Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Israel Says Retaliatory Strike Against Iran Is Complete; Kamala Harris And Donald Trump Campaign In Texas; At Least 26 People Killed In Israeli Strikes On Gaza; Blinken Meets Lebanese Prime Minister To Discuss Israel's Strikes On The Country. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired October 26, 2024 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:33]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Alex Marquardt. Thanks you so much for joining me. We have lots of news to get to.

Israel has just carried a major long awaited series of air strikes against Iran.

That is just some of what the skies over Tehran and elsewhere around the country look and sounded like over the past few hours. You can see and hear there what appeared to be anti-aircraft fire.

Now Israel's military has announced that the strikes against Iran are over. Two sources telling my colleague Jeremy Diamond and myself that there were three waves of strikes in retaliation for Iran's missile barrage against Israel back on October 1st with around 180 ballistic missiles.

Tonight, there is no word yet on possible damage or casualties in Iran, but Israel says it did strike military targets, including missile manufacturing facilities and surface to air missile arrays that would include air defense systems.

Now the Biden administration asked Israeli officials to avoid strikes against Iran's nuclear and oil facilities for fear of escalating the conflict and affecting the global economy. Just moments ago, a senior U.S. Administration official said, quote, this should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete. It was extensive. It was targeted. It was precise. It was against military targets across Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense minister, Yoav Gallant, they monitored the strikes from a command post along with other top Israeli officials. The Israeli military says that the strikes are in response to months

of attacks by Iran as well as regional proxies that are backed by Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAELI MILITARY SPOKESMAN: I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran's attack against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran, thwarting immediate threats to the state of Israel. The Israel Defense Forces has fulfilled its mission. If the regime in Iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: For more, I want to bring in CNN senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche. Kayla, thank you so much for joining me. The White House, of course, was watching this very closely tonight, and they were keen to make clear that they did not have a role in these Israeli strikes. What more have you learned?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know, Alex, that President Biden was closely following these developments from Wilmington, where he was briefed regularly by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who is back at the White House.

But in the aftermath of these strikes, U.S. officials are describing them as the type of proportional response that President Biden and his top aides had been urging the Israelis to carry out in these recent weeks, specifically to limit civilian casualties and to be targeted and precise.

U.S. Officials this evening describing that wave of strikes as carefully prepared, limiting civilian casualties and designed to be effective, with the effect being the degradation of Iran's capabilities of carrying out a future ballistic missile attack and deterrence against any future action.

Senior administration officials with a warning for Iran not to respond, suggesting very forcefully that this should be the end of the direct fire exchange between Israel and Iran, but also saying this, saying if Iran chooses to respond once again, we will be ready and there will be consequences for Iran. Once again, we do not want to see this happen. This should be the end of the direct exchange of fire.

The senior administration official suggesting that there have been multiple channels of communication through which Iran has been made very aware of the US's position and its belief that Israel has a right to defend itself, especially when Iran launches a barrage of ballistic missiles toward densely populated areas, including areas where tens of thousands of Americans live.

[00:05:00]

So, certainly it seems that this is an endorsement of sorts from the Biden administration on how this attack was carried out after weeks of deliberations. But of course, it remains to be seen, Alex, exactly what the damage that was done during these strikes was and whether and if Iran decides to heed the US's warning or respond on its own. Alex.

MARQUARDT: Yes, it does appear that this was carried out as the White House had hoped and expect. I imagine some over there are breathing a sigh of relief tonight. Kayla Tausche live with me here in Washington. Thank you very much for all your reporting.

I want to bring in CNN's Ivan Watson. He joins us live now from Hong Kong with more. So, Ivan, this retaliation, these strikes, they were really three weeks in the making since that Iranian barrage back on October 1st. The day has just started in Iran. The sun has just come up. What do you think we can expect to find now that this Israeli attack is over?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. That is going to be the big question here. We do know from social media videos that emerged from Tehran that the skies were lit up with what very much looked like Iranian aerial defenses, tracer fire blasting into the sky.

The Israeli military has announced that its planes, all of them that conducted these airstrikes, have landed safely back in Israel. So it does not appear that any of them, according to the Israeli military, were shot down.

The Iranian state media has indicated that there were three provinces where it says its military centers were targeted by this wave of Israeli airstrikes. They were Tehran province. That's, of course, where the Iranian capital is, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces, which are kind of in the southwest, along the Persian Gulf, along the Gulf and the border with Iran.

Now, a big question, of course, is going to be what could the extent of the damage be? And I think I can somewhat safely predict that the Iranians are not going to reveal if military targets were in fact hit by the Israeli airstrikes, the extent of the damage there. Just as the Israeli military did not show the extent of some of the damage of Iran's missile launches on Israel back on October 1, which had targeted some military installations in Israel, that's going to be a national security factor here.

The Iranians will not want to illustrate that if there were civilian casualties of any types, if there were any kind of civilian infrastructure damage, then we might likely see in the coming hours the Iranians revealing some of that.

It's incredible to see the messaging here that has gone with this wave of Israeli bombing attacks after weeks of lobbying from the Biden administration not to target Iranian energy infrastructure nor any of its nuclear facilities.

There's clearly an effort to try to constrain this within a kind of military to military style confrontation. So immense signaling while an act of real violent war has just been carried out. And now the ball will be in Iran's court. Will it seek a need to retaliate and continue a tit for tat response?

We're hearing from the Biden administration that it doesn't believe that there needs to be another step forward and it will also be important to see that was the kind of damage here, Alex, similar to the kind of damage that has been carried out in Israeli bombing attacks that are ongoing in Gaza and in the neighboring country of Lebanon where apartment buildings have been dropped, where hospitals have been hit by the Israeli or close to by Israeli airstrikes.

It'll be very important to see whether Israel has been more careful with its targeting than in attacks closer to Israel that have done so much damage and killed so many civilians in Gaza and Lebanon.

MARQUARDT: Yes, that's an excellent point. I suspect you're right that the Iranians themselves will not be keen to put out some of those images of the devastation. But I have a hunch that the Israelis might want to as kind of a message. Ivan Watson, thank you very much.

Let's get more perspective now from Cedric Leighton. He is a CNN military analyst and a retired Air Force. Colonel Cedric, thank you so much for joining me. Israel made clear tonight that they were only going after military targets.

We now know from the IDF that the targets were primarily ballistic missile facilities as well as surface to air missile arrays, which I take to mean air defense. So what do you make of the targets that Israel is claiming they struck tonight?

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. Alex, good evening. There's, you know, you're absolutely right. The missile arrays that they're talking about, the surface to air missile arrays, are precisely the air defense systems that Iran has deployed.

[00:10:05]

And it'll be interesting to see if among those air defense systems that the Israelis targeted was the S300 system. The S300 is a Russian made system that took a long time for the Iranians to actually get. They were supposed to get it back as far back as 2006 or 2008. The Russians then delayed sending it to them. And then finally in 2010, 2011, the Russians decided to give the Iranians the S300 system.

So that is a system that has a lot of capabilities that could have prevented the Israelis from striking certain targets. But if that system was damaged in any way, that would then expose the Iranians to a degree of vulnerability that they would probably not want revealed to the rest of the world.

But what we're seeing is exactly this, you know, strike the missile defense systems, strike the building capabilities, the manufacturing capabilities and the radar systems that the Iranians have. And it seems as if the Israelis have basically confined themselves to those kinds of targets as you outlined. And that then makes a big difference in terms of not only what they

hit, but also the potential for escalation. It seems to be designed to lessen the potential for escalation. And that of course, is a significant factor at the moment.

MARQUARDT: So do you think that means that the message from Israel tonight to Iran is we can get through your air defenses, we can take them out, and we can do a lot more if we want to?

LEIGHTON: Yes, absolutely. If in fact they did damage sophisticated portions of the Iranian air defense network, then that is a very clear message to Iranians that not only can Israel get through the air defenses and the radar systems that are associated with that, but they can do so almost at will. And that is a significant problem for the Iranians and of course a significant message for them to receive.

MARQUARDT: Are you surprised at all at how narrow this target set appears to have been? That it wasn't broader even within the military spectrum, that it didn't go, that they didn't hit barracks, for example, or drone facilities, or appear to really have killed anyone? Of course, we don't know that for certain, but it does not appear for now, that there are a huge number of casualties.

LEIGHTON: Yes, if that turns out to be the case, that is actually a major development on the positive side of the ledger. And there are some reports that indicate they may have hit some drone facilities, especially manufacturing facilities. I don't know how accurate those reports are. So it remains to be seen whether or not that's the case.

If that is the case, that could also have implications for them, the war in Ukraine, because of course, as we all know, the Iranians are supporting those Shahed drones to the Russians for them to use against Ukraine. So there are a lot of implications here.

But in this particular case, I am actually quite happy that the Israelis have done it in this way. And it seems to be an attempt at least to deescalate the situation to some extent.

MARQUARDT: In cases like this, it is often a question of proportionality. Is the Israeli response proportional to what the Iranian attack had been? Let's remind our viewers that the Iranian strike on October 1st was, the U.S. has argued, and Israel has argued, unprecedented Tehran firing some 180 ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv, at a population center, including some military and intelligence targets. No Israelis were hurt or killed. So when you see what happened tonight in Iran, was that proportionate?

LEIGHTON: Well, it might actually be less than proportionate, which is kind of interesting, giving the history of both countries and their proclivity to be proportionate or exceed the attacks from the other side. So in this particular case, it appears at the moment that the Israelis may have actually conducted an attack that was of lesser magnitude than what the Iranians did, but it could have had more of a significant impact.

So on the one hand, it's of a lesser magnitude because of it does not appear to have had the same volume of missiles that were launched as compared to the Iranian strike on Israel. But on the other hand, it may have been more effective because it was more targeted. And that really speaks quite a bit to the kind of methodology that the U.S. would employ in a similar situation. So that might be something that the Israelis have taken on board in this particular case and use that to their advantage.

MARQUARDT: Colonel Cedric Leighton, always appreciate your thoughts in a situation like this. Thanks so much for joining me.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Alex. Anytime.

[00:15:05]

MARQUARDT: Israel strike on Iran comes after weeks of deliberations, excuse me, including at times, really especially with the Biden administration. There was a lot of coordination there despite the fact that the U.S. did not have a role in the strikes.

Tonight, our ongoing coverage of these Israeli strikes on Iran continues for after a quick break.

And then less than two weeks to go before election day, why Kamala Harris held a rally in a state that's pretty much certain to vote for the Republican candidate on November 5th. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:20:04]

MARQUARDT: We are following breaking news out of the Middle East as Israel has just carried out retaliatory strikes against Iran.

You see their air defense systems, gunfire and explosions ringing out in the skies above the Capitol and in western Tehran over the past few hours. Israel's military saying it conducted, quote, precise strikes on military targets in Iran, which it says had been quote, relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th of last year.

In particular, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel at the beginning of this month on October 1st, over the killing of Hezbollah's leader in Lebanon, among others. Israeli officials say that today's response was the culmination of weeks of deliberations, including rounds of consultations with U.S. officials here in Washington.

The office of Prime Minister Netanyahu says that the Security Cabinet in Israel voted unanimously to approve these strikes against Iran.

I want to bring in Andrew Tabler, who is a senior fellow in the Arab Politics program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He is here in Washington. Andrew, thank you so much for joining me on this really important day. First off, I want to get your impression of what we saw tonight.

ANDREW TABLER, SENIOR FELLOW, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: I think the Israeli strikes were quite precise. They were very limited in the sense of the targeting, but I think quite devastating. And we're going to know much more about that in the morning as there are further assessments, but not something that's spread to energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities.

And this is the more limited strike I think, that the Biden administration in particular, but not only was hoping for, so to not escalate out of control and cause a wider regional war.

MARQUARDT: What are you going to be looking for in the coming hours?

TABLER: I think there's a couple of things to watch. The rhetoric coming out of Tehran and particularly from the supreme leader and their surrogates will be very indicative. But we have seen this before. Even if they come out and say, well, there's going to be a direct response, it doesn't mean that it's actually going to be coming before the U.S. election on November 5th. So have to wait and see. And the aerial photography tomorrow should tell us a lot more as well.

MARQUARDT: I am struck by the confidence of the Biden administration that there was a call with a senior administration official and reporters after the IDF announced that their operation tonight was over. And this official said that they believe that this, quote, direct exchange between Israel and Iran is now over. What do you make of that confidence?

TABLER: I think that it's hard for any administration to be completely confident that both their adversaries and allies are going to react the way they are. But the United States has, of course, direct contact with Israel, and of course, they're having a really hard time dealing with the Iranians. But there is backchanneling. So I think there's a way to understand that and understand what each side's intentions may be.

MARQUARDT: Yes, that same U.S. official saying that they have both direct and indirect communications with the Iranians. So I imagine they are certainly communicating now that they really hope that Iran doesn't respond.

But as you noted, Andrew, what we saw tonight does appear to be limited and calibrated the way that the Biden administration had wanted, the way that they had been communicating the past few weeks, at least in terms of this narrow set of targets. To what extent do you think the U.S. held Israel back?

TABLER: I think that the U.S. completely explained to the Israelis the situation that not only was this response happening in a regional context, which has been worsening since October 7, 2023, but that it's right before the U.S. general election.

And I think there it becomes a bit tricky because it begs the question whether the Netanyahu government prefers to have a continuation of the Biden administration under Kamala Harris or do they prefer Donald Trump, who would certainly, I think, constrain Israel less militarily.

But it's really hard to say. I think that for the moment, this response was proportionate and it allows for an escalation, but one that's more measured and one that's more manageable, not just before November 5th, but before the change in administration in mid-January.

[00:25:00]

MARQUARDT: No doubt the Israelis, like so many, have their eyes on the calendar. We knew that they wanted to respond before the election. But gaming that out a little bit, if Trump were to win, do you think that Israel could feel then emboldened to do more in the near future?

TABLER: I think so. I think that -- it's kind of hard to say, but I think there's a couple of things. Rhetorically, of course, Trump is quite in favor of Israel getting it over with or finishing the matter. And I think you can read that two ways. One is support for military action by Israel and the Netanyahu government.

The other one is to get it over with before in the event he would win the election, get it over before his administration starts. And it would make it easier and less risky, particularly as concerns potential strikes on energy infrastructure, which I think would worry any president of the United States or any leader in the world. Oil, and the price of oil underpins the entire world economy still. And that is not going to go away anytime soon. Major damage to infrastructure could harm that and change things very quickly.

MARQUARDT: Still so much to unfold in the coming days. Andrew Tabler here in Washington with me. Thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

TABLER: My pleasure.

MARQUARDT: In 10 days time, voters here in the United States will be heading to the polls to choose the next U.S. president. More than 34 million ballots have already been cast, a huge number with early voting underway in most of the 50 states.

The final CNN nationwide poll before Election Day was just put out, and it shows the race is on a razor's edge, with 47 percent of likely voters supporting Kamala Harris and an equal 47 percent supporting the former president, Donald Trump.

The two candidates held dueling rallies in Texas on Friday, and they're expected to do the same in Michigan, another key battleground state, tomorrow on Saturday. Music superstar Beyonce headlined a campaign rally for Kamala Harris in Texas. On Friday, the music icon came out onto the stage with her former Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland. You can see them right there.

Beyonce, I'm sure, sadly for so many there did not perform at the Houston rally, which did focus at least in part on getting voters galvanized to turn out in support of reproductive rights. That was really the overarching theme of that rally in Houston. But Beyonce, who is a Houston native herself, she told the crowd that the country is on the brink of history, saying that it's time to, quote, sing a chorus of unity, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEYONCE, SINGER: I'm not here as a celebrity. I'm not here as a politician. I'm here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we're not divided.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Beyonce then introduced Harris to the crowd, urging them to give a big, loud Texas welcome to the next President of the United States. Harris told the gathering that Texas is ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom and stressed the importance of getting out the vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Reproductive freedom is on the ballot in this presidential election, and with the work of everyone here, freedom will win.

(END VIDEO CLIPL)

MARQUARDT: Donald Trump split his day between two states, showing up three hours late to a rally in the battleground state of Michigan because he gave what he called the longest interview of his life to well-known podcaster Joe Rogan. He told the crowd in Michigan he figured they wouldn't mind because he's trying to win. Actually, many people left that rally because he was so late.

At an earlier appearance in Austin, Texas, Trump focused on immigration, repeating a line that he debuted at a rally on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: We're like a garbage can. We're like a garbage can. First time I said it was last night. Gave a speech In Las Vegas, 29,000 people, an arena. We set the arena record. That was a big deal arena too. We set the record, but it was an amazing crowd. The first time I ever said it, I don't know, it just came out. Garbage can. We're like a garbage can for the rest of the world to dump the people that they don't want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: With us now is Jessica Levinson, a professor of law at Loyola Law School and the host of the podcast Passing Judgment. She is in Los Angeles. Jessica, thank you so much for joining us.

There were a lot of questions in the past few weeks about when Harris would pull out the stops, when the celebrities would join the campaign, when we would see the Obamas on the campaign. And that seems to really be picking up in these last few days, probably by design because they're trying to get people out of their homes and to the polling station.

[00:30:06]

So to what extent do you think having a rally in Houston with Beyonce about a really key issue for Democrats, reproductive rights, can move the needle in these final 10 days?

JESSICA LEVINSON, PROFESSOR OF LAW, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: I mean, they're hoping just a little bit, let's be clear, that I don't think that Texas is a swing state. All people agree that are really looking at this closely, that Trump will win Texas.

This is really about getting people energized in other states in those swing states. And the Harris campaign, like the Trump campaign, is looking very carefully at not just the swing states, but those voters who are, quote, still gettable.

And what they're seeing is that for some of these voters, celebrity endorsements, visits from the former president Obama, that they matter. So they're hoping that every little bit counts.

What we know is that for all seven swing states, the candidates are within the margin of error. Typically, the margin of error is about 3.4 percent. Now it's at 2 percent for all of these states.

So one Beyonce appearance, if that gets some people to the polls at this point, anything could be outcome determinative.

MARQUARDT: So what is the strategy behind not just Harris, but Trump as well, going to a state like Texas today, as you point out, it's a red state. It's almost a certainty that Trump is going to win there. Is it because each candidate wanted to pick up those celebrity appearances, Joe Rogan and Beyonce, and at the end of the day, we're in a national media environment.

LEVINSON: Yes, I mean, I think that's exactly right, that we are in a national media environment and we know that the candidates are campaigning in a somewhat different way with the acknowledgement, again, that candidates, excuse me, that the viewers in all of those seven states, that they are watching the same national programs that viewers in the other states are.

But I don't think we're going to see a lot more of this, to be clear. I think we're going to see a lot of Pennsylvania and Michigan and Wisconsin and Nevada and Arizona in the final days. For former President Trump, he's always run a more unconventional campaign. We could see him in those safer states a little bit more. He wants to make sure that he gets his base out. But let's be clear, if he wins Texas by 50.01 percent or 90 percent, it doesn't matter.

He gets all of Texas Electoral college votes. So I don't think we're going to see a lot more appearances in the safe states.

MARQUARDT: There's been a lot of discussion around Joe Rogan, who has one of the, if not the most popular podcast in the country. At one moment, it appeared that Harris might be doing it, but now it doesn't seem that way. And here we have Trump, who sat down with Rogan for three hours on

Friday for this podcast. What do you think he gains out of that? And what might Harris lose by not doing it?

LEVINSON: So let's start with the second part, which is that I think the internal polling from the Harris camp is that the way to reach those voters who are still reachable is through the less traditional channels. And one of them is a podcast, where it's not the television advertisements that might blast throughout swing states, but it's more of the streaming, it's more of podcasts, it's more social media.

And so I think for her, what she loses is potentially a few people who aren't otherwise turning into news programs regularly who wouldn't be moved by a typical political ad.

For the former president, it's about getting to his base. It's about making sure that base comes out. And we know that he is absolutely playing on the gender divide, and he wants to get men to the polls. That could make a difference for him.

MARQUARDT: Yes, it's all about getting to those undecided, movable voters, as few as they are, because it really is neck and neck. Professor Jessica Levinson, thank you so much for joining me.

LEVINSON: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: In a major break from recent tradition, the Washington Post is now saying it will not endorse a candidate in this year's U.S. presidential election or in any election in the future, for that matter. Its publisher says that the decision is consistent with its values and a return to the Post's roots. It has made an endorsement in every election since the 1980s.

The Post is now owned by Jeff Bezos, and the newspaper said that its owner, the Amazon founder, made the decision. Robert Kagan, who was an editor-at-large at the newspaper, says that he resigned over this decision. He said that Jeff Bezos was trying to curry favor with Donald Trump in the anticipation of the former president's possible victory in this election.

Now, earlier this week, the owner of the Los Angeles Times also spiked the paper's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris.

[00:35:00]

Several editorial board members then quit in protest. Legendary Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, they very quickly slammed their home -- their previous newspaper, for not endorsing a candidate. They issued a joint statement on Friday calling the decision surprising and disappointing, adding, quote, we respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but the decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post's own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat that Donald Trump poses to democracy.

And there is breaking news happening right now. Israel says it has just completed a series of airstrikes on Iran. We will have an update. That's next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:09]

MARQUARDT: And we have an update now on this hour's breaking news. Israel has just carried out a long awaited series of strikes against Iran. Tracers flying into the sky, the sound of gunfire, explosions in the distance. That is just some of what the scene in Tehran and elsewhere in Iran looked and sounded like over the course of the evening into the early morning local time in Iran, you could see and hear what appeared to be that anti-aircraft fire.

The Israeli strikes they say are retaliation not just for the giant missile barrage carried out by Iran a few weeks ago on October 1st, but for all of Iran's activities against Israel over the course of the past year. Now in the past few hours, there were three strikes carried out by Israel over about four hours.

The Israeli military is saying now that the operation is over. Earlier, Israel said it struck specifically military targets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAGARI: Our message is clear. All those who threaten the state of Israel and seek to drag the region into wider escalation will pay a heavy price. We demonstrated today that we have both the capability and the resolve to act decisively. And we are prepared on offense and defense to defend the state of Israel and the people of Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Let's now bring in Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of the book "Losing an Enemy." He joins me now live from Washington. Trita, thank you so much for joining me at this late hour.

Do you think that Iran tonight was expecting a bigger Israeli strike? What did you make of it?

TRITA PARSI, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, QUINCY INSTITUTE FOR RESPONSIBLE STATECRAFT: It's difficult to tell because at the end of the day we do not know the extent of the damage Israel has inflicted. Just as much as the Israelis did not reveal the damage that Iran inflicted on Israel back in earlier in October, the Iranians are likely not going to reveal the full picture here either.

But given the messaging that they have been sending out, which they're really downplaying the attack, almost mocking it, at a minimum, it reveals their desire to deescalate regardless of whether the damage was extensive or not.

But if it was very extensive and in the next couple of days we find out that there's been casualties, perhaps senior officials, et cetera. That can change the picture and put them in a position in which they feel forced to respond to this Israeli attack.

MARQUARDT: So given what we know now, and you're absolutely right that we're going to learn so much more in the coming hours and days, do you believe that there is a good possibility that this is the kind of strike that Iran could absorb and that this tit for tat, at least for now, might be over?

PARSI: I think the Iranians are sending the signal that's what they want it to be. Now, whether they can sustain that or not remains be seen, depending on how big the damage has been. And again, the question is very much as to whether there were any casualties or not, because that's going to be much more difficult for them to try to keep secret.

But even if that happens, and I think this is very important for us to understand, even if the Iranians show restraint and this exchange of fire is now closed, this chapter is closed. It does not mean that the conflict actually isn't alive. It still is very much alive. We're still on an escalatory trajectory, and it will continue to be that way unless the slaughter in Gaza and in Lebanon ends.

If it doesn't, we are likely going to see another round of fire between Iran and Israel in a couple of weeks, perhaps in a couple of months. And unfortunately, that one is likely to be more fierce than this last exchange has been. Just as much as this exchange was much worse than what we saw back in April.

MARQUARDT: We know that the U.S. worked in coordination with the Israelis to essentially shape tonight's strike. The White House has been clear that they did not have a direct role, though they were, of course, very aware of what was going on.

To what extent do you think the U.S. pressure diminished or limited what Israel might have previously been planning against Iran?

PARSI: I think it's quite clear that the U.S. actually had a role in the attack itself, but also in making sure that it wasn't as extensive as the Israelis wanted to. And in that sense, one can say that it is a tactical victory for the administration, particularly mindful of the fact that this is just days before the election.

However, just as it was a tactical success in April as well, where the U.S. played a very important role in terms of choreographing a deescalation.

[00:45:04]

It was nevertheless a tactical victory within a strategic defeat because we should not be in this position and the region should not be in the position that we're constantly on the verge of a larger regional war. A true deescalation would have gotten us many steps away from the brink. But we continue to be on the brink, and ultimately that's not good for the United States and it's certainly not good for the region.

MARQUARDT: Yes, you're absolutely right. Even if this Iranian front, so to speak, is over, there are still two major conflicts going on in both Lebanon and Gaza that very much have the potential to escalate the situation in the region. Trita Parsi, a pleasure having you on. Thank you very much for your thoughts this evening.

PARSI: Thank you.

MARQUARDT: Israel strikes back on Iran. Our breaking news coverage does continue after this quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:50:16]

MARQUARDT: And we return to our top story. Israel striking back at Iran in retaliation for Tehran's missile barrage on Israel back on October 1st with some 180 ballistic missiles. The operation from Friday into Saturday is now over. Iran says that there was limited damage in some areas. Israeli officials say that its decision to hit what it says are military targets came after weeks of deliberation, both internal and with the United States.

Israel's security cabinet voted unanimously, we're told, to approve the strikes. That is according to the prime minister's office. The vote apparently happened during a phone call just hours before the attack.

Meanwhile, the White House says that both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed that they were following developments in the region closely. A source claimed to CNN that Israel did alert the White House before the Israeli strikes began.

Let's turn now to the conflict in Gaza, where emergency response officials say that at least 26 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli strikes in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. In the northern part of Gaza, health authorities claim that Israeli forces opened fire in a hospital compound after days of laying siege to that medical facility. The hospital's director describes the situation as, quote, truly terrifying as sources say that the facility is in desperate need of aid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. HUSSAM ABU SAFIYA, DIRECTOR, KAMAL ADWAN HOSPITAL (through translator): We will be facing a humanitarian catastrophe if there is no solution to the situation. In the next few coming hours, the hospital will turn into a mass grave. There is a huge number of wounded people and approximately every hour we lose one of them as a martyr seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: CNN's Matthew Chance has more on Gaza's ever worsening humanitarian crisis. We do have to warn you that some of the content in his story is quite graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just a glimpse of the bloodshed this week in northern Gaza as a horrified Palestinian nurse struggles to help in the aftermath of an Israeli strike.

Auntie, Auntie, I don't have anything to stop the bleeding, she screams, as one woman sits delirious on the ground. She runs to fetch her bag and makes her way back up the blood stained steps where dead and injured a stream. But all she has are a few bandages and basic medical supplies amid the carnage.

Back down the steps, she turns a corner and calls out as she sees someone she recognizes. Abu Muhammad (ph), she screams, but the old man is dead.

From above, an Israeli drone looks down on the Jabalya refugee camp now the focus of what Israel's military says is an operation to stamp out resurgent Hamas activity. These images show thousands of Palestinian residents already displaced multiple times on the move again, trudging past Israeli tanks in search of safety.

But where they are heading the humanitarian crisis is also dire. These chaotic scenes at a bakery in central Gaza, where, amid acute food shortages, hundreds are jostling for bread, grasping desperately for surviving.

For three days, I've been searching for bread to take home, says this man. I am literally begging, he says. All I want is bread for my children, says this woman. Every night they go to bed hungry.

The U.N. says, without more aid, urgently, starvation here will get worse, saying Israel is preventing humanitarian missions from accessing Gaza. Israel blames Hamas for disrupting the distribution of essential supplies.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza, Palestinians pick through the rubble of a residential building leveled in a recent Israeli strike. Here and further south, where the Hamas leader was killed last week, Israel says combat operations are continuing, but the heavy civilian toll continues to climb. Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:55:00]

MARQUARDT: So difficult to watch. Our thanks to Matthew Chance for that report. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati in London on Friday as cross border attacks between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah continue.

Blinken was in the United Kingdom meeting Arab leaders after finishing a quick tour of the Middle East this week, his 11th trip to the region since the war in Gaza began after October 7. Blinken says that there is, quote, a real sense of urgency in getting to a diplomatic resolution. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks against

Israel. On Friday, the Iran backed militant group says that it launched rockets, missiles and drones that targeted Israeli military sites and troops trying to advance on the Lebanese border.

Meanwhile, video shows plumes of smoke rising over Beirut's international airport on Friday as Israeli strikes pounded the surrounding area. Israel's military says that it will continue to defend its country and its people against Hezbollah. I'm Alex Marquardt. Our breaking news coverage will continue after a quick break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)