Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Trump Vows to Hit Iran's Power Plants Over Hormuz; TSA Staffing Shortage Causing Long Lines at Airports; European Drivers Grapple with Rising Fuel Prices; Multiple Iranian Strikes Across Israel Over the Weekend; International Convoy Bringing Humanitarian Aid to Cuba. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired March 23, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Polo Sandoval, live in New York.

[00:00:42]

And we do want to begin with the war in Iran and the sounds of explosions that were heard in several parts of the capital, Tehran.

The IDF said just a short while ago that it had begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting the Iranian regime's infrastructure.

And this comes as Iran's military says that it is ready to close the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely. And that's if President Donald Trump carries out with his ultimatum to hit and obliterate Iran's power plants if the critical waterway is not fully open to shipping by Monday evening.

And just hours ago, at least one Iranian missile carrying a cluster warhead could be seen above Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Let's get a live update now from CNN's Mike Valerio, joining us now with the situation. We're about a little under 24 hours away from that deadline. Any new word from Iran, Mike?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think the most compelling statements that we have from Iran is that they are saying that, if this deadline passes and their power plants are hit by the United States and Israel, that they will respond in kind, Polo with, quote, "irreversible damage to civilian infrastructure in the region," specifically civilian infrastructure, Iran's speaker of the Parliament has said, belonging to the United States and Israel.

But Gulf allies are extremely concerned that their desalination plants, their water, energy plants could also be targeted in this. And that Iran is also adding that the Strait of Hormuz will not be reopened fully until their power plants are rebuilt, if these power plants are indeed struck by the United States and Israel, if this deadline passes around 7:44 a.m., our time in this side of the world in East Asia. So, I think it was interesting. We have those comments from Iran

answering the question what they could do next if this threat is realized by the United States and Israel.

Then we have the ambassador of the United States to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, saying that this would target infrastructure that is largely geared towards the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and also telling reporters, and telling specifically Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation," that Iran certainly has to still answer for murdering thousands of civilians.

When the question came up as to whether or not targeting energy infrastructure could potentially -- and I stress, potentially -- amount to a war crime.

So, there was certainly the -- the rejoinder from the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, saying, well, Iran still has to answer for its crimes. And these energy targets are also helping the regime.

But, you know, Polo, as we were talking in the last hour and as you've mentioned with some of your guests that we've heard over the past couple of hours, if these energy sites are targeted in Iran and a sizable swath of the population remains in the dark, any swath of the population that was excited and certainly supporting this American and Israeli intervention to potentially change the regime, what's going to happen to them if their lives are so changed, being left in the dark for days and weeks on end?

Amnesty International also saying that the potential of war crimes could be there because of the, quote, "vast, predictable and devastating chance to civilian harm."

So, we're waiting to see, you know, as we are about less than one day away, what happens with the rhetoric? What else do Gulf nations contribute to this conversation as the clock is really running out, running down on this deadline? Polo.

SANDOVAL: All right. That's CNN's Mike Valerio with that live update from Beijing. Thanks, Mike.

Joining us now is CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. He's also the author of the book, "New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West."

David, it's always great to see you.

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you, Polo.

SANDOVAL: President Trump's threatening Iran now, specifically the power infrastructure, if they do not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Do you expect that he'll actually enforce this deadline that's up in a little under 24 hours?

SANGER: It's a really interesting question, because he set this up as his own red line.

[00:05:05]

Not clear at all to me that the Iranians are going to relent on this issue, because this is their one remaining true source of power.

The president's right when he says that the U.S. has -- and Israel have depleted their missile capability, have wiped out their navy, have wiped out many of their launchers.

But the one thing that the U.S. has not cracked is Iran's ability to close the strait. And the Iranians recognize that this is their one great point of leverage.

So, unless there's a negotiated solution through one of the Gulf countries intervening, I don't see a way that that deadline doesn't pass. Then the question is, Polo, does the president begin to destroy energy facilities that, just last week, he was telling the Israelis not to touch?

SANDOVAL: And then there's also, you know, just on -- on that point, too, David, if Iran -- because there's no clear indication that Iran will crack. So, if Iran ignores this deadline, do you see it potentially backfiring now on President Trump?

SANGER: Well, first, striking energy facilities is prohibited by the Geneva Convention. President might try to find a loophole out of that, but it would put the United States in a bad spot.

Second, he kept referring to striking the largest energy facility that they have. And by output, that is clearly the Bushehr nuclear plant. They've had this plant for a long time. Nuclear reactor; it's fed by Russian fuel. The fuel goes back to Russia. So, we're not worried about it for their weapons program.

But the fact of the matter is, striking nuclear facilities is something I don't think President Trump is going to order.

He might well go after some lesser facilities, but even that is pretty problematic. And there's no evidence that he could control the Iranian reaction,, if they did the same to Saudi Arabia or the UAE, or Bahrain, or Qatar.

SANDOVAL: I wonder if we could also revisit one of your latest pieces of analysis here, specifically when it comes to other factors in this war and what President Trump has not really addressed, or at least touched on, again.

Different factors, like certainly, the movement of -- of protests that we witnessed play out. Has the president revisited, of course, defending some of these protesters that he claimed to be defending earlier this year?

Or even the regime itself, that, though it may be debilitated, it is still very much in power. And -- and still in control of a nuclear stockpile. SANGER: Well, the story you're referring to, which I had in "The

Times" on Saturday afternoon =-- and it ran through today, basically made the case that if you go back to the president's objectives as he laid them out on February 28th, when the first attack on Iran began, it included not only protecting the protesters, but telling them, stay in your homes. And once the fighting is over, come out and overthrow your government.

We have not heard him make that invitation again. And in fact, he acknowledged about a week ago that that would be really difficult to do, since the protesters don't have any guns. And the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the militias that have killed people on the streets still do.

He has not discussed in any way whether or not he could leave Iran while it's still run by the IRGC and a replacement for the supreme leader, the supreme leader's son.

And finally, what I thought was really interesting about this was the precipitating cause of this, if you believe the president's own words, was the fact that near-bomb-grade nuclear material remains on their property, buried, at -- largely at Isfahan.

But in this most recent post on Friday, he seemed to suggest that, as long as the U.S. was certain that it could step in in time and stop Iran from getting the bomb, he was satisfied with that. Well, he could have had that even before the attack started.

SANDOVAL: Yes. As you lay out in that analysis, many of his original war goals, as you're right, they remain unaccomplished.

We will continue to track this, as always, with you, with your coverage, with your reporting, and your analysis. CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger, really appreciate you.

SANGER: Thanks, Polo.

SANDOVAL: We want to get you an update now on some breaking news we've been following.

Several ambulances have been set on fire outside a synagogue in London's Golders Green neighborhood. Security camera footage shared with CNN shows three masked individuals approach an ambulance belonging to a Jewish volunteer rescue group and then set it on fire.

The neighborhood, it is home to a large Jewish population. A local resident said that she heard several loud explosions overnight.

London's fire service currently responding, but the cause of the incident has not yet been confirmed. But again, that's some new information now, showing that that fire may have been, certainly, intentionally set.

The investigation, though, just getting started. As we get new developments, we'll pass them along to you. Here in the U.S., the partial government shutdown, it is continuing to

complicate travel. The Department of Homeland Security says that more than one-third of agents called out from work at multiple airports on Saturday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, they will be deploying to assist the understaffed TSA starting on Monday, according to the Trump administration.

The White House border czar, Tom Homan, says that ICE agents will only help in areas that do not require specialized expertise. CNN's Jenn Sullivan has more details on how the shutdown is affecting airports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Airport security lines wrapping around the terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Sunday. It's the busiest airport in the country. Some passengers say wait times were more than two hours.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just insane.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never seen anything like this.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): In Atlanta, only four of the 18 TSA screening lanes were open Sunday morning. TSA agents are not being paid right now due to the partial government shutdown. It's leading to sick calls and agent shortages at airports across the country.

SHAMARA FIELDER, FORMER TRANSPORTATION SECURITY OFFICER: You have to choose between putting gas in your car to get to work versus feeding your family.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): The Department of Homeland Security says more than 400 TSA agents have quit so far. White House border czar Tom Homan says Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will help with security at airport entrances and exits, but it's unclear whether that will help with the lines.

TOM HOMAN, WHITE HOUSE BORDER CZAR: I don't see an ICE agent looking at an x-ray machine because they're not trained in that. But there are certain parts of security that TSA is doing that we can move them off those jobs and put them into specialized jobs, help move those lines.

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Democrats are calling for more oversight and reform to immigration enforcement. But until lawmakers can agree on a plan, ICE is funded while TSA is not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why should we put -- be put under a policy dispute amongst the people in Washington?

SULLIVAN (voice-over): Lawmakers are eager to reach a deal this week before Congress leaves town for a lengthy spring recess.

I'm Jenn Sullivan reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Earlier, I did speak with CNN senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem about the rollout of ICE agents to help the TSA.

Based on her experience working with the Department of Homeland Security, she says that the sparse details of the plan, along with the speed at which it's being put in place, all of it's making her very nervous about how things may turn out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's fair to say, because it's being reported, that everyone in the operational side was caught off-guard by Trump's announcement.

So, we have a policy that is not planned out and whose consequences are simply not known.

To your point, hearing some people in the administration today, I will admit to you, I thought these people haven't flown commercial in a long time. Like, I've been on four airplanes in the last five days. It's a -- it's an experience you and I are probably very familiar with, which is there isn't a lot of -- of TSA agents sort of roaming around.

You encounter a TSA agent at the beginning of the line. Let's say if you have pre-clear. Then, they check again your driver's license.

But -- but the bulk of it is really both the -- the detection of the -- of the -- of the passenger, as well as their luggage. That can't be delegated. And that's clearly the holdup.

So, one of these is, I think, sort of, you know, maybe wanting to relieve some of the duties that won't be a majority of the duties at -- at this stage that we know of.

The second is, you know, I was a state homeland security advisor too, so I spent a lot of time at Logan before I went into federal government.

And there's an intricate safety and security, like, dance sort of between local, state, airport security, TSA, state police. I mean, there's -- there's all these different entities.

And one of the things that made me nervous about this announcement is it does appear that most of the airports are unaware of what's about to happen to them.

We've heard the Atlanta mayor. Homan has said he can't disclose that for operational security. This is -- this is a public place. There's no secrets here.

And so, I do worry about the integration of all these different pieces, as you deploy very, very controversial law enforcement agency. Not one with -- not without its -- its baggage, so to speak, coming to encounter the traveling public.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:15:04]

SANDOVAL: Yes. Those videos of that -- of the lines are just absolutely incredible.

The U.S. Senate has voted to advance Senator Markwayne Mullin's nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Two Democrats, John Fetterman and -- of Pennsylvania, and also Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, they voted with Republicans on Sunday to approve the key procedural step.

Mullin would replace outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. A final confirmation vote could come as early as Monday.

And fuel prices, they are spiking around the world amid the fight to reopen that Strait of Hormuz, that critical waterway. Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, an update on how the war with Iran is impacting global energy markets. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANDOVAL: Global oil prices remain sky-high as Iran threatens to shut down the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely.

Brent crude, which is the global benchmark, that peaked at over $114 a barrel on Sunday. That is, before dropping back down just slightly. Right now, sitting at about close to $113 a barrel.

High fuel costs, they are colliding with the spring travel season in the U.S. for so many.

As the weather warms up and more drivers get ready to hit the road, the AAA auto association reporting that the national average for a gallon of gas, it has now climbed to $3.94.

[00:20:07]

That's nearly $1 higher when compared to the last month's prices before this conflict started. And even after the war ends, experts say that it could -- that it could -- possibly take months for prices to come down as markets try to resupply and recover.

Drivers in Europe, they are also feeling the pinch of rising fuel prices, and European nations, they're rolling out measures to pretty much try to reduce that impact.

Here's CNN's Lynda Kinkade to explain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out of service and limits on fuel. Getting gas is testing patience in Slovenia. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday we had a problem, because we were

waiting more than 20 minutes in a queue in other cities, and we were able to tank only 30 liters for diesel.

KINKADE (voice-over): Over the weekend. Many gas stations were closed as the country struggles with a widespread fuel shortage, the government imposing fuel caps of 50 liters for private vehicles until further notice.

Some stations allowing even less.

Stockpiling due to the war in the Middle East has been blamed, as well as foreigners entering the country to buy gas.

Slovenia's prime minister says the army will now help deliver fuel throughout the country.

In Spain, there's some relief from high gas prices. The government imposing temporary measures to lower fuel costs, which could reduce petrol prices by about 30 cents a liter.

Spain is cutting the value added tax on fuel from 21 to 10 percent to soften the blow to consumers, with some people saying every little bit helps.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I don't think it's that much either, because petrol prices have been increasing a lot. And this is something, at least, and I think that's great.

KINKADE (voice-over): Austria is expected to cut its fuel tax by about 5 cents a liter in April, but one man says he has his own plan to deal with rising fuel costs.

UNIDENTIFIED MAPE (through translator): Well, it's good to have a bike, and it's much healthier, too. The fuel prices don't affect me at all.

KINKADE (voice-over): Lynda Kinkade, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: It is certainly a good time, perhaps, to invest in a bicycle.

For more now on how this conflict is affecting global fuel markets, Amena Bakr joins us live from Abu Dhabi. She's the head of Middle East Energy and OPEC Plus research at Kepler.

Thank you so much for taking some time to join us. I mean, as always, appreciate it.

AMENA BAKR, HEAD OF MIDDLE EAST ENERGY AND OPEC PLUS RESEARCH KEPLER: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

SANDOVAL: So, I wonder if you could just break things down for -- for some of us here. Can you explain why the markets appear to plunge after president issued the President Trump issued that ultimatum directly to Iran over the weekend?

BAKR: Yes, sure. I mean, we've been seeing a lot of messages from U.S. officials, specifically President Trump, around kind of reducing the time frame of -- of the war, saying that it will end soon.

But also, him indicating that he needs to urgently open up the Strait of Hormuz. So perhaps that messaging kind of gave another sway to, to sentiment to some extent and are keeping prices from, from going up higher.

However, if we look at the fundamentals side, and we look at the size of the disruption, this is the worst energy crisis in history.

Hormuz remains shut in. You have production from all the Middle East states being curtailed. Attacks continue on on the Gulf region.

So, I don't think that -- I mean, the longer this -- this conflict drags on and the longer we have the strait closed, the -- the higher probability we're going to see prices way higher than they are today.

SANDOVAL: So, the president has his deadline that is expected to, to come tomorrow night. But overall, the oil market is there sort of a working or abstract deadline when it comes to just how much longer it will be before we take yet another turn and see another significant increase in prices? Could it be weeks, months?

BAKR: I think it's going to be months. But again, it depends on -- on what happens. Because even if we open the Strait of Hormuz today, for example, it's still going to take time for -- for ship owners to have that confidence to pass through the strait.

And I just want to clarify, the strait isn't closed. There's restricted flow. And there's a lot of fear by ship owners to pass through the strait.

Insurers are still giving insurance to vessels, but that's of course not enough to give shipowners and cargo owners the comfort to -- to go through the strait.

We've been seeing limited cargoes go through, some from -- from Asian countries, but it's nowhere near the normal flow.

And with regards to Trump's ultimatum, I think at this point, I mean, Iran doesn't respond very well to -- to ultimatums and threats. And on the other hand, they did say that they're going to be targeting infrastructure, energy infrastructure here in the Gulf region. So, this kind of escalates the situation.

[00:25:06]

SANDOVAL: Yes, yes. The president says he's calling for -- for that -- for the Strait of Hormuz to be open.

But, you know, to your point, it's free of -- free navigation that ultimately might -- is certainly the solution here. In terms of just, you know, how bad the situation could -- could get,

I mean, what are consumers right now? What should they be doing as they continue to watch the numbers rise, not just when they're filling up their tanks in around the world, but airfare as well. And some of these carriers that are now spending billions more just to fill up their planes.

BAKR: Yes. For sure. I mean, this is going to hit consumers. And we're seeing it hit developing countries. Egypt, for example, have -- have reduced the hours of government workers. They need to work from home. The streetlights need to be off for a certain number of hours.

It's hit countries like India, Bangladesh. It's going to hit Pakistan.

So, developing countries are more at risk here, but also, all countries in Europe and including the United States. As you said, the price of gasoline is almost $4 a gallon now. So, consumers should expect to pay more for their food, more for their transportation, airfare, you name it.

This impacts all supply chains. And it's not just related directly to -- to energy. Energy feeds into everything.

SANDOVAL: When it comes to the possibility of the situation getting worse before it gets better, there's also the potential for additional strikes on all sides. You have the United States saying that it specifically wants to target some of the energy infrastructure.

But then also Iran has said that it would target U.S. and Israeli energy communications infrastructure in the Middle East. How do you see that causing further market instability?

BAKR: Well, I see it as a further escalation. And the fact that, I mean, the messaging around the conflict ending soon, that doesn't seem accurate.

And I'm seeing traders, more and more, kind of getting used to this kind of messaging and not falling for it. And no one believes that it's -- this conflict is just going to be very short-lived.

And even if we do get some kind of resolution, it needs to end up with the reopening of Hormuz. That's the biggest leverage that Iran has in, in this conflict and is using it to kind of weigh in and make sure that it just prolongs things and ends things on -- on its terms. It's not just a matter of the U.S. and Israel ending the war.

SANDOVAL: Could we see oil prices remaining above $100, not just the rest of the year, but potentially into 2027?

BAKR: Well, I mean, we're -- we're hopeful. We have a scenario at -- at Kepler where we're hopeful that maybe we're going to get the resumption of flows towards the end of the year. Maybe looking at -- at November.

But yes. Yes, there is a possibility to have kind of similar prices for at least 20 -- 2026. There isn't enough kind of spare capacity in the system globally to make up for the supply shortage.

So, absent the opening of Hormuz, I think we're just going to see higher oil prices. Prices are just going to keep going higher. And even if it's open, this year, I think gas prices are definitely going to be distorted to the upside.

SANDOVAL: Yes, that really emphasizes your earlier point, too, that even if that strait is fully being navigated again, it is certainly not a flip of a switch. The recovery will certainly take time.

Amena Bakr, as always, really appreciate your time and letting us tap into your expertise.

BAKR: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: We want to get you back to that breaking news that we've been following ever since the last hour.

Some brand-new video that's just into CNN out of London. Several ambulances. They've been set on fire just outside of a synagogue in London's Golders Green neighborhood.

This new video actually shows what are believed to be those individuals that actually set fire to the ambulances there at that location.

You see three masked individuals. They approach the ambulance belonging to a Jewish volunteer rescue group, and there you see the flames.

The neighborhood, it is home to a large Jewish population. A local resident reporting that she heard several explosions overnight.

And you can see the aftermath. London's fire service is now responding, and they're currently investigating this case. As we get new developments, we will pass those along to you. So, stay with CNN for more.

Israel is bracing for new -- a new wave of Iranian strikes. And this as Southern Israel is reeling after devastating -- a devastating weekend of attacks that left dozens wounded. An update on the way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:33:07]

SANDOVAL: Welcome back. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York, and these are today's top stories.

In the coming hours, immigration agents will be deployed to some of America's airports to help the short-staffed TSA. Callouts, they have been increasing amid the partial government shutdown.

TSA agents won't be paid until the Homeland Security Department is reopened, or at least re-funded, I should say.

Border czar Tom Homan says that ICE agents will assist in jobs that don't require expertise.

Well, the clock is ticking on President Trump's ultimatum to Iran. He says the U.S. will, quote, "obliterate" Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by 3:14 a.m. Tuesday morning in Iran.

Iran says that any U.S. strikes on its plants will be leading to the complete closure of the strait.

And Iran has launched its latest wave of attacks on Israel. In fact, just hours ago, at least one Iranian missile carrying a cluster warhead could be seen above Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank.

The IDF says that it has intercepted approximately 92 percent of the ballistic missiles that Iran has fired at the country since the start of the war. Still, just this weekend, Iranian missiles hit two Southern cities, injuring dozens of people.

CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief, Oren Liebermann, with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: We have seen multiple sirens warning of incoming missiles throughout the day --

LIEBERMANN (voice-over): -- on Sunday as Iran has kept up waves of ballistic missile fire towards Israel. And we have seen the impacts of those on the ground.

On Sunday morning in central Israel, in Tel Aviv, we saw what appears to be a cluster warhead, according to the Israeli military, with multiple reports of impacts around Tel Aviv, including one that hit in Habima Square, one of the main squares, which right underneath there is one of the main shelters in the city of Tel Aviv. A number of other impact sites reported in that area.

[00:35:00]

Meanwhile, on the Northern border, there was an impact that sent two cars up in flames, one person killed inside of those cars.

At first, the Israeli military said that was fired from Lebanon, but now the military examining whether that was, in fact, friendly fire that killed one person in that vehicle.

Meanwhile, looking back at Saturday night and the overall weekend, two major strikes in Southern Israel, one in the city of Dimona, where more than 30 people were injured and taken to the hospital, according to Israel's emergency response service.

And then, the largest strike we have seen from a single missile in terms of casualties is in the city of Arad, also in Southern Israel, where at least 84 people were taken to hospital, at least ten in serious condition, according to Israel's emergency response service, Magen David Adom.

LIEBERMANN: Israel's military, in a briefing on Sunday, stressed that they are intercepting more than 90 percent -- 92 percent, in fact -- of incoming ballistic missiles.

But the system is not perfect, and we have seen that over and over again with missiles getting through.

The military says those ballistic missiles that struck in Arad and Dimona, they had launched interceptors at those. So, they are investigating what happened there, that the missiles were still able to get through.

Meanwhile, where is this war going, with President Donald Trump giving Iran a timeline for opening up the Strait of Hormuz? It seems there is intensification on its way, which is exactly what Israel's defense minister said would happen this week.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Israel is accelerating the demolition of homes and bridges along the Litani River in Southern Lebanon.

This is one of two key bridges that the IDF says were targeted ON a strategic waterway that have already been destroyed. Israel says that it aims to sever Hezbollah's weapon and supply lines near Israel's Northern border.

But Lebanon's president is accusing Israel of preparing for a ground invasion and pursuing Israeli expansion into Lebanese territory.

So far, the fighting has already displaced more than 1 million people in Lebanon and cut off critical food and medical supply routes to civilians in the South.

For more, I want to bring in ambassador Alon Pinkas. He's a former Israeli consul general here in New York.

Ambassador, it's always wonderful to see you.

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Thank you, Polo, always good to be with you.

SANDOVAL: Let's start on that last story that we were just discussing a little while ago. And that strike on the Litani River bridge. What does it tell you about a possible intensification of Israel's offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah?

PINKAS: Well, it's already intensifying, as you pointed out correctly. But -- but here's the thing.

Hezbollah was supposed to be disarmed by the Lebanese army. No one in his right mind thought that was viable. Yet, Hezbollah is mostly entrenched up in Northern Lebanon.

What it has in the South is -- is limited military presence, which is what Israel is doing. The intensification that we're talking about is not just the volume of munitions being dropped, but the -- the possibility of -- of a ground operation.

Now, when Israel says, you know, any ground operation would be limited in scope and duration, we must all remember that almost every incursion into Lebanon began as a limited operation. And before you knew it, it meant a -- morphed into some kind of a multi-year campaign and war and almost permanent presence.

So, that would represent a major intensification or escalation.

Let's also put it all in context, Polo, that Israel deliberately -- I'm not -- I'm not defending Hezbollah here. And they have created a terror state within a state. And for many years they were funded by the Iranians.

But Israel, by its own admission, degraded, decimated, all those euphemisms, Hezbollah back in 2024 and 2025. So, why deliberately expand the war right now?

Once the war with Iran began on the 28th of February, 24 days ago, there was an expectation that there would be some limited, conflagration with Hezbollah. But Israel then deliberately went on and expanded this into a military operation.

So, this intensification that you're talking about, for which I answered a way-too-long answer. This intensification is actually taking place as we speak, deliberately.

SANDOVAL: Yes. No, it is a really important context that you lay out, especially with the concerns from the Lebanese president that you just heard a little while ago --

PINKAS: Yes.

SANDOVAL: -- of this, alleging and accusing, I should say, Israeli forces of staging that -- the ground offensive that we just talked about.

PINKAS: Right.

SANDOVAL: When you look at the goals, though, not just for Israel, but also the U.S., help me sort of compare what both of those goals are. First for -- for Israeli forces. And then of course, for the U.S. as it continues with the conflict with Iran.

[00:40:15]

PINKAS: OK, that's a great question because, I don't know. I -- I don't know what America --

SANDOVAL: Obviously, Hezbollah -- Hezbollah is a very, is a unique element alone --

PINKAS: Yes.

SANDOVAL: -- when it comes to Israel's offensive.

PINKAS: Right.

SANDOVAL: But overall, when it comes to Iran, have their priorities changed? I should -- I should have asked.

PINKAS: Well, yes, but -- but what I was going to say is that -- that it's the most basic, fundamental, and critical question. The -- what you just asked about the goals.

And there's no clear answer, because look, in -- in June of 2025 there was President Donald Trump boasting, bragging and, you know, with pumping his fists in the air saying, we obliterated Iran's nuclear program.

He then came up with something that is closer to a hoax than a real intelligence assessment, that Iran was weeks ahead before it could break through -- break out, I'm sorry, into producing a nuclear weapon. That -- that is not founded. That is not supported by evidence.

He then came out with something that said, well, Iran was going to attack the U.S. There's no intelligence evidence about that either.

So as far as the U.S. is concerned, if this is about nuclear proliferation, why haven't we heard the name "North Korea" in the last year? I mean, they -- they have missiles. And they have ballistic missiles and they have 40, according to the American intelligence community. They have somewhere in the vicinity of 40 nuclear weapons.

So, why are you going after Iran after you admitted that you decimated or annihilated or obliterated was the term used in June of 2025?

So, I honestly don't know what the U.S.'s objectives were. It's clear that that some of the scenarios that were unfolding were not anticipated by the U.S. Strait of Hormuz and Iran's defiance. And for formidable missile capabilities, launching capabilities.

As for Israel, it's almost the same thing. I mean, there's Mr. Netanyahu, who for decades has talked about an existential threat and an imminent existential threat. And this is 1938 all over again. And this is Nazi Germany, only it's not Berlin. It's Tehran. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

But he, too, in June of 2025 talked about Iran has been set back decades historically. So why it's so -- so what is the objective here now?

Now, the place where the two diverge is regime change. But -- but that's a different story. I don't see it happening. Certainly not through aerial power alone.

SANDOVAL: Mr. Ambassador, we have to leave it there. But it is all critical context that you're providing there. As always, Alon Pinkas, great to talk to you.

PINKAS: Thank you, Polo. Always good to be with you.

SANDOVAL: Thank you.

And ahead, the situation goes from bad to worse in Cuba after another blackout. We'll hear from the executive director of one organization assisting with humanitarian aid.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:46:15]

SANDOVAL: Back to breaking news. London Police say that they're investigating an apparent arson attack in the city's Golders Green neighborhood as an antisemitic hate crime.

It's a security camera footage that's been shared with CNN. It shows three masked people approach an ambulance belonging to a Jewish volunteer rescue group and then set it on fire.

The neighborhood, it is home to a large Jewish population. We'll continue to follow any new developments on this story and bring them to you as they become available.

Cuba is working to restore electricity after another nationwide blackout left more than 10 million people without power. The country's electrical grid, it suffered a total disconnection on Saturday, even as it recovered from a collapse less than a week before.

As of Sunday, Cuba's Ministry of Energy said that power had begun to be restored.

The latest blackout comes as an international convoy begins to arrive in Cuba with humanitarian aid, including some much-needed medical supplies. In the last hour, I spoke with Bob Schwartz, the executive director of Global Health Partners, an organization that has contributed thousands of dollars' worth of medical supplies to the convoy for Cuba. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB SCHWARTZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GLOBAL HEALTH PARTNERS: We've been working with Cuba for more than 30 years. We're probably the largest or one of the largest global donors of humanitarian medical assistance to Cuba. We've shipped more than $275 million over the past three decades.

Why is it so important today? In large part because our government is punishing Cuba, and it's strangling the Cuban economy. And that's creating all sorts of problems for Cuba's public health system.

Cuba's health system today, I would say, is pretty much on life support. Things that we take for granted -- analgesics, antibiotics, insulin, asthma, inhalers -- are scarce, if available at all. So, that's something that we do.

SANDOVAL: Yes. I mean, you mentioned the system on life support. You're also talking about patients literally on life support. What are some of those treatments? Some of those are -- some of the medicine, the medication that that is badly needed right now in Cuba that has been virtually cut off the last few months?

SCHWARTZ: Well, I've named several of them just -- just a couple minutes ago.

SANDOVAL: Yes.

SCHWARTZ: We did a campaign for pacemakers last year. If you can imagine, Cuba has a three-year waiting list for pacemakers for cardiac patients. And truth is, you don't last three years on a pacemaker waiting list.

So, we were able to send, I think, 960 pacemakers to Cuba. That's 960 lives we've saved.

There's all sorts of assistance that we provide. Analgesics, for example, are in very short supply, meaning aspirins, ibuprofen. So, we're accelerating our shipments. We're trying to, this year, ship more than $4 million worth of meds and medical supplies. You're seeing some of those in the video today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: And as the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies in Lebanon, CNN heard firsthand -- CNN heard firsthand how the conflict is now impacting children and families. We'll have the full report on the way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:53:14]

SANDOVAL: As Israel continues targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, it's the Lebanese people -- (AUDIO GAP) -- have died since the war started. More -- (AUDIO GAP).

And a U.N. official now says that the roughly -- roughly a million people are now displaced.

CNN's Isobel Yeung met with one Lebanese family caught in the middle of this conflict, a family that's now coping with tragedy and heartbreak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Oh, Yasmina and Malika. I swear, she was like the moon, her face so bright.

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This mother is carrying the body of her six-year-old daughter, Yasmina. Israeli bombs pierce her grief.

She's also burying her three other daughters: nine-year-old Malika (ph); Zahra (ph), 12; and Zainab (ph), 13. Along with their cousin, 11-year-old Sadiq (ph).

YEUNG: Just absolutely heartbreaking scenes as body after body after body, tiny little bodies. These ones having to be carried on their bed because there's just only parts and remnants and pieces of them left.

YEUNG (voice-over): These are just five of over 110 children killed this month. The IDF say they're targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and that Hezbollah are using civilians as human shields.

[00:55:09]

CNN obtained permission from Hezbollah to film in Southern Lebanon.

YEUNG: It is just apocalyptic around here. And to think that, I mean, just a couple of weeks ago, this was a buzzing, lively neighborhood with shops. And these were people's houses. And now, it's just all been turned to rubble.

It must be so eerie staying here. And yet, you still do see people. You see people in their homes.

What are you still doing here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stay here.

YEUNG: Why are you staying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go where? This is my house.

YEUNG: Are you the only person who stayed, or is there other -- other families who stayed, as well?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I no get family. I no marry. You want to marry me. Huh?

YEUNG: These kids obviously have been out of school for the last two weeks, since the beginning of the war, and this group now is trying to do some activities with them, try to have some semblance of normalcy.

ANGIE, SHELTER RESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: I feel like we are scared and terrified and displaced.

YEUNG: What are you scared could happen?

ANGIE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: I'm scared one of us will be killed.

SANAA GHOSN, SHELTER RESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Lebanon used to be prosperous. The whole of Lebanon is finished. Completely. There is no Lebanon anymore. Hopefully, what happened in Gaza doesn't happen to us.

YEUNG: What would you say to the people who have power over this war right now?

ANGIE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: What do you want from us? Children can't continue their education or do anything. You've ruined our lives.

YEUNG (voice-over): It's a pain no child should know. A generation who should have their entire lives ahead of them. Now pulled into a war they never chose, and crushed beneath the violence that engulfs them.

Isobel Yeung, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANDOVAL: Israel's military says that they will be looking into the incident that CNN documented in that report.

Thank you for watching. I'm Polo Sandoval New York. I'll be right back with you with much more CNN NEWSROOM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)