A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Leaders and the United Nations are calling for a deescalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
There were explosions, and there was destruction in both countries for a fourth day as the two exchanged fire, and the death toll grows. Iran's Ministry of Health says more than 200 people have been killed, including many women and children, and more than 1,000 injured. In Israel, officials said more than 20 people have been killed and that the Israeli military had, quote, "full aerial superiority" over Iran.
MARTÍNEZ: For more, we're joined by NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Tel Aviv. President Trump posted online that Israel and Iran should, quote, "make a deal," and that there have been calls and meetings taking place. Hadeel, any sign of deescalation right now?
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: I mean, President Trump did say that the two sides needed to, quote, "end this bloody conflict." And then he told reporters yesterday, though, that, quote, "sometimes they have to fight it out." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview to Fox News last night and he doubled down on continuing the war. Let's take a listen.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: The issue here is not deescalation. The issue here is not ceasefire. The issue here is stopping those things that will threaten our survival, and we're committed to stopping them, and I think we can achieve them.
AL-SHALCHI: Iran also has not signaled - publicly, at least - that talks were imminent and it remains adamant to respond to the Israeli strikes. So no, it doesn't seem like things are calming down anytime soon.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Sign of that escalation was another night of strikes and damage in both Iran and Israel. What was it like where you are?
AL-SHALCHI: Yeah. It was a very deadly night of strikes here in Israel. The Israeli military says four areas were hit, including the northern city of Haifa and also an area in Central Tel Aviv. Yesterday, I visited one of those neighborhoods worst hit. It's called Bat Yam in Central Israel. You know, a massive high rise was completely gutted from one side. Search and rescue teams were looking for missing people in the rubble. There were blown out windows for miles. I met 62-year-old Ilana Kupchek (ph). She was in a bomb shelter when the missile hit nearby.
ILANA KUPCHEK: It was terrible. Boom - big one. Everything is shaking. I'm afraid.
MARTÍNEZ: Wow. This level of destruction and attack seem unprecedented for many in Israel. I mean, what's the mood where you're at?
AL-SHALCHI: You know, Israelis can sometimes be nonchalant about missile fire. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis fire rockets at Israel, but this isn't the same at all. And the Israeli air defense system, known as the Iron Dome, hasn't been able to intercept all of them, as we can see, which is leading to a level of destruction in Central Israel, particularly, that hasn't been seen before, really. You know, there's been some criticism in the media about the war. There's questions. What is Netanyahu's endgame? But generally, there's actually a sense that this is a time for Israel to unite against their common enemy, the Iranian Islamic regime. The area I visited Bat Yam is a Netanyahu stronghold. He visited the neighborhood, and many people were chanting his name in support. And people I talked to, yeah, they were rattled by the attack. Some homes were also damaged. But they said this war was inevitable. It's been hanging over their heads for decades and that this destruction was perhaps the price to pay for Israel's safety in the region.
MARTÍNEZ: Alright, that's NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Tel Aviv. Thank you very much.
AL-SHALCHI: You're very welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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