Leila Faldil (2:32)

NPR's Lauren Frayer has just returned from southern Lebanon and joins us now in Beirut. Good morning, Lauren.

Lauren Frayer (2:38)

Good morning, Layla.

Leila Faldil (2:39)

So where are you returning from exactly? And what did you see and hear?

Lauren Frayer (2:44)

Frightened civilians fleeing Israeli bombardment, warplanes constantly overhead, sonic booms. But Also resilience. We went to a Palm Sunday procession in the rain. I was in the southern town of Jezine in the mountains. Here's what it sounded like at a school converted into a shelter for the displaced. And that's the principal of the school, Colette Sleem, describing these waves and waves of people fleeing northward. Her school is now full. You could hear children playing in the yard there. And she's now forced to turn people away. It's worth looking at a map to understand the geography of this. First, last week, Israeli officials said they would take Lebanese territory up to the Litany River. That's a river that runs east, west, about 10 to 20 miles north of the current Israel Lebanon border. A few days later, they ordered residents out of a zone about 10 miles beyond that, north of the Zahraani River. And now Netanyahu's announcement about this widening invasion is creating more confusion and more fear here.

Leila Faldil (3:51)

I mean, what does Israel say is its aim here? Why is it invading further into Lebanon?

Lauren Frayer (3:57)

So Israel says it wants to create a buffer zone where Hezbollah can no longer fire rockets across the border into northern Israel, which it is still doing by the thousands. An Israeli soldier with citizenship, grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, is the latest Israeli killed in combat inside Lebanon. You'll know, Leila, this is a zone that Israel occupied in the 1980s and 90s. And many Lebanese fear history is repeating itself. Now, Israeli officials say in Lebanon they want to duplicate the Gaza model. And we've all seen images of the destruction in that territory.

Leila Faldil (4:31)

Now, Jezine is also where three Lebanese journalists were targeted and killed over the weekend, right?

Lauren Frayer (4:37)

That's right. Ali Sha', Ib, a veteran television correspondent, really a household name here in Lebanon, along with sibling journalists Fatima Fatouni and her cameraman brother Muhammad Fatouni. Afterward, their father, Abbas Fatouni, appeared on tv. He's saying he was proud of his children. And Israel, as you noted, says it targeted them deliberately.

Leila Faldil (5:02)

And why?

Lauren Frayer (5:03)

Well, Sha'ab worked for a Hezbollah affiliated TV channel. The Israeli military accuses him and Mohammad Fatouni of being militants operating under the guise of journalists. It says it's aware of reports that a female journalist, s. Fatima, was there and takes steps to mitigate harm to civilians. But after the killings, an Israeli military spokesperson posted a picture on social media of one of the TV journalists dressed as a combatant in military garb and then admitted that the photo was fake. It was photoshopped. Press freedom groups say accredited journalists deserve protection no matter what outlet they work for. Lebanese officials call this a crime that violates international law and say they're taking this to the UN Security Council.

Leila Faldil (5:44)

That's NPR's Lauren Frayer in Beirut. Thank you for your reporting, Lauren.

Lauren Frayer (5:49)

You're welcome.

Leila Faldil (5:50)

We turn now to Iran where the Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed. And Iran backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have joined the war.

Michelle Martin (5:57)

But additional U.S. troops have reached the Middle east and more are on the way. The US Military has not said what the mission will be, but the focus is on the critical waterway that remains closed to almost all oil tankers.

Leila Faldil (6:09)

NPR's Greg Myhre is covering this and joins me now. Good morning, Greg.

Greg Myre (6:13)

Hi, Layla.

Leila Faldil (6:14)

So how many troops are we talking about here?

Greg Myre (6:17)

Yeah, more than 2,000 Marines arrived in the region over the weekend. Another 2,000 or so Marines are on the way by ship. A similar number of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne are expected soon. So overall, the US is going to have roughly 50,000 troops in the Middle East. Now, this expanding force gives President Trump additional options, but these are still relatively small numbers. They could carry out specific limited operations, but it's not nearly enough for a major sustained ground invasion. And as we noted, neither Trump nor the Pentagon has hinted at the mission. But clearly the most urgent issue is the Strait of Hormuz. So there's speculation and at this point it's just that, speculation that the troops may be part of an effort to try to open the strait for oil tankers.

Leila Faldil (7:07)

In the meantime, Iran carried out another significant attack against a US Base, this time in Saudi Arabia. What happened?

Greg Myre (7:14)

Yeah, Iran struck the Prince Sultan Air Base outside the Saudi capital Riyadh on Friday. And this is a big deal for several reasons. A dozen or more U.S. troops were injured. A very valuable plane was apparently damaged or destroyed. It was an E3 AWACS. And this is essentially a flying command center that gives you a picture of the battlefield. Now the Pentagon hasn't provided details, but multiple news reports and photos verified by Agence France press show the plane was split in half. And a direct hit on a key plane at an important air base deep inside Saudi Arabia suggests Iran is somehow acquiring very detailed targeting information. And one possibility is the Iranians are getting help from Russia. And there's a somewhat unexpected source on this. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian intelligence shows Russian satellites are gather information on U.S. targets in the Middle East.

Leila Faldil (8:14)

Now, he was in the Middle east over the weekend. The Ukrainian president, why?

Greg Myre (8:19)

Ukraine is the world leader when it comes to defensive drones that can shoot down incoming drones and Iranian drones in particular. Ukraine was forced to learn very quickly because Russia was buying drones from Iran and firing them at Ukraine. At this point, Russia has taken that Iranian technology and is making its own upgraded drones. Now Zelensky says Ukrainian drone teams are are already helping Middle Eastern countries and he was in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar seeking their help in his war with Russia.

Leila Faldil (8:53)

Now we're watching this war expand in the Middle East. A lot of people being killed, infrastructure destroyed. Is there any diplomatic progress to end this war?

Greg Myre (9:04)

Yeah, Pakistan is taking the lead role as mediator. It's one of the few countries with pretty decent relations with both the US And Iran. And Iran has agreed to allow Pakistan Pakistani flagged oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz two a day, up to a total of 20. So that helps Pakistan, but there's no real sign of a possible U. S. Iran breakthrough. The mistrust was summed up by Iran's Parliament speaker who accused the US of talking about diplomacy while secretly planning a ground invasion.

Leila Faldil (9:34)

NPR's Greg Myre. Thank you, Greg.

Greg Myre (9:37)

Sure thing, Layla.

Leila Faldil (9:38)

A quick request before we continue. Please rate and review up first on Spotify or Apple podcasts. One listener recently told us that three stories is just right and provides enough of a summary to decide what to research further. Your reviews help signal to the algorithms that this kind of trusted journalism matters. We read every one and we appreciate the support. TSA agents still are not being paid. It's been over 40 days since funding was cut off and began causing long lines at airport security checkpoints across the country.

Michelle Martin (10:18)

Congress has not reached a deal to pay them due to a disagreement over immigration enforcement tactics. President Trump says he's ordering the Department of Homeland Security to find money in its budget, although it's unclear exactly how that will work.

Leila Faldil (10:31)

NPR's Joe Hernandez joins us now with the latest on U.S. air travel and the next steps for TSA. Hi Joe.

Joe Hernandez (10:37)

Good morning.

Leila Faldil (10:38)

So what happened in airports across the US this weekend?

TSA/Travel Reporter (10:41)

Well, a version of a story we've been hearing for weeks now, which is long lines at TSA checkpoints at many airports across the country. These are the longest wait times in TSA history, so we're talking three, four hours or even more over the weekend. BWI Airport in Baltimore was telling travelers to arrive three to four hours before their flights. NPR spoke with one traveler in the security line there, Darren Davis, who was flying from Baltimore to Atlanta, which he does often.

Joe Hernandez (11:08)

This process usually takes about maybe 15 minutes, at least on the Baltimore side. I have no idea how long this is taking at this point, to be really honest, you just kind of got a smile and nod. I hope you get through. But is at least four times a time, and that's in Baltimore. Atlanta is just unspeakable at this point.

TSA/Travel Reporter (11:26)

But it can be hard to understand why these wait times are fluctuating so much. So wait times can be several hours at airports like Houston and New Orleans one day and then much shorter the next day. So in addition to the headache of these long lines, travelers are also dealing with the kind of unpredictability of this whole situation.

Leila Faldil (11:42)

Let's just get to the why here. For those who don't know why the government isn't paying TSA agents, how did this all start?

TSA/Travel Reporter (11:49)

Yeah, it has to do with a dispute in Congress over funding for the Department of Homeland Security that includes tsa, and it also includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ice. There have been several proposals now to fund DHS with added restrictions on immigration enforcement that Democrats have been pushing for, but lawmakers haven't been able to reach a deal yet. And in the meantime, TSA agents are missing paychecks. They're calling out from work, and that's leading to these long lines. Now, one of the ways the Trump administration has chosen to deal with that so far is by sending ICE agents to some airports. White House border czar Tom Homan told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday that those ICE agents will stay there as long as they're needed.

Greg Myre (12:31)

Look, we're going to continue an ICE presence there until the airports feel like they're in. They're 100%, you know, in a posture where they can do normal operations.

TSA/Travel Reporter (12:41)

And some airports have had close to 40% of TSA agents call out last week.

Leila Faldil (12:47)

Now, the Trump administration says they have a plan to pay TSA workers. What is that plan, and when will that happen?

TSA/Travel Reporter (12:55)

Right. So Trump signed a memo ordering Homeland Security to use department funds to pay TSA workers. It's not exactly clear how that will work since it's not an appropriation from Congress, but the administration says TSA staff could start getting paid as early as today. Even if those paychecks do go out, there are still a few issues here. One is that so far during the shutdown, close to 500 TSA officers have quit, and then Congress still has to figure out how to fund DHS, but lawmakers have just left on recess.

Leila Faldil (13:24)

That's NPR's Joe Hernandez. Thank you for your reporting, Joe.

TSA/Travel Reporter (13:28)

You're welcome.

Leila Faldil (13:32)

And that's up first For Monday, March 30th, I'm Layla Faulding.

Michelle Martin (13:36)

And I'm Michelle Martin. Today's episode of up first was edited by Jerry Holmes, Andrew Sussman, Alfredo Carvajal, Mohamed El Pardisi and Adriana Gallardo. It was produced by Zia Butch and Eva Pukach. Our directors, Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott and our technical directors, Carly Strange. We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.

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Joanna Strober (14:41)

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