>> tonight on pbs news weekend, president biden and other world leaders scramble to contain.

and the drought in southern africa threatens millions with hunger. >> our situation is difficult. we only eat once a day because we have nothing in the silos. everything has dried up in the drought. ♪ >> major funding for the "pbs news weekend" has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular, how may i help you? with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contracts. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. ♪ >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs news weekend.

professionals who are committed to acting in their clients best interest. more information at letsmakeaplan.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and, friends of the newshour. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ john: good evening. i'm john yan. the day after iran used drones and missiles to carry out its first ever direct assault on israel, diplomacy took center stage today. leaders from the white house to capitals around

the globe are scrambling tonight to try to keep this unfolding and perilous conflict from spiraling out of control. tonight our coverage tonight , begins with nick schifrin. nick: above the holiest sites in one of the world's holiest cities, rockets lit up the night sky, and israeli air defense blocked an unprecedented iranian attack across all of israel. the israeli defense forces said it thwarted 99% of more than 300 drones and missiles. the majority were launched from iran, but some also came from iranian-backed proxies in iraq, syria, and yemen. american officials say the u.s. shot down at least 75 of them, almost all in jordanian airspace. israel said the only missiles that entered israeli airspace were ballistic, including one that wounded a seven-year-old girl. israel reported no deaths and only minor damage to an air force base.

iran said they were responding to israel's killing senior iranian generals inside iran's damascus consulate, and called the attack tit for tat. >> from our point of view, this operation is over, and there is no intention to continue the operation. but if the zionist regime takes any action against the islamic republic, our next operation will be much larger. nick: by the light of day, israelis returned to normal. but the region is anything but, and israel's leadership says the incident is very much not over. >> we are still on high alert and assessing the situation. over the last few hours, we've approved operational plans for both offensive and defensive action. nick: but the u.s. is counseling restraint. president biden and the leaders of the world's seven largest industrialized nations warned

iran's attack could lead to “uncontrollable escalation.” they vowed to de-escalate, and in a phone call, biden told prime minister benjamin netanyahu that the u.s. would not take part in an israeli retaliation. john kirby: it's going to be up to the israelis to decide what the next step is here. i will say this. president biden since the beginning of this conflict has worked very hard to keep this from becoming a broader regional war, to keep the tensions from escalating. nick senior administration : officials said today the g-7 group of countries could impose new coordinad sanctions, and other countries could join the u.s. in labeling the islamic revolutionary guard corps a terrorist group. that is the diplomatic focus, john, that the u.s. wants as israel considers its military options. john: the u.s. moved deep u.s. assets into the region. how important were they in this operation. net: president biden said they were absolutely essential. in the last 10 days the u.s. has

been coordinating on the response as senior initial -- official leaders said and fighter squadrons shot down more than 70 drones. the u.s. brought an additional destroyer into the region and not took down ballistic missiles fired toward israel. we do not know of any previous occasion in which the u.s. launched jets during an attack on israel or fired missiles from boats duringn attack on israel. a senior administration said if this attack had succeeded, there would have been uncontrollable escalation and a broader regional conflict. the u.s. said this attack was designed to kill israelis and inflect widespread damage. and it didn't. the assumption is if that had happened, israel and iran might

be at were already. israeli media reported there was a quick cabinet meeting last night in which israeli leaders considered an immediate strike but that the netanyahu and biden phone call seems to have tamped down the possibility of that and now is really officials say they will strike whenever they deem it proper. there are many military options for iran. a senior administration official said israel has made clear they are not looking for a significant escalation with iran. not looking to strike directly at iran and senior officials said we will not be part of any response. to say that is to send the message to israel if you are

going to attack iran, you are on your own. part of what the ministration is trying to do is slow things down. that is the focus on diplomacy. the u.s. hopes to isolate iran through some sanctions, perhaps terrorism designations and the flip of it is less isolation they hope on israel. you have seen in the last few hours the eu diplomats who have been very critical of israel over the war in gaza. support israel and then condemn iran in no uncertain ways and that is where we are today with u.s. focus on diplomacy and israel saying we are not were seekers but we will see how israel chooses to respond.

john: nick, thank you. let's bring inaron david miller. he's a senior fellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace. he played a key role in u.s. middle east policy for every president from jimmy carter to george w. bush. israel was really blunted and caused relatively little damage. >> it is an extraordinary testament to technology. a significant amount of help from u.s. and is really aircraft. 350 crews and drones, given the effectiveness of this is really air defense, it is quite extraordinary. john: it has been reported that

bided told netanyahu to take the win and do nothing. what do you think of that advice? >> the president does not want to see an escalation, let alone something that could trip into a regional war with exchanges foreign exchange -- an extended time. we do not want to see a flirt between israel and hezbollah and i expect mr. biden understands that prospects of u.s. involvement are high so he has given the best advice he can, you are occupying the moral high ground, tensions between the u.s. and israel [indiscernible] all of that i think is being taken seriously by the israeli war cabinet. john: does this close the door

on the syrian attack strike that they were responding to, if iran does not do more, what about hezbollah and the other proxies? >> i think those attacks will continue but i believe, and israel and iran has a vote but it is one thing for iran to say we are done but they are not the only party. >> i think those attacks will continue. i do believe that iran has only one vote so it's well and good . for the iranians to say we're done, but they're not the only

party involved in this. i suspect that pro iranian mitias at least for the short term won't give the israelis any pretext or excuse for responding. but i do think the war cabinet is divided on this. i think everyone including the five, including men against believes that response is necessary. the timing of that response i think is up in the air, and the scale of that response is up in the air. so i think israel capitalize now on the fact that they've got an enormous the g7 statement was extraordinary in terms of its support for israel. no concern over israeli strikes and a strong statement that also appeared to isolate iran. so i think the israelis will ride that for a while, but at some point i think there will be an accounting and it probably will be directed at iranian assets in iran. john: what is allhis due to the war in gaza, and especially the negotiations to try to get the hostages back? >> i think there it's a serious, serious tragedy on the part of the hostages and their families. hamas had no incentive. they believe that pressure on israel, israeli withdrawal of forces from gaza was working in their favor. they were delaying, hoping to get a better deal. frankly, i'm not sure the netanyahu government felt all that much urgency, given the

fact that any deal free hostages is going to result in an asymmetrical number of palestinian prisoners freed, which is going to stress mr netanyahu's own coalition. but i think hamas now will wait to see how much chaos and confrontation and confusion will result from this potential iranian israeli fight and i suspect there'll be no deal on hostages and probably no operation against rafa h, either. but gaza still will be the focus because of its proximity problem, and the israelis have hostages. and they're still determined, i think, to eliminate the senior leadership. john: aaron david miller, thank you very much. >> thank you, john. john: talks aimed at the release of israeli hostages in gaza and

a pause in the fighting have stalled as israel says hamas rejected the latest proposal. hamas is holding firm in demanding a permanent ceasefire and for israel's total withdrawal from gaza. in gaza, hundreds of palestinian families moved north along the coast, despite warnings from the israeli military that it's still an active war zone. more than a million gaza residents have taken refuge in southern gaza. today, the israeli military said it will call up two reserve divisions for future operations in gaza. last night's attack has spurred house republicans to try to quickly pass military aid for israel. on fox news, house speaker mike johnson also left the door open to adding long-stalled money for ukraine on the measure. the senate approved aid for israel, ukraine, and taiwan in february, but opposition from some ultraconservative republicans has blocked it in the house. in sydney, police said the man who stabbed six people to death at a crowded shopping mall suffered from mental health issues and appears to have had no particular motive. five of the six people killed by joel cauchi were women. he wounded dozens of others before police shot him dead.

and artist and author faith ringgold has died. she created richly colored and detailed canvas panels that she called story quilts. they depicted the joys and burdens of black life, especially black women's lives. as a social activist, she protested the lack of works of black and female artists in the collections of american museums. faith ringgold was 93 years old. still to come on pbs news weekend, the view from ukraine, which says it needs more munitions and manpower in its war with russia. and, millions across southern africa are facing hunger in the midst of extreme drought. ♪ >> this is pbs news weekend from w eta studios in washington, home of the pbs, weeknights on pbs. john: ukraine has been at war with russia for more than two years now, and there are signs that this year could be pivotal. ukrainian officials say they need more munitions and suppt as russia appears to be gaining ground.

newshour co-anchor amna nawaz is on the ground in kyiv tonight, beginning a week long reporting trip. amna, what's the state of the war now? amna: john, good evening. the dire conditions ukrainian officials have been warning of for months seem to be here with some expressing concern that ukraine is potentially at risk of losing the war this calendar year. two forces are essentially colliding it now. ukraine is facing a critical shortage of air defense. russia has been ramping up air offenses and is targeting that energy said -- systems. with precision we have not seen yet in the war and they continue to advance to the east. russian forces already occupy much of the donbas region.

they've made advances in the recent months back in february. they claimed the key city abdi vca. some say they are now on the cusp of claiming another key city of char cvr. and, of course, they're also now relentlessly pummeling the city of kharkiv in ukraine's northeast that is ukraine's second largest city. it would be a major prize for the russians and majorly demoralizing for ukrainians. ukraine is now facing challenges. -- facing challenges on these the fronts advancing russian and force, their own critical shortages and, of course, exhausted troops after more than two years of fighting. john: the shortages of munitions can be solved by getting more aid from other countries. but how what's what's ukraine doing about the exhausting troops sort of filling that manpower gap? amna: and that manpower gap is real. it's been the source of much debate and many controversial proposals. president zelinsky has now lowered the draft age from 27 to 25, potentially meaning that thousands of more young men could be pulled into that fight.

but you know, right now in the capital city here, it sometimes feellike those front lines of the war can really be a world away. i mean, life here unfolds at a sort of normalish, every-day pace. people go out for walks. they walk their dogs, they go to work. they sit outside cafes and and sip lattes. but that war looms large and it does occasionally and regularly pierced through that sense of normalcy. there are, of course, burned out russian military vehicles from early in the war on display in the city center here, right behind me. there are memorials to the war dead lining the city walls. and, of course, there are air sirens that do regularly go off , blaring across the city and forcing everyone to try to find shelter nearby. we experienced one yesterday ourselves. i met one young kyiv resident who could be entering that draft range soon. his name is alexey. he works in real estate. his best friend is serving on the front line right now, but i asked him about the war and whether he feels pressure to join up. >> i feel guilty. i feel guilty that i'm sleeping in the warm bed.

i can take a shower, but from my side, i'm trying to help. i know that it's not enough. and even when you died, it's not enough, but it is what it is. amna: is any part of you scared that you might get drafted and have to go fight? >> my mother of course is scared. girlfriend is scared. amna: and you? >> of course i am scared. of course. amna: john, of course, with another russian offensive expected this spring. young men like alexey could be called to join the fight. so many questions remain here in ukraine, and john will be putting all of those questions directly to ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy when i sit down with him for an exclusive interview tomorrow. we will have more on that on the newshour tonight. john: we look forrd to that. and all your reporting in the weeks ahead.

thank you very much. amna: thank you. john: there's a growing hunger crisis across southern africa, brought on by an extreme drought that's devastating farmers and the food supply. ali rogin has more. ali: a sweeping drought has devastated southern africa, forcing zimbabwe's president to declare a state of national disaster. it is the third country to do so in recent months, joining malawi and zambia. the el nino induced drought has scorched crops and left millions hungry in the region. zimbabwe was once an agricultural powerhouse that exported grain to surrounding countries. but over the last two decades, it's been heavily dependent on aid agencies for food to survive. >> our food situation is difficult. we have only eat once a day because we have nothing in the fields, not a single grain. everything has dried up in the drought. we also have problems with sourcing water.

ali: but as aid groups face budget cuts and broaden thr operations to other conflicts, the crisis in southern africa is expected to worsen. tendai -- worsen. tendai mariama is a freelance journalist based in zimbabwe and joins me now. tendai, thank you so much for being here. we just ntioned some of the top line weather conditions that are contributing to low crop yield. but let's talk a little more in depth about the factors that are playing into these conditions being so bad in southern africa right now. >> the situation that is affecting southern africa has to do with the late rainfalls that came normally. normally -- rainfalls that came. it normally in a season, the rain would begin in about october or november and right up until april. but what we saw this year was that the rains were delayed and they only came, very late in december. and then it was just patches of rain and then after that,ome very dry months. and this is when zambia declared that they had been a national disaster because over 50% of the

planted crops had failed. and for sure, a lot of harvests, across different countries have been, have been devastated. ali: do experts agree that el nino the weather pattern that that is global is is driving these cycles that we're seeing? and if so, why does it seem to be affecting southern africa so intensely at this moment? >> i think with southern africa, what, climate scientists tell us is that it'll be two years of the el nino phenomenon, and then one year possibly of the la nina phenomenon, which is a situation where there's too much rain. and this is what we've seen happening over the past few years. in 2019, we had cyclones that were affecting mozambique, malawi, and zimbabwe and south africa. and from that a total of 1000 people died because of those extreme floods. and now we are seeing that we have come again to a drought period. this is the el nino part. and what they're anticipating is that there won't be much rain. and the lean season is likely to last well into 2025. so from about september 2025 is when people can possibly hope that they might be changed. but it's uncertain at this

stage. ali: an incredibly long amount of time. we mentioned that zimbabwe and the surrounding countries were at one point regional bread baskets and now are heavily dependent on aid to combat the suffering of civilians in situations like this. can you just tell us about how stark that reversal of fortunes has been over the past couple decades? >> it has been incredible to witns. because i remember as a child growing up i think one of the , worst droughts that zimbabwe experienced was in about 1992. i was still quite young then, but i do remember, you know, there being food handouts and things, but the country was able to recover but when we got into the 2000s, with all the other political things that happened in the country, and also because most of the commercial farms, the large commercial farms, that used to produce, you know, a lot of food for domestic consumption and export. these were white owned farms and these were taken over during the land reform period.

that it left the country without the farming resources and without the financial resources to be able to continue farming effectively. whereas other countries in the region, they may have things to buffer, or at least a plans in place to buffer themselves from the shocks of the drought. but for a country like zimbabwe, it's in a dire state and the situation is very severe because at least 2.7 million people are facing hunger. ali: in terms of some of the contemporary domestic issues that are playing out in zimbabwe, in march, the government forcibly removed american aid workers from u.s. aid. the president is also under u.s. sanctions right now for corruption and human rights abuses. how do those issues affect aid workers ability to help civilians right now? >> it casts a dark cloud over the level of support that u.s. aid will be able to provide to the country. the security has heightened around food distributions. another concern is possibly with the delivery of food aid. because things such as cooking oil, because it's a fortified kind of cooking oil that u.s. aid distributes to communities.

things like cornmeal that the u.s. aid distributes have to be shipped and it takes about six weeks for wfp and u.s. aid to be able to get food into the country. so if there are all these sort of tensions it raises questions how much longer will it take, given the situation, that there is suspicion from the state over the role that u.s. aid is playing in the country? although they have stated that their intentions are purely humanitarian and it is the largest donor to zimbabwe, the government still has its suspicions. so, you know, it raises a lot of questions to say, you know, who will suffer if this suspicion then delays what is meant to be for the people. >> tendai maremma, freelance journalist based in zimbabwe. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. ♪ john: that is pbs news weekend for this sunday. monday, the very latest on the

situation in the middle east. and amna nawaz sits down one-on-one with ukrainian president vladimir zalewski -- volodymyr zelenskyy monday on the newshour. i'm john yang. for all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us. have a good week. ♪ >> >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs news weekend. more information at letsmakeaplan.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station fromiewers like you. thank you. ♪ [captioning performed by the

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♪ ♪ narrator: in september 1980, the department of energy was in the midst of building