SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Overnight, Israel continued airstrikes across Iran and in Lebanon. Iran's president also apologized for attacking Gulf states but stopped short of saying that Iran would halt all attacks. And this morning, President Trump took to social media to highlight that apology and call Iran the losers of the Middle East. And the number of deaths throughout the region is rising, with more than 1,300 people killed in Iran, according to Iran's Red Crescent. Around 300 have been killed in Lebanon, according to health officials there. Six U.S. troops have been killed. We go now to NPR's Carrie Kahn, who joins us from Tel Aviv. Thanks for being with us. And I'm told you're in a bomb shelter.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Yes, I am. The air raid sirens went off just as the show was starting, and I am in the safe room now, a little echoey but safe.
SIMON: All right. Thanks for being with us. Israel's military says it hit a number of sites overnight and this morning. What do we know?
KAHN: Right. Israel's military did say early this morning they sent more than 80 fighter jets into Iran and struck multiple targets across the country and in Tehran, including what it says was the Revolutionary Guard's main military university. Israel says it has attacked hard Iran's missile and drone systems. I can tell you that the number of sirens going off in Israel have declined in this first week, but Israelis are still spending hours in bomb shelters.
SIMON: OK. Iran's been firing missiles and drones around the region at nearly a dozen countries. What did Iran's president say today, and what's reaction been?
KAHN: It was a recorded message. It was very short. It was put out on state media channels. President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized for striking Iran's neighbors. But he stopped short of saying there would be no more attacks. He said Iran would only strike its neighbors if, quote, "an attack on Iran originates from those countries," and he added this.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT MASOUD PEZESHKIAN: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: He says, "I believe we should resolve this through diplomacy rather than facing problems by fighting," he said. But on Saturday morning, the air raid sirens went off in multiple countries throughout the Gulf. There was a drone intercepted in Dubai that temporarily suspended flights at that huge international airport there, sirens in Bahrain. And Saudi officials say they've intercepted nearly a dozen drones.
There's been no official reaction from Gulf states yet about their Iranian president's apology. But this morning, NPR did speak with a Gulf official who said, quote, "we will only believe it if we see it." And the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. And this is interesting. In a statement after the president's message, Iran's military stated that it still considers U.S. military bases in the region fair game.
SIMON: Israel has also bombarded the suburbs around Beirut. What's happening there?
KAHN: Sure. Israel says it's going after Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon and a Beirut suburb believed to be a stronghold of the Iranian-backed group. Overnight, they took heavy strikes in those areas of Beirut. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced. Many are living on the streets and camping on the beach fronts in the capital. NPR spoke with Mohammed Abu Ahmad (ph). He's a 39-year-old father with two small children. They all fled their neighborhood and are sleeping on Beirut's beachside promenade.
MOHAMMED ABU AHMAD: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: He says, "we're by the sea. It's raining and cold, and we are hungry and thirsty. Life is so bad," he says. Then he added, "this is all frightening, and war is no game." And Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, this morning, warned Lebanon's president to act and take steps before we do more to stop Hezbollah, or Lebanon, he said, will, quote, "pay a very heavy price."
SIMON: NPR's Carrie Kahn in Tel Aviv. Thanks so much.
KAHN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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