twitter @jaketapper. check out our show page at cnn.com/the lead for videos and blogs and textras. subscribe to our magazine. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening now, breaking news. brink of war. rockets intercepted near tel aviv and jerusalem. deadly air strikes in gaza and a bloody shootout on an israeli beach. israel is ready to mobilize tens of thousands of military reserves as an all-out fight looms. billions for the border. president obama wants congress to fund an emergency response to the immigration crisis. critics say it's a problem of his own making. i'll talking chief policy

adviser and key republican law maker. >> smeared by cuba? a u.s. senator suggests cuban intelligence was behind allegations that he consorted with underage prostitutes. we'll have an exclusive report. i'm wolf blitzer. you are in "the situation room." sirens screaming in tel aviv as people run for cover. israel's iron dome defense system intercepted palestinian rockets headed for its largest cities while israeli aircraft have been pounding targets in gaza. with 40,000 israeli military reserves now at stand by for a full-scale incursion, israel and the palestinian militant groups are on the brink of another bloody war. cnn's ben wedeman is standing by in gaza. first let's go to diana magnate near gaza.

what's the latest? >> reporter: hi, wolf. a few hours ago we had volleys of rockets going overhead past us. there must have been 15, 20 of them going north towards tel aviv. two rockets were intercepted by the iron defense system just south of tel aviv and over the city itself. also in jerusalem, the idf saying one rocket hit jerusalem. it is quite clear that hamas is stepping up its campaign, irrespective of air strikes all day along the gaza strip. we were standing over looking the strip. could you see columns of smoke from those air strikes, apparently very targeted, they say. we do know civilians died in amongst the 16 that lost their lives so far inside the gaza strip. those air strikes clearly making no difference to hamas.

hamas seems to have upped the tempo. there was a commando raid from hamas militants on a beach just a couple of kilometers south from here. we don't know how they cape on to the beach, whether they swam or had dingies. they were confronted by israeli defense forces, five militants killed. we believe that operation is still ongoing. hamas on the offense here in an operation that seems to be ramping up. >> kids are being told to stay home, shopping malls have been quieted, if you will. what is going on along the mediterranean coast where you are, diana? >> well, you hear every so often and actually pretty frequently these air raids and people are then scared and run for shelter and wonder what to do. the town a few kilometers away, you have 15 seconds to get to a shelter when you hear the siren.

people are very nervous. it's amazing how quickly people return to their day-to-day activities. i think you get the sense that people feel thattine dome will protect them, to a certain extent, however unpleasant it is to hear the rockets go overhead. i think in gaza also is there a sense the people understand that unless they are closely affiliated with hamas, these air strikes inside of gaza are fairly targeted. so life, as much as it can, keeps going despite these sort of fairly frequent jitters. >> diana magnay, we'll get back to you. israel responded with waves of air strikes in gaza targeting dozens of what it's calling terror sites. the death toll in gaza is clearly growing. let's go to senior international correspondent ben wedeman in

gaza for us. what's the latest there? >> reporter: right now i can hear drones overhead and war planes in the distance. gaza city is eerily quiet. occasionally, you do hear the mosque blaring out with announcements of these rocket attacks on tel aviv, on jerusalem and other israeli cities. what they are not telling people, however, is that the iron dome system is intercepting almost all of those rockets, and therefore, they are not really having the sort of impact hamas is boasting about. the israeli strikes are coming in fairly steadily. we were in southern gaza today at a house where seven people were killed. this is a house belonging to a family with ties to hamas, but among the dead were two boys, one 10, one 11 years old.

it's a very crowded neighborhood. some of the people simply seem to be passers-by when this attack took place. in that particular house, i spoke to the woman who received what is known as a knock on the roof, which is a phone call which warns families that a strike is coming. she received that phone call from a man she said spoke very good arabic by the name of david. he told her, get out of that house for the sake of your children. she left, but the kids in the neighborhood weren't so lucky. >> i assume in gaza where you are and you've been there many times, you speak arabic, you know the folks over there, they must be terrified about what's going on, as well? >> to a certain extent, people have become accustomed to this sort of thing. the assumption among many as

diana rightly pointed out, if you are not somebody who is a member of hamas, a member of islamic jihad, you are not involved in any sort of political military activities and you are not close to any military or hamas facilities that you may be relatively safe. there is not a lot of enthusiasm among ordinary people for these strikes, these missile attacks. in fact, i mentioned before how the mosque is blaring these messages of victories. you don't hear much reaction in the street. during the brazil/germany game, we heard every time a goal was struck lots of cheering and shouting. i think many people are just staying at home, distracting themselves with the world cup and hoping this is over as soon as possible. >> ben wedeman in gaza, thank you. be safe. the crisis clearly escalating as rockets are fired toward

israel's major cities. israel threatening devastating military response, not only from the air but on the ground. joining us from jerusalem, the superintendent mickey rosenfeld. thank you for joining us. first of all, did any of these rockets that were launched from gaza hit tel aviv, hit jerusalem? what can you tell us about that? >> i can tell you and confirm throughout the day there were more than 120 rockets that were fired by the hamas from the gaza strip inside israel. the iron dome successfully took down more than 20 rockets, and late this evening, sirens were heard both in jerusalem as well as in the tel aviv area. luckily enough, around the tel aviv area south of tel aviv, the rockets were intercepted. from what we know until now from different police units in and around the different areas on the ground, they are still searching around the outskirts of jerusalem. at least what i want confirm

from the police perspective, hundreds of phone calls were received at 911 of explosions heard in and around the vicinity of jerusalem. >> have there been any israeli casualties killed or injured in any of these rocket attacks? >> what i can confirm there's only been damage in a city to a large number of vehicles. what we should be looking at is the threat that the hamas want to fire into heavily populated areas where women and children now on holidays, camps and people out and around in the streets. we know what hamas are trying to target. at the moment, we are concentrating making sure the message to the public is taking into consideration you have 15, 30 seconds, 45 seconds up to one minute until those rocket strikes. therefore, it's vital all of our population in the different areas, especially within the cities should go into the safe zones and safe areas in time.

>> does hamas have rockets or missiles that can reach the populated area of tel aviv? is tel aviv itself vulnerable to hamas rockets or missiles from gaza? >> i can confirm that the hamas do have the capability. we know from this evening as well one rocket landed north of tel aviv. we are taking into consideration that both the central part of israel as well as jerusalem and other areas are under threat. basically what we are talking about is more than 3 million israelis under the threat of the hamas. therefore, both the idf as well as different security organizations already take into consideration and do what has to be done in order to make sure that the people and the population of israel are safe. >> usually jerusalem is considered offlimits because it's not only the site of holy places for christians and jews,

but muslims, the dome of the rock. has there been a change as far as you know right now? >> in terms of the police perspective, our units know on a ground level those rockets can strike anywhere, any place. for hamas to fire into muslim area and muslim community, they've done that in the past. we experienced that in the lebanese war where rockets landed within heavily arab populated areas and there were casualties there. i don't think the hamas are afraid of killing israelis. they'll kill anyone they can. what i want to focus on this evening is the police perspective. our units stepped up security in and around different areas across the country. obviously, we are looking ahead at the next 24, 48 hours how the situation will develop. >> you brief there will be an israeli ground invasion of gaza? >> i can't confirm what steps are being taken and what will

take place exactly when. all options are available and the israeli government will make all the correct decisions when necessary at the correct time and correct place. >> let me get your quick update on this 15-year-old american kid who was beaten by israeli police. we saw some of the video. you've seen it. he's from florida. there is no excuse, is there, for some 15-year-old kid whose hands are tied, for police to beat him on the head like this, right? >> what i can confirm in that specific incident is he was one of the six people palestinians arrested. we know he was wearing the muslim headdress used to not show their identity. the arrest should have taken place quickly. what happened after that is being examined by the justice

ministry. let's not forget we have to ask ourself another question, which is why was there an american florida student, how did he find himself in east jerusalem breaking the law, throwing molotov cocktails at police officers and finding himself in that situation? >> i spoke with his family last night saying he was in his own yard there. he was not doing anything wrong. he was standing there, got caught up in this. even if he were doing something, there is no excuse beating at him after his hands were tied behind his back, right? >> i can tell you and confirm that in terms of my experience as a police officer and working in the field, an arrest should be made quickly and swiftly. he should have been handcuffed and handed over. obviously, as i mentioned, the ministry of justice is looking at that incident what took place at the exact moments when he was

arrested and afterwards. obviously, the police officers and the situation will be examined carefully as we saw in the footage. >> he's under house arrest now. will you let him come back to florida? >> we'll take into consideration both the situation and decision, the court decision that will be made. take into consideration he is studying overseas and he has family overseas, but also take into consideration he was a suspect breaking the law and armed at the time he was arrested. >> mickey rosenfeld, superintendent of the israeli police force, we'll stake in touch with you. thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you very much. coming up in our next hour, i'll get the palestinian perspective. the palestinian representative, plo ambassador here in washington is stand buying to join us live. judge. >> we are monitoring breaking news in the middle east. you will get the latest developments in israel and gaza as they happen.

a special report at the top of the hour. president obama asks for almost $4 billion to deal with the border crisis. i'll speak with his top domestic policy adviser and a key republican congressman who calls it, quoting him now, a disaster of president obama's own making. we'll hear from a united states senator fighting a corruption probe who suggests he was smeared in a deliberate campaign by the cuban intelligence service. ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪ ♪ build! we're investing big to keep our country in the lead. ♪ load! we keep moving to deliver what you need. and that means growth, lots of cargo going all around the globe. cars and parts, fuel and steel, peas and rice, hey that's nice! ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ helping this big country move ahead as one ♪ ♪ norfolk southern how's that function? ♪

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border, tens of thousands of

children crossed into the united states illegally. the federal government doesn't seem to know what to do with them. president obama is asking congress for almost $4 billion to address the problem. let's go to our white house correspondent michelle kosinksi with the latest. >> reporter: a less defensive tone today. the white house emphatically laid out what it calls an axwresive plan to deal with children and families atted border. now the president will address this issue in texas this week, even meeting with one of his critics in chief. the texas governor. the white house's emergency plan for tackling the immigration crisis alt the border now totals $3.7 billion. it does include border security and an enforcement, more than 1.5 billion worth. another nearly $2 billion to house and care for the children

awaiting the badly backed-up process going before a judge and most likely being deported. it's likely abandoned schools will be turned into temporary shelters. the remainder of the funds would hire lawyers, judges to give the central american children due process required that this law this administration inherited and contributing to the -- >> urgent humanitarian situation. >> reporter: amid calls from obama, even his own party to visit the board they are week after calling it a crisis. now the white house says the president has extended an invitation to one of his harshest critics, texas governor rick perry. >> this administration has been an absolute failure. >> reporter: the president asking perry to join an already-scheduled meeting in dallas tomorrow to talk about humanitarian needs. this invite comes only after perry asked the president for a meeting.

will they meet one-on-one? possibly. some members of congress aren't letting up. >> he needs to see this for himself and not rely on advisers because this is a crisis that's ongoing. >> reporter: congress even agreed to the funding. the white house flu down its own gauntlet. >> i would expect those individuals to back up that talk with action. based on the rhetoric we've seen from members of congress, we hope they'll act quickly. >> reporter: it's possible republicans in congress will ask for something in return before they pony up this money, budget cuts. house speaker boehner said he would like to see the use of the national guard to deal with the problem. the white house response has been passing comprehensive immigration reform would include border security. that passed the senate in a bipartisan manner, but still blocked in the house. >> michelle kosinksi at the white house with the latest. thank you. we'll hear shortly from the

chief domestic policy adviser. first from bob goodlatte of virginia. the administration says it has no choice in dealing with these 60,000 unaccompanied kids that have crossed the border illegally because of that 2008 law president bush signed, you voted for it. is the administration right now, their hands are tied, they have to follow the law? >> absolutely not. the fact of the matter is there could be a tweak to the law. there are a lot of things the administration could do right now to stop this problem, including working with the mexican government, putting pressure on the mexican government and the central american countries to work with us, to keep the children from leaving the countries or making their way across mexico. the mexican government is interested working with the united states and getting help

to secure their border with guatemala. they could do a number of things administratively themselves. for example, they could stop abusing the process of prostitution law. they asked the congress for a blank check, a lot of money that comes to tens of thousands of dollars for each one of these children. no plan, no accountability in terms of how that money will be spent and no plan in terms of how they will stop this problem with it. if they want some changes to the 2008 law, why didn't they include that in their supplemental appropriations request? my understanding is just yesterday the president said he wasn't going to ask for that change in the law. >> but the law as it stands right now, forget about possible changes, the law as it stands right now, once this child is in

the united states unaccompanied, you can't just send that kid back to mexico or to guatemala. you have to do due process. put it before a judicial panel, get a lawyer and go through what the law stipulates. >> the law says you cannot detain the child more than 72 hours. if the child is from mexico -- >> what if the child is from guatemala or el salvador. >> guatemala takes some of the children back right now. if the president put pressure on these countries to have them work with us and set up a plan to take the children back, they can do that. it's when the child asks for political asylum they have the opportunity to stay. >> most of these kids, i understand, cross the border and they don't try to hide. they want to go to a police officer or border police. they've got a phone number of a relative in the united states and say in spanish, they want to apply for asylum.

>> first of all, they usually do not apply for asylum until they've been detained for a while. yes. they are being trained by the drug smugglers and human traffickers who work with these kids and take thousands of dollars from their parents who willfully left them in their home country. they've come to the united states illegally and are spending thousands of dollars to send these children on this dangerous journey where some are killed or diverted into sex trafficking and expect that the united states government should turn them over to them when they illegally enter the united states. if is there a tweak to the law the president would like to have, he should step up and work with us on that. we are willing to do that. the president can do many things to change his approach and policy with regard to enforcing the board their would stop this problem. it is not all dependent upon that 2008 law. >> do you regret voting for that

law in 2008? >> that law was passed through a democratic congress at end of the session. had i or lamar smith been chairman it would have been more carefully vetted than it was. it was intended to deal with individual children who were pushed back across the border and maybe back into the hands of these traffickers. certainly the underlying premise is a good one, but when being abused like this where you have 50,000, 60,000 children estimated to maybe grow to 150,000 next year, it needs to be changed. in the meantime, there are half the people coming here are children accompanying their parents. the rules are very different with regard to them. >> we are talking about the kids who come here unaccompanied. every republican in the house voted for it except two republicans voted against it. you were not one of those two republicans who voted against it. you voted for it.

the bush administration supported it for obvious good reasons of sex trafficking to deal with that. the law is the law, right? >> the law is the law. the law is not what is dictating this surge that is going on there. there is a need to make a tweak to the law if that's what the president wants. last week he said he wants the entire senate comprehensive immigration law passed. that would exacerbate this problem not solve it. you would see a larger surge of people. >> if they tweak the law, would you support the $3.7 billion the president is seeking? >> absolutely not. you don't need that amount of money. the appropriations committee is looking at this carefully. we need to have very targeted appropriations for very specific purposes to address things that are needed as a part of this $3.7 billion is a slap in the face of the taxpayers of the

united states to say this problem, in my opinion, created by the president of the united states in terms of his lax an enforcement of immigration laws now saying give me money and i will use it to help them settle further into this country. and providing attorneys which the immigration law specifically prohibits taxpayer dollars being used for. >> mr. chairman good of to you join us. thanks for your perspective. bob goodlatte of virginia. >> you heard the criticism. let's get the president's point of view on this huge immigration crisis. joining us is cecilia munoz. you heard what the chairman of the judiciary committee said. if you tweak the law, you are not going to have this problem. are you are eddie to win support for the $3.7 billion emergency request to make modifications in

that 2008 law that president bush signed? >> yes. what the chairman failed to recognize was a week ago the president sent a letter to congress urging them to work with him in tweaking that law giving the secretary of homeland security more authority to treat children from noncontiguous countries the same way we treat children from mexico. we are looking to adding to our authorities and using the resource we have to make sure we are working with countries of central mexico and with mexico to deal with root causes and create facilities for surging immigration asylum officers. surging resources we have to deal with new arrivals to make sure we can handle humanitarian claims expeditiously. also make sure we are removing people more quickly. there is a clear message to

people in central america. and parents understand smugglers are lying to them telling them they can expect to remain in the united states once they get here. >> you heard him say he is not going to support that $3.7 billion. if you don't get republican support in the house of representatives, that money will not be appropriated. >> they don't get to acknowledge this is a serious humanitarian problem and say offhand they won't provide support to deal with this problem. those resources are targeted towards disrupting the smuggling networks, making sure the communities that these people come from have the resources to repatriate folks sent back, as well as deal with root causes of this migration. they are for more immigration judges and asylum officers so we no longer have the serious backlogs that lead to delays.

we should have a bipartisan conversation making sure we have the resources to deal with it as effectively and efficiently as possible. the request makes it clear additional resources help us get in front of this in an effective way. >> of the 60,000 young kids who entered the united states illegally this year, how many of those 60,000 do you expect to deport in the coming months? >> it's impossible to say with precision. >> approximately. >> we believe a majority of these kids are unlikely to qualify for humanitarian relief. they ultimately will be returned. we'll make sure to adjudicate any cases effectively and with compassion. bottom line and message to any parent who might consider putting their child in 2 the hand of smugglers and traffickers thinking they would be able to stay in the united states should understand that is incorrect. they will ultimately be

returned. >> the president will be in texas tomorrow. he is going to meet with rick perry, the governor of texas. he will address this issue at thechbt that will take place tomorrow, but is not going to do an eyewitness sighting of what is going on. he is coming and lot of criticism from republicans and democrats. why not go to the border, see what's going on for yourself? he is the president of the united states and this is a humanitarian crisis. >> since the end of may, the president focused both himself and his team what is most effective dealing with this situation. he sent the vice president to central america to deal with the heads of state in the countries from which people are are coming. he organized the broader federal infrastructure including the defense department, justice department, department of homeland security and hhs to collaborate in making sure we are providing both appropriate facilities for the children.

secretary kerry was in the region, secretary johnson is in the region today in central america. secretary johnson traveled to the border five times in the last month. the president is focused on what is going to be most impactful dealing with this situation. in texas tomorrow he will lead with community leaders, faith leaders, people trying to do something about it. he will remain focused. >> aren't you worried about the appearance that he goes to texas and doesn't inspect the boarder? >> we are less concerned about appearances and more concerned about the impact on the situation. we are hoping other political leaders will feel the same way. this is an urgent humanitarian situation. our job is to make sure we are being as impactful as possible. >> cecilia munoz, chief domestic

policy adviser to the president. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. coming up, a stunning twist in the senator scandal. was he the target of a smear campaign by intelligence services of cuba? recruiting for isis here in the united states. details of a disturbing campaign coming from michigan. moderate to severe crohn's disease is tough, but i've managed. ♪ i got to be pretty good at managing my symptoms, except that managing my symptoms was all i was doing. ♪ when i finally told my doctor, he said my crohn's was not under control. ♪ he said humira is for adults like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. and that in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission. [ female announcer ] humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers,

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scandal surrounding democratic senator robert menendez from new jersey. dana bash spoke with him exclusively today. how did it go? >> he is like many cuban americans, a very outspoken critic of the castro regime. he told me this is a problem in sweeping terms, especially on the issue of democracy. it has the makings of a spy thriller, a u.s. senator dogged by a federal corruption probe allegeding he may be the victim of a smear campaign by the cuban government. >> it should be appalling that a foreign government would be engaged in trying to affect an election and/or the position of a united states senator. >> reporter: bob menendez told cnn he wants the fbi to investigate. >> i wouldn't be surprised that the regime would do anything it can to stop me from being in a position that ultimately would impede their hopes of being able

to get a different relationship with the united states. >> reporter: it's just the latest dramatic twist in an already thick and salacious plot. allegations that the new jersey democrat traveled to have sex with underaged prostitutes in the dominican republic, which he vehemently denied and the reported prostitutes later recanted. drew couldn't find the tipster. when he tracked down his ip address, he was stone walled. >> any way you could give us the background of this man? >> we can't identify that name. >> reporter: "the washington post" reports the cia has evidence that cuban intelligence agents were behind the prostitution claims. you are somebody of cuban descent. you have not made it a secret your opposition to the cuban government. you are about to become chair of

the foreign relations committee. do you think that's what it was? >> for 22 years between the house and senate, i have had a firm position in opposition to the cuban regime that violates the human rights democracy of the people of cuba. >> reporter: still, beyond the prostitution allegations is an ongoing corruption probe of menendez' relationship with a political donor, a florida doctor whose practice is being scrutinized for medicare fraud. he gave menendez private jet rides to the dominican republic to the tune of $58,000. menendez did not pay for them, as the law requires, until the flights were publically disclosed. i asked the senator if his legal team may have pushed this cuban plot allegation out into the public to muck up federal investigations surrounding him. he dismissed that and noted that the "the washington post" spoke not just to legal sources but actual officials with knowledge of the cia investigation of this cuban plot.

in fact, attorney in the 1990s worked on spy cases from cuba said that there were plots going after politicians, including menendez to try to deal with his political ambitions and mess him up. >> to smear him. >> exactly. >> and deal with that issue that way. dana, good reporting. thank you. let's dig deep were our national security analyst, the former cia operative robert baer joining us from los angeles. he said he wouldn't be surprised if the cuban government were involved. does this have the fingerprints, do you believe cubans could be behind a smear campaign like this? >> wolf absolutely. framing somebody with partial facts to smear them, to blackmail them. especially that the occurred in latin america. you've got agents all over latin america. they could round up prostitutes to make up this story.

of course, i don't know the fbi's version of this. it's plausible and he would be a prime target to take down. the cubans' intelligence is very good. >> they would have a motive in opposition to the government over there in havana. is it a common thing, extraordinary for them to do something like this allegedly against a sitting united states senator, someone about to become the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee? >> that's a risky operation. i would think twice about doing it, but i could see their motivations. they normally go after lower-ranking officials to frame them one way or another. a senator, that's big target. we just have to wait and see what evidence the cia has. again, i think it's plausible. >> bob baer, thanks helping us appreciate potential lly what i going on. a star of social media

recruiting for isis. and live to tokyo bracing for a powerful typhoon. and the breaking news of major escalations in fighting between israel and hamas and the growing threat of an all-out war.

jihadist militants including americans fighting in syria. they may be drawing inspiration and motivation from a radical cleric who lives right here in

the united states. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has been digging into this development. what are you learning? >> reporter: wolf, an american cleric of some concern to the united states at a time when there is growing worry about the number of americans and westerners joining the jihadist movement. >> it only clashes with the oppressors. >> reporter: this american-born cleric living in michigan may be one of the most influential voices for americans and other westerners who join the fighting in syria. >> when your brother in syria speaks, everyone today needs to shut their mouths and listen. >> reporter: jibril has thousands of social media forrers. they said they watched videos jibril posted on youtube. >> it was obviously a surprise to find ahmed jibril is based in

united states of america and spreading his message from here. >> reporter: he is careful not to 0 publically call for terrorist attacks in the west. >> he's much too careful for that. he doesn't step over red lines, but of course he instills in the minds of these people an ideology that is ultimately hostile to the west. >> reporter: the fear jihadists can train in syria then get back into the u.s. and attack the homeland. a journey generic holder is calling for more international cooperation. >> united states intelligence officials estimate nearly 23,000 violent extremists are currently operating in syria. over 7,000 foreign fighters from whom are dozens of americans. the number that is probably growing. >> reporter: already, this man

blew himself up in a suicide bomb attack in northern syria in may. fighting the dangers of attacks on the u.s. must start at home. >> if we wait for nation citizens to travel to syria or iraq and then return home, it may be too late to adequately protect our national security. >> reporter: now jibril is being more closely monitored by federal authorities after violating his probation. he was on probation after serving a federal term for fraud. we tried to reach out to his public defender who represented him at the time, but we did not hear back. wolf? >> chilling story, indeed. barbara, thank you. up next, a powerful typhoon heading for tokyo. tens of thousands of people have been evacuated. plus breaking news. israel and hamas inching toward an all-out war with air strikes and rocket attacks.

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much of japan, including tokyo, bracing for a typhoon that battered okinawa with winds topping 100 miles an hour. cnn's will ripley is joining us from tokyo right now. what are you seeing over there, will? what is going on in japan? >> well, right now, here in tokyo, it is raining on and off. nothing compared with what expected later this week as this storm approaches the mainland. we know that okinawa, they are just now getting out and assessing the damage after very

windy night. 600 thousand people receiving voluntary evacuation notices. number of injured jumped up to 20. we know there is at left one building collapse. roads were closed. several cars were damaged or flipped over. and that's just the beginning of what crews are seeing as they head out this morning to assess. meanwhile, this storm is taking a turn for the rain-soaked mainland. the southern island of kyushu. it is very mountainous terrain and communities built up at the base of the mountains at the rivers. so the concern here on the ground, as this typhoon moves in, and prepares to dump a whole lot of rain on this area. not only is there risk for wind and storm surge but more importantly the rain could cause lands slides and flooding, which could cause a lot of flooding here in japan, wolf. >> the u.s. what as base in okinawa, do you have a report on how the u.s. military personnel dealt with this? >> the folks fairs the storm

well. they were put on alert at the t typhoon, which meant they had to stay not side. no reports of injuries that we know of from the base. >> good to know that. will ripley in tokyo, thank you. chad myers is tracking the typhoon for us. what's the latest, chad? >> it is a very dangerous storm. though losing strength, getting dry air wrapped in from china mainland here and so now the eye is not as distinct. but that still doesn't mean this is a very big surge. think of how sandy died and still had a huge surge because at one point in time, sandy was about a cat 4, cat 5. that's what this was, 24 hours ago. category 5 super typhoon. still, the storm has that bubble of water underneath it and will slam right into the island you talk about, kyushu right here. this is the area that may see surge. maybe 10 to 15 feet fwe depending on the way the land

will lay. it'll bring some rain to tokyo. but by the time it gets to tokyo, wind down to about 50 miles per hour, wolf. one more thing i need to talk about. mainland, usa. syracuse, new york. time to take cover. tornado for you. severe weather all the way up and down the east coast but the story, biggest story, is right there moving into syracuse rotation likely on the ground. 535,000 people under this tornado warning right now, wolf. >> a tornado warning. no tornado yet in syracuse? >> i looked at the radar as it went over the finger lakes to the southwest of there, i believe there is likely at least a small tornado right now on the ground. >> all right. we will watch that, chad. thanks very much. coming up at the top of the hour, breaking news. rockets over tel aviv. israel calling up tens of thousands of reserve troops of major escalation in the middle east. "the situation room" special report straight ahead. when it comes to good nutrition...i'm no expert.

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happening now. situation room special report. breaking news, air raid sirens blair. panic spreads as militants launch attacks deeper into israel. middle east conflict is dramatically escalating at this hour. >> activating air defenses, mobilizing tens of thousands of troops. if a ground invasion of gaza

could be just days or even hours away. we will also hear from a top palestinian representative, about the danger and deaths on both sides and the threat of a wider war that could engulf the region in chaos and bloodshed. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in the situation room. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> and let's get right to breaking news. deadly conflict in mid et east is looking more and more like an all-out war. tonight, hamas militants are claiming they fired rockets deeper than ever into israel. targeting some of its biggest cities while hamas commandos storm an israeli beach. we have new pictures in the brazen assault. israel says it killed five of the attackers. meanwhile a major israeli offensive is under way in gaza. right now, airstrikes are pounding hamas targets while ground troops are mobilizing for a possible, possible invasion.

up to 40,000 israeli military reservists are waiting for marching orders at this hour. we have our correspondents, analysts and news makers all standing by for our special report on this escalating crisis. first, let's go to our seniorant national correspondent, ben wedeman with the latest in gaza. what is it, ben? >> yes, wolf. i can hear airplanes overhead, but it's been a relatively quiet for the last few hours. which really fits the pattern that we saw last night. last night, between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m., there was a fairly serious rocket barrage coming out of gaza into israel and about three or four hours later, israel struck back with a series of airstrikes across gaza. so at the moment, there's a real heavy feeling or sense of anticipation that the other shoe is about to fall here in gaza. now what we've seen over the evening is occasional blasts in the distance.

but by and large, relatively quiet. now what's been interesting, wolf, is that a nearby mosque has been announcing these rocket attacks on tel aviv, haifa, jerusalem and other israeli cities. what they are leaving out of the story is that most of the rockets were stopped by israel's iron dome, anti-ballistics system. and when these announcements are made, you don't hear much reaction in the street. in fact, what we were hearing was much more reaction from the houses in this area as people were watching the germany/brazil game. because, speaking to a lot of people in gaza, you don't get the feeling they're wildly enthusiastically about this latest escalation. it's yet another disturbance to their already disturbed and difficult lives. wolf? >> i assume they appreciate the fact that the government of israel is under enormous pressure to deal with the rockets coming from gaza and potentially we will hear from an

israeli military spokesman shortly. there could be a major israeli invasion of gaza, i assume folks are bracing for that possibility where you are, ben? >> that is the concern, wolf, that airstrikes, the air war could be followed by a ground invasion. which as we've seen in the past could be very bloody, very nasty. because of course, gaza is a very crowded place where if you're fighting in the streets, regardless of your intentions, there will be civilian casualties. and that's the main concern. people you speak to here by and large want this thing to end as quickly as possible. they simply don't feel they have a stake in this fight between hamas and israel. wolf? >> ben wedeman in gaza for us, thanks. ben, israeli officials, they're warning hamas will pay in their words heavy price for attacking targeting major cities in

israel. dealing with millions potentially of civilians. diane is on the scene for us. along the mediterranean coast, not far away from gaza. sirens are going off not only there but in tel aviv and jerusalem. diana, what's the latest? >> that's right, wolf. the last three hours or so, it's been fairly quiet here also. but about three hours ago, there was a real barrage of rockets coming over our heads. air raid sirens sounding and they were sounding in jerusalem and tel aviv as well. two rockets intercepted by the iron dome, miss i'll defense system, clearly doing an extremely effective job of intercepting rockets that could potentially cause problems in israel's major cities. one intercepted just south of tel aviv and one intercepted over the city itself. but we know that one rocket went as far as hadara, which is 116

kilometers north of the gaza strip. that is possibly the longest range missile that we've seen used out of gaza to date. we also had four rocket attacks over jerusalem. three of which we hear for the idf actually hit the city. but presumably not causing any actual damages. iron dome intercepted just under 30 of the more than 150 rockets, which the idf says has come out of israel today. so it has been extremely busy. hamas clearly making good on its promise that it would retaliate and retaliate hard for the israeli airstrikes supposedly targeting its terrorist infrastructure and capabilities to launch rockets from gaza and even though the idf says it made very good on taking out some of those key points, it's clearly hasn't done, you know, it hasn't been completely effective. these rockets are still coming,

wolf. >> they certainly are. diana, be careful over there. let's get the latest from the spokesman for the israeli defense forces. peter lerner is joining us right now. have any of the rocket or missile attacks from gaza done any -- created any casualties of israelis so far, colonel? >> no. actually i'm happy to report that we invest in life. indeed, in the iron dome project seems to be a strategic project when actually gives us the lee way and gives us the capability to make cool-headed decisions of what we need to do. and indeed, if what has been reported and what you just reported about, a proximately 150 rockets launched at israel in the last 24 hours, that's only a small fraction of what gaza and what hamas terrorist organizations have. they have about 10,000 rockets, all poised and prepared to attack us. this is what really concerns us.

we have to operate. we have to -- our mission is to deal with this rocket threat and to strike strongly against hamas and this terrorist organization. a reality we cannot bear. we actually tried to send a clear message last week. we can calm things down. hamas, please calm things down on your side. what did they choose to do? they choose aggression. they chose to attack us. they chose in barrage of hundreds of rockets against our civilians. it's unacceptable. >> colonel, what can you tell us about this hamas beach attack or beach raid along the mediterranean in israel. we have video we are showing our viewers. >> indeed. the idf located four or five people coming out of the sea. seems they were swimming and they had weapons on them. our surveillance picked them up immediately, alerted the ground forces. and in a combined effort together with our air force,

naval forces, and the infantry on the ground, took these terrorists out. i would say, that they came to the wrong beach party. these terrorists have no -- they should have stayed on their own side of the fence. they paid dearly for this. >> israeli cabinet, as you know, has mobilized 40,000 reservist, civilians called into active duty. does that mean you are bracing for a ground invasion of gaza? >> actually, the cabinet approved the military to recruit up to 40,000. we have not recruited that much yet. only about a you this or so. and you know, the way things are going, we have to be prepared. hope is not a method. we have to be prepared and be able to mobilize as quick as possible in order to address the threats that are developing on the field. today we attacked some 18 tunnels that hamas are preparing in order to infiltrate into israel. these tunnels have proven in

past to reach within the reaching point of communities. we posted on the border of gaza and they serve as a physical border between hamas terrorists and our civilian communities. if we need to mobilize, we will. we don't want to. we clearly said it last week we have no interest in any confrontation or escalation with gaza. but unfortunately, hamas made this bad decision. >> so if hamas stops firing rockets and missiles into israel, you'll step back? >> no, i think that they have -- we are beyond that point now. hamas are going to pay for the attacks they are carrying out. we refuse to be held hostage by this terrorist organization. that things they can launch rockets at jerusalem just here in jerusalem and the that can paralyze our cities.

it just unacceptable. we will deplete their rocket capabilities. they will be paralyzed. that's what we are out to do. >> they have 10,000 rockets. and what i've been told is they have several hundred rockets and missiles that can reach tel aviv and beyond. and a lot of those rockets and missiles are in heavily-populated areas. how do you deal with that? you can't just bomb those areas and kill young kids, women, elderly. you won't do that. >> no, clearly. we are a professional military force. we take business seriously. we base our missions on highly credible intelligence and operational capabilities. we do a precision strike. we use precision munitions. if you're involved in terrorism, you know it, you know you are putting yourself at risk. you know you will have a personal price to pay. and indeed, we do realize that

10,000 rockets, they won't disappear overnight. that's why we expect it to be a long mission. >> so what i hear you saying is airstrikes will continue. you're not yet toward deploy a ground force invasion of gaza, but the airstrikes will continue, is that what you're saying? >> absolutely. you reported and ben from gaza is reporting our ongoing activities. and indeed, the hamas terrorist organization is going to pay a price for their aggression against israel. the reality where they feel they can use the gaza strip as a staging ground and operate with immunity, they are living in a dream land. and it just can't happen. it is not what we kpekt. not what the civilians of the state of israel expect from their military force and we are up to the job. it's our obligation. we are determined to be successful in our mission.

>> lieutenant colonel peter lerner, spokesman for the israel defense forces. thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> still ahead, we will get the palestinian perspective, they are warning that israel may be dragging the entire region into a wider war that will quote burn everyone. we will talk about the danger across the middle east. and what, if anything, account united states, should the united states do to ease this conflict and stop the carnage? ♪ f provokes lust. ♪ it elicits pride... ...incites envy... ♪

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>> we're following breaking news out of the middle east from major escalation and fighting

between israel and hamas militants. israel may be mobilizing soon. joining us, retired general anthony zinni, former central commander, now on the board of governors of the middle east institute as special envoy for the middle east. also joining us, the palestinian representative, plo ambassador here in washington. thanks to both of you for joining us. is the region, mr. ambassador, getting ready for all-out war right now? or can cooler heads prevail? >> i hope not. because we have -- >> hope not what? >> i hope not, that it is not going to escalate no an all-out war because for israelis they have to know there is no solution. we have seen this many times before. in november 2012 and in 2007 and what did it produce? more suffering for both sides. the only solution for this problem is for -- >> how do you convince hamas to

stop firing rockets, missiles into israel? >> i think there's an reaction it each action. for the least few weeks, we have been escalation. on the part of the israel government. the west bank target -- many affiliations with hamas. and it is expected that escalation will lead to this kind of skirmishes and confrontation. >> you're worried right now? >> of course i'm worried. there are palestinian people who are being killed. today the number of people insofar as 2. >> in gaza. >> just two hours ago a family of six perished in an israeli air raid. >> general zinni, you were special envoy for the middle east. you know this region will. what can -- what should the united states do right now? >> i think it's important to get

in place it cease-fire as we did before. how do we influence hamas? can egypt play a role? jordani jordanians? >> listening to your interview, it strikes me that mission is to complete rockets and it sounds like they have a plan that may good on for a while to try to deplete that 10,000 number and maybe even get to the longer range. and if that the case, there may not be a short term cease-fire that's able to be put in place. the danger becomes, as i think, the ambassador pointed out, we have civilian casualties that are truly tragic. that may spark something in east jerusalem, west bank. and this thing could escalate very rapidly. >> you heard the israeli cabinet general zinni, they authorized, you understand this, you're a military man. possibility of 40,000 reservist, activated, called into active duty. so far a thousand activated. we did the math and we will put

it on the screen. a country of about 8 million people. that's 40,000. .5% of the population. if you look at the united states, that the equivalent, take a look at this. equivalent of 1.5 million u.s. military reservist. that's a major decision on a relatively small country like israel to go ahead and authorize that kind of deployment for a ground invasion. >> that right. as you said, that's a significant number. and it tells me that they are preparing for possibly, as they see it, the worset that may require them to go into a place like gaza. again, i want to point out that as ben weederman said, that the most densely populated place on earth. the civilian casualties can be great if it comes to that. it is important to get a diplomatic effort in place, to get a cease-fire that can calm things down. and decide how we deal with the issues. obviously the ongoing

investigationest deaths of those israeli and the palestinian youth. >> they need a cease-fire, mr. ambassador. egyptians, under the new government in cairo, rather limited. they don't have a good relationship with hamas. i don't know if qatar has a good relationship. but for now, there is a good relation -- can he broker, between the israelis and hamas groups in gaza a cease-fire? >> in order for him to pli any role, israel has to cease attacks on the gaza strip. there are innocent civilians losing lives as we speak. and claims by their spokesperson that they are precise and careful is meaningless because innocent people, seven children were killed today. two people over the age of 50. three women were killed among the people today. and the gaza strip.

as i rail must also assess and a evaluatity continued attack. because it will have some negative impact on the relationship with the palestinians, including with the plo and palestinian authority. >> what does your gut tell you, general zinni? is this region going to explode in an all-out war? >> i think the potential is there. it's like a big oil spill or gas spill. and there's a lot of matches that are being lit. i think there is still time to walk this bat but the more the exchange of airstrikes and rockets, the greater the chance we will see something that won't be confined to the israeli palestinian areas but could quickly me taft size into the other areas in chaos. >> i hope they both find a way to step back from that scenario. which would be so awful. general zinni, thanks so much for joining us.

general, thanks to you as well. we will continue our coverage of this in days to come and would love to have both of you back. just ahead, bombs and bloodshed. they go back years. i've experienced the sirens in israel firsthand a couple years ago. the race to the bomb shelter at that time. i've also seen the destruction from rocket attacks, airstrikes. we will show you why history may be repeating itself right now.

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we're back with a special

report. major offensive in gaza under way after dozens of new rocket attacks by hamas militants deepener israel. ground invasion of gaza could be next. it is an all too familiar crisis in the region. let's bring in cnn's tom foreman for some perspective. tom? >> wolf, as you know, as anybody who covered this region, researched this region over the years knows, this is what happened. almost hard to keep track of it because events like this have happened again and again and again. >> children murdered, beaten, bombed and bloodied. in the middle east, painful reprieve of attacks and counter attacks that plagued israelis and palestinians for decades. so much so that each new round of violence looks suspiciously like the last one. in the late 1980s, an uprising by palestinians against israeli occupation lingered for years and was met with strong reprizals.

the second came in early 2000s. again, each side blaming the other for provocations. in the mid 2000s, palestinians fought each other and israel. bulldoz bulldozers, bullets and bombs taking tolls. if it all starts looking alike, so have the peace talks for the region. many made progress but none produced real peace. the same hopes were raised. >> the united states understands the need for peace to produce real benefits. >> same warnings sounded. >> u.s. officials know there is a potential spoiler out there. >> and the same violence eventually always returns. unraveling hopes for a lasting deal. >> also two media centers -- >> conflict in gaza dates back to alexander the great, romans, crusades and of course world a wars. if news is that which is new,

what does the latest unrest tell us? >> just hope it doesn't hit anywhere here. >> there is nothing new here at all. >> and that of course, wolf, is the key problem here. you look at these pictures going back for decades an they look the same. over and over and over again. underlying how unretractible the problem is. why do we pay attention at a time like this? because every single time, we understand if this is the time that will escalate to something much, much worse than what we have seen dozens and dozens of times before. >> we can only hope that cooler heads will prevail. and they will find some way to avoid what could be another all-out war. let's hope that is avoided. tom foreman, exceln't perspective for us. i remember those scenes very, very well. good opportunity. unfortunately those opportunities have been kwaunderred over the years.

tweet us. please be sure to join us in "the situation room." you can dvr the show so you don't miss a moment. that's it for me. thanks for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." now let's step into the crossfire with stephanie and newt gingrich. >> can they handle the crisis? >> if they can handle the crisis, why isn't president obama going to the border? the debate starts now. >> a irn whias children and protesters head to the border, the president is going to congress and asking for lots of money. >> what is wrong with you! >> on the left, stephanie cutter. on right, newt gingrich. senator