March 28: Envoy says US backs Israeli response to ‘broken ceasefire that emanated from Lebanon’

Global markets slide as fears over US tariffs intensify

Stock markets plunged today as a closely watched US inflation reading heated up amid intensifying concerns over fallout from President Donald Trump’s incoming wave of tariffs.

Shares in automakers fell further as they brace for 25 percent US tariffs due to kick in next week along with a raft of “reciprocal” surcharges tailored to different countries.

The market mood has soured over fears that Trump’s plans will trigger tit-for-tat measures that would rekindle inflation, which could put the brakes on interest rate cuts and spark a recession.

“Investors remain nervous over the economic repercussions from President Trump’s tariff threats, just days before he unleashes his ‘reciprocal tariffs'” on April 2, says David Morrison, senior market analyst at financial services provider Trade Nation.

Washington formalizes plans to shutter USAID

A USAID logo is visible on a box amid the scattered remains of boxes and materials left behind by looters after widespread vandalism and looting following clashes at the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Bukavu on February 21, 2025. (Luis TATO / AFP)

US President Donald Trump’s administration has announced plans to effectively close the US international development agency USAID, formalizing widely criticized plans to dramatically cut foreign aid spending.

“Today, the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have notified Congress on their intent to undertake a reorganization that would involve realigning certain USAID functions to the Department by July 1, 2025,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says in a statement.

The State Department, he said, also plans on “discontinuing the remaining USAID functions that do not align with Administration priorities.”

“Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago,” he says. “As a result, the gains were too few and the costs were too high.”

After taking office in January, Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing US foreign aid for 90 days.

Dramatic cuts to various USAID programs followed, with some exemptions granted for vital humanitarian aid.

The aid freeze has caused shock and dismay at the independent agency created by an act of the US Congress in 1961.

Prior to its closure, the agency managed an annual budget of close to $43 billion, accounting for more than 40 percent of the world’s humanitarian aid. Most of its staff were placed on administrative leave shortly after Trump took office.

USAID staff were informed in a memo on Friday of plans to eliminate all jobs not required by law, according to multiple US media organizations.

In the memo, Jeremy Lewin, the acting head of the independent agency, reportedly said the State Department also planned to retire most of USAID’s independent operations in the coming months.

State Department declines to detail allegations that led to detention of Turkish student at Tufts

In this image taken from security camera video, Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University, is detained by Department of Homeland Security agents on a street in Somerville, Massachusetts, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo)

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce is asked to elaborate on the allegations against a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University that led to her detention by US authorities who also revoked her American visa.

“I’m not going to speak on something that’s in the courts, that’s being adjudicated,” Bruce responds.

Rumeysa Ozturk co-authored an op-ed in a student newspaper criticizing the university’s response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.”

Her family and attorney have denied that she took part in any illegal activity.

Earlier today, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about her case, which has sparked questions regarding the scope of the Trump administration’s visa revocations.

Rubio appeared to suggest that Ozturk is part of a movement that supports Hamas, though, no statements of hers uncovered to date have shown as much.

“People that are supportive of movements that run counter to the foreign policy of the United States. If necessary and a court compels us, we’ll provide that information. But ultimately, it’s a visa. Judges don’t issue student visas. There is no right to a student visa. We can cancel a student visa under the law just the same way that we can deny a student visa under the law. And we will do so in cases we find appropriate.

“If necessary and a court compels us, we’ll provide that information,” Rubio told reporters.

“But ultimately it’s a visa. Judges don’t issue student visas. There is no right to a student visa. We can cancel a student visa under the law just the same way that we can deny a student visa under the law. And we will do so in cases we find appropriate,” he said.

Hamas claims Gaza truce talks with mediators stepping up

A senior Hamas official says that talks between the terror group and mediators over a ceasefire and hostage release deal are gaining momentum, even as Israel continues intensive operations in Gaza.

“We hope that the coming days will bring a real breakthrough in the war situation, following intensified communications with and between mediators in recent days,” Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, says in a statement.

Palestinian sources close to Hamas had told AFP that talks began Thursday evening between the terror group and mediators from Egypt and Qatar to revive a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza.

The talks aim to “achieve a ceasefire, open border crossings, (and) allow humanitarian aid in,” Naim says.

Most importantly, he says, the proposal aims to bring about a resumption in “negotiations on the second phase, which must lead to a complete end to the war and the withdrawal of occupation forces.”

Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Khalil remains jailed while judge weighs case transfer

People hold signs as they protest the arrest of former Columbia University anti-Israel student activist Mahmoud Khalil during a 'Fight for Our Rights' demonstration at the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington, March 15, 2025. (Jason Redmond / AFP)

Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil will remain behind bars in Louisiana at least until a US judge decides whether the Palestinian activist should challenge his imprisonment in a federal court there or in New Jersey.

US President Donald Trump’s administration argues that Khalil’s challenge should be heard in Louisiana where he is now detained and where any appeals would be heard by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, the most conservative in the country.

The Trump administration is defending the arrest of Khalil by immigration agents this month in a case that tests the government’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian activists who have not been charged with any crime.

Khalil’s lawyers have asked Farbiarz to release him from jail in Louisiana while he challenges the government’s effort to deport him in a separate case in immigration court. They say Trump’s administration improperly targeted him for his political views and prominence in student protests.

They say Khalil, 30, should be with his wife Noor Abdalla, a US citizen who attended today’s hearing, for the birth of their first child in April. He spent several hours in a New Jersey detention facility after his arrest in neighboring Manhattan.

The government has asked the judge either to move the case to a federal court in Louisiana or to dismiss the proceeding so Khalil can challenge his arrest in Louisiana.

The Trump administration said it has revoked the visas of hundreds of foreign students it says took part in the protests that swept college campuses protesting the US government’s military support of Israel. The government says Khalil and other international students who take part are harming US foreign policy interests.

Born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, Khalil arrived in the US on a student visa in 2022 and became a legal permanent resident last year.

The government has accused Khalil of not disclosing in his application that he was what it called a “member” of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency known as UNRWA. UNRWA and his lawyers said Khalil completed an unpaid internship at UNRWA’s New York office as part of his Columbia master’s degree program, which was listed on his application.

The government also accused Khalil of failing to disclose what it described as his “continued employment” in the British embassy in Beirut “beyond 2022.”

Khalil’s lawyers say he correctly put on the application that he left the job when he left Beirut, and a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said earlier this month that Khalil ended his employment with the embassy more than two years ago.

US judge blocks Trump administration from fast-tracking deportations

A federal judge has blocked US President Donald Trump’s administration from deporting migrants to countries with which they had no existing relationship without giving them a chance to raise claims that they would face persecution or torture if sent there.

US District Judge Brian Murphy during a hearing in Boston issued a nationwide temporary restraining order designed to protect migrants subject to final orders of removal from being swiftly deported to countries other than those that had already been identified during immigration proceedings.

Vance says use of force on Greenland will not be necessary

US Vice President JD Vance says Washington did not believe the use of force would be necessary to make a deal with Greenland, as he visited the Danish territory coveted by President Donald Trump.

“We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary. We think this makes sense,” Vance tells a press conference at the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, adding he believed Trump would be able to make a deal with Greenland.

Vance says no one will be fired over Signal leak

US Vice President JD Vance shrugs off demands for sackings after top national security officials added a journalist to a Signal chat group discussing planned strikes on Yemen.

“If you think you’re going to force the president of the United States to fire anybody, you’ve got another thing coming,” Donald Trump’s deputy tells reporters on a visit to Greenland.

“We are standing behind our entire national security team.”

Report: Hamas may be willing to release small number of hostages next week in exchange for Eid truce

The Kan public broadcaster reports that the mediators see a willingness among some senior members of Hamas to release a small number of hostages to secure a ceasefire during the Ramadan-ending holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

The network acknowledges that it’s still unclear what Hamas will ask in exchange for those it releases, though it does say that the freed hostages would include American-Israeli Edan Alexander.

Another Kan reporter says the deal has less to do with Eid al-Fitr and more to do with the protests that have broken out against Hamas throughout Gaza over the past several days.

Hamas wants to crack down on those participating in the protests and cannot do so while Israel’s operations are ongoing as the IDF is targeting terror operatives that it spots out in the open, Kan says.

A ceasefire, even of several days, would allow for Hamas to reign in on the protests, which have been a major source for distress within the terror group, the network claims.

Poll: 70% of Israelis don’t trust gov’t, 66% think it’s more concerned with special interest groups than general public

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) with coalition lawmakers as the 2025 state budget law is passed by the Knesset, March 25, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Asked if they trust the current Netanyahu government, 70% of respondents said they do not, compared to 27% who said they do. Even among coalition voters, just 51% said they trust the government, compared to 36% who said they do not, according to a poll aired on Channel 12.

Asked what impact the budget passed this week by the coalition will have on Israelis’ pockets, 54% of respondents said it’ll harm their personal financial situation, 20% said it will not have an impact and only 7% said it will improve their standing.

Asked who the government is more concerned with — ultra-Orthodox Israelis and other sectors affiliated with the coalition or the entire public — just 24% of respondents said the latter, with 66% of the public saying the former groups.

Asked about the judicial overhaul legislation that the government has been advancing, just 34% of respondents said they back it, compared to 50% who said they do not and 16% who said they weren’t sure.

Asked who is better suited to serve as prime minister, 35% of respondents said Benjamin Netanyahu, compared to 26% who said Opposition chair Yair Lapid, and 33% who said neither of them, according to a poll aired on Channel 12.

When Netanyahu was polled against National Unity chair Benny Gantz, the former received 34%, compared to the latter, who received 26% — a particularly low figure for Gantz, who has long polled ahead of Lapid. Thirty-five percent of respondents said neither Netanyahu nor Gantz is suited to serve as premier.

National Unity’s No. 2 Gadi Eisenkot fared slightly better against Netanyahu, receiving 29% and dropping the “neither” category to 29%.

Polled against the left-leaning Democrats chief Yair Golan, Netanyahu received 37%, compared to the former’s 21%, while 37% said neither of them.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett is the only politician polled who performed better than Netanyahu in a head-to-head matchup, receiving 38%, compared to the current premier’s 31%, while 24% of respondents said neither of them is suited for the position.

Trump: My big preference is to work it out with Iran; if we don’t, bad things are going to happen

Trump: "My big preference is we work it out with Iran. But if we don't work it out, bad bad things are gonna happen with Iran. Ok, thank you very much everybody." pic.twitter.com/3WE8agbmAN

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 28, 2025

Melania Trump to present released hostage Amit Soussana with State Department’s International Woman of Courage Award

Released hostage Amit Soussana speaks during a rally calling for the release of Hamas captives held in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, January 18, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Released hostage Amit Soussana will receive the US State Department’s International Woman of Courage Award at a ceremony next week.

Soussana, who has advocated around the world on behalf of the hostages since her release, even opening up about sexual assault she endured while in captivity.

“I accept this award on behalf of the women who fought in the war, and on behalf of the women who suffered in captivity — who found strength in one another in order to survive the unimaginable,” she says in a statement revealing her selection for the award along with seven other women worldwide.

In announcing the award, the State Department says, “Amit Soussana uses her voice to courageously advocate for survivors by using her own lived example to describe the trauma she suffered as a hostage of the October 7th attack in Israel.”

“Ms. Soussana has raised awareness of the conditions faced by the women, men, girls, and boys who remain hostages of Hamas.”

“As an attorney at law, she holds an LLB from Sapir College and has been a licensed member of the Israel Bar Association since 2014.”

“Ms. Soussana has extensive experience in intellectual property law, having worked at Luzzatto & Luzzatto, Attorneys and Patent Attorneys from 2015 to 2024, where she managed client files, negotiated with foreign patent attorney offices, and handled patent and trademark registrations both in Israel and abroad,” the State Department says. “Ms. Soussana is an advocate for the hostages that remain under Hamas control following the October 7, 2023 attacks.”

Dermer’s office denies report that he hasn’t met with hostage families since taking lead in negotiations

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer attends a Knesset plenum session on January 22, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Channel 12 reports that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has yet to meet with a single hostage family or present his own initiative for a hostage deal since taking over as the head of Israel’s hostage negotiating team last month.

Dermer’s office issues a statement saying that he has met with four hostage families in the last two weeks, but declines to reveal the names of those families.

Israeli official: Netanyahu should be questioned in ‘Qatargate’ probe

A person dressed as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is controlled by another protester at a mock Qatari embassy set up at a demonstration outside the Knesset, March 26, 2025. (Sam Sokol/The Times of Israel)

Channel 12 cites an unnamed Israeli official who says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be questioned by police as part of their ongoing investigation into allegedly illicit ties between the premier’s aides and Qatar.

To date, only Netanyahu’s aides have been arrested and questioned as suspects in the joint police-Shin Bet investigation, but the official says Netanyahu should be brought in for interrogation as well, with another source telling Channel 12 that the prime minister should be questioned under caution.

Breaking with gov’t, 69% of Israelis, 54% of coalition voters back ending war in exchange for hostages — poll

Israelis protest, calling for a deal to secure the release of hostages held captive in Gaza, on March 22, 2025, in Tel Aviv. (Gili Yaari /FLASH90)

Sixty-nine percent of Israelis support ending the war in exchange for a deal that releases all of the hostages, compared to 21% who oppose the trade, according to a poll aired by Channel 12.

Even among coalition voters, 54% back ending the war in exchange for the remaining 59 hostages, compared to 32% who oppose such an exchange.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has long refused to end the war in exchange for the remainder of the hostages. It has refused to even hold negotiations on phase two of the ceasefire deal, which envisions the release of the remaining living hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The deal’s third phase envisions the release of bodies still held by both sides.

Netanyahu instead has sought to secure the release of additional hostages through an extension of phase one’s temporary ceasefire, which would allow Israel to resume fighting against Hamas. The government argues that agreeing to end the war now in exchange for the remaining hostages would allow Hamas to remain in power.

Critics have argued that additional military operations endanger the remaining hostages — 24 of whom are still believed to be alive — and won’t accomplish what Israel was unable to do during the first 15-plus months of the war. Arab allies have instead proposed sidelining Hamas through a diplomatic initiative that includes gradually returning the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza, something Netanyahu has flatly rejected.

PM calls hostage’s parents amid reports of his deteriorating health, but doesn’t offer optimism about chances for deal soon

Alon Ohel, taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from the Supernova rave. (Courtesy)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called hostage Alon Ohel’s parents earlier today after they revealed new details about his rapidly deteriorating health in captivity, Channel 12 reports.

While Netanyahu was aware of Ohel’s condition, he did not provide any optimism regarding the chances for a deal in the near future, the network says.

Police pull over bus of left-wing activists en route to rally in solidarity with Palestinians

Police stopped a bus carrying left-wing activists who were en route to a rally in the northern Arab down of Sakhnin in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Footage from the bus shows officers boarding and searching the belongings of those present. Officers confiscated signs, Palestinian flags, Palestinian keffiyehs and t-shirts, according to Haaretz.

שוטרים עצרו בכניסה לסכנין אוטובוס עם פעילי שמאל שהיו בדרך להפגנה בעיר, ערכו חיפוש בחפציהם האישיים והחרימו שלטים, דגלי פלסטין, צעיפים וחולצות. תיעוד ממדינה שכבר אינה ראויה להיקרא דמוקרטיה pic.twitter.com/2urfBkjxRj

— Liza Rozovsky (@lizarozovsky) March 28, 2025

Turkey releases lawyer of jailed Istanbul mayor

Turkish authorities release a lawyer for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, after detaining him overnight, an attorney for the lawyer says.

Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), leads Erdogan in some polls. He was jailed pending trial over allegations of graft on Sunday, provoking the largest anti-government protests in more than a decade, which have led to mass arrests nationwide.

Mehmet Pehlivan, a lawyer who defended Imamoglu in the latest investigation, was detained “for fabricated reasons,” CHP lawmaker Turan Taskin Ozer says in a post on X, without giving details.

Pehlivan’s lawyer, Yigit Gokcehan Kocoglu, says on X that his client was detained “not for doing anything, but simply for being our Mayor Ekrem’s lawyer and for doing his advocacy job.” He says the detention was meant as a “warning.”

Kocoglu says Pehlivan had been asked during his questioning about a money transfer that Pehlivan had not carried out, as well as a donation to a charity. Pehlivan was barred from travelling abroad upon his release, his lawyer said, adding they would appeal.

The interior and justice ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Imamoglu, who was replaced by an interim mayor on Wednesday, had demanded the immediate release of his lawyer.

“As if the coup on democracy wasn’t enough, they can’t stand the victims of this coup defending themselves,” Imamoglu says on X.

Defense Ministry issues statement hailing Katz, but tells reporters not to attribute it to anyone

Defense Minister Israel Katz attends a state ceremony for fallen soldiers whose burial place is unknown at Mount Herzl Military cemetery in Jerusalem on March 6, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A Haaretz reporter posts a screen shot of a statement that was sent to Israeli military correspondents by Defense Minister Israel Katz’s office hailing his efforts against Hezbollah but bars reporters from attributing the praise to anyone.

The statement is sent after the IDF struck Hezbollah targets in Beirut in response to rocket fire at northern Israel earlier today.

“The operation was carried out following the initiative of Defense Minister Israel Katz to create new rules of the game,” the statement says.

However, reporters are instructed not to attribute the statement to the Defense Ministry so that the touting of Katz would simply be reported as fact.

The attribution practice is regularly used by the IDF for what it says are security concerns.

תדרוך רקע בשם השר בלבד: הודעות בשם הכתב נועדו להעביר מסרים רגישים שייחוסם לגורם רשמי עשוי לפגוע בביטחון המדינה. לא כדי לגנוב קרדיט כמו גנב בחושך מ @idfonline ולעוף על עצמך. pic.twitter.com/Cq3nlSAxV6

— yaniv kubovich יניב קובוביץ (@yanivkub) March 28, 2025

Harvard suspends partnership with Palestinian university in West Bank amid GOP pressure

The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has suspended its research partnership with Birzeit University in the West Bank, the school’s Crimson newspaper reports.

The partnership between HSPH’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights (FXB) and Birzeit expired in recent months. HSPH decided not to renew the partnership after conducting a review of FXB, an HSPH spokesperson tells The Crimson.

The spokesperson says HSPH will decide in the spring whether to permanently halt the partnership.

The HSPH spokesperson claims that the review into FXB was part of its standard review of its various centers.

But the review only came after a letter from 28 Republican lawmakers demanding that Harvard sever ties with Birzeit University, citing ties between members of the latter school’s student government and several West Bank terror groups.

IDF says it has carried out 25 strikes throughout Gaza, 15 in Lebanon today

The Israeli Air Force carried out over 25 strikes in the Gaza Strip today, targeting terror operatives and infrastructure belonging to Hamas and other terror groups, according to the military.

In Lebanon, another 15 Hezbollah targets were hit by the IAF, including a building in Beirut which the military says was used by the terror group as drone storage site.

US ‘fully supports’ Israeli response to ‘broken ceasefire that emanated from Lebanon,’ envoy says

US deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus speaks during a press conference east of Beirut, Lebanon, February 7, 2025. (Bilal Hussein/AP)

“The United States of America, President Trump, our administration fully supports the State of Israel responding to the broken ceasefire that emanated from Lebanon this morning,” US deputy Mideast envoy Morgan Ortagus tells Asharq News.

“Israel is defending its people and interests by responding to rocket attacks from terrorists in Lebanon. As part of the cessation of hostilities agreement, the government of Lebanon is responsible for disarming Hezbollah and all other terrorists, and we expect the Lebanese Armed Forces to disarm these terrorists to prevent further attacks,” Ortagus says in a separate statement to The Times of Israel.

IDF releases footage of its airstrikes in southern Lebanon earlier today

The IDF releases footage from its wave of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon today, which came as a response to this morning’s rocket fire on Kiryat Shmona.

According to the military, the strikes targeted Hezbollah command centers, military infrastructure, rocket launchers and members of the terror group.

The strikes in southern Lebanon were in addition to a strike on a Hezbollah drone storage site under a building in Beirut.

מטוסי קרב של חיל-האוויר תקפו בשעות האחרונות מפקדות, תשתיות צבאיות, משגרים ומחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון. pic.twitter.com/H6QPAUr9Vr

— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 28, 2025

Myanmar quake toll nears 150; junta chief calls for foreign aid

At least 144 people have been killed in Myanmar by the massive earthquake that hit earlier today, the country’s junta chief says, inviting “any country, any organization” to help with relief.

The 7.7-magnitude quake caused widespread destruction across the war-torn country and the death toll is expected to rise, ruler Min Aung Hlaing says in a speech aired on state media. The quake also hit nearby Thailand, with several casualties reported there as well.

Hamas-run health ministry says 896 Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed Gaza strikes 10 days ago

The Hamas-run health ministry says 896 Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed intensive military operations in Gaza on March 18.

The office doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel says it seeks to avoid targeting civilians while Hamas operates among them.

Israel flouting international law with forced evacuations in Gaza, UN says

The UN Human Rights office accused Israel of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under “mandatory evacuation orders.”

The Israeli army has issued what the UN describes as 10 mandatory evacuation orders, covering large areas across Gaza, since it resumed its war against Hamas on March 18, breaking a two-month-old ceasefire amid rows over terms for extending it.

“These evacuations fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law,” UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan says.

Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously denied violating humanitarian law in Gaza, blaming Hamas militants for harm to civilians by operating among them. Hamas denies this.

“Israel is not taking any measures to provide accommodation for the evacuated population, nor ensure that these evacuations are conducted in satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition,” Al-Kheetan’s statement adds.

Over half of northern Gaza appears to be under such orders, it says, while those who have been newly displaced from the south of the enclave in the Rafah area and forced to go to coastal Al Mawasi were not guaranteed safety there.

“We are deeply concerned about the shrinking space for civilians in Gaza who are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army from large swathes of territory,” it adds.

Chemical weapons inspectors granted access to Assad-era sites in Syria, say sources

Chemical weapons inspectors have been taken by Syria’s caretaker authorities to previously unseen production and storage locations dating from the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled three months ago, sources say.

A team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) visited Syria from March 12-21 to prepare for the task of locating and destroying remnants of Assad’s illegal stockpile. Five locations were visited by inspectors, some of which had been looted or bombed.

Among them were locations that had not been declared to the watchdog by the Assad government, they said. The team was given access to documents and detailed information about Assad’s chemical weapons program, the sources say, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential details.

“The Syrian caretaker authorities extended all possible support and cooperation at short notice,” the agency says in a summary of the visit posted online. The OPCW was provided with security escorts and had “unfettered access” to sites and people, it says. No additional details were made public.

The cooperation signals a dramatic improvement in relations from the past decade, during which Syrian officials under Assad stonewalled OPCW inspectors.

The visit illustrates that Syria’s interim authorities are making good on a promise to work with the international community to destroy Assad’s chemical weapons, said a diplomatic source briefed on the matter.

The destruction of any remaining chemical weapons was on a list of conditions the United States has provided to Syria if it wants to see sanctions relief, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Three inquiries – by a joint UN-OPCW mechanism, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification team, and a UN war crimes probe – concluded that Syrian government forces under Assad used the nerve agent sarin and chlorine barrel bombs in attacks during the civil war that killed or injured thousands.

Assad and his Russian military backers always denied using chemical weapons in the conflict, which began in 2011 and left hundreds of thousands dead.

Assad-led Syria joined the agency under a US-Russian deal following a 2013 sarin gas attack that killed hundreds. Around 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors were destroyed.

Experts at the OPCW believe there are still undeclared stocks and want to visit more than 100 locations where they are believed to have been made or stockpiled by forces under Assad. The OPCW is preparing to open a field office in Syria, where a recent surge in violence has triggered heightened security concerns.

The OPCW, a treaty-based agency in The Hague with 193 member countries, is tasked with implementing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

World Court to hear Sudan genocide case against United Arab Emirates

The World Court says it will hear a case brought by Sudan demanding emergency measures against the United Arab Emirates and accusing the Gulf state of violating obligations under the Genocide Convention by arming paramilitary forces.

There is no immediate reaction from the United Arab Emirates which had said this month it would seek to get Sudan’s case dismissed, and that the legal complaint lacked “any legal or factual basis.”

Sudan has accused the UAE of arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which have been fighting the Sudanese army in a two-year-old civil war — a charge the UAE denies but UN experts and US lawmakers have found credible.

Sudan’s complaint to the Hague-based International Court of Justice — known as the World Court — is in connection with intense ethnic-based attacks by the RSF and allied Arab militias against the non-Arab Masalit tribe in 2023 in West Darfur, documented in detail by Reuters.

Those attacks were determined to be genocide by the United States in January.

Sudan has asked for the court to impose emergency measures to order the Emirates to prevent genocidal acts in Darfur.

The court says it will hear Sudan’s request on April 10.

As cases before the ICJ can take years to reach a final conclusion states can ask for emergency measures which are meant to ensure the dispute between the states does not escalate in the meantime.

US issues fresh sanctions targeting Hezbollah finance team

The United States has issued fresh sanctions aimed at Hezbollah that target five individuals and three entities.

The State Department says in a statement that the sanctions targeted Hezbollah’s finance team, “which oversees commercial projects and oil smuggling networks that generate revenue for” the group.

The sanctions’ targets included family members and close associates of prominent Hezbollah officials, the State Department says.

With US focus elsewhere, PM said to task Mossad with finding countries that will take in Gazans

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks with Mossad chief David Barnea at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv on October 15, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly directed the Mossad intelligence agency to identify countries that would be willing to take in large numbers of displaced Palestinians from Gaza.

While several countries have taken in small numbers of sick Palestinians — mainly children — for treatment, no country to date has agreed to host a significant number, nor do Gazans appear interested in leaving en masse.

Nonetheless, Israel is seeking to advance the effort, with some of its biggest proponents being Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. While Israel insists that Palestinians are not being forced to leave, critics of the effort accuse Jerusalem of trying to whitewash ethnic cleansing.

The Israeli effort received a tailwind from US President Donald Trump, who last month announced his plan for the US to take over Gaza and relocate the entire population of two million people. He has since softened the half-baked proposal, clarifying that no Palestinians will be forcibly evicted.

But Axios reveals that the US is not actively working to advance Trump’s plan and that its Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff is focused instead of restoring the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has tried to fill the vacuum, holding talks with the conflict-plagued East African countries of Somalia and South Sudan, along with Indonesia and other countries, about them taking in Palestinians, Axios reports, citing two Israeli officials and a former US official. Those talks have yet to bear fruit.

The Palestinian Authority and the Arab world has pushed back vehemently against efforts to relocate Gazans, arguing that Palestinians should be allowed to remain on their land and that moving them elsewhere will simply spur more conflict and extremism elsewhere.

Israel and the US have argued that Gaza is not a safe place to live after nearly a year and a half of Israeli bombardment targeting Hamas and that Palestinians should be given the opportunity to move elsewhere. But Israel’s refusal to publicly commit to allowing Palestinians who leave the ability to return has led to further questioning of its motives.

World Central Kitchen says IDF strike hit one of its Gaza distribution sites, killing a volunteer

File: A local volunteer of the World Central Kitchen carries a cooking pot to be used to cook meals for to needy Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024. (AFP)

The World Central Kitchen aid group says an Israeli strike struck one of its food distribution sites in Gaza yesterday as meals were being passed out.

WCK says one of its local volunteers, Jalal, was killed and six other people were injured in the attack.

The IDF says it is probing the incident and is in touch with WCK.

“We will continue to support community kitchens throughout the region and operate our field kitchens where possible, based on daily assessments. We hope for peace for all and a lasting ceasefire,” WCK tweets.

Netanyahu says Israel will continue striking Lebanon when threats arise

After Israel strikes Beirut for the first time since the November ceasefire went into effect, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledges to continue to striking across Lebanon at any threat that arises.

“Those who have not yet accepted the new situation in Lebanon received another example of our determination today,” Netanyahu says in a statement.

“The equation has changed — what happened before October 7 will not be repeated,” he continues. “We will not allow any firing on our communities, not even a drizzle.”

The IDF hit the Lebanese capital after two multi-rocket attacks on northern Israel in the past week.

“We will continue to vigorously enforce the ceasefire,” Netanyahu threatens, “we will attack anywhere in Lebanon against any threat to Israel, and we will ensure that all of us in the north return to their homes safely.”

Israeli, Palestinian shepherds wounded in West Bank violence; IDF only arrests Palestinians

A Palestinian shepherd wounded in an alleged attack by Israeli settlers in the southern West Bank on March 28, 2025. (Beyond the Herd/X)

Twenty-two residents of the southern West Bank Palestinian village of Jinba have been arrested by the IDF, a resident of the hamlet tells The Times of Israel, with the army saying it detained Palestinians involved in a violent confrontation with Israeli settlers.

But footage from the scene shortly before the arrival of the IDF shows dozens of settlers raiding the village, attacking residents and property. Three Palestinians were injured in the assault, including a 15-year-old who is in serious condition.

רועה צאן יהודי הותקף לפני זמן קצר סמוך לישוב מצפה יאיר בהר חברון

מחבלים מהכפר ג׳ינבה התנפלו עם אלות על הרועה ששהה עם עדרו בשטחי המרעה ופצעו אותו. הרועה הפצוע פונה לקבלת טיפול רפואי בבית החולים סורוקה.

תושבים וכוחות צבא שהוזעקו לאירוע הדפו את הפורעים בחזרה לכפר.
כוחות צבא… pic.twitter.com/DssOfJvLs5

— אלישע ירד (@ElishaYered) March 28, 2025

The raid came shortly after reports that an Israeli shepherd from the area was assaulted. That incident appears to be connected to the assault of a pair of Palestinian shepherds by settlers. Settlers subsequently stormed Jinba apparently in order to avenge the attack on the Israeli shepherd.

Despite the injuries to Palestinians and the footage of the settler attack, the IDF has not arrested any Israelis.

הבוקר מתנחלים תקפו רועי צאן תושבי הכפר ג'ינבה. שני רועים פונו לבית חולים. ברגעים אלו דיווחים על מתנחלים רבים שמתקרבים ופולשים אל הכפר pic.twitter.com/Ou6MxkkfZD

— מחוץ לעדר (@masafering) March 28, 2025

Residents of Jinba also accuse the IDF of using excessive force, saying soldiers hurled stun grenades inside homes.

The IDF in its statement says that it received a report earlier this morning that an Israeli citizen was attacked by Palestinians near the southern West Bank’s Mitzpeh Yair outpost. Troops dispatched to the scene along with police officers and “began a chase after the terrorists,” the IDF says, without elaborating how security forces knew who to chase.

תיעוד של הרגעים הראשונים של פלישת המתנחלים לכפר ג'ינבה, עשרות מתנחלים רעולי פנים עם אלות ורובים מרימים אבנים ורצים לבתי הכפר. חמישה מתושבי הכפר מאושפזים בבית חולים חלקם עם שברים בגולגולת. ילד בן 15 מאושפז במצב קשה בטיפול נמרץ. מעל 20 עצורים נלקחו בידי חיילים, כולם תושבים שהותקפו https://t.co/tRpeeDrpeq pic.twitter.com/1k13kn02zi

— מחוץ לעדר (@masafering) March 28, 2025

“Shortly thereafter, a violent confrontation developed between several Israeli citizens and several Palestinians, during which an Israeli civilian was injured and evacuated for medical treatment,” the IDF says. “A report was received regarding several Palestinians who were injured and received treatment from medical personnel.”

“IDF troops worked to disperse the violent confrontation and arrested several Palestinian suspects near the location. The suspects were transferred for further interrogation,” the army adds.

بعد أن هاجمها المستوطنين صباح اليوم.. جيش الاحتلال يقتحم خربة جنبا في مسافر يطا جنوب الخليل ويعتقل 22 فلسطينيا وينكل بهم. pic.twitter.com/MOFhHUemXn

— أحداث الضفة (@WestBank_48) March 28, 2025

Jinba is part of the conglomerate of villages that make up Masafer Yatta — the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’ about settler violence and Israeli demolitions in the West Bank.

Arrests of Israelis in incidents of settler violence are highly rare. The head of the police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for allegedly refusing to crack down on the phenomenon to curry favor in the eyes of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Israel’s failure to prosecute near-daily incidents of settler violence led the Biden administration and multiple European governments to begin sanctioning violent Israeli extremists last year.

Katz after IDF strike in Lebanon: As I said, the fate of Kiryat Shmona will be the same as that of Beirut

Following the Israeli airstrike on Beirut in response to rocket fire on northern Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz warns Lebanon to enforce the ceasefire agreement or the IDF will carry out additional strikes in the Lebanese capital.

“As I said, the fate of Kiryat Shmona is the same as Beirut. If there is no quiet in Kiryat Shmona and in the Galilee communities, there will be no quiet in Beirut,” Katz says in a statement.

“For any attempt to harm the Galilee communities, the roofs of homes in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district will shake,” he says.

“I send a clear message to the Lebanese government: If you do not enforce the ceasefire agreement, we will,” Katz warns.

Lebanese army says it found rocket launcher used in this morning’s attack on Kiryat Shmona

The Lebanese army says it found a rocket launcher used in this morning’s attack on Kiryat Shmona, during which two projectiles were fired.

In a statement, the Lebanese Armed Forces says its troops found the rocket launcher in the Qaaqaait al-Jisr area, near Nabatieh, and has begun an investigation into which group was behind the fire.

العدو الإسرائيلي يصعّد اعتداءاته على لبنان متذرعًا بإطلاق صاروخين من الأراضي اللبنانية نحو الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة

صدر عن قيادة الجيش – مديرية التوجيه البيان الآتي:

صعّد العدو الإسرائيلي اعتداءاته على لبنان متذرعًا بإطلاق صاروخين من الأراضي اللبنانية نحو الأراضي الفلسطينية… pic.twitter.com/CuXCkJY8Oh

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) March 28, 2025

Macron: Not complying with Lebanon ceasefire is counterproductive for Israel’s security

French President Emmanuel Macron says that not complying with a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon is “counterproductive” for the security of Israel.

“Israel is France’s friend,” Macron tells reporters, adding France could thus express disagreements over some of Israel’s actions.

Lebanon will extend army’s control over whole country, president says

Lebanon is determined to build its army and extend its control over the whole country to end a cycle of violence, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says following an Israeli counter-strike on Beirut.

“We reject any attack on Lebanon or any suspicious, malicious attempt to return Lebanon to the cycle of violence,” Aoun tells a joint press conference with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

“What is happening increases our determination and commitment to build our country and army, and extend our control over all of our lands.”

Hezbollah cancels event in south Beirut after Israeli strike: statement

Hezbollah says it has canceled an event planned for later today in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the terror group, after an Israeli strike hit the area.

“In view of the Zionist aggression on the southern suburbs, it was decided to cancel the Quds Day event,” a statement says, referring to an annual commemoration launched by Iran in support of Palestinians. The site of the planned gathering, at which Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem was due to give a televised address, is located several hundred meter from where the strike hit.

Israeli counter-strikes in Lebanon ‘unjustified,’ France’s Macron claims

French President Emmanuel Macron says that there was no activity justifying Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon and that he would call US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the attacks.

“The framework agreed upon by Lebanon and Israel was not respected today by Israel unilaterally and without us having either information or proof of the triggering event,” Macron says.

The IDF strike came in response to rocket fire at Israel early Friday morning

Macron held a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Paris to discuss economic reforms and efforts to stabilize Lebanon as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is shaken by new attacks in the country.

Lebanon PM says Israel counter-strike on south Beirut a ‘dangerous escalation’

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam calls the first Israeli strike on south Beirut since a November ceasefire between it and Hezbollah a “dangerous escalation,” a statement from his office says.

Salam condemns the Israeli raid on the Hezbollah bastion as “a dangerous escalation” and denounces “Israeli attacks that target civilians and safe residential areas where schools and universities are located,” according to the statement.

The Israeli strike came in response to projectiles launched at northern Israel early Friday morning.

Initial toll from earthquake in Thailand and Myanmar in the dozens as rescuers sift through rubble

About 20 people have died at a major hospital in Myanmar’s capital after a huge earthquake hit the country along with Thailand, causing widespread destruction, a doctor told AFP.

“About 20 people have died after arriving at our hospital so far. Many people were injured,” says the doctor at the 1,000-bed general hospital in Naypyidaw, who requested anonymity.

Across the border in Thailand, five people have been confirmed dead in the collapse of a skyscraper, with 81 more missing and believed trapped in the twisted metal and rubble of the under-construction building.

Aid agencies warn food, medical supplies in Gaza running critically low as Israel blocks deliveries

The agency that coordinates UN humanitarian aid warns that stocks of food and medical supplies are running out fast in the Gaza Strip after several weeks have passed in which no aid has been allowed to enter the enclave.

Israel announced on March 2 that it would be suspending the delivery of all goods and supplies to Gaza due to what it said was Hamas’s refusal to accept a proposal to extend the initial stage of a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The World Food Programme says it has 5,700 tons of food stocks left in Gaza, home to some 2.3 million people, enough to support its operations for two weeks at most.

There are also severe shortages of blood supplies to treat the wounded amid a renewed Israeli offensive, the World Health Organization says.

“Everything related to trauma is quickly running short. There are fewer than 500 blood units available — 4,500 blood packs are needed each month,” Rik Peeperkorn from WHO tells reporters in Geneva via video link in Jerusalem.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah drone storage facility in Beirut

The IDF says it struck a Hezbollah drone storage facility a short while ago in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The facility used to store the drones belonged to Hezbollah’s aerial forces, known as Unit 127, the military says. The unit is responsible for explosive-laden drone attacks on Israel and flying surveillance drones to collect intelligence.

“Hezbollah has placed its terror infrastructure in the heart of the civilian population. This is another example of the Hezbollah terror organization’s cynical use of Lebanese citizens as human shields,” an IDF statement says.

The IDF issued an evacuation warning for the building before the strike and also reportedly carried out several warning shots in the area before dropping larger munitions.

The strike comes in response to this morning’s rocket fire from Lebanon on northern Israel, which the military says is a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.

غارة عنيفة تستهدف الضاحية الجنوبية من مكان التحذير pic.twitter.com/jdk1WO7p8g

— nbnlebanon (@nbntweets) March 28, 2025

Residents flee southern Beirut suburbs by car and on foot after IDF evacuation warning

Residents of the southern Beirut suburb of Hadath are seen fleeing in panic, rushing to escape by car and on foot after the IDF issued an evacuation warning for a building in the area.

Gunfire was heard in the southern suburbs, a known Hezbollah stronghold, following the Israeli warning, which witnesses say was a signal to leave the area ahead of the planned strike.

#BREAKING At least two large booms have been heard across #Beirut as the Israeli military bombed the southern suburbs. Plums of smoke could be seen rising from the area. pic.twitter.com/iCmtVbxQG0

— Mohamad Chreyteh | محمد شريتح (@mchreyteh) March 28, 2025

Lebanon PM instructs army to find, arrest people responsible for rocket fire at Israel

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urges the army to quickly identify and arrest those behind rocket fire toward Israel, after it responded by striking a building in south Beirut for the first time since November.

Salam contacted the army chief and “asked him to act quickly to undertake the necessary investigations to uncover those behind the irresponsible rocket fire that threatens Lebanon’s stability and security,” according to a statement from his office, urging “intensified efforts” to arrest the perpetrators.

Foreign Ministry hasn’t received any reports of Israelis injured in southeast Asia earthquake

Israeli embassies in Southeast Asia are checking in with Israelis in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos following a powerful earthquake earlier today, the Foreign Ministry says.

Israel operates embassies in Thailand and Myanmar, while Laos is covered by the embassy in Vietnam.

At this point, the Foreign Ministry says it has not received any reports of Israelis having been injured.

Warning that there will likely be additional tremors, the ministry urges Israelis in the impacted region to follow the guidelines issued by local authorities, which it says will be made available on the Foreign Ministry website as they are published.

Lebanese media reports strike in Beirut after Israel issues evacuation warning

Media outlets in Lebanon report an Israeli airstrike on Beirut, after the IDF issued an evacuation warning for a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

There are no immediate reports of casualties and no immediate comment from the IDF.

The strike would be the first to hit Beirut since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect in November 2024.

Tehran warns it will strike US bases in region if Trump takes military action against Iran

Tehran will strike US bases in the region if Washington follows through on its warning of military consequences for Iran in the absence of a new nuclear deal, the speaker of the Iranian parliament says.

US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he had sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warning that “there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal.”

“If the Americans attack the sanctity of Iran, the entire region will blow up like a spark in an ammunition dump,” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qalibaf says.

“Their bases and those of their allies will not be safe,” Qalibaf says in a live speech at the annual Al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, that marks the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

Khamenei called Trump’s message deceptive, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that talks would be impossible unless Washington changed its “maximum pressure” policy. Iran had thoroughly examined Trump’s letter and had sent “an appropriate response” through Oman, Araqchi said.

Earlier today, Araqchi was reported by state media as saying that while Trump’s letter contained threats, it also left the door open to diplomacy. He did not elaborate.

Western powers accuse Iran of having a clandestine agenda to develop nuclear weapons capability. Tehran insists its program is wholly for civilian energy purposes, although a UN nuclear watchdog report last month asserted that it is the only non-nuclear weapon state to produce such high quantities of nuclear materials.

UN envoy for Lebanon urges restraint on all sides amid ‘deeply concerning’ exchange of fire

The United Nations envoy for Lebanon calls for restraint by all sides after rockets were launched at northern Israel, prompting fresh airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

“Today’s exchange of fire across the Blue Line, the second such incident in less than a week, is deeply concerning,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert says in a statement, four months into a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“A return to wider conflict in Lebanon would be devastating for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be avoided at all costs. Restraint from all parties is therefore critically needed.”

UN aid agency says Israeli actions in Gaza resemble ‘atrocity crimes’

Israeli actions in Gaza, including strikes on populated areas in which civilians have been killed, “bear the hallmarks” of atrocities, the United Nations’ aid agency says.

“There is a callous disregard for human life and dignity. The acts of war that we see bear the hallmarks of atrocity crimes,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the OCHA aid agency, says in Geneva.

Israel insists that it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and accuses Hamas of putting civilians in harm’s way by fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

Teen dies after rushed to hospital in suspected poisoning, two others in critical condition

An 18-year-old boy has died after being rushed to hospital upon being found unresponsive, and with signs of having been poisoned, Hebrew media reports.

The conditions of the two people found with him have been raised from serious to critical, reports add.

Earlier today, Magen David Adom said it had transferred the three to Beilinson Hospital after they were found unresponsive in a building in Kafr Qasim.

IDF issues evacuation warning for building in Beirut, for first time since November ceasefire

The IDF issues an evacuation warning for a building and the surrounding area in Beirut’s southern suburbs, ahead of an airstrike against a Hezbollah asset in the Lebanese capital.

In a post on X, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, Col. Avichay Adraee, publishes a map showing the location of the building.

“To everyone present in the building marked in red as shown on the map and the buildings adjacent to it: You are near facilities belonging to Hezbollah,” he says.

The statement calls on civilians to evacuate at least 300 meters from the building for safety.

The warning comes after two rockets were fired from Lebanon at Kiryat Shmona this morning. Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that “the fate of Kiryat Shmona is the same as the fate of Beirut,” in an apparent threat to the Lebanese capital.

It marks the first time that the IDF has issued warnings ahead of strikes in Beirut since November 27, when it last struck Hezbollah sites in the Lebanese capital, hours before a ceasefire took effect.

#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل للمتواجدين في الضاحية الجنوبية في بيروت وخاصة في حي الحدث
????لكل من يتواجد في المبنى المحدد بالأحمر وفق ما يُعرض في الخارطة والمباني المجاورة له: أنتم تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت تابعة لحزب الله
????من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أبناء عائلاتكم أنتم مضطرون لإخلاء هذه… pic.twitter.com/ezFT6kYSv6

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) March 28, 2025

Three teens found unresponsive in building in central Israel, medics suspect they were poisoned

Ambulances at the scene of an incident in Kafr Qasim in which 3 teenagers were found unresponsive, with signs of having been poisoned, March 28, 2025. (Magen David Adom)

Three teenagers are believed to have been poisoned after they were discovered unconscious in a building in central Israel earlier this morning, Magen David Adom says.

The emergency service says it was alerted shortly before 11:30 a.m. to the discovery of three unconscious and unresponsive teenage boys, between the ages of 18 and 19, in a building in Kafr Qasim.

One of the victims of the apparent poisoning is in critical condition, it says, and the condition of the other two is serious.

The teenagers were taken to Beilinson Hospital for treatment.

With Palestinian flags and ‘Death to Israel’ signs, protesters join Quds Day march in Tehran

Iranian demonstrators burn an Israeli flag during the annual anti-Israeli Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day rally, in Tehran, Iran, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Demonstrators take to the streets of Tehran to take part in an annual Quds Day protest as supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Iranian people to show support for Palestinians and protest against “the enemies’ tricks.”

Crowds wave Iranian and Palestinian flags as well as those of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is in attendance, as well as Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, Tehran Times reports.

Many hold placards demanding “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” and are chanting anti-US and anti-Israel slogans, an AFP journalist says.

Similar rallies were held across the country, state TV images show.

International Quds Day rally kicks off in Tehran pic.twitter.com/al9veH9PF8

— Mehr News Agency (@MehrnewsCom) March 28, 2025

“Your march on Quds Day will nullify all the enemies’ tricks and false words,” Khamenei said in a video message yesterday.

Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations were launched in 1979 by the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The marches call for Jerusalem to be returned to the Palestinians and are traditionally held on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

IDF says it is striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after earlier rocket fire

Following this morning’s rocket fire from Lebanon on Kiryat Shmona, the IDF says it is carrying out a wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in the south of the country.

The military says it will provide further details later.

Lebanon and Syria sign border demarcation agreement, easing tensions after fall of Assad

Lebanon and Syria have signed an agreement on border demarcation and boosting coordination between the two countries regarding security along their tense frontier, the Saudi Press Agency reports.

The deal signed by the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers in Saudi Arabia late in the day yesterday came after clashes in border areas earlier this month left several people dead and dozens wounded on both sides.

The plan for border demarcation also comes after the ouster in early December of the 54-year Assad family rule in Syria, leading to tensions along the frontier where Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group was active on both sides of the border during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa was scheduled to visit the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Wednesday, but the visit was canceled.

Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, later flew to Jiddah in Saudi Arabia yesterday, where they held talks attended by Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and signed the deal.

The Saudi agency says the Lebanese and Syrian ministers signed an agreement in which both sides agreed on the “strategic importance of demarcating their border,” and the formation of legal and specialized committees in different fields. It adds that both countries agreed to “activate coordination mechanisms” to deal with any security challenges along the border.

It says Saudi Arabia backs security and stability in both countries, which boosts regional security.

Hezbollah source claims terror group was not involved in earlier rocket fire

A senior source within Hezbollah tells the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen news outlet that the terror group has no connection to the rocket fire from southern Lebanon earlier today.

The source claims that recent rocket fire from Lebanon is “part of a suspicious attempt to fabricate pretexts for the continuation of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon.”

Jailed Istanbul mayor says his lawyer has been arrested

Istanbul’s jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu says in a social media post that his lawyer has been detained and demands his immediate release.

“My lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan was detained on fictitious grounds,” Imamoglu says in a post on X published via his legal team. “As if the coup against democracy was not enough, they cannot tolerate the victims defending themselves,” he writes, adding: “Release my lawyer immediately.”

IDF, police say they thwarted attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt by drone

The IDF and police say they foiled an attempt to smuggle nine assault rifles into Israel from Egypt last night, using a drone.

The drone had been identified crossing the border into Israel before it was downed by troops and police officers deployed to the area.

The drone and guns were handed over to the police for further investigation.

Earlier in the day yesterday, IDF troops caught another drone ferrying 10 kilograms of drugs.

In recent months, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Egyptian border using drones. There have also been attempts to smuggle similar contraband from Israel into Gaza using drones.

אמש, כוחות צה״ל של חטיבת פארן, יחידת מג"ן של ימ"ר דרום וכוחות מג"ב זיהו רחפן שניסה להבריח אמצעי לחימה משטח מצרים לשטח ישראל.

הלוחמים שפעלו במרחב, סיכלו את ההברחה ותפסו תשעה כלי נשק ורחפן.

הרחפן ואמצעי הלחימה שנתפסו הועברו להמשך טיפול וחקירה ביחידת מג"ן של המחוז הדרומי pic.twitter.com/AxZbEVPgJe

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 28, 2025

7.7 magnitude earthquake hits Myanmar, tremors felt in Thailand and parts of China

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar a short while ago, with tremors felt south into Thailand, with residents in the capital of Bangkok running into the streets as buildings shook.

The tremor hit 16 kilometres (10 miles) northwest of the city of Sagaing, Myanmar, at a depth of 10 kilometres around 12:50 p.m. local time (9:20 a.m. Israel time), USGS says.

“I heard it and I was sleeping in the house, I ran as far as I could in my pyjamas out of the building,” Duangjai, a resident of popular tourist city Chiang Mai, tells AFP after tremors were felt across northern and central Thailand.

Tremors were also felt in China’s southwest Yunnan province, according to Beijing’s quake agency.

The China Earthquake Networks Center says the jolt measured magnitude 7.9, according to the Xinhua news agency, with a social media post by CENC saying “tremors were felt in Yunnan.”

Suspect who fired on IDF vehicle in November 2023 detained in Tulkarem, in the West Bank

Footage of the damage to an IDF vehicle caused by gunfire in November 2023 is published by the Israel Police on March 28, 2025, following the shooter's arrest. (Israel Police)

Israeli forces arrested overnight a Palestinian in Tulkarem who opened fire on an IDF vehicle in November 2023 and then fled the scene, the Israel Police say in a joint statement with the IDF and Shin Bet

According to the statement, the 35-year-old suspect fired on the vehicle over a year ago “with the intention of harming soldiers and police officers and to commit suicide immediately afterwards,” but instead fled the scene after injuring a soldier.

The suspect has spent the last year hiding from Israeli troops, the joint statement says, but was located in Tulkarem and detained, whereupon he confessed to carrying out the attack.

Following the investigation, an indictment has been filed against the suspect for possessing and carrying a weapon and intent to murder, police add.

Hezbollah media reports Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon after earlier rocket fire

Lebanese media reports Israeli strikes in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon, after two rockets were fired at northern Israel a short while ago.

According to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar news outlet, targeted areas included the outskirts of Qaaqaait al-Jisr and the town of Khiam.

‘No peace in Beirut’ if northern Israel is attacked, Katz warns after rocket fire from Lebanon

Defense Minister Israel Katz warns that “the fate of Kiryat Shmona is the same as the fate of Beirut,” in an apparent threat to the Lebanese capital after two rockets were fired at Israel a short while ago.

He says that without peace in Israel’s northern border communities, “there will be no peace in Beirut either.”

“The Lebanese government bears direct responsibility for any attacks on the Galilee,” he charges. “We will ensure the security of the residents of the Galilee, and will act forcefully against any threat.”

Two rockets fired from Lebanon at northern Israel; IDF says one intercepted, one fell inside Lebanon

Two rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon a short while ago, the IDF says, after sirens were activated in communities close to the northern border with Lebanon.

According to the military, one of the rockets was intercepted and the other fell inside Lebanese territory.

The rocket fire marks the second attack from Lebanon in the past week, after three rockets were fired at Metula on March 22.

Rocket sirens in Kiryat Shmona, communities close to Lebanon border

Rocket sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona and the nearby communities of Tel Hai, Margaliot, and Misgav Am, close to the northern border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The IDF says it is looking into the matter.

צבע אדום (28/03/2025 07:50): מרגליות, משגב עם, קריית שמונה, תל חי pic.twitter.com/nB4CMSIHDy

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) March 28, 2025

Houthi media reports intense wave of US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital

Houthi media reports a new wave of US airstrikes across Yemen, including neighborhoods in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.

According to the Houthi-owned Al-Masirah news outlet, at least 19 strikes have been carried out since the early hours of Friday morning.

The extent of the damage and possible casualties isn’t immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15.

Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the strikes in Sanaa this morning. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the Iran-backed group’s stronghold of Saada and in Yemen’s al-Jawf, Amran and Marib governorates.

The Houthis have not immediately acknowledged what was targeted at those sites, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital are also home to military and intelligence service sites, as well as crowded with civilians.

Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. Al-Masirah satellite news network describes communication networks going down after the attacks.

Addressing White House iftar dinner, Trump thanks Muslims for backing him in November, says US will start ‘filling out Abraham Accords’

US President Donald Trump attends an Iftar dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 27, 2025 (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

US President Donald Trump hosts an iftar dinner at the White House where he thanks Muslims in America for voting for him in record numbers in the previous election.

“I want to extend a very special thanks to the hundreds of thousands of Muslim Americans who supported us in record numbers in the 2024 presidential election. It was incredible. We started a little slow with you, but we came along,” Trump says. “The Muslim community was there for us in November, and while I’m president, I will be there for you.”

“We’re keeping our promises to the Muslim community. My administration is engaged in relentless diplomacy to forge lasting peace in the Middle East, building on the historic Abraham Accords, which everybody said would be impossible. And now we’re going to start filling them out,” he reiterates.

Tomb of unidentified ancient Egyptian pharaoh discovered

Archaeologists have discovered the large limestone burial chamber of an unidentified ancient Egyptian pharaoh near the city of Abydos dating to about 3,600 years ago during a chaotic period in Egypt’s history.

The discovery of the tomb seven meters (23 feet) underground at the ancient necropolis of Anubis Mountain was announced by the University of Pennsylvania Museum and Egyptian archaeologists. It marked the second discovery announced this year of a tomb of an ancient Egyptian king.

The burial chamber discovered in January at Abydos, an important city in ancient Egypt located about 10 km (6 miles) from the Nile River, was bare – apparently long ago plundered by grave robbers. The name of the king once buried inside was originally recorded in hieroglyphic texts on plastered brickwork at the chamber’s entrance alongside painted scenes showing the sister goddesses Isis and Nephthys.

“His name was in the inscriptions but did not survive the depredations of ancient tomb robbers. Some candidates include kings named Senaiib and Paentjeni, who we know from monuments at Abydos – they ruled in this era – but whose tombs have not been found,” University of Pennsylvania Egyptian archaeology professor Josef Wegner, one of the leaders of the excavation work, says.

In addition to the decorated entryway, the burial chamber featured a series of other rooms capped by five-meter (16-foot) high vaults fashioned from mudbrick.

The tomb dates to a time known as the Second Intermediate Period that ran from 1640 BC to 1540 BC and bridged the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom eras when Egyptian pharaohs were among the most powerful figures in the region.

Thousands rally in Tel Aviv for hostages and against ‘the Oct. 7 government’

People take part in a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government at Habima Square, March 27, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Thousands of Israelis protested for the release of the hostages and against the government earlier tonight at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.

Hundreds of participants then joined hostage Matan Zangauker’s mother, Einav, in marching to the nearby Begin Gate. Police officers — some on horseback — sought to prevent demonstrators from blocking the road, leading to a clash that saw several protesters thrown to the ground. Seven protesters were arrested, according to Hebrew media reports.

Addressing the earlier Habimah protest, former IDF general Noam Tibon asserted that the IDF’s renewed military operations are endangering the hostages.

Demonstrators clash with police during a protest march for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip in Tel Aviv, March 27, 2025. (Itai Ron/Flash90)

“But the October 7 government doesn’t care about this. They are busy toasting the passage of their budget,” Tibon said.

Former police chief Roni Alsheich told the crowd that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is acting against the national interest and called on fellow members of the national religious camp to speak out against the premier and his government.

The protest was held against the backdrop of the government’s passage of key judicial overhaul legislation and an ongoing impasse in the hostage negotiations.

Demonstrators protest march for the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, March 27, 2025. (Itai Ron/Flash9)

Bernie Sanders says he’ll force Senate votes on blocking US arms sales to Israel

US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont walks to his office at the Capitol on March 25, 2025 in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP)

US Senator Bernie Sanders says he will force votes next week on resolutions that would block $8.8 billion in arms sales to Israel, citing the human rights crisis faced by Palestinians in Gaza after Israel resumed bombarding Hamas targets in the enclave and suspended aid deliveries.

“[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has clearly violated US and international law in this brutal war, and we must end our complicity in the carnage,” Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, asserts in a statement announcing his plan.

“No humanitarian aid has entered Gaza in more than three and a half weeks since Israeli authorities announced a complete blockade — that’s no food, water, medicine, or fuel since the start of March,” he adds.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly in November to block three resolutions introduced by Sanders that would have halted transfers of weapons approved by the administration of then-president Joe Biden, a Democrat whom progressives criticized as doing too little to help Palestinians as conditions in Gaza worsened.

President Donald Trump, who began a second term on January 20 and is a fierce advocate for Israel, has reversed Biden’s efforts to place some limits on what arms are sent to Netanyahu’s government.

Last month, Trump sidestepped the congressional review process to approve billions of dollars in military sales to Israel.

US judge orders Trump administration to preserve Yemen attack plan messages

WASHINGTON — A US judge orders President Donald Trump’s administration to preserve messages sent on the Signal messaging app discussing attack plans against the Houthis in Yemen that became public after they were inadvertently shared with a journalist.