Good morning and welcome to way too early. I'm Ali Vitale on this Wednesday, March 18th. There's a lot to get to

so we'll get right to the news. Strikes are causing destruction in cities and towns throughout the

Middle East this morning as Iran vows revenge for the killing yesterday of its top security chief.

Israel's emergency response service says at least two people were killed in the early hours

today when an Iranian ballistic missile hit central Israel, where damage and debris can be seen

from the impact. Iran also continues to target areas near U.S. embassies in the region. Renewed attacks

around the embassy in Baghdad sparked a fire in the fortified green zone hours ago, and Saudi forces say

they shot down drones today approaching the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh. This comes as the

Washington Post reports, the State Department has ordered all U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide to

immediately undertake security evaluations. That's according to a cable reviewed by the paper.

Israel, meanwhile, continues to ramp up its airstrikes across Lebanon. Video this morning shows an entire building collapsing upon

impact shortly after the Israeli military warned residents to evacuate that area. And the U.S.

military said last night, it struck Iranian missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz with

5,000-pound

deep penetrator bombs, all in an apparent bid to clear the crucial waterway for oil tanker traffic.

It's one of the key points here. It comes as President Trump continues to criticize NATO allies

for not helping U.S. forces do just that, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, all while claiming at the same time,

the U.S. doesn't actually need their help. The president posted a long rant on social media yesterday

morning, claiming the relationship with NATO was a, quote, one-way street. He then wrote that we no

longer need or desire their assistance, followed by in all caps, we never did, except he was asking

for it. The president continued those conflicting messages moments later in the Oval Office.

Well, we don't need too much help, and we don't need any help, actually.

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