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Authorities Scramble to Contain Hantavirus Outbreak; U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Top U.S. Diplomat Meets with Pope Leo at the Vatican; Israeli Strike Kills Senior Hezbollah Commander in Beirut; Trump to Host Brazil's Lula for White House Meeting; Remembering Ted Turner. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 07, 2026 - 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): Welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle East programming headquarters. I'm Becky Anderson in

Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 6:00 in the evening.

Health officials racing to trace and contain the hantavirus outbreak connected to a cruise ship, the MV Hondius. The WHO has just confirmed five

cases of the virus and suspects three more at this point.

Iran is expected to respond today to the U.S. proposal to end the war. In the meantime it is trying to formalize its control over the Strait of

Hormuz by laying out a new set of rules.

And U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio has met with Pope Leo at a time of historic tensions between Washington and the Vatican.

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ANDERSON: I want to start this hour with the deadly hantavirus infection discovered on a cruise ship in the Atlantic, as authorities in five

countries scramble to contain the spread.

We heard from the World Health Organization officials last hour, who say there is no indication as yet that there is anything unusual about the

strain of the virus found on the ship. They say the only unique challenge in this situation is the location of the outbreak.

The MV Hondius is now heading for the Canary Islands. Health officials are rushing to trace anyone who has had contact with the virus but they say

there is a low risk of contracting the disease.

About 150 people have been stuck on board the vessel for days off the coast of West Africa. The WHO says eight cases have been identified. Three people

have already died of the disease. Five more are being treated for it. Let's bring in CNN's senior international correspondent, Melissa Bell.

Melissa, just get us up to speed on what we heard last hour from the WHO as they try to trace contacts.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The World Health Organization, really, Becky, trying to do two different things.

First of all, reassure the public at large about just how contagious this Andes strain of hantavirus is, even as we now know a number of those

confirmed cases are being treated in countries like Switzerland and Germany.

And, of course, this disembarkation will take place we expect in the next couple of days, probably Saturday in the Canary Islands.

So they're trying to reassure the public at large, even as they try and organize what promises to be a fairly complex operation of getting these

people off the ship and safely to hospitals where they can be monitored and treated. This was the messaging in that press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, DIRECTOR, EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND PREVENTION, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: This is not COVID. This is not

influenza. It spreads very, very differently. So there are different precautions that people are taking.

So we're supporting the ship's operators in the mitigation measures that they are putting on board. And as we've said, we are working to have a

proper and full disembarkment procedure, step by step, to support authorities in the Canary Islands for the next stage of the people who are

on board.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: That is as far as the 147 people who are expected to disembark in Tenerife, Becky. But then there is also the fate of those who disembarked

earlier, 44 people in all, 40 of them disembarking in St. Helena, including the wife of the first man who died on the ship.

She died shortly after landing in South Africa, so efforts are being made to track down anyone who was on that flight or in the airport at the time.

Other passengers went on to Switzerland, for instance. And others of confirmed cases, the man had gotten off in St. Helena is now being treated

in a hospital in Switzerland.

Some of those group, that group as well, the 40 people who got off in St. Helena, also making their way to the United States. We know that there are

two passengers being monitored in Georgia, another in Arizona.

So they had traveled fairly freely and fairly widely before it was understood that this particular strain was at play and such a danger and,

of course, with the added complication of the extremely long incubation period, eight weeks, that this can go on for.

So a very delicate operation being undertaken because finally a port has been identified where we believe these passengers will be able to get off.

They were denied entry to Cape Verde, for instance. There were only three passengers able to disembark there.

But now that we have the idea of a port in sight, the question is the delicate operation that the World Health Organization will get in place,

not just to reassure people in the Canary Islands but in all the countries toward which those still on the ship will then travel. Becky.

[10:05:07]

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

Joining me now is Dr. Bram Goorhuis, an infectious disease specialist. He is treating a Dutch airline crew member who came into contact with one of

the cruise ship passengers who died last month.

So thank you for joining us. I do understand that you're not able to speak to the specifics of your patient's condition.

But can you speak to your understanding of hantavirus itself, how contagious it is, how dangerous it might be?

DR. BRAM GOORHUIS, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: Yes. Well, hantavirus is, it's dangerous in that sense that you can get very -- the people get

very sick in that. So for the individual who has contracted hantavirus, it's a dangerous disease but it's not so dangerous with regard to

contagiousness.

So it spreads not that easily from person to person. So you really have to have prolonged contact with somebody who has symptoms and otherwise it's --

so it's nothing like COVID, like the WHO said.

ANDERSON: There will be people watching this who will think quite logically that, if a flight attendant can contract this without having been

on that cruise ship, that this disease might be easily -- is more easily transmitted than is being described by authorities.

Can you just speak to that?

GOORHUIS: Well, that would be if the flight attendant would be -- would test positive. And those tests are still pending. So we -- I cannot confirm

at this point.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: At this point you're saying -- OK.

GOORHUIS: Yes. So at this point, yes, there's nothing to say about it. So if this test turns out to be negative, then it's basically an unchanged

situation.

ANDERSON: The World Health Organization --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: -- was keen to stress that this is not COVID.

Yes, this is not COVID, not the flu. And you just said the same thing. This is not COVID.

What does that comparison mean in terms of infection and this disease?

GOORHUIS: Well, the treatment, so any disease has a specific treatment. So for this, for this disease, it's a virus. So there's no specific antiviral

therapy. So the treatment is supportive, which means that in this -- the case of this disease, the symptoms are pulmonary symptoms.

So that means that you have to supply oxygen or maybe even intubate a patient for mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit. So that's

the treatment part. That's supportive care in the hope that, in the meantime, the patient's immune system will conquer the virus and the

patient will recover. So that's the treatment part.

The other one is the infection/prevention part. So you want to contain the virus. And that's easier with this virus than it was for COVID. So -- and

we were pretty good at containing COVID within the hospitals, with the precautionary measure that we had in place during the COVID pandemic.

So for this specific virus, the containment measures are easier. So it's basically, the isolation procedures are somehow somewhat similar to what we

did during the COVID pandemic. So it's not Ebola. It's not Ebola gear that we use.

ANDERSON: How quickly will you get the results of the tests of your patient to determine whether or not this is indeed the hantavirus?

GOORHUIS: Yes, we will have those results today. But I am not -- I'm not in the opportunity to disclose anything of that. So that that will have to

be -- that will probably be known in the public domain pretty soon. And for now, the tests are still pending.

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ANDERSON: The WHO says it is aware of more possible cases and says more may emerge. So we are yet to get the full picture at this point.

How concerned are you about whether or not this outbreak can be brought under control at this point?

GOORHUIS: Well, I am personally, very -- I'm not concerned about the control. So I think this is -- this -- it will be -- it will be quite easy

to bring it under control.

I just hope for the individuals who still might get sick that, you know, that they will recover quickly. I don't expect it to be many patients, many

more patients. Actually, I would be surprised that that would be the case.

But from a containment perspective, this is not really a big problem.

ANDERSON: We're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.

And just to impress upon our viewers, the WHO, in its briefing just last hour, has assessed the risk to the public as low as they explain that they

have a disembarkation plan in place for those passengers who are still currently in the North Atlantic on that cruise ship, who will disembark, as

we understand it, in the Canary Islands.

Doctor, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

And more, of course, on this as we get it here on CNN.

I also want to connect you to the latest on the Iran war. And sources telling CNN that Tehran is expected to respond today to a U.S. proposal to

end the war. Among the critical sticking points are security and authority in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran aiming to formalize control of that strait. It's launching a body that it says will govern maritime traffic. Iran says safe passage through

the strait will be possible under what it calls new procedures. Eleni Giokos in Dubai with more on what the new rules entail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Iran is trying to force shippers into complying with new rules. We got our hands on this document

today. It was emailed to Lloyds by the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

It's an official application form that is being sent to vessels and to shippers that want to transit the strait. It entails 40 questions they need

to answer and it comes with caveats. And in the body of the email, interestingly, Becky, it says any incorrect or incomplete information

provided will be the sole responsibility of the applicant.

And any resulting consequences will be borne accordingly. Now according to Lloyds, a lot of the questions in this application form, you can easily

find it's, you know, readily available information.

The question is how will it be applied by the Iranians to allow for safe transit?

They have categorically said that any vessel that has any links to what they call an enemy state will not be allowed transit but they are trying to

formalize a process that, frankly, has been in place since the start of the war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Right. That's Eleni Giokos.

For more on all of this, let's speak to Vali Nasr. He's a professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He's

an Iran expert.

And it's always good to have you on and to get your analysis and your clearsightedness about what is going on.

Vali, first, I want your insight, if you will, of this push by Iran to institutionalize its control of the Strait of Hormuz. I mean, that will be

categorically rejected by the UAE where I am. I know sources, Saudi sources, have told me that is a nonstarter, that those are international

waterways.

This economic terrorism, holding these vessels hostage by Iran, the position doesn't change from these Gulf states. It is unacceptable. And I

wonder what you make of what we've just heard there, Eleni talking about, you know, these plans that are now being discussed, you know, and suggested

by Iran.

Does this suggest a confidence by Tehran?

And if so, do you believe that is warranted at this point?

DR. VALI NASR, JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Yes, it does suggest confidence. And I think at some level, the timing of

this email to Lloyds coincides with the president's announcement of Operation Freedom, although he backed away from it later on.

And also with the fact that the American blockade is still in place. And president Trump periodically saber rattles that he's going to restart the

war or is going to tighten the blockade. And so Iran's answer is that they are also going to formalize further their control of the Strait of Hormuz.

[10:15:00]

But I think the reality of it is that it is the Iranians are basically putting a challenge before the U.S. In other words, if you want to deny us

control, you have to give us something in terms of sanctions relief, serious negotiations over giving back Iran's money.

Otherwise, were going to assert this control. And the countries around the Gulf can object but they really don't have a mechanism right now to deny

Iran the control that it has. Their entire reliance is on the United States to deny Iran control. And so far, the United States has not been actually

able to change the situation that is unfolding.

ANDERSON: You've said take the president's optimism about this memo, that is doing the rounds at present, with a grain of salt.

Now sources that I've spoken to, Vali, who are familiar with mediation efforts, say that this is a real effort on the part of the Trump

administration to keep diplomacy alive at this point.

His threat, they say, to restart military action, should Tehran not work with the mediators and with the U.S. on this, the threat is very real about

restarting military action.

What's your read on Donald Trump's calculus right now?

NASR: I think his calculation right now is to lower the temperature and manipulate markets -- oil markets, stock markets -- and calm things down so

that he can have a successful trip to China, that he doesn't arrive in Beijing with either an escalation in the markets or a -- even a situation

of war.

But the problem is that, yes, there is progress in diplomacy. There is progress in diplomacy in terms of how do you end the war and how do you

lift the blockade and the siege on the Strait of Hormuz.

But then the -- what the president puts out and leaks in terms of what Iran has already agreed to on the nuclear front are essentially not correct. And

it actually undermines whatever progress there's been made in diplomacy.

And finally, you know, the reason we should take what the president says with a grain of salt is that this kind of announcement that he makes are

not new. He's been doing them all along, saying, we're really near a deal. And then a war starts with Iran.

Or we're very near a deal and then it doesn't go anywhere. It has tremendous amount of impact on markets because they're looking at good news

but they not have -- not yet parlayed into a situation in which Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz ends, the blockade ends or we end up at a -

- at a serious nuclear negotiation.

ANDERSON: I'm really interested in the Beijing dateline in all of this. The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met with his Chinese

counterpart in Beijing yesterday. You suggested he likely encouraged China to become a party in the management of the Gulf after the war ends.

Can you explain what you see as China's possible role going forward?

And, you know, let's remind our viewers why May 14th is an important date here. This is the date scheduled for this meeting between Donald Trump and

Xi Jinping in Beijing.

NASR: I mean, first of all, this is an important trip for the president and he doesn't want to arrive in Beijing with the impression that he has no

control over the situation in the Middle East.

Let's not forget that the president's policy in this war so far has battered the economies in Asia in particular. And so this is not a good

look for him going to Asia, having diminished, if you would. Asian economies and then having no plan in a way to end the war.

So I think partly we have to read the president's messaging in these -- during these days as a way of trying to arrive in Beijing, appearing that

he's in control and things are going to get better.

But at the same time, the Chinese are clearly indicating that that they will play a bigger role in the region. And the likelihood of why they will

is because they already have played a positive role in the past when they brought Iran and Saudi Arabia together. They got them to sign a

normalization pact.

China remains the only global power that both the Arab countries of the Gulf, Persian Gulf, and the Iranian side trust in and would look to as a

guarantor of whatever they agree to going forward. And if there is one country that actually can persuade Iran to back off some of its maximal

demands on the Strait of Hormuz, it would be China.

[10:20:03]

So I think Iran is basically messaging to the region that it wants a future for the Persian Gulf that is less American and perhaps more Chinese.

ANDERSON: What guarantees can China provide at this point were they to, you know, suggest that they will play a significant role here?

NASR: I mean, first of all, they can help mediate an agreement between Iran and its Arab neighbors or the GCC as a whole over security, war, the

economy and maritime security and also the terms of what the management of the Strait of Hormuz would be.

And then I think both Iran would look to China as to guarantee that the Arab side of the deal would abide by their terms. And the Arab side would

look to China to make sure that Iran abide by its commitments to that deal. That's the way it worked between Iran and Saudi Arabia when they signed the

deal in Beijing.

They both trusted that deal because Xi Jinping and his foreign minister were involved in negotiating it. The United States can no longer play that

role because it doesn't have that kind of relationship with Iran. And already it has shown the Arab countries in the region that is not able to

defend them or guarantee their security.

ANDERSON: As we wait for a reply from Tehran to this U.S. memo -- and our sources say that may come today; let's see -- we are learning of the first

reported in-person meeting between an Iranian official and the country's new supreme leader. The Iranian president says he held a 2.5-hour meeting

with Mojtaba Khamenei.

How do you read that, especially in the context of these talks?

NASR: I don't think it's designed to be in the context of these talks. I think it's designed, in the context of Iran, domestic Iranian political

system, for the president to say that all of these rumors about the fact that this -- that the new supreme leader either is dead or is incapacitated

is wrong, that he is in charge.

That he was in command of the -- of all of his senses and of the meeting. And it portrays a sense of continuity in Iran and puts to rest the rumors

that the United States has been putting forward in the past week or so, that there is nobody in charge in Tehran and there's factional rivalry.

And that's the reason why there's no progress on diplomacy. So I think it gives much more a sense of normalcy in Iran and consolidation of power

under the new supreme leader, although it remains for Iranians to see him directly in a televised setting or in person at an event.

This is still an account of a meeting rather than a direct interaction between the public and the new supreme leader.

ANDERSON: Yes, very good point. Vali, always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed.

NASR: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Important perspective from Vali Nasr for you as we continue to watch what is going on and report the facts as we understand them and

analyze the noise while we await those facts.

Thank you.

Still to come, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio meets with Pope Leo at the Vatican.

Can he repair relations between the U.S. president and the Holy See?

That is up next.

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ANDERSON: U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio has just wrapped up a meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican. Now they were expected to have

discussed the war with Iran and humanitarian aid to Cuba.

His visit, of course, comes amid a string of critical comments from president Trump. Here are some of Trump's recent criticisms of the first

American pope.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person, Pope Leo said. Things that are wrong. I think he's very weak on crime and other

things.

I think he's endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people. But I guess if it's up to the pope, he thinks it's just fine for Iran to have a

nuclear weapon.

As far as the pope is concerned, it's very simple. Whether I make them happy or I don't make them happy Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and he

seemed to be saying that they can. And I say they cannot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, let's just be quite clear. We're going to talk about this with our correspondent momentarily -- and to just be quite clear about what

it is that the pope has said or hasn't said about nuclear weapons.

Asked by CNN's Kristen Holmes, though, whether this trip was an attempt to smooth things over, here's what secretary Rubio said before heading for

Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Is this an attempt to smooth things over with the pope, given the rhetoric between president Trump and

Pope Leo?

MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: No, I mean, it's a trip we had planned from before and obviously we had some stuff that happened. And

no, look, there's a lot to talk about with the Vatican.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: OK. So CNN senior national security reporter Jennifer Hansler joins us live from the State Department.

So do we understand what came out of this meeting and why Rubio specifically was the administration official to be dispatched?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, clearly this was an attempt to reset normal diplomatic relations between

Washington and the Vatican, despite Rubio trying to downplay that as a key aspect of this meeting.

Of course, it comes amid that barrage of attacks by the U.S. president. We should be clear that the pope has never advocated for Iran to have a

nuclear weapon. He has instead spoken out against wars and the war in Iran. And that has prompted this flood of attacks by the U.S. president.

Now we did get a brief readout from the U.S. State Department about that meeting that occurred earlier today in the Vatican. They said they

discussed the situation in the Middle East as well as topics of mutual interest in the Western Hemisphere; that would include Cuba. I also want to

share this line from the readout.

They said, quote, "The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Holy See and their shared commitment to promoting

peace and human dignity."

Now this is a pope that has had a longstanding divide on a number of issues between the Trump administration and himself. He had spoken out against the

mistreatment of migrants and refugees.

Of course, the Trump administration has demonized and sought to keep out refugees and asylum seekers from the United States. So there is an attempt

here to try to bridge the gaps and find areas of mutual interest, including on Cuba, where the U.S. has relied on the Catholic Church to distribute

some $6 million in humanitarian aid.

Rubio himself is a very devout Catholic. This is something that he has spoken about on a number of occasions, Becky, about his Catholic faith. He

has recognized that the Catholic Church can be a tool of diplomacy.

And, of course, the broader picture here, Becky, is that Rubio is a strong contender -- growing contender, some might argue -- for that 2028 race. We

saw him in the White House press briefing room earlier this week, where he did take that question from our Kristen Holmes.

[10:30:04]

And a lot of people are saying this was almost an audition for the potential candidacy. The Catholic base among the Republican Party has

looked with some concern at the way the Trump administration has been attacking and the U.S. president has been attacking the pope.

So this could also be an attempt to bolster his image among that Republican base. There are some comments he also made in that White House press

briefing that are getting a lot of attention.

The State Department itself put out a video interspersing these comments with music and these images that looked like a campaign ad. And I want you

to take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: We wanted to continue to be the place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything, where you're not limited by the circumstances of your

birth, by the color of your skin, by your ethnicity.

But frankly, it's a place where you are able to overcome challenges and achieve your full potential. I think that should be the goal of every

country in the world, frankly. But I think in the U.S. we're not perfect. Our history is not one of perfection. But it's still better than anybody

else's history. And ours is a story of perpetual improvement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANSLER: So this is, you know, him talking about the United States. That sounds very much like a campaign speech.

Now from his meeting this morning, Becky, he is also going to be meeting tomorrow with the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. This is someone

else that the Trump administration has been tussling with over this -- what they say is a lack of support for the war in Iran.

So a lot of tense spots that Rubio, as this diplomat, is going to try to smooth over here. He has been dispatched in the past to kind of smooth

things over. And it seems he is, again, trying to be a fixer here.

ANDERSON: Yes. And it was it was a genuine question about, you know, why it is that Rubio has been dispatched, of course, to the Vatican. The vice

president of the United States, JD Vance, himself a Catholic and also a potential candidate for 2028, of course, warned the pope that he should be

careful when talking of issues of theology.

That was a pretty controversial thing to say on top of the criticism that the pope has had, of course, from the president himself.

I do, before I let you go, just want to talk about the various hats that the secretary of state is wearing at present. Marco Rubio is the secretary

of state. He's also the national security adviser. He was playing the White House spokesperson the other night. Karoline Leavitt, of course, has gone

on maternity leave at this point.

He's been talked about sort of, you know, the president loosely termed of Venezuela and of Cuba. I mean, he's got a pretty busy file or set of files

these days.

What do you make of this, you know, these multi hats he's wearing?

HANSLER: Well, it's very interesting, Becky, because he is wearing, as you said, these multiple hats. But he seems to choose very carefully the ones

he is getting intimately involved with, the ones that he is traveling for versus the ones he is staying by the president's side.

For example, these Iran negotiations he has left to Vance, Witkoff and Kushner. He did not go to Pakistan, for example, during those talks. He has

been focusing his travels on the Western Hemisphere. This is clearly something he is very passionate about, both the Venezuela file and the Cuba

file.

That is something that has been front and center on his agenda. Of course, this visit now to the Vatican, he has stayed away from criticizing the pope

in a way that we saw JD Vance or president Trump go after him on the Ukraine file.

He has chosen very carefully when he has inserted himself into those negotiations. He has largely left that as well to Witkoff and Kushner,

though he did travel to Geneva earlier last -- sorry; at the end of last year during those negotiations.

So he is choosing very carefully where he is inserting himself to be present in these talks, while he is also clearly maintaining a lot of

influence over the U.S. president by being here in Washington, D.C.

He's at the White House almost all day, every day. He is -- you know, comes over to the State Department on occasion. But by and large, he is -- he is

at the White House. So it's very interesting to see.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: -- always good having you on. Thank you.

Yes, I know it really is. And it's always good to have you kind of fleshing it out for us as ever. Thank you, Jennifer.

Well, ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, with me, Becky Anderson, a strike on Beirut has observers asking whether the ceasefire between Israel and

Lebanon is in name only. A live report coming up.

Plus, I'll talk to an expert on this region after this short break.

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[10:35:00]

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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.

Health officials in several countries are racing to trace and treat people who may have been exposed to hantavirus amid an outbreak first detected on

board the cruise ship Hondius. Now the World Health Organization spoke last hour, says the risk of getting the virus is low.

Three people have died in the latest outbreak and five more cases have been confirmed.

Well, sources say Iran is expected to respond today to a U.S. proposal to end the war. President Trump declared Wednesday there had been good talks

between the two sides, saying a deal could be in sight. But he said the U.S. would go back to bombing Iran even more than before if a deal wasn't

reached.

ANDERSON: Well, Israel says it has killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. The military says it targeted the chief of the group's Radwan Force

in the city's southern suburbs. Wednesday's attack was the first by Israel on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire in Lebanon was brokered by the

U.S. last month.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond joining us now with more from Jerusalem.

This is a significant escalation in what had already increasingly looked like a ceasefire, only -- in name only.

What do we know at this point?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Becky. And it is a significant moment in particular because of the location of where

this strike took place.

The Israeli military carried out a strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut in the Lebanese capital, killing this senior Radwan Force's commander,

Ahmed Ali Balout. He is the latest senior Radwan commander who has been killed by the Israeli military.

But the fact that this took place three weeks into this ceasefire in Lebanon that Israel agreed to at the request of the United States, three

weeks during which Israel didn't carry out any strikes in the Lebanese capital until this moment, is very significant.

Now it does appear, according to an Israeli source, that Israel did inform the United States ahead of time that it did intend to carry out this strike

in the Lebanese capital. And this strike was approved at the highest levels of the Israeli government by the prime minister himself.

In fact, the prime minister even referenced the fact that this senior Hezbollah commander may have read in the press that he would have been off

limits because he was in the Lebanese capital.

But he said that this commander found out very clearly, by the use of these missiles, that he was not.

As you mentioned, Becky, we have seen over the course of these three weeks that this ceasefire has indeed, in many ways, been one in name only, as

there have been regular daily Israeli strikes taking place in Lebanon that have killed more than 400 people now.

But for the most part, those strikes have been in southern Lebanon. We also know, of course, that Hezbollah has been firing at Israeli soldiers in

southern Lebanon.

[10:40:05]

As well as at northern Israeli communities, using drones, anti-tank missiles and other weapons in its arsenal.

But in the background of all of this, there has been the political will to maintain the appearance of this ceasefire because of the diplomacy that's

been taking place between Israel and Lebanon, very much at the insistence of the United States.

So far, we've seen meetings at the ambassadorial level. But president Trump has been pushing to broker the first meeting between the Israeli prime

minister and the Lebanese president. But the Lebanese president has been very clear that that's not going to happen until Israeli attacks on his

country cease -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes. Jeremy. Thank you. I want to get to Beirut then and to Firas Maksad, who is a recognized expert on the politics of Lebanon.

Good to have you on. You're in Beirut, Firas, where I know you've had the chance to speak to a number of key decision makers, stakeholders, including

a meeting with president Joseph Aoun.

What is your assessment given those meetings?

What's your assessment of the situation and how do you believe this latest strike might affect things?

FIRAS MAKSAD, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURASIA GROUP: Yes. Becky. Thank you. Good to be on your show again.

It's a dire situation as far as the ceasefire is concerned. Yes, this is a ceasefire by name only, perhaps as far as south Lebanon is concerned. Not

only is Israel continuing to take shots at Hezbollah but it is demolishing many, many villages in southern Lebanon.

So if you're in Beirut, if you're president Aoun, it doesn't look like a ceasefire is, in fact, in place, one that president Trump has called for.

In my discussions with the various officials here, it's clear that this is a situation that benefits Hezbollah, not the Lebanese authority.

After all, Hezbollah derives its legitimacy amongst its community because of Israeli occupation, by resisting Israeli occupation. So by having Israel

now, again, occupying southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is growing stronger, despite the initial lack of interest from its community in another war,

which Hezbollah had dragged it into.

So Hezbollah is looking like it's in a better place. The Lebanese government and the Lebanese president less so.

ANDERSON: Well, what, then, does the Lebanese government, president Aoun, what is -- what do they need to see happen?

What sort of support do they need at this point to tip that balance away from Hezbollah and in their favor?

Washington certainly extremely enthusiastic about getting some peace deal done. They want to see a meeting between president Aoun and Benjamin

Netanyahu of Israel.

If that is the -- if that's the end point here, what chance the Lebanese government are going to get there or president Aoun is going to get there

to Washington, I guess. I mean, at this point?

MAKSAD: It's a very delicate diplomatic dance on the Lebanese side here. They are very interested in maintaining president Trump's attention. They

understand that the ceasefire, keeping Israel at bay, at least away from Beirut, is something that is very much dependent on president Trump's

interest.

However, they are incapable politically from standing shoulder to shoulder, let alone shaking hands with the Israeli prime minister as Israel continues

to occupy and bomb Lebanese territory.

For the -- so the point of emphasis for the Lebanese is a meaningful ceasefire, Israel stopping, ceasing its attacks on Lebanese territory. And

the sense is that they can deliver Hezbollah to do the same via the regional parties at play here, primarily the Saudi-Iranian channel.

As you know, the Saudis have been engaging the Iranians quite actively. So that is the -- I would expect that the Lebanese, the Lebanese president,

could show up in Washington. In fact, he's very interested in going to the White House for a summit.

But that would have to be a preliminary summit between him and president Trump first that then sets the stage later on, after the conditions are

right, for a potential meeting with the Israeli prime minister.

ANDERSON: It's been clear that Washington has put an awful lot of pressure on Israel to step back, hold back on any kinetic action on Lebanon, bar

what's going on in the south, which is bad enough.

That seems to -- that pressure seems not to have worked at this point, given what we've seen today.

So do you expect further pressure from Washington on Tel Aviv at this point?

And how closely tied is this situation, this Lebanese situation, to any potential deal between the United States and Iran at this point, do you

believe?

[10:45:08]

MAKSAD: Well, a couple of things. I do think that the Israeli strike on Beirut, a very targeted assassination of a Hezbollah leader, did have to

sign off on the approval of President Trump. President Trump understands that the Israeli prime minister is in a difficult place.

Before this war, there were no Hezbollah attacks against Israel. After this war, Hezbollah is now attacking Israeli troops in Lebanon but also

attacking northern communities in Israel proper. So Bibi had to do something. And Trump decided to give him the signoff on that one-off in

Beirut.

I don't think that this will continue. I don't think at this point, although fragile, the ceasefire will continue -- will completely come

apart. But overall, the diplomacy in Beirut, this Lebanon-Israel track, while separate, is clearly correlated with what's happening between the

U.S. and Iran.

Those that I talk to, Becky, here in Beirut want to see a synchronized process, where progress between the U.S. and Iran can then be reflected in

potential movement on the diplomatic track between Lebanon and Israel.

Very crucial to their mind is an end to the Israeli attacks, because, after all, Hezbollah gets its drive, its support, its legitimacy from support

within the Shiite community. And as long as this occupation and these (INAUDIBLE) continue, Hezbollah is further legitimizing its military role.

ANDERSON: Firas, good to have you. The fact that you are there, the meetings that you have had and the insight that you can provide is very,

very valuable. Thank you very much indeed.

Well, we are waiting for the president of Brazil to arrive at the White House for talks with president Trump. We'll be looking at what is up for

discussion when they meet, up next.

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ANDERSON: Well, just moments from now, U.S. president Donald Trump will meet with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in the

White House. This meeting, of course, comes at what has been a rocky time for U.S.-Brazil relations. Alayna Treene with me from the White House.

Relations have often been tense between these two men very specifically. And I know things improved marginally when this offer of a visit was out

there.

What are the expectations for this meeting, Alayna?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, look, this meeting comes at a moment, Becky, of what I'd call a fragile truce between these two leaders

of the Western Hemisphere.

I would remind you that the president has, since coming into office, subjected Brazil to a whiplash of different measures -- tariffs, different

attacks that have been exchanged between these two men.

[10:50:04]

So it is interesting to see the president of Brazil any moment now expecting to arrive here for this meeting. I will note as well that we will

not see the arrival, the greeting on camera. But we are expected to have cameras inside the Oval Office when they sit down for a bilateral meeting.

So that should be interesting as well.

But as for what they are expected to discuss, we're told there will be discussions on cooperation, on organized crime, about U.S. trade and

tariffs, specifically those on Brazilian imports.

And then also about, you know, something we know that this Trump administration has valued very highly over the last 1.5 years, which is

rare earth minerals and how the U.S. might get access to some of the rare earth minerals that Brazil possesses.

To go back to, though, what I was talking about with those whiplash of measures, the president had previously placed a series of tariffs on Brazil

in a way to try and pressure the country to drop its prosecution of its former leader, Jair Bolsonaro. He was a former right wing politician,

someone who was very close, a political ally of president Trump.

We also saw him impose sanctions on Brazil, on the Brazilian supreme court justice overseeing Bolsonaro's case. We have since seen the Trump

administration roll back some of that.

I'd also remind you that the president Trump and president Lula did meet on the sidelines last year of a summit in Asia. We saw the two kind of

embrace. The president said of Lula that he believed that he seemed like a very nice man.

So again, a fragile truce right now. We'll have to see how that all plays out today, though, when the two meet, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

We are taking a short break. Back after this.

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ANDERSON: Humanitarian, climate activist and, most famously, the founder of this network, today, Ted Turner is being remembered as a legend. He

passed away Wednesday at the age of 87.

Of course, we are remembering our mentor's legacy here at CNN, which changed an awful lot of lives. I was lucky enough to sit down with him a

number of times over the years for interviews. And I just thought we'd show you part of an interview with Ted I did about climate change. This was from

CNN's special coverage back in 2010.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: This is a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, live here in Cancun, where thousands of delegates and ministers

from 192 countries around the world are meeting for what's known as the COP16 meeting.

Here, everyone has a part to play to tackle climate change.

But are business leaders serious about taking on the challenge?

Well, I put that to Richard Branson, the founder and chairman of the Virgin Group, and to Ted Turner, the man who, of course, started CNN.

And I began by asking them about the huge task ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED TURNER, PHILANTHROPIST, CNN FOUNDER: I'm optimistic about the -- about the future. And certainly, we're going to have to have everybody involved

in saving humanity. We're going to have to have the business community, the educational community. Government obviously has to be a very big part of

it.

[10:55:00]

But it can't be done alone. It's going to have to take -- it's going to take all of us working together to save ourselves, because that's what this

stake is, the future of life on Earth.

Humanity is pretty good at staying where it is. And we have to fight inertia on this like we've never fought it before. We've never had a

challenge like this before. And I like us. I like human beings. And I am one.

(LAUGHTER)

TURNER: And -- but we've got to -- we've got to stop acting like monkeys and start acting like sophisticated, educated, civilized human beings.

RICHARD BRANSON, CHAIRMAN & FOUNDER, VIRGIN GROUP: We're intelligent enough to whip this problem. And I think with enough determination, we will

do so.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

TURNER: And let's whip this problem and not build more nuclear weapons, for instance. Let's plan to live rather than plan to die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Thank you, Ted.

I know I speak on behalf of the whole CNN family when I say may Ted Turner rest in peace.

Well, that is it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.

END