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Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter discussed Iran\u2019s attempted ballistic missile strike Saturday targeting Diego Garcia, the joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean.<\/p>\n
Appearing Sunday on CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union\u201d with Dana Bash, Leiter was first asked about the missile strikes in Israel on Saturday evening that caused significant damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael\u2019s emergency response service declared a mass casualty event, as I mentioned. Can you give an update on the ground there? And also, what kind of response do we expect from Israel?\u201d Bash asked.<\/p>\n
Leiter said there were \u201ca number of fatalities\u201d and that more than 150 people were injured in the attacks on Arad and Dimona.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe response is going to be to continue with this campaign until we bring this regime to its knees,\u201d Leiter stated. \u201cWe cannot live anymore with a country that is malign, that has intent on destroying us, that declares it\u2019s going to destroy us all the time, and is now firing ballistic missiles into all of its neighbors. This has to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bash then pressed Leiter on the ICBMs that were fired at Diego Garcia: \u201cDoesn\u2019t that fly in the face of the claim by the president and the prime minister that the missiles that the Iranians have have been obliterated?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leiter hit back, saying that the missile launch reinforces the point that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump have made, which is that Iran lies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Iranian regime lie. These are murderers who lie. It shouldn\u2019t surprise us \u2014 and they said they don\u2019t have intercontinental ballistic missiles. Well, now they prove that they do have them. Not only do they have them; they\u2019re willing to shoot them,\u201d the ambassador said. \u201cThey claimed, until now, there was no such thing as an ICBM in Iran. They didn\u2019t develop them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leiter then painted a frightening scenario, asking Bash to imagine that the ICBMs Iran lied about having don\u2019t simply travel 2,000 miles, but 4,000 miles or more, which would allow them to strike a major city in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what they\u2019re planning to do. Now, imagine that those ICBMs are tipped with nuclear warheads, which they were planning to do as well. So, we have to face a very difficult situation,\u201d he said before noting that while gas prices are temporarily higher as a result of the war, they will return to normal.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this malign government is intent on taking lives. Lives don\u2019t come back, okay? It\u2019s a temporary issue we have to face economically in order to protect lives and save lives from malign regime interested in taking lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIsraeli Ambassador to US Michael Leiter says the war in Iran will continue \u201cuntil we bring this regime to its knees\u201d pic.twitter.com\/z24YbIaCYZ<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) March 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n