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Erin Burnett Outfront

Israel, Iran Launch New Strikes, Blasts Heard, Sirens Sound; Official: Iran Vows To Target Any Country That Defends Israel; Video Shows U.S. Marine Detaining Civilian Los Angeles. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired June 13, 2025 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:24]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT tonight, we have the breaking news. A new wave of attacks underway. Iran and Israel both striking each other in these past few moments.

A strike in Tel Aviv just happening, explosions also heard in Jerusalem. As you can see that in here. Those sirens.

This situation is developing by the moment and these early hours of Saturday morning in Tehran and Tel Aviv. Right now, this new round of attacks, as Iran says, its air defenses over Tehran were activated just moments ago, Iran retaliating against Israel during the day. Those missiles coming down across the country, most intercepted.

Iran was avenging the largest wave of attacks ever by Israel against Iran. The Iranian foreign minister called that attack, quote, a declaration of war. Both Israel and Iran are saying tonight that this is far from over. They're going to continue the fight for as long as it takes. Iran is also warning tonight its ambassador to the United Nations, speaking out and saying that the United States must be held accountable as well.

Now, Israel says it used 200 fighter jets in its initial operation. The targets there were military and nuclear, both facilities as well as leadership, and they killed a lot of them, you know, various places have various numbers here. But we can tell you this, the top ranking military officer in Iran and the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps are among those killed.

Israel also says it also struck two of Iran's nuclear facilities themselves Esfahan and Natanz. Natanz is the site at the heart of Iran's nuclear ambitions. We saw massive flames there. The head of the IAEA says Israel destroyed Iran's aboveground enrichment plant at the site.

Of course, a lot of the facilities there are so deep underground that you can understand why this is going to continue if annihilation of the nuclear facilities is the goal. The Israeli spy agency, the Mossad, releasing this video of what they say are their agents smuggling weapons into Iran well ahead of the attacks, which would show obviously meticulous planning and forethought.

We've got much more on that part. The covert operation that went into this ahead special report. But at one point, the IDF posted on its social media site, today, all of Israel is under fire as Iran retaliated. Iran claims this is just the beginning of what it says will be a crushing response.

President Trump says he was aware of Israels initial attack before it happened. Although Marco Rubio has taken great pains to signal to Iran that the United States did not assist, something Iran has made clear, it does not believe.

Oren Liebermann is OUTFRONT on the ground in Jerusalem to begin our coverage.

And I say, begin, Oren, you are in the midst of an ongoing developing situation. Missiles coming in just moments ago to where you are. What is the latest you're learning?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF AND CORRESPONDENT: Well, we were sitting here just about a half an hour ago when the sirens were going off, not only in Jerusalem, but in the entire surrounding area. And based on the red alerts, we kept on getting into our phones across much of the country. We saw red alerts in Tel Aviv and Beersheba in the north as well in some places, as well as the occupied West Bank, with the IDF saying just moments ago that there were dozens of missiles that had been launched from Iran toward the state of Israel.

Some, quote, some of the missiles were intercepted. We saw interceptors fired off from right behind us here where we sit in Jerusalem. And I should note that what we look out on, which is generally southward, facing from where we sit, is Israel's Knesset. We saw both interceptors launched close enough that it was quite loud here behind us, as well as what appeared to be interceptions themselves and then falling, falling shrapnel.

It's unclear if any of the missiles that we were able to see got through, but over the course of several minutes, we heard the loud explosions of several intercepts. We heard red alerts, the siren warning going off west from where we're sitting right now, and that extended for a period of several minutes.

It wasn't all that long before the Israeli military gave the heads up that people could leave shelters, and that the warning to be right next to shelters had been lifted. Still, it was quite dramatic what played out in the skies not only behind us, but also in the skies over Tel Aviv.

We're waiting for reports from Israel's Magen David Adom, that is, it's Red -- its Red Cross. On whether there were injuries across this latest wave of attacks. But Iran has promised that it will not be a quiet night. And that is very much what we've seen playing out here over the last few minutes.

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Meanwhile, Israel has also said, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that the attacks on Iran will continue. And according to Iranian state media, that's very much what we're seeing as well. It was just about 23 hours ago, sitting in this chair, that we began reporting on the first waves of strikes. As you pointed out, Erin, that was 200 fighter jets hitting more than 100 targets, including two nuclear facilities, but also beyond that, U.S. strikes across neighborhoods in Tehran, strikes at locations across Iran itself. And that was the beginning of this.

And it continues. Israel has said it will continue to strike targets as it tries to destroy, or at least significantly degrade, Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities. But beyond that, its ballistic missile threat, its surface to air missiles. It seems Israel has done a tremendous effort in destroying the surface to air missiles, and that has largely let Israel's air force operate pretty much unmolested in and around Iranian airspace, and which has allowed it to target so effectively all of this.

And yet here we are. This is effectively just the beginning. This might not be a war on the ground with ground forces involved fighting each other, but it is very much a war in the air, and we are seeing that play out behind us here, Erin.

BURNETT: All right. We're going to be checking in with you, of course, as this is ongoing as those sirens come on and missiles come in and back and forth, obviously, as you say, certainly a war of the air.

Oren, thank you very much. Live in Jerusalem tonight. I want to go straight to the IDF international spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani. Lieutenant colonel, I appreciate your time. Obviously, you join us as well from Tel Aviv this evening or in the early hours of Saturday.

We understand there's been just another wave of missiles launched from Iran against Israel, Iran promising a long night. And of course, where you are, it is only 2:00 in the morning.

So, do you expect from what you can see, many more missile barrages from Iran through these next few hours?

LT. COL. NADAV SHOSHANI, IDF INTERNATIONAL SPOKESPERSON: Well, hello, Erin. Thank you for having me.

Yes, we understand when we are approaching Iran and the Iranian regime in this operation that really we had to do, we had to carry out because we are at the 11th hour of Iran holding nuclear weapons. That is a problem for all of us, specifically for us.

And we understood it's not going to be easy. It's not going to be simple. We will have these types of incidents where they fired us. We have great aerial defense systems, but it's not perfect. Even when its 80 or 90 percent. If 100 missiles are coming over, that still means there's going to be hits. But we're but we're doing it because we have to. We're not doing it because we didn't think there's going to be any

retaliation. We're doing it because we have to, because we don't see any other way to stop Iran from holding weapons of mass destruction against us.

BURNETT: So, Colonel, let me ask you, in terms of the initial strike, and I know you've said you expect this to continue for days, but the Iranian ambassador told the U.N. Security Council just moments ago that the strikes that Israel conducted last night killed 78 people and injured more than 320 others. He said the overwhelming majority of victims were civilians.

Are you able to confirm that number of 78, or at the least, is Israel able to tell the world how many people that you killed were legitimate military targets?

SHOSHANI: Well, I can tell you this. And the pictures have been circulating all day long. Israel carried out a very precise, very planned out based on very high quality intelligence operation, where we were able to strike. Four of the most senior commanders in Iran simultaneously and in different spots, in some cases, the pictures were circulating and you could see a hole the size of a window in a house.

These are very complex operations in high density -- in places that have high density. And at the same time, we're operating against aerial defense systems. We are thwarting ballistic missiles in real time as we're seeing these ballistic missiles flying towards us now, ballistic missiles, we were able to throw out during the day.

So, a very intensive day. And I can tell you this, we have an issue with Iranian regime that wants to destroy us and is doing everything they can to annihilate us.

We have nothing with the people of Iran. I am personally an Iranian Jew. We have nothing with those people. No argument.

But we cannot allow a regime that wants to annihilate us have weapons of mass destruction, and we're doing our best to focus and carry out those very, very precise operations against this Iranian regime.

BURNETT: So the Israeli ambassador to the U.N. says that Israel has uncovered a plan that intelligence, and it revealed that there was a plan for a future assault on Israel, an assault carried out by Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas. And he described it as, quote/unquote, far more sophisticated than October 7th.

Obviously, we're in a situation where whatever word one wants to use, we're watching a war now unfold.

Colonel, I am wondering if Israel has the evidence to prove the claims, to tell the world what this operation was.

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That means this had to happen this way at this time. SHOSHANI: Well, the Iran's plan to destroy the state of Israel is

threefold. One is, as I spoke about the nuclear weapons, which is obvious for everyone why, that's an existential threat on Israel. The second one is ballistic missiles. And what we're seeing today is dozens. And Iran is planning to have thousands of those against Israel.

And the third the third thing is what I think the ambassador was speaking about is the plan to destroy Israel, which includes the proxies around Israel, where Iran for years has invested billions. We have seen evidence recently, intelligence recently showing that they plan to have on October 7th, but on a larger scale and on multiple fronts simultaneously.

And I remind you, October 7th started with thousands of rockets and then terrorists infiltrating Israel from multiple directions. And we understand they are -- they are advancing all of these ways in the same time to annihilate us. And I just want you to imagine, imagine tonight if they had nuclear weapons. Imagine this attack on Tel Aviv, on central Israel, on civilian buildings, if they had nuclear weapons.

We can't allow that. That is an existential threat to the people of Israel.

BURNETT: Right, right. Of course, they are responding tonight to your attack from last night. They call it an act of war. They say that this is a war.

Do you agree? This is a war?

SHOSHANI: I'll tell you this. This is an operation we're carrying out. And the mission is very, very clear and very simple. Make sure there isn't an existential threat on the people of Israel, on the state of Israel.

And if we can achieve that, then our actions will be over. And as I said before, we have no war with the people of Iran. We are not looking for war.

We're not doing this because we want to. Rather, we are doing this because we have to, and we are in the 11th hour of Iran reaching a nuclear weapon, which is a problem for us, but also for Americans and, and different people around the region and all across the world.

BURNETT: Colonel Shoshani, so much appreciate your time. I know, obviously, a sleepless nights for you, but we do appreciate your taking the time to join us and thank you.

And now, you've heard the colonel talk about what the IDF knows, what they're willing to tell us here, about why they say this needs to happen now.

Joining us are some of the leading experts in the region to talk through what we are literally living through right now, as we are knowing this is going to continue over these next hours.

So, thanks so much to all of you for being with me.

Can I just start with you, Seth Jones? Because you've been talking to high ranking Israeli officials. What are you learning right now about -- about where this is going? I mean, you heard the IDF.

SETH JONES, PRESIDENT, DEFENSE & SECURITY DEPARTMENT, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Yeah. Erin, a couple of things. Just in talking to Israeli officials over the course of this week and even today, one is I think it's important to understand how they put this conflict into context. Since October 7th and even before the connective tissue for Israel's senior leadership has been Iran.

That's in Gaza with a Hamas attack, that's been Lebanon with Hezbollah, that's been the Houthis in Yemen. And the strikes that the Houthis have conducted against Israel. And that's been the standoff attacks that have occurred from both Syria and Iraq directed at Israel.

So, for the Israelis, this is the connective tissue that links all of these has been Iran, which is why this is more than just about Iran's nuclear program. This is about going after Iran's military leadership for the moment, which is different from the way the Israelis conducted the 1981 strike in Osirak against Iraq, which was just the nuclear program. This is more than -- this is the leadership structure of the military.

BURNETT: Yeah.

JONES: And the second, just briefly, is, I think, how much support we're generally seeing in Israel. This is not just a Netanyahu operation. I think this has the support of Israel more broadly. That's -- those are two of the issues I'm hearing.

BURNETT: And Alexander Cornwell, you're in Tel Aviv right now, you know, covering this. So you're hearing the air, the sirens, you're seeing the air defenses lighting up the sky, trying to intercept and successfully so, so many of those Iranian ballistic missiles, you know, what are you seeing right now? And how is this obviously different than anything else?

I mean, we've already seen the world shaken by the fact that Israel and Iran are willing to fire missiles at each other. Right? But now, we seem to be in a whole new world.

ALEXANDER CORNWELL, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: I mean, I mean, over the last several hours, you know, we have seen Iranian missiles light up the sky here in Tel Aviv and intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome. But we've also seen some of those missiles hit Tel Aviv. We see buildings damaged in central Tel Aviv, in residential neighborhood in Ramat Gan.

And I think there's a lot of uncertainty in the country. I think your previous guest is correct and right when he says that there is a lot of support for this decision, even if there is not a lot of support for this current government in Israel.

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But this country has also gone through a lot. And I would just there was a woman I was speaking to earlier today. She was a mother of two, was due to celebrate her wedding anniversary yesterday, and she said she was fed up and she said she didn't trust this government.

And so, there are other voices in this country as well who -- who have lost hope in this government for a number of reasons.

BURNETT: So, Karim, Karim Sadjadpour, you heard the IDF there. They did not answer my question directly. I mean, the Iranian ambassador to the U.N. came out and said, right, 78 people are dead, 328, 320 others injured. Right? But I was trying to understand whether those 78 were all targets, right? Did they kill that many targets, whether they were nuclear scientists or whether they were senior military leaders?

Do you think that they did? And when you look at the numbers here, obviously Iran is responding okay, but how much of the Iranian infrastructure, military infrastructure has just been wiped out?

KARIM SADJADPOUR, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: Well, well, no more. Obviously, in the coming days, Erin, the impact, the extent of the military impact of this attack, certainly, the assassination of senior military leaders has been very significant.

And Iran at the moment has a very weak hand to play. Its regional proxies have been decimated, its missiles are outmatched by Israel's Iron Dome. Its nuclear program has been thoroughly penetrated. And it's led by an 85-year-old supreme leader who doesn't really have the physical or cognitive acumen to be fighting this very high-tech war.

So, you know, this is, as other guests have said, probably the most vulnerable the Iranian regime has -- has been in many, many years.

BURNETT: And interesting that you mentioned also the cognitive situation, which I want to ask you about, because, you know, the supreme leader is the, you know, at a moment like this, what a country where they turn to obviously, the Revolutionary Guard Chief is assassinated and so many other leaders.

Colonel Leighton, retired Air Force colonel, also with us now.

So, Colonel Leighton, you know, Israel saying that in its response, Iran has crossed a red line because some of its missiles were aimed at population centers, saying the Iranians will pay a heavy price for this.

Now, I understand you know, you have the IDF colonel there taking pains twice to say that this was about the leadership of Iran and not the people of Iran. In fact, identifying himself as an Iranian Jew. Okay?

But all of that being said, when they're saying Iranians are going to pay a heavy price for this and they're pointing to civilian targets in Israel, what does that mean for what Israel's going to do to Iran? CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think what it means,

Erin, is they're going to try to not only eviscerate the leadership structure, but there's a possibility that they might go in and try to go for economic targets. That could mean port installations along the Persian Gulf. It could mean a possible response if the Iranians decide to do something drastic, like close the Straits of Hormuz.

I don't think that's going to happen, at least at this stage of the game. But it could, and that would then possibly risk the drawing in of the U.S. into something like that, because we couldn't allow that area to have its maritime traffic stopped. And that would be, I think, a key, a key element there. So that would be, I think, one of the critical aspects to come.

BURNETT: Alexander, I know you're standing outside and I know that, you know, as you stand there, you've said it feels different to you. This feels different from the last time Iran launched ballistic missiles against Israel. You know, which -- which they did, you know, in shock and awe, right?

And then we could all come and look ourselves at the holes that were there, but they weren't very big holes. And, you know, when it was done, it didn't feel as big as it did in the moment. You think this feels different.

CORNWELL: I do. I mean, last October did to a certain degree feel performative. And now, it's as I mentioned before, it's a -- it's a lot of uncertainty. Israel has said that it will be attacking Iran for several days. It is committed to this operation.

And Iran has vowed retaliation. Who is someone going to blink first? How does either side step down from where we are? And if this escalates further, what does that mean?

I think there's a lot of unanswered questions, and I think the next coming days are a little unclear.

BURNETT: Seth. Among those unanswered questions is what's going to happen to the United States? Is Iran envoy to the U.N. just spoke out and said that the United States is complicit in this attack, and that the U.S. will face consequences for it. And I know Marco Rubio said, oh, well, the U.S. didn't help. But then Trump said he knew everything about it. Everything. And he knew the day. And, you know, sort of sent a very different message.

But I am wondering, Seth, whether you believe at this time that Iran has the ability and the will to conduct real attacks against American interests?

JONES: Well, Erin, I think there are two types of threats the Iranians pose. The one is probably less of a -- it's a lower probability, and that is a direct Iranian attack against the U.S., whether it's in the homeland or an Iranian attack against a U.S. base.

The other, which is a higher probability, I think, is an Iranian partner force. The Houthis in Yemen, for example, popular mobilization forces in Iraq conducting attacks against the U.S. or U.S. interests in the Middle East. And what's been interesting, Erin, is that there are other powers that have facilitated the Houthis. One of the things that we've seen over the last six months is both Russian and Chinese assistance to the Houthis for intelligence, satellite imagery, as well as components for weapons systems, including drones.

So, there are other powers. And it's worth remembering that the Iranians were very helpful to the Russians, including with drones and their war in Ukraine. I suspect they'll be asking for help now.

BURNETT: Yeah. And those Shahed drones that have been so ubiquitous by the Russians.

So, Karim, you know, when we look at the attack on the nuclear facilities, we understand, at least in the fog of this moment, two crucial nuclear facilities have been struck by Israel and above ground, above ground enrichment was taken out successfully in Natanz. But obviously, the Iranians have known the Israelis could do this for a long time. And that is why they have put so much of their crucial nuclear infrastructure deep underground, as deep underground as they could to withstand this.

So, I suppose at this time, it's hard to say. But does Israel have the ability to take all of that out? And how much bigger would an attack be with that as its end goal?

SADJADPOUR: Well, and this is a question which is debated between Israeli and U.S. senior generals. The Israelis would say they do have the wherewithal to do serious damage to Iran's Fordow facility, which is very deep underground. Most American military officials say that that's something that the Israelis can't do on their own.

President Trump tweeted this morning. And I think it was essentially telegraphing that United States would be willing to provide Israel that weaponry. Now, that's not like a light switch you flip on, and Israel can use it right away. But this is going to be, I think, the most consequential decision that the Iranians are going to have to decide internally.

Do they now decide that they're either overtly or covertly going to dash for nuclear weapon, or do they try to exercise restraint? And the reality is, their program has been so thoroughly penetrated by Israeli intelligence that I don't think they would feel confident that they could make a dash for a bomb and get away with it.

BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you all so very much. As this breaking news unfolds here, still in the hours of darkness in Tehran, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, where, of course, we expect more rounds of missiles coming in these next few moments.

Thanks so much to all of you.

As our breaking live coverage of the ongoing strikes continues, we also have the latest from the White House on what Trump is going to do, as Karim said, perhaps the most consequential decision will the U.S. provide a weapon that would take out Iran's hardest to reach nuclear facilities.

And secret explosive drones and missiles smuggled into Iran by Israeli spies, making this attack possible? New details on how Israel actually pulled off, what is an unprecedented strike on Iran's nuclear program.

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BURNETT: Breaking news, live images of Tel Aviv right now. Iran just launched a new round of attacks at Israel just moments ago. At least seven people there wounded and taken to the hospital in the most recent round after Israel hit Iran in the biggest strikes ever on that country. We understand that at least 78 people were killed in Iran. Multiple nuclear facilities were struck. Iran calling Israels initial attack a declaration of war, and Netanyahu is vowing to attack Iran for as long as necessary.

Obviously, there is great danger this hour of widening conflict, and Kristen Holmes is OUTFRONT at the White House.

So, Kristen, you know, President Trump and his administration are unusually quiet tonight. So, what is their thinking?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, it is incredibly quiet here. And it seems as though everything is wrapping up for the day.

Just moments ago, we saw Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, as well as the U.S. chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, walking out of the west wing into their cars. We know that there have been a number of meetings today. Earlier, we saw a number of the other cabinet secretaries getting into their cars.

So, clearly, it seems as though these two were the last two men there, which makes sense given the current situation. Now, when it comes to what they're thinking, really today has been all about figuring out where the U.S. is, what they knew, when they knew it, and what exactly were doing moving forward. Now, in terms of moving forward, we have learned from a U.S. official that we are helping with that deterrence from those Iranian missiles. We're helping Israel.

And an official did give the context of there are tens of thousands of American citizens living in Israel. There are U.S. military assets really putting it on the fact that they say they're defending Americans, which goes to what we heard yesterday from Marco Rubio when he said he wanted to protect U.S. personnel while they're trying to still say this was a unilateral decision on behalf of Israel.

So, it's a little bit of splitting hairs here, as they say, it's all Israel. But we're also going to be helping them. Now, the other thing that we've learned is that yesterday, before the strikes, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu spoke a number of times, and they spoke again today.

Now, no details on what that call looked like, but clearly, they are being briefed -- they being the administration -- on what's happening on the ground, on what's going on with Israel as its continued to launch these attacks. And I do know from a source familiar that they have been in the West Wing, they have been in the situation room, they have been watching this coverage unfolding this evening as well.

BURNETT: All right. Kristen, thank you very much.

And I want to go back to the ground in Israel right now. Our Clarissa Ward is just getting into the country. You know, they had closed the airport. Clarissa went through Egypt and Cairo coming in through that remote border to get into Israel.

And Clarissa joins us now.

Clarissa, what are you seeing and learning where you are now?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): So I'm literally, Erin, right now in the no man's land between Egypt and Israel. We actually flew into Sharm el-Sheikh and drove to the border. And as we were approaching the border, we could literally see the night sky being lit up ahead of us inside Israel. Presumably those were a number of interceptions that went on for about 5 to 10 minutes.

We also, as we were going through a pretty extensive search on the Egyptian side, which I should say is not unusual. Could hear fighter jets in the skies overhead that lasted about another five minutes and now, we are preparing essentially to cross into Israel itself, where, as your viewers will already be aware, there were warnings of more Iranian missiles incoming. So, this seemingly a very active evening, portending a further escalation as this conflict really brings the entire region to a knife edge.

Erin, as you mentioned, the airspace closed over Israel, but also over Jordan, Iraq earlier had closed its airspace as well. And there is a sense that things are escalating by the minute, but no clear off ramp in in sight for any of the various actors -- Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Clarissa Ward, thank you very much. We'll check back in with you, of course. Driving in the darkness there, as she says, in that no man's land coming in through the Egyptian border.

Thanks so much to Clarissa.

And I want to go straight to Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

I know that you have received multiple briefings about these strikes. Congressman, what are you able to share with us right now?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Well, I think the big thing is the force protection piece for us. We have a lot of troops, as you mentioned, in the region. We don't want to be dragged into this war directly. I mean, that's the biggest focus.

And then, you know, Trump administration does want to get to a negotiated end to this because it could spin out of control in a very dangerous way. I think those are the two big focuses of U.S. policy. And then the other big question is what is Israels end game here? When are they going to be satisfied that Iran's nuclear program is stopped and there's considerable disagreement about the military capability of doing that, even as I think there's widespread support for Israel.

Iran pushed the limit. They were pushing towards getting a nuclear weapon quickly to a level that, given their existential threat to Israel, Israel simply could not tolerate. And I think we all understood that.

BURNETT: So, there is Iranian state media is reporting now, just as I'm speaking, several new rounds of explosions in Tehran. Do you feel that the United States has full visibility on what Israel is doing, and when they are firing what they're doing? Or is the U.S. also in the dark, even as of course, we are their, you know, largest partner and arms supplier? We have a lot of military on the ground there.

SMITH: There's a little distance between those two points, and I'll find comfort in that distance. We don't have full visibility, nor do I think that were completely in the dark.

I genuinely believe that Israel did not consult us on the specifics of the strike or the timing. Now, obviously, we've had conversations over the months and frankly, over the years about what something like this would look like. So, it's not a complete surprise, the attack plan. But I do not get the sense that Israel consulted with us or is working directly with us. They acted on their own, even if we have some understanding of what they're doing.

BURNETT: So, you know, I curious what you think about this, Congressman. You know, we have all heard this prime minister of Israel, go in front of the U.N. and talk about how Iran is fill in the blank away from a nuclear weapon, and the world must take action. And it could be months. It could be a couple of years. We have all heard it so many times, and now we are hearing it again that this was the 11th hour and it was now or never.

Is that the truth? Do you believe them this time?

SMITH: Yeah. Look, I mean -- look, this is totally different, as has been widely reported just in the last few weeks, few months, Iran has significantly increased their uranium enrichment. And I'm forgetting off the top of my head the numbers. But they've increased their stockpile. That's over 60 percent. That has put them closer and closer to a weapon.

They've specifically pushed this, which was a dangerous thing to do, but it sure looked like they weren't going to negotiate out of this.

[19:35:05]

So, this is clearly different. I know the estimates in the past have been in different places, but just in the last few months, Iran has massively increased their enrichment of uranium. And the IEAA just came out yesterday, I think, two days ago, and said that Iran is not in compliance and blocking access. So, yes, this is different. BURNETT: Okay. So then one final question to you. If they need an

American weapon, right. One of those, to use the euphemism, sort of a bunker buster, one of American munitions to strike the heart of some of the deepest nuclear facilities, nuclear assets that Iran has. Would you support the U.S. providing that?

SMITH: No, I do not want to go to war with Iran. That would be going to war with Iran. That would, I think, push us over a line.

And again, there's many differences of opinion about what is necessary. Is that necessary to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program? I don't think there's clear guidance on that. And we should not be going to war with Iran.

BURNETT: All right. Well, Congressman Smith, so much appreciate your time. And thank you tonight.

SMITH: Thanks, Erin.

BURNETT: All right. And next, we're staying on this breaking news. Several explosions just heard in parts of Tehran. We told you what Iranian state media is reporting there. We'll be back on the ground in Tel Aviv. Oren Liebermann is learning new details.

And inside the top-secret mission to take out Iran's nuclear program. Assassinations planned, the secret drones, the weapons that were smuggled into the country by Israel. How did they pull it off? How did they pull all of this off?

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:41:14]

BURNETT: Breaking news. Iranian state media has just reported here in the past couple of moments that there are new explosions across the capital of Tehran. Plumes of smoke also seen rising over the city from images that we can see.

In Jerusalem, meantime, Israelis are dealing with the latest round of Iranian missile strikes, Israel's military saying that dozens of missiles were launched in the past hour, but that they have come in. And so, they say that they intercepted some, but not all of them.

Let's go back to Oren Liebermann, who is OUTFRONT in Jerusalem.

And, Oren, you know, Iran was just hit was hitting Israel with missiles only moments ago. And now we hear of explosions in Tehran. So that would mean the way this is going, you anticipate, even in these next hours, that it comes back again your way?

LIEBERMANN: Potentially at this point, it's a question of not if but when, whether it comes in the next couple of hours or the next couple of days. I thought I might have heard just a moment ago, a fighter jet up above the skies, above Israel. That couldn't be a commercial aircraft, because Israeli airspace is closed.

So, we really might just be still 24 hours into this at the beginning of this, as we saw over the course of the past, probably hour or so, Iran carrying out its third retaliatory strike on Israel with dozens of ballistic missiles launched here, including interceptors we saw launched right behind us here and Israel, according to Iranian state media, carrying out more strikes in Tehran, which would be very much what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would be happening.

Israel has made clear its goal is to destroy or degrade Iran's nuclear program, take out its ballistic missiles, take out its surface to air missiles, which has given Israels air force essentially free reign in the airspace and near the airspace of the country.

And Netanyahu said that would continue. And that's very much what we're seeing play out, even as we're in the overnight hours here in the Middle East.

In terms of the latest injuries, I'll just quickly say, Erin, that according to emergency responders in the latest round of ballistic missiles, at least seven have been injured to this point. We'll keep you updated.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Oren, live from Jerusalem tonight.

And I want to go now to the retired U.S. Navy Admiral, CNN senior military analyst, James Stavridis.

And, Admiral, I so much appreciate your time.

So, you know, when you hear what Oren is saying now, its a matter of when, not if. When you see the speed with which the back and forth is happening here, right? That is unprecedented. We have not seen anything like this before. So how much worse do you think this is about to get?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: Well, let's start with the fact that, yes, it is moving back and forth very rapidly, and we all ought to be very concerned about it. On the other hand, the Iranian response has been relatively muted, hundred drones, dozens of ballistic missiles, every one of those a tragedy if you're in the fragmentation pattern of it.

However, Iran has hundreds -- they could throw many more missiles at Israel. I think thus far we can be kind of 80 percent hopeful that this thing will slowly settle down. But, Erin, here's the point -- it's a 20 percent chance that this thing goes sideways, turns into a huge exchange of ordnance. That's what really our concern, all of us.

BURNETT: So, when Netanyahu comes out and you talk about this 80/20, and I think everybody is, you know, praying at this point, you're right about the 80 percent. But then you've got Prime Minister Netanyahu, who's telling that Iran, quote, I'll quote him, does not know what will hit them. [19:45:03]

So I guess the big question here is, and the person who ultimately seems to bear so much of the choice as to whether this is the 80 or the 20, is Prime Minister Netanyahu. What is his end game? What is his goal here?

STAVRIDIS: Well, at the most charitable end of analysis, it would be to say his goal is to ensure that Iran never has the capacity to have a nuclear weapon. I think a vast majority of observers would support that.

The question is, how do you get to that point? Do you do it by launching endless numbers of these kind of strikes, pulling the United States into it. You used earlier the acronym, the big bunker busters. These are massive ordnance penetrators, GBU 57s in my world.

I think Bibi Netanyahu would love to pull the United States into this. On the other hand, I'm not sure that's the best place for the United States to be right now. So where do we end up in all this? I think Israel will continue to attempt to degrade the Iranian nuclear facilities. They'll be able to knock them back maybe about a year.

Personally, I would say for the Trump administration, this is not the moment to leap into a war in the Middle East. If the Israelis want to continue down this path, let's ensure that there's still a path to diplomacy.

I hope these talks unfold on Sunday. There might still be an opportunity there.

BURNETT: So, you know, look, the U.S. is saying, well, we didn't -- we weren't involved. We didn't assist. Obviously, they help with air defenses.

But I mean, just to state the obvious, admiral, you to fly 200 fighter jets as we understand were involved from Israel over to Iran. The United States would know they're flying over U.S. bases in U.S. They could be shot down by U.S. forces. So, it would seem too cute by half to say the United States didn't know.

STAVRIDIS: I think a fair would be to say the U.S. was informed. The question is, was the U.S. consulted? Did the U.S. give a green light? To my eye, probably not. We'll have to hear more from the administration.

But were we informed? Most certainly. And that's appropriate because the Iranian response could go against U.S. assets. We've got 40,000 troops in the region. So, very important distinction there. I think we were informed but not consulted about whether to conduct these strikes.

BURNETT: Yes. And an important and I know a U.S. military sources who've had to deal with this before have said that Israel does try to do it that way. They like to inform not ask.

All right. Admiral, thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

And next, new explosions in Tehran reported just now. Weve got a little bit more on this breaking news. Exactly what is happening on the ground there and what we are learning about the core of all of this, how Israel was able to smuggle weapons into Iran deep into Iran in large amounts to attack the country.

And breaking news in the United States, Marines officially detaining their first civilian in Los Angeles. A major development in Trump's use of troops to quell the unrest in the city, even though the courts have ruled against him on the National Guard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:11]

BURNETT: Breaking news, Iranian state media reporting. Several explosions have been heard in Tehran. Plumes of smoke rising over the city, visible now. And this came right after Iran had launched dozens of missiles at Israel. It comes as Israels spy agency is starting to share a little bit about how they went about this, sharing stunning video that it says shows its operatives deep inside Iran before the attacks began.

Matthew Chance is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

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

Israeli officials say precision weapons were smuggled into central Iran and positioned near missile systems. There are striking similarities with Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia earlier this month, where spectacular covert drone strikes destroyed valuable Russian strategic bombers. But alongside the Israeli hits on Iranian military and nuclear targets, key leadership figures were also targeted and killed in pinpoint strikes, likely driven by highly accurate Israeli intelligence, including top commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps and multiple nuclear scientists, according to Iranian officials.

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

CHANCE (on camera): Well, Erin, tonight, Israeli military officials are still continuing to insist that there's no time limit that they're prepared to put on their operations days. They say, if necessary, to achieve their objectives. But, I mean, the fact is, the longer it lasts, the higher the risks of a more serious Iranian retaliation. We've already seen those significant hits on Tel Aviv and elsewhere throughout the course of the evening, but also on the possibility of a broader sort of escalating conflict that could drag in other countries, including the United States.

Erin, back to you.

BUIRNETT: Matthew Chance, thank you so much.

And next, more on this breaking news. Tehran now threatening any country that defends Israel.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:57:26]

BURNETT: Breaking news, Iran warning it will intensify its attacks on Israel. A senior Iranian official also telling CNN the country will target regional bases of any country that tries to defend Israel. Of course, it is a -- U.S. does assist Israel in air defense.

It comes as President Trump claims Israel initially attacked Iran because Iran failed to reach a new nuclear agreement with the U.S.

Kylie Atwood is OUTFRONT at the State Department.

And, Kylie, you just heard Admiral Stavridis saying that, you know, one of the key things to hope for is that somehow there are talks on Sunday of some sort on the Iran nuclear deal, which had been the original plan that, as of now appears to be off the table.

But does the U.S. still have any hope of that or of a nuclear deal with Iran in the context of what's going on?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, earlier today, U.S. officials were saying that they still intended for those Iran nuclear deal talks to happen this weekend. I'm told that that sentiment is still a lasting one within the administration today. Of course, as this conflict is playing out actively before our eyes, the likelihood is going down. But administration officials have been working behind the scenes to try and ensure that they still could have talks with Iran.

We know that special envoy Steve Witkoff had been in touch with the Omanis when the initial Israeli strike begun, to make sure that they knew to tell the Iranians, as the interlocutor between the U.S. and Iran, that they wanted to continue these talks. We'll watch and see how this plays out.

President Trump, for his part, has been making the case throughout the day that Israeli strikes against Iran should effectively compel Iran to come to the table for what he says is their second chance to get to a nuclear deal before he said nothing is left, saying that if they don't come to the table, there will be more and harsher strikes to come. We'll just have to watch and see how this plays out.

BURNETT: It could be absolutely crucial over these next hours through this weekend.

Kylie Atwood, thank you so much, at the State Department.

And also breaking right now, I want to show you some dramatic video that is just in to CNN. What you're watching here is the United States Marine. And that Marine is detaining a man. That man is outside one of the federal buildings in downtown Los Angeles.

So, you see the marine standing guard, rifles slung over his shoulder and holding the man in place. Now, this is significant because in recent days we talked about marines being deployed, but they had not been visible. They had not been seen at all in anything in downtown L.A.

So, this is a significant change. And at this hour, it is still unclear why that specific man was detained, why a marine would be involved. CNN has not verified independently the circumstances surrounding this incident. We just have this video, which is obviously crucial.

And we do understand that 200 U.S. Marines arrived in Los Angeles earlier today. It all comes on the heels of a judge striking down President Trump's extraordinary decision to send in National Guard troops, against the wishes of the California governor.

Thanks so much for watching.

"AC360" starts now.