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The Situation Room

One Killed and Two Injured in Terror Attack at Virginia University; Israeli Military Carries Out Waves of Airstrikes Across Lebanon; Iran Ramps Up Strikes Against Ships in Strait of Hormuz. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired March 13, 2026 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We're back with the breaking news from Norfolk, Virginia. A terror attack at Old Dominion University that happened during an ROTC class where officials say the instructor, Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shaw, was shot to death and two students were wounded. The FBI said other students subdued the shooter. He was identified as a former soldier who had served a prison term for terrorism charges.

Let's go live to CNN correspondent Brian Todd. He's in Sterling, Virginia, right near the shooter's home. Brian, what are you learning about him?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf. We've gotten new information last night and this morning on the suspected gunman. Our team was here last night gathering some information from neighbors and we've been here this morning doing the same thing. He is identified as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Virginia National Guard member. He spent nearly seven years in prison after pleading guilty to trying to help ISIS. Officials at the time that he was arrested said that he tried to procure weapons for an ISIS attack.

Now, in coming to the neighborhood and trying to gather some more information, we did knock on the family's door here in this group of townhouses behind me. There is a sign, a white paper sign taped to the door saying, quote, "We do not wish to speak to the press, exclamation point."

Nevertheless, we knocked on the door. They answered twice. We knocked three times. They answered twice. Each time, a middle-aged man came to the door. First time, he pointed to the sign and said, we really don't want to speak to you, and then shut the door. Second time he answered, he told me, he goes, basically, look, I'm trying to be as nice to you as I can, but we really don't feel like we can talk to anybody right now. He said, you have to understand we're going through a very tough time. And then a lady behind him kind of yelled seriously toward me, and then they shut the door. So, they got a little irritated with our presence there.

But we did find some new information about the family. Neighbors say that multiple generations of the family live in this townhouse behind me. Several people live there, they said. But they say that the family really did not interact very much with neighbors, and the neighbors didn't interact very much with them. The family is known to have at least one large gathering a year, like a party, basically with some loud music. But they don't interact with neighbors very much, according to the neighbors here.

One neighbor who said he did encounter Mohamed Jalloh on his walks in the neighborhood told me that the first time he encountered him, he said hi to him, but Mohamed Jalloh didn't acknowledge him, didn't say anything, just looked to the ground. He said each time after that, it would be the same thing, that he would just kind of look to the ground. One other neighbor actually expressed some frustration with the fact that he was released and came back to the neighborhood. He said he was very surprised that they released him and, quote, "let him come back here. Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, because he had a lengthy prison sentence and then he got early release. Why did he get early release?

TODD: It's not quite clear why he got early release, Wolf. He was sentenced, I believe the original sentence was to 11 years in prison. He served almost seven of those years and then had some supervised release. He was released in December of 2024.

We can tell you that we have been told that FBI agents were here in the evening yesterday, last evening, gathering some more evidence. Apparently, the family was asked to come out and stand outside while the FBI agents late at night came in and got some evidence, brought it back out. So, this investigation is ongoing. We hope to get some more information about maybe what they found out, possibly later today.

BLITZER: All right. We'll stay in close touch with you, Brian Todd, in Sterling, Virginia for us. Thank you very, very much.

And still ahead, Israel is now launching a brand-new wave of strikes in Tehran, even as thousands are gathering for massive rallies. We're live from Tel Aviv. That's next, here in The Situation Room.

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[10:35:00]

BLITZER: Breaking news, dozens are wounded after an early morning attack by Iran in northern Israel. Authorities responded to what they described as a direct hit by a missile on a structure in the town of Zarzir. Video shows several homes and cars were heavily damaged in the strike, marking Iran's latest efforts to ramp up attacks on Israel.

Let's go live right now to see this. Jeremy Diamond, he's on the scene for us in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, Israel is also launching attacks of its own on his Iranian-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. What more can you tell us about that?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right, Wolf. The Israeli military has said that it has conducted dozens of waves of strikes against Hezbollah, not only in southern Lebanon, but also in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. The targets, they say, are a series of financial targets trying to deprive Hezbollah of its ability to pay salaries to its militants and other members, but also some of its weapons storage facilities, including in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

The Israeli military also operating on the ground in southern Lebanon, a series of special operations raids, but also, we know that the Israeli military is controlling a thin strip of land in southern Lebanon, and now the Israeli defense minister is threatening to increase Israel's territorial gains in Lebanon, saying that if the Lebanese government doesn't act to disarm Hezbollah, then Lebanon is going to pay a price in terms of its territorial integrity.

[10:40:00]

But also, he said, in terms of its national infrastructure. Not exactly clear what he means by that, but we know that Israel in the past has threatened to bomb Lebanon's international airport should the Lebanese government not take steps against Hezbollah, and then subsequently, we saw the Lebanese government issue this decree outlawing Hezbollah's military activities there.

Israel is also increasing its evacuation orders for southern Lebanon, and the total area now being covered by Israeli evacuation orders in Lebanon is 14 percent of the country's territory. At least 800,000 people are now already displaced in Lebanon in what is a growing humanitarian crisis there, drawn out by this war. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Jeremy in Tel Aviv, thank you very, very much. Jeremy Diamond, on the scene. Coming up, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says don't worry about the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iran's ramping up its attacks on ships in that crucial shipping route. After the break, we'll be talking to someone with an extensive understanding of the Strait, which has become an economic and political chokepoint.

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[10:45:00]

BLITZER: Breaking news. Iran is ramping up attacks in the critical Strait of Hormuz. 20 percent of the world's oil supply goes through this waterway. At least 16 oil tankers, cargo ships, and other vessels have been attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the Arabian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman since the start of this war.

Joining us now, the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez. Arsenio, thanks so much for joining us. I know you visited the Strait and you have a deep technical knowledge of how ships operate there. Just how significant is it that Iran has created this chokehold?

ARSENIO DOMINGUEZ, SECRETARY-GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION: The whole conflict is actually creating this situation because we have around 3,000 vessels that actually stock there and 20,000 seafarers. The Strait of Hormuz has a very narrow passage of around 30 kilometers, which of course makes it very difficult for navigation. And this is one of the situations why the ships are so exposed and vulnerable to the conflict.

BLITZER: President Trump told Fox News that oil tanker crews should, quote, "Go through the Strait of Hormuz and show some guts, guts," end quote. He continued, there's nothing to be afraid of. They have no navy and we sunk all their ships. What's your response to that?

DOMINGUEZ: I'm very concerned with the situation, particularly of the safety of the seafarers. And my call continues to be for the ship owners and ship operators not to sail to the Strait of Hormuz and actually to avoid the region. The reason why I say that is because merchant ships are not equipped to actually combat and seafarers are not trained for combat. And I will not be calling for seafarers and ships to be put at risk from the safety of my office.

The situation is completely out of control over there when it comes to merchant ships. And of course, I call for everyone to de-escalate, to be cautious, carry out risk assessments, and when possible, avoid the region.

BLITZER: Members of the Trump administration have proposed U.S. naval escorts of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Just how challenging is this sort of operation, especially as we see attacks on ships all along the route?

DOMINGUEZ: We have heard from other countries that are also planning to provide this kind of naval support. And in the past, we have used them in areas like the Red Sea when ships were also being targeted. But this is not a long-term sustainable solution, and it doesn't eliminate completely the risk of innocent seafarers and innocent merchant ships actually being attacked. It's also the need to coordinate this approach. Again, it's a very busy waterway, and we need to have all the necessary information for ships to be able to receive any kind of assistance. And in that way, we can avoid collisions among the ships and also any environmental disaster.

BLITZER: We know that Iran has laid mines, mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Speak to how authorities sweep for these mines to try to clean up the Strait, and whether that's even possible right now in a dramatic situation that has unfolded.

DOMINGUEZ: It just adds to the risks that exist in the region. It's very difficult to track all this information and of course for even confirmation of what is actually being done in a war zone. So, right now, we rely on what's the information that we can receive from all the ships that are in the region when they can communicate, and from the flag states to actually keep us up to date with any dangers that they are expecting or facing.

BLITZER: What alternatives are there to the Strait of Hormuz for seafarers at this point?

DOMINGUEZ: Very limited. The main reason or the main objective here is to deescalate. The reality is that even the air traffic is being affected. Ports are being affected. So, it's not easy for ships to actually go to the port and for seafarers to disembark. It's also important to remember that ships cannot be left unattended because they will become a hazard themselves. And right now, in these situations, we will not be able to find other seafarers to actually come and change the crew. And I will not be expecting people to actually want to do that.

BLITZER: Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks so much for all your important work.

DOMINGUEZ: Thank you.

BLITZER: And coming up, oil spills, black rain and landslides. What the war with Iran could mean for the environment as experts warn of the potentially very disastrous impact.

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[10:50:00]

BLITZER: We've seen the direct impacts of this war as Iran, Israel and the U.S. trade strikes, lives lost, damaged infrastructure and economic shockwaves. But the targets being hit could have longer detrimental effects to millions in the region. Plumes of black smoke filled the skies over Tehran on Sunday after strikes on oil refineries. Along with toxins in the smoke, black oil saturated rain that coated buildings and streets.

[10:55:00]

Recent strikes on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz are also sending pollutants into the sky and the sea. Our Max Foster sat down with former Secretary of State John Kerry about environmental damage concerns. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Needless to say, in any war, the environment is probably the last thing that anybody thinks about. And clearly there are huge costs that occur as a result of environmental catastrophes that are man-made because they were hit by a missile or hit by an artillery shell.

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BLITZER: Let's go live right now to CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir. Bill, impacts on the environment ultimately impact people's health. So, what are some of the biggest concerns right now from these oil smoke clouds and potential spills?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Wolf, war is hell even more so when oil is both a target and a weapon. These black rain warnings issued by the U.N. around Iran there, among the immediate effects, of course, skin and eye problems, breathing problems. Our Fred Pleitgen described crushing headaches after he experienced some of that oily rain there in Tehran. Long-term effects, you got heart issues, respiration, you know, water and food contamination to think about long-term. And so, this is not just both on land, Wolf, it is in the Strait of Hormuz, it is in the water as well. And this will have ramifications that could last years.

BLITZER: It certainly could. Water, as we all know, is vital for life and countries in this region rely on desalinization plants for fresh, clean water. There's been a strike on a plant in Bahrain already, but officials say it did not affect water supplies. But we have seen water used as a weapon during the Gulf War when Iraq intentionally released hundreds of millions of barrels in oil in the Persian Gulf. How dangerous is the threat of that sort of environmental terrorism, as some call it?

WEIR: Well, some experts liken it to using the nuclear option going after desalination right now. It is this technology, at least in the last 20 years, is both a blessing and a curse. It basically uses a lot of energy to convert salt water into potable drinking water. Either through a membrane or by heating it up, takes a lot of energy to do that. So, they really turn their oil into water there.

But as a result, we basically have salt water kingdoms in the Middle East that may be up to 90 percent of their water in Saudi Arabia, for example, or 70 percent there. Kuwait and Oman, it's around 90 percent, depending on that desalination. So, if those are hit, that is really crossing a red line, a lot of folks say. A lot of these desalination plants happen to be next to other infrastructure. There could be accidental hits there as well.

But Iran, interestingly, gets most of their drinking water from rivers and from reservoirs, which are historic lows due to climate change. Crushing droughts in Iran puts the pressure on Iranians as well.

BLITZER: The Strait of Hormuz, as we all know, is vital for oil shipments, but it's also essential for global food production, since it's a major hub for many of the raw materials needed to make fertilizer. What impact could this war have on the global food supply?

WEIR: Yes, everybody's really focused on the price of the pump right now. That's the most tangible representation of this. But yes, you've got both fertilizer coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, and then food shipments going in. About half of the sulfur that goes into the world's fertilizer supply comes through there. A huge percentage of urea, about a third of the vital ingredients for fertilizers, you can see on the red there to the left, come through the Strait of Hormuz.

But then 60 million people in that region, Wolf, depend on imports between 75 to 90 percent of rice and corn and soybeans arrives through shipping there. So, this will now put a lot more pressure on land routes, that gives more power to places like Russia around that region as well. So, wide ranging ramifications in just the basic necessities to keep folks alive. Food, water, and of course the air they breathe.

BLITZER: All right. Our Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir, as usual, thank you very much. We appreciate your expertise. And the next hour of the Situation Room starts right now. Happening now. Breaking news, U.S. troops killed the Pentagon is now confirming that six service members are dead after an Air Force refueling plane crashed in Iraq. 13 U.S. troops now killed since the start of this war and two terror attacks on U.S. soil. A man ramped his rammed his vehicle into a synagogue in Michigan, and a deadly shooting at a university in Virginia in an ROTC classroom.

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