If it's Friday, Command and console President Biden takes in a solemn moment when the bodies of three fallen U. S. Service members return home as the world watches and waits for his administration's retaliation campaign to begin in the Middle East. Plus, breaking news out of Georgia.
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Welcome to MEET THE press. Now I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. As we come on the air, we want to note that in recent minutes there have been reports of bombardments in eastern Syria. Now it comes in anticipation of the US's military response in the region in retaliation for the drone strikes that killed U.S.
service members. But a senior U.S. official tells NBC News, quote, whatever is happening is not us. And the Pentagon cannot confirm reports of military strikes.
Now we are obviously keeping a close eye on these reports. We will bring you any new information as we get it. It does come as President Biden today carried out one of his most solemn duties as commander in chief, attending the dignified transfer of those three US Soldiers killed in Jordan earlier this week. Let's take a look at their names.
They're Sergeant William Rivers, Sergeant Kennedy Sanders, Sergeant Brianna Moffatt. Sanders and Sanders and Moffat, both receiving posthumous promotions in the wake of the tragedy. Now you can see the President here with his hand over his heart as officers of the army carry the transfer cases, each draped with American flag, out of the aircrafts as they make their way back to the US and to their final resting places. This is the second dignified transfer President Biden has attended since taking office.
Yesterday. While speaking the National Prayer Breakfast, the president continued to honor the service and sacrifice of the fallen troops. Our prayers continue to be with the families of the three American servicemen killed and attacked in the FOB and Jordan. They risked it all and we'll never forget the sacrifices in service to our country that the dozens of service members who were wounded and are recovering now.
The White House has blamed that deadly attack on the Islamic resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran backed militias. And it comes as the administration readies its response, which will likely include both military strikes and cyber operations, according to sources. The administration of course, trying to balance A strong response that hold those groups accountable while also trying to avoid a wider war. I think everyone recognizes the challenge associated with making sure that we hold the right people accountable, that we do everything necessary to protect our troops and that we manage things so that they don't escalate.
There are ways to manage this so it doesn't inspire a lot of control. And that's been our focus throughout. I don't think the, the adversaries are of a one and done mindset and so they have a lot of capability. I have a lot more.
As speculation mounts about what the US Response will look like, Iran's president Garibaldi Raisi telegraphed a warning of his own in a televised address. He said, quote, we will not start any war, but if anyone wants to bully us, they will receive a strong response. Joining me now is our team reporters, NBC News chief international correspondent here Simmons is Iraq, NBC News foreign correspondent Matt Bradley is in Tel Aviv and NBC News correspondent Eric Gilchrist is outside Dover Air Force Base where the President was this afternoon. Here I have to start with you.
What do we know about what exactly is happening inside eastern Syria right now? Well, Kristen, something happened in eastern Syria. There were multiple reports as you mentioned right at the top of the show there. Our understanding from the U.S.
government is that this is not the U.S. the beginning of those much expected U.S. airstrikes. That area of eastern Syria focused on a place called Meadin, which is where there is an encampment, well known actually of Iranian backed militia and it is a strip that runs down to the border with Iraq here where there is also a substantial installation, Iranian install that has been targeted before.
So it's understandable that as these reports began to come out, people are wondering, questioning whether this was the beginning of the US Campaign. It does not appear to be the case. So frankly, as we talk right now, Kristen, what happened there isn't entirely clear but it does point to that we have some idea perhaps, perhaps of what this campaign will look like when it does start. I mean there are many, many potential targets across Syria and here in Iraq.
And that really just points to the reality that Iran and its proxies have, well, you can almost say taken over, particularly in Syria and to some extent here in Iraq in recent years and have pushed their way through Syria towards the border with Israel. Even, you know, I think that potentially we could see strikes around Damascus Airport where we have seen strikes before, particularly by the Israelis. Perhaps Aleppo Airport, again, a place that is used by Iran by its proxies. There are encampments and bases around there.
We may also see a targeting of the Syrian military industrial complex, which is very much integrated with Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Iranian support. So we have an idea. But of course, the US has much deeper intelligence than we would have. And so it may be that there are other places that will be targeted or alternative places that are targeted that we don't know about.
And it may be that we also see individuals targeted, maybe members of that Revolutionary Guard Corps we will see. And as we speak right now, because we don't know when this will get underway. And the big question, of course, here is what will the response be if and when these retaliatory strikes do get underway? I discussed that warning from Iran's president.
What has the response been there in Iraq and throughout the broader region to that warning by Tehran? Well, I think that's to be expected and I think that's the kind of signal you'd expect from Iran. I think another interesting message, piece of messaging, if you like. Another group that's part of this umbrella group, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, accused of carrying out that attack that killed those three U.S.
service members. Now, this particular group declared today that they will continue whatever with their campaign to drive the US out of Iraq and to try to push for an end to the war in Gaza. That was a completely different message to another faction in that same group this week who said that they would stop their attacks. And that tells you a few things.
I think. One is that actually the reality is for the Biden admin to try to shift the strategy of Iran and its proxies to put pressure on Israel to push the US out of this region. That is an enormously difficult thing to achieve when both Israel and the US have carried out airstrikes through the last 10 years, particularly in Syria, and they haven't moved that particular needle. So there's that aspect.
Another thing it helps you to do though, is I do think that there is a certain lack of organization among these proxy groups, certainly the Defence Secretary saying that they are sponsored by Iran. But within that, I think there is some infighting, perhaps some confusion. So that's the kind of picture that you're dealing with here. And it is very, very difficult for the Biden administration to finish because in one, and I've said it a few times a day, one example of that is here in Iraq.
Iraq is a department of both US and of Iran. And if you come in too strongly here in Iraq, for example, you risk the Biden administration pushing the Iraqi government more towards Iran helping those voices that say that the US should be pushed out of Iraq, which is of course exactly Iran's strategy. Yeah, that complicated backdrop is so important to these developments that we are tracking there. Kir, thank you for your fantastic reporting.
Matt Bradley, I want to go to you in Tel Aviv again. The world is watching and waiting to see when, if at any time these retaliatory strikes might begin, how robust they might be. What is the latest from your vantage point that you're seeing? Yeah, we're not hearing much from the Israeli government at all about this.
They are not commenting and nor would we expect them to. For them, you know, this is kind of taking a step back. They're not going to meddle in the US affairs, but we can bet that they're going to be moving things behind the scenes for the Israelis and others in the Middle East. This is part of what they saying for decades especially.
This is kind of what Netanyahu's line has been for quite a long time, that Iran is the principal enemy in the region. And he can point to Iran's cat's paws throughout the region, particularly Hamas, which is now part of the on the sharp end of Israel's sustained now 15 week war in the Gaza Strip that's now killed nearly 27,000 people, most of them civilians. This according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. And there's also to the north, there's Hezbollah and then there's the Houthis in Yemen.
Then there's also where Kir is, all of these Iran back groups in Iraq and Syria. And added to that the so called axis of resistance that Israel has been talking about, specifically Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister has been talking about for the better part of his entire tenure, both now and in the 1990s, the threat that Iran poses with their proxy groups. Now from what I understand from speaking with analysts about this when I was in Lebanon at the outset of this crisis, yes, these are proxies, but they are not puppets. What Kir was saying, this is not necessarily a collection of different groups, this axis of resistance, that while they benefit from Tehran's largesse, they don't necessarily do their bidding completely.
And so that is why you might be seeing some disjointed moves amongst them. They're not necessarily coordinated because they don't necessarily speak so closely or coordinate so closely amongst each other. But this is the first time in history, in the history of this so called axis of resistance that we're seeing each of them operating in concert with each other. There's never been a time when we see all of them firing all of their pistons all at once, even if they're not coordinating amongst each other.
And I should add, amongst that group will be Axis of Resistance. A lot of people would also include Bashar al Assad's Syria, a government that also acts sort of in thrall of the Iran, the Iranian regime. So there really are quite a lot of nodes of conflict and points of attack that can come into play now and in the coming weeks. Matt Bradley, thank you so much.
Please continue to update us on anything that you are hearing. We really appreciate your reporting. Aaron Gilchrist, I want to head over to you. Obviously you're there.
Air Force Base where the president was there for the dignified transfer, one of the most solemn duties of a US President. Talk about the events today that unfolded there. Well, Kristen, this was a dignified transfer. That was exactly what the name describes.
We saw a very simple, solemn military ritual play out here on the tarmac and Dover Air Force Base. As you know, President Biden, along with the first lady, secretary of defense and several other officials from the Defense Department and from Congress for that matter, were here with the three families that are most impacted by what happened in an attack in Jordan last weekend. You're seeing on your screen now one of the transfer cases that was removed from the aircraft this afternoon and placed in a van that was waiting. All three of the transfer cases of the three sergeants who died last weekend were given the same treatment carried by this carry team of army soldiers.
The people who died were all army, and so they were moved by army soldiers with the president looking on, the commander in chief watching after having spoken with the families of these soldiers here at Dover Air Force Base today. He spent about an hour or so with them along with the first lady, I would imagine, talking about wanting to learn about who these soldiers were and of course, expressing his condolences and the gratitude of the nation. The weight of that is on the commander in chief. Any president at a moment like this, when he has to look the families in the eye and talk about the sending their loved ones into harm to harm's way.
At the same time, the president knows that he has given the green light on retaliatory actions to happen overseas and we awake to see exactly when that happens. All right. Aaron Gilchrist, thank you so much for that reporting. Keir Simmons beforehand and Matt Bradley, we really appreciate it.
I now want to bring in Ambassador John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Trump. Ambassador Bolton, thank you so much for joining US I should caution that this is a fast moving situation. I am getting in my ear that the United States has begun launching retaliatory strikes again. As we sit here right now, the retaliatory strikes have begun.
We will get more information. I can get a more specific reaction. What is your reaction though, Ambassador, to learning this? What would the US need to do in order for these strikes to be effective?
Well, I think what's happening in Syria right now could well be Israeli strikes because they've been striking Iranian convoys headed to Hezbollah in Lebanon for over 15 years. That there's nothing new in that sense, the American strikes. I think what we have heard from administration officials this week are going to be confined to Syria and Iraq and not Iran. I think that's a mistake.
All right, Ambassador Dumbbell, I'm going to ask you to stand by because we're going to go to a special report. Lester Holt will be anchoring that special report which will begin momentarily. Be appreciated. Please stand by again.
Please stay tuned for a special report on the US Retaliatory strikes that have gotten underway in the Middle East. This is an NBC News Special Report. Here's Lester Holt. Good day everyone.
We're on the air with breaking news. U.S. officials confirm that the U.S. has begun retaliatory strikes in the Middle east in response to the deadly attack that killed three American troops.
The strikes come days after those service members were killed in a drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan last weekend, marking the first American deaths since the Israel Hamas war began. Dozens of other troops were also injured in the attack as well. Today's news also comes hours after President Biden performed one of the most solemn duties of the presidency today, attending the dignified transfer of the fallen troops at Dover Air Force Base, honoring them before they are laid to rest.
Our chief international correspondent Kirsimmit is on the ground right now in Iraq. What do we know at this hour, Kirstar? U.S. officials telling NBC News that retaliatory strikes have begun against Iranian backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
This is from US Government sources. It's not an official announcement by the US Government as I understand it, as I speak to you right now, Lester. We did have though news, I guess about 30 minutes ago that there was something happening in eastern Syria along the border, near the border with Iraq, a place called Madin, which is part of a strip that we know includes encampments by four Iranian backed militias and also in that same area, a well known Iranian base, frankly, run by the Iranians. So whether that is connected to what we are hearing now from these US Government sources.
Hard to tell. We will have to wait for more news because it is both Syria and Iraq that we're being told that this strikes become a causes. This is what we have been expecting for days now. And we've got some kind of a picture of where the strikes are.
Maybe. There are, frankly, multiple places that the Biden administration could choose to target tonight across Syria and Iraq. And then also very, very difficult judgments there for the Biden administration about how to do this in a way that sends a clear message to Tehran without overshooting, if you like, and causing a reaction from Tehran that escalates things towards a wider war. That is what the Biden administration said again and again.
It is very, very eager to try to avoid, but at the same time, it clearly wants to send a message to Iran tonight about the killing of these three American military. All right, Keir Simmons in Iraq. I'll ask you to stand by as I bring in our senior White House correspondent, Kelly o'. Donnell.
Kelly is here and noted we've been expecting something like this. Any signals, though, coming out of the White House today has been business as usual by appearances. Well, we certainly had an expectation that this was a window of timing when this multi tiered campaign of response could begin. Right now, the president is at his residence in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has a full skiff secure compartment in his home where he can have direct communications with the Pentagon and with any apparatus of the US Government.
So he has full communications. He was in Delaware today in part because of the dignified transfer that is, of course, the impetus for this whole new operation. The lives of three Americans soldiers based in Georgia who were taken in that drone strike. A few dozen other Americans also injured at that time.
And the decision made to ramp up response. There has been an ongoing campaign of allied forces, the US and the UK and others who have been attacking Houthi targets in the region, trying to prevent any interruption of commerce and those things. So there's been a lot of military activity in the region, but this is distinctly different. A US Alone planned operation.
The president said he'd been briefed on a number of options, that he had made a decision. And then we learned from senior officials that there would be an opportunity to consider a range of topics and in these kinds of situations, assessing different types of targets in multiple countries, assets that could be on the ground, on the water, or in the cyber realm, all potential things that could be within the president's field of choice. Some of that comes from when the President makes a decision, and then some of it is executed at a military level where the President does not have to weigh in on each iteration of the operation. So what phase we're in right now, of course, this is the early going.
What we don't know is if there have been less visible pieces of this kind of response, meaning the cyber realm, as well as, of course, the more obvious military targets. We will expect the White House will comment at some point. So far, they're referring to the Department of Defense. Just to clarify, is there any expectation the president himself would come out?
We always are poised for that. I would expect a paper statement would be more likely at this point and then at a later point when there's an assessment of how the operations have gone, a sense of perhaps is this a midpoint, a conclusion? Hard to know where we are other than we're at the beginning of this specific response. It is entirely possible the President would want to articulate this more.
He has said he holds Iran indirectly responsible, but also has been careful to say he's not seeking a wider war. And the actions that he's taking are intended to show strength but restraint to not prompt something that could go and expand this beyond where the President is prepared for. He wants to send a message with what's underway right now. Kelly Odarlanski, stand by as well.
Let me bring in Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker. Kristen, the President has been under a lot of pressure to do something to make a stronger state, but he's walking a really tightrope here in terms of the reaction, the spillover, the potential for a wider war. Lester, you're absolutely right. The President has been under immense pressure to respond.
Remember, there have been more than 100 attacks against US targets throughout the region. But this loss of life obviously required a stronger response. That is what we are now seeing unfold. And administration officials telling us this could last several days, if not weeks.
The challenge for President Biden is what should this response specifically look like? You heard Kelly talk about the constellation of options that could be included in this response, including potentially a cyber component to this as well. This comes at a very delicate time in the region. In part.
Remember, there are talks underway right now aimed at trying to halt the fighting, aimed at trying to get the remaining hostages released. And there is that concern about the possibility for a wider war. There is some belief that a wider war has already started. And remember, this comes as the President of Iran has issued the stern warning that there would be retaliation for these strikes.
So the president walking a fine line. This, of course, comes against the backdrop of his reelection campaign. He's gotten low marks on his handling of this crisis so far in the Middle East. So a lot of scrutiny on this response right now.
Lester, how long will it last? How robust will it be? Those are among the key questions we're watching. Christian Walker, thank you.
Let me bring in Admiral James Stavridis. He's a former supreme Ally commander with NATO with NBC News Chief International Analyst. Admiral, let me ask you about the potential targets and what would make sense and what might have been already assumed or guessed by those that they're trying to attack? Well, Lester, we're going to see, I think, kind of a move up the ladder of escalation here.
As you and I have talked about for a couple of months now, these responses have been proportional, meaning a drone hit a US Base, we fired back with a couple of bombs or Tomahawks. I think what is happening now, given the fact that we've had these three servicemen and women killed tragically in Jordan last week, now you're going to see the next level. So what would that target set look like? I think it will go after, first and foremost the bases from which these Iranian missiles and drones have been operating.
We know largely where those are. And instead of being just one or two Tomahawk missiles, a few bombs here and there, look for a pretty sustained campaign. That doesn't mean a wider war, but it means this is going to go on for several days, if not a week, if not two weeks. So the principal target sets will be the ammunition, the fuel, the command and control nodes, the transportation grids, the above, all the, the drones and missiles themselves, all of those very legitimate targets.
Now, here's what's interesting, Lester, as we get higher on that ladder of vertical escalation, I think you go after Iranian targets. But let me be very clear. Not inside Iran, not Iranian missile facilities inside Iran, not overhead Tehran. Instead, what you're looking at is going after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, irgc, who are training, equipping, organizing, providing logistics, and probably directing these militias.
So I think what you're going to see, and we should expect to hear from the Pentagon soon with some, some additional detail. Not only are we going after the actual proxy groups, not only are we increasing the volume of strikes, but are also going to include in our targeting Iranian Revolutionary Guard trainers who are supporting these. That's how you get out the hand of Iran. Yeah.
Let me ask you, will these be manned aircraft? Will this be escalated to the extent that these are airmen and women who will be flying over targets in harm's way as opposed to just Tomahawks or branch drones, I would anticipate all three because from a volume perspective, as you get up into more of a campaign kind of days and potentially a week or even two weeks, really, Tomahawks won't get that done for you. You've got to have those jets coming off the aircraft carriers coming out of our bases in the Gulf who have the ability to carry multiple joint direct munitions, JDAMs, they're called, you're well aware, these very precise bombs. But the volume you're going to need here I think is going to drive you toward a manned aircraft.
In addition, by the way, lesser two drones. Correct. Tomahawks cruise missiles also air launched cruise missiles. And then finally, as you say, manned aircraft delivering bombs, I think we're going to see all of that.
And there probably is some level of cyber attack going on as well in order to blind the sensors of these proxy groups in their bases. It'll be all the above. Admiral, thank you. Let me bring our chief international correspondent Kirsten's back of the conversation.
What reaction are you hearing from inside Iraq? Well, I think Iraq has been bracing itself for this. In Syria they will have been doing the same. I think, I think just when you're hearing that account of potentially the breadth of these strikes, we don't know yet, Lester.
I think there'll be some reflection in that of the breadth of how Iran is connected here in so many parts of this region at this time. That's been happening for a number of years. And then just today after President Raisid Iran made that statement promising a response. We had a defiant statement from one of the factions in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and saying today that it will, no matter what the US does, continue with its campaign to try to push the US out of this region and to put pressure on Israel and it says aiming to try to put an end to the war in Gaza.
So I think that just underscores that the challenge for the Biden administration with these strikes to try to send a strong enough message to Tehran that potentially shifts, shifts its strategy. The signals have been today by these Iranian back militia here in Iraq that they do not intend to shift their strategy. Just as the Houthis have been saying the same thing in Yemen. It is very, very difficult to get this right to the Biden administration.
All right, Keir Simmons, thank you for your reporting. Gavin, just tuning in. The US has begun retaliatory strikes against targets, unspecified targets right now within the Middle East. We are continuing to get information in, but again, this is in line with what we've been expecting since the deaths of three American soldiers in Jordan at the hands of Iran backed militants last Sunday.
So we'll continue to follow it. That concludes this NBC News Special Report. Much more head on our streaming network NBC News, now [email protected] and tonight when I see you here for Nightly News, I'm Lester Holt in New York. Thank you for watching and welcome back to MEET THE press.
Now I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. As we continue to follow that breaking news, the U.S. launching its first retaliatory strikes in response to the drone attack by Iran backed militants that killed three US service members and injured more than 40 others in Jordan. Now according to US officials, the strikes are being carried out in Iraq and Syria.
Joining me now is retired for star General Joseph Hotel, former commander of U.S. central Command. General, thank you so much for joining me. I really appreciate it.
Your response to these retaliatory strikes. I know they are just getting underway, but what is your anticipation? Well, thanks. That's great to be with you.
So I think what first and foremost, I guess we just have to be patient and see what exactly has been targeted here. It sounds like some of the initial strikes here have taken place in eastern Syria, which is not surprising to me. This is a location where these militant groups would operate, where you would see the presence of potentially IRGC cout force advisors or leaders operating in that area. So it doesn't surprise me that the first, the first strikes are would be in that area against those who would be most directly responsible for this attack on Tower 22.
Again, I think we have to be patient and see how this develops over the next coming hours and probably days here as the United States and its partners continue this campaign to punish and re establish some amount of deterrence in the region. It is our understanding that this will last days, if not weeks. What do you think needs to happen in order for this to be an effective retaliatory campaign but also walk that fine line of not having this become a wider war? Yeah.
Yeah, you're exactly right. I think there's two things that have to happen. One, we have to punish those who are responsible for this attack that resulted in the deaths of our soldiers and injuries so many. That's the thing.
First person, that's probably what the early targets are really focused on. And we also have to send an unambiguous message to Iran that we hold them completely responsible for, for this. Their, their proclamations, they don't control this are, are unbelievable in my view. They have orchestrated this, this network for decades now.
They are completely responsible. So the targets that we go after must be those that are of value to Iran and the loss of which will cause them to have some effect. That doesn't necessarily mean those need to be in Iran themselves, but they need to be of significance and they need to be of importance enough to send a very clear message to, to Iran. And all this has to be followed up with very strong diplomatic messaging and economic activities and activities in the information space here to tie all of, all of these different tools we have together to create the biggest impact and try to send we came to Iran into the region.
And of course, as we've been reporting throughout the day, not surprisingly, Iran has issued a stern warning saying that they would respond if there were these types of retaliatory strikes. What do you make of that? Again, not a surprise you'd expect that type of rhetoric. But do you think that Iran will take some countermeasures?
Well, I think it's possible. I think we always have to be on guard for that. I mean, there is risk in everything we're doing here. I think it's important for people to appreciate.
I think that's why we see the administration approaching this in such a deliberate, deliberate manner. This is, this is a high level of complexity here that, that we're dealing with and it's likely there's going to be a response. So the administration, the Pentagon, centcom certainly have to build that into their calculations and into their plans with the expectation of that. We saw, we've seen Iran in the past launch missiles against our bases and do other things in response to actions that we have taken against.
So we have to be prepared for that and so we'll have to be on the watch for that. But they have tools as well, whether it's ballistic missiles or their big network that they built across the region that can touch us in a variety of different ways. So we will have to be on guard in the days and weeks ahead here. And General Votel is we're having this conversation.
Syrian state TV says that there are a number of casualties. NBC News has not confirmed that. Again, that is coming from Syrian state tv. What will you be watching for as we brace for these retaliatory strikes which seem to have just gotten underway and are part of again, a broader campaign that we anticipate will last at least several days?
Yeah, Well, I think we'll be trying to pay attention to the sequence of targets that the United States and its partners are going after. What are we going after? Going out militia? Are we doing things that are more related to Iran?
How are we going addressing the totality of this, this threat network that's responsible for the deaths of our soldiers and this continued threat that we've been operating under now for several months? I'll be looking at that. Of course, we'll be looking at the response from Iran and from the Iranian threat network, the Houthis, Lebanese, Hezbollah, and the variety of other Iranian supported militia groups that operate in both Iraq and Syria. So I'll pay attention to that.
And the third thing is I'll pay attention to what the regional partners are doing. They, they have been sitting back a little bit on this and it will be important for them to come forward in their diplomatic statements and other things that they're doing, hopefully in support of the actions that we are taking in this, in this regard. And of course, we'll watch what happens over in the Gaza area. That's, that's, that's most central to all of this.
And we'll see if this, if this distraction, these attacks over here lead to any type of response from Lebanese hezbol groups that could pose a threat to Israel and exacerbate that situation. And General, just finally, before I let you go, obviously, as we've discussed, these strikes are getting underway against the backdrop of those very delicate and critical diplomatic talks trying to broker a ceasefire in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages. I know that there's reporting that President Biden was quite concerned that these retaliatory strikes could in some ways impact or undermine those talks. What is your level of concern that what is unfolding right now could do just that?
Well, I think this, this just underscores what we just talked about. I mean, this is the complexity of the whole situation. So obviously, I think, you know, our government doesn't want anything that upsets that. We want the hostages to come back to their families as soon as we can.
So I would imagine that has all been taken into calculation in this and that probably is reflected in the, in the strikes that are occurring today and will occur in the coming days with this. But, you know, I think we will continue to stay engaged and play our role in that and work with all the partners to try to try to resolve that. I actually think there can be some differentiation established between these two different activities that are taking place in relative close proximity to each other. I think it's important to try to keep some distance between that and certainly not do something that, that upsets, you know, trying to bring hostages home and trying to bring some cessation to what is really the origin problem here, which is the, is the conflict in Gaza right now.
That is, that's what leading to all of this uptick of violence across the region. All right, General Vital, thank you so very much for your insights and for joining us. We really appreciate it. I want to bring back Ambassador John Bolton, former national Security Advisor to former President Trump.
Ambassador, thank you for staying here for these breaking development developments. As you and I started our conversation, these retaliatory strikes began. Let me ask you what you make of what we have seen so far and what you're gonna be watching for in the coming days. Well, I think we've heard from administration sources they will be going after the Shia militia operations in Iraq and Syria and possibly after Iranian bases and facilities there as well.
One question, having waited five days to start this, is how many of those bases are still going to be manned with either the militia or Iranian forces? I think this strike is the right thing to do, but I think it comes far too late. There have been over 160 militia strikes against US military and civilian personnel in Iraq since Hamas attacked on October 7. It was a mistake to leave our people vulnerable.
And I hope this is the beginning of a correction. But as I said a moment ago, I don't think the administration is signaling it's going to attack Iranian assets inside Iran. And I think that's a mistake. I think Iran believes we are weak, that we are irresolute, and that we're looking for an excuse to get out of the Middle east anyway.
What would that look like specifically if the administration were to attack Iranian targets inside Iran, would that not then become a wider war? And I know that you think this already has become a wider war. Right. The wider war began on October 7.
Hamas didn't wake up on its own one fine morning and decide to attack Israel. This is part of the Iranian ring of fire strategy. I agree with what I think General Votel said, which is Iran is completely responsible for this. And if you don't grasp that point, then you're not going to have an effective response.
I think that that the sorts of things you could go after inside Iran as a first step are things like the military bases, Quds Force bases in western Iran that have been used for 15 years to train these Shia milit, equip them and send them in Particularly during the heavy presence of Americans there, killing over a couple hundred. You could attack Iranian air defense positions in that same part of Iran along the Gulf. You don't have to at this point attack oil infrastructure, the nuclear program, the ballistic missile program, or regime command and control. That can come later.
But the signal that Iran needs to hear is they set a red line against attacking Iran. We need to cross it. Well, and let me ask you, take me to my next question because we, the United States is taking this action on the heels of Iran's president issuing that very stern warning that we are going to retaliate. Not a surprise.
Obviously that's what the US Would anticipate. But what should the United States be bracing for? And how should the Biden administration make sure that U.S. forces and region are prepared to deal with such a response?
Yeah, well, the story, of course, they crossed our red line. They killed Americans. That's where this starts. The issue is not what satisfies Iran.
The issue is what helps get us to peace and security in the region. And the fact is unless we strike disproportionately against Iran, they have no incentive to retire. They have paid since October 7, no cost for all the hostilities in the region. And yet they are the source and the rationale behind the hostility.
So until they pay a cost, you can count on it continually. Ambassador, let me read you this new information. This is just coming in right now. It's from the US Central Command.
It gives us a little bit more detail about what has just unfolded. US military forces struck more than 85 targets with numerous aircraft to include long range bombers flown from the United States. The airstrikes employed more than 1002025 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles and unmanned air vehicle storages and logistics and munitions facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against US and coalition forces.
Now we have a little bit more detail about how robust this attack was. What do you make of this first move in what we are anticipating will be a days long campaign? Well, I mean, I think it sounds like they're off to the right start. But let's also be clear, Iraq had to expect this was coming.
And what sites, what damage is actually done at the sites are attacked, we'll have to assess. I'm not in any way critical of what they're doing so far. I think from a political point of view the risk is that the signal won't be clear. Okay, let me bring in Andrea Mitchell who is of course, our chief Washington correspondent.
Andrea, you're also our chief for affairs correspondent as well. Weigh in here on your latest reporting about what is underway. And obviously sitting here with Ambassador Bolton discussing the risks and what could unfold in the coming days. Well, this is a fairly strong initial step.
It's only the initial step. As you recall, Secretary Austin said yesterday this would be multi tiered. I think, as Adam Serbias was saying earlier, this is going to include cyber. It's going to be kinetic.
It is kinetic here. They went after the IRGC command control. That is a signal to Iran, not Iran territory. I know where Ambassador Bolton stands on that.
We discussed that with him just yesterday. But they are so far at least not going to Iran proper, but going to Iran assets. The irc, of course, is the military arm of the regime, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that could force and it is they who are helping train arm the proxies, of course, the Houthis, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah, according to U.S. officials with whom we've spoken.
They want to make it clear that this is directed against Iran, that they believe that Iran could stop their proxies. They don't have clarity exactly that Iran is directing each strike, but they could stop them clearly and have not. But it's important that the regime itself has said they don't want a wider war. The US does not want a wider war with Iran.
The US as you point out, has a number of battles balancing considerations here. They're walking a typo. They're indirectly negotiating with Hamas and Iran, of course, as the sponsoring machine for the release of the hostages. Those negotiations are just now getting to an important stage, not a critical stage because a lot of negotiations yet to come.
But there's a tightrope here as to not jeopardize the hostages. That is clearly a US Commitment. But I think there's no hesitation in retaliating for the deaths of the free Americans. And if there was any delay, and there obviously has been a delay of several days, it was their determination to try, as they always do, to reduce collateral damage, civilian casualties, to find the best targets, as well as waiting on weather conditions and satellite observance, as former National Security Adviser John Bolton does that for a while.
So there are a number of factors that come into play before they would actually take the strike. I know that he and other critics have said that this would permit the bad guys to get away. They know what the targets are almost as much as we do. But I think that there was, there always is a consideration, unlike with other countries to try to take a clean shot and reduce the possibility of wide scale civilian damage, which would become an immediate propaganda victory for Iran and for their other allies.
Andreas, before I let you go, there had been so much focus prior to this moment when these three service members were killed on those diplomatic talks to try to get the hostages released. What is your latest reporting about where those talks stand? They think that they are promising but that there are many, many steps to go. There was no thought that this was going to be immediate.
You've already seen in the past week very strong disparaging comments, seemingly obstructionist comments from Prime Minister Netanyahu. He is to play to the two very far right ministers without whom he doesn't have a coalition government. But it is significant that the head of Mossad, David Barnia, the head of Shinbat and the IDF intelligence official, all three were represented in Paris at those talks. Also significantly.
Well, Egypt and Qatar were there. Egypt, which has better relationships with the truly aggressive, most militant of the Hamas leaders were inside Gaza and believed to be the orchestrators of October 7th. And the, and it's, you know, you can't call them less radical but more institutionalized, perhaps political. Hamas leaders were outside living in Doha, sheltered and sponsored by Qatar.
Now it's very clear that Israel has long known about Qatar's sponsorship and subsidies to Hamas as a way to keep Gaza sort of under control, under, they thought, under their thumb. They completely misread that, missed what happened on October 7th. It's very deeply undermined by the ability of Netanyahu and his government. But still there's strong support in Israel for going after Hamas.
And the question now is for how long and whether or not there is such significant pressure to get the hostages out that Netanyahu would make some conciliatory gestures. It's also important that a ceasefire could be very, very helpful in calming waters with some of these proxy groups. And the officials here are not taking what was said today by Hamas political leader as the final answer. They think there's still a lot of running room in its important that the slightly different positions of Egypt, Qatar were also reconciled in those talks in Paris so that they have a unified agreement of text that has been signed and sponsored by Qatar and the US as well.
And so now it's a question of the very tough negotiations to come on how many Palestinian fighters were hostages and to try to get those hostages out. The challenge will be getting it over the finish line. It just incredible. Thank you so much for joining us with all your incredible reporting.
Andrea Mitchell, thank you so much. Let me go to Ali Rafa now at the White House. Ali, what are you hearing from officials there? Obviously this is an ongoing and evolving moment and there is a lot of pressure on President Biden as he launches these retaliatory strikes.
Yeah, Kristen, so far we haven't seen any reaction from White House officials or President Biden. We do expect Vice President Kamala Harris to actually take the stage at a campaign event in South Carolina shortly as we monitor any reactions she may have. But as you mentioned, Kristen, it really can't be underscored enough how tricky of a decision it must have been for President Biden to go forward with this decision. We have reporting that there were real concerns on his part over how this retaliatory attack could potentially impact the hostage deal between the Qataris, Egyptians, Israelis and of course US Officials in getting the rest of those hostages out of Hamas's hands in Gaza.
The President apparently being eased out of those concerns by his top aides and then making this decision. Ever since he said that he did, the world has really been waiting with bated breath on what the next step would be, what that would look like, when it would happen and where it would be. Of course we did expect these, some of these attacks to be militarily in these places that we're seeing attack now, Iraq and Syria, places where these Iranian backed militia groups have weapon storehouses. Also places where these Iranian backed military groups have also attacked US Service members.
And that's really how we got to this place to begin with because ever since the Israel Hamas war began on October 6, remember we have seen over 100 of these attacks nearly daily by these Iranian backed groups on U.S. assets in the Red Sea on U.S. service members. Officials have said that most of those strikes have been able to intercepted by the U.S.
the injuries caused to U.S. service members have been minor. But early on the President set a threshold, set a red line and said that all of that would change and a more forceful response and retaliation would be necessary if U.S. service members would end up being killed in one of these attacks.
And of course now that we know that that did happen last Saturday night in Jordan. Three U.S. service members being killed, dozens more injured. The President has gone ahead and made this decision for as US Officials have noted is going to be a multi phase retaliation that could actually end up being several weeks long.
Kristen. All right, Ali Rafa at the White House Force ally, thank you. And Ambassador Bolton is still here with us. I want to pick up on a point that Andrea made which is the United States relationship with Israel.
As you know, President Biden is getting some pressure from within his own party to do more to pressure Israel to have a ceasefire. There are these very sensitive diplomatic talks happening right now that would essentially cease military operations and include a release of the hostages. How likely is it that we will see movement on those talks, given how complicated and complex they are? Well, I think it's very unlikely.
I don't think you should underestimate the pressure Biden is putting on Netanyahu. Unprecedented in the US Israel relationship, I think to break Netanyahu's resolve, and they may succeed at that. And everybody understands the humanitarian concern about the hostages. But I will put it very directly.
Are the hostages more important than the cause of this conflict? Not whether there's a wider war, not what happens in Gaza, but what is the fundamental cause that got this started? The answer, that's Iran. If we don't deal with that cause today and people find Iran's behavior objectionable, how much more objectionable will it when Iran gets nuclear weapons?
So I think the administration is making a mistake by talking two already very complicated situations into one, dealing with the biggest threat to peace and security in the Middle east, which is the government in Tehran, and the Arab Israeli issue, which has been going on for 75 years without a solution. There's also obviously the discussions that are going on to get the hostages released. And then there's this broader diplomatic dance going on, if you will, to try to strike a deal between Saudi Arabia and partners in the region. Those talks effectively fell apart after October 7th.
We know that they have tried to resume those talks. And the goal of the broader goal there is pressuring Iran exactly as you're saying. And I've been talking to sources who are familiar with some of this talks. They say we haven't given up hope on the talks yet.
But realistically speaking, how can that type of broad deal get done against this backdrop? Well, I think part of it would be facing up to the rally in the region. And I think many of the Gulf Arab states believe correctly that Iran is the basic problem here. I wish they could say that more publicly.
What's happening with began in Gaza is not an Arab Israeli war. It's not a Palestinian Israeli war. It's an Iranian war against Israel. This is their ring of fire strategy.
And I think given that the Gulf Arab states in particular appreciate that their strategic situation vis a vis Iran is very close to Israel's. That's why these Abraham accords have been facilitated. That's why the Saudis were in discussion. That strategic reality not only has not changed because of these hostilities, the underlying convergence of interest has been proven by the hostilities.
Ambassador Bolton, I'm going to ask him to stand by one more time because I believe we have Keir Simmons from Iraq, our chief foreign correspondent. Kir, if you are still with us, bring us up to speed. What is the very latest that you are seeing and hearing and that your reporting is telling you? Well, Kristen, we're just hearing and this is these reports in the region.
So you know this isn't confirmed. But now that we know that there is US Action, I think we're a little more able to report when we hear that there have been confrontations in this region. So we're hearing reports of explosions in Anbar Province in an area where the Islamic resistance in Iraq, some of those factions are based. So that wouldn't be a surprise if that was what's happening there.
We're still not clear about whether what happened in eastern Syria that you and I talked about the top of the show, whether that is connected to this campaign. Now it very well may be that strip in eastern Syria again is a place where there are Iranian backed militia camps. Also a place where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has a base, a base that is considered quite substantial, for example, reinforced tunnels to try to prevent kind of bombing from having an impact on their vicinities there. So again, that strip is in Syria, close to the Iraqi border and another location that wouldn't be surprising if it was targeted.
What we don't know from that SenCom statement, we know a lot about the size and breadth of this campaign tonight. What we don't know is the actual targets. And I think that that will begin to emerge partly through these local reports and of course at some point perhaps we will be told. But some of the things I'll be looking for there is how much of it is here in Iraq and how much of it is in Syria.
Because we know that Iran is embedded in Syria in a way that even we didn't see, you know, perhaps five years ago, certainly not a decade ago. And to make a point about that, to underscore I think as we hear about the breadth of this campaign, actually what it will do is put the focus on just how widespread Iranian influence facilities are in Syria and also in Iran. Exactly what I'm discussing with Ambassador Bolton throughout this hour. Kiersimmons, thank you so much.
Please stay safe. Safe there, my friend. Ambassador Bolton, we initially had you on talk about a range of issues including the fact that you have updated the forward in your book, the Room Where It Happened, in which you talk about your concerns, your intensified concerns about the threat from former President Trump if you were to be reelected. A moment like this puts those types of concerns into a new light.
Well, I think this kind of crisis situation that we're in now is one where Donald Trump would not know how to perform. As I've said many times, I don't think he's fit to be president. But where it is most at risk for the United States. You can take whatever position you want on how to handle this conflict.
I don't think he's up to it. I don't think he could stand the pressure and he would not have a strategic sense of what America's vital interests are. And that could cost of your life. Ambassador Jumble, thank you so much for being here, for sharing your insights as we follow this breaking news.
We really appreciate it. Thank you for staying for the hour. And we will be back on Monday with more Me the PRESS Now. And if it's Sunday, it's Meet THE Press on your local NBC news station.
I'll have an exclusive interview with speaker of the House Mike Johnson to discuss these breaking developments as well as the border deal on the looming vote to impeach secretary and see Kaki will join me with the results of a brand new NBC News poll. You do not want to miss it. NBC News NOW coverage continues with Hallie Jackson. Right now, everyone, I'm Dylan Dryer, co host of the third hour of TODAY and mom to three wild boys.
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