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Kuwait Air Base Targeted In Drone Attack Sunday; E.U. Members Meet To Discuss Reopening Strait Of Hormuz; IRGC Claims Iran Has Launched 700 Missiles And 3,600; Israel: Iran Strikes To Continue For At Least Three More Weeks; Airstrikes Rock Beirut's Southern Suburbs Overnight; Today: Trump Kennedy Center Board Meeting At White House. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 16, 2026 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:01:13]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, welcome to the second hour of this show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky
Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time here is just after 6:00 in the evening. And here is what we know on this the 17th day of the U.S. and
Israel's war with Iran.
With no resolution in sight, President Donald Trump says the U.S. and Israel have similar objectives for the war, but he acknowledged their goals
may not be identical. Israel says it bombed more than 200 Iranian targets in the past day, and told CNN its bombing raids against Iran will last at
least three more weeks.
Well, Gulf nations continue to bear the brunt of Iran's attacks. A fuel tank fire disrupted air traffic in Dubai earlier for a short period after
a, "Drone related incident," and at least one person was killed here in Abu Dhabi when a missile struck a vehicle.
Meanwhile, President Trump is putting pressure on U.S. allies to deploy ships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely shut down
by Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: WE are talking to other countries about working with us on the policing of the Strait, and I
think we're getting a good response.
It'll be interesting to see what country wouldn't help us with a very small endeavor with is just keeping this Strait open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, he has got no firm commitments on that, but there is a clear sense of urgency to find a solution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Now, we've already acted alongside other countries to release emergency oil stocks at a level that is
completely unprecedented, but ultimately, we have to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ensure stability in the market. That is not a simple task.
So, we're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of
navigation in the region as quickly as possible and ease the economic impact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we've got Stephen Collinson in Washington back with us this hour, my colleague Nic Robertson has the view from Kuwait. Today, Nic, I'm
just seeing reports that Qatar has intercepted a second wave of attacks today, earlier the UAE dealing with six ballistic missiles and 21 drones, a
further sign Iran continues to fire volleys around this region. There have, of course -- of course, been attacks in Iraq and Kuwait where you are. Just
tell us what you are seeing and hearing at this point.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, daylight hours in Kuwait so far, relatively quiet, not picking up anything in and around the
capital, not aware of any alerts in the country, Saudi Arabia, a warning there that there were missiles in the air, possibly around the Prince
Sultan Air Base just south of the capital Riyadh. There has been a frequent target of the Iranians, their missiles, they've been intercepted for the
most part. It was the location where a number of U.S. service personnel were injured. The U.S. Air Force is on the ground there, so that continues
to be a target.
But I think sort of the larger picture from here is that this is a war that's targeting mostly elements that are related to the United States,
perhaps with the exception of the Emirates, where you are, Becky. That's the perception here, at least from people here. They feel that the -- that
the defensive measures in place by their governments are working. They're working as well as they can that they are not the targets.
Of course, the sources we're talking to here say, look, we are aware that the Iranians could really ramp up with targeting infrastructure. For
example, desalination plants, critical infrastructure for countries like Kuwait, they could target power generating facilities, again, critical
infrastructure here.
[10:05:16]
So, there's a sense that the worst of it hasn't happened. The potential for it, depending on how things go, could get worse.
Today, here in Kuwait, I have to say, touch wood, as one does, relatively quiet.
ANDERSON: Let me bring in Stephen. Thank you, Nic. In your analysis piece, Stephen, you wrote, and I quote here, Trump has barely prepared the
country, the U.S. for the war, and he keeps adding to confusion with conflicting statements. He vehemently insists that the war is already won,
but he also says it will end only when he feels it in his bones.
Look, frankly, in his defense, people would say he's not going to tell the enemy what he I thinking. But there are certainly enough confusing messages
out there from -- and for not just the U.S., but this region where I am. What do you make of his comments?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Well, I think Donald Trump is always trying to talk his way out of any situation he gets into. The
problem in this war where he doesn't control everything, not withstanding the huge strength of the U.S. military assault, if he can't talk himself
out of reality. And the reality currently is that the Strait of Hormuz is closed down, and that's having massive rippler flaps, not just across the
globe, but in the United States, domestically and politically and politically as well.
So, he has gone into this war without properly explaining it to the American people, I think. He has offered no real pathway to an exit, and he
still is insisting that things are going great, even though, while they may be going great militarily for the U.S. and Israel inside Iran, this is
obviously a war in which an enemy is not going to fight the mighty U.S. superpower punch for punch, but is going to use asymmetric warfare and
economic warfare to try to hold its own.
So, the whole picture is a lot less simple than Donald Trump has made out. A lot of us have been thinking that he has two choices here, either declare
some kind of victory and leave that would be consistent with his political method, or try to stick this out for the long term.
It seems increasingly that events in the Middle East are closing off that first option, and he might be left trying to explain to the American people
why he's got the country into another long-term military engagement in the Middle East.
ANDERSON: Nic, as we look at what is going on around the region, and we listen to Stephen's analysis there, Iran also threatening U.S. Navy
facilities -- U.S. Navy facilities in the Red Sea. We've just been looking at a graphic there of the Persian or Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz
on the other side to the west, of course, to the west coast of Saudi is the Red Sea. How damaging could that be if it opens up as another front in this
war?
ROBERTSON: It could be hugely damaging, and again, it would depend on what Iran targeted in and along the Red Sea. It's talking about -- military
spokesman talking about targets that are related to assisting the U.S. military naval deployment in the Red Sea, the U.S. Gerald Ford and the
associated ships that come with it.
If it was just limited to targeting port facilities that were servicing them, or such like, then that's probably not going to have a huge impact.
But it wouldn't be much if Iran decided to target other facilities on the Red Sea.
And here we're talking about the potential of Saudis oil infrastructure on the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia, of course, developed many, many years ago an
alternate way to get oil to the global markets, other than the Strait of Hormuz. They put pipelines from the east of the country, where the Gulf is,
where I'm standing, to the west of the country, to the Red Sea, so that they can export oil out from there, which is what they have been doing, and
that is vital to the global economy, that some oil is still getting out there.
If you expand the war into the Red Sea, then you put in a dynamic where even more oil potentially gets blocked and potentially brings in the sort
of semi Iranian proxies, the Houthis in Yemen, who can very easily target Saudi Arabia, and have been during Israel's war in Gaza, targeting
international shipping, tankers, in particular in the Red Sea.
If you open up that flank of the war, you have the whole Arabian Peninsula surrounded by war on all sides. And that means, not only are you not
getting oil out through the Strait of Hormuz, as is now, you won't get anything out of the Red Sea, or very little. And that's the risk of
escalation over to the sort of western side of the Arabian Peninsula into the Red Sea.
[10:10:18]
ANDERSON: Yes, Stephen, I just want to bring us back to the eastern side of that map. President Trump, of course, asking for help in escorting ships in
the Strait of Hormuz. His allies, frankly, clearly don't want to be dragged into this war.
We do, however, see alliances forming outside of the U.S., like the GCC, U.K. joint collective action in the Strait of Hormuz. We've seen the
Europeans talk. About ensuring that the traffic through that chokehold moves. They say it's in their interest.
I just wonder what you make of what we are seeing at present, and how damaging is this for the U.S. that they are not being able to lean into
their let's call them erstwhile allies to a degree immediately and get action?
COLLINSON: Well, President Trump is calling on allies to join a war that they didn't want. That for the most part, he didn't even tell them about in
advance, and which is very unpopular with their populations. Not -- one of the reasons why is because only a few months ago, Donald Trump said, well,
NATO allies have never done anything for the United States and slurred the service of hundreds of British, Canadian and other allied soldiers who died
in the Iraq and Afghan wars.
So, it's not surprising. There's not much political incentive for some of these leaders to jump to what Donald Trump wants them to do, even if they
have the capability. A lot of Western Naval capability is much denuded now from what it was say 20, 30 years ago, when there were regular patrols
through the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Ultimately, however, it is in such an intense interest of the European allies, Japan and other Asian countries to get the Straits open, and Europe
is so beholden on the United States for its defense through NATO that these countries going to have to get involved.
But at a moment when the U.S. Navy is not sailing through the Strait of Hormuz because it's too dangerous. It doesn't seem very likely there's
going to be much appetite or capability for other navies to do it until the Iranian offensive capabilities around the Strait are taken out by the
United States that could take some substantial amount of time.
ANDERSON: To both of you, thank you very much indeed for joining us. So, folks, some analysis, both out of Washington and in region here where I am.
Germany's foreign minister has rejected President Trump's calls for NATO assistance in that reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. E.U. foreign
ministers met today in Brussels to discuss a role in helping lift restrictions President Trump had previously promised a, "Very bad future
for the military alliance, should it fail to come to the aid of the U.S."
However, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul this morning said NATO does not assume responsibility for the Strait.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHANN WADEPHUL, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): I don't see that NATO has made any decision in this direction, or could assume
responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz. If that were the case, then the NATO bodies would address it accordingly. We will discuss this question
together today.
And of course, everyone has an interest in ensuring freedom of navigation that applies to the Red Sea, and that is Aspides (PH) mandate, just as it
is for the Strait of Hormuz.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Anna Cooban has been tracking the European reaction to this activity around that Strait. It's not completely closed, of course,
but, I mean, it is massively limited since the war began, and Anna joining us now from London.
And we see European states clearly taking this issue extremely seriously. I just wonder, I know you've been looking at how significant the Strait is
for European energy supplies and shipping. So, what do you have?
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: Becky, it's tempting to look four years ago, 2022, Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, and
sort of think, you know, are we in a sort of 2.0 of that in terms of European energy security. And the answer is that we're not. You know,
Europe does not rely on gas exports or oil exports from the Middle East to the same extent that other parts of the world, like Asia do. Europe gets
all of its oil from the U.S., from Norway, and one stat here says that 3.8 percent of European gas imports last year came from Qatar. That go through
that Strait of Hormuz.
[10:15:06]
However, this is an interconnected economy, Becky, and what is bad for Asia could, you know, down the line be bad for Europe. And RBC Capital Markets
published a note earlier which really sketched out this scenario by where you've -- by which you've got economic problems in Asia, because they're
not getting all of the gas and oil that they buy from the Middle East, and therefore that dampens demand for European products from Asia. It also
potentially leads to energy shortages in Asia, and therefore factories suspending production, therefore supply chain issues being caused for
Europe.
So, this is an interconnected global economy, and so despite the fact that Europe may be somewhat immediately insulated from this, down the line,
there could be some issues because of what's happening in Asia.
But also, I do want to point to some European gas prices. They're up by a huge amount since the start of the war on February the 28th by over 50
percent.
So, yes, we do have some degree of protection for Europe, but like at the end of the day, this is -- this is bad for the whole world.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Anna, thank you.
All right. Well, I'm here in the UAE, a country that has now seen more than two weeks of, frankly, daily strikes from Iran, including earlier today,
when one person died here in Abu Dhabi as a missile struck a vehicle and flights were halted temporarily at Dubai's airport for a drone related
incident. The UAE's Minister for International Cooperation spoke earlier and called out Iran for what she says are unacceptable actions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REEM AL HASHIMY, UAE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION MINISTER: We've borne the brunt of most of the missiles and drone attacks, and it's really quite
surprising for us that Iran has taken such an irrational path to fight the Gulf states and act in this quite unlawful, quite unacceptable manner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Reem Al Hashimy speaking there.
Well, still ahead, as we've mentioned, Iran is relying heavily on drones to attack in this war. How they're being used and can any lessons be learned
from the war in Ukraine. I want to speak to an expert on drones and military technology, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he stands by his decision not to join the U.S. Israeli offensive on Iran, despite coming in
for criticism from the U.S. President Donald Trump. Starmer made those comments as he hosted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Downing Street
today. Starmer said he would not put British troops in harm's way without a, "Proper thought through plan."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STARMER: Now, there are others who would have made a different decision two weeks ago, they would have rushed the U.K. headlong into this war without
the full picture of what they're sending our forces into, and without a plan to get us out. That is not leading, it's following.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:20:18]
ANDERSON: Well, Starmer also said he is working with allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but did not give any further details.
Well, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells CNN that Russia is providing Iran with drones and intelligence, he says. The Kremlin has
refused to comment on reports that it is giving the Iran information about U.S. forces in the Middle East, but Ukrainian leader told my colleague
Fareed Zakaria, he believes that the reports are true.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We saw intelligence shared with us some details and it was Russian details in these Iranian drones. This is
the first.
And the second point is my intelligence told me next that they think that they share information, intelligence with Iranian regime. They helped them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Zelenskyy also says that Ukraine is willing to share its expertise in defending against drone attacks with the United States. Russia
regularly uses Iranian designed drones to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Well, Iran's use of drones has been felt across region in the past two weeks, including right here, of course, in Abu Dhabi. My next guest is an
expert on drones and their use in warfare. David Hambling is a journalist who writes extensively about military technology, and he wrote about the
risks even small drones known as FPV or first person view drones compose, "Rocket and mortar attacks against air bases are generally short range,
random and ineffective. FPV drones have long range and in search for targets, air bases with stores of fuel, munitions and parked aircraft,
offer plenty of high-value targets, and they are currently wide open to small drones."
David Hambling joins me now live from London. David, it's good to have you. I want to start with some numbers for you and our audience to have a look
at. This comes from an IRGC Telegram channel, Iran claiming to have launched some 3600 drones that U.S. and Israeli targets. We can't verify
those numbers independently. What do you make of the extent to which Iran is clearly relying on drones in this conflict? They have missiles, they're
using them, but they're using an awful lot of drones as well. What does that -- what does that tell you? Does it surprise you?
DAVID HAMBLING, MILITARY TECHNOLOGY WRITER: No, this is exactly the pattern that we've seen with Russia against Ukraine. Because missiles are basically
scarce, expensive assets, and they get used up very quickly, whereas drones are very cheap and abundant, Iran probably has tens of thousands of them
stockpiled, so they will be able to carry on launching drones long after they run out of missiles.
And the other point with missiles is that they require quite a lot of infrastructure to transport and launch them, which at the moment, the U.S.
and Israel are targeting very effectively. Drones are much easier to launch. You can launch one off the back of a pickup truck. So basically, it
will be impossible to stop Iran from keeping firing drones indefinitely.
ANDERSON: Our viewers heard that the Ukrainian president speaking with Fareed Zakaria. They heard that sound moments ago. Kyiv developing a huge
amount of expertise combating drones launched by Russia, and the president says he's willing to share that knowledge. But here's what U.S. President
Donald Trump had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN KILMEADE, FOX NEWS CHANNEL HOST: Are they helping us with drone defense too?
TRUMP: No, we don't need their help in drone defense. No, we do -- we have -- we know more about drones than anybody. We have the best drones in the
world, actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I just wonder whether you feel that that is somewhat short sighted on the part of Mr. Trump. What -- I mean, what lessons could the
U.S. and very specifically, Gulf countries at least learn from Ukraine?
HAMBLING: Yes, I would say that is very short sighted. That statement that the U.S. knows more about drones than anyone, clearly, having been under
intensive drone attack for the last four years, Ukraine has built up a massive amount of expertise in this area, and very relevantly, because the
drones that they're using are ones which are designed in Ukraine and Iran, so that the drones that hitting Ukraine are exactly the same ones that are
now being used in the Gulf.
So, Zelenskyy knows a lot about how to defend against those, which is why Ukraine has built up this complicated, layered defense system. And also, in
particular, they are the world leaders in developing small FPV interceptor drones, which are small drones to take out big attack drones like the
Shaheds.
[10:25:18]
ANDERSON: Yes, and we've seen that multi layered defense sort of system in front of our eyes here in the UAE and around this region. I mean, these
sort of layered defense systems have been years in the making, and of course, they will include how you combat drones, the idea of drones in
warfare is nothing new to this region. You just need to go to the defense fairs around this region over the past few years, and they've been
dominated to a degree, by these UAVs and also drones, of course, that are used in the water and under the water.
And we've been talking a lot about the Strait of Hormuz so crucial, of course, for the supply of oil out of the Persian Gulf, I wonder how
concerned you and should people be about the deployment of maritime drones, and what did that? How do they work, and what can be done to combat them?
HAMBLING: Maritime drones are essentially very simple piece of technology. The military call them uncrewed surface vessels or USVs, but really it's
just a speed boat with remote control on it and carrying an explosive charge. And it's a very cheap and effective way of attacking a tanker or
another vessel at tens of miles of range with no risk to the operator.
So, it's a lot simpler and less expensive than a missile, and it's less reliable than a missile, but the Iranians can basically field unlimited
numbers of these, and while they're not difficult to stop individually on mass, they do tend to have an effect.
Again, there are a lot of lessons to be learned from Ukraine. Ukraine does not have a Navy in the Black Sea. Russia does. But despite that, the
Russian Black Sea has been beaten back by continued attack by these small Ukrainian USV, basically, Kamikaze motor boats that have been hitting and
destroying lots of Russian warships.
And so, they're now basically confined to their ports because they are so difficult to deal with. And I think in confined space like the Straits of
Hormuz, they're likely to be very effective and very difficult to stop in time.
ANDERSON: It's good to have your analysis. Thank you.
Well, still to come, Israel begins a ground operation in Lebanon. What that means for the IDF and indeed, the country of Lebanon is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, your headlines this hour. Some European countries have rejected
President Trump's calls for NATO assistance in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a spokesperson for the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said
today that the conflict in Iran is, "Not NATO's war."
[10:30:06]
President Trump had previously warned of a very bad future for the military alliance, should it fail to back the United States.
Well, Trump says the U.S. and Israel are largely aligned in their military goals as the Middle East conflict continues. U.S. president acknowledged,
however, that their objectives may not be completely identical.
Trump administration says it expects the war to end within weeks or sooner.
Free speech advocates in the U.S. are lashing out at the Trump administration for threatening broadcasters over their news coverage. Over
the weekend, the chair of the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission said that there are broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news
distortions, and warned they would lose their licenses unless, as he put it, they correct their course.
Well, Israel said Sunday it hit more than 200 targets in Iran in just one day. The IDF also releasing video that it said shows strikes against
Iranian missile and drone launchers. Israel says it is continuing operations against Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and air defense
systems in the West and the center of the country.
The IDF also tells CNN, there are plans for the campaign to keep going for at least three more weeks, with thousands of targets, they say, remaining.
Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv with more. Jeremy.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Becky, well, we are watching as the Israeli military is indicating that they have at least three more
weeks of this campaign against Iran with thousands more targets that they say they can strike inside of Iran. And beyond that, they say they also
have deeper plans for three additional weeks of fighting, should that prove necessary.
Ultimately, they are indicating that they are not being guided by a specific timetable here, but rather by the achievement of objectives on the
ground.
The Trump administration, however, is offering a slightly different message, perhaps, similar along the lines of the next few weeks as the
timeline for this operation. But perhaps, hedging a little bit more in the direction that it could end sooner, which was the message that we heard
yesterday from the U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, as the Trump administration keeps a very close eye on the markets here, rattled by the
rise in oil prices, rattled by the fact that the Strait of Hormuz still remains closed two weeks into this military campaign.
That's where we are seeing the Trump administration spending the weekend, trying to rally allies and other partners to join in this effort to try and
reopen the Strait of Hormuz, to perhaps, escort those oil tankers and other cargo ships through that narrow waterway, and get it reopened in order to
try and see those oil prices drop once again.
But that remains a big uncertainty at this stage.
Meanwhile, here in Israel, we are watching as the Israeli military is expanding its ground operations into southern Lebanon. An additional
division of troops now operating there, according to the Israeli military. This isn't the kind of all-out ground defensive that we have been
anticipating as a possibility in the next step of this war between Israel and Hezbollah, but rather troops going somewhat deeper into southern
Lebanon than they were before, to try and remove the danger of these anti- tank missiles from northern communities in Israel, but of course, the possibility of a much broader ground defensive is still looming as the
Israeli military deploys tens of thousands of additional troops to that northern border in anticipation of that possibility. Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you very much, indeed.
I want to concentrate on Lebanon for the moment, where Israel says it has launched a new ground operation.
Israel's defense minister says the goal is to remove threats and protect Israelis in the north of the country. Airstrikes were carried out in Beirut
southern suburbs, overnight. More attacks reported in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah says it has launched five attacks so far Monday.
Lynn Harfoush is a member of Lebanon's Executive Committee of the National Bloc, addressed the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, and urged the
international community to back the Lebanese army.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNN HARFOUSH, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER, LEBANESE NATIONAL BLOC: The mask fell and I saw the truth. The truth that resistance was a mere facade to
exploit an entire country for an expansionist project. The truth that Hezbollah seeks to break us away from other communities through its
ideological and social project. The truth that under Hezbollah's dominance, Iran's arm in Lebanon, war becomes a recurring reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Lynn Harfoush is a member of the executive committee, as I said, of Lebanon's National Block, joins us now from Beirut.
It's good to have you. I want to talk about, specifically, what you addressed there, the LAF, the Lebanese Army, sort of opportunity to go
after Hezbollah.
[10:35:01]
But before we do that, just how significant is this escalation in Lebanon, and the announcement by Israel that it will start a ground offensive,
albeit they say, limited and targeted.
HARFOUSH: Hello, Becky, and thank you so much for having me.
Let's start. This is a very major escalation. At first, Israel has even been bombing places beyond the strongholds of Hezbollah, including central
Beirut and infrastructure. But all this ground invasion is definitely another level of escalation that is happening, which is specifically
significant because it means it is a longer conflict.
Not only is it a longer conflict --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes.
HARFOUSH: It even has more impact civilians. It has more impact in terms of evacuation and having mass displacement. But most importantly, this is a
major escalation that will very much affect the negotiation, pace, and potentially reaching a deal between Lebanon and Israel.
ANDERSON: It's the Lebanese people, lest we forget, and we must never forget, who suffer the most during these times. What are you seeing and
hearing in Lebanon?
HARFOUSH: Definitely. The problem -- the major problem is that, as usual, Hezbollah drags us into a war completely unprepared and completely
incapable of beating Israel. And obviously, the Lebanese people pay the price.
There is almost 1 million people who are displaced, 200,000s of those who live in public shelters. School has stopped. Infrastructure is being hit.
There is no such thing as a safe area, and Hezbollah militants are hiding between civilians, and this is creating a very big rage among the Lebanese
people and especially the different communities who feel like they do not want to keep paying the price of Hezbollah's suicidal missions every while
and then.
The Shiite community, however, I can guarantee you that on that night, at 1:00 a.m., when the rockets were hit from southern Lebanon to Israel, even
the Shiite community was very upset and rejected what Hezbollah has brought to them. They spent more than 10 hours on the roads, escaping the
stronghold areas that they knew were going to be bombed by Israel.
ANDERSON: You have urged the international community to back the Lebanese Army. Let's just explain why that army is -- has so few teeth as it were at
present.
I mean, they are expected to defend the sovereign state that is Lebanon. They lack resources. Just explain, you know, who you are appealing to for
support at this point.
HARFOUSH: One of the most important messages that we try to convey in my speech is that the call for the humanitarian aid is, of course, very
important, because, as I mentioned, the number of displaced is huge. But now, we need a political solution. This is a major political crisis where
there is an armed militia on our ground in Lebanon, which has been classified by our government as an outlaw that still has weapons and that
still controls the peace and war decision in Lebanon.
The Lebanese Army is the only protector of this country and is the only organization that has the legitimacy to take these decisions and that can
gain the trust of the international community, and this is why it's very important that direct support comes to the Lebanese Armed Forces in terms
of weapons, in terms of trainings, and in terms of all the negotiations that are going to make sure the Lebanese Armed Forces are the only armed
forces taking the grip over the ground in all areas.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes.
So, that's the first issue, and the very important issue. The pressing issue at this point, support, you say, for the Lebanese Armed Forces, which
has had support in the past. Let's remind people from Gulf countries, not least the -- from Riyadh.
Meantime, Ron Dermer, a very close adviser for Benjamin Netanyahu, has been charged with discussing a possible deal, arrangements between Israel and
Lebanon. Do you believe another ceasefire at this point can be reached, and what is the wider plan here? What do you believe Lebanon is prepared to
offer in terms of relations with Israel at this point?
HARFOUSH: In fact, the Lebanese authority have already started this diplomatic initiative. Having a cease fire is great, and it suits everyone
now, so that people can go back to their houses. But this is a temporary solution, and this is not what we need right now.
[10:40:00]
We need a long-term solution, and the diplomatic initiative that the Lebanese authorities has started discusses ending the state of war between
the two countries.
We cannot bear the cost of continuous wars. We need to make sure that the Israelis withdraw from our land fully. We need to make sure that Israeli
aggression stops against the country. But we also need to guarantee to the international community that we will disarm Hezbollah, and that there will
not be further threats of random rockets flying across our southern border, and eventually, I think, the real discussion that needs to happen now is
ending the state of war between the two countries, because this will definitely contribute to the regional stability.
ANDERSON: Yes, we cannot bear the cost of continuous wars, the cycle of violence. I mean, you hear that very specifically from inside Lebanon. You
also hear that around this region. The idea of sort of navigating a new Middle East, a new Middle East which isn't, you know, headlined with
conflict, but is headlined with prosperity and peace is a direction that so many people want to go in. Deescalation, not escalation of this sort of
conflicts. And this idea of sort of mowing the lawn, as we see, these, theaters of war so often.
It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. Your insight is really extremely valuable to us, and I'm glad we got the sound from you in
addressing the international community. It's an important point. Thank you.
Well, inside Iran, the Internet shutdown there just got even worse. A U.K.- based internet monitoring organization says it appears a significant Iranian telecoms network had collapsed. We are though still getting a
glimpse of how some Iranians feel about the war. Here is what one man said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI AKBAR HOSSEINI, BOOKSELLER (through translator): We did not start this war in order to grant a cease fire. If they want to grant a cease fire,
they must grant it, because they brought their equipment from the other side of the world to this side of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. There is a lot more ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Members of the Trump Kennedy's center board of trustees are expected to meet behind closed doors at the White House today. The board is
set to vote on plans to close the legendary art center for two years for major renovations starting July the sixth. This comes just days after
President Donald Trump announced he was replacing Richard Grenell as head of the Kennedy Center.
CNN's Betsy Klein, following this for us from Washington. This board meeting, of course, comes to the Trump Kennedy Center is plagued by sort of
higher profile, performance cancelations, by protests, by declining ticket sales. I wonder what more you can tell us and what we know about the
potential for a briefing or some sort of news conference by Donald Trump ahead of this today.
[10:45:06]
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: That's exactly right, Becky. We have seen President Trump take significant steps to impose his style and
taste on the nation's capital and on culture. And the Kennedy Center has been no exception.
He gutted its Board of Trustees and installed a number of loyalists, who then elected him chair. They then voted to rename it to the Trump Kennedy
Center. He has reshaped its staffing just Friday, announcing that he was replacing Rick Grenell, a long-time ally with Matt Floca, who is the
current Vice President of Facilities. He's overhauled its programming and also secured significant congressional funding for a renovation.
But next up is that renovation and a planned two-year closure, which the board is set to vote on today. Now, all of those changes, taken together,
have led to slumping ticket sales and a lot of high-profile performers pulling out from their planned events at the Kennedy Center.
So, some saw that as driving this desire to close the building for a couple of years. And we know from our reporting that sources close to the
president say that he is unhappy with the news coverage he's gotten on all of this.
But President Trump is expected to address the board at a lunch today. That will be on camera, and then, we do expect the business portion of their
meeting to be off camera.
And according to an agenda for this meeting that we have obtained, they are going to receive a presentation on what these renovations will entail and
the plans for the closure, then they are going to have some deliberations, and then, they will take a vote.
Now, most of the board members, as I mentioned, are Trump loyalists. But there are a number of ex-officio members who are appointed by a law -- from
Congress, and that includes Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. She is a Democrat from Ohio, and she filed a lawsuit against President Trump and members of
the board last month.
And that lawsuit is twofold. Number one, it specifically pertains to Monday's meeting. She wants to be able to receive documents beforehand. She
wants to be able to participate, and she wants to have a vote. A judge ruled partially on that over the weekend, granting her those documents, she
still says that those are inadequate.
The second piece of her lawsuit is to block the closure of this iconic arts institution. And she has a lot of sworn declarations in this lawsuit from a
number of experts in their field, including former Kennedy Center staffers. They warn about major impact to bookings, donors, and staff if the Center
does close for two years.
Beatty tells me that she plans to be vocal today. Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Betsy. Thank you.
All right, I want take a very short break after this. Golden knife for the K-Pop "Demon Hunters" as they win two Oscars last night's Academy Awards.
More on the night's big prizes are after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Hollywood has celebrated the biggest night in the film world at the Academy Awards. And is for the biggest prize of all, the Oscar
goes to --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- goes to "One Battle After Another".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, "One Battle After Another", took home six awards, including Best Picture. "Sinners", another big winner, earning four awards from its
record, breaking 16 nominations, including Best Actor for this man, Michael B. Jordan.
[10:50:04]
And Jessie Buckley came -- became the first Irish woman to win Best Actress for her heartbreaking performances. Agnes Hathaway, the grieving wife of
William Shakespeare in "Hamnet".
Well, for more on the night's big wins, we are joined now by the entertainment journalist Segun Uduolowu. Thank you for joining us.
I always have to slightly slow down when I pronounce your name. Thank you. Talk us through the big winners, sir.
SEGUN ODUOLOWU, TELEVISION HOST AND ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Well, the big winners were women everywhere.
First, you had Autumn Arkapaw, the first female cinematographer to win an Oscar for her work on "Sinners". You mentioned Jessie Buckley, Amy Madigan,
just winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in "Sinners", a lifetime of great achievement, the first award for casting director. We saw that go
to another woman.
So, it was women everywhere, and I love what Arkapaw said when she won, asking all the women to stand up and be seen -- recognized for their
achievement.
Other than that, the show was kind of uneven, with some technical difficulties, but Michael B. Jordan won and gave an incredible speech, and
the two heavyweight movies: "One Battle After Another", and "Sinners" were the main winners.
ANDERSON: Segun, were there any snobs or indeed, surprises?
ODUOLOWU: Well, not snubs, but, look, I'm a bear -- I'm a person who enjoys a little bit of pettiness. And when, you know, so, having Misty Copeland,
"Come Dancing Out" in that number for "Sinners", right in front of Timothee Chalamet, who had made the comments about theater and the ballet, I thought
was somewhat subversive. I loved seeing that.
But the real snubs were people not being allowed to give their speeches. There were so many opportunities and so many moments where someone was
about to speak and they were playing them off or cutting someone's microphone mid-speech. That was bothersome. But, as I said, the petty --
the petty heart in me loved seeing Misty Copeland "Come Dancing Out", at that number and just kind of the little bit of egg on Timothee Chalamet's
face, and he lost the best actor award to Michael B. Jordan.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Yes. Yes. No, we all love a bit of pettiness every so often.
Look, as well as the success of "Sinners" and of the others, history made by both K-pop Demon Hunters and Jessie Buckley.
K Pop, Demon Hunters. I've got little kids, and I've watched that movie so many times, and I promise you, I don't think I understand it still. But my
6-year-old does, and so does my 4-year-old. So, that's good, and they love it.
Is this a sign that the Oscars do you think are becoming more diverse? Something that, of course, the Academy has struggled with in the past?
ODUOLOWU: I will keep both of my fingers crossed, because you are right. K Pop Demon Hunter made history. "Sinners" made history with the most
nominations. The movie industry at at-large is an international, multicultural behemoth, as it should be.
Seeing K-pop demon hunter recognized. I have a 6-year-old daughter. That song, Golden was everywhere in my house, to the point that I started
humming a few bars every now and again.
ANDERSON: Sure.
ODUOLOWU: But we need that. We need our African actors and Irish actresses and Brazilian actors. You know, Wagner Moura from Brazil was nominated, and
actually was up for an Oscar.
We need more international flair, because that's what the world is, and that's what the -- industry -- who is -- and they should be represented at
the Oscars.
ANDERSON: Very briefly. Barbra Streisand paid tribute to Robert Redford with an emotional performance of "The Way We Were". How did that go down?
ODUOLOWU: Could you -- could you repeat that for -- I missed that last part.
ANDERSON: Oh, I think I may have lost my comms with you.
Segun. It's good to have you. Thank you very much, indeed for joining us.
Barbra whose -- Barbra Streisand there hosting Robert Redford with "The Way We Were".
CNN had its own photographer at the Oscars, and you can see the full gallery on the web site, from stunning fashion moments in the red carpet to
the big trend for designers this year. Catch up with all of the Oscars' glamor by heading to CNNSTYLE.
You can get that, CNN Digital, of course, and on your apps.
Well, behind the glitz and glam of the Oscars, the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, unfortunately, enters its third week.
Actor Javier Bardem made short to remind everyone at the ceremony while introducing one of the awards.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:55:01]
JAVIER BARDEM, SPANISH ACTOR: Not to war and free Palestine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes. And as the war continues, several of the country's filmmakers -- Iranian filmmakers still made it to the red carpet. With
Jafar Panahi representing his Oscar nominee, "It Was Just an Accident", and the co-directors of "Cutting Through Rocks", representing the first Iranian
documentary ever nominated for its category.
Well, in this region, of course, we cannot forget Gaza, Kaouther Ben Hania, the director of "The Voice of Hind Rajab" and the whole team didn't need
that reminder. The Palestinian lead actor of the film, Motaz Malhees, was denied access to the U.S. because of his nationality.
He wrote on his Instagram account, "You can block a passport. You cannot block a voice."
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD"
is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
