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IDF: Brother Of Michigan Synagogue Attacker Was A Hezbollah Commander; Israel, Iran Trade Fresh Strikes As War Enters Third Week; U.S. Airmen Killed In Iraq Plane Crash; Average Gas Prices Up Nearly 24 Percent Since Start Of Iran War; Hassett: Global Economy Will See A "Positive Shock" After Iran; 300 TSA Agents Have Quit Amid Partial Shutdown, Secretary Duffy Says; Majority Of Americans Against War With Iran. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired March 15, 2026 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:32]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: -- attacked a Michigan synagogue, we'll tell you what Israel's military is saying about the assailant's brother, who was killed in an airstrike in Lebanon just days earlier.

Plus, standoff over the Strait of Hormuz after the president said that hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the U.K. and others will send naval ships to help open up the strait. Now, other countries are responding.

And the Pentagon is identifying the six U.S. airmen killed after their refueling plane crashed in Iraq. We'll have details on their lives and hear from family members.

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we begin with new details about the man who attacked a synagogue in Michigan as officials across the country investigate multiple potential acts of terrorism since the start of the war in Iran. 41- year-old Ayman Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon, rammed a car packed with explosives into the Temple Israel synagogue outside Detroit on Thursday in what the FBI calls a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

The Israeli military said today that Ghazali's brother was a Hezbollah commander who was killed in a strike carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces earlier this month in Lebanon.

CNN correspondent Gloria Pazmino joins us now with the latest. Gloria, what more are we learning?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fred, as you said, many of these recent incidents that we have seen over the last three weeks or so are under investigation. But we are learning more about this link. As you said, the man believed to have driven a vehicle packed with explosives into Temple Israel in Michigan, a location which also housed a school, is now believed to be the brother of a Hezbollah commander.

Now, here's what we're learning. As you mentioned, the suspect, Ayman Ghazali who you're seeing there going into a fireworks store and purchasing the fireworks that he is believed to have packed the vehicle with. He is a U.S. citizen from Lebanon, who we learned last week had previously been flagged by U.S. government and his name appeared in U.S. government databases for having connections to suspected Hezbollah members. However, at the time, he was not believed to be a member himself.

Now, we are learning about an additional link. A man identified as Ghazali's brother his name is Ibrahim Mohammed Ghazali. We are told by the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces, that he was a Hezbollah commander who was killed in an IDF strike in Lebanon on March 5th.

We're told that the strike was directed at a Hezbollah military building, which was being used to store weapons. And we also learned a few days ago that a local mayor in Lebanon, who told us that Ibrahim Ghazali's children, so the Hezbollah commanders children were believed to have also been killed in this -- in this strike.

So we're learning about that connection, as I said this incident is still under investigation. And Fred, as you mentioned, the attack on the synagogue in Michigan last week is just one of several incidents that we have seen in the last few weeks since the start of military action in Iran.

And we have seen just not only the Jewish community here in the United States being rattled by these attacks, but also seeing state lawmakers and local officials everywhere from here to New York City to several other cities around the nation increasing up patrols, increasing up resources, deploying additional resources to houses of worship as we continue to be in this elevated threat scenario that we're in.

WHITFIELD: All right. Gloria Pazmino, we'll check back with you. Thank you so much.

[14:04:44]

WHITFIELD: All right. Right now, joining me to talk more about these developments is Juliette Kayyem. She is a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and a CNN senior national security analyst.

Juliette, great to see you. So, I mean, what's your reaction to this report coming from the Israeli Defense Forces that the suspect in the Michigan synagogue attack had a brother who was a Hezbollah commander?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST Right. So if I were investigating this, there's going to be three pieces right now.

One is, of course, the strength or what information the IDF actually has, because we do have conflicting stories. One is just from a mayor, but we were Reporting that the mayor in the area talking of two brothers and the children dying. The IDF comes out today and says, actually, at least one of the brothers, but doesn't mention the other brother was a leader in Hezbollah.

For people who don't know the geography or situation of Hezbollah, it is an Iranian-supported terrorist group, governs many parts of Lebanon and a big conflict going on there as Israel has a troop presence there.

About 800,000 Lebanese are displaced, and the -- where the town that this happened is in the Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold. So there's lots of, you know, lots of data suggesting that there is some tie.

The second thing you're looking at is what are the ties between the two brothers and how recent were they? A couple of days ago, we were reporting that he had been -- that Ayman, the one who did the terror attack against the synagogue, was flagged for some reason.

It wasn't a -- it wasn't saying he was a terrorist, but he was flagged, as in his last entry into the U.S. was that because of the ties to the brothers and were they known to be Hezbollah members?

And then the third, of course is --

(CROSSTALKING)

WHITFIELD: Is that the same as Ghazali being on this watch list since 2019?

KAYYEM: Yes, so -- yes. So he hits a -- there's so many different lists. So he hits Ghazali. It hits the one living in Michigan. Hits a -- a let's just say like it wasn't saying that he was a terrorist. It was saying that he had sort of ties or tangential ties to terrorism. I know most people will say, well why didn't they stop him?

The number of people who are traveling who might have done a phone call to someone and not known that they were being -- that other person was being investigated by terrorists. So this if you think of a bull's eye as being who the terrorists are, there's lots of circles around it.

And it appears that there were no, at that stage 2019, there were no strong ties as a -- to Hezbollah then.

So that's the third piece of this investigation, which is what kind of contact was he in with his brother? And was his brother indeed a leader -- a commander in Hezbollah? What was the brother saying to him, if anything?

So I really want to hone in on their communications and how much they were in -- in contact with each other.

WHITFIELD: Right. Because while the IDF is saying this, you're also saying that, you know, as formerly a member of Homeland Security, if you were still with Homeland Security or perhaps even any other agency, FBI, et cetera.

They still have to be some steps in order to verify what the IDF is saying, because they're stating that. But it's still unclear whether, you know any American agencies want to confirm that and that you are on a watch list, that there is some potential suspicious activity with people that you are dealing with. It means you're being watched.

But I think you just said it doesn't necessarily mean that you are being stopped.

KAYYEM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I mean, there has to be some other reason why you're being stopped or questioned. It can't just be that there's a suspicion that you interacted with someone who may be suspicious.

KAYYEM: Right. So I could have gone to Lebanon, say, so why would he be on a list but not be stopped? I could have gone to Lebanon and attended a mosque or given money to a humanitarian group that I didn't know was a front for something else.

Now, most people may think that that's crazy. Of course, you should know, it -- the world is somewhat complicated in these parts, and so what you couldn't prove was the giving of that money, say proof that I'm a member of Hezbollah.

So that's -- I don't know yet. And the IDF is actually not saying whether the brother here had direct contacts with his brother, or was in fact, pushed to do something.

I do want to make -- just repeat what you are saying. For several years, the Israelis make statements about who they've targeted. We know CNN has reported sometimes that information is overbroad.

We, as the United States, need to validate it as well, not to forgive the brother there, let alone the brother here who caused this horrible attack in the synagogue but to actually find out what was animating, what was the trigger and for this terrorist attack, this anti-Semitic attack here.

And we don't want to jump to conclusions without having that investigation, especially if there's others involved. That's what's -- that's what's at stake here.

WHITFIELD: Right. And Gloria Pazmino just did report that the investigation is ongoing.

KAYYEM: Yes.

[14:09:49]

WHITFIELD: Nothing is, you know, at its end point here.

All right. Juliette Kayyem, thank you so much.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right still to come, the latest on a possible new timeline for ending the war in Iran. Israel says it's not finished with its military campaign.

And as oil prices keep rising, the International Energy Agency says it will release millions of barrels of oil. But will it be enough to help lower prices at the pump here in the States?

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[14:14:57]

WHITFIELD: All right.

Right now, increasing attacks between Iran and Israel as the growing conflict in the Middle East enters its third week. Israel launching what it calls a massive wave of strikes today, including a reported attack in a central Iranian town described by one resident as a powerful bomb.

Video posted to social media and confirmed by CNN shows multiple plumes of smoke rising over the city in Esfahan. The cause unclear.

And this was the scene in Tel Aviv. Iran firing off missiles, lighting up the early morning sky before being intercepted.

And questions remain about the new leader of Iran. A top official in Iran insists Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is in quote, "good health". But President Trump's U.N. ambassador telling CNN today it's unclear if the new leader is, quote, "even alive", end quote.

I want to bring in CNN's Jeremy Diamond, now in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, what more can you tell us about the latest wave of attacks?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have certainly been witnessing that this war is not slowing down. Israel has conducted a wave, another wave of airstrikes in Iran -- more than 400 waves of strikes since the beginning of this conflict.

The latest attacks by Israel in Iran focused on headquarters belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as its Basij forces. Those are the -- this paramilitary group that does kind of internal security in Iran.

And the military says that it is expanding the scope of its strikes there to degrade the regime's command-and-control capabilities.

Iran for its part, fired several waves of ballistic missiles at Israel today. We saw several impacts as a result of what was either falling shrapnel or perhaps those small bombs as part of the cluster munitions that Iran has been firing on -- outfitted to the tops of these ballistic missiles.

No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported in Israel today, however, but the Israeli military is making clear that it is willing to keep up this war, keep up these attacks on Iran for at least three more weeks, according to the Israeli military spokesman.

He told CNN that thousands of targets still remain in Iran for the Israeli military to strike, and that the Israeli military is not working according to a, quote, "stopwatch".

In addition to that we're still waiting for a more concrete plan from the United States on how to reopen this Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded now over the course of this war.

We know that the Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, today said that this conflict will end, in his view, in a matter of weeks, if not sooner, and in the meantime that the U.S. is working with other countries to try and reopen that strait.

But we still haven't heard from any other countries that they're willing to send their navy to the Strait of Hormuz alongside the United States to ensure safe passage of those cargo vessels and those commercial oil tankers.

Iran, for its part, says that it is open to holding talks with other countries that are seeking to sail through that Strait of Hormuz. Iran's foreign minister said that Iran had already been approached by several countries to that end, but no further details from him either on that front, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, thanks so much.

All right. President Trump is also urging key U.S. allies to send ships to help reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations told CNN this morning that keeping the strait open is also in their interest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE WALTZ, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: The entire world is affected. Iran can't hold your economies hostage, and we certainly welcome, encourage and even demand their participation to help their own economies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: With us now is retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Peter Zwack. He is also defense attache to Moscow under President Obama's administration.

After the president's request, General, China, Japan, South Korea, the U.K. are giving the U.S. a kind of wait-and-see response to helping with the Strait of Hormuz. Can the U.S. do it without a coalition?

BRIGADIER GENERAL PETER ZWACK, ARMY (RET): I think that it's one of those things that damned if you do, damned if you don't. And we've got to -- we've got to be able to transit the Hormuz. That's fundamental to everything that were doing there not just for us but for our allies and friends, whether they're in the, whether they're part of the group that will, you know, clear the blockade.

[14:19:43]

ZWACK: No, I think that we're in a little bit of a difficult pickle because it has to be done absolutely has to be done. I think that the other countries will fall into line if we go.

But if you go into Hormuz and beyond, you are now under a lot of Iranian fires and we risk losing not just cargo ships, but warships.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I mean, you said it has to be done. That is the big quandary though. You know, how does it get done? Because this morning, Iran's foreign minister said that they are talking to some countries about getting through Hormuz. But it won't be the U.S. or even countries helping the U.S. In its attack on Iran.

So when President Trump talks about U.S. Navy ship escorts, do you see that as viable and possible?

ZWACK: I see it as possible but it is very likely that we will have ships hit because you're going right into the hornets' nest. You've got -- you've got Iranian forces on the banks of Hormuz. all, you know, you've got 21 miles width, but they can range out deep.

And we can have our aircraft over and everything else, but in the end, the ships have to go through and very, very serious risk that some will be hit.

WHITFIELD: Then do you see it as worth it?

ZWACK: Oh gosh, that's a great question. I think that -- I think everybody will have a different answer for that. We are now at a position where we have put ourselves as I said into a hornets' nest. Not doing it, lets-up on Iran. It also puts again, major pressure on the global economy, let alone our own economy and the regional economy.

So I think we are now in a position where you work hard behind the scenes doing diplomacy, but you've got to -- you've got to be able to get assets through but at considerable, considerable risk. And that's the problem.

I believe this is probably been war-gamed at CentCom for years saying that it's still hard when you've got to do it.

WHITFIELD: Ok that's going to be a tough thing for a lot of family members of military personnel to swallow and to hear. And obviously, I mean, it is a very tough job.

But these are some very frightening decisions that have to be made involving a lot of people.

Brigadier General Peter Zwack, thank you so much.

ZWACK: Thank you. Good to see you again.

WHITFIELD: You, as well.

The Pentagon has identified the six U.S. airmen, their people, killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday.

Their names are Major John Klinner, Captain Ariana Savino, Tech Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, Captain Seth Koval, Captain Curtis Angst, and Tech Sergeant Tyler Simmons. The crew members are being remembered as outstanding airmen.

Major John Klinner was a husband and father who leaves behind a two- year-old and seven-month-old twins. An Auburn graduate, the university said in a statement, "His commitment to serving our nation reflects the courage, character and sense of duty demonstrated by those who choose a life of service."

And friends call Air Force Captain Ariana Savino a great human, a future senior leader and a mentor to Latina youth. Senator Patty Murray of Washington says, I'm quoting now, "Women like Savino represent the absolute best of our state and country," end quote.

And Air Force Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt entered the Air Force in 2017. She oversaw the precise mechanics of mid-air refueling, according to the Air Force.

And Air Force Captain Seth Koval's family said the beloved husband and father dreamed of becoming a pilot. His wife remembered him as, quoting now, "always putting others before himself until the very end", end quote.

Air Force Captain Curtis Angst was responsible for worldwide air refueling, aeromedical, cargo and passenger operations, according to the Ohio National Guard. He earned a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

[14:24:47]

WHITFIELD: Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons is being remembered by his mother as a man with a passion for aviation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHERYL SIMMONS, MOTHER OF TECH SGT. TYLER SIMMONS: He was truly an amazing man and to do the job as an air refueler is a special person. It's a -- it's a -- you have to be kind of smart to do that.

And, you know, he was loving. he loved his dog, Greyson. He loved his family. He loved his friend Shaina. You know, he was, he's just that guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The crew members' deaths bring the number of U.S. troops killed since the war began to now 13. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

And we'll be right back.

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[14:30:09]

WHITFIELD: All right. We're learning more today about the impact of the war on the U.S. economy. The cost of gas in the U.S. has jumped nearly 24 percent since the end of February, at the onset of the Iran war. The latest data from AAA showing the average cost of unleaded reached $3.70 per gallon.

All of this adding heavy pressure onto the already strained wallets of American consumers. But this morning, Trump's top economic advisor said the global economy will soon see a positive shock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: We expect that the global economy is going to have a big positive shock as soon as this is over, and we're still being briefed that it would be four to six weeks from the beginning and that we're ahead of schedule.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, HOST, CBS'S "FACE THE NATION": A big positive shock, four to six weeks. So this is a April 9th scenario you're talking about. You're going to see some kind of boost. Even --

HASSETT: Look, the president will decide --

BRENNAN: Even --

HASSETT: The president will decide if they if they no longer have the capability of blackmailing us and harming our neighbors. And once he decides that, then he'll call an end to the war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Economists worry the longer the war stretches on the higher prices could rise for gas and groceries. Three hundred TSA agents have quit their jobs during the ongoing partial U.S. government shutdown. TSA employees have already been missing their first full paycheck as the busy spring travel season picks up.

And Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy tells Fox News the situation will get worse as workers continue to miss pay.

(BERGN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: These are men and women who don't make a lot of money, and so some of them are making choices to go, you know, whether they're driving uber or, you know, waiting tables, they have to put food on their family's table. And in these places where this is happening, you're seeing really long lines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Duffy went on to criticize Democratic leaders for the funding stalemate. He warned the lapse is particularly risky during a period of international conflict.

More than 100 million people in the eastern half of the country will face an increasingly severe thunderstorm risk, as a massive storm is moving across the country bringing with it potentially several feet of snow. Public works crews in Minneapolis are already gearing up to prepare the twin cities. Officials there are calling it an all hands on deck situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM SEXTON, MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC WORKS: It's going to be inconvenient. There's no way around that. But just recognize this could be a historical event.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just sit and watch it from my balcony and watch it come down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just going to pretend it's spring. I declared it spring. I'm not wearing a coat again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: High winds from these storms could knock out power to parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes, while elevating fire risks for the Plains and the Rockies.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking this storm and will join me next hour.

All right. Still to come, a new look at the unpopularity of the Iran war. Will the public opinion lining up against the conflict in the Middle East bring an end to the war sooner?

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[14:37:47]

WHITFIELD: All right. With the Strait of Hormuz mostly shut down due to Iranian attacks and oil and gas prices soaring, President Trump is ramping up pressure on other countries to help open the critical shipping route, where 20 percent of the world's oil passes through.

In a Truth Social post, the president called on other countries relying on that passageway to be involved in a, quote, "team effort to secure traffic through the strait".

CNN's Julia Benbrook is joining us now from West Palm Beach, Florida, near the president's home in Mar-a-Lago, where he's spending the weekend.

Julia, I mean, what is the president and the administration saying? Or how are they elaborating on how and when other countries might come to help?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this is a big area of focus right now because 20 percent -- roughly 20 percent of the world's oil travels through the Strait of Hormuz. And President Donald Trump, he has posted about this a couple of times this weekend already. He said that many countries, particularly those that are impacted by Iran's attempted closure of the strait, would be sending warships in conjunction with the United States to keep the strait open. He added that he hopes -- emphasis on hopes there --that China, France, South Korea, Japan and the U.K. would be among those sending ships, he said.

In the meantime, the United States would be bombing the shoreline. Now, we did reach out to the White House for clarification on that post, as well as the countries that Trump mentioned specifically. And while China and the U.K. did respond to our request for comment, they did not confirm that they would be sending ships. Then, according to a senior official in the Japanese government, any decision to send Japanese naval vessels to the Middle East would face a high hurdle.

According to reporting from "Reuters", its president -- and according to its president's office, South Korea said that it would be working closely with the United States, communicating closely on this, and then would carefully consider next steps.

In an interview earlier today, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, he commented on this saying that other countries would be helping, that there would be that team effort that you mentioned, but he didn't go into a lot of detail.

[14:40:04]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS WRIGHT, ENERGY SECRETARY: All U.S. military assets and again, as President Trump mentioned, of other countries will work to open the straits. Right now, our focus is destroying their military capabilities, including those that are used specifically to threaten the straits. But we need to finish those tasks first, and you will see the straits open again in the not-too-distant future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And this, of course, comes as Americans are feeling a direct impact here as those prices in gas are surging. And while Trump has said that he is confident that those prices will go down eventually, this could be an attempt to address some of those growing concerns right now, Iran's foreign minister has denied claims that the strait is completely closed instead saying that they're blocking vessels with ties to the United States and Israel -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Julia Benbrook, thanks so much. So, as the U.S. war with Iran enters its third week, many polls are showing a majority of Americans skeptical of the U.S. military action in Iran. A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows 56 percent of Americans oppose the military action, with 44 percent supporting it. A Quinnipiac poll also showed a majority of Americans opposing the Iran war, but it also found a sharp political divide, with 85 percent of Republicans supporting the military action, but just 7 percent of Democrats supporting it.

Joining us now to talk more about this is Domenico Montanaro. He is a NPR senior political editor and correspondent.

Great to see you, Domenico. So, I mean, what's your takeaway from these polls on how Americans are viewing this war?

DOMENICO MONTANARO, NPR SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, a lot of things continue to be proxy for President Trump. You know, I mean, I think this 56-44 that you see in our poll opposing to supporting a lot of that also seems to echo how people view President Trump. You know, I think, though with his base, obviously eight in 10 still support this action, you know, and they're going to continue to support this president and have through a lot of different things.

Now I will say the caveat on that is that a lot of people in his base are also really skeptical of long-term prolonged involvement with high casualties. And if we're to see those things tick up and the United States stay for an extended period of time, I think that's when you might see some of those numbers among Republicans start to decline.

But I think that overall, you know, we're in a midterm election year. People are saying that the economy is the most important issue to them. They feel that the president and his administration are not as focused on it as they should be. And it certainly doesn't help that narrative for the president when he's conducting wars overseas.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. And while you just underscored that the president seems to be holding on to his base, you know, across many of these issues as it pertains to this one, do people seem to feel like the administration made a good case about the goals of the Iraq war? What kind of commitment will continue to carry out and what the potential end game is?

MONTANARO: Well, we certainly heard a lot of conflicting messages from the president. I mean, in almost the same sentence, we heard him at an event in Kentucky which was supposed to be about the economy, him talking about the Iraq war saying that you don't want to ever say too early that you won, but we won. And then saying that, you know, essentially that it was over because they won.

But then saying that he wasn't ready to be done with it yet and that he would later said told Fox News, Brian Kilmeade in a radio interview that he would know when it ended, when he felt it in his bones. So, I don't know that a case has really been made to Americans and to his base in the lead up to this, that it was entirely necessary at this point. I mean, I know some of the reporting that you've been doing earlier about whether or not there was an imminent threat. We just haven't heard about an imminent threat. I mean we've certainly heard that Iran was potentially weeks away from a nuclear weapon.

But I feel like we've been hearing that for some 20 years about the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon. A lot of people, a lot of regional experts, have been saying that that the United States and Israel saw an opportunity. They had good intelligence on where the ayatollah was, and they took the -- they took the opportunity at this moment.

So, look, Trump is going to try to find an end game, and he's going to try to find an exit strategy and certainly, wave a victory flag. But he's still sort of angling to figure out what that exit strategy will be. WHITFIELD: And those who are in midterm races how are -- you know, what's the posture of what they think or how they think this Iran war might impact the outcome with those races?

MONTANARO: Yeah. I mean, I always say forget the polls you know, look at the behavior of the candidates themselves and what were seeing and one of the big indicators of, you know, success for one party or the other is which party is seeing more retirements.

[14:45:05]

And we're seeing a record number of retirements this year for members of Congress. And the majority of those are Republicans. You know, look, most members of Congress and in the senate, they don't want to work that hard to be reelected. I mean, they have almost nine in 10 incumbency rate of victory status and if they have to work hard to raise money, a lot of them are going to think twice about doing that, and if they feel like they're going to be in the minority , they might not want to continue on.

And we're seeing that certainly in many cases with a lot of Republicans, a lot of frontline Republicans in those 40 or so swing districts in particular, want to maintain this message on the economy and how the president and his administration could bring prices down. And certainly, it makes it more difficult when people are saying that tariffs are actually increasing prices. And the president doubles down on that.

And then this war with Iran, we see a spike in gas prices despite what members of the administration say will be you know, a radical decline in those prices once the war is over. But again, we don't know when that will be, and we don't know if that will be the case because certainly gas prices in particular go up like a rocket and come down like a feather.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, a lot of volatility and a lot of directions. Domenico Montanaro, always great to see you. Thanks so much.

MONTANARO: You got it. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, Israeli airstrikes targeting alleged Hezbollah sites in Beirut are taking a toll on families as they are forced to flee. CNN takes you inside what is now a ghost town because of that bombardment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:15]

WHITFIELD: All right. Today, the death toll continues to climb in Lebanon as Israel continues its military campaign targeting the Iran backed group Hezbollah. Lebanese state media said one person was killed in an Israeli strike in a residential area in the northern part of the country. The Lebanese health ministry says at least 850 people have died since the Israel-Hezbollah conflict resumed earlier this month and the multiple waves of Israeli attacks across Lebanon have also driven hundreds of thousands to flee.

CNN's Isobel Yeung reports from Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold battered heavily by Israel

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, we're in the southern suburbs in the area of Deia and it's just another level of destruction here. You can see this building was just recently struck by an Israeli airstrike still on smoke. This whole building's just entirely crumpled, stuff everywhere on the floor.

I mean, the Israeli Defense Forces said that this is a Hezbollah stronghold, and there are Hezbollah command centers here that they've been targeting. They've ordered everyone to evacuate. And that's saying that they'll treat anyone who remains here as terrorists.

YEUNG (voice-over): This is the strike that leveled the building behind me. Dahieh has been hit harder than any other Beirut neighborhood. But still, a small trickle of residents returned to pick up belongings or check on their homes.

YEUNG: What did you come to pick up?

MOHAMMED, LOCAL RESIDENT: I wanted to take some stuff from the house. Like clothes for the kids.

YEUNG: What is it feel like seeing your neighborhood like this?

MOHAMMED: We stand firm. We need to stand firm. Because the resistance fighters are sacrificing a lot of blood and whatever we offer is too little.

YEUNG: Hezbollah is the reason that the Israelis are targeting this area. You have no blame for them?

MOHAMMED: Israel is the reason. For 15 months, they've been killing us and we've been silent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys! Guys! There are four bodies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what the complex looks like after the strike.

YEUNG (voice-over): In the aftermath of strikes, it falls on the civil defense team based on the outskirts of Dahieh, to put out fires and save any casualties. The Israeli military has warned it could start striking ambulances across Lebanon if, as they allege, Hezbollah continues to use them as transport vehicles. Hezbollah told CNN they do not use ambulances or medical centers for military purposes.

On Friday, the IDF also struck a healthcare center, killing 12 medics in southern Lebanon.

YEUNG: Is that something you're worried about? GHADEER ZEINEDDEEN, LEBANESE CIVIL DEFENSE: Yes, of course. We had a

threat like today. He wanted -- he wanted to attack the ambulances. So, it was like a shock for us.

ALI RAHAL, LEBANESE CIVIL DEFENSE: Although there's a high risk that we will get bombed, but we can't stay down, this is our duty

YEUNG (voice-over): Now, though, the strikes are not limited to Hezbollah strongholds. An apartment block in a mostly Christian neighborhood of Beirut was struck twice, once yesterday and again today.

YEUNG: Marhaba! How are you?

YEUNG (voice-over): Locals tell us they no longer know who to trust and fear. Their neighbor could be an Israeli target.

YEUNG: All the glass is shattered here.

YEUNG (voice-over): Many are resentful that they've been dragged back into yet another war.

YEUNG: From up here, you can really just see how close everyone lives to each other and how densely populated this area is. You've got apartment blocks wedged in next to each other. I mean this apartment was targeted just a few hours ago, and the residents here, many of who are Christians, are saying that they just don't have anywhere else to go to.

[14:55:05]

So, it must be absolutely terrifying.

SAMIRA, LOCAL RESIDENT: Is anyone not afraid? We were so scared.

YEUNG: What's it like seeing --

SAMIRA: It's the first time they strike here. I mean, they never struck like this.

YEUNG: Who do you blame for this situation?

SAKO DEMIRJIANE, LOCAL RESIDENT: Of course, Hezbollah. Wherever Hezbollah is present anywhere in Lebanon, there is no safety. Of course, they're endangering the lives of Lebanese all around Lebanon. They didn't have to enter this war. And then they're saying that they're supporting Iran. What's that got to do with us?

YEUNG (voice-over): It's a cruel question, particularly for the civilians forced to shoulder the cost of this relentless war.

Isobel Yeung, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still to come, new details on the attack against a synagogue in Michigan and a possible motive for the assailant.

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