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Lebanon's Justice Minister Adel Nasser, speaking from Beirut, revealed the devastating toll: over 1,000 killed, thousands injured, and more than one million displaced.
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00:00New twist on day 24 of the West Asia war.
00:11From 48 hours ultimatum to 5 day pause.
00:21Trump flinches. Diplomacy takes center stage.
00:30And we are very willing to make a deal. It's got to be a good deal.
00:34But Iran lampoons ceasefire talks.
00:39Trump backed down claims Tehran.
00:48Porter's proposes, will Bibi agree?
00:56Has Iran's hormones gambit paid off?
01:06Is this the beginning of the end of the world?
01:09That is our top focus on Newstrak.
01:14Good evening. You're watching Newstrak with me, Maria Shaquille.
01:17After 23 days of relentless escalation that pushed global markets into turmoil and sent oil prices soaring, a sudden pause
01:28has emerged in the high-stakes standoff between the United States, Israel and Iran.
01:34U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a temporary halt to strikes, claiming fresh diplomatic progress with Tehran.
01:41But Iran is denying any formal talks.
01:44The big question remains, is this the first step towards de-escalation or merely a strategic pause before the next
01:51big flashpoint?
01:53We have a big guest lined up for you straight from Beirut.
01:57But before that, here's a report.
02:1023 days of destruction.
02:1923 days of devastation.
02:3023 days with the world on edge.
02:3224 days of devastation.
02:3324 days of devastation.
02:3924 days of devastation.
02:3924 days of devastation.
02:3924 days of devastation.
02:4024 days of devastation.
02:4325 days of devastation.
02:4425 days of devastation.
02:4525 days of devastation.
02:4525 days of devastation.
02:4525 days of devastation.
02:4525 days of devastation.
02:4626 days of devastation.
02:4726 days of devastation.
02:4826 days of devastation.
02:4926 days of devastation.
02:5026 days of devastation.
02:5126 days of devastation.
02:5226 days of devastation.
02:5226 days of devastation.
02:5426 days of devastation.
02:5426 days of devastation.
02:5426 days of devastation.
02:5526 days of devastation.
02:5726 days of devastation.
03:02And just when it seemed this conflict was becoming the new normal, a sudden twist.
03:12Barely hours before his strait of Hormuz ultimatum expired, President Donald Trump has hit the
03:18pause button.
03:22No strikes on Iran's power plants, no hits on energy infrastructure at least for the
03:27next five days.
03:29In a statement, Trump claims Washington and Tehran have held productive talks over the
03:34past 48 hours, talks that could potentially end hostilities.
03:40I didn't call, they called, they want to make a deal.
03:43And we are very willing to make a deal, it's got to be a good deal, and it's got to
03:48be no
03:48more wars, no more nuclear weapons, they're not going to have nuclear weapons anymore,
03:53they're agreeing to that, any of that stuff is no deal.
03:57This is the same president who just days ago threatened to obliterate Iran's power plants
04:03in Tehran did not back down, and from day one, he vowed to dismantle the Iranian regime.
04:14The U.S. president criticized Iran's leadership and said he does not recognize Mojtaba Khamenei
04:20as the supreme leader of Iran.
04:23Khamenei was killed, Khamenei's son is unavailable, nobody knows what happened to him.
04:29I can say they haven't seen him there either, something is going on with him.
04:32But regardless, I don't consider him really the leader.
04:36So here's the big question, what changed?
04:40The answer may lie in one word, money.
04:43Since the war began, oil prices have exploded, from under $80 per barrel to nearly $120.
04:51A spike that has rattled economies, shaken governments and squeezed consumers worldwide.
04:56And then you have the markets.
04:58Global equities have taken a hit, even the U.S. economy is feeling the pressure.
05:04The moment Trump hinted at a pause, oil prices dipped.
05:09It is also reacting to the development.
05:11Gift nifty has surged, signaling a likely relief rally for stock markets on Tuesday.
05:16The Ministry of External Affairs say it is closely monitoring the situation.
05:42But the ground reality remains murky, Tehran claims there have been initiatives to calm the tensions,
05:49but believe Trump's call is nothing but an attempt to decrease energy prices and gain time for military action.
05:59An Iranian media citing sources says there will be no return to normal in the Strait of Hormuz,
06:05not while psychological warfare continues.
06:08Another Iranian outlet flatly denies any talks ever took place.
06:13No back channels, no intermediaries, nothing.
06:18So what is this really?
06:20A genuine step towards peace?
06:23Or just a tactical pause before the next strike?
06:25Or is this President Donald Trump trying to signal calm?
06:30The war may not be over.
06:32But for the moment, the world is breathing a little easier.
06:48And Iran is continuing to deny any talks with United States.
06:53In fact, reports suggest that US envoy negotiating with Iran is, in fact, Iran's Speaker.
06:59Speaker Gali Buff has rejected reports and he has called it fake news.
07:06Speaker Gali Buff has said that no negotiations have been held with the United States
07:10and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets
07:15and escape the cogmire in which the US and Israel are trapped.
07:19These are strong words coming in from one person who was being seen as a negotiator here.
07:25Gita, how should this be read?
07:26He is saying that this is fake news, being spread by none other than the US President himself.
07:31Well, that's right.
07:32The fact that the US President said that they are in talks and negotiation.
07:37There was Israeli media that came out and said that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff
07:41are in touch with and in conversation with the Iranian Speaker of the Parliament.
07:48And he himself has come out now and has rejected those claims as fake news.
07:53So there might not be any direct negotiation or conversation.
07:57There certainly is some backroom that is happening through other countries.
08:01But that is all that there is right now.
08:04The fact, Maria, is that there is a temporary ceasefire when it comes to energy infrastructure.
08:09That should be a huge relief not just for Iran but for the GCC countries that fear attacks.
08:15But that does not mean that the war has halted.
08:19We are looking at attacks and counterattacks that are continuing as we speak between Israel and Iran.
08:25So the temporary halt by America is only for energy and power plant projects.
08:31All right.
08:32Geeta, thank you for joining us.
08:44Tonight, as strikes intensify along the Israel-Lebanon border, President Trump has called for a five-day ceasefire.
08:52But even as that proposal is floated, escalation on the ground shows no signs of slowing.
08:57Questions are now being raised about Washington's intent and influence as fears of a wider regional conflict only grows.
09:06Joining me now is Lebanon's Minister of Justice, Adil Nasser.
09:11He is joining me from Beirut.
09:13Let me start with a question which is on everybody's mind because you are joining us from ground zero.
09:19Mr. Nasser, what is the situation, what is the cost of war that you have seen so far?
09:24Can you give some kind of estimate of the loss of life and property?
09:29Yeah.
09:31We have a dramatic situation in Lebanon.
09:35More than 1,000 killed.
09:38We have thousands of injured.
09:40We have more than one million persons displaced from their homes.
09:46And we have a dramatic, massive destruction of homes and businesses.
09:56Economically, the situation is also very bad.
09:59We can say that we are facing a dramatic situation with very limited resources.
10:09President Trump just a few minutes ago called for a five-day ceasefire.
10:15But the US continues to back Israel even as strikes intensify.
10:20How do you read this?
10:21Is Washington serious about de-escalation or is it simply managing optics?
10:28I cannot speculate on the position of the United States regarding the war that is currently
10:38existing between Israel and the United States on one hand and Iran on the other hand.
10:43What I can tell you is that, unfortunately, Lebanon has been dragged in this war, and the
10:52interest of Lebanon is to stay away of the regional conflicts.
10:58The United States clearly has undeniable leverage over Israel.
11:02Why hasn't it used that leverage to stop the strikes?
11:06Or is Washington choosing not to?
11:08What's your reading?
11:09And what is the Lebanon establishment's reading right now?
11:14In Lebanon, we have two levels of problems.
11:18One level that is internal, and it's a problem that has been raised before the escalation of
11:27the war that we know today, which is the existence of a military organization, Hezbollah, which
11:35has weapons outside the state and outside the control of the state.
11:42This is the internal problem.
11:45And we have also this war launched against Lebanon with all the dramatic consequences of
11:51the war.
11:52So we in Lebanon, although we are a country that should be a model of coexistence, a model
11:59for the world of coexistence among various religions, various, I mean, we have a democracy, and our
12:10goal as government of Lebanon is to restore the state into the whole territory, and not having a duality
12:19of power or a duality of weapons, i.e. to dismantle the military of Hezbollah.
12:25This is on one hand.
12:26And on the other hand, we have to make all the diplomatic efforts, including through the
12:33United States, to be able to face any attack or any threat coming from Israel.
12:40So we strongly believe that, unfortunately, our capacity to conduct this diplomatical, let's
12:52say, process is impaired by the fact that internally we have Hezbollah, which is a party with weapons
13:02provided by Iran, with resources provided by Iran, that is impairing the capacity of the state to
13:12face Israeli attacks through diplomatical channels.
13:16On the other hand, it is obvious that the military capacity of Israel to strike Lebanon is huge.
13:26And we are facing a major destruction and humanitarian situation due to this war.
13:37You know, you've made an important point that the situation on the ground clearly appears worrying.
13:43You know, on one hand, you have Washington talking about ceasefire,
13:46Israeli operations are expanding. What is the sense from the ground?
13:50Is diplomacy completely out of sync with reality?
13:53Well, for the time being, regarding Lebanon, although Lebanon has launched a diplomatic proposal
14:03to enter into negotiations with Israel, because at the end of the day, either you make war or you make
14:10negotiations, and the government consider that the interest of Lebanon is to enter into negotiations
14:16to seize this war, unfortunately, until now, the channel, the diplomatical channels,
14:22are not optimistic.
14:24So there's no diplomatic channel which is functioning. Then how do you see this war really moving ahead?
14:30We believe that we have friends in the world, we have France, we have the United States of America,
14:35and we really hope that these channels will work. The government of Lebanon opened the door for negotiations.
14:46Unfortunately, there is a direct consequence of the war against Iran, or the war conducted between Israel
14:54and the United States on the one hand, and Iran on the other hand, has dramatic effects in Lebanon,
14:59because Iran controls Hezbollah, and Hezbollah acts, taking into consideration not necessarily the interest of Lebanon,
15:10but also the interest of Iran. So as long as the war in Iran is ongoing, Hezbollah is, and it
15:21is a clear analysis,
15:23that Hezbollah acts like being part of the defensive system of Iran. So we are linked to this war due
15:35to the fact that,
15:36due to the links between Hezbollah and Iran on one hand, and due to the attacks, direct attacks of Israel
15:45against Lebanon.
15:46On the other hand, we, as the government, strongly believe that the diplomatic channel is the proper way to deal
15:57with the situation.
15:58Mr. Nassar, the Litany River bridges and key connectivity routes in southern Lebanon have been hit.
16:06These are civilian lifelines. Do you see this as collective punishment aimed at isolating entire population from the mainland?
16:15As I was saying, we don't expect Israel to act in a positive manner, and what Israel is doing in
16:24the south is very dangerous,
16:29because there are risks that they occupy a part of the territory, but we strongly believe that the proper way
16:38for Lebanon to protect its territory
16:40is not to go to the channel that Israel has chosen, i.e., the channel of the war, but to
16:48go into the diplomatic channels.
16:51Unfortunately, Hezbollah is impairing the capacity of the Republic of Lebanon to fight through the diplomatic channels,
17:03and the dangers coming from the activity of the military of the military of the military of the Israeli army
17:11in the south and in all the territory,
17:13because they are bombing also the southern suburb of Beirut, the Bekaa, et cetera.
17:21But the proper way to deal with this situation for Lebanon is to go to the diplomatic channels,
17:27and as long as Hezbollah is maintaining this military duality and the links they have with Iran,
17:37this is impairing the capacity of Lebanon to face the situation.
17:41So with, in fact, displacement rising, as you spoke about, and infrastructure collapsing,
17:47how close is Lebanon to a full-scale humanitarian disaster, one would say?
17:52And who do you really hold accountable, not just those carrying out the strikes, but also those backing them?
17:59No, it is clear that today our situation in terms of humanitarian aspects is terrible.
18:10We, the government has no, has, is doing, let's say, day and night efforts to provide shelters,
18:22to provide hot meals to the displaced.
18:24It is a huge work, and with very limited resources, and we frankly need the support of the international community.
18:36However, on the other hand, we strongly believe that by, through the relationships we have with the United States,
18:44and we know that the United States have their own influence into the whole situation,
18:51we believe that the friendly relationship we have with the United States should help to address the current situation in
19:01order to go into a negotiation instead of staying into a state of war.
19:07Last couple of questions, Mr. Nassar, does this war really weaken Hezbollah internally,
19:14or does continued external backing for Israel end up strengthening its narrative of resistance?
19:25Look, unfortunately, Hezbollah's narrative about resistance cannot stand anymore.
19:33And since 2000, when there was a withdrawal of the Israeli troops from the south of Lebanon,
19:40there were no operations conducted by Hezbollah within the existing parts of, let's say, where there is, there are Israeli
19:51soldiers.
19:52All the operations were either transborder, which is not resistance, or in Syria fighting to protect the Syrian regime,
20:02all within Lebanon through invading Beijing.
20:05So the narrative, the narrative of resistance is obviously does not exist anymore.
20:11The government of Lebanon took very clear decisions since one year, the formation of this government,
20:18saying that we have to implement the monopoly of strength, of force in Lebanon.
20:22We have to make sure that there will be no more military infrastructure outside the government.
20:33And the government of Lebanon declared as illegal all the military infrastructure of Hezbollah.
20:44The current situation, obviously, by launching, Hezbollah provided a policy
20:52a pretext to Israel to pass from, let's say, attacks to a full-fledged war.
21:05We were facing attacks, but now we are facing a full war.
21:10My last question to you, what does the endgame look like from your perspective, Lebanon's perspective?
21:19It is existential for Lebanon to implement the monopoly of force and to conduct negotiations in order to end the
21:31war,
21:31the existing war, and to establish a new scheme regarding Lebanon.
21:38Lebanon.
21:39All that we are working for is to make sure that Lebanon will become, in the future, far away from
21:47the regional conflicts,
21:48because the regional conflicts do not seem to cease in the near future.
21:54So, our interest as Lebanon is to be away from these conflicts and to build our own country to strengthen
22:04our own government
22:06in the interest of all the population without exception.
22:09All right, Mr. Adil Nassar, Minister of Justice, joining us from Beirut in Lebanon.
22:15Thank you so much for speaking to India today.
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