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Israel Launches Intensive New Strikes Against Iran. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired March 01, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:02:12]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East Programming Headquarters here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. We begin with escalating threats from what is left of the Iranian regime as Israel launches a new wave of strikes in the heart of Tehran.

Reports from the Iranian capital say there were explosions in multiple areas of the city. New videos showing plumes of smoke rising on the second day of attacks. It comes as one of Iran's most powerful figures is vowing a much stronger reaction from his country's armed forces, his quote.

Well, Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani just wrote on social media, quote, "Yesterday, Iran fired missiles at the United States and Israel, and they did hurt. Today, we will hit them with a force that they have never experienced before." And that was significantly written in English by Ali Larijani.

Donald Trump reacting to Iran's heightened threat, saying if the attacks continue, quote, "We will hit them with a force that has never been seen before."

Iran unleashed a new barrage of strikes across the Middle East a short time ago with CNN teams hearing explosions in several capitals and major cities. All of this, of course, after massive U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader on Saturday morning. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in his compound in Tehran. And announced for appearing on Iranian television to deliver the news, breaking down in tears.

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ANDERSON: And Iranian state media reports the country's top general and a key adviser to the late supreme leader have also been killed, along with Iran's defense minister and the chief of staff for its armed forces.

Video from social media, geolocated by CNN, shows these thousands of protesters gathered in central Tehran earlier today. The crowd seem waving Iranian regime flags and chanting death to America. President Trump says he knows exactly who he wants to lead Iran next, but wouldn't say who.

Well, it is just after half past one in the afternoon there, just after two o'clock in the afternoon here in Abu Dhabi. We've got complete coverage of the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran. Paula Hancocks is in Dubai. Julia Benbrook is in West Palm Beach in Florida, traveling with President Trump.

[05:05:08]

First, let's get you straight to Oren Liebermann, who is live for you in Tel Aviv, joining us now as we just get new aerial footage from the IDF. Oren, that they say is a strike of the Joint Headquarters of Iranian Armed Forces in Tehran. What do we know about what they are striking this hour?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Becky, just a short time ago, Israel's military said they are striking, quote, "in the heart of Tehran." And one of those from video put out by the IDF, that CNN has geolocated, as you pointed out, is a strike on the Joint Headquarters of Iran's military in the city of Tehran itself. So, Israel now making it clear they're not just going after a small set of targets here. That is -- that is a broad set of targets against the very top of Iran's security and defense leadership.

That started yesterday with the opening salvo of strikes that targeted Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But that now includes a much broader set of Iran's top security and military leadership.

In a statement just a short time ago, Israel's military says they have targeted, quote, "40 of Iran's top security leadership," meaning that it's quite clear now that Israel, with that U.S. strike, have gone for basically a complete decapitation of Iran's top security and defense leadership.

Iran has acknowledged the very top of these targeted killings here, but Israel's saying they have gone much farther than Iran at least so far has acknowledged, going for, again, the top 40 Iranian military leaders. So, we'll wait to see what comes out of Iran's. And hold on, I'll stop talking for just a second.

I thought I heard for a second there sirens quite far away, but I think I was just hearing other general noise in the background here. We have, of course, heard incoming sirens from Iran's promised retaliation to that salvo of strikes.

And multiple times today, at least I would say five, six, seven times, we have heard the warnings, the sirens of incoming ballistic missiles and had to head to the shelter here. Iran promising much more is to come. Israel carrying through on its promise to, on its vow, frankly, to keep striking Iranian regime targets.

Yesterday they said they were striking western and central Iran. Now those attacks in the very heart of Tehran. As, again, we see that video from the Israeli Air Force of striking the joint headquarters of -- of Iran's military. It's not just Israel saying there will be more strikes, the U.S. and President Donald Trump making that clear as well, that this was not a one-off, one-day operation, and there are at least days of this ahead. The question, how much more beyond that right now, Becky?

ANDERSON: Yeah, and those promises being made against this region, where I am as well, Oren, thank you very much indeed, the very latest out of Israel.

Let's get you to Dubai and our Paula Hancocks. And, Paula, these threats against this region, where U.S. bases are, of course, hosted, resulting in strikes which have, frankly, gone way beyond those locations of U.S. bases. Just explain.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Becky. I mean, this is an unprecedented attack we're seeing across the Gulf nations. Iran claiming it is against U.S. military targets. But, as you say, we are seeing far more than that having an impact. In particular, here in Dubai, we saw that one international hotel was hit, we believe, by a drone. There's footage also of Dubai airport, where we see passengers running through the airport with smoke in the background. Unclear there if it was debris from an intercepted missile.

We have also been seeing in Jebel Ali. This is a commercial port here in Dubai. As we were driving up here from Abu Dhabi, there was significant black smoke rising in the distance where we could see Jebel Ali.

Now, we understand from the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet that they do sometimes use this port. They have called it a port that they support maritime operations in the Arabian Gulf from.

So, potentially, that is why we are seeing targets there. But, again, not clear if that was targeted or if this is from an interception and falling debris. And this is really the most dangerous part of this at this point.

We know at least two people have been injured here in Dubai from falling debris. We know yesterday one person was killed in Abu Dhabi, two more with minor injuries from falling debris today. And this is why this stay-in-shelter, remain-in-shelter order is still in place.

[05:10:01]

Now, there is anger among these Gulf nations as well that they are being targeted by Iran. We have heard from many of them saying that it is a blatant attack by Iran, that they condemn it in the strongest possible terms and that they reserve the right to retaliate.

Now, at this point, there have been no details of what that retaliation may look like. But speaking, as you were, to -- to the Minister for International Cooperation here in the UAE earlier, there was the question as to whether or not diplomacy is over.

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REEM BINT EBRAHIM AL HASHIMY, UAE MINISTER OF STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: It is very important to recognize that it takes two to tangle. And at this stage, you are seeing a barrage of attacks against not just the UAE, but other countries within the Gulf, Jordan, Iraq, et cetera. And that is a massive escalatory measure that is just not indicative of an Iran that wants to be in the region with its fellow neighborhood.

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HANCOCKS: Now, interestingly, we were also seeing two drones hitting an Oman port, according to Omani news agency, also saying that an oil tanker has been attacked five nautical miles off the coast of Oman. Becky?

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Paula. Thank you. Paula's in Dubai.

CNN's Julia Benbrook now from West Palm Beach, Florida. And that is where the U.S. president is. We've heard from Israel and seen images of the result of the very latest strikes on Iran by the IDF. What are we hearing from the U.S. president?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have reached out to the White House specifically on those strikes that were confirmed by Israel just to see if there is any United States involvement or if there's anything to add. We are still waiting to hear back on that front. But all of this comes after several rounds of high-stakes talks that took place between the United States and Iran.

On the U.S. side, those were led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. And this most recent round of talks took place on Thursday in Geneva. And when those concluded, it did become clear that there was still a significant gap between the two parties as they worked to meet demands, to discuss those demands.

Now, throughout that whole process, Trump expressed frustration with the way things were going at different points, saying that the Iranians would talk and talk, but that he was not seeing the action that he wanted to see. Even at one point, he said that maybe regime change would be the best outcome here. A lot has happened now within the last 24 hours.

As you mentioned, Trump is here in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and that is where he monitored the U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran. The White House released photos of those. Trump was with top national security officials. We know that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, they were both in there watching over Operation Epic Fury. That is what they have dubbed this.

Then we saw that eight-minute video of Trump saying, explaining that these strikes had happened. In that, he encouraged the Iranian people to seize control of their government after U.S. military operations have concluded. He also warned that American lives could be lost during this operation. He, hours later, confirmed that Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah,

had been killed. We have also learned that other top Iranian officials were also killed during this operation.

The most recent comments we have from the president on this were a social media post overnight tonight. And in it, he warned Iran against retaliation, saying that that would only cause the United States to fight back harder.

I want to pull that up for you and read it to you in full. In it, he said, "Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before," than adding in all caps. "THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE."

All of this is receiving vastly different reactions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. And I want to give you a taste of two of those perspectives. We have Senator Andy Kim, a Democrat, as well as Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican.

Take a listen.

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SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): Right now, I have zero confidence in this president who has so flagrantly violated our Constitution. That is why we should have Congress immediately go back into session for the War Powers vote to reassert the American people's will, which, again, they don't want to be at war.

[05:15:00]

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): I think it was the right decision. Iran still has nuclear ambitions. They have a vast missile arsenal that threatens the United States. They still support terrorists like Hamas and Hezbollah, and for 47 years, they've been killing and maiming thousands of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: So, no doubt there will be lots of questions on congressional approval as well as a War Powers vote. And the White House did say that Rubio reached out to the Gang of Eight, the top bipartisan lawmakers, to brief them ahead of these strikes. He was able to get a hold of seven of the eight of them. But sources have said that even those conversations were lacking in that full legal justification.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Julia. Julia Benbrook on the story for you. You are bang up to date. We are reporting, of course, across the region and the world. When we return, more on our continuing coverage of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, how the Middle East and the world is responding. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ANDERSON: We continue to follow the breaking news out of Iran this morning. Time there is a quarter to two or ten to two in the afternoon on Sunday, March the 1st.

[05:20:19]

Struck for a second day, the Israeli Air Force claims to have hit the joint headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces in Tehran. Of course, this follows the Supreme Leader being killed during the joint operation of Israel and the United States 24 hours or so ago.

You can see huge clouds of smoke rising over Tehran today after that latest wave of Israeli attacks. Reports say there were explosions in multiple areas of the capital.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen spoke with the spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry after that first wave of attacks Saturday. Here's what he had to say about Iran's response to the ongoing U.S. and Israeli military operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: Do we have any other choice other than defending ourselves against this unjust war? We didn't welcome this war, Fred. It was imposed on us. We were in the diplomatic process. And we were there with all good faith and seriousness. But this was, it was the American side that decided to be tempted to be dragged by Israel into another war which seems to be another unending war in our region. The only beneficiary of this war would be Israel.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: How long can Iran keep fighting this war?

BAGHAEI: We have to defend ourselves. And it is for our military people, for our brave armed forces to decide how to respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Now is the former Israeli Defense Minister, Benny Gantz. Thank you for the time this morning. We just had the latest video from the IDF, reportedly of a strike on Iran's joint armed forces headquarters in the past couple of hours. Can you give us any insight into what Israel is trying to achieve in this latest round of strikes?

BENNY GANTZ, FORMER ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: Yes, and shalom from Tel Aviv, Israel. First and foremost, thank you for having me. And I think we have to remember the overall strategic goal of this campaign led by the United States and participation of Israeli forces. I think it was a brave decision by President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu to move forward and decapitalize the regime and to set the condition to change the regime in Iran.

We need to remember that Iran dealt with this decision and the war that actually I think would be fair to say that Iran is a global challenge. We see its activities in Ukraine, the Red Sea, Africa, South Africa and Middle East, of course. And of course, it's also destabilizing the region. It attacked Aramco before and other countries in the region. And of course, it's a threat for Israel.

Now, I think it's very important to set the condition to remove the regime from power and let something else grow in. It's just the second day of the campaign. You know, with news rhythm, everybody expects to see something faster than it's possible.

So, we are only on our second day. We should continue that the regime targets as far as the targets, the regime itself and of course, its military capabilities to set the base for other element to rise inside Iran.

ANDERSON: You just heard the spokesperson there speaking to my colleague Fred Pleitgen suggest that the U.S. was dragged into this by Israel. Your response?

GANTZ: I disagree with it. I think the United States hold and understand the importance of being a world leader. I think that since Iran really have world impact in different places, since Iran have regional impact, and we saw the examples for that, I don't think it's only an Israeli issue. It's a global issue. It's regional issue. And I think that it's well understood.

ANDERSON: Right. You just -- you will have heard this morning, the Iranian official, high ranking official, maybe the highest ranking at this point, still alive. Ali Larijani's warning that Israel will be hit with a force you have never experienced before. What are you bracing for there?

GANTZ: I don't know what he meant. And I understand that he needs to talk as long as he can talk. But basically, there are no free lunch. There's no free lunch. And if you want to have a long-term achievements for the world, for the region and for ourselves, we have to go through this process.

[05:25:08]

We have tried everything else. Negotiations went on for weeks and months. And nevertheless, the Iranians stick to their own regional ambitions. So, yeah, I know it's not going to be easy --

ANDERSON: Right.

GANTZ: -- but it's very important. And I suggest that we will look at the target and the overall strategic goal and not on present time difficulties.

ANDERSON: I note that you said while he can talk, referring to Ali Larijani. Is he a target as far as you can tell? I mean, what is the U.S.-Israeli plan now that Khamenei and several others have been killed? Is Larijani, for example, somebody that you might want to do business with in Israel going forward? What -- I guess what I'm asking is what's the day after plan here?

GANTZ: Obviously, the Iranian will have to rule themselves. And they would have to come up with a mechanism and organizations that will run Iran, but in a different way than it had been run before. So, it's for them to decide.

Currently, I think we need to continue with our operation against the command-and-control layers of both civilians and military, or I would say revolution in regards specifically, and let the Iranians bring up something else. And I think we will be able to identify the point in the future when enough is enough and something else can roll in.

But with your permission, Becky, I would like to emphasize really the importance of long-term perspective. It is not the next election that we need to look at. It is not the next quarter of the stock market that we need to look at. It's the decades of our kids ahead, and they need to grow up in a stabilized region, in a more stabilized world.

And the Iranian regime, as it acted before, was destabilizing, and it was a challenge for the world. And I think it's very important for all of us to understand that we may have bumps and difficulties down the road, but we should be very consistent with offensive continuity in order to enable something else to rise inside Iran.

ANDERSON: I do want to ask you about the strike in the southern Iranian city of Minab yesterday. You will be aware of this. The death toll there is rising, 148. Most of those dead are elementary school kids, 95 wounded. Was Israel involved in that strike, as far as you understand it? And I'm sure you would acknowledge that it raises concerns about targets and about violating international law.

As you ask for patience about this sort of offensive operation in the weeks, months, I guess, you know, years to come as we look towards a different Iran and a different Middle East, what's your -- what's your response to that very specific target?

GANTZ: Unfortunately, I cannot relate to a specific target or a specific event. However, knowing from firsthand both the Israeli forces and the American forces, I know we are following international law. We are trying to isolate as much as we can civilians for military targets.

This is not an easy place to act in. Sometimes the targets are in areas that it makes it even harder to achieve. But our values and the international law is part of our operation, and we are doing all we can, I'm sure, to prevent civilians from being harmed as much as is possible.

ANDERSON: Yeah, I'm just going to press you on this. The U.S. and Israeli armed forces can execute the most targeted operations in modern warfare. We've seen that. We've seen that with the decapitation attacks over the past 24 hours. I mean, these -- these militaries can be precise. I wonder, what sort of precaution do you believe Israel is taking to prevent civilian casualties in Iran? After all, this is a country of more than 90 million people, Tehran, a very congested capital city.

GANTZ: Yes, we are doing it. For us, it's a professional routine. Every target we hit, we try to check as much as we can what's around it, what's the people -- what's the safety measures to take.

[05:30:07]

But once again, Becky, it's war. You know, this is not an isolated event, and things, unfortunately, might happen. So, I urge the Iranian civilians to stay away from military and government targets as much as they can. No one will rush to hit the civilian neighborhoods, but if there are military facilities or things of that kind, I would recommend for them to stay as much as they can away from that.

ANDERSON: Well, it is unclear what happens next in Iran. And what is clear is that Iran has threatened to retaliate in a massive way, and the UAE and countries of the Gulf are on the back end of that, on the sharp end of that. What's your message to people in the UAE and Gulf, where U.S. bases, of course, are hosted, but it's not just those bases that are being attacked at the moment. They really are in the crosshairs.

GANTZ: Yes, this is exactly the regional aspects of what I talked before. You know, Iran, before it attacked Israel, it attacked Saudi in Aramco. We remember what the Houthis did in the UAE. I believe it was January 17, '21. Maybe I'm not exact on the exact date when they shot into Iran --

ANDERSON: Right.

GANTZ: -- sorry, into the UAE. And unfortunately, Iran were threatening these areas, and they have used force before, and they may be using this force in the future unless we will create a fundamental change in Iran, which keeps Iran as a state and taking care of itself, but not trying to negatively influence the region as it did before.

So, I think that all of us should understand that I know those are hard times, and there is a place to be worried. It's very natural for me. And for anyone to be worried when you have such events happening around you. But we must look forward. We must raise our heads, raise our eyes into the deepest future, and move towards it and understand that what we are serving now, it's not just the current days, but the future generations to come.

ANDERSON: Benny Gantz --

GANTZ: Therefore, it's very important for us all to include those countries.

ANDERSON: I appreciate your time, sir. Thank you very much indeed. Benny Gantz for you, folks. We will be right back with our continuing coverage.

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[05:36:14]

ANDERSON: You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Wherever you are watching, you are more than welcome. Israel launching new airstrikes on Iran, saying it is targeting, quote, "The Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran." Smoke rising over the Iranian capital as we speak. It is just after 2 o'clock in the afternoon there. Unrest spreading in the Middle East the day after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials were killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Iranian media says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or the IRGC, has launched a sixth wave of attacks on Israel and U.S. bases in the region. There have also been attacks in Doha, Bahrain, and in Erbil, Iraq, where troops are stationed.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that if Iran continues its retaliation, the U.S. will, quote, "hit them with a force that has never been seen before."

Well, world leaders are reacting to the recent military operations carried out by the U.S. and Israel. During an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Saturday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the airstrikes. He said the following.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: We are witnessing a grave threat to international peace and security. Military action carries the risk of igniting a chain of events that no one can control in the most volatile region of the world. Let me be clear, there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Lasting peace can only be achieved through peaceful means, including genuine dialogue and negotiations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Let's turn to CNN's Bijan Hosseini. He's joining us now live from Doha. And as you and I speak, I just see comments in that we are alerting on CNN that the British Defense Secretary has described Iran as lashing out indiscriminately across the Middle East. And what's been happening where you are, Bijan?

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yeah, Becky, we might have actually just heard an air defense missile system above us. This one sounded very far away. Obviously, we will go and take cover if these air defense systems are, you know, reacting nearby.

But what we started our day was by witnessing what was a very loud and extended round of missiles. That was about six hours ago. Ministry of Interior from Qatar saying they successfully intercepted those missiles.

There was debris or shrapnel that fell from one of those interceptions falling in the industrial area on the outskirts of Doha, causing a fire. The ministry also confirmed that civil defense were on site at that fire, working to put it out, and that no injuries there were taking place. And just on the back of that, numbers from yesterday from the ministry, they counted 65 missiles entering the country from Iran, 12 drones. They say they successfully intercepted 64 of those missiles and 11 of those drones. Obviously, the big worry here is that shrapnel and that debris falling. The last update from the ministry is 16 injuries. We haven't received any word on any deaths, so we'll continue to track that as well.

I will say the strikes today have felt a lot different than what we witnessed yesterday. Yesterday, we saw and we heard with our own eyes around a dozen rounds of missiles that kind of came and went around every 15 to 30 minutes, intermittently throughout the day. Today, we saw those first strikes about six hours ago, we had eyewitnesses that saw another wave. We couldn't see or hear that from where we are.

[05:40:08]

And since then, it's been a little quiet until we just heard that last. What was a potential air defense system taking place? It's also worth mentioning that today is Sunday here in Qatar. It's the start of the working week. But emergency alert systems have gone out telling everyone to work from home, telling everyone to shelter in place.

There is still some traffic, but nowhere near what it would be on a normal Sunday. It's very empty right now. And I want to add that the airspace obviously still remains closed. Schools are shut until further notice. And also all events have been closed and postponed until further notice.

And it's worth mentioning that all of these rocket strikes, we believe, are heading to Al-Udeid Air Base. As you know, it's the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East. It usually houses some 10,000 American military personnel. We know over the last six weeks, that number has been dropping.

They've been evacuating non-essential personnel. But we've also seen a military equipment build up at that base, some air refueled tankers, some cargo planes have been propping up over there. Becky, so we'll continue to watch that as well.

ANDERSON: OK, good to have you Bijan. Thank you. Bijan Hosseini is in Doha. There have been intensive new airstrikes on the Iranian capital. That is the very latest news.

Ahead, more on the U.S. and Israeli response after Tehran launches its own retaliatory attacks following the death of its supreme leader.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: The FBI says its counterterrorism and counterintelligence teams are on elevated alert nationwide. In a post to X, the FBI Director Kash Patel said he is calling for the mobilization of, quote, "all assisting security assets needed."

[05:45:02]

Law enforcement officials say increased surveillance and security measures are likely amid concerns about potential retaliation by Iran, which could include cyber-attacks to energy or governmental infrastructure within the United States.

Well, earlier, my colleague Jim Schudo spoke with CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller, who gave us his perspective on Iran's ability to launch terror attacks around the globe and within the U.S. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: They certainly have and they certainly still can. How do we know that over the last three years or more, we have learned a lot about the Iranian intelligence footprint in the United States, starting with the attempt to kidnap Masih Alinejad, the vociferous Iranian regime critic who has hundreds of thousands of social media followers -- followers here. That kidnap plot was thwarted. It was followed by amping that up with Iranian intelligence officers trying to hire basically foreign organized crime people on the ground here to assassinate her.

We also know there was another plot to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton in retaliation for the death of the IRGC Iranian head, Qasem Soleimani. We know that there was a plot, according to an informant who disclosed it to the FBI, where he was approached by Iranian agents to attempt to kill Donald Trump before he was reelected when they thought security would be too high to avenge the same death.

So, we have seen numerous plots of Iranian intelligence officers trying to use cutouts from criminal organizations and others to commit assassinations on U.S. soil. You can imagine, Jim, if those were the stakes, then what could happen in retaliation for the death of the supreme leader, the head of intelligence, so many other officials.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: John Miller speaking to my colleague, Jim Sciutto, a little earlier on. You're watching CNN. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. We are continuing to follow the breaking news from the Middle East, where Israeli warplanes are striking Iran again. And the defense minister says they are not standing down any time soon. Much more after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:51:22]

ANDERSON: -- CNN, I'm Becky Anderson. We're following breaking news out of Iran, where Israel has struck again. The Israeli Air Force claims to have hit the joint headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces in Tehran.

Now, CNN has verified and geolocated this video showing the impact. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X a short time ago, quote, "From now on, a nonstop air train will operate for a powerful attack on targets in Tehran," end quote. Now, this, of course, comes a day after massive U.S. Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader. Well, new video shows plumes of smoke rising over Tehran on the second

day of these attacks. Reports from the Iranian capital say there were explosions in multiple areas of the city. Iran is vowing to avenge the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling it a legitimate right and duty.

Well, at least nine pro-Iranian protesters have been killed and 30 were injured after storming the U.S. consular compound in Karachi in Pakistan. It's not clear how those protesters died. CNN has reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad for comment. Karachi police say they responded quickly after hundreds of people, they say, suddenly appeared outside the heavily fortified compound.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is in London, and she's -- she's been monitoring comment and response around the world. And we've just heard from the British defense secretary. What did he say?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Well, let me just start with those demonstrations in Pakistan, because we are, of course, seeing those reverberations around the region in response to the supreme leader's death. Those images you played out, of course, at the U.S. consulate in Karachi, where you can see really dramatic moments there with people just banging sticks on the doors of that consulate. As you mentioned, security forces open fired, killing at least nine people as far as we understand.

And there are very similar scenes as well near the green zone in Iraq, where U.S. Embassy is, of course, located with people trying to storm that area. Flash bangs were used. You could see clashes occurring there with security forces as well.

Now, the Baghdad government, which -- which is a supporter of the Iran's regime, has declared three days of mourning in the death of the supreme leader. So, that is also playing out in the Shia community, of course, across the region.

You've also heard from the proxies. Part of the power of the supreme leader, part of the power of the regime is its proxies around the region. So, you've heard from both Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen, who have condemned, of course, this killing and condemned this attack. But among the expat community, the Iranian expat community, particularly in the West, you are seeing huge celebrations.

You've seen those in L.A. and Los Angeles, which is home to a massive expat community, as well as here in London, as well, where there was these massive celebrations after the death of the supreme leader. But a very divided picture, because you're also hearing from Iranians, of course, the concern that U.S. intervention could lead to things, lead to consequences, like what we've seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. So, you have that very divided response.

And we also have seen in New York demonstrations against President Trump's intervention, with those hands-off Iran rallies. So, this continues to play out. And it's all, of course, affected, Becky, by the fact that we have such limited information coming from Iran, where the Internet has mostly been shut down. ANDERSON: Yeah, and we just heard, as I said, from the British defense minister. He told "Sky News," Iran is lashing out indiscriminately across the Middle East. More on that, of course, as we get it.

[05:55:02]

Thank you very much indeed, Salma Abdelaziz.

Now, this weekend has been a terrifying one for people on the ground in Iran, in Israel, parts of the Middle East, here in the UAE. Here's a look at some of the moments that have garnered the world's attention.

Well, it is just before 3 p.m. in Abu Dhabi, 2:30 p.m. in Tehran on an historic day there and around this region. The supreme leader is dead. Who or what comes next? Not clear.

What is clear is that we have entered a new era for Iran, for Iranians, and for the people of the Middle East. Stay with CNN as we continue with our breaking coverage.

I'm Becky Anderson in our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. We'll take a very short break. Back after this.

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