Major Breaking News right now. Israel vowing to retaliate after iran launches a major Strike Firing about 200 ballistic missiles at israel. A Strike Iran assists was only a quote, portion of their power. Good evening. Im Wolf Blitzer along with Kasie Hunt, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and Around The World. This is a Special Edition of this situation it is a sharp escalation between the two sides. One that could tip the region further into an allout War Air Raid sirens sounding across israel as flashes of light Lit Up the sky israels Air Defense System successfully knocking down most of irans missiles but there were some hits. This is one crater in central israel the massive strike coming a day after israeli forces launched a rare Ground Operation into southern lebanon, a mission aimed at taking out the uranium backed militia, hezbollah and tonight, iran is threatening what It Calls a Crushing Quote crushing response if israel carries through with its promise, promise to strike back, our Jim Sciutto is joining us live from Tel Aviv, right now. Kayla tausche, she is over at the White House with Tonights Response from the White House. And it is dramatic want to go first to jim, whos live in Tel Aviv thats where you were when iran started launching its attack, jim, whats the situation on the ground right now . Few hours ago when you were seeing the skies over Tel Aviv being Lit Up, it was very different now those Air Raid Sirens Today have finished it. Were sensing Tel Aviv coming back to life, but israel right now is doing a damage assessment. And what is clear is that some missiles either after being intercepted or not intercepted at all, struck ground. We certainly saw some impacts here in Tel Aviv. Our Jeremy Diamond visited the Crater Impact site from another one, and others have been visible around the country. Thankfully, no deaths inside israel. One death reported in the West Bank could have been much worse. No question. But it does appear that, that some may have hit if not their target, that they hit israeli territory right now our understanding is that the cabinet is making a decision as to how israel is going to respond. They made quite clear they will respond they call this a serious attack and they say it will have serious consequences. And that response is likely to include food, an attack on iran. So the question becomes, what in iran is It Oil Facilities . Could it be nuclear facilities its quite clear that those options are at least on the table. It is not clear if israel chooses to strike those targets. But we have been told that a decision could mate, could be made and perhaps even the action could take place. Wolf, as soon as tonight and jib, as i mentioned a few minutes ago, you watched all this this attack unfold in real time in Tel Aviv as the sky Lit Up with projectiles and intercept missiles, i want to play a brief moment of what you saw and heard. Listen to this okay, guys, we got to get off the roof. These are coming down right next to us hes do jim, please do theyre coming down one just about. We got to go inside jim, please take cover that moment. We were all worried and scared of what you were going through aerial dance above our heads of Intercept Missiles Rising and meeting their targets, which were some, some of the 180 ballistic missiles fired by iran, that israel including Tel Aviv and as those intercepts, as remarkable as they are at hitting their targets, as they were hitting their targets things, were falling to the ground, pieces of missiles. Sometimes it quite high velocity and we saw them slam into the ground just about a Halfmile North of our hotel here on the other side of the hotel. And as we were watching it that moment, you just played wolf my colleagues here, david and john and florence and others, we were looking up at the sky and seeing the intercepts above our head and making a calculation as to where those pieces of missiles and interceptors might fall to the ground. It was a moment, we were safe. Thankfully, the people to Tel Aviv were saying the question now is does this lead this country . And the region into a wider war . Kasie, thats what were watching right now jim, very glad you and your team are in fact safe. And of course hoping as well that so many people in the region remain safe as well. Now lets go to Kayla Tausche at the White House. Kayla, what weve learned that Biden And Harris monitor this attack from the situation room. What is the biden administration anticipating here in the hours to come . Well, us is still in close consultation with their israeli counterparts, kasie and earlier today, President Biden was asked about both what he saw as the appropriate response by israel and the appropriate consequences for iran. And he suggested that both of those were currently live discussions with no decisions made. But when he was sitting there in the roosevelt thought room with his cabinet for a meeting that was preplanned to discuss the aftermath of hurricane helene. I asked him if he had had a chance to speak to Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu, and he said, ill be talking talking to him. And my message will depend on what we finally conclude is needed. Now the White House has been swift to describe this attack as defeated and ineffective if thanks in no small part to the coordination between israel and the u. S. And other partners in the region. But the question is, what happens from here, because the biden administration has been working feverishly for the better part of a year behind the scenes to try to reach a diplomatic solution. All while assuring israel that it would assist in its defense. But urging it not to escalate this situation into a wider war. The administration has appeared more frustrated and conflicted in recent weeks theres some of this escalation has taken place in israel has ramped up its operations on hamas and hezbollah targets. So it is unclear exactly how the u. S. Will come down on this and whether there ingestions to the israelis will eventually be heated. Wolf. All right. Kayla, thank you very, very much. I want to bring in right now some experts, a Alu Latah is joining us. Hes a former israeli National Security advisor, retired us Army Lieutenant general Mark Hertling is with us. Seth jones, national Security Expert and senior Vice President over the center that are for strategic and international studies and ai. Let me start with you, israel now saying there will be a quote, significant response to what iran has done after it fired about 200 ballistic missiles at israel. What do you think that response potentially could look like . What will if this is second time that iran has fired such a Massive Attack on israel. I happen to be on your show after the April 13 attack as well, which was unprecedented. This is the second time they do this. Israel has responded very minorly. I would say symbolically after the attack of April 13, this was a part of the consultation he shouldnt between the u. S. And israel to do something that was meaningful that would prove to iran that we can penetrate their Defense Systems, but would not drag the region into a full escalation of war you run just did this. And i might, i think important to have it wont understand unprovoked. These are did not attack iran israel its conducted its attacks in lebanon very surgically. Only on the top leaders and the operatives and iran decided to fire some 200 ballistic missiles and Israel Israel has a very good Defense Systems and a good collaboration with the u. S. So the outcome is very minor, but iran intended to do something very substantial and a major and to inflict not only a lot of damage and on infrastructure, but potentially to kill many civil and so of course, israel has to respond what exactly is that response will be, and i will leave to the cabinet to decide. Im sure that all of the Security Establishment are putting all of the options in front of the cabinet to make there decision. But wolf, if i may, i think the question about the response needs also to come to the United States of america, not only to israel. We heard jake sullivan, my dear friend and former colleague, say that there will be severe consequences to iran. I think he may have meant not only severe consequences on behalf of israel, but also on behalf of the United States. Iran is violated hello of the norms, your runs valid all of its obligations. Presidency that its states said dont so many times and need to do this time and again. So there must be a Response And Iran must be pulled back or pushed back to their place where they can not do this again and think they can and get unpunished on the hunt. General hertling, let me get your response because the Uranium President is now saying this iranian ballistic Missile Strike against israel was in the reigning of president s words, only a portion of our power. And what else might iran or its proxies for that matter do in addition to this ballistic Missile Attack well, first what id say is the proxies of iran had been hurt tremendously over the last several months and especially hezbollah over the last several weeks. The proxies are iran, forward presence they are The Ones that do the fighting. Iran Attack Today because they thought they needed to, first of all, the support their proxies, but also to get domestic support for the shaw within iran. Im sorry for khamenei within iran. What i suggest is 180 Missiles Today ballistic missiles that are very difficult hello, to push down israel probably fired a whole lot more than 180 arrow or davids sling weapons to knock them out of the sky. So this was certainly an overwhelming force by iran much more than weve seen before iran has close to estimates of 3,000 of these ballistic missiles. This was an element of that and they could certainly do more. I think its incumbent upon israel to respond to all of this. They will do so at a time and manner of their choosing. But iran has an overmatched capability the and ballistic missiles. They dont have much else in their military and their proxies have been hurt over the last couple of months so were going to see a very dangerous situation right now as israel responds, i believe in not a proportional manner, it is going to be a much greater than proportional manner. They are going to have the assistance of the United States in defending is the territorial israel with some of the navy ships that are in the region that have great Air Defense capability. But there was a significant Effort Today by iran to breach the israeli defense down so that there isnt a fullscale regional well, i think it was a failure by iran to hit any targets i suspect part of what the iranians were also doing is signaling that they had the capability in this case ballistic missiles to conduct strikes as weve seen over the last few weeks, hezbollah as Command And Control capabilities have been severely degraded, has blocked, also has a ballistic missiles, both guided and unguided. The fact that we havent seen hezbollah fire back, i think does say something about what hezbollah is capable of doing or actually incapable of doing at this point. So iran is the response. It has failed to hit any meaningful targets in israel. But i think were likely to see more of this over the next several days and weeks will and really, theres going to be a lot of work that the u. S. Navy is going to have to do with its Arleigh Burkeclass Destroyer and a Ranger Air Defense that the u. S. Is going to provide in the region the u. S. Already beefing up its military presence, troops, and equipment in the region. Our guys, thank you very, very much. Theres much more were following on the Breaking News whos Up Next . Ill speak with former israeli Prime Minister naftali bennett. How does he think israel will respond to irans ballistic Missile Attack . Plus its also Debate Night here in america, and were just now a few hours from what will be a truly historic Vice President ial debate. 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Saturday at seven On Cnn Closed Captioning brought to you by meso mesobook. Com if you or a Loved One have mesothelial, will send you a free book to answer questions you may have call now and well come to you 800 a31, 3,700 grid Breaking News, israel right now as on very high alert at this hour irans major attack on israel, its biggest ever around firing nearly 200 ballistic missiles that according to us officials, the israeli Prime Minister benjamin netanyahu, just moments ago, saying iran made a big Mistake Stake and iran quote, will pay the situation across israel and the region right now extremely tense. As around supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is warning that the blows against israel will become, and im quoting him now, stronger and more painful joining us now, the former israeli Prime Minister naftali bennett, Prime Minister, thanks so much for joining us. I know you served in an elite unit of the Israel Defense forces as well. Lets discuss whats going on. The white House Tonight saying Irans Attack on israel was defeated and ineffective how do you think israel will and should respond well, the past year has been a horrible year for israel in The Middle East iran, through its proxies, through the arms of the octopus of terror they murdered families, burnt our boys raped, or girls ransacked towns shot rockets, to our ships and the israeli people for the whole year. Have been fighting and were determined now to fight back. This is a once in a 50 year opportunity. What israel needs to do immediately we need to take out irans nuclear program. We need to attack Irans Energy facilities. And we need to attack the regime itself, right away because iran made a fatal mistake of shooting 200 ballistic missiles at the state of israel. Enough is enough. What do you think Prime Minister, that an attack on irans nuclear facilities right now is on the table. Thats exactly what we need to do. Im not privy to the current cabinet discussion, but what happened is for the past 20 years, iran has built circle of fire, Ring Of Fire around us and across the entire middle east and its zooming forward towards a nuclear weapon. So now is the moment, you know, sometimes history knocks on your door and you got to seize the moment if we dont do it now, i dont see it ever happening. And now is the moment i also want to explain why because iran strategy, it had to arms that were sort of defending it or they were its Insurance Policy against an israeli strike. And Thats Hezbollah and hamas. But those two arms are temporarily paralyzed so its like a boxer out in the ring without arms for the next few minutes. Now is the time that we can attack, because iran is fully vulnerable, that islamic republic of iran its time to hit, destroy the nuclear program and finally, allow the iranian people rise up. The amazing iranian people who have the worst regime, one of the worst regimes on earth this is the time this would be the gift of the israeli people, the jewish