Major Lyons,
in your experience, do
these initial strikes
target leadership or supply line
What exactly
I mean, we've
heard the defense Department
saying they need to
they want to further degrade
the capabilities of these groups
I think given the fact that it's
been five days
since the attack in the base the
I think they're going
to be more strategic.
And I thought they were
likely going after leadership
first or or when Aaron, talk
about a lot of different options
that they had.
But I wouldn't
be surprised, however,
if not getting leaders
in this kind of strike,
then they're going after their c
to go to wage war.
And that is the logistical suppl
that exist in these trains
that run from from Iran through
and then into Syria.
So that's what it sounds like.
This first target was
it was more on logistics,
perhaps it was a leader there.
We've been signaling
to have some of those leaders le
but there's still tremendous cap
that the Shia militia groups
have within within Iraq
and within Syria and the like.
So it looks like this one,
though, is logistically based.
But I still would not be surpris
that the overall campaign
that they're going to go after
some of the leaders of the Shia
militia groups.
And General Breedlove
this long wait, five days to ret
conceivably could have given
these militias time to relocate,
to relocate themselves and their
for the United States.
How do they deal with the fact
that this is basically potential
a moving target here?
Well, first of all,
thanks for having me on.
And we should have struck much q
in my mind.
But as we got
close to the dignified
return of our soldiers,
I'm glad that our government did
confuse that
with all the reporting
that you all are doing
now, it's important
that we keep our eyes
on the sacrifice of these soldie
and having that trounced
upon by the initial flurry
of news of the attacks,
I think would have been bad.
So in the big game,
we should have struck sooner.
But as we got close to this thin
dignified return,
we need to get after it.
I think a couple of things
that are being missed here.
We we we've heard that we want t
their capabilities,
reduce their capabilities,
this, that or the other.
I think that's what we're doing.
But I really think
what we need to be doing
is messaging Iran.
We need to make it very straight
with Iran that their attacks on
forces in the Middle East
will not be tolerated.
And so as we watch
the White House
roll out this multi-tiered appro
that they've talked so much abou
in phases, etc.,
we need to keep ourselves focuse
those attacks are messaging Iran
Are these attacks
impactful to things that
Iran prizes or finds important t
in this ongoing low level war
with the United States
that they've been carrying
on through their proxies?
Major Lyons and General Breedlov
I want you both to stand by for
because we have some new informa
that we want to get your reactio
Let's go back now to Nic
Robertson in Tel Aviv.
Nic, you're learning more
about the location of these stri
What are you learning?
Yeah, and it is quite informativ
because what it tells us there
that strikes places
that have been struck
before the 12th of November
last year was when they were las
by the United States
as part of the sort of weapons
supply route
by the IRGC, Iran's top military
Abu Kamal,
just across the border
from Iraq into Syria
on the Euphrates River.
Then the Al
Maidan, which is perhaps 20 or 3
further up the Euphrates River,
but still on that same major hig
And then terraza again
the same distance
further up
the river again
on that same major highway.
So strategic places, if you will
think about most of the area
that is desert.
It's open.
There aren't that many
highways across it. There are on
But this is the major highway fr
and into Syria
to places that weapons can be mo
and more easily
moved on big trucks
on on larger highways.
So these appear to be at the mom
without knowing
if there were any leadership
figures that were killed
in these strikes.
It does appear to be a places
that were hit before, but B, pla
that might have been part
of the weapons supply routes
and think about it this way to,
you know,
Iran is supplying weapons not ju
you know,
not just
through Iraq to their proxies
inside Syria,
but also many of those weapons
take different routes and transi
Syria to Iran's proxies like Hez
inside of Lebanon.
So these are these
these places may have a lot of w
and ammunition stored there.
But again, because of all the si
because of the time delay,
we don't know what's been
what's been moved around.
But these, of course,
because we know they've been str
before, will have been
under intense surveillance.
So one would imagine that
if ammunition stores
had been moved around then,
then the targeting
would have adjusted for that
and may well adjust in the comin
when when the assessment is made
what are the effects of these st
What do we see
moving after these strikes?
How can we follow up on that?
Where have people gone?
All these sorts of things,
It becomes fluid
and it becomes as the Pentagon
and the White House
had initially outlined, that
this won't be a one and done
that there may be
likely will be follow ups.
All right,
Nic Robertson, we'll be back wit
as this hour progresses.
Let's get back now to CNN's Oren
Liebermann over at the Pentagon.
Oren,
you also have some new reporting
how the strikes
are unfolding as Nic reports
on those sites
where we believe
the strikes are
are happening at this moment.
We're learning more at this poin
about what
sort of platforms
were used to carry out
these strikes on targets
in Iraq and Syria.
And they are telling we've heard
from a defense official that B-1
B-1 Lancer bombers were used
as part of the attack.
Now, that's significant
because past attacks in Iraq
and Syria over the course of the
several months
have been carried out by F-15 an
fighter jets.
Those platforms,
those jets can still carry a pun
but they are,
of course, limited
because they are significantly
smaller airplanes
than what you're seeing on the
on the screen right here.
The B-1 bomber.
This is one of
three of the largest bombers in
inventory, along with the B-2
and the B-52,
the B-1, able to carry
a much greater punch
than than a much smaller fighter
So multiple
B-1 is used
as part of the attack on targets
and Syria.
Gives you a sense of the scope
and sort of the range
of the attack itself.
It suggests a much broader attac
as we wait here
for information on specific targ
that were hit,
It suggests a bigger attack
and as was effectively
promised by the Biden administra
a more powerful attack,
one that could be carried out
and sustained over a period of t
So, again, it is telling that th
used a number of B-1 bombers
as part of this attack
as opposed to the smaller F-15
F-16 fighter jets.
We've seen strike
targets in Iraq and Syria.
We've also seen
F-18 fighter jets from the Navy
target sites in Yemen.
Again, the B-1,
a larger platform able
to carry
more bombs, frankly,
able to carry a heavier payload.
And that speaks to
the intent of the attacks here,
a much stronger response
to the ongoing attacks
from Iranian militias against U.
forces, Iranian backed militias,
I should say.
Then we've seen in the past
that was the intent
of the administration,
and that's certainly
the platforms used here.
The B-1 bomber among the platfor
used certainly speaks to that.
Abbi, that's very significant.
Oren, stand by for us.
I want to go back now to retired
Major
Mike Lyons and also retired
Air Force General Philip Breedlo
Major Lyons
on this
latest reporting, the B-1 Lancet
Lancer bomber.
And on top of that,
we're learning three potential s
that are on a supply line
for these militias.
What does that tell you about
what is being targeted here
and how significant it might be
when it comes to this question
of how much they are able
to degrade
the capabilities of these groups
Well, it sounds like it's
more than just a punch in the no
which some attacks we've made be
We're just signaling,
you know, kind of one and done
it sounds like they really want
after these logistical supply li
like we were talking about
and destroy them, destroy that
that chain that exists
that goes from Iran
through Iraq into Syria
and when you use this kind of pl
you're going to get the precisio
of the kind of target
you want to hit,
as well as
much more mass
and capacity with regard to
what's going to take out the tar
So I think from, again,
from a strategic perspective,
which is what
this has to be, aside
from the messaging back to Iran,
it has to get the results
it wants to get.
And so by
by using the B one by by increas
the size of the attack
along the Tigris, Euphrates,
maybe dropping bridges, maybe
doing other things to hurt,
it looks like the original
the initial signal is to go afte
the supply lines
and go after the equipment
and take away their
capability of waging a war.