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CNN's Breaking News Coverage on Israel's Assault to Iran; U.S. Official: Israel Strikes Iran, Target Not Nuclear; Strike On Iran Comes As G7 Foreign Ministers Meet. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 19, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

[01:55:47]

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

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm John Vause with CNN's breaking news coverage of Israel's counter-strike on Iran.

It's 2 a.m. Friday here in Atlanta, 9 a.m. in Jerusalem and 9:30 a.m. in Isfahan in Iran.

[02:00:03]

Well after days of deliberation and despite overwhelming international pressure to stand down, U.S. officials tell CNN, Israel has carried out a military strike on Iran, apparently retaliation for an unprecedented Iranian missile attack just over a week ago.

At least three explosions have been reported not far from a military air base in the province of Isfahan in central Iran. According to Iran's Fars news agency, defense systems on the base were activated in response to what may have been a drone attack targeting the base's radar.

The city of Isfahan is believed to be home to Iran's illicit nuclear weapons program as well as the country's biggest nuclear research facility which operates three small Chinese-supplied research reactors. All flights to Isfahan, Tehran and Shiraz have resumed after being suspended for several hours according to a spokesperson for Iran's airports.

One U.S. official confirmed to CNN an Israeli strike inside Iran, adding the target was not nuclear. And Israel informed the White House on Thursday an attack was just days away. Iranian officials say air defense systems in several regions were activated and the explosions heard in Isfahan were outgoing fire from those air defenses.

Well, for the very latest, CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by live in Jerusalem but we go first to CNN's Paula Hancocks in Beirut. And Paula, for days Tehran has been warning of an instant severe response to even the slightest Israeli attack, but now it seems that may not happen. What's the latest?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we've certainly been hearing certain talk from the Iranian side. I mean, just a few hours ago on CNN, the Iranian foreign minister saying that if there is an Israeli response, if they do target assets in Iran, then there would be a response and it would be immediate and at a maximum level saying it would also be decisive.

And this is really the message that we have been hearing over recent days. We heard it from President Raisi as well, saying that if there was an attack on Iranian assets, then it would be a more severe reaction than what we saw last Saturday, that unprecedented attack from Iran with over 300 drones and missiles launched at Israeli territory.

So if you take it at face value, I mean, we certainly have heard Tehran say there will be a significant response.

But what we're also seeing from state media, from semi-official state media in Iran is that they're almost downplaying what has happened. They are saying there has been no ground explosion. They're saying that the nuclear facilities are completely secure, that there is no impact on the ground. So potentially laying the groundwork for this to be something acceptable for Tehran. So that's really the question. When you ask what's coming next from Tehran, we have to try and figure out what Tehran is able to live with.

Now, they say that what they did, that unprecedented attack last weekend, Saturday into Sunday morning, that was in response to an attack on its diplomatic compound in Damascus. And they said fairly quickly afterwards, in fact, as the attack was still ongoing, the matter is concluded. They wanted to respond, and as far as they were concerned, and that was it.

Now, of course, that wasn't the case for Israel. They didn't feel that they could leave that unprecedented attack unanswered.

So the question now is whether or not Iran will feel that this was a low-level enough attack or strike from Israel that they are able to not necessarily ignore it, but not feel the need to retaliate.

Of course, it is still early days. We don't know exactly what was hit, if anything was hit, what the target was. And potentially we will hear more about that in the hours ahead. John?

Paula, stay with us. Let's go to Nic Robertson in Jerusalem for a moment. Nic, is there any word from the Israelis on precisely what they hit? What do we know about the attack and the fact that it was limited? And what are they saying about any possible Iranian response?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: No details from the Israelis. What we have on the attack is defined by what we're hearing and seeing on Iranian state media and other Iranian media. What I'm hearing from a regional intelligence source who will be close to the thinking of what the Iranians are likely to do, the takeaway at the moment is that this is below the threshold of Iran's requirement to respond, despite what we've heard them say publicly.

And this would seem to indicate that the pressure that's been put on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by President Biden and others, we heard from the British foreign secretary, the German foreign secretary here this week, that they didn't want Israel to escalate the situation.

Although the British foreign secretary said he did understand that Israel would respond and the prime minister here has said clearly that Israel would do what it sees fit.

[03:05:03]

I think the situation we're in at the moment and the best read we have, reading between the lines of how Iran has played this through the whole night, and what I'm hearing from a well-placed source who would understand the situation, that at the moment, caveats of course, things may change.

Israel may decide it's got another volley to go, though that seems unlikely. It does seem that this current escalation between Israel and Iran may be this bit of it on a pause. That said, let's not forget that Iran's proxy Hezbollah is just to the north in Lebanon and that has been recently, over many months but recently, there's been a real uptick across that border in terms of fire and many Israeli soldiers injured just this week.

That border, I think, will perhaps continue to be as active, maybe not quite as active as the past couple of days. So the differences between Israel and Iran are not gone away, but this escalation, that may be on hold.

VAUSE: Reprieve, not a resolution, I guess. But Nic, is there any indication why the Israelis showed a restraint, was a limited strike by all accounts, given that on Wednesday Netanyahu said to the European leaders who were there, thanks for the advice but no thanks, we'll do what we have to do.

ROBERTSON: There's pressure being put on Israel. We know that when President Biden called up Prime Minister Netanyahu just over two and a half weeks ago when seven members of the World Central Kitchen were killed in a number of Israeli drone strikes inside of Gaza as they were trying to deliver food, that pressure actually had a result. The Israelis started putting more aid into Gaza. They opened a crossing into northern Gaza. Now, there's a long way to go on that. But it shows that U.S. pressure pays off to a degree.

And I think that pressure, it seems, as we understand, is exerted by the White House on Prime Minister Netanyahu not to escalate. Quite clearly, President Biden publicly saying that he was not, the United States was not going to take part in offensive action against Iran.

There's some context to put here.

Israel misjudged Iran's response to the strike on the consulate in Damascus. They didn't think that they were crossing a red line. Iran thought they did cross a red line.

And I asked a former, very senior intelligence official here why he thought that Iran had decided to respond. And his assessment, this was backed up by conversations I'd had with his former senior official earlier this year, was that Iran previously had been afraid of a U.S. and Israeli response on Iranian territory if they struck directly inside of Israel.

Now, the perception seems to be from Iran that they see a weakness, a pressure and a gap between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu and the internal political pressures on Prime Minister Netanyahu because of the way that he's fighting the fight in Gaza at the moment, because so many Palestinians are being killed. And the sense is that Iran felt that it could exploit this weakness of the prime minister. So the question was always going to be, could the prime minister actually judge and gauge Iran's new red lines correctly?

Maybe today we're looking at a picture where he has. But the dynamic in the region and the read of the red lines for both sides has changed, has changed because Prime Minister Netanyahu is perceived as being weaker. Absolutely, he needs U.S. support, as we saw at the weekend, to defend the country against Iran's strikes.

VAUSE: Nic, thank you. Back now to Paula in Beirut. Very quickly, what do we know about this target that the Israelis apparently may have attacked? It's Isfahan. It's home to the nuclear complex, a research center, as well as intense nuclear attack. So this is the very heart of Iran's illicit nuclear program. And yet the Americans say the target was not nuclear.

HANCOCKS: Well, that's right. That's what CNN has been told by a U.S. official, that it wasn't a nuclear target. It appears it may have been around an army base. We're hearing that from the Iranian state media side.

Now, there is some speculation that this could be proof that Israel can reach that particular area, a very sensitive area for Iran, if need be. Now, this would play into the narrative of whether this was more demonstrative than trying to destroy something, just a show of power that Israel is able to reach deep into Iranian territory.

And, of course, there's been this shadow war over years, decades, between Israel and Iran. There have been suspected Israeli strikes on individuals, certainly the nuclear scientists.

[02:10:06]

There have been assassinations. There have been sabotage facilities, none of which Israel has admitted to, but Iran has accused them of. So this is really the first time that we are seeing this more direct response from Israel, which is in keeping with what we saw from Iran, the direct territory-to-territory attack.

So, potentially, it wasn't to destroy something. We had a U.S. official telling CNN as well that they thought it was possible that Israel would try and carry out an attack and make sure there were no casualties, but just more for show, to show that they can re-establish this sense of deterrence. VAUSE: Paula, thank you. Paula Hancocks, live for us in Beirut, and

also Nic Robertson, live for us in Jerusalem, this hour. Thanks to you both.

We're now live to Tehran, and Abas Aslani, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies. Aslani, thank you for being with us.

ABAS ASLANI, IRANIAN JOURNALIST AND RESEARCHER: Thank you, John, for having me.

VAUSE: It's a pleasure. Now, I'm just wondering, from your point of view, how is the story being reported there? And given the government's tight control over the media, is that indicative of where the government actually stands right now in trying to play down this story?

ASLANI: Well, John, what we've been hearing here in the Iranian cities or capital is that there has not been a significant or at least any foreign, meaning Israeli, strike against Iranian targets. And what has been said so far is that some unidentified flying objects or small drones have been intercepted by Iranian air defense system.

And in Iran, the feeling is that Israel is trying to save face by exerting a media campaign or psychological operation against Iran in a way that to avoid an escalation. And this could be maybe a paved the way out of this escalatory situation in order to put an end to this before that process.

VAUSE: In recent days, the Iranian leaders have warned that any Israeli attack would trigger a swift and severe response. They're very public about that, saying it almost every day or amping up the rhetoric almost every day. How do they walk that back now?

ASLANI: Oh, it doesn't seem to be walk back now because there has been no confirmation of this attack so far. And it seems that this is somehow similar to sabotage acts in the past that Israelis have been trying to do against some Iranian targets. And now they are saying that they have been able to intercept some flying objects on the sky.

But what is important for Iran is to maintain that deterrence, you know, equation, because Iran, in terms of the scale of its retaliatory operation against Israel, used hundreds of missiles and drones. And this is somehow incomparable to what even if there was a limited action today with the Friday morning's incident.

So this doesn't seem to be changing that balance. And this is quite important for Iran. But this somehow is interpreted in Tehran as Israel trying to save face, but not to engage in a significant direct conflict with Iran.

VAUSE: Yeah, that's the point, because U.S. intelligence and others have been warning for a while now warning, but indicating that Iran did not want a war with Israel, although it was OK with escalating and just wanted to stay away from a direct confrontation. So in many ways, is there a sense of relief almost in Tehran that they're given this off ramp by the Israelis?

ASLANI: Well, in the past days, we have been seeing that Iran trying to have a turning point in its engagement with Israel. For the first time, it tried to directly act against Israeli targets. But there was a chance that this might, you know, provoke a response from the Israeli side.

But I think if there is no clear and visible or significant, you know, if this strike was not from the Israeli side, this cannot change that equation from Iranian perspective.

So that's important for Iran to stop any, let's say, significant strike against Iranian interests in the region. So by the time that this is in place, I think we might see a way out of this, you know, escalation.

But we have to wait again for more updates in the coming hours or days. And it's a bit early to judge that if it's over or not. But to the moment that we are speaking, I think it doesn't seem to be a regional war emerging. But however even little, the chances are there yet.

[02:14:54]

VAUSE: In the grand scheme of things, it's often difficult to gauge Iranian public opinion. But is this a conflict which is driven by the hardliners and the elite within the government who want a much tougher stance on Israel? Where's the sort of the general public opinion on all of this? It seems they're far more concerned about the economy and U.S. sanctions and, you know, wanting a better life.

ASLANI: John, when it comes to external pressure or threats or even when it's military threat, you know, it is mostly the case that brings people rally around the flag. And that was a kind of, let's say, mostly a national pride for Iran to respond to Israel, the operation which happened a few days ago.

Whether they like the government policies or not, but when it comes to the security issue, many people would support that because they think that this can work as a deterrence, you know, preventing further Israeli attacks in future. Some thought that if Iran didn't respond sooner or later, maybe in future there could be a war.

But they could see this somehow stopping that process. That's why they somehow supported that response. And also that's the matter of the national pride. And whether they are reformists or conservatives, critical of support of the government, because that's the issue of the security. They have been mostly supportive of Iran's action against Israel.

VAUSE: Abas Aslani in Tehran. We appreciate you being with us, sir. Thank you.

ASLANI: Thank you, John, for having me on.

VAUSE: You're welcome. Take care. Much more ahead, including regional reaction and impact on oil prices. A lot more ahead. Stay with us.

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[02:20:00]

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VAUSE: It's gone 20 minutes past the hour. You're watching CNN's breaking news coverage on the very latest here on Israel's counter strike on Iran.

Flights have resumed in Iran after being suspended in the wake of explosions being reported in the Isfahan region. A U.S. official has confirmed Israel launched attack hours ago, but Israel's military still not commenting.

An Iranian news agency says the explosions happened near an army base where fighter jets are stationed. But the report says the target could also have been a nearby military radar. Iranian media report nuclear facilities in the region are secure. The U.S. official says those facilities were not a target.

Reports of explosions in Iran sent oil prices surging nearly 4 percent, with U.S. oil prices climbing above $85 a barrel. Prices then recovered slightly. Right now, Brent crude, the world benchmark, is at $88.58. That's up by just over 1.5 percent, while WTI crude is at $83.53, up by 1.75 percent. There we go.

Meantime, the news drove U.S. stock futures lower, with the Dow futures sinking 480 points. There we are. Currently, it's at down just by .5 percent. Nasdaq futures down by almost one percent. And if we look at the S&P 500 futures, down by just over half of one percent.

Live now at Istanbul, Turkey, CNN's Scott McLean standing by for regional reaction there. I guess what is the reaction there? Is there sort of a sense of relief at the moment?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, perhaps that's the case. It's interesting looking at those market numbers you just showed there, John. Obviously, markets don't like any kind of uncertainty, and neither do countries in this region. You have many countries struggling with their economies. You have inflation surging in places like what has been for some time.

Lebanon, and Egypt, here in Turkey also struggling with it. And it's very difficult to get any kind of foreign investment to remedy that situation when the world looks at your region as this tender box of volatility. And that is why we have been seeing messages over the last almost three weeks now calling on the Israelis and the Iranians to turn down the temperature and take a breath here before deciding on your next move, because none of this is in any of the interests of any of the countries in this region.

You have many dividing lines in the Middle East, of course, but most of the countries here seem to be pretty united on the fact that they don't want to see any kind of escalation or any kind of regional war getting out of hand, because since the war began in Gaza on October the 7th, you have already seen an inflamed situation in Iraq and Syria, this proxy war between the Iranians and the Israelis playing out largely there. You've seen U.S. strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. You've seen attacks on the shipping in the Red Sea. You've been seeing a back and forth between Hezbollah and the Israelis across the Israeli-Lebanon border. The list goes on.

And so no one wants to see this get even worse than it already is. And so you've seen this flurry of diplomatic activity over the past few weeks.

First, it was urging the Iranians not to strike back against the Israelis. Then it was urging the Israelis and the West not to strike back against the Iranians.

And at the moment, though, John, you can sort of hear a pin drop in the Middle East, because it seems like no one is eager to comment on this until we have all the facts and we know precisely what happened. Obviously, the two players here that we're waiting to hear from most directly are the Israelis and the Iranians, hoping that perhaps there's not going to be a further escalation, because obviously the Iranians had warned very clearly in the time leading up to this that if the Israelis were to do nothing, that this was all over.

But if the Israelis were to strike Iranian territory, that the response would be even bigger. And so many people are holding their breath, hoping that that is not the case.

VAUSE: Indeed. Scott, thank you. Scott McLean, live for us in Istanbul.

We'll take a short break. When we come back, more of our breaking news. Explosions in Iran. Tensions are still high, waiting for some kind of response from Iran. Will that happen? Wait and see. Coming up after a short break.

Stay with us.

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[02:25:00]

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VAUSE: Wherever you are around the world, you are watching CNN's breaking news coverage of Israel's strike on Iran. Welcome back everyone, I'm John Vause in Atlanta. Here's what we know at this hour.

[02:30:01]

A senior U.S. official says as Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, where it's now 10:00 a.m. Iran's Fars News Agency says three explosions heard near an army airbase in Isfahan province. The U.S. official said the target was not nuclear, although the explosions did happen near a major nuclear facility.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog has since confirmed there is no damage to Iran's nuclear site. Israel warned U.S. on Thursday that it would be retaliating against Iran within days. That's after Iran launched a barrage of missiles on Israel last weekend for the first time, directly from Iranian territory. That came after a suspected Israeli attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria.

We'll head now to Beirut and Maha Yahya, the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center.

Thank you for being with us.

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning, John. Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: I'm wondering if you'd tell us here that the Israelis. They made it clear there would be a military response. But did you expect it to be one that was going to be limited and targeted like this?

YAHYA: It wasn't clear what they were going to do, but it was clear that there was tremendous pressure on Israel not to escalate things further. Let's remember that this began with an Israeli strike against the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

Iran strike for all it's, you know, light show did not really cause any kind of significant damage. It was more a lot more about posturing and sending passengers. That was now ready to up the ante, and the attack Israel directly from Iran rather than through its proxies.

So there's been a lot of pressure by the United States and countries around the world on Israel not to retaliate in a way that would escalate things further because we are at the precipice of an all-out war and the region which will not be limited to the region. It will drag everyone else send including the United States.

VAUSE: Was it purely in your opinion, just the pressure from the United States on Israel to show restraint? In the fact that this was a limited strike, or is it possible that Israel didn't have the firepower or the capability to carry out a successful attack on Iran's nuclear facilities without the assistance of the U.S.?

YAHYA: No, I think they do have the capacity to do that, but if they do that, then were getting into tit for tat, and their Israel does not have the capacity for an all-out war long-term, all-out war without external support. I mean that, that, that is very clear. It would need the commitment from the United States to continue providing arm it relies on the United States and other western powers on a number of military fronts.

So, yeah, I mean, it does have the power to conduct specific strikes but really, I mean, the message from the international community today, is you don't have the right to drag us into an all-out conflict. I think its kind of put a deterrence on -- it's -- I mean, the gate the rules of engagement of engagement between Iran and Israel have changed and the risk of escalation is always there. But for now deterrence is back in place to some extent.

VAUSE: That is the question is just a reprieve or could this be the start of some kind of wider push for de-escalation in a much wider sense?

YAHYA: For now, it is a reprieve, but I think everybody now understands that were in a different you know, we're in a different space at this point. What was difficult to imagine prior to the Israeli strike against the consulate in Damascus, i.e., Iran and Israel targeting each other directly, now is very much part of the new scene and the region so I think there is a reprieve for now, especially since it seems that Iran is downplaying the incident.

There are reports that the drones came out of Iran itself and not from our inside of Iran, but I think there needs to be and everybody understands this, there needs to be a much broader de-escalation in the region, which begins with Gaza, but also ends with the relationship between Iran and Israel.

VAUSE: Yeah, that's the point. The Gaza war is still continuing. It seems we on hold for a time, but it's not over yet. And it seems that the U.N. Security Council, the United States, had a big opportunity here to really bring down tensions within the region. And they sent Antony Blinken, the secretary state, on multiple diplomatic missions over there and he said has not had a lot of success.

If the United States at the Security Council had approved the Palestinian application for full membership, and then it goes to the general assembly for a vote, could that have gone on long way to de- escalating tensions in the region. That definitely would have gone a long way to a placating -- placating people across the region and far beyond who are extremely angry and actually the outraged at the carnage that is ongoing in Gaza.

[02:35:09]

I mean, we have famine. I don't need to cite all the -- all the figures in Gaza. So, there's a lot of outrage that to the placated some that outrage, but it's not enough. But what it would have done politically is would have said that any political negotiation moving forward after Gaza has to have two-state solution at the end of it, by removing that and that is a demand by not just the Palestinians and other Arab countries, but the United States itself as being now asking for a two-state solution. That really would have made the ultimate game -- the ultimate goal.

The U.S. now is gone back to saying, no. These -- the final status has to be negotiated between the Palestinians and Israelis. So basically going back to denying, in a sense Palestinians their right to self- determination and to statehood.

VAUSE: Maha Yahya, thanks so much for being with us. We really appreciate your time and your insights. Thank you.

YAHYA: Sure. Thank you. VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, the attacks on Iran comes as G7 foreign ministers are wrapping up three days of meetings in Italy. We are live in Rome with the very latest on their response.

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[02:40:31]

VAUSE: Welcome back.

Here's latest on our breaking news, a U.S. official confirms Israel has carried out a military strike inside Iran.

Cyberspace authorities in Iran say three drones were successfully shutdown. State media reported explosions near Isfahan.

Iranian state media reports the situation in the city is normal. The nuclear facility is completely secure. Iranian airspace has now reopened after flights to and from major cities were suspended. The attack follows Iran's unprecedented missile and drone strike on Israel less than a week ago.

With us now from Canberra, Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan, former commander of Australia's Defense College, and veteran of tours in East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Good to have you with us, Major -- Major General, I should say.

MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN (RET.), FORMER COMMANDER OF AUSTRALIA'S DEFENSE COLLEGE. Good to see you again.

VAUSE: Thank you, General.

So probably you will have your assessment on this Israeli strike, was it in that goldilocks range, just enough for deterrence, but not enough to escalate the conflict?

RYAN: Well, it appears that might have achieved that goldilocks range, although its very difficult sometimes when one country thinks its sending a signal and berserk, it tasted far more seriously.

But at this point in time, even though we don't know all the details, Iranians, appear to be playing down the attacks rather than beating the drums for follow-up responses.

VAUSE: Yeah, as the story was breaking, there were reports of Israeli airstrike on an early warning radar site in southern Syria. What's the connection there with its attack on Iran?

RYAN: Well, this may well have been declared a way or clear the ear space for whatever the Israeli sent through that is face, whether its crude or uncrewed systems. We don't know exactly what that is.

This is more a signal to Iran, firstly, about Israel re-establishing deterrence, but secondly, if it really wanted to, it could conduct a range of different strikes within Iran itself.

VAUSE: That's the question because I've seen conflicting reports, we can typically conflicting analysis over these wells capability here when it comes to the Iranian nuclear facilities, some reports say they are very so far deep underground that the Israelis can't reach them with other row, they need support from the United States for a number of reasons, but that being one of them before they can carry out a successful strike. Other say they can't actually do it on their own.

How do you see it?

RYAN: Well, the Israelis have certainly been rehearsing long-range strikes over the Mediterranean for some years now. So they probably have the rich to do this, whether they had the weapons to penetrate into the facility is another thing, and it might well not be aerial delivered weapons and finish this off. It could well be that they use humans or uncrewed systems to penetrate into the nuclear facilities.

VAUSE: I guess ultimately what happens next here is up to the mullahs and elites in Tehran, and the reports on already state media certainly indicate that they're willing to play this down and then they're looking to de-escalate.

Is that a reprieve or sort of a much longer situation here in terms of de-escalation?

RYAN: Well, I think both sides are taking a breath. I think the Iranians have realized that it's more difficult than they imagined penetrate Israeli air space if were going to attack it. Over 300 drones and missiles were shot down by the Israelis, the U.S., and their partners.

So they will be looking at that strike thinking, well, maybe we need to change our tactics if were going to do this again. And at the same time, the Israelis probably want to focus on Hezbollah and Hamas at this point in time.

VAUSE: Yeah, I guess one of the key factors here though, was the U.S. saying publicly that it would not take part in any Israeli strike or counterstrike on Iran. Was other defining factor here with other things at play, perhaps?

RYAN: Well, I think it was certainly a major influence for the Israelis, but at the end of the day, they always make decisions in national interests and this notion of reestablishing deterrence is a very important one in their defense and strategic doctrine.

VAUSE: And, overall, given what we've heard about Hezbollah, one of the proxies, one over its proxy. So just to the north of Israel in Lebanon, as also Houthis. But I guess Hezbollah is the big question here. It seems that they're quiet for the moment.

And if they say quiet, that would be an indication what we are in this period of maybe de-escalation for a time?

RYAN: Well, it'd be nice to think we are in a period of de- escalation, but Hezbollah and Israel have been skirmishes along the border ever since the 7th of October. Hezbollah will wait for an opportune time to strike Israel or maybe not now, but they certainly have vowed to destroy Israel, so Israel will need to be on its guard on its northern border.

VAUSE: So in other words, don't overstate what's happened. We're still in a war, essentially a proxy war of all the direct war, if you like?

RYAN: The war is not over here.

[02:45:00]

Israel is surrounded by a ring of fire as it describes itself. There is a war going on in the Middle East, we'd just seen a lower tempo phase of it at this point in time.

VAUSE: General Mick Ryan, thank you. Appreciate your time.

RYAN: Thanks, John.

VAUSE: Well, the last few days, foreign ministers from the G7 had been meeting in Capri, Italy, discussing action against Iran over its weekend missile attack on Israel.

So live now to Rome, CNN's Barbie Nadeau.

So, Barbie, now that we've had this counterstrike by Israel and apparently no response at least for now by the Iranians, how does that change the conversation there among the G7 leaders?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER: Well, you know, you can bet that's the top of the agenda this morning.

They've just sat down for their final roundtable meeting and were expecting about three hours time the final press conference led by Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani.

And then were supposed to be hearing from Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State. So I think well have a better understanding about what they're talking about.

You know, they discussed yesterday ways to urge Israel. Some restraint and it's right now, I'm sure the topic of conversation, whether they see this attack as that restraint. If it could have been something different, this was sort of a downplay of that. But there are so many other items on the agenda that they've got to get through these next and last three hours, which includes the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which includes sanctions targeted sanctions on Iran, and obviously back to Ukraine.

You know, we had a big focus yesterday on Ukraine with Antony Blinken meeting with Ukrainian foreign minister who was a special guest there. So they're really, really have a lot to discuss. All of this, of course, leading the way to the larger G7 meeting, which will be held in the southern region of Puglia with President Biden and the other leaders of the G7 nations in mid-June.

And, you know, the scenario could change a lot before then -- John.

VAUSE: I guess all comes out to sanctions at least with the G7 is concerned, you have the foreign ministers there speaking in Capri.

The U.S. president was very adamant earlier in the week. He said that he would be working with allies as well as the G7 for another route to sanctions on ran. Is that really now on hold at least for a time?

NADEAU: Well, I think one of the big issues is that many of these G7 countries outside of the United States do have relationships with Iran. And so, they want more targeted sanctions. They don't all agree on the language.

And that yesterday was the topic of conversation was the language around these sanctions, what they're going to do, how they're going to do it, if its just going to be to sanction, those who make the drones, for example. That's something that had been discussed.

Today, though, that's probably not going to be the topic of conversation, the high -- the top of the agenda. It's really hard to see exactly what they are -- what their priorities are going to be until they come out now that meeting in about two, three, 2-1/2, three hours time, John.

VAUSE: We'll talk to you then.

Barbie Nadeau in Rome, thank you.

Foreign financial assistance for Israel will be on the agenda of U.S. House lawmakers Saturday. That's when they set to vote on a number of bills foreign aid, including for Israel, Ukraine, and U.S. allies in the Pacific. The source told CNN if the bills go through, the Senate will probably approve the bill by the middle of next week.

Palestinian presidency has condemned United States of vetoing Palestine's bid for full membership in the United Nations. It described the veto as, quote, unfair, immoral, and unjustified. It also called out the U.S. where its contradictory policy which claims to support a two-state solution while, on the other hand, using its veto against Palestine.

Meantime, Israel's foreign minister is praising the United States for vetoing what he calls a shameful proposal to recognize a Palestinian state more than six months after the horrific October 7 attack against Israel by Hamas militants.

Now, update on a deadly incident earlier this week, the Israel defense forces has confirmed to CNN that it did carry out a strike or the al- Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza on Tuesday. Palestinian officials say the strike killed 14 people, including eight children. At least 25 people were wounded as well.

The IDF says it struck a, quote, terror target and is unaware of the number of casualties, though it is now reviewing the incident. Video of the strikes aftermath show bodies scattered to the ground. Witnesses say some of the young victims were playing football, others playing in the street before the attack.

Still ahead, the Iranian foreign minister warning to Israel just a few hours before the apparent drone attack on Isfahan.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Back at the moment.

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[02:53:29]

VAUSE: The latest now on the Israeli strikes on Iran. Air travel has resumed after officials grounded flights, moments after explosions were reported in the Isfahan region. U.S. official has confirmed to CNN that Israel launched a strike on Iran just hours ago. There's still no official word from the Israeli military.

An Iranian news agency says the explosions happen near an army base where fighter jets are stationed. But the report says it could also have been a nearby military radar. Iranian media reports nuclear facilities in the region remains secure. U.S. official says those facilities were not the target.

Just a few hours before we started hearing reportedly explosions in Iran, the country's top diplomat warned of a decisive response to any Israeli military action. Iran's foreign minister delivered that message to members of the United Nations Security Council. Also, in an exclusive interview with CNN's Erin Burnett.

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HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: our response to the Israeli regime was limited. And stayed within a minimum of frameworks, whereas we could have given a much harsher response to the Israeli regime.

Following that, we announced that this response is within the framework of legitimate defense according to international laws. We will not continue. However, in case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level.

[02:55:17]

It will be decisive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The foreign minister added that Iran had no interest in escalating tensions or the chaos of the conflict in the region.

Much more ahead here on CNN. I'm John Vause. Our breaking news coverage continues after a very short break. Stay with us.

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