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Middle Eastern Countries Report New Drone Strikes; Lebanon's Prime Minister Calls for Ceasefire and Negotiations; Children Caught in Crossfire in Lebanon; Trump Denies Report About Troop Deployment Plans; U.S. College Student Missing In Spain Found Dead In Barcelona; BTS Drops First Album After 4-Year Mandatory Military Service. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 20, 2026 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome to the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. Let's get right to the latest developments out of the Middle East as we're now 21 days into this conflict.

We're beginning with reports of new drone strikes in countries across the Middle East. Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE all report intercepting projectiles in the early hours of Friday.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources confirm an Iranian missile struck an oil refinery in the port city of Haifa. No injuries are reported at the moment, but emergency teams are on site to assess the damage and check for hazardous materials.

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet, like the one that you're seeing right there on your screen, made an emergency landing at an American base in the Middle East. Two sources say the plane was struck by what's believed to be Iranian fire.

U.S. President Donald Trump says Israel will hold off on its attacks on Iran's gas fields. Iran reported a major strike on its South Pars facility, that's the largest in the world, on Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I told him, don't do that, and he won't do that. We didn't discuss. You know, we do -- we're independent. We get along great. It's coordinated. But, on occasion, he'll do something. And if I don't like it -- and so, we're not doing that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel acted alone in the attack. But U.S. and Israeli sources have told CNN the two countries coordinated on that strike. Let's talk about it some more. Let's go live now to Dubai and to CNN's Eleni Giokos. Eleni, thanks for being with me. We are almost three weeks into this now. Can you believe that? What is the latest where you are?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, yes, it's day 21 of the war. And I have to say, we've been thrust into something that wasn't in the mental repertoire, I think, even just for us, the residents living in this region. But one thing certain is that the governments around the Gulf area have -- were very prepared, and we've seen incredible interceptions.

And, in fact, you're talking about strikes early Friday morning. I was woken up by a huge sound of an interception at around 6 a.m. And these attacks come as Muslims in the region mark Eid. It is the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Also, in Iran, it's the start of the Persian New Year. It's Nowruz.

And you mentioned, you know, the likes of Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, all intercepting missiles and drones on, you know, this day. So, it's really interesting to mark that.

You mentioned Haifa. So, we know that Iran has been talking about the red lines of the war changing after its South Pars gas field was struck earlier this week. It has continuously been striking critical energy infrastructure around the region, but the latest is the Israeli's Haifa gas field. So, that's really important. They were talking about a fire ensuing there. No injuries, but they're assessing the damage.

And speaking of damage, Qatar energy has confirmed that 17 percent of its capacity, 17 percent of its capacity has been wiped out because of the Iran strikes. It's going to take them up to five years to bring that capacity back online. So, we're talking about supply destruction. It's not only about the disruption we're seeing in the Strait of Hormuz.

So, really notable there because we haven't really heard an assessment of the damage of all the critical infrastructure that has been hit around the region and, of course, a lot of strikes here in the UAE, in fact. So, very notable on that.

In terms of where oil prices are, they hit and they tested $119 a barrel on Brent crude yesterday. They're down again. And it's interesting. As always, verbally talking up the oil price to try and allay fears.

Paradoxically, the United States is floating the idea of un- sanctioning Iranian oil that's currently out at sea. We don't know how that will work, but you've got to remember that Russian oil out at sea has temporarily been unsanctioned as well. So, I think the Trump administration is trying to create some kind of a release valve in terms of tempering what we're seeing on the oil price front.

President Trump also saying that he's probably going to go to Pentagon and ask for $200 billion to fund this war. And we have to mention that initially, when this war began, the timeline was one week, two weeks. Now, we're looking at perhaps more time added onto that framework.

[02:04:55]

But it's really fascinating because, at the end of the day, the infliction of pain across the energy markets, I think across the region on critical infrastructure, across economies in the Gulf States, the timeline question still is one that is unanswered. We don't know how long this will take. We don't know what will happen in the next few days.

But one economist put it very poignantly, and he said that if one day, Brent crude could move $10, imagine what happens in the next few days and the next few weeks. And it really has to do with what kind of damage we'll be seeing, not only to critical energy infrastructure, but the big question around opening up the Strait of Hormuz.

HUNTE: OK. Well, thank you so much for that update. Things are changing so rapidly. And thank you for being across it. We appreciate it. Stay safe.

Onwards, Israel's prime minister is speaking candidly about his goal of regime change in Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu answered a number of questions from CNN's own Jeremy Diamond at a news conference in Jerusalem on Thursday. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: You assassinated Iran's supreme leader and dozens of other senior Iranian officials. The result of that, so far, has been the appointment of a new supreme leader considered to be even more hardline than his father. The Iranian regime is not showing any signs of collapse as of now. So, I wonder, what do you say to those who say that killing those individuals is, in fact, empowering the hardliners in Iran? And are you confident that your strategy will still lead to regime change?

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: I'm not sure who's running Iran right now. Mojtaba, the replacement ayatollah, has not shown his face. Have you seen him? We haven't. And we can't vouch exactly what is happening there. There is a -- there is a cloud here. It's not clear. What we see is that there is a lot of tensions inside the people who are edging for the top. I think the authority and the hold that Khamenei has had is not going to be translated to anyone, not to Mojtaba if he's there and not to anyone else.

Yes, yes, we're seeing cracks. We're seeing cracks, and we're trying to propagate them as fast as we can. Not only in the top command, we're seeing cracks in the field. You know, it's sort of like a hollowed out, rotten piece of wood that's holding on the outside, but there's a lot of rot inside. We're seeing some defections. We're seeing fear and trepidation in the IRGC units that are manning the ballistic missiles. You know why? Because they're afraid to die. They're not -- they're not all suicidal. We're going to hit them again and again.

DIAMOND: You've also indicated today that you've made a commitment to President Trump not to strike these oil and gas facilities in the future. Should President Trump come to you one day and say, oil prices are too high, it's time to end this war, will you listen to him? And do you need the United States in order to continue this campaign alone?

NETANYAHU: I don't think any two leaders have been as coordinated as President Trump and I. He's the leader. I'm, you know, his ally. America is the leader. But ultimately, President Trump makes his own decisions. And do I respect them? Yes, I do.

DIAMOND: The question is whether you would or could continue the war without the United States. Could you, without the United States, without the refueling capabilities, for example?

UNKNOWN (voice-over): We're going to close. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.

NETANYAHU: You exhausted your questions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Well, onwards, Mr. Trump is praising Japan for the support he says he received for the war with Iran. He hosted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House on Thursday. He added that unlike Europeans, who he says have been less supportive, Japan is stepping up to the plate. The prime minister condemned Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and she said she has specific proposals to calm the energy markets that have been rattled by the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANAE TAKAICHI, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (through translator): Japan condemns Iran's actions, such as attacking the neighboring region and also the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The global economy is now about to experience a huge hit because of this development.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Japan and five other allies now say they're ready to contribute to what they called appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait. But Germany made it clear they will only get involved if the fighting stops.

I want to bring in Benjamin Radd. He's a political scientist and senior fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations. I'll get straight into it. Thank you for being with us. We are now nearly three weeks into this conflict. What's the clearest signal that you're seeing that tells you whether this is either escalating into something bigger or starting to move towards some kind of off-ramp?

[02:09:58]

BENJAMIN RADD, POLITICAL SCIENTIST AND SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKLE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: I think as we're seeing Iran expands its operations and continuing to attack the Gulf states, it's showing an increased desperation on their part. They've been successful with some of these attacks. We know that they've hit some targets. We know that, apparently, the F-16, that was shot down today or shot at earlier. So, they have capabilities.

But I think by extending this, continuing to extend it, targeting energy infrastructure in these other states, and we've seen some more aggressive pushback, at least verbally by the Saudis, I think it's showing that Iran is right now losing its ability to fight the kinetic warfare and is relying on this sort of strategic strikes to play the energy card, really the only thing it has left.

And if it turns out that the nations involved in this, the United States, Israel, and maybe the other Gulf states, take more aggressive action to minimize the risk posed to these energy sectors, then I think we're nearing the end of what Iran can do before it simply has to stop fighting.

HUNTE: President Trump continues to describe this as a short-term operation, right? But we're seeing the conflict spread across multiple countries and growing global involvement, too. Based on what you're seeing, does this still look like something that can be contained and quickly?

RADD: I, at this point, would urge anyone to discount what Donald Trump says on a day-to-day or an hour-by-hour basis. I don't mean that glibly. I'm saying it in the sense that it's not an indicator of what's happening on the ground or I should say in the air. It's maybe his assessment. We don't know how attuned he is to what's happening minute by minute. I think when we get updates from the Pentagon, when we get updates from other sources, especially international sources, we get a better sense of it.

The secretary of war said it outright. I believe he was the one that said it, that this is, you know, a four-to-five-week operation. He might have been the chair of the Joint Chiefs. And I think four to five weeks is a good window to see if what the United States seeks to accomplish can be done.

And, you know, just to remind our viewers, it's the objective to neutralize Iran's nuclear enrichment program to put an end to its ballistic missile capabilities and also insist on its ceasing support for proxy groups. So, I think those are the three objectives. Those can be achieved in four to five weeks if everyone is aligned.

HUNTE: Yes. Iran has already shown it can respond not just directly, but by raising pressure across the whole region. How much further can this escalate? And how exposed are U.S. allies if it all continues?

RADD: Well, they're already exposed. And I think the next stage of escalation would be if we saw the Gulf states directly intervene.

At this point, their support isn't needed to neutralize Iran any further. I mean, the United States and Israel are fully capable operationally of carrying out the strike. So, there's no particular assets that we could say the Saudis or the Emiratis or, you know, Qataris or others could offer. It's different if we involve European carrier groups coming in, helping to, let's say, escort tankers and other cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz, thereby taking away the one leverage point that Iran has. But until we get there, if we start seeing the other Arab states begin to use military assets to respond, then we're seeing another level of escalation that goes beyond what we've been seeing the last few days.

HUNTE: And we are just seeing a map while you're speaking there. How central is the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption to global oil markets in shaping how all of this conflict unfolds?

RADD: So, massive. I mean, 20 percent, one-fifth of the world's oil goes through there, not to mention other exports that pass through. It's not impacting the United States directly. I mean, the U.S. gets well over 90 percent of its oil from Canada or from South America.

But it does impact other regions of the globe, Asian markets in particular. The Europeans, a little bit less so. What it does is it raises the cost of oil and gas for everybody worldwide, regardless of what the source is. And it also poses an instability to the global energy markets, which itself makes it difficult for businesses that model off of predicting where costs will go to be able to do so, to get their cargo insured.

So, really, its disruption goes beyond just the oil and energy market. It really has far-reaching implications. And, you know, that's the one sort of unpredictable nature of where this has been going.

HUNTE: Inside Iran now, the leadership is showing no signs at all of backing down. At this point, what do they most want? Is it survival? Is it a negotiated exit that allows them to save face? What do you think?

RADD: So, this, I would say, depending on which tier of leadership before the decapitation strike, right? If you see it as sort of the A- team leadership, for them, regime survival in some form. Now, Khamenei, the original supreme leader, the previous one, would have been willing to die for the cause. He's not suicidal, but nor was he necessarily going to back down.

But we're seeing the generation and the stature of regime hardliners that represented that view, who took that position. They're now fewer and far between, the next tier, the B-level, the C-team, whatever you want to call it, the D-team. We're now talking about folks who maybe have a financial incentive in the current system.

[02:15:01]

Maybe for them, it's about surviving literally, even if it's somewhere else. How vested are they in the system? For them, it's about maintaining their economic status, maintaining their own safety and security.

And I think, honestly, if you were to provide option for, you know, exile or amnesty to some of these folks, I'm not sure that would be accepted. But if that offer were dangled, I wouldn't be surprised if they would just walk away with some of their assets protected and their lives spared.

HUNTE: Makes sense to me. OK, we'll leave it at that for now. Thank you so much, Benjamin Radd. I appreciate it.

RADD: My pleasure.

HUNTE: Children caught in a crossfire as Israel pushes ahead with its offensive in Lebanon. CNN goes to areas ravaged by Israeli strikes and talks to families who had to run for their lives. See you in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: Welcome back. Two journalists working for the Russian state- run television network Russia Today are injured after a close call in Lebanon. RTS cameras were rolling as they jumped for cover. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE SWEENEY, JOURNALIST, RT: Further rocket attacks were reported against Nahariya --

(AIRSTRIKES)

HUNTE (voice-over): Wild. The network says the strike happened while correspondent Steve Sweeney was reporting near this bridge in southern Lebanon. He and his cameraman were hospitalized after that incident. My goodness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Lebanon's prime minister is calling on the U.S. president to step in and help end Israel's ongoing offensive against Hezbollah targets. Nawaf Salam says at least one in five people in Lebanon is now displaced by the war, while more than a thousand others have been killed. He spoke exclusively to CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAWAF SALAM, PRIME MINISTER OF LEBANON: Ceasefire.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Immediately? If you could --

SALAM: Yes. Not tomorrow.

PATON WALSH: If you could deliver a message to President Trump now, directly, for one thing for him to do today, what would it be?

SALAM: To help put an end to the Lebanese conflict. And I want to reaffirm to President Trump our readiness to enter into immediate negotiations, negotiations with Israel. You know, I mean, this conflict can only end with negotiations. And the U.S., I mean, is a strategic partner to Lebanon. And President Trump, more than anyone else, I mean, can play a decisive role in bringing, I mean, this war to an end. So, we call on a greater engagement of the U.S.

PATON WALSH: The recognition of Israel is something that has been put front and center as the potential of a peace deal. Many Gulf countries have agreed to do it. They've normalized relations. Do you at least accept that until you can harness enough of Lebanese society to agree to that principle, a peace deal?

SALAM: I mean, we have been, for two weeks, extending our hands to have direct talks with the Israelis. So far, we haven't received an agenda from the Israelis.

PATON WALSH: Take this opportunity to say you're willing to.

SALAM: When we have received an agenda, a clear agenda from the Israelis, I mean, then I will definitely answer your question.

PATON WALSH: But take this opportunity to --

SALAM: We are not at the stage even where we have a clear agenda.

PATON WALSH: Do you think Israel will take a buffer zone up to the Litani River, a large part of the south, for leverage?

SALAM: I mean, we cannot accept, I mean, any buffer zone, security zone, any infringement on our --

PATON WALSH: But you've had one for months, haven't you?

SALAM: I mean, we cannot negotiate any form of treaty deal arrangement as long as -- I mean, we cannot secure that our sovereignty will be fully restored.

PATON WALSH: You have an unprecedented humanitarian crisis of Lebanese forced out of their homes. How close do you feel you are to unrest because of that current problem?

SALAM: About a million persons have been displaced from the south and from the southern suburb of the capital. And that's almost 20 percent, if not 25 percent of the Lebanese population. Now, Lebanon is turned into a battlefield of the war between Israel and Iran. I mean, all the Lebanese, they are victims. This war has been imposed on us. We didn't seek it. We didn't choose it. And now, our main objective is how to end it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Well, CNN is also reporting from inside Lebanon, where the Israeli operation has shown no signs of letting up. And as CNN's Isobel Yeung reports, it's often children who get caught in the line of fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CRYING)

UNKNOWN: Oh, Yasmina and Malika. I swear, she was like the moon, her face so bright.

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This mother is carrying the body of her six-year-old daughter, Yasmina. Israeli bombs pierce her. She's also burying her three other daughters, nine-year-old Malika, Zahra (ph), 12, and Zainab (ph) 13, along with their cousin, 11-year-old Sadiq (ph).

YEUNG: Just absolutely heartbreaking to see this body after body after body. Tiny little bodies.

[02:25:00]

These ones having to be carried on the bed because there's just only parts and remnants and pieces of them left.

YEUNG (voice-over): These are just five of over 110 children killed this month. The IDF say they're targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and that Hezbollah are using civilians as human shields. CNN obtained permission from Hezbollah to film in southern Lebanon.

YEUNG: It is just apocalyptic around here. And to think that, I mean, just a couple weeks ago, this was a buzzing, lively neighborhood with shops and these are people's houses. And now, it's just all been turned to rubble. Must be so eerie staying here. And yet you still do see people. You see people in their homes.

What are you still doing here?

UNKNOWN: I stay here.

YEUNG: Why are you staying?

UNKNOWN: I go where? This is my house.

YEUNG: Are you the only person who stayed or is there other families who stayed as well?

UNKNOWN: I no get family. I no marry. You want to marry me?

(LAUGHTER)

YEUNG: These kids, obviously, have been out of school for the last two weeks since the beginning of the war. And this group now is trying to do some activities with them, trying to have some semblance of normalcy.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I feel like we are scared and terrified and displaced.

YEUNG: What are you scared could happen?

UNKNOWN (through translator): I'm scared one of us will be killed.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Lebanon used to be prosperous. The whole of Lebanon is finished. Completely. There is no Lebanon anymore. Hopefully what happened in Gaza doesn't happen to us.

YEUNG: What would you say to the people who have power over this war right now?

UNKNOWN (through translator): What do you want from us? Children can't continue their education or do anything. You've ruined our lives.

YEUNG (voice-over): It's a pain no child should know. A generation who should have their entire lives ahead of them. Now pulled into a war they never chose and crushed beneath the violence that engulfs them.

Isobel Yeung, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Israel's military says it will look into the incident that CNN has documented involving children's deaths.

OK, stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:32:01]

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.

The U.S. President Donald Trump says -- he's denying a "Reuters" report that he's considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to the Middle East. During a meeting with Japan's prime minister, the president said even if he was thinking about it, he wouldn't tell reporters. Instead, he focused on the U.S. military's success in the war with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've obliterated there just about everything there is to obliterate, including leadership. Their navy's gone. Their air force is gone. Their anti-aircraft equipment is gone. We're flying wherever we want, Pete. We have no -- nobody even shooting at us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Meanwhile, sources say the Pentagon is asking for an additional $200 billion to fund the war. A number of U.S. lawmakers are expressing skepticism. But President Trump says it's a small price that we have to pay.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also addressed that massive price tag, saying, quote, it takes money to kill bad guys. CNN's Kylie Atwood has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth saying that the U.S. military is on plan to achieve its military objectives in the Iran war, but not saying a time frame for when those objectives would be accomplished, saying that President Trump would ultimately be the determining factor as to when this military campaign is over.

When he was asked about reports of the administration asking Congress for $200 billion in additional funding for the Iraq War, this is what he said.

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move. Obviously, it takes -- it takes money to kill bad guys. So, we're going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we're properly funded for what's been done, for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition is -- everything's refilled and not just refilled but above and beyond

ATWOOD: Now, President Trump was also asked in the Oval Office about this $200 billion in funding and why such a high figure would be needed if the war is coming to a conclusion. As he has said multiple times before, Trump did not give a direct answer but did give an indication that that funding would be needed to replenish U.S. stockpiles of its weaponry. We also heard from the top Senate Republican, John Thune, saying that congress would need a descriptor of what those funds would actually be going towards in order to clear them, but also saying that it remains to be seen if a budget like that could pass his chamber.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: For more, I'm joined by military analyst Malcolm Davis in Australia. He's also a senior analyst in defense strategy and capability for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

Thank you so much for being with me.

I'll get straight into it. We have heard strong language from Washington about keeping this limited, but there's also growing debate and allegedly even preparations for putting troops on the ground in Iran.

[02:35:00]

From a military perspective, how close do you think we are to crossing that line?

MALCOLM DAVIS, MILITARY ANALYST: Well, look, I think the indications are that that could be coming. You have two amphibious ready groups heading towards the region on U.S. Navy ships, helicopter assault carriers. You don't deploy that sort of firepower and that sort of manpower for nothing. Essentially, you do it because you're anticipating the possibility of using ground forces.

And I think there's two scenarios that people are talking about. The first would be to see Kharg Island, to control Kharg Island and deny it to the regime the cut off their access to their essentially their oil. That gives them funding to sustain them in power. The second would be to seize control of the coastal region around the Straits of Hormuz to assist the U.S. in opening up the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, both for high risk operations, both logistically very challenging. But that would be the two likely scenarios that we could see ground forces going.

HUNTE: Well, let's dive into them a bit further because there is a specific debate right now about places like Kharg Island, which is a critical hub for Iran's oil exports. If U.S. personnel were deployed there in any capacity to secure it to support operations, maybe protect infrastructure, would that count as boots on the ground? And how significant would it be?

DAVIS: It would be in the sense that Kharg Island is Iranian territory. It's not the same thing as a direct invasion of the Iranian mainland, and that would be the, you know, that invasion scenario would be the last thing you'd want to do. Because if you look at the map of Iran as a country its extremely mountainous, very complex, would be far more difficult to invade and sort of drive on Tehran, for example, than, for example, going into Iraq and trying to take Baghdad.

So I think seizing Kharg Island, denying the regime access to its oil, cutting off its economic lifeline, potentially would give the U.S. greater leverage in forcing the Iranians to back down and accept some sort of off ramp challenge. Of course, is logistically, it would be difficult to support. And the Iranians could bombard U.S. forces on Kharg Island from the mainland using drones and missiles and so forth.

So potentially risky, potentially costly in terms of lives lost but also in terms of an operational and strategic payoff potentially beneficial to bringing this war to an end.

HUNTE: It's really interesting. When people here at home hear boots on the ground they're not just thinking about strategy. They're thinking about American sons and daughters being sent into war. How much political and public resistance do you think there could be to that kind of a move?

DAVIS: I think there would be significant resistance because people would immediately think of Iraq 2003 and Afghanistan. You know, the echoes of those conflicts linger on. And, you know Iran, as I said is a much more challenging environment to operate in than either Iraq or even for that matter Afghanistan. We're not talking about full invasion of Iran that's -- that needs to be made clear. But even, you know, taking Kharg Island or the more serious and challenging scenario of seizing the coastal terrain along the Strait of Hormuz would draw I think, real concern from the American people that this war is escalating, that there's no real conclusion to it. It's open ended, and it could see more ground forces being deployed into the region in the future.

HUNTE: I mean, even just looking at these images, I can't even believe were discussing this. It's wild. If the mission stayed being described as limited as it is currently, what would U.S. troops actually be doing day to day, though? And how quickly could a mission like that expand beyond its original scope?

DAVIS: Well, if you take Kharg Island, for example, the goal I think would be to deny the oil infrastructure to the regime and thus cut off their economic lifeline. Effectively, you bleed the regime of economic strength to the point whereby it collapses. How long that takes is uncertain because it's a safe bet the Iranians would have gamed this in, and probably would be thinking or preparing for that possibility, including some sort of means for sustaining the economy. Even if the oil, their oil is cut off for a period of time.

So, the American forces on the ground would be controlling the oil infrastructure, but at the same time, they would be defending themselves against Iranian attack from the air and from missiles and drones and so forth. So, it would be a very challenging operational environment. We go in on the coastline of the straits of Hormuz.

I think you know, get your viewers to think back in history to the likes of Gallipoli and the Anzacs going in there, the Iranians will control the high ground of the mountainous region around the straits.

[02:40:02]

The Americans would be going in using, ship to objective maneuver, operational maneuver from the sea. But supplying that force would come across the shore. And so, therefore, the logistics lifeline for that marine force going ashore would be very vulnerable.

HUNTE: Okay. Well, let's see what happens next. For now, we'll leave it there. Malcolm Davis, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

DAVIS: Thank you.

HUNTE: The Rafah border crossing is once again open for limited travel between Gaza and Egypt. Israel reopened the crossing on Thursday after it had been most recently closed for nearly three weeks, and now some Palestinian patients are being let out of Gaza to receive desperately needed medical care. Ambulances gathered at Khan Younis hospital to evacuate patients for treatment, but they can't get inside the war torn enclave.

But the U.N. and other officials say thousands of Palestinians still do require urgent care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAED AL-NAMS, MEDIA DIRECTOR, PALESTINIAN RED CRESCENT SOCIETY: According to the Palestinian ministry of health there are around 18,000 patients and injured whose conditions are classified as critical and for whom lifesaving services are unavailable in the Gaza strip. We hope that the efforts made in this regard will lead to an increase in the numbers. So, the largest possible number of them, patients and injured, can be evacuated to outside the Gaza Strip and receive medical services, depending on the nature and type of their illnesses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Ukraine's president says talks to end Russia's aggression on his country may be getting back on track. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian negotiators are now headed to the U.S. for meetings with American officials this weekend. That is happening as Hungary is holding up European Union's crucial loans to Kyiv. The more than $100 million loan is a financial lifeline for Ukraine, which is facing a major budget deficit, Zelenskyy said this is about the upcoming talks in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: It is also important that we got signals from the American side as to them being ready to continue the negotiations to end the Russian war on Ukraine along already available tracks. There has been a pause in the talks. It is time to end that, and we will do everything so that the talks can be truly meaningful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: The search for a U.S. college student who went missing on a night out with friends in Barcelona comes to a swift and tragic end. What police are saying about the death of Jimmy Gracey, that is coming up on CNN NEWSROOM. See you in a moment.

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[02:47:16]

HUNTE: The family of a University of Alabama college student who went missing in Spain says they are working with local authorities to determine what happened after 20-year-old James "Jimmy" Gracey was found dead in Barcelona just days after he vanished on a night out with friends.

CNN's Melissa Bell has more for us.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A very sad end to the search for the young James Gracey, the 20-year-old University of Alabama student who'd come here to Barcelona on Monday evening, was last seen here at the Shoko nightclub on the city's waterfront. He lost track of his friends at about 3:00 a.m. and the search for him had been on ever since his father had made his way to Barcelona to try and figure out what had happened to his son, the oldest of five siblings, and there had been no news of him since those early hours of Tuesday morning.

Thursday evening, we heard from Barcelona authorities. They found a body not very far from here, just on the beach on the waterfront, just opposite where he had last been seen. Confirming later that they were the remains of James or Jimmy, as he was known to his family Gracey.

What the spokesman for the local regional police has added is that they think that there was no foul play involved, instead, that this could have been the result of a terrible accident. Still, the investigation continues. We await to hear more from authorities about what there might have been on his phone to suggest where he might have gone, to whom he might have spoken, and what might have happened to him between when he left the club and when he was found a couple of days later.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Barcelona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: President Trump's pick to lead homeland security, Markwayne Mullin, is now one step closer to getting that job. Democratic Senator John Fetterman joined Republicans on the committee to advance Mullin's nomination on Thursday. That means the full senate is set to vote on it as early as next week.

Fetterman explained his decision saying he went into the confirmation hearing with an open mind. He says he chose to back Mullin because of their, quote, "strong, committed, constructive working relationship".

Airports across the U.S. are seeing passenger wait times expand as record amounts of TSA officers don't show up to work.

For over a month now, employees have been expected to work without pay, as the Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded by Congress. With no end in sight to the partial government shutdown, airports are now preparing for lines to get even longer.

CNN's Ryan Young has more from one of the nation's busiest airports.

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RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR U.S. CORRESPONDENTT: Day five here at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport of extreme backups. In fact, at one point, the line here was beyond that green sign. And we do have video of all those people standing in line for more than 90 minutes. Some folks very upset as they got close to missing their flights.

Also here at the airport, this area right here is being used for TSA workers to get free food, especially the ones that are coming to work, who are participating and keeping things moving here at the airport.

[02:50:08]

But the story here all day long has been how they've been able to keep the lines here at the airport open. They've been able to concentrate TSA workers on the main checkpoint here. What we saw was the lines after the rush hour dropped tremendously. In fact, at one point the security was down to two-minute wait. That's almost unheard of during a normal day here at the airport to have it now, when they're dealing with such a shortfall when it comes to workers, it's almost amazing.

So even as we look up here, 15 minutes has been almost the average that they've been dealing with. And on a day-to-day basis, what they're concerned about is what will Friday be like when it comes to the TSA because they know traditionally that's one of the busiest days here at the airport.

Ryan Young, CNN, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Big news about the return of BTS. Just ahead, we'll have a live report from South Korea about the K-pop album that millions of fans have been waiting so long for. See you in a moment.

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HUNTE: Crews at the Kennedy Space Center are rolling out the Artemis Two rocket as they prepare it for launch as early as April 1st. Here, you're having a look at the 12-hour process as they slowly shuttle the towering rocket from the vehicle assembly building to the launch pad. The Artemis mission will take a crew of four astronauts on a ten day trip, looping around but not landing on the moon.

All right. BTS is back. The super popular K-pop group released a new album called "Arirang" a short time ago. This is their first album after taking off for four years to complete military service. The new album is a modern take on a beloved and traditional Korean folk song of the same name, which focuses on themes of love, loss and separation, too.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us live now from Seoul, South Korea.

Hanako, good to see you. This seems like a big moment, right? Give me some context, though. How massive are we talking?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, BTS, it's no exaggeration to say, it is the biggest boy band in recent years. I mean, they've sold out stadiums around the world. They've done world tours. They've even spoken at the U.N. about world peace.

And right now, I'm in a public square where there's a massive screen right behind me. And every hour or so, teasers from the newest album, "Arirang" have been playing.

[02:55:02]

And fans here dressed in purple, the BTS fan color, have been gathering, taking videos of it, celebrating the music, listening to it, and literally squealing out of joy because they are just so excited to see their favorite boyband come back.

Now when BTS had to go serve mandatory military service over four years ago, I remember saying in one of their last concerts that they wanted fans to wait for them, that this was just a temporary hiatus and they were going to be back and just stronger than ever. And clearly, they've delivered on that promise.

Fans are so excited to have them back. We spoke to one fan earlier who said she literally had no words to describe the joy she was feeling listening to this album. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASMIN, BTS FAN: I cannot put it in words, like we waited for them for almost four years and I became an army almost eight years ago and it's my very first time to see all seven of them on stage. I saw them in their solo concerts, but never as a group. So it's my very first time to see all of them on stage, and I cannot put it in words. It's impossible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: And I have to say, I too am personally excited about this comeback concert because I will be able to see BTS live from that concert on Saturday. Very, very excited. It is truly an honor.

The Seoul police have said that they are expecting over a quarter of a million people to show up to that concert because again, people are just so eager to see BTS come back. Now even though there's going to be a quarter of a million people there, only a fraction of them actually have tickets.

So, Seoul police are expecting many, many people to be gathered around that public square. Just getting as close as possible to BTS to listen to their music. So right now, Seoul is currently undergoing a massive public safety campaign. They're going to be deploying thousands of police officers to ensure that this concert is done safely, and so that fans can enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity to see their favorite, favorite band, BTS.

Back to you, Ben.

HUNTE: I've got a follow up for you there. Seems like there's a lot of pressure to come back after four years, yikes. What kind of release are we going to be expecting? We've got about 45 seconds left, but could this redefine their legacy or is this going to be a continuation of what we had before?

MONTGOMERY: I love that question, Ben. I think a lot of fans are expecting BTS, of course, to come back stronger than ever and be just the best boy band in K-pop industry and also the pop industry.

Of course, during that four year hiatus, we did see K-pop becoming much bigger and also much better. We've seen a lot of new talents come onto the scene, so it is a more competitive place for them to compete but because of their legacy, because of this huge fan base they have, where millions of people worldwide celebrate them, it is widely expected that they will be shooting back up to the top and really being the kings that they are as many fans refer to them as.

HUNTE: All right, I look forward to hearing. I can't wait for that. Thank you so much for now. Hanako Montgomery, appreciate it.

That's all I've got for you for now. Thanks for joining me this hour. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. But I will be right back after this break.

You are watching CNN. See you in a moment.

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