By Tal Shalev, CNN

Tel Aviv (CNN) — The opening strikes of the war with Iran shouldn’t have been necessary if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to be taken at his word.

After the 12-day war with Iran in June, Netanyahu declared unequivocal victory. Israel had “removed two existential threats,” eliminating Iran’s ballistic missiles and its nuclear program.

“This victory,” he told Israelis last summer, “will stand for decades.”

Those decades ended eight months later. On February 28, the US and Israel launched the first strikes of a war that has now reached its 26th day, more than twice as long as the conflict in June. The US calls it Epic Fury. Israel has dubbed it Roaring Lion.

Whatever the name, it is a war with no clear end in sight even if US President Donald Trump hailed “productive” talks Monday aimed at ending hostilities

And yet, Netanyahu has already declared victory again.

“We are winning, and Iran is decapitated,” he said at a press conference last Thursday.

Seventy-two hours later, two Iranian ballistic missiles slammed into cities in southern Israel, registering direct hits that pierced the country’s layered missile defense. One of the missiles hit the city of Dimona near Israel’s main nuclear research center.

When the joint campaign opened with surprise strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, Israel’s leadership was confident and optimistic, boasting about destroying Iran’s military capabilities and disrupting its command and control. By every metric, this war with Iran has surpassed the last one.

And yet Iran is still firing, maintaining daily ballistic missile, drone and rocket attacks on Israel and Gulf states. More than 350 Iranian ballistic missiles have been launched at Israel since February 28, sending millions of Israelis into shelters every day.

“It’s Russian roulette, and living in this country is Russian roulette,” Aviad, who chose not to use his last name, told CNN from Tel Aviv hours after a cluster munition hit several sites in central Israel on Sunday.

Fifteen civilians have been killed by Iranian missiles in Israel since the war began, and four more in the occupied West Bank, a tiny fraction of the number killed in Iran and Lebanon. The twin strikes on Saturday night wounded more than 150 Israelis, the largest single-day injury tally. Iranian salvos continued to strike the country on Monday and Tuesday, even after Trump declared that the US is engaging in diplomacy with Iran. One ballistic missile, containing 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of explosives, caused significant damage to properties in Tel Aviv, injuring four people, in another failed interception attempt.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the failure to intercept the missiles was not systemic, pointing to a 92% shoot-down rate.

The extensive use of Iranian cluster munitions, however, has inflicted damage all around the country, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of Israeli aerial defense systems. Although Israel’s Arrow 3 or David’s Sling interceptors can take out a ballistic missile with a single warhead, the cluster warheads break up into scores of bomblets. They are far less deadly – and far harder to intercept.

“If it fails and we are in a safe room, we are totally safe,” Jennifer Hassan Smith, 52, told CNN. “Nothing in this world is perfect, including the air defense system. It is expected there will be occasional casualties or imperfectio

By Karina Tsui, CNN

(CNN) — Stephen Colbert already has a new job lined up for when he ends his 11-year run as host of “The Late Show” in May – the comedian and well-known J.R.R. Tolkien superfan announced he will co-write and develop a new film in the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” franchise.

Colbert joined “LOTR” director Peter Jackson to reveal the news in a video announcement.

“I’m pretty happy about it … you know what the books mean to me and what your films mean to me,” the late-night host told Jackson, who led the Oscar-winning team behind the nearly $6 billion original “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies.

It’ll be the second of two new upcoming films in the fantasy franchise in production at Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN, with New Line Cinema. Warner Bros. shared the video announcement on its social media.

The film is tentatively titled “Shadow of the Past,” according to Deadline.

Jackson also gave audiences an update on the next “LOTR” film, due to be released in 2027 – “The Hunt for Gollum” – directed by and starring franchise alum Andy Serkis.

Colbert said the next installment will be based on parts of Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” book that didn’t make it into the original movies.

“The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in (The Fellowship of the Ring) that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day … and I thought, ‘Oh, wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story.’” he said.

Colbert said he discussed the idea with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, to work out the framing of the story.

“It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile and give you a call, but about two years ago, I did. You liked it enough to talk to me about it,” Colbert told Jackson.

Colbert said he, McGee and Jackson have been working alongside screenwriter Philippa Boyens on the development of the story. “I could not be happier to say that they loved it, and so that’s what we’re going to be working on,” Colbert said.

Colbert announced in January the final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will air on May 21 after CBS decided last year to cancel the highly rated late-night program, citing financial pressure.

Colbert nodded to the show’s upcoming ending in his latest announcement, saying: “it turns out I’m going to be free starting this summer.”

It’s no secret that Colbert is a long-time fan of the fantasy series, often citing the books and films in his segments. The Tolkien expert also moderated a ‘Hobbit’ panel in full costume during Comic-Con in 2014.

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Por Alexandra Skores, CNN

Los agentes de la Administración de Seguridad del Transporte (TSA, por sus siglas en inglés) que revisan a los pasajeros y su equipaje son la capa de seguridad más visible en los aeropuertos, pero ahora que llevan más de un mes sin cobrar, algunos expertos en aviación están preocupados de que el cierre esté aumentando los riesgos.

“Los tiempos de espera están aumentando drásticamente en todas partes, lo que significa que hay más caos, lo que crea una vulnerabilidad de seguridad”, dijo Keith Jeffries, quien dirigió la TSA en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Ángeles y ahora es vicepresidente de K2 Security Screening Group.

“¿Hasta qué punto se centran los empleados de primera línea en encontrar artículos peligrosos o prohibidos, o personas con malas intenciones, porque no han cobrado?”, añadió.

La guerra con Irán, que comenzó hace unas tres semanas, se suma a las numerosas amenazas que la TSA debe vigilar a diario. La agencia no solo se compone de personas que realizan cacheos y buscan botellas de agua en el equipaje de mano, sino que también cuenta con equipos que evalúan amenazas y vulnerabilidades, en colaboración con agencias de inteligencia y fuerzas del orden.

“No se puede eliminar el riesgo, pero sí se puede mitigar”, dijo John Pistole, quien se desempeñó como administrador de la TSA durante la administración Obama.

Si bien la TSA suele señalar que depende de muchas capas diferentes de seguridad, tanto “visibles como invisibles” para el público viajero, situaciones como esta falta de financiación generan “una mayor conciencia sobre la dependencia del sistema respecto a los hombres y mujeres de la TSA”, dijo Pistole.

“Son personas que pueden distraerse porque les preocupa cómo pagar el alquiler este mes, la comida, el cuidado de los niños, todas esas necesidades básicas”, dijo. “Es la naturaleza humana, aunque se esfuercen por hacer su trabajo lo mejor posible y ser profesionales”.

Agentes del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas fueron desplegados en aeropuertos de todo el país esta semana, pero no está claro cuál es exactamente su función.

La Administración de Seguridad del Transporte (TSA, por sus siglas en inglés) se creó para mejorar y estandarizar la seguridad tras los atentados del 11 de septiembre, pero se ha visto cada vez más afectada por las disputas gubernamentales sobre su financiación. Los agentes de la TSA se encuentran entre los 61.000 empleados del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional que no reciben sueldo, mientras demócratas y republicanos se encuentran en un punto muerto legislativo respecto a la reforma migratoria.

Mientras tanto, en los aeropuertos, se han formado largas filas de varias horas alrededor de las terminales, ya que los viajeros esperan para acceder a menos carriles gestionados por menos agentes de la TSA. Algunos puntos de control han sido cerrados, e incluso la agencia ha advertido que los controles podrían suspenderse en algunos aeropuertos pequeños, lo que en la práctica los paralizaría .

“En el pasado, los tiempos de espera, los tiempos de espera excesivos, han presionado al Congreso para que llegara a un acuerdo. Pero el Congreso debería tener la suerte de que solo sean los tiempos de espera los que lo presionen a llegar a un acuerdo, y no algo peor, como una falla de seguridad”, dijo Erik Hansen, vicepresidente sénior y director de relaciones gubernamentales de la Asociación de Viajes de Estados Unidos.

En cierto modo, las largas colas son una señal de que los agentes están intentando mantener los estándares. No se puede simplemente agilizar el paso de los pasajeros.

“No solo debemos estar ate

Por Stephanie Yang, CNN

A medida que la guerra con Irán se prolonga, las naciones asiáticas con escasez de energía, incluidos aliados cercanos de Estados Unidos, están recurriendo a medidas cada vez más extremas para mantener a flote sus economías.

El martes, Filipinas se convirtió en el primer país en declarar el estado de emergencia energética nacional.

En Corea del Sur, las autoridades han recomendado a los ciudadanos que se duchen menos tiempo y carguen sus teléfonos durante el día para ahorrar electricidad.

Mientras tanto, Japón comenzará esta semana la mayor liberación de reservas de petróleo de emergencia de su historia y le comunicó a su población que no era necesario acaparar papel higiénico ante el creciente pánico por la posible escasez de productos de consumo.

La creciente inestabilidad es un sombrío presagio de lo que podría suceder en el resto del mundo, ya que la guerra en Irán ha interrumpido una fuente crucial de petróleo crudo y gas natural.

Los países asiáticos dependen en gran medida de las importaciones de Medio Oriente, que representan aproximadamente el 60 % del suministro petrolero de la región.

Tras el ataque de Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán el mes pasado, Teherán bloqueó de hecho el estrecho de Ormuz, la única conexión marítima entre el golfo Pérsico y el océano Índico, restringiendo así una quinta parte del suministro energético mundial.

La firma de investigación energética Wood Mackenzie predijo que, si la guerra continúa, los precios del petróleo Brent podrían subir hasta los US$ 150 por barril en los próximos meses, y advirtió que un precio promedio de US$ 125 por barril este año desencadenaría una recesión mundial.

“Ante el estancamiento geopolítico, la prolongación de la guerra y la disminución de las reservas fuera del Golfo, los precios de todo el complejo de crudo y productos derivados subirán”, escribieron los analistas la semana pasada.

Si bien el presidente Trump se muestra optimista ante la posibilidad de que la guerra termine pronto, los analistas han dicho que incluso si se declara un alto el fuego, habrá meses, si no años, de dificultades económicas por delante.

El conflicto, que ya lleva cuatro semanas, ha puesto a prueba las reservas de materias primas que los países suelen mantener.

El aumento del precio del combustible ha llevado a las aerolíneas de Asia, incluidas las de Vietnam, Filipinas, Australia y el Pacífico, a suspender o reducir sus vuelos.

Si bien muchos países se esfuerzan por conseguir más materias primas en el mercado mundial, la amenaza de quedarse sin ellas ha suscitado preocupación sobre cómo la escasez podría repercutir en la industria manufacturera de Asia y, en última instancia, hacer que productos como la electrónica, los automóviles y los textiles sean más escasos.

Algunos países, entre ellos China, han restringido los envíos al extranjero de combustible y otros materiales para salvaguardar sus propias reservas nacionales.

Corea del Sur está considerando limitar las exportaciones de nafta, un subproducto del petróleo utilizado en la fabricación de plásticos, según Yang Gi-wook, director de la oficina de seguridad de recursos industriales del país.

La escasez de nafta también está provocando recortes de producción en las empresas petroquímicas de Japón.

Yang afirmó que el Gobierno está buscando otras fuentes de nafta, cuya escasez podría afectar

By Alexandra Skores, CNN

Washington (CNN) — Transportation Security Administration screeners checking passengers and their bags are the most visible layer of security at airports, but now that they have gone without pay for more than a month, some aviation experts are concerned the shutdown is increasing risks.

“The wait times are obviously spiking everywhere, which means it’s more chaotic, which creates a security vulnerability,” said Keith Jeffries, who ran TSA at Los Angeles International Airport and is now a vice president of K2 Security Screening Group.

“How focused are the front line employees on actually finding dangerous or prohibited items, or people with bad intentions, because they haven’t been paid?” he added.

The war with Iran, which started about three weeks ago, adds to the wide-ranging threats TSA must look out for every day. The agency is not just made up of people giving pat-downs and finding bottles of water in carry-ons but has teams assessing threats and vulnerabilities along with intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

“You can’t eliminate risk, but you can mitigate risk,” said John Pistole, who served as the TSA administrator during the Obama administration.

While TSA often notes they rely on many different layers of security, both “seen and unseen” by the traveling public, situations like this lapse in funding bring “heightened awareness to how dependent the system is on men and women at TSA,” Pistole said.

“They’re humans who might be distracted because they were worried about, ‘How am I going to pay the rent this month, buy groceries, child care, all those basics,’” he said. “That’s just human nature, even though they strive to do the best job and be professionals.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were deployed to airports around the country this week but it’s not clear what exactly there role is.

The Transportation Security Administration was created to improve and standardize security after the September 11 attacks but has increasingly fallen victim to government fights over funding. TSA agents are among 61,000 Department of Homeland Security employees not getting paid while Democrats and Republicans are locked in legislative gridlock on immigration reform.

Meanwhile, in the airports, hours long lines have wrapped around terminals as travelers wait to get into fewer lanes managed by fewer TSA officers. Some checkpoints have been closed, and the agency has even warned screening could be stopped at some small airports, effectively shutting them down.

“In the past, wait times, excessive wait times, have put pressure on Congress to find a deal. But Congress should be so lucky that it’s just wait times that pressures them to a deal, and not something worse happening, like a security lapse,” said Erik Hansen, senior vice president and head of government relations for the US Travel Association.

In some respects, the long lines are a sign officers are trying to maintain standards. Passengers can’t simply be sped through the lines faster.

“We need not only to be vigilant, but extra vigilant,” Pistole said.

Yet, he worries the massive lines created when the reduced number of screeners follow the essential rules could create additional vulnerabilities.

“From the standpoint of a suicide bomber, or a shooter, (who) wants to go in and just shoot up this area, the airport, where people are in these long queues … it’s a double problem,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.

Now the question remains, how long will Congress take before they act?

“We have thousands of travelers funneled through narrow checkpoi