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Connect the World

Khamenei Warns Israel, Defends Hamas and Hezbollah; Biden: All-Out War Must be Avoided; 200 Plus Still Unaccounted for in North Carolina; Lebanon: Israeli Strike Blocks Border Crossing to Syria; Crude Prices Rise as Biden Leaves Door Open to Israel Striking Iran's Oil Reserves. Aired 9- 9:45a ET

Aired October 04, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is the scene in Beirut where Israeli bombardment of the southern suburbs continues, leaving

thousands displaced. It is 04:00 p.m. there. It's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching, "Connect the World" and

wherever you are watching, you are more than welcome.

Here is what else we are watching over the next two hours, Iran's Supreme Leader leading prayers for the first time since 2020 eulogizing Hassan

Nasrallah. And an Israeli air strikers cut off a major transport link between Syria and Lebanon, making the route impossible for those attempting

to flee.

The stock market in New York will open in about 30 minutes from now. Traders expected to react to brand new jobs numbers out of the U.S. growth

accelerated more than expected, indicating that the U.S. labor market is fundamentally strong. That is the picture ahead of the opening. That is

09:30 we will be back in New York for that.

Well, new bombings and new threats as the expanding conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of easing. Today, in Tehran, Iran's Supreme Leader

warned that his country could attack Israel again if needed, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leading Friday prayers for the first time since early 2020.

Telling the Arab world that the October 7th Hamas terror attack that triggered the war in Gaza was justified, as was Iran's missile attack on

Israel. He delivered part of the sermon in Arabic vowing Israel will never defeat Hamas and Hezbollah. Well, Khamenei spoke during another day of

Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, again, targeting Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israel's military also bombed what it says is an underground tunnel crossing into Syria, which the IDF claims was being used to smuggle

weapons. The road above that crossing now impossible. There's a lot to break down here. Jomana Karadsheh is in Beirut, Jim Sciutto is in Tel Aviv,

and Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin.

And as regular viewers of this show will be well aware, Fred, has spent considerable time reporting from CNN, for CNN from inside Iran. And I want

to start with you, given the Supreme Leader's words today. What were the key lines from Iran's Supreme Leader, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I think one of the things that you said at the beginning is absolutely

key, that the fact that the Iranian Supreme Leader gave that sermon today and held the Friday prayers and led the Friday prayers, that in itself,

already shows just how important he feels the situation is now, and of course, also how big a blow for himself and for Iran.

The killing of Hassan Nasrallah, Leader of Hezbollah, was. You absolutely correctly stated that the last time Ali Khamenei led those Friday prayers

was in 2020 which was, course, shortly after the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the Leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, could force

someone who was also very close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

So that in itself, was a big deal. And I think we could see that also, as far as the turnout was concerned, at the musalla compound, Becky. We've of

course, been in that compound so many times in the past four Friday prayers, and I really have never seen it as full as we saw on some of those

images today.

Now, as far as the key lines are concerned, I think there were really two main things that the supreme leader wanted to convey. On the one hand, he

was calling for unity among Muslim nations in the fight, as he put it, against the aggressor, which of course, can only mean the United States and

Israel.

First and foremost, I want to listen into what some of what he had to say as far as the relations between Iran, Lebanon and the Palestinians are

concerned. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER: I'm stating that the enemy of the Iranian nation is the enemy of the Palestinian nation, the same

enemy of the Lebanese nation. The same government is the enemy of the Iraqi nation, the enemy of the Egyptian nation, the enemy of the Syrian nation,

the enemy of the Yemeni nation. The enemy is one, the ways of the enemy in different countries is different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, there you see the supreme leader calling for the nations of that region to unite, obviously against Israel and against Israel's

backers, the United States. The other big message that I think we heard from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was the fact that he praised those missile

strikes that the Iranians conducted against Israeli territory, calling them legitimate, but also said that there would be much heavier Iranian strikes

if Israel decides to retaliate.

[09:05:00]

Obviously, right now, the Islamic Republic of Iran is bracing for a possible large strike. And one of the things that we also have to keep in

mind in that, Becky, which I think is really important, is that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, or the Islamic Revolutionary force, the aerospace

force, that conducted that missile strike is the same one that's also responsible for air defenses in Iran as well, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Fred, thank you, Jim, let's turn to the fighting we are still seeing inside Lebanon. What is the IDF saying about

that strike on the crossing with Syria today?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: Yeah. Well, if there is any doubt that this is already a multi front war, this is another reminder.

Listen, it's already underway. Here is Israel striking now on the Lebanon- Syria border. They say their target were tunnels used by Iran to get weapons to Hezbollah inside Lebanon.

And that's one of the objectives of the Israeli campaign right now, is to cut off those supply routes, so that Hezbollah cannot rearm, following all

these strikes that Israel has been carrying out to destroy their weapons caches, their firing positions, et cetera. We had an Israeli strike within

the last couple of days at a base inside Syria as well.

You have, of course, the ongoing strikes inside Lebanon, as well as the ground operations inside Southern Lebanon. You have this strike a few days

ago by Israel against the Houthis in Yemen. You have ongoing strikes in Gaza. We had a strike in the West Bank in the last 24 hours.

And of course, now you have consideration of an Israeli retaliation against Iran. I mean, I go through that litany of locations just to remind folks

that's where we are. I mean, Israel is striking on multiple fronts right now, really the only question is how much it strikes back against Iran.

ANDERSON: This is multilayered, as you say, and seems to be sort of increasing those layers every day. Jomana, let me bring you in at this

point, because we are seeing more strikes on Southern Beirut. Who or what are the IDF saying they are targeting and what has been the impact on the

Lebanese civilian population?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Becky, in the last hour, we did hear blasts and we could see plumes of smoke rising from the

southern suburbs of Beirut. It's unclear what the target of that strike is, but what we've heard from the Israeli military for days now, especially as

they've intensified this bombardment of the southern suburbs.

They have said that they're going after various Hezbollah targets, Hezbollah sites, Hezbollah weapons, storage facilities, and late last

night, you had huge strikes on the southern suburbs. The state news agency saying there were 10 consecutive strikes that they've described as some of

the biggest since the war has started.

And an Israeli official told our Jeremy Diamond that the target of that strike was Hashem Safieddine, a man who was seen as a potential successor

for Hezbollah's Leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in the strike in the southern suburbs last week. Now it's unclear if Safieddine was killed.

We've not heard from Hezbollah, and we've not had confirmation from the Israelis yet. But really this is what we have been witnessing here,

especially in the last 48 hours, Becky, this intensification of the strikes, whether here in Beirut on the southern suburbs, or in Southern

Lebanon or the Beqaa region, as Jim was mentioning there, that strike near the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria.

And all these strikes, no doubt, as we have seen, the Israelis have decimated Hezbollah's leadership and its command structure in these

strikes, and they say they're taking out all these weapons storage facilities, but it is also creating a humanitarian crisis here. And with

every strike you feel that it is exacerbating that humanitarian crisis.

When we talk about the border crossing, Becky, this has been used by Syrians and Lebanese to cross into Syria to flee in search of safety.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, more than 160,000 people have crossed into Syria since late September, and more than 130,000 of them

used that exact border crossing.

[09:10:00]

And what we understand today, the situation there is, it's really difficult for people to make it to the border crossing because vehicles cannot get

there, because both sides leading to the must not crossing, and the other side of it have been hit in what Israel says it's targeting those

underground tunnels that are used to smuggle weapons.

But what it has essentially done is made that road impassable. So, you have people with the little that they can carry now trying to walk across that

border into Syria.

ANDERSON: And Jim, let me bring you back in, because Jomana there reminding us that these strikes targeted by the IDF are after Hezbollah assets and

military equipment. Of course, there is, you know, the obvious sort of impact on Lebanese civilians, not just in Beirut.

SCIUTTO: Yeah.

ANDERSON: But also, of course, in Southern Lebanon, where we know Hezbollah, despite being downgraded is still operating. What more do we

know about Hezbollah's attempts, sort of counter strike against Israel's military at this point?

SCIUTTO: Well, listen, we already know Israel's military has suffered losses in Southern Lebanon. I believe the latest tally is nine killed.

They're facing stiff resistance in southern Lebanon as they cross the border there and move north and really just in the very close environs of

the border, if the objective remains, pushing Hezbollah back close to 20 miles to the Litani River.

That therefore envisions a lot of hard, deadly, dangerous work still to do, and more clashes to come. So, despite Hezbollah being certainly depleted by

the series of Israeli attacks over the course of the last couple of weeks, including taking out leadership, the pager attacks, et cetera.

They're still able to mount, it seems a defense in the south, which is brings echoes of Israel's experience in Southern Lebanon in 2006. Now,

Israeli military officials say that they learn lessons from there. For instance, in 2006 they sent largely reservists across. Now you have

commando units, et cetera.

But the fact of the matter remains is we're getting a taste in the early days here, that it remains dangerous territory. None of these fronts are

easy, right, Becky? And certainly, for the civilians caught in the middle, whether those civilians be in in Gaza or in Lebanon, Southern Lebanon,

Beirut, in the West Bank. I mean, wherever we see these strikes taking place.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. Jim, good to have you. Jomana and Fred, thank you all. Well as Israel prepares a response to Iran's missile attack earlier on

in the week. The U.S. is hoping that Israel takes a proportional response that won't tip the Middle East into all-out war. President Joe Biden says

there's still a lot of work to do to avoid that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, how confident are you that a full out, all-out war can be averted in the Middle East?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: How confident are you that it's not going to rain. I don't believe they're going to be an all-our

war. I think we can avoid it, but there's a lot to do yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, with no ceasefire in Gaza and an expanding conflict in Lebanon, Mr. Biden has had difficulty influencing Israel, of course. CNN's

Kylie Atwood joins us, live from Washington. And Kylie at this point, despite the fact that his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, in the

hours after the enormous strike on Israel by Iran on Tuesday, said there will be severe consequences.

You now hear that the U.S. Administration is looking for a proportional response, and we should talk about what that might look like. But at this

stage, is the United States a bystander, or are they still able to influence Israeli decision making.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's a really good question, because up until this point, most of the advice that U.S. officials that

the Biden Administration has given to Israel have gone basically ignored to a large degree. And so, U.S. officials are saying that this is a different

moment in time, particularly because of the defense that the U.S. stood up alongside Israel earlier this week when there was that major Iranian

missile attack against Israel.

Israel knows that in order to defend themselves, they need the United States, but there are not many signs that they believe that the alliance

between the two countries is on shaky ground and that they need to continue working really hard to cement that. We've heard time and time again from

Biden Administration officials that the U.S. commitment to Israel's security and defense is ironclad.

So, where we go from here the question of how much influence the U.S. has over Israel's next move is really an open one at this point.

[09:15:00]

We should note, as you were saying, that the Biden Administration says they want a proportional response by Israel, but what exactly that means is a

bit unclear. We do know Biden is saying that he does not want to see Israel go after Iran's nuclear program. He left the door open however, the next

day to Israel going after Iran's oil reserves.

So that is the space that we are continuing to watch, continuing to ask administration officials about. And of course, in the backdrop here is the

fact that Israel continues to go after Hezbollah and Lebanon in a very aggressive way. And just yesterday, State Department spokesperson

acknowledged that the situation there is dynamic.

It's fluid. While the U.S. is having detailed conversations with Israel about what that military campaign looks like, what its objectives are? It

was very clear, as I pressed the State Department spokesperson yesterday, that they don't have exact clear answers from the Israelis in terms of this

overall military campaign in Lebanon.

The U.S. is not saying exactly how long Israel plans for this to take or what its exact objectives. They are saying that the question of the end

game on that front is one that should be posed to Israel.

ANDERSON: Many in this region believe we are already in an all-out war. So, when Joe Biden says, we hope that we can avoid it, that will somewhat land

on deaf ears. I think to many people around this region. Has the State Department been pressed on what they mean when they talk about all the

White House, indeed?

What they mean, when they talk about all-out war, one assumes that is Israel on Iran and a fully-fledged conflict between the two, correct?

ATWOOD: That's right. They want to avoid state on state conflict, is the way that they have put it. Obviously, the conflict has gotten so large,

involved so many Iranian proxies now that it is a regional conflict, it is a regional war. But what the U.S. is concerned about is Iran as a state

getting involved here, directly in a back and forth with Israel.

And then potentially other countries in the region, feeling dragged into it, the U.S. potentially feeling dragged into it in one way, shape or form.

So that's what they're trying to defend against here. But it's really unclear how successful they're going to be, particularly considering what

we heard from Ayatollah Khamenei this morning saying that they will respond if Israel responds.

And basically, characterizing what they did earlier this week, even though it was a major missile attack on Israel, characterizing that as effectively

the least of what they actually could do. Whether or not that's accurate, is another question, but that is the promise that the Ayatollah is making

today.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Kylie. Thank you very much indeed. Kylie Atwood, working -- at the State Department in Washington for you. Look more

on what is our top story from this region, of course, later this hour. Also ahead on the show, Donald Trump heads to a storm ravaged Georgia, a key

battleground state ahead of November's election, we're going to take you to the campaign trail coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You watching "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson. 20 past 5 here in the UAE. The Republican nominee for U.S.

President is headed back to Georgia, a week after Hurricane Helene blasted that state. Now Georgia is, of course, a key battleground in next month's

election.

Polls show that a critical issue for many voters there is abortion rights. Well, Trump is responding to questions over his wife's upcoming memoir,

which makes clear that her views on abortion are at odds with his. According to excerpts reported by "The Guardian", Melania Trump says she

supports abortion rights free from any intervention or pressure from the government.

The former president told Fox News, he told his wife, you have to write what you believe. We also told Fox he disagrees with Joe Biden's opposition

to possible Israel attacks on Iran's nuclear sites telling Fox News quote, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. Well, Alayna Treene has been

following Trump on the campaign trail for months.

She joins me now live from Washington with a month to go beyond acknowledging the victims of Hurricane Helene. What is Trump's motivation

for being in Georgia today? Is it clear?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: I mean, it is clear. I think there's no question that this visit is political, even as his campaign and other

allies are going to say, look, he's on the ground. He wants to be helping with resources. I think that could be part of it. But of course, it's

political with just 32 days to go until Election Day.

And keep in mind as well that Donald Trump is not in a position of power at this point. He is not a sitting president. He is a former president, and so

he doesn't have the ability to promise more resources to these communities, and that's why I find the briefing. You know, he's getting briefed today in

Evans, Georgia on the ground from local officials.

There's only so much that Donald Trump can do, but he is being treated. He was also treated like this earlier in the week, when he was also in Georgia

to do some recovery damage evaluation and meet with local officials earlier in the week. All this is political, though. And so, I'd keep that in mind.

But one big thing that I think is very notable about today is that he is going to be on the ground with Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp,

normally hearing that a presidential nominee, a Republican presidential nominee and a Republican governor meeting to evaluate hurricane recovery

efforts, wouldn't be that abnormal.

However, these are two men who have had a very, very fraught relationship over the past several years. Brian Kemp was the Governor of Georgia when

Donald Trump had asked Georgia to overturn the state's election result, or to really look into claims of fraud there, despite there not being any.

And that really angered Donald Trump so much so that actually he had recruited another Republican, a Former Senator, David Perdue, to become

governor in that state. Of course, Brian Kemp went on to win his race by 50 points. But the point I'm trying to make is that there is no love lost

between these two men.

Over the past four years, Donald Trump has sharply criticized Brian Kemp, and even as recently as August, at a rally in Atlanta, Donald Trump had

called him not a true Republican, said that he was not a good governor, criticized his wife, I mean, very harsh language from Donald Trump towards

Kemp.

However, the reason that changed, and the reason you're going to see these two men today, is because, over the last few months, Donald Trump realizes

one that Brian Kemp is a very popular governor in the state, and he is a Republican, and people in Georgia love Brian Kemp.

And also, of course, Georgia is crucial to both the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign in their effort to get to 270 electoral votes this fall. So

that is a very noteworthy appearance of these two today, the first time they'll be appearing together since 2020. I keep that in mind while we

watch what happens.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Alayna, thank you. Alayna Treene on the story for you. Well, Donald Trump will also be visiting North Carolina, where

some areas are frankly devastated after Hurricane Helene hit a week later, more than 200 people are still unaccounted for in Buncombe County, where

the city of Asheville is located. 72 people have been found dead in the county so far, and 106 people have died in the state.

[09:25:00]

Search and rescue operations are continuing. Well CNN's Senior U.S. National Correspondent Ryan Young, joining us now. What more do we know

about those who are unaccounted for? 200 is a large number. How is that possible in the U.S. this far out from when the storm actually hit?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Well, those are great questions. And I think what people almost don't understand is just the topography of the

situation. You're talking about an area that is very mountainous, a place that people want to live because of the fact it has some remote qualities

to it.

But all the roadways in and out have been severely damaged. There are some portions of the highway they are saying will not be open again until 2025

there are people using mules, helicopters and hiking miles just to reach loved ones to drop off supplies. And we're seeing this play out.

So, this was really the worst-case scenario, because you had so much rain sitting over this area, and then there were tremendous mudslides, so to get

supplies in, a lot of times, they're having to be creative with it. And then on top of that, you have to move heavy equipment in just to move some

of this Earth.

On top of all this, we've been told the water supply in the area has also been damaged, so getting clean water to people is a big issue. So, you can

see this multiplying itself all the way out, and then the states that would help North Carolina have also been damaged, Georgia, South Carolina and

Florida. It's really difficult in terms of an emergency management planning situation.

ANDERSON: Some of the images that we are looking at the moment really bear testament to what you've just been discussing. It's good to have you, sir,

thank you.

YOUNG: -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely, very good point. Well, still to come, could the crisis in the Middle East bring a crisis in oil prices? We will break down

how the energy markets are reacting, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Time here just before half past 5 in the evening. It's half past 9 in New York. Of course,

you are watching "Connect the World". And we have been following updates on the crisis in the Middle East for you this hour, as you would expect here

on this show, as Israeli airstrikes pummeled Beirut for another day.

A source says Israel was targeting a possible success up to Hezbollah's Slain Leader Hassan Nasrallah. Meantime, the IDF says the strike killed

Hezbollah's Head of Communications on Thursday.

[09:30:00]

Israel accusing Hezbollah of launching approximately 230 projectiles from Lebanon into Israeli territory on Thursday. Well, the back and forth

between Israel and Hezbollah, taking a toll, of course, on civilians, and we have been reporting on that for days now. And I want to bring in Adele

Khodr.

She is UNICEF's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, and joins us now. Let's start with -- well, let's start with the very latest

that we've seen. We've seen a strike on the border between Lebanon and Syria. That was a path, of course, Adele, for people to get out of Lebanon.

It's no longer working. The IDF say that they were targeting that path because they were tunnels underneath. What's been the impact there on

civilians. And then we must talk about what's going on both in Southern Lebanon and in Beirut, of course. Let's start with the very latest news,

though.

ADELE KHODR, UNICEF REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA: For sure. I mean, thank you so much, Becky, there were some people families

from Lebanon, whether Syrian families or Lebanese families that were crossing the border seeking safety in Syria. And the number was around

220,000 over the past one week. But with the strike today, it is no more possible to, you know, to cross by car.

So, the images that we are seeing is people who are taking risks to just walk either through the big hole that was created in the Earth or on the

side of the mountain, to be able to cross with their children and to safety. So, we expect that this is, of course, going to keep the people in

a much smaller space where they are seeking safety, mostly in Beirut and in the north and Mount Lebanon, but the number of people is increasing.

I mean, we had 1 million this place for us. Of course, we are very concerned about the children, because there is a large number of them who

are children, and they should not be exposed to all this trauma, to all this constant fear of hearing the bombing all the time in their ears,

because even those who are staying in Beirut and not in the southern suburbs. I'm sure that they are not getting sleep at night because of the

sounds that are happening.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And as an agency, you were always, you know, very, very focused on the kids. And we talked to your colleagues who've been in Gaza

and have been talking to them now for nearly 12 months about the impact that this conflict there and now in in Lebanon is having on children.

You're right. This must, this really should never, never be happening like this. Those who follow the region may find it difficult to understand how

people are trying to flee from Lebanon into Syria, because of course, this is a reversal of what we've seen over the past decade as people fled the

conflict there into Lebanon.

Again, you know, with a very -- with a focus, very specifically on the kids, what's your message at this point? What needs to be done next?

KHODR: I think the first thing that we need is to really have a ceasefire. That's the only solution that we have. That's the only way of ending the

violence and ending what is happening, ending the bombing, ending the constant fear that children and people are under.

And in the meantime, I think we have to make sure also that the basic services like the hospitals and the schools and the shelters where people

are seeking shelter are also not targeted. We are very worried about the capacity of the hospitals, especially in South Lebanon, to be able to

continue to deliver services.

We are very worried as well that there might be other civilian infrastructure that will be targeted inside Beirut that will have a huge

impact on the population, and especially on the children. We are also at the beginning of the school year -- and yeah, all the schools have been are

used as shelters.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

KHODR: So that's also another race for another school being lost for the kids.

ANDERSON: Two questions to you, do you see any hope of a ceasefire anytime soon? And you are there on the ground? The Israelis have been very quick to

suggest that these are targeted strikes going after very specifically, Hezbollah assets and military equipment. Do you see with your own eyes? Are

you observing discriminate or indiscriminate bombing at this point?

KHODR: I think on the first one, of course, we have to have hope that there will be a ceasefire.

[09:35:00]

I think we need a political solution. That's the only way forward. The military solution is never the solution. I think that's number one. And

number two on the issue. Of course, there are children that are being killed. In the past 11 days only, we had about 100 children that have been

killed, 690 who are injured, which means that the strikes are impacting the civilians.

So, we have to, I mean, all the parties have to really make sure that the international humanitarian law, their obligations under this law, are

really, really observed, and that the humanitarian workers, also our own staff, and the staff of many of the humanitarian agencies, should also be

spared and protected and not attacked.

ANDERSON: Right. It's 04:35 in the afternoon there you are in Amman in Jordan. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. We've been talking about

the impact of what is going on, on kids. You're watching, "Connect the World". There is a lot more ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: The past 12 months have been the hottest on record, and those temperatures pose a threat to the world's water supply. In today's edition

of "Think Big", we see how ultrasound technology is being used in Dubai to protect nature and public health. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): From wildlife to greenery. There is a lot to see by this lake in Dubai, but it takes a sharp observer to notice that

this place is also home to cutting edge water treatment technology.

YOUSEF YOUSEF, CEO OF LG SONIC: What you see over there is the floater, and below it is where the magic is happening. Under the buoy, we will have four

ultrasonic transmitters in different direction to make sure the whole lake is treated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Powered by solar panels, these buoys work to control algae by emitting ultrasonic waves. These waves cause algae

cells to sink to the bottom of the water, blocking their access to sunlight, which is essential for their growth.

YOUSEF: The ultrasound will create a sound barrier on the surface of the lake, which will avoid the algae to float up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Algae tend to thrive in hot, sunny environments, places like Dubai, but it is a global issue. Almost 13,000

harmful algae blooms have been recorded over the past 30 years, posing risks to both human health and ecosystems.

ARASH ZAMYADI, SENIOR LECTURER OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AT MONASH UNIVERSITY: They are observations of these fatalities for humans and for animals. The

widest press across the planet. There's not a single continental that doesn't have cyanobacteria bloom problems at the moment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Traditionally, the solution to control this algae overgrowth would be chemicals.

[09:40:00]

But LG Sonic claims their solution lowers the impact on the ecosystem by adapting their programs to real time water conditions. The company says the

technology also reduces costs, when compared to chemical treatment.

YOUSEF: We are about three times cheaper than chemicals in large water surfaces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Experts say that LG Sonic is one of the few in the market for now.

ZAMYADI: Based on my knowledge, are two commercial providers and some efforts to come up with better ones for large scale at water bodies as

really, really large scale.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Today, the company is present in 69 countries, treating water for human consumption, irrigation and in power

plants.

YOUSEF: Also in the near future, we are opening our production facilities in the United Arab Emirates to have a gateway to the Middle East and to

Africa later on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): As the world's water supply faces increasing pressure from rising global temperatures, Yousef believes it's

crucial to protect regions where fresh water sources are already limited.

YOUSEF: The climate here is very hot. There is a lot of sun, so every drop of water has a high value. It is our job to clean the surface water around

the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, an official tells CNN, the U.S. does not believe Israel has made a decision yet on how to respond to Iran's ballistic missile attack.

But on Thursday, President Joe Biden said there were discussions about hitting Iranian oil reserves, while he stopped short of endorsing that

option, the fact that he didn't reject it, triggered a spike in the price of oil.

Now, the price of oil, one factor interesting American voter, of course, ahead of the presidential election, just 30 odd days away. The labor market

is another. CNN's Matt Egan joining us with that and big job numbers out today. What are the key takeouts?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Becky, this was a surprisingly strong jobs report. We've been bracing for another shoe to drop in the labor market.

We've been bracing for trouble, and there's just no sign of trouble in this report. 254,000 jobs added last month. Now that is a strong number in

almost any environment, but given all these concerns about the jobs market slowing down.

This is really very encouraging. It blew away estimates the prior month was revised higher. The unemployment rate was expected to stay the same. It

didn't. It went down to 4.1 percent wages, they're going up very solidly, 4 percent year over year. So that means that paychecks, they're growing

faster than prices are.

This is a sign of solid demand. You can see the market reacting very positively. Wall Street is seeing this good news for Main Street is good

news for Wall Street, which is nice to see. If anything, this report almost might be stronger than what the Federal Reserve would want to see, because,

remember, just a few weeks ago, they had this supersized interest rate cut.

I was looking and the market is now pricing in a lower chance that the Fed goes big during the next meeting in November. The market is thinking, yes,

there will be another rate cut, but probably not a big one, Becky, because this jobs market keeps chugging along.

ANDERSON: Yeah, got it. Thank you, Matt, always a pleasure.

EGAN: Thank you.

ANDERSON: "World Sport" is up next. We'll be back top of the hour for you.

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