we leave you this sunday morning basking among sunflowers in highmore, south dakota. i'm jane pauley. please join us when our trumpet sounds again next "sunday morning." ♪ i'm robert costa in washington. in this week, on "face the nation," israel assassinates the

head of hezbollah, potentially expanding the war in the middle east. as the candidates start to feel the heat of yet another global crisis. israel's strike on the iran back's terrorist group has put more fuel on the fire in the middle east as we approach one year since the hamas attack on israel. what is the impact of this new front. with five weeks until election day, national security and u.s. foreign policy are increasingly part of the conversation on the campaign trail. >> smart american diplomacy is what keeps the peace. we're not going to have it with kamala harris. >> we'll speak with senator tom cotton and former trump national security adviser general h.r. mcmaster and plus we'll hear from stanley mcchrystal about why he's supporting vice president harris.

maryland republican senate candidate larry hogan will also join us as we preview tuesday's cbs news vice presidential debate. plus, we'll get the latest on the flooding and devastation following hurricane helene. the monster storm that swept through the south from fema administrator deanne criswell. it is all just ahead on "face the nation." ♪ good morning, i'm robert costa. margaret is preparing for tuesday's vice presidential debate that could be last time this season that national candidates face off in person. and with just over a month until election day, the spotlight is now on how the next administration will deal with challenges across the board. coming up, we'll look at the aftermath of hurricane helene.

but we begin with mounting fears of an all out war in the middle east. our imtiaz tyab reports from lebanon. >> reporter: in this just released hezbollah video, the burial shroud of hassan nasrallah. as grief gripped supporters of the hezbollah leader, many went among they stood amid the bunker busting bombs used to tower the targeting figure. but nasrallah has no match for israel's military might or its breathtaking intelligence capabilities after israeli forces found and assassinated him at a time of sky high tensions. on the streets of tau ran, more sorrow. hezbollah has long been backed

by iran. and a major blow to his key alley, the supreme leader ayatollah and the strike a major is a victory. >> citizens of israel, these are great days. we are at what appears to be a historic turning point. >> reporter: that hangs on how hezbollah will now respond. but following the assassinations of nasrallah and self of the group top commanders, its leadership has been decapitated and the fighting forces in disarray. >> when the enemy killed the leadership or decapitates it, the mobile comes back stronger and more militant and therefore for of a threat. so i think the israeli people are not necessarily going to be safer or feel safer. >> reporter: in this still smoking wreckage where nasrallah was killed, the scale of the actions here and the fear of what it could trigger saw joe

biden and lloyd austin insists they were not warned of the attack in advance. the white house has long feared a major escalation could trigger ai regional war that would not only draw in iran but potentially the u.s. as israel continues to devastate gaza for nearly a year now. with hezbollah still insisting it won't stop firing rockets at israel until there is a cease-fire there. >> and imtiaz tyab joins you now. have they delivered a fatal blow to hezbollah with these strikes. >> i have been living here for years now and hassan nasrallah, while loved by many and hated by some, almost all here strongly admired his fierce resistance to israel, but his assassination is not a fatal blow to hezbollah. that is because nasrallah

doesn't rule as an autocrat and today sabadin will emerge as his replacement. the 60-year-old led the group's executive council and he's a staunch supporter of the palestinian cause and signaling he may rule quite similarly to nasrallah. back in 2017 the u.s. added him to the terrorist blacklist. >> imtiaz tyab, thank you. we're joined now by senator tom cotton an arkansas republican, he sits on the senator armed services and intelligence committees. good morning, senator. we appreciate you being here. what is next, senator, cotton? did you believe that there will be an expanded war between israel and iran on the horizon? >> well, bob, i'm not sure that israel is expanding the war as it is trying to end the war. it is important to stress what a huge blow the last two weeks

have been against hezbollah. but hezbollah is most potent weapon. they have over a hundred thousand rockets and mortars and they have used that threat to deter israel for years. going back probably 20 years or so. and now that israel has absolutely devastating the entire leadership structure of hezbollah, whether it is at the attacks that came late last week, killing not only hassan nasrallah and all of the other leaders or some of the other actions or hitting their weapons depots and manufacturing sites in syria. now is not a time for a cease-fire or to de escalate. hezbollah is on its knees. the united states should help israel drive hezbollah to the mat and choke it out and finish it off once and for owl. for the first time in decades iran would be exposed on its flanks with no terrorist proxy capable of devastating israel or

our troops or our friends in the region. thats what we should do. not demand that we have a cease-fire when israel is trying to win. we should let israel win. >> senator cotton, when you say drive hezbollah to the mat, would that mean a ground invasion of lebanon by israel and would you support that kind of incursion. >> if that is what they need to eliminate the hezbollah leadership, then, yes, of course. they had over 100,000 rockets and mortars. israel needs to destroy all of them. a lot of hezbollah leadership has been destroyed as well. the guy that you cited there, i'm not sure who is in charge of hezbollah, it is probably someone who wasn't important enough to have a beeper or walkie-talkie as recent as two weeks ago. but all of hezbollah leadership needs to be eliminates just like all of the arsenal needs to be eliminate and the united states

needs to be more effective where joe biden and kamala harris has had our sailors living like sitting ducks. that means iran is totally exposed. it no longer could threaten israel and the united states and our friends throughout the region. that is why we need to back israel to the hilt and let israel win rather than continue to make these speckless demands for cease-fires and de-escalation that they've been doing for a year now. >> you sit on the senate intelligence committee. is there an alarm sounding in your ranks about any potential threats to americans in the middle east or to u.s. targets at this point? >> well, from the minute, joe biden and kamala harris got to the white house there has been threats to americans. iran and its proxies have attacked our -- >> in the wake of this news. >> and we've barely struck back. and attacks just like we should support israel in striking back

against the terrorists, we should be strike back. but that is not kamala harris and joe biden's policy. from the very beginning they've apieced the ayatollahs. kamala harris opposed the strike that killed the mastermind in 2020. they've given away tens of billion dollars in sanctions relief and put more pressure on israel than they put on iran's terrorist proxy. that is why kamala harris is the ayatollah's hand picked candidate why they're hacking into donald trump's campaign and trying to kill him. >> turning to ukraine. donald trump, you're a big supporter of his. he met with president zellensky in new york. he talked about a potential deal to end the war. what kind of deal would that be. how would you it look? you're close to trump and this process. >> well he hasn't been specific and that is a reason. he doesn't know what the world will look like in three months

when he takes office. but here is what we do know. this never would have happened on donald trump's watch. because it didn't happen on donald trump's watch. vladimir putin has invaded ukraine twice, both times with joe biden in the house, first with barack obama and then second with kamala harris in the white house with him, that came after the disastrous collapse in afghanistan, those things are not ub related. when you project weakness as joe biden and kamala harris has, you get the conflicts that we see in europe and israel and the souther border. bob the administration just -- >> but ukraine for a second. pause on this for a second. senator vance, has talked about a demilitarized zone as part of a peace deal. he said it could look like the demarkation between russia and ukraine that becomes a

demilitarized zone heavily fortified so the russians don't invade again. would that be something as part of a peace deal that you would be comfortable with as a republican senator. >> the details do matter. but donald trump has said, he's not going to negotiate against himself or against ukraine in advance. once he takes office, that is time to start hammering out the details in private. and to make sure that something like this can't happen again which didn't happen when he was president after the first invasion of ukraine. but again, i just want to say, that the chaos that joe biden and kamala harris has unleashed across this world, it happens right here. the administration just acknowledged that they released more than 13,000 convicted murderers who illegally entered this country. more than 15,000 convicted sex offenders. that is 28,000 rapists and murderers who illegally entering our country who joe biden and

kamala harris has let roam or streets. that is the chaos for the last four years and that donald trump will put an end to. >> you're confronting the democrats here on the show and bringing up your different arguments. former president trump, even though there are just a few weeks left in the campaign, has so far said he doesn't want to participate in another debris with vice president harris. is that a mistake? do the american people deserve to hear more from former president trump and the vice president about their views? >> well, i think they deserve ho hear a lot more from kamala harris because she's been lying to them for last three months. if you look at the last three months -- >> why not debate again. >> she's been trying to run away from it. she wants to ban gas powered garrs and give reparations based on race and ban fracking, she wants to take away private health insurance on the job. these are not positions that she took as a teenager in high school. these are positions that she took as a 54-year-old woman running for president in her own right. that is the true kamala harris.

a weak dangerous san francisco liberal. kamala harris is the one that owes the american people more answers. donald trump could simply point at his record and say for four years, when i was president, we had peace, prosperity, a secure border and we were respected around the world. that is what the american people remember. >> but should trump debate again. >> he's debated twice. and j.d. will debate tim and pointing out what a radical record kamala harris and tim walz have. the american people know what donald trump will do in office, kamala harris is still trying to fool them. >> senator tom cotton, thank you for being ear on "face the nation," we appreciate it. and we'll be back in one minute. stay with us. (wife) and travel to visit our grandchildren. (fisher investments) i understand. that's why at fisher investments we start by getting to know each other. so i can learn about your family, lifestyle, goals and needs, allowing us to tailor your portfolio. (wife) what about commission-based products? (fisher investments) we don't sell those. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in your best interest.

(husband) so how do your management fees work? (fisher investments) we have a transparent fee, structured so we do better when you do better. at fisher investments, we're clearly different. sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ we are back with we are back with retired army general stanley mcchrystal. did he endorse kamala harris last week and is appearing today on "face the nation" as a campaign surrogate. good morning, general, we

appreciate your time. you just heard from senator tom cotton here on "face the nation." you said the united states, when testimony comes to israel, should not de escalate, should take hezbollah to the mat. do you believe that is the right course for the days and weeks ahead. >> i spent a lot of time in counter-terrorism and killed a lot of people and what i learned was unless you have an outcome, a political outcome that is durable, that all of those kinds of activities don't last. so i would urge both sides, israel and hezbollah, to take a look at far reach line. i know that is hard to do. because once you've shed this much blood. emotions runs deep. you killed peoples parents and brothers and sisters on both sides. so i think that where we are now is just spiraling the violence is unlikely to produce a good outcome. and yet, i could sympathize with

both sides the visceral desire to go after the other. >> what is your assessment of benjamin netanyahu, how he's handling this moment and his strategy? >> well, i think he's got a strategy to try to push iran into a corner. and he may be doing that. but the long-term outcome in palestine at large is from a statesman like view. if he's taking a wartime view only, at some point he'll have to widen that or take a longer view of it. >> you believe the israelis and prime minister netanyahu pushing iran into a corner, as you put it, does that mean war with iran between israel and iran is on the horizon potentially and what does that mean for the united states if that is true. >> i think anything is the potential on the horizon but i don't know. >> what are you watching to see if this action from hezbollah

assassinating nasrallah, what are you watching, what are the key points. >> the more you press the fight, the harder you go for the jugular, you mot you create star tissue that will last for generations and that is a factor. >> and you endorsed kamala harris this week and joe biden in 2020. in your op-ed in "the new york times," you talk about character. what is it about her character versus trump that enticed you to endorse her. >> i think character is what a person does under pressure. it is a combination of deep-seated beliefs and their core values and the discipline that they have to execute those. to live up to them. so i think when we look at kamala harris, we look at her history. she came up as a prosecutor, an attorney general, into the senate, she has lived a number of experiences that i think build in some one the kind of

character that is ness in the presidency. but let's be sure. we don't elect a president based on policies. we shouldn't. we should elect them for the character. because we don't know what will come up. we don't know that one term congressman abraham lincoln would lead the united states through the civil war. we never knew that the clothing salesman harry truman would make the decision to drop the atomic bomb or to deal with the crisis in korea. those things come into a presidency in a way that test the mental and the character of the person in that office. >> the presidency tests and it could forage leadership overtime, what convinces you no that she's ready, especially on national security and foreign policies, areas that you know well. >> what do we know about anyone before a job like that. young, president kennedy, when he was elected, was a young senator. he did pretty well. he struggled first through the

bay of pigs and then did pretty well in the cuban missile crisis. donald trump had no background in it. what we've seen from kamala harris convinces me she has the strength, she has the values to deal with the uncertain crises that are inevitable. >> what is your view about how they handled the withdrawal from afghanistan. >> afghanistan is a difficult -- there was 20 years of american involvement in afghanistan and a lot of the bricks were put in place in the direction that that went. there was a decision made with the doha court in the previous administration that the biden administration had to deal with. i didn't like the outcome of afghanistan. i put a lot of my life there. and the young americans who gave so much themselves, he don't think did it in vain. they made afghanistan a better place. but things don't always turn out like we hope they would. >> you wrote in your op-ed, it is mostly about character, but you connected character to

policy. especially on america's role in the world. do you believe that vice president harris is in a sense a continuation of president biden's foreign policy and embrace of western institutions like nato, traditional american alliances, is that one of the driving factors of your endorsement more than just her personal character? >> i think vice president harris's character is going to drive policies based upon value but very common sense values. she's a practical person and i think that will come out. >> but there is a real debate in this country about america's role in the world. trump, the former president, talks about america first and has skepticism toward how nato functions in some respects. do you worry if-f trump wins another tour that america's role in the world will change in a fundamental way. >> take for example the war in ukraine, you could make a argument that it is not a

strategic national interest for the ulgts and i cannot accept an argument that europe is not. if ukraine falls to russian aggression, even a significant part of it, the baltic states and our nato alliance is going to be threaten add and i would argue weakened and i think long-term that is much against our interest. >> it is credible, as trump said that,co cut a deal to end the war in ukraine. >> i would doubt that. but if he has a deal -- >> he hasn't talked about details as we just discussed with senator cotton. but he's claiming he could cut a deal. would vice president harris be able to end the war between russia and ukraine. >> i think it is difficult to end the war. i think we need to support ukraine as strong as we can so that their sovereignty is protects as we come out. >> so many former military officials and top leaders who have served, men and women in uniform, have come out against donald trump. there are those like retired

general keith kellogg who did support trump. but high-profile people, like yourself, i think general milleys had concerned about how he was handled his work and you've endorsed vice president harris. it comes down to one core question here. general mcchrystal, do you believe former president donald trump is fit for office? >> i believe that vice president harris is fit to lead the country in the -- >> well let's go right to the question of trump. is he fit for office or not? you're a former top leader of the united states military and supporting a presidential candidate and you have a former president now running for the presidency again. you seem to have core character questions. is he fit or office or not. >> bob, let's be hon overest, w would a retired military opponent come on to endorse his opponent. i'm voting for character. i'm voting for kamala harris. >> general stanley mcchrystal,

we appreciate you stopping by "face the nation" and sharing your views. thank you. and we'll be right back with a lot more "face the nation." stay with us. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. i'm lowering my risk. adults lost up to 14 pounds. i lost some weight. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems.

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sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ we we'll be right back with a lot more "face the nation" and

including the recovery of the hurricane helene, the death toll stands at 63 and the damages are staggering. we'll talk to the head of fema. and h.r. mcmaster and former maryland governor larry hogan. he's now running for senate. stay with us. ate. stay with us.