Escalation of tensions in the region that presents new challenges for leaders in the white house and around the world welcome to this special edition of erin burnett outfront. Erin is on his side i'm in i'm anderson cooper and i'm jake tapper. We're covering the breaking news in the middle east are counting down to tonight's vice presidential debate that candidates will take the stage age and less than two hours and iran's attack is certainly to be a key line of questioning that's only adding to the pressure on ohio senator j. D. Vance and minnesota gov tim walz as they take part in what could be the most important vice presidential debate in modern american political history. Vance and walz are tasked with delivering closing arguments for their running mates, donald trump and kamala harris, since there are currently no plans for another presidential debate. What the vp nominee say tonight could potentially make a real difference in this razor close race for the white house with election day only five weeks it's a way our political team is here to set the stage for the vice presidential debate that you will see live on cnn. And our correspondents are standing by in the middle east to give us the very latest on the aftermath of that iranian attack first up this hour, the dangerous escalation in the middle east as iran launched and unprecedented barrage of ballistic missiles into israel, let's go straight to cnn's jim sciutto, who is joining us now from tel aviv. Jim, the israeli prime minister is vowing revenge initially both us and israeli officials described this attack, this iranian attack is unsuccessful, that it had been defeated by israel. And while that's largely true in the aftermath as a damage assessment begins we are beginning in des see that some missiles struck, they struck the ground either close to their targets or even hit their targets. It does not appear they drew a great deal of damage at this point. But first we can show some video here from are coming around and israeli airbase to the east of east of where we are here in tel aviv. And in that video you can see that some of these missiles struck the ground. What you're seeing here actually these are in and around tel aviv. We do also have pictures from an airbase nearby. It is not clear whether there was significant damage to the airbase, but at least those missiles getting close to close to there that they were also images that we're seeing from just north of where our position is in central tel aviv where strike gets within, it appears kilometer of the headquarters of mossad that's the strike you're seeing right there, mossad, of course, israel's international intelligence services. In fact, we saw this strike from our vantage point as it happened. And i saw quite a large explosion from the roof of the hotel where we are right now when it struck, it is not clear what the damage is. And around there. But again, it shows just how close these missiles came to what appear to be their targets. Our understanding is that three of the main targets were two israeli airfield fields and one and the mossad headquarters. Now, in addition to that, as we were here in central tel aviv we saw dozens and dozens of missile intercepts over the city, just over our heads. In fact, as they were happening and as those iranian missiles were struck pieces of either the missiles themselves or the interceptors fell in and around us here in tel aviv. So the truth is jake, even with a successful intercept, there's debris that falls to the ground. Sometimes a great velocity. And with the capability of doing damage now, thank you so much, jim. Appreciate it. Stay safe now to the breaking news here in new york city, the vice presidential debate between minnesota governor tim walz and ohio senator j. D. Vance cnn's kaitlan collins is in the debate spin room normally the studio for john oliver's show on hbo last week tonight, kaitlan, what are you hearing from your sources ahead ahead of this high highstakes debate well jake about the vance and walz campaigns have been keeping a close eye on the developments happening in the middle east this afternoon, watching and keeping an a response and ideal on the response on to they are waiting for israel to have for the prime minister promised to respond after iran attacked israel, would that barrage of missiles earlier today, or at least tried to, of course, a lot of them ended up being injured herceptin, but that is something both campaigns have been watching closely because it certainly is something that could come debate stage tonight. And they are each preparing their respective responses to that. You heard from former president donald trump earlier today saying that they don't respect us anymore. He is referring to iran not respected in the united states, implying that that is because of the biden administration, that is something that you could very well see j. D. Vance echo when he is on that debate stage with governor they're walz tonight, but jake overall for this debate, what this afternoon has also included is some lastminute preparations from both of these obviously, jd vance's campaign he has been preparing with tom emmer, the house minority whip, stepping in as governor walz, and that a fellow minnesotan for the vance campaign or for the walz campaign? i've been having secretary pete buttigieg step in as senator j. D vance. They've been having these preparations sessions for that meeting on this debate stage tonight, both of them are lowering there expectations for one another. Jake, though i should note that each of them has plenty of debate experience on their own. Donald trump for his part, has been voicing confidence he's actually spent less time really talking about how vance is going to do more time attacking governor walz and what he believes is going want to be his inability to perform well on that debate stage tonight, jake, i will say we are in the spin room right now. One thing we do know from the vance campaign is that we can't expect it you see the senator from ohio here in the spin room after that debate tonight regardless of how it goes, it's a preplanned decision for them to have the senator himself coming on here. Jake all right. Interesting stuff. Kaitlan collins, thanks so much. Anderson team here in new york. Alyssa, i mean, all the polls show that this is a tight race. The latest cnn poll of polls shows no clear leader between in between harris and trump. Could this make a difference traditionally, vp debates and vice presidents don't make a difference, but i would say an exception to that was mike pence and donald trump's first campaign in 2016. He was someone who helped him bring along evangelicals? no, he doesn't need that support now, but he does need somebody who can soften him with suburban women who give this answer that i hear constantly. I can't stand donald trump. I think he's a jerk, but my life was better under him. I might have liked his policies better if j. D. Vance can show up tonight and give a final touch to trump policies. Put a little more detail on, then trump has been capable of articulating that could be a win, but this is a man with huge unfavorabilities to overcome one of the lowest unfavorability rankings of a modern vice president right now. So there's a lot of americans who think of him as the person who insulted childless cat ladies. The task for him tonight is to change that into show up like a statesman david i mean the walz i mean, certainly harris may excuse me. Walz has less experience debating. I think then j. D. Vance, he certainly has been honing himself on sunday shows a walz has not been doing many interviews. Yeah. Look, i think that he was hired basically as donald trump's designated hitter. Donald trump as a casting director. And he was convinced that he would be good on tv for him in this debate is obviously the most important television appearance there is, you know, he comes in, we all know having worked with van jones, how these al educated lawyers very slick easy, ease, you're going get trigger was they have very different personalities vance is, you know, he is a bit predatory on that debate platform. And walz, his strength is his warmth and is his every day enos, it's kind of like a labrador versus a coyote and the question is, people root for the labrador, but can he get enough swipes him to keep the coyote often? look, i think jd vance's dangerous to debate. First of all, you don't know which j. D. Vance you're going to get. He's such a phony could either be the phony apalachee guy or he could be the kind of suck up that he was to get a job with donald trump we have done on somebody who has high iq, low integrity, high iq, low empathy, high iq, but really know willing to hurt patient children to get ahead, well, it changed his whole personality to get a position with donald trump that is a dangerous person for a good man to debate somebody who actually is going to be constrained by facts is going to be constrained by his desire to be a unifier. So i think it's going to be a tough night for a coach walz to show that good guys can win even against low, low integrity people are just trying to lower expectations because a lot of democrats are no, no, no. I wouldn't want it to be somebody look, first of all, i would do that yale lawyer. I look i look i would go to people like j. D. Vance who just want to get ahead, no matter what he will say, anything, do anything those people are tough to debate. I used to lose the base of them all the time scott, there's a cbs poll. The vp picks, finds democrats are more enthusiastic about walz the republicans are about penn, 65%, 49%. I mean look at what more do you need to know about donald trump he has been running for president since 2015. He was the president. We know everything we need to know about him, which is why i don't think whether vance wins or loses this debate is going to have a material impact. Do you think this debate really matters? for i look, i think it matters because look, north carolina's underwater. Israel is under siege the american supply chain is under threat from a thuggish rogue union boss and the american people are under the impression that we have a void of leadership in the white house and what i want j. D. Vance to do tonight and what i want a tim walz to have to explain is how is the doctrine of don't working out right now because we've had harris and we've had biden go on tv until he ran don't and they did. And now they're running, don't down the throat of our ally. And i think i agree it is a consequential night for that reason because of everything that's going on in the world. But i do think foreign policy may be a big part of tonight. And will i get that doesn't necessarily sway elections. We also have the war in ukraine going on i didn't j. D. Vance is taking this hard line stance. I don't care about ukraine. He's advocated for not increasing or including funding going forward. Donald trump has toyed with that. There are major implications to this ticket winning. And i think that that is a moment that he's going to have to explain. Does america first mean america alone? does it replicate the 1920s and the 1930s? or is it? but something where you can work with allies and you're going to show up. He's got some rough, you know, i i think scott is right. That that is where vance was going to go and i also think china walz has had an interesting relationship. Oh yeah, china and i think he's going to go there as well. But they are surrogates for the mayor in candidates, as you said and they need to score points for their team, not for themselves. John king, what are you expecting tonight tenth presidential campaign, and i just want to say for the record, never in the history looking backwards as a vice presidential debate made on election day, a big difference, however, this could be the campaign, unlike no other right, because it as close as it gets and this may well be the last time the american people get to see a debate between the presidential candidates, but between the vice presidential candidates and look at the state of this race i've weeks from tonight, we count votes, five weeks from tonight, right now, essentially a tie for the electoral college to 25 votes strong are likely for the vice president. She'll hundred and 19 stronger likely for donald trump. You see the seven battleground states in yellow plus nebraska's second congressional district. Let's just take a quick look at the state of the race right here first, the national poll of polls stretch this out, forgive me for turning my back. If you average the five last reputable national polls 50 to 47, which means no clear leader. That's within the margin of error in a national poll. No clear leader heading in to five weeks, you've heard me for years. We don't pick presidents in national polls. We pick them statebystate. So we look at the battleground states here, and let's pop this up and take the look wisconsin no clear leader. Michigan, no clear leader, pennsylvania, no clear leader in north carolina, no clear leader. Georgia, no clear leader. We don't have enough polls to have an average out in arizona and nevada, but there have been individual polls out there recently, anderson that show no clear leader maybe donald trump up a little bit in arizona. So that's where we are. So can the vice presidential candidates impact that a race that is closer than 2020? and i would argue even closer than 2016. All right john king, thanks very much. We'll be checking with you throughout the throughout the night coming up clues about how tim walz and j. D vance may do tonight? breaking down their preparations and their past debate performances as well, perhaps a lot there. Plus another live report from israel on iranian missile attack, much more of our special coverage oh god. Okay, guys. We got to get off the roof. These are coming down right next to us here this election, stay with cnn with more reporters on the ground and the best political team in the business, follow the candidates, follow the voters follow the facts, follow. Cnn if anyone knows, halloween is all about blech and michael's has all the recall we made don't forget about black matched with these guides. I go measure with these car insurance companies, experience shops might unfold over 40 top providers saving