LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Meanwhile, Israel is also weighing its next steps. This weekend, it bombed more targets in Lebanon, striking central Beirut for the first time. Israel has made brief incursions across the border as it prepares for a possible wider invasion, although no final decision has been made. This as Israeli warplanes flew an even further distance, striking in Yemen, all while its bombing continues in Gaza. So let's look at Israel's possible strategy. We have NPR's Daniel Estrin on the line from Tel Aviv. Hi, Daniel.
DANIEL ESTRIN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So how are Israelis talking about Nasrallah's assassination?
ESTRIN: Well, live on TV, the anchors drank liquor on one of the main channels, and there has been a lot of congratulations from across the Israeli political spectrum. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public opinion polls have now skyrocketed. His approval ratings are not like we saw before. He even got a formal rival of his to join his government now. We are now in a completely new chapter in this conflict, Leila.
FADEL: Yeah.
ESTRIN: Remember, Hezbollah began firing on northern Israel a day after Hamas' October 7 attack. That was to support Hamas, and there have been tit-for-tat attacks across the border ever since. And so now, nearly a year later, Israel is asserting an image of strength. That image was shattered on October 7, and now Israel is going on the offensive and not only in Lebanon.
FADEL: Right. I mean, tell us more about Israel's bombing in Yemen and what it's trying to achieve there.
ESTRIN: Israel says it sent dozens of air force jets yesterday about 1,000 miles away to Yemen, and it bombed power plants and a seaport used by the Houthis. Now, that group is the main militia, the main power - military power in Yemen, and it says that the targets attacked were civilian targets. It said at least four people were killed and dozens were wounded. It came a day after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile towards central Israel. The Houthis have been firing at Israel because of the war in Gaza, where Israeli strikes have killed tens of thousands of people, and the war continues.
Now, the Houthis are supported by Iran, and military analysts in Israel are saying today that this attack by jets far deep into Yemen is sending a message to Iran. Look at how far Iran - Israel can fly its warplanes. Israel can even reach Iran. That is the message that military analysts in Israel say was sent by what happened in Yemen.
Now, the Pentagon has announced that it's going to be boosting its air support capabilities in the region to deter Iran and its proxies from expanding the conflict.
FADEL: So it's been a dizzying few days, and I think everyone's thinking, well, what's next? What are Israel's next moves? What's the conversation in Israel about what the government may do next?
ESTRIN: The big question being discussed here is whether Israel will initiate a ground offensive into Southern Lebanon. I spoke with an official in the region who said Israeli commandos are conducting limited raids inside Southern Lebanon. They're gathering intelligence to prepare for a possible larger ground operation there, which could start as soon as this week. The official told me everything is on the table.
Although what I'm hearing is that Israel is hesitant to do any kind of operation that the U.S. would be opposed to. There is also a lot of talk here about the long term, and Lebanon's prime minister alluded to that. He said he's willing to discuss applying a U.N. resolution which has called for Hezbollah to withdraw from the border zone and to resolve land disputes between Lebanon and Israel along the border. So in the immediate term, Israel is continuing to think about the future but also showing willingness to take very high-risk moves in the region. And the question now is, would Iran retaliate? So far, Iran appears to be averse to any kind of direct war with Israel.
FADEL: NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv. Thank you, Daniel.
ESTRIN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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