Transcript of Israel's Incursion Into Lebanon, NATO and Strait Of Hormuz, Cuba's Blackout and Trump New

Israel's defense minister says they killed 2 senior Iranian officials in airstrikes on Tehran.

And another front in the war is raging in Lebanon as Israel says it is expanding its ground operations in the country.

I'm Jimmy Martinez. That is Michelle Martin. And this is Up First from NPR News. President Trump scolds allies for not doing more to protect the Strait of Hormuz.

I always said, you know, the problem with NATO is we'll always be there for them, but they'll never be there for us.

European Israeli leaders are hesitant to get involved in the war with Iran.

And the president is musing about a takeover of Cuba.

Whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth.

He made those comments as the island nation goes into a total blackout. Stay with us. We'll give you news you need to start your day. Israel's defense minister says the Israeli military has killed two senior Iranian officials.

They are the head of Iran's Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the commander of Iran's paramilitary Basij forces. Iran did not immediately confirm the killings.

NPR's Hadil Al-Shalchi is in Beirut and has the latest information for us. Good morning, Hadil.

Good morning.

So how significant are these latest killings?

These would be the highest-profile assassinations since the February 28th attack that killed Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel killed Ali Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council and public policy advisor to the Supreme Leader, an Israeli military official speaking on condition of anonymity, described him as Iran's de facto leader and that he's been directing Iran's attacks in this war. Now, Larijani is a former parliamentary speaker and senior policy advisor. He used to advise the late Supreme Leader on strategy in nuclear talks with the Trump administration. He also served as a secretary of Iran's top security body known as the Supreme National Security Council. And the Israeli military also confirmed the death of Qassem Reza Soleimani, who was the head of the Basij forces. That's the militia responsible for violently cracking down on street protests against the Iranian government earlier this year. It killed thousands in those protests, and it's estimated that the militia is made up of 1 million members.

Now, Iran is not the only front in this war, so let's move to where you are, Lebanon. Israel announced a ground incursion into the south. What can you tell us about that?

Right, so the Israeli military here says it has begun, quote, limited and targeted ground operations against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group. Troops are going deeper into parts of southern Lebanon. Israel has also issued new evacuation orders for people in the south. The Lebanese government now says a million people are displaced. I was in the south over the weekend, and the couple of towns I visited in the Bekaa Valley are already empty because of these evacuation orders. You know, I saw stores that are shuttered. The streets are hauntingly quiet. So many buildings I saw, including homes and schools, have been turned to rubble because of Israel's airstrikes. And the very few people still there told me they're worried to leave because they may never be able to go back again. And, you know, their fears may be justified. This week, the Israeli defense minister said those evacuated south of the Litani River, which is considered a front line in the conflict, will not be allowed to return to their homes until, quote, the safety of northern Israeli residents is guaranteed.

Now, we reported yesterday that the State Department is giving in U.S. embassies talking points. It's trying to encourage more countries to impose sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon. What can you tell us about that?

Well, I mean, it's clear that the U.S. is trying to build an international coalition. According to a State Department cable seen by NPR, the U.S. says Iran responds better to collective, not unilateral action. So the cable is telling U.S. diplomats to lobby their host governments to designate the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations, that should work on that with Israeli diplomats. It also says the goal of the U.S. and Israeli strikes are to, quote, neutralize Iran's nuclear program, destroy its ballistic missile program, disrupt its proxy networks, and diminish its naval capabilities. Now, the State Department didn't respond to NPR's request for comment, but it's obvious that the U.S. didn't prepare home front or public opinion. They didn't seek any international legitimacy. They didn't forge any coalition among the Europeans, the Arabs, amongst oil consumers. And now we're We're seeing President Trump expressing frustration that no one is on board with his war.

That is NPR's Hadil El Shalchi in Beirut. Hadil, thank you.

You're so welcome.

Some of America's staunchest European allies are refusing to send their warships to police the Strait of Hormuz. That's the waterway where lots of the world's oil passes through, largely shut off by Iran since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against it.

President Trump complains the U.S. can't count on the loyalty of its partners despite years of providing defense to Europe. NATO countries are planning to meet today in Brussels to discuss the cooperation in the Middle East amid the strained relations between the U.S. and its allies.

Terry Schultz is in Brussels, and she's with us now to talk about all this. Good morning, Terry.

Good morning, Michelle.

So President Trump says NATO allies have an obligation to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He says the U.S. has protected its European partners for many years, and now it's time for them basically to pay it back. Is that argument going anywhere?

It actually may be backfiring, Michelle. Today's the first time since Trump's remarks that NATO ambassadors are meeting to discuss the Middle East, and there could be some movement, but it's unlikely. It's unclear whether the US ambassador to NATO will formally ask for help. I spoke with Giuseppe Spadafora, an analyst with the EU Institute for Security Studies, who doesn't think any such request is going to fly.

Trump continues to speak of NATO as another entity as opposed to an alliance of which the US is part. For example, in recent interviews, he said that the US has helped NATO with Ukraine and consequently the allies should help the US with with Iran, which of course is very different from the way that traditional U.S. presidents have spoken about NATO, about doing things together.

And those threats from the president saying it will be bad for NATO if allies don't join in seem to just reinforce that feeling of a lack of solidarity when he's seeking the opposite.

And you know that European foreign ministers declined to support the U.S. at their meeting yesterday. Say more about why that is.

Yep, that's true. European countries very much feel that this is not their war, Michelle. Trump didn't consult He felt them going into it, and then he demanded to use European military bases in the Middle East. So while they're not sorry to see the Iranian regime under attack, they don't want to participate in offensive actions.

Much of the discussion among EU foreign ministers was about possibly expanding a naval mission that's already operating in the region. Is that option still on the table?

That's right. They were talking about Operation Aspidus, and it's focused on protecting navigation through the Red Sea.

Ministers discussed changing the mandate of that operation to expand it to the Strait of Hormuz, but EU foreign European policy chief Kyriakoulis says there was no support for this idea: "The discussion on whether we are, you know, also extending this mandate to cover the Strait of Hormuz, there was no appetite from the member states to do that.

Nobody wants to go actively in this war." And as we have discussed so often, Europe already feels like it's helping to fight another war: Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

And that's right, the one that actually feels like an existential question in Europe. Again, no one here was campaigning to save former Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei, but it's Russian President Vladimir Putin they really see as an enemy and Ukraine as the territory they need to protect. Here's how Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen explained her country's consideration of Trump's call for help.

We unfortunately have a hot war waging in Europe too, and that is certainly our first priority. From the Finnish perspective, we are securing 1,340 kilometers of border against Russia. Also, we very highly depend on also on the traffic of the Baltic Sea. So that is where most of our capabilities are employed now and will also be in the future. And as already pointed out, the main focus for Europe is and will remain the defense of Ukraine as well. And that is certainly which also requires a lot from all of us.

So we'll just have to see if President Trump ramps up the pressure enough to make European leaders change their priorities, Michelle.

That's Terri Schultz in Brussels. Terri, thank you.

You're welcome.

Now to Cuba. President Trump is suggesting he will take Cuba and, quote, "do anything I want with it," just as the island plunged into a total blackout.

Cuba's electricity grid suffered another catastrophic collapse on Monday. Monday, leaving the nearly 11 million people that live there without power. Now, the blackout is happening as the U.S. blockade of oil to Cuba is now in its third month.

NPR's Ader Peralta is with us now with more details. Good morning, Ader.

Hey, good morning, Michelle.

So you were reminding us that this isn't the first all-island power outage, but it is the largest since the U.S. oil blockade. Now, what brought this one about?

I mean, we don't know. The Cuban electricity company hasn't given an explanation for the blackout, but they say some power is starting to come back online. Total blackouts have happened 6 times in the past year and a half. It's a long-term problem. The power grid has been falling apart for decades, and the Cuban government has simply not been able to keep up with maintenance. But this also comes amid an oil blockade by the United States. President Diaz-Canel blamed the U.S. for, quote, cruelly squeezing energy resources. And that has made the situation in Cuba worse because the country depends on imported oil to run its thermal power plants. And for 3 months now, Cuba hasn't received any oil.

And President Trump talked about Cuba just yesterday. Is he turning his attention to the island?

It seems that way. President Trump has the war in Iran to deal with, but yesterday in the Oval Office, he had this to say about Cuba.

I do believe I'll be the honor of having the honor of taking Cuba. That'd be good. That's a big honor.

Taking Cuba.

Taking Cuba in some form. Yeah, taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth.

And you know, after the U.S. seized President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, that's a very clear threat. And I think what we're seeing from the Cuban side is attempts to appease the United States. Uh, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed last week that negotiations between Washington and Havana are taking place, and Cuba has now announced two big concessions. Over the weekend, they said they would release 51 prisoners who were arrested during the 2021 protests, and they have also announced Cubans not living in Cuba will be able to invest and own businesses in Cuba. Cuban officials I've spoken to say that if the US wants an economic opening, they are willing to negotiate. The big question is whether economic changes alone will actually satisfy Washington.

And, you know, Eder, there were actually some protests, some rare protests that broke out in Cuba over these blackouts. What do we know about the public mood?

We've seen small demonstrations over the weekend in the town of Morón in central Cuba. Residents there took to the streets after after a 26-hour blackout, and they set fire to local Communist Party headquarters. And I think what's clear is that the anger reflects how severe the crisis has become. I was there a few months ago, and things were already dire. Hospitals don't have medicine, food rations have been disrupted, international airlines have canceled flights. The government is trying to ease pressure by opening up parts of the economy, and they're also betting on solar energy, but it's unclear how quickly or even if that can ease the pain.

That is Aitor Peralta. We reached him in Mexico City. Aitor, thank you.

Thank you, Michelle.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Hannah Bloch, Tina Krya, Tara Neal, Miguel Macías, Mohamed El Bardisi, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Iman Mahani and Nia Dumas. And our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hynes. Our technical director is Carly Strange. Our supervising senior producer is Vince Pearson joins again tomorrow.