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One World with Zain Asher
Israel Strikes Southern Lebanon After Further Evacuation Warnings; U.S. House Approves Ukraine Aid, Slaps Sanctions on Russia; World Cup Cities Prep for Tourists Amid Safety Concerns; Atlanta Faces World Cup Transit Concerns After Recent Attacks; Senate Delivers Victory for Trump on I.C.E. & Border Funding; Rare Access Inside Lebanon as Hezbollah Vows to Keep Fighting. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 05, 2026 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: Hopes dim for a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, "One World" starts right now. Israel launching fresh
strikes on Southern Lebanon, despite a U.S.-brokered deal. Ukraine's Leader makes a direct appeal to his Russian counterpart to try to put an end to
the war.
And meet the gropers, fans of far-right streamer Nick Fuentes talk to CNN about why they defend him, despite his racist and misogynistic message.
Right, come to you live from New York. I'm Zain Asher. This is "One World". The Israeli military launched another round of deadly attacks on Southern
Lebanon today after issuing evacuation orders for at least six more towns and villages.
Lebanese media report the strikes, which came despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, killed four people, and the
evacuation orders come one day after the Israeli Defense Minister warned displaced Lebanese civilians that they would not be allowed to return.
Meantime, Hezbollah, which continues firing rockets at Israeli forces, has rejected the truce, demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. And
Iran has made it clear that it will not agree to peace deal -- any peace deal with the United States until the war stops on all fronts, and that
includes Lebanon.
And there are new signs that Iran may be preparing for an extended fight today. It took further steps to formalize control over the Strait of Hormuz
and says it would seek to impose service fees for ships trying to cross. The U.S. President has repeatedly insisted that the strait be reopened
without any tolls.
On Thursday, Donald Trump said that he would be honored to meet with Iran's new Supreme Leader if they can make a deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- with the new Ayatollah, the new Supreme Leader?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I don't want to meet, but if I did meet, I'd be honored to meet him. I'd like to see if we
make a deal, but if we make a deal, it's possible that I would meet him. I'd be OK with that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With that happen here in the U.S., White House --
TRUMP: I haven't really heard too much about it. I didn't suggest it, but some people have suggested it. If it happened, it would be happening, I'd
be respectful --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- because Epic fury killed his dad and his wife and his kid, that he's got hard feelings and wouldn't want to meet. Have you heard
--
TRUMP: -- I would say I'm not his favorite person, but with that being said, he's probably a professor -- I don't know, he's probably a
professional in some circles. He has a very good reputation, actually. You know, sometimes some people say bad, but a lot of people say bad about me.
It's totally false, of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And CNN exclusive sources tell us that Israelis secretly, that Israel rather secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to
Azerbaijan during the war with Iran. The sources say that it was part of a network of covert sites across the Middle East aimed at facilitating
operations against Tehran.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the IDF as well for comments. CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us live now on this story
from Tel Aviv. So, Jeremy, just talk to us about the specific mission of these Israeli troops that were deployed to Azerbaijan.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it really is quite the revelation, Zain. And it comes as several sources spoke to my colleague Tal
Shalev confirming that these Israeli forces were deployed to Azerbaijan, operated out of several locations in the southern part of that country,
along Iran's northern border.
It included dozens of troops, including special commando units that were deployed to carry out intelligence and drone operations inside of Iran.
This also included Mossad personnel, that's Israel's Foreign Intelligence Service, who were also based and deployed inside of southern Azerbaijan.
Now it's important to note that a spokesperson for the Azerbaijani embassy in the United States said in a statement that they quote, firmly reject
unfounded claims regarding the alleged use of Azerbaijan's territory for operations against third countries.
[11:05:00]
But the Israeli government, for its part, has not commented on this, neither confirming or denying this report. What is important to note here,
though, it's that it's not the only covert Israeli military operations site that was established around Iran in third-party countries over the course
of the war in Iran.
This is just the latest one that we've learned about. We previously learned last month about these two covert sites that were established inside of
Iraq. In that case, clearly not with the government of Iraq's approval, but you know that was a base that was used as a -- for air operations inside of
Iran.
We also know of Israeli troops having been deployed to the UAE, as well as to Somaliland, that breakaway country. So, this paints a broader picture of
the ways in which Israel has kind of used, knowingly or unknowingly, these third-party countries, you know, neighboring or in the region of Iran in
order to facilitate its military and intelligence gathering operations inside of that country.
As it relates to Azerbaijan specifically, we do know that Israel and Azerbaijan have had a long-term strategic relationship with very close
military and commercial ties, but this has always been very low profile, Zain.
ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Thank you so much. Right, U.S. lawmakers approved a bill to deliver billions of dollars in aid
to Ukraine. More than a dozen Republican lawmakers defied their own leadership and President Donald Trump by voting with Democrats on Thursday
night.
The bill authorizes $8 billion in new arms sales to Kyiv. It also includes strict sanctions on Russian leaders and institutions, and slaps 500 percent
tariffs on imports from Russia. However, it faces an uncertain fate in the Senate. Meantime, Ukraine's leader is appealing to his Russian counterpart
to negotiate an end to the four-year war.
In an open letter, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for a face-to- face meeting with Vladimir Putin in a third country. Zelenskyy says the conflict is bringing more and more negative consequences to Russia. The
Kremlin says it's aware of the letter, and President Putin has been informed.
The Russian leader is addressing his annual flagship economic forum in St. Petersburg. Let's take a closer look at the situation in Ukraine with
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor. He's a distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council Eurasia Center.
Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us. Talk to us about the timing of this letter. This is not the first time that Zelenskyy has sort
of reached out to Putin, wanting to meet. But just talk to us about the specific timing of this letter. It comes at a time when, obviously, the
U.S. is distracted with the war in the Middle East, and also Ukraine's air defenses are really running low.
They're in desperate need of U.S. patriot systems, and also interesting time in giving that Putin is hosting this sort of Russia's version of
Davos, this massive economic forum with billionaires. Walk us through your thoughts on the specific timing of this letter.
WILLIAM TAYLOR, DISTINGUISHED FELLOW AT ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Thanks, Zain. Yeah, so President Zelenskyy is a master of strategic communication, and
that's what this letter is. Its strategic communication designed really to get to Putin, get into Putin's head, and as you say, the timing is
important.
He's addressing this economic forum that he does every year, and he invites people from all over the world, and President Zelenskyy has, within the
past two days, delivered long-range strikes on St. Petersburg, on military targets, on naval targets, oil export targets in St. Petersburg to send a
message to people who are there at that conference, or considering going to the conference, that the Ukrainians have it in their sights.
Again, Ukraine's are only going after military targets, unlike the Russians, by the way, but the message is very clear. Ukraine can go very
deep into European Russia, can go as far as the Euro mountains, can go as far as the Arctic Circle, and Putin knows that.
And so, this letter from Zelenskyy to Putin, saying, you know, you're getting old, and the Russian people are not happy with this war. You can
end it, Mr. Putin. You can end it. And I'm ready. I -- Zelenskyy, says I'm ready to get together.
ASHER: Yeah, and he also says, look, Ukrainians are dying as well. I mean, this comes the attack on St. Petersburg comes just a day or so after Russia
launched its largest and most aggressive offensive on Ukraine in several months. So just in terms of past ceasefire negotiations have obviously
failed.
The key issue of territory, Ukraine being unwilling to seize territory or succeed territory, excuse me, and the Russians wanting to completely take
over and completely control the eastern region.
[11:10:00]
Just explain to me that's obviously going to be a key sticking point. Walk us through what on earth could be different this time around if the two
leaders even were to meet.
TAYLOR: What's different this time around, Zain, is the Ukrainians are on the front foot. They have the initiative, they are taking back more
territory, more of their own territory that the Russians occupy in Ukraine, in Southeastern Ukraine, then the Russians are taking.
So, the Ukrainians are moving forward gradually, incrementally, but nonetheless moving forward, and as importantly, they are frankly killing
more Russians than the Russians can recruit. They're killing 1000 a day, 30,000 a month, and that's more than the Russians can recruit to replenish
their army.
So, this is to say that what's different this time is the Ukrainians are on the move, or have the offensive, and they're putting pressure on Putin to
come to the table. Now, you mentioned the territories, Putin thought that he could get President Trump to lean on President Zelenskyy to give up
territory, and that's not happening, and Putin's realizing that's not happening.
He's giving up on that tactic. President Zelenskyy has made it very clear to Putin, as well as to President Trump, he's not giving up that territory.
He's going to continue to push, and this letter is strategic communication in that direction.
ASHER: How is the Kremlin needing to sort of change just in terms of Putin speaking to his own people to change the sort of narrative about this war?
I mean, obviously he has his own false narrative about why he's -- at war with Ukraine, and there's obviously so much propaganda in Russia, but how
much is there sort of growing sense of domestic disquiet about this war in Russia.
TAYLOR: I think it is growing. It's hard to tell because polling in -- political polling in Russia is very difficult, so we can't tell. But we do
know that the economic situation in Russia is bad. There are lines at gasoline pumps. Prices are going up. There are people leaving Russia.
He's unable to recruit as many soldiers as he's losing, and he's lost, Zain, he's lost 1.5 million soldiers killed and badly wounded, taken off
about 1.5 million Russian families have lost someone or haven't been in the hospital that are they're not going to recover. That's a lot of discontent.
ASHER: On the other side, though, with Ukraine. Obviously, you mentioned that Ukrainian -- one of the reasons why Zelenskyy wants to send this
letter now is that Ukraine is on the front foot, but it is really difficult, especially when you consider what happened earlier this week
with Russia launching its largest offensive on Ukraine in several months.
It is really difficult to sort of maintain that intensity of bombardment, just in terms of the Ukrainians exhausting air defenses, and of course,
when you see sort of attacks like that, that are that intense by Russia, it does weigh on the Ukrainian morale as well. So, give us your sense of the
Ukrainian side of it from that perspective.
TAYLOR: The Ukrainian side of that perspective is they are more determined than ever. All Putin has a long-range missile, he's losing on the
battlefield, he's lost on the sea, he's losing in the air and the deep strikes. All he can do is shoot civilian targets around the country.
He can't take more territories, losing territory. So, all he's got are these long-range missiles, and you're right, the Ukrainians are running
out. They're not out yet, because they just got some deliveries, but they're running out of the ability to shoot them down, shoot these
ballistic missiles down.
I will tell you, though, Zain, there were Ukrainians are working on their own version of these anti-ballistic missiles. These patriots, you know,
they're looking, they're working on their own version of patriots, not there yet, but all the Russians have on these long-range, and it just makes
the Ukrainians more determined than ever to persist.
ASHER: So, what was the actual point of this letter by Zelenskyy to Putin? Because obviously the tone of it, he's quite sarcastic, he's sort of making
fun of Putin, he's saying, listen, you're getting old, you know, there's a lot of poking going on there.
So, was his intention just to sort of humiliate Putin, especially just given that this, you have this massive economic forum taking place, or is
he actually looking to sort of start a conversation to enable some form of ceasefire negotiations?
TAYLOR: -- I think he's making, I think Zelenskyy is making the point that they, the Ukrainians, are ready to negotiate. He said that. He said he's
ready to sit down, he's Zelenskyy, he's ready to sit down with Putin, has proposed this in the past, they've met one time earlier, didn't go
anywhere.
But Zelenskyy has proposed that again, has suggested it to Donald Trump. Putin has always said no, but as you say, this letter from Zelenskyy is
getting into Putin's head and showing doubts not just in Putin's head, but those around him, and in Russians.
[11:15:00]
So, there could be this move. This is an initiative by the Ukrainians to take the initiative and say, look, we're ready to negotiate. You're getting
tired. We want peace. I mean, the Ukrainians are very clear. Zelenskyy is very clear. We want peace. We don't want to have this war. Come sit down at
the table.
ASHER: Right, Ambassador William Taylor, thank you for that. Thank you. Appreciate it --
TAYLOR: Thank you Zain.
ASHER: Right now, some tense moments aboard the International Space Station. NASA says that astronauts were directed to take shelter inside a
SpaceX Dragon capsule and prepare for a possible evacuation due to an air leak that was actually getting worse. It came as Russian cosmonauts were
working to repair the situation on a Russian portion of the space station.
A short time ago, NASA gave the all clear. Officials say the shelter order was a precautionary measure while repairs were underway. All right, we'll
be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, the World Cup kicks off next week, millions of fans expected to travel across North America for the tournament, but in Atlanta,
recent violent crimes have raised questions about public safety, whether the city's transit system is ready for the global spotlight. CNN's Ryan
Young has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARKWAYNE MULLIN, U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Through 11 different cities, we're going to have 78 Super Bowls in 38 days.
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across the U.S. and Canada and Mexico this year, FIFA World Cup on tap to be the largest
tournament in history, with stadiums averaging nearly 70,000 seats. Organizers expect the event to draw 5 million fans.
That will also mean intense security. Some recent unprovoked attacks give people reason to worry in Los Angeles, where the U.S. tournament kicks off.
Police say someone stabbed and beat a 70-year-old woman back in March, leaving her with a broken neck. Not far away, in Long Beach, California,
last month, police say another woman was stabbed and left hospitalized.
And last week in Atlanta, police say a woman was fatally stabbed on a train operated by MARTA, the city's public transportation law. In months past,
the Transportation Department called for improved safety measures in cities to include Chicago, D.C., New York, L.A., Charlotte, and Philadelphia.
[11:20:00]
Now, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wants an investigation in Atlanta, saying every American should be disturbed by the horrific crimes we have
seen on MARTA in the last month.
YOUNG: There's a big focus on safety and whether or not MARTA can meet the need when it comes to all the international guests that will be coming to
town, and some things have really frightened people in the city, especially a deadly stabbing that happened just last week, having people asking
questions, is MARTA safe enough and ready for the World Cup?
GARY GALE, ATLANTA TOURIST FROM CALIFORNIA: I think there should be extra security.
YOUNG: For sure.
GALE: On a day-to-day basis, especially with the World Cup coming up.
ISABELLE HUMPHRIES, ATLANTA COLLEGE STUDENT: Traveling alone would not be an option right now for me on MARTA.
MORGAN BANDERLINDEN, ATLANTA RESIDENT: Safety is an issue for sure.
YOUNG: OK.
BANDERLINDEN: Based on what happened last week. So, definitely hesitant, but still doing it. I'd be great to see a little bit more security on the
trends.
YOUNG (voice-over): MARTA continues to tell its riders the system is safe.
CHIEF SCOTT KREHER, MARTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: This was a senseless crime, and violence would not be tolerated on MARTA.
YOUNG (voice-over): Atlanta police recently ran a mass casualty training exercise, showing the public just how prepared they are. And from the feds
--
MARIO GRAHAM, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE AT FBI ATLANTA: FBI Atlanta will lead drone ground intercept teams around stadiums and fan fest locations.
VINCE VELAZQUEZ, FORMER ATLANTA POLICE OFFICER (RET.), SECURITY CONSULTANT: The fans are going to come and enjoy this World Cup experience, and not
have an idea of all the security measures that are going on.
CHIEF JIM MCDONNELL, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: Let me be clear, anyone who seeks to turn the celebration into chaos, who threatens the safety of
our residents or visitors, or who comes here intending to commit crimes? You will find no refuge in this city.
YOUNG: Yes, safety is going to be real concern. MARTA will be key, especially because traffic in the city normally is terrible. So, you
understand why MARTA is going to be needed to move all these international fans from the MARTA line to the FIFA World Cup here in Atlanta. This will
be a big event.
This won't be like the Super Bowl, where it's just one weekend. You're talking about a month-long worth of events that will test law enforcement,
the transportation, and the city over a long period of time. Ryan Young, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: Right, President Trump notched a major victory on Capitol Hill early today after weeks of infighting and a marathon voting session, Senate
Republicans have pushed through a massive $70 billion immigration enforcement package. The bill funds I.C.E. and Border Patrol through the
rest of Trump's term.
Democrats and even some Republicans tried to add an amendment that they would formally ban Trump's $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund,
but those efforts ultimately fell short. Critics say the fund could be used to grant payouts to rioters in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
I.C.E. is changing how it reports deaths tied to people who have been in its custody. The agency says that it will no longer track or publicly
report deaths that happen after a detainee has been released. This ends a Biden-era policy requiring deaths that occur within 30 days of release to
be reported.
Change comes as the Trump Administration faces growing scrutiny over the rising number of immigrants who have died while in custody. For more on
this, let's bring in Todd Schulte. He's the President of FWD.us. Todd, thank you so much for being with us. I think the first question is, what
does this mean for accountability?
TODD SCHULTE, PRESIDENT OF FWD.US: So, let's take a step back for a second. Last year, the Trump Administration pushed forth with Congress on a party
line vote a reconciliation package, and with regular appropriations. They already gave I.C.E. and CBP $200 billion last year, that's a 500 percent
increase.
And then on top of that, yesterday, at a time when voters want the president to be concerned with the cost of living, you saw another $70
billion go, and instead of focusing on driving down the cost of living, they've cut health care, despite promises that there would be efforts to
restrict this so-called weaponization fund.
It's an unchecked quarter trillion dollars that this administration is going to have to spend on I.C.E. and CBP for the next couple of years if
this passes the House, and that's just the wrong way to go.
ASHER: OK, so you have that issue, this $70 billion that just passed in the Senate, and it's expected to pass in the House, quite frankly, but just in
terms of this recent news that the administration is no longer going to be required to report I.C.E. deaths or the deaths of migrants that happen
after some of these migrants leave custody, leave immigration custody.
They're supposed to report it under the Biden Administration within the first 30 days after they're released from custody, if somebody dies 30 days
after being released, they're supposed to report that.
SCHULTE: Yeah.
ASHER: The Trump Administration is changing that. Your thoughts on that, and what that means for accountability?
SCHULTE: They are trying to escape accountability. This is in place because there had been a practice in which, in an effort to basically shield the
number of people who are dying in I.C.E. custody. They were releasing people who were sick, who they had done really a terrible job taking care
of somebody, might have done self-harm, and this is an effort to say we should hold ourselves accountable.
They are avoiding that accountability. You have seen stories like the gentleman in Buffalo, who they basically left to die on the streets, a
refugee, you are seeing conditions being protested at Delaney Hall and privately run for-profit entities around the country.
[11:25:00]
We should be reducing the number of people who are in prisons and jails. We should be having better conditions. This is quite simply an effort to be
able to avoid all sorts of accountability, and it's really, really devastating to see.
ASHER: The Trump Administration, actually just in terms of I.C.E. custody. This is actually the deadliest period for the federal detention system in
recent years, and obviously you know you touched on the protests in New Jersey. People are protesting the sort of inhumane conditions that exist in
I.C.E. custody in that particular state, but also across the country, and this is with the exception of 2020 when there was the pandemic.
Why has there been a rising number of deaths, specifically tied to the Trump Administration, whether it's in I.C.E. custody or whether it's after
people leave.
SCHULTE: You have seen an all-of-government approach to making life cruel for immigrants. They are trying to dramatically expand the number of people
they can incarcerate. You've heard about these warehouse jails. You're talking about an administration that wants to put 18,000 people behind bars
at a single location here. They are slashing the conditions, they are forcing more people in.
They are, quite frankly, trying to make life miserable for people, so they will choose to self-deport. And again, we should be clear, the American
public doesn't want this. They want people to focus on better health care, but costs are going out for Americans, while you know, instead, this
administration seems to be pursuing cruelty, and the only people who seem to be benefiting from it are private prison companies who are making money
from this.
ASHER: Todd Schulte live for us. Thank you so much. Appreciate your thoughts on this.
SCHULTE: Thank you so much.
ASHER: We'll right back with more after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher in New York. As the war between Israel and Hezbollah continues inside Lebanon, CNN's
Isobel Yeung gained rare access to that country and spoke with drug dealers, fighters and civilians who are paying a devastating price.
[11:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, we're here in the Bekaa Valley, where Hezbollah still have a very tight grip on control. After months of trying,
we've managed to persuade a man who we believe is an arms dealer providing these weapons to Hezbollah to meet with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Follow him. Follow, follow, follow.
YEUNG: That's the car?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, yeah.
YEUNG: Seems to be just off this road now, just going off the dirt track building just has been struck by an air strike. Let's put the cameras down
--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think this is the house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
YEUNG (voice-over): We were asked to put our cameras down and not to reveal this location or the identity of this arms dealer, who says he's a target
for the Israeli military as they try to stop the flow of weapons entering Lebanon.
YEUNG: What is this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a grenade launcher.
YEUNG: It's quite a lot of weapons you have here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Kalashnikov RPGs, projectiles, machine guns --
YEUNG: Who is it you're selling these weapons to?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We sell to whoever wants to buy weapons. I cannot give names.
YEUNG: I mean, if you're selling to people in the Bekaa Valley, I mean, could be working for Hezbollah, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe. It is possible they are taking them to Hezbollah. But I don't know, I just sell the weapon, and they do whatever they want
with it.
YEUNG: You think that these weapons are needed to defend themselves against Israel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, of course. They shouldn't invade Lebanon. They crossed into Lebanon, they are causing destruction and killing families.
YEUNG: And it never keeps you up at night, that these weapons are obviously used to kill people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why should I be concerned?
YEUNG: I mean, there is obviously a war going on in this country right now. You're not worried that these weapons are helping to fuel that war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am far away. Let people do whatever they want with these weapons.
YEUNG (voice-over): Driving much of the demand for weapons is Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militant group designated a terrorist organization by the
U.S., UK, Canada, and others. Hezbollah is an incredibly secretive group, but we wanted to understand how they're still standing and what they're
fighting for.
After months of working with contacts on the ground, we gained exclusive access to key parts of the group and to those most affected by the war.
Hezbollah struck Israel in solidarity with the Hamas October 7th attack, triggering a massive Israeli bombardment across Lebanon, even since the
November 2024 ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of failing to withdraw from the border areas.
In March, Hezbollah fired rockets on Israel after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran. This sparked a large-scale ground invasion, displacing over
a million people and killing more than 3000 according to the Lebanese government. Hezbollah's fight could be existential.
Under pressure from the U.S., the Lebanese government has been trying to disarm the group, but Israel's offensive has given Hezbollah new zeal, and
it has vowed to fight on, despite heavy losses.
MOHAMAD ALI HAIDER HASSAN, COUSIN OF HEZBOLLAH FIGHTER: This is my friend, his name Sam Mortado (ph). Here's 2007. This is sister, and this is sister.
This is grandfather, and this is mother.
YEUNG: You know, a lot of people who have died in this.
HASSAN: Yeah. I know, another friend is there.
YEUNG: When did he die?
HASSAN: From three years, I think.
YEUNG: OK.
HASSAN: And --
YEUNG: Was he a fighter?
HASSAN: Yes, he's a fighter.
YEUNG (voice-over): Mohamad from the Bekaa Valley says he's not a member of Hezbollah, but he and many others here see the group as their best
protection from Israeli aggression.
YEUNG: This is your cousin?
HASSAN: Yes.
YEUNG: And he was fighting for Hezbollah?
HASSAN: Yes, but Hezbollah defends us. Defends us, and defends of Lebanon.
YEUNG: Does everyone here support Hezbollah?
HASSAN: Yes. We all support Hezbollah. Their blood won't go wasted, God willing.
YEUNG (voice-over): Perhaps Hezbollah's greatest strength are the thousands of fighters willing to sacrifice their lives for the group. They rarely
give interviews to Western media.
YEUNG: We have managed to secure a meeting with a member of Hezbollah who has been fighting in the south of Lebanon for the last few months.
[11:35:00]
And he has agreed to meet us in a very remote location which we're heading towards right now.
YEUNG: Salaam alaikum.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vaalaikum salam.
YEUNG: Why did you join Hezbollah?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, no family was spared Israeli attacks. Civilians are being killed. They want to take our land. They have a plan to occupy
our land to achieve their goal.
YEUNG: You've seen a lot of fighters die. How does that make you feel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This makes us proud. I envy them because they are martyred. Martyrdom is something we are proud of. This is our doctrine, and
we stick to it. We die defending our homeland.
YEUNG: Do you think that firing towards Israel and Israeli troops is going to create a safer Lebanon? I mean, surely that puts Lebanese people at more
risk, knowing that what the Israelis will hit back with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we are not responsible for this. We will never give up our land. In the end we either get martyred or get victorious.
YEUNG: But I guess it doesn't feel like that to a lot of people. It feels like Hezbollah is, you know, triggering and creating more war rather than
peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it wasn't for Hezbollah, there would be no peace in Lebanon.
YEUNG (voice-over): Not everyone agrees. Recent polls suggest that, while most Lebanese view Israel as an enemy, even more are critical of Iranian
involvement in Lebanon. Among those forced to flee their home is Mona Jahamy, a Shia Muslim school teacher from the Southern City of Tyre.
YEUNG: So many displaced people across the whole of Lebanon, it's crazy.
MONA JAHAMY, HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER DISPLACED FROM SOUTHERN LEBANON: It's the most miserable displacement ever that happened in Lebanon.
YEUNG: -- This is Israelis drone overhead?
JAHAMY: -- I can't see it, because we hear it.
YEUNG: We hear it.
JAHAMY: We could have been better without getting involved in this war. What the hell did we have to do? Put ourselves in the middle of hell. In
2024, my house was almost devastated. It took me a year to reconstruct it, to redo everything. I haven't even taken a deep breath.
Then another war. This is too much. This is too much for the people of Lebanon.
YEUNG: You know, Israel are the ones who have, you know, displaced people, destroyed entire neighborhoods, that killed thousands of people.
JAHAMY: We know that Israel is a very hostile and aggressive country, and it is highly and technologically armed. Nobody has doubts about this. Take
this example. There is a ferocious lion. I tell you, keep your hand away from the lion. He might bite you. He will bite you, OK.
But you keep on teasing him, so he bites you, and more than that, you release the lion against everyone around you, OK, this is what Hezbollah
has done. Let the lion stay in its place.
YEUNG: What is your message to the Hezbollah leaders?
JAHAMY: Let us live in peace. If you want to fight for Iran, go to Iran, but let us live in peace.
YEUNG (voice-over): Lebanon's government has tried to contain Hezbollah and to stop it from attacking Israel, but its ability to do that is limited.
Many fear that direct confrontation with Hezbollah risks igniting sectarian strife and even civil war.
NAWAF SALAM, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: We're not seeking a confrontation with Hezbollah. On the contrary, I'd prefer to avoid a confrontation with
Hezbollah, but believe me, we won't be intimidated.
YEUNG (voice-over): For decades Hezbollah has stepped in where the state has failed providing health care, social services, security. Hezbollah
officials, like Ibrahim Moussawi, even hold seats in parliament.
YEUNG: The U.S. and Israel want Hezbollah disarmed. The Lebanese government itself also wants Hezbollah disarmed. What would happen if the Lebanese
government, the Lebanese military tried to do that?
IBRAHIM AL MOUSSAWI, HEZBOLLAH MEMBER OF LEBANESE PARLIAMENT: This will not happen. I can assure you, we want our army to defend our country. Your army
is not strong enough.
YEUNG: Hezbollah decided to enter this war on March the second. You knew before starting this war that the Israeli response would be huge, that
thousands of people were likely to die, which they have.
[11:40:00]
What made you decide that level of human suffering, which we've witnessed over the last few months, was worth it?
MOUSSAWI: I don't want to go into the philosophy of life and death here. The Israelis continued to carry aggression, so there was one point when we
have to respond to all of these aggressions. One, the Israeli-American war again, they started the war against Iran. We felt this is a proper window
to respond.
YEUNG: Hezbollah strikes have killed several people in Israel. They've caused some civilian harm. They've also been targeting some civilian areas
that has triggered a huge Israeli response, and we've seen thousands of Lebanese people killed. We've seen over a million people displaced.
MOUSSAWI: You know, why is this happening?
YEUNG: Do you take any response?
MOUSSAWI: Do you know why --
YEUNG: I'm going to ask you -- do you take any responsibility -- your actions on --
MOUSSAWI: Do you take any responsibility? Does your government take any responsibility? Does the American government take a responsibility for
unleashing the Israeli full mighty power of killing and making genocide? Do they do this with defending ourselves?
YEUNG: I'm asking you about --
MOUSSAWI: I'm asking you about -- resistance.
YEUNG: You acted on March the second. I'm asking if your actions on March the second bear any responsibility for thousands of people killed,
including hundreds of children.
MOUSSAWI: -- absolutely not. The international community bears the responsibility. America bears responsibility when Trump is capable to
restrain the Israelis, the criminals. I believe the American Administration hold the first and exclusively the responsibility for all of the killings
that happened.
YEUNG: But apart from appeasing Iran, what else has this war actually achieved? That has been huge --
MOUSSAWI: You're using the same equation, but in journalistic terms, that the Israelis are doing. What the Israelis are doing? Simply they -- if you
carry an operation, or if you defend yourself against their incursion into a certain village, they destroy the village. To tell you what, never think
to defend yourself again, never think to stand up for the Israeli mighty force. I want to break this cycle.
YEUNG: What would you say to the parents of the hundreds of kids who have died? What do they die for?
MOUSSAWI: I believe this question you should say to Donald Trump and to Benjamin Netanyahu. We are defending our people. Go back to the people who
are in the funerals and ask them, you are in Lebanon now, and you can see.
YEUNG (voice-over): Since March, around 200 children have been killed in Lebanon.
YEUNG: I just absolutely heartbreaking series of body after body after body, tiny little bodies. These ones having to be carried on the bed
because there's just only parts and remnants and pieces of them left.
YEUNG (voice-over): In just one strike in March, five children were killed. Six-year-old Yasmina (ph), nine-year-old Malika (ph), 11-year-old Sadiq
(ph), 12-year-old Zahra (ph), and 13-year-old Zainab.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were there any Hezbollah martyrs? We're a family. The people of the south do not bow down. Not to Israel, not to America.
YEUNG: These kids obviously have been out of school since the beginning of the war, and this group now is trying to do some activities with them, try
to have some semblance of normalcy in their lives, which have obviously been completely disrupted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While we were eating, they started bombing so I got scared. I'm scared one of us will be killed.
YEUNG (voice-over): As the Trump Administration tries to rein in both sides, the people of Lebanon are trapped between a die-hard militant force
backed by a newly emboldened Iran and the Israeli military waging a brutal war.
YEUNG: What would you say to the people who have power over this war right now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God didn't create you to do this to us. Children can't continue their education or do anything. You have ruined our lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ASHER: Turning now to the far-right political streamer and influencer Nick Fuentes, who appears to be growing in popularity among young men, despite
expressing racist, misogynistic, and antisemitic views. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan met with some followers of Fuentes. Fans he likes to call
Groypers. Here's what happens.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN, GROYPER: I broke up with my last chick. She was a pain in the ass. So --
DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I've come to Miami to meet Rich and John. They're both Groypers, the nickname given to fans of
the far-right streamer Nick Fuentes.
JOHN: Like, we don't hate women, we just find feminism annoying.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Fuentes is known for his sexist, racist, and antisemitic rants.
JOHN: So, when I first heard of him, it was actually in 2022 when him and Kanye went to visit Trump.
O'SULLIVAN: They had dinner at Mar-a-Lago.
JOHN: They had the dinner at Mar-a-Lago. And I heard he's just like this white supremacist Nazi. I was always skeptical of those accusations,
because I'm like everyone gets called that nowadays.
O'SULLIVAN: What is it about Nick, do you think that makes him so appealing to particularly young men?
RICH, GROYPER: There's a side of comedy, like there's politics, and it's kind of like Trump, you know, Trump is just genuinely funny, he's a funny
guy, and that's very attractive.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Fuentes fans tried to write his hate off his humor.
JOHN: And sure, maybe he does stuff to be edgy and make jokes, but we're young, we just want to have fun, and with these older people, we want to
get a rise out of them, especially these MAGA Fox News boomers, like we want to get a rise out of you.
NICK FUENTES, AMERICAN FAR-RIGHT POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I would just take away the right to vote for tons of people, women for sure.
O'SULLIVAN: How do you know when he's joking, and how do you know when he's not? Because he says, like, women shouldn't vote, but that's not a joke,
right? He means that.
RICH: Yeah, it's still a joke, though. It's like we're not going out of our way to repeal the 19th. You know --
JOHN: -- trying to get under people's skin.
O'SULLIVAN: But you're saying you don't believe that Fuentes believes that women shouldn't vote.
JOHN: No, I think he does believe that.
O'SULLIVAN: You think he believes that they shouldn't vote?
JOHN: Yeah.
O'SULLIVAN: Do you think that?
RICH: He probably does --
O'SULLIVAN: So, he's not joking.
RICH: Yeah, but he wouldn't do anything about --
JOHN: But we know that's not really --
RICH: We're not trying to change that.
FUENTES: When I say women's rights, what do we obviously need to do? Take them away. This is just -- this is what everyone knows needs to be done.
O'SULLIVAN: It seems that even among the Groypers, it isn't always clear when Fuentes is joking and when he's not.
JOHN: I think women should only be allowed to vote if they're married, because I think if they were married, they would vote with their husband.
O'SULLIVAN: Rich, do you think women should vote?
RICH: Sure, let them vote. I don't have an issue with it.
O'SULLIVAN: You don't?
RICH: No. Let them vote.
O'SULLIVAN: You're charting some heads here, guys.
JOHN: That's for sure.
O'SULLIVAN: Rich is 23, John is 25.
[11:50:00]
Both came of age during the rise of Trump, COVID, the Me-Too movement, and what many young men like them view as the excesses of cancel culture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going Orthodox Church tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know where the nearest one is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Orthodox --
O'SULLIVAN: -- orthodox -- Yeah. Are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, but I'm Catholic, but all my friends are Serbian.
O'SULLIVAN: Maybe we'll go to a Catholic church tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, I can send you some if you want.
O'SULLIVAN: Oh, really? What's your number?
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): These men have come to see themselves in Fuentes, his cancellation across social media platforms for his spreading of hate
debut as part of a broader attack on men like them.
JOHN: And you look at his audience, they feel like they can relate to him, because they're young men. A lot of them can't get girlfriends, a lot of
them are struggling financially, they're not going to have the life their parents had, their grandparents had.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up, like nobody cares. You're not him, bro. You'll never be him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just kill yourself.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Soon after I left Miami, pictures John posted of our interview on social media got Fuentes' attention, and he wasn't happy
his followers had spoken to CNN.
FUENTES: How about that CNN thing? Oh my gosh, these like two absolute -- Look at us, we're in our Nick Fuentes T-shirt and hat.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): In online audio chats, Groypers began to turn on Rich and John.
FUENTES: I can't wait for this guy to be dodged, and I was laughing forever.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Rich and John did not want to be interviewed again.
JOHN: How's everyone doing tonight?
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): But John posted a 30-minute video on social media where he tried to defend his Groyper honor.
JOHN: I consider myself a Groyper, and I know everyone's saying I'm not a Groyper, and giving me death threats, and telling me to kill myself, and
that they're going to rape me, and that's fine. I don't really care.
FUENTES: -- like me.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Even though Fuentes was mocking them.
FUENTES: -- spilling to the CNN journalist, he's going to make them look like complete idiots.
O'SULLIVAN (voice-over): Here was John still trying to play case the hate.
JOHN: To anyone that you know I might have offended or thought that I was trying to sabotage the movement. I am sorry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: We'll be right back with more after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: The Papal PayPal payout had to do the one very slowly, bit of a mouthful there, but a great moment took place at the Vatican when the State
Treasurer of Illinois handed Pope Leo a check.
[11:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would like to return this to you -- Paypal account -- but you had the total right there --
POPE LEO, HEAD OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SOVEREIGN OF VATICAN CITY: -- true story --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: -- moment. But you had the total right there. It was $8.65 cents that he was handed. The Illinois treasurer says that they found the PayPal
money in the state's unclaimed property account last year and have been trying to get it back to the pope to no avail. So, when he was invited to
the Vatican as part of a Chicago delegation.
The treasurer decided to deliver it in person. As for the pope, certainly does feel very on brand to some people. It was about a month ago when his
longtime friend actually told the story that the pope tried calling his bank to change his address to Rome, and -- insisted he needed to come in
person to make the change when he said he couldn't really do that, because he was the pope.
The customer service representative hung up on him. Not exactly believable, right? The pope would be calling, so I don't blame them. But stay with CNN.
I'll have much more "One World" after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
