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Gas Prices Surging; Synagogue Attack Investigation; Suspect Identified in Virginia Terror Attack; Six U.S. Service Members Die in Plane Crash. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired March 13, 2026 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A tragic crash in a war zone. The Pentagon confirming that six service members are dead after an Air Force plane crashes in Iraq, but officials say it was neither enemy fire nor friendly fire that brought it down. So what caused the crash?

Plus, two terror attacks on U.S. soil within hours, a man ramming his vehicle into a synagogue in Michigan as a deadly shooting unfolds at a university in Virginia. We have the latest on both attacks and concerns about the potential for more violence.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: And gas prices rise again, reaching a 22- month high now, as a new forecast suggests the pain at the pump may just be beginning.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SANCHEZ: We start with breaking news on that deadly plane crash that killed six U.S. service members in Iraq, the Pentagon a short time ago confirming the refueling aircraft was not shot down by hostile nor friendly fire.

What exactly went wrong remains unclear. We are seeing some new images of the other U.S. jet that was involved. Pay attention to the tail there. The second plane was damaged, but it did land safely. We're told that the families of the six troops killed are now being notified today, as the U.S. death toll in this war now stands at 13, nearly doubling in the last 24 hours.

The president this morning talked about how the conflict could come to an end. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When it's over -- and I don't think it's going to be long -- when it's over, this is going to bounce right back so fast. BRIAN KILMEADE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: When you're going to know when it's

over?

TRUMP: It -- when I feel it.

KILMEADE: OK.

TRUMP: When I feel it on my bones.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: CNN's Jeremy Diamond is live for us in Tel Aviv.

And, Jeremy, we heard a lot more from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right.

As it relates to that tanker that crashed over Western Iraq, killing six U.S. service members, the secretary of defense summing it up by saying war is hell, war is chaos and he made clear that this was a tragic crash, that this did not involve any enemy or friendly fire.

And the circumstances of this crash are now under investigation. It does bring the total number of U.S. service members who have been killed since this war began to 13 now. We also saw images of that other KC-135 refueling aircraft landing here at Ben Gurion International Airport. That is a civilian airport in Israel that is also now being used as a base for some of those refueling aircraft.

And you can see that the tail fin of that plane was partially destroyed. Interestingly, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq, an Iranian proxy operating there, claimed responsibility for downing this KC-135 plane, but did not offer any evidence for its claim.

Now, meanwhile, we have been watching as the United States and Israel are continuing to carry out heavy airstrikes in Iran. According to the Israeli military, today alone, they carried out strikes on over 150 targets.

That included strikes in the Iranian capital of Tehran near a pro- regime rally that we saw there, where we saw appearances by senior members of the Iranian government, including Iran's presidents and a senior national security official, Ali Larijani. Quite remarkable scenes to see these rallies happening and smoke billowing in the background from one of these Israeli strikes.

Here in Israel, meanwhile, we have had continuous fire from both Hezbollah in Lebanon and also from Iran. An Iranian ballistic missile struck a town in Northern Israel last night. There were dozens of people who were wounded, although most appeared to have been lightly or moderately wounded. No one was killed as a result of that strike.

And then once again today, we had shrapnel falling as a result of another ballistic missile strike from Iran, once again, no casualties, no one killed as a result of that. [13:05:08]

The Israeli military, for its part, focusing a lot of its effort right now in Lebanon as well, where we have seen strikes in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, as well as in Southern Lebanon, 800,000-plus people now displaced, according to human rights organizations, across Lebanon -- Boris.

SANCHEZ: Jeremy Diamond live for us in Tel Aviv, thank you so much for that update -- Jessica.

DEAN: The FBI is now investigating that deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia as an act of terrorism. Health officials say one of the two students injured in that attack has been released from the hospital. The second, who arrived in critical condition, was just upgraded to fair condition.

Police identified the suspect as a National Guard veteran who served prison time for trying to help ISIS.

Let's bring in CNN's Brian Todd, who's in Sterling, Virginia, where the suspect lived before the attack.

Brian, obviously, a massive investigation now under way. What are police saying right now?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jessica, police are still coming through the evidence.

And we got some accounts from neighbors last night, actually last night and this morning, regarding an FBI raid on the house late last night. The FBI came in with armored vehicles and sirens blaring, strobe lights blaring in front of the house with a loudspeaker saying: "Come out with your hands up. This is an FBI unit. We have a warrant."

So they brought family members out of the house, we're told, and then went in and spent a long time in the house coming through evidence. So that's kind of how the investigation is proceeding as of this afternoon. We also have some new information about the shooter from court documents that CNN has reviewed.

He is identified as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh. According to court documents, he is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Sierra Leone. That's a new piece of information that we have here. He is a former Virginia National Guard member. He served nearly seven years in prison after pleading guilty to trying to help ISIS.

And according to authorities, at the time of his arrest in 2016, he tried to procure weapons for an ISIS attack. Now, in coming through the neighborhood here in Sterling, Virginia, where he lives, he lives in this set of -- he lived in this townhouses behind me.

We did knock on the door of his home and an older gentleman answered. I'd asked him if he was his father. He didn't answer that question. But he pointed to a sign that they had plastered in front of their door saying "We do not wish to speak to the press." But he said to me: "Look, I'm trying to be as nice to you as I can. But we really don't want to say anything right now. We don't want to speak." He said: "You have to understand, we're going through a really tough time right now."

Some family members have been coming in and out of the townhouse last night. No sign of activity there this morning or this afternoon. And we have been here since the early, early morning hours this morning. Neighbors are describing him as kind of an antisocial person. One neighbor who I spoke to said that he would see him on walks around the neighborhood.

But when he'd say hi to him, that the shooter, Mohamed Jalloh, would just look to the ground and wouldn't acknowledge him. Other neighbors describe it that he lived here with an extended family. A lot of people live in the townhome, they say, extended family members of multiple generations. They were known to throw at least one large party a year with loud music.

But, otherwise, neighbors said they never really interacted with neighbors and the neighbors didn't really interact with them. Kind of unusual. Such a large family with a lot of family members going in and out of the house all the time, they said they really, despite that, kept to themselves.

Also, Jessica, we have gotten accounts from more than one neighbor, actually, at least three, who are really kind of outraged that not only was he released from prison in 2024, but he was allowed to come back here and live among them. They are really just upset with that. They're wondering whether the Justice Department failed them in that regard.

One of them said he was surprised that they released him and -- quote -- "let him come back here and live with us." So there is that dynamic going on in this neighborhood as well, a lot of people just terrified about what happened and very upset that this man lived among them for a period of years even after he got out of prison.

DEAN: Yes.

All right, Brian Todd with the latest there from Sterling, Virginia, thank you for that reporting.

And still to come here: The Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect in that car ramming attack at a Michigan synagogue. His background could provide some clues about an official motive in that.

Plus, as gas prices hit a 22-month high, President Trump says oil tankers should -- quote -- "show some guts" in the Strait of Hormuz. But is that crucial corridor safe?

We're going to talk more about that and a lot of other stories breaking today coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

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SANCHEZ: This just in to CNN.

We're learning new information about a possible motive in what the FBI calls a -- quote -- "targeted attack of violence against the Jewish community in Michigan."

The Department of Homeland Security says the suspect, who officials say rammed his vehicle into a Detroit area synagogue, was a 41-year- old man born in Lebanon who became a U.S. citizen in 2016. Now officials are saying that some of his family members were apparently killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month.

CNN's Whitney Wild is on the scene for us in Michigan.

Whitney, what are you learning?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Boris, DHS is now identifying this man as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali.

Sources have told CNN that he's from an area called Dearborn Heights. That's about 17 miles from where we are in West Bloomfield. As you pointed out, he was born in Lebanon. He later became a U.S. citizen in 2016. He was married to a U.S. citizen. They divorced some time within the last year.

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What we are learning from officials both here and in Lebanon is that, as you pointed out, he had family members who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. A mayor in Lebanon tells CNN that his brother, another brother and two of his -- sounds like his nephews, were killed in that attack, and, as well, his parents were also killed in that -- I'm sorry.

They were injured in that attack. They were not killed. They were injured in that attack. While law enforcement has not explicitly said that is definitively the motive, it is certainly bringing greater clarity to where this person's head was as he committed this atrocious attack that was only miraculously not so much bigger, so much deadlier because of the heroic actions of the security team at Temple Israel here in West Bloomfield.

I think it bears repeating, we have said it over and over, there were no injuries. The heroism displayed by that security team is simply incredible.

Let's listen to what Governor Whitmer said about what words mean in this moment as we're seeing a major spike, a terribly troubling trend of antisemitism in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): We have seen a rise in antisemitism. We have seen it over many years predating the conflict. But, certainly, it is at a historic high, and I worry that that will continue. And so it's why I am calling on anyone with a platform to be very responsible with their rhetoric, not to identify or target the Jewish community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: Boris, what we know is that the suspect was armed with a rifle and explosives as he drove directly into this temple, where there could have been congregants. There was certainly a preschool. He drove directly into that front hallway.

And I just want to correct one thing I said. It was two brothers who were killed, a niece and nephew who were killed, and two sisters-in- law who were killed in Lebanon. Again, the suspect's parents were injured in that attack, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Whitney Wild, live for us in West Bloomfield, Michigan, thank you so much.

President Trump suggesting the war in Iran is worth it, despite higher gas prices. Do Americans agree with him on the economic toll? We will take you to a gas station, asking folks who are there paying those prices, right after this.

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DEAN: The war with Iran now stretching into its 14th day. And, at gas stations all across the country, the prices just keep going up, the average price jumping three cents overnight to $3.63 a gallon. That puts the cost of gas at a near two-year high.

The average price is up 65 cents since the war started, 69 cents in the last month.

Let's bring in CNN business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich. She's been talking to people at a New Jersey gas station.

Vanessa, what are people telling you about their feelings on this?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, right here in Ridgefield, New Jersey, the average price for a gallon of regular gas is $3.58, so just below that national average, but diesel is above $5, $5.35.

This gas station is actually along a major highway which connects a lot of different states. So you're talking about New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Philadelphia. So we're not just talking to locals. We're talking who actually have been transiting between various different states. And they're all telling us the same thing.

They are noticing the price increases at the pump. But we did ask them about what the president has been saying, that this short-term pain at the pump is worth it for the long-term gain in Iran. Here is what people told us about their feelings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YURKEVICH: Do you think that that is worth it?

PEDRO JACONE, NEW JERSEY RESIDENT: I don't think so. I don't think it's worth it.

YURKEVICH: Why?

JACONE: Because, I mean, we're -- like, we're paying the price of the war.

EVELYN RUIZ, PHILADELPHIA RESIDENT: He started this. He's the one who should be paying for it, but he's -- it doesn't come out of his pocket. It comes out of our pocket. So, yes, it's affecting us as Americans. Yes, it's affecting us in every way.

CHRISTIAN VANSEOTEN, NEW JERSEY RESIDENT: I don't think the United States should have any involvement in that whatsoever. I think the United States should stick with the United States, and we should be focusing on our people, rather than going out to these foreign countries and fighting fights for them.

ALAN FLETCHER, MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENT: If we have to suffer through a little bit of gas prices going up, then we have to suffer through it. And it's a small pain to take for the rest of the world.

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YURKEVICH: So, no matter how people are feeling about gas prices, the likelihood is that they are going to rise.

According to GasBuddy, we could see another 10 cent increase in the next week or so, Jessica. And a lot of economists and analysts are projecting that we could see $4 a gallon in the coming weeks. This is also coming at a time when the fuel blend here in the United States is changing from that winter blend to that more expensive summer blend.

So, that mixed with these rising oil prices are making it a little uncomfortable for consumers, at least here, in terms of what they're used to paying. It's going to be elevated in the next coming weeks, Jessica.

DEAN: Yes.

And, Vanessa, as you have been reporting on, a record amount of oil reserves have been released, and I think a lot of people listening to that are wondering, OK, well, why isn't that bringing down the prices? What's the connection there?

YURKEVICH: Yes.

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So, if you remember, a few days ago, we did see oil markets fall to the $80-$85 dollar range. That was oil markets pre-baking in the release of these reserves before it even happened. And you're talking about that historic release from the IEA of 400 million barrels of oil, something they have never done before, and then the United States, President Trump announcing the release of 172 million barrels.

However, that is short term, because supply really isn't the issue. It's the price. And so investors looked at that. They saw it coming. Prices came down a little bit, but then they went right back up because they know that it's just short-term relief. But they believe ultimately that this is going to be a long-term war.

They do not believe, as of right now, that there's hope that the Strait of Hormuz will open just yet. So that will continue to push those oil prices higher, keep them in that $90 to $100 range that we have been seeing. And, ultimately, that trickles right down to the gas prices, so not a lot of hope that the release of these extra barrels of oil will bring down prices.

Ultimately, they believe the long-term investment in this war is what's going to keep, Jessica, these prices high for consumers.

DEAN: All right, Vanessa Yurkevich there in New Jersey, thank you for that.

Up next,as the secretary of defense says the American people don't need to worry about the Strait of Hormuz, new CNN reporting looking at how the administration planned for the possible closure of that critical corridor.

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