Israel and Iran exchanged more missile strikes Tuesday, including one that hit central Tel Aviv, according to Israeli authorities.
The latest exchanges come as Washington and Tehran send conflicting messages about the war's future and possible talks to end it. On Monday, President Trump said the U.S. and Iran have had "productive" conversations about ending the war. He postponed a threatened attack on Iran's energy infrastructure until the end of the week, contingent on talks' progress. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have dismissed the idea of negotiations as "fake news," but Iran's foreign ministry said it was responding to requests through intermediaries of friendly countries.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard also said Tuesday on Telegram that a gas supply line feeding a power station in southwest Iran was struck overnight.
Despite the continued strikes, an Israeli official told NPR on Tuesday that the U.S. is planning talks with Iran in Pakistan in the coming days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not have the authorization to speak about the matter.
Here's what else to know about the latest developments in the conflict.
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Iran-Israel strikes | U.S.-Iran talks | Displaced Iranians | Israel strikes Lebanon |
Tel Aviv hit as Iran fires new wave of missiles at Israel
The Israeli military said Iran fired missiles at Israel at least eight times on Tuesday, with impacts reported in at least four sites across the country. At least six people were injured in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli health officials.
NPR visited the site of the blast, an upscale residential neighborhood, and identified a crater in the middle of the road where the missile fell. The facade of an apartment building next to it was badly damaged, and cars in the surrounding area were crushed.
Israeli police estimate the Iranian missile contained a warhead with about 220 pounds of explosives. Israel's defense systems did not intercept it.
Earlier on Tuesday, an explosion was reported in northern Israel, injuring at least one person. Other blasts were reported in southern Israel.
— Daniel Estrin
U.S. says talks are being planned as Iran continues to deny negotiations
The latest missile exchanges come after Trump repeatedly suggested Monday that the conflict could be heading toward a diplomatic off-ramp, saying U.S. and Iranian officials have held "productive" conversations about ending the war. Iran's leadership, meanwhile, has rejected that characterization.
Still, an Israeli official told NPR that planning was underway for talks in Pakistan later this week. Regional intermediaries – including Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan – have been relaying messages and were playing a role in efforts toward de-escalation.
In a post on Truth Social Monday, Trump said he would postpone earlier threats to attack Iran's energy infrastructure in hopes of reaching a deal by March 27.
Iran's Foreign Ministry denied entering talks with the U.S. The parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, alleged that reports of talks are "fake news" that are "intended to manipulate financial and oil markets and to escape the quagmire in which America and Israel are trapped."
NPR speaks to Iranians at the Turkish-Iranian border
NPR has spoken to more Iranians fleeing Iran, as the war nears its one month mark.
Many said they were relieved that Trump said he would postpone his initial threat to target Iran's power plants, but worried the U.S. would reach an agreement with Iran that would keep the current government in place.
Speaking from the eastern Turkish-Iranian border Tuesday, Iranians spoke about hearing heavy bombardments, especially in Tehran. They also told reporters about a large Iranian security presence on the streets.
All asked not to be identified by name over fears of government reprisal.
One man, speaking out against the war, said he believed Israel's motive for bombing the country is to expand its borders into Iran.
The vast majority of Iranians NPR spoke to said they supported the strikes on Iran from the U.S. and Israel.
"We needed a foreign military intervention to save us," one person said. "The [U.S./Israel] already killed the former supreme leader [Ali] Khamenei and I hope they kill the rest [of the leadership] soon."
Another man, whose hometown was very active in a wave of anti-government protests in January, said he felt Iranians had gone through enough suffering under the current leadership.
He said "everything is gone" from my hometown – and that "what is left is the bitterness of 47 years that is strangling us [Iranians]."
The man said a turning point for him was the bloody government crackdown. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based human rights monitoring group, says it has confirmed that Iran killed more than 7,000 of its own citizens in the protests.
— Emily Feng
Israeli airstrike kills two in Beirut
Lebanon's Health Ministry said that an Israeli airstrike killed at least two people southeast of Beirut.
The strike was one of several explosions heard across the Lebanese capital overnight. In a post on X, Israel's military said it was targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Israel has issued multiple evacuation orders across Lebanon since the start of the war, leaving over 1 million people displaced, according to the Lebanese government.
Monday's strike, southeast of the capital, came without warning from the Israeli military. Footage shows flames and smoke billowing from a residential building.
This week, Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, threatened to use the so-called "Gaza model," in Lebanon, which razed many residential areas. He also said he's accelerating the destruction of Lebanese homes in border villages, from which Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, fired rockets.
In its latest report, Human Rights Watch said forcible displacement and deliberate targeting of civilians constitute war crimes.Israel has also struck gas stations across Lebanon that are known to have business ties with Hezbollah.
— Lauren Frayer
Daniel Estrin contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel, Lauren Frayer from Beirut, Emily Feng from Van, Turkey and Rebecca Rosman from Paris.
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