AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour."

We're in the third day of the American and Israeli# war against Iran, .. now calling on Americans to evacuate more than# a dozen countries in the Middle East.

Today was## marked once again by punishing airstrikes# across the Islamic Republic.

In response,## Iran continues to widen the war, sending volleys# of missiles and rockets across the region,## targeting most of its Arab neighbors and Israel.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced that at least## six U.S.

service members have# been killed in reprisal attacks.

Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.

Today in Tehran, the epicenter of this# widening war, the plumes of smoke were## massive and the explosions thunderous, some of the# capital's streets engulfed in debris and dread,## entire buildings collapsed, a police# station converted into a carcass.

The## Iranian Red Crescent Society says# the war has killed more than 550.

One explosion hit one of Tehran's most prominent# hospitals.

Nurses evacuated babies in incubators.## The campaign is the largest in Israel's# history, targeting leadership and military.## And American Tomahawk missiles and airstrikes# are targeting Iran's missile infrastructure.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States:# We continue this mission with ferocious,## unyielding resolve to crush the threat this# terrorist regime poses to the American people.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The war also# threatens service members,## three American F-16s accidentally# shot down by Kuwaiti air defense.

MAN: No problem.

You are safe.

NICK SCHIFRIN: One female pilot# met by grateful Kuwaiti civilians.

MAN: No problem.

Thank you for helping us.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But U.S.

service# members were killed on this Kuwaiti## base when U.S.

officials say an Iranian# ballistic missile evaded its air defense.

MAN: Oh, my God.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In total, Iran has launched# more than 1,000 drones and missiles into Arab## countries, including its first ever attacks# on Gulf hotels and residences.

And, today, it## expanded those attacks to energy infrastructure,# including Saudi Arabia's largest oil refinery.

And there was another attack today on a tanker# off the coast of Oman.

Today, Iran vowed to shut## down the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which# roughly one-fifth of the world's oil is traded.## And Israel expanded its own strikes into Lebanon.# After Iranian ally Hezbollah launched an attack## into Israel, Israeli jets pounded Beirut, killing# dozens and setting fire to residential buildings.

Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and# drones at Israel, including this attack## on Saturday west of Jerusalem that killed# nine.

Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin## Netanyahu visited the site and reiterated his# goal, the elimination of the Iranian threat.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister: And# if this regime, this terrorist regime of the## kind we've never seen in the world, if they get# nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them,## ballistic missiles, intercontinental ballistic# missiles, they will threaten all of humanity.

NICK SCHIFRIN: At the Pentagon today, Secretary# Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan## Caine made clear the U.S.

military objectives were# limited to Iran's missiles and drones and navy.

PETE HEGSETH, U.S.

Defense Secretary:# This operation is a clear, devastating,## decisive mission, destroy the missile# threat, destroy the navy, no nukes.

GEN.

DAN CAINE, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of# Staff: Our mission is to protect and defend## ourselves and together with our regional# partners prevent Iran from the ability to## project power outside of its borders and be# ready for follow-on actions as appropriate.

DONALD TRUMP: They're never# going to have a nuclear weapon.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But, at the White House,# President Trump listed maximalist goals,## including the destruction of Iran's missile# capabilities, -- quote -- "annihilating## their navy," preventing Iran# from having a nuclear weapon,## and blocking Iran's arming, funding,# and directing regional proxies.

DONALD TRUMP: Whatever the time is, it's# OK.

Whatever it takes, we will always,## and we have -- right from the beginning, we# projected four to five weeks, but we have## capability to go far longer than that.

We also# projected four weeks to terminate the military## leadership.

And, as you know, that was done in# about an hour, so we're ahead of schedule there.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But in multiple# interviews since the weekend,## the president provided# varying timelines and goals.## He called the Venezuela model, where the U.S.# military captured President Nicolas Maduro,## but left intact his entire government, the# -- quote -- "perfect scenario" in Iran.

He said he had multiple choices to# lead Iran, but then he told ABC News:## "It's not going to be anybody that we were# thinking of because they are all dead."

He## told "The Atlantic" he'd agreed to resume# negotiations, but a senior administration## official later clarified the president# would negotiate -- quote -- "eventually."

Simultaneously, Trump said Iranians would# -- quote -- "obviously have an opportunity## to overthrow the government," the exact# opposite of negotiations to keep the regime.

This evening, Secretary of State Marco# Rubio said there were no contradictions## between limited military goals# and expansive long-term vision.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S.

Secretary of State: The# objectives of this operation are to destroy## their ballistic missile capability and make sure# they can't rebuild it and make sure that they## can't hide behind that to have a nuclear program.# That's the objective of the mission.

That said,## abundantly clear we would love for there to be an# Iran that's not governed by radical Shia clerics.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And, tonight, President# Trump warned in an interview with CNN## that the biggest wave of U.S.

strikes,# Amna, is -- quote -- "coming soon."

AMNA NAWAZ: Nick, tell us more about the# goals of this war and some of those varying## contradicting statements you just laid# out.

What are U.S.

officials telling you?

NICK SCHIFRIN: So, the key is what# you just heard there from Rubio.

The U.S.

military is destroying Iran's# missiles drones and navy.

Their mission## stops there.

U.S.

officials reject the Colin# Powell Pottery Barn model, if you break it,## you own it.

But the long-term goal is still# regime change.

So how do you square that circle?

U.S.

officials tell me by focusing on a# change in the regime, rather than a change## of the regime.

So if Iran gave in to all of# the U.S.

demands at the negotiating table,## that would achieve U.S.

goals.

Or if the Iranian# people overthrew the government in some kind of## insurgency after the U.S.-Israeli military# campaign, that would also achieve the goals.

And here's the thing.

U.S.

officials# I talked to say they don't have to## choose between these two things.# And that's extraordinary, because,## on the one hand, you have relatively# limited military goals for an operation,## and on the other, you have this vision that# would require some messy, likely long-term,## very difficult insurgency, frankly, that the U.S.# or Israel would have to keep going and fomenting.

So that's the reality, though, Amna, of# the Trump era.

The president wants options,## and so they believe they do not have to# make the choice.

And the criticism of that,## of course, is that Iran shows# no willingness to negotiate.

And## unless there's some kind of plan to help# Iranians rise up, the mission will fail.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, you have some new# reporting on a key question in all of this,## which is why the war started when# it did.

What have you learned?

NICK SCHIFRIN: U.S.

officials confirmed# to me the U.S.

intelligence community## provided Israel the location of the# supreme leader on Saturday morning,## alongside some of his most senior leaders.

And so Israel started the war with an initial# strike that hit that compound that we saw## on Saturday.

But Secretary of State Rubio# today also argued essentially the opposite,## that the U.S.

didn't have a# choice when to start the war## because the military had to go when it did# because of both Israeli and Iranian plans.

MARCO RUBIO: We knew that there was going# to be an Israeli action.

We knew that that## would precipitate an attack against# American forces.

And we knew that,## if we didn't preemptively go after them# before they launched those attacks,## we would suffer higher casualties and# perhaps even higher those killed.

And then## we would all be here answering questions# about why we knew that and didn't act.

NICK SCHIFRIN: So, to underline, Amna,## this is now a war simultaneously started# to American intelligence .. Israel and a war that Israel would have# started anyway, so the U.S.

had to act.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, as we reported# earlier, the U.S.

tonight has issued## evacuation orders for more than a dozen# countries.

What more do we know about that?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Yes, let's# take a look at this graphic,## this tweet that was just# posted by the State Department.

"Depart now from the countries listed below# using available commercial transportation## due to serious safety risk."

Bahrain, Egypt,# Iran, Iraq, Israel, West Bank, Gaza, Jordan,## Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,# Syria, UAE, and Yemen.

That is 14 countries.

I just talked to a former senior official.# As far as this person knows, this has never,## ever been done before.

We are talking about# hundreds of thousands or millions of Americans## who are getting this message tonight, and we# will certainly stay on this to figure out whether## there's going to be any facilitating either by the# military or the State Department to get them out.

But, clearly, the message is,# take civilian transportation,but,## as we have been talking about, many of# these airports in the region already closed.

AMNA NAWAZ: Nick Schifrin,# beginning our coverage once again.

Nick, thank you.