IN IRAN, SURPRISINGLY AN ANCHOR
ON STATE TV EVEN DESCRIBED THE
STRIKE AS, QUOTE, NO BIG DEAL.
AN ISRAELI OFFICIAL SAYS ISRAEL
DID CARRY OUT A STROKE
OVERNIGHT.
FLASHES IN THE SKY COULD BE SEEN
FROM IRAN’S AIR DEFENSES.
U.S. OFFICIALS SAY THEY WERE
INFORMED AHEAD OF TIME.
THE TARGET, IRANIAN MEDIA
REPORT, WAS A MILITARY BASE NEAR
A NUCLEAR SITE WHICH OFFICIALS
SAY WAS NOT HIT.
BUT IRAN SO FAR ISN’T SAYING
MUCH ABOUT IT.
INSTEAD, IRANIAN MEDIA NEARLY
ALL CONTROLLED BY THE STATE, ARE
TELLING THE PUBLIC TO STAY CALM,
SHRUGGING IT OFF, SHOWING THE
MAIN CIRCLE WITH TRAFFIC FLOWING
AS NORMAL.
SOME MEDIA DISMISS THE INCIDENT
AS A NEW SMALL DRONES, CLAIMING
THEY WERE SHOT DOWN.
IN ISRAEL, PEOPLE ARE OUT THIS
MORNING.
NO SENSE OF PANIC.
CALM.
EARLIER THIS MONTH, ISRAEL
ATTACKED IRAN’S EMBASSY COMPOUND
IN SYRIA, KILLING AT LEAST 12
PEOPLE.
IRAN ACCUSED ISRAEL OF CROSSING
A RED LINE.
THE WHITE HOUSE SAID IT WAS ONLY
INFORMED AT THE LAST MINUTE.
IRAN RESPONDED WITH A MASSIVE
BARRAGE LAST WEEKEND OF MORE
THAN 300 DRONES AND MISSILES,
INCLUDING MASSIVE BALLISTIC
MISSILES.
THE MASSIVE AIR ASSAULT WAS
STOPPED WITH SIGNIFICANT HELP
FROM THE U.S. MILITARY AND OTHER
ALLIES.
PRESIDENT BIDEN URGED THE
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU
TO LEAVE IT THERE AND, QUOTE,
TAKE THE WIN AFTER STOPPING
IRAN’S ASSAULT.
NETANYAHU REFUSED, SAYING ISRAEL
NEEDED TO RESPOND.
ISRAELI OFFICIALS TELLING NBC
NEWS ISRAEL NEEDED TO
REESTABLISH DETERRENTS BUT WOULD
CALIBRATE ITS RESPONSE.
IRAN THREATENED THAT ANY ISRAELI
INCURSION WOULD TRIGGER AN
IMMEDIATE COUNTER ATTACK.
SO FAR, THAT HASN’T HAPPENED.
IRAN SAYS THAT IT THWARTED
ANOTHER ATTACK.
AND SYRIA SAYS ITS AIR DEFENSE
SYSTEMS WERE ATTACKED.
SAVANNAH
SAVANNAH, BACK TO YOU.
>> THE UNITED STATES WAS NOT
INVOLVED IN THE STRIKE, BUT U.S.
OFFICIALS WERE NOTIFIED.
IT COMES DAYS AFTER THE UNITED
STATES CAUTIONED ISRAEL ABOUT
RETALIATING AGAINST IRAN.
PETER ALEXANDER IS HERE.
PETER, WHAT ARE YOU HEARING?
>> NICE TO SEE BOTH OF YOU.
WE ARE HEARING FROM THE U.S.
RIGHT NOW, THE SECRETARY OF
STATE ANTHONY BLINKING IS
MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTERS.
HE’S OVERSEAS IN ITALY.
MOMENTS AGO, THE ITALIAN FOREIGN
MINISTER COMMUNICATED THAT THE
U.S. COMMUNICATED TO THOSE
FOREIGN MINISTERS THAT THEY DID
RECEIVE THIS LAST-MINUTE WARNING
ABOUT DRONE ACTION TAKING PLACE
INSIDE IRAN RIGHT NOW.
AS YOU NOTE, THEY WERE NOTIFIED,
BUT THEY WEREN’T SURPRISED BY
THIS.
THE PRIMARY CONCERN FOR THE
UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW IS
TRYING TO FOCUS ON DEESCALATION,
TO KEEP THIS ON A PATH OF
DEESCALATION.
THEY MADE IT CLEAR THEY FEAR ANY
FURTHER COUNTER ATTACKS WILL
ONLY DRAW THIS INTO A WIDER
CONFLICT AT THIS TIME.
AS YOU HEARD FROM RICHARD A
MOMENT AGO, PRESIDENT BIDEN
AFTER THOSE STRIKES BY IRAN
INSIDE ISRAEL, MORE THAN 300
MISSILES AND DRONES WERE USED
THERE, THE PRESIDENT
COMMUNICATED TAKING THE WIN.
DO NOT RETALIATE.
YOU ARE FORTUNATE THIS DID NOT
CAUSE WIDER DAMAGE INSIDE
ISRAEL.
NETANYAHU IGNORED THAT.
HE THOUGHT IT WAS NECESSARY TO
RETALIATE IN SOME WAY RIGHT NOW.
THE WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATED ITS
COMMITMENT TO ISRAEL DEFENSE BY
MULTIPLE OFFICIALS IS IRONCLAD
BUT THEY WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE
IN ANY OFFENSIVE ACTIONS TAKING
PLACE INSIDE IRAN.
TWO THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS, THE
U.S., THE WHITE HOUSE FOCUSSING
ON TRYING TO KEEP THIS ON A PATH
TO DEESCALATION.
BUT IT ALSO RAISES QUESTIONS
ABOUT THIS ADMINISTRATION, ABOUT
THIS PRESIDENT, HIS IMPACT, HIS