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CNN's Breaking News Coverage on the U.S.-Israel Strikes on Iran and its Escalation throughout the Middle East. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 03, 2026 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR AND MANAGING EDITOR, ABU DHABI: Hello and welcome, I'm Becky Anderson live from our Middle East Programming Headquarters in Abu Dhabi in the UAE. It is midday in Abu Dhabi, it's 11:30 a.m. in Tehran.

And we begin with the very latest in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and word that Israel is now launching quote "simultaneous strikes" in Tehran and Beirut. The onslaught from the Israeli military coming as President Trump tells CNN that the big wave as he describes it hasn't happened yet.

More than 700 Iranian civilians killed since the war began on Saturday according to the latest from a U.S.-based human rights group. U.S. Central Command now says six American service members were killed in an Iranian strike in Kuwait. The casualties of the first Americans killed in action in what the U.S. and Israel are dubbing Operation Epic Fury.

Well this hour Israel says it is carrying out new strikes in Beirut. These images showing long lines of cars as people try to flee the Lebanese capital.

CNN's Oren Liebermann tracking what's going on live from Tel Aviv and let's start Oren if we can with what we know about Israeli action on Lebanon.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: It's not only the strikes we're seeing in Beirut, in Dahiya, in southern Beirut itself. An evacuation warning is given to dozens of villages in southern Lebanon. Israel now says they have seized more positions in southern Lebanon just across the border from Israel.

For months now Israel has already held five positions effectively indefinitely that it has used to view and appear into southern Lebanon. Israel now acknowledges they have sent more troops into southern Lebanon to take more positions. They call this an enhanced forward defense posture. The Israeli military did a briefing a short time ago. They say this is

not a ground, or a major ground invasion or operation into southern Lebanon. This is simply as they put it taking more positions for another layer of defense to prevent Hezbollah attacks on the residents of Israel that live right along the northern border there.

They say that they were forced to evacuate some 60,000 Israelis along the Israel-Lebanon border some two and a half years ago and they vow they will not do that again. And therefore they say this seizure of more territory and more positions in southern Lebanon is another layer of defense for those citizens.

But Israel has not taken a ground incursion, a major operation off the table. It was yesterday that Israel's military spokesperson said all options remain on the table. And of course several days ago we saw Israel announce that it's calling up more than 100,000 reservists as it tries to bolster its force posture.

Not only vis-a-vis what's happening with Iran but also along the northern border and potentially in the occupied West Bank as well. That is the northern front here and that began in earnest after Hezbollah some 24, 25, 26 hours ago launched a barrage of missiles and drones at what they said was a military base in northern Israel.

And for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for Israel's government, that's all the reason that they needed to open up a campaign they had been waiting to open up for months. A much broader military operation, an offensive, an assault on Hezbollah itself.

And meanwhile, Becky, as all that is happening the attack on Iran continues.

ANDERSON: What is the latest on Israeli strikes on Iran as you understand it?

LIEBERMANN: There are waves of strikes that continue. Israel says it has expanded its air superiority over Iran. Which means that the Air Force can, even at a fairly great range, operate and carry out whatever targets it's looking to strike.

One of those key targets has been ballistic missile defenses, arrays, launchers. But they have also gone after the regime itself, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Ministry of Intelligence, and many other sites with more and more targets being struck by Israel into Iran itself. So we are seeing the air campaign in Iran intensify as even the U.S. warning that that too could potentially intensify.

I'll bring it back here to Israel to wrap it up here. The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, acknowledging what has become blatantly clear to everybody in the country, especially American citizens, and that is as Israel's airspace remains closed there are very few options if people want to leave the country.

[03:05:09] He said one of the only options is to go down towards southern Israel, down to the Taba border crossing, with Egypt into Sinai, and try to get out that way. But other than that, many people here effectively stuck, at least for now.

ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann is in Tel Aviv. Back to you as we move through the next couple of hours, Oren, thank you. That's the latest there.

The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia remains closed after it was struck by suspected Iranian drones. Little damage to report and so far no reports of injuries from that attack in Riyadh. This is part of what have been new strikes against U.S. allies in the Gulf over the past 24 hours.

CNN's Paula Hancocks joining me now live from Dubai, midday here in the UAE after a wave of attacks on Abu Dhabi overnight. It is 11:00 a.m. in Saudi Arabia. What do we know about what's been going on here and around the region overnight, Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, certainly we did see or hear a number of blasts in Abu Dhabi overnight. This morning we have been hearing interceptions here in Dubai as well and we've heard a number of fighter jets in the sky. So certainly when it comes to the UAE, which appears to have been the heaviest targeted, most heavily targeted so far when it comes to the number of missiles and drones from Iran, we're not seeing much of a let up.

Now when it comes to Saudi Arabia, you mentioned there that the U.S. Embassy was hit. We understand that it was two suspected drones which were intercepted. The Ministry of Defense there saying it was, quote, "limited fire and minor material damages."

They say there's been some eight drones that have been intercepted in Riyadh and also in Al-Kharj. That's near one of the air bases that the U.S. military has historically used as well.

We've also been seeing that the Kuwaiti U.S. Embassy on Sunday and on Monday appeared to be coming under attack. So that has been closed as well.

And it really plays into what we have heard from Iranian officials, from the IRGC, saying that they're effectively extending their target list. They have now said that they're starting to destroy American political centers. They had claimed that they were just targeting U.S. military targets, which we know was not accurate.

We have been seeing city centers, airports, hotels also being impacted and energy infrastructure, of course, around the region. But they have now said that they have extended their scope, their targets. And they said that the explosion at the embassy in Riyadh shows that that was their move in that direction. So of course this is of great concern to the Gulf nations.

Now one thing to report just on the airport situation. We did see from late last night into this morning a fraction of flights taking off from Dubai airport. Looking at the website we can see maybe two dozen have left.

Now we're being told many of those are repatriation flights or they are repositioning flights. Everyone's still being told not to go to the airport. Certainly not if you don't have a ticket.

So of course that directive from the U.S. State Department for all Americans to depart now is quite academic when it comes to some of these Gulf nations as it is simply too difficult to be able to get out. Becky.

ANDERSON: Paula, thank you. Paula is in Dubai.

I want to get to Ali Vaez who is the director of the Iran Project, International Crisis Group. He joins me now from Geneva in Switzerland.

Ali, let's start with what you make of these continued strikes from Iran on this region of the Gulf. And what does it tell you about the strategic thinking in inverted commas at this point in Tehran at this point?

ALI VAEZ, DIRECTOR OF IRAN PROJECT, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: It's good to see you Becky.

Look, there are two calculations here. One is that Iran is obviously spreading the pain in the hope that it would result in Gulf countries pushing the Trump administration to pull the plug on this conflict.

And second is even in the worst case scenario that the Gulf Arab states actually join the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran. They're hoping that deep anti-Arab sentiment which is ingrained in Persian nationalism would create a degree of rally around the flag or homeland effect. So this is the reason that Iran is down on attacks on the Gulf States.

[03:10:00]

ANDERSON: Who's making decisions at this point? What is your sense of what is happening inside Iran as far as the sort of layers of power are concerned?

VAEZ: It's certainly not with the interim council that has assumed the responsibilities of the office of the Supreme Leader. Power, I think, has gravitated towards two individuals. National Security Advisor Ali Larijani and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Both of these people are former commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and speakers of Parliament and have a long experience in statecraft.

And the division of labor between them seems to be that Larijani is more doing the day-to-day running of the country and the strategy whereas Ghalibaf is leading the war effort.

ANDERSON: In your latest analysis you wrote, and I quote here, "The path to a popular uprising that successfully dislodges the regime is far from clear. Bombs can degrade infrastructure, they can weaken capabilities, eliminate leaders, but they do not manufacture organized political alternatives. The Iranian public is unarmed, fragmented and facing one of the most securitized states in the region."

I think this is an important analysis. As Donald Trump calls for the Iranian people to, quote, "take over the government," how plausible is that at this point?

VAEZ: It is a mirage, Becky. As I wrote, you have to take into account that the Revolutionary Guards is 200,000-strong, it has about a million-strong militia, and that's in addition to other ideological support that the regime still has within small segments of the population. They could be numbered in hundreds of thousands if not millions. And there are layers of security forces, police, etc.

And also take into account that the massacre the regime committed against its own people back in January was done with small arms, right? This is not Syria in which they used chemical weapons and battle bombs, fighter jets and tanks. And if the Trump administration is to secure the streets for the protesters, it basically has to eliminate hundreds of thousands of IRGC and their associated security forces.

And even then, there is no organized opposition inside the country who could keep it together. So I think in a scenario like that, that the state collapses and the U.S. dismantles it, civil strife is the likeliest scenario.

ANDERSON: I want to hear the very latest from those running this war. Talk around Iran's nuclear capabilities remains a top topic. Let's just have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We're ensuring that the world's number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon, never going to have a nuclear weapon. I said that from the beginning, they're never going to have a nuclear weapon.

RAFAEL GROSSI, IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL: Up to now, we have no indication that any of the nuclear installations, including the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the Tehran Research Reactor or other nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been damaged or hit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: It isn't clear what happens next. We know Israel continues to bombard targets that it has chosen in Iran. The first wave of this clearly now were decapitation strikes and the U.S. and Israel will say that they were highly successful.

What do you see this next phase looking like as Donald Trump describes a big wave coming?

VAEZ: It appears that both sides are going to escalate significantly in the coming days. At the end of the day, this is a race against time. On the Iranian side, it's a math calculus about the number of missiles that they have and the number of interceptors that the U.S. has. It's also a question of how much the economic pain that this is causing in Israel by paralyzing its economy in the Gulf States, by paralyzing travel and trade and energy exports is going to translate to inflationary impact in the United States in an election year and push Trump to back off.

And also the human cost of it. Of course, there's already been six U.S. fatalities, which in all the military adventurism that President Trump has engaged in since he returned to office is without precedent. So the question really is who's going to run out of ammunition first and who's going to play first.

[03:15:00]

ANDERSON: All right. Ali, it's good to have you. You're in Geneva today. Stay in touch.

We will get more from you in the hours and days to come. Thank you.

Well, still to come here on CNN, I'm Becky Anderson at our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. The Trump administration claims Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. But hear why Democrats in Congress say they are not buying that.

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ANDERSON: On the war now spreading through the Middle East, we are witnessing back-and-forth attacks from Iran and its proxies and the U.S. and Israel, of course.

Several days after the assassination of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, no new leader has emerged and that could be a serious problem. It's unclear who in Iran is actually calling the shots and who might eventually decide to pursue an off-ramp if indeed that is pursued.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has ordered the mandatory evacuation of non-emergency American government personnel and their family members from key countries in the region. They include Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar and Kuwait, places where there is a high risk of ongoing attacks from Iran.

[03:20:06]

Well the conflict spread to Lebanon earlier when Iranian ally Hezbollah attacked Israel and Israel responded with new rounds of airstrikes.

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Blasts have been echoing through the Lebanese capital in recent hours. Before this most recent bombardment, Lebanon's government said dozens of people had been killed. CNN's Matthew Chance with this report from Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a very intensive night with Israeli airstrikes pounding areas of this city of Beirut in the southern suburbs which are known to be a Hezbollah stronghold.

Elsewhere in the country as well, Israel carrying out various military operations targeting what it says are things like Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and command and control centers. But it's also hitting areas that are populated with ordinary people as well.

And Lebanese authorities say over the course of the past 36 hours or so as part of these very intensive Israeli strikes, several people, dozens of people, more than 50 in fact have been killed, more than 150 have been injured and thousands have been forced to flee their homes particularly in southern Lebanon to areas out of the line of fire to relative safety. Some of them in fact have come here to Beirut where it is a little bit safer than in the south.

Now there's been condemnation of Hezbollah from the Lebanese government. They're very concerned that this Iranian backed militia which has been a traditional and reliable proxy of Tehran is drawing Lebanon into the Iran war. Something it desperately wants to avoid.

It has taken the sort of unprecedented step over the course of the past day or so of formally outlawing Hezbollah military activity. Now that sounds like a symbolic move and it is but it's also a potentially very risky one that could fuel tensions between Hezbollah and the army, the national army of Lebanon. So very tense, very difficult times here as it seems that Lebanon is slowly getting drawn more and more into that Iran war.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well the Trump administration, that was Matthew reporting there.

The Trump administration staunchly defending its decision to strike Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the past 24 hours echoing the words of the President, arguing that Iran posed a quote "imminent threat."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked and we believed they would be attacked that they would immediately come after us. And we were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before we responded. Because the Department of War assessed that if we did that, if we waited for them to hit us first after they were attacked and Israel attacked them, they hit us first and we waited for them to hit us and we waited for more casualties and more deaths.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well there are Democrats in Congress who believe these explanations from the administration have been exaggerated or are at odds with U.S. intelligence and that the stated goals keep shifting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARK WARNER (D-VA): I have seen no evidence of any imminent threat to the United States posed by Iran. There were threats towards Israel, although arguably even whether they were imminent. But the idea that we had to act at this moment, at this time, because of a direct imminent threat to the United States, I have seen absolutely no evidence of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well this war of course started with U.S.-Israeli coordinated strikes on Saturday. It is now Tuesday after midday in this region, certainly here in Abu Dhabi. This is of course day four at this point and Trump administration has now debriefed both chambers of commerce on these Iran strikes for the first time in the hours ahead.

And CNN's Julia Benbrook joining us now from Washington for more on that. Julia?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is no doubt going to be a topic that really dominates on Capitol Hill this week and as you pointed out, there is this strong divide primarily along party lines with Republicans supporting Trump's actions and Democrats questioning the legality of the strikes and the lack of congressional approval.

[03:25:00]

Now, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he was on Capitol Hill Monday. He was a part of the briefings for the Gang of Eight. Those are those top congressional leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson.

And Johnson, he spoke about these war powers resolutions and the conversations on Capitol Hill. The conversations around those resolutions were happening before the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran and now that those military operations are ongoing, Johnson says that he believes it would be frightening to pass this bill. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: I think the idea that we would move a War Powers Act vote right now, I mean, it will be forced to the floor but the idea that we would take the ability of our Commander-in-Chief, the President, take his authority away right now to finish this job is a frightening prospect to me. It's dangerous and I am certainly hopeful and I believe we do have the votes to put it down. That's going to be a good thing for the country and our security and stability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: Now, even if both chambers do have the support needed to get this across the finish line, ultimately, Trump could veto it. So, part of this could be messaging but the effort in the House, led by a bipartisan pair of lawmakers, Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California and Congressman Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, they've repeatedly said that every lawmaker needs to be on record here, that history needs to show where everyone stands.

Now, as this is ongoing, we have heard Trump say that those combat operations, they're going to last until objectives are achieved but as he's tried to lay out timelines, that has changed quite a bit. We've heard two to three days, we've heard through the week, we've heard four to five weeks and that's been the most recent and consistent one that he has landed on and in an interview on the phone with CNN's Jake Tapper, he said that he doesn't want it to last too long and that he already thinks it's working ahead of schedule. He repeated that four- week potential timeframe there.

ANDERSON: Julia Benbrook is in Washington. Thank you.

Well, this war with Iran is starting to push global oil prices higher. Up next, we're going to take a look at what is behind that increase, what those numbers look like now and how global stock markets are reacting. That is coming up.

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[03:30:00]

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ANDERSON: Alright, the U.S. has closed its embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia after the latest attacks by Iran. Suspected drones hit the U.S. facility in Riyadh, causing minor damage, no casualties. A video of the diplomatic quarter shows a few cars on the streets in the morning hours today.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces striking Hezbollah targets in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. The militant group launching missile and drone attacks against Israel on Monday in what it called revenge for the killing of Iran's supreme leader.

Well CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joining me now. I want to concentrate with you on these Gulf nations. They have been deliberately targeted by missiles and drones, a huge amount, significant numbers and have been dragged into a war that frankly they did not choose. They described the attacks as illegal.

Ivan, collectively, they reserved the right to respond and of the key backing of France, U.K. and Germany who have all made it very clear that as Europeans they will support these countries to self-defense. Now what that response looks like is as yet unclear. What is clear is that the regional escalation is dragging these bystander countries in and it has shocked and outraged this region.

What happens next, Ivan?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, that's a big question. For now, the air defenses in these Gulf countries are engaged, shooting down more than 1500 ballistic missiles and drones that have been fired collectively at these countries and I'm very struck by the fact that on Monday, the defense ministry of Qatar announced that it shot down two Iranian warplanes as well.

If we see these countries going beyond that, they have their own air forces, they have their own armaments and engaging in activities like these, direct conflict with Iran that will be a dramatic shift from purely defensive operations, but we have no idea whether or not anything like that could be on the table right now, but for sure this is costing incalculable sums of money to these economies and it has claimed a number of lives in Abu Dhabi in particular. And Oman announcing that its port was targeted a second time by suspected drone attacks.

In the meantime, the air war, the joint Israeli-American air war against Iran continues with reports of a pretty serious toll that it's taking on the civilian population with the human rights activist news agency saying at least 742 civilians have been killed and there were scenes of mourning in the town of Minab, that's where a girls' school was struck on the first day of this bombardment on Saturday with more than 100 school children reported killed and scenes of mourning there.

The military targets of the government of Iran, they continue to be pounding. The Pentagon claiming that it destroyed 11 Iranian navy ships in the Gulf of Oman. That same activist news agency saying that a law enforcement command center and a border guard command center were both targeted in the Kurdistan region of Iran in Sanandaj, for example.

Let's listen to what Iran's deputy foreign minister had to say to CNN as the establishment is trying to present that it is continuing a chain of commitment in the aftermath of the devastating strikes that killed its supreme leader, defense minister, and top generals on Saturday.

[03:34:51]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJID TAKHT-RAVANCHI, IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: The constitution speaks for itself. We have a President, we have a head of judiciary, we have the head of parliament, the supreme leader was assassinated, was murdered by Israeli and American aggression, and now a council is in charge comprised of three people who is doing his job until the new leader is going to be elected. So everybody, everything is in order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now beyond the Gulf and Iran, the other main front in this conflict is Lebanon. After the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah announced it was attacking targets in Israel on Monday, it announced additional attacks at dawn on Tuesday, firing rockets at what it said was an Israeli military site, and the Israeli military has retaliated.

You're looking at smoke rising from the southern suburbs of Lebanon there, this has killed scores of people in Lebanon. The government declaring Hezbollah's actions illegal, but unclear whether the Lebanese government security forces can stop the actions of the powerful Hezbollah militia. Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you Ivan, thank you very much indeed, and more from Ivan as we get it.

And just to say that the air defenses in these Gulf countries are proving to be highly effective. More than 90 percent of these missiles and drones, for example, have been intercepted in the UAE, and there are similar numbers on these interceptions across the region.

Look, the sound of these intercepts are shocking for people living through in this Gulf region, particularly when they are awakened in the middle of the night by these siren alerts, which are indications that these strikes are incoming, but these are, you know, I have to say, and I'm living through it myself here with the team here across UAE for CNN, there is a real sense of resilience in these communities for a war that we have been discussing, there have been dragged into at this point, and clearly we'll be looking for a conclusion to as swiftly as possible.

The war is taking place a toll on energy markets, oil prices spiked to their highest levels in eight months on Monday. Right now, crude trading above 73, Brent climbing to more than $78 on the barrel. Analysts say those prices are likely to keep rising if ships are forced to keep avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, that's a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, which is the main shipping route, of course, for crude from countries like Saudi and Kuwait.

And let's do more on that. And my colleague, Eleni Giokos, joining me now with more on this. It's been interesting, isn't it?

Over the past couple of years and during the conflict in Gaza, and at sort of various stages when there were spikes in that conflict, we didn't see the price move as much as perhaps we thought it might do. But there is no doubt that what is going on now is having a significant impact on these oil prices.

Let's start with those. We'll have a look at the stock markets with European markets, of course, are just open as well. But these markets, these oil markets have been trading through this current crisis. What are we looking at?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and you're right. I mean, over the years we've been looking at various geopolitical, you know, conflicts and tensions, you'd think why haven't oil markets really responded?

A lot of that has been baked in and OPEC-plus has done a good job on focusing on supply and demand. We've got a different scenario here and I think we've got three energy shocks we're looking at right now.

You've mentioned the Strait of Hormuz, if we see a total disruption there, we're talking about another big impact in the oil market. A lot of that was kind of forecast and put into the models in terms of what a strike in Iran could potentially mean.

What was not priced in is Iran's striking critical energy infrastructure, we've seen that happening in Saudi Arabia at one of the refineries. They haven't stopped production. It changes perception and risk in terms of constraints there.

Then you have the strike in Qatar on an LNG facility, the country declaring force majeure there. So you've got no natural gas being produced on that Qatar facility and again, Qatar is the largest producer of natural gas, 50 percent increase on LNG prices in Europe yesterday.

But again, for context, it was not as high as what we saw when Russia invaded Ukraine.

So the big question is, and I've spoken to quite a few analysts, and they're saying, we're going to see triple-digit increases. What's interesting is that you've got Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, saying the U.S. was anticipating this. They're going to be announcing some kind of a mitigation plan towards the end of the day today in terms of how they are going to try and temper the increases in the oil market.

But it's supply-demand, Becky, and OPEC-plus saying, we're going to try to fill that gap. But if you can't get the stuff moving, even through the Strait of Hormuz or even through the Saudi pipeline, it's going to cause problems and inflationary impact.

ANDERSON: Let's have a look at the stock markets. We've had the Asian markets trading overnight, taken a hit, perhaps.

[03:40:05]

And I was quite surprised by the close of play in the U.S. yesterday, the first trading day after this weekend conflict had begun.

Actually, I was surprised how well the U.S. stock markets held up. I'm not sure that's going to happen today, given what we're seeing overnight.

GIOKOS: Exactly. So let's look at the European markets. And you're saying, I mean, what we would say in the industry is blood on the markets for today. Look at the FTSE, look at the DAX, the CAC 40 slightly better.

But the handover from Asia, it was absolutely dismal. And you've got to remember, Asia is an importer of oil. So they're really going to be feeling by the impact.

But this is also pricing in. If you've got a much higher oil price, we're talking about tempered earnings for the big companies, that is going to affect U.S. markets today. And I was looking at the futures of the United States, it's not looking good right now.

And I think that that's going to be a reality with the impact and the spillover into the markets. That is why gold is doing so well at this juncture. Everyone's rushing to gold, it's a safe haven right now.

Because there is uncertainty, because the region is facing a conflict. We don't know if the U.S. plans to stay in this escalation trap for much longer, if we're going to see an off cramp. Who knows?

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Eleni. Thank you very much indeed.

So you've got a sense of what's going on these stock markets around the globe in response to what we are reporting for you, hour-by-hour here in those oil markets, as we've said, moving higher.

Still to come. We're going to get you to Doha in Qatar for more on how U.S. Gulf allies have been fending off these attacks from Iran. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson at our Middle East programming headquarters for you here in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Iran's strikes continue to hit the Gulf. Qatar says it has intercepted over 100 missiles and a couple of dozen drones.

[03:45:04]

This video taken by CNN producers shows objects falling from the sky early Tuesday morning after one such intercept.

For more, I want to bring in CNN senior producer Bijan Hosseini, joining us now live from Doha. And just get us up to speed on what has been going on there over the past 24 hours, Bijan.

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SR. PRODUCER: Yes, Becky, let's start with those numbers. Overnight, Qatar's Ministry of Defense confirming three cruise missiles, 101 ballistic missiles, 39 drones, and two Su-24 aircraft that has been fired into Qatar from Iran.

A majority of those, nearly all of them, actually successfully intercepted, according to Qatar's Ministry of Defense. But I want to highlight that last number, those two Su-24 aircraft. That is extremely significant, Becky.

It is the first confirmed instance we have from a Gulf country saying that they have successfully targeted and shot down Iranian aircraft. So, obviously, a big escalation there.

And we've heard from a number of Qatari ministers over the last four days since this conflict began, saying that they reserve that right to respond to what they call is Iran's aggression. And we saw that play out last night with this statement.

We've also heard overnight from Qatar's media office. They were pushing back against reports that suggested that they were running out of air defense missiles. They said that those reports are false, that they have a healthy stockpile of Patriot air defense systems still in place. And we also heard from a spokesperson on your show yesterday, Becky,

Dr. Majid El Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar's Prime Minister, updating numbers of 20 people who have suffered injuries. We believe a lot of that is from shrapnel or debris from those interceptions.

And 8000 passengers that were transiting through Doha's Hamid International Airport they're caught up in this regional conflict. They have been given complimentary hotels that the government has paid for. But, obviously, a scary time for those passengers that happen to be stuck here.

We also know there are two cruise ships stuck in Doha's Mina Port. One of those, the Mein Schiff 5, belonging to German cruise line TUI Cruises. They have a capacity of 2500 passengers and 1000 crews.

So they've been asked to stay on board as well until airspace opens up here. Becky?

ANDERSON: Bijan, good to have you there. Thank you. Bijan's on the ground in Doha in Qatar.

Well the three families of servicemen and women deployed in this conflict with Iran, their thoughts are, of course, primarily on their loved ones' safety. Laura Acevedo of CNN affiliate KGTV in San Diego caught up with one family whose son is now on the front lines of the conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURA ACEVEDO, KGTV REPORTER (voice-over): As the world learned of the U.S. attack on Iran over the weekend--

TODD SICKINGER, PARENT OF SON DEPLOYED IN MIDDLE EAST: We were as shocked as everybody Saturday morning.

ACEVEDO (voice-over): -- parents like Todd Sickinger and his wife could only think of one thing. Their son, Devin, a sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln, the San Diego-based carrier in the Middle East, assisting with the military operations.

SICKINGER: Of course, we have mixed feelings about everything and concerned about his safety. But also we understand that he's in the Navy and this is his time to shine.

ACEVEDO (voice-over): Devin has been in the Navy since 2021. Now a petty officer in third class, the 23-year-old works with fighter jets doing aircraft safety equipment.

SICKINGER: So you may have seen there was a plane crash in Kuwait. The pilot got out. So my son would be in charge of making sure that pilot is able to get out safely.

ACEVEDO (voice-over): The Lincoln left San Diego in November, spending the beginning of its deployment in the Indo-Pacific. In late January, it was moved to the Middle East as tensions with Iran increased. Over the weekend, the ship was at the center of conflicting reports about whether or not Iran had struck the carrier.

The U.S. later saying missiles, quote, "didn't even come close."

As news develops by the minute, parents like Todd can closely for updates and hope for the best.

SICKINGER: Yes, you're always going to worry about your kids. You know, you're just going to you always will. So, you know, I need to sometimes step back and let him be the man that he's become.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:50:00]

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ANDERSON: You're watching CNN, I'm Becky Anderson.

Still to come, a deadly mass shooting in Austin in Texas has claimed another life as authorities investigate whether the Iran war was a possible motive. We will have the latest on that after this.

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ANDERSON: Authorities are investigating whether a mass shooting in Austin in Texas in the U.S. was inspired by this weekend's attacks on Iran. Two college students were killed in the attack early on Sunday morning. Now a third victim has been taken off life support.

CNN's Ed Lavandera filed this report before word of that third fatality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sirens and blasts of gunfire cut through the early Sunday morning hours on 6th Street near the University of Texas in Austin.

UNKNOWN: An active shooter 600 Rio Grande, got multiple victims.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): It was just before closing time in this popular entertainment district. Thousands of people were headed home for the night.

NATHAN COMEAUX, WITNESS/SENIOR, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: Oh, my God. What's going on?

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Nathan Comeaux was standing across the street. He and his friends had just left one of the bars when the shots exploded.

COMEAUX: I was sitting down eating on a picnic table when all of a sudden we heard 15, 20 loud bangs. And it wasn't clearly a shooting at first. No one around me realized what was happening.

The cops showed up a few minutes later around 2:02, and at that point people started running towards us saying there was a shooting, and the police got out of their vehicles and started running down the street.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Comeaux said he took cover once gunfire erupted again, realizing the suspect was still shooting.

[03:55:04]

COMEAUX: On the far left of the screen you see the shooter. He is walking towards me. He's walking towards Beeford's where hundreds of college students are holed up.

He pulls his gun out, points it at the police, and then right here, there he lifts it, fires. The cops are between these two cars. They fire back at him, and then within about one second, two seconds, he goes down.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The gunman was shot and killed by police. According to law enforcement, the suspect is 53-year-old Njaga Diagne. Investigators say he fell down the window of his car while driving down the street and unleashed a volley of gunshots on bar patrons, then got out of his SUV and shot people walking by.

His clothing, one factor prompting law enforcement officials to say they are investigating the incident as a potential act of terrorism.

CHIEF LISA DAVIS, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT: You're looking at the totality of this, and we see those indicators. We see the second shirt with the Iran, the picture of the shawl on that T-shirt as well.

We're thinking about events and what's occurring. We're calling in those federal partners to take a look at that as well.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The suspected gunman, originally from Senegal, entered the U.S. on a tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He married a U.S. citizen and became a lawful permanent resident in 2006 and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2013.

Law enforcement officials say the guns used by the suspect were purchased legally, and they are pouring through thousands of hours of video and other evidence to determine his motive in the targeted shooting. Sixteen people were shot by the gunman, two have died.

DAVIS: I cannot imagine the grief, pain, and loss these families are feeling today, and my heart is with them. Savita, Sean, and Ryder Harrington.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): At least a dozen are still hospitalized.

DAVIS: I believe one patient will be taken off life support sometime today, and then two other patients are still critical.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Flowers sit under the heart-shaped entrance to one of the bars, bar walls riddled with bullet holes, crime scene tape, and a single black high-heeled shoe left behind during the rampage. The snapshots of the shooting's aftermath on 6th Street.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, this is our Middle East programming headquarters. I'll be back with more of CNN's breaking news after this, stay with us.

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