Good morning, everyone. I'm Kate Baldwin. It's Tuesday, March 3rd. Here are the five things you need to know to start your day.

Number one, the big wave. That is what President Trump is promising, is still coming for Iran.

And there is new video this morning of plumes of smoke just east of Tehran.

These newest strikes carried out by Israel and possibly fleshing out Trump's new ominous

warning a senior U.S. official told CNN, there could be a major increase in the pace

of strikes on Iran in the next 24 hours.

The target of this next wave, according to the source, is on destroying Iranian missile production, drones, and naval capability.

Israel says more than 1,500 members of Iran's armed forces have already been killed.

And on now what is, day four of this military operation, the administration is still offering a range of explanations for why this is necessary and needed now.

Here's the latest rationale from the Secretary of State.

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.

Rubio and other top officials will brief all lawmakers today on the operation on the Hill.

They briefed House and Senate leaders.

Yesterday, the top Dem on the Senate Intel Committee was clearly not impressed with that, what Rubio just said,

or any explanation coming from Rubio when he left that briefing.

Does it make sense if we are going to outsource our foreign policy decisions and choices

to another government? This is Donald Trump's war of choice. The secretary, I think,

is as much acknowledged that. And it now has confirmed six American troops were killed in an Iranian

strike in Kuwait. Number two, the new front. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah entered the fray and the fight yesterday, exchanging

multiple rocket attacks with Israel.

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