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Israeli Protesters Launch "Day of Struggle," Demand Ceasefire and Release of Hostages; Growing Investor Concern about U.S. Fed's Independence; Illinois Governor Says No to Trump Chicago Militarization; Judge Orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia Remain in the U.S.; Iran to Meet with France, Germany and U.K.; Lindsey Graham Raises Idea of U.S.-Lebanon Defense Pact. Aired 10-10:45a ET

Aired August 26, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And a very warm welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi.

I'm Becky Anderson. Time here just after 6:00 in the evening.

Israelis staging a nationwide day of protest, burning tires and blocking highways as they call for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would return the

hostages home.

Donald Trump says he has fired Fed governor Lisa Cook due to alleged mortgage fraud accusations. More on his ongoing battle to politicize the

Federal Reserve.

And Iran might face reimposed sanctions unless it negotiates on its nuclear program. Those threats coming from three European nations ahead of their

meeting in Geneva.

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ANDERSON: Well, protesters marching across Israel today demanding that the government agree to a ceasefire hostage release deal with Hamas. They are

blocking major roads in what protest leaders are calling a day of struggle.

Families of the hostages want to know why the government hasn't responded to the latest ceasefire/hostage release proposal that Hamas accepted last

week.

Well, the family of hostage Nimrod Cohen released a video of his abduction on October 7th, 2023, to show their opposition to the government's refusal

to sign a deal and to its plans to expand the war in Gaza.

Well, a short time ago, I spoke to Ami Dror, a protest leader in Israel. He joined us from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMI DROR, ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTEST LEADER, ISRAEL: Yes. So first of all, it's a day that was called on by the families of the hostages.

And we joined by blocking the highways, blocking the houses of the MPs and demanding something very basic, the immediate end of the war, the release

of all hostages and the end of the atrocities in Gaza.

Every poll in Israel shows that 80 percent of Israelis want this. And our goal is to convince our government, that doesn't even answer to the Hamas

proposal right now. And that's very tragic, especially for the hostages but also for our soldiers and for every person here in Israel and in Gaza.

ANDERSON: We've seen these protests gain momentum, of course, over the past few months and yet no change, of course, from the Benjamin Netanyahu

government. They are yet to respond to the current ceasefire proposal.

Qatar has said today that the ball is in Israel's court.

Do you believe there's any possibility that the prime minister will change his maximalist approach, given the protests that we are seeing where you

are, given the pressure from the rest of the world?

DROR: Sadly, it's a political war. It's a -- it's a political war that the main goal of this war is to keep Netanyahu and his office. He fears his

coalition more than anybody else. He fears the coalition more than -- more than the families, more than the protesters.

And as I said, every poll show it. I do believe that, with the pressure that will come from the people of Israel stopping the country, plus with

the pressure that should come from the rest of the world, demanding the immediate end of the war from prime minister Netanyahu, I believe if all

those things happen together, yes, the war can end now.

I do believe that president Trump, if he wanted to, he could have stopped the war today exactly as he did with the Israeli bombers on the way to

Iran. It's on his shift and it's on Netanyahu's shift.

But both of them, they don't really care about the people or about the hostages. And they need to make the right choice and simply demand some

simple things that everybody, like 80 percent of us, demand definitely and most of the people in Gaza demand the same thing.

ANDERSON: So what is your message to president Trump today?

DROR: Do exactly what you did with Iran. Pick up your phone, call prime minister Netanyahu and tell him, stop the war now. Agree to the hostages

and a deal. End atrocities like we saw yesterday in the in the hospital in Khan Yunis. End it now.

And you know, the U.S. is the greatest supporter of Israel. Anything from financial, arm, diplomacy, President Trump can do it in one day. And I

really hope he will pick up the phone and end the war and bring peace to this region.

[10:05:04]

ANDERSON: Ami, you know and understand prime minister Netanyahu better than most.

You wrote recently in a piece for "The Statesman," quote, "He knows that if he leaves office now, he will go down as the most catastrophic leader in

Israeli history. He is nothing like Churchill or Bismarck.

"Great leaders prevent the situations like the one Israel finds itself in today."

Israel is facing increased pressure from so many other areas, not least those, once again, protesting with you today at home.

Do you believe he can even preserve a decent legacy at this point?

DROR: I honestly think that what happened on October 7th -- as we call it, the Netanyahu massacre -- will always be part of his legacy.

But he does have the option to end the war, bring back the hostages, bring some decency to his last days in office and if -- maybe even lead into the

Abraham Accords. So yes, he can do that.

But he needs to care about the country, Israel, more than he care about himself. The moment that this will happen, it is quite simple. Sadly, for

the last two years or even more, he didn't show that he cares about the country. He just cares about his personal being.

Hence the world must stop. First and foremost, president Trump and every leader of the free world need to require Israel to behave like a democracy

and do what's right. And it's a Jewish value more than anything to bring our hostages back.

It's a Jewish value to make sure that children in Gaza have food to eat. Enough of this war. No more war. We want to live in a decent place. Hamas

are monsters and we have all the ways in the world to fight the terrorists like we do with many other cases.

But the highest priority is our starving and dying hostages. We already lost 42 hostages in captivity. This needs to happen now. And the region

needs to come back to its senses. Enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the Israeli security cabinet is expected to meet today to discuss plans to expand the military's planned offensive in Gaza City. It's

not clear if the cabinet will bring up the ceasefire/hostage release deal agreed to last week, of course, by Hamas.

Today, though, Qatar's foreign ministry, which helped mediate that proposal, said the ball is now in Israel's court.

A spokesperson adding, quote, "Instead of getting an answer, the only thing we have seen is threatening to occupy the city of Gaza, attacking civilians

as they wait for aid and the purposeful targeting of your colleagues and my colleagues," he said at a press conference of journalists in Gaza.

Well, international condemnation is growing after Israeli airstrikes on a Gaza hospital killed 20 people yesterday. The European Commission today

calling the attack completely unacceptable. Five of those killed were journalists who died in the so-called double-tap strike on Nasser hospital

after they rushed to cover the first strike.

Reuters and the Associated Press, which both lost staffers in the attack, are demanding urgent and transparent accountability. The Israeli prime

minister's office calling it a tragic mishap. And the military, they say, has launched an investigation.

As always, there is a lot more content online, on Digital for you, including this piece about the wider context of the Palestinian cause. CNN

speaks to an Israeli peace activist who, among others, who argues that Israel's nearly two-year offensive in Gaza has made it difficult to get

people's attention focused on the West Bank.

But a new Israeli settlement plan means the world must start looking more closely or fall further than ever from the possibility of a resolution on

this and a two-state solution.

Well, for months, Donald Trump has railed against the U.S. Federal Reserve and its chairman. Now he has made the unprecedented move of firing one of

the Fed's governors. President Trump accuses Lisa Cook of potentially criminal conduct, citing allegations of mortgage fraud.

Cook has not been charged with any wrongdoing and says there was no cause to fire her. The U.S. Central bank is supposed to be immune from politics,

so this is causing deep concerns about its independence and sending jitters through the financial markets. CNN's Stephen Collinson, standing by for us

in Washington.

Let's ask a very basic question and get it out of the way.

To begin with here, does a U.S. president have the authority to fire a Fed governor, Stephen?

[10:10:00]

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's not completely clear. It looks like the president does have the authority, if there is a

criminal act, as you said. There is no criminal charges been placed on Lisa Cook at this point. The Department of Justice is investigating.

But we know that the Trump Department of Justice is a very politicized place. And this whole issue of whether she made some transgressions on her

mortgages has really unfolded over about 10 days. So there's no sense that due process has been gone through here.

Lisa Cook has said she won't resign and that president doesn't have the capacity to fire here. So we're really at this point in a standoff. I think

the backdrop to this, of course, is that the president has been raging against the Fed and its chair, Jerome Powell, for not cutting interest

rates.

The Fed is worried that, if it cuts interest rates, inflation will start raging out of control again because of the president's tariffs, which are

raising prices. So that's the backdrop of this dispute.

Trump has been threatening to fire Jerome Powell for months. It looks like he's worried about doing that because that could really send the markets

into meltdown. So it seems to be trying to fiddle with the majority on the Fed to try and get one in favor of cutting interest rates. So it's very

interesting political maneuvering by the president.

ANDERSON: Let me bring Paul Donovan in, who is also joining us, Stephen, chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management, joining us now from

London.

Paul, Trump's critics fear what this Fed interference might have on the reputation of U.S. assets.

Do you share that concern?

PAUL DONOVAN, CHIEF ECONOMIST, UBS GLOBAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT: I think if we get to the point where markets no longer believe in the independence of

monetary policy in the United States, if we go back to the Arthur Burns era of the 1970s, when the then Fed chair was basically a political stooge.

Then I think you would get a concern because the risk would be that interest rates would be too low for too long. That would create not only

higher inflation but inflation uncertainty.

And that pushes up the real borrowing costs for inflation-adjusted borrowing costs, not just for the government but also for the private

sector in the United States. So that would be the worry.

ANDERSON: Yes, he is actually likely -- he, being President Trump -- to get an interest rate cut at the next meeting as I understand it. I know the

probability of that has gone down from something like 100 percent to about 87 percent. But I mean, the probability is that the Fed may cut, albeit by

0.25 percent likely.

Do you -- do you see merit in that cut when you look at the latest economic data?

And secondly, do you see any merit to date in Donald Trump's calls for significantly lower rates?

DONOVAN: So I think that there is an argument, an economic argument, for rate cuts in the United States coming over the next 12 months, whether it's

September or later. It's a little bit academic.

But we need to see rate cuts over the next year because, effectively, what the trade taxes represent is a very large tax increase, paid for by

American companies and American consumers, which is going to slow the U.S. economy.

And we have aspects of that already visible in the labor market data, for example. Now the Federal Reserve knows that its policy does not immediately

impact the economy. Its policy impacts the economy with a 12-18 month delay.

So they are going to be looking to cut rates now to try and offset the drag on growth that is coming through from these other factors, from

uncertainty, from the trade taxes. That's what they're going to be trying to do.

So I think, whether or not it's September, you can make a clear economic case for rate cuts over the next 12 months.

ANDERSON: Your clients will be asking you what your forecast is for the next quarter, the next six months, the next 12 months.

What are you telling them at this point when you're talking about wealth management?

(CROSSTALK)

DONOVAN: One of the things that we have is there's almost an impatience to see the effects of trade taxes, the tariffs coming through and hitting the

economy. These things take time. So we're seeing the early signs of the trade tax policy affecting the U.S. economy. We've seen the policy

uncertainty affect the U.S. economy.

[10:15:02]

But the full force of that isn't going to be felt until the first half of next year, when the August trade taxes will start to really show up in

things like U.S. inflation data.

So I think what we're saying is, at the moment, we've got to look at the detail of the data to see, you know, where these effects are starting to

come through.

But we've got to be prepared for the fact that the real economic impact of the policy uncertainty and the trade taxes is going to be a first half of

next year story, first quarter of next year, maybe. And that's, I think, something that we need to focus on.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, as ever. Always a pleasure.

Paul Donovan in the house, thank you.

DONOVAN: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Steve. Let me bring you back in. And as you consider the narrative from Paul there, this move to sack Lisa Cook at the Fed marks a

significant escalation between the president and the politically independent U.S. Central Bank.

And we've discussed that Donald Trump says it's taking far too long to lower interest rates.

I just wonder, does he have support for -- I'm going to call it his behavior toward the Fed among his base?

COLLINSON: This is an interesting one because -- and I don't want to be disrespectful toward the base. But a lot of people in America are not

really familiar with what the Fed does. It's somewhat abstract.

It's much more easy, I think, for voters to relate to another situation that's going on right now and that's Trump's threat to send the military

reservists into cities like Chicago on a crime crackdown. So it's a much more difficult thing to grasp.

Politically, I think that, you know, if Trump's meddling starts to have a really bad impact on the economy, that's when this will be difficult. I

think there are many Americans who are quite frustrated that the interest rates are high.

Obviously, that's made it much more difficult for people to afford homes, for people in homes to move to bigger homes. And that is one of the key

factors, I think, which plays into this other issue of high grocery prices, which are making people not feel very economically secure.

So I think it's quite a subtle one. I think Trump's instincts on some of this stuff are quite good politically. Most broadly, his base believes that

he was elected to take an ax to the elite institutions in Washington, D.C., which people believe have not served them well.

And in that sense, I think he will be supported by lots of the people that sent him back into office in 2024.

ANDERSON: So while I -- thank you, that's really important insight.

While I've got you, let's talk about this policing crackdown. The Illinois governor pushing back against the president's bid to send the National

Guard to Chicago. Some strong words from JB Pritzker. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL): Instead, I say, Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here. Your remarks about

this effort over the last several weeks have betrayed a continuing slip in your mental faculties and are not fit for the auspicious office that you

occupy.

This is not about fighting crime. This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state,

to try and intimidate his political rivals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: What do you make of his words and this feud between these two men?

COLLINSON: Well, I think there's an interest for both Trump and Pritzker to have this argument for political reasons.

Trump is always looking for a foil. Pritzker is a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028. There's a real desire from many grassroots

Democrats for someone to finally stand up to Trump.

You've seen, the last few weeks, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, taking on Trump on this issue of redistricting of congressional seats. So

there's political pressure for Pritzker here to show that he's just as tough. And he's a long term foe of Trump.

But more deeply, you know, this is an issue of federal against state power. And that's a trend that runs through American history, right back to the

start, and has been behind many of the biggest political crises in this country.

What Trump is doing is constitutionally questionable, attempting -- if he goes ahead with this one -- to deploy federal troops in a state that raises

all sorts of constitutional and legal questions.

[10:20:02]

And it could cause quite a serious standoff. So this is, at one level, a political spat but at the other, quite a serious escalation, I think, of

Trump's attempts to impose his own power everywhere.

ANDERSON: Stephen, it's always good to have you on. Thank you.

And you can read more of Stephen's great analysis on President Trump's escalating feud with the governor of Illinois and why it has the potential

to turn into a full-blown national crisis. That is in his latest piece on CNN's digital platforms. You know where to find those.

Coming up, a look at what is next in the U.S. deportation battle of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after he was detained again on Monday.

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ANDERSON: A federal judge has ordered that Kilmar Abrego Garcia be held in the United States for now. The judge is considering whether potential

deportation to Uganda violates his due process rights to be treated fairly in court.

Abrego Garcia turned himself into immigration authorities on Monday but before he went into the office in Maryland, he had this message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA, POTENTIAL DEPORTEE (through translator): Promise me this. Promise me that you will continue to pray, continue to fight, resist

and love, not just for me but for everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Abrego Garcia has become the face of Mr. Trump's immigration crackdown after he was wrongly deported to El Salvador earlier this year.

Upon bringing him back to the United States, the federal government brought him and -- brought new human trafficking charges against him. The case goes

back to a traffic stop in 2022, when Abrego Garcia was driving a car full of people. He was let go without a ticket or any criminal charges at the

time.

Abrego Garcia and his attorneys maintain the administration's efforts to deport him are retaliation for his fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RITA GANDHI, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY FOR GARCIA: I think his family has suffered immeasurably and I think it will take many years, including

therapy, for him to move past what he suffered.

You know, he released his statement about what he went through, through our filings. And I think they speak for itself. I mean, he suffered

unimaginable, unimaginable hardships, physical harm while there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Priscilla Alvarez was in Baltimore yesterday. That is when Abrego Garcia was taken back into custody. She's joining us now live from

Washington today.

Just get us up to speed on what the next steps are for Abrego Garcia at this point.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, there's certainly been a lot of legal twists and turns in this saga. Well, now,

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is in a detention facility in Virginia.

[10:25:00]

He was moved yesterday after checking in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore.

Now as all of that was happening, a new lawsuit was filed and there were already initial court proceedings yesterday. His attorneys are arguing that

his deportation -- or, rather, the plans for his deportation to Uganda, are punitive. So they are trying to block that deportation as well as

contesting his detention.

But to really break down what the core of the argument is here is the Trump administration wants to send him to Uganda, a country with which he has no

ties but is part of the administration's approach of sending detainees to these far-flung countries.

His attorneys say, however, that Costa Rica has offered assurances and protections for Abrego Garcia if he were to be deported there.

Because ultimately Abrego Garcia cannot be deported to El Salvador because of a immigration judge ruling back in 2019, and also because of what

happened this year when he was detained at the notorious mega prison in El Salvador.

So what the attorneys are trying to make sure of here is that he won't be deported to a country that will eventually just send him back to El

Salvador. So this is all still playing out in real time.

What we're anticipating this morning is what we call a scheduling order. So essentially, the federal judge asked the two parties, the Justice

Department and the attorneys for Abrego Garcia, to come together and decide what the schedule is going to be for these court proceedings.

And the reason that these are important is because it's going to provide us a clue as to the earliest time by which Abrego Garcia could be deported, as

they try to sort out the destination of his deportation. So all of this is still very much in flux.

But it really is the latest development in a legal saga that has spanned months, starting with when the administration said in court filings back in

March that his deportation to El Salvador was an administrative error.

Then fast forward to his return to the United States in June to face these criminal charges. He has a trial in January but the administration does

want to deport him in the intervening months. So certainly this is still unfolding in real time.

And we'll see what the scheduling will be for the rest of the week to give us a clue as to when he may be deported. Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you keeping us up to speed on this. It is, as you say, a fast moving story with so many twists and turns. Thank you for

that.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Up next, Iran under pressure to get back to the bargaining table over its nuclear

program.

But what could happen if it doesn't?

Well, I'm going to ask a man who knows, a Middle East scholar, up next.

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[10:30:00]

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, these are your headlines this hour.

And Israelis are staging nationwide protests, blocking major roads and demanding that the government agree to a ceasefire/hostage release deal

with Hamas. Now this comes ahead of an expected Israeli security cabinet meeting later today, where a planned offensive on Gaza City will likely be

discussed.

So far, the government has not responded to a new ceasefire plan agreed last week by Hamas.

U.S. Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cohen (sic) says she will not resign and will continue to carry out her duties. That is despite President Trump's

announcement that he is firing her over alleged mortgage fraud.

Cook is not charged with any wrongdoing and says her dismissal is unjustified.

Well, on Monday, U.S. president Donald Trump warned there could be very big consequences for Russia if it doesn't stop its war in Ukraine. He told

reporters he'll step in very strongly -- his words -- if an agreement to end the fighting isn't made sometime in the next two weeks.

ANDERSON: Well, Iran could be hit with sanctions again unless it returns to negotiations on the future of its nuclear program. Those sanctions were

lifted a decade ago under a landmark nuclear deal.

Today, Iran is set to meet with France, Germany and the U.K., known as the E3. Europe demanding the resumption of U.N. nuclear inspections.

Well, Middle East scholar Mohammad Ali Shabani is the editor of Anwaj.media, which focuses on Iran, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula

countries. He's a regular guest on this show and I find his analysis hugely useful.

So it's good to have you, sir. Thanks for joining us.

What do you make of the threats from these European nations and why now?

Just explain.

MOHAMMAD ALI SHABANI, EDITOR, ANWAJ.MEDIA: Well, they're very keen on making sure that Iran resumes cooperation with the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear

agency. And they want it to happen now because this resolution that gives them the power to snap back U.N. sanctions, it will expire in October. And

this process will take around 30 days.

And unless they trigger that mechanism in August, Russia will assume presidency of the U.N. Security Council next month. And that could entail a

complication for them. So they're very keen on making sure there's some kind of deal in the coming days, at the very least, to prevent a showdown

over these U.N. sanctions.

ANDERSON: So Iranian -- Iran's foreign minister has warned that triggering what's known as the snapback mechanism would carry serious consequences.

This is what the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEL, SPOKESPERSON, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): We say that we will not surrender under any circumstances,

under threats or using such mechanisms as a bat to gain concessions.

We are focused on advancing national interests with the characteristics that we have in mind and that are consistent with international law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And part of this is, I think, from the Iranian point of view, is pressure to get Tehran back into -- back around the negotiation table with

the United States, of course, as well.

When you listen to the position there from Tehran, what do you make of that?

SHABANI: I think Iran is keen on resuming negotiations with the U.S. But they've been very clear about the fact that they want some kind of

guarantee from the Trump administration, that they will not come under attack again as they were in June during those talks.

So I think so far the U.S. hasn't really shown any willingness to provide such a guarantee. And what's going on right now is that Russia seems to try

to come in, last minute, getting an extension on this so-called snapback mechanism.

At the same time potentially getting the U.N. Security Council to issue some kind of guarantee or some kind of language that allows Iran to save

face and talk to the U.S. without being bombed at the same time.

ANDERSON: So what's Russia's interest here?

What's its sort of, you know, bone in the game?

SHABANI: So I think, first and foremost, Russia is very loath to have a major confrontation on its -- on its border. Doesn't want instability next

door. I think that's first and foremost.

Secondly, I think, you know, Russia hasn't really been speaking with Europe for a couple of years now, mainly over Ukraine. And what we've seen is

that, in fact, Russia and France had conversations for the first time in years over Iran.

So being connected to this issue, being able to maneuver in the U.N. Security Council, together with European powers, I think, gives Russia a

seat back at the table and normalizes it again in the world.

[10:35:00]

And particularly in the West. So I think this is really key for Russia.

ANDERSON: And, of course, Donald Trump's administration wants to break this, as they see it, Iran-Russia-China axis.

How can Russia put itself in good graces with the Trump administration when it comes to Iran at this point?

SHABANI: I think that Russia -- I would be careful to describe Iran and Russia as being in some kind of axis. But I would say that Russia is very

keen to prove that it can deliver what Europe cannot.

And I think, in that sense, Russia could perhaps put pressure on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA in a way that Europe can't; that it can deliver

some kind of delay on snapback in exchange for talks with Trump, which so far Europe hasn't been able to provide.

So I think it's basically about showing Trump what they can deliver to the table and perhaps even approach this whole issue as some kind of

transactional chip in a bigger game that entails Ukraine as well.

ANDERSON: While I've got you. I want to just run past you the latest news out of Australia. The country expelling the Iranian ambassador; the country

alleging that Iran was behind at least two anti-Semitic attacks. This is what the Australian prime minister had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: A short time ago, we informed the Iranian ambassador to Australia that he would be expelled. We have

suspended operations at our embassy in Tehran and all our diplomats are now safe in a third country.

I can also announce the government will legislate to limit Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, as a terrorist organization.

I've said many times that the Australian people want two things. They want killing in the Middle East to stop. And they don't want conflict in the

Middle East brought here. Iran has sought to do just that. They have sought to harm and terrify Jewish Australians and to sow hatred and division in

our community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: This move is a pretty unprecedented move by the Australians.

What do you make of the allegations?

SHABANI: So observers were aware of the details of what's going on. They tell me two things.

The first is that Iran has a history, apparently, of operating, with the help of criminal gangs in Europe, to attack soft targets. And these soft

targets include Israeli-related targets. That's just one fact that's out there.

The other element to this equation, which observers and critics point out, is that Australia has a motivation to throw Israel a bone, so to speak.

Australia is under severe domestic pressure, be progressive on the Palestinian question that they're under pressure to recognize Palestine.

The Australian prime minister has also come under very strong attack by Israel's prime minister, Netanyahu, for barring the entry of settlers, of

conservatives from Israel. So I think that there is an element of domestic politics to this.

Is there a security threat?

Possibly, yes. But I think, from the Iranian perspective, from observers and experts there, they see a bigger game being played here, which has to

do with tension between Iran and Israel and also relations between Israel and Australia. So it's less about Iran and Australia directly, so to speak.

ANDERSON: Yes. No, it's -- that's an interesting position. Good to have you, sir. Thank you.

Well, the Lebanese government moving forward in its efforts to convince Hezbollah to disarm. U.S. Special envoy Thomas Bach says Lebanon will

submit a plan by August the 31st. Then that will then be given to Israel for a counterproposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS BARRACK, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: What can we do for Hezbollah to show them they don't need to be armed?

Nobody wants to go to a civil war. I can tell you Israel's response was historic. What they've said to us personally, what they've said to the

president in actuality and what they've given in a press release to you is they will meet tit-for-tat in exact cadence.

What we will do in an effort, to make sure that Hezbollah is not armed as an adversary against them, they will withdraw in the same cadence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, much of the militant group's top commanders, of course, were killed during the war with Israel last year in a ceasefire deal

brokered by the U.S. Israel was meant to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah's stronghold, while the Lebanese government was meant to

disarm all non-state actors.

Well, senator Lindsey Graham, one of the most vocal Iran hawks in the United States, was in Beirut this week with the U.S. special envoy.

[10:40:06]

While there, he raised the possibility of a defense pact with Lebanon, should they be successful in forcing Hezbollah to lay down its arms.

Hezbollah, for its part, says it will not surrender.

We'll be back after this quick break. Stay with us.

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ANDERSON: Well, the Burning Man Festival is back on after a fierce dust storm forced the arts festival in the Nevada desert to shut its gates over

the weekend. As festivalgoers arrived at the remote desert location, a massive dust plume closed access roads in the area.

The wall of dust also sent people scrambling to secure their tents. News reports say about 70,000 people are expected to attend this year's

festival, which runs through Monday.

Good luck to them.

Carlos Alcaraz creating all kinds of buzz at this year's U.S. Open but not necessarily for his game. The Spaniard, seeded second, arrived on court for

his first round match against American Reilly Opelka on Monday, shocking fans with this new hairstyle.

"WORLD SPORT" has more on that after this short break.

That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD this Tuesday. It's a very good evening from Abu Dhabi.

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