MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Israel and Iran have now been trading attacks for five days. Among the countries caught in the flight path between the two, Jordan and Lebanon. And people there are coping in different ways, as NPR's Jane Arraf reports from Amman.
JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: There's nothing more serious than war - the casualties, the destruction, the danger of being hit by shrapnel from weapons launched up to a thousand miles away. The Jordanian and Lebanese governments are trying hard to stay out of the conflict. For most of their citizens, there's nothing they can do but watch. And that's exactly what many are doing.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
ARRAF: This is an extraordinary scene this weekend on a rooftop bar near Beirut. Lebanese musician Alain Otayek plays saxophone while guests snap photos of Iranian missiles streaking across the sky. In the viral video, he wears a multicolored kimono, and he really leans into the music. We caught up with Otayek by Zoom.
ALAIN OTAYEK: And at first, I thought this was a firework. And after, I realized, no, it's not a firework 'cause everybody was tense. So I decided to continue play and give this love to everyone who's feeling, you know, emotionally disturbed and stuff like this, to make them feel good.
ARRAF: Otayek, whose stage name is O Alan Sax, says bars and restaurants in Beirut are mostly still full. He says all the wars Lebanon has been through have made people here a bit different.
OTAYEK: Me, personally, I live in the moment. And be living in the moment and not focusing on what's happening around you with music will help you in this situation. You know what I mean?
ARRAF: Lebanon has been officially in a state of war with Israel for years. Despite a ceasefire in November, Israel is still launching airstrikes against the militant group Hezbollah. Lebanon really wants to stay out of this conflict and, in any case, has no real air force to speak of.
Jordan, helped by U.S. air defenses, has been intercepting Iranian attacks aimed at Israel to minimize the danger to Jordanians.
(SOUNDBITE OF AIR RAID SIRENS)
ARRAF: Air raid sirens have sounded several times a day since Israel began attacks on Iran. Jordan has a peace treaty with neighboring Israel, but Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, and there's no love lost for Israel here.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Arabic).
ARRAF: Despite the danger, a lot of Jordanians have been brewing tea and going up on their roofs to watch the missiles when they hear the sirens at night - so many that the government has warned them to stay indoors.
Jane Arraf, NPR News, Amman. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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