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Connect the World
Israel Says "Preemptive Strikes" Went after Dozens of Targets Across the Country; U.S. Official: Still Intend to Have Nuclear Talks with Iran; European Leaders Call for Restraint; Oil Prices Soar on Israeli Attacks on Iran; Israel Strikes Iranian Nuclear Facilities, Military Leaders; Trump Administration Still Hopes for Iran Nuclear Deal Talks. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired June 13, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, a live look at the Tel Aviv skyline as Israelis brace for further response from Iran after an
unprecedented strike on Iran's nuclear facilities and military leadership. It is 04:00 p.m. there in Tel Aviv. It is 04:30 p.m. in Tehran, and it's
03:00 p.m. where I am in Paris.
I'm Becky Anderson. I was here on a special assignment for CNN breaking news demands this special edition of "Connect the World". Let's get
straight to the breaking news. And fears of an expanded conflict in the Middle East, after Israel's massive attack on Iranian nuclear facilities
and its military leadership.
This is the very latest. Israel has declared a state of emergency, and its military says it has intercepted drones outside of Israeli territory, with
more than 100 launched from Iran. That was the first wave of Iran's response after Israel hit the Natanz nuclear site, Iran's main enrichment
facility, and multiple other targets across the country.
This was some 12 hours or so ago, and state-run media report attacks are ongoing, with the Natanz site hit again. Well, Iranian state media reports
several top military leaders and six of the country's top nuclear scientists were killed in those strikes. We're joined by experts with deep
insight in these regular contributors to this show.
Vali Nasr is a Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Jasmine El-Gamal is a Former Middle East Adviser
to the Pentagon and CNN's Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Oren Liebermann. And let's start with you, Oren in Jerusalem, just get us up to speed on what we
know and what is still happening this hour.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Becky, as you pointed out, it's been just about 12 hours, a little more at this point, since Israel
carried out its first wave of strikes against targets in Iran including, as you pointed out, the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. But that's not
even close to the end of the list there.
Israel says its military used 200 fighter jets striking more than 100 targets on what was a broad and very deep array of strikes, pretty much
across the entire country, including within Tehran itself. And as you pointed out, we have seen that list not only of targets growing as Israel
went after nuclear facilities and ballistic missile sites, but also the number of senior military officials and nuclear officials killed as part of
these strikes.
The names on that list quite striking. One of the most recent names that came out was the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force,
who is in charge of the country's ballistic missile program. It is that specific program that we expect to see as part of an anticipated
retaliation from Iran against Israel, and that's what Israel has prepared for its Home Front Command, essentially putting the country on an emergency
footing and warning people to stay near bomb shelters here.
But this isn't over yet. The Israeli military has quite clearly signaled that the strikes will continue, perhaps not at the same pace as we saw them
earlier this morning, but that the strikes will continue until the goals of the operation are reached, as they continue to go after Iran's nuclear
facilities and potentially continue to go after Iran's top leadership.
In terms of the diplomatic side of this Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun holding a series of conversations. He will, in the coming hours,
talk to President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as speaking to the heads of the UK, France, Germany and others, as it
seems.
Israel is trying to control the diplomatic reaction to this. And then, of course, as we sit here, we wait for the Iranian retaliation. So far, it's
been about 100 drones, according to the Israeli military, many of which were intercepted outside of Israeli airspace. But there is certainly more
anticipated.
Israel's own operation was months in the planning, if not longer than that, according to many Israeli officials, Iran's response, perhaps will also
take time to plan, but they are promising, and have promised over the course of the last 48, 72 hours, perhaps even more, that there would be a
very severe response, and that is what Israel is very much preparing for.
I will point out that the Israeli military said just a short time ago, they completed a series of strikes on surface-to-surface missiles. That is part
of the type of missile you would expect to see used as part of that retaliation. They have also, in addition to the nuclear facilities and the
top officials, gone after surface to air missiles.
[09:05:00]
And that, frankly has cleared the way for the Air Force to have what appears to be largely free reign as they have carried out many of these
strikes, Becky.
ANDERSON: Oren, thank you, and we'll get back to you later this hour. I want to bring in our guests, Jasmine, Vali. Let's start with you, Jasmine.
And I think it's important to underscore the enormity of what we have just seen months in the making. Perhaps we've heard from Netanyahu for years
that this has been a threat the nuclear program in Iran, but we have never seen this action from Israel before. Your reactions, firstly, Jasmine, to
what we've seen in the last 12 hours.
JASMINE EL-GAMAL, FORMER PENTAGON MIDDLE EAST ADVISER: Thank you, Becky. It's always good to be with you on the program. I think what you said is
exactly right. I mean, this is the culmination of a years, if not decades, long strategy and goal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decapitate
the Iranian regime and its capabilities when it comes to nuclear capabilities.
Now, over the last year and a half, basically since October 7th and the ensuing war in Gaza in Lebanon, Iran has been consistently and severely
weakened, not just when it comes to its own military capabilities, intelligence capabilities, personnel, but also its proxy capabilities, its
strategic depth in the region, both through Hezbollah in Lebanon and through Hamas in Gaza.
And so, it appears that Benjamin Netanyahu thought that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to finish that goal, to get to that goal of making the
Iranian regime so weak, so impotent, perhaps even toppling the regime from the top, to make sure that it never acquires a nuclear weapon.
Whether or not the Americans knew about this in advance, Becky, I don't think we're ever going to know even reporters who are reporting on it are
being told what the U.S. wants them to think.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
EL-GAMAL: The U.S. is obviously going to now try to roll with the punches, to make it seem like they knew about this all along and that it was part of
a grander strategy to pressure Iran, to get Iran to come to the table and sign a deal on Israel and America's terms.
ANDERSON: Vali, I want to bring up some images of the Natanz nuclear site, which was hit and hit again as we understand it, in a second wave in the
past few hours. You can see smoke billowing there, the military the nuclear sites, then, very specifically, the targets, as was the targeting of
command and control.
The Israelis struck at the heart of Iran's command and control. What do you make of what we've seen?
VALI NASR, PROFESSOR AT THE SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AT JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: Well as was stated, this is obviously a major
attack. The scale of it, and it is very compelling, the kinds of people who have been killed, the targets that have been hit. And it's really it could
be the start of a much larger camp -- military campaign that's going to go on in the region for some time to come.
Iran will retaliate, in my opinion, because I don't think it can basically absorb this scale of an attack and not retaliate. However, how it
retaliates depends on who has survived, who's sitting around the table making decisions. What are the capabilities, and whether they calculate
that they're prepared to accept a wider war with Israel and the United States?
ANDERSON: Right.
NASR: I think the Iranians will prepare with what might be a prolonged war of attrition. So, this is not going to end here. It's not going to end
necessarily even on the next round.
ANDERSON: Israel certainly suggesting or preparing its people for what could be weeks of this. The White House insisting the U.S. was not involved
in the strikes on Iran and that Israel acted alone. That was the official statement released in the wake of the first strikes, but in the hours that
have followed, President Trump seems to be taking a different tone he is calling the strikes very successful.
Standby Vali, Jasmine. I want to bring in CNN's Alayna Treene covering the latest for us live from the White House. We've heard from President Trump.
I've given a sense of what we've heard from a phone call with our colleague, Dana Bash. What else have we heard over the past hours?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It was interesting, Becky, because last night, as all of this was unfolding, the official response from the
White House and Trump Administration, more broadly, was from Marco Rubio, and that statement was interesting, because one it very much leaned into
the idea that the U.S. was not involved in the strikes.
[09:10:00]
It also said that they were going to try and protect American interests here. Then we did finally hear for the first time from the president
himself, directly this morning, when he posted with a very different tone from what we were hearing last night. He essentially said that he had given
Iran chance after chance to make a deal, but that they couldn't get it done.
He said he had warned them of the manpower behind the U.S. that Israel shares, and that essentially more attacks were to come. But I think what's
so clear in all of this is that the United States and the White House's position as of now, is still that they believe a potential nuclear deal
with Iran is still salvageable.
They say that they still want to move forward with those previously scheduled talks to take place in Iran, between U.S. and Iranian officials,
I have to say, Becky, I find it very hard to believe that will happen in my conversations with sources here at the White House, they say they recognize
that may not be the case after everything, of course, that is unfolding here.
But we are starting to see kind of a tone -- because one of the most interesting things that was striking to me last night reading that
statement from the secretary of state that they did not make very clear that they support Israel and that they believe that Israel has a right to
defend itself.
But we are hearing now something different from the president himself saying that he is with Israel. I think, of course, a key question now is
what is going to take place on that phone call that my colleague Oren and I reported is going to happen later today between the president and the Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
And also, really, what is the president's posture moving forward here? Because, as of now, clearly, they are saying they still want to have some
sort of agreement and negotiation on a potential nuclear deal, all of that, though, of course, very much up in the air and in question.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Alayna, thank you. Vali, let me bring you back in. What do you make of this timing then? And I want our viewers just to see Israel --
pictures that Israel released in the past couple of hours showing U.S. made weapons, fighter jets, 200 of them being used in these attacks. Speak very
specifically to this timing, if you will.
NASR: I don't buy the argument that the United States did not know about this ahead of time, this this scale of an attack, upending President
Trump's nuclear negotiations, even de conflicting with CENTCOM in the Middle East, could not have happened without American acquiescence.
It's possible. And I think the Iranians may think that President Trump allowed this attack happen as a negotiating tactic. He wasn't getting Iran
to abandon some fundamental positions he had taken. Perhaps he thought that they need to look at the prospect of war and think that an attack on Iran
is serious, and now they will come back to the table, chastened and much more flexible.
And I think that's very difficult to see happen. I think the Iranians would feel that they need to respond to Israel in a big way, even if they're
going to go back to the table. And I think the Iranian strategy would be that they would they need to make President Trump look seriously at the
possibility of a real war with Iran.
And so, this is -- this in a way, still negotiations about the nuclear program, but now, instead of talking there also, we're going to see use of
weapons as a tool in the negotiations.
ANDERSON: Are you saying, I'll come to you, Jasmine, but Vali are you saying that you believe that the U.S. completely misunderstands the
Iranian, has miscalculates the Iranians doesn't understand where their thinking is on this.
NASR: Yes, I think so. I think you know, the President Trump, misunderstood Iran when he came out of the nuclear deal, imposed maximum pressure and
thought that Iran would come back on its knees within a six-month period and sign a new deal, bigger deal with him. It didn't happen.
And in fact, the United States came very close to going to war with Iran at that point in time, and it was President Trump that blink and backed away
from that. And I think you know this regime is the back is put to the wall. If it doesn't respond, it loses all credibility. It will be weak, and the
Israelis are not going to stop.
And so, Iran is bound to retaliate, and then President Trump is going to be in a very difficult position, managing an escalation.
ANDERSON: Jasmine, President Trump, started these negotiations, indirect negotiations with Iran, saying that they can never have a nuclear weapon.
The red line has changed, of course now and in the past few weeks, it's they cannot enrich uranium at all. I want you just to hear what Benjamin
Netanyahu said in the wake of these overnight strikes very specifically on the Iranian nuclear program. Standby.
[09:15:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Iran has taken steps that it has never taken before. Steps to weaponize this enriched uranium, and if
not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Jasmine, is there any evidence of that at this point? Just get us up to speed on this.
EL-GAMAL: We don't have any evidence of any kind of timeline that Prime Minister Netanyahu was referring to U.S. intelligence estimates, as has
been reported by "The Washington Post" and others say, a matter of months, maybe a year. So, this idea that Iran was an imminent threat to Israel,
Becky, I mean, you know, you know this, Vali knows this.
We've all heard this before. This is something that Benjamin Netanyahu has been saying for years. Now this is, of course, not to make light of threats
against Israel or the Israeli population. And of course, the Iranian regime itself, we have to state facts, which is that the Iranian regime has
supported these proxies all over the region for decades that have not only threatened Israel, but also that have threatened people in the region,
Lebanese, Palestinians, Syrians, Iraqis.
So certainly, this is not a case of an innocent, you know, regime in any in any sense of the word. But the idea here is, is this military response? Is
this aggression by the Israelis against Iran time and time again in order to weaken it? Is that actually helpful? Is that strategically sound for the
long term or even the medium term.
Now in the immediate term, I agree with Vali, that the Western States tend to mischaracterize or misunderstand the Iranians when they think that well
now they're really, really weak, so they have to come to the table. But actually, it could be quite the opposite. It could be that the Iranians
feel so existentially threatened right now that they have nothing to lose and they will throw everything they have at protecting themselves and
surviving.
ANDERSON: Vali, we're seeing protesters. We're just getting these images into CNN, protesters in Iran demonstrating for retaliation against Israel.
And we've also heard from the supreme leader effectively calling for patience at this time. It is unclear whether the response that we've seen
with 100 drones aimed at Israel, but not threatening Israel, ultimately.
Whether that is the extent of what we are likely to see from Iran at this point. How do you read what we are hearing from Iranian authorities?
NASR: I think they're shell shocked first of all, because I didn't think they expected an attack until the diplomatic channel was ended. In other
words, unless the talks fail, I don't think they expected it this fast. So, I think there's going to take some time for them to respond. I think
actually, Jasmine is correct.
I don't think this regime sees absorbing this attack, not doing anything coming to the table as a real option, because then it would basically
invite only greater Israeli attack. And also, let's remember that Israel says that it hit a lot of Iranian nuclear sites, but the real nuclear sites
are half a mile down under the ground.
It requires sustained bombing for months and months to come. And so as successful as this was Prime Minister Netanyahu has not really dented
Iran's nuclear program at this time. And if we were worried about Iran going nuclear, if they hadn't made this decision until now, they're much
more likely to make the decision to go nuclear at this point in time.
Because if you're facing a military superpower like Israel, which feels perfectly comfortable attacking you anytime that it wishes, with such
effectiveness, then the only deterrence that they can think of to prevent Israel from continuing would be nuclear. And then that's going to invite
even more confrontation.
And if you're sitting in the Gulf, if you're sitting in Iraq, if you're sitting in the region, I think the people of the region, the regimes in the
region, are likely to be collateral damage in this ongoing conflict.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and I'm well aware living in the region, as I do.
NASR: Yeah.
ANDERSON: But broadcasting today from Paris just how alarmed people around the region are, from leadership to those who are just going about their
daily jobs and just hoping that these conflicts, is sort of overarching, sort of sense of conflict for years and years. You know, it just seems to
be ongoing at this point and getting worse.
To both of you thank you very much indeed. Vali, I know you've got to go. Jasmine, I'm hoping you will stay with me through this next hour.
[09:20:00]
For the time being, standby. Still to come as U.S. seemingly works to distance itself from involvement in Israel's attacks on Iran. The IDF
releases video of American made jets used in those strikes. More on that is just ahead. Plus, Wall Street set to start trading about 15 minutes or so,
10 minutes or so from now.
The futures, well, they tell the story, don't they? Investors clearly very nervous about what is happening in the Middle East. We've seen oil prices
spike more on that as New York opens just a little later this hour. Taking this short break back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, the British Prime Minister urging Israel and Iran to step back, saying further escalation would serve no one in the region. Keir
Starmer went on to say, and I quote him here, stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate.
Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy. And we are hearing that sort of diplomatic speak, those calls being echoed across the
European Union today, though many frankly, falling short of condemning the strikes on Iran, whilst also urging restraint.
The French Foreign Minister said in a statement quote, we reaffirm the right of Israel to defend itself against any attack. It is essential that
all diplomatic channels are mobilized to dial down tensions. We're learning that Germany was given a heads up by the Israeli Prime Minister.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen joining us live from Berlin. And frankly, Fred, it does feel as if sort of diplomacy has been dumped in the garbage bin at this
point. Talks were supposed to be ongoing in Oman this weekend, but Israel has chosen to strike overnight. We are hearing a lot of diplomacy, of
course, not least from the Europeans you've reported from Tehran before.
So, let's just talk about what we're hearing from Europe, and indeed what we are hearing from your sources inside Tehran itself -- in Iran itself.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, the Europeans are calling for restraint, as they put in. They're
calling for diplomacy to continue. The Germans obviously saying that they had a conversation. This is -- I'm out the German chance that they had a
conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, also reaffirming, as they put it, Israel's right to defend itself, but at the same time, calling for things
to be dialed down.
Of course, one of the things that we've seen after these strikes were launched by the Israelis is that stock markets here in Europe started
tanking. Oil prices started going up. Energy prices started going up. So, they do appear to be a general destabilization of the situation as far as
the markets are concerned, especially for commodities.
[09:25:00]
That, of course, is a wearing sign for the Europeans, as their economies in general have been not in trouble, but certainly not exactly doing very well
over the past couple of months. Now, as far as Iran is concerned, the Iranians certainly acknowledging that these were pretty big blows to Iran's
leadership, especially military leadership.
If we just look at some of the people who have been killed in the strikes, Hossein Salami, of course, the Head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps, Mohammad Bagheri, the Head of the General Staff. But one person that we've been focusing on a lot is Ali Hajizadeh, who, of course, is the head,
or was the head of Iran's Aerospace Forces.
And that certainly is a fairly big blow to the Iranians, because he was seen by many as sort of the father of Iran's Aerospace Forces, the father
of the missile program, the father of the drone program, and also the air defense programs as well. I was able to spend some time in one of the
places where the Iranians show some of the missiles and drones that they have.
And there was a lot of talk about Ali Hajizadeh here and how the Iranians developed that program, and how can they continue to develop and continue
to also give the missiles longer range, to make them more precise and the like? One of the things, though, that the Iranians are saying, Becky, and I
think this is key, is that their whole system is geared towards replacing people if they get taken out.
So, there are already people who have been replaced. Like, for instance, Hossein Salami, the Head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian
Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already announced a replacement for him, the Head of the General Staff also.
So, one thing that the Iranians are trying to portray, trying to show and trying to put in place, is continuity of their system, even though, right
now there is no doubt that it is under attack. At the same time, the Iranians, of course, acknowledging that the attacks by the Israelis are
continuing, not necessarily in Tehran anymore.
But if we look to the north of the country, for instance, near Tabriz, and also the west of the country, near Kermanshah, apparently there's still
some Israeli attacks ongoing. So right now, the Iranian leadership is saying, yes, it is under attack, but at the same time, they are trying to
project that they will persevere, and that at some point in time there is going to be a strike back.
Certainly those 100 drones that we've seen launched from the Iranians earlier, that certainly does not stand to be it for Iran's retaliation.
They certainly say they are ready and in it for the long run, Becky.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, Fred. Well as the conflict between Iran and Israel unfold, several major global airlines have suspended flights to and
from some locations in the Middle East to look at how that is impacting travel. Plus, a closer look at spiking oil prices.
CNN has just learned that OPEC pushing back on talk of an emergency release from its oil stockpiles, leaving investors worried about supply
disruptions, the impact on prices now and going forward. That latest breaking news right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
ANDERSON: That is the bell on Wall Street. And the Catholic Charities, they're ringing in the trading day. And investors very nervous ahead of
this trading session, oil prices surging, seeing their biggest single day percentage jump in years, which comes, of course, amid worries that the new
chapter unfolding in the Middle East could lead to energy supply disruptions.
And we haven't seen numbers like this for some time. And on Wall Street stocks, well, they are under pressure. The major indices were certainly
lower in the futures market. They are lower on the open. The DOW Industrials down more than 1 percent the S&P off three quarters of 1
percent the NASDAQ off a little more than that.
All sinking after Israel, of course, launched strikes overnight regional time across Iran this was a significant and sweeping attack on military and
nuclear installations. Let's get you straight to CNN's Matt Egan, who is in New York. These oil markets had largely ignored the uncertainty caused by
the past sort of 20 months of regional conflict.
Last time we saw real spikes in oil prices really was in 2022 at the beginning of the Ukraine war. Until now, of course, and we have seen a
significant jump, Matt, why?
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Becky, I think it's because markets really had been pretty complacent about the risk of a conflict in the Middle East.
And in a lot of ways, this is the worst nightmare, right, where you have direct attacks between Israel and Iran in a region that is absolutely
critical when it comes to energy supply.
So, let's take a look at where oil prices are this morning. You see 7 percent for Brent, the world benchmark, almost 8 percent for U.S. oil
prices on track for their biggest one day increase since March of 2022 during the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
And look, the big concern here is the Strait of Hormuz, right. It is located right in the heart of this region, and this is the most critical
choke point for oil on the planet. Every single day, 21 million barrels of oil go through the Strait of Hormuz, some context, that's about 20 percent
of what the world consumes.
And so, the big fear here is that there could be that Iran could try to retaliate by trying to block the flow of oil out of this region. It is a
narrow, narrow transit way, just about 21 miles wide.
ANDERSON: Right.
EGAN: And so, there is concern that maybe Iran could respond by trying to really hurt the world economy and the U.S. economy by driving up prices.
And RBC Analyst Helima Croft, she said, oil has already spiked, and its ultimate landing point will likely hinge on whether Iran revives the 2019
playbook and targets tankers, pipelines and key energy facilities across the region.
ANDERSON: Yeah.
EGAN: And one last point here, though, Becky, I would just note that thankfully, we're entering this crisis at a time when energy prices have
been pretty low, right? This is gas prices in the U.S. The average nationally, 313 a gallon. It's down by 33 cents from a month ago, and down
by 33 cents from a year ago.
Of course, a lot has changed in the last 12 hours or so, and these numbers are all likely to go significantly higher in the coming days.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's interesting as well. You talk about the disruption to oil markets. What we haven't just talked about there is the potential for
Israel to attack Iran's oil facilities. They haven't done that yet, but we might expect more to come from Israel. And if that were to happen, taking
Iranian oil, of course, out of the market.
It does exist out there in millions of barrels. That will also, of course, affect supply wherever the U.S. President's head is on these attacks, and
that's what we've been discussing over the past 12 hours here on CNN. We know he is going to hate the idea of a spike in oil prices.
Because, as you rightly point out, these gas prices have been low, he will want to keep those low, particularly ahead of midterms as well. So, it will
be interesting to see where this all goes, and how he might be able to convince OPEC that they might open the taps somewhat at present, as you
have been reporting in the past hour.
[09:35:00]
Matt, of course, OPEC pushing back on any emergency releases at this point. Stay in touch, Matt, good to have you.
EGAN: Thanks Becky.
ANDERSON: Speaking of it. Right. Well, we -- are we going to take break. No, we're not. We're moving on. Iran has suspended all domestic and
international flights, according to Iranian state media and a number of global airlines have suspended flights to and from some locations in the
Middle East amid the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Qatar, Emirates, India, Lufthansa, each announcing various changes to their flight schedules for the coming days. Well, Israel says it used 200 jets to
attack more than 100 targets in Iran, releasing this video that shows U.S. made fighter jets involved in the air strikes. The F-35 jets made by
Lockheed Martin are the most modern in Israel's fleet, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Let me bring in for you, Oren Liebermann, who is standing by in Jerusalem. Jasmine El-Gamal is a Former Middle East advisor to the Pentagon, also with
us. Oren, let me start with you. Two things I want to talk about, firstly, those jets and to a degree, the release of those images, some are saying
sort of ties the U.S. very much into behind the scenes, at least involvement, as it were, in these attacks.
Although, you know, we have had an official statement from the secretary of state saying there has been no involvement, specific involvement. Secondly,
you got some reporting about how Mossad pulled this off. What we're seeing here smuggling, including of weapons into Iran.
So, let's just take on those. Let's start with this video. Just how much did it take for Mossad to be on the ground smuggling weapons into Iran
ahead of these attacks?
LIEBERMANN: It's an incredible operation, and one that an Israeli security source said was long in the planning, not a specific timeline on that. But
I think it's easy to look at this and say, this is months, if not potentially much longer than that. I'll remind you that we have seen Israel
do something in this vein before, when it came to the assassination of chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh back in.
I believe it was November 2020, with what Iranian state media said was a remote-controlled gun that detected him and fired upon him while he was in
a bullet proof vehicle in a secure convoy. So, Israel has at least in theory, shown the capability to carry out something like this.
But this is on a much, much larger scale that security source saying there were Israeli commando teams smuggling weapons in explosive drones that
targeted surface to air missiles, ballistic missiles, missile launchers that were mounted on vehicles. And all of that was effectively set off at
the same time as the Israeli Air Force fighter jets were approaching to carry out this massive first wave of strikes that we have seen.
And then, of course, we have seen more strikes. So, to carry out an operation like this requires a tremendous amount of planning and
confidence. And it's also worth pointing out that after the assassination of the chief Iranian nuclear scientist, after the assassination of Ismael
Haniyeh, after the stealing of the Iranian nuclear archive, Iran seems completely unable to stop the Mossad from pretty much operating Iran like
it's the Mossad's backyard.
ANDERSON: Yeah. And in the past, of course, they might have relied on Hezbollah in Lebanon, but as we were showing those images to retaliate, but
as we were showing those images, I am reminded of Israel's undercover operation, of course, in September to take out the command and control of
Hezbollah with beepers, which has sort of started off this cascade of fragility, as it were, for Iran, through the sort of defanging of its
proxies around the region.
And talking to sources around the region today, they are saying that the decapitation, as it were, of this command and control in Iran is, you know,
some X times what Israel was able to achieve with Hezbollah, before I bring in Jasmine, I do just want you to speak to the assets that were taken out,
the targets that Israel had in Iran today at the very highest level. Just speak to those, if you will.
LIEBERMANN: It's absolutely remarkable. It's not just the Natanz nuclear facility, Iran's primary nuclear enrichment facility. It's decapitating the
top of Israel's, I'm sorry, Iran's military structure, its military leadership, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and then going
after the top levels of their nuclear officials.
[09:40:00]
That potentially, and this is what we're seeing from here, may have delayed or effectively made it more difficult for Iran to retaliate. All we've seen
so far is about 100 drones, and certainly that's significant, but none of them got towards Israeli airspace, at least not from what we have seen to
this point.
Israel is anticipating a much larger response from ballistic missiles. Except the Head of the IRGC Air Force, who is in charge of the ballistic
missiles, was also killed in this attack. The list of top military leaders in Iran that have been killed as part of this by Israel is growing longer
and longer, as we learn more about what happened here, they have truly decapitated the command and control of Iran's military leadership.
ANDERSON: Jasmine, let me bring you in. Thank you, Oren. Let me bring you in, as Oren was suggesting there. And I've spoken to others this morning as
well. And you, I think, have made this point, this attack by Israel on Iran has been months in the making. We have known, you know, that again, as
we've discussed, we've known that Netanyahu has seen Iran as a threat for decades and has wanted to go at them in some way or form.
But this was pretty spectacular stuff. In the early hours, an official statement from the state department in the U.S. said that the U.S. had
nothing to do with this. Since then, we have had a quite different tone from the U.S. President himself, in the past hour or so, speaking to my
colleague Dana Bash on the phone, describing these strikes as very successful.
Now, if this has been planning for months, how much is the U.S. known Jasmine? And what will be the Pentagon's calculus on this? You've got deep
experience in advising the Pentagon over different administrations. So, what's going on behind the scenes in the U.S. at this point?
EL-GAMAL: So, a couple of things. I mean, first of all, Trump is now going to use, you know, he doesn't have a choice whether or not he knew about
this beforehand, and how long beforehand he knew about this is really not that important right now. What's important is now that it's happened, how
is he going to proceed, and how is he going to use these developments to ultimately get to what he said his goal is, which is to get to a deal with
as many of these actors in the region as possible.
I remember you and I were talking during his trip to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and Qatar, and talking about this vision, this opening of a new
chapter, and turning the page in the Middle East, where you're moving away from conflict and towards diplomacy and opportunity and mutual goals to
that end.
So right now, Trump is -- there's two things that's going to happen. One is President Trump is going to publicly and privately use these events and
these attacks as a way to try to convince Iran -- to the table and negotiate with very favorable conditions to the Israelis and the Americans.
Now, as we've said, I don't think that's likely. I think Iran is too humiliated right now and doesn't have any chips, any cards to play, so I
don't see why they would come to the negotiating table right now. So, that's -- so in terms of the Pentagon and in terms of what's happening
right now behind the scenes, this is what likely the conversations that are happening right now at the Pentagon.
You're going to have defense officials. You're going to have the joint chiefs of staff and intelligence officials going and looking at several
different points. They're going to be trying to assess with as much accuracy as possible the extent of the damage inside Iran.
They're going to try to be assessing possible Iranian responses against Israel, but also against U.S. assets and personnel in the region. And then
finally, and most importantly, they're going to be preparing options for President Trump to use in the event of any of those scenarios that they've
planned out.
Whether it's just defense of Israel in case of an Iranian attack against Israel, or whether it's an aggressive response or a proactive military
action from the U.S. towards Iran, if Iran goes after U.S. military assets, or even indicates that it might do so. So that's the planning process
that's going to be happening right now.
ANDERSON: Yeah, under the auspices of or leadership today of Pete Hegseth, of course, at the Pentagon. All right, Jasmine, it's been great having you.
Thank you so much. Your insight and analysis as ever so important for our viewers, thank you. Right after this short break, my colleague Erica Hill
will get you back up to speed on the other news of the day.
[09:45:00]
ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: Welcome back. I'm Erica Hill in New York. Let's get you up to speed now and some of the other stories. We are following for you
at this hour. Right now, crews in Western India are sifting through the rubble of Air India flight 171 as the world, of course, waits to learn more
about the cause of that deadly crash on Thursday.
Officials say the overall death toll has now risen to at least 290 people, but it is expected that number could increase. India's Prime Minister
visiting the wreckage earlier today, calling it an unimaginable tragedy. Here's more now from Vedika Sud in Ahmedabad, India.
VEDIKA SUD, JOURNALIST: I'm meters away from the crash site where a Boeing 787, a Dreamliner, crashed into a building, a hostel for medical students,
Thursday afternoon, local time. The extent of damage is for you to see four adjacent buildings absolutely charged by the explosion of that aircraft.
In the latest in terms of investigations, officials on the ground have told us that they have recovered a black box from the crash site. This is very
critical to the investigations announced by the Indian government. Friday morning Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited this crash site, after
which he went and met the injured in the hospital.
He also met with that lone survivor of this fatal crash, the British national who managed to walk away from this crash site. Families are
waiting outside the post mortem room. They're waiting to hear about the bodies that will be handed over to them. According to officials at the
hospital, more than 190 DNA samples have been collected, but the wait for these grieving family members could be long. Vedika Sud for CNN, Ahmedabad,
India.
HILL: Well Los Angeles, closing out a third straight night of curfews as calls grow across the U.S. to end the ICE raids, which of course, are the
heart of President Trump's immigration crackdown. L.A. police saying that detained several people, but overall, protests remaining mostly peaceful on
Thursday in Newark, New Jersey, video shows protesters outside an ICE detention facility where they appear to block an unmarked SUV.
When we return here on "Connect the World", Becky picks up our coverage of the breaking news Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:50:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL AT INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY: This development is deeply concerning. I have repeatedly stated that nuclear
facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as he could harm both people and the environment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Rafael Grossi there speaking after Israel strikes on Iran. The United Nations nuclear watchdog saying Iran told it that the strikes on
Natanz so far have not caused elevated radiation levels, but the IAEA is calling on all parties to exercise maximum restraint.
All sources tell CNN, the Trump Administration still hopes planned nuclear talks with Iran will go ahead on Sunday in Oman. CNN's Kylie Atwood is in
Washington. With that, you have to ask how realistic that is at this point, Kylie.
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: You really do. I mean U.S. officials have been telling us this morning that they are still intending
for those talks to take place. They're scheduled the six rounds of U.S.- Iran nuclear talks for Sunday in Oman, but we'll really have to watch and see, frankly, what the Iranians say.
U.S. officials had been looking to those negotiations with a heightened sense of awareness, because this was the week. This was the week that marks
that deadline that President Trump laid out. He wrote in a letter to the supreme leader earlier this year saying that he would give negotiations 60
days to play out, to succeed, to actually clinch an Iran nuclear deal.
Well, that deadline passed yesterday, so there was always pressure on this week. But of course, after we saw the Israeli strikes against Iranians
nuclear program overnight, there are many officials who are skeptical that this could go forward. And we should also note, however, that there is a
scramble behind the scenes, as the administration is making real efforts to try and keep alive those conversations.
I'm told Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was in touch overnight with the Omanis. The Omanis have obviously facilitated the talks between the U.S.
and Iran over the last two months to try and keep those efforts alive, we'll just have to watch and see how this plays out over the next 24 hours
or so.
ANDERSON: And in conversation by phone with our colleague, Dana Bash this morning, Donald Trump warning Iran to agree to a deal before there is
nothing left, Kylie.
ATWOOD: Yeah, it appears that President Trump is now taking what happened overnight and trying to use it as a further push on Iran to get them to
agree to a nuclear deal. Whether or not that play will be successful is a major question this morning. But we had heard President Trump over the last
week or so sometimes saying that, you know, he had been telling Israel not to strike Iran, though, saying that maybe strikes would be helpful to the
ongoing negotiations, but maybe they would sink those negotiations.
It's very clear that he knew that strikes against Iran would not actually necessarily lead to Iran deal talks continuing or succeeding, for that
matter, but it's clear that the administration is hopeful that could be the end state.
ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you very much indeed. We're going to need to take a break, but before we do that, let me just bring you some images
from Haifa this morning. This is the situation there.
[09:55:00]
We know that what could conceivably be just the first wave of a response from Iran was 100 drones in retaliation to these Israeli attacks some 12 or
so hours ago. None of those drones, as far as we can tell, actually impacted Israel, but we have just heard that Iranian drone activated sirens
in Upper Galilee in northern Israel are now being noted the drone intercepted by the Israeli Air Force.
The Israeli military earlier said, as I said, that Tehran fired more than 100 drones towards the country, intercepting most of them. So, as we look
at these images this morning of -- this morning, this afternoon, Israeli time of Haifa. We are now hearing Iranian drone activate sirens in Upper
Galilee, according to the Israeli military.
I'm going to get you more on that. The other side of this short break. You're watching a special edition of "Connect the World". I'm on assignment
in Paris here but news comes first, of course. And so that is what we are doing, and there is an awful lot of it, as concerns are ratcheted up of a
significant escalation of conflict, if not war in the Middle East. More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
