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Israeli Strikes on Lebanon Strain U.S.-Iran Ceasefire; Top Iran Officials Stress They See Lebanon as Part of Ceasefire; Vance, Witkoff & Kushner to Take Part in Iran Talks in Pakistan; Sean "Diddy" Combs' Lawyers Due in Court to Appeal Conviction; Hungarian to Vote in Parliamentary Election This Weekend. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired April 09, 2026 - 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: On the left of your screens, live pictures from Lebanon following recent Israeli strikes that Iran said

broke this fragile ceasefire between Tehran and the U.S. On the right, heightened security on the streets of Islamabad, where talks are expected

to take place this weekend, as diplomatic efforts gear up to find a solution to the crisis that we have seen in this region.

It is 04:00 p.m. in Beirut. It's 06:00 p.m. in the Pakistani capital. It is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. From our Middle East programming

headquarters, I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World". The stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now.

Futures indicating a slow start. Investors mindful of the risks Gulf committing given the lack of clarity over what happens next. Well, at this

hour, the fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is being put to the test over two main issues, the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon.

And it's being fueled by confusion about what is actually included in the talks brokered by Pakistan. Iran says it has stopped shipping traffic in

the Strait of Hormuz because Israel violated the current truce by carrying out deadly strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday. The U.S., though, is backing

Israel's claim that Lebanon and Hezbollah were never part of the deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JD VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that

the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn't. We never made that promise. We never indicated that was going to be the case.

What we said is that the ceasefire would be focused on Iran, and the ceasefire would be focused on America's allies, both Israel and the Gulf

Arab states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Pakistan says Lebanon was included in the ceasefire. And now their mediators are under scrutiny for triggering confusion among the

warring parties. Well, all of this coming as the largest IDF strikes yet hit Lebanon on Wednesday, as Israel carries out its war against Iran's

proxy Hezbollah.

Well, for more on this, let's bring in CNN's Stephen Collinson in Washington, Paula Hancocks is in Abu Dhabi joining me today as well is Maya

Gebeily, who is Reuters Bureau Chief for Lebanon, Syria and Jordan out of Beirut today. Appreciate you all being with me.

Stephen, let's start with you. What is the status of the ceasefire from D.C.'s perspective as we understand it right now?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think that the fact that all the parties can't even agree on what the terms of the ceasefire are

show how difficult this entire process is going to be, and that the talks leading up to the ceasefire are far less robust between the United States

and Iran than the administration has let on.

Remember, President Trump said that the terms of the two-week ceasefire were for the immediate, complete and safe opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

That hasn't happened. Clearly, Israel's operations, which are intensifying, it seems to me, after the ceasefire was agreed, are putting severe strain

on it.

So, is it a real ceasefire in any normal sense of the word? Possibly not. I do think it's significant, however, that there has not been any U.S.

shooting at Iran. Iran hasn't been shooting at the U.S. That suggests that a very basic level that these two sides at least hope to get to the weekend

when these talks start to take place in Islamabad.

But expectations in Washington, that there could be a quick deal, I think, are really being undermined by the treacherous nature it is going to be to

even get to those talks in Pakistan.

ANDERSON: Let me bring you in, Maya, Lebanon, the sticking point after massive IDF strikes on Wednesday in the city where you are, what are you

seeing today?

MAYA GEBEILY, REUTERS BUREAU CHIEF FOR LEBANON, SYRIA AND JORDAN: Well, unfortunately, I just spent about an hour speaking to families who are

outside of a hospital, who are trying to identify the remains of their loved ones, and for the most part, it's body parts that they have to

identify. It's hands and legs that have been severed from their bodies.

[09:05:00]

It's extremely gruesome, but that was -- that's the toll, really, of the strikes yesterday, were the heaviest strikes on Beirut that we've seen in

this war, and the heaviest strikes on the capital, probably in at least two decades, and it's left an incredible civilian toll, more than 150 people in

Beirut and its suburbs alone, out of 250 across the country. So, it's been very devastating for families here in the capital.

ANDERSON: We bring you in Paula, at this point. What's the regional reaction you are here with me in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, as we look around

the Gulf, certainly we have seen no attacks here in the UAE. And I think that's pretty much the picture, give or take around the region over the

last 24 hours at the outset, of course, of the ceasefire we certainly did see in coming attacks here.

But over the past 24 hours, it has been pretty much quiet. What's reaction to the ceasefire here and the talks that we expect this weekend?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, for the most part, Gulf nations did welcome this ceasefire. Clearly, the fact that Iran has decided

to stop shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once again at the first sign of something it doesn't agree with is not going to be welcome at all.

But I want to point out here in the United Arab Emirates, there has been a slightly different reaction that the officials here have stopped short of

welcoming this ceasefire, and what they want is more details on exactly what it entails. They have been saying through the foreign ministry that

they also want Iran to be held accountable for the attacks that have been carried out on the UAE.

By far, more projectiles have been fired towards the UAE than any other nation. I want to read you part of the foreign ministry statement where

they say, quote, the United Arab Emirates is closely following the announcement by the U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the two-week

ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.

And is seeking further clarification on the agreements provisions to ensure Iran's full commitment to an immediate cessation of all hostilities in the

region, and the complete and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Now, of course, the UAE has had energy infrastructure targeted, has

had civilian infrastructure targeted, and is extremely angry by what has happened.

There was always this concern that a ceasefire would be called without considering that Iran may, in the future, be able to terrorize its

neighbors once again. I want to read you another statement, Becky. This is from Anwar Gargash. He's the senior adviser to the president here.

And he talks about the clarity, the fact that no one should be surprised that this is the UAE's response, saying the clarity is essential following

a treacherous and premeditated aggression, the era of courtesies has passed, and frankness has become a necessity. Our collective stance must be

firm and clear towards the features of the upcoming phase in a way that enhances stability and security in the region.

So really pointing out that a ceasefire here is simply not enough. There needs to be more details. But as you say, we did get a response and a

statement from the Ministry of Defense we haven't had in 40 days the fact that they said the air space was free of any air threats during past hours.

So, it does show that one part of this ceasefire is holding, at least for Thursday, certainly Wednesday, we did see a number of projectiles being

fired across the Gulf.

ANDERSON: That's right.

HANCOCKS: So just to focus on one positive thing that does appear to be in place at this point, Becky.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Paula. Maya let me bring you back in. We have got no clarity on whether the ceasefire officially includes Lebanon. Here is what

Europe's Foreign Policy Chief told me some hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAJA KALLAS, EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS & SECURITY POLICY: There's a lot of ambiguity of what was actually agreed, but it's clear for

us, and we have been calling also Lebanon to be covered, because what we have seen, I mean, Hezbollah has dragged also Lebanon into this war, but

the response has been too heavy handed.

I mean, the civilians killed. It is clear the ceasefire is fragile, and we have to do everything that it holds so that actually, the parties can sit

down and negotiate on all the issues that are of concern, not only the nuclear issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And she is alluding to talks there scheduled this weekend in Lebanon, sorry, in Islamabad, between the U.S. and Iran. More on that, as

we move through these hours, Lebanon has been asking for direct talks with Israel now, for some time, those have been ignored.

[09:10:00]

What do we expect in Lebanon, in the crucial 48-hour diplomatic window that we are now entering, ahead of these Islamabad talks?

GEBEILY: Well, we've been hearing from officials is that they really hope that these talks will be what reinforces Lebanon's role in Lebanon's

inclusion in this fire. And if you remember, Becky, we spoke a few days ago as well about our reporting last month that Iran wanted Lebanon to be

included, and wanted attacks on Lebanon to halt as part of the ceasefire.

So, Iran has been pretty explicit about that, and we had heard from sources close to Hezbollah yesterday that they had actually stopped their strikes

early on Wednesday morning in line with the ceasefire. So, their assumption was that they were going to be included, and they actually resumed their

attacks later on in the evening yesterday, after Israel's bombardment of Beirut and other parts of the country.

So really, what we'd understood was that Lebanon would be included, and of course, Pakistan's Prime Minister explicitly mentioned Lebanon in his

announcement of the ceasefire. So, it's really at this point, the U.S. and Israel that are that are saying explicitly, Lebanon is not included.

And you've got everybody else saying Lebanon should be included, and they're hoping to reinforce that, I think, in the days ahead.

ANDERSON: All right, let me leave this for the time being. It's great to have you all on as we sort of set the table, as it were, for this hour. I

want to get back to that conversation with the European Union's Foreign Policy Chief, Kaja Kallas. Thank you guys, who told me that despite this

ceasefire, this two-week ceasefire, there are still critical issues to resolve.

She also pushed back on criticism from Gulf nations and the U.S. that the EU has not done enough, especially around securing the Strait of Hormuz.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KALLAS: It is a very precarious moment. And what is the key takeaway, I think, for both of us in the Gulf countries as well as the European Union,

is that we really need to work together, because we have, you know, same concerns regarding Iran, the stability of the region, and not only the

nuclear issue, but the ballistic missile program, also the cyber and hybrid threats against our countries.

And what can we do together in order to have, you know, a sustainable peace and stability in the region, not just ceasefire, but actually really

solving the issues that are of great concern.

ANDERSON: What was the response? Because Europe has been heavily criticized by these Gulf countries and by the U.S. for its failure to take action, not

only in this war, but also, very specifically, in the Strait of Hormuz.

KALLAS: Yeah. Well, I think it's not fair, because actually European Union and the member states are doing a lot for this region. If you think about

member states providing air defense support, if you think about Ukraine providing also the drone interceptors and the knowledge how to take down

the drones, and also, you know, the mediation that we can do when it comes to keeping the trade routes open.

We have the naval operation ASPIDES in the Red Sea, also to keep that route open. And we are willing to discuss also the extension of the mandate with

our member states, strengthening this operation after the cessation of facilities. And of course, there's also role of this silent diplomacy that

we are doing with our regional partners.

So, I think we are doing more than a lot of other countries in the world for this region, and why, because it is our neighborhood. What happens here

also has a direct effect on us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Right. Well, for the first time in this conflict, there were no reports of overnight strikes on Gulf states, but questions and concerns

remain about the state, the ceasefire deal, and what comes next. And you heard the EU Foreign Minister there really alluding to that.

She called it very fragile. And there was clear concern on the part of the Europeans about whether this will hold, Clarissa Ward is in the Saudi

capital of Riyadh, with more on the situation, very specifically here in the Gulf. What's the latest you are hearing?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, Becky, today is the first day, I think, in the Gulf that

actually feels like a ceasefire. Not a single projectile attack aimed at the UAE, which is historic in the context of the last 41 days.

[09:15:00]

And certainly, the hope is here that this could portend a better chapter ahead, although right now, the credibility and indeed feasibility of this

continued ceasefire and these face-to-face negotiations taking place in Islamabad seems to be predicated on resolving this issue of whether or not

Lebanon is included in the ceasefire.

We have seen a number of Iranian officials coming out today and making it clear, and how much of this is bluster and braggadocio is unclear, but

nonetheless, it's enough of them saying it that it's clearly a serious issue, that if Lebanon is not agreed upon by all to be part of this

ceasefire, that there is no possibility and no reason for Iran to take this ceasefire and take these negotiations seriously.

We've seen this from the deputy foreign minister, the foreign minister, the prime minister, and notably, as well, from the speaker of Iran's

parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, who did another post just about an hour ago, and who really is expected to be one of the primary interlocutors between

the U.S. and Iran?

You know, we had been discussing yesterday, Becky, that Vice President Vance said, you know, the U.S. has put pressure on Israel. Israel is going

to pump the brakes a little bit in Lebanon, but that really remains to be seen. We heard from Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, some hours

ago, who seemed to dispute that, saying that Israel would continue to defend itself.

Hezbollah had fired rockets overnight. Israel had continued its operations in Southern Lebanon. So, despite the bright spot of news here in the Gulf,

it does seem that until this issue of Lebanon's place within the ceasefire is resolved, that it is going to cast a long shadow over the potential

success of this ceasefire and negotiations, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Clarissa, thank you. And more as we move through the next couple of hours this show, of course, a two-hour show

after journeying further from home than any human before them, the Artemis II astronauts heading back to Earth. We'll take you live to the Johnson

Space Center. That is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, the Artemis II astronauts are on their way back home after journeying deeper into space than any human before them. They are set to

wake up today, nine aboard the Orion space capsule in a couple of hours with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean scheduled for Friday evening U.S.

Eastern Time.

Now, the four crew members not only made history this week, they've also brought an awful lot of joy and excitement to many Earth-bound people. And

Ipsos poll finding the majority of Americans, for example, have a pretty starry-eyed view of NASA and it says space programs.

[09:20:00]

CNN's Randi Kaye joining us live from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It's certainly been extremely successful this for NASA and for the

astronauts, there is this big home coming. What do we expect, as far as their sort of activity, and where are they today, this Thursday?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are planning, Becky, for their reentry as of now, and they are basically resetting the deck chairs in the

capsule, making sure that things are stowed where they need to be and that everything is safe for reentry. They are also going to do one more burn to

make sure they can pinpoint their trajectory, for their path to reenter Earth's atmosphere.

Now this is one of the trickiest maneuvers of this entire Artemis II mission, this reentry and splash down. It's supposed to happen around 08:00

p.m. tomorrow night, Eastern Time, off the Coast of San Diego. And just to share a few stats with you about this reentry, they're going to be going 30

times the speed of sound.

They're expecting the temperatures outside the capsule to be as high as 5000 degrees Fahrenheit. And maximum velocity for this capsule is going to

be nearly 35,000 feet per second. Now the pilot, Victor Glover, answered some questions from CNN last night in a late night press conference about

reentry, and here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR GLOVER, ARTEMIS II PILOT: There's so much data that you've seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There are so many

more pictures, so many more stories, and, gosh, I haven't even begun to process what we've been through. We've still got two more days and riding a

fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well.

So, I have to answer that question later. I'm not sure, but I can tell you, it's a lot and life long memories. I'm going to be thinking about and

talking about all of these things for the rest of my life, for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Now, of course, there are still some unanswered questions about how the Orion capsules heat shield was going to hold up during reentry back in

2022 when Artemis I, which was an uncrewed mission, when they came back through the Earth's atmosphere, there were big chunks of the heat shield

that had broken off.

So, they have changed the path slightly for Artemis II's reentry. So, they hope that the heat shield will hold up. And certainly, NASA is sounding

very confident about that, Becky.

ANDERSON: Randi, good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. All right, 20 past 8 there. 20 past 5 here in the UAE, this mission marks the

inaugural crude flight of NASA's Artemis program, a long-term plan which is aimed at establishing a lunar settlement. Check out CNN's digital

platforms.

You can find a lot more coverage of the mission there and how the astronauts cope with living and working in a capsule barely five meters

wide. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are expected back

in court later today as they try to get him released from prison.

The music mogul serving a 50-month term after being convicted last year, transportation to engage in prostitution. His attorneys are arguing that

Diddy's conduct amounted to creating amateur pornography, which is not crime. Well two iconic polar species are being pushed towards the brink of

extinction.

Both the emperor penguin and the Antarctic fur seal have been moved to endangered on the IUCN Red List, which is the world's most comprehensive

census of threatened species. Factors for their decline are warming ocean waters, melting sea ice and the lack of food.

The lawyer for a man shot by I.C.E. agents is disputing DHS claims, and his client is an El Salvador and gang member. Man was shot during a traffic

stop in central California on Tuesday. DHS allege he is wanted in connection with a murder in El Salvador, while his lawyer insists that it

completely untrue.

Well, voters in Hungary will head to the polls on Sunday for a parliamentary election that could determine the European country's next

leader. Right Wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban is hoping to extend his 16- year grip on power with the help of JD Vance and the Trump Administration, but as CNN's Melissa Bell reports, he is currently lagging in the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANCE: Mr. President, you are on with about 5000 Hungarian patriots, and I think they love you even more than they love Viktor Orban.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I love Hungary, and I love that Viktor. I'll tell you he's a fantastic man.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): But on Sunday MAGA's European darling will face his toughest election in 16 years.

[09:25:00]

BELL: That speech and JD Vance's presence in Budapest at all just days ahead of this critical poll, is nothing short of foreign interference,

according to the man standing against Viktor Orban. For Peter Magyar, this is an election that can be decided neither in Washington nor in Moscow nor

in Brussels, but only in the streets of Hungary itself.

BELL (voice-over): In fact, Magyar has largely stayed clear of foreign policy altogether on the campaign trail with his Tisza party focusing on

the bread-and-butter issues that they think matter to most Hungarians.

BELL: -- worried about what are the things that matter to voters?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The economy that is stagnating, one can say corruption is extensive. We see that on the news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those behind the current government are worried about the war in Ukraine. While Tisza supporters are worried about the economy.

BELL: It is those kitchen table issues and the economic dissatisfaction felt by many Hungarians that, it is suggested, has allowed Peter Magyar to

get to where he is in the polls, and that in itself, they say, is remarkable given the grip that Viktor Orban's Party has on the state's

institutions.

CARSTEN J. SCHNEIDER, INTERIM PRESIDENT OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY: I think the regime he has built since 2010 is trying to achieve this, to make

the elections free but not fair, to stack the odds against oppositions, to provide advantages to his own party, the Fidesz party, and also to shield

several institutions that are very important for collective decision making in the economy and society from the outcome of elections.

BELL (voice-over): But in the public paths of Budapest, the war in neighboring Ukraine, or the American Vice President's visit so central to

Orban's electoral pitch seemed distant concerns, even if Orban still has many die-hard supporters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Orban is also very good friend of Trump, very satisfied with him. And of course, it's a great help if a big lion helps this little

ant, but they have realized that they are good friends.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the last 16 years, we live under a regime which is not the future, but in the past, because of the Russian connections,

because of the Chinese connections. So, we don't have a real future if this regime goes on.

BELL: By moving his pawns and his people into position Viktor Orban has over the course of the last 16 years, fundamentally changed the lay of the

land, turning this democracy here in Hungary into an illiberal one. The question now whether on Sunday, the world finds out what happens after that

ends. Melissa Bell, CNN, Budapest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well still ahead, investors closely watching whether the Iran ceasefire can hold how markets are reacting, is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

ANDERSON: OK, we got the markets set to open in about 10 seconds. We got Oliver Wyman, a Marsh Business Forum, ringing in the trading day today,

hear that -- off and futures were indicating a slightly weaker open. We have seen a strengthening in the oil markets. And we're going to discuss

why that is momentarily, so you can get the DOW JONES up for you and give you an indication of what is going on there.

You see about down about a third of 1 percent that is the open. That is the first minute of trade. We'll get back to those markets and see how they are

performing as they settle. Ziad Daoud is Chief Emerging Markets Economist at Bloomberg Economics, joining us today, live from London.

What do you make of the performance one of the sorts of stock markets, Asia, Europe and now the U.S. today, this Thursday? And indeed, what is

going on in the oil market? Just explain.

ZIAD DAOUD, CHIEF EMERGING MARKETS ECONOMIST AT BLOOMBERG ECONOMICS: Well markets have been on a roller coaster. Basically, this week, they went from

a state of anguish to a state of hope to basically confusion now. On Tuesday, President Trump was talking about civilization erasure.

Iran was talking about regional retaliation. The Strait of Hormuz was largely shot and oil was at near $110 per barrel. Yesterday, there was an

announcement of a ceasefire. There was hope that traffic through Hormuz is going to basically return, and that regional hostilities would stop.

Today, we're in a state of confusion, so we don't have the ceasefire holes or not, whether it would lead to an end of hostilities, or whether traffic

in Hormuz is going to return or not. And therefore, oil prices have come up relative to yesterday, the $98 per barrel versus 95 yesterday, they're

still below Tuesday. But that reflects, you know, the state of confusion in the market.

ANDERSON: And that Strait of Hormuz which has been front and center during this past 5.5 six weeks still absolutely central to whether or not

investors can find some enthusiasm for these markets. So, let's talk about that. Conditional passage is not passage. Those are the words of Dr. Sultan

Al Jaber.

He is the head of the national oil company here in the UAE. He was described the Iranian choke hold on the Strait of Hormuz as economic

terrorism. That vital waterway is supposed to be open to all shipping during this ceasefire. What do you understand to be the current situation?

DAOUD: The current situation is that the state of the Strait of Hormuz is one of two hurdles that are facing the ceasefire deal. Just from the

perspective of markets, having ceasefire is good for markets that would lead to higher stock prices, that would lead to better growth outcomes,

lower inflation, lower interest rates, lower oil prices.

But to get that ceasefire, I think there are two hurdles that are standing in the way. One of them is Lebanon, and the other one is a Strait of

Hormuz. On Lebanon, Iran says Lebanon should be included in the ceasefire. Pakistan says Lebanon is part of the ceasefire.

European countries want Lebanon to be part of the ceasefire. Israel, on the other hand, says Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire. And yesterday, the

U.S. said Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire. So that creates one complication to the implementation of the ceasefire.

The second one is the Strait of Hormuz and the state of it. Basically, the key questions here are, would Iran have control over the Strait of Hormuz?

Would it vet ships that go through the strait and would be collecting fees from the Strait of Hormuz? There is indication that Iran's wants to have

some of that, but that may not be acceptable to the U.S. or regional Arab Gulf states.

ANDERSON: And as far as you can understand it briefly, what's passing through the Strait of Hormuz at present?

DAOUD: As of two days ago, very limited number of ships. I think there's confusion about yesterday. My guess is probably very few ships still. And

then the UAE came out, and they said, nothing has come through the Strait of Hormuz. So as things stand, is still limited, well below the prewar

norm.

ANDERSON: Let me just before I let you go, you, very specifically concentrate on emerging markets.

[09:35:00]

Many of those are in areas which have been massively impacted by this energy security issue and by the significant rise in energy prices, plus

the rise in prices for other commodities. Do you see any confidence in those markets at this point?

DAOUD: It depends on the state of the war. I think if you look at one indicator of what's the global economy, including emerging markets, is to

look at what has happened to the biggest economy in the world, which is the U.S., where we expect inflation numbers to come out for the month of March,

and, you know, a couple of days.

And if you look at the expectations for inflation in the U.S. to indicate what's happening to consumers all over the world, people expect inflation

to go up from 2.4 percent to 3.4 percent. Now, beyond the numbers, if you think about the implications of this, what is telling us is few things.

One is the fact that the war is hitting consumers already, very quickly, immediately in March, talking about March numbers, so immediately after the

war has started, second, that they're hitting living standards of consumers in the U.S., and therefore almost likely everywhere else in the world.

And the third thing is that the impact of the war has not stopped and will carry over in the coming months. If it doesn't stop and we don't get a

ceasefire, whether it's temporary or permanent.

ANDERSON: Keep an eye on those inflation numbers. Of course, also keep an eye on the jobs market. There has been talk about a recession. There is no

doubt that is on the mind of those investors out there. We have to wait and see what happens from here on in.

It's good to speak to you, Ziad, thank you. And we have been talking about how crucial Lebanon is to those fragile ceasefires. He had mentioned it

just now, hours after the U.S. President announced the agreement Tuesday evening, just after 8 o'clock local time in the States.

The IDF hit Lebanon harder than ever before in this latest war. CNN's Nada Bashir filed this report on the devastation in Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homes destroyed, the air filled with smoke, the site of yet another deadly attack.

BASHIR: This is the aftermath of an enormous Israeli military strike here in Beirut. This is one of the more than 100 targets, according to the

Israeli military they believe to be Hezbollah targets struck today. But you can see behind me, these appear to be residential buildings upon this.

This is a very busy area, full of shops and a busy roadway. There would have been many people at this site and around the area at the time of the

blast. And now emergency services are working to dig through the rubble for victims.

BASHIR (voice-over): The Lebanese Health Ministry says hundreds have been killed and wounded, adding to the more than 1500 people, the ministry said

Tuesday have been killed in Lebanon over the course of this war. Hopes that the ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran would extend to Lebanon

were quickly dash just hours after it came into effect.

RASHA, BEIRUT RESIDENT: They were sitting, drinking coffee like normal, and then we heard a very loud noise, three blasts at the same time. And then we

saw the smoke, but we couldn't tell where it was coming from. What kind of life is this? We don't know what will happen in the next hour. The last

thing we could imagine is this kind of attack occurring in the center of Beirut.

BASHIR (voice-over): In the neighborhood of Tallet El Khayat, first responders attempt to rescue survivors after a section of a residential

building was completely leveled. Both the U.S. and Israel have claimed Lebanon was never part of the ceasefire agreement, despite claims to the

contrary, through Pakistan's Prime Minister who helped broker the deal.

Now fears of a further escalation, including a possible retaliation from Hezbollah ally Iran has left many fearful over what now lies ahead for the

people of Lebanon. Nada Bashir CNN in Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And in the past hour, the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces has issued a broad evacuation order for several neighborhoods in Southern

Beirut in Lebanon, including some areas that had not previously been targeted. And going to keep an eye on this story and on this skyline, more

news after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well 90th edition of what is the iconic Masters Tournament is underway at Augusta National, and in just under an hour, defending champion

Rory McIlroy, tees off to get his opening round underway. I love this time of year, and I have to say, Amanda Davies joins us now.

You know, we've had a really unsettling month, and I was just remarking to the guys working with me here in Abu Dhabi, my PJ, my engineer, that I'm

going to put this on. And I am going to spend every moment away from this camera watching this tournament this year. What about you?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, very much so. And it, you know, when you think back to just 12 months ago and those epic, emotional scenes that

we saw play out on the Sunday, particularly. It was the roller coaster of emotions, wasn't it? I think whether you're a Brit or otherwise, so many

people had lived through every moment of Rory McIlroy finally getting his hands on that long awaited final major victory, of course, at the masters

to complete that Career Grand Slam.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

DAVIES: And I know you spoke to him really not very long ago. And so many people heading into this weekend have been talking about him as very much

seeming like a different man. You know, the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders, so it will be brilliant to see what happens over

the next couple of days.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

DAVIES: But so many other people wanting to get their hands on that green jacket in his place, and that's what we're looking at in just a couple of

minutes when we head live to Augusta, Becky, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

ANDERSON: Thank you. I will look he cemented his place in the history books, the annals of golf last year, but he will be absolutely determined

to go at this. He's got new clubs. He knows that's not going to be easy. He hasn't a brilliant start to the year, but we're all supporting him and

whatever else happens in this tournament, we're going to enjoy.

Good to have you. Thank you. "World Sport", up after this.

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