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CNN International: CNN Inside Damascus As Syrian Regime Falls; Rebel Leader: Syria Victory Is For The "Islamic Nation"; Syrians Celebrate Fall Of Assad Regime Amid Uncertainty Over Who Will Govern. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired December 09, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ZAIN ASHER, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello, and welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Zain Asher in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom --
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ASHER: -- after more than 50 years in power, the Assad regime topples after a less than two-week offensive by rebel forces. We have the latest from Damascus. Plus --
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: At long last, the Assad regime has fallen.
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ASHER: -- President Biden declares the moment a historic opportunity, but also, underscores the risk and uncertainty. And we'll look at how the sudden collapse of the Assad regime unfolded, and what it means for Syria and the world moving forward.
All right. It is a new era in Syria following the stunning collapse of the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad, but along with it, a lot of uncertainty over what exactly is going to come next year. Smoke was seen rising across the Damascus skyline on one day, on day one, rather, after the fall of the 50-year dictatorship. Jubilant Syrians, both rebels and civilians, ransacked one of al-Assad's presidential palaces. The man responsible, the main rebel group's leader is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. He is a military commander and former al-Qaeda fighter. I want you to listen to some of what he had to say.
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ABU MOHAMMAD AL-JOLANI, SYRIAN REBEL LEADER (Interpreted): Victory, my brothers, is a victory for the entire Islamic nation. This new triumph, my brothers, marks a new chapter in the history of the region. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The rebel group has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other Western nations as well. The UN is holding an emergency meeting on Syria today.
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VOLKER TURK, U.N. HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (Interpreted): Any political transition must ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations and guarantee that those responsible are held to account. It is imperative that all evidence be collected and preserved meticulously for future use. Reform of the security apparatus will be key.
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ASHER: While some are celebrating the regime's fall, others are focused on getting what their families need during this very uncertain transition period.
CNN's Clarissa Ward was on the streets of Syria's capital.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You can see, there are a lot of people out on the streets today. It's not scenes of celebration. It's not scenes of looting like we were seeing today. Now people are trying to make sure that they have stopped up on all the supplies that they might need. Take a look at this line here. We're outside a bakery. These people say they've been waiting more than half an hour, some of them, they're waiting for bread. We've seen lines like this around the city. People are lining up for cash. They're lining up for gas. They are trying to make sure that they have enough food to ride out this transitional period where nobody really knows what's going to happen.
Now, you can see behind me at the end of the road there, that is the central bank of Syria. Yesterday, there was extensive moving there. A lot of people in the city started to feel a little bit concerned that this was going to be a chaotic period. Then more rebels arrived in the capital. The looting appears to have stopped. It does seem very calm on the streets. Of course, there are many people who are elated the Bashar al-Assad is finally gone. But, there is also the day today that people need to focus on to ensure that they have enough bread, enough gas, enough cash, enough supplies to get them through this tenuous transitional period.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Damascus.
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ASHER: For the latest, let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks. So, Paula, this all unfolded extraordinarily quickly. I mean, you think about the fact that it was about week and a half ago when we were talking about the fact that rebels had taken over the second largest city of Aleppo. Then they took over Hama. Then they were on their way to Homs. And we all knew that they would eventually go for Damascus. But, the fact that Bashar al-Assad fell about pretty much 10 days, less than two weeks after they first took over Aleppo, is incredible. Just explain to us how this happened so quickly. Rebels have been trying to take over and topple Assad for more than a decade.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And it's -- Zain, it's taken everybody by surprise. Of course, there are many experts around the world who cover Syria, and they are shocked by the sheer speed of what has happened. Now, it did, as you say, just take a matter of days. In fact, just on the weekend, we heard from the Biden administration saying Damascus could fall within days. It actually took hours. So, there was no one that was predicting that this was going to be quite as swift as it was. Of course, the question now is, what does come next? The fact that it has been so swift leaves somewhat of a vacuum to be able to have the organization in place already once Assad had left.
Now, there is believed to have been some kind of organization behind the scenes. We know there has been cooperation between these anti- Assad groups, who have, in their words, liberated Syria, liberated Damascus. But, of course, the difficult task now is to bring those groups together and to bring it under a transitional format. Now, of course, HTS is the most prominent group of all of that, but there are many other groups, some with different ideologies, some with different strengths in different parts of the country, Turkish-backed, U.S.- backed, another group, which Turkey considers to be full of PKK, which they believe is a terrorist organization.
So, now comes the intensely complex process of trying to bring these groups together into some kind of transitional format. Of course, they were all united by a common enemy, by Assad. They were united by a common goal, to topple Assad. Now that has happened, it is a very different matter. We heard, for example, from John Kirby from the Biden administration in the United States, Speaking to CNN, he was asked quite bluntly, who is running Syria? And he said, it's an open question, and that this is a discussion now that these groups are having among themselves.
So, it will be very interesting to see the coming hours, the coming days on what kind of format this transition will take. Zain.
ASHER: So, the question of who is running Syria, as you point out, John Kirby said it's an open question, who knows at this point, but the man who wants to run Syria is, of course, the head of HTS, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Can you just talk to us a bit more about who he is and his background?
HANCOCKS: Well, he is a man who currently has a $10 million bounty on his head. He is part of HTS, which, in its former form, was affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was affiliated with ISIS. Now, he has since said that he broke with those ideologies, that he disagreed with those ideologies, and then formed a different group, and is not where he was, for example, 10 years ago. Now, this group has also been branded a terrorist organization by the United States. These are all titles and bounties on heads that will have to be seriously looked at now, given the fact he is considered one of the main protagonists in the current state of affairs in Syria.
Now, our Jomana Karadsheh spoke to him exclusively before he came into Damascus, and he was insistent that he should not be judged by these titles, saying that they were titles. He wants to be judged by his deeds. And that's what we're also hearing from the Biden administration, for example, that he should be judged on his deeds, not his words. But, we're hearing his words so far are what the United States wants to hear. We've heard from Saudi Arabia, for example, that the steps that have been taken so far, they agree with.
So, certainly, the words that are being spoken by al-Jolani, for example, that this is a victory for all of Syria, that this is for the whole nation. It is a diverse population. There are concerns about some of the minorities being left out, being persecuted, and certainly, what we're hearing publicly from this man is that that's simply not going to happen. But, as everyone says, the words are one thing, the deeds are what really matters. So, it is a case of waiting and seeing what emerges from this very uncertain time, but, of course, a very time of great celebration in Syria. I.
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ASHER: All right. Paula Hancocks live for us there. Thank you so much.
OK. I want to bring in Wa'el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage, a Muslim American group. He was formerly a U.S. Middle East policy expert at the U.S. State Department, and senior policy advisor to U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power.
Wa'el, thank you so much for being with us. I'm not sure if you heard a lot of or a significant part of what Paula Hancocks, our reporter --
WA'EL ALZAYAT, CEO, EMGAGE, & FORMER SR. POLICY ADVISOR TO U.S. AMB. TO THE U.N. SAMANTHA POWER: I did.
ASHER: -- was just saying. Great. So, she was talking about the fact that there are so many rebel groups, of course, in Syria, and up until now, they've been united by a common enemy, a common goal, and that is the toppling of Bashar al-Assad. Now that that has happened, whose responsibility is it to bring all this sort of -- all these disparate groups under one roof to get them seen from the same hymn sheet, so to speak?
ALZAYAT: No. Thank you for that, and that's obviously one of the most important things that needs to happen right now. It's going to be the responsibility of the main fighting groups as well as some of the political opposition groups that have been around in Syria. They are in conversations, and so far so good in the sense of their statements. There has been assurances to the minority groups, the Christian community, the Kurdish communities, even to some of the neighboring countries, Jordan, Iraq. And the deeds have been quite pleasant, and I myself have been very apprehensive about this phase, if and when it ever comes. And you're seeing that existing ministers who did not flee like Assad
did, have been treated humanely, and some actually have been asked to manage the affairs during this transition period, while new names and faces emerge, obviously.
I think what's going to be important is the process itself, beyond it being semi-orderly and hopefully peaceful, how representative, and dare I say, democratic or inclusive is it going to be? And is it going to be dominated, for example, by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Mr. Jolani, or by a more representative cross section of Syrian society, civil society, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as rank and file members of the bureaucracy who perhaps have not been responsible for the horrors and the atrocities of the Syrian regime? That itself is worth watching, and it will tell us a lot about where Syria is heading.
ASHER: And that is a big question. And also, another big question is, of course, whether or not Abu Mohammad al-Jolani can actually govern. I mean, he is saying the right things. He is doing the right things, as you point out, just in terms of distancing himself from HTS's roots, HTS's jihadist roots, just in terms of separating himself from al-Qaeda. Obviously, he has ambitions to govern in a sort of civil and respectful way, despite obviously a terrorist route in terms of HTS. Just walk us through how difficult that is going to be from a practical perspective.
ALZAYAT: It's going to be difficult, but it's not impossible. I mean, I'm someone who worked on national security issues for the U.S. government, and particularly counter ISIS campaign. And what we're seeing here is something different. And I understand that this is difficult for us in the post-9/11 era to grapple with it, but it's different. A few years ago, Jolani and HTS were very clear in communicating that although they have roots and had roots with al- Qaeda, that's no longer the case, and that their focus is strictly on removing the Bashar al-Assad regime.
They obviously have governance ambitions. That's what they've been doing in the corner of Syria where they have been for a number of years in Idlib province, and I'm sure they would like to be part of, if not dominating a future Syrian government. And that's -- again, I think that's fair, as long as it is in a politically acceptable representative process. Whether they emerge as the dominant group or not, to be seen.
But, I can assure you that Syria is a very diverse, complicated place, and I know that at least the rebel leadership that has made it so far, all the way to Damascus, does not want to squander that. And we're seeing some hopeful signs in terms of not only their rhetoric, but their actions. We've seen members of the Christian community, including the religious establishment, not only being engaged but provided assurances of the protection of their religious rights and practices.
Again, I think we have a long road ahead. And here, I think the neighborhood, the Arab states, Turkey and to some degree, perhaps the United States and the European allies, need to engage in a sober, pragmatic way. But also, and I want to add this, the bakeries are not running in Syria. There is no cellular reception.
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There are questions regarding just the provision of basic services, and we all know, if the current group of leaders, whoever they may be on the ground, are unable to deliver for their people in these critical weeks and months, you can have chaos. You can have revolt, and you can have a break in general order, which could undo everything we are seeing. So, it's very critical right now that although we have concerns about these groups, that we provide some assistance immediately.
ASHER: And to your earlier point, just in terms of HTS's ambitions for governance, we're just getting word that Syria's new rulers, aka the rebels, are declaring amnesty for all conscripted soldiers, to your exact point.
My other question is, obviously we have touched on the sort of divergent interests of the rebel groups within Syria. But, when it comes to the groups outside of Syria, and you touched on this briefly, but I want to get you to expand on this. Turkey --
ALZAYAT: Yeah.
ASHER: -- the United States, for example, both NATO members, they're both celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad. But, when it comes to how both of those countries view the Kurds, for example, in northern Syria, they view them very, very differently. How does that unfold going forward, do you think?
ALZAYAT: That's absolutely going to be the next big test, beyond the inter-rebel situation that we just discussed. The next big question is going to be, what does the new emerging Syrian government and its armed groups are going to be dealing, and how are they going to deal with this -- with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces? Look, Turkey has made no secret of its discomfort and quite disdain of the Syrian Democratic Forces. They wish them not to exist, or at least to be moved away even further from their borders with Syria.
I think you're going to see a lot of discussions between the Americans and the Turks on this issue. And there are semi-hopeful indications if you look at northern Aleppo, the Turkish-backed groups ended up negotiating the departure of a group affiliated with Syrian Democratic Forces, the YPG, more or less peacefully, and I think that's a decent model for at least dialog, as well as coming up with new arrangements that are acceptable to all the parties. That's going to be a very difficult, challenging piece.
But, look, Syria is no longer under Assad. So, the oil and natural gas that the Syrian Democratic Forces are sitting on and have been selling for a number of years, is really -- it's going to be required for the reconstruction of Syria. And I know that there are discussions about this as well, and then -- and the priority needs to be on resolving this peacefully. The last thing we need is to see the Turkish-backed groups or HTS fighting with the SDF in this critical moment, or, God forbid, for Turkey to be sending its troops or to be at odds or even confronting the United States itself.
So, it's a very delicate period. And -- but I trust that both Turkey and the United States, whether under the Biden or the Trump administration, are prioritizing this discussion, and I'm cautiously optimistic.
ASHER: Right. Wa'el Alzayat, we have to leave it there, cautiously optimistic. Thank you so much. Obviously, we'll see what happens over the coming months. Thank you.
All right. Iran's Foreign Ministry is weighing in on the unfolding events in Syria. Iran, a key backer of Assad, says it will respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, but not without some caveats.
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ABBAS ARAGHCHI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (Interpreted): Our interaction with the group that took over Syria will depend on their behavior. On what policy will they adopt against the Islamic Republic of Iran? What policy will they have against the Syrian Shiites? What will be the distance between them and the Zionist regime? What will be the distance between them and the terrorist groups and how will they behave?
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ASHER: Meantime, the Iranian Ambassador to Syria warns that the fallout from the collapse of Assad's regime could spark a conflict involving regional countries and Turkey. That will be beyond American control. Israel says it has taken pre-emptive measures to stop strategic weapons from falling into the hands of Syrian extremist groups. The IDF has attacked some sites inside Syria, according to the Israeli Foreign Minister. Those depots, the minister said, held residual chemical weapons and long-range missiles and rockets. This comes after Israel's leader ordered troops to seize the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.
Prime Minister Benjamin went to the Golan Heights Sunday, and his press office released this statement.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: This is a historic day for the Middle East, the collapse of the Assad regime. The tyranny in Damascus offers great opportunity, but also is fraught with significant dangers. One of them is the collapse of the separation of forces agreement from 1974 between Israel and Syria. This agreement held for 50 years, last night, it collapsed. The Syrian army abandoned its positions.
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We gave the Israeli army the order to take over those positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. This is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found.
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ASHER: The UN says its peacekeepers will remain in a buffer zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The United Nations has patrolled it for the last five decades, and the Israeli military rarely ventured into the no-man's land until now.
Jeremy Diamond looks at Israel's military build-up there.
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Israeli troops have been going into the Syrian buffer zone on the other side of this border fence, right here. This is the line that separates the Israeli- occupied Golan Heights and a Syrian territory. There is a buffer zone of about two kilometers where Israeli troops have not been positioned for more than 50 years, but now Israeli troops are inside that buffer zone. And we're also told, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry, that Israeli troops have also captured positions beyond that buffer zone as well in Syrian-held territory.
You can see my camera man, John (ph), is now zooming in on a building here where, moments ago, we just saw some Israeli troops who were positioned inside that buffer zone. This gate that is over here is where we have seen Israeli military vehicles have gone back and forth throughout the day.
Yesterday was the first day that Israeli troops began going into this buffer zone after the Israeli Prime Minister said Syrian troops left their position on the other side of that buffer zone. According to the Prime Minister, that meant the collapse of the 1974 agreement between Israel and Syria that has held for more than 50 years, and he then sent Israeli troops to go and take over those positions, effectively positioning Israeli troops between the communities here in the Golan Heights and those newly victorious Syrian rebels. So, as you can see, this gate is open at the moment, and we expect that Israeli troops will continue to go inside and outside of that area.
Now, in addition to what we're seeing here in this buffer zone, we also know that the Israeli military has been conducting airstrikes inside of Syria. We have been hearing and seeing those jets overhead throughout the morning, and we know that the Israeli military said they are going after strategic weapons of the Syrian Armed Forces going after ballistic missiles, air defense systems that the Syrian -- that were previously held by the Syrian regime.
So, a lot of military action is taking place here as a result of the fall of the Assad regime yesterday, which stunned the region at large, of course, and of course, in this community as well of Majdal Shams, where we are now. We also know that there are people who have family on both sides of the border. The people in this area consider themselves to be Syrians, of the Syrian Druze community, and many families here are separated by this 1974 demarcation line with families on both sides of that border.
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ASHER: All right. Still to come, U.S. President Joe Biden says that Syria is facing a moment of risk and opportunity. Details ahead on his blueprint for the U.S. support in Syria, now that the Assad regime has fallen. Plus, Syria's exiled leader is now in Russia. What will the collapse of his regime mean for the Kremlin and for Vladimir Putin?
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ASHER: All right. In the wake of the sudden fall of the Assad regime, U.S. President Joe Biden is offering a blueprint of how America plans to support the region. In his first public comments since Assad's regime fell, President Biden says that he'll be speaking with his counterparts in the area in the coming days, and vows to protect U.S. personnel. Mr. Biden also announced the U.S. had conducted dozens of airstrikes in Syria, as it remains committed to preventing the resurgence of ISIS.
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BIDEN: It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country. It's also a moment of risk and uncertainty. As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk.
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ASHER: CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House and has more on the Biden administration's response to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden cast this as a moment of opportunity for the Syrian people, as the country is now rid of the crushing regime under Bashar al-Assad. But, at the same time, the President said there are significant risks and uncertainty with this situation, and managing those risks will be a key priority for the President and his team going forward. The President, in the coming days, is expected to speak with counterparts about the situation, and he will also deploy top U.S. officials to the region for conversations about the future of Syria.
Now, among the top priorities for the Biden administration is trying to assure that there isn't any type of resurgence of ISIS. The President said that they are very clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS might try to take advantage of this -- the power vacuum at this time in Syria to try to re-establish their capabilities in Syria and other parts of the region. That is something he says that the U.S. is going to try to prevent. That is why the U.S. launched dozens of airstrikes against 75 ISIS targets in Syria on Sunday. They used a variety of Air Force assets like B-52 bombers and F-15 fighter jets. That is something that the administration will be focusing on in the days to come, as they are hopeful that ISIS will not try to use this moment to re-establish their capabilities.
Now, another issue that the Biden administration needs to navigate is how exactly to work with the incoming Syrian government, whenever one is established. The main rebel group that has really taken a lot of the control and power in recent days is HTS, which the U.S. has deemed a terror organization, and a senior U.S. official said that they believe significant portions of that group does have ties to ISIS. Now, earlier today, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan indicated that the U.S. is ready to work with any group that is focused on democratic institutions in Syria. But, both the President and Sullivan said that right now, while they are hearing the right words from rebel groups, they will be judging them on their actions going forward.
Now, this is all playing out as President Biden only has six weeks left in office. This is an issue that President-elect Trump will inherit come January. As the rebel forces were making their way towards Damascus in recent weeks, President-elect Trump said the U.S. should stay out of this situation. And so far, he has given very few clues about what he thinks the future of Syria should look like. For President Biden's part, he says that's a decision that's up to the Syrian people.
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ASHER: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is weighing in on international topics that could play a major role in his second term. So, regarding Syria, he posted on social media that, quote, "This is not our fight", and claims that Russia is no longer interested in protecting Assad. The President-elect also wrote that Russia's war with Ukraine has left it weakened. This comes after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Saturday. In another weekend post, Trump wrote that President Zelenskyy and Ukraine want to make a deal, to, quote, "stop the madness from the ongoing war".
Bashar al-Assad and his family are now in Russia after being granted asylum in Moscow, but the Kremlin remains silent on the deposed leader's whereabouts.
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A spokesperson says that right now, there were no meetings scheduled between al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a long-time staunch supporter of the regime.
What could happen now to Russian military bases inside Syria? CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more from Moscow.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Russians admit that they were surprised by the events quickly unfolding inside Syria. Spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, saying he believes the whole world was surprised how quickly Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power and forced to leave Syria and come here to Russia. The Russians also saying that it was Vladimir Putin himself who signed on Bashar al-Assad and members of his family being able to come here and being granted asylum inside Russia, as the Russians say, for humanitarian reasons.
Now, of course, for the Russians, all of this could have very big repercussions. At the same time, the Russians do understand that there is a new reality on the ground in Syria. As of this morning, the flag of the Syrian opposition flies above the embassy here in Moscow. And we asked here at the embassy, and folks here told us that the embassy is actually working as normally, even though the transition in Syria is already very much taking place.
For the Russians, however, they were one of the biggest backers of the Assad regime, and of course, still have major military assets inside Syria as well. They have an air base in Hmeimim, close to Latakia, which is very important for them, not just for air operations in Syria, but also to project power into the Mediterranean and even all the way into Africa. And of course, they have a major naval base in Tartus, and just last week, conducted big naval exercises, firing some high-powered missiles from ships inside the Mediterranean Sea.
The Russians admitting that for them, it's unclear what the future of those military bases will be. They say a lot of that depends on who will have power in Syria in the future. The Russians say that their forces inside Syria are on high alert, but at the same time also say that it is calm outside their bases.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
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ASHER: So, Bashar al-Assad is gone from Syria after decades of brutal rule. We'll look at how his stunning ouster might impact the country and the region, after this short break.
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ASHER: All right. Welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Zain Asher in New York.
This just in. Law enforcement officials say that police are now questioning a man in Altoona, Pennsylvania as part of the search for the killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Working from a tip, the man was pulled from a bus.
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One official said the man had a number of false IDs. Police also say they came up empty after searching Fort Tryon Park and subway stations in northern Manhattan. This is a new CNN affiliate video of police in K9 units believed to be searching Central Park for any evidence in this case. Police have also released more photos of the person of interest who has been on the run for nearly a week now. Law enforcement sources tell CNN they reviewed surveillance footage from a Greyhound bus station in Atlanta, did not identify the person that they believe is the shooter here. We'll have more on that story soon.
And more breaking news out of New York City as well, a jury has acquitted Daniel Penny in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely. The group was considering a lesser charge after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on a manslaughter charge. Daniel Penny, a 26-year- old former Marine, now faces just one charge of criminally negligent homicide in Neely's death last year. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison, though there is no minimum sentence.
All right. More now on our top story this hour, the people of Syria flooding the streets, celebrating the end of more than five decades of the Assad family's dictatorship. Strikes were heard in Damascus overnight, although it's not necessarily clear who launched them. This after President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled following an astonishing weekend of rebel advances.
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ASHER: Syria's rebel leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani on Sunday said it was a victory for the entire Islamic nation, although it's not clear how various rebel factions will work together and rule. And as we've said, some Syrian rebel groups are considered terrorist organizations by the U.S., but the White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this morning that the groups are, quote, "saying all the right things". And he said, the U.S. is going to work with all these groups to bring about what he called a better Syria. Sullivan will travel to Israel this week to discuss the various conflicts in the region.
On Sunday, American bombers and fighter jets attacked ISIS targets inside Syria, according to a U.S. official. U.S. Central Command confirmed 75 ISIS targets were hit. President Joe Biden has said the U.S. intends to continue its anti-ISIS operations in Syria.
CNN's National Security Correspondent Natasha Bertrand has the latest from the region. So, what's interesting here, Natasha, is that obviously there are so many different factions in Syria, and so many different interests in terms of rebel groups inside Syria, but also, the same is true for groups outside Syria. You've got countries like the U.S. and Turkey who view, for example, the Kurds in northern Syria in a very, very different light. Just walk us through how these various groups -- countries are going to end up working together here. It's not clear at this point.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Look, I mean, I think it's very complicated, but at the moment, the U.S. does intend to keep its own force presence inside Syria, they say, because they want to maintain this anti-ISIS coalition, which has been helped, of course, by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which is opposed by Turkey. So, you can see how all of this gets a little bit messy.
But, for now, the U.S. is saying that they do not believe that the U.S. forces that are currently in the country are at risk, and in fact, they believe that they can really maintain pressure on ISIS elements who are trying to reconstitute inside Syria by staying there, by conducting the kinds of anti-ISIS operations that you saw the U.S. Air Force carry out just yesterday in Syria against dozens of targets. They are doing that battle damage assessment now on just how much they managed to degrade ISIS infrastructure.
But, National Security Council official John Kirby, he spoke to this a little bit, and he said that the pressure is going to stay on these terror groups. Here is what he said.
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JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR: The Pentagon is doing what they call a battle damage assessment of that, John. We don't have a firm indication of the assessment of each and every one of those strikes. They do believe, preliminarily, that they were very, very successful in hitting legitimate ISIS targets and further degrading their capabilities. We have kept the pressure up on ISIS now for the entire four years of this administration, through these kinds of strikes. We'll continue to do that as we see valid threats. So, I'm certainly not going to rule anything off the table in terms of additional strikes on ISIS.
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BERTRAND: So, look, one of the big questions now, of course, is just what kind of commitment the U.S. can actually get from these rebel groups, many of which do have previous ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS, and some continue even to have those ties, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to our colleague, Jim Sciutto, about whether or not they are going to maintain a safe distance from U.S. forces, or whether they are poised to attack them. Right now, we have seen no evidence of the latter.
[11:40:00]
U.S. officials believe that there is a safe and strong perimeter around the U.S. military base in Syria at this point, and so they are not overly concerned by that.
But, look, another huge question here is, what happens to Assad's chemical weapons stockpile, the large weapons caches that he is leaving behind? All of these are kind of up in the air. The U.S. right now saying, the rebel groups, they're saying all the right things. There is a reason to be optimistic at this point, but it is ultimately going to be more about what they do and less about what they say, Zain.
ASHER: All right. Natasha Bertrand live for us there. Thank you so much.
We want to return to our breaking news out of Pennsylvania. Police are questioning a man in the connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week. Let's get straight to our Brynn Gingras in New York. So, we're hearing
that a man is being questioned in Altoona, Pennsylvania, apparently, because of a tip, a man ended up being pulled from a bus. Brynn, just walk us through what more we know.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Zain, So, it's not clear if he was taken off this bus, or just was traveling on that bus, and that's where the tip came from. We're still trying to work all of those details out. But, this is a pretty significant development in this case. Obviously, they've been searching for this suspect for the last few days, since Wednesday. It's unclear now if this person is the suspect.
But, there is a lot of things that are pointing to it being positive, a tip that led to this person in the investigation, and some of those things are like you just said that this person was traveling by bus, and during a search of this person, they -- police were told by sources, it found a suppressor, which is really another word for a silencer or something to muffle the sound of a gunshot, and also a number of fake IDs.
Now, of course, this is all big developments, because we know that on Wednesday, during that deadly shooting of CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan, a silencer was used during the act of that shooting. And we also know that the person that police were really looking into was believed to have checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side, and it was believed that he didn't use, obviously, the ID of his. He was using some sort of fake ID. So, the fact that they found these two things, and that we're learning that from sources it's pretty significant. But, of course, a lot of questions here, as investigators right now are questioning that person in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and we're still working to figure out exactly who this person might be.
But, a big development in this case. Certainly, this is something that investigators all over the country have been looking for this person. They've been sending out the pictures of anything that they could get of this person traveling around New York City. They know that that person left New York City, according to the police commissioner here in New York. So, again, a lot of things are pointing in the right direction from what we are learning, but still waiting to hear what else they learned from this person that is now being questioned by authorities in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Zain.
ASHER: And based on what we know, Brynn, up until this point, I mean, there has been so many sort of intriguing clues. I mean, you've got the shell casings with the words deny, defend, depose, and then you've also got the Monopoly money, right --
GINGRAS: Yeah.
ASHER: -- that was found in his backpack. Just walk us through what sort of picture authorities are sort of putting together of who the type of person this man could be.
GINGRAS: Yeah. Listen, we've talked to sources all since this happened on Wednesday, and there was really a lot of names that were sort of being floated out there as possibly people who might have some sort of vendetta against Thompson, and they were running down every tip that they have been given at this point, including why that person -- why this backpack had, like you said, Monopoly money? Why did the shell casing and the live round have the words written that were sort of similar to what is said in the healthcare industry? And these are very significant clues now that investigators can match up to this person at least and try to build their investigation.
Another one that's very important, Zain, is the fact that when this person tried to get away from the scene, they dropped some really good clues, and one of them was a burner cell phone, which investigators were able to get a partial fingerprint off of, and also a water bottle and a wrapper from a bar, an energy bar. And we know that investigators ran those through all of their systems for DNA and fingerprint analysis, but nothing came up. Well, now, if they have a person who they believe is their shooter, and they get far enough in their investigation that they can actually collect that person's fingerprints and DNA, now they can go back to what they found at the scene and maybe make that connection. So, again, these are big developments, and we'll see where it moves from here.
ASHER: Right. Brynn Gingras live for us there. Thank you so much.
We'll have much more on the breaking news after this short break. Don't go away.
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ASHER: All right. Back to our breaking news out of New York City. A jury has acquitted Daniel Penny in the subway chokehold death of Jordan Neely. They were considering a lesser charge after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on a manslaughter child, charge, rather. Daniel Penny, a 26-year-old former Marine, would face up to four years in prison.
Let's bring in David Weinstein, a former state and federal prosecutor, to talk about this. So, the manslaughter charge was dismissed. He has now been acquitted of criminal negligent homicide. We know the jury did deliberate for 19 hours on the second-degree manslaughter charge. They deliberated it for about an hour on the criminal negligence charge. Just walk us through your reaction to the verdict. Obviously, the manslaughter charge was dismissed, and on the lesser charge, he was acquitted. Give us your reaction to the news.
DAVID WEINSTEIN, PARTNER, JONES WALKER LLP, & FORMER STATE AND FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It doesn't come as a great surprise to me. I don't think you can really separate the 19 hours from the additional one hour. They were considering the same facts and the same intent, the recklessness, the reckless disregard and the negligence when they were deliberating on the higher charge and now came back on the lesser charge. The prosecution felt that by dismissing the second-degree manslaughter charge, they would avoid this compromise verdict type of issue, and it did indeed do exactly that. They couldn't reach a verdict on the higher charge, and by coming back today, they decided they really weren't going to reach the verdict. The prosecution was looking for on that charge either.
So, they found that Daniel Penny was not reckless. He did not have any negligence involved with what he was doing, and a lot of that hinged upon the testimony that was heard during the case, whether that chokehold was placed on too long, whether he was defending himself, whether he should have known that his actions would have resulted in the death of this individual. And then there was the conflict in terms of the medical examiner's testimony. What really was the cause of death?
And so, my reaction is that these jurors deliberated long and hard, couldn't reach a verdict on that manslaughter charge. It was perhaps someone who is now, in hindsight, holding out for that charge and would have found him potentially guilty on that and then when they re- evaluated, reassessed, they came back and they said, you know what, we couldn't find him on that higher charge. There was an element, again, of recklessness in the manslaughter charge, and we can't find it here either. So, there needs to be an acquittal.
ASHER: Talk to us about the defense's -- I mean, you touched on this a little bit, but a bit more about the defense's strategy here, because obviously the jurors found that to be much more convincing than what the prosecutors were saying. The defense lawyers argued that essentially Penny acted to save subway riders from what he said was threatening behavior. They argue that just in terms of the length of time that he held on to Neely, it was long enough for police to arrive so they could take him into custody. And they also claim that the chokehold wasn't what killed him. They argued that there were other factors involved, including schizophrenia, synthetic marijuana and also a sickle cell trait that led to his untimely death.
Just give us your take on the defense strategy here. Ultimately, that was what convinced the jurors.
WEINSTEIN: It was obviously effective. But, remember, the prosecution has the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and it's the defense's job to raise that reasonable doubt so that jurors can't find that the prosecution did their job, and that's how they were effective, by going after the evidence, not just on one ground, and you laid out the several grounds that they attacked it on.
[11:50:00]
They said, look, there was a conflict in the cause of death. You don't have to believe the medical examiner presented by the prosecution. Here is another medical examiner, and that medical examiner said, no, that wasn't the sole cause of death, the chokehold. And then they also pointed to, was it reasonable what Penny was doing? Was he negligent in trying to defend the others? Did he believe that the chokehold would have resulted in the death of this individual? Was he negligent, reckless in what he was doing, or was it simply a bunch of different things together? And that created the reasonable doubt. And if there is reasonable doubt, jurors have to come back not guilty, and that's what they did here.
ASHER: Yeah. As you point out, the burden of the proof -- burden of proof is on the prosecution.
David Weinstein, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
All right. Still ahead, Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, is in Washington today. We'll have a live report on who Kash Patel is meeting with.
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ASHER: All right. Welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Zain Asher in New York.
All right. Trump's FBI director pick, Kash Patel, is making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week as part of his confirmation process. Patel has just wrapped up a meeting with Republican Senator John Cornyn from Texas. Before becoming a star in the MAGA movement, Patel worked as a mid-level Justice Department lawyer. He has remained one of the loudest critics of the FBI, calling it the, quote, "prime functionary of the deep state".
CNN's Zachary Cohen is gaining new insight into Patel's parts of power from some of the people who worked alongside him. Take a look.
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ZACHARY COHEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah. We spoke to over a dozen people who have worked with Kash Patel, some who have known him for years, and they all describe someone who sees himself as fundamentally an outsider, and somebody who does carry a rather large chip on their shoulder, and that dates back to Patel's time, according to these multiple sources, to his time as a young prosecutor. And specifically, there was a moment that jumped out to multiple of these individuals.
Back in 2016, Patel was a mid-level Justice Department prosecutor, and sort of parachuted into an ongoing case and got reprimanded by the judge in that courtroom, effectively embarrassed the judge, at one point said, quote, "you're just one more nonessential employee from Washington", which is really the very thing that Patel has promised to help Donald Trump root out if he is confirmed as the FBI director, and it's something that's really fueled his world view and really tells you about his world view dating back to his time years ago.
Now, look, Kash Patel on the Hill today and this week talking to senators. He is widely viewed as a controversial figure. He has got a lot of criticism for his role in helping lead the investigation into the so-called Russia collusion hoax, and also during his time on the National Security Council, when his sort of priority of getting him facetime with Donald Trump did rub a lot of his NSC colleagues the wrong way. That's what we're told by multiple the people who worked with him at the time. But, ultimately, Donald Trump urging senators to push Kash Patel's
nomination through, confirm him along with his other nominees. But, at the same time, just yesterday, Donald Trump acknowledging, really for the first time, that he is aware that Kash Patel is not a shoe in and not an automatic confirmation. Take a listen to what he said on Meet the Press just yesterday.
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND CURRENT PRESIDENTIAL- ELECT: And Kash Patel is very fair. I'll tell you. I thought Kash may be difficult because he is a strong conservative voice, and I don't know of anybody that's not singing his praises.
[11:55:00]
COHEN: So, it remains to be seen what the reaction from these senators who ultimately will meet with Patel this week will be, and whether they will vote yes to confirm him. Patel will almost certainly be asked whether his public comments about wanting to investigate Donald Trump's political -- perceived political enemies, whether his comments about dismantling the FBI headquarters on day one and turning it into a, quote, "museum", of what he calls the crooked Deep State, but ultimately, it will be up to the senators to give the thumbs up, and Donald Trump obviously urging them to do so.
Zachary Cohen, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. That wraps up this hour of CNN Newsroom. I'm Zain Asher in New York. I'll have much more on Asher One World after this short break.
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