The Dictatorship
Israeli strikes pound Iran and Lebanon as USA warns attacks will intensify…
Today’s live updates have ended. Follow more live coverage on the Iran war.
Major developments we’re following:
- Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut and Tehran on Friday as Iran launched another wave of retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf countries that host U.S. forces.
- Russia has provided Iran with information that could help Tehran strike American warships, aircraft and other assets in the region, according to two officials familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter. It’s the first indication that Moscow has sought to get involved in the war.
- U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to rule out negotiations with Iran in a social media post calling for its “unconditional surrender.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later added that “unconditional surrender” could come even if Iran isn’t in a position to say so for itself. Trump told media outlets on Thursday that he wants to be involved in picking Iran’s next leader.
- Evidence suggests the deadly blast at an Iranian elementary school was likely a U.S. airstrike. The Feb. 28 strike produced the highest reported civilian death toll since the war began, prompting staunch criticism from the United Nations and human rights monitors. The U.S. has not accepted responsibility but said it was investigating the matter.
- The death toll continues to rise. At least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 200 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel have been killed, according to officials in those countries. Six U.S. troops have been killed.
▶ The conflict in the Middle East is deeply complex. With all the fast-moving developments, it can be hard to understand. See the war in maps, graphics and images from the AP.
Saudi Arabia intercepts 2 ballistic missiles
The country’s Defense Ministry says the intercepted missiles were targeting Prince Sultan Air Base outside of Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia intercepts more drones
More drones attacked Saudi Arabia early Saturday, the country’s Defense Ministry said.
The ministry said it intercepted four drones attacking the country’s massive Shaybah oil field, located deep in the sands of the Empty Quarter desert. It was the second attack within hours.
Earlier, the ministry said it intercepted a drone attack targeting an area around the capital, Riyadh.
Interception over Dubai
Authorities there say there was an interception over the city-state in the United Arab Emirates.
People heard several blasts in the morning. Later the government’s Dubai Media Office said there was “a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception has been successfully contained.”
Flights heading to Dubai International Airport — which is the world’s busiest for international travel and has been trying to restart service — circled a distance away just before the interception.
Qatar analyst calls Iran attacks on Gulf Arabs a ‘miscalculation of historic proportions’
Writing for the Qatar-funded news network Al Jazeera, Sultan al-Khulaifi of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies said Gulf Arab states “watched with dread” as the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran and they had “invested enormous diplomatic capital in preventing precisely this moment.”
“That Iran’s response has been to turn its missiles on these same neighbors is not only a strategic miscalculation of historic proportions, but is also a profound moral and legal failure that risks poisoning relations for generations to come,” he wrote.
He also argued that “the strategic logic Iran is operating on — that attacking Gulf states will pressure Washington to end the war — is not only flawed in practice, it actively serves Israeli interests.”
“By spreading the conflict to the Gulf, Tehran is doing precisely what Israel could not do alone: steering the war away from the Israeli-Iranian axis and transforming it into a confrontation between Iran and its Arab neighbors.”
Saudi and Pakistani defense officials meet in Riyadh
The defense minister of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan’s army chief met Saturday to discuss “ways to stop these attacks” from Iran, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
“During the meeting, they discussed Iranian attacks on the kingdom within the framework of the Joint Strategic Defense Agreement between the two brotherly countries, and ways to stop these attacks, which do not serve the security and stability of the region,” the agency said.
There was no immediate word from Pakistan, a neighbor of Iran that so far has not been drawn into the spreading war.
In September, after Israel attacked Hamas officials in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both. Pakistan’s defense minister later said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the pact.
Shortly after being told they could leave shelters, Israelis warned to take cover again
Less than five minutes after giving the all clear on the second missile launch identified as from Iran, the military said another salvo was targeting the country. It was the third time that happened overnight.
More sirens in Bahrain
They sounded for a second time Saturday morning in the island kingdom.
Drones target Saudi Arabia
The country faced repeated drone attacks early Saturday targeting the area around its capital, Riyadh, and a major oil field.
The Saudi Defense Ministry said it intercepted all the drones it detected coming into the kingdom so far.
Coming under particular attack was Saudi Arabia’s massive Shaybah oil field, located deep in the sands of the Empty Quarter desert. It produces 1 million barrels of oil a day, according to the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco, which refers to the field as “most remote treasure on Earth.”
Iranian attacks increasingly have targeted oil infrastructure across the Gulf Arab states and disrupted ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded passes.
Hezbollah reports clashes with Israeli forces in eastern Lebanon
The group said early Saturday that its fighters clashed with an Israeli force that landed on the along the border with Syria.
Israel did not acknowledge the fighting, and its military did not respond to requests for comment.
The Iranian-backed militant group said the clashes late Friday happened in a cemetery on the edge of the town of Nabi Chit.
Hezbollah said Israeli miliary launched massive airstrikes to secure the withdrawal of its forces amid the clashes.
The Lebanese health ministry said at least three people were killed, and 16 others were wounded in the strikes.
Israel’s military says Iran launched missiles targeting it
The announcement came early Saturday. It was the second overnight launch identified by officials.
3 killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon
At least three died and 16 others were wounded in Israeli strikes near a mountain town in eastern Lebanon, the country’s heath ministry said early Saturday.
US approves new $151 million arms sale to Israel as Iran war continues
The State Department announced late Friday that it approved the sale of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs to Israel. It also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined there was an emergency need for the munitions and waived the normal congressional review process.
The notice to Congress informing it that lawmakers would be bypassed in the consideration of the sa le did not say where Israel intends to use the bombs.
“The proposed sale will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” it said.
Trump to pay ‘Highest Respect’ on Saturday for dignified transfer of 6 US soldiers killed in action
On his Truth Social platform Friday night, the president said he and first lady Melania Trump would travel to Delaware the following day “to pay our Highest Respect to our Great Warriors, who are returning home for the last time.”
The White House had said previously that Trump would attend the dignified transfer of the six U.S. soldiers killed during the conflict in the Middle East.
The ritual is a transfer of remains of troops killed during their military service and is one of the most solemn acts for any president.
Saudi Arabia says it destroyed four drones
The Defense Ministry said Saturday that the drones were in the kingdom’s vast Empty Quarter desert and headed toward its Shaybah oil field.
Air Canada flights canceled
The carrier canceled Toronto-Tel Aviv flights until May 2 and Toronto-Dubai flights until at least March 28 due to the military conflict in the Middle East.
India reportedly allows Iranian navy ship to dock there
A third Iranian naval vessel in the Indian Ocean reportedly is docked in India after a U.S. submarine sank one and another went to Sri Lanka.
The Press Trust of India, citing unnamed “government sources,” said the IRIS Lavan has been docked in Kochi since March 4. It said the ship “developed urgent technical issues and was granted emergency docking approval” March 1, after the start of the war.
The Lavan’s 183 crew members are “being accommodated at Indian naval facilities on humanitarian grounds,” PTI reported.
The Lavan is a 2,500-ton Hengam-class landing ship.
The U.S. sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s coast Wednesday. The IRIS Bushehr sought assistance from Sri Lanka, and its more than 200 sailors were being brought to that island nation.
Reported clashes between gunmen and an Israeli force that landed on mountains in eastern Lebanon
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said local gunmen tried to repel the force on the edge of the town of Nabi Chit. NNA also said Israeli warplanes were flying over the area.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported that Israeli forces tried to land three times in Nabi Chit and the third attempt occurred after midnight Friday. It was said to have been met inside the town by Hezbollah and local fighters who clashed with it.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to an AP request for confirmation.
Nabi Chit is a stronghold of the Hezbollah militant group.
Hours earlier the Israeli military issued a warning to people in Nabi Chit and several nearby villages to evacuate. It was followed by a series of airstrikes.
Saudi Arabia intercepts ballistic missile targeting air base
The country’s Ministry of Defense said early Saturday that it intercepted and destroyed the missile.
It was launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base, a major military installation in eastern Riyadh.
AP video shows explosions in Tehran
Large plumes of smoke were seen billowing over the western part of the Iranian capital very early Saturday morning.
Pentagon chief responds to reports Russia is aiding Iran
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that the U.S. is “tracking everything” and factoring it into battle plans, when asked about reports that U.S. intelligence shows Russia is providing Iran with information that could help it strike American assets in the Middle East.
“The American people can rest assured their commander-in-chief is well aware of who’s talking to who,” Hegseth said. “And anything that shouldn’t be happening, whether it’s in public or back-channeled, is being confronted and confronted strongly.”
Hegseth also downplayed the possibility that Russia’s assistance could be putting Americans in harms way.
“We’re putting the other guys in danger, and that’s our job. So we’re not concerned about that,” he said. “But the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that think they’re gonna live.”
Air raid sirens in Bahrain
They sounded across the country early Saturday as an Iranian attack targeted the island kingdom. People were urged to seek shelter.
Saudi Arabia intercepts drones headed for an oil field
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said four drones were intercepted and destroyed over the Empty Quarter desert while heading toward the Shaybah oil field.
Trump says US military doing ‘phenomenally’ in Iran
Following a White House event with conference commissioners and other leaders in the collegiate sports space, the president knocked down reporters’ efforts to ask him questions about the war and his decision to oust Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary.
But after a reporter’s follow-up query as to why he opted to hold such an event amid other pressing issues, Trump acknowledged that “it doesn’t sound very important compared to what’s happening in Iran and other places, but it is very important to me.”
He said that on a scale of one to 10, he would rank U.S. military actions as “a 12 to 15.” Trump also said: “We had a choice … and we did something about it.”
Trump opened several White House events this week by recapping U.S. actions in Iran but did not do so Friday.
Drones hit Basra oil sites, including US contractor facilities
At least two drones struck energy infrastructure and facilities of U.S. contractors in Iraq’s southern Basra province Friday evening, according to two security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak with the press.
The officials added that unmanned aerial vehicles targeted a compound housing foreign oil company offices and warehouses, triggering fires at facilities linked to U.S. energy services firms.
The attack comes amid a spate of drone and missile incidents across Iraq and the region, including strikes on oil fields and the cargo section of the Basra International Airport.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.
Trump says he’s getting defense contractors to ramp up production of high-end weapons
Facing questions about whether the Iran war is depleting certain U.S. stockpiles, the president said top defense manufacturers “have agreed to quadruple Production” of “exquisite” weapons.
The term often is used to describe more unique, expensive or technically complex weapons, like hypersonic missiles or long-range air interceptors, broadly understood to be held in lower numbers than more traditional munitions.
In his social media post, Trump didn’t offer details about which specific weapons would see a rise in production. He also said he has stepped up orders of more basic munitions, “which we are using, as an example, in Iran, and recently used in Venezuela.”
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters this week that the military had “sufficient precision munitions for the task at hand.” But he also said the military was shifting from using long-range rockets to less sophisticated bombs with shorter ranges.
Israeli military says it has begun a “broad-scale” wave of strikes in Tehran
The report came minutes after the Israeli military said it was working to intercept missiles launched from Iran toward Israel very early on Saturday morning.
Many thunder-like booms rumbled over Jerusalem just past midnight local time.
Scott Bessent warns of big night of bombing in Iran
The U.S. Treasury secretary told FOX Business host Larry Kudlow that Friday night would be the United States’ “biggest bombing campaign” in Iran. U.S. and Israeli officials have said this week that attacks on Iran would increase.
Earlier this week Trump told BLN the “big wave is yet to come.” Additionally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that firepower over Tehran would “surge dramatically” through “more bomber pulses more frequently.”
AP video shows Iran is firing cluster munitions toward Israel, munitions expert says
A video taken by AP shows what appear to be Iranian ballistic missiles flying over the occupied West Bank and dropping smaller bomblets, which are found inside the missile. (Produced by Elaine Carroll)
The video from Thursday night showed what appear to be Iranian ballistic missiles flying over the occupied West Bank and dropping smaller bomblets.
An independent weapons expert said they were cluster munitions. N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services, reviewed the video and said that, based on the number of visible objects seen, submunitions were released from an Iranian ballistic missile that was fitted with a cargo warhead.
Israel says Iran has fired cluster munitions toward the country and its police and on Friday published a public service announcement in which a bomb disposal technician warned about the dangers of cluster bombs.
Israel has used cluster munitions in previous wars in Lebanon, as have other countries such as Russia and Syria. According to AP reporting, the US last used them in 2003 in Iraq but continues to keep them in its arsenal and has not joined a convention banning their use.
Proponents of a ban say they kill indiscriminately and endanger civilians long after their use.
Very early on Saturday morning, Israel’s military said it was working to intercept a new salvo of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel
Iranians sleep at airport near Turkish border
At a small airport in Turkey’s eastern Van province, about 20 passengers, mostly Iranians, lay on rows of chairs waiting to fly to Istanbul the next morning.
Mehregan, a 26 year old who studies in China, was visiting her family in Ahvaz for winter holidays when the war started. Because Iran’s airspace remains closed, she drove more than 15 hours across Iran to fly out from Turkey.
At the Turkish border, “they let me go easily because I have a visa from China,” she said.
She was spending the night in the airport waiting for the first flight to Istanbul, from where she will fly back to China.
She asked not to be identified by her full name out of fears that speaking to the media could cause problems with authorities.
US to send anti-drone system to the Mideast after successful use in Ukraine, officials say
The system, developed by an American company, will soon will head to the Middle East to help defend against Iranian drones.
It fires drones against drones and has shown success in fighting those used by Russia in its war against Ukraine. The system was deployed to Romania and Poland last year.
While the U.S. has used Patriot and THAAD missile systems to take down Iranian missiles, a U.S. defense official says there are limited effective U.S. anti-drone defenses now in the Middle East.
Another U.S. official called the U.S. response to countering Iran’s Shahed drones “disappointing.”
Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
JUST IN: US anti-drone system tested in Ukraine will head to Mideast to boost US defenses against Iran’s drones, officials say
More than 100,000 displaced by Israel-Hezbollah conflict
Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit said 110,162 people have been internally displaced following Israeli evacuation warnings for areas in southern and eastern Lebanon and across Beirut’s southern suburbs, a densely populated district on the outskirts of the capital that is home to hundreds of thousands.
The unit, which operates under the prime minister’s office, said 512 shelters are open nationwide.
The Lebanese government has said it opened additional shelters in the north and east as well as a large football stadium near Beirut to accommodate the surge of displaced people.
More than 200 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes so far, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
2 Ghanaian soldiers wounded by missile attacks in Lebanon
They were wounded by two separate attacks in the afternoon. The Ghanaian Armed Forces said in a statement that they were stable.
The government protested “the unfortunate incident,” it said.
The missiles struck the Ghanaian Battalion Headquarters, part of the United Nations Interim Force. The attack also destroyed the officers’ mess.
No country was named as being behind the launches.
Scott Bessent says Treasury may remove additional sanctions on Russian oil
The Treasury secretary said his agency “may un-sanction other Russian oil” in order to boost the global supply as the U.S. continues its attacks on Iran.
“There are hundreds and millions of sanctioned barrels of sanction crude on the water,” Bessent told FOX Business host Larry Kudlow, Friday afternoon. “And in essence, by un-sanctioning them, Treasury can create supply.”
“We’re going to keep a cadence of announcing measures to bring relief to the market during this conflict,” Bessent said.
Amnesty says Israel’s evacuation warnings to Lebanon are terrifying civilians and ‘fueling humanitarian suffering’
Kristine Beckerle, the rights group’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, called the warnings overly broad and vague. In the day since the military issued a mass evacuation order for Beirut’s southern suburbs, it has carried out airstrikes, some without warning, she said.
“Issuing mass evacuation orders does not grant the Israeli military the right to treat these areas as open-fire zones, nor does it absolve Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians,” Beckerle said.
Earlier in the day, a U.N. official said testimonies from tens of thousands of Lebanese displaced reflect fear and anxiety. The U.N. says it has delivered over 65,000 relief items to 22,000 displaced people in government shelters, from bedding to jerry cans, over the last four days.
Iran’s UN Ambassador accuses US and Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity
Amir Saeid Iravani charged that they are deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure across the country, including densely populated residential areas.
“These acts constitute clear war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Iravani told reporters.
He said Iran does not seek war or escalation but reiterated that Tehran will take all necessary measures to defend itself, its territory and its independence.
Iravani also said Iran does not accept Trump’s statement that he should play a role in choosing the country’s new supreme leader and it “constitutes a clear violation of the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of states and enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.”
Azerbaijan’s security agency says it thwarted planned attacks prepared by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
The State Security Service of Azerbaijan said Iranian agents and their local accomplices were planning to blow up the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which carries the country’s crude to global markets, and launch attacks at the Israeli Embassy in Baku, a synagogue and a leader of the country’s Jewish community, according to a report by the state television.
It said the attacks were aimed at sowing panic and denting the Caspian Sea nation’s international image.
The agency said the suspects brought explosives into the country and hid them in secret caches. It said four Azerbaijani citizens were charged with involvement in the plot and given 6 ½-year prison sentences. Three others were arrested.
On Thursday, Iranian drone attacks on Azerbaijan wounded four civilians and damaged an airport building.
Amnesty says Israel’s evacuation warnings to Lebanon are terrifying civilians
In a release, Kristine Beckerle, the rights group’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, called the Israeli warnings overly broad and vague. In the day since the military issued a mass evacuati on order for Beirut’s southern suburbs, it has carried out airstrikes, some without warning, she said.
“Issuing mass evacuation orders does not grant the Israeli military the right to treat these areas as open-fire zones, nor does it absolve Israel of its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians,” said Beckerle.
Earlier in the day, Ayaki Ito, a director at the UN human rights office more, said testimonies from tens of thousands of Lebanese displaced reflect fear and anxiety. The office said it’s delivered over 65,000 relief items to 22,000 displaced people in government shelters, from bedding to jerry cans, over the last four days.
3 UN peacekeepers were wounded in southern Lebanon
Three U.N. peacekeepers were wounded after heavy firing struck a base of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in the village of Al-Qawzah on Friday evening, the mission said in a statement.
UNIFIL said the peacekeepers were inside their base when the attack occurred. One of the injured was transferred to a hospital in Beirut for treatment, while the two others were being treated at a UNIFIL medical facility, the statement said. A fire that broke out at the base was later extinguished, the statement added.
UNIFIL said it would investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, adding that it was “unacceptable that peacekeepers performing Security Council-mandated tasks are targeted.”
It was not immediately clear who carried out the firing.
An Associated Press report last month cited an internal military document describing a surge in incidents involving Israeli forces near U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, including drone-dropped grenades and gunfire near their positions.
Vladimir Putin speaks to his Iranian counterpart, expresses condolences
The Russian president had a call Friday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He expressed condolences over the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and “numerous civilian casualties resulting from the U.S. and Israel’s armed aggression.”
In the call, the first reported by the Kremlin since the start of the war, Putin “reaffirmed Russia’s principled stance in favor of an immediate cessation of hostilities, the rejection of force as a method to solve any issues surrounding Iran or arising in the Middle East, and a swift return to the path of diplomatic resolution,” according to the Kremlin’s readout.
It said Pezeshkian “expressed gratitude for Russia’s solidarity with the Iranian people as they defend their sovereignty and the independence of their country” and offered a “detailed update on the developments during the latest active phase of the conflict.”
Qatar announces partial resumption of air navigation despite recent drone strikes
Qatar announced Friday evening that it would partially resume flights with limited operational capacity as the conflict in the region widens.
Qatar Civil Aviation Authority said on the social platform X that a limited number of flights will resume through designated contingency routes, including for passenger evacuation and air cargo.
Airspaces have closed, cruise ships and tankers have been unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and major airlines have canceled flights as the war widened.
Qatar’s defense ministry said the country faced “waves of attacks” from dawn until evening, involving 10 drones. Nine of them were intercepted, while one fell in an uninhabited area.
Israeli army says it will not evacuate its citizens from villages along Lebanese border
An officer spoke to journalists along the border with Lebanon to the backdrop of consistent booms from missiles being intercepted and alerts warning that drones were incoming. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as per the army’s regulations.
He said Israel has deployed troops to protect some 200 Israeli families living on the border and the army is placing soldiers between civilians and Hezbollah to protect them.
Northern Israel is receiving missiles from both Iran and Hezbollah. Atop a lookout of Israel’s northern villages that are adjacent to Lebanese ones, the officer briefed journalists as they sought shelter between alerts.
Nearly a week of internet shutdown in Iran
Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure company, said via the social platform X that the Iran-wide internet shutdown entered its 7th day, with its radar monitor showing internet traffic data at less than 1% of its prewar levels. It comes as Israeli-U.S. strikes pummel the country, terrifying civilians.
Human Rights Watch condemned the shutdown, calling it a violation of human rights and urging Iranian authorities to end it. It said the shutdown could “conceal large-scale atrocities, contribute to the spread of mis- and disinformation, and unlawfully restrict access to information.” It could also heighten the risk of civilian harm by hampering access to life-saving information, food distribution, shelter and medical care and services.
“Internet shutdowns can also contribute to severe psychological harm on people during the conflict as they are unable to contact their loved ones,” said Tomiwa Ilori, senior technology and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
More information on Israel’s ground operation in southern Lebanon
An Israeli military official told AP that Israeli soldiers have taken up around five to seven new positions in southern Lebanon, some of which are dynamic, expanding beyond the five strategic locations held since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire halted a round of fighting in late 2024.
Israel’s military said it was sending additional troops into southern Lebanon after the Iran war began but did not give specifics on how exactly it was expanding its presence.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military protocol, characterized the operation as a limited expansion of Israel’s ceasefire presence along the five points. He said there were around five to seven — but under a dozen — contingents of troops who were setting up defensive blocking positions and ambushes for Hezbollah and roaming the border area. He maintained that the soldiers were meters, not miles, into Lebanese territory.
He said so far the ground forces has killed about a dozen Hezbollah militants but did not provide evidence for the claim. He said none were senior-level operatives.
Hotel attacked in northern Iraq
A drone attack targeted the Rotana Arjaan hotel in Irbil, the capital of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, local media reported.
Associated Press journalists in the area heard explosions Friday and saw smoke rising. There was no immediate report of casualties or damages.
Irbil Gov. Omid Khoshnaw told the Rudaw TV network that “the attack was successfully thwarted” and the drone crashed.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad earlier Friday had warned that militias “may seek to target hotels frequented by foreigners in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”
The Kurdish region’s counterterrorism unit said in a statement that U.S.-led coalition forces intercepted and shot down four explosive-laden drones, one of which landed near a hotel. It said no casualties were reported.
The Kurdish region of Iraq, which hosts U.S. bases and bases of Iranian Kurdish dissident groups, has been attacked by missiles and drones dozens of times since the war in Iran began. Most have been intercepted.
World’s largest aircraft carrier moves in
The USS Gerald R. Ford has moved from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, transiting the Suez Canal on Thursday, according to images posted to a Pentagon website.
The aircraft carrier was ordered to the region from the Caribbean Sea in mid-February and had been operating in the eastern Mediterranean for the opening days of the war with Iran. At least one of the destroyers accompanying the carrier also transited the canal, according to the images posted online.
UN Humanitarian Chief fears Iran war and spillover will divert desperately needed aid from other conflicts
Staggering amounts of money are funding a war “spent on destruction while politicians continue to boast about cutting aid budgets for those in greatest need,”
Undersecretary-General Tom Fletcher said. This leaves less attention and funding for help in conflicts and crises in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan and Congo.
“As conflicts spread, the international system pulls further apart and more resources flow towards weapons rather than the funding, the political will, the diplomatic energy, needed for saving lives,” Fletcher told U.N. reporters Friday. “Humanitarian action is always harder in times of war but this, of course, is when it is needed most.”
“We need calmer heads to prevail,” Fletcher said.
US attack on Iranian warship did not violate international law, experts say
A U.S. submarine’s deadly attack on an Iranian warship does not appear to have violated international or American military law, though it’s not yet cle ar whether the sub took sufficient measures to rescue nearly three dozen survivors, legal experts said.
Legal questions are swirling about the underpinnings for the entire U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran as well as the aftermath of the torpedo attack on the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, the experts said.
Eighty-seven people died and 32 Iranian sailors were rescued after the sub torpedoed the Dena in international waters near Sri Lanka.
While the attacks on Iran overall are “a clear violation of the UN charter,” the Dena was “a clear military target,” said Marko Milanovic, professor of international law at the University of Reading in Britain. “Targeting a military vessel is not a war crime,” Milanovic said.
Evidence suggests the deadly blast at an Iranian school was likely a US airstrike
Satellite images, expert analysis and information released by the U.S. and Israeli militaries suggest that the Feb 28 explosion that killed scores of Iranian students at a school was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes.
Several factors point to a U.S. strike:
- The launching of an assessment of the incident by the U.S. military. According to the Pentagon’s instructions on processes for mitigating civilian harm, an assessment is launched after a group of investigators make an initial determination that the U.S. military may bear culpability.
- The school’s location next to a base of the Revolutionary Guard in Hormozgan Province and close to a barracks for its naval brigade. The U.S. military has focused on naval targets and acknowledged strikes in the province, including one in the vicinity of the school. The U.S. is operating warships in the Arabian Sea, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, within range of the school.
- Israel has focused on areas of Iran closer to Israel and hasn’t reported conducting any strikes south of Isfahan, 800 kilometers (500 miles) away.
- Experts say the tight pattern of the damage visible on the satellite photos is consistent with a targeted airstrike.
Iran has blamed Israel and the United States for the blast. Neither country has accepted responsibility.
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination, a spokesperson said late Wednesday, as two retiring Republicans on the panel dug in over President Donald Trump’s personal “anti-weaponization” deal with the government he runs.
Sen. Chuck Grassley’s decision to delay the committee vote that had been set for Thursday marks a setback for one of Trump’s highest-profile Cabinet nominees, at the hands of Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a pair of Republicans set to leave the chamber next year.
“Chairman Grassley works to set President Trump’s nominees up for success in committee, not failure. Senators Cornyn and Tillis want written assurances from the Department of Justice regarding the Trump-IRS settlement,” the committee spokesperson said.
Blanche’s nomination to permanently head the Department of Justice needs the support of either Cornyn or Tillis to make it out of the committee to a vote by the full Senate, assuming all Democrats remain opposed.
“Why don’t you call over the Department of Justice and tell them they have one hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for,” Cornyn told reporters Wednesday afternoon amid the hardening standoff over his demand that Blanche and the DOJ put in writing a commitment never to pursue the president’s prized “anti-weaponization” fund, and to clarify the terms of Trump’s personal deal with the Internal Revenue Service.
Tillis told MS NOW that the conversations were complicated by the need for the Justice Department to get “several parties” to agree on the language of the statement Cornyn and Tillis are seeking.
“What I’ve advised the chair, and I would assume Senator Cornyn said something similar, is that we’re not prepared to vote yes yet,” he added.
“The Department has been in regular communication with Committee members for weeks, and we look forward to continuing to work productively with Senators to address any concerns,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in response to the decision to postpone the committee vote.
Cornyn was set to meet with Blanche on Wednesday morning, but the meeting was called off after Blanche failed to meet the senator’s demand for written proposals to modify the controversial settlement agreement he brokered between Trump and the IRS. The Republican senator is set to leave Congress when his term ends in January after a bruising May primary loss to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Trump’s chosen candidate.
“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” Trump told reporters Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office. “I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem. I heard (Blanche) is going through quite nicely.”
Cornyn made clear to Blanche during his confirmation hearing that he will not get his support until he agrees to reopen and modify the settlement. Due to the committee’s narrow Republican majority, one GOP “no” vote is enough to sink Blanche’s nomination.
The senator has asked Blanche to provide proof that the proposed nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund established as part of the deal between Trump and the IRS is formally dead, and he has also demanded Blanche narrow the tax audit immunity provisions the settlement afforded to Trump and his family.
Blanche has publicly stated that his department has dropped the fund, but he and the DOJ have dodged requests from Cornyn and a federal judge to put that in writing.
After announcing his meeting with Blanche would not take place Wednesday morning, Cornyn told reporters that changes from Blanche “in a modified release form” would be acceptable, but that “for some reason … they simply refuse to do it,” referring to the DOJ.
Shortly after the meeting was called off, a Justice Department official told MS NOW that the department “provided a written proposal to Senator Cornyn’s staff yesterday following ongoing discussion with both the Committee and the Senator’s office.”
Cornyn said that proposal was “not responsive” to his demands because it did not address the tax audit immunity provisions in the settlement, one of his key demands.
In May, Blanche signed an addendum as part of the deal that granted Trump, his family and his businesses immunity from pending IRS tax audits. That agreement, which has been decried by former IRS officials and legal experts as unlawful self-dealing, is being contested in federal court.
Cornyn noted that Blanche testified under oath that he could meet the request during his confirmation hearing.
“Maybe they think I’m just going to give up or you know, go along, but they’re mistaken,” Cornyn said when asked why he thinks the DOJ could be slow-walking his request.
Kevin Frey contributed to this report.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived this week for his tour of Washington, he may have had a mission in mind.
Netanyahu needed to overcome his newly diminished stature and waning influence over his once close friend President Donald Trump as both leaders grapple with the unpopularity of a war they started together and is escaping their control.
His meeting at the White House with Trump on Tuesday, which was closed to the press, was the first face-to-face encounter between the two allies since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28.
Trump gave him a muted welcome and afterwards simply described the meeting as “very good.” “Obviously, many important subjects were discussed,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Rather than an intimate one-on-one setting, the Oval Office was full of top U.S. officials — Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
But Netanyahu continued the full court press on the Trump administration.
Over the course of two days, in addition to seeing Trump and attending Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral at the Capitol, Netanyahu also met separately with Vance, Hegseth, and Rubio, White House and Israeli officials confirmed to MS NOW.
The Israeli prime minister’s slate of meetings with key U.S. national security officials comes at a pivotal moment in the Iran conflict as tensions escalate in the region and Americans increasingly sour on the war. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows 60% of American voters opposing U.S. military action against Iran and 74% against sending U.S. ground troops into Iran.
Not only does Trump face pressure as Republicans face an uphill battle to retain congressional control in this fall’s midterms, Netanyahu’s fate as prime minister is at stake in Israel’s upcoming September elections – and he can’t afford to lose Trump’s favor.
The talks largely focused on what to do next as Iran continues to menace shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliate against American bases in the region and launch attacks on Gulf allies.
According to a senior Israeli official who was granted anonymity to describe the closed-door meeting, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did not come to a final decision after discussing three paths forward: get a “good deal” focused on Iran’s nuclear program and enriched material, have no deal and instead continue the blockade and economic pressure, or take escalated military action.
But Netanyahu did not tell Trump what he should do – nor did he express a preference.
The senior Israeli official noted Netanyahu has not ruled out diplomacy – as long as it is coupled with “very strong pressures,” calling the push to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program “a contest of will and a contest of force.”
“There are ways of squeezing them and squeezing them and squeezing them and negotiating at the same time,” the official said.
Netanyahu did not present President Trump with new intelligence regarding the underground Iranian nuclear facility Pickaxe Mountain, per the senior Israeli official, noting the U.S. and Israel already are constantly sharing intelligence – and know where Iran’s highly enriched material is. “We don’t think it’s moved, and I think we have a pretty good grasp on that,” the official said.
During their meeting on Tuesday, Trump and Netanyahu discussed ways Israel and the U.S. can work together to stop Iran’s nuclear program and get the Strait of Hormuz open to maritime trade, the senior Israeli official said.
The two leaders also discussed a third goal: to continue to undermine the Iranian regime and “possibly create future conditions for a change in that area.” U.S. officials have backed away from pursuing paths that would overthrow the current leadership, but Netanyahu still believes that could happen.
“The chasm that has been created between the people and the regime is not about to be closed,” the senior Israeli official said of Netanyahu’s thinking.
Netanyahu advised Trump in February that Israeli intelligence indicated launching strikes against Iran would lead to the toppling of the Islamic Republic’s regime – and five months later, the slain ayatollah’s son retains power with a close circle of hardliners, calling into question the accuracy of Israel’s intelligence apparatus.
But the senior Israeli official said at the time, Netanyahu did not promise the Iranian people would take fate into their own hands following a coordinated attack. Rather, he chose his words carefully and said that an attack could create conditions to “advance the probability or the possibility that that would happen.”
The conditions needed for the Iranian regime to fall, “did not materialize,” the official told MS NOW, adding, “not for lack of insight, but for either operational failure or decisions that were made.”
Despite Netanyahu insisting Israel and the U.S. are on the same page, differences still remain: the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and the Saudi nuclear arrangement did not come up during Wednesday’s White House meeting, according to a second Israeli official granted anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to spread, with an Iranian drone attacking a U.S. gas storage tanker off the coast of Egypt on Wednesday.
Trump indicated he would not let Iran’s latest action slide, telling reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. would retaliate against Iran even as he leaves room for diplomatic talks to resume.
“It’s our turn, and we’ll see if we get there with an agreement at some point,” Trump said. “But we’re going to hit them very hard.”
As for what it would take for Israel to join the U.S. strikes, the senior Israeli official said that if Israel is attacked by Iran, “We will respond very, very forcefully and very quickly. And I think Iran would make a great mistake.”
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C.
International rage over FIFA’s close ties to President Donald Trump has reached a fever pitch after soccer’s governing body announced a plan to sell a significant stake to an investor group led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law.
The president and his family have all but turned the White House into their personal piggy bank. And FIFA — which has its own sordid history of corruption — seems to have made itself a party to Trump’s self-enrichment under Gianni Infantino’s leadership, such as by paying for space inside Trump Tower in New York. (The organization has defended the office rental as a World Cup outpost.)
Soccer is seen by many as a unifying game. But Trump’s incorporation of FIFA into his political dynasty is threatening that idea.
FIFA has announced plans to sell a large minority stake in a new company that will run its main events, including the World Cup and Club World Cup, as part of a plan to triple the amount of development money it dishes out to its 211 member associations.
Under the proposals — which are subject to approval by a majority of those national associations and FIFA’s 37-member council — a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) will take over all commercial operations, while FIFA remains the game’s global governing body and retains a majority stake in FFE.
A press release from FIFA confirmed the plans and said Thrive Eternal, which was launched by Joshua Kushner, is expected to lead the investment group that would control FIFA Forward Enterprise. FIFA did not clarify why Thrive Eternal was selected, and Kushner was already dabbling in sports.
But Trump basically has already given son-in-law Jared Kushner carte blanche to dictate U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East while simultaneously hatching business plans in the region. (Jared Kushner has denied any conflicts of interest.)
Joshua Kushner reportedly has been a major donor to Democrats. But, predictably, the idea of another Kushner becoming financially entwined with the World Cup — the world’s most popular sporting event — and basically being dropped into a position of global significance isn’t going over well. Several other soccer governing bodies have expressed concerns, including Europe’s UEFA.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” UEFA said in a statement about The Athletic’s report, adding: “The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee also rebuked the plan, writing on X: “Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren’t enough — now Infantino performs a kickback hat trick by pursuing a multibillion-dollar deal with Jared Kushner’s brother to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup to private investors.”
FIFA, Donald Trump’s favorite corrupt racketeering enterprise in world sports, is now going directly into business with the Trump family!
Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren’t enough—now Infantino performs a kickback hat trick by pursuing a… https://t.co/knSZibuMea
— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) July 28, 2026
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has already launched an investigation into the FIFA leader’s relationship with the Trump administration, while dozens of European lawmakers — citing concerns about “potential breaches of political neutrality” — have called for the FIFA Ethics Committee to investigate Infantino. This new proposal seems unlikely to assuage those concerns.
But what it does seem likely to do is fuel global anger toward the U.S. — the kind that has been growing since Trump retook office.
And when you consider that, it’s truly remarkable how the same MAGA movement whose members whined for years about politics mixing with sports is now in lockstep with a president who seems dead-set on casting his shadow over every sports event he can.
This post on X basically sums up the foul stench around FIFA’s latest proposal.
Sepp Blatter was Infantino’s predecessor as FIFA president and oversaw the organization amid some of its many scandals. When heof all people, is warning about how Trump and Infantino’s relationship is “deeply damaging” soccer, it’s a sign of how far FIFA has descended into the gutter.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
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