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Ortagus: ‘Lebanese Government Good at Declaring Things, But Lacked Action’

Morgan Ortagus, former deputy United States special envoy to the Middle East, made her first public appearance on March 10 at the Harvard Kennedy School, since leaving the Donald Trump administration.  She remarked on the situations in Iran and Lebanon surrounding the current conflict. Lebanon On Lebanon, Ortagus emphasized the importance ...

Trump Warns Iran Against Mining the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Tuesday against mining the Strait of Hormuz, threatening severe military consequences if Tehran attempts to block the strategic waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. “If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the military ...

Putin Urges 'De-escalation' in Call with Iranian President Pezeshkian

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for de-escalation in the Iran conflict during a phone call on Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said. "The President of Russia reaffirmed his principled position in favour of a speedy de-escalation of the conflict and for it to be resolved through political means," the ...

Fresh Israeli Strikes Hit Lebanon After Evacuation Warnings

Fresh Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs and southern Lebanon on Tuesday after the Israeli army warned people to evacuate and the United Nations said 100,000 people had been displaced in a single day. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the ...

Hezbollah Operations Endanger Christian Villages

Displaced people sheltering in Rmeish, a Christian-majority town in southern Lebanon, were escorted out by the Lebanese army on Tuesday after Israel warned local authorities that individuals linked to Hezbollah could be targeted. “We did not have shelters in Rmeish,” Mayor Hanna al-Amil told the daily An Nahar. “We hosted the ...

Lebanon and Syria Agree to Tighten Border Control Amid Rising Regional Tensions

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa agreed Tuesday to strengthen coordination between their countries and tighten security along the Lebanese-Syrian border, as the escalating regional war raises fears of spillover instability. The agreement came during a telephone conversation between the two leaders in which they ...

Pentagon Chief Says U.S. Intensifying Strikes on Iran

U.S. attacks on Iran will hit a new intensity Tuesday, and the war will continue as long as President Donald Trump decides, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said. "Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran," Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon more than 10 days into the U.S.-Israeli war against the Islamic ...

Israeli Strikes Hit Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah Clashes with Troops

Two people were killed on Tuesday in an Israeli drone strike targeting a car on the Qulaila road in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. In parallel, the Israeli army renewed evacuation warnings on Tuesday afternoon for residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs for those living in Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, ...

Israel Prepares for Extended Campaign Against Hezbollah as Iran War Continues

Israeli officials are preparing for a potentially prolonged military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon that could continue even after the current war with Iran ends, according to officials and diplomatic sources familiar with internal discussions. The planning reflects a growing view within Israel’s security establishment that the ...

Qatar Says Iran Pressing Attacks on Its Civilian Infrastructure

Iran has pressed its attacks against Qatar's infrastructure, the Gulf state's foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday, over a week after Iranian drone strikes forced a halt to Qatari gas production. "The targeting of civilian infrastructure continues... and we rebuke any justification that the Iranians are offering for these attacks," Qatar's ...

UNICEF: Dozens of Children Killed as Israel-Hezbollah War Intensifies

At least 83 children have been killed and 254 others wounded since the outbreak of the March 2 war between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a statement issued Monday by UNICEF. The agency’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder, said the figures highlight the growing toll of the conflict on children ...

Oil Giant Saudi Aramco Says Annual Profits Down 12pct

Saudi Aramco on Tuesday reported a 12.1 percent decline in net income in 2025 as higher supply, U.S. tariffs, and other economic headwinds weighed on revenues. The Middle East war could be disastrous for oil markets, and it is vital to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping route, Saudi Aramco's CEO and president Amin H. Nasser said on ...

U.S. Moves Missile Defense Components From South Korea to Middle East Amid Escalating Iran War

The United States has begun transferring components of its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system from military bases in South Korea to the Middle East, according to a report published Tuesday by The Washington Post, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the operation. The move comes as Washington seeks to ...

Iran Says Missile Attacks to Continue, U.S. Talks 'Not on Agenda'

Iran's foreign minister said Tuesday that talks with the United States were not on the agenda as their war entered its 11th day. "I don't think talking with the Americans would be on our agenda anymore," Abbas Araghchi told PBS News, saying Tehran had a "very bitter experience" during previous negotiations with the U.S. On February 28, the U.S. ...

Iraq PM Tells U.S. Rubio Iraqi Airspace Must Not Be Used Against Neighbors

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tuesday that Iraq should not be used as a launchpad for attacks in the Middle East war. Iraq neighbors Iran, against which the United States and Israel launched massive strikes on February 28, as well as the Gulf, which the Islamic republic has hit with missile ...

Ankara Says Patriot Defenses Being Deployed in Central Turkey After Latest Iran Missile

Turkey said Tuesday a Patriot missile defense system was being deployed in the country's center, a day after NATO intercepted a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace. "Necessary measures are being taken for the security of our borders and airspace, and consultations are being held with NATO and our allies. In addition to ...

Strike Blamed on U.S. Kills Four Iran-Backed Fighters in Iraq: Armed Group

Four fighters from the Tehran-backed Kataeb Imam Ali group were killed on Tuesday in air strikes blamed on the US in northern Iraq, the armed faction announced. The group said its fighters were killed in "American aggression" against their position in the Debs district of Kirkuk province. The bombing targeted a position that belongs to ...

One Week of Escalation between Israel and Hezbollah

On the morning of Monday March 2, Hezbollah opened fire against Israel, reigniting the Israel-Hezbollah front in support of Iran.  Israel Strikes Targets in Lebanon The Lebanese Health Ministry’s casualties toll for the week totaled at least 486 people killed and at least 1313 people injured since last Monday’s ...

Syria Accuses Hezbollah of Firing Shells into its Territory

Syria said Iran-backed Hezbollah had fired artillery shells into its territory from Lebanon overnight, state media reported on Tuesday, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Shia movement. Syrian army officials said artillery shells fired from Lebanon landed near the town of Serghaya, west of Damascus, the state news agency ...

War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region

Since the US and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28, war has spread across the region and casualties have been reported in countries across the Middle East. Due to reporting restrictions, AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls. The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, ...

Iraq Welcomes the Appointment of Iran's New Supreme Leader

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani welcomed on Monday the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader after his predecessor and father was killed in US and Israeli strikes. "We express our confidence in the ability of the new leadership in the Islamic Republic of Iran to manage this critical stage," ...

Hezbollah Says No Choice But 'Resistance', Self-Defense

The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad vowed to continue fighting Israel "whatever the cost", on Monday, in remarks broadcast by Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV. Defending his party, and blasting the Lebanese government, Raad said the group's goal is to "to drive the enemy out of our occupied land... And quite plainly, we have no other ...

Hezbollah Says Targeted Israeli Base Near Tel Aviv with Missiles

Hezbollah said on Monday that it had targeted the Israeli Home Front Command base in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, with "advanced missiles" as the war between the pro-Iranian group and Israel hit the one-week mark. In a statement, the group said it had targeted the base with a "salvo of advanced missiles" in response to "the ...

Lebanon Says 486 Killed by Israeli Strikes Since Last Monday

The toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon rose to 486 people killed and 1,313 wounded since the start of fighting last week, the Lebanese health ministry said Monday. "The toll of the Israeli aggression from dawn on Monday, March 2, until Monday afternoon, March 9, has risen to 486 martyrs and 1,313 wounded," the ministry said in a ...

NATO Intercepts Second Iran Missile in Turkish Airspace

NATO said it shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace on Monday, prompting a stern warning from Turkey to Tehran not to take "provocative steps". It was the second such incident in the skies over NATO member Turkey in five days, leading the alliance to stress its readiness "to defend all allies ...

Israel’s Goals and Challenges in the New Hezbollah War

Hezbollah’s opening of a front from Lebanon in support of Iran was not a surprise for Israel, which is again discussing the forcible dismantling of the organization. It remains unclear whether Lebanon is ready to disarm Hezbollah, and whether Israel will be able to do so itself. The new war is escalating, one that Israel and Hezbollah have ...

Strike Hits Former Paramilitary Base Near Iraq's Mosul: Officials

An airstrike on Monday hit a base belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition in northern Iraq, according to officials from the former paramilitary alliance, which includes pro-Iran factions. One of the officials blamed the strike on the United States, saying it hit a base in the Bartella area near the city of Mosul in Nineveh province. Another ...