Anderson Cooper and CNN team forced to evacuate while on air during Iran's missile attack on Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL: CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and his team were interrupted mid-broadcast as air raid sirens forced them to seek shelter during a live segment from Israel on Monday, June 23.

Cooper was joined by chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward and Jerusalem-based reporter Jeremy Diamond when alerts signaled an imminent missile threat from Iran. The situation unfolded on air, offering a rare glimpse into the real-time experience of journalists covering conflict zones, the Daily Mail reported.

The missile warning came just hours after Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel, following US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

Anderson Cooper and CNN team evacuate mid-broadcast amid missile threat in Tel Aviv

The broadcast took a dramatic turn when Clarissa Ward alerted the team and audience, saying, “I should just say that we're now hearing an alert,” as sirens wailed in the background.

Cooper then explained the situation to viewers, sharing that Israeli alerts had issued a ten-minute warning before an expected missile impact. “So these are the alerts that go out on all of our phones when you're in Israel. It's a ten-minute warning of incoming missiles or something incoming from Iran,” he explained.

“So now the location we're in has a verbal alarm telling people to go down into bomb shelters. So we have about a ten-minute window to get down into a bomb shelter,” Cooper added. 

Even amid the looming danger, Cooper asked his team if they could continue broadcasting during their descent to safety. “And we'll continue to try to broadcast from that, that bomb shelter. And even if we can, on the way down,” he stated.

Anderson Cooper’s voice wavers during live evacuation as CNN crew heads to bomb shelter amid missile threat

As the team made their way to a shelter from their hotel room, they remained live. Anderson Cooper asked a producer, “Chuck, do we have capabilities as we go down?” to which the response came, “Just checking your microphones. Be ready in a second.”

The crew’s connection briefly faltered during the elevator ride but returned as they neared the shelter. While waiting, Diamond described the aftermath of Iran’s earlier missile attack, which struck four cities — Haifa, Tel Aviv, Be’er Yaakov, and Nes Ziona — and injured at least 21 people.

Shortly after, a 90-second “red alert” sounded, urging all residents to seek shelter immediately. Reflecting on the moment, Cooper remarked, “It is a luxury to have a 10-minute warning.”

Iran fires new missile at Israel after US strike

In the early hours of Monday, Iran launched another missile, which was intercepted by Israel’s air defenses.

The IDF confirmed in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) that sirens were triggered across central Israel, though no direct injuries were reported — aside from anxiety cases and those hurt while seeking shelter.

“ Sirens sounding across central Israel due to a missile launch from Iran,” the IDF said.

Iran fired a wave of missiles at Israel on Sunday morning, injuring at least 21 people in targeted strikes on Haifa, Tel Aviv, Be’er Yaakov, and Nes Ziona, according to CBS News.