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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Hezbollah Claims Attacks On Israeli Soldiers, Border Town; U.S. And Iran Preparing For Saturday Talks In Pakistan; Trump: Asked Israel To Be "More Low-Key" On Lebanon; Artemis II Astronauts Prepare For Reentry In Coming Hours; First Lady Calls On Congress To Allow Epstein Victims To Testify. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired April 10, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:34]

DANNY FREEMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Danny Freeman in New York.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Becky Anderson, live from our Middle East headquarters in Abu Dhabi, where the time is one in the afternoon and you are watching EARLY START.

The Iranian proxy militia Hezbollah claims it has launched new attacks on Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and against an Israeli border town.

Now, this ongoing fighting could threaten to disrupt what is an already shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. It comes just a day ahead of direct talks aimed at ending the war in the region.

These are images of Islamabad in Pakistan, where security is tight ahead of the Vice President J.D. Vance arriving. He'll lead the U.S. delegation along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner.

Two key issues are threatening this current two-week ceasefire. Iran demanding an end to the Israeli military operation in Lebanon. Israel's prime minister says Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement, although he wants to begin direct talks to disarm Hezbollah.

And then there is the growing doubt about whether Iran will open the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels, analysts and shipping executives tell CNN it is still too risky to cross for many. And only a few ships have made the journey in recent days.

CNN's Eleni Giokos following that live in Dubai.

First, let's begin with Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi. We are some 24 hours ahead of what we understand to be the beginning of these talks in Pakistan. What do we know at this point

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, yes, Saturday morning is when these discussions are supposed to start in Islamabad. We understand from Iranian state media that the Iranian delegation is already there and will be having talks with the Pakistan delegations today. That from state media.

So, there are a number of key issues that really need to be nailed down between these two sides before they can get into the nitty-gritty of the nuclear program or sanctions or other issues of this deal. The Strait of Hormuz, clearly a key concern at this point and the continuing attacks and strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. And of course, Hezbollah strikes back to Israel as well.

Now, this is one of the issues that does appear to be really threatening to undermine the very fragile ceasefire at this point. We've heard from the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, saying that that the U.S. has to choose either the ceasefire or to continue this war through Israel, saying that the U.S. cannot have it both ways.

Now, we do understand from sources that the U.S. President Donald Trump has been trying to put some pressure on the Israeli prime minister, or at least asking him to pull back somewhat in Lebanon, certainly, after what we saw on Wednesday -- those devastating strikes across the country, which killed more than 300 people.

Now, Trump also told NBC News that he had asked Netanyahu to be, quote, "a little more low-key". We have heard from the Israeli prime minister on Thursday night that he is willing to have talks with the Lebanese government. It is something the Lebanese government has been calling for, for many weeks now. Now, as of Thursday, Lebanese officials, two Lebanese officials told CNN that they hadn't heard of an official outreach to the Lebanese government.

Also, there had been talks about potential negotiations in Washington, D.C. next week. The government also saying they hadn't had confirmation or heard anything about that at this point. But clearly, it appears that that the U.S. president is trying to prevent Lebanon from becoming the issue that really derails these talks.

There is increasing international calls for Lebanon to be part of this ceasefire, not least because of what happened on Wednesday with those 100 coordinated strikes. Israel says on command and control centers of Hezbollah across -- across Lebanon.

[05:05:02]

And there is international condemnation of those strikes, some of them within central Beirut in Shia, Muslim and Christian neighborhoods not known for supporting Hezbollah in any shape or form, although Israel does say Hezbollah hides within the civilian population. So, this is really becoming one of the issues that experts fear could derail this process. Not helped, of course, by the fact that there isn't a publicly available document that that people can refer to. Looking at what this ceasefire entails at this point, it is all effectively being agreed and announced or announced, at least on social media -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Paula. Thank you. Eleni, let's get ourselves bang up to date on what we understand to be

the situation in the Strait of Hormuz that was supposed to be functioning for more vessels to navigate during this two-week ceasefire. What is the situation as we speak and what is the impact of what is going on there on the markets this Friday?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So, according to Lloyd's List, we've actually seen less vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz in the past day since the announcement of the ceasefire, which of course is creating a lot of concern. And importantly, we are also hearing that Iran is trying to formalize its control over this key international waterway.

President Trump, posting on social media saying that he's hearing that Tehran is charging a toll fee to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and they have to stop this immediately. The White House sending mixed messages in terms of a potential joint venture or, you know, the United States potentially being involved in charging a fee to transit through the strait. Again, we have to focus on the fact this is an international waterway, and no fee should be charged.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO Sultan Al Jaber said the strait is closed, and he also says it is -- the access is being restricted, it's conditioned and its controlled and is saying that it must open up fully going forward.

This is Iran's bargaining chip, Becky, because we've seen oil prices responding aggressively in the past month because of the closure of this rate. Right now, you've got Brent crude sitting at $98 a barrel. You've got WTI sitting just over $100 a barrel. And it's really showing you that market participants are waiting to hear what the conversations are going to be around the strait come these conversations in Pakistan.

We also heard for the first time an announcement from Saudi Arabia's energy ministry. And they're talking about the capacity that has been taken out of the market because of the recent strikes. They say 600,000 barrels per day has been taken out.

And we've been talking about the East-West pipeline. That has been a fantastic diversion away from the Strait of Hormuz that normally handles 7 million barrels of oil per day. That feeds oil to the Red Sea because of the strikes there, we saw 700,000 barrels of oil per day that is impacted, that flows normally through that pipeline.

These are important messaging, you know, points of messaging from key stakeholders. And we're hearing from the Saudi energy ministry saying the continuation of these attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, thereby affecting the security of supply for consuming countries and contributing to increased volatility in oil markets, Becky.

So, you know, the halting of hostilities across the region means no more strikes against energy infrastructure. And then, of course, importantly, the Strait of Hormuz.

ANDERSON: Good to have you both. Thank you very much indeed.

All right. Let's get you to Lina Khatib, who is visiting scholar in the Middle East initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School and an associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House.

Netanyahu, Benjamin Betanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, posting on X that after repeated requests from Lebanon, he has decided to open and that those negotiations will focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah. Why now? And are these negotiations any more likely to stave off future violence, given this is what Lebanon and Israel have negotiated before, of course?

LINA KHATIB, VISITING SCHOLAR, MIDDLE EAST INITIATIVE, HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL: The timing is very important because it comes at the same time as the start of negotiations in Pakistan. Now, Iran explicitly said that it's not going to leave Lebanon. This puts Lebanon in a delicate position because it is actually a problem for Lebanese sovereignty to have another country speak on Lebanon's behalf in any international negotiations.

Of course, Hezbollah answers to Tehran, sadly, not to the Lebanese government, but when it comes to any international negotiation, it has to be the Lebanese government that speaks on Lebanon's behalf.

[05:10:11]

So, in announcing this, Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to undermine Iran by basically saying, Iran has no say over what happens in Lebanon. And so, there are two ways in which this could go forward. Either Lebanon has separate negotiations, perhaps in the United States or Lebanon has separate negotiations in Pakistan as well. Either way, this is more about, Israel and Iran than anything else because ultimately, this is the big picture that we're dealing with.

ANDERSON: You have spent some time looking at the rise and fall of Iran's proxy system as Iran tries to stress the importance of supporting Lebanon and, by extension, Hezbollah. That's what it means in the current ceasefire debate. Can you just explain where we are in terms of Iran's sort of regional power? They call it the axis of resistance in the sort of in new terms, I've seen its use of the term, its allies around the region. Your thinking?

KHATIB: Yeah, I just published a paper, published by Harvard, about this very issue. So what we're seeing is a manifestation of the degradation of this proxy model that Iran has been using for influence all over the region.

So, when it comes to the current situation, if Iran is seen as abandoning Hezbollah in any way, then Iran's influence in the region would be eroded. But at the same time, if Hezbollah is weakened, then this also weakens Iran's influence.

So, either way, we are witnessing the degradation of this proxy model that had been in place for decades. And these negotiations with this tug of war over what happens with Lebanon is just another illustration of how this model of influence for Iran is ending. Ultimately, the big picture is a change in the regional order away from one in which Iran has been a dominant actor in the region, more assertiveness on part of Israel with cascading results all across the Middle East, with Lebanon being at the heart of this at the moment.

ANDERSON: You've made the argument, this is a trap for Iran, posting, if Iran doesn't respond to Israels attack on Hezbollah, it'll lose its remaining influence in Lebanon. If it responds, it will have broken this two-week ceasefire. The terms of this two-week ceasefire.

So, we're 24 hours away from what are the scheduled talks. Let's see if they happen in Islamabad. But do you think that this fragile ceasefire and we have to call it fragile, like it or not, we have seen significant attacks by Israel on Beirut. On Wednesday, we have seen attacks by Hezbollah this morning on Israeli assets.

So, do you think this ceasefire is going to hold? And by the way. Israel says Lebanon isn't involved in the ceasefire. Be that as it may, or is it just a pause in what could become an even hotter conflict at this point?

KHATIB: I mean, as I have been saying, Iran is really on the back foot. Its model of influence in the region through proxies is degrading. It has lost a lot of its military capacity. It had been protesting against negotiations, and now it has agreed to them, which can only be read as a sign of weakness. And even there, as I quoted, I have been saying, that this is a trap for Iran in a way damned if it was, damned if it wasn't.

So, no matter how you turn the situation or how you look at it, Iran is really being cornered here. However, when it comes to the ceasefire holding, I am not very hopeful. I think what's more likely is that we are witnessing a period of strategic refinement on part of the us, on part of Israel and on part of Iran. And I expect that we're going to see further escalation.

And that's simply because the demands of the us and what Iran is willing to do are very far apart. And Israel has not yet achieved its goals, which is to neutralize the threat posed by Iran in the region. And I don't think this is going to happen through two weeks of ceasefire and negotiations.

[05:15:05]

I think we're still some way away from seeing the end of this war.

ANDERSON: Lina, as I reflect on where we are at today in anticipation of these talks in Islamabad, it's interesting just to point out that these talks aren't in Qatar or Oman. They are in, you know, a Muslim majority country outside of the region in Pakistan, encouraged by the United States.

You know, I do think this is a classic day, as I listen to you as well, where, you know, you have to once again describe for our viewers just how complex and complicated this region, where I am and you cover really is. Lina, thank you very much indeed for joining us. Lina Khatib in the

house for you this morning.

We're going to have a lot more from the Middle East coming up. For now, though, let's get you back to Danny in New York.

FREEMAN: Yeah. All eyes on Pakistan as we approach this weekend. Becky, thank you very much.

All right. Moving to space. NASA and the astronauts of the Artemis II mission are getting ready for their return to Earth. The astronauts are more than halfway home now, and their Orion capsule is on track to splashdown off the coast of San Diego, California, in the coming hours, shortly after 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

But the most daunting and precarious part of the mission is still ahead, reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

CNN's Tom Foreman reports.

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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Orion comes back into Earth's atmosphere, there may be no other part of this that is more important than the heat shield on the bottom of the space capsule here. Why is that so important? Because this is coming in at 25,000 miles per hour. That means there's going to be a tremendous buildup of heat on the bottom of the craft. About 5,000 degrees, half the temperature of the surface of the sun.

Now, this is an ablative shield. What does that mean? That means it is supposed to erode off against all of that intense heat. But in the Artemis I mission, one of the things they noticed was that it was not eroding so evenly. That's it right over there. And that raised some safety concerns.

So, what they did was reconfigure the exact way that they're going to bring this back, thinking that that might avoid that problem again or at least mitigate it and allow the craft to slow down, slowly pop its 11 different parachutes and doing so get to a speed where it can safely splash down in the ocean, with the four astronauts aboard.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: We want all four astronauts to come home safely. CNN will have live coverage of Artemis' return to earth from the moment they enter the atmosphere to that splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. It all begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 p.m. on the West Coast at midnight in London.

All right. Coming up in just a moment, a rare intervention from the U.S. first lady as Melania Trump blasts what she calls lies. We'll tell you what that's all about.

Plus, lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are trying to get him out of prison for his conviction on prostitution related charges. We'll tell you what, they argued in court. That and much more coming up ahead.

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[05:22:38]

FREEMAN: First Lady Melania Trump is blasting what she calls lies linking her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She made the remarks in a rare address on Thursday at the White House, and she called on Congress to allow his victims to testify. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with the public hearing, specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREEMAN: Now, some of the Epstein survivors have pushed back on the first lady's comments. They said calling on victims to testify was a deflection of responsibility.

And lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are urging a federal appeals court to release the disgraced music mogul from prison. On Thursday, they argued that the trial judge considered acquitted conduct in order to set Combs's 50-month sentence.

Meanwhile, prosecutors want the court to affirm the conviction and the sentence.

CNN's Kara Scannell has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs appeared before a federal appeals court on Thursday trying to get his conviction on transportation to engage in prostitution charges thrown out and have him immediately released from prison. The panel of three judges focused in on this question that combs lawyers had raised in their legal briefs. That is, whether the trial judge had sentenced combs based on acquitted conduct of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy when he was supposed to sentence him only on the conduct related to the transportation charges.

That is where the judges focus their questioning, peppering lawyers from both Combs' camp and the prosecution about this. The prosecutor saying that the judge made clear in his sentencing that he was considering other conduct that was not related to the sex trafficking when he came up with this determination, specifically focusing on Combs' history of violence towards women, as well as looking at some of the escorts agency employees who were involved in the transportation of the escorts who were not at all part of the racketeering charge or the sex trafficking charge. They're trying to convince the judge to keep this in place. But the

judges on the panel saying that this is a case of first impression, as one of the judges put it, he said that this is an exceptionally difficult case for them to decide.

[05:25:00]

The arguments were supposed to last 20 minutes. They went roughly two hours. And at the end, Combs's lawyer had the last word. She said to the judges that no matter which way they rule, she hopes they issue a decision quickly.

Combs is serving a 50-month sentence. He is expected to be released in April of 2028.

Kara Scannell, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREEMAN: Thank you, Kara, for that reporting.

To this now, an American man has been arrested by Royal Bahamas police after he said his wife fell from their small boat and was swept away by rough waters about five days ago. According to officials, Brian Hooker says he last saw his wife swimming towards shore. He has not been charged and he has denied any wrongdoing.

Bahamas officials say Lynette Hooker was not wearing a flotation device when she went overboard. Her daughter has expressed concerns over what she describes as episodes of domestic violence in the couple's rocky relationship. The U.S. Coast Guard has opened a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker's disappearance.

Coming up in just a moment, Pope Leo meets with the French president. We'll tell you what the meeting signals and how it relates to the U.S. coming up after a quick break.

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