March 13: IDF says it dropped 200 bombs on Iranian regime security headquarters

Report: Trump turned down Putin offer to transfer Iran’s uranium to Russia as part of deal to end war

In a phone call earlier this week with US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed transferring Iran’s highly-enriched uranium to Russia as part of a deal to end the war, Axios reports.

Trump turned Putin down, Axios reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

Medics say no injuries reported after day’s seventh Iran missile attack

Medics say no injuries are reported in Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the seventh in the past 24 hours.

A small number of missiles were fired in the attack, which were likely intercepted or struck open areas, according to initial military assessments.

Sirens had sounded in southern Israel, the Jerusalem area, and across the center, sending millions to shelters.

6-year-old girl hospitalized after Palestinians say she was run over by Israeli settler

The Palestine Red Crescent says its medics treated a six-year-old girl who sustained head injuries after an Israeli settler ran her over with his vehicle while she was playing outside her home in the Bedouin hamlet of Umm al-Khair in the southern West Bank.

The girl has been transferred to a nearby hospital for additional treatment.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the incident.

No arrests have been made.

Earlier today, an Israeli settler ran over a five-year-old Palestinian girl in the village of Umm al-Khair. According to witnesses and activists at the scene, Israeli police arrived and blamed Palestinians for the incident.

The settler was not arrested. Instead, he ordered… pic.twitter.com/OxiZOkra74

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 13, 2026

Early warning set off for missile launch toward central Israel, as sirens sound in south

As sirens sound near Beersheba in southern Israel amid Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack, an early warning is issued in central Israel after another launch is detected by the IDF.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

IDF detects incoming Iran missile attack targeting southern Israel

The IDF says it has detected a new ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in southern Israel in the coming minutes.

25-year-old shot dead in Umm al-Fahm, becoming year’s 66th Arab homicide victim

Two young Arab Israeli men were shot in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm earlier tonight, with one of them — a 25-year-old — succumbing to his wounds shortly thereafter, police confirm.

Police say they have launched an investigation into the incident, with the background apparently criminal. No arrests have been made.

With this man’s death, a total of 66 members of the Arab community have fallen prey to homicide in Israel since the start of the year, according to the Abraham Initiatives, which tracks Arab sector homicides. Last year was the deadliest on record for the minority, with 252 crime-related deaths throughout all of 2025.

Local politicians and religious figures have denounced the crime sweeping their communities, but most place blame on law enforcement, accusing police of neglecting to solve homicides when the victims are Arab.

Iran must not cooperate with Russia, Zelensky tells shah’s son

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells the son of Iran’s last shah that Ukraine wants “a free Iran that will not cooperate with Russia” as the pair meet in Paris.

Reza Pahlavi lives in exile in the United States and has offered himself as a transitional leader for Iran should the Islamic Republic fall.

“Ukraine truly wants to see a free Iran that will not cooperate with Russia or destabilize the Middle East, Europe, and the world,” Zelensky posts on X.

“I am grateful to the crown prince for his clear assurances of support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he says, adding that their teams will “remain in communication”.

Zelensky says it is “crucial that the Iranian regime gains nothing” from the conflict and that the Iranian people have the right to “determine their own fate.”

Throughout its four-year invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been using Iranian-designed Shahed drones as well as producing thousands more under the name Geran-2.

Kyiv is worried that the war in the Middle East is drawing international attention away from the conflict in Ukraine — particularly from its urgent need for anti-aircraft missiles, which are used in large numbers in the Gulf to counter Iranian missiles and drones.

UN official warns that closure of Strait of Hormuz could impact humanitarian operations

A top United Nations humanitarian official warns that closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route in the Middle East, could have “immense impact” on humanitarian operations amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

“When ships stop moving through that Strait, the consequences travel fast. Food, medicine, fertilizer and other supplies become harder to move and more expensive to deliver,” Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, says in a statement.

Wall Street closes lower, posts weekly loss, as Iran war fuels inflation worries

US stocks ended down on Friday, capping a week in which erratic crude oil prices whipsawed equities, as investors gauged how the war in Iran was affecting the global oil supply.

All three major US stock indexes logged daily and weekly declines.

Crude prices fluctuated before heading higher, even after US President Donald Trump temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil to assuage supply concerns.

“We’ve seen volatility in the energy market that rivals any two-week period in cryptocurrency history. So, it’s hard to say that it’s being driven by fundamentals,” says Paul Nolte, senior wealth advisor & market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest in Elmhurst, Illinois. “It’s very much an emotional market, so it really doesn’t make sense trying to trade, let alone invest in this market.”

Nolte adds: “You just sit back and wait for things to unfold and to settle, and that may happen over the course of a couple of weeks.”

Smotrich — who backed separate wards for Arabs — accused of hypocrisy after thanking doctors for saving son

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich published a post on social media yesterday thanking the doctors at the Galilee Medical Center for saving his son’s life after he was injured in a recent Hezbollah rocket attack.

The post includes photos of Smotrich with some of the hospital staff, including its director Masad Barhoum.

The post exposes him to accusations of hypocrisy from critics who recall that he has spoken out in favor of having separate maternity wards for Jewish mothers so they don’t have to deliver babies in the same rooms as Arabs.

“Smotrich has been inciting against Arabs for years,” writes Hadash-Ta’al chair Ayman Odeh in an X post.

“He built an entire career on our dime because all he has to offer is racism and supremacy and nothing else,” Odeh says.

“Smotrich demanded time and again that his wife not sit next to an Arab woman while giving birth and that Arab doctors, such as my wife, not touch his babies,” Odeh continues.

“But these are the Arab doctors who saved [his] son. Maybe Smotrich the racist will take this Shabbat to learn what it means to be a human being — like the Arab doctors, who are part of the groups of people he incites against every day and who, despite his hatred, saved his son,” he adds.

תודה שהצלתם את הבן שלי.

כשבוע לאחר פציעתו של בני, בניה חברון, הגעתי היום למרכז הרפואי בנהריה כדי לומר תודה מעומק הלב לצוותים הרפואיים שטיפלו בו ובחבריו במסירות, במקצועיות ובאנושיות גדולה.

פגשתי גם את חבריו לצוות – לוחמים גיבורים – ושמעתי מהם על רגעי הפציעה בשטח ועל תהליך השיקום… pic.twitter.com/2ucvG3ZsUh

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) March 12, 2026

Vance avoids answering questions about potential differences with Trump over Iran war

US Vice President JD Vance is pressed several times by reporters today to respond to comments made by President Donald Trump earlier this week that he was less enthusiastic about launching a war with Iran.

“The president and I and the entire senior team are talking about the options” in the Situation Room, Vance responds.

“It’s important for the president of the United States to talk to his advisers without” those advisers “running their mouths,” he adds, without directly answering the question or denying the premise.

Reports have mounted of Vance expressing concern about the US finding itself in a protracted conflict with Iran.

VP Vance just gave a great answer when asked about the endless speculation from the DC press about his advice to President Trump on Iran:

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going to show up here in front of God and everyone else and tell you what I said in that classified… pic.twitter.com/dXwNYuaoyQ

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 13, 2026

Vance smiles as a reporter points out that Trump said he was relatively unenthusiastic about striking Iran pic.twitter.com/YPJ8633KIw

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 13, 2026

Brent crude surges 11% over week, 42% since Iran war began

The price of a barrel of Brent crude has soared by more than 42 percent since US-Israeli strikes on Iran plunged the oil-rich Middle East into war, market data shows.

The cost of Brent, the international benchmark for oil, has surged from $72.48 on February 27 to $103.14 at today’s close. This also marks an 11 percent rise over the week.

The West Texas Intermediate, meanwhile, has rocketed more than 47% since the start of the conflict, to $98.71.

Hezbollah leader says group prepared for long confrontation with Israel

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says in a speech that the Israeli threats to assassinate him were “worthless.”

“We have prepared ourselves for a long confrontation, and God willing, they (Israelis) will be surprised on the battlefield,” Qassem says in a televised address, adding that “the enemy’s threats do not frighten us.”

“This is an existential battle, not a limited or simple battle.”

Iran coach Jafari says criticism from state TV commentator drove players to seek asylum

Comments from an Iranian state television presenter about the country’s women’s team during their Asian Cup campaign affected the players psychologically and drove some to seek asylum in Australia, coach Marziyeh Jafari says.

The tournament, hosted by Australia, started just as the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

After the team opted to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their first match against South Korea, they were labelled as “wartime traitors” by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi.

In a statement posted by Iran’s football federation (FFIRI) on its Telegram page, which has since been deleted, Jafari says: “Our girls were affected in the first match by the heavy atmosphere that had been created.”

“But the greater mistake was made by those who, at home, failed to understand that atmosphere and sounded the call to arms against the daughters of this land,” she adds, referring to the presenter’s comments.

“What I have asked of the federation is to pursue the matter because it affected our players psychologically, and we suffered the consequences. I am certain that if that atmosphere had not been created, not a single one of our players would have stayed in Australia.”

Australia this week granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian players who sought asylum during the tournament.

Two more squad members were granted asylum on Wednesday, and one decided to return to Iran.

“Australian police called the players in several stages and sat down with them one-on-one to persuade them to stay, influenced by the political atmosphere that had arisen,” Jafari says.

“Fortunately, the majority of the team members responded negatively. Even Mohaddeseh Zolfi, who had responded positively, soon changed her mind and, God willing, will come to Iran with the team.”

“The rumours about Golnoosh Khosravi and Afsaneh Chatrenoor are also not true at all, and they are now with us in Malaysia and we will be leaving for Iran soon.”

Qatar says strategic water reserves sufficient for 4 months, food reserves for 18 months

Qatar’s strategic water reserves are sufficient for four months while the Gulf country’s food security reserves are sufficient for 18 months, Qatar’s interior minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani says.

Mother and three sons in custody over US embassy bomb in Norway

Three brothers and their mother have been remanded in police custody for up to four weeks on suspicion of taking part in the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Oslo last week, a Norwegian court says in a ruling.

The US embassy was hit by an explosion on Sunday and police later said they had apprehended the suspects, accusing them of a “terror bombing” intended to kill or cause significant damage.

The powerful early-morning blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) damaged the entrance to the embassy’s consular section but caused no injuries, Norwegian authorities have said.

One of the men has admitted to placing a device, while the three other suspects have denied involvement, their lawyers have said.

Merchant vessel reports hearing explosion off of UAE coast

British maritime security firm Ambrey say that a merchant vessel reported hearing the sound of an explosion near al Sharjah anchorage in the United Arab Emirates.

The explosion was at an undetermined distance from the vessel. Ambrey assesses it to be a projectile interception during an attack on the UAE.

There was no damage to the vessel or injuries to the crew, Ambrey adds.

Asked when Iran war will end, Trump responds, ‘When I feel it in my bones’

Asked when he’ll know that the Iran war is over, US President Donald Trump tells Fox News radio, “When I feel it.”

“When I feel it in my bones,” he adds.

IDF says it launched new wave of ‘extensive’ strikes in Tehran

The Israeli Air Force has launched a new wave of “extensive” airstrikes in Tehran, the IDF announces.

The military says the strikes are targeting Iranian regime infrastructure sites across the capital.

IDF probing circumstances of central Israel impacts after Iran launch of missile with cluster warhead

The scene of an Iran missile impact in central Israel on March 13, 2026. (Israel Police)

The IDF says it is investigating the circumstances of the impacts in central Israel this evening after Iran launched a ballistic missile with a cluster bomb warhead.

Suspected missile fragments or cluster munitions sparked a fire on the roof of a building in Shoham, caused damage to a highway, and damaged cars in Rishon Lezion, according to rescue services.

Trump says Mojtaba Khamenei is ‘damaged, but probably alive in some form’

Asked about the fate of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojataba Khamenei, US President Donald Trump tells Fox News, “I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form.”

Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was selected to replace his father.

He was reportedly wounded in the war’s opening strikes by the US and Israel.

Erdogan says Turkey will not get dragged into Mideast war after Iranian missile incidents

President Tayyip Erdogan says that Turkey would not get dragged into the war between Iran, Israel and the United States, but that it was prepared for all threats after a third Iranian ballistic missile fired towards Turkey was intercepted.

“During this process, we are engaging in all preventative actions against any threats towards our airspace, just as we did last night,” Erdogan tells a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner.

“Our main priority is to keep our country away from this pit of fire,” he adds.

In rare exception, Iran said to let two gas tankers sail to India through Hormuz

Iran has allowed two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas carriers to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter say, a rare exception to the Iranian blockade that has disrupted global energy supplies.

The Indian-flagged LPG tanker Shivalik crossed the Strait under escort from the Indian Navy, say two of the sources, and the second vessel, Nanda Devi, was expected to clear in the next few hours.

Since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran, Tehran has largely halted traffic through the strait, which runs past its coast and normally supplies around 20% of global oil and seaborne liquefied natural gas.

Iran has said it will not permit any supplies for the United States or its allies to leave the strait, but India has sought exemptions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he had spoken to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed the transit of goods and energy from the Gulf.

Trump says US not currently focused on recovering highly enriched uranium from Iran

Asked if there’s an operation in place to recover the 400-plus kilograms of highly enriched uranium from Iran, US President Donald Trump responds, “No, not at all.”

“We’re not focused on that. But at some point we might be,” Trump says on Fox News radio. “Right now we’re focused on knocking the hell out of their missiles and their drones.”

Report: Netanyahu said to tap Dermer to handle Lebanon file

Channel 12 reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tapped former minister and longtime aide Ron Dermer to handle the Lebanon file for the duration of the ongoing Mideast war.

Dermer will lead talks with the US government regarding Lebanon, along with negotiations with the Lebanese government itself, if they are launched in the coming weeks, as Beirut is pushing for.

Iran cluster missile causes damage to three sites in central Israel

The scene of an impact from an Iran missile attack in Shoham on March 13, 2026. (Magen David Adom)

Damage was caused at at least three sites in central Israel in Iran’s cluster bomb missile attack this evening, according to first responders.

One of the impacts, possibly by a sub-munition or other fragments, sparked a blaze on the roof of a building in Shoham.

A crater was also reported following an impact of a cluster munition on a highway, and several cars were damaged in Rishon Lezion.

There are no reports of injuries.

Damage was caused at at least three sites in central Israel in Iran's cluster bomb missile attack this evening, according to first responders.

One of the impacts, possibly by a sub-munition or other fragments, sparked a blaze on the roof of a building in a central town.

A… pic.twitter.com/N5f0l4QhgR

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 13, 2026

Iraq PM vows to prevent attacks after French soldier killed

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani vows to prevent attacks after the killing of a French soldier in an attack in the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Sudani expresses his “solidarity” with France in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron. He says that “the necessary measures will be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents,” and an investigation will be conducted into the attack.

The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region Nechirvan Barzani, in a call with Macron, also expresses his condolences and calls for the Iraqi government to “set limits on outlaw groups.”

France presses on with Hormuz ideas, no secret Iran talks, sources say

France is pushing on with efforts to put together a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the security situation stabilizes, two French officials say, after a report suggested Paris was negotiating safe passage for its ships.

European states have been largely sidelined as the US-Israeli war on Iran has ‌escalated, with Iran carrying out strikes against Israel, US bases and Gulf states.

But with shipping lanes affected and the conflict pushing up oil prices, European powers are trying to work out how to defend their interests.

France has been consulting with European, Asian and Gulf Arab states over the past week with a view to putting together a plan for warships to eventually escort tankers through the strait.

“In the current context, the conditions don’t allow for any mission to deploy forces, but we are initially working on the diplomacy so we can then enter into details and eventually it can become operational,” says one official.

The Financial Times reported that France and Italy were seeking to negotiate a deal to guarantee safe passage for their ships through the strait.

The French presidency did not respond to a request for comment. An Italian foreign ministry source denied the report.

“In their diplomatic contacts, Italian leaders want to favour the conditions for a general military de-escalation, but there is no under-the-table negotiation aimed at preserving only some merchant ships at the expense of others,” the source says.

A French official said efforts are focused on the coalition rather than a way of securing safe passage for French ships.

There have been discussions with several European partners, India, Gulf Arab states, Canada and others, but nothing is close to being finalized, with India showing some resistance, two diplomatic sources say.

“The French want to disassociate themselves from the American approach because at the end you will need to have a minimum approval from Iran,” says a European diplomat.

The idea was not to do it by force, which some American officials have suggested, the diplomat says.

Iran missile fired at central Israel tonight carried cluster bomb warhead, footage indicates

The Iranian ballistic missile fired at central Israel this evening carried a cluster bomb warhead, according to footage and initial military assessments.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attack, the sixth since midnight, which set off sirens across central Israel.

Another cluster warhead — more than two dozen explosions heard — south of Tel Aviv now. pic.twitter.com/LY6jmjiwJQ

— Zach Anders (@Zachonearth) March 13, 2026

Masked settlers filmed beating Palestinian man in front of his family in day’s latest attack

Footage published by Haaretz shows masked settlers beating a Palestinian man in front of his family in the northern West Bank village of Qusra earlier this evening.

One of the man’s children can be heard crying in the background while watching his father get attacked.

Haaretz says the attackers are from an adjacent illegal outpost that was built in Area B of the West Bank, where no Israelis are supposed to live.

Residents of that same outpost were responsible for the attack that left two Israeli activists hospitalized two weeks ago, Haaretz says. The suspects have since been released and have not been charged with a crime.

The incident in Qusra is the latest in a series of settler attacks that have taken place today alone.

No arrests have been reported in any of them as the phenomenon continues largely unchecked.

דיווח כי בשעה 17:00 מתנחלים רעולי פנים תקפו גבר פלסטיני לעיני משפחתו בראש ההר בכפר קוסרה, עליו הוקם לפני מספר שבועות מאחז בעומק שטח B.

בשישי לפני שבועיים שלושה פעילי ׳מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים׳ הותקפו בברוטאליות ע״י מתנחלים רעולי פנים שירדו מהמאחז. הפעילים פונו לקבלת טיפול רפואי,… pic.twitter.com/PObYaf7zUY

— Matan Golan (@MatanGolanPhoto) March 13, 2026

Bodies of 84 Iranian sailors to be flown home from Sri Lanka along with crew stranded in India

The bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in a US submarine attack on a warship off Sri Lanka’s coast last week will be repatriated on a plane that an Indian source says will also stop in India to take home crew members from another ship.

Iranian warship IRIS Dena was sunk by a torpedo from a US submarine on March 4 while it was returning from a naval exercise in India amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Two other ships that also participated in the exercises sought shelter: the IRIS Lavan, which docked in India, and the IRIS Booshehr, which docked in Sri Lanka.

A Sri Lankan court ordered this week that the bodies of the sailors killed in the attack, stored in a morgue in the southern port city of Galle’s National Hospital, be handed over to the embassy of Iran.

The bodies will be repatriated today by a special flight departing from Mattala International Airport in the southern part of the Indian Ocean island nation, Sri Lankan media reports, citing the Sri Lankan defense ministry.

“Arrangements are being made to transport the bodies of the Iranian crew from the hospital to the Mattala airport,” a source in the Iranian embassy in Colombo tells Reuters, without elaborating on when the flight would leave.

The bodies were later driven by truck through the city, escorted by a police vehicle.

Sri Lanka’s health, foreign and defense ministries do not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. The Sri Lankan navy says it is not involved in the transport and repatriation efforts.

Iran military claims it destroyed 111 drones since start of war

Iran’s military has destroyed 111 enemy drones since the start of the Middle East war, the Revolutionary Guard’s Sepah News portal reports.

It claims the Guards had destroyed an MQ-9 over Fars province and another aircraft in Tabriz, meaning “the total number of drones destroyed so far is 111 of various types.”

It does not provide a breakdown of how many were cheap, one-way explosive drones versus more sophisticated multi-use aircraft such as the MQ-9.

Bahrain and Saudi F1 races set to be cancelled amid Iran war

Next month’s Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Formula One Grands Prix are set to be canceled over the weekend due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Multiple sources tell Reuters an announcement, seen within the sport as just a matter of time, was expected by Monday at the latest, with a March 20 deadline looming for freight that has to be transported to Bahrain for logistical reasons.

Sky Sports television, which has the broadcasting rights in Britain where most of the 11 teams are based, says it understands that the races would be called off by Sunday night.

US and Israeli attacks on Iran are continuing while Iranian drones and missiles have hit some Middle Eastern capitals, including Bahrain’s Manama, where most team personnel would be staying in hotels.

Formula One is racing in China this weekend for the second round of the season after the opener in Australia last weekend.

Sources have indicated previously that neither Middle Eastern race is likely to be replaced or rescheduled, leaving April an empty month for the series and the championship reduced to 22 rounds.

Bahrain was scheduled for April 12, with the Saudi race in Jeddah on April 19.

The Japanese Grand Prix, round three, is on March 29, with the next race then in Miami on May 3.

Iran war cuts Hormuz strait transit to 77 ships, maritime data firm says

Only 77 ships have so far crossed the Strait of Hormuz in March as the Mideast war disrupts one of the world’s most vital shipping routes, a maritime data firm reports.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence says most of these vessels belonged to the so-called “shadow fleet” — ships used to skirt Western sanctions and regulations, typically linked to Russia and Iran.

They are often ageing ships in poor condition, without proper insurance and with opaque ownership.

The 77 transits recorded so far this month compare with 1,229 passages between March 1 and 11 last year, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have all but closed the Strait of Hormuz, which borders Iran and through which 20 percent of global oil supplies pass.

Since the start of March, 20 commercial vessels, including nine oil tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency.

Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organization has confirmed 16 incidents in the area, including eight involving oil tankers.

Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that “the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used.”

The strategy is aimed at harming the global economy in order to exert pressure on the United States.

“Over half of the tankers and gas carriers going through are shadow fleets,” says Bridget Diakun, a senior analyst at Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

“These ships are really used to disruptions,” so are more likely to attempt the passage, she adds.

According to the firm, vessels affiliated with Iran account for 26 percent of passages through Hormuz, followed by Greece with 13 percent and China with 12 percent.

“The main takeaway here is that… Iran is still exporting,” Diakun says.

Separately, AFP counts around 40 vessels that have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the conflict, considering only those that kept their AIS transponder — the automatic identification system — switched on.

IDF detects another Iran missile attack targeting central Israel

The IDF says it has detected another ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

US dispatches Marine unit of 2,200 troops to Mideast — report

A US Marine expeditionary unit (MEU) of roughly 2,200 Marines is being dispatched to the Middle East on three navy ships, ABC News reports, citing two unnamed US officials.

The 31st MEU is permanently deployed to Japan, but has been ordered to head to the Mideast, in an indication of a further escalation of the Iran war.

Trump officials had long ruled out the idea of sending ground troops to the region, but have largely avoided ruling out the possibility since the outbreak of the war.

The deployment of the Marine unit doesn’t necessarily mean that the troops will be deployed on the ground in Iran, as they can also provide land, amphibious and aviation assets to military commanders in need, ABC says.

The 31st MEU also includes squads of F-35 fighter jets and MV-22 tilt rotor Osprey aircraft.

IDF says it dropped 200 bombs on Iranian regime security headquarters

The IDF says two waves of airstrikes overnight and this morning in Tehran involved 90 fighter jets dropping 200 bombs on “numerous” Iranian regime security headquarters.

According to the military, the targets included a regional headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a central headquarters of the Basij paramilitary force, and several headquarters of Iran’s internal security forces.

The Israeli Air Force also struck air defenses and other infrastructure at an Iranian air defense base in Iran’s capital, along with a site where “research and development of ballistic missiles was conducted,” the IDF adds.

US offers up to $10 million for information on Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Larijani, top IRGC leaders

A screen displays a portrait of Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei during the funerals of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders, army commanders and others killed in the early days of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, at Enghelab Square in Tehran on March 11, 2026. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

The United States is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information about senior Iranian military and intelligence officials, including its new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

The reward targets 10 officials associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to the State Department website. The military force, created after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, is loyal to the supreme leader and tasked with protecting the Shi’ite clerical establishment. The IRGC is a US- and EU-designated terrorist organization.

Mojtaba Khamenei recently succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s supreme leader after the elder Khamenei was killed along with several other top Iranian officials in an Israeli strike that began the US-Israel attacks on Iran on February 28. The younger Khamenei, believed to have been injured in the strikes, hasn’t been seen publicly since, although he purportedly released his first statement on Thursday.

In addition to the supreme leader, the US is seeking information about Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and two officials in Khamenei’s office.

Larijani appeared Friday in videos verified by Reuters alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attending an anti-Israel rally in Tehran, despite an assertion by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Iran’s leadership was “cowering” underground.

The reward website also lists four other officials, including the IRGC commander and secretary of the defense council, but doesn’t include their names or photos.

“These individuals command and direct various elements of the IRGC, which plans, organizes, and executes terrorism around the world,” the State Department said.

Got information on these Iranian terrorist leaders?

Send us a tip. It could make you eligible for a reward and relocation. pic.twitter.com/y7avkqdGWw

— Rewards for Justice (@RFJ_USA) March 13, 2026

Drone strike kills two Iranian opposition members in Iraq; Tehran said to blame

A drone strike killed two members of an Iranian Kurdish armed opposition group in northern Iraq on Friday, a senior official from the exiled party says, blaming the attack on Iran.

Since the start of the Middle East war, Iran has repeatedly struck positions belonging to Iranian Kurdish exiled groups in Iraq.

“A drone struck one of our positions at 4:40 p.m. (1340 GMT),” killing two party members and wounding four others, Mardin Zahidi, from the Khabat Organization of Iranian Kurdistan, tells AFP.

The attack occurred in the mountains of Bashiqa, in an area under Kurdish control, between the city of Mosul and the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Zahidi blames the attack “on Iran and its militias.”

Another opposition group, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), accuses Iran on X of targeting “a civilian base” belonging to the group near Kurdistan’s capital Erbil, with no casualties reported.

The northern Kurdistan region hosts camps and rear bases operated by several Iranian Kurdish rebel groups, which Iran designates as terrorist organizations and accuses of serving Western or Israeli interests.

Last month, five groups, including the PDKI, announced a political coalition to seek the overthrow of Iran’s Islamic Republic and ultimately to secure Kurdish self-determination.

IDF says it killed 2 senior Hezbollah commanders responsible for rocket fire at Israel

The IDF says it killed two top Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon, who were responsible for rocket fire on Israel.

The strike, which took place north of the Litani River yesterday, killed Rahif Ali Qassem, the chief of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit in the Badr regional division, and Mohammad Baqer Ahmad Ali, the unit’s “firepower management commander,” the IDF says.

Hezbollah’s Badr unit is one of the terror group’s three regional divisions in southern Lebanon, and it is tasked with the area north of the Litani River.

The IDF has said that Hezbollah is launching most of its rocket and drone attacks on Israel from deeper within southern Lebanon, and not from close to the border.

Iran arrests man accused of running Starlink internet network

Iranian authorities have arrested a man accused of leading a network that sold access to the internet via Starlink terminals, a technology that is banned in Iran, the ISNA news agency reports.

Iran has been digitally sealed off from the rest of the world by a complete internet blackout since the start of the Middle East war.

To get around those restrictions, some Iranians have turned to Starlink terminals from the US company SpaceX, which connect to the internet via satellites.

Doing so is a criminal offence in Iran, punishable with prison time.

“A 37-year-old man, who had put in place a network in several provinces of the country to sell access to the unrestricted internet via Starlink, has been arrested” in Shiraz, ISNA reports, citing a deputy police commander for Fars province.

It does not say when the arrest took place.

Iranians were previously placed under an 18-day internet blackout in January, the longest so far, amid anti-government protests during which thousands were killed.

At the time, the authorities managed to disrupt the operation of Starlink terminals.

Under Iranian law, people found guilty of “the use, transportation, purchase or sale of electronic internet communication devices such as Starlink” used to access banned content can be jailed for up to two years.

UN experts condemn Israeli strikes on Lebanon, without mentioning Hezbollah or attacks on Israelis

Three United Nations experts condemn Israeli strikes on Lebanon, without mentioning the Hezbollah terrorist group’s strikes on Israeli civilians.

Israel launched a counter-offensive against Hezbollah after the terrorists began firing hundreds of projectiles at Israel last week amid US-Israeli strikes against Hezbollah’s sponsor, Iran.

The attacks have sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis to bomb shelters and wounded two people in a strike on a home this morning.

Since March 2, the terror group has launched on average around 100 rockets a day, according to the IDF.

The three UN experts are Paula Gaviria, the special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, George Katrougalos, independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, and Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur for the Palestinians, who has a history of antisemitism.

“The Israeli bombardment of Lebanon is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international humanitarian law and human rights law and must cease immediately,” the statement says.

Actor in Oscar-nominated film says he won’t be at awards after US denied him visa over Palestinian ID

From 'The Voice of Hind Rajab,' nominated for Best Documentary in the 2026 Oscars (Courtesy)

A lead Palestinian actor in the Oscar-nominated Voice of Hind Rajab says he will not be able to attend the award ceremony on Sunday in Los Angeles because the US government has denied him a visa due to his Palestinian citizenship.

“I am not allowed to enter the United. States because of my Palestinian citizenship. It hurts. But here is the truth: you can block a passport, you cannot block a voice,” Motaz Malhees, who portrays Omar A. Alqam in the movie, writes on Instagram.

The Oscar-nominated The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, first drew international attention when it premiered in the main competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2025, where it won the Grand Jury Prize along with six additional parallel awards.

As the film continued gaining recognition across the global awards circuit, its momentum reached Hollywood with a nomination for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.

IDF says it struck over 150 targets, including missile depots, in western and central Iran today

The Israeli Air Force struck over 150 targets in western and central Iran today, including ballistic missile storage sites, the military says.

The IDF says the targets included “many sites used to store dozens of ballistic missiles,” along with missile launchers, drone storage sites, air defenses and weapon production facilities.

NGO says 14% of Lebanese territory under Israeli evacuation warnings

Israeli evacuation warnings cover 14 percent of Lebanese territory, the Norwegian Refugee Council says, as Israel expands the zone from which residents have been told to leave their homes.

“Israel’s evacuation orders have now engulfed 1,470 square kilometers (some 570 square miles), or 14 percent of Lebanon, including south Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburb, and parts of Bekaa,” the international NGO says.

More than 800,000 people in Lebanon are registered as displaced, according to local authorities, with nearly 130,000 people currently sleeping in official shelters.

“The massive displacement we have seen here is unique” in the ongoing Middle East war, World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau tells AFP from Beirut.

“I mean (they) registered some 800,000 people in a week. That’s massive.”

Tech group led by Wiz CEO acquires Channel 13 after deal with Netanyahu ally falls through

Left: Founders of US-Israeli cyber unicorn Wiz (from left to right): VP Product Yinon Costica, CEO Assaf Rappaport, CTO Ami Luttwak, and VP R&D Roy Reznik. (Avishag Shaar-Yashuv); Google Cloud offices in Sunnyvale, California, on June 8, 2023. (JHVEPhoto/iStock)

Billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries signs a memorandum of understanding to sell control in the Israeli TV station Channel 13 to the Merit Spread Foundation, backed by a group of tech entrepreneurs, led by Wiz co-founder Assaf Rappaport.

The agreement comes after Blavatnik previously accepted an offer for the TV station by a group of investors led by telecom businessman Patrick Drahi, who is widely considered to be a supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That initial deal sparked alarm among government critics who saw it as an extension of the state’s efforts to expand its control of the media.

“Merit Foundation’s acquisition of Reshet 13 secures the channel’s future and its absolute editorial independence,” the group of tech entrepreneurs says. “By backing Merit, we are making resources and energy available that have never before been seen in an Israeli television channel, with the aim of leading digital innovation and establishing a unifying, Zionist and Israeli consensus.”

“The citizens of Israel deserve an independent, patriotic, and strong news channel,” the tech group says.

Channel 13 has been fighting for survival for a number of years, with past claims that journalists were fired for voicing criticism of Netanyahu and the government. Rappaport and other tech founders in the group have previously publicly criticized the government, particularly over the contentious judicial overhaul.

Upon completion of the transaction, Merit will become the majority shareholder of Channel 13. Access Industries and WBD will remain shareholders in the TV station.

Financial details of the agreement were not made public. According to reports in the Hebrew press, the Merit Foundation plans to invest about $120 million in the ailing Israeli TV station.

Zelensky says global focus on Middle East “not good for Ukraine”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that while it is understandable the world’s attention has shifted to the Middle East, the situation is “not good for Ukraine.”

“There is nothing good for Ukraine in the war in the Middle East… It’s understandable that the attention of the world is moving to the Middle East. It’s not good for us,” Zelenskiy tells students in Paris during a speech at the Sciences Po university.

IDF says it killed additional Basij members manning checkpoints in Tehran

The IDF says it killed more members of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force who were manning checkpoints in Tehran.

Overnight, the Israeli Air Force struck a number of checkpoints that were set up by the Basij in Iran’s capital, killing several members of the paramilitary force, the military says.

A similar wave of drone strikes was also conducted on Wednesday night.

A US official and an Israeli official told The Times of Israel last week that their countries’ ongoing airstrikes throughout Iran are targeting members of the regime’s forces that took part in the crackdown on anti-government protesters earlier this year, hoping to make it easier for demonstrators to return to the streets once the bombing subsides.

Senior IDF intel officer claims Hezbollah facing ‘most severe’ economic collapse amid Iran war, can’t receive funds from Tehran

Hezbollah is facing its “most severe economic collapse” in decades as a result of Israel’s strikes on its backer, Iran, a senior Israeli military intelligence official claims.

The senior officer says that Lebanon has for years suffered an economic and humanitarian crisis caused by Hezbollah, “which the organization also exploits to expand its influence and military presence, while funneling profits into its own pockets, thereby deepening the crisis.”

“Alongside exploiting the funds of Lebanese citizens, Hezbollah relies on Iranian money transfers through currency exchange companies, investments and other channels, using these funds to rehabilitate the organization and its operatives, strengthen strategic capabilities, while at the same time making false promises to Lebanese citizens regarding reconstruction and compensation,” the official says.

According to IDF assessments, Iran transferred to Hezbollah around $1 billion over the past year.

The officer says that strikes on Iranian regime targets in Iran now “make it nearly impossible for Hezbollah to receive direct funding from the Iranian terror regime.”

“The exchange and transfer channels from Iran to Hezbollah have been severed at the source,” they claim.

“As a result, with the disruption of its main funding streams, from Iran on one side and the Lebanese civilian population on the other, Hezbollah’s economy faces the most severe collapse in decades, a decline further accelerated by IDF strikes against the terrorist organization,” the officer adds.

In the past week, the IDF has struck numerous branches of the Al-Qard al-Hasan association, which is known to be used by the terror group as a quasi-bank, in Lebanon.

The military says AQAH is used by Hezbollah to store money, manage salaries for its operatives, transfer funds from Iran and purchase weapons.

Blast heard in central Israel the result of Iran missile hitting open area — security source

An explosion that sounded in central Israel a short while ago was the result of an Iranian ballistic missile hitting an open area, a security source says.

No sirens sounded as the missile did not pose a threat to any towns.

Lebanon says Israeli strikes since March 2 have killed 773 people

Israeli strikes have killed at least 773 people since March 2, the Lebanese health ministry says, as Israel vows that Lebanon will pay an “increasing price” in damage to infrastructure.

“The total number of martyrs from March 2 to March 13 reached 773, and the number of wounded reached 1,933” including 103 children, the ministry says in its daily update, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

IRGC says it launched missile attacks on Israel together with Hezbollah to mark Quds Day

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announces that they had launched missiles and drones at Israel in coordination with Tehran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

The Guards say in a statement that the operation was part of its annual Quds Day, which is intended to show support for the Palestinian cause.

There has been sporadic rocket fire from Lebanon on northern Israel throughout the day, with no major barrages during the Iranian missile fire this afternoon

Iran missile fragments that hit central Israel spark fire; no injuries reported

A fire in central Israel following an Iranian missile attack, March 13, 2026. (Magen David Adom)

Missile fragments that hit central Israel following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack sparked fires, rescue services say.

There are no reports of injuries in the attack, the fifth since midnight, which triggered sirens across central Israel.

Merz: Mideast war ‘benefits no one and harms many,’ must end quickly

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that the Middle East war should end “as soon as possible” as the conflict “benefits no one and harms many economically, including us.”

Asked whether Europeans should make direct contact with Iran to ask for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, Merz says: “We are making every effort to end this war… all diplomatic channels are being used.”

Iran let Turkish-owned ship cross Hormuz strait, Turkish minister says

A Turkish-owned ship was able to cross the Strait of Hormuz with Iran’s permission, Turkey’s transport minister said.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical shipping route that Iran has closed since Israel and the United States attacked it on February 28.

“We have 15 Turkish-owned ships in the Strait of Hormuz and were able to get one of them through after obtaining permission from the Iranian authorities,” Abdulkadir Uraloglu told journalists late Thursday, in comments only published today.

He spoke just hours before a ballistic missile fired from Iran was intercepted in Turkish airspace by NATO defense systems, the third such incident in just over a week.

Uraloglu did not say when the ship crossed the Strait, a crucial sea route for the global fuel trade, which has been virtually blocked by Iran in order to inflict pain on the global economy.

“We are trying to stay in contact with the Iranian side,” he said.

“Fourteen of our ships are waiting, they currently have no problems,” he added, noting that there were “no Turkish-flagged ships” in the region.

It has also fired on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

UN chief launches $308 million appeal to support Lebanon in Israel war

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launches a $308 million humanitarian appeal to support Lebanon as it responds to the displacement crisis caused by the war between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

“I am pleased to join all of you today as we launch a Flash Humanitarian Appeal of $308 million to support the people of Lebanon,” Guterres says during a conference attended by representatives of UN agencies and donor countries at the Lebanese prime minister’s office.

The appeal “will sustain and expand life-saving assistance over the next three months — including food, clean water, health care, education, protection and other vital services,” he adds.

Trump: I guess Putin may be helping Iran a little bit

US President Donald Trump says he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin may be helping Iran a “little bit” in an interview with Fox News Radio.

“I think he might be helping him (Iran) a little bit, yeah, I guess. And he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump told “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”

Medics responding to reports of 3 impact sites in central Israel after Iran missile strike

Medics are responding to reports of three impact sites in central Israel following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.

Magen David Adom says that there are no reports of injuries.

It is not immediately clear if the impacts are the result of falling fragments following an interception or sub-munitions from a possible cluster bomb warhead.

After urging Iranians to rise up against regime, Trump acknowledges overthrow a ‘very big hurdle’

After urging Iranians to take to the streets once the bombing stops, US President Donald Trump acknowledges that it will be very difficult for them to overthrow the regime.

“I really think that’s a big hurdle to climb for people that don’t have weapons. I think it’s a very big hurdle… It’ll happen, but… maybe not immediately,” Trump tells Fox News Radio.

“Who’s going to do that?” he says of the idea of protesting against the regime. “They literally have people in the streets with machine guns, machine gunning people down if they want to protest.”

“That’s a pretty high standard to say, ‘I want to go and protest.’ So I would understand [them not wanting to], and I would think Bibi would understand that too,” Trump adds, referring to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has been urging Iranians to prepare to soon overthrow the regime.

Trump says the US has footage of armed “thugs” in Iran who have been shooting dead Iranian protesters in the streets.

“We have tapes of some of these people who go around shooting the protesters,” he adds, claiming the perpetrators will be caught, tried and executed.

Dubai’s low-paid workers on edge as Mideast war hits tourism

For thousands of workers in Dubai’s tourism sector, the Middle East war has brought business to a standstill — leaving their income suddenly at risk.

At the famous Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), normally heaving with visitors, rows of sun loungers now face an almost empty sea.

Restaurant terraces sit deserted, while souvenir, watersports and perfume vendors watch for the rare passerby.

Across the water, Ain Dubai — the world’s tallest Ferris wheel — has stopped turning, and the Madame Tussauds wax museum below is drawing few visitors despite hefty discounts.

“Yesterday: zero. Today: zero. Not a single customer,” says Dulash, 26, a Sri Lankan worker at a jet-ski rental company.

“I’ve never seen Dubai like this.”

With its artificial islands and soaring skyscrapers, the UAE’s second city has become a major Middle Eastern tourism hub, welcoming nearly 19.6 million visitors last year.

But in the middle of peak season, before the summer heat sets in, the barrage of Iranian missiles and drones since February 28 has sent tourists fleeing.

Starved of income, the industry is hoping for a quick end to the war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

But many workers, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, say they were already struggling.

Paid 4,500 dirhams ($1,225) a month, Dulash did not receive his salary on time.

“I borrowed 1,000 dirhams from a friend, paid my 800-dirham rent, and now I have 200 dirhams left to live on,” he says. He had no idea when his employer would catch up.

“Even going back home isn’t an option,” he adds. Airfares had tripled because of reduced flight traffic. “We have no choice but to wait and hope.”

US sides with Israel in Gaza genocide case at top UN court

Judges for the International Court of Justice rise before delivering a non-binding ruling on Israeli rule in the West Bank and East Jerusalem at the ICJ in The Hague on July 19, 2024. (Nick Gammon/AFP)

The United States will defend its ally Israel against accusations at the top United Nations court that it breached the Genocide Convention during its Gaza campaign, the court says.

Washington filed a so-called “declaration of intervention” at the International Court of Justice, which is examining the genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa.

“The United States affirms, in the strongest terms possible, that the allegations of ‘genocide’ against Israel are false,” says Washington in its filing.

The US says South Africa’s case is the latest in a series “to level false charges of ‘genocide’ against Israel” that it said had been going on for decades.

Such charges serve to “delegitimize the State of Israel and the Jewish people and to justify or encourage terrorism against them,” Washington says.

South Africa brought its case before the ICJ in December 2023, arguing the Gaza war breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, an accusation Israel has strongly denied.

More than a dozen countries have since applied to join the case, meaning they will present their views in court when it is heard — a process that could yet take years.

Many have voiced their intention to argue on the side of South Africa, paving the way for a wide-ranging showdown in the Peace Palace, where the court sits.

UN says helping some migrants leave Iran

The UN migration agency says it is helping some vulnerable migrants caught up in the Middle East war to leave Iran and receiving requests to assist hundreds of others.

The International Organization for Migration says migrants in Iran were highly vulnerable amid heavy bombardment and mass displacement, lacking support structures relied on by Iranian nationals.

The United Nations agency says it “stands ready to support migrants and other third-country nationals caught in the crisis.”

“We have already assisted some migrants to return home from Iran,” David John, IOM’s director of resettlement and movement management, tells reporters in Geneva.

“The requests now are in the hundreds (and) the number is increasing by the day,” he says, without providing details on the nationalities assisted or requesting help.

John says assistance requests from migrants’ home countries could soon be “in the thousands.”

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said Thursday that as many as 3.2 million people had been displaced in Iran.

Some were refugee families who were “particularly vulnerable, given their already precarious situation and limited support networks.”

Iran is the largest refugee-hosting country globally, and it counts a large migrant population, including millions of Afghans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, according to the UN.

Strait of Hormuz ‘tactically complex environment’ — top US general

The Strait of Hormuz is a “tactically complex environment,” top US military officer General Dan Caine says, acknowledging the difficulty in acting on plans to escort traffic safely through the strategic waterway.

“It’s a tactically complex environment. Before, I think, we want to take anything through there at scale, we want to make sure that we do the work pursuant to our current military objectives,” Caine says.

Asked if the Trump administration had adequately planned for Iran blocking the strait — used for a fifth of global crude trade — Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth says yes, but does not provide details.

“We’re actually closing in on, grabbing hold of and controlling what objectives we want to achieve, and how we want to achieve them,” he says.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the previous day that the US military is currently “not ready” to escort tankers through the strait because all its assets are focused on striking Iran.

But he added that it was “quite likely” such escorts would be taking place by the end of the month.

Earlier in the week, Wright sent oil prices see-sawing when he said US ships had already carried out an escort, before his social media post was swiftly deleted and the White House denied that such an operation had occurred.

Pentagon says a US general is leading probe into Iran school strike

An investigation led by a US general will take “as long as necessary” to determine the facts of a strike on an elementary school in Iran, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says.

The investigation is conducted by a general officer from outside the US Central Command (CENTCOM) and “will take as long as necessary to address all the matters surrounding this incident,” Hegseth tells a news conference.

Tehran has accused the United States and Israel of conducting the deadly missile attack on the school that Iranian media reports say killed at least 165 people, including children.

Zelensky says US easing Russian oil sanctions ‘does not help peace’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that a US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil sales could give Moscow revenues of $10 billion to help fund its invasion of Ukraine.

“This one concession alone by the United States could give Russia about $10 billion for the war. This certainly does not help peace,” Zelensky says at a press conference in Paris with French leader Emmanuel Macron.

IDF detects Iran missile attack targeting central Israel

The IDF has detected a ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

IDF says it struck senior Iranian intel officials last night, is examining results

The IDF says it is examining the results of an airstrike last night targeting senior Iranian intelligence officials.

“Last night, we struck a facility of the intelligence directorate of Khatam al-Anbiya, the emergency command,” says IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin in a video statement.

“This is the body responsible for compiling information collected by intelligence agencies in Iran to present it to the regime’s security leadership,” he says.

Defrin says the IDF struck the site “while several senior officials from the directorate were present.”

“At this stage, we are examining the results of the strike,” he adds.

Lebanon’s offer for direct talks with Israel falls on deaf ears, sources say

Israel has rebuffed an offer of direct talks from Lebanon, deeming it too little too late from a government that shares its goal of disarming Hezbollah but cannot act against the heavily armed Lebanese group without risking a civil war.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed the state’s willingness to begin direct negotiations with Israel this week, seeking to secure an end to the conflict that erupted on March 2 when Hezbollah entered the regional war in support of its patron Iran.

Two sources familiar with Aoun’s position say he has begun appointing a negotiating delegation and in some private meetings, he went as far as to say he was ready to move toward normalizing ties.

“Everything is on the table,” a third source familiar with his position tells Reuters when asked about normalization.

The Lebanese state’s stance reflects unprecedented levels of domestic opposition to Hezbollah’s status as an armed group: the government last week banned the group from military activities.

But with Hezbollah still wielding a powerful arsenal and backed by a significant portion of Lebanon’s Shi’ite Muslim community, carrying out the order is easier said than done for a fragile Lebanese state now facing one of its most precarious moments since the 1975-90 civil war.

On Friday, Aoun told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that he had not received a response to his offer, according to a statement from the presidency.

UAE says Iran must halt attacks on neighbours to allow diplomacy

UAE Ambassador to the Unites Nations Lana Nusseibeh,arrives for an interactive discussion titled ''Present at the Disruption: The UAE's First Year on the UN Security Council," in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

US President Donald Trump will bring about a diplomatic conclusion to the war with Iran “in his time,” and Tehran must halt attacks on its neighbors before they can mediate, one of the UAE’s top diplomats says in an interview.

Lana Nusseibeh, a former UAE ambassador to the United Nations who now holds the rank of minister of state in the Gulf country’s foreign ministry, expresses confidence that the war will end in a negotiated settlement. But she says neighbors are shocked that Iran has unleashed attacks on them.

“Ultimately, it will be a diplomatic solution, but there needs to be that tipping point moment, and I think that President Trump will lead us all to that moment in his time,” Nusseibeh says.

Asked about efforts to mediate, she says Iran must halt its attacks first: “It is difficult to talk about mediation when under attack… Mediation can only happen when the guns go silent.”

She says Iranian officials had given her no indication the UAE was a target when she visited Tehran for talks aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis two weeks before it erupted into conflict. That lack of warning made Iran’s attacks on the UAE “so shocking and so egregious.”

Iran has said its strikes are aimed at the US presence in the region. The UAE, along with other Gulf countries, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey, hosts US military facilities.

Drones or missiles have been fired at UAE civilian infrastructure, including Dubai airport, landmark hotels and the financial hub.

Nusseibeh says the UAE is in constant touch with the Trump administration and praised it as a strong strategic partner.

She offers no criticism of the US or Israel for launching the attack on Iran, and says their military campaign should be viewed separately from what she calls Iran’s “egregious illegal and unlawful attacks on the Gulf countries and Jordan.”

It would be hard to restore relations with Iran to the pre-war status quo, “as you look around at the destruction and the chaos that Iran has caused in the region,” she says.

She says Iran was trying to attack the UAE’s economic model, which had attracted 700,000 Iranians to live there, but that the Iranian strikes had shown that “our economy is strong and robust and resilient.”

“People are back at work, our airports are open, flights are taking off. It’s the Iranian economy that was already strangled by sanctions and economic pressure that is going into freefall. It’s their currency that’s going into freefall,” she says.

Trump: US will escort ships in Strait of Hormuz ‘if needed’

US President Donald Trump says Washington will escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if needed, adding in a Fox News interview that the US would strike Iran “very hard over the next week.”

Asked about helping oil tankers pass through the key shipping strait, Trump said: “We would do it if we needed to. But, you know, hopefully things are going to go very well. We’re going to see what happens.” He gives no other details.

“We’re going to be hitting them very hard over the next week,” he adds in the interview with Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”

His comments come as the United States and other countries face spiking oil and gas prices with the US-Israel war entering its 14th day, with oil prices hovering near $100 a barrel on Friday.

IDF: Between 4,000 and 5,000 Iranian troops have been killed by Israeli strikes since war’s start

Smoke plumes billow from the site of airstrikes near Azadi Tower in western Tehran on March 10, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

The IDF assesses that between 4,000 and 5,000 Iranian soldiers and commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes in Iran since the start of the war.

Among them are many members of Iran’s internal security forces and Basij paramilitary force, which have been a focus of Israeli strikes.

The military says it is preparing for several more weeks of operations in Iran, as it still has many more regime targets to hit, both in Tehran and in other parts of the country.

Israel’s strikes are focusing on causing a blow to the Iranian regime, its military, its weapon production industries, as well as the nuclear program.

So far, the Israeli Air Force has dropped over 10,000 bombs in Iran since the start of the war nearly two weeks ago.

In all, over 7,600 separate strikes were conducted in Iran, including 2,000 against “headquarters and assets of the Iranian terror regime,” and 4,700 against Iran’s missile program, the IDF says.

The IAF has conducted 4,700 sorties and over 380 waves of strikes in Iran, according to the military.

IDF says rate of Iran’s missile attacks continues to decline

Rocket trails are seen in the sky above Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks on March 11, 2026. (JACK GUEZ / AFP)

The rate of Iran’s ballistic missile attacks has continued to decline, with just a few projectiles fired at Israel in the past day, according to the military.

On the first day of the war, Iran launched some 90 missiles at Israel, before firing around 60 the following day. The rate then declined to around 20 missiles per day for around a week, before slowing further to several a day in recent days.

The IDF attributes the downward trend to strikes targeting Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and squads of Iranian soldiers preparing to carry out the missile attacks.

The military assesses that attacks from Iran will continue as long as the war is active, and the rate of missile fire could even increase.

The Home Front Command is meanwhile mulling easing restrictions in some parts of the country that are under less of a threat of Iran’s ballistic missiles or Hezbollah’s rocket attacks from northern Israel, potentially allowing schools to reopen in some areas.

The decision is not final, and will likely be announced on Saturday night when the current restrictions are set to expire.

Impact in Zarzir caused by Iran missile warhead that may have been partially intercepted — IDF

A man looks a the site struck by an Iranian missile in Zarzir, northern Israel, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

The impact in the northern town of Zarzir overnight was caused by the warhead of an Iranian ballistic missile that may have been partially intercepted, according to a preliminary military investigation.

The impact wounded some 60 people, most of them lightly, and caused damage to dozens of homes.

According to the IDF’s initial findings, the missile may have been partially intercepted by air defenses, and the warhead remained entirely intact and ultimately crashed down on Zarzir and exploded.

IDF to further bolster troops in north amid fighting with Hezbollah

IDF troops operate in Mount Dov area of southern Lebanon, in a photo cleared for publication September 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it is further bolstering troops in northern Israel amid the fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, following a fresh assessment, ordered a “broad reinforcement” of troops in the Northern Command, “as part of strengthening readiness for various offensive and defensive scenarios,” the military says in a statement.

The army says the deployment will include forces from the standing army, including the 98th Division with two brigade-level combat teams and combat engineering battalions.

Reservist forces from the 252nd Division will be mobilized and deployed to the Gaza Strip to swap out the standing army units who are being sent to the Northern Command. In the Central Command, the IDF will also be extending the duty time of several reserve battalions.

The military deployed troops deeper into southern Lebanon last week, saying it aims to “establish a forward defense that will create an additional security layer for the residents of the north.”

So far, the IDF says it has conducted over 1,100 strikes in Lebanon since the hostilities escalated when Hezbollah began attacking Israel earlier this month.

They include 190 targets of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, 200 rocket and missile launchers, 35 command centers and 80 multi-story buildings that were used by the terror group, the military says.

The IDF says it has also killed over 380 members of Hezbollah and other terror groups during the fighting.

US raises death toll from refueling aircraft crash from four to six

The American military says all six crew members are confirmed dead in the refueling aircraft crash over western Iraq last night.

“All six crew members aboard a US KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased,” the US Central Command says.

“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” CENTCOM adds.

Earlier, CENTCOM announced that four soldiers had been killed in the crash.

The KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed following an apparent accident involving another tanker.

The second tanker landed at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. The aircraft had sent a “squawk code” of 7700, an international emergency signal, according to flight tracking data.

The six fatalities join seven others sustained by US forces since the start of the Iran war

Settlers filmed opening fire during raid of Palestinian village; no injuries or arrests reported

Footage circulating on social media shows armed settlers inside the Palestinian village of Sa’ir near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Two are seen pointing their weapons toward Palestinians, and one of them is seen firing. No injuries have been reported.

Additional footage shows soldiers arriving at the scene and speaking with the settlers, who are later seen leaving the area.

There are no reports of arrests made.

The IDF has not yet responded to a request for comment.

עוד יום רגיל ביו"ש שבו אזרחים ישראלים מתועדים בתוך הכפר סעיר באזור חברון, שניים שולפים נשק לעבר פלסטינים ואחד מהם יורה. לא ידוע על נפגעים מהירי. כוח צה"ל נראה מגיע למקום, משוחח איתם ולאחר מכן הם עוזבים. מצה"ל טרם נמסרה תגובה pic.twitter.com/Xayz2Pfqbj

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) March 13, 2026

Hegseth says Gulf allies are ‘going on the offense’ against Iran; US will determine pace of conflict

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to indicate that some Arab states could join the US-Israeli strikes on Iran: “The only thing that is widening is our advantage. Not to mention our Gulf allies stepping up even more now, going on the offense.”

US President Donald Trump, he says, “will determine the pace, tempo and timing of this conflict…America First, Peace through Strength in action.”

Today, he says, will once again be the day with the highest number of sorties carried out by US bombers in the two-week-old campaign.

IDF says 3 Hezbollah operatives killed in strike on Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon yesterday

Three Hezbollah operatives were killed in an Israeli strike in the Bint Jbeil area of southern Lebanon yesterday, the military says.

The IDF says operatives had been identified by the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division’s 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, and a short while later, they were struck and killed.

The 91st Division has been deployed to the eastern sector of southern Lebanon, part of the IDF’s “enhanced forward defense posture,” after Hezbollah began attacking Israel this month.

The division has been focusing on dismantling Hezbollah’s anti-tank missile launch sites and eliminating members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force in their area of operations.

The military deployed troops deeper in southern Lebanon in the past week, saying it aims to “establish a forward defense that will create an additional security layer for the residents of the north.”

Three Hezbollah operatives were killed in an Israeli strike in the Bint Jbeil area of southern Lebanon yesterday, the military says.

The IDF says operatives had been identified by the 91st "Galilee" Regional Division's 869th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit, and a short while… pic.twitter.com/tOzce4Hefr

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 13, 2026

Hegseth: Mojtaba Khamenei ‘wounded and likely disfigured’

Iran’s new “so-called, not-so-supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei is “wounded and likely disfigured,” says US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of the Islamic Republic’s third leader, who was targeted in the same strikes that killed his father, former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, at the opening of the US-Israeli campaign two weeks ago.

“Why a written statement?” asks Hegseth, after messages ostensibly from Khamenei emerged this week, but no footage. “I think you know why.”

“Who’s in charge?” he taunts.

Meanwhile, he says, the US will keep its foot on the gas. “No quarter, no mercy for our enemies.”

Iran no longer capable of building new ballistic missiles, Hegseth claims

Iran has lost the capability to rebuild its destroyed military assets, says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“Very soon,” he says, “all of Iran’s defense companies will be destroyed,” indicating a focus of US-Israeli operations in the coming days.

Every company that builds components of Iran’s ballistic missiles “has been defeated, has been destroyed,” he says.

Reports: Settlers burn down chicken coop in southern West Bank village

Reports: Settlers set fire to chicken coop in southern West Bank

Palestinian media outlets report that settlers set fire to a chicken coop in the village of Rashayida, in the Bethlehem area of the West Bank.

The coop was burned down, and footage indicates that dozens of chickens died.

Hegseth: When the IRGC looks up, all they see is ‘Stars and Stripes and Star of David’

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference at US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP)

The United States is “decimating the Iranian regime’s military in ways the world has never seen before,” says US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a Pentagon briefing.

He says Iran’s military, which is still capable of launching missiles and drones at its neighbors and Israel, has been made “combat ineffective, devastated.”

Over 15,000 Iranian targets have been hit, says Hegseth. “No other combination of countries in the world” can do what the US and Israelis are doing over Iran, he boasts.

When the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps looks up, says Hegseth, they only see two things on the sides of aircraft — “the Stars and Stripes, and the Star of David — the evil regime’s worst nightmare.”

“Iran has no air defenses,” he continues, “Iran has no air force, Iran has no navy. Their missiles, missile launchers and drones are being destroyed or shot out of the sky.”

He says that Tehran’s missile launches are down 90 percent, and its drone attacks are down by 95 percent.

Iran is “exercising sheer desperation” in the Strait of Hormuz, says US President Donald Trump’s defense secretary.

“It’s something we’re dealing with, have been dealing with, and you don’t have to worry about it,” he promises, amid fears of an extended spike in oil prices.

Four arrested on suspicion of detonating explosive outside Rotterdam synagogue

Dutch police say they have arrested four young men on suspicion of setting off an explosion outside a synagogue in Rotterdam that caused a brief blaze and damage to the building.

After the blast, police monitored other synagogues as a precaution and stopped a vehicle near another building driven by someone matching the description of one of the suspects.

“It is not yet clear whether the suspects planned to detonate an explosive or set fire to another synagogue as well,” police say in a statement.

Two men were aged 19, one 18, and the fourth was 17 years old, say police, without specifying any potential motive.

Authorities say they are launching a “large-scale investigation into this serious incident” and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

An unverified video showing an explosion near a building resembling the targeted synagogue has circulated on social media, which police say they were examining as part of their probe.

Justice Minister David van Weel says the attack was “terrible news.”

“We will not tolerate antisemitism, intimidation and violence. Local authorities are ensuring the safety of synagogues,” he writes on X.

The minister voices solidarity with the Dutch Jewish community, adding: “They must feel safe in the Netherlands.”

Rotterdam city mayor Carola Schouten says the attack had caused “a great deal of anxiety among our Jewish fellow citizens.”

There is no place for antisemitism, intimidation, violence, or hatred toward religious communities in her city, adds Schouten.

The synagogue’s chairman, Chris den Hoedt, tells public broadcaster NOS that the attack was “shocking, but also not expected.”

“This is material damage,” he says, showing the scorched doors of the building.

“But the emotional damage our community feels is bigger and longer-lasting. We can repair this (the door), but not the rest,” he adds.

Lebanese media: IDF dropped leaflets over Beirut telling civilians to act against Hezbollah

Lebanese media reports that the Israeli Air Force dropped leaflets in Beirut a short while ago, calling on civilians to act against Hezbollah.

“If you want to be part of real change and contribute to the prosperity and defense of your country, we are here to listen,” the leaflets read, which include the logo of the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504 — which specializes in human intelligence.

إلقاء مناشير "إسرائيلية" فوق بيروت #ملحق pic.twitter.com/pEQvQ2wUEn

— Mulhak – ملحق (@Mulhak) March 13, 2026

بالفيديو: هكذا بدت #بيروت لحظة إلقاء المناشير الإسرائيلية pic.twitter.com/nCunCidGlB

— VDL24 صوت لبنان (@sawtlebnan) March 13, 2026

After Trump brands him ‘weak and pathetic,’ Herzog indicates that Netanyahu should have pushed back

President Isaac Herzog (center) and First Lady Michal speak to residents of Beit Zarzir at the site of an Iranian ballistic missile strike, March 13, 2026. (GPO)

After US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called him “weak and pathetic” in his handling of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pardon request, President Isaac Herzog says that Israel’s “dignity, independence and sovereignty” are not for sale.

Netanyahu was asked about the insults during a press conference last night, and said that “US presidents are entitled to say what’s in their hearts,”  while blasting the trial as a political witch hunt and telling Herzog to “do the right thing” and end it.

The prime minister should have pushed back on Trump, Herzog indicates.

“There is a difference between political and legal disagreements that have continued for decades on various issues — even with our allies — and a blatant attack on the symbols of governance and sovereignty of the State of Israel,” says Herzog. “A statement must be said on this issue.”

The usually staid head of state intimates that Trump’s repeated insults over the pardon request are “a blatant attack on the symbols of governance and sovereignty of the State of Israel.”

“I am not seeking my own honor, but the honor of the state,” he says at the site of an Iranian missile strike in the Bedouin town of Beit Zarzir.

“Our dignity, independence and sovereignty are not for sale to anyone,”
he says.

“I will, of course, address the request for a pardon when it arrives, in the most independent and free manner — without pressure and without noise from any direction — with a clear mind and clean hands,” Herzog says.

“He doesn’t need any legal opinions,” Trump said of Herzog in a phone interview on Wednesday. “He is full of crap. He is a weak and pathetic guy. I want Bibi [Netanyahu] to be focused on the war — not on bullshit.”

Trump has repeatedly blasted Herzog over his failure so far to issue a pardon to Netanyahu in his ongoing criminal corruption trial. Just last week, Trump called Herzog a “disgrace” for not pardoning the prime minister.

No injuries reported in latest Iranian ballistic missile attack

No injuries are reported in Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the fourth since midnight.

The missile was likely intercepted, according to initial military assessments. Sirens had sounded in the Jerusalem area and parts of southern Israel.

Iranian security chief, other top officials make public appearance at annual Quds Day rally in Tehran

Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani dismisses a suspected Israeli strike at the site of an annual Quds Day demonstration in Tehran as an act of “desperation” as he attends the mass rally along with other top officials.

“These attacks are out of fear, out of desperation. One who is strong wouldn’t bomb demonstrations at all. It’s clear that it has failed,” Larijani tells state TV while marching at the rally, held each year in a show of support for the Palestinian cause and opposition to Israel.

Striking a defiant tone, he says US President Donald Trump “doesn’t understand that the Iranian people are a brave nation, a strong nation, a determined nation. The more he presses, the stronger the nation’s determination will become.”

High-profile Iranian figures Ali Larijani and Mohammad Eslami ,head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, seen marching through Tehran today .@amichaistein1 pic.twitter.com/0IzEFyie6Y

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 13, 2026

The attendance by Larijani is one of the most high-profile public appearances by an Iranian official since the February 28 strike that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials.

Judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei and national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan are also in attendance, state TV pictures show.

Holding images of Ali Khamenei and his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, people are marching through Tehran in the annual event, trampling on images of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to AFP journalists.

Sirens expected in central Israel as IDF detects new Iranian missile launch

The IDF says it has detected a ballistic missile attack from Iran.

Sirens are expected to sound in central Israel in the coming minutes.

Two people lightly injured by Hezbollah rocket impact in Western Galilee

Medics and security forces are seen at the site of a Hezbollah rocket impact in Kibbutz Kabri in the Western Galilee, March 13, 2026 (United Hatzalah)

Two people are lightly injured by a rocket that struck a home in a community in the Western Galilee, medics say.

Magen David Adom says it treated a 50-year-old woman in good condition who sustained a shrapnel injury, and a 60-year-old man who was lightly hurt by a blast.

Several rockets were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon in the attack.

UN chief Guterres lands in Beirut for wartime ‘visit of solidarity’

UN chief Antonio Guterres says he has arrived in Beirut for a “solidarity” visit to Lebanon, where more than 687 people are reported to have been killed since Hezbollah pulled the country into Israel’s conflict with Iran on March 2.

Guterres is expected to raise awareness of the growing humanitarian needs in the country, with more than 800,000 people displaced.

“I have just landed in Beirut for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon. They did not choose this war. They were dragged into it,” the United Nations secretary-general says on X.

“The UN and I will spare no effort in striving for the peaceful future that Lebanon and this region so richly deserve.”

The UN says an emergency appeal for funds is to be launched during his visit.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Hezbollah drone unit member who worked as university lecturer killed in Beirut strike, IDF says

A member of Hezbollah’s drone unit, who moonlighted as an academic, was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut yesterday evening, says Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokeswoman.

Murtada Hussein Sarour was targeted near the Lebanese University in Beirut.

Waweya says Sarour was a member of Hezbollah’s aerial forces, also known as Unit 127, which is responsible for explosive-laden drone attacks on Israel and flying surveillance drones to collect intelligence. He is also the brother of Muhammad Hussein Sarour, the former commander of Unit 127, who was killed by Israel in September 2024, she says.

“Alongside his activity in Hezbollah, Murtada Hussein Sarour worked as a lecturer in chemistry at the Lebanese University in Beirut. Like him, there are many other operatives who, alongside their activity in Hezbollah as centers of knowledge in production fields, also work as lecturers in various Lebanese universities,” Waweya says.

Large blast reported at site of Quds Day demonstration in Tehran

Demonstrators attend the annual anti-Israeli Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, rally in Tehran, Iran, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A large explosion struck Iran’s capital Tehran on Friday at a square filled with demonstrators, Iranian state television reports.

The explosion hit Ferdowsi Square, just down Enghelab Street from Tehran University, the epicenter of ongoing Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, demonstrations. The area is home to many government buildings.

Video published by the semiofficial Tasnim news agency shows a plume of gray smoke rising as demonstrators screamed “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!”

Footage from Ferdowsi Square showed people shouting “God is the greatest!” as smoke rose.

The strike comes as Iranian media published videos showing top members of the country’s theocracy at the demonstration in Tehran, including security official Ali Larijani and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, the hard-line cleric who heads the country’s judiciary.

The cause of the blast is not immediately known, and there is no immediate comment from the IDF or Iranian authorities.

NATO downs third Iranian ballistic missile over Turkey

Turkey’s defense ministry says a ballistic missile from Iran had been shot down in Turkish airspace by NATO defenses, in the third such incident in just over a week.

“A ballistic munition launched from Iran and entering Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defence assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean,” a ministry statement says.

It adds that it has asked Iran for an explanation, and reiterates that “all necessary measures are being taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat” to Turkish territory and airspace.

Earlier, Turkish media reported that sirens had been heard at Turkey’s Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed near the southeastern city of Adana.

Sirens sound in Western, Upper Galilee amid rocket fire from Lebanon

Sirens sound in Nahariya and nearby towns in the Western Galilee, as well as in several communities in the Upper Galilee amid a rocket attack from Lebanon.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Since March 2, when Hezbollah began attacking Israel in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, the terror group has launched on average around 100 rockets a day, according to the IDF.

Dutch police investigating fire that broke out at Rotterdam synagogue overnight

Dutch police say they are investigating a fire that erupted in a synagogue in Rotterdam overnight, without resulting in any injuries.

“The fire burned for a short moment before going out on its own. No one was injured,” the police say on social media of the blaze that erupted at 3:40 a.m. (4:40 a.m. Israel time) at a synagogue on A.B.N. Davidplein.

An unverified video showing an explosion near a building resembling the targeted synagogue has circulated on social media, which police are using in their probe.

“There is no place in Rotterdam for antisemitism, intimidation, violence or hatred toward religious communities,” city mayor Carola Schouten tells Dutch news agency ANP.

Scouten says the incident had caused “a great deal of anxiety among our Jewish fellow citizens.”

The fire comes amid a string of violent incidents targeting synagogues around the world.

On Monday, an explosion shook a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liege before dawn, causing material damage but no injuries.

It was strongly condemned by Belgian politicians and European Union officials. Belgian authorities said they were analyzing a potentially jihadist video claiming responsibility.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Four American soldiers killed in refueling aircraft crash over Iraq, US military says

The American military says four soldiers are confirmed dead in the refueling aircraft crash over western Iraq last night.

“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” the US Central Command says.

CENTCOM says the circumstances of the incident are still under investigation. “However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” it says.

The KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed following an apparent accident involving another tanker.

The second tanker landed at Ben Gurion Airport. The aircraft had sent a “squawk code” of 7700, an international emergency signal, according to flight tracking data.

Images show that the second KC-135 sustained damage to its vertical stabilizer.

תיעוד: אחד ממטוסי התדלוק האמריקניים, שהיה מעורב אתמול בתאונה בשמי עיראק, צולם בנתב"ג ללא חלק משמעותי ממיצב הכיוון בזנב המטוס. תיעוד המטוס הגיע אלינו הבוקר, ומלמד משהו על התאונה החריגה במהלך התקיפות באיראן

המטוס השני שהיה מעורב בתאונה התרסק בעיראק, גורל ששת אנשי הצוות לא ידוע pic.twitter.com/igBPfEOZjf

— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) March 13, 2026

Katz threatens destruction of Lebanese national infrastructure, says it is ‘price’ of not disarming Hezbollah

A picture shows the destroyed Tayr Falsay bridge connecting the villages located south of the Litani with those on the northern side of the river after it was targeted by an Israeli air strike on March 13, 2026. (Kawnat Haju/AFP)

Defense Minister Israel Katz threatens to destroy Lebanese national infrastructure that is used by Hezbollah.

The remarks come after the IDF struck a bridge on the Litani River this morning, saying Hezbollah had been using it to move operatives from north to south Lebanon.

“This is only the beginning, and the Lebanese government and the Lebanese state will pay an increasing price through damage to Lebanese national infrastructure that is used by Hezbollah terrorists,” Katz says during an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and the military’s top brass.

“The Lebanese government, which misled and did not fulfill its commitment to disarm Hezbollah, will pay increasing prices through damage to infrastructure and the loss of territory, until the central commitment of disarming Hezbollah is fulfilled,” he adds.

Suspected drone infiltration sets off sirens in Kiryat Shmona, surrounding area

Sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona and surrounding towns, warning of a suspected drone attack from Lebanon.

Hezbollah has launched more than 100 drones at Israel since the hostilities escalated this month, the vast majority of which were shot down by the Israeli Air Force, according to the military.

IDF: Hezbollah commander, operatives killed by ground troops operating in southern Lebanon

Troops of the 146th Reserve Division operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on March 9, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says a Hezbollah commander and several other operatives were recently killed as ground troops operate in the western sector of southern Lebanon.

Troops of the 146th Reserve Division were deployed to the western sector last week, as part of the IDF’s “enhanced forward defense posture” in south Lebanon, after Hezbollah began attacking Israel.

The military says that during the division’s operations, some 400 targets were struck, and the troops destroyed missile launchers, a weapon depot, and buildings used by Hezbollah.

Additionally, the army says that several Hezbollah operatives were killed, including the commander of the terror group’s anti-tank missile unit in the region.

Four Palestinians severely injured in settler attack in Khirbet Humsa overnight

Residents of Khirbet Humsa, a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, tell the Times of Israel that around 30 settlers descended on the community overnight and assaulted locals and volunteers.

A resident of the area, who asked not to be named, says the settlers were armed with clubs, and they handcuffed 14 local men and volunteers.

Another, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, says four residents were severely beaten and were evacuated to the hospital in Nablus.

In addition, two international female volunteers were also assaulted.

According to the residents’ testimonies, two of the locals were beaten in intimate areas of their bodies, and the settlers stole around 350 head of livestock.

עדויות: 30 מתנחלים תקפו הלילה את חומסה שבצפון בקעת הירדן והכו קשות תושבים ומתנדבים, 4 פונו לבית חולים.
תושב האזור שביקש שלא לומר את שמו אמר לי כי המתנחלים שהיו מצויידים באלות הגיעו ואזקו 14 גברים תושבי המקום (בכל הגילאים) ומתנדבים. תושב חומסה שביקש שלא לומר את שמו הוסיף כי 4… pic.twitter.com/Ke4HxzvLSb

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) March 13, 2026

IDF: Branches of Hezbollah-linked quasi-bank struck in Beirut yesterday

The Israeli Air Force struck several branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial institution, along with other infrastructure belonging to the terror group, across Lebanon yesterday, the military says.

Sites belonging to the Al-Qard al-Hasan association, which is known to be used by the terror group as a quasi-bank, were struck in Beirut.

Other Hezbollah sites, including weapon depots, were struck in the eastern Beqaa Valley and in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.

The military says AQAH is used by Hezbollah to store money, manage salaries for its operatives, transfer funds from Iran, and purchase weapons.

Numerous AQAH sites have been struck by the IDF in Lebanon in recent days, which the IDF says is part of an effort to “deepen the blow to the Hezbollah terror organization and its resources.”

IDF instructs Iranians in parts of Tehran to evacuate ahead of planned strikes

The IDF issues an “urgent warning” to Iranians in several areas in the Tehran region, ahead of planned airstrikes.

“In the coming hours, the IDF will operate in the area, as it has in recent days across Tehran, to strike military infrastructure of the Iranian regime,” says the IDF’s Persian-language spokesman, Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi in a statement.

“For your safety and well-being, we ask that you immediately leave the area indicated on the map,” he adds.

‼️هشدار فوری به کلیه افراد مستقر در نقاط ذیل:
• ناحیه صنعتی لیا در شهر قزوین
• منطقه ویلا در تهران,
• منطقه منیریه در تهران,
بر اساس ناحيه مشخص شده قرمز رنگ بر روی نقشه ضمیمه

⭕️ ارتش اسرائیل همچنان که در روزهای اخیر در منطقه تهران برای حمله به زیرساخت های نظامی رژیم ایران… pic.twitter.com/iVYGwBc9iy

— ارتش دفاعی اسرائیل | IDF Farsi (@IDFFarsi) March 13, 2026

Chinese Red Cross to provide $200,000 in humanitarian aid to Iranian Red Crescent

The Red Cross Society of China will provide $200,000 in emergency humanitarian aid to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, specifically for condolences and relief to parents of the students who have been killed in the conflict, China’s foreign ministry says.

“China condemns all indiscriminate attacks on civilians and non-military targets,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun says at a daily press briefing.

Beijing is prepared to provide further necessary assistance to Iran and support for the Iranian people, Guo says.

IDF says weapon manufacturing sites, regime bodies’ headquarters hit in Iran strikes yesterday

Several waves of Israeli airstrikes in Tehran, Shiraz, and Ahvaz yesterday hit several Iranian military sites, including a subterranean ballistic missile manufacturing and storage site, the IDF says.

The military says the underground site in Shiraz was used by Iran to manufacture and store ballistic missiles “which were set to be launched toward the State of Israel.”

In Tehran, the IDF says it struck several sites belonging to Iran’s air defense array, including a “key base,” along with facilities used by Iran to manufacture various weapons, including air defense systems and ballistic missile components.

In Ahvaz, the IDF says it struck several headquarters of various Iranian regime bodies, including the IRGC ground forces and Iran’s internal security forces. The military says dozens of Iranian soldiers were operating at the headquarters that were targeted.

Two reported dead in Oman after drone intercepted in country’s north

Two people died after security forces intercepted a drone in northern Oman, state media says, without giving further details.

Both victims in the incident at the Al Awahi industrial area were expatriates, the Oman News Agency says, adding that others were injured.

IDF repeats call for civilians to evacuate Beirut’s southern suburbs

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, on March 13, 2026. (Fadel Itani/AFP) /

The IDF again calls on Lebanese civilians to evacuate Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.

“Out of concern for your safety, we urge you to evacuate immediately and not return to these neighborhoods until further notice,” says army spokesman Col. Avichay Adaree.

The IDF has struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh in recent days, and has repeatedly called on Lebanese civilians to evacuate the area.

IDF announces ‘extensive’ new wave of airstrikes in Tehran

The Israeli Air Force has launched a fresh wave of “extensive” airstrikes in Tehran, the IDF announces.

The military says the strikes are targeting Iranian regime infrastructure sites.

Iran’s IRGC vow stronger response than last time if new protests erupt

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns that any new protests against the authorities will be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.

“The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots,” the Guards say in a statement broadcast on TV, promising “a stronger blow than on January 8” in the event of new unrest

The government in January brutally cracked down on anti-government protests — deemed by authorities as “riots” — over economic grievances in the sanctions-hit country.

Iranian authorities acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths in the unrest, including members of the security forces and bystanders. The  US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, however, has recorded more than 7,000 killings in the crackdown, the vast majority protesters, though the toll may be far higher.

213 people taken to hospital Thursday as result of Iran war, Health Ministry says

Patients and medical staff are seen in an underground parking area converted into a treatment ward at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, March 8, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Health Ministry reports that in the past 24 hours, 213 injured people have been taken to hospitals as a result of the conflict with Iran.

Among those treated in hospitals, four are in moderate condition, and 196 are in good condition.

Thirteen people have been treated for anxiety.

The ministry does not give a breakdown of the causes of injuries, and some might have been sustained by people trying to reach shelter rather than as a direct result of missile fire from Iran or rocket fire from Lebanon

The ministry also says that since the beginning of the war with Iran on February 28, 2,975 people have been admitted to hospitals, 85 of whom are currently hospitalized. This figure includes both civilians and soldiers, and the IDF has reported a total of 13 wounded by Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon.

Among those hospitalized, nine people are in serious condition, ten people are in moderate condition, and 64 are in good condition.

Trump: Watch what happens to ‘deranged scumbags’ in Iran today

US President Donald Trump issued a new threat online to Iran, writing: “Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.”

Trump made the post on his Truth Social website, saying that “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth.”

“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them,” Trump writes. “What a great honor it is to do so!”

IDF says it struck Litani River bridge used by Hezbollah to move operatives south

The IDF says it struck a bridge on the Litani River that was being used by Hezbollah as a “key crossing” to move from northern to southern Lebanon.

The Zrarieh Bridge was struck a short while ago.

According to the military, Hezbollah used the bridge “to move from the north to the south of the country, prepare for combat against IDF troops, and operate against the civilians of the State of Israel, while endangering Lebanese civilians and causing extensive destruction in populated areas.”

The IDF says that to prevent a “threat to Israeli civilians, and the continued harm to Lebanese civilians, it was necessary to strike the bridge.”

The military says Hezbollah also positioned rocket launchers near the bridge and carried out rocket attacks on Israel from the area recently.

צה"ל תקף את גשר א-זרריה בנהר הליטאני ששימש כמעבר מרכזי עבור מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה

צה"ל תקף לפני זמן קצר את גשר א-זרריה שעל נהר הליטאני בלבנון, ששימש כמעבר מרכזי עבור מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.

ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה משתמש בגשר זה על מנת להגיע מצפון לדרום המדינה, להיערך… pic.twitter.com/jWK4dw9dup

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 13, 2026

Saudi Arabia intercepts drone targeting Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter

Saudi forces intercepted a drone targeting Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter housing foreign embassies, the defense ministry says.

The “hostile drone” was downed “during an attempt to approach the Diplomatic Quarter,” the ministry posts on X. Three more drones were intercepted elsewhere in Saudi Arabia around the same time, the ministry says.

No injuries reported in Iranian ballistic missile attack in Eilat area

No injuries have been reported in Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel, the third since midnight.

The missile was likely intercepted, according to initial military assessments. Sirens had sounded in the southernmost city of Eilat.

Sirens expected in Eilat area as IDF detects new Iranian missile launch

A new ballistic missile attack from Iran has been detected by the IDF.

Sirens are expected to sound in the Eilat area in southern Israel in the coming minutes.

IDF: Over 200 targets struck across central, western Iran in past day

The Israeli Air Force struck over 200 targets in western and central Iran over the past day, the military says.

The IDF says that among the targets were ballistic missile launchers, air defense systems, and weapon production sites.

Dozens of IAF aircraft dropped numerous bombs on the targets, the military adds, attaching footage showing some of the strikes.

במהלך היממה האחרונה חיל האוויר תקף יותר מ-200 מטרות במערב ובמרכז איראן

עשרות מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר בהכוונת אמ"ן, השלימו ביממה האחרונה מטסי תקיפות נרחבים במערב ובמרכז איראן, במסגרתם הוטלו חימושים רבים לעבר יותר מ-200 מטרות של משטר הטרור האיראני, בהם משגרי טילים בליסטיים, מערכות… pic.twitter.com/ZXxXCGAEpl

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 13, 2026

Sirens heard at key NATO facility in southern Turkey, Turkish media reports

Sirens were heard early this morning at Turkey’s Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed near the southeastern city of Adana, state news agency Anadolu reports.

There is no immediate official comment on the incident, which took place four days after NATO air defences shot down a ballistic missile in Turkish airspace that was fired from Iran, the second in five days.

Residents of Adana, which lies 10 kilometres (six miles) away from the base, were woken at around 3:25 a.m. local time by sirens, which sounded for around five minutes, according to the Ekonomim business news website.

It says a red alert sounded at the base.

Several people posted mobile phone footage on social media of a glowing image flying through the sky, suggesting it could be a missile heading for the airbase, it says.

Across the city, sirens from fire engines and the security forces could be heard for a long time, it adds.

NATO said it shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran on Monday, prompting a stern warning from Turkey to Tehran not to take “provocative steps.”

Dubai says building hit by debris from intercepted attack

Illustrative: A policeman inspects the wreckage of a drone in downtown Dubai on March 12, 2026. (AFP)

A building in central Dubai was hit by debris from an intercepted attack, the government media office says, after blasts shook the Middle East financial hub.

An AFP correspondent describes hearing a huge double blast that rattled buildings and left a large cloud of black smoke hanging over a central district.

Dubai’s media office confirms a building was struck. The United Arab Emirates’ air defenses have intercepted more than 1,500 Iranian drones and nearly 300 missiles during the Middle East war.

“Authorities confirmed that debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the facade of a building in central Dubai,” the media office posts on X, adding that no injuries were reported.

Saudi Arabia says its air defenses intercepted 50 drones in past several hours

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry says that its air defenses have downed 10 more drones headed toward the kingdom’s Eastern and Central Provinces, bringing the total to nearly 50 drones entering Saudi airspace over the span of a few hours.

The barrage represents a higher-than-usual number of aerial threats for the kingdom, which has seen sites including the US Embassy in Riyadh, oil infrastructure, and a military base hosting US troops targeted as the war involving Iran has intensified.

Iran-linked militia warns French interests in region ‘under targeting fire’ after arrival of aircraft carrier

A pro-Iranian group in Iraq warns that French interests “in Iraq and the region” will be “under targeting fire” after the arrival of a French aircraft carrier.

The statement on the Telegram page of the Ashab al-Kahf group comes as French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of a French soldier and the injury of several others in Iraqi Kurdistan.

IDF investigating Iranian ballistic missile impact in Zarzir

The IDF says it is investigating the circumstances of the Iranian ballistic missile impact in the northern town of Zarzir.

Home Front Command search and rescue soldiers are operating at the scene, where nearly 60 people were wounded, mostly lightly.

תיעוד מפעילות כוחות פיקוד העורף בזירת האירוע בזרזיר

כוחות פיקוד העורף בסדיר ובמילואים פועלים כעת בשילוב ארגוני החירום בזירת הנפילה בזרזיר. הכוחות מבצעים הערכת מצב בזירה בשיתוף גופי החירום וההצלה, במטרה לזכות את הזירה.

נסיבות האירוע בתחקור pic.twitter.com/LKhqwx21rb

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 13, 2026

IDF says it launched strike on Hezbollah operative in Beirut

The IDF says it carried out a strike targeting a Hezbollah operative in Beirut a short while ago.

It says further details will be provided later.

Ambulance service says 57 were lightly hurt by glass shards in Zarzir

The Magen David Adom ambulance service raises the number of people in Zarzir who were lightly injured by glass hards to 57, along with the woman who was moderately injured by shrapnel from the Iranian missile attack.

Iran media reports several explosions in Tehran

US and Israeli strikes hit parts of Tehran on Friday, Iranian media reports, adding that homes shook from the blasts.

“The intensity of the explosions was such that residents of these areas reported their houses shaking. No further details have been provided about the extent of damage or possible casualties,” Iran’s Fars news agency reports.

Ambulance service says most casualties in Zarzir were lightly hurt by glass or have acute anxiety

The Magen David Adom ambulance service raises the number of casualties from the missile impact in Zarzir to around 30, almost all of whom were lightly hurt by broken glass or are suffering from acute panic, with the exception of woman in her 30s moderately wounded by shrapnel.

Macron says French soldier killed in drone attack that wounded troops in Iraqi Kurdistan

An attack killed a French soldier in Erbil in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, President Emmanuel Macron says.

A member of the armed forces “died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq,” Macron posts on X, confirming the first French military death in the Middle East war that began late last month when Israel and the United States struck Iran.

Macron adds that several other soldiers had been wounded in the incident, which the French military earlier said was a drone attack on troops carrying out a training exercise.

Paramedics take 2 of the wounded in Zarzir impact to local hospital

A damaged home is seen in the northern Arab town of Zarzir after a missile impact, early March 13, 2026, amid an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel. (X screenshot)

Paramedics say that along with the 34-year-old woman who was moderately wounded, a 17-year-old who was lightly hurt in Zarzir is also being taken to a local hospital.

Images from the scene show extensive damage to homes and cars.

It remains unclear whether a missile directly impacted in the northern Arab town or if it was struck by debris from an interception.

זירת הנפילה בזרזיר | תיעוד

צילום: מוחמד חליליה pic.twitter.com/OZD4co41Jh

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 13, 2026

Michigan attacker named as naturalized US citizen born in Lebanon who reportedly lost relatives in Israeli strike

Law enforcement is seen at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on March 12, 2026, after an armed terrorist drove a vehicle into the building. (Jef Kowalsky/AFP)

The armed man who rammed his vehicle into one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United States has been identified as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon, according to federal officials.

Ghazali came to the US in 2011 on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a US citizen and was granted US citizenship in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Local media reports say Ghazali lived in Dearborn Heights and that several of his Lebanese relatives were killed in a recent Israeli strike amid the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.

Suspected drone alerts sound in Haifa suburbs, Acre and Nahariya

Suspected drone alerts sound in Haifa’s northern suburbs and the coastal cities of Nahariya and Acre, as well as numerous surrounding towns.

Several hurt, including one moderately, after impact in northern Arab town

The Magen David Adom ambulance service reports several people were injured following an impact in the northern Arab town of Zarzir.

MDA says that a 34-year-old woman was moderately wounded by shrapnel that hit her back, while the other seven were lightly hurt.

As sirens sound in north, IDF spots another Iranian missile launch; paramedics at scene ‘where report was received’

As sirens sound across the north, the IDF detects another Iranian ballistic missile launch from Iran.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says paramedics are searching the scene “where a report was received,” without immediately elaborating.

Meanwhile, sirens sound in the Lebanon border town of Metula following an apparent attack by Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Trump says he thinks new Iranian supreme leader is ‘damaged’ but ‘alive in some form’

US President Donald Trump weighs in on the status of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei after the supreme leader issued his first statement since being appointed.

Asked if he thinks Khamenei is alive, Trump says, “I think he probably is.”

“I think he is damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form, you know,” Trump says, speaking to the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio. The interview was taped Thursday to air Friday morning.

Khamenei hasn’t appeared in public since the start of the war.

IDF says more missiles fired from Iran, with sirens again sounding in north

Warning sirens again blare out across northern Israel as the military detects another missile launch from Iran.

No injuries reported after coincident Iranian missile and Hezbollah rocket attacks

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it received no reports of injuries following the latest concurrent Iranian missile and Hezbollah rocket attacks, while the IDF says it’s safe for Israelis to now leave their shelters.

Sirens blare across north amid Iranian ballistic missile and Hezbollah rocket attacks

The IDF says it has detected another ballistic missile attack from Iran, which sets off sirens across northern Israel.

Alerts are also activated in some northern communities due to apparent rocket fire from Hezbollah.

Saudi Arabia says 12 drones downed after entering its airspace

Saudi Arabia intercepted 12 drones entering its airspace, the defense ministry says early Friday, as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli strikes.

“Twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering Saudi airspace,” a spokesperson for the defense ministry posts on X.

FBI investigating Michigan synagogue attack as ‘targeted act of violence against Jewish community’

Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

An FBI official says it will investigate an attack on a synagogue near Detroit, Michigan, as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”

Special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office Jennifer Runyan tells reporters “we are leading the investigation as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”

Suspected drone infiltration alerts sound in Golan Heights

Sirens sound in the Golan Heights due to a suspected drone infiltration.

Sirens activated in Kiryat Shmona, surrounding towns amid Hezbollah rocket attack

Sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona and surrounding towns amid a fresh Hezbollah rocket attack from Lebanon.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Hezbollah ramped up its rocket fire on Israel on Wednesday night. Over the past day, the terror group has carried out several rocket barrages and drone attacks, with no reports of injuries.

Australia instructs all non-essential officials to leave Israel and the UAE

Australia has ordered all non-essential officials in Israel and the United Arab Emirates to leave due to the “deteriorating security situation,” Canberra’s top diplomat says.

In a post on X, Foreign Minister Penny Wong says that “essential Australian officials will remain in-country to support Australians who need it.”

The Australian government continues to advise that its citizens not travel to Israel and the UAE, she adds.

“We urge you to leave the Middle East if you can and if it’s safe to do so,” she says.

“Don’t wait until it’s too late. It may be the last chance for some time.”

Canberra has said there are about 115,000 Australian nationals across the Middle East, of whom about 2,600 have returned home.

Six French troops wounded in drone attack on Iraqi Kurdistan

A drone attack has wounded six French soldiers in Erbil in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, the French military says.

The troops were “engaged in training activities on counterterrorism with Iraqi partners,” a member of the general staff tells AFP, adding the troops were taken to the nearest medical facility.