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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Israel Says It Struck Hundreds Of Targets In Iran; Red Crescent: 3 Iranian Aid Workers Wounded In Tehran Attack; CENTCOM: U.S. Refueling Aircraft Lost Over Western Iraq; First Purported Message From Iran's New Supreme Leader. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired March 13, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:19]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and all around the world. I'm Rahel Solomon live this morning in New York.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Becky Anderson, live from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi where the time is 1:00 in the afternoon on day 14 of this war.

Israel now says its fighter jets struck more than 200 targets across Iran over the past 24 hours. Iranian state media reports heavy explosions rocked several cities in the country, including the capital. Well, some residents in Tehran said they felt their houses shaking. Iran's Red Crescent society says an attack on a toll station wounded three of its aid workers.

Israeli authorities say a missile strike has wounded dozens of people and damaged buildings in northern Israel. It happened after sirens sounded in the Israeli military said it had detected missiles fired from Iran.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts are underway after an American refueling plane went down in western Iraq. That is according to Central Command, which says that the plane was not hit by hostile or friendly fire. The U.S. official tells CNN at least five crew members were on board. We don't know their conditions at this time.

And video shows a strike hitting an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iraq and Kuwait. That comes as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard threatened to set the regions oil and gas infrastructure on fire if Iranian energy targets are hit.

Now, the war with Iran triggering shockwaves through the global oil industry. Of course, as the price per barrel climbs, stocks fall and major supply disruptions are expected. We've got a team of reporters covering all angles of this war.

Oren Liebermann this hour is live in Tel Aviv. We'll hear from him in a moment. First, let's get to Nada Bashir in London.

And it was late Thursday that for the first time, Nada. We heard a purported message from the new supreme leader. We haven't seen him. We didn't hear his voice, but this was a message that was read out on state TV, and it had two or three key messages for the U.S. and indeed for the region. Just explain.

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This was quite a lengthy statement shared with the nation and, of course, with the international community from Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

This was a sprawling statement read out on state media really touching on a variety of points. But the main focus, of course, was painting that picture of defiance against U.S. and Israeli attacks. This war will not come to an end until there is victory on the part of Iran. There was no sort of off ramp indicated by the new supreme leader, and there was a focus, of course, on the regional dynamics as well.

And the message directly to Iran's regional neighbors. We heard from the ayatollah saying that Tehran wants friendly relations with its regional neighbors, that it is not focused on targeting its neighbors, but rather is focused on targeting U.S. military bases in the region. Those attacks, according to the ayatollah will not come to an end until all U.S. military bases are shut down. Of course, important to note that we have also seen the targeting of civilian infrastructure, oil infrastructure in the Gulf region as well, not just military bases.

And of course, there was also a focus on the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route, which has become a key point of concern. At least 16 vessels have been targeted in attacks by Iran over the course of this war in the Strait of Hormuz. We heard from the ayatollah saying that at this point, it is expected that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, in his words, as a pressure tactic.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

PURPORTED MESSAGE FROM IRAN'S NEW SUPREME LEADER: The level of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely continue to be used. Studies have been conducted on opening other fronts where the enemy has little experience and will be extremely vulnerable, and their activation will carry out if the war situation continues and based on the observance of interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASHIR: Now, of course, despite this very defiant rhetoric, we have continued to see Iran coming under attack.

[05:05:02]

We've heard from the U.S. president really painting a picture of almost complete destruction on the part of Iran's military capabilities. Of course, we've heard from the Israeli military saying that in the last day, we have seen the targeting of at least 200 targets according to the Israeli military, they say focused on missile launches, defense capabilities on manufacturing sites for these missiles and drones.

And we've been hearing from state media reporting the sound of large explosions in several parts of the capital Tehran. Of course, again, we have also seen civilian infrastructure as well as oil related infrastructure targeted and damaged in these ongoing strikes by the U.S. and Israel.

And then, of course, we have also seen strikes carried out by Iran targeting parts of northern Israel, at least a dozen said to have been injured in these strikes but again, there seems to be no clear off ramp at this stage. And questions are really mounting as to what the strategy is of the new supreme leader with regards to what those next steps could look like.

ANDERSON: Yeah. Good to have you, Nada. Thank you.

Let's bring in Oren Liebermann.

Well, as it is unclear, Oren, as Nada says, quite what the next step for Iran will be. We are learning that Israel has carried out some 200 attacks on Tehran and around the -- around the country, in Iran in the past 24 hours.

Do we have any more detail on what the -- what the targets of those attacks have been?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: And it's not just in the capital of Tehran. The Israeli military says they also struck targets in the city of Shiraz and Ahvaz. In Shiraz, they say they were going after an underground ballistic missile production site. That has been one of the key targets for Israel since the beginning of the war, trying to take out as many of the ballistic missile arrays and launchers. And now, it seems going after Iran's ability to produce those ballistic missiles.

And yet Iran has continued to be able to fire missiles. There was a warning of incoming missile fire earlier this morning, as there has been several times, if not more, every day since this war started 14 days ago.

Let me take you to northern Israel and the Arab town of Zarzir, where one of those missiles was able to pierce Israels missile defense array and directly struck a village in that town of Zarzir. According to Israels fire and rescue authority, wounding dozens there. And if you're able to see the imagery, the video from that town you can see the homes destroyed there, and the result of that missile strike.

It's not the only missile that has gotten through recently. In fact, just a day ago, it was a rocket from Hezbollah that hit a home in the town of Haniel also in northern Israel. So, even if most of these missiles from both Hezbollah and Iran are

being intercepted, some are getting through. And that's why you see the home front command restrictions remain in place here, as we are on day 14 of this war here.

In terms of if I'll go back to a second Mojtaba Khamenei, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech or a press conference to Israeli media several hours after that first statement from Mojtaba Khamenei. And he said, effectively, we killed his father and he is now afraid to show his face in public. So, I think Israel signaling very clearly now that it considers the younger Khamenei a target just like his father -- his father was.

ANDERSON: Oren, this action on Iran is coordinated between the U.S. and Israel, and we know that. What we -- what is unclear is just how coordinated the narrative is behind the scenes. I mean is there any daylight between how long this might last? According to the U.S. as opposed to Israel? I mean, what do we understand at this point?

LIEBERMANN: It's an excellent question from two perspectives. First, there is the military side of this coin, and there the coordination is incredibly close, as it would have to be to carry out joint strikes on Iran. That requires tankers, logistics and much more. So, the militaries from everything we can see and from all the statements are very much on the same page. It is the political side where there seems to be some daylight, even if in many of those public statements, the U.S. and Israeli administrations try to show that they're on the same page.

But President Donald Trump has mused fairly publicly at this point that victory is close at hand, that maybe its days away, that this operation is closer to being wrapped up Operation Epic Fury, as it's called in the United States. And at the end is perhaps closer now than it was even just a few days ago.

He is signaling an end to this operation. We see nothing like that from the Israelis who are ready here for weeks more of strikes on Iran. What the end goal is that remains unclear from both the Israeli and the U.S. side. But Israel has signaled far more loudly that they see this continuing for a longer period of time than I think the U.S. has signaled -- Becky.

ANDERSON: And briefly, any further detail on whether we might see a ground operation by Israel inside Lebanon anytime soon.

[05:10:07]

LIEBERMANN: From everything we have seen, that seems increasingly likely. It is also very likely that Israel is waiting to wrap up most or all of its operations in Iran. That would free up its air force for top cover for a ground operation in Lebanon. So that is something to keep a very close eye on.

ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann is in Tel Aviv. You heard from Nada Bashir, who is in London a little earlier. Thank you.

And we will have a lot more from the Middle East coming up. For now, though, let me hand it back to Rahel, who is in New York for you.

SOLOMON: All right, Becky, we'll see you soon. Thanks so much.

A fatal shooting at a Virginia University that left one person dead and two others injured is now being investigated as an act of terrorism. It happened Thursday morning at Old Dominion University in Norfolk when a gunman opened fire on a classroom full of students. Officials identified the shooter as Mohamed Jalloh, a convicted ISIS supporter and U.S. military veteran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOMINIQUE EVANS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: In 2016, Jalloh was arrested and pled guilty for attempting to provide material support to ISIL, now known as ISIS. Jalloh was sentenced to prison in October of 2017 and was released from prison in 2024.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: The FBI confirmed during a press briefing that Jalloh was killed after a group of students overpowered him.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says that the person suspected of ramming a vehicle into a Michigan synagogue has been identified as a 41-year-old Lebanese born, naturalized U.S. citizen. The suspect was found dead in a burned-out car after crashing into the Temple Israel. The FBI says that it is investigating this attack as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

Our Ivan Rodriguez has more now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a much quieter scene than it was earlier today outside of Temple Israel, one of the largest reform synagogues in the country. And while no members of the synagogue were killed or seriously injured, there is a growing sense of fear among Jewish communities.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): A house of worship turned into a site of terror Thursday after police received reports of an active shooter and a car driven into a building at temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, a synagogue that also contains a school.

SHERIFF MICHAEL BOUCHARD, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: One of the head of security was taken to the hospital. He got knocked down by the car when it breached the building.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): The Oakland County sheriff says a security guard engaged the suspect in gunfire after the vehicle rammed through a set of doors, and the suspect is now dead. Sources say the man's car contained what appeared to be a large amount of explosives. The sheriff says something caught fire inside the vehicle and the suspect's body was badly burnt.

BOUCHARD: It caused terrible, terrible smoke in that part of the building and so when all of our people collectively went in that building to search out the threat to remove innocent, a lot of them took in significant amount of smoke inhalation.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): According to the sheriff, at least 30 law enforcement officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, but no staff or children were injured. An FBI agent leading the investigation says the attack was a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

DANA NESSEL, MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL: Shocking. And you know, it is creating a circumstance where I think people are going to be afraid to go to synagogue.

RODRIGUEZ (voice-over): The incident comes amid a surge of attacks on members of the Jewish community in the U.S.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in Detroit.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RODRIGUEZ: The Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect as a 41-year-old man, originally from Lebanon. DHS says in a statement that the man entered the U.S. in 2011 on an IR-1 immigrant visa as a spouse of a U.S. citizen. He then later became a citizen himself in 2016. Authorities are also investigating reports that the man told people he had multiple family members who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon in recent days.

In West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.

SOLOMON: After the break, we'll head back to the Middle East as missiles hit Israel and explosions rock Iran. We'll have the latest fallout from the Middle East conflict, straight ahead.

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[05:18:51]

ANDERSON: Let's update you on the war in Iran. People across the country, on the streets at this hour, holding annual rallies in support of Palestinians. "Reuters" say crowds in Tehran burned the effigies of the U.S. and Israeli leaders. That is happening hours after Israel said its fighter jets hit military targets across the country and after new Iranian attacks on the region including here where I am in the UAE, officials say air defenses intercepted an Iranian projectile whose debris crashed into Dubai's financial district.

There are no reports there of injuries, the U.S. president said earlier his military operations are on track.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The situation with Iran is moving along very rapidly. It's doing very well. Our military is unsurpassed, has never been anything like it. Nobody's ever seen anything like it.

And we're doing what has to be done. Should have been done during a 47-year period. Could have been done by a lot of different people. They chose not to do it, but they really are a nation of terror and hate.

[05:20:02]

And they're paying a big price right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Well, we're joined now from Washington by CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton. He's also a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.

It's good to have you.

Since February the 28th, CENTCOM says it has damaged or destroyed 60- plus Iranian ships and over 30 minelayers. How vulnerable are major shipping routes, especially the Strait of Hormuz, to what are these seaborne drones packed with explosives? I mean, we've seen traditional missile or air attacks, but I do want to raise this as a risk. And how quickly can militaries adapt to what can be this hidden, hard to detect threat?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yeah. This is actually one of the principal challenges of this particular conflict, Becky. And one of the things that we have to understand is that while we have -- the U.S. and Israel have basically eliminated the standard aspects of the Iranian navy, those 60 ships that are at the bottom of the Persian Gulf and other bodies of water, those are an Iranian capability, but they are a standard traditional military capability. Where the Iranians excel is in the nontraditional capabilities and those missiles that you're talking about that are basically, in some cases, a cross between missiles and torpedoes, those underwater missiles that are very hard to detect can very much be a threat to allied shipping. And, you know, both commercial as well as military shipping.

So, they are a considerable danger they, you know, can be countered if given enough time. The problem is, is that time right now is not of the essence for, you know, for those kinds of things.

ANDERSON: And they've been described these underwater drones, if we can describe them as such. And indeed, the mines, of course, described as the next frontier in naval warfare here's what U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey had to say, Cedric. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HEALEY, BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE: We've seen the reports, haven't we, that the Iranians have started mining the straits. We've seen the reports overnight of more civilian commercial ships that have been attacked unarmed doing their normal business. Now, I've already got pre-positioned in the region from before this conflict, some autonomous mine hunting systems and I've been talking to the planners today about additional options that we could bring to bear alongside allies if action is needed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLOMON: Alongside allies, he said. And that's the U.K. defense secretary. We heard Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, when asked about getting this this choke point of the Strait of Hormuz, moving again, he said that can happen alongside an international coalition, he hopes.

From a military standpoint, is the U.S. equipped at this point to deal?

LEIGHTON: Well, not completely. So, there are some -- some aspects, some anti-drone measures that the U.S. military does have. The U.S. Navy has specifically, and especially those autonomous anti-mine measures that the U.K. defense secretary was speaking about.

Those are available. They can be deployed. The question is they have not been tested in combat situations.

Now, naval mines have been a factor for well over 100 years in naval combat. But the types of mines that the Iranians use range from very traditional mines, a very simple mines to somewhat more complex devices.

Then you have those underwater drones that you spoke about and underwater drone countermeasures are something that is basically a nascent field within the defense industry both in the U.S. and with allied nations.

ANDERSON: The U.K. defense secretary also saying that Vladimir Putin may have a, quote, "hidden hand" in some of Iran's drone tactics. Now reports suggest Iranian pilots are flying drones lower and in more predictable -- unpredictable patterns.

From a military standpoint, do you see evidence that lessons from the Ukraine war are now being applied in the Middle East?

LEIGHTON: Yeah, absolutely and in fact, those reports are quite accurate in my view, because what you're seeing is an increased use of drone tactics that were also used by the Russians in Ukraine. So, the kinds of tactics that you described where they fly low to avoid radar detection, where they do conduct certain maneuvers that are designed basically to overwhelm air defenses.

[05:25:05]

That is precisely the kind of thing that the Russians have done in Ukraine. So basically, what the Russians did there was they imported the Shahed drones themselves, the Shahed being the Iranian made drone. And then they modified it in some ways with extra electronics, anti- jamming equipment, things of that nature, and they were able to use that fairly effectively for a time in Ukraine.

However, in Ukraine, the tide has turned a bit. And that is something where you can see anti-drone measures that the Ukrainians have built, you know such as some of their systems that have come out and they are now deploying those systems into the Middle East and their training the Ukrainians themselves are training the forces in the gulf states, as well as some U.S. forces, particularly in Jordan, in those kinds of anti-drone measures.

So, what you're seeing in Ukraine is basically a precursor to what is happening now in the Persian Gulf Region.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And we've seen that Ukrainian sort of effort here in the UAE and Saudi, I know, and as you say, across the region. It's good to see.

Thank you, Cedric.

I want to note that the response from the Gulf -- I'm here in the UAE -- to what is this unprovoked and reckless attacks on this region and Jordan. The UNSC, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution in the past 24 hours co-sponsored by 135 countries condemning attacks by Iran and demanding that they stop as these countries actively defend themselves and the likelihood is we will see some of that anti-drone technology here around the region imminently. There is a policy of strategic restraint at present and a full effort to work within the body of international law, as this region sort of rises to its right to respond. How that will look going forward will be interesting to watch.

All right. Things are getting from bad to worse for the internally displaced people in Lebanon. Still ahead, why some experts believe the already high number of them could skyrocket within days.

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