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One World with Zain Asher
Israel Launches Ground Offensive In Southern Lebanon; IDF: Israel On "Peak Alert" Amid Threat From Iran; North Carolina Grapples With Helene Aftermath; Hours Away: Vance And Walz Face Off On VP Debate State; Aired 12-12:32p ET
Aired October 01, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Along its northern border.
DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON: We'll do it as fast as we can. And we will take down the threat, the threat next to our border. Any other sovereign
country will do the same. This is a murderous terror organization in the size of an army. And we will take care of it. We will push Hezbollah back
from border. Our citizens, our civilians in the north should live in safe and security. We'll make it happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: Several hours ago, the IDF released a warning asking the residents of 27 villages in Southern Lebanon to immediately
evacuate, exacerbating the displacement crisis already there.
CNN's Jim Sciutto is in Tel Aviv, Ben Wedeman is in Beirut. And Kevin Liptak joins us live from Washington.
Jim, let me start with you. I know there had been air sirens signaled just moments ago. The IDF saying that this was actually something that they had
been identifying as non-aerial threat, that non-aerial aerial threat still holds, perhaps a false alarm right now, but clearly, the region on edge
today.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: No question. No air raid sirens here in Tel Aviv yet, but an enormous amount of activity in the air.
We've been hearing fighter jets flying overhead and they would be part of any air defense, because they have sensors, they have the capability of
shooting missiles down if one were to be fired in this direction.
In addition to the surface-to-air missile batteries, the U.S. warships in the Eastern Mediterranean here, in the Red Sea as well. You have to look at
it as a sort of layered defense. And that defense -- and there's another jet flying above our heads right now. I'm not sure if you can hear it, but
that defense certainly on high alert now, given this warning.
U.S. intelligence, as you mentioned, that Iran is preparing for firing ballistic missiles at Israel, and at the same time Israel saying they're on
high alert now. In fact, it is our understanding that they are convening a meeting of the Security Council here, the security chiefs to discuss this
threat.
We should keep in mind that the warning time for ballistic missiles fired from Iran is quite short, just a matter of minutes, about 12 minutes it
takes for a ballistic missile to travel from Iran here to Israel. That's not a lot of warning time, but we should also note that multi-layered air
and missile defense extends far beyond Israel to those ships, even to countries, neighboring countries such as Jordan, which has missile defense
batteries capable of shooting down missiles bound for Israel.
But, Bianna, you know, you and I have been talking about the prospect of an expanding war in and around Israel for some time, an escalating war. U.S.
officials have been warning about it and here's where we find ourselves right now.
GOLODRYGA: And Barak Ravid, a contributor here at CNN, says that according to a source with knowledge, he's reporting that unlike the April attack
that we saw from Iran, where Iran sent over 300 projectiles and included over 100 ballistic missiles, but also drones as well, that this attack, it
appears from his reporting, is expected to only include ballistic missiles.
And the difference here, as you noted, Jim, is just the speed with which they can make their way into Israeli territory just minutes, not hours.
Let's get to Kevin Liptak now at the White House. Because, Kevin, it was the U.S. senior White House officials that initially had warned the
Israelis of this imminent ballistic missile attack from Iran. What more are you hearing?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And we did learn that that warning went directly from the American government to the Israeli
government a few hours before the White House announced it publicly.
But clearly, American officials have determined that Iran has decided how it will respond to the killing of the Hezbollah leader last week. And they
believe that this attack will be imminent. But you're talking about the attack in April. And I think that is what American officials are looking to
as well as something of a model.
And we did hear from an American official that at least in terms of scope, that this attack could be similar. But the question now is, what will be
used in terms of firepower? Will it mostly be those ballistic missiles, rather than the drones, which obviously go much slower? They give you much
more warning time for when they might arrive.
The fact that the White House officials said this morning, specified specifically that it would be a ballistic missile attack, I think, is an
indication that this could be a far more serious escalation. And what the White House said was that there would be consequences for Iran going
forward.
The other question that American officials have is whether the same coalition of countries that helped defend Israel back in April can be
reconvened this time, because that is part of what helped thwart that attack some months ago was, one, other countries, including the United
States, shooting down some of these projectiles, but also countries in the region allowing for their airspace to be used support, to allow the United
States and other countries to help shoot down those missiles and drones.
[12:05:16]
And it's unclear at this point whether that same coalition would come together. Of course, you now have to think about the escalation ladder, and
certainly American officials are already thinking about how Israel will respond to this attack from Iran. And it's very easy to see how all of this
could further tip the region further into conflict. And that is obviously something that President Biden and other American diplomats have been
working so hard to avoid over the last year.
This now potentially is the riskiest moment for that happening. And I think you can expect President Biden to be watching this very closely over the
course of today.
GOLODRYGA: No doubt in the U.S. has in recent days stepped up its presence in the region as well, to aircraft carriers, as well as U.S. CENTCOM
announcing the three additional aircraft squadrons are arriving.
Kevin, thank you.
Let's go to Ben Wedeman, who's in Beirut for us. And just to give you a sense of how fast-paced things have been escalating over the course of the
last several hours, Ben, we began this day early this morning focusing on the IDF spokesperson, announcing that, in fact, what we've been reporting
was true that Israeli army was conducting targeted limited raids into Southern Lebanon. What more do we know about that?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we understand that these raids, even according to the U.N., the United Nations Interim
Force for Lebanon, says that there was sporadic raids across the border, but Israeli troops did not remain in Lebanese territory.
So it does appear that, at least so far, that it has indeed been limited, as the Israelis were saying. But, of course, we also have seen these
warnings from the Arabic spokesman for the Israeli military warning the inhabitants of 27 villages in Southern Lebanon to leave their homes,
because otherwise, they will be in danger, telling them to go north of the Awali River.
Some of these villages are about 50 kilometers from there. The Israelis also warning people not to drive south into Southern Lebanon.
So, clearly, the expectation is, what we saw overnight was just a prelude to something much bigger. The concern, of course, here is that Israel is
indeed, as we're seeing, they're calling up more troops.
The plan is to actually launch an invasion. I think we can call it that, an invasion deep into Southern Lebanon. The Israelis have made it clear they
want to push Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River, which is, depending on where you're standing, perhaps 20 kilometers north or 30
kilometers north of the border with Israel.
And that would involve a significant Israeli invasion. And, of course, here in Lebanon, which was first invaded by Israel back in 1978, there is a
profound fear that once Israel takes territory, it's not going to leave it. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.
Let's bring in former IDF Spokesperson, Jonathan Conricus. He is a senior fellow the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He joins us now live from
Tel Aviv. A lot to get to, Jonathan.
First, let's talk about this imminent ballistic missile attack threat poised against Israel from Iran. This according to a Western source with
knowledge telling our colleague Barak Ravid that, unlike the April attack, where we had seen 300 projectiles launched from Iran, the majority of them,
the vast majority of them intercepted, and they included ballistic missiles, but also drones and cruise missiles.
What Barack Ravid is reporting, per his sources, is that Iran is now strategically focusing on just launching ballistic missiles. The message is
that they will be impacting Israel at a much faster rate and time, giving Israelis very limited time to seek shelter.
How are you interpreting this? And more importantly, how is the Israeli government interpreting this.
JONATHAN CONRICUS, SENIOR FELLOW, THE FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Yes, good evening. I just came up from the bomb shelter
myself. Not Iranian missiles yet, but missiles or long range rockets fired from Lebanon at Central Israel. So there's incoming from various
directions. Sadly, nothing new for Israeli civilians in the north, center and south.
Regarding Iran, I think that they themselves draw conclusions from their failed attempt on the 13th and 14th of April when they fired about 300
projectiles towards Israel. Ninety-nine percent were successfully intercepted. And, of course, Iran wants to prevent or doesn't want to do a
repeat of their previous failure.
[12:10:06]
It's correct what your previous guest spoke about the need for an international coalition and how important it is. I don't know if Israel
will be able to uphold the same, frankly, amazing standards of intercepting incoming missiles that we did the last time. And maybe there will be more
casualties in Israel.
But I think this really opens up a totally new set of possibilities and options for Israel when it comes to defending itself and tackling the
number one source of instability, violence, and terrorism in the Middle East, which is the Islamic Republic of Iran.
And by Iran firing at Israel, they are opening up those gates. And I'm sure that the Israeli Air Force and other components of the Israeli armed forces
are ready and prepped for it.
GOLODRYGA: Following the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, the U.S. had been warning Iran over the last several days that
direct attack on Israel would see a response from Israel, much larger in scale than what Israel did when they responded to Iran's attack back in
April and that included targeted strike against an air defense facility in Isfahan.
Can you lay out some of the options that Israel may now seek if in fact we do see ballistic missiles targeted at Israel imminently?
CONRICUS: You know, one of the biggest strategic importance of Hezbollah, in terms of the Iranian perspective, was that Hezbollah were the main
deterrent that the Iranians were using against Israel from launching a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
They're illicit nuclear facilities which they are building against international condemnations. And they continue to do so as the war unfolds
in the Middle East. And Hezbollah was supposed to be the main stopgap against that.
We've seen that even though Hassan Nasrallah has been eliminated and most of the chain of command has been eliminated and Hezbollah has tried to
fire. We haven't seen a lot of very significant fire from Hezbollah, so there's less deterrent there.
Why do I speak about that? Because I think that we are definitely in the ballpark of Israel assessing the situation together with the U.S. and with
other countries, but first and foremost with the U.S., and looking at a very vast range of targets, military targets in Iran.
They go from dual purpose targets like the Port of Bandar Abbas or the Island of Kharg (PH), where the Iranian regime exports oil and
petrochemical products. And, of course, lots and lots of military facilities, specifically the Revolutionary Guard and the Quds Force, which
are responsible for most of the havoc and terrorism in the Middle East.
And I wouldn't put seats of government and the whereabouts of the Iranian leader out of bounds. This really, when I say in my previous answer, I said
that Iran is really opening up a very wide range of possibilities. I mean exactly so. And Israel has a lot of tools now at its disposal.
I still -- and with this I'll end, I think it is very odd that the Iranians continue to do what they do and engage Israel directly. And I'm not sure
that this will play out for the better for Iran in the long term.
GOLODRYGA: There have been many in the Israeli government and many Israelis, former government officials, military officials that have been
long saying that it is time to, once and for all, target Iran's nuclear program and some of its facilities.
Obviously, that would be a very complicated strike and mission to engage on. But is this giving Israel the opportunity, perhaps an opening to do
that? And is this a risk that you think Israel is prepared to take?
CONRICUS: I'd say a short answer, probably yes. But it depends on a few other components as well. It is extremely important to be part of a
coalition against Iran and not to be fighting by ourselves. And I think that American leadership in this is absolutely crucial. Israel and the U.S.
have to be very synchronized and coordinated, as well as they were coordinated on the 13th and 14th of April in the defensive operations.
Israel and America should have clear strategic objectives when it comes to stopping Iran's malign activities in the region. And the nuclear program is
one part, but the regime is another part.
And even if the nuclear -- the nuclear facilities are struck, then the Iranian -- the Iranian regime will still have the ability to rebuild them.
And I wouldn't want to go into too much detail about how that can happen. I'm just saying that we are looking at Israel has prepared this for quite
some time. Israel has, I think, quite a substantial database of targets and is updating them.
[12:15:11]
And I think Israel has displayed, over the last year, that it has the ability to penetrate hardened targets, whether it is Hezbollah or Iran, and
to deliver precise munitions where they need to go. And I think that should be worrying the Iranians now, as it appears, as if they have made the
decision to fire at Israel and to escalate the situation here. That should worry the Iranians.
And I think that we are in for the coming days will be extremely turbulent. And I think that they will be strategic in the full sense of the word and
maybe bring about substantial change in the Middle East.
GOLODRYGA: You mentioned Israel not being able to go this alone in the significance of having a coalition, first and foremost, the support of the
United States. We've already established that the U.S. has assets in the region.
Defense Minister Gallant has just spoken once again with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, his counterpart in the United States. But in terms of some of
the risks Israel is willing to take, it doesn't appear that the U.S. is on the same page. On the one hand, perhaps the Biden administration is taking
a step back and not wanting to withhold Israel too much, given the sensitivity about the upcoming election.
But the same thing can be apply to how far the United States is willing to take, not just in defense of an ally, but perhaps fighting alongside an
ally if Israel doesn't, in fact, decide that this is time to strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
How much of has Israel -- has the government factored that into their calculation?
CONRICUS: I think that has been really at the top of communications and meetings between highly appointed defense officials and also elected
officials.
And I think that Israel and the U.S. share a similar, if not identical, understanding of the threat and what Iran means for the region, how bad
Iranian influence is. And I agree with you that there are differences of opinion, I think, between how the two countries assess what needs to be
done.
Israel, to be blunt, has much more skin in the game, because it is Israel that is the subject of Iranian attacks. And as such, probably Israel would
want to do more in order to safeguard itself and make sure that nights like tonight and the night of the 13th and 14th of April don't ever happen
again.
I think that Israel, last time, was a very disciplined and I would say loyal and responsible ally to the U.S. The U.S. didn't want Israel to
retaliate in significant force against Iran last time. And after deliberations were made, that is what Israel did. Israel refrained from
doing what it really wanted to and prioritized continuing fighting in Gaza, going for Hamas in Rafah, and didn't deliver a significant blow.
I don't think we will see a repeat of that scenario. I think that now, if Iran, and I think Barak Ravid's report that you referenced earlier, stands
on solid ground, I think that the Iranians will fire more and worse than what they did last time.
And as such, Israel will respond accordingly. And I think we're in for an escalation here, where Israel has had time to prepare. And there's been
time for deliberations and talks with the U.S. And hopefully we will be on the same page.
At the end of the day, Israel, I look at Israel as a frontier, a bastion of the West, fighting the forces of evil and fighting extremism in the Middle
East, sometimes a bit ungratefully, and sometimes many countries around the world forget what Israel deals with, the kind of monsters that we face
along our borders and further away.
But I think that Israel will be steadfast and committed in defending itself, and hopefully Israel will have the support that it needs.
GOLODRYGA: Well, the United States has been in lockstep with its support, but all along, throughout the course of this past year, the message from
the White House has been one of restraint. And just look at how much has transpired over the course of just the last several months following that
initial attack by Iran, that unprecedented attack, where President Biden, after the majority of those projectiles had been thwarted, urged Prime
Minister Netanyahu to take the win.
We'll see how things unfold in this situation now, as you noted, very precarious minute-by-minute developments. And, of course, we will be
following it all for you.
Jonathan Conricus, thank you so much for joining us. Stay safe.
CONRICUS: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us, the devastation from Hurricane Helene is still unfolding. A look at some of the hardest hit areas as relief
starts to trickle in.
[12:20:04]
And in just hours, the vice presidential nominees face off for the first time ever on the debate stage. A look at how both candidates are preparing
just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Short on supplies, short on power, and short on patience, the devastation from Hurricane Helene is mounting. More than 1.5 million people
across the U.S. Southeast are still without power. This as massive search and rescue efforts ramp up.
At least 137 people have been killed, with hundreds more still missing. And many cities are being described as apocalyptic. Hundreds of roads are
closed, communications crippled. Shopping centers look like this flooded Walmart with merchandise just floating down aisles.
Officials in North Carolina say it will take years for their state to fully recover. CNN's Gary Tuchman takes us inside the hard-hit state for a closer
look at what residents are facing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This area is known as Green River Cove. It's right near Hendersonville, North Carolina, southeast of
Asheville. This road is treacherous even in the best of times. And it rains, it's even more treacherous, but now it has been devastated from the
remnants of the storm.
You can see the guardrail is gone. The drop here off the side of the road, which has been so heavily damaged, is about 100 feet down. Cars are not
supposed to be on here anymore.
There are also houses below. We've talked to some people who live in the area. They say they were trying to get down to the houses to see if people
they know are still there because they haven't been able to find out what happened to those people, but they weren't able to hike down, and neither
are we.
We have been told that there have been helicopter rescues of people who live in the homes below, but there's absolutely no way to know for sure if
there are still people who are in those homes that have been damaged below us.
We decided to go down the hill farther, and what we saw is the literal and figurative end of the road. The devastation of the storm, look what it led
to. This is the street right here. And you can see that the street just comes to an end before plunging down here.
These boulders that are right here, the locals here say these boulders actually moved from the force of the storm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the houses in front of mine on the riverside of the road are gone.
TUCHMAN: Brad McMillan (PH) and Nick Wolfe both live in this area. Their homes are OK, but the experience has been traumatic.
[12:25:06]
NICK WOLFE, GREEN RIVER COVE, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: We moved here because the Green River Narrows is an iconic piece of class five white
water and we're whitewater kayakers. So we moved our whole lives down here for this area and these river beds. And they've all been completely
destroyed and rearranged. So it's extremely emotional on a lot of different levels.
TUCHMAN: Near Greenwater (PH) Cove is the small town of Saluda, North Carolina, a population of only about 800 people. We don't know of anyone
who was killed or injured in this town, but there's lots of damages to the businesses and the homes.
Right over here, this is the Green River Barbecue, a local restaurant known for its ribs. This business is more than 40 years old, but the people who
own it right now only bought it eight months ago. You can see all over the floor, this mud. It keeps getting deeper and deeper as you walk in. Because
there was a mudslide in this part of the building.
You can see how deep the mud has gotten right here. The mud came in through a crevice inside this wall.
Bri and Tom Haas are the restaurant owners.
TOM HAAS, SALUDA, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: It's overwhelming. It's really daunting trying to think of what our next steps are. Insurance doesn't
cover mudslides, so that's no help. We've talked to people about getting the tree off the building. And it's going to be weeks before anyone can get
to us.
TUCHMAN: How is this going to be financially for you?
BRI HAAS, SALUDA, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: Devastating.
T. HAAS: Devastating. Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And for more information about how you can help Hurricane Helene victims, go to cnn.com/impact.
President Biden will fly over Asheville, North Carolina tomorrow to see the damage for himself. With only one of the four highways open in the city,
local officials asked the president not to drive into the area.
Meantime, Donald Trump got a firsthand look at some of the devastation Hurricane Helene left behind in Georgia. Trump toured the city of Valdosta
on Monday with much-needed supplies like water and gasoline in tow.
While there, he slammed the Biden administration's response to the hurricane, claiming the governor White House to request aid. When told
about the comments, President Biden then lashed out at the former president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump has accused both of you of ignoring the disaster --
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He is lying. Let me get this straight, he's lying. And the governor told him he was lying. The governor
told him he was lying. I've spoken to the governor, I've spent time with him, and he told me he's lying. I don't know why he does this.
And the reason I get so angry about it, I don't care about what he says about me, but I care what he -- what he communicates to the people that are
in need. He implies that we're not doing anything positive. We are. We are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And George's governor later confirmed President Biden did offer assistance and told him to call directly with any additional needs. When he
was president, Trump tried to cut the disaster relief budget and threatened to withhold money from governors from Democratic states.
Well, the impact of Hurricane Helene is bound to be part of tonight's vice presidential debate. Democrat Tim Walz and Republican J.D. Vance will face
off on stage in their first and only scheduled vice presidential debate.
Trump campaign spokesman, Jason Miller, predicted that the advantage goes to Walz because of his years of experience. But Donald Trump says, he
thinks Vance will do great.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think J.D.'s going to do great. He's a very smart guy. He's done a great job. People like him a lot.
And he's against tampon Tim. I think who I don't think should have ever been chosen. He's not qualified. But JD's a very smart guy, as everybody
knows. I think he's going to do great.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's MJ Lee is with us live. So, MJ, obviously, the disaster from the hurricane and its response from the Biden administration will be a
key topic tonight, as well as immigration here in the United States.
And I would imagine the escalating tension and violence in the Middle East, with the U.S. now warning of an imminent ballistic missile strike from Iran
targeting Israel. All of this to be watched tonight.
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. No shortage of topics that we can expect to come up tonight. And as you laid out, from
both sides, we have seen a good amount of expectation-setting.
For Tim Walz, this expectation-setting heading into tonight actually goes as far back as when he was being interviewed to be Harris' running mate.
You'll recall that he actually told the vetting team, one, he never uses a teleprompter, so this is something that he's going to have to learn. And,
second, he said, I don't consider myself a skilled debater like J.D. Vance.
And on the eve of this debate tonight, we are seeing Tim Walz's team continuing to lower expectations to a degree. They have basically said,
look, we see J.D. Vance genuinely as being a skilled debater, that, yes, of course, the governor has debated in the past, but that they don't see his
experience as being comparable to the kinds of media interviews and exposure that J.D. Vance has had, particularly as a senator.
[12:30:10]
And when I've talked to the governor's advisers in the past few days, they say that probably there are two goals, and they're pretty straightforward
when it comes to just the overarching goals that the governor has going into tonight.
And one is just to present himself as his authentic self. You know, this has kind of been his signature move, is to talk about his biography and
talk about his roots and really ground people in the values that he believes that he represents and the Harris-Walz ticket represents.
And the second is obviously presenting a stark contrast between the Harris record and vision versus Donald Trump's.
You know, having said all of that, I think it's important to remind everyone that this is still, of course, just one debate, and it is a vice
presidential debate. I don't think anybody on either side is sort of pointing to tonight as being potentially game-changing. We saw that even
with the last debate, when everybody thought, yes, Harris had a really good night, but they were reticent to say that means that we are going to get
some kind of real uptick from this.
But I do think, given that this is the only scheduled V.P. debate and potentially the only debate that we'll have before election day, both sides
do want to capitalize on the large audience that is expected to tune in tonight. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: And a reminder, this is an election like no other, shortened for at least candidate Harris and Walz there. And also the fact that this is
likely, as you noted, the only time that we will see these two vice presidential candidates and not expecting to see the presidential
candidates debate again before the election either.
MJ Lee, we'll be watching. A lot to cover. Thank you.
LEE: Thanks.
GOLODRYGA: And a reminder that you can watch CNN's special coverage of this week's vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and J.D. Vance. Jake
Tapper and Aaron Burnett will get things started at 7:00 P.M. Tuesday in New York. That is 7:00 A.M. Wednesday in Hong Kong.
And still to come for us, more from the Middle East as Israel ramps up air strikes and launches what it's calling a limited ground offensive in
Lebanon, analysis on a dangerous and escalating situation, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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