CNN correspondents in Tel Aviv, Israel, were forced to seek shelter in the middle of a live broadcast after an alert of a possible air attack coming from Iran began sounding across the city.
The incident happened last Wednesday (11) at around 1 a.m. local time, when anchor Erin Burnett and correspondent Jeremy Diamond were in Tel Aviv conducting a remote interview with retired Army Major Gen. Randy Manner.
When the siren began to sound, Burnett quickly grabbed her papers and a microphone while the network’s team in Israel sought shelter, saying: “Obviously, we’re having trouble hearing because the sirens are going off here as we go to seek shelter.”
The segment then followed Fred Pleitgen, a senior international correspondent for CNN, who is in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Earlier, Pleitgen also had to flee during a bombardment while the sound of explosions could be heard in the background.
“So this just shows how quickly things can get worse here. We were filming at a location […] that apparently was hit yesterday,” Pleitgen said, out of breath after running quickly to a safe location.
Pleitgen then told Burnett that, unlike Israel and other countries in the Middle East, Iran does not have an alarm system to inform its citizens of a bomber on the way.
“In fact, just a few minutes ago, before we went on air here, we were under fairly heavy bombardment. We suddenly heard jets overhead. The noise got louder and louder and then there were some very loud bangs,” Pleitgen said in the report.
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Photo and video: Reproduction / TV / X @OutFrontCNN. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
NOW ON OUTFRONT: Erin Burnett takes shelter in Tel Aviv amid missile sirens; Speaks with Fred Pleitgen in Tehran.
CNN operates in Iran with the permission of the Iranian government, as required under local regulations, but maintains full editorial control over what it reports. pic.twitter.com/MUppcFyK34
— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) March 10, 2026
