One by one, chatty teenagers in jeans walked across the stone patio that Ronald Reagan built by hand to ring the bell at the former president’s coastal mountain ranch. Nancy Reagan tugged on that same rope decades ago to call her husband home for lunch when he was out horseback riding or working in the stable.
On a bright fall day, the Virginia-based Young America’s Foundation shuttled in nearly 100 teenagers from 46 different states for a three-day conference at Rancho del Cielo, hoping to summon Reagan’s spirit.
They were not there for a history lesson.
Instead, YAF leaders gave the high school students gathered at the late president’s properties modern-day pointers on what it means to be a Republican, and tips for fending off what the group views as the other side’s indoctrination.
The foundation promotes itself as a political counterweight to the liberal thought that its supporters say courses through American colleges, and spends millions every year to fund YAF clubs and seed conservative activism on campus.
The Young America’s Foundation, born in the politically turbulent late 1960s, has become one of the most preeminent, influential and controversial forces in the nation’s conservative youth movement, backed by $65 million in assets largely underwritten by the wealthiest of the modern-era hard right.
Though a force in the conservative movement for decades, the foundation’s aggressive and confrontational tactics have become a beacon of right-wing empowerment during the rise of President Trump. Rancho del Cielo has allowed the foundation’s reach to transcend generations, aided in large part by growing reverence for Reagan among young Republicans.
The nonprofit works to keep alive bedrock conservative principles by teaching them to students around the country, and boasts 400 chapters at high schools and colleges, including 70 in California. Its alumni include U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and Trump administration policy advisor Stephen Miller, who is from Los Angeles.
“Professors tend to be more liberal,” said Burt Folsom, a frequent speaker at the conferences and a history professor at Hillsdale College in Michigan. “Often government is an employer of professors, and they tend to see government in a very favorable light — as the solution to problems.”
The high school students here broke into small groups and scribbled lists of what they considered true conservative ideals on white boards. One circle made quick work of its task: a strong national defense, Christian values, limited government, anti-abortion, informed patriotism and capitalism.
When a few students suggested adding “constitutional rights,” the foundation’s Spencer Brown encouraged them to think more broadly.
“A lot of people, particularly liberals, think government is the one who gives them rights — as opposed to God-given rights,” Brown explained.
Afterward, when the groups gathered to compare their lists, foundation President Ron Robinson told the students that the words they use to express their conservative beliefs are essential. For instance, he said, instead of saying they support “capitalism,” it would be better to use the phrase “free enterprise” or “entrepreneurship.” “Capitalism,” Robinson said, is disparaged by leftists and does not poll well.
“The terminology battle is very important,” he added.
Robinson also told students that Social Security was a Ponzi scheme and narrated a slide show on media bias against conservatives, showing them Time and Newsweek magazine covers with headlines disparaging Trump and other Republicans.
It was just one of the many dire warnings the students received. They were urged to stand up for their beliefs and challenge the liberal point of view of their instructors — all part of a more unyielding, confrontational approach that’s much more intense than was seen in Reagan’s political era.
Top, August 1985 photo of President Ronald Reagan and wife, Nancy, talk to the news media on their ranch northwest of Santa Barbara. Right, 1982 photo of President Reagan and his wife Nancy take a ride at their ranch in Santa Barbara. Left, May 1992 photo former President Ronald Reagan, left, and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev talk during a Gorbachev’s visit to Reagan’s ranch California. (Associated Press)
The theme of political persecution ran through the weekend: by the media, college professors and high school teachers, Facebook and Twitter, and fellow students. Talks were held at both the ranch and its conference center, a mission-style building in Santa Barbara that’s about a 40-minute drive from the mountain estate.
Early in the conference, when students took turns introducing themselves, many said they were ostracized at school for their conservative beliefs, sharing stories of their experiences.
Caleb Walzak, a 16-year-old sophomore from Savannah, Ga., said he felt out of sync with the rest of his classmates.
“If you say anything that goes against any of their opinions at all, you are shunned from all social interaction whatsoever. Basically your life is ruined,” Walzak said. “Stuff that they believe in is not what America is. Conservative is what American really is.”
Greg Wolf of Santa Clarita, who joined his son Chapman during the weekend conference, sent two of his boys to Young America’s Foundation conferences while they were in high school.
Wolf, whose son Grant is active in the Young America’s Foundation chapter at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, says the program offers students lessons that are sorely lacking in school and popular culture, such as personal responsibility, limited government and self-reliance.
“We can see the culture moving away from American values,” said Greg Wolf, 56, who works in the entertainment industry.
Sarah Dowless, a senior from Wakefield, Va., said a feeling of political isolation is one of the reasons why she has attended six Young America’s Foundation conferences.
“I go to a school for the arts. It’s a great place, but it’s very liberal,” said Dowless, 16. She aspires to be a free-market economist.
“When I come here, I get to be around people on the same side.”
With its 688 acres of oak and manzanita trees and riding trails hidden in the Santa Ynez Mountains, Reagan’s ranch was a sanctuary from the pressures of the White House. There the former president cobbled together the ranch’s split-rail fence, bagged snakes slithering across the grounds, split firewood and took long horseback rides. The century-old, 1,200-square-foot adobe ranch house hosted world leaders, including Mikhail Gorbachev and Queen Elizabeth, as well as the Reagan family’s Thanksgiving dinners.
While on a walking tour of the ranch, Marco Singletary, a soft-spoken high school senior from Joliet, Ill., said his interest in Reagan is what led him to the foundation conference in Santa Barbara. One of his high school teachers saw him reading “The Reagan Diaries” and suggested he look into the Young America’s Foundation.
Singletary, 17, said he gets along fine with his liberal friends, mostly because they don’t talk about politics. He also avoids speaking up in his economics and American history classes, he said, since he’d be inviting trouble.
“You’re literally wasting your breath. People just go based on what they see on Twitter,” he said. “Things have gotten so extreme that the middle ground is too far for either side.”
In recent years, the foundation has drawn attention for its sponsorship of a highly charged circuit of conservative speakers at universities across the country, setting off protests from Cal State Los Angeles to the University of Buffalo. Foundation officials cite the uproar as evidence of “triggered” liberals suppressing speech.
Last April, the foundation helped line up Ann Coulter to speak about immigration at UC Berkeley, the birthplace of the free-speech movement. The resulting outcry by university officials prompted Coulter to cancel her appearance.
Ben Shapiro one of the foundation’s stars on the college campus speaking circuit, has also been consistently targeted by student protesters, including at Berkeley over the summer.
High school students take a tour of the Reagan Ranch in the Santa Ynez Mountains. The Young America’s Foundation holds a three day conference for high school students in Santa Barbara that steeps them in conservative philosophy and empowerment in the memory of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
The foundation, which bought the ranch from the Reagans in 1998, sees it as a cathedral of conservatism, where the former president’s legacy is preserved and future generations are trained in free-market capitalism, individual liberty and the faith-based tenets of the American right.
But the message has changed since Reagan’s day, and the mission isn’t just being carried out at Rancho del Cielo. The foundation has drawn heated criticism for its speaker circuit at college campuses around the country, enlisting conservative provocateurs such as Coulter, Dinesh D’Souza and author Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch, a website that has often been accused of Islamophobia.
Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, speaks to high school students at the Young America’s Foundation high school conference at the Reagan Ranch Center in Santa Barbara in September.
At the Reagan conference center, Spencer told the students that the Koran teaches Muslims to “kill nonbelievers,” and warned that they will be shunned as Islamophobes at school and in the media if they criticized the religious text as the genesis of Islamic terrorism.
The foundation expanded in size and influence over the last two decades after two other activist conservative groups merged into the nonprofit organization: the late William F. Buckley’s Young Americans for Freedom, a cadre of dedicated college-age students once known as the shock troops of the Republican Party, and the right-leaning National Journalism Center.
Fueling the Young America’s Foundation are its prominent backers — and its stuffed war chest. The foundation reported assets of more than $65 million in 2015 and received over $34 million in contributions and grants that year, according to IRS records. It spent more than $21 million that year on conferences, salaries, speakers, fundraising and other costs associated with the foundation and ranch.
The foundation also paid Stephen K. Bannon, ousted Trump political strategist and former head of far-right website Breitbart News, more than $500,000 between 2010 and 2012 to produce three films, including two documentaries on the Reagan Ranch.
Donors over the years have included Amway billionaires Richard and Helen DeVos, the in-laws of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, as well as conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch. Fullerton orthodontist Robert Ruhe, who died in 2013, bequeathed $16 million to the Young America’s Foundation.
Reagan himself became a major supporter of the foundation while still in the White House. When Young America’s Foundation took over the ranch in the late 1990s, the former first lady expressed delight over how it would be used.
“We hope that our ranch will be a spark for many bright young Americans in the years ahead,” Nancy Reagan said.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The United States Marine Corps on Tuesday gave us our first glimpse of its evolving plan for its ground forces to succeed in the battlefield of the future. Dubbed Ground Combat Element 2040 (GCE 2040), it calls for ensuring that Marines are not just equipped with the latest technology, but that they know how to use it, all while maintaining readiness as they integrate these new systems into their formations. While all the final details remain in flux, we are getting a general idea of some of the elements the plan will include.
A working concept of the plan was presented for the first time today during a panel at the Modern Day Marine Expo held in Washington, D.C. It builds on the vision of former Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger’s Marine Force Design 2030 initiative, according to one of the current Corps leaders working to implement GCE 2040.
“This is really an opportunity for us to describe the future of the ground combat element in the United States Marine Corps,” explained Maj. Gen. Jason Morris, the Corps’ Director of Operations, Compliance, Policies and Operations. We want to “make sure that we have a clear vision of the capabilities required to field the most lethal, survivable ground combat element in the world, and make sure that we’ve got a pathway over the next three fiscal year defense programs that we are keeping our eye on the horizon, staying adaptable and incorporating new technologies into our Marine divisions and those subordinate elements that are a part of it.”
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Corey Ashby, a small unmanned aircraft system operator with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, pilots a first-person view sUAS during a live fire demonstration rehearsal at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Jan. 28, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Bustamante) Cpl. Joshua Bustamante
In addition, the Marines are “also continuing to refine the force design vision, to make sure that we are ready to go for any crisis, contingency or conflict in the future,” Morris added.
To better explain the GCE 2040 concept, Morris played a video laying out some of what it entails. The video, which has not been yet been shared online, and a document that will be published in coming weeks, focuses on how the Marine Corps approaches human-centric warfare of the future.
“GCE 2040 is about equipping the Marine, not the machine,” the video stated. “While looking ahead to integrate robotic and autonomous systems into our formations and operationalizing AI at the tactical edge through concepts like Project Dynamis [an integrated battle management system being developed by the Marines], the Marine Corps will enable combat formations to sense, make sense and act with greater speed and precision than any adversary.”
Under GCE 2040, Marines will “integrate advanced sensors and intelligence networks to find and fix the enemy across all domains” while “conducting expeditionary maneuver in contested spaces and sustaining a resilient force through all phases of the operation,” the video stated. In addition, Marines will employ “joint forceful fires and achieve the effects of mass while mitigating vulnerabilities striking adversary targets from land, air and sea,” and establish “persistent, survivable [command and control] networks that enable decision making at machine speed from the strategic level down to the squad.”
The objective “is to generate the tempo of decision and action that allows us to shape, seize and hold key maritime terrain, deter aggression and prevail decisively in any future conflict,” the video explained.
This broadly fits with the U.S. military’s push to create ever larger and faster kill webs, in order to break the enemy’s decision cycle.
A screen cap from the video the Marines used to unveil their new Ground Combat Element 2040 plan. It illustrates a distributed command and control system. (USMC)
When we asked for more details, the Marines told us that the plan includes addressing the need for ground-based air defense down to the squad level.
“The proliferation of inexpensive one-way attack drones is the most significant tactical threat we face,” the Marines told us. “While systems like the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) and Medium-Range Intercept Capability [MRIC] are critical for a layered defense at echelon we must continue to thicken the protective layer that cover Marines at all echelons.”
U.S. Marines with Marine Corps Systems Command, fire a Stinger Missile from a Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, December 13, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Virginia Guffey)
You can read more about the Marines’ emerging doctrine for devolving air defense down to the individual Marine in our story here.
In a broader context, including air defense and offensive capabilities, the Marines told us “We must increase investment in multi-domain lethality and targeting systems that enable the right weapon to engage the right target at the right time to maximize the efficient use of lethal means against the enemy… The modern battlefield demands that we develop and field dispersed, AI-enabled targeting systems to create a network of sensors across the entire GCE.”
The plan also involves evolving how Marines view technology. Autonomous systems and AI are a central focus of the new plan. The Marines state that these are not just tools, but are members of the team and the Marines are being trained to consciously accept risk with hardware rather than troops.
Both AI and large quantities of autonomous systems will be critical to enabling future kill webs as discussed above. The USMC also says interoperability, both with other U.S. military branches and allies will be more critical than ever to achieving its aims going forward.
Integrating AI into the force will be a big part of GCE 2040. (USMC)
“The fact is that the Marine Corps is focused on the human being, individual, sailor, how we recruit and develop them, and how we build them into lethal combat teams,” proffered Maj Gen. Farrell J Sullivan, Commanding General of the Second Marine Division. “That has always been the case, and that will always be the case in the Marine Corps going forward, but modernization matters, and although we’re doing well, we have a long way to go, and as long as I’m in command of Second Marine Division, I will not be satisfied with where we are”
The GCE 2040 concept, he added, draws on lessons learned from modern combat that has evolved over the past decade into one where unmanned systems – like large drones such as Shahed-136s and smaller, first-person view (FPV) types – have become a major threat in Ukraine, the Middle East and many other places around the world.
The following image shows a U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS destroyed in a combined Iranian missile and drone barrage during the now-paused war.
New image reportedly showing the USAF E-3 Sentry destroyed in an Iranian attack at Prince Sultan Airbase on Friday.
The following video shows an Iranian-backed militia using FPV drones to strike a Black Hawk helicopter and a critical air defense radar at an American base in Iraq.
An Iranian-backed militia carried out a successful FPV drone strike on Camp Victory in Iraq yesterday, successfully hitting multiple targets.
The new plan envisions future combat particularly in the Pacific, where Marines would likely have to fight inside the Chinese weapons engagement zone and across wide swaths of ocean. In such a battle, they would face standoff weapons and non-kinetic effects like advanced electronic warfare far more damaging and disrupting than what U.S. forces have faced in the fight against Iran. A Pacific conflict would also strain logistics as like never before.
“When you envision the type of fight we’re preparing for, where we face a peer or near peer adversary in a high-end fight, where all domains are contested, and in some the adversary will have an advantage, that’s not the battlefield we have fought on, at least not since I’ve been in the Marine Corps,” Sullivan stated. “And we see, if you look back over the last 10 or so years, how that manifests itself in places like Ukraine. Again, I don’t want to have a bias towards that conflict and say that all the future will look exactly like that, because it won’t, but we would be criminal not to be paying attention to that.”
Clearly the USMC is painting in very broad strokes at this time as there is still a lot more work to do to hammer out the details of GCE 2040. The Marines say they will provide more details in the next few weeks and we continue to cover this issue as they become available.
On China, the mood at the European Commission has shifted in recent months.
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China hawks are gaining ground inside both the Commission’s powerful Directorate-General for Trade and in the cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen, Euronews has learned, with drastic new measures being considered to counter what is seen as unfair competition.
The 27 EU commissioners are set to debate on their China strategy on 29 May, with one official saying, “It will be about acknowledging there is a problem and that something needs to be done.”
Tensions flared Monday after China’s Ministry of Commerce threatened retaliation against the EU over its Made in Europe legislation, which sets strict conditions on foreign direct investment.
An EU official told Euronews the Chinese were “playing games,” adding that the Commission’s priority remains engagement with Beijing through multiple channels set up in recent months.
However, Commission services are already working on new measures to address China’s economic threats, sources have confirmed. “We don’t see any move from the Chinese despite all the issues we have flagged with them, so there’s a reflection on whether we should do more,” one said.
Another source said the release of Germany’s trade deficit figures before Christmas marked a turning point for the Commission.
Data published last autumn by Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) showed a record €87 billion German trade deficit with China — a wake-up call in Berlin, long focused on securing market access in China ahead of protecting domestic manufacturing.
China has since surged up the agenda for German industry, for the Bundestag — which has set up a dedicated committee — and for the Commission, whose German president has Berlin’s ear.
The EU has long grappled with cheap Chinese imports threatening its industry. Pressure intensified last year after the US slapped steep tariffs on Chinese goods, effectively shutting its market and pushing Beijing to reroute overcapacity in sectors like steel and chemicals toward Europe.
A recent report by the French High Commission for Strategy and Planning, a French government advisory body, warned that “the production cost gaps, as assessed by industry players [across Europe], have now reached levels incompatible with sustainable competition, averaging between 30% and 40%, and exceeding 60% in certain segments (industrial robotics, mechanical components).”
Under these conditions, how can the EU defend its market?
The bloc’s leverage is mainly limited to its 450 million-strong consumer base. Still, one source said it is “increasingly becoming mainstream” inside the Commission to warn Beijing that the EU market could close without rebalancing.
But the trade-offs are stark.
Chinese electric vehicles — hit with EU tariffs in October 2024 — highlight the dilemma. China depended equally on the US and EU markets for almost all its exports before Donald Trump’s return to the White House in 2025. “It cannot easily diversify its EVs as it will not sell in Africa, nor in southeast Asia, where there’s no infrastructure,” another source said.
At the same time, Europe remains reliant on China imports in many of the same sectors where China depends on Europe. “Are we to close our market to lithium batteries from China? We cannot do this overnight,” the same source said. The same applies to solar panels, laptops and medical devices.
Commission explores anti-coercion tool
The EU has trade defence tools — including anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties — but they can take at least 18 months to deploy after a complaint is filed. Two sources said the Commission is working on new instruments, but by the time they bite, the damage may already be done.
A fourth source described an overcapacity instrument as still “premature.”
However, Commission services are also mulling the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI), which allows the EU to deploy a wide range of measures — from tariffs to restrictions on public procurement or intellectual property — in response to economic pressure from third countries.
The tool, sometimes described as a “trade bazooka”, has never been used since its creation in 2023, but resurfaced after China weaponised rare earth exports in October 2025 during its trade standoff with the US by imposing strict export controls.
Exports resumed after Washington and Beijing agreed on a one-year truce, which also covers Europe. But that deal expires in October 2026, leaving uncertainty hanging over the EU.
Brussels wants the anti-coercion tool ready if needed.
Tensions could rise further after Beijing’s threats over the Industrial Accelerator Act — the Made in Europe legislation now debated by member states and MEPs — or over pressure linked to the Cybersecurity Act, which could phase out Chinese telecom operators from the EU market.
Securing member states’ backing
However, a qualified majority of EU countries is needed to activate the ACI, and member states remain split.
“It requires a political support higher than for the traditional anti-dumping or anti-subsidies duties which can only be rejected by a reversed majority of EU countries,” a source said.
Despite the wake-up call, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz struck a softer tone in March, floating a long-term trade deal with Beijing.
But in Brussels, that idea is off the table.
“There are a number of concerns and real challenges that the European Union has consistently expressed to China that we need to see them meaningfully address before we can even talk about any future agreements or anything like that,” the Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, Olof Gill, said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez — who has visited China four times in three years and secured major Chinese investment — backs closer ties with Beijing.
Meanwhile, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever urged a tougher line in an 18 March letter to von der Leyen.
“We have arrived at a point of no return in which we need to make difficult choices in the short term towards China to protect our industries, economies and the well-being of our citizens in the long term,” he wrote.
France, long a proponent of a hard line on China, shares that view.
Waterloo Road star Adam Thomas has admitted that he wishes he had “stood his ground” when David Haye bullied him on the set of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…South Africa
21:59, 19 Apr 2026Updated 21:59, 19 Apr 2026
Adam Thomas has spoken out about his tough time in the jungle(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Adam Thomas wishes he had “stood his ground” when David Haye ‘bullied’ him on I’m A Celebrity…South Africa. The Emmerdale star, 37, is currently on-screen in the all-stars edition of Ant and Dec’s reality survival show, having initially competed on the regular edition of the ITV series a decade ago.
The programme was all filmed towards the end of last year but as it was being broadcast to the nation, viewers got to see boxer David Haye trying to force Adam into doing a Bushtucker Trial, even though he was unwell.
Adam has arthritis, which he has been open about. Explaining how it affects him, he said previously: “It is an autoimmune disease. Basically means my immune system is attacking my own body. It causes a s**t-load of pain,” and on Sunday evening, the former Strictly Come Dancing star took to social media where he admitted that it has all been a struggle to watch his time on I’m A Celebrity play out on TV.
As part of his lengthy statement, Adam explained that he just wished he had stood up for himself during the tense moment but has decided to choose “peace” since it all happened.
He wrote: “I won’t sit here and say I handled everything perfectly, because I didn’t. I wish I spoke up for myself sooner. I wish I stood my ground instead of trying to keep the peace, but I’ve learned that being kind doesn’t mean being weak, and sometimes it takes going through tough moments to find your voice.
“Since coming out, I’ve taken time to process everything, and I’m in a much better place now. I let go of the anger, had the conversations I needed to have, and chose peace.”
Adam’s twin brother Scott, who found fame himself when he appeared on Love Island in 2016, was amongst the first to show his support publicly as he wrote: “It’s tough watching my twin bro go through that in there…makes my blood boil!
“To see someone’s pure heart be tested like that is hard to watch, especially my brothers. But I understand he had to go through his own journey in there and the man he’s become during/since this experience has made me so proud! I love you @adamthomas21 and will always have your back.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Thomas, who is best known for having played Jason Grimshaw on Coronation Street, also showed brotherly support as he wrote: “I would like to say I would stick up for you in there but hes not the guy to pick a fight with! We need to give [fellow boxer] Tony Bellew a call bro!”
Gogglebox legend Scarlett Moffatt, who won I’m A Celebrity in 2016 and is also back for the all-stars series, wrote: “Aww Adam I bloody love you. You’re one of the kindest men i know, if my little boy ends up being as caring as you then I know I’ll have done a good job as a mam. LOts of love [heart emoji].”
Loose Women panellist Denise Welch, who starred alongside Adam in Waterloo Road, wrote: “Love you Adam [heart emoji], whilst Liam Scholes, who also appeared in the BBC school drama, wrote: “An incredible individual my man, so much love xx”
Michelle Hardwick, who plays Vanessa Woodfield in Emmerdale, said: “You handled yourself incredibly Adam and the rest of your campmates were right behind you,” whilst Isabel Hodgkins, currently on maternity leave away from her role as Victoria Sugden, said: “Never been prouder.”
Danny Miller, who took time away from Emmerdale in 2021 to compete in, and eventually win, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! himself, said: “You’re a beautiful man and those who really know you know what you bring to their lives. Love and laughter, you’ve handled yourself incredible. Love you, brother x”
It all came to blows as Adam tried to sleep and admitted it would be hard for him to undertake a Bushtucker Trial because he was feeling dehydrated. David raged: “Dehydrated?! We’ve all got the same amount of water! Adam is doing it and that’s it!”
“When is your top form gonna come? Why aren’t we forcing this dude to go and do it? Coincidentally, every time there’s something to do, he’s not feeling well.” It was at that point that Gogglebox legend Scarlett Moffatt, who won I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! in 2016, weighed in as she begged David to “stop it.”
“All Hippos, the drone is in the control room, give us your all.”
Vanessa Bonet of the installation art group Dedo Vabo watched over a mission-control monitor deck, as the buzzing craft climbed into room full of braying hippos in rumpled suits. The beasts were, ostensibly, running a menacing communications conglomerate in a satellite tower looking over the main field of Coachella, but now they were spooked. They scampered around the office looming above the Outdoor stage, while delighted fans on the ground watched them flail behind glass.
“When you put a hippopotamus in a 10 foot enclosed space for 12 hours, they tend to go a little crazy,” Bonet said, picking up her CB radio to tell one hippo their mask had slipped off. “It takes a lot of work to keep this running.”
Coachella veterans were chuffed to hit the grounds and see “Network Operations,” the long-awaited return of Dedo Vabo’s hippos. It’s a years-long installation gag on the polo fields where actors (and Coachella performing artists) in hippo masks pantomime working at evil-ish corporations before the operation blows up in their faces by Sunday evening.
Festival goers observe ‘hippos’ at exhibit, ‘Network Operations’ at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Saturday, April 11, 2026.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
While the project began in a room at the infamous Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A.’s Art Walk in 2008, they’re now synonymous with Coachella and back on the field for the first time since 2019. Artists from the young punk band Die Spitz and Janelle Monáe’s crew have taken spins in the costumes (they’re hoping famed animal rights activist Moby might be up for a turn this year.) Past installments have seen the hippos found a power company, join the space race and tank the stock market.
“Network Operations” is a little slice of the arty anarchy that defined Coachella’s early, pre-influencer era. In a season of Hollywood marked by mega-mergers from well-funded nepo children, there is something timely about these oblivious creatures smashing up a printing press and a broadcast studio.
“The hippos are mimetic. It’s little bit of a reflection of society with dark, absurdist humor,” said Dedo Vabo’s Derek Doublin. “This is your friendly global neighborhood multi-conglomerate telecommunications and broadcast company. They hold enormous power but they’re also clueless about where they’re going with it.”
If any of the Skydance/Paramount brass are on the field, they might find the situation a bit resonant.
Xander Schauffele made par on the eighth hole Thursday at Augusta National.
What was noteworthy about that accomplishment is he did it after his tee shot landed in a most unusual spot: A fan’s merchandise bag.
During the opening round of the 2026 Masters tournament, Schauffele’s shot on the par-5 hole sailed just left of the fairway and somehow came to rest inside a woman’s clear plastic shopping bag, which appeared to be sitting on the ground.
Spectators chuckled as Schauffele and an official made their way to the bag and located the ball within it. After Schauffele used a tee to mark the ball’s location on the ground, he retrieved the ball and returned the bag to its owner. He was able to continue play without penalty.
“It just flew straight into the bag,” Schauffele said after finishing his round with a 2-under 70. “It was a great break. That bounce would’ve put me in the pine straw and who knows if I would’ve had a shot to hit up the hill.”
“So thanks to the lady on 8,” added Schauffele, the two-time major championship winner whose best Masters finish was a tie for second in 2019.
No doubt, Schauffele got lucky — but not as lucky as Louis Oosthuizen in the final round of the 2016 Masters. Oosthuizen sent his tee shot on the 16th to the green, where the ball collided with that of J.B. Holmes, changed direction and rolled in for a hole-in-one.
Schauffele’s shot also brings to mind another, perhaps even more bizarre, play from the first round of the 2021 Masters. Playing from partially behind a tree on the seventh hole, Rory McIlroy missed the right side of the fairway with a high shot that ricocheted off the back of his father’s leg on the way down.
Luckily, Gerry McIlroy was unharmed. His son, however, bogeyed that hole on his way to a 4-over 76 for the round.
Iran’s parliament speaker has accused the United States of plotting a ground attack despite publicly pushing for a negotiated deal, as the US deploys thousands of military personnel to the Middle East.
“Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a statement on Sunday, carried by the official IRNA news agency, as Iran struggled with power cuts amid escalating Israeli attacks on central and western areas of the country.
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Iran’s Ministry of Energy reported power outages in the capital, Tehran, its surrounding region and neighbouring Alborz province on Sunday, “following attacks on electricity industry facilities”. The Fars news agency reported later that the outages were being resolved.
It was unclear whether the attacks were related to US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike Iranian power stations and other energy infrastructure if Tehran did not agree to a deal to end the war. Trump extended his deadline by 10 days through April 6 as Washington presented a 15-point plan for peace that critics described as “maximalist”.
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, said that authorities had activated substations to restore power. “This gives an indication of how much they’ve been also preparing for such situations,” he said.
Ghalibaf’s comments on Iran’s readiness for a ground assault came as The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of limited ground operations in Iran, potentially including raids on Kharg Island, a crude export hub, and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz shipping chokepoint.
As the US-Israel war on Iran stretches into its fifth week, the Trump administration is also planning to send thousands of soldiers from the army’s 82nd Airborne to the region, following a US Central Command (CENTCOM) announcement Saturday that about 3,500 military personnel had arrived in the Middle East on board the USS Tripoli.
IRGC threatens retaliation after university attacks
The Israeli military said it dropped more than 120 munitions on sites used for research, development, and production of weaponry in Tehran on Sunday.
Iran’s Ministry of Health reported that 2,076 people had been killed since the start of the war, including 216 children.
Among the deaths, six people were killed in a US-Israeli attack on a residential area in the Iranian village of Osmavandan, according to the Mehr news agency, which added that five houses were destroyed and 22 were severely damaged.
A university in Iran’s central city of Isfahan said it was hit by US-Israeli air strikes on Sunday for the second time since the war erupted, leaving four university staff members wounded.
The strike followed an attack the previous day on Iran’s University of Science and Technology. After that attack, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it would target two Israeli or US universities in the region in retaliation, according to Iranian state television.
Hossein Sadeghi, head of the Information and Public Relations Center at Iran’s Ministry of Education, told the IRNA news agency that at least 250 students and teachers have been killed amid strikes on 600 educational facilities across Iran since the war began.
Also on Sunday, a commercial building housing Qatar’s Al-Araby TV in Tehran was hit, with video footage showing walls and windows blown out of the multistorey block. “It was a real miracle we survived,” said Al Araby camera operator Mohammadreza Shademan. “There was no military target here”.
As the civilian cost of the war mounts, Iran is demanding compensation in a five-point plan presented to the US.
That plan also includes a halt to killings of Iranian officials, an end to hostilities, safeguards against the outbreak of more war, and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz”.
Iran, Hezbollah launch attacks
Israel’s military said on Sunday evening that it had detected seven new incoming missile salvoes fired from Iran during the day. These coincided with Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel, with sirens triggered in more than 100 towns.
Israel’s ADAMA, a pesticide maker in the Neot Hovav industrial zone, located 9km (6 miles) south of the city of Beersheba, said its Makhteshim plant was hit either by an Iranian missile or debris from a missile. No casualties were reported, and no leak of hazardous materials was found.
Reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said it was “an incident that raises a lot of alarms”.
“This industrial zone has about 19 different factories, including a bromide factory and some pharmaceutical factories. But it’s also home to the main hazardous disposal sites in Israel. So a lot is at stake here,” she said.
Another missile hit open ground near homes in Beersheba, injuring 11 people.
Israeli media reported that missile fragments fell on the northern port city of Haifa after missiles launched by Iran and Hezbollah were intercepted.
Houthis enter fray amid talks
As the war raged on, foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad, looking to de-escalate the conflict, which has also ensnarled Gulf nations hosting US military assets.
Across the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted 16 ballistic missiles and 42 drones launched from Iran, while Saudi Arabia reported downing 10 drones. Sirens sounded in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The Iranian army said it had targeted US forces based in Jordan, launching drones on the living quarters and military equipment sites at the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Azraq, the ISNA news agency reported.
Meanwhile, readying itself for attacks amid the US military build-up, an Iranian naval commander, cited by state media, said Iran had complete control of waters near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil.
He said Iran was waiting for US forces to come within range, warning they could be targeted with coastal missile systems.
As oil prices shoot up and the world’s economy slides, the arrival of Yemen’s Houthis into the conflict, with Saturday’s strikes on Israel, further complicates matters, raising fears that the Yemeni group could block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza upended commercial traffic worth about $1 trillion a year.
Speaker of the Parliament of Iran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 12, 2024. File Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA
March 29 (UPI) — Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, issued a warning Saturday against a possible ground troop invasion as the U.S. military sends more troops to the region.
Ghalibaf made the comments in a message marking 30 days since the start of the war. The United States and Israel began strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 in their efforts to diminish the country’s nuclear weapons program.
Ghalibaf accused the United States of secretly planning a ground invasion of Iran. On Saturday, two U.S. ships arrived in the region carrying 3,500 U.S. service members as well as fighter jets, transport aircraft, amphibious assault vessels and other tactical assets. More troops were expected, U.S. Central Command said.
“The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation while secretly planning a ground invasion — unaware that our men are waiting for American troops to enter on the ground, ready to unleash devastation upon them and punish their regional allies,” Ghalibaf said, as reported by CNN.
Last week, the Trump administration proposed a 15-point peace plan with Iran. President Donald Trump also ordered a 10-day halt on strikes against Iranian energy sites, though Israel carried out its own attacks on energy sites Friday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubiosaid Friday that Iran had not responded to the peace proposal.
“The United States speaks of its aspirations, presenting what it failed to achieve in war as a 15-point list to pursue through diplomacy,” Ghalibaf said.
“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, the answer of your sons remains clear: ‘Far be it from us to accept humiliation.'”
Ghalibaf’s message came in the wake of a Saturday report by The Washington Post that the Defense Department has drawn up plans for a weeks-long ground operation in Iran. Officials told The Post the plan isn’t considered a full-scale ground invasion, but would involve Special Operations forces and infantry troops.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement in response to the possibility of ground troops in Iran.
“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the commander in chief maximum optionality,” she said. “It does not mean the president has made a decision.”
Iran has launched attacks on Israeli and other U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf region, including one Sunday on a military camp in Kuwait, which killed 10 Kuwaiti service members. The army said it detected 14 ballistic missiles and 12 hostile drones in Kuwaiti airspace over the previous 24 hours. Since the start of the war, it has monitored more than 300 ballistic missiles, 2 cruise missiles and more than 600 hostile drones.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials said emergency officials were working on a large fire that broke out at a hazardous materials factory at the Neot Hovav industrial complex, The Guardian reported. The Israeli military blamed “a weapon fragment or interceptor fragment” for the damage and fire.
The plans, which fall short of a full invasion, could involve raids by special operations and conventional infantry troops, The Washington Post reported.
The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of limited ground operations in Iran, potentially including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz, according to United States officials quoted by The Washington Post newspaper.
The plans, which fall short of a full invasion, could involve raids by special operations and conventional infantry troops, the Post reported on Saturday, exposing US personnel to Iranian drones and missiles, ground fire, and improvised explosives.
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Whether President Donald Trump would approve any of those plans remains uncertain, according to the report.
“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the president has made a decision,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, responding to questions over the Post report.
The Trump administration has deployed US Marines to the Middle East as the war in Iran stretches into its fifth week, and has also been planning to send thousands of soldiers from the army’s 82nd Airborne to the region.
On Saturday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said about 3,500 additional soldiers arrived in the Middle East on board the USS Tripoli.
The sailors and marines are with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and arrived in the region on March 27, along with “transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets”, according to CENTCOM.
Officials speaking to The Washington Post said discussions within the administration over the past month have touched upon the possible seizure of Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub in the Gulf, and raids into other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to find and destroy weapons that can target commercial and military shipping.
According to the report, one person said the objectives under consideration would probably take “weeks, not months” to complete, while another put the potential timeline at “a couple of months”.
The Pentagon had not responded on Saturday to the Post’s requests for comment. Iran has yet to respond to the report.
The report comes as Pakistan, which shares a 900km-long (559-mile) border with Iran, mediates between Washington and Tehran, hosting two days of talks starting on Sunday with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt.
Iranian threats
The Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday the “enemy openly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue and secretly plans a ground attack”.
“Unaware that our men are waiting for the arrival of American soldiers on the ground to set fire to them and punish their regional partners forever. Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place,” the Tasnim news agency reported, quoting Ghalibaf.
“Our determination and faith have increased. We are aware of the enemy’s weaknesses, and we clearly see the effects of fear and terror in the enemy’s army.”
It was not clear whether Ghalibaf was responding to the Post report.
On Wednesday, Ghalibaf had warned that intelligence reports suggested that “Iran’s enemies” were planning to occupy an Iranian island with support from an unnamed country in the region.
He said any such attempt would be met with targeted attacks on the “vital infrastructure” of the regional country – which he did not name – that assists in the operation.
Tasnim quoted an unnamed military source as saying on Wednesday that Iran could open a new front at the mouth of the Red Sea if military action takes place on “Iranian islands or anywhere else in our lands”.
The source told Tasnim that Iran can pose a “credible threat” in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which lies between Yemen and Djibouti.
Tasnim later quoted an “informed source” claiming that Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, are prepared to play a role “if there is a need to control the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to further punish the enemy”.
‘Once the US starts capturing territory in Iran, all bets are off.’
Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at the Soufan Center for Strategic Dialogue, says US war objectives in Iran that cannot be met with air power can be met with a limited ground invasion.
Lebanon fears that Israel’s attack on Qasmiyeh Bridge, a key crossing linking the south to the rest of the country, could be a “prelude to a ground invasion”. The damage caused in the attack could cut off access for civilians, aid and supplies.
LaGuardia shut down after Air Canada Express plane hits ground vehicle upon landing from Montreal.
Published On 23 Mar 202623 Mar 2026
An Air Canada Express regional jet coming from Montreal struck a ground vehicle on Sunday evening while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, leading to the airport’s closure.
The New York Fire Department in a statement said on Sunday that it was responding to a reported incident involving a plane and a vehicle on the runway at LaGuardia airport, but did not provide further details.
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The CRJ-900 plane struck the vehicle at a speed of about 24 miles per hour (39 kph), flight tracking website Flightradar24 said. The jet was operated by Jazz Aviation, Air Canada’s regional partner.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for all departures to LaGuardia due to the aircraft emergency, with the airport closure in effect until 0530GMT. The probability of an extension was listed as high.
The FAA notice showed that the reason for the halt at the airport was an emergency and there was a high probability of an extension, without specifying any details.
Unverified footage on social media showed damage to the nose of the plane, as it tilted upward. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage.
LaGuardia’s website showed arriving planes had been diverted to other airports or returned to their point of origin.
In a separate notice to airmen, the FAA said that the airport could be shut until 1800 GMT.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The Pentagon has reportedly drawn up plans to send American troops into Iran, possibly to Kharg Island or far deeper into the country to seize enriched uranium. These moves would represent a huge escalation for Operation Epic Fury. Former CENTCOM commander Joseph Votel offers us exclusive insights into the challenges and dangers of having U.S. boots on the ground in the Islamic Republic, and what it would take to seize Kharg Island or attempt to snatch Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium that could be very challenging to access.
Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander, U.S. Central Command, briefs the media in the Pentagon Briefing Room, April 29, 2016. (DoD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Clydell Kinchen)(Released) Sgt. 1st Class Clydell Kinchen
Some of the questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Q: Does a seizure of Kharg Island, or an insertion of SOF to recover enriched uranium from Pickaxe Mountain or elsewhere in Iran, seem feasible? What would either of those operations take, in terms of troops and assets?
A: Both of those things are feasible. Let me just start with Kharg Island. We can put troops on there. We can air mobile them in. We could land them by boat. I guess the comment I have about Kharg is, I’m not sure what the significance is of putting troops there. It’s only about 20 miles off the coast of Iran. So you’re definitely under the threat of their weapon systems. You’d be very, very vulnerable there. And I don’t know that it would give us any particular tactical advantage that we don’t already have or couldn’t get someplace else at an offset location where we have established bases and other things like that. So I’m not sure what the tactical advantage of it is.
I get that it has an informational and kind of messaging advantage against the Iranians that we are on their territory. And it may send a message to the broader energy community that we are safeguarding these vital Iranian infrastructures. That might give them some confidence [but] kind of an odd thing to do. But I just don’t really see the big advantage of going to Kharg. But we could certainly do it if we had to.
We would be vulnerable. When you start putting troops on the ground – I know there’s some mishmash and words on that – but that’s troops on the ground right there. It also implies that you are going to have to take care of them, you’re going to have to resupply them, you’re going to medevac them, you have to do all the things that keep them in place for whatever period of time. And that requires that you have a logistical tail, and at some point that tail has to be protected as well. So these are not insignificant considerations and they’re often bigger operations.
I would imagine on a little island like Kharg, you would need a battalion sized force of Marines or soldiers could probably do that. So you’re probably looking at 800 to 1,000 troops, kind of size, maybe a little bit smaller, probably not much larger than that.
The U.S. is reportedly planning to attack or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island. (Google Earth)
Going after the fissile material I think is a bigger operation. Again, I think we have the capabilities to do this. Within our Special Operations community, we have people that are trained to do this and have the right relationships and connections and other things to allow us to get in and do that. So you’d have to be able to project that force onto the ground. This would be going to a place like Natanz or Isfahan – probably one of those locations. Those are well inland – several hundred miles into Iran, a country of the same size as the state of Alaska. So it’s big and it’s diverse. It’s largely in an open plain, so you don’t have a lot of natural terrain protection there. That would have to be taken into consideration.
In addition to the kind of operators you put on the ground, you’d also have to bring in a security force, but probably a sizable security force – a brigade size or 1,000 to 3,000 or 4,000 troops to just secure while they did that work. You’d have to do that. You’d have to make sure you dedicated air power. You’d have to put CAPs [combat air patrols] up over, you’d have to have ISR [information, surveillance and reconnaissance] in place.
Again, you’d have the challenge of people on the ground, so you’d have to logistically sustain them and then be prepared to protect that tail. And then you have to have all of the lift, whether it’s rotary wing or fixed wing, to get them in and get them all back out. And then you have the added challenge of handling nuclear material. So about 450-some kilograms. That’s roughly 1,000 pounds of 60% highly enriched uranium. And that’s a lethal material. So ideally, that would be packaged already, but we’d have to make sure we packaged that and moved it and had someplace to actually take it back to.
A general view of Isfahan (UCF) nuclear power plant about 180 miles from Tehran (HENGHAMEH FAHIMI/AFP via Getty Images) HENGHAMEH FAHIMI
So, yeah, could we do a military operation? Sure. I think it would kind of look like I described there. It would be a big operation, and it wouldn’t be something that would be done in a single period of darkness. It probably takes some time. You’d have to have some special capabilities to go in and excavate these things and identify them.
There’s no real open-source discussion of what the conditions are at these things, you’d have to be prepared for the worst, and the worst would be having to dig down and find it. I’m hoping that our intelligence community understands this a little bit more, and I suspect that is the case. But this is a pretty big, pretty significant operation.
An alternative to this would be waiting until there is a cessation of hostilities and then trying to go in in a more semi-permissive environment with elements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who really have responsibility for this. They would bring expertise in to do this. We – or some other military force – would probably assist with some of that. But that may be another option as well. I’m sure they’re looking at all these.
Q: This is not a job for a Tier One unit like SEAL Team Six or Delta, to go in and grab it, right? There’s a lot of discussion about that.
A: Yeah. First of all, you’re not just going to go in and grab 1,000 pounds of nuclear material and then ferret it right out. That’s not the case. Those unique capabilities reside within the Special Operations community. I won’t identify organizations, but they reside within the tip top of our special operations capability. They’re trained and maintained and normally exercise and rehearse on a regular basis. So, yeah, we have the ability to do that. But it’s unlikely – in my view, my estimate, with what I know – that you just send a few folks in there, grab the stuff and get it out. I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s going to take more. You might be able to do that in a permissive environment, but I don’t think you want to take the risk associated with that in the environment that we’re seeing right now, or perhaps even in a semi-permissive environment.
A: I have no reason to believe that it wasn’t. Is there pressure on our magazine depth? There sure is. We’ve talked about that for a while. CENTCOM planned – which has been developed and modified over the last 20, 25 years – to do this. Every commander had their fingers involved in it. I do not know the current plan. I’m sure that [CENTCOM commander] Adm. [Brad] Cooper has done that. It was a significant discussion, not only about the targets, but certainly about what was required to execute that and also to protect themselves. So my assessment is, yes, I think we have. And I don’t think we’ve seen an instance where we’ve not been able to defend ourselves because we didn’t have any missiles.
There’s no doubt we’ve expended a lot, and that’s put a lot of pressure on the magazines, but the Department of Defense and CENTCOM and Joint Staff, I think, have been able to make sure that they’ve been able to move enough materials into place so we can sustain this operation, now well into its third week.
A U.S. Army soldier, assigned to 1-43 Air Defense Artillery Regiment (ADAR), operates a forklift bearing MIM-104 Patriot Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) canisters at an undisclosed location in the CENTCOM region. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Nick Beavers) Capt. Nick Beavers
Q: How concerned are you about America’s magazine depth of these defensive weapons?
A: We should be concerned. I think the challenge may not necessarily be in CENTCOM. The challenge may be in other areas like the Pacific, Korea, you know, Europe, you know this. This could be impacting our ability to send things to the Ukrainians, or through our NATO partners, the Ukrainians. So I think that’s where the concerns are. And by the way, you know, all of our Gulf Arab partners and many of our partners around the world use THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] and use Patriot missile systems, and so they require resupply as well, and stocks available to them.
I think we have long had an issue with making sure we had sufficient magazine depth. We went through this several years ago when North Korea was flexing its muscles and firing missiles towards Guam and over Japan. We had a serious discussion about this. We saw this with the response to Ukraine as well with artillery rounds. The Army’s ramped up production, three or four fold over the last couple of years. But it’s taken a little bit of time. That’s good. But we need to do that with all these other munitions. So a portion of our resources needs to be dedicated to making sure we have sufficient munitions in place for our contingencies and for our partners who have bought our systems they are relying on.
U.S. Army soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, load equipment and trucks onto a C-17 Globemaster III with U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 21st Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at an undisclosed location in the CENTCOM Area of Operations. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Neu) Staff Sgt. Christopher Neu
Q: What’s your assessment of Iran’s magazine depth of missiles, operable launchers and drones? How long can they keep presenting a threat?
A: There’s been pretty serious damage done to their missile system and I say the system, because it’s not just the missiles. It’s the launchers, it’s the command and control sites, manufacturing sites, it’s the storage sites. I think we’ve done a lot of damage to that. And you’ve probably heard some of the numbers that have come out of CENTCOM – in the 70, 80% range of destruction. I think we’ve done a lot with the drones as well. I think the concern is the last 15 or 20%.
Don’t pay attention to the numbers. The fact of the matter is, they’re going to have a remnant portion of capabilities, and that’s a portion we’re focused on right now. Iran’s strategy has been to broaden the conflict by hitting a lot of different places, 12 or 13 different countries, and then to extend it by continuing to present this threat to us over a long period of time. They don’t have to shoot large volleys of missiles and drones. They just have to get some across. They just have to launch some every day. And that’s going to keep our focus, and it’s going to keep us occupied doing that. So that’s their strategy on this.
They’ve taken a significant hit in some of their capabilities, and I imagine some of the magazines, but there’s some left. I think at the start of the war, their missile strength was somewhere in the 2,000 to 3,000 range. Some of the numbers I’ve seen show there are probably over 1,000 that have been launched now, and so that leaves a considerable number. They don’t have the ability to launch these. And now that we have air superiority over those locations, we can go anywhere we want. We see something, we can take it out right away. So the missiles are very, very vulnerable, but the drones are much easier [for Iran to protect]. They don’t require all that much, and they probably got larger stores that it’s important to appreciate. They were manufacturing these things for Russia, so they probably have fairly sizable stores of drones left.
Prior to Operation Epic Fury, the Iranian regime used the Karaj Surface-to-Surface Missile Plant to assemble ballistic missiles that threatened Americans, neighboring countries, and commercial shipping. The photo dated March 1, 2026, shows the plant prior to U.S. strikes. The… pic.twitter.com/QEs5toZQpX
Q: How closely is China watching this? And what are they learning from it?
A: Well, I think they’re paying very close attention to this. They’re learning how we respond to counter fire. They’re very closely following our air tactics and how we are working with the Israelis on that. They’re looking at the targets we are going after, and trying to understand the scheme of fires associated with all of this.
They will be watching very closely how we deal with the Strait of Hormuz. We’ve got the straits down there – the Strait of Taiwan and all these other ones in Asia – they’ll be paying very, very close attention to this. They’ll be watching what our readiness rates are throughout all of this, and our ability to marshal forces and how quickly we can do this. So I think they’re absorbing a lot about how we are operating.
But they’re also seeing the use of drones. They’re probably trying to pay attention to how artificial intelligence may be being effectively used. And I would imagine that it is by the US and helping us parse a whole bunch of information and select targets and perform other functions. So, they’re paying a lot of attention. I think they’re also paying attention to what this is doing to our readiness in other areas, frankly. We continue to move resources out of the Asia Pacific, and they certainly are taking note of that.
Q: Do you think China will move on Taiwan given all that?
A: I don’t know. I’m not an expert in that particular area. But what I do know is they’ve had some ambitions of trying to be ready for that in the next year or so. I also know that there’s been a wholesale sacking of their military leadership by President Xi. So he’s putting new people into place, that has an impact. It certainly has an impact on the ability to command and control a major operation to [invade] Taiwan. I don’t think we’re going to see this in the near-term. I don’t know that that’s necessarily the lesson Xi’s taken away from us. I don’t know if they’re actually prepared to do that. But they’re certainly paying attention to how we are doing things here and how that could be used in their types of operations.
A view of China’s new ‘invasion barge,’ which involves a temporary pier that can be connected to other vessels via a barge, or series of barges, with jack-up supports. The development of jack-up barges is widely seen as part of preparations for a possible invasion of Taiwan. (PLAN). via X
Q: So far, the Houthis have been on the sidelines. Why do you think that is and at what point will they get involved?
A: The Houthis – one of the extensions of the Iranian network – have always been much more independent than Hamas or certainly Hezbollah or the Shia militia groups we normally see in Iraq and Syria that are loyal to the Iranian regime. [The Houthis] are much more independent in terms of this. They actually have a governing function, full-on governing function, and so they are trying to make decisions for themselves.
I have heard a couple of discussions on this one. One viewpoint would be that the Iranians have told them to hold on: ‘We want to extend again. We want to extend this conflict out. We want to buy some time. We’re going to be patient,’ and then we may look to do that.
Another theory might be that they’re just keeping their powder dry right now and waiting for an opportunity to launch into this. I think there’s probably a variety of reasons why they aren’t doing it. They have an agreement in place with us. They took a pretty serious beat down during our counter-Houthi operations some months ago. So that had an impact on them. They’re probably not anxious to revisit that immediately, because it was pretty devastating for them. So I imagine they’re just being patient.
A: I don’t view it as particularly likely at this point. There may be some further power shifts there. I think the military component – the IRGC component of the regime, those senior leaders – are having much more influence, and that’s influencing these very angry responses we’re seeing from the Iranians on this, lashing out at the Gulf Arab countries. So I think that the military is definitely ascending in this.
But yet, they have preserved the theocratic side of government by putting a new Ayatollah in place, admittedly, one that’s not well known, that appears to be pretty weak [Mojtaba Khamenei, chosen to replace his father, Ali Khamenei who was killed on the first day of the war]. He actually seems to be very aligned with the hard liners on the military side. There’s not much on him. He doesn’t have a huge amount of religious credibility or anything. So, he could be a figurehead, could be expendable for them, frankly, but their regime is very deep. It has great influence, and it’s pretty much wired everything in Iran, so they can remain in power. And so I suspect that they probably will. Whether a more pragmatic leader arises. I don’t know. I don’t know who that might be.
New Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. (Iranian media)
Q: What’s your biggest worry about how this all winds up?
A: That the regime remains in power. They’re going to continue to try to extend and keep this going for a long period of time, and we are going to have to undertake very expensive and deliberate activities to bring this under control. I mean, we’re already three weeks into what has been touted as a four or five week campaign. That’s pretty reasonable based on my experience and knowledge of what CENTCOM is trying to do, and what that plan basically looks like. It makes a lot of sense to me.
And then we have to undertake a very deliberate effort to open the Strait. And then we’ll have to stay committed to helping move ships through there, for some period of time, and Iran will continue to have the ability to interdict that.
My concern is that when we move to a new normal that hasn’t necessarily changed the dynamic all that much, we will have to stay committed to this for some time forward. I don’t know that that was necessarily what we had envisioned at the start of this, or had envisioned for the force long term.
Q: How long do you think this will go on, given what you’re seeing now?
A: I think we’ve got weeks more of operations.
Q: A month? More than that?
A: More than a month, I think probably double digit weeks and single digit months when you throw in a Strait of Hormuz operation, stuff like that. I can see us for a couple of months here.
The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli is steaming toward the Middle East to boost a growing U.S. military presence there. (Staff Sgt. Samuel Ruiz)
Q: What kind of strain does it put on the U.S. in terms of readiness, in terms of the troops and equipment?
A: Well, most of these naval vessels were not necessarily anticipated or forecasted to be in the Middle East right now. For the most part, they have diverted from other things that they were doing, particularly the carriers. That defers maintenance. It defers normal training cycles, and other readiness cycles that are built into this.
Those ships are fantastic, but they have to go into very deliberate maintenance periods and capital ship maintenance has been an area of some concern for us for a while, because we have so many things going on and because we don’t have the infrastructure that we require to take care of these things. So I think there could be some readiness issues with our maritime vessels. It certainly puts a lot of stress on things like THAADs and Patriots, and again, we have a finite number of those. They’re not in Korea, they’re not other places, they’re not in Europe, they’re here. So that’s going to have an impact, and those organizations are going to have to be reset at some particular point on this.
This is putting more and more stress on our air fleet, our tankers, the C-17 movers, and, of course, all the wear and tear on all of our fighters. I think to our readiness, all of those things have to be taken care of at some particular point. And that’s going to have an impact as we try to rebuild readiness and respond to other contingencies around the world. And in addition to returning to our great power competition. So I think there’s definitely going to be some impacts in this.
An F-35A Lightning II takes off from an undisclosed location in support of Operation Epic Fury. (U.S. Air Force Photo) U.S. Central Command Public Affa
Q: How much of a difference to Epic Fury does it make that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has to leave the theater to undergo fire damage repairs in Souda Bay, Crete? That leaves just the USS Abraham Lincoln as the lone carrier during a major contingency operation.
A: We’ve got a lot of aircraft. We’ve got ground-based aircraft. My understanding is we may be moving another carrier in to replace that one. I don’t recall exactly which one it is, but I think I’ve read at least one or two sources that said it would happen. It takes 80 or 90 airplanes, theoretically, out of the cycle. Now those aircraft can be cross-decked, they can be moved to land. And we may be doing that. I don’t really know. But it takes away a big platform. We lose some flexibility here, and those aircraft carriers are basically floating air bases out in the middle of the ocean, and give us the ability to launch and recover things and project power where we need to. It takes away from some major command and control capability. So, yeah, it creates a void. It’s not impossible to backfill. I suspect we probably will be able to do that, but there’s definitely a diminishment there, and hopefully we’re replacing one with one here.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is heading to Crete to repair fire damage, taking the ship out of the Epic Fury campaign. (USN)
Q: Anything I didn’t ask that you want to talk about?
The US is moving military assets to the Middle East that are key to providing support for ground troop operations. Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett says it’s the clearest sign yet of potential US boots on the ground in Iran to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli forces have attacked multiple towns in southern Lebanon after announcing “limited and targeted ground operations” against Hezbollah. Israel has warned residents will not be able to return to their homes until the military says so.
March 16 (UPI) — The Israeli military announced Monday that soldiers were conducting “limited and targeted ground operations” in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, amid its larger war against the militant organization’s backer, Iran.
Israeli troops were reported in Lebanon earlier this month, but Monday’s announcement appears to formalize and broaden the mission. The language in the announcement was also consistent with other reports that Israel may be planning to significantly expand its ground operation.
“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, to create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel,” the IDF said in a social media statement.
Israel has been attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon for years, and launched a ground operation there in October 2024 that ended with a fragile cease-fire, with both sides accusing the other of violations. Fighting erupted again late last month after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.
Specifics about the ground operation were minimal, including the day it began, with the IDF stating on Telegram that the troops entered Lebanon “in recent days.”
Troops from the 91st Division are conducting what the Israel Defense Forces called “limited and targeted ground operations” against Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds.
Videos of the operation taken from apparent night-vision cameras worn by the soldiers and distributed by the IDF online show Israeli forces and military vehicles seemingly operating in southern Lebanon.
The operation was aimed at enhancing the forward defense area and was part of broader efforts to strengthen Israel’s forward defensive posture, the IDF said, which is consistent with reporting by Axios that Israel plans to seize all of Lebanon south of the Litani River and will be a major operation.
The IDF said airstrikes were conducted before the soldiers of the 91st Division moved in, with a Hezbollah site attacked on Saturday. Troops on Sunday searched the area and found a storage facility housing dozens of rockets, explosive devices and guns, it said in a Monday update on the operation.
Photos included in the release show rockets laid upon a couch inside a debris-filled residence.
Two Hezbollah operatives were also killed, it said, stating the militants had advanced on the Israeli troops.
“The IDF will continue to operate with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization following its deliberate decision to attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime,” the IDF said.
“The IDF will not tolerate any harm to the residents of the State of Israel.”
במסגרת מאמץ משימת ההגנה הקדמית: כוחות צה”ל חיסלו מחבלים ואיתרו מצבור אמצעי לחימה של מחבלי ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה
במהלך פעילות מבצעית של אוגדה 91, חיל האוויר תקף מבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בו זוהתה פעילות של מחבלי הארגון בסוף השבוע.
אתמול, הכוחות סרקו במרחב המבנה ואיתרו בו… pic.twitter.com/IfLTvjhIZp— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 16, 2026
The Israeli army says its forces are striking key sites in southern Lebanon, as fierce clashes with Hezbollah continue near the town of Khiam.
Published On 16 Mar 202616 Mar 2026
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The Israeli military says its troops have begun ground operations in southern Lebanon as fighting against Hezbollah intensifies around the strategic southern town of Khiam.
At least three air strikes struck the city of Khiam, Al Jazeera Arabic reported on Monday.
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Khiam, a stronghold of Hezbollah, is strategically located and is seen as a gateway to southern Lebanon. The latest war started after Hezbollah fired rockets in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hezbollah had not attacked Israel since the 2024 ceasefire despite repeated Israeli violations of the United States-brokered deal.
On Monday morning, two Israeli air raids targeted the town of Yater, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Israel also launched raids on Burj Qalawiya, Sultaniya and Chaqra, also in southern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Two raids were also conducted on the towns of Qantara and as-Sawana.
The Israeli army, in a post on X, said on Monday that its troops in recent days were “focused on ground operations on key targets in southern Lebanon to expand the forward defence area”.
“This operation is part of the effort to establish the forward defence, which includes destroying terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorists,” it added.
Importance of Khiam
Khiam sits on high ground just a few kilometres from the Israeli border and the Litani River, giving it a commanding view over northern Israel and nearby Lebanese plains.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said a “major battle was under way” in and around Khiam. “The elevation of Khiam for both sides gives them a strategic advantage,” she said.
Moreover, Khodr noted the town lies on a “long and important junction … a road that leads to the eastern and western sectors of southern Lebanon”.
“One of the roads leads to the Bekaa Valley too in eastern Lebanon, another area where Hezbollah has influence,” she said.
“What Israel has been trying to do is really cut the supply lines and the difficult capabilities of Hezbollah, so it’s unable to bring in more weapons and fighters to areas south of the Litani River.”
More than 800,000 people, including women and children, have been forced to flee from their homes as the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for many neighbourhoods in southern Lebanon, as well as the capital, Beirut.
Israeli attacks in Lebanon have so far killed at least 850 people, among them 107 children and 66 women.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
U.S. President Donald Trump says there “will be no deal” with Iran unless it surrenders unconditionally, a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister said the country was prepared to stand up to a ground invasion. Trump has also said that any new leadership of the country would have to be “acceptable” to the United States. This follows what has now been seven days of heavy U.S.-Israeli bombardment, including a new major wave of strikes by Israel targeting Iranian leadership in Tehran overnight.
You can catch up with our past coverage of ongoing operations against Iran here.Latest updates on the war are down the page of this article.
Trump’s statement was made via a post on his Truth Social social media network.
“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!,” he wrote. “After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. “MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).”
BREAKING: Trump on Iran:
There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!
After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of… pic.twitter.com/6Q6TqyHTbt
Trump has increasingly talked about changing the regime in Tehran in recent days, and his desire to be personally involved in that process. This comes despite pushback from other U.S. officials about regime change being an explicit goal of what has been dubbed Operation Epic Fury.
“We want to go in and clean out everything,” Trump told NBC Newsin a phone call on Thursday. “We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period.”
“We want them to have a good leader,” the president added. “We have some people who I think would do a good job.”
Trump declined to offer any names, but said he was taking steps to make sure the people on his list make it through the war alive.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump says he wants Iran’s leadership structure gone and wants to ensure his own list of possible leaders survive the war. https://t.co/KRwAmgz2tN
Trump acknowledged that Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is the most likely successor, but finds that outcome unacceptable and insists he play a role in determining Iran’s next leader, Axios reported.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight,” Trump told Axios. “I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela.”
Trump was referring to the Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who took over after the capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic U.S. operation in January.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Trump says he must be involved in picking Iran’s next leader.
He said that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, is the most likely successor — and finds that unacceptable.https://t.co/73b4PVOLW2
Trump had also called for Iran’s unconditional surrender during the 12 Day War between Israel and Iran last year, before helping broker a ceasefire agreement between the parties.
The last time Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” was during the 12-Day Israel–Iran war (June 13–24, 2025).
Trump twice demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” back then.
Before Trump made his unconditional surrender demand, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), laid out how destructive Epic Fury has been to Iran’s military.
“Over the last 24 hours of the operation, compared to where we were at the start, ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90%, drone attacks have decreased by 83% since day one,” he told reporters, including from The War Zone, during a press conference at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday evening. Cooper added that these attacks have also wiped out a large chunk of Iran’s Navy, destroying 20 ships so far.
U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper gives update on Iran: “We are now starting our sixth day of a historic mission to eliminate Iran’s ability to threaten America. The president and Secretary Hegseth have been crystal clear in their expectations and we are at a high level of execution.” pic.twitter.com/Acr4WpQJpc
Overnight, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a massive 50-jet raid on Tehran, targeting an underground bunker complex intended for use by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top leaders. Khamenei was killed elsewhere in the opening phase of what the IDF called Operation Roaring Lion.
The bunker “spanned multiple streets in the heart of Tehran and contained numerous entrances and meeting rooms” for senior Iranian leaders, the IDF explained. It was intended to be used by Khamenei as “a secure emergency command center,” but after his death, “the compound continued to be used by senior Iranian regime officials,” the IDF claimed.
הבונקר התת-קרקעי, נבנה מתחת למתחם והיה נכס חירום מאובטח לניהול הלחימה על ידי המנהיג, שחוסל טרם הספיק להשתמש בו במבצע ‘שאגת הארי’. לאחר חיסול ח’אמנהאי, המתחם המשיך לשמש את בכירי המשטר האיראני.
לאורך שנים, המשטר השקיע את מאמציו להקמת המתחם התת-קרקעי, במטרה לבסס עבורו מקום לקידום… pic.twitter.com/LlPmHSFlR7
The “senior commander” targeted by these Israeli air strikes was Asghar Hijazi, Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel “Mannie” Fabian reported on X, citing Israeli defense sources.
“Hijazi is said to be the acting head of the supreme leader’s office, following the killing of Ali Khamenei,” Fabian added.
The “senior Iranian commander” targeted in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran a short while ago is Asghar Hijazi, according to Israeli defense sources.
Hijazi is said to be the acting head of the supreme leader’s office, following the killing of Ali Khamenei. https://t.co/7T58UKmkLp
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 6, 2026
Videos emerging from Tehran showed multiple explosions and ensuing fireballs rising in the distance. Local residents described the attack as “the worst, strongest, and most horrifying ever.”
For their part, Iranian officials have been publicly rejecting the possibility of new talks and/or a ceasefire with the United States and Israel amid the ongoing conflict. Iran’s Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi also said yesterday that his country was prepared for a ground invasion.
“Relying on its defensive capabilities and the support of the Iranian nation, the Islamic Republic defends the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity within the framework of its inherent right to legitimate self-defense and will respond decisively to any aggressive act,” Araghchi told his Cuban counterpart today.
Significant pressure is clearly being put on the regime in Tehran to capitulate, at least to some degree. Top Iranian leadership figures are being actively targeted, as are individuals who could step in to fill the resulting voids. What the U.S. government, as well as its Israeli allies, may actually be willing to accept in order to bring the conflict to an end remains to be seen.
We have concluded our rolling coverage in this piece.
UPDATE: 5:33 PM EST –
After a meeting with major defense contractors called as the U.S. continues to burn through munitions during Epic Fury, Trump said they were boosting weapons production.
“They have agreed to quadruple Production of the ‘Exquisite Class’ Weaponry in that we want to reach, as rapidly as possible, the highest levels of quantity,” the president proclaimed. “Expansion began three months prior to the meeting, and Plants and Production of many of these Weapons are already under way.”
In his post, Trump again asserted that there is “a virtually unlimited supply of Medium and Upper Medium Grade Munitions, which we are using, as an example, in Iran, and recently used in Venezuela. Regardless, however, we have also increased Orders at these levels.”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach posted a message on X praising airmen for their efforts during Epic Fury.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said “tonight will be our biggest bombing campaign” against Iran.
“We will do the most damage to the Iranian missile launchers and the factories that built them.”
INTERESTING: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Iran:
Tonight will be our biggest bombing campaign.
We will do the most damage to the Iranian missile launchers and the factories that build the missiles. pic.twitter.com/zCYvaytdeC
Videos have emerged on social media claiming to show attacks across Iraq.
Some purport to show an attack on Camp Victory, a facility housing U.S. forces near Baghdad’s international airport. You can see explosions followed by fireballs and smoke in the video. It is not clear who is attacking.
🇮🇶🇮🇷🇺🇲‼️ FEROZ BOMBARDEO IRANÍ: REPORTAN QUE LA BASE CAMPO VICTORIA (EEUU) EN BAGHDAD ESTARÍA EN LLAMAS POR ATAQUE CON 2 MISILES Y DRONES pic.twitter.com/a7VAMWrBpv
— (FRAPP) ANTIFASCISTA #AntiKast #OrgullosoDel42% (@Informa3Chile) March 6, 2026
Another video shows a claimed strike by U.S. helicopters on an Iranian-backed militia group in Mosul. We cannot independently confirm any of these claims and have reached out to CENTCOM for more information.
US helicopters struck at least twice a Kataeb Seyyed a-Shuhadaa’ HQ in al-Rashidiya, Mosul, tonight. KSS is an Iranian-backed militia that has carried out attacks against Iraqi Kurdistan & US interests in Iraq under the facade group Awliyaa’ a-Damm. pic.twitter.com/JdG9u5nqWt
There is also a video claiming to depict an Iranian drone strike on energy facilities in Basra.
Iranian drone strikes hit energy infrastructure in Burjesia/Basra, including a Baker Hughes facility, the Rumaila oil field, and Basra airport. pic.twitter.com/CeeHpKKFSk
The IRGC offered a threatening response to Trump’s order to have U.S. Navy vessels escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has previously claimed it had shut down the Strait, and the IRGC said it welcomes these escorts, with a reference to the American supertanker Bridgeton, which hit a mine in the Persian Gulf while being escorted by U.S. Navy warships in 1987. That incident took place in the so-called “Tanker War” that took place during the Iran-Iraq War.
IRGC Spox:
Iran strongly welcomes US’ willingness to escort oil tankers and the claim of the presence of US forces for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and in fact, the IRGC is waiting for their presence.
Amid all the turmoil, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and is now in the Mediterranean.
France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has passed through Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea and is moving toward the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/TCK9Wuv5i6
CENTCOM released its latest Epic Fury graphic update showing targets hit and assets deployed. So far, more than 3,000 targets have been hit, including 43 Iranian ships that have been destroyed or damaged, according to the command.
(CENTCOM)
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has transited the Suez Canal and is now in the Red Sea, according to the Navy. Images posted on the Pentagon’s video and image distribution site show the carrier and one of its escorts, the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge in the canal.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), transits the Suez Canal, March 5, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo) U.S. Central Command Public AffaArleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) transits the Suez Canal, March 5, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo) U.S. Central Command Public Affa
A Chinese satellite image emerged of the Ford and two of its escorts crossing through the canal. This move makes sense considering that the ballistic missile threat against Israel that the carrier strike group was helping defend against has diminished. Being in the Red Sea would provide assets needed to defend against any attacks from the Houthis of Yemen should that Iranian proxy decide to get into the fight.
The Pentagon also released photos of B-52 Stratofortress bombers that took part in Epic Fury.
Aircrew members board a B-52H Stratofortress prior to taking off in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 4, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo) U.S. Central Command Public Affa
There are claims that Iran struck a Patriot air defense site in the UAE, however we cannot confirm this. We reached out to CENTCOM for more details.
“There may be other countries to join action against Iran and its interests in the region,” the outlet noted.
These claims come days after Azerbaijani officials vowed they would retaliate for an Iranian drone strike on their territory that wounded four people.
We cannot confirm that, however, video emerged earlier today showing Azerbaijani military equipment being moved closer to that nation’s border with Iraq.
The U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD) issued its latest update on operations in the Middle East.
Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Thursday that “separatist terrorist groups” planned to enter the country from its western borders and carry out attacks in urban and border areas, taking advantage of wartime conditions, Iran International reported. “A joint preemptive operation by the intelligence ministry and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps destroyed a significant portion of the groups’ positions and capabilities and inflicted heavy losses,” the ministry said in a statement.
UPDATE 1:07 PM EST –
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered an explanation of what Trump means by his unconditional surrender demand on Iran.
“When Trump, as Commander in Chief, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the US and the goals of Operation Epic Fury have been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not,” she explained.
Karoline Leavitt on Iran:
When Trump, as Commander in Chief, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the US and the goals of Operation Epic Fury have been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves… pic.twitter.com/RMQpAJxx4E
The Army in recent days abruptly canceled a major training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to The Washington Post.
“This is fueling speculation within the Defense Department that soldiers specializing in ground combat and a range of other missions may be sent to the Middle East as the conflict with Iran widens,” the publication posited.
SCOOP: The Army in recent days canceled a training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne Division, fueling speculation among soldiers that they may be called upon for a still undefined mission as the war with Iran widens.
Ukraine is in talks with the U.S. and Gulf allies about replicating Kyiv’s acoustic detection network to counter Iranian attack drones, Financial Times is reporting, citing people familiar with the matter. Consisting of thousands of acoustic sensors across Ukraine, this system helps detect and track incoming Russian kamikaze drones, alert traditional air defenses in advance, and also dispatch ad hoc drone hunting teams to shoot them down.
New: Ukraine is in talks with the US and several Gulf states about replicating Kyiv’s acoustic detection network to counter Iranian attack drones, according to people familiar with the matter. w/ @fabrice_deprezhttps://t.co/ME2ErGPq8X
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, posted a message on X honoring six soldiers killed in Kuwait by an Iranian drone on March 1.
“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of six American heroes from the 103rd Sustainment Command U.S. Army Reserves out of Des Moines, Iowa,” Caine noted. “Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, Captain Cody A. Khork, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, Sergeant First Class Nicole M. Amor, Sergeant First Class Noah L. Tietjens, and Sergeant Declan J. Coady.”
A message from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine:
It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of six American heroes from the 103rd Sustainment Command U.S. Army Reserves out of Des Moines, Iowa: Major Jeffrey R. O’Brien, Captain Cody A. Khork,…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Arab foreign ministers in a series of phone calls Thursday that the war is expected to last several more weeks, Axios is reporting, citing “sources with direct knowledge of the conversations.”
Rubio said the current military focus is on Iran’s missile launchers, stockpiles and factories, the outlet reported, adding that the secretary “told the ministers the U.S. goal is not regime change — while simultaneously making clear Washington wants different people running the country.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Arab foreign ministers in calls Thursday that the war with Iran is expected to last several more weeks, according to sources familiar with the conversations. Rubio said the current military focus is on Iran’s missile launchers, stockpiles…
At least one B-1B Lancer bomber landed at RAF Fairford in the U.K. today. This is part of an ongoing buildup of U.S. forces as Epic Fury drags on.
UPDATE: 12:58 PM EST –
“The Iranian terrorist regime has attacked 12 different countries and continues to deliberately target civilians through the Middle East,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper has said in a new statement. “Last night, Iranian forces fired seven attack drones at civilian, residential neighborhoods in Bahrain. This is unacceptable and will not go unanswered. We will continue work with regional partners to address this threat to innocent people across the region.”
There are as-yet unconfirmed reports that U.S. B-1 bombers are headed to RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, and that they will begin flying strikes on Iran from that base. In a press conference late yesterday, Secretary Pete Hegseth and Adm. Cooper both talked about the continued flow of U.S. forces, including bombers, to support Operation Epic Fury.
USAF B-1B bombers from Dyess AFB are expected to deploy to RAF Fairford in the near term.
Their arrival would significantly increase the tempo of long-range strike operations against targets in Iran. The B-1B carries one of the largest conventional payloads in the U.S. arsenal,…
Restricted airspace around RAF Fairford for the next month (at least) shows the USAF will be deploying bombers to the airfield shortly. Note: NOTAMs are on the www. Credit JS below. https://t.co/i0qiHSGs0m
French authorities have denied that U.S. aircraft are using bases in the country to support operations over Iran, but are instead operating from them to aid in “the defense of our partners in the region.”
✖️No U.S. assets deployed on French bases in the Middle East.
✔️Yes: U.S. assets accepted on Istres Airbase (France) as part of a routine NATO procedure. They are not involved in U.S. operations in Iran but strictly supporting the defense of our partners in the region. https://t.co/NcZ1TyWc8z
It has now been reported that the U.S. Navy submarine that torpedoed the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean was the Los Angeles class USS Charlotte. Separately, another Iranian ship has now sought refuge in India. This is in addition to the IRIS Bushehr, which is now impounded in Sri Lanka.
7th Fleet Los Angeles-class fast-attack sub USS Charlotte (SSN 766) fired the single Mk 48 torpedo that sunk Iranian frigate IRIS Dena (75), @JimLaPorta reports.
One of 30+ Iranian vessels destroyed this week and the first enemy ship sunk by a U.S. sub since WW2. Periscope view: pic.twitter.com/gAGc9I7BjY
BREAKING: Iranian Navy warship IRIS Lavan docked in Kochi with its 183 member crew on March 4, the same day that IRIS Dena was torpedoed. The ship had requested accommodation on Feb 28 and received permission on March 1. The crew is being accommodated in Indian Navy facilities. pic.twitter.com/yLVwPvu54L
The vessel requested entry into Sri Lankan waters on March 4 citing mechanical issues, hours after U.S. forces sank companion vessel IRIS Dena off Galle, killing almost 100 Iran sailors https://t.co/T1wF2qvz2Ipic.twitter.com/13ljHDPTn7
The satellite image below is said to show the aftermath of an attack on an Iranian underground ballistic missile facility.
The video below is said to show an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, though it is currently unconfirmed.
Video footage purported to show an Iranian ballistic missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia, with the missile impacting very close to several U.S. servicemembers, thankfully said to have resulted in only minor injuries to personnel at Prince Sultan. pic.twitter.com/Nlju8TCZ22
Pictures and videos showing Iranian ballistic missiles with cluster munition payloads being employed continue to appear online. Images of the submunitions themselves have also now been emerging following the use of these missiles.
The Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) says the country’s forces intercepted another nine ballistic missiles and 109 drones fired by Iran today. UAE authorities say they have now intercepted 190 ballistic missiles, eight cruise missiles, and 1,110 drones since the conflict began.
UAE air defences intercept 9 ballistic missiles, 109 drones
The UAE Ministry of Defence announced that the country’s air defence systems detected 9 ballistic missiles today (6th March 2026), all of which were intercepted and destroyed.
MS NOW‘s “Morning Joe” is reporting that authorities in the UAE have now frozen billions of dollars in Iranian assets held in the country.
BREAKING NEWS: #morningjoe has learned that the UAE has frozen billions of dollars in Iranian assets. The move will likely have crippling effects on an already weakened Iranian economy. https://t.co/Da41RisQqY
What is said to be the first U.S. State Department-facilitated evacuation flight from Israel has arrived in Greece, according to JewishInsider.
New from me: The first State Department evacuation flight from Israel landed in Athens on Friday afternoon, where its passengers were greeted on the tarmac by U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kim Guilfoyle.https://t.co/ICBx7NpaHH
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has now released a video showing a strike on the Iranian ‘drone carrier’ Shahid Bagheri, an unusual ship you can read more about here. At a press conference late yesterday, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, said an unnamed “Iranian drone carrier ship, roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier” had been targeted in “just the last few hours.” In a post on X on March 2 denying claims of an attack on a U.S. carrier, CENTCOM said “the only carrier that has been hit is the Shahid Bagheri.” It remains unclear whether the Shahid Bagheri was struck multiple times.
U.S. forces aren’t holding back on the mission to sink the entire Iranian Navy. Today, an Iranian drone carrier, roughly the size of a WWII aircraft carrier, was struck and is now on fire. pic.twitter.com/WyA4fniZck
A video clip, taken from the shore, has now also emerged that is said to show the Shahid Bagheri on fire following a strike. The U.S. military has made clear that the destruction of Iran’s naval capabilities is a core objective of Operation Epic Fury.
U.S. Central Command continues to release other footage from ongoing strikes on targets in Iran.
Iranian targets are being decimated by U.S. forces, paving the way for continued delivery of overwhelming American military firepower. pic.twitter.com/wQUER9cXWw
✈️⛽️ Additional USAF Tankers (6) heading to Ben Gurion airport/airbase, Tel Aviv.
There were around 30 of them already parked there yesterday. Their role is to refuel different fighter jets in the region attacking Iran. pic.twitter.com/YJ6yBr6mRJ
The Israel Defense Forces have shared a video taken in the cockpit of a fighter flying over Iran.
The Israeli Air Force publishes footage from the cockpit of IAF fighter jets flying over Iran.
“We continue to fight, as required around the clock, and feel your support all the time. We wish you, Israeli citizens, a safe and quiet Shabbat,” a pilot is heard saying in a… pic.twitter.com/cvljwuAJ02
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 6, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Lammy has said the country would be within its rights to take “defensive action” in response to Iranian threats, including taking “down sites [Iran] that are anticipating attacking our people.” There are no indications that British forces have struck targets in Iran yet.
Publicly available data continues to show a decline in the number of Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched in retaliatory attacks over the course of the conflict so far.
Day 8 👇
Iran Missile launches during the first 8 days of conflict:
🚀 Ballistic Missiles: 🔴 Day 1 — 350 🔴 Day 2 — 175 🔴 Day 3 — 120 🔴 Day 4 — 50 🔴 Day 5 — 40 🔴 Day 6 — 32 🔴 Day 7 — 28 🔴 Day 8 — 15
CBS News has reported that quadcopter-type drones may have conducted surveillance of U.S. facilities in Kuwait ahead of an attack that killed six American servicemembers.
Iranian intelligence utilized various means to track service members after they left the base.
➡️ In anticipation of the offensive and expected retaliation to include strikes on Camp Arifjan, the Tactical Ops Center (TOC) was moved to the same facility at the port used during… https://t.co/R8VcPGIESm
Qatari authorities say an Iranian attack struck facilities housing its naval personnel in Bahrain.
Qatar Condemns Iranian Attack on Buildings in Bahrain Housing Qatari Amiri Naval Forces Personnel
Doha | March 06, 2026
The State of Qatar condemns, in the strongest terms, the Iranian attack that targeted buildings in various areas of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain housing… pic.twitter.com/9Zd8lihCEi
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) March 6, 2026
The Washington Post has reported that Russia may be providing Iran with information to help with targeting American forces in the Middle East, citing unnamed officials.
Exclusive: Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces in the Middle East, the first indication that another major U.S. adversary is participating — even indirectly — in the war. https://t.co/SfBeKxq7zC
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 6, 2026
The video below is said to show the remains of an Iranian ballistic missile and its transporter-erector-launcher inside a structure following a strike.
A ballistic missile launcher concealed inside a hay storage site was struck today by U.S. and Israeli aircraft.
The boy who filmed the aftermath wrote: “It doesn’t matter where the launchers are, the Americans and Israelis will find them and target them heavily. Kudos to them.” pic.twitter.com/swI0PvEH6a
The videos below are said to show strikes on targets in the Iranian city of Ilam.
The satellite imagery below is said to show the aftermath of Iranian attacks earlier this week on facilities in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
🇦🇪 Satellite images of oil facilities in Fujairah, UAE.
❗️UAE is considering freezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets held in the country and possibly seizing Iranian ships, – WSJ
🇶🇦 Qatar says the ongoing war could force Gulf countries to stop energy exports if it… pic.twitter.com/K5U49eikL0
South Korea’s Chosun newspaper has reported that 1,000 guidance kits for Paveway-series laser-guided bombs were moved from storage at Osan Air Base in December, possibly in support of preparation for Operation Epic Fury. However, the sourcing for the story is unclear, and it says that officials in the country have declined to comment.
The U.S. moved 1,000+ Paveway guided-bomb kits from Osan Air Base to the U.S. in Dec 2025, possibly later used in strikes on Iran.
Seoul says the transfer happened without prior consultation.
South Korean media outlets are also reporting that the Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile system, which is in service in the UAE, has made its combat debut, citing members of the country’s National Assembly and unnamed military officials.
S Korea’s Cheong-Gung air defense system in service since 2015.
It made its combat debut with UAE air defense forces, successfully intercepting several Iranian ballistic missiles on 3 March 2026. pic.twitter.com/OT3Pzj1UVk
— Christopher Wipper (@SGTWipper1Each) March 5, 2026
Pro-Iranian Iraqi militants claim to have launched kamikaze drones aimed at Jordanian military bases.
#USA / #Iraq / #Jordan 🇺🇸🇮🇶🇯🇴: Iraqi group “Rijal Al-Bas Al-Shadid” (Men of Great Strength) carried out attacks on Jordanian military bases.
Group seemingly launched several #Iran-made 🇮🇷 X-Tail “Shahed-101” Kamikaze Drones (OWA-UAVs) towards Jordan. pic.twitter.com/QT2ERJ7IJL
There are reports that ships continue to come under attack in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Maritime traffic through this highly strategic waterway continues to be at a virtual standstill due to the ongoing conflict.
While MOST vessels are waiting out the situation at the Strait of Hormuz, the Cook Islands flagged bitumen tanker PUSHPAK just sailed right through with AIS active. pic.twitter.com/FHiP76R8E9
Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al Kaabi has warned that all Gulf energy producers could halt production “within weeks and drive oil to $150 a barrel” if the ongoing conflict continues unabated in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper. Some oil fields are already cutting back production as available storage capacity in the country fills up as exports slow, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“Qatar expects all Gulf energy producers to shut down exports within weeks and drive oil to $150 a barrel, the country’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday. “Everybody that has not called for force majeure we expect…
The U.S. government is reportedly easing sanctions on Russian oil exports to India amid disruption in global markets as a result of ongoing operations against Iran, the Financial Times has also reported.
The US is temporarily easing sanctions on Russian oil sales to India to address supply shortages and reduce the impact of the surge in prices in the wake of US and Israeli attacks on Iran. The decision to ease sanctions represents a major shift in policy:https://t.co/v5X5lhptE4
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has issued a new alert saying U.S. nationals are “strongly encouraged to depart as soon as they are safely able to do so” and advising them to use overland routes given regional airspace closures. The Embassy has suspended regular consular services.
Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq – March 6, 2026 – Update 1 Location: Iraq Event The U.S. government cares about your safety and will continue to share information you need to make informed decisions about your security. The U.S. government is assessing all options to… pic.twitter.com/MbEhCFSmGj
— U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) March 6, 2026
The Japan Self-Defense Forces will deploy a transport aircraft to the Republic of Maldives in the Indian Ocean as part of an effort to aid Japanese nationals in departing the Middle East.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that, with regard to supporting the departure of Japanese nationals, transportation for those staying in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates will be carried out sequentially starting as early as tomorrow onward. In light of this, the Ministry of Defense is proceeding with preparations for the Self-Defense Forces as a precaution, in preparation for unforeseen circumstances such as the inability to operate civilian charter flights,” Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X, according to a machine translation of the post below. “The one Air Self-Defense Force transport aircraft moving to and positioning in the Republic of Maldives will be operated by pilots, maintenance personnel, and others from the Air Support Command (the Air Self-Defense Force unit that conducts air transport of supplies and air traffic control), with medical officers also on board.”
Sri Lankan authorities have released a video showing Iranian sailors from the frigate IRIS Dena being rescued after it was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine in the Indian Ocean earlier this week.
New video released by the Sri Lankan navy shows Iranian sailors being rescued after a US submarine attack sank their ship in international waters. pic.twitter.com/LnbsLxlMWB
Reuters has reported that U.S. officials are increasingly of the view that American forces were responsible for a strike on a primary school for girls in Mindab, Iran, but that the investigation is ongoing. Iranian officials have said that 150 students died as a result. The school directly abuts an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility in Mindab, which is believed to have been the target of the strike.
The girls’ school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on Saturday during the first day of U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country. Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students. Reuters could not independently confirm the death toll.
At a presser Wed morning, SecDef Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. investigating. “”All I know, all I can say, is that we’re investigating that,” Hegseth said. “We, of course, never target civilian targets.”
The Pentagon has not yet responded to an additional request for comment.
Gardening expert Charlie Dimmock has presented numerous TV shows beyond Ground Force and Garden Rescue and fans rated them highly
17:43, 12 Mar 2026Updated 17:43, 12 Mar 2026
Charlie Dimmock has been a fan favourite for decades(Image: BBC)
Fans of gardening expert Charlie Dimmock could be excused for not exploring much beyond Ground Force and Garden Rescue.
With over 150 episodes of Garden Rescue available to watch and 97 instalments of the ’90s favourite Ground Force, there’s no shortage of content. However, throughout her career, she’s created numerous other gardening programmes that slipped beneath most people’s notice.
One such programme is Charlie’s Garden Army, which aired in 1999 and 2000 across 12 episodes. The series featured Charlie alongside volunteer teams transforming derelate wasteland into beautiful public gardens.
She subsequently secured a presenting position on 2002’s The Joy of Gardening and 2001’s Charlie’s Gardening Neighbours, reports the Express.
In 2005, Charlie featured at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show as a television presenter, and she’s also participated in coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show throughout the years.
Judging purely by IMDb ratings, though, several programmes actually surpass Ground Force in terms of viewer scores.
Ground Force’s typical rating stands at 7.2 stars out of 10 – but it’s eclipsed by Garden Rescue at 7.9 stars, and the Great British Garden Revival with an identical rating.
Charlie inadvertently fell into a television career whilst employed at a garden centre, and during the ’90s, she maintained that she “wasn’t famous” and didn’t perceive herself as a TV personality.
Reflecting on her television work in a 1999 interview with The Guardian, Charlie remarked: “In some ways, the television stuff isn’t unsatisfying, it’s very interesting.
“But the other day, I was at work [at the garden centre], the first time I’d been there properly for three or four weeks, and I thought, ‘God, this is nice!’
“‘You see people you know, regular customers, and there’s no hassle. You fall out of bed, go to work, potter around. It’s all right, really.'”
Garden Rescue is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
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