CNN Correspondent Details Harrowing Journey Into Iran Warzone as Strikes Intensify: ‘We Just Crossed the Border’

CNN International senior correspondent Fredrick Pleitgen crossed the Iran border Thursday after he was granted permission from the regime to enter the warzone and report from inside the country as U.S. and Israeli strikes intensify.

Since the conflict began on Saturday, the network has reported from outside the territory, including from Israel, which has been the target of drones and missile counterstrikes launched by the regime and Iranian-backed Hezbollah units in Lebanon.

Pleitgen announced via X:

In a video posted to the network’s website, the reporter could be seen traveling in a car with other crew members as he made his way to the nation’s capital in Tehran, revealing he had been approved a visa:

We just crossed the border and are now inside of Iran. The Iranian government has granted us a visa to come here and to report from the Islamic Republic of Iran, we’re now trying to make our way to the capital Tehran as fast as possible, but of course, the distances in this huge country are immense and we know it’s going to take many, many hours for us to get there.

Pleitgen added that his crew was unsure of what they might witness on their journey or “how many checkpoints” they may need to cross, noting the “massive combat operations” were ongoing. He continued:

The United States and Israel are continuing their huge aerial campaign against targets inside of Iran. At the same the Iranians continue to retaliate not just with their ballistic missiles but with their drones mostly hitting Israel but then also American military installations especially in the Gulf region but in general in the Middle East.

He noted that Iran insisted it can “continue this campaign for a very long time” but that the capital, to which his team was traveling, has “been under almost sustained attacks with massive airstrikes going on there and also huge damage being caused and of course many people also having been harmed.”

CNN’s team arrives to put cameras on the ground in Iran as the nation maintains an internet blackout, which began days ago.

Watch above via CNN.

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