Hey there from CNN. I'm David Rind with the five things you need to know for Thursday, March 5th.

It's day six of the war with Iran and CNN is the first U.S. network to cross into the country since the conflict began.

Senior international correspondent Fred Plikin is here with us. Fred, where are you? What are you seeing?

Hey David, so we're in Iran currently on the way to Tehran. We've already gone past the site of what

appears to be a fairly recent airstrike. We also saw a larger than usual presence of security forces

on the roads here. However, in shops, everything seems to be well-stocked. There doesn't seem to be

any panic. And we also didn't see any lines in front of gas stations, for instance.

Important to note that CNN operates in Iran only with government permission. The state-affiliated

Islamic Republic News Agency says the death toll in Iran since the conflict began has passed

1,200

people.

We've got to step away when we come back.

Evacuation flights are finally starting to take off from the Middle East.

Stick around.

Evacuations are ramping up out of the Middle East after thousands of travelers have been stranded

in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other regional airports for days.

Airlines are scheduling new flights and governments are organizing charter flights, but travel

options are limited.

The Trump administration has faced backlash for not having an evacuation plan ready before

the first strikes were launched.

But State Department spokesperson Tommy Pickett told CNN this morning that multiple for not having an evacuation plan ready before the first strikes were launched.

But State Department spokesperson Tommy Pickett told CNN this morning that multiple U.S.

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