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IDF: Iran Launches About 180 Missiles At Israel; Pentagon: Iran Fired About 200 Ballistic Missiles At Israel. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 01, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:43]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: We are back with our breaking news coverage, Iran launching a barrage of missiles into Israel. I'm Anderson Cooper alongside my colleague, Wolf Blitzer.

Moments ago White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said nearly 200 ballistic missiles were fired from Iran. He characterized the attack as a significant escalation, those were his words. Our cameras captured the moments when some of the missiles were intercepted over Tel Aviv this afternoon.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: It was a very scary moment indeed and we're getting our first look, Anderson, right now at some of the damage. Video posted on social media shows an object crashing down just north of Tel Aviv. Another video shows the aftermath inside a restaurant in the area. You can see broken glass and scattered debris.

Iran says this attack was in response for the killing of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and other assassinations. The Israeli military is vowing that Iran's attack, quote, "will have consequences," their words, will have consequences.

Here's the moment our colleague and friend Jim Sciutto and his team saw the Iranian missiles entering Tel Aviv's airspace earlier today. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a ...

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Some rising ...

BASH: ... this is a major attack.

SCIUTTO: I think it might ...

BASH: Jim Sciutto this is obviously ...

SCIUTTO: It's a major attack, there's no question. BASH: What you are seeing - what we are all seeing ...

SCIUTTO: Listen ...

BASH: ... with our own eyes is a major attack from Iran.

SCIUTTO: It's a major attack, Dana, and it's an escalation. It's an escalation of this war beyond what we saw - I think, potentially, beyond what we saw in April when Iran launched dozens of missiles and drones. This attack according to U.S. intelligence principally or perhaps entirely ballistic missiles which are the fastest by far and the most dangerous. And now what we're seeing in addition to those intercepts is we're seeing fragments falling to the ground. It's like a ...

BASH: Yes.

SCIUTTO: ... deadly - a deadly fireworks display over Tel Aviv. Goodness, there was an impact just to the left of us here.

BASH: And you're talking about Tel Aviv - and you're talking about Tel Aviv, Jim, we are looking at pictures right now. We are looking picture - at pictures of Tel Aviv, what you're describing.

SCIUTTO: Oh, Jesus. Oh, God. Okay, guys, we got to get off the roof. These are coming down right next to us here.

BASH: Please do, Jim. Please do.

SCIUTTO: They're coming down - one just about - we got to go inside.

BASH: Jim, please take cover.

We are listening and we are watching.

(End VT)

COOPER: So that was the scene about more than two hours ago. Let's check in with Jim Sciutto who's on the rooftop there as the strikes began.

Obviously, things now calm in Tel Aviv. There was also a terror attack earlier in Jaffa, but just talk a little bit about what is going on right now in terms of what Israeli government officials are doing and considering.

SCIUTTO: They're going to be meeting shortly, the Israeli prime minister, his defense minister, intelligence officials to decide Israel's response. And we've already heard public commentary for instance from Admiral Hagari, spokesperson for the IDF, vowing what he described as serious consequences for this attack.

The question is what those serious consequences are, how far - it seems quite clear that Israel's going to respond, so the question is how far do they respond and on what targets and to what degree, because we are locked in a cycle of attack and - retaliation attack and retaliation that we've been in for some time. I think you could connect the events tonight to what we saw just yesterday and overnight was Israeli boots on the ground in southern Lebanon and then to the Israeli strike that killed Nasrallah several days before that.

[15:05:06]

We're locked in a cycle here and the question is does that cycle get worse. And I think that's why it was interesting to hear Jake Sullivan and Antony Blinken both emphasize at the top of their comments just before the end of the last hour that this was an ineffective attack, that it was successfully defeated by Israel and I wonder if that could be part of a broader message from the U.S. to Israel, whether it takes it or not, to while it has every right to respond, to attempt to temper that response so it doesn't escalate further.

Just one more thing I would add because, Anderson, you and Wolf know this as well as I do, in the midst of that fire there, my colleagues here were the ones with me getting this on the air, John Torigoe who's here, David Hawley, Florence Davey-Attlee producing, Ahmed Zahran, Stewart Scanlon keeping our signal up in the sky, Zeena Saifi producing as well and Hannah Bailey. There were - there's a group of us here on the roof throughout those events and without that group we couldn't have got those images on the air.

COOPER: Yes. Jim, there's a State Department briefing I believe going on right now, so let's go to that.

MATTHEW MILLER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: -- Israel there let alone an American citizen casualty. There is one report of a Palestinian who died in the West Bank, but no - no damage to any U.S. facility either.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then both you and the National Security Advisor just a few minutes ago talked about this being a brazen and unacceptable escalation. But does the administration see anything that Israel has done over the course of the last three weeks as escalatory?

MILLER: So certainly they have done things to expand the conflict, but if you look at the actions that they have taken, they were bringing terrorists to justice, terrorists who have launched attacks on Israeli civilians. If you look at what Iran did today - we have been warning for some time about the threat posed by Iran arming and funding terrorist groups across the Middle East. And the attack today just demonstrated the danger of those actions.

What you saw was Iran launching a state-on-state attack to protect and defend the terrorist groups that it has built, nurtured and that it controls. So there is a difference between the actions that we have seen Israel take to defend its civilians ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, well I'm not suggesting that they're ...

MILLER: ... and what we've - I just - and what we've seen Iran take.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not trying to suggest that they are equivalent. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't see ... MILLER: No, you - we have certainly seen Iran or we've certainly seen Israel expand the nature of its attacks against Hezbollah, but it is a very different type of attack than what we saw today from a state actor against another state.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. And then last one, and this has to do with Lebanon and the northern front. The situation there is, you know, unstable and uncertain. I know that you guys have been asking Americans who might want information about assistance and possibly leaving to sign up on a form. Can you give us an update on the numbers of those and whether or not you're planning to - I don't know - to do anything in the way of either U.S. Government capabilities or charter flights or ferries?

MILLER: Sure. So you're right, as we often do in these situations, we have directed U.S. citizens who are in Lebanon to register with the State Department for information, and especially for information with how to depart Lebanon. And we're providing them whatever information we can. We have had, as of today, around 6,000 American citizens in Lebanon who have registered with us for further information.

To be clear, not all of those American citizens are seeking assistance with departing. People are just looking for information; they're looking for options. They are a number of American citizens who live in Lebanon who have lived there for years and do not want to depart the country.

So in terms of the status on the ground, the airport is still open. Commercial flights are operating, although they are available at times at reduced capacity. We are working right now with airlines to provide additional flights with more seats for American citizens. It's something that we hope to turn on in the next few days, and we will be in touch with American citizens if and when we're able to expand that capability.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you make - how do you ensure that there are going to be seats reserved for Americans?

MILLER: Now, we're working with - I can't get into the details, but we're working with commercial carriers to ensure that capability. And when we have further information and we've locked this down, it's something we'll communicate directly with American citizens who have asked for information. Then I'll be happy to come and talk with - talk about it here at the briefing room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.

MILLER: Yes, Gillian (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So given that the Secretary and the National Security Advisor just said that this attack by Iran is sort of definitively escalatory in nature.

[15:10:04]

I know that State - you've been telling us, the Secretary even told us that for months they've - you've been encouraging the Israelis not to respond to attacks and provocations in such a way that escalates anything further. Are - is the Secretary going to offer that same advice to the Israelis now in the wake of these missile strikes?

MILLER: I'll say a couple things about that. First, of course, Israel has a right to defend itself, as any nation does. In terms of what Israel's response will be, of course there must be consequences for Iran for this attack. We've made clear that there must be consequences. I'm not going to get into what those consequences are today.

But there are things on which we will be coordinating with our Israeli counterparts, and I think in the immediate aftermath of this attack we are going to coordinate with them on what any response might be. I think it's important that we are able to defeat this attack through successful work with Israel and with our partners, and we will work with them on what a response might look like. But I'm not at the position, just, you know, two and a half hours after this event occurred, to offer what that might look like today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Iranian foreign ministry people have said that ...

BLITZER: We're going to continue to monitor the State Department briefing. I want to go to the Pentagon briefing that's underway right now. The Pentagon spokesman, Gen. Patrick Ryder, is briefing reporters. And just to set the scene, the U.S. has now deployed three guided missile destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean to assist Israel, potentially, in the aftermath of this strike. But let's listen to this briefing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's being communicated between Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant right now in terms of tampering things down and potentially avoiding a wider war?

MAJ. GEN. PAT RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: So the two Navy destroyers involved were the USS Bulkeley and the USS Cole. In terms of the conversations between Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant, I won't get into, you know, the private discussions, other than to say we are consulting closely with them on next steps and the continued defense of Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then are there any plans underway to conduct a NEO given the increased risk of a wider war?

RYDER: Right now, there has been no order to evacuate. As you've heard us say before, we are a planning organization. So we of course plan for all contingencies. But as of right now, State Department has not called for an evacuation. Jennifer (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should we assume that the SM-3s were used by the Cole and the Bulkeley to shoot down the - or to intercept the missiles?

RYDER: I'm not going to get into the specific type of ordnance, Jennifer (ph), other than to say, again, they fired a dozen interceptors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Iran said that they gave a heads up to the U.S. and to Russia. How much warning were you given by Iran?

RYDER: Yes. I'm not aware of any pre-warning by Iran about their potential attack. As you know, this is something we've been following very closely for a while, based on the threats of retaliation by Iran. And so we've been closely consulting with Israel for a while now to be prepared in the eventuality. And as today demonstrated, we were prepared, and we were able to successfully work alongside Israel to defend them from this attack.

RYDER: Let me go to Carla (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, Pat. You said that the destroyer shot down Iranian missiles. Where do they come from? Were they all from inside Iran or with some also from Yemen, being shot by the Houthis?

RYDER: Carla, to my knowledge, and again, we're still assessing this, these were all launched from Iran, ballistic missiles. And what I said was that they fired the interceptors towards those missiles, so ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then were any other U.S. assets involved in this defense?

RYDER: Of course we have a lot of capability in the region, a lot of things that are there to be prepared for a wide variety of threats. But in terms of the launching of these interceptors, it was those two destroyers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So just being clear, no ground based interceptors were used in this?

RYDER: Correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were the - any - are you aware of any duds that didn't fire off, that maybe Iran wanted to fire more than the roughly 200?

RYDER: As I mentioned, you know, we're still assessing the outcome of the attack and so we'll have much more information later, but these are all our initial reports.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then on the second call with the Secretary and Minister Gallant, did he urge Israel not to respond or to moderate any response to Iran, or did Israel share - did Gallant share any of Israeli intentions for their potential response here?

RYDER: Well, again, as I'm sure you can appreciate, I'm just not going to be able to get into the details of their call other than to say, again, we're consulting closely about next steps and the continued defense of Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does Secretary Austin think about the potential for an Israeli response here?

[15:15:01]

Does he - would he urge them, without saying what he said in the call necessarily, but what are his feelings about the potential, would he urge them restraint, or ...

RYDER: Well, look, you know, if you take a step back here, we fully support Israel's right to defend itself. You just saw a very significant ballistic missile attack by Iran against Israel. And so we'll continue to work alongside them to support their defense. We, of course, do not want to see a wider regional conflict.

You've heard us say that many times and we'll continue to work towards that end, but we also fully understand the fact that this was a significant attack by Iran, and so we're going to continue to consult closely and we're going to continue to support their defense. Let me go to Laura (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Just a couple of clarifications. You say that the U.S. destroyers had intercepted or shot down the missiles or just that they fired ...

RYDER: I said that they fired approximately a dozen interceptors against the incoming Iranian missiles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay. And were there any U.S. aircraft that shot interceptors at Iranian missiles?

RYDER: What I've read out is what participated in the defense of Israel. Okay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then, sorry, just one more. Can you say if there were any drones or cruise missiles that were involved in the Iranian attack?

RYDER: Again, still assessing it right now. It appears it was ballistic missiles, no drones. But again, we'll continue to assess. Let me go to Joseph (ph) and then we'll come here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Just wanted to turn to the Israeli invasion in Lebanon. For the past couple of months, the Department and the Secretary have called for de-escalation. You guys have voiced your opposition to any ground incursion invasions, limited operations. After we found out that the Israeli strike last week killed the Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, it seems like the tone changed. From the statements last night, the Department and Secretary said they supported what Israel is doing. So what changed for a change in that tone and that stance from the department?

RYDER: Yes. I think the biggest thing, Joseph (ph), is we fully support Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah. As we understand it, they will be conducting limited operations to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure that's arrayed along the border there that could be used to threaten Israeli citizens. And so we're continuing to consult with the Israelis to better understand how they intend to go forward. Obviously, I'd refer you to them to talk or ask questions about, you know, details regarding those operations. But, you know, we fully understand as part of their overall efforts to return people home, that they do need to address those threats that are along the border there. And all that to say, we will continue to consult with the Israelis and other partners in the region long-term about how we can ultimately deescalate those tensions and get to a ceasefire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have they asked for any help from you guys doing whatever it is ...

RYDER: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... they want to do?

RYDER: No. Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were the United States surprised by the scale of the Iranian attack on Israel?

RYDER: Well, look, like I said before, we've been monitoring this for a while. Iran had been very public about its threats to retaliate. And so it's something that we've been monitoring. Certainly, this was a significant attack, probably about twice the size in terms of scope of what we saw earlier. But again, we're still assessing the outcome to this. And as I highlighted at the top, we certainly condemn this reckless attack, this direct attack against Israel, and we'll continue to support Israel's defense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several Israeli media spoke about a response tonight, you know, Israeli respond tonight to this attack, including some - not just Iran, some other Middle Eastern countries. Will the United States be assisting the Israelis in their response?

RYDER: Well, I'm not going to speculate about hypotheticals. I'd refer you to the Israelis to talk about, you know ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm asking about would - will the Americans help them with, you know, with the ...

RYDER: Well, what you're asking me is if they're going to do something, and what I'm saying is I'm not going to speculate about what or if they may do. As I highlighted to several of your colleagues, we're consulting closely with the Israelis in terms of next steps, with the emphasis being the defense of Israel.

So, let me go to this side of the room. Oren (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is - essentially a follow up to that question, is the U.S. willing to strike Iran in response to this? Are you putting that on or off the table?

RYDER: Well, look, Oren (ph), again, I don't want to get into hypotheticals. I think I was very clear at the top that, should U.S. forces be targeted by Iran or its proxies, we'll take necessary steps to defend our people. And I think we've also been very clear that we're going to support the defense of Israel. And so, I'm not going to get into theoretical or speculative operations at this stage, other than to say, you know, we mean what we say and we say what we mean.

[15:20:08]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then what - a follow-up question, if Iran claims to have used a new Fateh missile, which is supposed to be a hypersonic ballistic missile. Can you assess whether they did use new and advanced weaponry in this attack, and whether they learned from the April attack?

RYDER: Again, we're still assessing the attack and the outcomes. And so, you know, we may have more to provide later, but I don't have anything on that right now.

Dan (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks for your time. Two questions, please. On Secretary Austin's statement last night, he referred to being supportive of operations along the border. Is he open to Israel using operations on both sides of the border? Along the border was a little vague there.

RYDER: Well, I think I'd go back to how I responded to Joseph, right? We understand and support Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, as we highlighted in the readout. We understand that part of that is dismantling some of the attack infrastructure that Hezbollah has built along the border.

Certainly, again, we don't want to see this, you know, broaden into a wider regional conflict, but we understand, again, that what Israel is doing are limited operations to destroy that attack infrastructure and then enable citizens on both sides of the border to return home.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, we do think that a diplomatic resolution is the only way to achieve lasting stability and security across the Israel-Lebanon border. So, you know, we're going to continue to work to that end, but we also, again, understand Israel's need to defend itself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then a follow up, the State Department read out a report on an attack on a diplomatic facility at Baghdad airport last night. Have you seen any other attacks on U.S. forces, I guess since Friday? This one would seem to be on a diplomatic facility, but be it in the last day, particularly at this heightened time of tension or just broadly over the last couple of days?

RYDER: Yes. As of right now, I'm not aware of any additional attacks. Thanks. Sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iron Dome, how effective is it against ballistic missiles? And some of the televised images appeared to show some of them landing on infrastructure. Are you aware of that? In general, was this attack more effective than the Iranian attack in April? RYDER: Again, understanding that a lot is still, you know, very initial, as I highlighted, initial indications are that there was minimal damage on the ground. You know, in terms of the specifics, though, I'd have to refer you to Israel really to talk through that. And again, as more information comes in, we'll certainly know more. But the initial assessment is that Israel was able to successfully defend itself, of course with the support from the U.S. And so, again, we may have more later on that.

Helene (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I - thanks, Pat. I just want to be clear, because it seems like it's - we're at a very dangerous time, where any kind of ambiguity from the U.S. could lead to an attack on American troops. And when you say we - I understand when you say that we're going to defend any attack on American troops. I also understand that no - that you said that no American troops were hurt. Therefore, are you saying the U.S. is not planning on a kinetic strike against Iran?

Because right now, when you say there will be consequences, all of that, you are leaving it vague and people don't understand. And I want to understand, are we going to be joining Israel in hitting back against Iran in a kinetic manner?

RYDER: Yes. So, with all due respect, you're talking about a hypothetical future, right, and presupposing what Israel may or may not do. So, I'm just not going to talk about ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you said there will be consequences, and Jake Sullivan said there will be consequences.

RYDER: Right. And I think ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, what does that ...

RYDER: ... broadly speaking, you know, the U.S. has been clear that there will be security, economic consequences should Iran attack. But I just don't have anything preview - to preview, you know, specifically as it relates to that. All right. Yes, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Pat. Just to clarify, did any U.S. aircraft track any of the missiles either before the launch or during the attack, even if they weren't involved kinetically in the defense of Israel?

RYDER: So, I won't go into specifics, Chris (ph), other than to say, as you well know, we have a wide variety of ISR capabilities throughout the region to monitor and track potential aerial threats, to include aircraft that do that. So, I'll just leave it there.

Okay. Charlie (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, General. I know you've said repeatedly that Iran doesn't telegraph these attacks, yet from early this morning we were told that an attack would be imminent. So, we're getting some sort of information from somewhere. [15:25:00]

Based on whatever that was based on, where does Iran stand now? Is this just the first salvo? From your assessment, are they positioned to go ahead and pull the trigger again at will?

RYDER: I mean, that's really a question for Iran. You know, as evidenced by this attack, you know, they certainly maintain the capability to conduct additional attacks. As I highlighted at the top, we call on them to halt any further attacks. And, you know, we'll continue to assess. We'll also continue to be prepared to respond in the defense of Israel should they opt to do another one. We certainly hope that they do not, but we obviously have to be prepared in that eventuality.

Q: I just want to clarify. I think you said earlier this is twice the size and scope from the attack of April 13th?

RYDER: Yes, it's about twice as large in terms of the number of ballistic missiles that they launched from the last.

Q: So, you believe it was their intent to actually do damage this time?

RYDER: Well, you know, look, you don't launch that many missiles at a target without the intent of hitting something. So, absolutely, just like the last time, their intent is to cause destruction. And so, fortunately, you know, Israel has very significant air defense capabilities, and the U.S., of course, played a role in helping on that front as well. Thank you.

Matt (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Pat. You said there have been no new attacks on U.S. forces in the region, but is the department tracking a greater threat now to U.S. forces? And are you taking any extra measures on top of the recent plus ups you've done for force protection?

RYDER: Well, Matt, I mean, we're - as you know, we're always taking force protection very seriously. We're all very well aware of the heightened tensions in the region. And U.S. Central Command has been, for a long time now, you know, constantly assessing and reassessing the threat to ensure that our forces are protected.

Like I mentioned, I'm not aware - as I come to the podium, I'm not aware of any additional attacks beyond the one that Dan mentioned, but it's something that we'll obviously be, you know, keeping a close eye on to protect our forces.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secondly, were there any other nations other than the United States and Israel who took part in intercepting missiles or helping to track them or anything like that?

RYDER: Yes, I don't have anything to provide on that, and obviously I wouldn't speak for other countries from here. Yes, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: General, I'd like to ask you if you guys talk to the European allies and if you ask for military support in protecting Israel in case of another attack from Israel, the proxies, or is - at the moment it's only the U.S. helping Israel military-wise?

RYDER: Well, I'll allow other countries to speak for themselves. I will say, and we'll put a readout on this, this afternoon, you know, as soon as we're done here. The secretary did have an opportunity to talk to his French counterpart earlier this morning just to talk about the situation in the Middle East. This was before the Iranian attack occurred. And so, you know, we'll get that out momentarily.

Broadly speaking though, again, you know, in terms of any European coordination or cooperation with Israel, that's really for individual countries to talk to. I won't speak to them.

Let me go to the phone real quick before I get in trouble. Task and Purpose, Jeff Schogol.

JEFF SCHOGOL, TASK & PURPOSE: Thank you. I understand that the destroyers fired about a dozen Interceptors. Did they hit any of the missiles? If so, how many?

RYDER: Yes, thanks, Jeff. So again, we're - as you highlight, they fired the interceptors. We're still assessing again outcomes of that, so I can't really - I just don't have more information to provide at this time. Okay, let me go to Heather (ph) from USNI.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, thank you so much. So you mentioned that the United States has the ability and intent to respond if any of its service members are attacked. Over - on Friday, you had three U.S. destroyers or sorry, two U.S. destroyers and a LCS come under attack from the Houthis which is an Iranian proxy group. So would that give - you know, is there any, I guess, any intention to launch any attacks in response to those service members coming under attack?

RYDER: Well, you know, first of all, Heather (ph), as you are aware, you know, there were no U.S. service members injured in any of those attacks. And as always, we will respond appropriately at a time and place of our choosing. But I'm not going to telegraph, or you know, speculate on any punches at this time. All right, and Patrick Tucker, Defense One.

PATRICK TUCKER, DEFENSE ONE: Hey, yes, thanks for doing this. So on the announcement of three additional aircraft squadrons, F-15s, F-16s, A-10s, they used - I presume that they weren't involved in any of the interception activity.

[15:30:06]

Can you talk a little bit about why they're there and what role they might fill now in terms of enhancing security for U.S. forces in the region?