Middle East

Strikes Kill 11 Iran-Backed Fighters Near Iraq-Syria Border, Capital: Officials
Strikes Kill 11 Iran-Backed Fighters Near Iraq-Syria Border, Capital: Officials

Air strikes killed at least 11 Iran-backed fighters in Iraq on Thursday near the Iraqi-Syrian border and in the capital Baghdad, senior security and armed faction officials told AFP. Iraqi authorities denounced the "blatant attacks" on bases that belong to the Hashed al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary group now integrated into the regular ...

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

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

Israel Renews Beirut Strikes as Netanyahu Vows Hard Line on Hezbollah
Israel Renews Beirut Strikes as Netanyahu Vows Hard Line on Hezbollah

Israel renewed its strikes on Beirut on Thursday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that if the Lebanese government did not disarm Hezbollah, Israel would do the job "on the ground". "You are playing with fire," Benjamin Netanyahu said to Lebanese authorities during a press conference, as Israeli jets carried out three strikes on ...

What Are The Key Sites Targeted in Recent Strikes Across Iran?
What Are The Key Sites Targeted in Recent Strikes Across Iran?

A wave of strikes carried out between February 28 and March 12, 2026, targeted dozens of military, governmental, and logistical sites across Iran, according to information circulating in regional media reports. The attacks focused on infrastructure linked to Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as political command centers, military ...

Mojtaba Khamenei Issues First Message After Becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader
Mojtaba Khamenei Issues First Message After Becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader

Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his first message to the Iranian public on Thursday, pledging continued confrontation with Iran’s adversaries while simultaneously signaling openness to improved relations with neighboring countries. In remarks broadcast by official channels, Khamenei said Iran had ...

U.S. Military 'Not Ready' to Escort Tankers Through Hormuz Strait: Energy Secretary
U.S. Military 'Not Ready' to Escort Tankers Through Hormuz Strait: Energy Secretary

The U.S. military is currently "not ready" to escort tankers through the critical Strait of Hormuz because all its assets are focused on striking Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday. Wright's comments came as an attack on two oil tankers off Iraq killed at least one person, and oil prices briefly soared past $100. Since launching ...

War Creating 'Largest' Oil Shock in History as Iran Hits New Gulf Targets
War Creating 'Largest' Oil Shock in History as Iran Hits New Gulf Targets

The Middle East war is creating the biggest oil supply shock in history, the International Energy Agency warned Thursday, as Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Gulf energy targets that sent prices spiking above $100 a barrel. Images from Bahrain showed thick smoke rising after a strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, with residents told to ...

Israel Signals Possible Expansion of Military Operations in Lebanon
Israel Signals Possible Expansion of Military Operations in Lebanon

Israel’s defense minister said Thursday that the Israeli army has been instructed to prepare for a possible expansion of military operations in Lebanon, as cross-border fighting with Hezbollah intensifies. Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had directed the military to prepare broader operations aimed ...

U.S. and Israel Said to Prepare Post-War Plan for Iran, Report Claims
U.S. and Israel Said to Prepare Post-War Plan for Iran, Report Claims

The United States and Israel are reportedly working on a plan for the period following the war in Iran, aimed at creating conditions that could eventually lead to political change in Tehran, according to Israeli media reports citing informed sources. According to a report published by the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, officials in Washington ...

Lebanon Says 7 Killed in Israeli Strike on Central Beirut
Lebanon Says 7 Killed in Israeli Strike on Central Beirut

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on central Beirut's seafront killed at least seven people early on Thursday, another attack in the heart of the capital as Iran-backed Hezbollah launched more missiles at Israel. The Israeli military said separately it had carried out strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs overnight against Hezbollah, which ...

One Killed in Attack on Oil Tankers off Iraq, Rescue Operation Ongoing
One Killed in Attack on Oil Tankers off Iraq, Rescue Operation Ongoing

An attack on two oil tankers near Iraq killed at least one crew member, authorities said on Thursday, as Iran carries out a campaign to disrupt global energy markets. Farhan Al-Fartousi, from Iraq's General Company for Ports, told state television that one crew member had been killed and 38 rescued while the "search continues for the ...