VLADIMIR DUTHIER:
00:00:53
All right, let's bring in CBS News senior national security correspondent, Charlie D'Agata, who is live in Tel Aviv. Charlie, during the press secretary's-- rather the defense secretary's comments to the press, he said that this was going to be the largest day of strikes. And almost as if on cue, when you and I started speaking during that special report, we heard air raid sirens going off. What else did strike you? What else struck you from what the secretary said today? Yeah. So, Vlad, when Secretary Hegseth said this is going to be the most intense day of bombing, he actually acknowledged the fact that he has said that before. But that doesn't mean it's not true. So there has been, according to the secretary and chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, there has been this upscale of attacks, including 2,000-pound bombs that have been used to attack, especially Iran's launchers. Because as we've witnessed here, here and around the Gulf states, America's allies, Iran has continued to at least try, at least attempt to attack here in Israel and further afield. And I'm just looking at 5,000 targets, according to what Defense Secretary Hegseth had to say. 2,000-pound bombs were used in the latest round of strikes. So when he's talking about accelerating this, it still shows that there are targets. But as you said, yes, that wasn't bad theater. It literally happened 15, 20 seconds before we started talking. You heard them yourself. Then, those air raid sirens and you might get the impression that happens all the time. It doesn't. We were up north-- it was happening a couple of times there since we've been here. That was the first time. And you wonder whether it's coordinated to have to do with secretary's address to the nation. But when that happens, as we saw a couple of days ago, especially because they're dropping some of these scatter bombs and cluster bombs, the Israeli military struggles to defend against all of that. So Iran has been shown to be capable of striking here in Israel and striking Gulf states, US targets, and US-- or at least attempting to target US installations here. But certainly, taking a scattergun approach for US allies in this region and continues to do so even though, according to the defense secretary, anyway, those launches are down by 90%. Well, to that point, Charlie, I mean, he did say that the capabilities have been diminished. We're seeing, as you guys were on the air, that that is still happening. What are you hearing about these ramped up attacks and how long that could actually last, given Hegseth's point about it being diminished? Yeah, Kelly, so this is where it gets a little bit difficult because, of course, a lot of this-- and I'm not-- this isn't my analysis. This is quoting the defense secretary and the joint chiefs of staff himself saying, well, we're looking at these launch pads. Like, where are these missiles-- and looking at everything at the moment. But these drones are being launched from because what they want to do-- the US military likes to use the term, you don't take out the arrows. You take out the archers. And what they've been doing, especially here in Israel, are taking out the arrows. So they have incoming. And they try to intercept them. Now, Iran and Hezbollah-- it's one of the stories we've been covering as well-- have been trying to attack Israel to overwhelm defenses here because they know both Israel and the United States only has a limited supply of air defenses and, most importantly, those interceptors. And I know it has come up before. It's not just the United States fully capable of providing protection for forces in this region. But it's also US allies who may not have the kind of protections to protect against incoming drones and missiles from Iran, especially Iran, who have a longer reach. So that's where it becomes a little bit more difficult to try to ascertain, not only the capacity and stockpiles of Iranian missiles and their drones, which has been very problematic. The United States, the US military has addressed that as well. This is an outside analysis because it sort of floods the field and floods the zone. And it's difficult to get everything all at once. But I can tell you from what we've been seeing, we went up north. There's a lot coming in here just in Israel itself and also in some of the Gulf Arab states.
