UNIFIL says it doesn’t know the origin of the projectile that killed the Indonesian peacekeeper amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Published On 30 Mar 202630 Mar 2026
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed one of its peacekeepers was killed in the country’s south as fighting between Israeli troops and the Hezbollah group intensifies amid Israel’s invasion.
“A peacekeeper was tragically killed last night when a projectile exploded in a UNIFIL position near Adchit al Qusayr,” a UNIFIL statement said on Monday. “Another was critically injured.”
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
Indonesia confirmed that one of its peacekeepers was killed and three others were wounded due to “indirect artillery fire”.
The UNIFIL statement said they did not know the origin of the projectile but had launched an investigation. “No one should ever lose their life serving the cause of peace,” it added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called “on all to uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times”.
UNIFIL has reported that its positions have been hit more than once since the start of the latest fighting on March 2.
On March 7, three Ghanaian soldiers were wounded by gunfire in a border town in southern Lebanon.
‘Control is going to be key’
The US-Israel war on Iran spread to Lebanon after Iran-aligned Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war on February 28.
Before that, Hezbollah had not attacked Israel since a ceasefire came into effect in November 2024, despite near-daily Israeli breaches of the deal.
On Monday, the Israeli military said six soldiers were injured in three separate incidents, and three of them were seriously wounded.
Israeli officials say their invasion of southern Lebanon intends to set up a security zone extending 30km (18.6 miles) from the Israeli border.
Reporting from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said the Israeli military has shifted from “limited incursions” to a broad ground offensive in southern Lebanon, aiming to seize territory up to the Litani River.
“Since last week, Israeli troops have advanced into several areas,” she said, noting the movement along the western coastal highway and about 8km [4.97 miles] south of Tyre, one of the main cities in southern Lebanon.
“It’s still too early to say who will have the upper hand … but the word control is going to be key,” she said. “What Hezbollah will try to do is prevent the Israeli army from consolidating control, and that will be Hezbollah’s test.”
Other attacks
Meanwhile, a strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday, the first Israeli attack since Friday. Live footage showed plumes of smoke rising from the area.
The attack comes after the Israeli military warned of attacks on seven southern suburbs of the city, including Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Laylaki, Haddath and Burj al-Barajneh, claiming it was targeting Hezbollah military sites in the areas without providing any evidence.
The Israeli military has carried out aerial and ground attacks across Lebanon while issuing mass forced displacement orders for residents in the south, including several Beirut suburbs.
Smoke rises from Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli attack [File: Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
“Many will say there are no military targets left in this area,” Al Jazeera’s Khodr reported. “This is just about collective punishment and putting pressure on Hezbollah.”
More than 1.2 million people have been forced out of their homes since the beginning of March, according to the UN, prompting concerns about a mounting humanitarian crisis.
Smoke billows above buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a strike that followed Israeli warnings targeting the area. The neighbourhood has been largely emptied after residents were forcibly displaced by repeated Israeli attacks since the war with Hezbollah began on March 2.
Wolff and Mercedes are also looking at buying private investment firm Otro Capital’s 24% shares in Alpine.
Wolff said there is “no connection” with Horner in regards that investment and it would be “quite sad” if that was a consideration.
“I am in two minds about it [Horner returning to F1]. The sport is missing personalities. And his personality was clearly very controversial and that is good for the sport,” Wolff said.
“I said to [Ferrari team principal] Fred Vasseur that it needs the good, the bad, and the ugly. And it is now only the good and the ugly left. The bad is gone.
“Would I consider that he could ever be an ally or someone that shares objectives? I don’t think so.
“But even when I had the biggest frustration, and anger with him, you need to remind yourself that even your worst enemy has a best friend, so there must be some goodness.
“If there wasn’t that competitive rivalry over so many years, and if there was more water down the river, I am sure I could have had hung with him over dinner and a had a laugh.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won four consecutive drivers’ titles from 2021 to 2024, ending Mercedes’ dominance with Lewis Hamilton, who was controversially denied five straight titles.
Horner, who has said he has “unfinished business” in F1, was last year overlooked to take over at Aston Martin.
“Over those years it was just too intense, too fierce, and things happened which even today I cannot comprehend why he has done them,” Wolff said.
“I don’t know if he is finding his way back, and in which function. I certainly don’t wish him bad. And we need to give each other credit. There are not many team principals who have done what he has done.”
Egyptian official says Liverpool star will fade away if he opts for the MLS as San Diego FC owner welcomes compatriot.
Published On 30 Mar 202630 Mar 2026
Egypt’s national team director Ibrahim Hassan has cautioned Mohamed Salah against moving to Major League Soccer (MLS) after he leaves Liverpool at the end of the season, as it would see the forward fade into obscurity.
Salah, 33, has yet to decide his next move after he ends a hugely successful nine-year spell at Liverpool, where he won two Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said he would love to see Salah in the league, though it is unclear whether any league teams will attempt to sign him.
“Personally, I would prefer him to stay in Europe,” Hassan told On Sports. “I have heard about offers from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Bayern Munich and clubs in the Italian league.
“A move to the Major League? He would be far too out of the spotlight. You won’t remember Salah any more than I remember [Lionel] Messi now, I don’t even try to watch him.”
After trophy-laden stints with Barcelona and PSG, Argentina captain Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023, months after lifting the World Cup, and became the club’s all-time top scorer.
Hassan said the Saudi Pro League would be a suitable option if Salah chose not to stay in Europe.
“If he does not receive offers from Europe, then a move to the Saudi league would be a good option, especially with big names such as Cristiano [Ronaldo],” Hassan, twin brother of Egypt coach Hossam Hassan, added.
However, San Diego FC’s billionaire owner Mohamed Mansour believes his Egyptian compatriot would be an “asset” as speculation builds over the Liverpool forward’s next club.
If he does move to the United States, recent MLS expansion club San Diego FC, who reached the playoff semifinals in their debut season last year, have been heavily linked with Salah, not least due to their British-Egyptian owner, Mansour.
“He’s probably one of the great players today. And any team that will get him, or any country that will get him, he will definitely be an asset,” Mansour told the AFP news agency at a summit in Atlanta on Thursday.
Mansour declined to answer whether he is actively trying to recruit Salah or has previously sounded out a move for the striker.
But he added: “Of course, Mo Salah is somebody that, as an Egyptian, my origin, I’m very proud of. He is somebody that reached the world stage as one of the great players.”
“And I think he will, if he does decide … wherever he will go, he will add a lot to that league and to that country and to that team for sure. So he’s somebody I’m very proud of.”
Mansour said the entire Egypt comes to a halt whenever Salah plays and named the forward as his favourite footballer of all time.
While effusive in his praise for Salah, Mansour insisted that footballing recruitment decisions are left to San Diego FC’s sports director and coach.
“I let the people in charge” decide, he said.
Salah is currently sidelined by injury and will miss Egypt’s ongoing training camp as they prepare for the World Cup in North America.
Egypt face Spain in a friendly in Barcelona on Tuesday after a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Friday.
The seven-time African champions are in Group G with Belgium, New Zealand and Iran at the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19.
It was a devastating experience for Abdul Rahman Azzam, 65, to recently cut down the olive trees he had planted decades ago on his land south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, following an Israeli decision to confiscate it for the construction of a road for an illegal Israeli settlement.
The land slated for confiscation last December spans more than 513 dunams (51.3 hectares), 450 of which belong to the village of al-Fandaqumiya alone, with the remainder belonging to neighbouring towns such as Silat ad-Dhahr and al-Attarra.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
As Palestinians commemorate the 50th anniversary of Land Day this year, the challenges of illegal Israeli settlement expansions, land confiscations, and restrictions on access to their land, particularly in Area C, persist.
Meanwhile, Israeli government leaders continue to declare that the annexation plan is a fait accompli.
Land Day commemorates the events of March 30, 1976, when Israeli authorities announced the confiscation of vast tracts of Palestinian land in the Galilee region.
In response, widespread strikes and demonstrations were organised in several towns and villages, which were met with force, resulting in the deaths of six Palestinians and the injury and arrest of hundreds.
Since then, this day has become a national symbol, embodying the connection of the Palestinians to their land and the rejection of its confiscation.
Twice taken
Since childhood, Azzam had worked alongside his father, grandfather, and uncles, planting and ploughing the land with olive trees.
He developed a deep connection to it, which he continued to work on until 2002, when the illegal Israeli settlement of Tarsala and the Sanur military base were established on it, and he and his family were barred from accessing it.
Following the 2005 disengagement plan, the Israeli army withdrew from the camp and the settlement of Tarsala. Azzam and other landowners returned to their land, and their joy was indescribable.
However, after the recent Israeli decision, the Palestinian landowners were denied access to their land, which is now entirely under Israeli military control.
Palestinian land being bulldozed in the occupied West Bank town of Ein Yabrud [Mohammed Turkman/Al Jazeera]
“Suddenly, we found the land number in the official newspaper along with a confiscation order for the construction of a road connecting the settlements of Homesh and Tarsala, to which the settlers had returned after the 2005 withdrawal. We saw the Israeli army had already begun bulldozing the land,” Azzam told Al Jazeera.
To prevent the Israeli army from cutting down his olive trees during the bulldozing, Azzam went to his land and cut them down himself. He wept as he did so. He then noticed that all the other landowners had done the same, fearing for their trees.
“It’s easier for us to cut them down ourselves than for the army or settlers to do it. This is our land, and our trees are like our children; we cherish them and treat them with kindness because we toiled to cultivate and care for them,” he added.
Confiscation in several ways
The Oslo Accords, signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1993, divided the West Bank into three categories: Area A, under full Palestinian control, comprising approximately 18 percent of the West Bank; Area B, under joint Palestinian and Israeli control, comprising 22 percent; and Area C, under full Israeli control, comprising 60 percent.
Since October 2023, Israel has been issuing confiscation orders for Palestinian lands in Area C at an accelerated pace in the West Bank, in preparation for implementing its annexation plan, which Palestinians believe is already being carried out on the ground without a formal declaration.
According to data from the Palestinian Authority’s Commission Against the Wall and Settlements, Israel seized 5,572 dunams of Palestinian land in 2025 through 94 confiscation orders for military purposes, in addition to three expropriation orders and four declarations of state land.
These orders were not isolated or circumstantial, but rather geographically distributed to serve the expansion of settlements, secure their borders, and construct settlement roads that further fragment Palestinian land and sever its natural contiguity, as it said.
Concurrently, Israel allocated 16,733 dunams of previously confiscated land for settler grazing, a move that reveals a dangerous escalation in the tools of control, according to the commission’s annual report.
In another report, the commission stated that between October 2023 and October 2025, Israel confiscated 55,000 dunams of land, including 20,000 dunams under the pretext of modifying the boundaries of nature reserves, and 26,000 dunams through 14 declarations of “state land” in the cities of Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Qalqilya.
A total of 1,756 dunams were confiscated through 108 orders for military purposes, aimed at establishing military towers, security roads, and buffer zones around settlements.
However, it has become increasingly apparent that many land seizures are carried out without official military orders. Soldiers or settlers prevent Palestinian landowners from accessing their land, leaving them surprised to find it seized without any prior notification.
Mohammed Fouad’s land was cleared without warning in the town of Ein Yabrud to make way for a road to an illegal Israeli settlement [Mohammed Turkman/Al Jazeera]
Mohammed Fouad, 56, was surprised on Wednesday to find an Israeli army bulldozer razing his land in the town of Ein Yabrud, east of Ramallah.
He went to the nearest point to the land and watched as the bulldozer removed trees, seemingly clearing a road for settlers.
“My land is 15 dunams … and is only 1km from the Beit El settlement, which is built on land north of Ramallah. I fear this bulldozing is a prelude to its annexation to the settlement, especially since it’s classified as Area C,” Fouad told Al Jazeera.
He was not notified of any decision regarding the confiscation of his land. A farmer who was nearby informed him of it. When he tried to inquire with the armed men accompanying the bulldozer, they told him they were from the Israeli army and intelligence services and expelled him from his land.
“I’ve always cared for this land, and now I’m watching it being bulldozed right before my eyes, unable to reach it. It’s as if they’re forcing me to leave. But I’ll try to reach it every day,” Fouad said bitterly.
Land confiscation procedures have been facilitated by several Israeli policies over the past two years to complete the annexation plan.
Raed Muqadi, a researcher at the Land Research Centre, told Al Jazeera that settlers have resorted to fencing off Palestinian lands to seize them, especially in the Jordan Valley.
This has affected thousands of dunams in the occupied West Bank that were used as pastures or agricultural land. Because of the fencing, Palestinians are prevented from entering or using it.
“The Israeli Knesset also recently approved what is called lifting the ban on data concerning landowners in the West Bank, which makes it easier for settlers to seize land and allows them to purchase it, even in Area A, with the help of settlement associations,” he explained.
Actual expulsion
The tragedy is not limited to land confiscation and seizure in the West Bank, but extends to the expulsion of entire Palestinian communities from their homes under the weight of attacks.
Qusay Abu Naim, 23, a resident of the Bedouin community of al-Khalail in the village of al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, told us that he and all other residents were forced to leave in February due to the intensity of settler attacks on the residents, some of whom were injured.
On February 21, Israeli settlers attacked the community intermittently, assaulting men, women, and children, resulting in injuries to an entire family of four, including two children. The Israeli army then joined the attack after the settlers filed a complaint that the Palestinians had resisted them. The soldiers opened fire, wounding the children, aged 12 and 13, further.
“This incident was the last straw. We decided to leave because the attacks were almost constant. When we returned from the hospital to dismantle our homes, we were shocked to find that the settlers had destroyed them and vandalised their contents,” Abu Naim explained.
The attacks against this community began in December 2024, intending to seize the lands of al-Mughayyir. The settlers deliberately targeted women, beating them and stealing sheep to force the residents to leave.
“Because of the numerous attacks, we sought help from international solidarity activists, but that didn’t stop the settlers. The activists were attacked several times in 2024 and 2025. Among the attacks, settlers broke my brother’s arm so severely that he needed a metal plate to repair the fracture. While he was receiving treatment, the Israeli army arrested him, even though he was the victim. He is currently being held in administrative detention without charge,” Abu Naim added.
In addition to the attacks, the homes of this community were repeatedly robbed by armed settlers. They would break into the houses and steal food from refrigerators, terrorising women and children.
The residents of the community were forced to leave for neighbouring villages, including Deir Jarir and areas within al-Mughayyir itself, but they still remember the years when they lived there in their communities, amid a beautiful Bedouin life, the images of which remain with them to this day, and they lament leaving it.
“Of course, it is now forbidden for any Palestinian to access the al-Khalail community area, which is under the control of settlers and the Israeli army. We left it, but the land will return to its original owners,” he concluded.
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 4,765 Palestinians were displaced from 97 locations between January 2023 and mid-February 2026 due to settler violence.
Most of those displaced were from Bedouin and herding communities in Area C. At the beginning of this year alone, 600 people were forced to leave a single Bedouin village, Ras Ein al-Auja, in the Jordan Valley.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the number of Palestinian Bedouins in the West Bank is approximately 40,000. Most Bedouins are originally from the Naqab Desert, from which they were forcibly displaced or fled during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, following further displacement after 1967, and then throughout the 1980s, they have continued to face waves of expulsion to this day.
Pakistan Super League has been jolted by the ball-tampering accusation against Zaman, which allegedly occurred on Sunday.
Published On 30 Mar 202630 Mar 2026
Lahore Qalandars batter Fakhar Zaman has been charged with ball-tampering in Sunday’s Pakistan Super League (PSL) match against Karachi Kings, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.
The incident occurred in the final over, with Karachi needing 14 runs to win. Fakhar, Lahore captain Shaheen Afridi, and fast bowler Haris Rauf were involved in a brief discussion, during which Fakhar and Rauf passed the ball between them.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The umpire then approached Rauf and asked to see the ball. Following consultations with the square-leg umpire, the officials awarded five penalty runs to Karachi and ordered the ball to be changed.
The penalty proved costly, as Karachi went on to chase down a target of 129 with three balls to spare, and Abbas Afridi hitting a four and a six to seal a four-wicket victory.
“Fakhar denied the charge levelled against him during a disciplinary hearing led by the match referee Roshan Mahanama,” the PCB said.
“Another hearing is set to take place within the next 48 hours after which the match referee will share his verdict.”
Afridi said they would look at video footage of the incident.
“I don’t know about this, and we’ll see if it’s there in the camera and discuss it,” he said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Fakhar, 35, could face a ban of one or two matches if found guilty of ball tampering for a first offence in the PSL.
Australian trio David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were handed lengthy bans by Cricket Australia following a 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Zaman plays a shot for his Lahore Qalandars side during a Pakistan Super League T20 match against Hyderabad Kingsmen at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 26, 2026 [Arif Ali/AFP]
Veron Mosengo-Omba’s resignation follows the fallout over the CAF board’s decision to strip Senegal of the AFCON title, Africa’s showpiece football tournament.
Published On 30 Mar 202630 Mar 2026
The Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s general secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba, resigned on Sunday after repeated calls for his removal and at a turbulent time for the game on the continent.
Mosengo-Omba said he was retiring, but his departure comes amid a crisis of confidence in the organisation’s leadership, with a growing fallout over the decision to strip Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and calls for an investigation into alleged corruption at African football’s governing body.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
There has been a swell of recent criticism of his staying on as general secretary well past the organisation’s mandatory retirement age of 63, largely on social media but also from members of CAF’s executive committee.
“After over 30 years of an international professional career dedicated to promoting an ideal form of football that brings people together, educates, and creates opportunities for hope, I have decided to step down from my position as Secretary General of CAF to devote myself to more personal projects,” Mosengo-Omba said in a statement.
“Now that I have been able to dispel the suspicions that some people have gone to great lengths to cast on me, I can retire with peace of mind and without constraint, leaving the CAF more prosperous than ever.
“I sincerely thank the CAF’s President Dr. Patrice Motsepe, my teams, and all those who, directly or indirectly, have enabled CAF and organised African football to make real and remarkable progress. Let us hope that the progress made will last and be sustained,” he concluded.
Senegal won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in January but were later stripped of the crown by the Confederation of African Football board [File: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]
Accused of creating toxic atmosphere
Mosengo-Omba has been a divisive figure at CAF, accused by some employees of creating a toxic atmosphere at the workplace, although an investigation conducted after the staff complaints cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The 66-year-old is of Congolese origin, but he is a Swiss citizen and former FIFA employee who was a university friend of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Although he said he was retiring, Mosengo-Omba is expected to run for the post of president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s football federation in elections in the coming months, sources told the Reuters news agency.
If successful, that would thrust him into contention for CAF’s top job should Motsepe resign to enter politics in his native South Africa, where he is being touted as a possible successor to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Motsepe has, however, denied this.
Earlier this month, Motsepe admitted that CAF was struggling with questions over its integrity and, in the wake of the Cup of Nations final controversy, Senegal’s government has called for an international investigation into the running of the organisation.
Stripping Senegal of the Cup of Nations title was a decision made by CAF’s Appeals Board, but as a result, there has been a heavy toll on the image of the African game.
CAF said later on Sunday that its competitions director, Samson Adamu, would take over as acting general secretary.
The Italian wins his fifth straight Grand Prix to take control of the world championship standings after three rounds.
Published On 30 Mar 202630 Mar 2026
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi extended his perfect start to the year by winning the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday for his third consecutive win of the year and fifth straight dating back to last season.
Bezzecchi led all 20 laps at the Circuit of the Americas, where he crossed the line 2.036 seconds ahead of teammate Jorge Martin. Pedro Acosta, who finished third in Saturday’s sprint before a penalty dropped him to eighth, rounded out the podium.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Bezzecchi, racing a day after he failed to finish a sprint for the second time this season after a crash, also reclaimed the lead in the MotoGP standings with 81 points, four points clear of Martin, who won Saturday’s sprint race.
With the win, Bezzecchi became the third Italian rider to win five in a row after Hall of Famers Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini. He is also the first rider to win the first three grands prix of the season since Marc Marquez in 2014.
“This is amazing. I mean, I wasn’t expecting a day like this after yesterday, because it wasn’t easy, and I made a mistake, and it was important to bounce back,” said Bezzecchi.
“Luckily, my team, my squad, was very close to me, and they gave me the motivation to try to bounce back.
“But anyway, I wasn’t expecting a race like this, and I’m so happy – I really can’t describe my emotion right now. Very, very happy and proud.”
Polesitter Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 Racing finished fourth, while defending Austin champion Francesco Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo Team was 10th.
Bezzecchi took the lead after an opening lap clash with Pedro Acosta, right, in Sunday’s USA MotoGP [Jerome Miron/Imagn Images via Reuters]
The UN’s nuclear watchdog says Iran’s Khondab heavy water production plant is no longer operational after suffering severe damage in an Israeli strike on March 27. The reactor, which contains no declared nuclear material, was hit along with other key infrastructure sites.
A post-doctoral fellow in Tehran has told Al Jazeera there was no warning before US-Israeli strikes hit the Iran University of Science and Technology on March 28. Helyeh Doutaghi says the attack reflects a wider pattern and raises questions about what defines ‘legitimate retaliation’.
Crude prices continue to climb as world faces its biggest energy crisis in decades.
Published On 30 Mar 202630 Mar 2026
Oil prices have surged to their highest level in nearly two weeks amid escalation on multiple fronts of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose more than 3 percent on Monday morning to top $116 a barrel.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
The latest climb took the global benchmark to its highest point since March 19, when it briefly touched $119 a barrel.
The surge came after Iran said it was prepared for a US ground invasion, with the speaker of the country’s parliament warning that Tehran was waiting for the arrival of US troops to “set them on fire” and “punish” their regional allies.
Tehran’s warning came as the conflict deepened over the weekend, with the Iranian-backed Houthis launching missiles at Israel for the first time in the war, and Israel expanding its invasion of southern Lebanon.
Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the US-Israel war has disrupted about one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) supplies, plunging the world into its biggest energy crisis in decades.
Oil prices have risen nearly 60 percent since the start of the war, driving up fuel prices worldwide and forcing numerous countries to adopt emergency measures to conserve energy.
Analysts have warned that oil prices are likely to keep rising unless maritime traffic returns to normal levels in the strait.
Greg Newman, the CEO the Onyx Capital Group, which began as an oil derivatives trading house, said that energy markets were only beginning to feel the fallout of the turmoil.
“Physical oil moves around the world in loading cycles , and Europe has taken around three weeks to really start feeling the effects of the oil shortage,” Newman told Al Jazeera.
“Brent is starting to reflect the reality, and we think it’s a steady rise from here towards $120 and beyond.”
Newman said the scale of the disruption had yet to be fully appreciated.
No one in the market has ever seen the outages we are now suffering from – physical premiums are the highest ever. There is still a sense that the macro world is not taking this seriously enough, but it is worse than anything that has come before it,” he said.
“The reality will come out in the economic numbers over the coming months.”
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.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
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.
Abas Aslani, senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, says a premature ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran could spark another round of fighting, pointing to a lack of trust in talks as the US ramps up troop deployments despite calls for de-escalation.
Christians in Jerusalem and Gaza marked Holy Week under wartime restrictions, with Israeli police blocking the Latin Patriarch from the Holy Sepulchre for the first time in centuries. In Gaza, a small Christian community continued Palm Sunday rites despite ongoing attacks and severe shortages of basic essentials.
IRGC spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari dismisses threats of US ground operations. He says the US president ‘only understands force’ as the Pentagon prepares plans that could involve thousands of troops on the ground in Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
We are getting ever-better views of new stealthy external fuel tanks and underwing infrared sensor pods for the F-22 Raptor. We also now have our best look to date at the U.S. Air Force’s new AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear-armed cruise missile, spotted under the wing of a B-52H bomber. Both of these developments reflect a larger surge in Air Force flight testing activities as of late, including the sighting of a B-21 doing air-to-air related flight testing for the first time earlier this month. All of this comes as the service pushes ahead with plans to field a host of next-generation capabilities in the coming years.
This past weekend, aviation photographer Jarod Hamilton shared new pictures of the F-22 with the stealthy underwing fuel tanks and sensor pods, as well as the B-52 carrying the LRSOs, taken as they flew over the Mojave Desert. This is an area where flight testing out of Edwards Air Force Base in California commonly occurs.
A B-52H seen carrying a pair of LRSOs, or relevant test articles, under its wing. Jarod Hamilton
The aircraft were seen at separate times linking up with a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker. Hamilton even managed to grab a picture of all three aircraft flying together.
Critical F-22 upgrades
When it comes to the new underwing stores for the F-22, these are capabilities that have been in development for years now. However, the Air Force and prime contractor Lockheed Martin have only recently begun to talk about them openly. The tanks and pods are part of a larger upgrade plan for the Air Force’s F-22 fleet, which Lockheed is also now referring to as “Raptor 2.0.” The complete package also includes a new Infrared Defensive System (IRDS) integrated into the aircraft itself, as well as enhanced radar, electronic warfare, and other capabilities that you can read more about here.
Another picture of the F-22 with the new stealthy external fuel tanks and infrared sensor pod. Jarod Hamilton
The new external fuel tanks and infrared sensor pods are particularly important. As TWZ previously wrote, after a scale model of an F-22 in the Raptor 2.0 configuration was shown at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual Warfare Symposium earlier this year:
Most obvious on the model are the new stealthy fuel tanks, a critical addition to ensure that the F-22 is able to better cover the vast distances that would be involved in a potential future conflict in the Indo-Pacific. In the past, the Raptor’s notoriously short range has been mitigated by using non-stealthy 600-gallon tanks, but these are not a realistic option when faced by more capable hostile air defenses. They are, however, a regular fit for the Raptors that sit alert in Alaska, which need the wing tanks for their intercept missions that can cover vast distances over long periods.
“So the way that I would describe it is, they are low-drag tanks. So the way you could interpret that is, they wouldn’t necessarily be required to punch [be jettisoned] to be in a combat scenario,” Katie Ciccarino, Vice President of the F-22 Program at Lockheed Martin, also told TWZ directly when asked about this specific detail in an interview on the sidelines of the 2026 Warfare Symposium. “They are [jettisonable] if you needed to be in a scenario where you had to, but the idea would be that you don’t have to, and you can perform any of the same maneuvers that you would on a clean wing with these tanks.”
Furthermore, as we also wrote previously:
While they are also stealthy, adding the IRST pods will nevertheless also have radar signature implications for the F-22. However, the tradeoff is considered acceptable, further evidence of just how critical this feature has become in air combat. In particular, an IRST sensor is useful for detecting stealthy targets, something that is also becoming increasingly relevant in the Pacific region. There is also the option of IRST-equipped Raptors sharing their sensor data with ‘clean’ F-22s, enhancing their situational awareness. You can read more about what the IRST brings to the F-22’s overall capabilities here. At this stage, we don’t know what specific sensor is used in the pods; Lockheed Martin refers to this store as the Advanced Sensor Pod.
The F-22 with the new external stores seen linking up with the KC-135 tanker. Jarod Hamilton
As of 2024, the Air Force hoped to begin deliveries of the stealthy external fuel tanks to F-22 squadrons this month. However, in its annual budget request last year, the service said it was “closing out technical discrepancies under EMD [engineering and manufacturing development phase] contract to integrate [a] fix prior to RAA [required asset available] delivery,” but did not elaborate. At that time, the Air Force said it expected to begin operational testing of the tanks in the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2025, which ended on September 30 of last year.
The most recent Air Force budget documents also said that “qualification testing” of the infrared sensor pods was set to run through the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2026, which ends on June 30 of this year.
When either the external fuel tanks or the infrared sensor pods are currently set to enter operational service is unclear.
A new stand-off addition to America’s nuclear arsenal
Flight testing of the AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) cruise missile has also been going on for years, but only limited details about the design have emerged so far. The Air Force only released the first official rendering of the weapon, which is set to replace the existing AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), last June. Four months later, a B-52 was spotted carrying two prototypes or test articles under its wing for the first time. One of them was painted a solid dark gray, while the other also had light gray, black, and orange markings painted on the side. The new pictures from Jarod Hamilton show the same mix of prototypes/test articles, but it is unclear if they are the exact same ones seen during the flight test last year.
Another view of the B-52H with the LRSO prototypes or test articles. Jarod Hamilton
Most notably from this first unclassified render, the LRSO features an inverted tail very similar to the conventionally-armed AGM-158 JASSM stealthy air-launched cruise missile. The AGM-129 featured a similar arrangement, although with a differently shaped vertical tail. The missile looks like it has a trapezoidal fuselage cross-section design with a wedge-like nose. The wing design is also similar to JASSM. We see no air inlet in the concept rendering, which could be for security reasons, considering the inlet design is often a closely guarded feature on stealthy flying machines, or it could be located on the top of the missile. We also can’t say with any certainty how accurate this official rendering is of the actual design, but it is a given that some features will be omitted or even misleading for an initial public release.
The pictures we now have show that the rendering was relatively faithful to the real-world design. We also have a good look now at how the missile’s pop-out main wings look in their stowed configuration before release, as can be seen in the close-up below.
Jarod Hamilton
It is also known that the AGM-181 will carry a W80-4 thermonuclear warhead. These warheads are being created through what is described as a Life Extension Program (LEP) that involves the refurbishment and modernization of older W80-1s. Existing AGM-86Bs are armed with W80-1s, which are so-called dial-a-yield types that reportedly have two settings, either five kilotons or 150 kilotons.
Otherwise, “the W80-4 LEP will… enhance safety, security, and reliability,” the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a press release back in 2023. “Key design requirements of the W80-4 include use of the existing insensitive high explosive design, incorporation of modern components and safety features, extensive use of non-nuclear component technology developed for other LEPs, and parallel engineering with the USAF on the warhead-missile interface.”
The B-52 carrying the LRSOs seen linking up with the KC-135 tanker. Jarod Hamilton
The Air Force said previously that it hoped that the AGM-181 would reach initial operational capability in 2030. However, since 2024, the projected timeline for the missile entering service has been categorized as “controlled unclassified information” and withheld from public release. The service has also said that it is looking to start low-rate production of the missiles in Fiscal Year 2027, ahead of a full-rate production decision in Fiscal Year 2029. Currently, the planned launch platforms for the AGM-181 are the B-52H and B-21 Raider bombers.
As noted, the new F-22 and B-52 test flight pictures underscore a larger uptick in such activities as the Air Force moves ahead with several advanced aircraft and other capability development efforts. The service, as a whole, is expecting to receive a host of next-generation platforms and munitions, as well as other systems, in the next 15 to 20 years. This notably includes the B-21, the F-47 sixth-generation fighter, and multiple types of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. The developments are also being accompanied by new tactics, techniques, and procedures.
We can expect to see more of the F-22 in its “Raptor 2.0” configuration and of the AGM-181, among other things, as flight testing of various new capabilities expands.
Special thanks to Jarod Hamilton for sharing these pictures with us.
As Christians gathered in churches across Lebanon on Palm Sunday to commemorate Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah cast a sombre shadow over the celebrations.
A Maronite Catholic church near Dahiyeh in Beirut’s southern suburbs was filled to capacity, despite its proximity to the once-bustling district – now largely deserted following Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing air strikes. In the coastal city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, nearly cut off from the rest of the country by Israeli bombings that destroyed nearby bridges, church bells tolled, and choral music filled the air.
Worshippers prayed earnestly for peace, even as Lebanon’s history of sectarian tensions, rooted in the 1975–1990 civil war between Christians and Muslims, remained a poignant backdrop. Today, congregants underscore that all Lebanese people are enduring the consequences of the intensifying Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
“There’s no bombing here right now, but no one is safe from this—not the Christians, not anyone,” said Mahia Jamus, a 20-year-old university student in Beirut. “No one is spared from its effects.”
In Tyre, where many residents have stayed despite Israeli evacuation orders, Christians sought solace in preserving their sacred traditions amid the devastation surrounding them.
“Amid the wars, the tragedies, and the destruction happening around us, we remain on our land,” said Roseth Katra, 41, speaking from the centuries-old stone church in Tyre. “Today is Palm Sunday, and we are celebrating.”
According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, at least 1,238 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded in Israeli attacks since March 2 amid the rapidly widening regional conflict now entering a second month.
Israeli troops have launched a ground invasion, advancing towards the Litani River. Hezbollah has claimed dozens of operations against Israeli forces in the past 24 hours.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
President Donald Trump claims that Washington and Tehran have had “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.” On the back of this development, the U.S. leader said today that he would order a five-day pause in all U.S. airstrikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure. Iran has denied any knowledge of these talks, however. Over the weekend, the Trump administration had also given 48 hours for Tehran to lift its blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, or to face the consequences.
Speaking to reporters today, Trump reaffirmed his claim that discussions were taking place with Iran about ending the war and that there were “major points of agreement” between the two parties. He said he expects a deal to be agreed on very soon, adding “I didn’t call, they called — and they wanted to make a deal.”
Trump on Iran:
We have major points of agreement and we both want to make a deal.
On Saturday, Trump had threatened to bomb Iran’s power plants after 48 hours unless Iran agreed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic oil shipping route that Iran has effectively blocked.
As of today, however, Trump says he has instructed the Pentagon to postpone all airstrikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, which he said reflected the progress made on a possible deal.
BREAKING: Trump:
I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. pic.twitter.com/HmCFLFYSa1
LONDON, March 23 – Oil prices fell by over 13% on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would order the military to postpone any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump added that his latest instruction to the Pentagon is subject to the “success” of ongoing “meetings and discussions.”
“We’re doing a five-day period, and we’ll see how that goes. If it goes well, we’re going to end up with settling this,” Trump told reporters, referring to earlier comments about the bombing pause. “Otherwise, we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out.”
A U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber takes off on a sortie from RAF Fairford, England, on March 14, 2026. Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images Christopher Furlong
Trump has said that the latest talks took place on Sunday and involved his Middle East envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Trump claims they were talking to a “respected” Iranian leader, but that it was not the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
The status of Mojtaba Khamenei remains unclear, after U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth last week said that the new supreme leader was wounded and “likely disfigured,” presumably as the result of an airstrike.
Trump says he has not heard from Iran’s Supreme Leader, but does not want him killed.
For its part, Tehran has denied that it has conducted talks with Washington and instead has said that the U.S. president’s comments show that he has “backed down.”
Iran’s Fars News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), quoted a source as saying there has been “no direct or indirect” contact between Iran and Trump.
March 23 (Reuters) – Iran’s Fars news agency, citing a source, said there are no direct or indirect communications with the United States, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement about “productive” talks with Tehran.
Iran continues to warn that it will “irreversibly destroy” essential infrastructure across the Middle East, a message that it began to push in response to U.S. threats to hit Iranian power plants. Iran said it would hit power plants in all areas that supply electricity to American bases, “as well as the economic, industrial, and energy infrastructures in which Americans have shares.”
An IRGC-affiliated news outlet recently listed 29 ‘tech targets’ Iran plans to strike across the Middle East. How should the U.S. help these countries & protect their own data assets?
More from CSIS’s Intelligence, National Security, & Technology Program: https://t.co/lt1dMG1CVu
The U.S. president also said that “we’re gonna get” the “nuclear dust,” referring to the enriched uranium in Iran. Asked how, he said, “We’re going down, and we’re going to take it ourselves.”
Trump has said that ending Iran’s nuclear program is critical for any deal and has now claimed that Iran has agreed to that.
“We are very willing to make a deal. It’s got to be a good deal, and it’s got to be no more wars, no more nuclear weapons. They’re not going to have nuclear weapons anymore. They’re agreeing to that. Any of that stuff, there is no deal,” Trump said when asked about the Iranian nuclear program.
It should be recalled that Iran has always insisted it was not going to pursue the development of nuclear weapons, and that its uranium-enrichment efforts were entirely peaceful.
Iran’s foreign ministry hit back at Trump’s statements, saying they were “part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans,” which could still involve a possible occupation or blockading of Iran’s strategically crucial Kharg Island — a prospect that we have discussed in detail in the past.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says that they are not talking with the US.
“[Trump’s] statements are part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans.”
“Yes, there are initiatives from regional countries to reduce tensions, and our response to all of them is clear: We are not the party that started this war, and all these requests should be referred to Washington,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying.
UPDATES:
We have ended today’s rolling coverage.
3:50PM EST—
Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened the United States and Israel with secretive new super-weapons, the details of which are notably thin.
The latest such threat comes from Major General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, who heads up the unified combatant command headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces. “The use of a new, secret weapon will begin soon, and it will bring an end to the enemy’s operations,” he claimed.
Iranian Major General Abdollahi:
“The use of a new, secret weapon will begin soon and it will bring an end to the enemy’s operations.” pic.twitter.com/GCX8PK0r7p
The U.K. Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon has arrived on station in the eastern Mediterranean. The U.K. government faced criticism for the slow pace of response, three weeks after an Iranian-made drone hit the British base of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said that the destroyer will begin “operational integration into Cyprus’s defense” starting on Monday night.
3:45PM EST—
Abigail Hauslohner, Washington-based correspondent for the U.K. Financial Times, reports that Trump today claimed the idea of launching a war against Iran came from the U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up, and you said: ‘Let’s do it because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon’,” Trump is quoted as saying.
Trump suggests it was actually @secwar Pete Hegseth’s idea to launch the war against Iran. “Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up, and you said: ‘Let’s do it because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon'” – Trump just now in TN
There are signs, too, that Hegseth may be lined up as a negotiating partner with Iran. Abas Aslani, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies (CMESS), reports that Washington has suggested that Vance take part in talks with Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Iran has not yet responded to the idea, which apparently derives from Iranian distrust of Steve Witkoff.
3:35PM EST—
Barak Ravid, global affairs reporter with Axios, writes that U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke today with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, updating him on plans for negotiations between the United States and Iran. Ravid cites an unnamed source who says that Vance and Netanyahu discussed the components of a possible agreement to end the war with Iran. Such a development would seem to suggest that Trump’s talk of an imminent deal with Iran may be premature.
🚨סגן נשיא ארה״ב ג׳יי-די ואנס שוחח בטלפון היום עם ראש הממשלה נתניהו ודן עמו בנסיון לפתוח במו״מ בין ארה״ב לבין איראן, כך לפי מקור שמעורה בפרטים. המקור ציין כי ואנס ונתניהו דנו על המרכיבים של הסכם אפשרי לסיום המלחמה עם איראן https://t.co/ObparWASYR
A video circulating on social media this evening shows apparent Israeli airstrikes targeting what is reported to be an Iranian missile complex in Isfahan. Iran’s largest missile production and assembly facility is in Isfahan, and the plant has manufactured solid and liquid rocket fuels as well as various missile components. Also located close to Isfahan city is the Isfahan Nuclear Research Center, formerly known as the Uranium Conversion Facility.
Open-source intelligence sources have collated more information pointing to the ongoing deployment of U.S. forces from the Continental United States. Based on this, at least 35 C-17 transport flights to the Middle East have been identified since March 12, with 11 more flights on the way. Among the origins of these flights are key CONUS military installations, including Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Fort Bragg is notably the home of the 82nd Airborne Division. Reported destinations of these flights include airbases in Israel and Jordan.
A significant movement is underway from US Army, Navy and Air Force bases in CONUS to the Middle East comprised of at least 35 C-17 flights since March 12th, with 11 more flights on the way.
Origins: 12-Hunter Army Air Field/Fort Stewart, GA 8-Unknown 7-JB Lewis-McChord, WA… pic.twitter.com/iqU9Wq3K3G
Additional details about the talks with Iran, as reported by Barak Ravid, global affairs reporter with Axios:
Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan are the countries that conveyed messages between the US and Iran in the last two days
Senior officials from the three countries held separate talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
“The mediation continues and is progressing. The discussion is about ending the war and resolving all remaining open issues. We hope to receive answers soon,” the source said
🚨טורקיה, מצרים ופקיסטן הן המדינות שהעבירו מסרים בין ארה״ב לאיראן ביומיים האחרונים 🚨בכירים משלוש המדינות קיימו שיחות נפרדות עם שליח הבית הלבן סטיב וויטקוף ועם שר החוץ האיראני עבאס עראקג׳י 🚨“התיווך נמשך ומתקדם. הדיון הוא על סיום המלחמה ופתרון כל הסוגיות שנותרו פתוחות. אנחנו… https://t.co/8HytxRWHYx
This is in line with other reporting, including from the British Financial Times, that suggests that Pakistan is taking an increasingly important role in brokering talks between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian police say they have arrested 68 people for filming areas hit by airstrikes. It also says 67 were basically anti-regime individuals. Regardless, arrests for doing similar activities are also happening in allied Arab countries.
Iranian police said 68 people were arrested for allegedly filming locations hit by Israeli and US missiles and sending the images to what authorities called hostile media.
Police said 67 of those detained were “operational elements” linked to monarchists and one was accused of… pic.twitter.com/XeHPPegzMI
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 23, 2026
If the war explodes into a focus on targeting basic infrastructure, desalination plants would be among the most troubling targets, as they provide clean water to populations and industry.
MAP: Desalination plants are the lifeline of the Gulf. From Saudi Arabia’s massive Ras Al Khair (~1M m³/day) to the UAE’s Taweelah RO, this map shows the critical infrastructure securing water for the region’s cities and industries. pic.twitter.com/FskrFhn9en
Prime Minister of the U.K. Keir Starmer says it is totally unclear if Diego Garcia was targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles, which has been the prevailing narrative of the strange long-range missile attack by Iran.
UK’s Keir Starmer:
There were no missiles that hit the Chagos Islands (Diego Garcia).
B-52s are now launching from the United Kingdom with full loads of GBU-31 JDAMs equipped with BLU-109 bunker buster warheads. This indicates that the bombers are now making direct attacks on targets in Iran, although these would still be in the lowest threat areas, and especially not deep into the eastern part of the country. Up until now, B-52s, which are the most vulnerable type within the U.S. bomber force, have been burning through stealthy AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles for standoff strikes in Iran, as air supremacy has not been in place across the country, which you can read all about in our past report here.
בי 52 ממריא מפיירפורד אתמול רק חימושי סטנד אין האמריקנים מרביצים לאיראנים עם הצד המעליב של היד pic.twitter.com/j1VLJgNS6n
Some tankers are trickling through the Strait of Hormuz:
An oil supertanker hauling two-million barrels of Iraq’s crude got through the Strait of Hormuz, the first vessel observed moving Baghdad’s barrels through the the vital waterway https://t.co/ZoSlo8X96c
Iran’s missile technology continues to be quite impressive, with more advanced types still being fired at Israel and eluding air defenses. We have seen multiple occasions where Iranian maneuverable reentry vehicles (MaRVs) have been able to pierce interceptor barrages during the terminal stage.
“The attacks on QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan complex involved sophisticated missiles that were manoeuvrable and able to evade US-made Patriot air-defence systems, according to an official briefed on the attack.”
The U.S. and Israel continue to strike at Iran’s ability to quickly restart production of standoff weaponry.
The damage done to energy production infrastructure in the Middle East is becoming more clear. AFP states at least 40 energy assets have been destroyed or badly damaged in nine countries. The long-term economic fallout from Iran’s strikes on these targets remains unclear, but economists are warning that the damage done, as well as the Strait remaining closed for a prolonged period, could spark a global recession.
BREAKING The head of the International Energy Agency says at least 40 energy assets have been “severely or very severely damaged across nine countries” in the Middle East due to the war in the region pic.twitter.com/VbUpTUE5Xm
BREAKING The war in the Middle East could see the world face its worst energy crisis in decades, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warns, describing the situation as “very severe” pic.twitter.com/CxLA1PmF5W
Iran has released a new video showing its underground ‘missile cities,’ this time showcasing air defense weapons still stored there. Clearly, this is intended to convey that air supremacy is not achieved and won’t be achieved, although many of these facilities have had their entrances collapsed by strikes, trapping everything inside from being used.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has released new footage showing an underground facility housing intact meduim-to-long range air‑defense systems, including the Iranian‑built Khordad‑15 surface‑to‑air missile (SAM) system alongside stockpiles of interceptor canisters. pic.twitter.com/uhjwzPtsU6
South Korea’s military is active in the UAE and has supplied air defense assets to help counter the Iranian barrages, according to The Diplomat.
South Korea maintains special forces on UAE soil, has supplied air defense systems that are actively engaged in combat, and has conducted emergency resupply operations under fire. Seoul has thus accumulated a stake in the Iran War – whether it wanted to or not.… pic.twitter.com/xsNj5v2ueZ
NATO Secretary Rutte says 22 nations are working together to reopen the Strait. Currently, this appears to be a diplomatic endeavor not a military one.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that 22 countries, including NATO members along with allies such as South Korea and Japan, are coordinating efforts to reopen navigation through the Strait of Hormuz pic.twitter.com/eRi0IBjMxg
Data centers continue to be new high-profile targets in the age of AI and cloud computing.
An IRGC-affiliated news outlet recently listed 29 ‘tech targets’ Iran plans to strike across the Middle East. How should the U.S. help these countries & protect their own data assets?
More from CSIS’s Intelligence, National Security, & Technology Program: https://t.co/lt1dMG1CVu
In a further effort to put pressure on the United States, Iran’s defense council today threatened to lay sea mines to block the entire Gulf if Iran’s coasts or islands are attacked.
The fact that two U.S. Navy Independence class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) configured for minesweeping duties — representing a substantial portion of the Navy’s mine countermeasures capacity for the Middle East region — were last reported thousands of miles away in a completely different part of the world is something TWZ has already reported on.
Oman, which has emerged as a key player in terms of its efforts to mediate between Tehran and Washington, is also seeking a way to reopen the strait.
The Omanis are “working intensively” to “put in place safe passage arrangements” for the strait, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi wrote on X.
“Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making. This is already causing widespread economic problems, and I fear they promise to get much worse if the war continues,” Albusaidi added.
Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making. This is already causing widespread economic problems and I fear they promise to get much worse if the war continues. Oman is working intensively to put in place safe passage arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz.
— Badr Albusaidi – بدر البوسعيدي (@badralbusaidi) March 23, 2026
The U.S. military’s recent use of the new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) short-range ballistic missiles against Iran was the longest field artillery strike launched by the U.S. Army in its history. This is the claim of Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), in his latest update on Operation Epic Fury.
The PrSM strike, on March 19, “took out Iranian military infrastructure, demonstrating the U.S. military’s unmatched reach and lethality,” Cooper said. The CENTCOM chief said that Iran “has lost significant combat capability,” with U.S. forces having destroyed “thousands” of Iranian missiles, advanced attack drones, and “all of Iran’s Navy.”
Cooper also said that the U.S. military has struck a total of 130 Iranian vessels, which constitutes “the largest elimination of a navy over a three-week period since World War II,” Cooper said.
“Their navy is not sailing, their tactical fighters are not flying, and they’ve lost the ability to launch missiles and drones at the high rates seen at the beginning of the conflict,” Cooper added. He also claimed that the U.S. military has been able to “maintain air superiority over Iran’s skies” in the course of over 8,000 combat flights. The reality of the air picture over Iran is somewhat different, as we have discussed in the past, and the continued risk to U.S. and Israeli aircraft appears to have been underscored by the emergency landing of a U.S. Air Force F-35A fighter after a mission over Iran last week.
The F-35 in question was apparently hit by ground fire, and, while the incident is still under investigation, the U.S. military has confirmed that the pilot suffered shrapnel wounds.
Iran’s IRGC posted a video on March 19 purporting to show an F-35 being targeted and struck by an Iranian air defense system. The authenticity of the video has not been confirmed.
Still yet to hear any official denial that this F-35 video is exactly what it purports to be, and the disclosure that the pilot suffered shrapnel wounds only seems to back this up. That the pilot was wounded shows the blast was closer than many have said, and again speaks volumes… https://t.co/8T7tC93zFq
There are signs that the storied 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army could be headed to the Middle East. Based on the movement of cargo flights between Fort Bragg in North Carolina and the Middle East, the Pentagon could be moving elements of the elite paratrooper unit into the region.
There had been earlier signs that the 82nd Airborne was at least being prepared for a possible deployment, with the cancellation of a major training exercise in which its headquarters unit would have been involved.
The division includes a brigade combat team of between 4,000 and 5,000 soldiers that are on constant alert for rapid deployment anywhere in the world within hours. They can be assigned various high-priority missions, including seizing critical objectives, reinforcing U.S. embassies, and enabling emergency evacuations.
It is also quite possible that at least part of the deployment was scheduled in advance of the war.
There are indications, based on plane spotters, that elements of the 82nd Airborne Division—likely the alert brigade—have arrived in the Middle East via cargo flights from Fort Bragg and likely Fort Campbell.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) today said they have launched another wave of strikes in Tehran. Among the claimed targets were a Quds Force base used as a command post, an IRGC aerial defense headquarters, a Ground Forces headquarters, a Quds Force intelligence headquarters, and a naval cruise missile manufacturing site.
🎯STRUCK: Several Iranian terror regime headquarters in Tehran
Dozens of IAF fighter jets used 100+ munitions in the strikes that targeted:
• A Quds Force base used as a command post for coordinating and overseeing intelligence & operational activity • An IRGC aerial defense… pic.twitter.com/tTur69j2EO
While unconfirmed, it appears that the IDF is on board with the U.S.-announced five-day pause on strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure.
A source told Reuters that Israel was kept informed of U.S.–Iran talks and would likely follow Washington in halting attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure. https://t.co/Lj3g2qu57w
Yesterday, the IDF issued details of its overnight airstrikes, claiming to have struck several Iranian weapon production sites and various headquarters of the regime. The IDF said that Israeli Air Force fighters had hit targets including an Iranian Army training base that included a storage site for anti-aircraft missiles; a weapons production and storage site of the Iranian defense ministry; a weapons production site of the IRGC Air Force; a headquarters of the Iranian intelligence ministry; and a headquarters of Khatam-al Anbiya, the Iranian military emergency command.
During a wave of overnight airstrikes in Tehran, the IDF says it struck several Iranian weapon production sites and various headquarters of the regime.
According to the military, the targets hit by Israeli Air Force fighter jets included: an Iranian army training base that… pic.twitter.com/B1kLaV0NgT
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 22, 2026
Meanwhile, Israel continues to fight on a second front in Lebanon. Among the targets that have been struck repeatedly are bridges across from the Litani River in southern Lebanon. The video below purportedly shows an Israeli Air Force strike on the Qasmiya Bridge yesterday. The IDF says strikes like these are meant to prevent Hezbollah from moving operatives and weapons into southern Lebanon.
The Israeli Air Force struck the Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River in southern Lebanon a short while ago, hours after warning it would bomb the crossing.
Footage shows the moment the bridge, located on the coastal highway, was struck.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 22, 2026
The U.S. State Department has issued a “worldwide caution” to all Americans. “The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution. Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate,” the State Department said in a statement.
The U.S. State Department has issued a “worldwide caution” to all Americans.
“Groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world.” pic.twitter.com/iiZaBXUkrj
Over the weekend, remarkable footage emerged showing the apparent interception of an Iranian medium-range ballistic missile. The video was reportedly captured in the Deir ez-Zor governorate of eastern Syria. While its authenticity cannot be confirmed, it bears the hallmarks of an exoatmospheric interception, of the kind that could be carried out by a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) fired by a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyer. It is important to remember that Israel’s own Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile interceptors are also capable of engaging threats outside of the Earth’s atmosphere and use kinetic kill vehicles to destroy their targets.
Exoatmospheric interception of an Iranian medium-range ballistic missile seen earlier tonight over Al-Asharah in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate of Eastern Syria, likely carried out by an SM-3 fired by a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer positioned in the Eastern… pic.twitter.com/CwkMO7W5pi
Iranian missiles continue to threaten the air defense umbrella over Israel, as the video below confirms. In this case, an apparent cluster munition delivered by an Iranian missile, or otherwise debris from an intercepted missile, struck a car in the city of Tel Aviv.
Footage shows the moment a cluster munition struck a car in Tel Aviv during Iran’s ballistic missile attack this morning. pic.twitter.com/1FcN2LowwO
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 22, 2026
Footage has emerged showing the immediate results of apparent airstrikes on Yazd, in central Iran. The site has been struck by the United States and Israel on multiple occasions this month and is considered one of the most significant underground missile-launch facilities in the country. The fact that the base has been targeted repeatedly suggests that it is proving tricky to render inoperational.
Iran’s Yazd missile base was seen suffering a series of major secondary explosions after a series of U.S.-Israeli strikes tonight. pic.twitter.com/t8gAeRieP7
According to a recent CNN investigation, satellite images from 27 Iranian underground bases indicate that the U.S.-Israeli campaign has struck 77 percent of the tunnel entrances that could be imaged. However, construction equipment was seen appearing at bombed sites typically within 48 hours. This would be used for digging out blocked entrances and restoring access to the tunnel systems below, likely making the sites operational again.
More analysis of that abortive attack is now emerging. This airbase has hosted a significant build-up of U.S. military aircraft, although not, so far, long-range bombers. This would be an option, however, since the United Kingdom gave the go-ahead for the United States to use the island for strikes on Iran. The threat posed to Diego Garcia by Iranian long-range attack drones and missiles is something we have discussed in the past.
In his analysis of the attempted attack, missile and drone expert Fabian Hinz outlines the various weapons that Iran could have called upon, as well as their various advantages and disadvantages.
While we have seen similar footage before, it is interesting to note that U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets continue to use their onboard 20mm cannons to strafe targets along the Iranian coast.
A photo from the perimeter fence at RAF Fairford in England confirms that U.S. Air Force bombers — and planespotters — have been busy in recent days.
