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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Israel Launches Fresh Wave of Strikes in Tehran; U.S. Senate Blocks Bid to Rein in Trump War Powers; U.N.: 100,000 Fled Tehran in First Two Days of War; Iran Conflict Threatens Tanker Traffic in Strait of Hormuz; Israel's Latest Attacks on Iran; Grey Bull Rescue Says it has Evacuated More than 100 People from Israel; Israel Escalates Attacks Across Lebanon; Thousands Displaced in Lebanon. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 04, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR, "THE BRIEF": Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, and

you're watching "The Brief."

Just ahead this hour, Israel launches a fresh wave of strikes across Iran as the U.S. says it's striking deeper into the country as well. The U.S.

Senate has blocked a bid to rein in President Trump's war powers in Iran. And Israel escalates its attacks across Lebanon as well, targeting the

Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Well, the U.S. and Israel are now intensifying their military operations against Iran. America's top general says the U.S. military will start

striking deeper into the country as Israel launches a fresh wave of air attacks across the capital, Tehran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says a

U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka says its Navy rescued some two-dozen people off of its shoreline. Hegseth spoke

about the war's trajectory going forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We have only just begun to hunt, dismantle, demoralize, destroy and defeat their capabilities just four days

in. We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating. The only limits we have in this is President Trump's desire to achieve specific

effects on behalf of the American people. And that's why we don't talk about, you can save four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it

could be three. Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Iran, however, continues firing missiles and drones at other nations in the region. NATO air defense shot down an Iranian missile

heading towards Turkey. Nic Robertson is live in Riyadh. Nic, I wonder from where you're standing, are Saudi leaders behind this war at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Look, I think they're standing here not on the sidelines, sort of being, feeling that they're

being pulled onto the pitch and resisting getting involved on the game on the pitch. Look, they're being pulled in. And it was interesting listening

to the briefing from the Pentagon, from Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, secretary of war, if you will, and also from the Joint Chiefs of

Staff, General Dan Caine. We learned things about strikes on Saudi Arabia we hadn't learned before. Ballistic missile attempted strikes on energy

infrastructure in the east. We know they've been attempted to be hit by drones. But ballistic missiles is exactly the sort of ordinance and exactly

the sort of damage that the Saudis really fear to their oil infrastructure.

And it was interesting because General Caine talked about the Gulf countries and what they've been experiencing and talking about the

restraint that they've been exercising. And that does reflect the position here. The option to respond to the aggression is something that's on the

table. The Saudis have very specifically used that language. The GCC countries have used that language.

But I think, you know, what we've been learning today is the intensity and the specificity of some of the bombardment on Saudi Arabia that feels it's

sort of at the apex, if you will, of the escalation ladder that the Iranians have been going up. And ballistic missiles are sort of at the top

of that. And targeting oil infrastructure is at the top of it as well. So, I think the takeaway is restraint, but concern.

And just briefly on the concern, a long campaign we heard in that briefing, four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks maybe, a switch from the sort of

sophisticated standoff munitions to the less well-accurate, if you will, 500, 1,000-pound, 2,000-pound JDAMs, the sort of the dumb bomb with GPS

guidance, if you will. And of course, here in this region, leaders' populations look at how those munitions were used in Gaza and the effect

there and the collateral damage among civilians.

[18:05:00]

So, you know, when they're viewing from here, it's now a protracted war with the potential for civilian casualties and no clear outcome on the

leadership, and therefore, the concern about what happens in Iran and the knock-on effects, which, you know, we could spend this whole next hour

getting into those, Jim.

SCIUTTO: No question. Do the Saudis feel protected from continuing strikes on Iran? by Iran?

ROBERTSON: Look, I think they do, and they're proving very capable. The readout this morning from the MOD here was that they'd intercepted nine

drones in the early part of the day, then two cruise missiles that appeared to be targeting the big air base just outside of the capital, then there

was another targeting of oil infrastructure a little bit later in the day. And all of those have been intercepted.

They're not on the front line in the same way that Dubai, the Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait have been finding themselves so close to Iran. The

Saudis feel that they've got a little bit of strategic depth here, in a way, apart from their eastern part of the country. They get a bigger chance

to see the missiles coming, but, you know, two nights ago, we were talking about the embassy here in Riyadh being hit, and that was four different

drone strikes.

So, I think, overall, the sense is they've got the capability themselves, a deep capability. I'm sure they'd always wish for a greater level of

defense, maybe, that the U.S. could provide, but recognizing where they are, what else is going on. What we hear from officials is, we're not

getting complaints about, oh, dear, we're being left out in the cold, no one's helping us. There's been a lot of help in advance.

SCIUTTO: All right. Nic Robertson in Riyadh, thanks so much. Well, on Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans have now blocked a resolution aimed at

forcing President Trump to seek congressional approval for the war against Iran. The U.S. Constitution does require presidents formally to ask

Congress to declare war. The Senate voted 53-47 against the measure along party lines. The bill was already facing an uphill battle on Capitol Hill,

and that would have been before a certain presidential veto. The House is expected to vote on a similar measure on Thursday.

Joining me now, Democratic Congressman Eugene Bindman. Congressman, thanks so much for joining.

REP. EUGENE VINDMAN (D-VA): Thanks for having me, Jim.

SCIUTTO: So, this has failed in the Senate. The House is still going to vote on this, uncertain whether it gets through, but regardless, you know,

the president's desk, he would never sign something like this. Did Democrats achieve something by seeking this vote?

VINDMAN: Well, look, we have to have this vote. In my opinion, this is the most important vote that I will be taking during my tenure here so far. And

we've taken some pretty important votes. But here, American blood and treasure is on the line. And the point that you made during the lead-in is

probably the most important point. Where do we go from here?

It sounds like we don't know what the objectives are. The secretary of defense said it may take four weeks, it may take six weeks, because he has

no idea what the president -- he said so himself, what the president's objections are. So, is it regime change? Is it degrading Iranian

capabilities? We don't know.

The case was never made to the American people. It was never brought to Congress for a fulsome debate. And we had that at least in 2003 in the Iraq

war. And here, the president takes us to war, a war of choice, without so much as a buy-or-leave.

SCIUTTO: Secretary Hedges has said today that this war is not at all comparable to Iraq. You're a veteran of the Iraq war yourself. And Karoline

Leavitt from the White House podium today said the president's least open to the possibility of a U.S. role in Iran after military action. Do you

agree there are no parallels here to the Iraq war?

VINDMAN: Well, I agree to the extent that, at least in Iraq, there was a Coalition of Willing. There were a number of countries that joined us, that

there was at least a fulsome debate, an attempt by the administration back then to lay the case for why we need to go to war with Iraq. And it was

obviously based on lies. It was based on WMDs, so really reminiscent of what we're hearing now, the president claiming that, you know, they're

weeks away from a breakout capability, even though in May, when he bombed them, he said we had obliterated that capability.

So, this administration has really no idea what they're talking about. It's a war that is started in violation of international law, in violation of

domestic law, without a case being made to the American people, and costing blood and treasure.

Like I said before, six Americans have died so far, six grievously wounded. The president has already said that there will be more. In a dismissive

way, frankly. And at the same time, costs are skyrocketing, and it's costing about a billion dollars a day to fight this war at a time when

Americans are having a time getting by.

[18:10:00]

SCIUTTO: Those are the costs, but the U.S., according to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has made enormous progress in terms of reducing

Iran's military capabilities, its missile capabilities included. In your view, has this war served U.S. national security interests?

VINDMAN: Well, call me skeptical, Jim, but again, just in May of last year, the president had said that we had obliterated Iranian nuclear

capabilities. Obviously, a lie, because we're here just months later with Iranians, according to the president, being weeks away from nuclear

breakout. I think that's, frankly, also a lie, but this -- the administration can't get its story straight. I think this war is being

fought because the president has become enamored with military power.

This is now the sixth conflict that we've engaged in, so twice the second time in Iraq, but Nigeria, Venezuela, the Caribbean, Yemen. The president

is enamored with military might, and he is unrestrained in the exercise of that, which is why it's so important that Congress play the role that the

founding fathers had dictated and that we have a debate and that we authorize the use of military force.

SCIUTTO: Prior to the war, there were apparently some inside the administration who were concerned that expending the munitions to carry out

this war, particularly missiles, Tomahawk missiles, air interceptor missiles, would, first of all, happen very quickly and then put the U.S. at

a disadvantage or at risk in other theaters, including in Asia. It's my understanding, it just reported, that dwindling U.S. missile stocks have

been a subject of the Hill briefings regarding the war. Does this war open the U.S. up to vulnerabilities elsewhere?

VINDMAN: Absolutely. Look, it's a math issue. Every time we shoot a Patriot that costs $3 million to take down a $50,000 drone, which the

Iranians have hundreds, probably thousands of, they also have thousands of missiles, we diminish a limited, a finite stockpile.

And so, the math is simple. We only have a certain amount of interceptors and at some point we'll exhaust that. This operation is really based on

hope. So, the administration is hoping that our air power is able to bring the Iranians to their knees before we exhaust our missile defense

stockpile. And it becomes, the costs really start to build up. And they're hoping the Iranian people rise up against the regime.

And so, in the military, we have expressions, hope is not a plan. And I'm frankly concerned about where we go from here.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Vindman, we appreciate you joining the show.

VINDMAN: Thank you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Well, the UN estimates that some 100,000 people left Iran's capital just during the first two days of this war. Tehran is home to 9

million people. It has largely shuttered its businesses except for grocery stores and bakeries. Turkish citizens returning home from Iran told Reuters

the city was just deserted and that many people had fled to the countryside. One person there told CNN the atmosphere was quiet yet

hopeful.

Joining me now is journalist Roxana Saberi, who has reported extensively on Iran, lived there, was in prison for a time in Iran, and has been in close

touch with people there in recent weeks. Thanks so much, Roxana, for joining.

ROXANA SABERI, JOURNALIST: Thanks for having me, Jim.

SCIUTTO: You've been keeping your contacts open with people inside Iran since the moment the U.S. and Israel began this war. What's their reaction

to it? And do some of them who oppose the regime welcome U.S. and Israeli military action?

SABERI: Yes, I've been trying to keep in touch as much as I can over the past few days because, as you know, there's been an almost complete

internet blackout that some people have been able to get through. And the messages that I've been getting is that people are overwhelmingly

supportive so far of the airstrikes. Yes, they are afraid of their loved ones getting killed or themselves getting injured, but they're even more

afraid, they say, of this regime staying in power.

One of the texts I got from a woman in Tehran said that her number one fear is that after this war and all these casualties, the Islamic Republic would

remain. And her number two fear is losing her loved ones, whether because of the war or the regime.

[18:15:00]

Now, if the war continues, it's possible more people will turn against it. But I also hear the sentiment, for example, from a friend who lives in the

U.S. who just talked to her family there today. They were saying they would rather die than live in the concentration camp of the Islamic Republic.

SCIUTTO: Good Lord. You spoke to doctors in Tehran who gave just startling eyewitness accounts of the dead and wounded from the regime's bloody

January crackdown. You wrote in your New York Times piece on this that a doctor noted the wounds that he and others saw indicated that regime forces

were shooting to kill. I mean, that's a measure of how this regime operates. And it sounds like by talking to you, they really wanted the

world to know this.

SABERI: They did. They wanted the world to know about the massacre in January, the kinds of injuries they saw that they said was it was like a

war zone. It wasn't just a force being used against peaceful protesters that in a normal anti-riot situation. They said they saw targeting of the

head and the eyes and the face. They saw children getting killed and hit from newborns on up. And they saw many people just arriving at their

hospital dead. They were declared dead upon arrival. And they also saw attempts for the security forces to detain injured protesters who were

getting treatment. And they saw bodies of protesters who had died being disappeared, they said, taken to unknown locations.

So, they wanted the world to know about this massacre. They wanted people in the regime to be held accountable. They still do. They don't want

dictatorships, whether Iran or anywhere in the world, to be able to get away with such a thing again.

And on this point of, you know, speaking with the doctors and hearing their tales of their harrowing tales, but also tales of heroism by these doctors,

a couple of them have told me since the war started that they are very saddened by these civilian casualties that have happened in the war in

Iran. But compared to the massacre of the civilians that they saw, which by our reporting and sources that we've heard is at least 30,000 in January,

that this is actually pales in comparison, the deaths that they're seeing now compared to the massacre.

SCIUTTO: So, let me ask you this. Because of what they faced in January, tens of thousands killed, some calling it one of the worst massacres in

recent history in the world, when they hear President Trump saying, go into the streets and take down your government, are they willing to risk their

lives again to do so?

SABERI: I think it depends on various factors, to what extent the Iranian security forces are decimated or whether defections on any serious level.

Also, what kind of forces or strength or capabilities the opposition has. We've heard reports of Kurdish forces getting armed by the U.S. or plans to

arm them.

You know, there are hundreds of thousands of armed, if not more, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, NBCG members, those vigilantes,

volunteer vigilantes in Iran, who are well trained and willing to die for the Islamic Republic.

So, I think people are going to wait and see whether, you know, they'd be walking into a certain suicide if they went out to the streets to protest

again, or if they have a chance. I have talked to Iranians who said they would go out and protest again if they felt that it was safe enough to do

so. But we've also seen all these young people who did go out and protest, even though they knew they could die back in January.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Goodness. I mean, it's an amazing sacrifice to imagine. Roxana Saberi, we appreciate you joining us.

SABERI: Thanks for having me, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Still ahead, the U.S. says it has a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic. So, where are oil prices headed if the Strait

remains closed and the war drags on? That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back. In today's Business Breakout, a less volatile day on Wall Street. The major U.S. averages all finish higher for the first

time since the start of the war with Iran. Energy futures rose modestly, Brent rising above $82 a barrel.

The White House says it is working to protect shipping across the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has threatened to attack any vessel that tries to pass through

it. A video from the site Marine Traffic shows activity there slowed over time, you watch it, to a near halt.

Goldman Sachs is warning that oil could rise to $100 a barrel if the Strait is not opened again soon. Despite those uncertainties, Treasury Secretary

Scott Bessent says the U.S. economy is better prepared for potential oil shocks than it was in the past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: We're in a very, very different position than when the Russians invaded Ukraine. We are at all-time high in

production, both for oil and natural gas. We are an exporter to the rest of the world, and U.S. LNG continues to flow around the world. So, this is a

very different ballgame than in February of '22.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: The U.S. might be in better shape, but countries highly dependent on energy imports are facing a different story. Asian stocks fell sharply

again Wednesday on fears of energy supply disruptions there. The South Korean index fell 12 percent, its worst one-day loss ever. South Korea

relies on imports for more than 95 percent of its energy needs.

Joining me now is Mia Gindis. She is an oil futures reporter at Bloomberg. Mia, thanks so much for joining.

MIA GINDIS, OIL FUTURES REPORTER, BLOOMBERG NEWS: Hi. Thanks so much for having me on.

SCIUTTO: So, I listened to a long briefing this morning on how the oil markets are reading this. And it seems, and tell me if I'm wrong, that

they're betting this is going to be a relatively short conflict. And that's why we haven't seen bigger spikes despite the disruptions. Is that what

you're hearing?

GINDIS: I think an important thing to know right now is there is a lot of uncertainty. So, I don't think it's necessarily that people think that this

is going to be a short disruption. They just don't know what to expect. And to some extent, I think they're kind of not accepting the fact that this

might really last days or weeks. So, the impact of how everything going on in the Middle East really hinges on how this conflict evolves in the next

few days. So, there's a few different scenarios that market participants are looking at that could play out.

So, we could see an imminent de-escalation, or we could see an effective effort on the part of the Trump administration to actually revive that

traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which, as you mentioned, is effectively a parking lot for ships at the moment. And so, if that happens,

then this ultimately becomes a story of brief market volatility.

[18:15:00]

But that being said, there is a pretty widespread industry consensus that even if, you know, things kind of stay as they are, oil prices will be

elevated around $80 for the rest of March. And if we see a continued war, if we see a protracted conflict and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, we

could actually see oil prices surge above $100 a barrel, right?

So, for a lot of people that have spoken with, that inflection point is really going to be this weekend, right? So, if ships cannot start freely

transiting the Hormuz in the next few days, it's going to be an ugly picture in energy markets next week.

SCIUTTO: Do those shipping firms, I did see that two cargo shipping firms, including Maersk, have ceased shipment through the Strait of Hormuz. Do oil

shippers buy these two U.S. guarantees? One, they're basically backing up insurance for shipping companies, but also that it's somehow going to

provide escorts because I'm seeing those U.S. assets quite busy, you know, in and around Iran. I mean, do they buy that as a practical solution to

this?

GINDIS: So, that's a really good question, and the answer is not really, right, because, you know, on one hand, like you said, there's two things

being proposed by the Trump administration. One is naval escorts and the other thing is insurance. So, as far as naval escorts, you know, people are

thinking back to the closure of the Red Sea and they're wondering how effective these naval escorts could really be.

I mean, a missile could really be lobbed at you, whether you're being escorted by a U.S. military Navy vessel or not, right? And as far as

insurance, I mean, insurance companies say that that would take a lot of time to set up and they're not even sure if it's going to be particularly

effective. So, I think that there's kind of a tepid reception from the shipping community. And one thing they're really thinking back on is what

happened in the Red Sea. And, you know, that really didn't get cleaned up for over a year. And so, I think a lot of people are thinking.

SCIUTTO: OK. Final question, because the way most American consumers would feel this would be in gas prices, we've seen them tick up a bit, 10, 20

cents, I believe, a gallon. How quickly does this translate -- do the Brent prices, for instance, translate into higher gas prices?

GINDIS: Yes, that's also a great question. I mean, it's hard to say. I've spoken to a few gas dealers that have experiences before and they're

bracing for, you know, maybe a 25 cent, 30 cent gain in gas prices. I think a few of them, if prices remain at the same range, will start frontloading

if they have the storage capacity to kind of get ahead of that gas increase. We saw gasoline futures jump by as much as 9 percent on Monday.

And I think prices at the pump were around three dollars, which is the highest in in three months.

So, it's hard to say. But what we can say for certain at this point is that consumers are going to feel that at least in the near-term, you know, in

gas prices and also in prices for air travel, right? I mean, jet fuel prices have really skyrocketed over the past few days. But -- and as we

know, gas prices are usually the thing that consumers are looking at to judge the health of the economy. So, that's going to be a really

interesting thing to see how it plays out for the Trump administration, who's one of their main campaign promises was lower gas prices.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And I know a lot of folks watching diesel, too, right, because that, of course, is how you move trucks around the country and all

those Amazon shipments. Mia Gindis, Bloomberg News, thanks so much.

Straight ahead. Israel continues to strike Iran as well as Tehran struggles to fill the power vacuum led by the killing, not just the supreme leader,

but many other Iranian leaders.

Plus, the U.S. has begun making overtures now to Kurdish forces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are the international headlines we're watching today.

The Pentagon says a U.S. Navy submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters off the coast of Sri Lanka. Defense Secretary Pete

Hegseth says it's the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II. Sri Lanka's Navy says several bodies were recovered. More than two

dozen people rescued.

President Donald Trump says U.S. forces are in a very strong position against Iran. He says there's been, quote, tremendous progress in less than

a week of war. Speaking at the White House, he said Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles is quickly being wiped out.

The first big election of the U.S. midterms resulted in a moderate besting a progressive on Tuesday night for Democrats. James Talarico won the

Democratic nomination for the Texas Senate race. He beat conservative -- sorry, progressive firebrand Jasmine Crockett. We don't yet know who

Talarico will challenge in the fall, as the Republican race is now heading to a runoff.

More now on our top story. In just the last few hours, Israel lost a new wave of strikes against the Iranian capital, Tehran. The U.S. is warning it

will begin striking deeper inside the country as well. Iranian officials are working to name a replacement for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali

Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war. One possible successor is son, Mojtaba Khamenei.

This, as sources tell CNN, that the CIA is now working to arm and train Kurdish forces inside Iraq with the goal of crossing the border into Iran,

perhaps instigating a people's uprising in Iran. However, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan has just publicly pledged cooperation with Tehran after a

call with Iran's foreign minister.

Joining me now, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Good evening.

SCIUTTO: Good to have you, Ambassador. I don't have to tell you, you know better than me, the history, mixed history of U.S. supporting not just

Kurdish forces specifically in Iraq, but other insurgent forces in the region. What is your view of this? Is this a reliable plan for instigating

a rebellion inside Iran to send the Kurds across the border?

HILL: I would not put this in the category of reliable, and I think it would be very dangerous. First of all, you have Kurds in four different

countries. So, if you try to, quote/unquote, "arm the Kurds or unleash the Kurds in Iran," you would get a very, very worried Turkey. You would get

the same in Iraq. And then you would have the question of what are they going to do when they are armed in Iran? Because I think you'd get a

resurgence of Iranian patriotism. I think there are a lot of problems with that.

[18:35:00]

But I think it speaks to the fact that we're getting to a point in this conflict where we have succeeded in any military objective I can think of,

certainly beyond, you know, assuming this goes on for a few more days, and then what? And I think the idea of choosing leadership, fortunately,

they've put away the term of, you know, changing regime. But we have enough time choosing our own leaders. And to try to choose Iran's, I think, would

be very, very difficult.

SCIUTTO: How about on the military objectives as they laid out, including reducing their missile capability, eliminating the leadership, perhaps

taking more shots at their nuclear program? The president says he feels good. He rated the war a 15 on a scale of 1 to 10. But based at least on

those articulated objectives, would you say the U.S. is accomplishing those goals?

HILL: I think we're accomplishing the military goals. I think we are making -- Iran was already very weakened in recent months due to the

Israeli action in Lebanon. So, I think we will accomplish those goals. I mean, we are truly the most powerful force the world has ever seen. But the

issue is, do we continue? And when we continue, do we run the risk of, for example, more civilian casualties? Do we run the risk of being seen as

bullying? Certainly, that has not been the case. I mean, there's no love lost between the world and the Ayatollah.

But I think if you continue this with an unclear aim, I think we could run the risk of taking something that has been on the whole positive for this

president. I'm not in a position to tell you what number of positivity it's been. But certainly, I think he's succeeded in what he wanted to do. And

then you would run into these issues of mission creep. So, I think it's -- these are fraught decisions if they really want to go ahead with this sort

of stuff.

SCIUTTO: In an interview, the former U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said a possible off-ramp would be simply to declare victory,

right, to say that you've achieved those goals. The Ayatollah is gone. Iran's nuclear and missile programs have been depleted. Do you believe

that's a feasible off-ramp?

HILL: I do. I think we're in a situation where we can claim victory in many respects, especially from the military side. Obviously, this is going

to need a lot of diplomacy. You have -- and Iraq that's been -- that's going to be very worried about the attitude of Sunni Arabs toward Shia

Arabs. You know, what effect this will be. We need a lot of diplomacy here.

But in terms of defanging this regime in Iran, there's been a tremendous amount of success. The issue is, can we get to a point where the Iranian

people are in a position to change the system of governance that they have? And I think it's going to be a very difficult process because it's the

Revolutionary Guard who have the guns, not the opposition.

SCIUTTO: Before we go, Pete Hegseth said today that there are no parallels to the Iraq war here. And, of course, he's right. There are no U.S. boots

on the ground, although apparently the president's at least keeping that option open. You were ambassador to Iraq. Do you see any parallels here to

the dangers, perhaps, of the Iraq war?

HILL: You know, I think it's kind of extraordinary to say there are no parallels to any other situation. There are a lot of them. I mean, these

issues are as old as time. The question is, when you are winning, do you get a sense that you can do more, or do you understand that this is

probably what you can get? And you try to make sure you support this such that at the end of this process, we can say we have done a lot in terms of

reducing the threat from Iran.

And I think with respect to Iraq, there was a lot of recalibrating. There's never been a question, can U.S. forces prevail over forces from whether

it's the ayatollah or Saddam Hussein? The question is, how do we win the peace? How do we get stability back? How do we get the neighbors once again

to be feeling comfortable with each other? These are tough issues and is going to require a lot of diplomacy.

SCIUTTO: Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill, we appreciate you joining.

HILL: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: OK. We'll go out to the region again now, our Jeremy Diamond is Tel Aviv. And, Jeremy, I wonder what the tempo right is of attacks on

Israel? Because some of these Iranian missiles and drones have penetrated the air defenses. Has it cooled off?

[18:40:00]

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: It certainly seems to be, Jim. I mean, these ballistic missile barrages have not ended altogether,

and we don't expect them to any time soon, but they are getting less frequent, and the Israeli military also indicating that they are being

fired in smaller numbers, meaning today, a couple of times, we saw not barrages of Iranian ballistic missiles, but rather just a single ballistic

missile.

Nonetheless, seriously disturbing activity here in Israel, upending people's kind of daily lives, but you are seeing fewer of those ballistic

missiles getting through Israel's air defense, in particular because they are coming in smaller numbers and making it, therefore, easier for the

Israeli military to be able to shoot them down. And that is a direct byproduct of what the U.S. and Israel have been focusing some of their

airstrikes in Iran on.

We know that today, the Israeli military conducted two separate waves of airstrikes in Iran, the most recent of which was focused in particular,

they said, on those ballistic missile launchers and defense systems. Some of those launchers, according to the Israeli military, were struck as the

Iranians were preparing them for a missile launch.

And this is similar to what we saw happening in the 12-day war in June, where Israel was able to kind of disrupt Iran's ability to fire these

ballistic missiles in real time. We got some figures earlier today from the Defense Department indicating that there has been an 86 percent drop in

Iran's fire rate of those ballistic missiles since the first day of this conflict five days ago. And in just the last 24 hours, that number dropped

23 percent.

So, you are seeing in real time how these U.S. and Israeli strikes are resulting in fewer ballistic missiles being fired by Iran and, therefore,

fewer of those missiles actually making impact here in Israel, which is why it's been a couple of days now since we've seen one of these missiles

actually make it through air defense and result in serious casualties on the Israeli side. Jim.

SCIUTTO: Jeremy Diamond there in Tel Aviv, thanks so much. Coming up on "The Brief," as thousands of people try to leave the Middle East now, one

nonprofit organization founded by a U.S. military veteran is carrying out evacuation missions across the region. The head of Gray Bull Rescue joins

us next.

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[18:45:00]

SCIUTTO: The U.S. State Department now says it is committed to helping Americans leave the Middle East. The Department is calling on U.S. citizens

in Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to fill out a crisis intake form to then receive departure assistance information. That update comes a

day after it told people not to rely on the U.S. government for evacuations.

Joining us now is Bryan Stern. He's the chairman and founder of Grey Bull Rescue, a nonprofit that he says has evacuated more than 100 people from

Israel so far in this war. Bryan, good to have you back.

BRYAN STERN, CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER, GREY BULL RESCUE: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

SCIUTTO: So first, big picture, because the administration is putting blame on Americans in the region for not heeding State Department warnings

in advance of the war and getting out then, I mean, ignoring the fact that four of the countries involved, including Israel, were not on that list,

that warning list. Did the administration, in your view, give Americans sufficient warning?

STERN: Well, what I'd say is, is Grey Bull, we just completed our 805th mission in four and a half years, my team and I. We've been working in this

part of the world since October 7th. We've worked in Lebanon, we worked in Syria, we worked in Israel, we worked in Gaza, evacuated almost 8,500

people over time. And this part of the world, it's like a sponge that's always moist. It's volatile. Things go from zero to griffon missile very,

very fast. And it's part of coming to this part of the region where things go bananas before you know it. And that's just part of it.

So, is it people's fault? There's some onus on them, sure, but the reality is there's lots of business in the Middle East, lots of American businesses

are here. There's partnerships, you know, business partnerships, political partnerships, you know, intelligence-sharing partnerships. The Middle East

is a centerpiece of geopolitical, of the world, and people come here. So, when things go wrong, it's a real problem for everybody.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I mean, I know the State Department issues these warnings, and listen, I've seen a million of these warnings, and I spent a lot of

time over there. And it's -- you know, it's kind of hard to distinguish which ones are the ones that are like red alert and which ones are yellow

alert, and when you really got to -- I mean, do employers, do institutions out there act based on these warnings?

STERN: I would hope so. The State Department puts out very good information and routine information in many of these countries. There's a

great organization called OSAC, which is run by the State Department, which is the Public-Private Partnership for Security Professionals between the

diplomatic government world and the private sector, and they put out information all the time that's very good. The question is, is what do you

do if you're a business? How -- it's not how serious do you take it, but it's -- you know, what action do you take or not take? And that's where

things get very complicated.

At Grey Bull Rescue, we're a non-profit. We're entirely donor-funded. 805 missions later, we don't even get a thank-you note from the government.

Last week I was at Mexico rescuing Americans, and now I'm in Israel rescuing Americans. It seems to be a pattern.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

STERN: But the information that comes out is listened to and heeded to, but you also can't be reactive constantly because they tend -- when the

State Department puts information out, it tends to be only bad news. They never put out everything is great. They only put out problems. So, you

would -- you could spend -- you know, you could spend all day reading bad news if you wanted to. So, what do you do with that if you're a business or

an American or you have equities or family or you're going to study abroad or what have you?

SCIUTTO: So, you're in Israel now. I believe you've been able to evacuate almost 70 Americans. How are you doing it? I heard the U.S. ambassador

yesterday say to America, if you want to get out, basically take a bus to Egypt, which you know as well as me it's not the easiest way to get out of

the country, but how are you getting people home?

STERN: Yes, we're way over that. We did 100-something today. So, we're very busy. We're not just working in Israel. We're working throughout the

region. We're in the UAE. We're doing -- we're about to expand into Kuwait probably. Lots of Americans are in bad spots, and all these places have

closed airspace and they're trapped. I highly recommend against jumping on a bus and going anywhere, frankly. I wouldn't want to get on a bus and go

to the South Bronx.

So, you know, we're here to work. We're good at what we do. And our demand signal is through the roof. We have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of

requests of people asking us for help. And the reality is, we're restricted only by funding. We're donor funded.

[18:50:00]

SCIUTTO: Brian Stern, appreciate the work you do. Thanks so much.

STERN: Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks for having us.

SCIUTTO: Coming up after the break, Lebanon under attack by Israeli forces now targeting the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. Tens of thousands of people

forced to leave their homes as a result. We're going to have an update next.

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SCIUTTO: Israel has now escalated its attacks across Lebanon, including Beirut, targeting the Iran-backed militant group, Hezbollah. Lebanese

government says 74 people have been killed since Monday, nearly 84,000 people displaced. Israel is ordering those in the south of the country to

move north of the Litani River. This footage from the UNHCR shows packed highways, even people on foot fleeing, carrying their belongings. Matthew

Chance reports from Beirut, where an Israeli airstrike overnight hit a hotel there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is the Iran war coming to Lebanon. Israel says it's targeting the Iranian-

backed Hezbollah militia here in southern Beirut. The group launched revenge attacks on Israel after the killing of Iran's supreme leader last

weekend.

MAGUY CHEBLI, HOTEL OWNER: Any territory outside our Lebanese army, I'm against either Hezbollah --

CHANCE (voice-over): But the owner of the small Beirut hotel wrecked in that overnight strike insists just ordinary families were staying as

guests. No Iranian citizens and definitely no Hezbollah, who she blames for the spiraling violence.

CHANCE: This is where it happened, is it?

CHEBLI: This is where it happened. It started from the roof, the fourth floor, and it came down to here. Here was the room of the receptionist.

CHANCE: Yes.

CHEBLI: As you can see --

CHANCE: Gosh, I mean, look at this. It's, I mean, utter devastation. So, it was a pretty big explosion, wasn't it?

CHEBLI: It was. We had no one here. We had no -- any Iranians or any Hezbollah armies here. And we are not that stupid to check them in. We are

not that stupid. We live here. It's our home.

CHANCE: How angry are you with --

CHEBLI: I am angry, of course.

CHANCE: -- Hezbollah?

CHEBLI: I am angry with Hezbollah and Israel and Iran, but Hezbollah more. You know why?

CHANCE: Why?

CHEBLI: Because they are Lebanese. They should be Lebanese. They are not. They are hurting us. They are hurting our homes, our children.

CHANCE: And they are dragging this country into the Iran war.

CHEBLI: They are dragging us to war that we don't want and we're not ready.

[18:55:00]

CHANCE (voice-over): Across the Lebanese capital, tension and thick smoke is hanging over the city with Israeli airstrikes pounding Beirut's southern

suburbs, some dangerously close to the international airport, one of the few still operating in the war-ravaged Middle East. In the Lebanese city of

Baalbek, another Hezbollah stronghold, rescue teams work to reach people trapped under the rubble after authorities say a residential apartment

block was struck. And as this U.S. and Israeli war with Iran escalates, Lebanon appears increasingly drawn in.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Thanks so much for your company today. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief." Please do stay with CNN.

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