In a dramatic moment broadcasted to viewers worldwide, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, alongside his colleagues Clarissa Ward and Jeremy Diamond, had to abruptly evacuate their set in Israel on Monday morning. The urgent situation unfolded as the team received a ten-minute warning of an incoming missile, suspected to be launched from Iran.
"It's a ten-minute warning of incoming missiles or something incoming from Iran..." - Anderson Cooper
The incident took place during a live discussion about escalating Middle East tensions. As the emergency sirens wailed, Ward alerted the audience to the developing crisis. "I should just say that we're now hearing an alert," she said, with the urgency of the situation palpable in the background. Cooper, maintaining his composure, informed viewers of the alerts received on their mobile devices, a standard protocol in Israel for such threats. "So these are the alerts that go out on all of our phones when you're in Israel. It's a ten-minute warning of incoming missiles or something incoming from Iran," he explained.
Cooper and his team were stationed at a location where audible alarms instructed people to move to bomb shelters. With about ten minutes to react, the CNN crew made the decision to continue broadcasting while relocating to a safer area. The veteran journalist inquired about the feasibility of continuing the transmission, asking his crew, "Chuck, do we have capabilities as we go down?"
As they awaited elevator access to reach the bomb shelter, Diamond provided viewers with descriptions of destruction from previous Iranian airstrikes. Despite a brief interruption when the elevator caused technical difficulties, the broadcast resumed, with the team reporting from the shelter. A final 90-second warning alarm sounded, emphasizing the severity of the threat.
The backdrop to this incident is a series of military actions, including a United States strike against three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday. In response, Iran launched missiles at Israeli targets. Early Monday, another missile was intercepted by Israeli air defenses, as confirmed by CNN. No casualties were reported, apart from anxiety cases and injuries sustained in the rush to shelters.
Social media also played a pivotal role in disseminating information. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used platform X to notify citizens of the sirens and the missile interception. Furthermore, a provocative social media post linked to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei displayed imagery of missile strikes against a city, ominously warning, "The punishment continues."
This tense episode underscores the volatile nature of the region and the real-time dangers faced by journalists covering such conflicts. Cooper's ability to deliver news under duress highlights the commitment to journalism, even under life-threatening circumstances.
