US & Israel launch attack on Iran

Explosions rocked multiple cities across Iran, including its capital, Tehran. Videos from Tehran show smoke, you see it here, billowing over the city. And now we're getting reports of explosions in Gulf Arab countries hosting U.S. military bases. Live look now at Abu Dhabi, where explosions were reported, in addition to Bahrain and Qatar. A video now of an explosion in Bahrain Bahrain officials say a missile hit the service center of the US Navy's fifth fleet in the country.

These strikes happened barely a day after the latest round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the US and sources tell CNN the US military is planning for these attacks to last for days. Israel said the same and both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

are now calling for regime change.

To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere.

When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.

This will be probably your only chance for generations. Iran media reported just hours ago that Iran already launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel. And Qatari officials say that Qatar already intercepted two Iranian missiles indicating Iran is carrying out that plan to retaliate. Our team is up and covering this breaking story from around the world. We'll get to Zach Cohen and Elena Treen in just a moment, but I want to start with CNN's Jeremy Diamond first. He's in Tel Aviv. Jeremy, have any of the Iron Dome intercepted any of those missiles? Is there a timing on when the air. And we're going to talk about that in a moment. But first, let's talk about the sirens in Tel Aviv.

Jeremy have any of the Iron

Dome intercepted any of those missiles? Is there a timing on

when those might arrive? Well, we certainly know that Iran has already fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel. We had sirens going off not only here in Tel Aviv, but

also in Jerusalem in northern Israel, in southern Israel, pretty much Israelis everywhere across the country, millions heading to bomb shelters as those ballistic missiles came in. It does appear that there were several intercepts. We have not yet gotten reports of any actual impacts as a result of those ballistic missiles. But all of this kicked off this morning around 8.15 a.m. local time. Israelis were woken to the sound of sirens, not announcing incoming

missiles, but rather alerting Israelis to this new state of emergency that is in place as Israel announced that it had struck targets in Iran. We then quickly learned that it was not just Israel, but that these are joint strikes carried out by the United States and the Israeli militaries targeting a range of targets inside of Iran. I'm told that there were dozens of targets that were struck by both militaries. We have been watching, of course, for weeks now as the United States has been carrying

out this enormous military buildup in the region. But simultaneously, a diplomatic track was taking place. But this morning, that diplomatic track was completely cast aside in favor of this military action by the United States and Israel. We heard from President Trump making clear that this is not just about going after Iran's ballistic missile and nuclear programs, but setting the conditions for regime change.

And we have heard similar comments as well from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. We know now that Israel is at a very heightened state of awareness. Most Israelis are either in their bomb shelters or very close by, awaiting the ramifications of this as we are already watching Iran launch missiles,

not only here, but at other sites across the Middle East.

Victor.

Jeremy Diamond for us there in Tel Aviv. We will get back to you in just a few moments. President Trump is monitoring the strikes from his Mar-a-Lago resort, and he calls on Iranians to stand up to their government and warns the fight could put American lives in danger. He also says the U.S. has done everything it can to keep American troops safe in the

region. Earlier, President Trump explained the mission behind the operation.

Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people. It's menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world. For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries.

All right, let's bring in CNN's Elena Treen. She's reporting from Palm beach, Florida. Elena, the president said on Friday that he was not happy with where the talks were with Iran. And now we're seeing the consequences of that.

Absolutely. And I think you're right to point out that the context of all of this is incredibly important. We had been hearing of Victor in recent days, really in the lead up until the strike, these strikes this morning, the president saying that he wanted diplomacy. He was hoping a deal could be reached. And from all the conversations I had with people at the White House, that was sincere. But of course, at the same time,

you saw the Trump administration and the president directly order the most large or the most massive military buildup in the region since essentially the 2003 war with Iraq. And so that leverage was there. And I think a lot of people were waiting to see whether the president would move on that.

And, of course, he did. I also found it very remarkable just to see the president in that video statement giving it and releasing it on social media, having that be the way that he delivered it. But, look, there's a couple of things I took away, Victor, from those remarks from the president. One is that he said that this is going to be a massive and ongoing operations.

And that comes as sources are telling our colleagues, Zach Cohen and I, that the United States is planning for there to be several attacks or several days of attacks. This is going to be a long operation and could ultimately be the largest military operation

the president has ever overseen, including during his first term. But another moment that I found very striking as well is that he essentially and effectively called for regime change in Iran. The president said in those remarks, quote,

when we are finished, take over your government. That was a message directly to the Iranian people. It will be yours to take. This will probably be your only chance for generations. That is a huge statement, particularly as, really, over the past year or so, ever since the president went into office for his second term, all of his top advisors were trying

not to say that directly. And even though the president didn't say it directly, he came as close as he ever really has to acknowledging that one of the goals in this larger operation is to potentially see if the Iranian people can use this weakened state that the regime now finds itself in

to kind of overthrow and push against the government there. So that was a markable thing as well. I also think it's worth pointing out, and you mentioned this, Victor, just how disappointed and frustrated the president seemed yesterday when talking about the negotiations that were going on

just two days ago in Geneva between the president's top advisors, Steve Whitkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, with the Iranians and intermediaries in Switzerland, saying that they did not go far enough. And what we know that the United States wanted from Iran was to, one, be very clear that they had no goals and did not want to ever make a nuclear weapon, and also that they wouldn't commit

to zero enrichment of uranium, things that the president argued they were not able to get to. And so that is what's led us to this moment. But of course, so many big questions, I think, that many Americans still have about what the future of this is going to look like.

And that has been a big struggle for a lot of people I know in the White House and the top levels of the administration. There are a lot of Americans and a lot of Republicans, I should say, many members of the Republicans' base who do not want the United States involved in another foreign war,

and particularly a protracted long engagement and we've actually heard some of that pushback from members of Congress this morning making that point and so that is going to be a crucial thing that the president and this White House needs to do moving forward is to articulate exactly what their goal is as we move ahead in the days ahead with these operations.

Yeah, we'll expect that the recorded message that the president posted will not be the last we hear from him on justification for these strikes, considering that his promise to the American people was that there would be no new wars ahead of his 2024 re-election. Elena Trienforth there near the President's Resort in Florida, we'll get back to you, thank you. And we're getting reports of dozens of explosions

across the Gulf, including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar, all home to major US bases. A senior official in Qatar says that the country intercepted two Iranian missiles fired toward its territory. Let's bring in now CNN's Zach Cohen.

Zach, what have you learned? Yeah, Victor, US officials really only describing the retaliatory strikes by Iran as an active situation. But as you mentioned, it does appear that multiple US bases in the region have been targeted in response to this ongoing US-Israeli operation targeting the Iranian government, it seems. And look, this is a risk and a potential threat that Donald Trump was well aware of before he ordered this ongoing operation targeting Iran, which he says is intended to carry out effectively regime change or to facilitate regime change.

He was very concerned about the potential risk to U.S. forces in the region, and he even alluded to that in his video message, saying and acknowledging in a very frank way that this operation could result in U.S. casualties. And we have reported previously that that was a major concern of Donald Trump's top general, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dan Cain, that he voiced concerns about the potential for U.S. casualties ahead of this operation.

But still, obviously, that concern not outweighing what Donald Trump says that he wants to carry out here, and that is to encourage the Iranian people to rise up and take back their government. But we've also reported that there is not really a clear indication inside the U.S. government

of what would come next, even if they can successfully facilitate regime change in Iran. So while we know that this operation is expected to go on for several days or at least the Israeli and US sides are both

planning and preparing for that possibility, what would happen after that planning and preparing for that possibility, what would happen after that is very, very unclear at this stage.