Emily Fang

Israel says it is acting to protect the Druze minority from the Syrian government.

The Israeli military said in a statement it struck government sites in Syria's southern Sueda province where many Druze live.

The strikes add to an Israeli military campaign in Syria that dates back to the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

Turkey said the attacks this week were illegal.

The country has funded militia groups in Syria in the past, including one run by now-Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaf.

Emily Fang, NPR News, Van, Turkey.

We met dozens of people yesterday, like this man who we talked to just minutes after he'd crossed.

He's planning to go back to Iran where he's afraid of being arrested for speaking with foreign media.

He told us he stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel and the U.S.

in attacking Iran's government.

But he feels really torn.

There are people who are against the bombing, and we met some of these Iranians yesterday.

But many Iranians tell us that while it is anguishing for them to see innocent civilians killed, it is even more anguishing for them to live under the current regime.

It's great to be with you, Scott.

So we met dozens of these people yesterday.

And this border is beautiful, Scott.

There are snowy mountains.

There are blue lakes.

But the Iranians we were meeting there fleeing war had come with terrible stories, like this man who we talked to just minutes after he'd crossed.

And like everyone we spoke with, he didn't want to give his name.