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The US no longer wants to be the guarantor of the world order. It's time the rest of us take this responsibility.

Nearly 700,000 displaced in Lebanon, Unicef says Nearly 700,000 people, including around 200,000 children, have been forced from their homes across Lebanon over the past week alone as a result of Israeli bombardment and expulsion orders, Unicef, the UN children’s agency, said. Unicef said the number is in addition to the tens of thousands of people "already uprooted from previous escalations". At least 83 children have been killed and 254 wounded across Lebanon since 2 March, an average of more than 10 children killed each day, with roughly 36 wounded daily, it said.

UAE billionaire Habtoor rebukes Lindsey Graham's call for Gulf to join war Khalaf al-Habtoor, a prominent Emirati businessman whose company helped build Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab, rejected calls on Monday by hardline pro-Israeli US Senator Lindsey Graham for Gulf countries to join the war. Habtoor last week publicly condemned the Israeli-US war on Iran in a post on X. Responding to Graham’s suggestion that members of the Gulf Cooperation Council should join the war because they are under attack, Habtoor pushed back in a post on X. “We know full well why we are under attack, and we also know who dragged the entire region into this dangerous escalation without consulting those he calls his 'allies' in the region," he said. “We thank God that the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are doing well, and we have no need for someone who claims he came to the Middle East to save us,” Habtoor wrote. “The truth is that hasty American decisions are what embroiled the region in a war whose peoples were not party to its decision-making, and its local allies were not consulted before it was launched,” he added. “Iran, Israel, and the United States all move according to their own interests, not according to the interests of the peoples of the Middle Eastern Arab countries”, he said. In a previous post, Habtoor also condemned US President Donald Trump over his decision to go to war with Iran. This is extremely interesting and worth hitting the translate button for: https://t.co/ld9oXr3eqr March 9, 2026

People in Gaza have been rushing to markets as supplies dwindle even further due to regional conflict.

Expanding regional conflict shifts global attention as Gaza faces border closures, inflation and 'ceasefire' violations.

‘Markets may tolerate uncertainty for now, but prolonged uncertainty will be harder to look through,’ one expert said

TEHRAN, Mar. 09 (MNA) – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory message to Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as the third Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.

Comments from defense secretary come as number of US service members killed in conflict has climbed to seven Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, has said “there will be more casualties” in the US military from the Trump administration’s war in Iran after officials confirmed on Sunday that the number of US service members killed had climbed to seven. Hegseth made the statement during an appearance Sunday night on CBS’s 60 Minutes, during which he portrayed Donald Trump’s decision for the US to join Israeli attacks on the Middle East country as essential “to advance American interests, and protect American lives”. Continue reading...

The election of a new Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is a sign that the ayatollahs have survived the first wave of attacks by Team America, and may endure even longer. World Affair Editor Sam Kiley looks at whether US foreign policy is now a satire of itself

Khalidi, who documented the Nakba and founded the Institute for Palestine Studies, died in the US on Sunday.

Hezbollah pledges allegiance to new Iran supreme leader Hezbollah welcomed the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new supreme leader. "We in Hezbollah extend our warmest congratulations and blessings on this occasion. We renew our pledge of loyalty to this blessed approach and our steadfastness on the path of allegiance," the group said in a statement.

A newly released video suggests a US Tomahawk missile likely struck an Iranian elementary girls’ school in Minab.

TEHRAN, Mar. 09 (MNA) – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it has carried out the 31st wave of "Operation True Promise 4" against American-Israeli targets in the region.

Israel expands gun permits to residents of Jerusalem Jewish neighbourhoods Nadav Rapaport on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 12:31 Policy drive by Ben Givr doubles civilian firearm licences, raising safety and domestic violence concerns Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir shakes hands with a volunteer of the new civilian guard unit while handing out M5 automatic assault rifles in Ashkelon on 27 October 2023 (AFP/Menahem Kahana) Off Israel's Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir has authorised residents of Jewish neighbourhoods in Jerusalem to carry firearms, local media reported on Monday. Under Ben Gvir’s order, residents of 41 Jewish neighbourhoods in the city can now apply for a licence to carry a gun, part of the far-right minister’s wider policy of expanding civilian gun permits.  Reports suggest that around 300,000 Jewish residents of Jerusalem could now be eligible. Previously, only those living near the separation wall were permitted to carry firearms, as the areas were deemed high-risk due to their proximity to the occupied West Bank. The latest expansion now includes the western neighbourhoods of the city. "Especially amid the war and during Ramadan, Jerusalem residents have a basic right to defend themselves and their families," Ben Gvir told Israel Hayom on Sunday before issuing the order the day after. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "My policy is clear: a weapon in the right hands saves lives," he added.  On Monday, he wrote on X that the move aimed “to strengthen the personal security of Israel’s citizens,” noting that more than 240,000 Israeli civilians have obtained gun licences since he took office in December 2022. "In many cases, it has already been proven that weapons in the hands of civilians helped thwart attacks and save lives," Ben Gvir said. "I call on the residents of Jerusalem: go obtain a gun license. A weapon saves lives," the leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party concluded. Ever-expanding gun licenses According to the Freedom of Information Movement, an Israeli NGO promoting transparency, Ben Gvir’s “Arming Israel” policy has led to a doubling of civilians holding gun licences since he took office. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); As of November 2025, over 330,000 Israelis held a gun licence, almost half of whom had no prior shooting experience, after Ben Gvir eased the eligibility criteria.  Israel's Ben Gvir proposes prison ‘encircled by crocodiles’ for Palestinians Read More » The NGO noted that 99 percent of applicants now pass their shooting tests, in part because they are allowed to complete the required interview over the phone rather than in person. Haaretz reported that last month, Israeli authorities admitted in a High Court hearing that 195 licence holders were asked to return their firearms due to irregularities in their applications. In 2023, police launched an investigation into allegations that Ben Gvir’s office had illegally approved gun licences. Three employees were questioned over the issuance of thousands of permits. The Freedom of Information Movement also highlighted the public safety risks of the policy, noting that “all firearm murders of Jewish women were carried out with legally licensed weapons”. Data from the Michal Sela Forum, an NGO tackling domestic violence, shows a sharp rise in family-related killings: since 7 October 2023, 53 women were murdered by a family member, a 33 percent increase compared with the period before Ben Gvir took office. In 2025 alone, 30 women were killed by a relative, averaging roughly one death every 11 days. According to Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, around 280,000 women are currently exposed to physical or non-physical violence from partners, underscoring concerns about the broader social impact of the expanded civilian gun permits. Inside Israel Tel Aviv, Israeli News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

The Pentagon has not yet released an official estimate of the cost of the US war on Iran.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill 16, health ministry says Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon have killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens more, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health. Officials said the attacks targeted the towns of Tayr Debba and Jouaya. The ministry reported that 40 people were wounded in the strikes, which come as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues to intensify across the border region.

Rural households struggle with rising oil prices during Iran war  BBC

Iran names Khamenei’s son to succeed him, signaling no letup in war as oil prices surge  AP News

In northern Nigeria, Shias see new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as a 'continuation of his father’s resistance'.

Iran’s deputy health minister, Dr Ali Jafarian, says more than 1,255 people have been killed and that most are civilians