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CNN International: Israel and Hezbollah Trade Strikes Amid Shaky Truce; a Recent Lightning Advance by Rebel Forces Has Reignited Long-running Civil War in Syria; U.S. Announces New $725 Million Military Aid Package for Ukraine; Russia, Ukraine Battle for Control of War-torn Kursk Region; Pardon of Hunter Overshadowing Biden's Angola Visit; Macron Invited Donald Trump to This Weekend's Notre Dame Reopening; Russia, Iran Backing Ally Syria Amid Rebel Offensive; French Lawmakers Table No-confidence Motion That Could Topple Government; Giving Machines Raise Money for Nonprofit Organizations; Delta Refuses to Return a Stowaway Back to the U.S. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired December 03, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWSROOM: Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Erica Hill. This is "CNN Newsroom'. Question^ Just ahead, Israel and Hezbollah trading fire in the deadliest day of this fragile ceasefire. We are live in Israel with the latest. NATO foreign ministers meeting to discuss aid for Ukraine as the U.S. surges support just weeks before Donald Trump's return to the White House. The U.S. President-elect meantime wasting no time returning to the global stage, why he'll be in Paris this week at the French President's invitation.

Today marks the deadliest day in Lebanon since a fragile Israel- Hezbollah ceasefire began just last week. Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in southern Lebanon. Israel says it is retaliating after Hezbollah fired two projectiles toward Israeli occupied territory, Hezbollah says it was responding to days of repeated Israeli strikes. This shaky truce does appear to be holding for now, despite the fact (inaudible) have been accusing the other of breaching it.

A source with the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon says Israel has breached the ceasefire agreement approximately 100 times since last week. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live now in Jerusalem. So, this was always, the sense was always that this could be somewhat fragile in terms of a ceasefire, Jeremy. We have the back and forth now and the rhetoric as well. Israel's defense minister, as I understand it, threatening to target Lebanon if the ceasefire collapses. Is there a sense that it will hold? Where does it stand?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think we're clearly at a very tenuous moment in this ceasefire, which has been effect for a week now. And what we have seen over the course of this last week is that the Israeli military has been carrying out airstrikes in Lebanon every single day of this ceasefire. The Israeli government and its military say that those strikes are intended to enforce this ceasefire, claiming that Hezbollah has been violating the terms of the deal, and that Israel is striking at Hezbollah militants who are in violation of that ceasefire.

But what happened yesterday has really taken things to a new level and that is that, first of all, Hezbollah fired two projectiles towards Israeli occupied territory, the first time that they have done so since the ceasefire came in place. They said that that was in retaliation for those daily, what they claim are daily violations by the Israeli military.

And subsequently, Israel took those two projectiles being fired at Israeli territory as a significant violation of the ceasefire, one that drew a series of airstrikes from the Israeli military yesterday in southern Lebanon, killing at least nine people according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. And so now, really the question is, are we going to -- is this tit for tat going to escalate even further? And indeed, the Israeli defense minister is now warning that should this ceasefire fall apart altogether, that the return to war by Israel is going to look quite different from what it did before the ceasefire.

And that is to say that he is suggesting that the Israeli military will target the Lebanese military in addition to Hezbollah. The Lebanese military really hasn't been a party to this conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. But now, the Israeli government is suggesting that the fallout from a ceasefire that would collapse between these two sides would lead to the Lebanese military becoming a target. And he is also saying that the Israeli military will go deeper into Lebanon and strike deeper and further than it has prior.

So, these are some real bellicose words from the Israeli defense minister and it does suggest this kind of current Israeli posture, which is that they want to ensure that this current ceasefire, if indeed it holds, does not look like what the ceasefire at the end of the 2006 war looks like. One in which in the months and years following that, we saw Hezbollah build up this military infrastructure in southern Lebanon, underneath the nose of the international community, which ultimately gave Hezbollah much more significant strength in fighting this current conflict over the last 14 months or so.

So again, we are at a very, very tenuous moment here. We know that the United States and France have both been asking serious questions about what they perceive to be potential Israeli violations of this ceasefire.

[08:05:00]

The Israeli government, again, insisting that all of these strikes are intended to enforce and not violate this agreement. Erica?

HILL: Yeah, tenuous. It certainly is, Jeremy. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Turning our attention now to Syria. The video that you see here shows rebel groups who've reportedly now reached the northern countryside of Hama amid escalating violence and of course, that rising civilian death toll. The U.N. says at least 44 civilians have now been killed in fighting between rebel and government forces after a lightning advance by rebel groups erupted in the north of the country last week.

Syria's reignited civil war has displaced nearly 50,000 people. And just to give you a sense of where things stand, as you look at the map here, large parts of the -- of Aleppo and Idlib provinces, those areas in green are in rebel hands. Everything in pink is still controlled by the Assad regime. But we are of course following what may change, what could be happening at this point scene. CNN's Ben Wedeman tracking all of these developments for us.

So I know it can be difficult to get some of the information at this point. What are you learning though from your sources, Ben, in terms of where things do stand right now?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erica, it's always hard to know what's going on when you're not actually there, where the things are happening. But what we're seeing is that the rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that formerly affiliate of Al- Qaeda have, continued to consolidate their gains and are pushing down in the direction of the central city of Hama.

Now since last Wednesday, they've basically more than doubled the amount of territory they control in Syria, grabbing most of it from the Assad regime. However, some of it from U.S. backed Kurdish militias as well. Now, yes, as we've been reporting, they are north of the city, the central Syrian city of Hama, perhaps as close as eight kilometers or five miles to the north of there.

Now, this city is particularly important strategically and symbolically because back in 1982, the father of Bashar al-Assad, Hafez al-Assad surrounded the city, the forces led by his brother Rifaata and basically killed conservatively at least 10,000 people who were caught in an uprising by the Muslim brotherhood. So in Syria where people's memories are always fresh, there are clearly a lot of people in that city who are not loyal to the regime of Bashar al-Assad and would happily see the rebels come in.

So certainly, if the regime in Damascus loses control of that city, it will be yet another massive symbolic blow. But it does appear that their real priority at this point for the regime is to control the area around the capital, Damascus and the Mediterranean Coast, which is the traditional heartland of the Alawite majority to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs. Erica?

HILL: There is so much attention on what is happening, understandably, in Syria at this moment. From the U.S. perspective too, there are questions about the nearly 1,000 troops who were there. In terms of the outgoing Biden Administration, what are we hearing about Syria?

WEDEMAN: Well, they are expressing concern about what's going on and insisting that the United States, of course, has nothing to do with the current offensive by these rebels, which of course the United States considers -- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to be a terrorist organization. At the same time, it does appear that the United States has been engaged in airstrikes on pro-Iranian militias that are based in Eastern Syria. And certainly, let's keep in mind that personnel and equipment coming from Iran would pass through there.

So in a sense, the United States is pretending to have nothing to do with it, but I think most people in Syria will not probably buy such a claim. And of course, the United States is already, yes, it has about somewhere between 800 to 900 troops in Eastern Syria. The United States says they're there to support the Kurds in their fight against the remnants of the Islamic state. But clearly their presence goes beyond that.

And the United States is watching very closely what is happening around Aleppo and certainly, keep in mind, that if the regime of Bashar al-Assad falls, and I'm not suggesting that's about to happen, but that would certainly be a level of additional instability in a region that certainly over the last year and a half has become radically unstable and doesn't seem to be going back toward any semblance of stability. Erica?

[08:10:00]

HILL: That certainly seems to be trending in the opposite direction in many ways. Ben, appreciate it. Thank you.

U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is in Brussels, attending his last NATO foreign ministers' meeting and at the top of the agenda there is global security issues, understandably, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. The ministers are trying to shore up support for Kyiv amid the transition of power in the United States. The meeting also comes just after the U.S. announced a new $725 million military aid package for Ukraine.

CNN's Clare Sebastian is following all these latest developments for us. So in terms of this meeting of NATO foreign ministers, what do we expect to come out of this, especially given Antony Blinken's role, right, sort of the lame duck at this point, as the U.S. Secretary of State?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I think that clearly, Erica, is what underpins this Summit, 48 days left in office for the Biden Administration. And Europe is bracing for a Trump Administration that despite obviously some ambiguity around their Ukraine policy is clearly looking for a way out. So look, on the one hand, we do have this level of urgency when it comes to more weapons, that $725 million aid package from the U.S. as they try to sort of front load all of this aid while they still have time.

Germany has also this week announced new air defense systems. The elephant in the room, of course, for Ukraine is their key demand, this key tenet of Zelenskyy's Victory Plan that they want, a formal invitation to NATO advancing beyond what they currently have, which is this language around irreversible path to NATO, their future being in NATO. The Secretary General of NATO side stepped that. But on the other hand, he is looking for Ukraine to be strengthened as much as possible. This is the refrain that we heard over and over again. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: What is necessary now is to make sure that military aid will go to Ukraine because that is now crucial for them. Two, if they decide to do so, enter into talks with the Russians one day, they will do this from a position of strength.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: So that is what we're hearing not only from the NATO Secretary General, but many of Ukraine's European allies as well. They want to try to strengthen Ukraine as much as possible, just in case. Of course, when the Trump Administration takes office, they try to push things towards some kind of ceasefire and negotiated settlement.

I think the other sort of part of this here is that Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, he met with Donald Trump less than two weeks ago at Mar-a-Lago and we got some insight a little bit from his comments today, on his views on the incoming Trump Administration. He offered some hints that he wants to just sort of leverage Trump's success in the past at getting NATO members to spend more.

He said 2 percent is not enough, but he's also trying to persuade the U.S. to keep up its support for Ukraine by talking about Russia's burgeoning alliances with North Korea and China, and how that feeds into sort of the big picture of global security. He said any deal that we reach with Ukraine has to be a good one.

He said we don't want any high-fiving Kim Jong-uns or Xi Jinpings thinking about what they could do. So this is an argument we've heard before, but clearly NATO and Ukraine's allies trying to pull all the levers they can with so little time left with the current administration.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely, as they prep for what is coming down the pike. Certainly, there is also -- there has been a change, right, in the language that we're hearing from President Zelenskyy, really since Donald Trump's re-election, certainly in the last few weeks. And also, we're hearing more about a potential appetite that he has for peace talks. But there are, in his mind, some caveats that also revolve around NATO.

SEBASTIAN: Absolutely. I think, look, I don't know that we can say as of yet that Zelenskyy is ready for talks, but there is some evolution in the way that he's approaching it. He's made it clear, by the way, this is a really important point, that in his view, that position of strength, that refrain that we constantly hear from Ukraine's Western allies, that does involve the invitation to NATO, which of course there's no sign that he's going to get as of yet. He also wants, of course, more long-range missiles and other types of weapons.

And then obviously, the big evolution that we heard, he said it in an interview last week with Sky News and again in a press conference over the weekend, was that he sort of foresees a situation where a NATO umbrella could cover the non-occupied parts of Ukraine and then once that was in place, they could try to use diplomacy to win back the rest. So that is new, but of course, there is the sort of hard truth here that Ukraine isn't in a position of strength right now. Russia is moving forward on the frontlines. They've clearly shown an appetite to escalate with that medium-range ballistic missile launch several weeks ago. And the wildcard from the Russian perspective is that while Ukraine is on the back foot, they have no incentive to come to the table when it comes to negotiations. So that is something that Ukraine's NATO allies will also be grappling with.

HILL: Yeah, absolutely. Clare, really appreciate it. Thank you.

[08:15:00]

Well, on the battlefield, CNN spoke with some Ukrainian troops just returning from the frontlines and they provided rare insight into the nearly four-month long battle to hold on to Russia's Kursk region. That August incursion, of course, marked a strategic gain for Ukraine. Four months in, Nick Paton Walsh reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They have a three-second window. Rushing out with a U.S.-supplied stinger and an aging anti-aircraft gun to shoot down Russian attack drones in the fleeting moment, they fly overhead in range.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Three kilometers from us.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): Three kilometers from them. They could hit that and prepare to, but the radar is wrong and they pause to hear it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Turn there.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): So reposition the entire truck, but suddenly, the drone has vanished. It sounded like a decoy, but that usually means others are coming and the sky is filling up with drones in the next region. A month ago, the targets here seemed endless. November was a record month for drones across Ukraine that usually crash into towns, not this empty field.

Their sound slices through the dark. It was pretty low and close, and while they think this is Ukrainian drones headed for Russia, the Russians also use this moment to take the same route to try and sneak their drones in. Right now, a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia is underway, so they've been forbidden, even if they could, to fire.

Each night, they watch Russian drones weave their complex way out of their tiny range. When the defenses fail, the icy silence breaks. Moscow pummeling the border town, Sumy, here with a cluster munition missile that killed 12 in an apartment block because Ukraine is still inside Russia, holding positions in Kursk.

This thermal drone image shows just hours earlier, the dawn's fight in Kursk for Olkesandr.

OLKESANDR, COMPANY COMMANDER, 225TH ASSAULT BATTALION (through translator): The assault teams came in the dawn grey. There was almost no contact. We worked with birds. Then the infantry simply swept them up.

PATON WALSH (voice-over): In the positions they've hit, no sign of the North Korean troops meant to be in Kursk, instead Chechens, even African mercenaries, but above all endless waves of Russians.

OLKESANDR, COMPANY COMMANDER, 225TH ASSAULT BATTALION (through translator): I have the impression they have unlimited people. It's like the next Russians don't know what happened to the previous Russians. So they go there, into the unknown.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His Humvee is a mess. He hasn't slept for three days and shelling has damaged his hearing, but he knows what he'd say to President-elect Donald Trump. When Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the '90s, we were promised protection.

OLKESANDR (through translator): You took away our nuclear weapons? You promised us protection? Yes, in simple terms, so keep your word. We're being slaughtered, and you're still trying to play games to defend your interests. You have to give everything you could to end this war in two days. Who will believe the words of the U.S. or England, who are pissing themselves in front of Russia? Pardon my English.

WALSH (voice-over): Confident they can hold out in Kursk; less confident of how long the West expects them to.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Sumy, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Still to come, even 10,000 kilometers from Washington, Joe Biden can't escape the backlash of that decision to pardon his son. Just ahead, we are live with more on the president's trip to Angola, coming up. And Donald Trump's official return to the world stage still a few weeks away, but he's already getting a jumpstart on it, details of his upcoming trip to Paris.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:10]

HILL: President Biden is in Angola for the first ever visit by a U.S. president to that African nation. Mr. Biden set to visit the country's National Slave Museum and also highlight U.S. investment in Africa's infrastructure. This history making trip though largely being overshadowed by anger back home over the President's decision to pardon his son, Hunter.

Numerous Democrats voicing concerns about that Hunter Biden pardon on Monday, saying it further erodes American's faith in the justice system. CNN's Arlette Saenz is traveling with the president in Angola. It is a bit of a new storm back here in the U.S. I know he's trying to focus on the agenda in Angola today though.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Erica, President Biden really is trying to show and stress the U.S. is committed to Angola, but also the African continent as a whole. He met this morning with the country's President Lourenco and said that the U.S. is all in on Africa. It comes as the U.S. has really increased their investments in some ways in Africa.

Since Biden has become president, there is a major railway corridor called the Lobito Corridor that the U.S. and other European allies have invested in to try to get critical minerals transported from interior Africa into the Western ports. But it comes at a time when China has made significant inroads in Africa with hundreds of billions of dollars in investments into infrastructure projects, really leaving the U.S. and others to catch up with the influence that they've had in this country, in this continent.

But, for President Biden a bit later today, he will be speaking at the National Museum of Slavery, a moment his aides say will really highlight the ties between the U.S. and Angola, but also remarks that will focus on the horrific history regarding slavery. There were many enslaved Africans who were taken from Angola and shipped to the U.S. in the 1600s and then continued on after that. So that is something President Biden will try to address.

But overshadowing this trip is that news about his decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden. He, in two various instances today, was in front of reporters. He completely ignored questions relating to the pardons and so far has really maintained his silence amid Democratic criticism about this decision. Here is a sample of how Democratic lawmakers have been responding upon Capitol Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE, (D-VA): He didn't need to tell the American public I will not do this, and he did. And when you made a promise, you got to keep it.

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET, (D-CO): It just gives the American people a sense that there's one system for the rich and powerful and another system for everybody else.

You're disappointed by the decision?

SEN. MARK WARNER, (D-VA): Yes, I'm disappointed by the decision.

REP. DANIEL GOLDMAN, (D-NY): It is discouraging that he has now gone back on his word on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: So it's clear there are very strong opinions within the Democratic Party about this decision from President Biden. And there's no question that this decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden after months where he said he would not do so, will certainly go down as part of President Biden's legacy going forward.

HILL: Yeah, that has certainly been made clear. You're right, Arlette. Appreciate it. Thank you. Well, as Joe Biden prepares to take one of his final bows on the world

stage, global leaders are bracing for the return of Donald Trump. That reality becoming even more clear on Monday when the President-elect was invited to attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday. Sources tell CNN the invitation came from the Office of French President Emmanuel Macron, who was also the first world leader to congratulate Trump on his victory last month.

This will be Donald Trump's first overseas trip since the election, and of course, marks his unofficial return to the global stage. Steve Contorno joining us now from St. Petersburg, Florida.

[08:25:00]

Donald Trump quick to accept this invitation from President Macron. He likes to be on the world stage. He also really does enjoy a moment that involves a fair amount of pomp, circumstance, and cameras.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Absolutely, Erica. And yes, he was quick to accept and also quick to offer praise for Macron saying, "He has done a wonderful job, ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory." And as you said, Donald Trump has been reinserting himself onto the world stage ever since he was elected in November.

In fact, I mean even really before then in the way he was in inserting himself into world affairs, when you look at how he made so much of his campaign about the Israel-Gaza conflict. about Ukraine. And now, we also are seeing the fruit of that bear out in his early movements as President-elect. Just think about everything he has done in the past three weeks, geared at foreign policy. He has threatened Mexico and Canada with tariffs. He has dined with the Prime Minister of Canada at Mar-a-Lago.

He has spoken with the Mexican president and kind of got into a little bit of a dispute over what exactly the two sides could do going forward on immigration and trade. He has spoken with the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. He recently, actually yesterday, threatened that there will be "hell to pay" if hostages in Gaza are not released by the time he takes office. He has hosted the Argentinean President at Mar-a-Lago. He has threatened China and Russia with a hundred percent tariffs if they create their own foreign currency to challenge the dollar.

Just the amount of rapid-fire policy he is already putting out there as President-elect, focused on world affairs, has been quite stunning and it really demonstrates where his focus is going to be on those issues when he takes office in January.

HILL: As he may be focusing on that, there's also quite a focus on his cabinet picks, a number of them on Capitol Hill this week meeting with senators, preparing for those upcoming confirmation hearings. There has been a lot of focus specifically on Pete Hegseth over the last couple of days.

CONTORNO Absolutely. But there are a lot of questions about some of the other picks as well. Hegseth is on the Capitol Hill meeting with Senators, trying to get support from 54 of them to be confirmed. But look, Donald Trump has also put forward Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who makes some Republicans uncomfortable with his pro-choice stances. He has someone in -- that he has elevated to Director of National Intelligence in Tulsi Gabbard, who also makes quite a few Republicans nervous because she has been so critical of U.S. spy agencies.

And obviously, the Matt Gaetz pick was one where he was forced to ultimately retreat. It will be interesting to see going forward, whether or not Hegseth facing a lot of -- and stacking allegations, ultimately continues to get the support of the President-elect. Right now, he seems to, but there's also these other picks out there who make Republicans uncomfortable.

At the end of the day though, I will say we have seen Republicans time and time again, voice some concerns about Donald Trump and the people he surrounds himself with and the policy he pursues, but then ultimately get in line. And you are already starting to see some Republicans who voice some concern about these nominees suggest that that is something they can overlook by the time we get to a confirmation hearing.

HILL: Yeah, it is such an important point in terms of how lawmakers do tend to fall in line. It'll be interesting to see how much appetite there is for those who do not. Steve, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel says her first impression of Donald Trump was that he may have envied some of the world's most controversial leaders and how they ruled. Speaking with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, she detailed just what else stood out about Trump when he first took office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I remember very distinctly when Donald Trump was first elected, you did one of -- you were the only one to actually welcome his election conditionally, in other words, based on the respect and the adherence to mutual values, democracy, freedom, diversity, rule of law, human rights, et cetera. And I just wonder whether you thought he did act in that way, and especially because you said he was clearly fascinated by the Russian president. In the years that followed, I received the distinct impression that he was captivated by politicians with autocratic and dictatorial traits. How did that manifest itself to you?

ANGELA MERKEL, FORMER GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Well, in the way that he spoke about Putin, the way that he spoke about the North Korean president.

[08:30:00]

Obviously, apart from critical remarks he made, there was always a kind of fascination at the sheer power of what these people could do. So my impression always was that he dreamt of actually overriding maybe all those parliamentary bodies that he felt were, in a way, an encumbrance upon him and that he wanted to decide matters on his own. And in a democracy, well, you cannot reconcile that with democracy values.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: You can watch Christiane's entire conversation with Angela Merkel about her time as chancellor and also her new memoir, "Freedom." It airs today at 1:00 p.m. in New York, 6:00 p.m. in London.

Still ahead here on the "CNN Newsroom," Syria's long-dormant civil war taking a dramatic turn, reignited by a surprise rebel offensive. So what could it mean for Bashar al-Assad's regime and for the region as a whole? Then for the first time in more than 60 years, the French government may be forced out by vote of no confidence. Those details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HILL: Returning to our top story at this hour, that fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, is it perhaps on the brink of collapse? Both sides accusing the other of violations. On Monday, the IDF carried out its largest wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon since the truce began last week. Authorities say nine people were killed. Israel called it retaliation after Hezbollah fired two projectiles toward Israeli occupied territory.

The Iran-backed militant group though says it targeted Israeli military positions after days of repeated Israeli strikes. Israel's defense minister meantime is now warning Lebanon, if the ceasefire does break down, that Israel will no longer limit its strikes to Hezbollah.

Meantime, across the border in Syria, the long-dormant civil war there reignited. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more from Moscow now on how Russia is continuing to pledge its support for Syria's Assad regime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Syria quickly descending back into all-out war. President Bashar al-Assad's army seemingly caught completely off guard retreating, as rebel groups make sweeping advances, taking much of the second largest city, Aleppo and capturing large amounts of arms as they move forward.

[Foreign Language]

These are the tanks of the regime. This fighter says, the pigs. This is one, two, three tanks, four tanks of the defense forces and there are their buses. Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad calling on his biggest backers, Russia and Iran, to help bail him out. Meeting with Iran's foreign minister as Tehran is already mobilizing regional forces for battle on the Syrian government's side.

[08:35:00]

The rebels will be confronted, Iran's foreign minister said, and I'm confident that this phase, like the previous ones, will also be passed with pride by the government, the people of Syria and the Syrian army.

In a show of force, Assad's military releasing this video, claiming to show their counter push in Syria's Northwest, but acknowledging they're relying on Russian air power to help their ground forces. The Russians now effectively fighting two major wars, in Syria and Ukraine, simultaneously.

Of course, we support Bashar al-Assad, the Kremlin spokesman said. We continue our contacts on the relevant levels. We are analyzing the situation.

This as fighting in Ukraine grinds on at a steep cost in both lives and in money. President Vladimir Putin signing off on Russia's 2025 budget with almost a third of the money now going to defense and military spending, and while Moscow's troops have been making steady progress in Ukraine --

PLEITGEN: Hello, sir. We're from CNN Television.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- a senior aide to Vladimir Putin telling me, the Kremlin hopes the incoming Trump Administration will end the war on terms favorable for Russia.

PLEITGEN (through translator): Do you think the Trump administration will be able to settle the Ukraine conflict

VLADIMIR MEDINSKY, AIDE TO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT(through translator): Naturally, we hope that the new administration will approach this issue with a desire to maintain peace on the planet, and not to incite war, pushing Ukraine to self-destruction.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Joining me now to dig in a little deeper, Lina Khatib, who's an Associate Fellow at the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, who joins me now from London.

Lina, it's good to have you with us. As Fred laid out there, probably one of the biggest backers for Syria, Russia, obviously distracted on a couple of fronts right now, despite continuing to pledge its support for the Assad regime. Iran also weakened, Hezbollah as well. When you look at this in terms of the opening that that provided for these rebel forces, what does it tell you about where things could go from here?

LINA KHATIB, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, CHATHAM HOUSE: Things have never looked better for these rebel forces as they continue to advance south. I think they were even surprised at how quickly it took, to take Aleppo, for example, which is the second city in Syria. Definitely, the level of ambition for these rebel groups is high. They are continuing to try to advance south.

They now see that potentially they have an opportunity to try to overthrow the Assad regime militarily, which is not a scenario many observers thought was even possible over the last few years. And this just goes to show that things in Syria can be quite unpredictable.

HILL: Assad has, of course, vowed to crush the rebels in his words. But what is, to your point, this idea that perhaps the Assad regime could even be overthrown? What is the capability of Syria's military at this point?

KHATIB: I mean, we have to of course, bear in mind that even if the rebels think that this is perhaps a possibility, Assad has not been fully abandoned by the Russians and the Iranians. It's just that their capacity to support him has been reduced. Assad's forces remain at large even though they are also weakened. The opposition groups leading this military campaign have huge hurdles in places like Hama because this is an area that has a lot of supporters of the Assad regime. So it's not going to be very easy.

I think what they think might happen is using this military action to eventually force political negotiations and in a way, force political transfer of power in Syria that way rather than a bonafide military coup or a military kind of removal of Assad, kind of in the full sense of the way.

HILL: As this work continued, it has in some ways been off the radar in a number of countries for several years at this point. It has been thrust back into the top of the headlines, of course, as there are also concerns about what this means for the greater region and the fact that this is happening in this moment. How does that change the calculus here when there is now more of a focus?

KHATIB: I mean, many took Syria for granted as being a frozen conflict and as stalemate that was basically seen as almost indefinite. This has proven to be erroneous. Turkey, for example, is benefiting from the current change that is happening in Syria because it will allow it -- this military campaign by the rebels will allow Turkey to put further political pressure on Assad.

[08:40:00]

Israel also seeing Iran-backed forces weakened in Syria is something that it'll welcome even if it is also concerned about Syria being taken over by Islamist groups. So basically, this just shows that you can't take any sort of status quo in this region for granted. Whenever there is a conflict that remains unresolved, things can kind of flare up. These rebel groups learn from one another. they see the mistakes of others and certainly, in this case, the Syrian rebel groups have seen what Hamas, for example, has done in Gaza and learned from that scenario and don't want to repeat those mistakes, for example.

So it's a very complicated picture. It's unclear how it will end, but the clear thing is never take what looks like a frozen conflict for granted.

HILL: Yeah, it's a, it's an incredibly important point. Lina Khatib, appreciate your insight and your expertise. Thank you.

Well, the French government appears to be headed for collapse and it could happen as early as this week. Far-right Leader, Marine Le Pen says her party would support a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister. All of this coming after Michel Barnier attempted to enact a budget, including more than $60 billion worth of tax hikes and spending cuts, by using a constitutional clause that would allow him to bypass the legislature. Left wing parties tabled the no-confidence motion against Barnier. The far-right is now vowing to support it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARINE LE PEN, NATIONAL RALLY LEADER (through translator): We are tabling a motion of censure and we are going to vote it, because the French people have had enough. They've had enough of being thrashed; they've had enough of being mistreated. Some maybe thought that with Michel Barnier things would get better, but they were even worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: A pre-debate vote is set to take place on Wednesday.

Demonstrations on the streets of Georgia continuing into their fifth consecutive day. All of this, of course, coming after the government suspended talks on joining the European Union until 2028. Critics accuse the ruling Georgian Dream Party of wanting to be more closely aligned to Russia. Georgia's pro-Western president has been speaking to CNN and believes the government's decision goes against the will of the Georgian people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALOME ZOURABICHVILI, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT: All of that policy, it's not reaction to some forceful demonstration. It's a policy to try to limit the expression of the Georgian people that is expressed in many cities around the country, will of the Georgian people not to go towards Russia, to keep its European path, to keep its right to be an independent and free country among its European community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Well, still to come here, amid that push for you to spend your money on flashy holiday gifts, what about 'Giving Tuesday,' an important worldwide effort that encourages you to support those in need more? Just ahead.

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HILL: While Black Friday and Cyber Monday holiday sales efforts initially tied to the American Thanksgiving holiday are now global, a separate effort aimed at giving back is also gaining international steam. Started in 2012, 'Giving Tuesday' today quickly migrated around the world. It's a movement aimed at encouraging people to do good around the holidays, often by supporting a charity. And you've likely seen the hashtag on social media, maybe you've made a donation or two.

Well, it turns out you can also do that at one of these machines, "Giving Machines" in more than a dozen countries this year. The vending machines seem here they are unveiling in Times Square on Monday allow you to purchase goods and services through partnerships with international charities like the American Red Cross, UNICEF, and Care. There's a wide range of giving options available in price points from $5 to $300, each one supports those in need with food, clean water, shelter, school supplies, bikes, the list goes on.

Joining me now from New York is Michael Nyenhuis, he's President and CEO of UNICEF U.S.A. It's great to see you this morning, Michael. And this is -- UNICEF has actually been participating in these "Giving Machines" almost since the beginning, since 2018. It must be successful if you're back in 2024.

MICHAEL NYENHUIS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, UNICEF U.S.A.: Yeah, great. So nice to be with you, Erica. Yes, they've been incredibly successful. Last year, $10 million was raised through these vending machines that give people an opportunity to do something other than buy a candy bar or a can of soda, but rather to give back to needs in their community, in their countries or in the world.

HILL: Are you seeing a shift in giving at all, especially over the last year or so?

NYENHUIS: Well, I think people are really concerned. I think there is so much division in the world. You've done a lot of reporting on that even today, whether it's elections or conflict or whatever, so much division in the world. I think people are looking for opportunities to do something good in the world and to connect together. And that's one of the things I love about these "Giving Machines."

They're really the product of the work of one of our partners at UNICEF, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They're the ones who put this together and sponsor it and get these machines into a number of cities around the world. And they invite a variety of charities to come and showcase their work in these "Giving Machines."

HILL: And we showed some of the video from the unveiling yesterday in Times Square here in New York City. But, for UNICEF for example, I mean, these machines are all around the world. You're in 14 different U.S. and international locations. Why is it important for you to be in all these different places?

NYENHUIS: Well, overall, I think there are about a hundred of these units in 13 countries and 32 states here in the United States, again, all set up by the church. We're excited for that partnership with them. And I think it gives us an opportunity to reach people who may not know about our work. And I think that's true of the other charities that are showcased in these "Giving Machines" as well.

People who are out shopping, people who are out enjoying the holidays, stop by these machines, take a look at some of the things that we accomplish in the world and have a chance to put a few of their dollars against that.

HILL: We mentioned the donation options range, and I think we have some of the options for UNICEF specifically that people would see at these "Giving Machines." $10, so just $10 can provide five important food kits; $22, a hundred doses of polio vaccines; baby recitation kits, 150 ready-to-eat packets for malnourished children. There's also the opportunity for $170, a little bit more, that buys a child a bike. What kind of difference could that bike make in their life, Michael?

NYENHUIS: Well, a lot of people in very poor communities spend a lot of time, the kids do walking to school or other places, and those -- that can be dangerous for them too to be out on the roads that long. The bikes allow them to get to places that they need to go a little bit faster. That's one of the things I'm certainly excited about there. But also the polio vaccines, we are at the verge of eradicating polio from the whole of the planet. Just a few hot spots left.

I was in Pakistan recently, which is one of those places, saw the polio workers firsthand trying to bring this to an end. There used to be a thousand kids a day who were disabled or died from polio around the world. And now, there's hardly any at all because we're making these polio vaccines available and people can participate in that. As you said, $22, a hundred polio vaccines. You can be part of history eradicating polio from the whole planet.

HILL: It's such an important point and such an important cause. How important is "Giving Tuesday?" These are the Giving Machines, but Giving Tuesday overall was launched, I think about a dozen years ago in the United States, quickly went global. How has that changed things for organizations like UNICEF?

NYENHUIS: Well, it certainly comes at an important part, at the start of the holiday season for many people in many countries and gives a chance to, as we're thinking about giving to our family and our friends, to think about the fact that we're neighbors to everybody.

[08:50:11]

We're neighbors to people in need in our community and our country and around the world. And this gives us an easy opportunity to do something about that. I was at the kickoff of the "Giving Machines" with our friends at the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-Day Saints yesterday. There were 14 organizations represented at that kickoff, who are involved in the Giving Machines. Local organizations in New York City, organizations that serve people in the United States, and global organizations like ours at UNICEF, and in this time of great division in the world, to have something that brings people together, we really need something like that. And I think the Giving Machines are a great example of it.

HILL: And it reminds you just -- this is something which may seem as small as $5 can make such a significant difference in so many lives. Michael Nyenhuis, appreciate it, continued great work.

NYENHUIS: Thank you.

HILL: Just ahead here, a stowaway who snuck on board a U.S. flight to Paris was supposed to be headed back to the U.S. at this hour. What's the new hitch? The details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HILL: We are following some breaking news just into CNN. South Korea's president declaring emergency marshal law, addressing the nation just moments ago to say the move is necessary to counter threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti- state elements. Again, this is just breaking, coming into us here at CNN. We're going to continue to follow this. We're bringing more of those details as we have them.

We're also following some developments out of Paris, just into CNN, where we are learning that Delta Airlines is now refusing to bring that Russian stowaway back to the U.S. The 57-year-old woman was taken into custody, of course, after a Delta flight from New York landed in Paris last Tuesday. French authorities then put her on a plane back to the U.S. She was kicked off that flight though for being unruly. So this time, the plan was six marshals set to bring her back on a New York bound flight earlier this hour. But now an airport source says Delta is refusing to fly her. CNN's Anna Stewart joining me with details. This is the story that frankly, Anna, I can't get enough of.

(LAUGH)

HILL: So she is not on that flight at this moment. Is that -- am I to understand that?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think what we can definitely say is that she is not on the flight. She did get on the flight, but Delta has refused to fly her and that means that this time there are seven free seats as I make out, six air marshals were meant to be with her and of course, the Russian stowaway herself, which means she is still in Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport where she has been since Tuesday. She has had a full week there. She's obviously not allowed to enter the country because she didn't fly there legally, Erica.

HILL: It is really something and the fact that she was -- that they wouldn't take her back the last time around. So I know this is all developing and all the information is very new. Is there any sense of when or how she will be brought back to the U.S. or that's still up in the air?

(LAUGH)

STEWART: So, right. All we have from an official is we are going to try and send her back again with a French escort. It is unclear what airline is going to fly this stowaway or exactly why Delta today refused to fly her, perhaps more disruption. The flight on Saturday where there was an attempt to get her back to the U.S.A., there was a lot of shouting. There was a lot of screaming according to a passenger onboard, the stowaway was saying, I don't want to go back to the U.S. A judge will have to make me. She spoke about her Geneva Convention rights and so on. So clearly, this is going to be quite a difficult thing to do.

[08:55:00]

I'm sure she will go back to the U.S., very unclear how, perhaps a boat would be a good idea at this stage.

HILL: May not be -- may not be a bad choice.

(LAUGH)

We are not done with this story yet. Anna, appreciate it. Thank you.

Thanks to all of you for joining me here on "CNN Newsroom" on this Tuesday. I'm Erica Hill. Stay tuned, up next on CNN, "Connect the World with Becky Anderson." I'll see you back here tomorrow.

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