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Isa Soares Tonight
U.S. Special Envoys Witkoff And Kushner Head To Pakistan To Meet With Iranian Officials For Peace Talks; Sources Say The U.S. Military is Developing Plans To Target Iran's Strait Of Hormuz Defenses If The Ceasefire Collapses; Israel Operations In Lebanon Draw Comparisons To Gaza; European Travelers Worried About Jet Fuel Shortages; Medical Breakthrough Gene Therapy Restores Hearing In Children. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired April 24, 2026 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
ISA SOARES, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, and a very warm welcome everyone, I'm Isa Soares. We begin this hour with renewed hope for a
possible diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump is sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to meet with Iranian officials. As we reported earlier, Iran's
Foreign Minister is on his way to Islamabad. Last hour, the White House Press Secretary said the U.S. has seen some progress from the Iranian side.
The developments come less than 24 hours after President Trump told reporters he feels no pressure to end the war, a conflict the President
said would last 4 to 6 weeks, now about to enter its ninth week, just for perspective.
Meantime, sources say the U.S. military is developing plans to target Iran's Strait of Hormuz defenses if the ceasefire collapses. U.S. Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth says the American blockade is expanding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, UNITED STATES: This growing blockade is also gone global. Just this week, we seized two Iranian dark fleet ships in
the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect.
They thought they made it out just in time. They did not. We seized their sanctioned ships, and we will seize more. Our blockade is growing and going
global.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's get more on this story, we're joined now by Nic Robertson, as you can see there, who is in Islamabad, while our Kevin Liptak has the
latest from the White House. Kevin, let me start with you. Really some positive signs at this hour that Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner expected to
make their way to Pakistan this weekend.
What about J.D. Vance? That's my first question to you. The second one, a two-pronged question is when we hear the Defense Secretary saying that it's
gone global, what does it mean here?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Right, and I'll take the first question first. J.D. Vance is on standby to go to Pakistan if the talks
develop in a way where his presence would be useful. That's according to the White House.
We should also note that the leader of the Iranian delegation at this point is not the parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. I think if
Ghalibaf is dispatched to Islamabad, that would probably be the point at which J.D. Vance would get on Air Force 2 and begin flying over.
And so, they essentially want a one-for-one in terms of the stature of the delegation. But to be sure the President's decision to send Witkoff and
Kushner over there does signal that there has been some movement, that the diplomatic gears continue to turn.
You know, the reason that the talks didn't happen earlier this week was because the -- or at least according to the White House, they hadn't gotten
a firm view of what the Iranians' negotiating position was.
They didn't understand how they were responding to some of President Trump's red lines. And they didn't have a good grip on who actually was
going to make the final sign off. They talked about this divide within the Iranian leadership between the moderates and the hardliners.
They didn't get the sense that the supreme leader had signed off on some of what the negotiating positions would be. So, the decision to send them now
does suggest that there's been some movement in all of that.
What exactly that is at this point is unclear, but it does give you an indication that, at least, at the White House, they are seeing signs that
the diplomacy could be heading in the right direction. Now, in terms of what Hegseth was saying earlier today about this blockade going global, I
think he's talking about all of these interceptions of Iranian vessels that we're seeing happen thousands of miles from Iran.
You know, the latest was in international waters in the Indian ocean. All of these steps that the U.S. is taking to try and ensure that Iran isn't
able to profit on the high seas from its energy products. Of course, we also saw this week, the President saying that the U.S. Navy would begin
targeting Iranian small boats that are in the Strait of Hormuz that are laying mines.
[14:05:00]
And so, even as Pete Hegseth is talking about this global blockade in international waters, the President himself is talking about perhaps taking
the fight even closer to Iran. You know, as of now, the Navy is enforcing this blockade, not inside the Strait of Hormuz, but in the Gulf of --
SOARES: Yes --
LIPTAK: Oman. Places at quite a distance from actual Iranian vessels. The President seems to be suggesting that there will be a much more closer
conflict going forward.
SOARES: Stay with us, Kevin, let me go to Nic Robertson for us in Islamabad. And Nic -- the -- Kevin, I was going to say Karoline Leavitt,
pardon me, had a gaggle outside the White House in the last what? Ten minutes or so.
And she said, we have certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side. What signals are you getting from the mediators, from the Pakistan side as
to potential for movement here from either side?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, and she also said that the Iranian side had asked for a face-to-face meeting, which seems to
be another part of the process of having this or getting into a room and sitting down face-to-face with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who,
incidentally, have not been the preferred interlocutors for the Iranian side.
Right now, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi is, we believe, just literally right at this moment or next, less than a minute touching
down here in Islamabad to begin those talks. I think the sense that we get from the interlocutors here, the Pakistani mediators is that there is some
slow diplomatic progress.
It had really appeared stagnated. There were very little information coming out over the past couple of days. But this morning, we heard that the
Iranian Foreign Minister already had a phone call with Pakistan's Prime Minister.
It had a phone call with Pakistan's most powerful man, Field Marshal Asim Munir; the Army Chief of Staff. And that seemed to signal this sort of
public facing bit of diplomacy that was going on. Whatever has been happening in the background has been happening in the background.
We don't get to hear about it, we don't see it. This is now coming full view. But I think the question on everyone's mind here is precisely what
were -- the Iranian Foreign Minister be speaking in his bilateral meeting with the Pakistani mediators.
Will he be bringing some compromise text from Iran, or will he be bringing a set of demands that the United States is very familiar with, and has told
the Iranians that it's not comfortable with? So, the anticipation is that there will be some progress.
And that's certainly the narrative that really, the White House is putting forward. But I think, you know, before Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner get
in the room with whichever Iranian official it's going to be, the Foreign Minister, there are more steps in the diplomatic process, not least meeting
with Pakistani mediators and also the Iranian Foreign Minister, we heard, is going on to a meeting in Oman, and then a meeting in Moscow. And it's
not quite clear the sequencing of those vis-a-vis Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff meeting.
SOARES: I know you'll stay across all the latest for us, thank you very much. Our Nic Robertson, our Kevin Liptak there. Well, Mohammad Ali Shabani
is a Middle East scholar and expert. He's also the editor Amwaj.media platform focusing on Iran, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula.
And we're going to continue this discussion that we've just started. Mohammad, great to have you on the show. Let me pick up where really our
correspondents you probably heard there, Nic in Islamabad, Kevin in the White House where they left off, and the news really that Kushner and
Witkoff are traveling to Islamabad.
We are also tracking Araghchi's plane that will be landing shortly in Islamabad. Is this a glimmer of hope for diplomacy here? How do you see it?
MOHAMMAD ALI SHABANI, EDITOR, AMWAJ.MEDIA: So, from the Iranian side, what they're making clear so far is that there will not be any meetings, direct
meetings with U.S. officials, at least, tomorrow. So far, the schedule of the Foreign Ministers that he will go to Oman and Russia, it appears that
those two visits probably have to do with the main sticking point in talks with the U.S.
Which is, number one, the fate of Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium, and the second is, the future of transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Oman, as
you know is the other littoral state. And I think they need to set up some kind of mechanism for how to deal with tolls imposed on ships going
through.
So, I think there is a possibility we may -- some may see something possibly early next week, maybe Monday onwards. But I think the notion of
high stakes diplomacy with the next 12 hours is unlikely.
SOARES: Yes, and you look -- you set it up for us as our viewers will know, we have a shaky ceasefire in Lebanon, which was, of course, part of what
the Iranians were requesting before the ceasefire. But then in -- Tehran insists that it won't resume talks unless, of course, the U.S. ends its
blockade on Iranian ports.
As we look at the map here, meantime, we heard from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying the blockade is growing and growing and going global. How
then, do we break this impasse? Because Nic Robertson in Islamabad was making the point. What do the Iranians present? What kind of wish-list do
they present here?
[14:10:00]
SHABANI: So, I think, again, the Foreign Ministers' visits to Pakistan, Oman, Russia is probably geared to finalize some of the ideas being
circulated about what Iran can live with. About the blockade, I think obviously, the Iranians had put out that it's a precondition for them, and
that the blockade ends prior to any further negotiations.
I think there's some flexibility there on what would constitute an end. I think that something can be -- can be worked out with the Pakistanis. But I
think, the essence of it all, if you look at what happened in the past few days, is number one, these two sides need to get Donald Trump off social
media.
I think the past few days when he went to Twitter -- when took to Twitter, took to Truth Social, posted basically that we have a deal, that Iran made
all these concessions, even if that was partly true, him taking all of that in public before anything was signed off, that was a disaster for the
talks.
And I think we had a major setback, and I think what the two sides are trying to do now is to settle things down, try to get back to the
negotiating table.
SOARES: I think we both know that's never going to happen. But yes, we have seen diplomacy playing out really right in front of our eyes on social
media. And speaking of President Trump, you saw, Mohammad, probably, yesterday, President Trump basically saying that ordering the U.S. Navy to
shoot and kill, you know, boats that are putting mines through the Straits.
We've also heard that the U.S. military is developing plans to target Iran, Strait of Hormuz defenses if the ceasefire fails. I wonder how you see
these threats and these moves by the U.S., because I assume the U.S. believes that the change in tax -- tactics and the escalation will
potentially change Iran's behavior. Will it?
SHABANI: I mean, we've had sanctions for decades now. We've had not just this war, but a prior war last Summer. Iran is still making the same
fundamental demands. I think at this point, we can draw the conclusion that just simply threats, et cetera is not going to get us anywhere.
I think also this notion of having a ceasefire while threatening not just to attack Iranian ships, not just imposing a naval blockade, but actually
Trump also retweeted somebody saying, essentially kill anybody in Iran who is opposed to a deal.
We need to get Donald Trump off social media. If we just achieve that alone, I think it's a major step forward. I think the negotiators were
actually dealing with these issues in the room. They have a set of ideas.
There are actors like Russia, like Oman, who can help solidify something out of that, and potentially have something in the negotiating table early
next week.
SOARES: And finally, just before I let you go, and do you have a sense, Mohammad, of what the mood is like inside the country? Have you been able
to speak to Iranians inside the country, get a sense of what the last week or so has been like?
SHABANI: I think there's a lot of reports about the internal division. It's interesting that just, you know, 12 hours ago, the entire political
leadership, everyone, the parliament speaker, the president, chief justice, all went out posting identical messages, saying essentially, quote,
unquote, "there is no such thing as a moderate or hardline Iran.
And clearly, this was a -- this was a means to kind of counter this narrative out there in the media, essentially says that Iran is very
divided. They don't know whether they want to negotiate, and that's the main stumbling block.
I think all of this kind of discourse is really geared to kind of pass the buck, so-to-speak. And it's part of a blame game about not taking
responsibility for where we are right now. I think inside Iran, there's cognizance of the necessity of having sanctions relief to recover
economically from the disaster we've seen in the past couple of weeks.
And I think they're ready to make a deal, but to have a deal, you need to have not just a counterpart but also a counterpart which was consistent in
his position.
SOARES: Yes, and trust clearly, not present, hasn't been for some time. Mohammad Ali Shabani, thanks very much, Mohammad, appreciate it. Well, the
EU meantime is warning Iran could come out of this conflict as a greater global threat unless nuclear experts are part of negotiations towards a
potential peace deal.
Leading the talks on the U.S. side, as we mentioned just now, are Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, neither of whom have, of course, as you know, that
expertise. And they'll be facing an Iranian delegation steeped in experience. Here's what the EU's foreign policy chief had to say earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAJA KALLAS, FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF, EUROPEAN UNION: If the talks are only about the nuclear, and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then
we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPOA was.
So, and the problems in the region, missile programs, their support to proxies, also hybrid and cyber activities in Europe are not addressed. So,
we will end up with a more dangerous Iran. And actually, you know, we are then strengthening them.
So, we have to see and we have to be very vocal together with the regional actors, that all these concerns need to be addressed, and we can help in
the negotiations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Well, meantime, global oil prices continue to rise as the war with Iran drags on. Oil futures are extremely volatile because, of course, of
the standoff that we were just discussing, the Strait of Hormuz, and it's having an impact as we've been showing you all week on gas prices.
[14:15:00]
Earlier this week, President Trump said Americans should anticipate higher prices at the pump for a little while, he said. AAA says the U.S. average
is now at $4.06 a gallon, after the largest daily increase so far this month. Prices had peaked around the time the U.S. President announced a
ceasefire with Iran.
Experts believe it will take months for gas to return below the $3 mark. We'll have more on that a bit later this hour. Well, the fighting in
southern Lebanon goes on despite a newly-extended ceasefire. President Trump announced a three-week extension after representatives from Israel
and Lebanon met at the White House.
Even while those talks were happening in Washington on Thursday, there were military exchanges. And today, the IDF said it hit Hezbollah structures in
southern Lebanon for what it called a ceasefire violation a day earlier. British -- the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pardon me, says Israel
will continue striking any threat.
Now, for its part, Hezbollah says the extended ceasefire has no meaning in light of continued Israeli hostilities. The Shia militants say they shot
down an Israeli drone today, which was confirmed by the IDF. And still to come on the show tonight, President Trump is not happy with several of his
closest allies.
We'll tell you about some punishments the U.S. is reportedly considering for countries that are not doing enough, in his view, to support the war
with Iran. Plus, the U.S. Justice Department makes a big decision on the probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell. We'll look at what it means for the
potential confirmation of his successor. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, the criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is now closed. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the news just a
short while ago. The Justice Department was looking, if you remember, into accusations the President made about Powell as the Fed chair oversaw
expensive renovations at the headquarters in Washington.
Dropping the probe clears the way for President Trump's pick, Kevin Warsh, to get confirmed as Powell's successor. Republican Senator Thom Tillis has
been blocking Warsh's nomination until the investigation ended.
Our Evan Perez joins me now live from Washington. So, Evan, help me make sense of what is happening, because we had Karoline Leavitt just what? Half
an hour ago saying --
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right --
SOARES: The case hasn't necessarily been dropped; it's just been moved over under a different authority. What does that mean? I thought it was over, or
is this a reasoning to keep it broad and make it look like a win?
[14:20:00]
PEREZ: I think it's a way to try to pretend like there are still a possibility that they have a win. Look, there was an off-ramp that the
Justice Department has been trying to figure out how to get to, and this is the one that was -- has always been obvious, especially because now you
have Republicans like Thom Tillis, key vote in the Senate who had told them that if this -- if this investigation did not end, then he would not be
moving forward with the -- with the Warsh nomination.
Which of course, the President really wants to happen. And so, this was allegedly over a -- over the hundreds of millions of dollars of cost
overruns on a multibillion-dollar renovation of the historic headquarters of the Federal Reserve building here in Washington.
But really, what Tillis and other critics have pointed out that it's really -- it felt like it was more about pressure on Jerome Powell because the
President has been a critic of Powell. And, of course, the fact that the President wants lower interest rates.
And so, what we've seen in the last few weeks is the obvious signs. First, a judge tossed the subpoenas that had been issued by the investigators, by
the Justice Department, saying that there was no evidence of crime. As a matter of fact, that's what the Justice Department -- that's what the
lawyers from Pirro's office themselves said, that they didn't have actual evidence of a crime being committed.
And so, the -- Pirro said that they were going to appeal that ruling, but they never actually did. We also know that this is an investigation that
was being done by some political appointees in her office. The FBI was not involved.
And Isa, let me tell you, when you -- when you have a criminal investigation being done by the Justice Department, that is usually what's
being done is the FBI is conducting that investigation. And that told us, also, that this was not a normal course of things. This was not a normal
investigation.
So, what we know is that, that Pirro this morning, took to X and said the obvious. She said that she expects a report from the Inspector General --
that's been going on, by the way, for months, since last Summer.
And then she's going to make a decision on whether she says, I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing
so. But we anticipate that, that is not going to happen, because Kevin Warsh will be able to take his place at the Federal Reserve, and I think
we'll be able to move on.
SOARES: Thank you for laying it out so clearly for us, Evan, good to see you, my friend. Thank you.
PEREZ: You too, great to see you.
SOARES: Thank you. Well, the U.S. is reportedly considering a variety of punishments for European allies. It thinks have not done enough to support
the war with Iran. "Reuters" is reporting that it obtained a Pentagon e- mail that discusses suspending Spain from NATO and revisiting the U.S. stance on Britain's control of the Falkland Islands.
President Donald Trump has been highly critical, as you know, of allies, for not providing more naval help in the gulf and not letting U.S. planes
fly over their territory to attack Iran. Spain's Prime Minister says, seems unconcerned, though, about these threats. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEDRO SANCHEZ, PRIME MINISTER, SPAIN (through translator): We do not work based on e-mails. We work with official documents and official positions
taken in this case by the government of the United States. The position of the Spanish government is clear. Full cooperation with its allies, but
always within the framework of international law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Let's stay with this story now. Joining us now with more on this is Carl Bildt, a long-time diplomat, a former Prime Minister, of course, of
Sweden and now Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a well-known face here on the show.
Carl, good to have you back on the show. Let me get your reaction then to this report, to this Pentagon e-mail basically laying out potential
measures that Washington could take against allies such as Spain and such as the U.K. Just your reaction, Carl.
CARL BILDT, CO-CHAIR, EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Well, it's just an e-mail, so, we don't know what it's going to mean. But what it does
indicate is, of course, that we are facing a fairly rocky period ahead in NATO.
We have a couple of ministerial meetings coming up. We have the Ankara Summit. We evidently have a President that is in all the bad mood
concerning NATO. So, it will require a lot of diplomacy, a lot of wise policies and politics in order to get over this particular phase.
SOARES: So, is the -- how do you interpret this? I mean, is this just political leverage, do you think possibly, Carl, or is this a sign, a
potential sign or signal of U.S. policy-change vis-a-vis NATO?
BILDT: I think it very clearly that there is -- there is a sentiment among some people in the administration that they are very dissatisfied with
NATO, that's been expressed by the President very clearly. And we have heard that also from sort of senior circles in the Department of Defense,
which is the official name of it, I understand.
[14:25:00]
But then these ideas, and some of them are fairly unwise in the extreme. I mean, take this on the Falkland Islands, for example. There's a state visit
to Washington by King Charles coming up next week.
SOARES: Yes --
BILDT: To start to question the territorial integrity and sovereignty of territories of the Great Britain prior to the state visit. Sounds to me
extremely unwise in the extreme. So, I would think they will roll back some of the more stupid aspects of it.
And then I think when they start looking at these things, bases in Spain, for example, I think they will very clearly see that these are arrangements
that fundamentally are in the interest of the United States. So, rocky period ahead, lots of confused discussions, lots of difficult discussions.
But let's see where it ends.
SOARES: And just to clarify, is there -- is there any mechanism within NATO's treaty that would allow any one member to kick another member out?
BILDT: No, not --
SOARES: Right --
BILDT: As part of NATO. Then you can always -- you can always have the bilateral. I mean, U.S. has defense -- bilateral defense agreements, and
that's another issue. But NATO, no.
SOARES: Let's speak then about this relationship because you're talking about this administration, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who
today has once again, Carl, hit out at European allies. He said they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing
less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat. This is much more their fight than ours. I mean, does he have a point here?
BILDT: No, I don't think he has a point. He has -- he has a point in the sense that a Strait of Hormuz is very important for the global economy. You
might argue that is now the Asian countries that are the ones that are going to be hit more heavily by the economic fallout.
But then at the end of the day, we didn't have a problem with the Strait of Hormuz, that was created --
SOARES: Yes --
BILDT: By the war, that the U.S. -- Trump administration launched. So, they have created a problem, and it is their main responsibility to sort the --
sort out the problem that they created.
If they want help, yes, absolutely. I think there have been discussions whether the Europeans and the Europeans are discussing whether they can
help in some sort of post-conflict arrangement for stability. That's a reasonable discussion, but it's a problem created by the United States.
SOARES: Yes, a problem that wasn't there, didn't exist prior --
BILDT: No --
SOARES: To this war starting. I wonder then, as we're running out of time here, Carl, where you see then relations between the U.S. and NATO allies,
because I'm not sure if you saw the "Financial Times", they had an interview with the Polish Prime Minister, really questioning whether the
U.S. is loyal or would be loyal to Europe's defense. Have you been hearing these doubts privately?
BILDT: Well, it is a rocky period, no question about that. And some of the pronouncements that we hear coming out of both the President and other
people in Washington are so disturbing. Let's see if this calms down. Remains to be seen if it will result in more serious problems. I think the
Ankara Summit in July is going to be a somewhat challenging experience.
SOARES: Challenging, yes. Probably an understatement. Carl, great to see you. Thanks --
BILDT: Yes --
SOARES: Very much. Carl Bildt there.
BILDT: Thanks --
SOARES: And still to come tonight, some families from south Lebanon are able to go home. But their homes -- well, they're no longer there. We'll
share their story just ahead. And then in Gaza, months after a ceasefire deal was put in place, Palestinians are still dying in Israeli attacks.
We'll have the latest -- the -- all the details, I should say, pardon me, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:31:52]
SOARES: Welcome back. Thousands of people displaced from southern Lebanon by the Israeli military have been trying to return home in recent weeks as
a ceasefire remains in effect. Lebanese officials say more than a million people have fled their home since the start of the conflict. Israel's
strategy in Lebanon is drawing comparisons to its operations in Gaza.
Our Jeremy Diamond has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISRAEL KATZ, DEFENSE MINISTER, ISRAEL (text): All houses in villages near the border in Lebanon will be destroyed according to the Rafah and Beit
Hanoun model in Gaza in order to permanently remove border area threats from the residents of the north.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After leveling homes, neighborhoods, and entire cities in Gaza, Israel is exporting that
model to southern Lebanon, raising civilian infrastructure in towns and villages near the border to carve a buffer zone out of Lebanese territory,
which the Israeli military says is aimed at distancing Israel's northern residents from the threats posed by Hezbollah.
But in one town after the next in southern Lebanon, rows of homes have been flattened, shops torn to the ground, entire neighborhoods erased. Over six
weeks of war, the Israeli military systematically demolished the town of Ayta Al-Shaab, now practically wiped from the map. Along this street in the
border town of Adaissseh, which once held a pharmacy and auto repair shop, one building after the next has been reduced to rubble. Even the local
mosque was not spared. Steps away, an excavator and alongside it, a multi- story building not yet destroyed.
To Hassan Ramal, it represented plans for the future. A building he erected in his hometown, apartments on top with shops on the ground floor. It had
been partially damaged in a previous Israeli strike. Construction was underway just one month before the current war broke out. Those dreams
dashed the moment Ramal saw this video confirming the worst.
HASSAN RAMMAL, RESIDENT, SOUTHERN LEBANON (text): Somebody sent me images and I saw that the building I was renovating had been destroyed. I felt
that the hope that once existed diminished. For you to build, only to be demolished. Build, demolished.
DIAMOND (voice-over): There are countless stories like Rammal's in South Lebanon, a Shia majority area where many like Rammal support Hezbollah. In
the town of Bint Jbeil, fierce fighting with Hezbollah militants soon gave way to controlled demolitions, raising the city's old quarter and buildings
beyond.
Such massive destruction of civilian infrastructure is considered to be a violation of international law and a potential war crime. The aftermath is
both apocalyptic and yet terrifyingly familiar, revealing the same kind of systematic destruction Israel carried out to create a buffer zone in Gaza.
And like in Gaza, the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon doesn't mean Israel will cease demolitions. Israeli officials say they will continue.
[14:35:21]
In videos filmed by nearby residents post-ceasefire, the ruins of this Lebanese village give way to more destruction. Excavators working to tear
down more buildings. Lebanese communities within this roughly five-mile- wide buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops are facing more of the same. That buffer zone means Rammal hasn't been able to return home. But he
remains defiant.
RAMMAL (text): Israel can say whatever it wants. There will not be a buffer zone.
DIAMOND (voice-over): And refuses to give up on his dreams of homecoming.
RAMMAL (text): This land is dear and precious.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Jeremy Diamond, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: Our thanks to Jeremy for that report.
While in Gaza, meanwhile, more violence is overshadowing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal signed last October. Palestinian health officials say
Israeli strikes killed at least four people on Thursday, and at least five people were killed a day earlier. Officials say the death toll in Gaza is
nearly 800 since the ceasefire began. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of truce violations.
While the U.N. says the impact of the war in Gaza has been particularly devastating on women and on girls and they are still facing severe and
persistent risks. Earlier I spoke to Reem Alsalem, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Children.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REEM ALSALEM, U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN: The so-called ceasefire is not really a ceasefire. As you know
since it was declared, more than 800 Palestinians have been killed and they continue to be killed. Humanitarian assistance continues to be prohibited
from entering. Palestinians live in appalling conditions of internal displacement. They have no access to the most basic and fundamental
services. They are stripped of their dignity. They're stripped of their humanity. So, it's really appalling.
And unfortunately, also given the multiple wars in the region including Lebanon and Iran, this has fallen off the radar screen. Even though I
should say that the blueprint that the Israelis applied in Gaza, we are seeing being applied also in Lebanon and in Iran through this deliberate
targeting of civilians including women and children.
SOARES: I want to touch on a -- on a report that was published in March of last year and this is by the office of the U.N. Commission of Human Rights.
And I'm going to quote what they have found for our viewers. It says, "That sexual and gender based violence which has risen in frequency and severity
is being perpetrated across the occupied Palestinian territory as a strategy of war for Israel to dominate and destroy the Palestinian people."
Can you speak to the specifics of course here of the of this? How is this being -- how is -- how is this being reflected? When we're talking about
sexual and gender based violence. Are we talking threats of rape, sexual harassment, nudity? Just clarify this for our audience.
ALSALEM: Yes. Once again, this is not you. Again, I, other special rapporteurs, the Commission of Inquiry on Palestine, credible international
and Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations, we've been saying for at least two years that Israel has been using sexual violence against
Palestinian men, women, and children, has been using it systematically, has been use it using it as a modus operandi.
We have seen or and heard reports of the most brutal, atrocious forms of sexual violence being used. And the intention is very clear. It's to break
the Palestinian people. It's to rip them off their dignity. It's to destroy them psychologically and physically. And the threats and actual rape has
also been used against persons if they have ties to individuals that they want more information on or that they want reports on. And so, that has
also been done to elicit fake confessions. And yes, it's used against everyone.
And it's extremely concerning that we have not seen any really proper reaction by the international community, by states on this issue. Where's
the outcry about the systematic use of sexual violence perpetrated against Palestinians? It's shows the double standards. It shows how little the
dignity and safety and life of Palestinians are held in the eyes of many states, many powerful states who continue to engage Israel in partnerships,
be they economic and political. Something like this should be a cause for ending, suspending business as usual because these are atrocities. These
are serious human rights violations.
[14:40:31]
SOARES: Well, let me tell you and tell our viewers what Israeli authorities are saying off the back of these reports rejecting -- they reject these
allegations and have criticized U.N. findings, Reem, describing them -- I'm going to quote them here -- as shameless -- as a shameless attempt to
incriminate the IDF. I mean, first of all, how do you respond to that criticism?
ALSALEM: Look Israel has been saying this for many years. It has had this reaction in response to any letters we have sent, any reports that have
been written. It has refused to allow any of the independent special experts, special rapporteurs, independent experts, the commission of
inquiry to go to Palestine, to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza to verify these issues, including by the way the allegations
of rape and sexual violence that have been levied by Israelis on October the 7th against Palestinians.
So, if you really would like to come us to come -- to the bottom of this, why are you refusing the entry of independent investigators? Why are you
refusing the entry of the media?
SOARES: Yes. And that -- and that -- I mean, that was part my question really because given what you're saying as we have seen the world has been
shut off from Gaza and that is despite continuing requests, of course, for entry from international news organizations including CNN to the Israeli
government. But given this, Reem, how do you as a U.N. Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Children, how do you compile this data? Just
explain this for our viewers. Is this -- is this through hospitals NGO's? And speak to the difficulties of that.
ALSALEM: Yes so these reports that you have referred to and that I've referred to, they are prepared by U.N. agencies so they are a different
part of the U.N. We operate as independent experts. And so, I look into specific allegations of violations that are brought forward by victims, by
the families, by their lawyers or representatives. And of course, you look into reports by credible human rights organization. You try to establish
contact with the victims or with witnesses and you extrapolate information based on all these sources.
And when we address any authority including the Israeli government, we present them with allegations. So, we are saying we have reasonable
information to believe that this has happened. We think this is credible. However, we would like to hear your views on this. We would like you to
tell us if this is actually true.
And Israel has systematically actually refused to respond to our letters. They have never dignified them with an answer. So, it's easy to criticize,
but then why don't you actually engage on the statistics on these allegations if you really feel that we are being biased.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: And our thanks to Reem for that interview. We're going to take a short break. We'll see you on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:46:18]
SOARES: Well, as we've been telling you all week, there is a growing nervousness as Europe gets ready for the busy summer travel season. Will
the crisis in the Gulf cause major problems at European airports? Jet fuel prices have skyrocketed, leading many carriers that we've shown to
implement fuel surcharges. And we've seen thousands of flights get cancelled due to concerns of course about energy shortages.
Richard Quest is here with me. And Richard, this is something that I keep hearing from moms at the school gates, from friends. Huge concern. Prices
are going through the roof.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Well, you've got your moms at the school gates. I had the airline executives in Berlin and they tell you
the same story, by the way. Look, I was at a CAPA conference in Berlin over the last couple of days. And the reality is bookings were very strong going
up towards the summer. Now, we're going to have capacity problems. Airlines are going to be cutting back. Interestingly, Ryanair says it's not, but
others like Lufthansa will do because they're going to cut out the less profitable flights. They're going to save the energy for those flights
where they can make the most money.
We've already seen jet fuel double. Therefore, prices are up 20, 30 percent. And I wouldn't --- I'd expect them to go higher if we don't see a
reduction in international oil prices. Add on to that the misery for Non- Schengen people going into and out of Europe with a passport. And it's going to be a bleak summer I predict both on cost, capacity and access.
SOARES: Right. So, you spoke to the CEO of Emirates.
QUEST: Yes.
SOARES: I want to play what he said and we can chat after this. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM CLARK, PRESIDENT, EMIRATES AIRLINE: If this gets resolved and the straits open, you will -- you will have to deal with a month or two supply
disruption, but I honestly believe that this will be dealt with. The global economy is enormously adaptable and it has been through multiple traumas
before. It's always come through very easily.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: So, I mean --
QUEST: He was incredibly bullish about Emirates. He basically says they are refurbishing the fleet. They're taking advantage of doing the painting and
all the stuff whilst, you know, the -- he says the planes are almost full anyway and they're flying 60 percent of their schedule so far. He doesn't
expect fuel shortages. Of course he has the security worry. Absolutely. But absent that he says Emirates will be back bigger and better and better if
you will than it has been before. It was an extraordinary bullish, robust performance by Tim.
SOARES: From Emirates of course. What about European Airlines? We've heard some misery -- we've seen report on some miserable headlines this week. The
likes of Lufthansa. What are they telling you?
QUEST: Miserable. They are all saying it's going to be grim because they've got to decide which flights they can run, how much they're going to charge,
and who's going to fly. The only one who's being a little bit more bullish, Ryanair is very bullish. And even Wizz Air -- Wizz Air is saying, listen,
we're going to have enough fuel. We will make certain modifications, but the bookings are strong because people still want to travel. It's the old
story. The older airlines with the higher costs are having more troubles than the low-cost carriers, which will just move things around a lot more
than --
SOARES: Do they prioritize long haul? What do they prioritize?
QUEST: Well, certainly the big legacy carriers, absolutely they will prioritize, as they have done for years by the way. But now they will
prioritize the most profitable routes. So, Lufthansa has cut 20,000 flights out of the schedule. Air France-KLM is going to do similarly. IAG with
British Airways in Iberia will do the same.
I really feel sorry for people like yourself going on holiday, two kids.
SOARES: Yes.
QUEST: Having to pay 20, 30, 40 percent more. It's going to be a very expensive trip.
[14:50:07]
SOARES: And many people might not go at all.
QUEST: No, they will stay at home.
SOARES: No, they will stay at home.
QUEST: Or they will do motoring holidays or they will do -- they will travel by train. Absolutely. This is going to be a difficult summer and
it's not going to be helped by the incompetence, my words, by the incompetence of the European authorities in the way they're rolling out the
passport and the new digital information. It really is a shambles. Sorry, I just had to get that out.
SOARES: I'm glad you did. I'm sure you feel better. Well, I'm -- I might start preparing for a Cornwall trip. Get the Broly ready. It will be -- it
will be momentous. Richard --
QUEST: Oh, send me postcards. I wish you were here.
SOARES: Richard, thank you very much. And Richard Quest will be back with his show in about an hour and a bit.
And still to come tonight, a story with a very happy ending following a groundbreaking gene therapy which helped a toddler here for the first time.
That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOARES: Well, for the first time ever, the FDA has approved a gene therapy treatment for inherited hearing loss. It's for children born with a rare
genetic mutation that affects about 50 babies born each year in the United States. The results are nothing really short of miraculous. Our medical
correspondent, Meg Tirrell, explains how the therapy works. She spoke with a mother whose son born deaf can now hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year ago, this little boy, Miles, could hear almost nothing. But now, his life is filled
with sound.
KERRI, MOTHER OF MILES: Shake, shake, shake.
He loves music and dancing and running around. I never thought this would be possible.
What did the leopard say?
And to find out that your baby is profoundly deaf is just so scary. And I remember sitting in that room and it was dark and I just started sobbing.
And it was really the start of our journey.
TIRRELL: Miles was born with a rare genetic mutation in a gene known as OTOF. It's so rare only about 50 kids are born with it each year in the
United States. But it turned out that there was a clinical trial going on of a completely new way of treating this kind of hearing loss. Miles's
parents signed him up.
In results from about five months after the treatment, 11 out of 12 participants had improvements in their hearing. Six could hear soft speech
and three had essentially normal hearing. Now, that therapy made by the company Regeneron has just received FDA approval. So, how does it work?
It's called gene therapy. It involves using a harmless virus to deliver a working copy of a gene directly into the inner ear to fix the faulty
mutation that's causing Miles's hearing loss. For his family, the results were incredible.
[14:55:12]
KERRI: He didn't like music. He wouldn't sit for stories. He would try to interact with his siblings to the best of his abilities, but you know, it
was hard for him. And then after the surgery, we quickly started to realize that his hearing was coming back.
What is that?
One of the days we were heading to school, I was like, Miles, I love you. And he would had his back to me. He turned right around and he went and
blew me a kiss. I was like, you heard me. You heard me say that and you blew me a kiss. It's just amazing.
TIRRELL: The new gene therapy is the first ever for hearing loss. And though Miles's condition is rare, the hope is that this will lead to more
breakthroughs that can extend the kinds of benefits that Miles has experienced to many more people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOARES: I'm so happy for Miles and his family. Wonderful news.
And finally tonight, a newborn is making her public debut in California. The little baby is a pudu, which is the world's smallest species of deer.
As you can see, she was born last weekend at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Pudus are native to South America and will stay small as adults. A full-
grown pudu will only reach about 43 cm. For right now, this female pudu is exploring her new habitat with mom.
That does it for us for tonight. Do stay right here. "WHAT WE KNOW" with Max Foster is up next. Have a wonderful weekend. I shall see you on Monday.
Bye-bye.
END
