soon? And if it does, because Israel says it reserves a right, but it has other strategies, other -- in its arsenal as well, other potential operations in its arsenal, if it does go in, what does that look like on the ground?

EISIN: So, there is no pretty war, there is no any -- and it's certainly not what I would call a stroll in the park. We're talking yet again, similar in that sense to the Gaza Strip. of Hezbollah having built over the last decades, from 2006 and before, we already met some of these things in 2006, an underground subterranean arena similar to what Hamas built underneath the Gaza Strip. They have an enormous amount of weaponry that they've built inside the towns and villages.

And in that sense, it's going to be booby traps, entrapments. We can be very aware of that. But any kind of ground incursion would go up against that. Having said that, we have learned our lessons. We have been, sadly, for the last 11 months, fighting in that time of -- type of environment against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

ANDERSON: You can see the support shared by the United States in defense of Israel's moves in Lebanon against Hezbollah, albeit the state's calling for, you know, care and a de-escalation at this point. And of course, as we all understand it, there was a ceasefire proposal at least on the table last week in New York, which doesn't seem to be going anywhere at this point.

The hope was that that ceasefire proposal, should it be, you know, taken up, would be coupled with some sort of action on a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza as well. Do you share the view that these two cannot be decoupled at this point?

EISIN: First of all, I don't know. I mean, it's like we -- all everybody is playing out all of their different aspects. But I do want to address, in that sense, for me, as an Israeli, and I'm not the prime minister and this isn't about the government, the heads of the opposition have come out and said that, that the proposal that at least came out last week was one that I, as an Israeli could not accept because it wasn't in any way going to allow the Israelis to up north to go back home. Meaning, it didn't include within it any kind of way that said that Hezbollah's forces, the arsenal, the fighters, all of the different things that we saw that they have used would be moved up north. There was no way for that to have happened.

[04:35:00] So, when I look at it now, and I look at the possibility of degrading Hezbollah's capabilities, the weapons, the arsenals and the different terrorists on the ground that actually also has an impact on the southern side because some of the Sinwar, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas leaders, at least, have very much been empowered by this Hezbollah rhetoric.

And the disappearance of the main orator of Hassan Nasrallah himself, the degrading of Hezbollah's capabilities, which are far stronger than Hamas' capabilities, the degrading, not the disappearance, impacts Hamas' capabilities down south. And so, I don't know about decoupling, but to me, it was always clear that you had to address both and we're addressing both now in a way that we weren't pretty much until two weeks ago.

ANDERSON: It's fascinating. I mean, it is nuanced. It is complicated. There are so many parties involved in this. Their positioning is different in -- depending who it is and where. Miri, your perspective, extremely important as we continue to try and understand what is happening now and what certainly might happen next. Miri Eisin, thank you.

Well, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he is deeply alarmed by the significant escalation over the past 24 hours, calling for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza. He said, this cycle of violence must stop now and all sides must step back from the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region cannot afford an all-out war.

Well, meantime, there have been new Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, and we will be looking at the impact and potential consequences after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:00]

ANDERSON: We're following the latest developments here in region. I'm Becky Anderson in Tel Aviv, in Israel. As Israel and Hezbollah continue to launch cross-border attacks, Israel carrying out new airstrikes across Lebanon this Sunday. And U.S. officials are warning that Israeli troops may be preparing for a limited ground incursion into the south of Lebanon.

Well, Lebanese officials say around a million people have already been displaced, while more than 1,000 have been killed since airstrikes escalated last week. And Lebanese health workers are struggling to keep up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MOHAMMED DAOUD, TRAUMA SURGEON (through translator): The number, extent, and severity of the injuries that we've seen, which I believe the whole world has seen, are terrifying. The medical and nursing staff are overwhelmed, and we appeal to international organizations for help. Our survival depends on it. MARWA QUBAISI, NURSE (through translator): We left our families, our children, everyone, so that we could provide humanitarian and nursing services, and stand by our people who are sacrificing, who lost their homes, and were forced to leave. It's very tiring. We worked 36 hours without sleep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Giacomo Baldini is Lebanon Country Directorate Relief International, and he joins us now from Tripoli in Lebanon. So, just explain what you are observing where you are and what is happening across the country that your organization is aware of.

GIACOMO LAPO BALDINI, LEBANON COUNTRY DIRECTOR, RELIEF INTERNATIONAL: Hello, Becky. Thank you for thank you for having me. Well, the situation, it's extremely worrying at the moment. Numbers are still unclear because of the fluidity of the events. But according to the United Nations and the International Organization for Immigration more than 120,000 people have been displaced in the past three, four days. And approximately 85,000 at the moment that are hosted in makeshift collective shelters in Beirut, in Mount Lebanon. And approximately half of them are still in the south. So, in areas that are heavily affected by the hostilities.

ANDERSON: Right.

BALDINI: Obviously, these people --

ANDERSON: And we're just looking at images, sir, of the Syrian- Lebanese border where people have been, in the past days, fleeing Lebanon into Syria. Not safe, of course, itself. What does your agency provide for people on the ground? And given that the local agencies are talking about as many as a million people displaced across the country, how is Lebanon going to cope?

BALDINI: Well, as I said, I mean, the numbers at the moment are quite confused. But certainly, the International Community, Relief International, it's part of them, together with the local NGOs, are trying to respond as much as they can in the most effective and efficient way.

The needs are intensifying. We start from non-food items, like mattresses, pillows, blankets, but also water. 300,000 people at the moment do not have access to clean water because 25 water facilities that have been striked. And obviously, medical services are also an important concern. Relief International, at the moment, in Beirut, in north, in the Beqaa is responding with outreach medical services inside the collective shelters and also in other areas like home visits.

And one point that I would like to stress is that is the collective trauma, the psychological distress that these people have been facing in a situation in which the capacity of response in this sense, it's very limited. There are approximately three psychiatrists, every 100,000 people. So, the number is absolutely insufficient to cope with this need. And this was before the crisis. So, now you can can imagine.

In terms of movements between Lebanon and Syria, what we know at the moment is that approximately 40,000 people have fled to Syria. 80 percent of them are Syrians and 20 percent of them are Lebanese. Those are the areas at the highest need. And for instance, Relief International is now responding also in Arsal, which is one of the most remote and refugee affected areas at the moment.

[04:45:00]

ANDERSON: Right. Were Israel to impose a blockade on Lebanon in stuff getting in, how would that affect any humanitarian efforts? Because you are beginning to see countries and other organizations promising money and relief for Lebanon, point being, it needs to get in and it needs to get distributed quickly, correct?

BALDINI: Thank you, Becky. This is a very good point, actually. And yesterday, together with other county directors, Relief International, was discussing this eventuality and the potential impact that this will have on the civilian population. This has been announced just yesterday. So, at the moment, the modality on how this blockade will be imposed, it's still very unclear.

But obviously, I mean, we are confident that this, unfortunately, will also impact the arrival of humanitarian aid. Which, I mean -- with important consequences on communities that are extremely strained.

ANDERSON: Yes. I'm going to give you just 60 seconds for your key message to our viewers watching this today. It is what?

BALDINI: I mean, we collectively call for an immediate cessation of the hostilities. The situation is escalating to the point that Lebanon and Lebanese communities really cannot take it. Eight agencies are striving to do their best, but an escalation would have extremely dire consequences. And considering that, at the moment, the capacity to cope with the need, it's limit. This is first thing.

And the second thing is the support of the International Community. This is critical because Lebanon and --

ANDERSON: Right, Giacomo, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Coming to us from Tripoli in Lebanon today. Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. After the break, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are expected to hold rallies on opposite sides of the country today. We'll have the latest on the U.S. presidential race next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:00]

BRUNHUBER: The race for the White House is heading into the home stretch with only 37 days left until Election Day. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is still on her West Coast tour. In the coming hours, the Democratic nominee is expected to hold a rally in Las Vegas. And earlier, she told donors in San Francisco that this is probably the most important election of their lives.

Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday making a stop in Wisconsin. He focused on immigration and border security. CNN's Steve Contorno has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: Donald Trump appearing in Wisconsin on Saturday where he said that immigration is the most pressing issue facing voters this election. More important, he said, quote, "than anything to do with the economy," which is what voters have been telling pollsters is their top issue over and over again.

And he chose to deliver this message in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Wisconsin. This is a small community in the southwest part of the state that was recently rocked by an incident involving an undocumented individual who police say assaulted a mother and daughter here. This visit, of course, comes right after Vice President Harris visited the border and Donald Trump remarked on what he saw from that trip. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Border czar Harris went to the border to lie in the most shameless and horrible way possible. at the very site where she released so much suffering, misery, and death. There's no greater act of disloyalty than to extinguish the sovereignty of your own nation right through your border. No matter what lies she tells, Kamala Harris can never be forgiven for her erasing our border. And she must never be allowed to become president of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CORTORNO: Trump's remarks here were full of dark rhetoric and warnings about what would happen if Vice President Harris is elected president. Signage on the wall here said, end the invasion of small- town America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They've crossed our border, they've been taken out by their countries, and set free into the United States of America. So, they're free to kill again. Oh, they'll kill. These are killers. These are killers that -- at a level that nobody's ever seen, not even your great law enforcement has ever seen people like this. They got a dose of it, though, recently. They got a dose of it. Their jobs have become a lot tougher.

And you remember when they said no, no, these are migrants -- these migrants, they don't commit crimes like us. No, no. They make our criminals look like babies. These are stone cold killers. They'll walk into your kitchen, they'll cut your throat.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CORTORNO: Trump's remarks in Wisconsin coming as the race is especially tight in this key battleground. Take a look at CNN's Poll of Polls in Wisconsin. They show that the race is well within the margin of error with no clear leader.

Steve Contorno, CNN, Prairie du Chien.

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BRUNHUBER: The U.S. vice presidential debate is only days away, but at its final event before the showdown, Trump running mate, J. D. Vance, made no mention of Democratic VP hopeful Tim Walz or the debate stage. Instead, he launched attacks at Kamala Harris, blasting her record on the economy and immigration.

And just a reminder to watch CNN's special coverage of the vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and J. D. Vance. Jake Tapper and Erin Burnett will get things started at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday in New York. That's 7:00 a.m. Wednesday in Hong Kong.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Saturday. A two-person team is now on the way to bring two NASA astronauts home from the International Space Station. Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS since June after their Boeing Starliner capsule was deemed too risky for the flight back to Earth.

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The Dragon is due to link up with the ISS about 5:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. A NASA astronaut and Russian cosmonaut will now join Williams and Wilmore for five months of work aboard the floating lab, and then, all are due to head home in February.

All right. In college football, it was one for the ages when Alabama held off a fierce comeback attempt by Georgia to win 41 to 34. So, after leading by 28 points earlier in the game, the Crimson Tide found themselves down by one with two minutes and 31 seconds left after a 67-yard Bulldog touchdown pass. But then, seconds later, Alabama struck back with a 75-yard pass of their own for a touchdown. And then after a two-point conversion, they led by seven. And then, they sealed the win with a game saving interception in the end zone with only seconds left. Heartbreak here in Georgia.

All right. You've been watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta.

ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in Tel Aviv, where we will have more coverage of today's top stories after this short break. Stay with us.

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