ADRIAN MA, HOST:
U.S. Central Command says two American service members were killed in action in Jordan, and one other service member is missing. This comes as the U.S. and Iran traded attacks for the seventh day in a row following the collapse of the ceasefire. The U.S. says it has struck hundreds of what it describes as military, logistic and surveillance sites in Iran, but Iran says the U.S. has also targeted civilian sites, including bridges and power plants. To tell us more, we're connecting with NPR's Emily Feng, who's in Tel Aviv. Thanks for joining us, Emily.
EMILY FENG, BYLINE: Hi, Adrian. It's great to talk to you.
MA: You too. And can you tell us, what do we know about these two American service members who were killed?
FENG: CENTCOM says they were killed on Friday, and they said four other service members were hospitalized because of injuries, but they've since been discharged. We don't have the names of who was killed or injured, and we don't know how and where these service members were killed. But we do know Iran earlier today claimed it had hit and destroyed American aircraft at an airbase the U.S. does use in northern Jordan.
Now, all of this brings the total number of U.S. service members killed in the U.S.-Iran war to 16 people, and there are more than 400 people who have been injured so far. And as you mentioned, all this means that a temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran that was supposed to be 60 days has not reached even at its halfway point before ending, and now we have Iran threatening to escalate its military actions.
MA: Escalate how? What are the Iranian leaders saying?
FENG: So this weekend, the Iranian government threatened to hit five ports across the Middle East plus civilian airports in the Gulf if, they said, the U.S. kept striking what Iran says are civilian infrastructure sites across Iran. Iran also just proposed an additional environmental tax this week on any ships that want to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran says it still controls and is already charging vessels to use. The U.S. has been trying to get ships to use a new route that hugs the coast of Oman - it's a little bit more southern - but ship tracking data shows no vessels at all has used that route in the last three days.
And then today, we have Iran's elusive new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issuing a statement. The younger Khamenei has not been seen since his father was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes. So you're about to hear a newscaster reading aloud a statement today that's attributed to him.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED NEWSCASTER: (Non-English language spoken).
FENG: Later in the statement, Khamenei blames the restart of war on the U.S. and then, in the statement, also says that Iran, quote, "has unforgettable lessons in store for the U.S."
Now, Adrian, I'm in Israel. Israel has made no secret it has never liked the U.S. ceasefire with Iran to begin with, and its leaders say they are ready to cooperate with the U.S. if needed. And the U.S. is now fortifying them militarily. Today, Israeli public radio reported a squadron of American F-16 fighter planes has landed here, and Israel's military also confirmed there are additional American aerial refueling aircraft that has been sent here and has parked at the airport here.
MA: OK, so something to continue to watch. Before we go, Emily, can you catch us up on what is happening with the other fighting fronts in the Middle East? There's a separate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Where does that stand?
FENG: Right, there are multiple conflicts going on. So that separate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is largely holding, but it has not stopped Israel from bombing what it says are Iran-backed Hezbollah militant sites in Lebanon. And Lebanon has been trying to get Israel to withdraw from some of the territory the latter has occupied. And that issue, the issue of withdrawal, is likely going to be top of mind when Lebanon's president Joseph Aoun meets with President Trump in the U.S. this coming Tuesday. This is the first such Lebanese state visit to the U.S. since 2009.
But going back to Israel, where I am right now, much of Israel's firepower is actually concentrated back on Gaza because in the last 48 hours, Israeli strikes have killed at least 20 people and wounded 60 others in Gaza. That's according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel says it is targeting Hamas militants, but it does acknowledge civilians have been killed in the process. Those civilians include people attending a funeral and, on Friday, a mother killed while buying groceries.
MA: That's NPR's Emily Feng in Tel Aviv. Thank you, Emily.
FENG: Thanks, Adrian. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
