The effects of a widening war in the Middle East

0:00Today on State of the World, the effects of a widening war in the Middle East.

0:08You'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 Friday, March 6th. I'm Greg Dixon. A week ago, the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran, killing the regime's leader and starting a war that now threatens to expand throughout the Middle East. Iran struck back, firing missiles and drones at Israel, but also at U.S. allies, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, Hezbollah militants in Lebanon fired rockets at Israel. And Israel has now conducted attacks in a Beirut suburb believed to be a militant stronghold.

0:48Thousands have been displaced. And the U.S. and Israel have continued and intensified their bombing campaign in Iran. To understand what has changed in a busy week in the region, we're going to hear from four NPR correspondents in Beirut, Dubai, eastern Turkey, and we start with Kerry Khan in Tel Aviv. Israel says it has significantly damaged Iran's missile and drone capacity. The Army's chief of staff says Israel has damaged 80 percent of Iran's air defense systems and up to 60 percent of its ability to launch missiles into Israel. It's not possible to verify those claims, but what is clear is that the number of sirens and the hours that Israelis are spending in bunkers has decreased dramatically during this first week of war.

1:37Schools and most businesses remain closed. But Kenan Basel, a local event chef, popped up this impromptu lunch for people to get out and gather. People have to be together now to remember that we have a future together, that we're strong, that we keep going this crazy thing that's called Israel. Despite Israelis' weariness, there is still huge public support for Israel's military campaign against Iran. In one poll, 93 % of Israeli Jews approve of the war, and 62 % of all Israelis say that the war should continue until the Iranian regime is overthrown. For now, sirens are still going off, and residents are still scrambling into public shelters.

2:27And now I've gone into the small bunker in the apartment complex where I am staying, and you can hear loud booms as the Israeli air defense systems intercept what's coming from Iran. And I will just wait here till we get the all clear sign. Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. And I'm Ruth Sherlock on the Turkish border with Iran. Here in this remote place with snow-capped mountains all around us, a steady stream of people are coming out of Iran and many are looking traumatised, pale, grey-faced for everything they've lived through this past week. We spoke with Roya Babay, who's come to join her daughters who live in Turkey.

3:13People are shaking in fear, she says. At night they can't get good sleep because of the bombardments. Children scream when the airstrikes land. I heard the border was closed and so I cried when I saw that I could cross. I called my daughters. We screamed on the phone. They cried. I cried. We all laughed and we cried together. And this desire for reunion in this war, this is something we're also seeing. We spoke with many Iranians who are going back into the country. With communications largely down, they need to know if their loved ones are safe. And going back is the only way to reach them. At the same time, we've spoken with many people who say the brutal attacks against protesters that took place during the nationwide demonstrations against the government that happened in Iran in January.

4:10This has really changed public opinion, people are telling us. So many people know somebody who died in those protests. That has spurred anger and fury. Of course, nobody wants to see a foreign power bomb their country, one man told us. But now we feel like this is the only choice. It's hearing stories like these on this border that really drive home the impossible choices that civilians are being forced to make in this time of war. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News on the Turkish-Iranian border. And I'm Aya Batrawi in Dubai. You can hear the sound of the motor of wooden boats in the background. I'm looking out onto Dubai's historic Creek Harbor.

4:55And for centuries, these Dow wooden boats have been ferrying goods and people, not just across the creek, but also between Dubai and Iran as a link. The historical trade and cultural and social ties between Iran and Gulf Arab states do run centuries old, but right now the politics are very different. Gulf Arab states have come under attack from Iran this week in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iran's top leadership. And the message is clear that Iran will disrupt the region's oil production, its tourism, its image as a safe place to park your money. But Dubai in particular has been a focal point of some of those attacks because it is a global trade hub and it is a world-class tourism destination.

5:39You know, I was walking here in the old souk near the creek, and there's not a lot of tourists, but I did see a shirt that said, Habibi, come to Dubai. And I think it'll be a real test to see whether the Emirate of Dubai can sustain these attacks and bounce back, whether it can retain its image as a global safe haven. But the interceptions here have been very successful. Today alone, the UAE says it intercepted 109 drones and nine ballistic missiles fired at it from Iran. Aya Batraoui, MPR News, Dubai. And I'm Hadil Al-Shalchi in Beirut. I'm on the sidewalk overlooking the beach here, and it's packed with displaced families who fled Israeli bombing in South Lebanon.

6:17A new wave of displaced people flooded into Beirut last night as Israel bombed the suburb of Dahi all night yesterday and into this morning. Dahi is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. All around me are mothers huddled under blankets with their kids in makeshift tents, men sitting drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes around little fires, Children chasing each other into the street. Those with money are packing into hotels. Those without are sleeping in their cars. I talked to Samaa Mohamed, who is spending the night on the sidewalk here with her husband and three children.

6:58She said they heard warning shots and then people started to shout they need to evacuate all of Dahye that Israel was about to bomb. One week on, there's a general sense of exhaustion here, and people are also suspicious of each other. Some hotels won't even take in the displace. They're worried they may be members of Hezbollah who are wanted, making their buildings targets for Israeli strikes. Hadil Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Beirut.

7:29That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.