Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

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  Germany rules out joining international military mission to protect Strait of Hormuz

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Sunday that his country will not participate in an international military mission to protect merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Anadolu reports. “Will we soon become an active part of this conflict? No,” Wadephul told public broadcaster ARD. The federal government has a very clear position on this, which Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius have made clear. “We will not take part in this conflict,” he added. Wadephul said that the message coming from the US and Israel is that the goal is to destroy Iran’s military capabilities, particularly its nuclear and missile programs. “And what we now expect is to be told and informed and to be involved

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  Israel plans at least 3 more weeks of war with Iran, says military spokesperson

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The Israeli military said that it is planning for “at least three more weeks” of its war with Iran, with “thousands of targets ahead,” according to CNN on Sunday. “We have thousands of targets ahead,” Israeli army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told CNN. “We are ready, in coordination with our US allies, with plans through at least the Jewish holiday of Passover, about three weeks from now. And we have deeper plans for even three weeks beyond that,” Defrin added. He said the military is “not working according to a stopwatch or a timetable, but rather to achieve our goals,” which are to “weaken the Iranian regime severely.” The US-Israeli offensive on Iran prompted Lebanon’s Hezbollah to enter the

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  Spain condemns ‘unacceptable’ escalation of violence in occupied West Bank

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Spain on Sunday condemned the escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, criticizing illegal Israeli settlers’ impunity, the killing of civilians, and attacks on mosques, Anadolu reports. The statement came after Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian family traveling in a car, including a husband, wife, and two children aged five and seven. Two other children were injured in the incident but survived. The Foreign Ministry expressed its “deep consternation and condemnation over the deaths.” Spain also expressed strong concern over attacks on places of worship in the West Bank, most recently the assault on the Duma mosque. Violence in the West Bank has increased since Feb. 28, when the joint Israeli and US operation against Iran began, the

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  Drone strikes air base hosting Italian, US forces in Kuwait

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Italy’s military said Sunday that Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, which hosts Italian and US forces, was targeted in a drone attack, adding that all Italian personnel were safe, Anadolu reports. Italian Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Luciano Portolano said in a statement on US social media company X that the attack on the base occurred on Sunday morning and destroyed an Italian drone inside a shelter on the base. All personnel were safe and not involved, he said, adding that the Task Force Air’s Italian assets had been reduced in recent days as a precaution due to the situation in the region, while the remaining personnel continued to perform essential tasks. READ: US suspends operations at embassy in

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  UK discussing options with allies to reopen Strait of Hormuz, says minister

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The UK is in discussions with international allies about how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after recent disruption to shipping in the strategically important waterway, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has said, Anadolu reports. Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg program, Miliband said it is “very important that we get the Strait of Hormuz reopened,” describing the route as vital for global trade and energy supplies. He said the government is working with partners, including the US, to consider possible ways to secure the passage. “Any options to help the strait reopen are being looked at,” Miliband said, adding that he would not provide operational details about what the UK might do. The Strait of Hormuz, which lies

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  Clashes break out at International Quds Day protest in Brussels

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Clashes broke out during a demonstration marking International Quds Day in Brussels, Belgium, after tensions erupted between rival groups, Anadolu reports. International Al-Quds Day, proposed by Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini after the 1979 revolution, is held each year in the holy month of Ramadan. The protest took place outside the European Parliament and was organized by the groups Al Moustafa and Justice Without Borders. Hundreds of people attended the rally, carrying Palestinian and Iranian flags, and chanted slogans opposing Israeli genocidal actions in the Gaza Strip and recent attacks on Iran. Some protesters held banners reading: “If you stay silent while women are being killed, your feminism belongs in the trash,” “Our country is not for sale,” and

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  Iranians are ‘wary’ of fresh talks with US after being tricked twice: Indonesian president

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has said that Iranians are “wary” of fresh talks with the US amid ongoing conflict, which has spread to regional nations, according to a media report on Sunday, Anadolu reports. In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Prabowo told Bloomberg that Iranians recently told him they were wary of entering into negotiations with the US because they felt “basically they have been tricked” twice. In an asymmetrical war, “they really just have to survive,” he said. Oman was mediating the latest round of talks between Tehran and Washington over Iran when the US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation on regional nations. Prabowo stated that he is willing to mediate and

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  UN chief says Muslims face discrimination, urges action to combat Islamophobia

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday that Muslims around the world continue to face discrimination and exclusion, urging governments and societies to take stronger action to combat Islamophobia, Anadolu reports. In a video message shared on US social media company X for the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Guterres said the world’s roughly two billion Muslims come from diverse regions and cultures but often encounter institutional discrimination and social barriers. He said Muslims frequently face “socio-economic exclusion, biased immigration policies, and unwarranted surveillance and profiling,” warning that such trends are fueled by anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate. Guterres noted that the spread of hate speech can lead to harassment and violence against individuals and places of worship. READ: US-Israeli attack on Iran

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  South Africa reviews Israel’s response in ICJ genocide case over Gaza

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  South Africa said on Sunday that it is reviewing Israel’s response submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the genocide case filed over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said it has taken note of Israel’s response, submitted on March 12, to South Africa’s written pleadings in the case brought under the Genocide Convention at the ICJ. “South Africa will now consider Israel’s response and decide whether to request the Court’s permission to make further written submissions in reply or to proceed directly to the oral phase of proceedings,” the statement said. It noted that despite three binding ICJ rulings requiring Israel

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  US spent $12B since start of strikes on Iran, says White House economic adviser

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The US has spent around $12 billion since the start of the joint strikes along with Israel on Iran, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Sunday, as the Trump administration sought to reassure the public about the economic impact of the conflict, Anadolu reports. “The 12 billion was what I was briefed has been spent so far,” Hassett told CBS News, clarifying that it is not what a six-week campaign would cost. He added that the administration did not anticipate needing to seek additional congressional funding, saying existing weapons stockpiles are sufficient to continue operations. The figures are consistent with previous reporting by the New York Times, which cited a Pentagon briefing that estimated the cost at more than

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  Israel denies direct talks with Lebanon in coming days

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Israel’s foreign minister said Sunday that his government does not intend to hold direct talks with the Lebanese government in the coming days, Anadolu reports. “If the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army want to change the situation, they must take steps to stop the Hezbollah attacks,” Gideon Saar told reporters at a site hit by an Iranian missile in the Arab town of Aarzir in northern Israel. He said that the Lebanese authorities “have done little so far to stop this,” claiming that Hezbollah acts upon instructions from Iran, “against the will of Lebanon and its people.” He said reports suggesting that Israel may begin direct talks with Lebanon are “not correct.” The comments came a day after Israeli

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  Bahrain arrests 5 for passing ‘sensitive information’ to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said Sunday that authorities arrested five people accused of collecting and passing “precise and sensitive information” to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while a sixth suspect had fled the country, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the ministry said the six had collected and transferred “precise and sensitive information” to the IRGC through “terrorist elements in Iran, and the recruitment of terrorist elements to work in carrying out terrorist plots against” Bahrain. The ministry said the plots aimed to “undermine state sovereignty, security institutions and economic entities, spread fear and terror among citizens and residents and endanger the security and safety of the country.” According to the statement, one of the suspects admitted receiving intensive training in

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  Bombing hospital or school isn’t a ‘miscalculation’ but ‘war crimes’: WHO chief

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday condemned recent attacks on hospitals, schools and medical personnel in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, saying such actions cannot be dismissed as “miscalculations” or “collateral damage” and should be recognized as war crimes, Anadolu reports. “Bombing a hospital or a school isn’t a ‘miscalculation.’ Killing a paramedic isn’t ‘collateral damage.’ Starving civilians isn’t ‘negotiating tactic.’ These are war crimes. Full stop. Call it what it is,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the US social media company X. At least 150 schoolgirls were killed in an airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern Iranian city of Minab on Feb. 28, when the US and Israel

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  Spain condemns violence in Lebanon, calls situation ‘unacceptable’

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Spain on Sunday condemned the escalating violence in Lebanon, calling the situation “unacceptable” and urging all parties to halt hostilities, Anadolu reports. In a post on social media, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the Lebanese people were “victims of a war not of their making” and stressed that both Israel’s bombardments and Hezbollah’s missile launches must stop. He reiterated Spain’s support for the Lebanese government, saying it was doing “everything possible to ensure the safety of the population.” “Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are vital,” he said, adding: “The Lebanese Armed Forces must be able to maintain the monopoly of force by the State.” READ: Iran says ending Israeli occupation, attacks ‘key’ to restoring calm to Lebanon Albares said

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  Annexation without a declaration- Israel’s quiet seizure of the West Bank

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Israel has not formally declared the annexation of the occupied West Bank. No dramatic parliamentary vote has proclaimed sovereignty over the territory. Yet on the ground, step by step, law by law, road by road, Israel is doing precisely that. Through administrative restructuring, settlement expansion, legal engineering and the steady displacement of Palestinians, the Israeli state is effectively absorbing large portions of the West Bank into its national system. It is annexation not by proclamation, but by practice. This strategy—often described as creeping or de facto annexation—allows Israel to transform the political geography of the occupied territory while avoiding the diplomatic shockwaves that a formal declaration would trigger. But the consequences are no less profound. What is unfolding today is

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  The architects of post-truth: How Netanyahu and Trump are scripting the Apocalypse

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  For decades, American foreign policy was built on a hybrid of realism, self -interest and idealism.  Today, it is being rebuilt on the hallucinatory terrain of a ‘post-truth’ era where Benjamin Netanyahu acts as the master architect. By framing a modern regional war as a biblical struggle against ‘Amalek’, Netanyahu has successfully aligned his own political survival with the fever dreams of American evangelical eschatology. It is a high-stakes strategy that offers Donald Trump exactly what he craves: a world where geopolitical strategy is replaced by a transactional theatre of ‘good versus evil,’ and where the machinery of the state is used as a personal shield against the accountability of facts. Together, they are no longer just fighting a war;

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  Japan says bar for sending warships to Strait of Hormuz ‘extremely high’

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Japan on Sunday said that the threshold for Tokyo to send its warships to help protect the Strait of Hormuz is “extremely high,” Anadolu reports. “I regard the threshold as extremely high” for sending navy ships to the region under existing Japanese laws, Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said, according to the public broadcaster NHK. “Legally speaking, we do not rule out the possibility, but given the current situation in which this conflict is ongoing, I believe this is something that must be considered with great caution,” Kobayashi added He made the remarks hours after US President Donald Trump said that countries affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz will send warships in conjunction

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  Iran’s Larijani warns of alleged plan to stage 9/11-style attack and pin blame on Iran

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Sunday that he had received information about an alleged plot to stage a 9/11-style attack and falsely blame it on Iran, Anadolu reports. “I’ve heard that the remaining members of Epstein’s network have devised a conspiracy to create an incident similar to 9/11 and blame Iran for it,” he said on US-based social media company X. “Iran fundamentally opposes such terrorist schemes and has no war with the American people,” Larijani said. He also said Tehran is acting in self-defense against what he described as attacks by the US and Israel, adding that Iran would respond “strongly and firmly” to punish those responsible. READ: Iran says ending Israeli occupation, attacks ‘key’ to restoring

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  Iran says ending Israeli occupation, attacks ‘key’ to restoring calm to Lebanon

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Iran’s foreign minister said that ending the Israeli occupation and halting attacks are the key to restoring calm to Lebanon, as attacks by the US and Israel continued against Tehran, Anadolu reports. Abbas Araghchi, speaking over the phone with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot Saturday night, said Israel and the US are “the main cause of insecurity” in the region and the Strait of Hormuz, the state news agency IRNA reported. “All countries of the region need to take a responsible approach to this situation and firmly condemn the criminal act of the aggressors in attacking Iran, as well as refraining from any action that could escalate and expand the scope of the conflict,” Araghchi said. The top diplomat reaffirmed Iran’s determination

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  Costly and depleting: The growing problems of Operation Epic Fury

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The big drain on military resources has begun.  A war apparently already won (and not), against an adversary supposedly without means to fight back, its air force and navy destroyed, its missile capabilities blunted, is now drawing the clumsy colossus of American power into the Middle East with embarrassing effect.  The Middle East, where US President Donald Trump promised the “forever wars” would end, promises an end to his beginning.  The ledger of losses keeps rising with giddying pace.  The US casualty list, for now, remains manageably low, but the military purse is being raided with manic relish.  Operation Epic Fury cost US taxpayers $11.3 billion in munitions over the first six days, an estimate that excludes operating and maintenance

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  Germany ‘secretly financed’ much of Israel’s Dimona nuclear project, report claims

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Since the Dimona nuclear reactor in Israel’s Negev Desert was first exposed in December 1960, the country’s nuclear project has remained the subject of extensive research, books, and investigative reporting, with a recent report claiming that Germany “secretly financed” the project. The report by the Israeli daily Haaretz noted that seminal works, including Avner Cohen’s Israel and the Bomb, along with studies by Seymour Hersh, Zaki Shalom, and Adam Raz, have examined the origins, development, and secrecy surrounding the program. In 2024, journalist Shany Haziza’s documentary series The Atom and Me added a personal and social dimension to the story. Yet despite decades of research, two major questions have remained unresolved: how much the project cost, and who paid for

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  Tucker Carlson claims CIA read his messages, says US preparing foreign agent case against him

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  American journalist and commentator Tucker Carlson has claimed that the CIA has been reading his messages and that he is the target of a complaint being prepared against him by the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Anadolu reports. According to Carlson, the investigation is related to interviews and communications he conducted with Iranian officials before the outbreak of the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, which started on Feb. 28. In a video on Saturday, Carlson alleged that the US government is compiling a file to charge him. “I’m also an American. I can talk to anybody. I have no secrets to divulge. So, legally, I think the case is ludicrous, and I doubt it will

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  Iran says ready for joint probe with regional states over attacked targets

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday Tehran is ready to sit with regional countries to form a joint investigation committee to determine the nature of the targets that have come under attack and whether they were American-linked as hostilities between Tehran and Washington continues to rage across the region, Anadolu reports. In an interview with the London-based The New Arab (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed) newspaper to be fully published later Sunday, Araghchi said strikes carried out by Iran targeted “US bases and interests in the region” as part of Tehran’s response to attacks launched against Iran from those bases. The minister said Tehran had obtained information indicating that the US and Israel were launching attacks from specific locations toward Arab countries. “We have

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  Israel allocates $825M to buy ‘urgent security supplies’ amid reported deficit of interceptor missiles

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The Israeli government on Sunday allocated $825 million to purchase “urgent security supplies,” amid reports of growing deficit in interceptor missiles as a joint war with the US against Iran entered its third week, local media reported. “The government approved a special budget of 2.6 billion shekels (nearly $825 million) for the purchase of urgent security supplies,” Channel 12 said. The outlet said the move comes “amid the immediate need to provide an operational response in a war with Iran.” The government is expected to amend its 2026 spending plan to fund the new purchases, the channel said. The move came a day after American news website Semafor, citing US officials, reported that Israel is running critically low on ballistic

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  Iran will not collapse: What the US–Israel War reveals about power in the Middle East

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The escalating confrontation between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other is often framed in familiar strategic language: deterrence, nuclear threats and regional security. Israel argues that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear capability is an existential necessity, while Washington portrays its involvement as part of a broader effort to stabilise the Middle East and contain a revisionist power. Yet these explanations capture only the immediate logic of the conflict. Beneath the battlefield calculations lies a deeper historical problem: the assumption that Iran can be strategically weakened or neutralised through external pressure. If history offers any serious guidance, this assumption may be fundamentally flawed. The latest escalation—marked by Israeli and American strikes on Iranian military

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  Israeli drone strike kills 4 Gazans, including 2 children

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Four Palestinians were killed, including two children, in an Israeli drone strike in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, marking a new violation of a ceasefire deal in place since Oct. 10, medical sources said, Anadolu reports. The strike targeted a house in the al-Sawarha area west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, the sources said. The area lies outside Israeli army control as Tel Aviv continues to control Gaza’s southern and eastern buffer zones, as well as large parts of northern Gaza, occupying more than 50% of the enclave. Since the truce, the Israeli army has killed at least 658 Palestinians and injured 1,754 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ceasefire halted Israel’s two-year war that

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  New Zealand observes seven years since shootings at Christchurch mosques

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Remembrances took place in Christchurch to observe and honor the victims of two terror attacks on mosques that killed scores of worshipers seven years ago, media reports said Sunday. Fifty-one victims were killed and 40 injured at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre on March 15, 2019. in New Zealand’s deadliest-ever mass shooting. The day began with “the Walk the Talk for Unity” at the Bridge of Remembrance in the city center, organized by the Sakinah Community Trust, a group founded by several widows of the victims, local broadcaster 1News reported. A memorial service at the Peace Bell in the botanic gardens began with a minute of silence, followed by the reading of the names of the 51

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  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims strikes on 3 US air bases, threatens Netanyahu

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Sunday that it struck three US air bases in the region with missiles and drones, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency. A statement reported by Fars indicated that the IRGC said it targeted a “gathering center of US forces” at Al-Harir air base in Erbil, and the Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases were destroyed using “powerful Iranian missiles and drones.” The statement said the attacks were part of the 52nd wave of “Operation True Promise 4,” which it described as retaliation for the killing of workers in Iranian industrial zones. The statement said the IRGC threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that if he is “still alive, we will continue

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  USS Nimitz service extended amid Strait of Hormuz tensions: Report

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The US Navy will keep the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier in service until March 2027, nearly a year longer than initially planned, CNN reported Saturday. A Navy official told the news outlet that the carrier, one of the largest warships in the world, “has since been extended to March 2027. Accordingly, the US Navy plans to inactivate the ship in 2027.” The report said the vessel had previously been scheduled for decommissioning in May 2026. The extension comes as Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since early March amid escalating hostilities with the US and Israel. Disruptions to shipping through the strait have pushed up global oil and fertilizer prices, raising concerns about energy supplies. READ: Trump says he

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  Trump says he is not ready to strike deal with Iran

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  US President Donald Trump said Saturday that he is not yet prepared to make a deal with Iran to end the widening Middle East conflict, Anadolu reports. Trump said the terms of any potential agreement “aren’t good enough yet” and declined to provide details on what a deal would require. “Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” he told NBC News in a phone interview. He added that a commitment from Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions would likely be a key component. Trump also expressed surprise at Iran’s attacks on other countries in response to US-Israeli military operations, and described American strikes on Kharg Island as

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  The four drivers of the Iran War: Rhetoric, miscalculation, hubris, and two conflicting clocks

  by MI on March 15, 2026

  The United States and Israel did not stumble into war with Iran. They were driven into it — by the relentless drumbeat of political rhetoric, by catastrophic miscalculation, by the outsized egos of two narcissistic leaders who fancied themselves military geniuses, and by two clocks ticking to entirely different rhythms. Understanding these four drivers is not an academic exercise. It is an autopsy of a war foretold as a disaster. I. Rhetoric: The Art of the Gaslight Wars are rarely declared; they are narrated into existence. Trump and Netanyahu proved masters of this dark art. For months before the first bomb fell, they conducted a relentless rhetorical campaign, painting Iran as an existential threat on the cusp of acquiring a

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  Israel warns US it is running low on missile interceptors: Report

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  Israel has warned the US that it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors as the conflict with Iran continues, according to a report by US news website Semafor that was published Saturday, citing unidentified US officials, Anadolu reports. The report said Israel informed Washington earlier this week that its supply of long-range missile interceptors has been significantly depleted. Israel is believed to have entered the war already low on interceptors following last summer’s confrontation with Iran, the report said. Its long-range missile defense systems have been heavily strained by barrages, with CNN previously reporting that Iran had begun adding cluster munitions to some missiles, potentially increasing pressure on Israel’s defenses. One US official told Semafor that Washington had

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  Israeli prime minister’s office refutes reports suggesting Netanyahu assassinated

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed social media claims on Saturday that suggested he has been assassinated in an Iranian response to US and Israeli strikes, Anadolu reports. An Anadolu correspondent asked the office if they had a statement on increasing claims on social media that “Netanyahu has been assassinated.” “These are fake news; the Prime Minister is fine,” the office replied. Regional tensions have flared since Israel and the US launched joint attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries, which it says are targeting “US military assets.” Countries to

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  Israel says 3,138 people injured since war with Iran, Lebanon began

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  Israel’s Ministry of Health said on Saturday that 3,138 people have been hospitalized since the onset of its latest war with Iran and Lebanon, Anadolu reports. The ministry said in a statement that the injured were transferred to hospitals across Israel following attacks since the start of the conflict over two weeks ago. According to the ministry, 81 people remain hospitalized, including one in very critical condition, nine in serious condition, eight with moderate injuries, and 57 with minor wounds. Israeli authorities maintain strict censorship regarding losses resulting from missiles launched by Iran, including the number of projectiles that landed and their impact locations. The Lebanese group Hezbollah began targeting Israeli military sites on March 2 in response to the

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  Indonesia’s words on Al-Aqsa ring hollow

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  Indonesia condemned Israel’s closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during this Ramadan with the language it has used for decades: strong rejection, moral outrage and appeals to international law. The statement was correct. Preventing Muslim worship at one of Islam’s holiest sites is an unacceptable violation of religious freedom and international norms. But moral clarity is not the same as political strategy. Indonesia’s response illustrates a deeper contradiction in its foreign policy toward Palestine — one that turns condemnation into ritual rather than meaningful pressure. Jakarta consistently presents itself as one of Palestine’s most steadfast defenders. As the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia has long framed support for Palestinian self-determination as a constitutional and moral commitment. It does not maintain

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  War, oil and power: Could the Iran conflict shake the petrodollar order?  

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  As war spreads across the Persian Gulf, the first tremors are felt in oil markets. The deeper shock may come later — in the foundations of the global financial system. For nearly five decades, the international monetary order has rested upon a quiet but immensely powerful arrangement: the predominance of the United States dollar in global energy trade. The petrodollar system, forged in the geopolitical upheavals of the 1970s, helped transform American financial dominance into the central pillar of the modern world economy. Yet prolonged conflict involving Iran could place unexpected strain on that system. Not because the dollar is about to collapse — it is not — but because geopolitical instability in the Gulf could accelerate trends that are

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  UN peacekeeper injured in attack on UNIFIL position in southern Lebanon

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  A UN peacekeeper was injured in an overnight attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) position in southern Lebanon, which also resulted in fire, an official said Saturday, Anadolu reports. UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said in a statement that “one of our positions near Meiss ej Jebel was hit, likely by heavy machine gun fire.” She added that “the impact caused a fire, and one peacekeeper on his way to the shelter was lightly injured.” Ardiel said the UNIFIL has launched an investigation into the incident. She also reminded all parties of their responsibilities, saying: “We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers at all times.” The Lebanese group Hezbollah

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  Indian vessels granted passage through Strait of Hormuz: Iranian envoy

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  Amid the ongoing Middle East tensions, some Indian vessels have been permitted to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s ambassador to New Delhi said on Saturday, Anadolu reports. “Yes, we have allowed some ships to pass through Hormuz, but we can’t tell how many at this moment… Iran and India have historical relations and common interests,” Mohammad Fathali remarked during a speech at India Today Conclave in New Delhi. In a news briefing, Indian officials also announced that two Indian-flagged LPG carriers – Shivalik and Nanda Devi – carrying a combined total of 92,712 metric tons of LPG, successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz early Saturday morning. “There are currently 22 Indian-flagged vessels with 611 seafarers in the Persian

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  Iranian armed forces call for evacuation of major ports in UAE amid rising tensions

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  The Iranian armed forces on Saturday called on residents and workers to move away from several major ports in the UAE amid escalating regional tensions, Anadolu reports. In a notice, the forces called on people to immediately evacuate areas surrounding Jebel Ali Port, Khalifa Port, and Fujairah Port, according to the Fars news agency. The notice claimed that the locations had become “legitimate targets” due to the presence of US military forces inside civilian facilities in those areas, adding the ports “could be targeted in the coming hours.” It urged citizens, residents, port workers and people in the vicinity of the facilities to leave the areas as quickly as possible for their safety. Since Israel and the US launched joint

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  Countries to deploy warships with US to keep Strait of Hormuz ‘open, safe’: Trump

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that countries, affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz, will send warships in conjunction with the US to keep the strait “open and safe,” Anadolu reports. In a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump urged China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz. “In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water,” he added, Trump claimed that the US has destroyed “100% of Iran’s military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or

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  The economics behind wars

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  War is not a violation of the international order. For a select few, it is the international order working exactly as intended; a machine that converts human suffering into corporate profit, political advantage, and generational wealth. The bombs that fall are not random. They are a calculated strategy, and behind every calculation sits a balance sheet. In 2024, the world’s top 100 arms manufacturers generated a combined $679 billion in revenue; the highest figure ever recorded in human history. American firms alone accounted for $334 billion of that total. That wealth was not created in a vacuum. It was built, contract by contract, on the rubble of Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and now Iran. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022,

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  Lebanon says 26 paramedics killed, 51 injured in Israeli attacks since March 2

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  At least 26 paramedics have been killed and 51 others injured in ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Saturday, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the ministry said the Israeli army has repeatedly targeted ambulance crews while they were carrying out rescue missions since the start of the offensive. It added that an Israeli strike on Friday targeted a primary health care center in the southern town of Burj Qalaouiyah, a facility that operates within a nationwide network of health centers coordinated with civil society groups and supervised by the Health Ministry. According to the statement, the attack killed 12 workers at the center, while search operations are ongoing for four missing persons.

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  Rocket attack targets US Embassy in Baghdad, damages defense system

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  The US Embassy in Iraq’s capital Baghdad came under a rocket attack early Saturday, local media reported, citing a security source, Anadolu reports. The source told Shafaq News Agency that the attack resulted in the destruction of the embassy’s C-RAM air defense system “completely,” which is used to intercept incoming rockets and projectiles. The news agency quoted another unnamed security source as saying that “a satellite communications system was destroyed as a result of the attack that targeted the US Embassy compound in Baghdad.” The source explained that the damaged system was designated “to secure and exchange data via satellites for diplomatic staff and employees inside the compound.” The source added that the US C-RAM air defense system was unable

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  Dust storm in Gaza

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  IMAGES: On International Women’s Day, Gaza mothers ask the world: Where are our missing children?

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  “Where are we supposed to go?” The road out of Dahiyeh and Lebanon’s forced evacuations

  by Marwa A on March 14, 2026

  Israel’s blanket evacuation orders for Dahiyeh and southern Lebanon breach the core safeguards of Fourth Geneva Convention (Article 49) which require safe routes and swift returns. It has driven more than 500, 000 people into forced displacement and urban collapse under the cover of “civilian protection” rhetoric. “We’re still here, but nobody knows where we are supposed to go.” The message arrived from my friend in Haret Hreik, a district of Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, following evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military for Beirut’s southern suburbs and large parts of southern Lebanon. Evacuation… a word that travels effortlessly through diplomatic corridors, carrying with it the reassurance of humanitarian precaution, suggesting that civilians are warned and depart in time

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  B-2 stealth bombers used in operation against Iran: US Central Command

  by MI on March 13, 2026

  US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday B-2 stealth bombers carried out a mission targeting Iranian capabilities as part of an ongoing operation that began late last month, Anadolu reports. “B-2 stealth bombers takeoff to conduct a mission during Operation Epic Fury, delivering long-range fire to not only eliminate the threat from the Iranian regime today, but also eliminate their ability to rebuild in the future,” CENTCOM said on US social media company, sharing visuals of the bombers. Earlier, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said all of Iran’s defense companies will be destroyed “soon, and very soon.” “Today will be yet again the highest volume of strikes that America has put over the skies of Iran and Tehran. READ: Pentagon moving more marines,

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  US offers up to $10M reward for information on Iranian leaders

  by MI on March 13, 2026

  The US State Department on Friday announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Iran’s key leaders, including Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Anadolu reports. The announcement, released by the department’s Rewards for Justice program, said the targeted individuals “command and direct various elements” of the IRGC, which Washington accuses of planning and carrying out attacks around the world. Among those listed in the notice are Khamenei, Ali Asghar Hejazi, deputy chief of staff in the office of the supreme leader; and Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to the supreme leader. READ: Trump says US ‘ahead of schedule’ in Iran war, claims most missiles destroyed Earlier in the day,

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  UK warns its citizens against photographing strikes in UAE

  by MI on March 13, 2026

  The British Embassy in Dubai on Friday warned British nationals living in the UAE not to photograph, post, or share images of strikes, as doing so could result in fines, imprisonment, or deportation, Anadolu reports. “UAE authorities warn against photographing, posting, or sharing images of incident sites or projectile damage as well as government buildings and diplomatic missions,” the embassy wrote on US social media company X. “British nationals are subject to UAE laws, violations may lead to fines, imprisonment, or deportation,” it added. This came after a 60-year-old British man was charged under cyber-crime laws in Dubai after allegedly filming Iranian missiles over the city, the BBC reported. READ: Emirati billionaire rebukes US senator over call for Gulf states to

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  Most humanitarian aid movements through Gaza crossing denied over past 2 days, UN says

  by MI on March 13, 2026

  Nearly all humanitarian aid movements to Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing were denied over the past two days, sharply limiting the delivery of critical supplies into the enclave, the UN said Friday, Anadolu Agency reports. “The Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), tells us that today and yesterday, nearly all humanitarian movements to the Kerem Shalo crossings were denied,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters. “As a result, we have been able to collect fuel, but nothing else,” Dujarric said. He added that supplies brought into the crossing have not been allowed to enter Gaza despite being offloaded. Dujarric said Kerem Shalom remains the only operational crossing into Gaza, while the Rafah and Zikim crossings

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  Israel-US and Iran War: A geostrategic transformation

  by MI on March 13, 2026

  After the 12-day war in May last year, it was clear that both sides would be face-to-face soon. They restarted on 28th February 2026. Israel-US adopted the same pattern of targeting the top brass, including the Grand Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the very first day, thinking that in the absence of these officials, the Iranian administration would be like a rudderless ship. This would create confusion and provide an easy opportunity for regime change. Thirteen days have passed, yet there are no visible signs of either the fall of the regime or a pause or ceasefire. Despite US-Israel’s anguish, Iran selected Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader – an act of defiance. Both sides continue to bombard each