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You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. It's Monday, June 16th. I'm Greg Dixon. Israel and Iran are at war, and it is a war that has so far consisted mainly of attacks from the sky. In today's episode, we'll look at this air war and the ability of both sides to defend against it.
On Friday, Israel began airstrikes on Iran, an effort they say is designed to degrade Iran's nuclear capabilities. The strikes have been on nuclear enrichment sites, military installations, military commanders, as well as nuclear scientists and their families. And here's the sound of one of Israel's strikes. An Iranian television station was struck while the anchor was on air. ♪♪
Iran has responded fiercely to Israel's attacks. The Iranian military fired hundreds of missiles. And while many were intercepted by Israel's powerful air defense system, some have still made it through, hitting sites in a number of cities, including Tel Aviv. NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi visited some of the neighborhoods hit in that city. Walking up a street in central Tel Aviv, there are people who are taking photos of the damage.
On the streets, there is shattered glass. There is a building that is completely gutted, burned. There's lots of police. Many look shocked. They seem like they can't believe that something like this could ever happen in the center, in the heart of Tel Aviv.
Ofer Dagan sits on the sill of a blown-out storefront, shattered glass at his feet. The store is called The Photo House. Established in 1940, it's been in his ex-partner's family for decades. His grandfather took iconic photos of a lot of important moments in the history of Israel, like the Declaration of Israel. Important Israelis like former prime ministers Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin also came to be photographed here.
Now the shop is destroyed after an Iranian missile hit close by. The doors blown out, the inside upside down. Those iconic photos strewn everywhere. 44-year-old Dagan says the shop reflects the chaos Israel finds itself in today. And the fact that I see Herzl there like this and Golda and all of like the...
Big names of the history of Israel all over the place. I feel it's symbolic to what we're in. Dagan says he believes that Iran may be a threat to Israel, but he's not sure the government is doing the right thing with its war. The thing is that I'm not trust what the government tells me in the past few years. So I feel they organize reality for their needs.
Just six miles south of Tel Aviv is the neighborhood of Bat Yam. It was one of the worst hits since the attack started. An Iranian missile struck a 10-story building here. At least eight people were killed, according to Israeli medics, and dozens were trapped in the rubble. For many Israelis, this level of destruction is new.
First responder Felix Frisch said the scale was just huge. It's something that we in Israel have not experienced. So the operational tempo is crazy, very hectic, something we're not used to and we're trying to cope. Bat Yam is a stronghold of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yoav Laveed stands on the sidelines as men chant Netanyahu's nickname Bibi in support. Laveed's home was damaged in the explosion. What happened was a very strong boom.
There was a very loud boom, and a minute afterwards, we could hear the sirens of the ambulances, he says. 62-year-old Lavid says Israelis have been waiting for this war for decades. Even though we initiated it this time, it's a war that was forced upon us, he says. Lavid echoes what many Israelis feel, that the Iranian regime is an existential threat to their country.
For decades, Netanyahu has said that war was the only way to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Levitt says that the destruction in his neighborhood may be the price they have to pay for their security. There's no such thing as a cheap price, he says. Hadil Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Now, a look at the capacity of each country to defend against the other's attacks.
Israel says it has largely knocked out Iran's air defenses and now claims it can bomb much of Iran at will. In contrast, Israel still has strong air defenses in place, but Iran is unleashing waves of missiles nightly. And as we just heard, some are getting through with lethal results. NPR national security correspondent Greg Myrie has been watching this air war unfold, and he spoke to Juana Summers about it.
So, Greg, help us understand, how has Israel been able to defeat Iran's air defenses? So Israel inflicted real damage on Iran's air defenses when they had a missile exchange last October. And this time around, Israel says its Mossad intelligence agency secretly infiltrated Iran and was able to take out many of these remaining air defenses on Iran's western border. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel now has a, quote, free highway to Tehran.
Israel has top-of-the-line U.S.-made F-35 fighters. These and other planes have bombed Iran hundreds of times in the past four days, and Israel says it hasn't lost a single aircraft.
I spoke about this with Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security advisor in Israel. This is anything but a tit-for-tat war. Iran is being hit extremely hard on all levels. It takes some time, but we've already suppressed the anti-aircraft systems and are in the process of doing the same thing to the
Now, if this becomes an extended battle, what does that mean for Israel's ability to hit Iran and particularly its nuclear sites? So Israel is hitting the nuclear sites, but the two most important ones are very difficult targets.
The Natanz uranium enrichment site is largely underground, and the Fordow enrichment site was built deep inside a mountain. Israel is certain to bomb them repeatedly, but it's just not clear at this point whether it will have enough firepower in its arsenal to badly damage or destroy them.
Israel may seek help from the U.S. to use its more powerful bunker-busting bombs on these sites. However, President Trump is supportive of Israel, but he says he does not want the U.S. in offensive operations against Iran. So this is not a big issue between them at the moment, but it could become one. Understood. Okay, well, what about Israel's air defenses? How are they holding up?
Yeah, Israel is shooting down about 90% of Iran's incoming ballistic missiles, and that's roughly what was expected. Several of these missiles hit in Israel on Monday morning, killing civilians in apartment buildings and causing a huge blaze at an oil refinery.
Israel has two of its own defense systems for ballistic missiles. One is called the Arrow. The other is David's Sling. Both are geared for these missiles that fly very high and very fast. The best-known system, of course, is Iron Dome, but that's designed for short-range rockets. Chuck Freilich says the military has found a novel use for Iron Dome in this conflict.
The Iron Dome has been deeply involved in shooting down the remnants of intercepted missiles, which in some cases can cause as much damage as the missiles themselves. Greg, last thing, how is the U.S. helping Israel with its air defenses? Yes, several ways. The U.S. had two warships in the eastern Mediterranean off the western coast of Israel when Israel launched its attack on Iran last Friday.
Now, those ships and the planes on those ships have been actively engaged in combating the Iranian attacks. Now, in addition, the U.S. has sent two top-of-the-line air defense systems to Israel since late last year. These are known as THAAD, and they are operated by U.S. troops on the ground in Israel. So the U.S. is deeply involved in Israel's defense, but at this point, not with its offense. NPR's Greg Myhre, thanks as always. Sure thing.
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