>> Reporter: WELL, IRAN HAS 
CONFIRMED THAT IT HAS LAUNCHED 
WHAT IS A CONVENTIONAL STRIKE, 
FIRING, IT SAYS, MORE THAN A 
DOZEN BALLISTIC MISSILES FROM 
INSIDE IRANIAN TERRITORY AS 
BASES THAT HOUSE AMERICAN 
PERSONNEL HERE IN IRAQ.
THE U.S. MILITARY SAYS THAT TWO 
BASES WERE TARGETED, THE AL 
ASSAD BASE WHICH IS IN WESTERN 
IRAQ, ABOUT 200 MILES FROM THE 
IRANIAN BORDER, AND HERE IN 
IRBIL WHERE I AM NOW.
WE HEARD WHAT SEEMS LIKE TWO 
EXPLOSIONS.
THERE ARE HELICOPTERS IN THE SKY
RIGHT NOW PATROLLING THE AREA.
IRAN IS NOT JUST CLAIMING 
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS.
IT SAYS THAT THE OPERATION WAS 
CODE NAMED MARTYR SOLEIMANI.
SO IT SAYS THIS IS A DIRECT 
RESPONSE TO THE U.S. TARGETED 
KILLING OF THE TOP IRANIAN 
GENERAL QASSEM SOLEIMANI.
THE IRANIAN NEWS AGENCIES HAVE 
ALSO PUT OUT VIDEO.
THEY WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW.
THE VIDEO SHOWS WHAT SEEMED TO 
BE AT LEAST THREE MISSILES FIRED
FROM IRAN.
YOU CAN SEE THEM IN THE AIR.
YOU CAN HEAR THE DISTINCT SOUND 
OF A ROCKET ENGINE.
WE DO NOT KNOW, HOWEVER, IF 
THERE ARE CASUALTIES AT THIS 
STAGE.
THERE ARE REPORTS IN IRAQI MEDIA
THAT THERE ARE IRAQI CASUALTIES.
U.S. MILITARY OFFICIALS THAT 
WE'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH HAVE 
SAID THAT AT THE AL ASSAD BASE, 
THEY WERE UNDER ATTACK, THAT 
TROOPS TOOK TO THEIR SHELTERS, 
WENT DOWN INTO BUNKERS.
THE MISSILES CAME IN WAVES, A 
FIRST WAVE FOLLOWED BY A SECOND 
WAVE.
AN IRANIAN NEWS AGENCY SAYS IF 
THE UNITED STATES RESPONDS, 
THERE WILL BE MORE ATTACKS, WHAT
THEY DESCRIBE AS DEVASTATING 
ATTACKS.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS, WILL THE 
UNITED STATES RESPOND.
THE UNITED STATES HAS THREATENED
TO RESPOND SO IT IS VERY LIKELY 
THAT SOME SORT OF RESPONSE IS 
EITHER BEING FORMULATED OR 
POTENTIALLY IN PROCESS.
>> RICHARD, OVER THE YEARS, ONE 
OF THE POINTS OF DISPUTE BETWEEN
IRAN AND THE U.S. IS ITS 
DEVELOPMENT OF BALLISTIC 
MISSILES.
DO WE KNOW IF THESE ARE LARGE 
BALLISTIC MISSILES OR ROCKETS?
>> Reporter: IRANIAN SAYS THEY 
ARE BALLISTIC MISSILES.
AND TO TRAVEL FROM THE IRANIAN 
BORDER, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY 
HOW DEEP IN IRANIAN TERRITORY 
THEY WERE FIRED FROM, BUT TO GO 
JUST FROM THE EDGE OF THE 
IRANIAN BORDER TO THE ASSAD 
BASE, YOU WOULD NEED SOME SORT 
OF POWERFUL MISSILE.
IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE A LONG 
RANGE MISSILE BUT A LOT MORE 
THAN THESE POINT AND SHOOT 
ROCKETS THAT TEND TO BE FIRED AT
U.S. BASES HERE IN IRAQ.
SO A VERY SIGNIFICANT 
ESCALATION.
THIS IS A CONVENTIONAL CROSS 
BORDER ATTACK BY AN ORGANIZED 
MILITARY AGAINST AN ORGANIZED 
MILITARY BASE, U.S. BASES HERE 
IN IRAQ.
TECHNICALLY THESE ARE IRAQI 
BASIS THAT HOUSE U.S. PERSONNEL 
BUT WITHOUT A DOUBT THEY WERE 
TARGETED BY IRAN AND IRAN WANTS 
THE WORLD TO KNOW.
EVERY FEW MINUTES OR SO, IRANIAN
DIFFERENT NEWS AGENCIES ARE 
PUTTING OUT DIFFERENT TWITTERS 
SAYING THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO 
THE DEATH OF QASSEM SOLEIMANI, 
THEY'RE PUTTING OUT HASHTAGS, 
MARTYR SOLEIMANI.
>> LET'S GO TO NBC'S COURTNEY 
KUBE AT THE PENTAGON.
COURTNEY, WHAT ARE THEY SAYING 
THERE?
>> Reporter: THE PENTAGON WAS 
THE FIRST TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IN
FACT WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, IRAN 
LAUNCHED MORE THAN A DOZEN 
BALLISTIC MISSILES FROM INSIDE 
IRAN AT TWO LOCATIONS INSIDE OF 
IRAQ.
THESE ARE IRAQI BASIS THAT HOUSE
U.S. AND COALITION TROOPS, AND 
AL ASSAD IN WESTERN IRAQ.
THE LAUNCH TOWARDS IRBIL, WHAT'S
UNCLEAR IS WHETHER THEY WERE 
TARGETING OR HAD STRUCK A BASE.
THE BASE HOUSES A NUMBER OF U.S.
MILITARY FORCES.
ONLY A FEW WEEKS AGO THEY 
LAUNCHED OUT OF THERE FOR PART 
OF THE RAID THAT KILLED ABU BAKR
AL BAGHDADI.
THERE IS A U.S. PRESENCE THERE.
WHAT'S UNCLEAR IS WHAT EXACTLY 
WAS HIT UP THERE.
THE U.S. MILITARY CONTINUES TO 
DO THEIR BATTLE DAMAGE 
ASSESSMENT, TRYING TO DETERMINE 
WHAT WAS HIT AND WHETHER THERE 
WERE ANY CASUALTIES.
SO FAR WE'RE NOT HEARING ABOUT 
THAT BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S 
NOT THE CASE, LESTER.
AL ASAD AIRBASE IS A SPRAWLING 
BASE OUT IN WESTERN IRAQ, IN THE
DESERT.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS THERE ONLY 
WEEKS AGO FOR HIS FIRST TRIP TO 
IRAQ AS PRESIDENT.
ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THAT 
LOCATION HAS HOUSED SO MANY U.S.
TROOPS, LARGELY U.S. MARINES, 
OVER THE YEARS IS BECAUSE 
THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE FORCE 
PROTECTION.
IT'S SO SPREAD OUT.
IT'S IN A RURAL AREA, NOT A BIG 
CITY LIKE THE BASE IN BAGHDAD OR
THE BASES IN IRBIL, SO IT 
PROVIDES MORE FORCE PROTECTION.
IF IRAN WAS TRYING TO TARGET 
SPECIFIC THINGS ON THAT BASE, 
THAT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT 
UNLESS YOU HAD VERY ACCURATE AND
PRECISE PRECISION-GUIDED 
MISSILES.
>> AND WORTH NOTING, OF COURSE, 
YOU'VE MADE THE POINT THAT ALL 
THESE BASES IN THAT REGION WOULD
HAVE BEEN ON HIGH ALERT 
ANTICIPATING SOME SORT OF 
REACTION OR RETALIATION.
COURTNEY KUBE, THANKS.
NBC'S KRISTEN WELKER IS 
FOLLOWING THIS FROM THE WHITE 
HOUSE.
KRISTEN, WHAT'S THE REACTION 
THERE TONIGHT?
>> Reporter: WELL, WE JUST GOT 
REACTION FROM PRESS SECRETARY 
STEPHANIE GRISHAM A SHORT TIME 
AGO.
SHE SAID, WE ARE AWARE OF 
ATTACKS IN IRAQ, THE PRESIDENT 
IS MONITORING THE SITUATION 
CLOSELY AND CONSULTING WITH HIS 
NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM.
WE KNOW THE VICE PRESIDENT HAS 
ALSO BEEN BRIEFED.
HE HAS CALLED LAWMAKERS, HOUSE 
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, SENATOR 
CHUCK SCHUMER, TO INFORM THEM, 
TO KEEP THEM BRIEFED ABOUT THE 
ATTACK.
NOW, SPEAKER PELOSI JUST PUTTING
OUT A TWEET OF HER OWN, SAYING 
THAT SHE IS CLOSELY MONITORING 
THE SITUATION.
THESE BOMBINGS TARGETING U.S. 
TROOPS.
SHE SAID, WE MUST ENSURE THE 
SAFETY OF OUR SERVICE MEMBERS.
SO ALL EYES ON THIS.
THE WEST WING IS VERY FULL HERE 
TONIGHT AS THE WHITE HOUSE 
MONITORS DEVELOPMENTS.
>> IT'S GOING TO BE A LATE NIGHT
FOR ALL.
KRISTEN, THANK YOU.
WE'LL HAVE MORE ON THE BREAKING 
NEWS ON THIS NBC STATION.
ALSO COVERAGE ON MSN
