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Israel launched a wave of strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Tuesday while attacks in Baghdad drew neighbouring Iraq deeper into the Middle East war that has sparked economic turmoil across the globe. The Iranian capital, under near-daily bombardment since a joint US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28, was hit by what the Israeli military said were strikes on "terror regime infrastructure". The war, now in its third week, has killed hundreds and quickly spread to include Iranian strikes on Gulf nations as well Israeli bombardment of Lebanon.

‘Very damaging’: how the Iran war is hitting energy-intensive industries  The Guardian

The national football federation wants to relocate its group matches to Mexico due to the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran.

How Israel is using the war on Iran to control religious sites in Jerusalem Dania Abul Haj on Mon, 03/16/2026 - 15:32 In a city where you are constantly in direct contact with your occupier, continued existence becomes the only means of resistance Palestinian Muslims pray outside the Old City of Jerusalem as Al-Aqsa Mosque remains closed by Israeli forces during Ramadan on 6 March, 2026 (AFP) On My friend and I were standing near Damascus Gate, observing how empty the Old City of Jerusalem was during the last stretch of Ramadan, when we noticed that we had become surrounded by more than a dozen fully armed Israeli police officers.  In a climate designed to intimidate, my friend proposed that we leave for the sake of our safety. As we walked away, we acknowledged the new status quo enforced by Israel: a general atmosphere of looming fear, more entrenched than ever before. For the rest of the night, we walked the streets of Jerusalem, discussing how much our city has changed over the past few years. From a city that would normally be filled with worshippers going to pray, it is now heavily militarised.  Our minds wandered back a decade to when Jerusalemites flooded the streets to protest Israel’s installation of security barriers at Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, rejecting any sort of Israeli control over our religious sites. Today, such scenes would be met with brutal military repression and vindictive repercussions. As we continued to walk, we saw Israeli forces randomly stopping young Palestinian men and subjecting them to degrading physical searches, unwarranted and unjustified - a provocative practice that has now been normalised in Jerusalem. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); During my visit to the Old City, I was only able to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque once. Even then, most gates were closed by Israeli authorities, with a designated route drawn through metal barriers and an intensified police presence. Ever since the war on Iran started, Al-Aqsa Mosque complex has been locked down, with Israeli authorities citing concerns for the safety of worshippers. The irony is all too apparent amid more than two years of genocide in Gaza and myriad oppressive policies targeting all Palestinians across the occupied territories, enacted by Israeli authorities and settlers, often in collaboration. Entrenching control It seems clear that Israel is using the war on Iran as a thinly veiled excuse to expand its control over religious sites in Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territories.  This is especially apparent given the context of other measures taken against such sites in recent days, including Israel’s decision to revoke the Hebron municipality’s planning and construction authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque, and instead transferring these powers to Israeli entities.  Many of the recent conversations I’ve had with friends and family in Jerusalem have revolved around the lack of any future prospects in Palestine, considering the tightening grip of Israel’s occupation. Wherever you look, the deteriorating reality glares back at you, breaking your soul again and again.  I don't know if there's a level of language mastery that would enable me to truly express what it is like to be Palestinian My friend, a Said Foundation alumni, noted how out of touch scholarship applications can be, asking Palestinians to describe our five- or seven-year plans. Whether we have a home, or are even still alive, remain our primary day-to-day questions. I complained to another friend about the long and humiliating queues at checkpoints, after having spent nine hours total on two separate occasions commuting from Jerusalem to Ramallah in one week. As I explained how degrading it felt, she told me: “They want to make us angry; they want us to lose our minds, and because you do not want to give them what they want, you cannot allow it to get to you.”  I rarely speak about my own lived experiences as a Palestinian, despite the fact that I’ve worked on Palestine-related matters for the past 10 years. In a sense, I’ve always considered myself to be a bit more privileged, having lived a less difficult life as a Jerusalemite.  In reality, this feeling has been manufactured by an occupation that has successfully fragmented the lived realities of Palestinians on the basis of their geographical location - a crucial tool of apartheid. This results in a fake sense of privilege for being “less” subjugated. Decades of impunity In moments like these, it overwhelms me just how much we’ve normalised less brutal forms of repression under the facade of “privilege”. In a city where you are constantly in direct contact with your occupier, your continued existence becomes your sole means of resistance.  The current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories puts the international community at a critical crossroads. Israel’s utter disregard for international law is a direct result of the continued inaction of the global community.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Decades of impunity granted to the Israeli state can no longer be addressed with empty condemnations. Exclusive: Israel to keep Al-Aqsa Mosque closed through Eid al-Fitr and beyond Read More » If the world has any real interest in safeguarding the international rules-based order, then states must undertake much stronger economic and diplomatic sanctions. Otherwise, the repercussions for the entire world will be irreversible.  In his book 1984, George Orwell described his protagonist Winston’s thoughts on a seemingly bleak life, and the feelings of discontent and alienation that arise in a dystopian society. “He meditated resentfully on the physical texture of life. Had it always been like this? … Always in your stomach and in your skin, there was a sort of protest, a feeling that you had been cheated of something that you had a right to,” Orwell wrote.  “It was true that he had no memories of anything greatly different … Why should one feel it to be intolerable unless one had some kind of ancestral memory that things had once been different?”  I don’t know if there’s a level of language mastery that would enable me to truly express what it is like to be Palestinian. I speak both English and Arabic fluently, and all the words that exist cannot even begin to describe the life we’ve been cheated out of living and knowing. Always, in every fibre of one’s existence, there’s a feeling of protest - always completely justified.  The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. Occupation Opinion Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:29 Update Date Override 0

Iran War Rages On Multiple Fronts  theintelligencer.net

Video: Trump presses allies after UK refuses involvement in Iran war “We’ve been protecting these countries for years with Nato because Nato is us.” US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was “surprised” and “not happy” with the United Kingdom for not getting involved in the war with Iran “We’ve been protecting these countries for years with Nato because Nato is us.” pic.twitter.com/RmZRoxMNEH March 17, 2026

Three-day-old infant among family killed in US-Israeli strike in Iran's Arak Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday said a three-day-old infant and his two-year-old sister were among those killed in a US-Israeli strike that hit their home in the city of Arak. “The unjustly shed blood of our three-day-old Mojtaba makes us more determined,” the IRGC said in a statement. The attack also killed the children’s mother and grandmother, according to Iran’s Press TV Iran’s Health Ministry said at least 1,444 civilians have been killed and 18,551 wounded in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since 28 February.   Video released by the Iranian Red Crescent Society on 15 March 2026, shows rescuers searching the rubble of a collapsed building. Iranian Red Crescent / AFP

Day 18 of the US-Israel War on Iran: Israel Launches New Attacks on Lebanon, Iran  TheWire.in

South Africa's fruit exporters face mounting losses and disruption as the US-Israel war on Iran enters its fourth week.

How America’s War on Iran Backfired  Foreign Affairs

The escalating Iran war is pushing parts of the world into energy triage

Trump was warned Iran could retaliate across the Persian Gulf - Reuters  ایران اینترنشنال

France running low on MICA missiles amid UAE interceptions France is running low on MICA air-to-air missiles as Rafale fighter jets continue intercepting Iranian drones over the United Arab Emirates, according to French media reports. The high tempo of operations has sharply reduced available missile stocks, raising concerns within defence circles, the newspaper La Tribune reported. The situation has prompted discussions in Paris on how to balance ongoing missions in the Middle East with the need to maintain long-term military readiness.

Saudi military destroys drones over eastern province Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defences intercepted and destroyed three drones in the eastern region of the country. The ministry said earlier that Saudi forces had also engaged six drones in the same area and successfully shot them down. No further details were immediately provided. المتحدث الرسمي لـ #وزارة_الدفاع: اعتراض وتدمير 3 مسيّرات في المنطقة الشرقية. pic.twitter.com/8PNoDPCvB6 March 17, 2026

Iran seeks reparations from US, Israel over school attack Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalili, said Tehran will seek reparations from the United States and Israel over a deadly attack on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab. The strike killed more than 160 people, many of them children, Jalili said, adding that investigations conducted after the 28 February incident point to the United States as being responsible for the attack.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticised Donald Trump for what he called a "reckless war on choice" on Iran".

Pro-Israel groups pour millions into Democratic primaries in Chicago area as support for US ally hits a historic low.

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Israeli jets strike multiple towns in southern Lebanon Israeli warplanes on Tuesday carried out a series of air strikes across several towns in southern Lebanon, including a raid on the town of Taybe that coincided with heavy artillery shelling. Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli aircraft also targeted the towns of Majadel and Zibqin before expanding the attacks to the Yater and Kafra areas. An Israeli warplane also struck a residential home in the town of Qana, with no immediate reports of casualties.  Hossan, a volunteer, organises activities and games for displaced children in Beirut, Lebanon, 16 March 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Hezbollah rockets target Israeli troops as Israel strikes Beirut Hezbollah said its fighters shelled two gatherings of Israeli soldiers with rockets, targeting troops on Hamams Hill south of the city of Khiam and another group near the Misgav Am settlement. The Israeli military said it had launched a new wave of attacks targeting what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure. It said the strikes focused on sites in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as fighting intensified along the front.