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Israel, Iran Trade Attacks After Israel Targets Nuclear Sites; Officials: At Least 3 People Killed In Israel In The Conflict; Israeli Spy Agency Unveils Covert Operation Inside Iran; Sources: U.S. Still Hopes To Hold Nuclear Talks With Iran Sunday; Israeli Airstrikes Killed Four High-Level Iranian Officials; Demonstrations Against Immigration Crackdown Continue Amid Preparations For "No Kings" Protest Saturday; Source: Kanye West Wants To Support Diddy In Federal Court. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired June 14, 2025 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:38]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Well, hello, I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Let's get straight to our breaking news this hour.

And Israel is taking more fire from Iran as the two countries trade missile strikes and neither shows signs of backing down. New explosions were heard over Jerusalem in recent hours after officials there warned of a wave of missiles headed towards the country.

The death toll in Israel has risen to at least three since the attacks began. Two people are dead and 19 others are wounded in the latest attack after an Iranian missile hit south of Tel Aviv. Some victims buried under rubble and rescuers still checking if there are more of them in the damaged buildings.

Well, another person was killed by falling debris in a separate strike east of Tel Aviv earlier. Iran says in all at least 78 people have been killed, more than 300 injured in the violence so far. State media said fires broken out at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport and that several explosions were heard over the capital.

More of this happening after Iran launched multiple waves of strikes on Israel, which left dozens more injured. The Iranian action was its response to Israel's attacks on targets across Iran 48 hours ago now on Friday.

Well, among other targets, Israel hit Iran's nuclear facilities and eliminated a number of top military leaders. Iranian president later warned there'll be a price to pay.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

MASOUD PEZESHKIAN, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Of course, the Iranian nation and its officials will not remain silent in the face of this crime. The Islamic Republic of Iran's legitimate and powerful response will make the enemy regret its foolish actions.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ANDERSON: I want to correct myself. We are 24 hours into this conflict. It was Friday morning local time when that when that -- when those reports of the Israeli strikes on Israel -- on Iran were first heard.

Nada Bashir has what is the very latest. Nada?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been hearing updates from the IDF just in the last hour confirming that they have intercepted Iranian drones near the border with Jordan. That is after air sirens were sounded warning residents in the local area of these incoming drones.

And as we've seen overnight, we have seen this continued volleys of missile attacks by the Iranian regime targeting Israeli territory. As you mentioned, we've seen that death toll rising overnight. Now, at least three people confirmed to have been killed in two separate attacks or incidents. And we have seen a number of people injured, according to the Israeli emergency services.

And, of course, this comes after the unprecedented attack by Israel on Iran in the early hours of Friday morning local time. We've been hearing from Iranian officials. They're confirming updates on the death toll. They say more than 70 people have been confirmed dead, more than 300 injured.

Iran's envoy to the United Nations speaking at the U.N. Security Council meeting yesterday say that the majority of those injured were civilians. And we know, of course, that among the death toll in Iran were top military commanders and top nuclear scientists, including the commander of Iran's Revolution -- the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Now, of course, in addition to that, we have seen the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities. And the sense and the indication at this stage is that this is not the typical tit-for-tat that we may have seen in previous instances of confrontation between Iran and Israel over the last year, but rather the sense right now is that this will -- could continue to escalate.

We've been hearing that warning from the Israeli Prime Minister overnight, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that there is more to come and that the Israeli military will continue to target Iran until they have been successful in eliminating what they've described as the Iranian nuclear threat.

So there are fears around the potential escalation that we may continue to see over the coming days. And we've been hearing from sources, speaking to our CNN colleague Jeremy Diamond, reiterating this message, suggesting that this is, again, not a tit-for-tat strategy, but rather that the Israeli military is focusing on escalatory measures and escalatory strategy in its attacks and targeting of Iran. [02:05:16]

And what we have seen in addition to the targeting of military officials and nuclear scientists as well as Iran's nuclear sites is now reports from Iranian state media of a fire at the international airport in Tehran, perhaps an indication that we may be seeing the Israeli military expanding its targeting to strategic civilian infrastructure as well. So that will be a huge point of concern.

And, of course, we have been hearing those warnings from the Iranian officials as well about their continued response and the targeting of Israeli territory, and in addition to regional assets for those who have provided support to the Israeli military. So perhaps a not-so- veiled threat to the United States.

We know, of course, that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the U.S. played no part in those direct Israeli attacks on Iranian territory. But, according to sources, the U.S. was notified. And, of course, we've been hearing from U.S. President Donald Trump calling on the Iranian regime to return to the negotiating table when it comes to the nuclear deal.

But whether there really is an off-ramp here in terms of negotiations remains to be seen. At this stage, it seems we are seeing yet more escalation.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Nada. Thank you. Nada Bashir monitoring developments from London.

Well, Israel's spy agency, the Mossad, has unveiled some of the sophisticated intelligence operation behind its military strikes against Iran. They shared video that shows Israeli operatives smuggling weapons into Iran before Friday's strikes. And an Israeli security official told CNN how they created a base inside Iran to launch explosive drones.

CNN's Matthew Chance has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind the unprecedented Israeli strikes across Iran, a sophisticated intelligence operation, with Mossad releasing these rare images of what it says are its covert operations deep inside enemy territory.

In this video, two massed operatives can be seen crouching down, adjusting equipment. One Israeli security official told CNN Mossad established a drone base in Iran ahead of the strikes to target the Islamic Republic from within. This video appears to show a drone targeting a missile launcher. Another shows the crosshairs of a drone over a target, which appears to be a truck.

Israeli officials say precision weapons were smuggled into central Iran and positioned near missile systems. There are striking similarities with Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia earlier this month, where spectacular covert drone strikes destroyed valuable Russian strategic bombers.

But alongside the Israeli hits on Iranian military and nuclear targets, key leadership figures were also targeted and killed in pinpoint strikes, likely driven by highly accurate Israeli intelligence. Including top commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps and multiple nuclear scientists, according to Iranian officials.

But the ongoing Israeli campaign is high risk, already provoking serious retaliation across Israel, including on Tel Aviv. And the escalating conflict could also bolster hardline Iranian calls for a nuclear deterrent, meaning this stunning Israeli intelligence coup may actually increase the nuclear threat it was meant to remove.

Matthew Chance, CNN London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Mick Ryan is a retired Australian Army General and author of the book "The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire." He joins us live from Brisbane, Australia. It's good to have you, sir.

Israel's defence minister has said that Iran has crossed red lines by firing at civilian population areas, while Benjamin Netanyahu says more is on the way. Some 24 hours or more into this, some are calling it conflict. Perhaps we might work through into calling this a war at this point. What's your read on the military strategy on both sides?

MAJOR GENERAL MICK RYAN, AUSTRALIAN ARMY (RET.): Well, good afternoon. It's clear that Israel has planned for some time a sustained and deliberate military campaign to not only remove or at least degrade Iran's nuclear capacity, but also its long range strike capability, including its long range ballistic missiles upon which nuclear weapons might be mounted.

[02:10:08]

Benjamin Netanyahu also described how it's designed to take out Iranian leadership and have Iranian people rise up for their freedom.

ANDERSON: Iran's nuclear capabilities still exist. Its ballistic missile capabilities still exist because we've seen the evidence of that over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv just in the past hours. So at this point, how would you assess the success or how would you assess the operation from the Israeli perspective, firstly, and then the response from Iran?

RYAN: Well, from an Israeli perspective, I think they describe it as a campaign in progress. And in its early days, I think they've been very clear that this is going to take some days, weeks of strikes to achieve their objectives, although we're not fully clear what they might be.

And it's also clear that the Iranian response was severely degraded by the strikes on senior military leaders, including, it appears, the leadership bunker for the Iranian Air Force. So the response from the Iranians, whilst it appears significant at this point, is probably nowhere near as significant as it might have been, particularly when we compare it to the hundreds of missiles that the Russians rain down on Ukraine every day.

So I think it's having an impact, but it will take some days for the Israelis to really significantly degrade Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

ANDERSON: Well, we should not be surprised by Mossad's infiltration in Iran. After all, it was only in September that the Israelis took out the Hezbollah command and control with the beepers. We also saw Ismail Haniyeh taken out in Iran, the head of Hamas. I mean, clearly inside Iran, Mossad has significant capabilities. Be that as it may, were you surprised by the level of sophistication of that intelligence?

RYAN: Well, Mossad have always been quite audacious. What's surprising is the scale of the infiltration, which indicates to me just how serious the Israelis are to really degrade Iranian capacity. This is the main effort for the Israeli state at the moment, not Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah. This is what they're focused on. And that is why they focused so much of their intelligence effort on collection and execution of these operations over such a long period leading up to now.

ANDERSON: As a military strategist, then, let's throw this forward. And what are the pathways here?

RYAN: Well, I think this is going to go on for some days, possibly weeks. Iran is a very big country. It has a fairly large capable military, even if it's not up to the standards of the United States or some European countries.

I think Iran will probably mobilize more of that military capability, as well as its proxy networks around the world to not just attack Israel, but Israeli interests around the world and potentially countries that openly support Israel, including the United States. So there's a lot of potential for this to become a much larger and broader conflict in the coming days and weeks.

ANDERSON: You talk about the proxy networks and the potential for attacks on Israeli assets around the world. Let's just stick with the proxy assets. Those are significantly degraded around the region, of course. What's been the impact of that do you think in Iran's calculus at this point about who is there to support?

RYAN: Well, they don't really have Hamas there that can fire a lot of rockets into Israel, nor Hezbollah. The Houthis may well decide to get in on the act again, as they did after 7 October and those attacks on Israel. You may see Iranian intelligence operatives attacking Israeli embassies and interests in other parts of the region and beyond.

So they're the kind of attacks that we might see in the very near future. But the Iranians are clever. They're adaptive. They learn. They're supported by Russia. So we may see things that we just don't expect from them. ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed. Mike Ryan, in the house for you this morning.

RYAN: Thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

[02:15:08]

AMIR SAEID IRAVANI, IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: This regime with the United States at the forefront must understand that they are complicit by aiding and enabling these crimes. By -- they share full responsibility for the consequences. The United States complicity in this terrorist attack is beyond doubt.

The officials of the United States have expressly and presently confessed their willful aid and assistance in the crimes and gross violation that Israeli regime committed as of last night, including the deliberate transfer of arms. We will not forget that our people lost their lives as a result of the Israeli attacks with American weapons.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, that was Iran's ambassador to the United Nations addressing an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday. The U.S. says it was not involved in the strikes on Iran, but it is helping defend Israel from Iran's retaliatory strikes.

This is how Israel's U.N. ambassador responded to Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DANNY DANON, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: This was an act of national preservation. It was one we undertook alone, not because we wanted to, but because we were left no other option.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone on Friday. And while the U.S. says it was not part of the attack on Iran, and you heard the words there of the Israeli ambassador, questions do remain over just how much the U.S. administration knew before Israel's strike.

CNN's Kristen Holmes has more from the White House.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Much of Friday was trying to figure out what the United States knew, what the administration knew, and when, because of that Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, statement that we had seen on Thursday that really clearly laid out this was a unilateral decision for Israel to strike Iran, the United States had nothing to do with it. Also saying that U.S. personnel should not be attacked in any way, because, again, they were not involved. However, we did start to learn some details on Friday that signified that that wasn't entirely accurate. One was that Donald Trump, we learned, had multiple phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including before those strikes.

At one point, Donald Trump told reporters he knew everything about what was happening, and now the question is what exactly are they going to do next? Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump spoke again on Friday, no details yet, no readout of that call, but we did learn that U.S. officials say that the United States is helping deter missiles that are coming into Israel now as a response from Iran, and that official said that this is because there are tens of thousands of American citizens that are in Israel.

They also said there's a lot of U.S. military assets, so clearly here trying to say this is because they want to protect Americans, it's not necessarily because this is not a unilateral decision, but it's a little bit of splitting hairs here to say that they're not involved -- the United States is not involved in any of this, but they are protecting Israel.

Now, of course, the big question the administration is working on is whether or not they can still get Iran to the table in the Iranian nuclear deal talks. They were supposed to have the sixth round of talks on Sunday in Oman. Middle Eastern envoy Steve Witkoff was going to be present with Iranians.

It is unclear if that's going to still happen. The administration says they still want to bring Iran to the table. They still think that they might show up. And Donald Trump, for his part, has really been trying to push the Iranians on this, essentially saying it could be too late. Look at what's already happened. I gave you a lot of chances. Now Israel has bombed you. You better show up to the table, kind of giving a loose threat that things could be worse if they don't make a deal.

Some administration officials have cast doubt on the idea that Iran is going to show up at all, given these strikes, but there is still a lot within the White House in particular that believe that this could still happen even as early as Sunday.

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

ANDERSON: Well, we've got a lot more coverage of what is this breaking news in the Middle East, as Israel and Iran continue to trade missile strikes. The death toll in Israel is rising, and a fire is raging at one of Tehran's airports also.

I'm going to take you to an underground bomb shelter in Israel to show you what it is like to be there during Iranian strikes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:24:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. This is Breaking News. I'm Becky Anderson. Israel's Defense Forces, or the IDF, says explosions have been heard over Jerusalem as a new wave of Iranian missiles heads towards Israel. This comes after the country's unprecedented missile attack targeting Iran's nuclear facilities on Friday. Officials say at least three people have been killed in Israel so far in this conflict.

The military there says it intercepted Iranian drones after an air attack warning sirens sounded near the Jordanian border in the past couple of hours. Meanwhile, two Iranian news outlets report a fire was burning at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. No word on what has caused that fire.

Iran's envoy to the United Nations says the Israeli strikes have killed at least 78 people, including several top scientists. More than 320 were reported injured in Iran.

I want to give you an idea what it's like to be on the ground in Israel during a barrage of incoming missiles. Oren Liebermann had to take cover in an underground bomb shelter during Iranian strikes. And this is how he described that experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

[02:25:16]

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Hey, this is Oren Liebermann coming to you from a bomb shelter in Jerusalem where we have spent, frankly, much of the past hour since the Israeli military and Israel's Home Front Command gave the order that there were incoming Iranian ballistic missiles and ordered not only Jerusalem here but also pretty much the entire country and major population centers in northern, central, and southern Israel into bomb shelters ahead of those incoming ballistic missiles.

We got two rounds of warnings from the military saying dozens of missiles in each case, dozens the first time, dozens the second time were incoming. In fact, we heard the red alerts here going off in Jerusalem, essentially a loud siren that can be heard no matter where you are in the city as we made our way down here.

And then even one floor below ground level in the bomb shelter here, we were able to hear what sounded like some of the intercepts. And friends and colleagues that I've talked to have described how incredibly loud they were as Israel's air defense system, that is the Arrow 3 missile, David's Sling, intercepted some of the incoming missiles but not all, and that's a key point to make here.

Iran was able to fire enough missiles that it looks like some were able to get through. Israel's Magen David Adom, which is essentially the Israeli Red Cross, said their emergency responders were at seven different sites, likely meaning seven different impact sites, looking for reports of injuries, looking for people who were wounded as well as damaged.

We saw some pictures of damaged cars and buildings, potentially from shrapnel, potentially also from missiles that got through -- (END VIDEOCLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, that was Oren Liebermann some hours ago earlier.

CNN's Brian Abel spoke with Gideon Levy, a former adviser to the former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, about what it is like in Tel Aviv following the missile attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

GIDEON LEVY, COLUMNIST, HAARETZ NEWSPAPER: It wasn't the most pleasant night in my life, obviously. Nothing to compare to what the people of Gaza are going through, but it was tough. There were three sirens around the night, three times rushing and running to the shelters, booms in the skies, reports about casualties and destruction. It was a tough night, no doubt.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gideon, from your conversations with friends, neighbors, was what's happened over the past 48 hours or so expected? What, if anything, have people been able to do to prepare?

LEVY: There is no panic and there is no feeling that we had to prepare ourselves. Don't forget that we have the 20 months of an ongoing war in the northern front and the attack over Gaza, 20 months of lack of normality. So we didn't come out of the blue sky. And therefore Israelis right now are on one hand very, very tired from all that -- which takes place.

On the other hand, we also are more experienced. I guess that a foreigner who would come to Tel Aviv last night would freak out. For us, it becomes a kind of a routine, which is abnormal by itself.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, our breaking news coverage will continue in a moment as we monitor a wave of new attacks between Israel and Iran. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:33:26]

ANDERSON: Well escalating attacks between Iran and Israel are raising concerns of a wider war breaking out in the region. More explosions were heard overnight in Tehran and in Tel Aviv where one of the latest missile strikes hit a residential area just south of the city.

Now rescue crews seen here found a number of people trapped under the rubble. At least three people have been killed in Israel and dozens more injured according to authorities. Well Iran says it targeted Israeli military centers and air bases. Friday the country's U.N. envoy says Israeli strikes have killed at least 78 people including some of Iran's most senior leaders.

Well CNN's Nick Paton Walsh takes a closer look at the initial strikes in Iran. He spoke with my colleague Isa Soares earlier today. (BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR: For more I'm joined by Nick Paton Walsh who's here to lay it all out for us. Nick, let's start off first of all with what was hit and who they targeted.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, certainly look, let's talk about the nuclear facilities first. Two of them clear here. Isfahan appears according to the IAEA they say not hit but Natanz where a lot of the key enrichment occurs. Some satellite images posted on social media show damage there.

Iran says it's superficial. I think we'll learn more because that appears to be the preponderance of where Israeli strikes hit the nuclear infrastructure. And then Tehran too where it appears multiple neighborhoods some up scale were hit as well. It appears targeting key parts of Iran's military hierarchy here.

I mean it's a devastating list, frankly, but it seems to grow every minute or so.

SOARES: Let's have a look at that list. Yes.

[02:35:01]

PATON WALSH: I mean just imagine waking up in the Iranian military and realizing that the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps is dead. The chief of the Army staff is dead.

A Khamenei aide in charge of the nuclear negotiations brief is dead and the IRGC's air force commander killed it seems in a meeting of all of his other deputies too where they were hit simultaneously. This list continues to grow --

SOARES: It's such a huge blow.

PATON WALSH: And this is the reason why I think we'll see maybe a muddled, a delayed, a non-proportional response from the Iranians because they will have spent the best part of this morning trying to work out who survived and appointing successors and probably the rather worrying task of working out how were they all located.

It appears from some of the damage we've seen that apartment blocks were specifically --

SOARES: Yes.

PATON WALSH: -- targeted with pinpoint strikes and that suggests people's phones were perhaps being followed. So a lot of anxiety --

SOARES: Yes.

PATON WALSH: -- in Tehran amongst the hierarchy and that will definitely be impeding their response.

SOARES: As we look at a regional map -- PATON WALSH: Yes.

SOARES: -- and given what you've told me as well, I would have guessed this would have been months potentially --

PATON WALSH: Yes.

SOARES: -- years in the making just this --

PATON WALSH: It also happens in a region that's completely changed in the last year. And so remember --

SOARES: So speak to the risk then. Speak to the risk.

PATON WALSH: Yes. And reduced I think enormously because --

SOARES: Yes.

PATON WALSH: -- last summer Israel in Lebanon launched those pager attacks and the military operations afterwards ruthless, brutal but effective dismantled Hezbollah to most degree. That was always the major worry for Israel. That if they launched an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, the second strike capability would be Iran's proxy here in Lebanon.

That's gone. The Iran ally of Syria right next to Israel. Regime change.

SOARES: Yes, yes, yes.

PATON WALSH: Now, not exactly Israel's perfect neighbor but not the Iranian ally that was there before. In Iraq, the Iranian -- pro- Iranian militias there not the threat they necessarily have been in the past. And so Israel acting with greater freedom certainly in this area and also too in October damaged a lot of Iran's air defences making it vulnerable to what happened overnight.

SOARES: So then Nick, if you're in Tehran you're weighing up the moment of how do we retaliate, can we retaliate, how do we retaliate. And this is important given of course the number of troops, U.S. troops across the Middle East.

PATON WALSH: Yes. I mean, look, I think the distance that's been palpable between this Israeli operation and the Trump White House probably means that we're not going to see a full-throated Iranian bid to hit U.S. military infrastructure around the region.

There's a lot of it really it's I think Iraq, Syria, maybe Jordan they're more vulnerable as far as we know at this point. But I would be really surprised if Iran weak as it is after last night decides to broaden its list of enemies to bring in the United States who are kind of not on the shelf now.

Very full-throated support for the success of the operation from President Trump but he wants to see diplomacy come from it. So the response I think we'll see -- you may see more attempts by drones perhaps like this, the Shaheed, you pre-program it used across Ukraine to devastating effect if you can get enough of them in the sky to overwhelm air defences.

But the suggestion that maybe 100 drones have been launched today hasn't really appeared to get through to Israel at all.

SOARES: Yes.

PATON WALSH: And so we're looking at a greatly diminished Iran trying to work out potentially what it can do against an Israeli enemy with the F-16, the F-15 as well technologically way more advanced --

SOARES: Yes.

PATON WALSH: -- depleting their air defences on every given move. And as we saw at the start, an Iranian military command who were all over the place this morning.

SOARES: Incredibly dangerous moment.

Nick, appreciate it. Thank you very much.

Well, Maha Yahya is the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, a good friend of this show. She joins us now from Beirut in Lebanon. And what's the mood there, Maha?

MAHA YAHYA, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE MIDDLE EAST CENTER: Good morning, Becky. Always good to be with you.

The mood is mixed I would say. On the one hand, there was -- there is a lot of concern around the escalation and where this might lead regionally. Of course in Lebanon in the initial moments, there was a lot of worry that Hezbollah might decide to gamble again and join the fray but it was clear very quickly that they had a signal that they would not be -- while they're expressing their support for Iran, they will not be getting militarily involved. So there's a sigh of relief.

It's a lot of mixed emotions. Many Lebanese are happy to see Iran's military being depreciated in the way it is and decimated in the way it is. Others are very concerned. Many are happy to see Israel being bombarded the sense that now you're, you know, you're feeling what we've been living through for the past -- for many years but particularly in the last year --

ANDERSON: Yes.

YAHYA: -- and a half. So it's a lot of mixed feelings and a lot of mixed emotions.

ANDERSON: Because -- I think there's, you know, I think it's fair to say that despite the statements of condemnation in the initial hours of these strikes by Israel on Iran, on -- in the wee hours of Friday morning. I mean there is no love lost for many of these Middle Eastern countries including those in the Gulf for this Iranian regime.

[02:40:21] The fact that there has been no response from Iran's proxy in Lebanon Hezbollah to Israel's strikes of course speaks volumes about how the region has changed. And Nick was talking to Isa about that in the clip that we have just showed, how the security architecture has changed and it is in that new atmosphere that of course Israel's critics at least will say it was able to act with impunity. Can you just expand a little?

YAHYA: I mean what we're seeing is that Israel actually has deployed the Hezbollah book -- if -- a playbook if you like to some extent. If you recall when it attacked Hezbollah, it became with -- it started with very tactical moves then it went after the entire military leadership and then it started degrading more and more, I mean, bombarding different residential areas.

Now Iran is not Hezbollah obviously, it's a country, it has state institutions, it's a different ball game all together. To my sense what we're seeing in Iran today is a double, you know, kind of a double-pronged strategy. Yes, on the one hand, they're going after the nuclear but I think also there is an attempt to destabilize the regime.

The way they've gone out after the whites -- you know, in a very wide scale manner after military assets targeting people in their homes, et cetera, this is not just about weakening or dismantling Iran's nuclear capacities. This is really an attempt to go far beyond that I would say.

And Benjamin Netanyahu's call yesterday to the Iranians to rise up against its current regime is partly in that direction. When -- as far as Lebanon is concerned, Hezbollah is definitely in a different place. I think Hezbollah today is in a position where it's trying to redefine its role in the country.

It's in an existential crisis of sorts because resistance has always been a core tenant and now they're being told there's no need for this resistance anymore. I think after this we're likely to see them double down even more on wanting to maintain their arms because, you know, who else is going to defend the country in a way that's the logic and the narrative.

The threat is no longer just coming from Israel but also in their narrative from Sunni radicals. But I suspect also they will want to leverage this position to try and maximize their gains within the political system in Lebanon.

ANDERSON: Right. The military engagement then ongoing and we are still getting reports of incoming fire into Israel and outbound fire from Israel towards Iran. So that military engagement continues as you and I speak. Some fear that this is escalating into a war between Iran and Israel.

So what chance at this point do you think, Maha, of a diplomatic pathway or off-ramp? Sources telling CNN this morning that talks could still happen, scheduled talks could still happen in Oman on Sunday. Do you believe that is likely at this point? YAHYA: I sincerely don't. I mean the humiliation that the Iranian regime has, you know, has been subject to over the past now day and a half including the fact that their security services were still penetrated by Israeli intelligence to have drone facilities on the outskirts of Tehran, they will need to do some sort of show of force.

Right now, I think it's politically impossible for them internally to say, OK, we'll go back to the negotiating table. They will have to end. I mean, there is no military off-ramp, if you like to this conflict. And they're already in an all out war to some extent.

So there is no military off ramp. They will have to end up around the negotiating table. Much of it will depend on what the United States decides to do because at the end of the day it is the only country with leverage in both places, both in Tel Aviv --

ANDERSON: Yes.

YAHYA: -- and in Tehran. And I think this is where some of the countries, Saudi Arabia can also play an important role. The UAE -- mainly actually Saudi Arabia and the UAE I think can play an important role in trying to push for a diplomatic solution at perhaps, you know, in a shorter space of time --

ANDERSON: Yes.

YAHYA: -- than we currently estimate.

[02:45:19]

ANDERSON: Yes, I agree. I mean it's going to be really interesting to watch how things develop.

Maha, it's always a pleasure. Thank you.

Well, we have heard from the U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee in Israel who posted on X, "Been rough night in Israel. Had to head to shelter five times during the night. It's now Shabbat here. Should be quiet. Probably won't be. Entire nation under orders to stay near shelter."

And more as we move through the next couple of hours. Meantime, preparations are underway across the U.S. for a wave of protests expected Saturday with so-called "No Kings" rallies and events planned in all 50 states. I'll explain what that is all about on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:50:53]

BEN HUNTE, CNN HOST: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta.

We'll have the latest on the military exchanges between Israel and Iran in a bit. But here's a quick check of other stories making news. In the coming hours, cities and towns across the U.S. expect to see a wave of so-called No Kings protests against the Trump administration and its policies.

Organizers say more than 2,000 events are planned on Saturday and that they are committed to normalcy. In New York, police say more than a dozen different demonstrations are planned across the city. Authorities expect the groups to converge and make their way to Foley Square.

L.A. officials say at least 30 No Kings protests are planned for the metropolitan area. The city's mayor said the ongoing curfew is making a difference. Karen Bass told reporters at a Friday night news conference that there's no set date to end that curfew, but added that once ICE raids stop, quote, "the curfew will go away in short order."

CNN Reporter Michael Yoshida is in L.A. and he has more on the ongoing protests against the immigration crackdown and the No Kings demonstrations planned for Saturday.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ask your blessing on our immigrant sisters and brothers.

MICHAEL YOSHIDA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Multiple religious and civil rights organizations coming together Friday condemning recent immigration and customs enforcement raids in Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw people being detained without due process.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): The ICE raids sparking outrage and triggering protests that have now stretched into an eighth day.

CROWD: (INAUDIBLE) will never be divided.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): As the Trump administration cracks down on undocumented immigrants.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not going to step back and we're not going to back down from this administration.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): Local police and federal agencies clashing with protesters on the streets of L.A.

PAM BONDI, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: The rule of law will be followed.

YOSHIDA (voice-over): The anti-ICE protests spreading across the country and now cities are bracing for anti-Trump protests Saturday. Organizers calling it No Kings. It's in response to President Donald Trump's plans to hold a military parade in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military.

It also happens to be Trump's 79th birthday. Major cities bracing for possible violence.

ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK MAYOR: The ability to peacefully protest with maintaining law and order in the city. YOSHIDA (voice-over): More than 2,000 protests across all 50 states are planned. Millions of Americans are expected to participate. And what organizers predict will be the strongest display of opposition to Trump's administration since he took office in January.

BRANDON JOHNSON, CHICAGO MAYOR: We're absolutely ready and we're calling on all people who are assembling and protesting this weekend to do it peacefully.

In Los Angeles, I'm Michael Yoshida.

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HUNTE: Turning now to the Air India disaster. Grief stricken families are being asked for DNA samples to help identify loved ones. And investigators scouring the wreckage have recovered both the voice and data recorders from the flight.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down just minutes after taking off from the airport in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday. Officials say at least 290 people were killed. Incredibly, there is one sole survivor from this devastating crash. He spoke about how he escaped from the burning plane.

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RAMESH VISWASHKUMAR, SOLE SURVIVOR OF AIR INDIA CRASH: I can't explain. Everything happened in my eye. I can't -- emergency door is broken.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

VISWASHKUMAR: My seat is broken.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

VISWASHKUMAR: Then I see the pace (ph) a little bit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

VISWASHKUMAR: Then I will try to come out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

VISWASHKUMAR: Yes, that's why.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So did the aircraft catch fire before you came out?

VISWASHKUMAR: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

VISWASHKUMAR: A little bit of fire. After I'm out, then blast.

(END VIDEOCLIP) HUNTE: Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil will stay behind bars in the U.S. A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration can keep him in detention as he fights possible deportation. His lawyers asked the judge to release him on bond.

The judge found the government was wrong to detain Khalil because they claimed his presence is against the national interest. But he ruled they could hold him for allegedly failing to meet application requirements for permanent residency in the U.S.

Kanye West showed up on Friday at the trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. A source close to Combs says West wants to show his support.

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West has been widely condemned for anti-Semitic hate speech and other controversial behavior. Combs is charged with federal crimes including sex trafficking and racketeering. Prosecutors say they could wrap their case next week. Combs' defense team should begin its presentation soon after that.

OK, thanks for joining us. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Becky Anderson will be back with our continuing coverage of the military exchanges between Israel and Iran after this short break. See you in a bit.

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