NPR News: 07-16-2026 7AM EDT

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Windsor Johnston· Host0:14

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The United States has expanded its strikes on Iran, hitting targets farther north and firing on a ship accused of trying to breach the U.S. naval blockade. Tehran retaliated before dawn today with missile and drone attacks aimed at Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. Israel says its military will continue to occupy areas in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. NPR's Emily Fang reports from Tel Aviv.

Emily Fang0:45

In a Thursday statement from his office, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said he told U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Israel, quote, "Never asked the United States to defend our borders for us," and he said Israel would maintain a security presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza. Katz's statement followed reports from media outlet Axios this week that President Trump had called Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged him to remove Israeli troops from territory seized in Syria and Lebanon. Netanyahu has said he will travel to the U.S. next week to attend the late Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral, but the White House has not confirmed a meeting with him. The White House has invited Lebanon's president, however, following U.S.-brokered talks in Italy between Lebanon and Israel,