John Haines: I just threw the phone down and ran to my vehicle. When Tehran retaliated for the US's targeted killing of top general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, it. Saudi Arabia hit by mass ballistic missile and drone attack – Iran backed rebels blamed A BALLISTIC missile allegedly fired by Yemen's Houthi rebel group was … Tweet on Twitter Alan Johnson:  Luck. The US has. On Monday, Tehran announced it had resumed enriching uranium to 20% purity, far beyond the limits laid out in the 2015 nuclear deal, which US President Donald Trump walked away from in 2018. Frank McKenzie: It was an attack certainly like nothing I've ever seen or experienced. It began with an American drone strike which killed Iran's most powerful general and ended with an Iranian ballistic missile attack against U.S. troops in Iraq. It said the rockets appeared to have been fired from multiple sites east of the Iraqi base, which was targeted last year by a ballistic missile attack directly from Iran. By. First published on February 28, 2021 / 7:14 PM. I've got another football field to run. Kimo Keltz: Someone hitting me over the head with a hammer over and over and over. A Saudi-led military coalition on Saturday said it stopped a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh. So the first decision was to split our team by combat capability. The best shelter was air raid bunkers built during the rule of Saddam Hussein – but there weren't enough of them. Frank McKenzie: David, we had a plan to retaliate if Americans had died. Frank McKenzie: It was a very ominous silence. Alan Johnson: It's six people running for their lives to get to this next bunker. Alan Johnson: The fire was just rolling over the bunkers, you know, like 70 feet in the air. Kimo Keltz: In one of the closest ones that had hit directly near us had actually lifted my body about two inches off the ground. Frank McKenzie: I never take killing anyone as, as an easy decision, but I think the risk of not acting in this case outweighed the risks of acting, so, yes, I was good with the decision. John Haines: It looked like a scene from a movie where everything is destroyed around you, but yet, no one was killed. Concrete barriers blown across a field or a street. And just always know in your heart that I love you, OK. Bye buddy. We're listening to the reports of the missiles flying. David Martin: So it was kind of an ominous silence. Frank McKenzie: Perhaps in hours, perhaps in days, probably not weeks. He was as close to an indispensable man as you could find inside Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any retaliation would result in targeting 52 significant Iranian sites, including cultural ones. Alan Johnson: Finally, you know, hours later we realized, "We have a mass casualty event here of traumatic brain injury.". Somehow no one was killed. From his headquarters in Tampa, General Frank McKenzie had tried to time the evacuation just right. "I had fully accepted that I would die in that shelter with my team." The unveiling of the base comes at a time of growing tensions between Iran and the US. The attack was just hours away when Major Alan Johnson got the word Iran's most powerful weapons were aiming for Al Asad. Frank McKenzie: Their missiles are accurate. to sign ban on transgender girls from female sports, RNC responds to Trump's cease-and-desist letters, California law would ban store aisles for "girls" or "boys" toys, Biden to give primetime address to honor pandemic anniversary, Fauci says vaccine supply will "dramatically" increase in weeks ahead, Gottlieb says variant may cause cases to "tick back up" but surge unlikely. With Post Wires Filed under airstrikes , iran , joe biden , syria , 2/25/21 Produced by Mary Walsh. 176 entirely innocent people died. Do you see him... As Soleimani's entourage pulled away from the plane, McKenzie gave the kill order to the commander controlling the drones. Until then, the U.S. had shied away from going after Soleimani for fear killing such a high-ranking government official would only provoke more Iranian attacks. Tim Garland: They want to carry the burden. "Our view is that ballistic missiles, and Iran's ballistic missile program, has to be on the table as part of that follow-on negotiation," Sullivan said, adding the Biden administration would seek to bring some of Iran's regional partners to the table. From first launch to last impact was 80 minutes. Missiles slammed into both vehicles simultaneously. David Martin:  You ever been on one like this? During the American occupation of Iraq, Soleimani had orchestrated attacks which killed more than 600 U.S. troops and, according to McKenzie, he was planning to do it again. They didn't want to be that guy that was going to relative safety. General McKenzie was sure Iran would retaliate, but he didn't know how – and neither, for a while, did the Iranians. © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "What's up?" The 2021 Erbil missile attacks occurred when multiple missiles were launched against Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Iraq.On 15 February, approximately fourteen rockets were fired from an area south of the city at around 21:30 local time. I don't know when this next missile's going to hit. Alan Johnson: Like a freight train going by you. Thirteen months ago the two countries came perilously close to war. Frank McKenzie: I think they expected to destroy a number of U.S. aircraft and to kill a number of U.S. service members. David Martin: A lot of people might have trouble understanding what you just said. Associate producer, Tadd J. Lascari. David Martin: What did you think was going to happen to the people you were telling to stay? And then a little bit later they brought in the president to this conversation. Intel: US sends B-52 bombers back to Middle East amid attacks by Iran-linked proxies. Two workers, one retired teacher arrested in peaceful Tehran protests for higher wages Three Iranians were detained by security forces in gatherings by pensioners, teachers, and workers outside the Ministry of Labor today in Tehran. Edited by Richard Buddenhagen. The annual report, produced by an independent panel of UN experts, was submitted to the Security Council on Monday and seen by Agence France-Presse. So Garland sent most of his soldiers out into the desert where they watched the attack from a safe distance. The Pentagon now says 34 American troops suffered concussions from the Iranian missile attack on a base in Iraq earlier this month following the killing of … On Sunday, Houthi rebels confirm being behind the attempted strikes on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and other regions, threatening more attacks. Iran then retaliated with a ballistic missile attack against US forces in Iraq last year. Frank McKenzie: The blood of many Americans is on the hands of Quasem Soleimani. Sgt. It was like, man, we, we are not going to come up with a bunker plan that's going to be adequate for the number of people that we're talking about. David Martin: What have you learned so far? Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries have called for the curbing of Iran's ballistic weapons, but Iran's leaders have repeatedly said the arsenal is not up for negotiation. 0. Saudi Arabia oil facilities targeted in drone and missile attack by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. That turned out to be premature. Tonight, we will show you for the first time, drone video of the attack and talk to the troops who were there the night the U.S. and Iran went to the brink. Like, it's almost as if you, your organs are, you know, kind of wavering around inside. Frank McKenzie: There's no back slapping. It was such an unprecedented threat. Mar 1, 2021 The US Defense Department released aerial surveillance video of a ballistic missile attack launched by Iran early last year on an Iraqi military base used by American personnel. Because now I have to prepare to deal with the consequences of the action. (LAUGH) "We have information that Iran is fueling 27 medium-range ballistic missiles and their intention is to level this base and we may not survive.". They fired those missiles to significant range. There was no word on casualties. Staci Coleman: The honest truth is I didn't think that we were going to survive. Frank McKenzie: They bring in the Secretary of Defense. Frank McKenzie: They would have seen airplanes on the ground and people working. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network. Video shows 2020 Iranian missile attack on US forces at Iraqi base Footage released by the US defence department shows Iranian ballistic missiles hitting Iraq's Al Asad air base on 8 January 2020. Frank McKenzie: We saw intelligence reports where Qasem Soleimani was moving various attack streams forward against our forces in Iraq, against our embassy and against other bases there. I still have nightmares. This latest rocket attack on Iraq's Al Asad Air Base, which is a major hub for U.S. and other coalition forces, occurred at around 7:20 AM local time on March 3, 2021. Al Asad Airbase, in the Anbar province of Iraq, is the same base Iranian missile forces targeted with missile attacks on Jan. 8, 2020. We start heading down 135 meters, make it about a third of the way there, the big voice we call it, clicks in, "Incoming, Incoming, Take Cover, Take Cover, Take Cover." Since December 2020, pensioners have held several organized nationwide gatherings on a weekly basis. (CNN)Iran has unveiled an underground base for "strategic missiles" on its Gulf coastline, according to state media. Staci Coleman: I still have no idea understanding other than, you know, God being on our side, that no one was seriously injured and there were no, you know, no, no fatalities. Where he went violence and death followed. Tim Garland: This is a completely different threat. "We must not import (Covid-19) vaccine from the US, the UK or even France. In the lead up to the attacks, Iranian officials had said Iran would retaliate against U.S. forces for the killing of general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on 3 January 2020. Each missile carried a warhead weighing more than 1,000 pounds. Frank McKenzie: We knew it, but to see it. Alan Johnson: We're going to burn to death. Iran's ballistic missiles arsenal is one of the flashpoints in Tehran's long-running disputes with its Arab neighbors and the United States. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday that his country was not in a rush to rejoin the nuclear deal and argued that the sanctions against Tehran must be lifted regardless of whether the US rejoins the pact. Days after that strike, the Iranian government launched missile attacks against U.S. forces at the Ain al Assad air base in Iraq’s Anbar Province, wounding more than 100 troops. Following drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia this weekend, it is not clear that the Pentagon's deterrence tactic is paying off. Tim Garland: Shells of a building, you know, skeletal frames left with nothing else. Staci Coleman: The only real defense against a ballistic missile attack is to get out of harm's way. So I need you to be strong, OK, for mom. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Frank McKenzie: I've never been on one like this where real missiles being fired at our forces and where I thought the risks were so high. We get to the bunker and realize there's roughly 40 people trying to stuff themselves into this bunker that's made for about ten folks. David Martin: So the last time the Iranians took a look with their commercially acquired spy photos, what would they have seen? COVID-19 after one year: What will the future bring? Last Updated: 1st March, 2021 14:53 IST Iran-backed Houthis Claim Responsibility For Saudi Arabia Drone And Missile Attack Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday claimed responsibility for the missile and drone attacks carried out against Saudi Arabia in a cross-border strike. Johnson's bunker provided no protection from that. John Haines: And across the radio we heard, "Incoming, Incoming, Incoming.". Frank McKenzie: And then I said, "take your shot when you got it.". They want to share in the danger. State TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that most of … Though Iran’s ballistic missile attack was triggered by the Soleimani’s assassination, it is important to remember that this suspense-laden military skirmish did not occur in a political vacuum. Video broadcast by state media Friday showed the head of. A few hours after Army Major Alan Johnson recorded that message to his son, Iranian ballistic missiles began raining down on Al Asad Airbase in Iraq where 2000 U.S. troops were based. Kimo Keltz: I had a concussion for two weeks. David Martin: You have the drones overhead. Syrian air defenses were activated in the capital Damascus and its southern suburbs Sunday night to repel an Israeli missile attack, state media reported. By Khaled Wassef March 8, 2021 / 11:57 AM / CBS News But the nightmare of war with Iran had been averted. LONDON: Footage has emerged of an Iranian missile attack on a US airbase in Iraq last year that could have brought the two countries to the brink of war. Previous protests were held on January 26, … Tell me why a soldier wouldn't want to go to a safe place. February 28, 2021 / 7:14 PM The only thing I can actually come up with is that hand of God protected us. Share on Facebook. And they hit pretty much where they wanted to hit. 19 February 2021, 8:00am. Frank McKenzie: If you go too early, you risk the problem that the enemy will see what you have done and adjust his plans. That's how bright it was. Military doctors diagnosed more than 100 cases of traumatic brain injury. Alan Johnson: My intelligence officer pulled me aside and basically said, "Sir, I've got some bad news for you." Frank McKenzie:  Things are happening that could take us to war if we don't make the correct move here. ... in the attack. The news traveled fast up the chain of command and President Trump tweeted "all is well." Frank McKenzie: Sir, I think we might have lost 20 or 30 airplanes and we might have lost 100 to 150 U.S. personnel. As a drone recorded the attack, Americans caught in the crosshairs could do nothing but run or duck and cover. DOHUK, Iraq — A barrage of rockets was fired on Wednesday at the Ayn Al Asad air base in Iraq’s western Anbar Province — one of the last remaining Iraqi bases where U.S. forces are stationed. And once that impact happened the back pressure blew our doors closed and then you just see cloud of dirt, fire. Gulf Today Report . Russians impressed after Iran’s missile attack on US base in Iraq: General Feb 05, 2021 13:29 UTC A commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the last year’s retaliatory missile strike on the US military base of Ain al-Assad in Iraq was so impressive that Russia admitted that Iran has changed the world equations. David Martin: And what was the first sign that Iran might really be thinking of a ballistic missile attack? Broadcast associate, Mabel Kabani. Iranian commanders walk past missiles at the base, in a photo released by Sepahnews, the website of the Revolutionary Guards. Johnson wasn't the only one frantically searching for cover. Staci Coleman: We still needed to be able to do our mission. Frank McKenzie: I believe they went into a period of disorganization because they had lost the officer who really spoke up and shaped everything up and told them what they were going to do. David Martin: Did the base have any defense against ballistic missiles? Major Alan Johnson and 28 other soldiers received purple hearts. Frank McKenzie: Had Americans been killed, it would have been very different. You know, I'll be willing to admit that. Staci Coleman:  They call it a "shock wave" and you kind of feel that, that wave almost internally. By Bill McLoughlin PUBLISHED: 08:57, Wed, Jan 13, 2021 He also said he did not trust coronavirus vaccines produced by the Western countries, and called on officials to prohibit them from entering the country. Alan Johnson: Headaches every day, horrible tinnitus or ringing in the ears. Alan Johnson: There are people throwing up, everybody had headaches. Air Force Master Sergeant John Haines and his security team were outside their armored patrol vehicle when the first missiles struck. Craters about a room size deep into the ground. Kimo Keltz: We got down and we protected our, our vital organs, our heads, and we waited. After the blast wave and debris came the flames. The announcements around the missile base and uranium enrichment weren't the only Iranian provocations this week -- Tehran also seized a South Korean-flagged chemical tanker in the Persian Gulf on Monday. The Iranians monitored Al Asad by purchasing photos like these taken by commercial satellites. The base includes launching pads for long-range missiles that have a precision range of hundreds of kilometers, MEHR and IRNA said citing Salam. McKenzie waited until after Iran had downloaded its last picture for the day. Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Israel was 'striking back' at its 'greatest enemy' Iran as he blamed the Islamic republic for a recent attack on an Israeli-owned ship. Saudi Arabia blames Houthis for missile over capital, drone attack on south Riyadh says Iran-allied Yemen rebels launched ballistic missile, 4 explosive UAVs, causing no casualties or damage Mckenzie was watching from a different angle. David Martin: Have you ever done an estimate on if you hadn't evacuated the damage that would have been done? Frank McKenzie: They began to move their ballistic missiles. Alan Johnson in recorded video: Hey buddy. Kimo Keltz was outside the bunkers, manning a guard post in case the missile barrage was followed by a ground assault. David Martin: So when they launched those missiles, they thought that was going to be a full flight line. Johnson was taking cover in a bunker designed to protect troops against much smaller warheads weighing only 60 pounds. Economic fallout from pandemic disproportionately hits Latinas, Dr. Fauci answers COVID vaccine questions in CBSN special, Marine General Frank McKenzie with contributor David Martin, The toll of an Iranian ballistic missile attack, Who would live and who would die: The inside story of the Iranian attack on Al Asad Airbase, California Privacy/Information We Collect. Alan Johnson: Knocked the wind out of me followed by the most putrid tasting ammonia tasting dust that swept through the bunker coated your teeth. “It is not only a genuine test flight of a satellite vehicle, but a signal to the US, Europe and Israel that missile technology is off the table,” said Inbar. There's no cheering. Tim Garland: No sir. The Iranian attack on Al Asad was in retaliation for a stunning U.S. operation President Trump ordered six nights earlier – a drone strike which killed Iran's most powerful general, Quasem Soleimani. Lt. Col. Tim Garland commanded an Army battalion at Al Asad, a sprawling airbase about 120 miles west of Baghdad where the U.S. operated scores of helicopters, drones and other aircraft. "What you see today is one of several IRGC Naval strategic missile facilities," Salami said according to the MEHR news agency. John Haines: It's like the sun rising instantaneous. ... That came in the form of a near-identical missile attack on two bases housing US and coalition forces in Iraq. When the sun came up, the survivors surveyed the damage. The US State Department condemned both the ship seizure and Iran's resumption of uranium enrichment. The U.S. said it will "respond" to the missile attack in Iraq that injured Americans at a "time and place of our choosing." PTSD. IRAN has launched a major missile test today in a bold warning to the US ahead of Joe Biden's upcoming inauguration. Marine General Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, monitored the attack from his headquarters at Tampa, Florida - ducking into this small room off his main operations center where he could talk directly to the only two people above him in the chain of command. Hana Levi Julian - 16 Adar 5781 – February 27, 2021. And just, like-- like, shoved everybody in there. David Martin:  But, when you're running between bunkers, it's just a matter of, what, luck? But the base still had to be manned. Missiles on mobile truck launchers on display at the base. On Saturday, loud explosions shook the capital Riyadh as the Saudi-led coalition said it thwarted a Houthi missile attack, which sent shrapnel raining down on civilian homes. On January 3 of last year, an airport security camera recorded Soleimani's arrival in Baghdad on a commercial flight from Damascus. David Martin is CBS News' National Security Correspondent. David Martin: This was an attack like no other. Iran was on alert for a possible U.S. strike and hours later mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner, thinking it was an American bomber. [VIDEO] UNITED NATIONS: North Korea and Iran resumed cooperation on the development of long-range missiles in 2020, according to a United Nations report that also confirmed Pyongyang continues to violate various nuclear resolutions. I don't think it was ever calculated, so the capability to prevent a ballistic missile attack it-- it wasn't there.

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