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Last Notes

2026-05-20 15:10:12 UTC

Hormuz traffic doubles; Israel lobby takes down Thomas Massie; Nigerian military claims joint U.S. strikes killed 175
*Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns war could “extend beyond the region.” Strait of Hormuz transit [traffic][1] more than doubled last week. Iran war [strike][2] triggers oil spill at protected Persian Gulf wildlife sanctuary. U.S. Treasury [sanctions][3] 50-plus Iranian-linked entities. UAE [says][4] drone that struck Barakah was launched from Iraq. Foreign governments [dump][5] U.S. Treasuries in March. NYT: U.S. and Israel secretly [planned][6] to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader. Israeli strike on Lebanese town [kills][7] at least 11 civilians. Hezbollah drones seriously [impeding][8] Israeli military operations. Israeli [strike][9] on civilian car near Gaza City hospital kills one, wounds four. Israeli strike [severs][10] water line serving displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. FT: Israel [seizes][11] 1,000 sq km across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Israel [intercepts][12] all vessels in Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters.
Israeli minister [posts][13] video showing abuse of detained flotilla members. AIPAC-backed challenger [defeats][14] Rep. Thomas Massie in most expensive House primary in history. Democratic Socialists of America [member][15] Chris Rabb wins Democratic primary in Philly. Senate [advances][16] bill forcing Trump to seek congressional approval for Iran war. DOJ permanently [bars][17] examination of Trump family returns. Acting AG Todd Blanche says DOJ will not [recommend][18] pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell. NATO fighter jet [shoots][19] down Ukrainian drone over Estonia. 15,850 have died in Ukraine, UN says. Car bomb [kills][20] one soldier, wounds 21 near Syrian Defence Ministry in Damascus. Somaliland to [open][21] embassy in Jerusalem. Drone strike [kills][22] 28 at crowded Sudan market. UAE and France [renew][23] defense cooperation agreement. U.S. [expresses][24] “concern” about protests in Bolivia. China secretly trained Russian personnel who fought in Ukraine, Reuters [finds][25].*
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Rep. Thomas Massie speaks with supporters after his concession speech on May 19, 2026 in Hebron, Kentucky. Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images
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# Iran and Ceasefire
* **IRGC warns war could “extend beyond the region”:** Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Wednesday that war would extend beyond the region if the United States and Israel resume attacks on Tehran. “If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency. “The American-Zionist enemy...must know that despite the offensive carried out against us using the full capabilities of the world’s two most expensive armies, we have not deployed the full power of the Islamic revolution.”
* **Trump, Vance talk delayed strikes: **President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. could attack Iran again if no deal to end the war is reached in the coming days. “I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time,” Trump said. In separate remarks, J.D. Vance said Trump told him the U.S. was “locked and loaded,” although it doesn’t “want to go down that pathway” at the present moment.
* **Strait of Hormuz transit traffic more than doubled last week: **Strait of Hormuz transit traffic [rose][32] to 54 vessels in the week of May 11–17, more than double the previous week’s 23 vessels. Ten of these ships were owned by Chinese companies, a development which corresponds with Tehran’s announcement last week that it would permit Chinese vessels to transit. Two Chinese tankers, Yuan Gui Yang and Ocean Lily, departed Wednesday, according to Reuters. Another vessel, owned by the UAE’s state petroleum company, crossed with its tracking transponder switched off, according to data from Lloyd’s List. The partial rebound remains a fraction of pre-war levels—before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, roughly 3,000 vessels transited monthly, carrying an estimated 15 million barrels of oil daily.
* **South Korean tanker passing through Hormuz:** A South Korean oil tanker is passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the first time a Korea-managed ship transits the strait since the Iran war began. “Consultations with Iranian authorities were completed, and the vessel began sailing yesterday. It is passing through the strait very cautiously,” South Korea’s foreign minister, Cho Hyun, said, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency.
* **Iran war strike triggers oil spill at protected Persian Gulf wildlife sanctuary: **An attack on a refinery on Lavan Island on April 9 [has caused][33] an oil spill that has reached Shidvar Island, AP reports. Shivdar is a protected wildlife breeding ground in the Persian Gulf; satellite imagery and videos show oil washing ashore on the island and dead birds, crabs, and fish covered in crude. The Lavan oil refinery came under attack last month hours after the ceasefire deal was announced. Iranian media outlets alleged the UAE carried out the attack, though Abu Dhabi did not acknowledge the strike.
* **U.S. Treasury sanctions 50-plus Iranian-linked entities: **The U.S. Treasury Department [announced][34] sweeping new sanctions targeting more than 50 companies, individuals, and oil tankers allegedly linked to Iran’s shadow banking and petroleum export networks as part of the Trump administration’s “Economic Fury” pressure campaign against Tehran. The designations include Amin Exchange—an Iranian foreign currency firm Treasury accused of helping sanctioned Iranian banks and petrochemical companies move hundreds of millions of dollars through front companies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Hong Kong—as well as 19 vessels Washington claims transported Iranian oil, LPG, methanol, and petrochemicals in violation of U.S. sanctions.
* **Iran amasses floating oil stockpile as U.S. naval blockade traps crude exports: **Satellite imagery [shows][35] a sharp buildup of aging tankers around Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, as the U.S. naval blockade—in effect since April 13—traps crude exports in the Gulf, the Financial Times reported. About 39 tankers carrying Iranian oil and petrochemicals are now stranded in the Gulf, up from 29 before the blockade began, with another 13 suspected tankers identified near Chabahar port, according to United Against Nuclear Iran; CENTCOM says it has forced 88 ships to turn back to Iranian ports and disabled four tankers, while data firm Kpler says Iranian crude stored on tankers in the region has surged 65% since the war began, reaching 42 million barrels.
* **UAE says drone that struck Barakh was launched from Iraq, condemns attacks at the UN: **The UAE’s defense ministry [said][36] Tuesday that six drones had been launched against it from Iraqi territory in the past 48 hours, including the drone that struck an electric generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.
* **Iraq condemns drone attacks on Saudi Arabia: **The Iraqi government [issued][37] a statement Tuesday condemning a recent drone attack on Saudi Arabia—which Riyadh said originated from Iraqi airspace—and offering to cooperate with Saudi authorities in investigating the incident, while noting that Iraqi air defense systems and surveillance equipment had detected no evidence of drones being launched from its territory.
* **Foreign governments dump U.S. Treasuries in March: **Foreign governments [cut][38] their U.S. Treasury holdings to $9.25 trillion in March from $9.49 trillion in February as the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran conflict and the rising cost of crude oil sent Asian currencies tumbling and forced central banks to liquidate dollar reserves to fund currency intervention. China reduced its holdings roughly 6% to $652.3 billion, the lowest level since September 2008. Japan, the largest single foreign holder of American treasuries, shed approximately $47 billion of its stock, bringing its total holdings to $1.191 trillion. Foreign investors reportedly logged a $142.1 billion valuation loss on long-term Treasury holdings in March, according to CNBC.
* **NYT: U.S. and Israel secretly planned to install Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader: **The United States and Israel secretly [planned][39] to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as leader of a post-war Iranian government, but the plan collapsed after an Israeli airstrike intended to free him from house arrest by killing his Revolutionary Guard minders instead injured him on the war’s first day, the New York Times reported. The attack reportedly left Ahmadinejad disillusioned with the plan, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count:** At least 3,073 people have been killed, and 9,362 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
* **Israeli strikes continue on Tuesday despite “ceasefire”:**
* **Israeli strike kills at least 11 civilians in Deir Kanoun: **An Israeli [strike][40] on the town of Deir Qanoun in the Tyre District of southern Lebanon killed at least 11 civilians and wounded 3 others Tuesday, with videos from the scene showing extensive destruction as rescue crews and residents searched through collapsed buildings, journalist Courtney Bonneau reported.
* **Six killed in attacks across Lebanon: **Four people were killed when a warplane leveled a home in Kfar Sir. Two people were also killed in separate drone strikes on a vehicle in Harouf, and a motorcycle near Bint Jbeil.
* **Historic district in Lebanon’s Nabatieh hit by Israeli warplanes: **Israeli warplanes [struck][41] the historic Saray district of Nabatieh on Tuesday, damaging heritage homes, traditional markets, civilian shops, and a historic mosque, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
* **Israel bombs southern Lebanon village of Kfour for first time: **Israeli warplanes [dropped][42] eight heavy bombs along the eastern side of Kfour, a partly Christian village in southern Lebanon that had not been evacuated, in the village’s first-ever bombing, journalist Hadi Hoteit reported on Tuesday.
* **Illegal use of phosphorus:** Israeli forces deployed incendiary phosphorus bombs against farmers harvesting watermelons at the al-Mansouri junction in the Tyre district, Al Jazeera reported.
* **Hezbollah drones seriously impeding Israeli military operations: **Hezbollah’s explosive drones have severely [restricted][43] Israeli freedom of movement in southern Lebanon—forcing roughly 80% of military assaults to be conducted outside of daylight hours—according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN. Israel has approved a roughly $700 million emergency counter-drone program to develop mobile defense systems, expanded radar coverage, and anti-drone munitions. Retired Lebanese Brigadier General Bassam Yassin told The New Arab, however, that the fiber-optic-guided drones employed by the group—which carry near-zero radar signatures and are immune to electronic jamming—will remain extremely difficult to intercept.
# Palestine
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, one Palestinian was killed and 16 were injured across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,773 killed, with 172,723 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 881 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,621, while 776 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli strike on civilian car near Gaza City hospital kills one, wounds four: **An Israeli strike [hit][44] a civilian car on Al-Shuhada Street near the Friends of the Patient Hospital west of Gaza City on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding four others, Drop Site contributor Mohammed Ahmed reported. Eyewitness Khaled Sabeeh described the aftermath as civilians rushed to pull the wounded from the vehicle. “It’s clear that the war is not over—it’s all a lie,” Sabeeh told Drop Site, adding, “The attacks are increasing every day.”
* **Israeli strike severs water line serving displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis: **An Israeli strike [severed][45] a water line serving displaced Palestinians in eastern Khan Younis, Gaza on Tuesday, Reuters reported. “It was empty land. We don’t know why they bombed,” one displaced Palestinian told the wire service.
* **FT: Israel seizes 1,000 sq km across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria: **Israel has [occupied][46] around 1,000 square kilometers of territory in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria since October 2023, according to the Financial Times. The land—roughly five per cent of Israel’s 1949 borders—includes large areas of southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have established a “security zone,” almost two-thirds of Gaza now under Israeli occupation as it pushes past the agreed-upon “Yellow Line,” and positions inside Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime. The moves have driven large-scale displacement, widespread destruction, and worsening humanitarian conditions—as Israeli strikes, artillery fire, raids and detentions continue across all three. The IDF declined to comment on the calculations, but said troops’ deployment “is carried out in line with the directives of the political echelon and ongoing operational situational assessments.”
* **Israel intercepts all vessels in Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters: **Israeli forces [intercepted][47] all vessels in the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters Tuesday, ending the convoy’s attempt to break Israel’s siege of Gaza, organizers reported. The 54 civilian boats carrying 428 participants had departed Marmaris, Turkey four days ago before being surrounded roughly 250 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast. All five Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessels were also intercepted.
* **Israeli minister posts video showing abuse of detained flotilla members: **Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir [posted][48] Wednesday on X a video showing mistreatment of detained flotilla activists in Ashdod Port alongside the caption “Welcome to Israel.” In the footage, Ben-Gvir is seen waving an Israeli flag while declaring, “Welcome to Israel! We are the owners of the house.” The footage also shows an activist who was shouting “Free, free Palestine,” being shoved to the ground and told to “Shut up.” Other clips show detainees forced to kneel on the floor with their faces lowered to the ground, and detainees roughly escorted with their heads bent and hands zip-tied. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani issued a statement demanding an apology, calling the handling of the detainees a “total disrespect” for Italy’s requests and the personal dignity of its citizens who are part of the flotilla. Adalah—a Palestinian-run legal
center in Israel—said in a statement, “Israel is employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people. These events come after Adalah documented similar patterns of ill-treatment against activists in previous flotilla missions, for which Israel faced zero accountability.”
* **U.S. sanctions four flotilla organizers: **The U.S. Treasury Department [sanctioned][49] four activists Tuesday—two representatives of the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad and two from the Palestinian prisoners solidarity network Samidoun, based in Jordan, Spain, and Belgium—alleging without evidence that the Gaza-bound flotilla organizers were acting in support of Hamas, as Israeli forces simultaneously intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the flotilla a “pro-terror” effort, while organizer Huwaida Arraf rejected the characterization as “ridiculous,” and Samidoun called the sanctions “the latest manifestation of the ongoing U.S. genocidal war on the Palestinian people.”
* **Musk announces Tesla autonomous driving rollout in Israel: **Elon Musk [announced][50] plans to roll out Tesla’s autonomous driving technology in Israel “soon” while addressing the country’s International Smart Mobility Summit via video link from Texas on Sunday, praising Israel’s technology sector and describing artificial intelligence as the future of transport, according to The New Arab. Musk, who visited Israel in November 2023, reversed an earlier proposal last week to provide Starlink access to aid groups working in Gaza, after Israeli government officials threatened retaliation.
# U.S. News
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][51].*
* **Tuesday’s election results:**
* **AIPAC-backed challenger defeats Rep. Thomas Massie in most expensive House primary in history: **Republican Rep. **Thomas Massi**e [lost][52] his Kentucky primary Tuesday to former Navy SEAL **Ed Gallrein** after AIPAC and allied pro-Israel groups poured more than $15.8 million into the race, making it the most expensive House primary in U.S. history at roughly $32 million in total spending—surpassing AIPAC’s 2024 spending to oust Rep. **Jamaal Bowman**. Massie, one of the few Republicans to vote against U.S. military support for Israel and a consistent critic of the Iran war, framed the race as a referendum on foreign influence in Congress, telling supporters in his concession speech that his opponents had tried to “buy the seat.”
* **DSA member Chris Rabb wins Democratic primary in Philly: **Penn. state Rep. **Chris Rabb**, a Democratic Socialists of America member endorsed by Rep. **Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.)** and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, [won][53] the Democratic primary Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District—spanning parts of west and north Philadelphia—defeating state Sen. **Shariff Street** and pediatric surgeon **Ala Stanford** for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. **Dwight Evans**, Decision Desk HQ projected. With no Republican running in a district Vice President Kamala Harris carried by 77 percentage points in 2024, Rabb is the heavy favorite to win in November. American Priorities, a pro-Palestinian super PAC launched to counter AIPAC, also backed Rabb.
* **Republican primary for Georgia governor heads to runoff: **Georgia Lt. Gov. **Burt Jones**, endorsed by Trump, and healthcare billionaire **Rick Jackson**—who has spent $80 million of his own money on ads casting himself in Trump’s mold—[will advance][54] to a June 16 Republican runoff for governor after no candidate cleared 50% in Tuesday’s crowded primary, NBC News projected. The runoff winner will face former Atlanta Mayor **Keisha Lance Bottoms**, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday.
* **Trump-backed Rep. Andy Barr wins Kentucky Republican Senate primary for McConnell’s seat: **Seven-term Rep. **Andy Barr** [won][55] the Kentucky Republican Senate primary Tuesday with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, defeating former state Attorney General **Daniel Cameron** and other candidates for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. **Mitch McConnell**, NBC News projected. Barr is a heavy favorite in the general election against Democratic nominee **Charles Booker** in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1992.
* **Senate advances bill forcing Trump to seek congressional approval for Iran war: **The Senate [advanced][56] legislation Tuesday aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to end the war with Iran or seek congressional authorization, passing 50-47 after Republican Sen. **Bill Cassidy** of Louisiana flipped his vote days after losing his primary race, which Trump had declined to support. The measure exposed growing Republican fractures over the war, with Sens. **Rand Paul (Ky.)**, **Susan Collins (Maine)**, and **Lisa Murkowski (Ala.)** joining Cassidy in support, while Democratic Sen. **John Fetterman** **(Pa.)** voted with most Republicans against the measure.
* **DOJ permanently bars examination of Trump family returns: **A one-page addendum [posted][57] to the Justice Department website Tuesday revealed that the IRS is now “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing tax examinations of President Donald Trump, his family members, affiliated individuals, and related businesses for all returns filed before Monday’s settlement—an expansion of the nearly $1.8 billion deal announced the previous day that made no mention of resolving Trump’s longstanding tax disputes. Two former IRS commissioners condemned the move, with **John Koskinen** calling it a “terrible precedent” that amounts to a government windfall for Trump.
* **Acting AG Blanche says DOJ will not recommend pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell: **Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche [told][58] a Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday that he will not recommend a pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker who aided Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. Trump has not ruled out a Maxwell pardon, saying last year he is “allowed” to do it.
* **Hawley calls for universal stock trading ban: **Republican Sen. **Josh Hawley** of Missouri [called][59] Tuesday for a universal ban on individual stock trading covering all federal officials—including the president, vice president, and Supreme Court justices—after a financial disclosure showed President Donald Trump or his investment managers made more than 3,700 stock trades in the first quarter of the year involving major corporations with business before his administration. Vice President **JD Vance** pushed back, saying Trump does not personally execute trades but has independent wealth advisers managing his money, and said the administration supports banning congressional stock trading.
* **Trump endorses Ken Paxton in Texas Senate Republican runoff: **President Donald Trump [endorsed][60] Texas Attorney General **Ken Paxton** over incumbent Republican Sen. **John Cornyn** in next week’s Texas Senate primary runoff, saying on Truth Social that Cornyn was not supportive of him “when times were tough.” Paxton, who has survived adultery allegations, felony securities fraud indictment charges, and an impeachment by members of his own party, holds a narrow lead in independent polls but trails Democratic candidate **James Talarico** in several general election matchups.
* **Donald Trump Jr.’s venture capital firm grows to $3.5 billion on “America First” pitch: **Donald Trump Jr.’s Palm Beach-based venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, [has grown][61] from roughly $200 million to $3.5 billion in assets by pitching an “America First” investment strategy centered on what it calls patriotic capitalism, the Financial Times reported. The firm, which has invested in artificial intelligence, defense, and technology companies, including Databricks, Groq, **Elon Musk’s** xAI, SpaceX, and Anduril, aims to reach $10 billion in assets, with one partner telling the FT the firm hopes to become a Carlyle Group-style powerhouse leveraging deep political connections in Washington to build influence and attract capital.
* **Progressive Caucus backs Campa-Najjar in California’s 48th District: **The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC [endorsed][62] Democrat **Ammar Campa-Najjar** in California’s 48th District on Tuesday, backing the Palestinian American candidate over San Diego city council member **Marni von Wilpert**, who has the backing of the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel, Semafor reported. A recent SurveyUSA poll showing two Republicans leading the field has raised alarm about a Democratic lockout in a district **Kamala Harris** narrowly carried.
* **Judge bars immigration arrests at Manhattan courthouses: **A federal judge [ruled][63] Monday that immigration agents can no longer make arrests in and around three Manhattan buildings where immigration proceedings are held except in exceptional circumstances, finding that individuals have a serious interest in attending removal proceedings and pursuing asylum claims “without fear of arrest.” The judge had declined to ban the practice last year, but that Tuesday’s ruling was necessary to “correct a clear error and prevent a manifest injustice.”
# Other International News
* **China hosts Putin for high-level summit after U.S. visit: **Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, days after hosting President Donald Trump for a U.S.-China summit. During the meeting, Xi described China-Russia ties as a force of “calm amid chaos” and criticized “unilateral hegemonic currents” running through international affairs. Xi also called for enhanced “comprehensive strategic coordination” between China and Russia. Putin and Xi signed a joint statement reaffirming their close ties and support for a “multipolar world.”
* **NATO fighter jet shoots down Ukrainian drone over Estonia: **A Romanian F-16 deployed with NATO [shot down][64] a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia on Tuesday after authorities determined its trajectory was aimed at Russian targets. The apparently accidental intrusion by the drone came as Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur stated that Ukraine had been advised to keep attack trajectories as far from NATO territory as possible. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service claimed, without providing evidence, that Ukraine is preparing to launch drone attacks against Russia from Baltic territory and warned Latvia of “just retribution” for any such attack.
* **Strikes in Ukraine continue: **At least six people in Ukraine were [killed][65] Tuesday in Russian strikes on Pryluky, Hlukhiv, and Buryn, including a 15-year-old boy. Peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow remain stalled following the collapse of a Trump-brokered three-day ceasefire earlier this month.
* **15,580 have died in Ukraine, UN says: **15,850 people have been confirmed killed in Ukraine since February 2022, including 791 children, the Europe and Central Asia director at the UN’s Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council on Tuesday. The “actual figures are likely significantly higher,” he said.
* **Car bomb kills one soldier, wounds 21 near Syrian Defence Ministry in Damascus: **A car bomb [exploded][66] near a Syrian Defence Ministry building in the Bab Sharqi district of Damascus on Tuesday, killing at least one soldier and wounding at least 21 people, Syrian state media reported. Army personnel had discovered an improvised explosive device planted near the site and were attempting to defuse it when the car bomb detonated. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
* **Syria preserves ban on Israeli goods in new customs law: **Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa [issued][67] a new customs decree Monday updating much of the country’s trade regulations and maintaining the country’s longstanding ban on Israeli products. The decree also established financial penalties for importing from Israel or any country that “has been subject to an economic boycott,” with fines set at six to eight times the value of seized goods. Israeli forces have carried out near-daily incursions into southern Syria.
* **Somaliland to open embassy in Jerusalem: **Somaliland’s ambassador said on Tuesday that the breakaway region will [open][68] an embassy in Jerusalem and that Israel will open an embassy in Hargeisa “soon,” which the Israeli foreign minister confirmed in a post on X. Israel became the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland’s independence in December. Somaliland’s embassy would become the eighth located in Jerusalem—a city whose status as the capital of the country remains contested; 96 other embassies operate in Tel Aviv.
* **Drone strike kills 28 at crowded Sudan market: **A [drone strike][69] on a crowded market in the town of Ghubaysh in Sudan’s West Kordofan province killed 28 people and wounded dozens Tuesday morning, according to the Emergency Lawyers rights group. The attack was blamed on the Sudanese army, and claimed the attack struck two Rapid Support Forces combat vehicles near the market and killed only combatants. Drone attacks in the country killed at least 880 civilians between January and April, according to the UN.
* **Smuggled mining explosives kill five: **At least five people were [killed][70] Monday when a truck and box vehicle carrying smuggled explosives used in artisanal gold mining detonated in the Abu Talha area west of Kassala city in eastern Sudan, according to the Sudan Tribune. Smuggling is common in Sudan’s artisanal mining industry, the outlet claims, as a means of avoiding official inspections.
* **UAE and France renew defense cooperation agreement: **The United Arab Emirates and France [renewed][71] their bilateral defense cooperation agreement Tuesday in Toulouse, where French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin met with UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs Mohamed bin Mubarak bin Fadhel Al Mazrouei. The renewal follows the UAE’s withdrawal from a proposal to jointly fund development of the next-generation Rafale F5 fighter jet—leaving France to shoulder the full projected cost of roughly $5.7 billion after Abu Dhabi had been expected to cover as much as $4 billion. France, which has an estimated 750 to 900 military personnel stationed at UAE bases and has been assisting the country in intercepting Iranian drones. Last Friday, France announced its Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group would soon arrive in the Strait of Hormuz.
* **Nigeria military claims joint strikes with U.S. killed 175 Islamic State militants: **The Nigerian military [announced][72] on Tuesday that it had killed 175 militants in recent days in its joint campaign with the United States against the Islamic State West African Province. The announcement came after the U.S. military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said it had carried out attacks on Sunday in coordination with the Nigerian government.
* **Kenya suspends transport strike over fuel hikes: **A Kenyan public transport [strike][73] over fuel price hikes triggered by the Iran war was suspended for one week on Tuesday after the government reached an interim agreement with the bus and minibus owner association. The government offered a 10-shilling-per-liter diesel reduction—far short of the 46-shilling cut operators demanded. More talks are expected in the interim.
* **South African electrical utility threatens to cut power to Johannesburg: **South Africa’s state electricity company Eskom [warned][74] Tuesday it may reduce or terminate power supply to Johannesburg—the country’s largest city—as a result of the city’s 5.26 billion rand ($315 million) debt. The city and its utility have a further 1.58 billion rand due June 5. Eskom claims that it has worked with the municipality for more than two years to resolve its unpaid debts, and that the city repeatedly defaulted. The announcement follows a recent comment from South Africa’s National Treasury expressing “serious concern” about the state of Johannesburg’s finances.
* **U.S. expresses “concern” about protests in Bolivia: **U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau [said][75] on Tuesday he is “very concerned” about escalating unrest in Bolivia after speaking with President Rodrigo Paz, calling nationwide protests against the eight-month-old government’s austerity measures a “coup financed by an unholy alliance between politics and organized crime.” Protests that began with strikes in early May have grown into a nationwide movement of labor unions, miners, transport workers, and rural groups pressing Paz—whose government ended nearly two decades of leftist rule in November—to roll back austerity measures and address the rising costs of living in the country.
* **Venezuelan government to release 300 prisoners this week: **Venezuela’s National Assembly head Jorge Rodríguez [announced][76] Tuesday that 300 prisoners would be released between Monday and Friday, including three police officers tied to events surrounding the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Hugo Chavez who have been held since 2003, people with medical conditions, and those over the age of 70, Reuters reported.
* **China secretly trained Russian personnel who fought in Ukraine, Reuters finds: **The Chinese military [covertly trained][77] approximately 200 Russian military personnel at facilities in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shijiazhuang in late 2025 under an agreement signed by senior officers from both countries in July of that year, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The training included education in drone warfare, electronic warfare, armored infantry operations, and counter-drone measures—and some of those trained subsequently returned to fight in Ukraine, according to three European intelligence agencies cited by the report and corroborated by documents seen by Reuters.
* **Rwanda signs nuclear cooperation agreements with U.S.: **Rwanda [signed][78] civil nuclear cooperation agreements with the United States and the U.S. company Holtec International on Tuesday, as part of a broader push by the U.S. to position American companies as global exporters of nuclear technology to “responsible partners.” The East African nation is expected to acquire and deploy the company’s Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactors, which are smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, by the early 2030s. South Africa currently has Africa’s only operational nuclear power plant.
# More from Drop Site
* **Jihadist-separatist offensive pushes Mali’s military junta toward collapse: **A coordinated April 25 offensive by al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Tuareg separatists from the Azwad Liberation Front killed Defense Minister Sadio Camara, briefly seized the military garrison town of Kati for 12 hours, forced Russia’s Africa Corps to retreat from Kidal, and triggered a blockade on the capital Bamako that has caused fuel and food shortages. “We can no longer go out to our fields, and hunger is beginning to set in. We are at our breaking point,” one Malian told Drop Site. **Read more about Mali’s insurgency, the Russian mercenaries in the country, and the government response in Mamadou Diallo’s full report for Drop Site [here][79].**
* Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain discusses our latest reporting on Pakistan—and particularly, the leaked cyphers we published in full—in a video [here][80]. The full report by Murtaza, Ryan Grim, and Waqas Ahmed is available** [here][81].**
* In this week’s Drop Site’s livestream, Jeremy Scahill discusses the state of the war and ceasefire in Iran with Negar Mortazavi, fellow at the Center for International Policy and host of the “Iran Podcast.” Then Ryan Grim and Maysa Mustafa talk with photographer Misan Harriman and Yale researcher Nathaniel Raymond about the latest from Sudan. The stream concludes with Maysa, Ryan, and Drop Site Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone outlining Tuesday’s primary elections. The full stream is available **here**:
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056728314572603712
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056727474206052771
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056762878292537712
[4]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-says-drone-that-hit-near-its-nuclear-plant-was-launched-iraq-2026-05-19/
[5]: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/japan-china-lead-foreign-government-retreat-from-us-treasurys-as-gulf-war-fallout-stokes-currency-fears/ar-AA23y6Bd
[6]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/us/politics/iran-israel-us-leader-ahmadinejad.html
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056790723379241174
[8]: https://www.newarab.com/news/hezbollah-drones-limiting-80-israeli-military-ops-lebanon
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056799500551729375
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056844660031508573
[11]: https://www.ft.com/content/1c15fae2-8aaf-4e89-838b-8cdc1fa52858?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056805824618516943
[13]: https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/2057046925417824697?s=46
[14]: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5883936-massie-loses-kentucky-house-primary/
[15]: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5885624-rabb-pennsylvania-democratic-house-primary/
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056863168169672843
[17]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/19/trump-irs-settlement-tax-returns-00927911
[18]: https://www.axios.com/2026/05/19/blanche-ghislaine-maxwell-pardon-senate-hearing
[19]: https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-drone-downed-estonia-russia-war-c098579e65a2a76e1610329d57cf4b0a
[20]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/19/at-least-one-killed-21-wounded-in-car-bomb-explosion-in-syrias-damascus
[21]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/19/somaliland-israel-announce-mutual-embassies-in-jerusalem-and-hargeisa
[22]: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-war-market-attack-74e4acca9b7e45fda759277dc320ea73
[23]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/05/uae-france-renew-defense-pact-after-rafale-jets-controversy
[24]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-voices-alarm-over-bolivia-unrest-protests-spread-nationwide-2026-05-19/
[25]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russians-covertly-trained-by-china-return-fight-ukraine-sources-say-2026-05-19/
[26]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/mali-attacks-jnim-tuareg-france-bamako-kati-kidal
[27]: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbC8sIT2Jl8B4r4N202q
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[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056762878292537712
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056785447955878076
[36]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-says-drone-that-hit-near-its-nuclear-plant-was-launched-iraq-2026-05-19/
[37]: https://www.newarab.com/news/iraq-pledges-cooperation-saudi-arabia-over-drone-attack
[38]: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/japan-china-lead-foreign-government-retreat-from-us-treasurys-as-gulf-war-fallout-stokes-currency-fears/ar-AA23y6Bd
[39]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/us/politics/iran-israel-us-leader-ahmadinejad.html
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056790723379241174
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056769303727264214
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056827549947252777
[43]: https://www.newarab.com/news/hezbollah-drones-limiting-80-israeli-military-ops-lebanon
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056799500551729375
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056844660031508573
[46]: https://www.ft.com/content/1c15fae2-8aaf-4e89-838b-8cdc1fa52858?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056805824618516943
[48]: https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/2057046925417824697?s=46
[49]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/19/us-imposes-sanctions-on-gaza-flotilla-organisers-amid-israeli-crackdown
[50]: https://www.newarab.com/news/musk-expands-israel-ties-tesla-self-driving-car-rollout
[51]: mailto:[email protected]
[52]: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5883936-massie-loses-kentucky-house-primary/
[53]: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5885624-rabb-pennsylvania-democratic-house-primary/
[54]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/georgia-governor-primary-election-runoff-burt-jones-rick-jackson-rcna345004
[55]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/kentucky-senate-election-win-republican-primary-andy-barr-rcna345009
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056863168169672843
[57]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/19/trump-irs-settlement-tax-returns-00927911
[58]: https://www.axios.com/2026/05/19/blanche-ghislaine-maxwell-pardon-senate-hearing
[59]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/republican-sen-josh-hawley-stock-trading-ban-presidents-rcna345933
[60]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/19/trump-backs-ken-paxton-in-crucial-texas-republican-senate-run-off
[61]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056774880817770834
[62]: https://www.semafor.com/article/05/19/2026/hill-progressives-endorse-in-a-california-race-tearing-at-democrats
[63]: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-agents-cant-make-arrests-ny-immigration-courts-judge-rules-rcna345860
[64]: https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-drone-downed-estonia-russia-war-c098579e65a2a76e1610329d57cf4b0a
[65]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/19/more-than-15800-people-killed-in-russias-all-out-war-on-ukraine-un
[66]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/19/at-least-one-killed-21-wounded-in-car-bomb-explosion-in-syrias-damascus
[67]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/05/syrias-sharaa-renews-ban-israeli-imports-customs-law-what-know
[68]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/19/somaliland-israel-announce-mutual-embassies-in-jerusalem-and-hargeisa
[69]: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-war-market-attack-74e4acca9b7e45fda759277dc320ea73
[70]: https://sudantribune.com/article/314125
[71]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/05/uae-france-renew-defense-pact-after-rafale-jets-controversy
[72]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigeria-says-joint-us-strikes-kill-175-islamic-state-militants-senior-leaders-2026-05-19/
[73]: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/kenya-transport-strike-over-fuel-price-hikes-suspended-one-week-2026-05-19/
[74]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africas-biggest-city-could-have-power-supply-throttled-over-unpaid-debts-2026-05-19/
[75]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-voices-alarm-over-bolivia-unrest-protests-spread-nationwide-2026-05-19/
[76]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-free-300-prisoners-this-week-top-lawmaker-says-2026-05-19/
[77]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russians-covertly-trained-by-china-return-fight-ukraine-sources-say-2026-05-19/
[78]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/rwanda-explore-deployment-small-nuclear-reactors-with-us-help-2026-05-19/
[79]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/mali-attacks-jnim-tuareg-france-bamako-kati-kidal?triedRedirect=true
[80]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2056807505653543021
[81]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/pakistan-mediator-united-states-iran-trump-imran-khan
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hormuz-traffic-doubles-israel-lobby-massie-nigeria-strikes

2026-05-19 10:05:54 UTC

Hondurasgate: Key Leaked Audio Files, Revealing U.S. Intervention in Honduras, Found Authentic "With Moderate Confidence"
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks via video call during a press conference in Tegucigalpa on April 8, 2026. Photo by Orlando SIERRA / AFP via Getty Images.
President Donald Trump’s [brazen intervention][1] in November 2025 in the Honduran presidential election to openly call for a vote for the National Party’s Nasry Asfura came as a surprise to many both inside and outside Honduras. Given Trump’s emphasis on the need to combat so-called “narco-trafficking” groups in Latin America, his decision to simultaneously pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in March 2024 in a New York court of a series of drug-trafficking related charges, raised even more questions.
“I think that when [Hernández] was pardoned, a lot of people were wondering why he was pardoned and now we have the answer, which is that he had a role to play,” Stephanie Weatherbee Brito, secretary of the International People’s Assembly and an expert on Latin American politics, told Drop Site News.
[Leaked audio files][2] published by the Spanish outlet Diario Red, in collaboration with Honduran journalists who together launched a website called [Hondurasgate][3], offer an explanation. Together, they purport to reveal a transnational conspiracy led by Hernández involving the United States, Honduras, Israel, and Argentina aimed at undermining and destabilizing leftist governments in Latin America.
The 37 leaked audio files include voice notes from messaging apps recorded by multiple speakers and two phone calls. The coordinated effort reportedly involves some of the most important political actors in Honduras, with the goal of returning Hernández to the presidency following his pardon, repositioning the country as a strategic ally for the U.S. and Israel in the region, and creating a media outlet with the express mission to undermine leftist governments in Mexico and Colombia.
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The Hondurasgate story, as this scandal has come to be known, has been ignored or underreported by legacy U.S. media outlets. Mainstream [reporters][5] and analysts such as Council on Foreign Relations’s Will Freeman have [questioned][6] the authenticity of the story.
Drop Site News asked [Earshot][7], an independent, sonic-investigation nonprofit, to conduct a voice analysis of three files—two recordings of Hernández and one of Asfura—and to determine whether they were AI-generated and whether they matched the claimed speakers. (The report can be found below.)
Diario Red and Hondurasgate previously reported to have conducted [an analysis][8] using Phonexia Voice Inspector, which they said had determined the recordings were not made with AI. That analysis did not identify the speakers. Diario Red and Hondurasgate did not reveal the source of the audio, but [posted][9] them in their original file formats.
Phonexia has also since distanced itself as a company from the verification of the files. Hondurasgate told Drop Site that the audio files were analyzed with the Phonexia Voice Inspector via a “standard, commercially available single-user and API access to their tools” while clarifying that there was not a formal partnership.
Hernández has [denied][10] it is his voice in the files, saying in a social media post that they are “clearly not [his] voice” and sharing a video comparing one of the leaked files to another recording of his voice.
According to the audio analysis by Earshot, however, the three files are “authentic recordings of Hernández and Asfura’s voices and are likely not AI generated.” However, given the audio quality, Earshot could not make a determination with certainty. “All three recordings are limited in quality due to the telephonic nature of the recordings,” according to Earshot’s report, commissioned by Drop Site. “Based on Earshot’s findings and on the limitations of the audio, Earshot’s conclusion is made with a moderate degree of confidence.”
Earshot explained that its audio authentication involved an analysis of “audio artifacts such as breaths, vocal hesitations, background noises, ambient room noise, and microphone distortion.” They also used a “machine learning voice comparison program called Resemblyzer to compare the voice of the alleged speakers Hernandez and Asfura with known recordings of the speakers.”
## **The Complex Plot to Return Hernández to Power**
The audio files speak to a complex plot to return the discredited former Honduran president to power, expand controversial charter cities, build a new U.S. military base in the island of Roátan, and target leftist regional leaders with the support of Republicans in the U.S. via a coordinated media campaign.
In one recording, Hernández tells Asfura that he is sitting in the presidential chair thanks to him and Trump’s desire to see him return to power, confirming that Trump’s call for Hondurans to vote for Asfura was part of a larger strategy to secure a loyal ally in the Central American country.
A recent [report][11] on the 2025 election from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a D.C.-based leftwing economic think tank that deployed a three-member delegation to the country for the vote, found that the “electoral process was also affected by overt foreign interference” and that the intervention by U.S. political figures “exerted undue pressure on the electorate and may have influenced voter behavior.” An investigation from the New York Times also determined that Trump’s interference likely swayed some voters.
In the second recording of Hernández, the former president tells sitting Vice-President María Antonieta Mejía that he has secured $350,000 from Argentinian President Javier Milei, who endorsed Asfura ahead of the vote, but needs a further $300,000 to set up a media outlet in the U.S. with the support of Republicans.
“And I need to have that liquidity because we’re going to set up an office here with the support of some Republicans to be able to attack and eradicate the cancer of the left there in Honduras and throughout Latin America,” says Hernández in the recording—adding that he also has “help” from an unnamed person in Mexico.
Antonieta tells him to leave out the details and says she will secure the money. A separate leaked audio file from Asfura suggests the money would come from diverted Honduran public funds. Drop Site did not independently verify that particular recording.
“The U.S. ruling class is interested in having exclusive access to both Latin American labor and Latin American raw material [and] progressive governments are an obstacle because all of them are seeking better terms of trade and more equitable relationships with the United States,” Weatherbee told Drop Site News.
Colombia, currently led by the leftist administration of Gustavo Petro, is also named as a potential target of the new media outlet in the leaked audio files.
This is only the latest example, Weatherbee says, of the U.S. strategy of hybrid warfare—that uses unconventional non-military methods such as the type of disinformation campaign described in the leaked audio. She pointed to recent lawfare campaigns in places such as Argentina, Ecuador, and Brazil—as well as the funding of opposition groups in Venezuela ahead of the military capture of leader Nicolás Maduro. The difference, she said, is that now countries like Colombia and Mexico, governed by left-wing governments who reject U.S. intervention, are now the targets.
The strategy is also driven, Weatherbee notes, by an interest in keeping out U.S. rivals such as China. Honduras is host to the U.S. Soto Cano airbase. In one of the audios analyzed by Earshot for Drop Site News, President Asfura of Honduras talks of opening another airbase on the island of Roátan, explicitly mentioning its proximity to *Próspera*, one of the controversial Zones for Employment and Economic Development (ZEDEs) in the country.
Asfura says in the leaked audio that, “The idea is also to buy all kinds of metals and other materials, specifically from Argentina and the United States, avoiding Canada and China, due to a warning we received. The Chinese were making offers, but we’re not going to give in; we’re going to put a stop to it.”
Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy made explicit his government’s intention to pivot its attention back to the Western Hemisphere. The leaked audio files confirm that Trump is willing to employ a wide battery of strategies, including psychological operations carried out by compromised political actors, to reestablish its dominance over a region it considers to be in its sphere of influence.
Beyond their impact on Latin America, by leaning on a convicted drug trafficker to carry out his operation against the left in the region, the leaks also serve to expose Trump’s false claim to want to eradicate drug-trafficking groups.
“It demonstrates that an issue which is legitimate and very concerning to the American public, which is the opioid epidemic, is not actually a priority of this government. It’s not true that this government is taking measures to try to stem trafficking and to try to curb demand,” said Weatherbee.
Tania Arroyo, a Mexican geopolitical analyst covering Latin America, argues that Washington is seeking to destabilize multiple countries in the region because of their defense of sovereignty.
“[Sovereignty] is something the United States cannot allow at this moment because it prevents it from controlling strategic resources, from oil to strategic or critical minerals,” Arroyo told Drop Site News. “Washington is concentrating on achieving this control, no matter the cost.”
**Earshot’s full report is available here:**
Earshot Report Hondurasgate Audio Analysis And Authentication Of Three Recordings
140KB ∙ PDF file
[Download][12]
[Download][13]
[Leave a comment][14]
[Share][15]
[1]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/honduras-election-trump-asfura-hernandez-casto-moncada-libre
[2]: https://www.diario-red.com/articulo/america-latina/exclusiva-audios-revelan-que-israel-pago-liberacion-juan-orlando-hernandez-que-trump-ayudando-regresar-presidencia-honduras/20260429021833068541.html
[3]: https://hondurasgate.ch/
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[5]: https://x.com/JPSpinetto/status/2054948709301879009?s=20
[6]: https://x.com/WillGFreeman/status/2054958913926099013
[7]: https://earshot.ngo
[8]: https://hondurasgate.ch/investigaciones/verificacion-forense-audios-filtrados-hondurasgate
[9]: https://hondurasgate.ch/investigaciones/verificacion-forense-audios-filtrados-hondurasgate
[10]: https://x.com/JuanOrlandoH/status/2049555363561885725?s=20
[11]: https://cepr.net/publications/an-assessment-of-the-honduras-2025-elections/
[12]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/61cc388c-3fda-4d4f-a126-0e17ad0631aa.pdf
[13]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/61cc388c-3fda-4d4f-a126-0e17ad0631aa.pdf
[14]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hondurasgate-leaked-audio-files-juan-orlando-hernandez-likely-authentic/comments
[15]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hondurasgate-leaked-audio-files-juan-orlando-hernandez-likely-authentic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hondurasgate-leaked-audio-files-juan-orlando-hernandez-likely-authentic

2026-05-15 19:10:28 UTC

U.S. Agencies Will Operate From Surveillance Tower in Chihuahua, Despite Recent Unauthorized CIA Presence in the Mexican State
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The Centinela Tower in Ciudad Juárez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, as seen from the border crossing with El Paso, Texas, while under construction in October 2025. Photo by José Olivares.
United States officials will soon be operating inside a massive surveillance tower in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez on intelligence-sharing missions—even as Mexico grapples with a diplomatic and political scandal related to the deaths of two CIA agents who were operating inside Mexico without authorization, sources within the Chihuahua state government confirmed.
On April 19, two CIA officials and two officials with Chihuahua State Attorney General’s Office officials died in a car accident in northern Mexico while working on a counter-narcotics operation to seize and decommission a large methamphetamine lab in the state.
Immediately after the incident, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Chihuahua’s state government had violated the national security law by collaborating with the CIA without the federal government’s sign-off. The Mexican government also [said in a statement][3] that the CIA officials did not have authorization to enter the country to participate in operations. Mexico’s 2020 national security law requires the federal government approve any officials’ collaboration with foreign governments and expressly prohibits the participation of foreign agents in operations, with collaboration limited to information sharing.
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Sheinbaum praised the bilateral collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico and expressed her hope that this incident would be an “isolated case.” The incident, however, has led to a standoff between the federal government and the state government of Chihuahua. That same week, the state attorney general stepped down from his position.
Chihuahua Governor María Eugenia Campos Galván has opened a state-level investigation into the CIA deaths, and on May 12 [said][5] she did not approve the participation of “foreign people” in the meth lab operation. After a senator accused Campos of treason, Campos declined to appear before the Mexican Senate’s Constitutional Points and Public Security Committee.
Despite the political scandal that has raised concern about U.S. government involvement in Mexico, Chihuahua is pressing ahead with a close collaboration with U.S. agencies—with the approval of the Mexican federal government, a Chihuahua spokesperson confirmed to Drop Site this week. Representatives from five different U.S. federal agencies—the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection—are slated to work out of the 18th floor of the new building in Juárez, known as the Centinela Tower. The agencies are expected to exchange intelligence with Mexican officials related to drug and weapons smuggling, organized crime, and immigration enforcement, according to four high-ranking officials from Chihuahua’s State Department of Public Security (SSPE).
The Centinela Tower in Ciudad Juárez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, while under construction in October 2025. Photo by José Olivares.
The SSPE is already running a state-of-the-art surveillance operation—known as Plataforma Centinela, or sentinel platform—out of a command center in Juárez that monitors data from surveillance cameras, license plate readers, drones, helicopters, public panic buttons, and other intelligence-gathering technology.
At least one of the surveillance floors of the Centinela Tower began operating earlier this month. SSPE officials estimate the rest of the tower will be fully operational in June, the spokesperson confirmed to Drop Site. Officials did not give an exact date for when the U.S. agencies will begin working out of the tower.
Chihuahua’s secretary for SSPE, Gilberto Loya Chávez, told Drop Site in October that they were working on signed agreements for the U.S. agencies’ collaboration. The agreements would at first be more informal processes between the agencies and Chihuahua, Loya specified, rather than formal agreements navigated through Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry.
Loya confirmed in a May 4 press conference that the agreements are still in effect.
“We work closely with Mexican officials at all levels to make people on both sides of the border more secure. We refer you to the government of Mexico for information on specific agreements,” a U.S. consulate spokesperson in Juárez said in a statement.
In a statement, the DEA said it had “nothing to report.” The ATF said it was not offering interviews or commenting on the topic. The FBI referred questions to the State Department. CBP and HSI did not provide a comment.
Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Relations did not provide a comment.
“What they could have, at some moment, is a space [within the Centinela Tower] to do intelligence, information and planning work,” said Patricia Escamilla-Hamm, a Mexico-based security analyst and former research professor at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, DC. “That is very different from going and participating in operations—like going after drug traffickers, supposed criminals. …That type of work is not authorized by the national security law,” she added.
The command center for the Centinela surveillance platform in Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, in October 2025. Photo by José Olivares.
## **U.S.-Mexico Intelligence Sharing**
U.S. government agencies, including the Texas state government, have been working with Chihuahua officials for years on sensitive cross-border operations, primarily in intelligence sharing, based on two separate agreements that have been approved by the Mexican federal government, Loya and three other top SSPE officials confirmed. The other sources include the official in charge of the state’s SWAT teams, the official overseeing the Centinela surveillance technology, and an SSPE executive overseeing the Juárez command center.
“The Chihuahua state government has had coordinative and cooperative agreements with the state of Texas,” Escamilla-Hamm said. “This is done at a state level, between states. But it is not a question of national security. Rather, it is cooperation [allowed] under the federal government’s mandate and its programs.”
Drop Site has identified at least six separate intelligence sharing operations in recent years that involved intelligence sharing between local SSPE officials and U.S. government agencies. Some of those cases involved tracking down and arresting FBI priority targets, coordinating with CBP on border surveillance operations, and coordinating with HSI to arrest alleged human smugglers, according to SSPE officials.
In April 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Campos signed a memorandum of understanding giving Texas access to the reams of surveillance data that Chihuahua is collecting, including access to 4,000 cameras. The intelligence-sharing agreement “means that the state of Texas will have eyes on this side of the border,” Campos said at the time.
In February 2025, the Chihuahua SSPE authorities facilitated the arrest of Humberto Rivera, alias “El Chato,” a 51-year-old alleged high-ranking drug trafficker running the Juárez plaza for the Sinaloa Cartel, according to Loya and two analysts at the state’s surveillance command center, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the press. In that operation, officials at the Centinela command center said they used drones equipped with facial-recognition software to surveil El Chato’s movements. The Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office and the National Guard then tracked his car, pulled him over, and arrested him. Following the operation, the FBI recognized the Mexican intelligence analysts with an award, commending them on the arrest operation, Loya and the analysts said.
In another case, undercover state officials in Chihuahua infiltrated a migrant camp in the state’s capital city of Chihuahua, according to Luis Ángel Aguirre Rodríguez, a top-ranking SSPE official who helps run the state’s SWAT teams. During their undercover operation, agents with the SSPE who infiltrated the camp identified two Venezuelan men running the camp, who were allegedly selling drugs and involved in prostitution. Once they cleared out the camp and arrested the Venezuelan men, they shared their intelligence with CBP, Aguirre said. The officials from the U.S. government then provided information about the men, in particular that they had previously been arrested in Costa Rica and “other parts of the world.” The men were deported.
As part of their efforts in border surveillance and migrant enforcement operations, the Chihuahua SSPE also has partnered with the U.S. Border Patrol to conduct “mirroring” patrol operations along the border, according to Loya, Aguirre and Adrián Eduardo Lui Chavira, the SSPE official overseeing the Centinela surveillance operation. SSPE officials in Mexico will coordinate with their Border Patrol counterparts in the U.S. [to apprehend][6] migrants attempting to cross into the U.S.
Public reports from the SSPE also show that the agency has [collaborated with CBP][7] on tracking a stolen car from Texas that was driven across the border, arresting the two men who allegedly stole it. And in two separate operations, in coordination with HSI, SSPE tracked and helped arrest people allegedly involved in [human smuggling][8]. In one of the cases, they turned the alleged smuggler over to Mexico’s National Migration Institute, who took him to the border bridge and [handed him over][9] to U.S. Marshals Service agents.
These types of operations, among others, including training and intelligence sharing, have existed with the authorization of the federal government, Escamilla-Hamm said. “Without that federal authorization, no operation can take place involving foreigners.”
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[3]: https://x.com/GabSeguridadMX/status/2048024241832894823/photo/1
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[5]: https://x.com/marucampos_g/status/2054382541663252981?s=46
[6]: https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/mundo/fotos-asi-es-el-operativo-espejo-en-la-frontera-entre-mexico-y-estados-unidos/
[7]: https://sspe.chihuahua.gob.mx/asegura-sspe-a-3-sujetos-con-vehiculo-robado-en-ciudad-juarez/
[8]: https://sspe.chihuahua.gob.mx/detiene-sspe-a-dos-presuntos-implicados-en-trafico-de-personas-en-ciudad-juarez/
[9]: https://sspe.chihuahua.gob.mx/detiene-sspe-en-ciudad-juarez-a-sujeto-con-orden-de-aprehension-en-estados-unidos/
[10]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/juarez-chihuahua-border-surveillance-cia/comments
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/juarez-chihuahua-border-surveillance-cia

2026-04-14 00:46:28 UTC

Leaked Documents Reveal Details of the Secret Saudi Arabia–Pakistan Mutual Defense Pact
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Vice President JD Vance walks with Pakistani Field Marshall Asim Munir (L) and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials on April 11, 2026 at Islamabad, Pakistan. Photo by Jacquelyn Martin - Pool/Getty Images.
On Saturday, as Pakistan was in the middle of mediating hard-won ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran, Saudi Arabia made a sudden revelation that appeared to undermine Pakistan’s status as a neutral host. In a statement posted on X, the Saudi Ministry of Defense announced “the arrival of a military force from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan at King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Sector,” adding that the force would include a contingent of military aircraft and would improve “operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries.”
Those deployments are the result of a defense pact signed last year between Riyadh and Islamabad that has now been activated amid an ongoing regional war and numerous Iranian attacks against military and energy targets in Saudi Arabia.
Ceasefire talks collapsed over the weekend in Pakistan, with the American delegation leaving without an agreement. But Pakistan is far from out of the picture; secret documents obtained by Drop Site News reveal the extent to which Pakistan is committed by treaty to potentially become a participant in the war it was attempting to mediate.
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The details of the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia defense agreement have never been made public or even reviewed by Pakistan’s parliament. They are being reported here for the first time based on an archive of classified documents about the pact obtained by Drop Site.
The risk that Pakistan may itself be pushed into the war is also important context for the zeal of Pakistan’s leaders to bring an end to the fighting. Pakistan enjoys good ties with both Iran and the U.S., and relies heavily on financial support from Saudi Arabia. Following news that the United Arab Emirates had recalled a loan from Pakistan last week, Saudi Arabia and Qatar [stepped][4] up with $5 billion aimed at propping up Islamabad’s foreign reserves as it deals with fallout from the economic crisis caused by the war.
## **Talks in Islamabad**
After weeks of intense fighting, Pakistan emerged as an unlikely mediator seeking to bring an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Pakistan does not have an extensive history of mediating conflicts in the Middle East, and is mired in its own conflict in Afghanistan.
But Pakistan was extremely motivated to end the war. Early on, Pakistan [attempted to broker][5] an arrangement under which Iran would refrain from attacking Saudi installations. On March 3, a few days into the war, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar referenced the Saudi-Pakistan defense agreement and stated that he had communicated Pakistan’s position to Tehran. “We have a defense pact with Saudi Arabia, and the whole world knows about it,” Dar said. “I told the Iranian leadership to take care of our pact with Saudi Arabia.”
On April 8, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Islamabad had successfully negotiated a two-week pause in fighting between the parties, intended to apply to the entire region and laying the groundwork for talks in Islamabad that could produce a more lasting deal. “With the greatest humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY,” he wrote in a post on X.
(Later, it turned out that Sharif’s message was likely vetted—if not written by—the Americans. The initial post on X, edit history shows, had a heading that read “*Draft - Pakistan’s PM Message on X*.” The New York Times [reported][6] the U.S. had signed off on the statement, though the White House denied actually writing it.)
On Friday, Vice President JD Vance, envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and a technical team flew to Islamabad to meet with a large delegation of Iranian diplomats and technical experts. Shortly beforehand, Saudi Arabia, which has been relatively tight-lipped about damage in the country, revealed that attacks on a critical pipeline had wiped out 10% of its export capacity.
On Saturday, April 11, right as Vice President JD Vance was conducting negotiations with the Iranian leadership in Islamabad, the Saudi Ministry of Defence [announced][7] that Pakistan has sent its forces, including fighter jets, to Saudi Arabia under their defense pact. Pakistan had actually been [quietly conducting][8] airlifts of military equipment throughout December and January, noted by open-source intelligence monitors. The announcement coming on a day of consequential negotiations in Islamabad could be seen as a form of pressure on Iran. Notably, the Pakistani government did not release a corresponding statement about the deployments.
While Pakistani officials have periodically referenced this pact, which has been in place in various forms since the 1980s, its details have largely remained secret. The current iteration, the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement ([SMDA][9]) was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Sharif on September 17, 2025—but it was never even presented to the country’s parliament for review.
The documents were provided to Drop Site by a source who requested anonymity in order to share classified documents. They include historical versions of the pact as well as internal Pakistani memos and analysis detailing how the treaty has been updated over time—giving critical insight into Pakistan’s stance on the ongoing war with Iran, as well as the risks that it faces as the conflict continues.
## **Historical Pacts**
The pact began with a confidential agreement signed between the two countries on December 14, 1982. A revised version entitled the Military Cooperation Agreement (MCA) was signed on July 30, 2005.
The classified 2005 agreement—a copy of which was obtained by Drop Site—states that the goal of the MCA is “to develop and strengthen cooperation in the military field between the two countries through expansion in areas such as training, deputation of personnel, defense production and transfer of technology, exchange of experience, purchase of weapons, equipment, spare parts and military medical services.” The document also includes provisions allowing for both parties to amend and expand the pact over time.
While the 2005 agreement was significant, it limited the scope of the bilateral military relationship to cooperation in training and equipment sharing. It did not obligate Pakistan to engage in actual military action or assume responsibility for the defense of Saudi Arabia.
In later years, the scope of Pakistani commitments to Riyadh would grow substantially. In August 2021, a summary of a new amendment to the defense agreement was sent to the government of then-Prime Minister Imran Khan. The amendment added a profoundly important new component to the pact, effectively committing Pakistan for the first time to engage in the physical defense of the Saudi government if requested.
Pakistani foreign policy has long been determined by the country’s powerful military establishment, which serves as kingmaker for Pakistani politicians and has conducted clandestine agreements and diplomacy for decades outside the purview of the country’s weak democratic institutions.
But for almost a year, the amendment to the 2005 pact sat on Imran Khan’s desk. The description of Pakistani obligations also left ambiguous the question of whether the threat to be combatted at Saudi government request was foreign or domestic. According to two former officials who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information, Khan was apprehensive about signing an agreement that would obligate the Pakistani military to participate in a foreign war.
“The second party [Pakistan] is obligated to send its forces to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upon a request of the first party, to support the armed forces of the first party in dealing with any threat that affects its security, safety, sovereignty, territorial integrity and interests,” the amendment stated. “A protocol will be signed between both parties and attached to this agreement to clarify the details of such arrangements.”
While imposing sweeping obligations onto Pakistan, the text of the document did not commit Saudi Arabia to any specific reciprocal support. Instead, Saudi Arabia has provided financial support to Pakistan’s unstable economy over the years. The Kingdom currently holds more than $5 billion in deposits at the State Bank of Pakistan, which are rolled over periodically.
Between August 2021 and April 2022, commentators aligned with the Pakistani military continuously pressured the government over its policy towards Riyadh—alleging that Khan, who had continued to hedge on signing the agreement, was destroying the country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
A prominent critic of Khan, Najam Sethi, noted in an [op-ed][10] around the time, “General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has paid countless visits to the Kingdom to smooth the crown prince Muhammad bin Salman’s ruffled feathers, over transgressions by Imran Khan.” The alleged transgressions included, “an attempt to set up a rival bloc comprising Pakistan, Turkey and Malaysia” against the Saudi-led Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and to “don the mantle of an interlocutor between Saudi Arabia and Iran without the blessing of MBS.”
In April 2022, Khan was removed from government in a thinly veiled military coup. The summary was ultimately signed in February 2024 by the military-backed caretaker government that came to power after imprisoning Khan and banning his political party.
The amendment was speedily approved by the caretaker federal cabinet appointed by Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir. However, documents show that the language of the new amendment expanding Pakistani obligations to Riyadh was hotly debated inside the military establishment after it was signed. The amendment was one-sided, some worried, and would obligate Pakistan to defend Saudi Arabia, without imposing a reciprocal obligation on Riyadh.
Assessments also noted the amendment did not clearly differentiate between conventional and nuclear forces. The documents show that the Pakistani military was only interested in committing conventional forces to any deal with Saudi Arabia, and sought to explicitly exclude nuclear capability from the obligation.
Internal debates also noted that threats to Saudi sovereignty and interests might not remain confined within Saudi territory, and could require military action outside Saudi Arabia. The Pakistani side subsequently sought to narrow the scope of its obligations to Saudi territory.
Many of these concerns were eventually addressed in the 2025 SMDA, signed months before the Iran war. Even though the immediate catalyst for the SMDA seemed like the Israeli strike on Qatar last year, it was always clear that the agreement was directed at Iran—as has all Pakistan-Saudi cooperation since the 1980s. The SMDA is not part of the leaked documents. But public disclosures from Pakistan suggest that the new agreement was an update to the old MCA; renaming the agreement while including additional amendments to the security relationship.
## **Bypassing Parliament**
According to the joint Saudi-Pakistan press release announcing the 2025 SMDA, “The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both.”
The conditions in which such reciprocity may be triggered remain unclear, however. Saudi Arabia has limited capacity to provide military assistance to Pakistan in a conflict. The primary strategic rival to Islamabad remains India, which enjoys close political and economic ties with Riyadh. Pakistan is also currently involved in a fierce cross-border war with Afghanistan, for which Saudi Arabia has not provided material assistance.
Despite their numerous private agreements, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have had a difficult history actually enacting meaningful security cooperation.
In early 2015, Saudi Arabia launched a military coalition to intervene in Yemen’s civil war, targeting the Ansarallah movement, which had swept south from its northern strongholds and forced the internationally recognized government out of the capital, Sanaa. At the time, Riyadh asked Pakistan to contribute warships, aircraft and ground troops to help fight the group. The request was rooted in decades of financial patronage and the assumption that the signing of the 2005 MCA would enable such collaboration.
However, in the absence of a clear bilateral framework, and not wanting to involve the country in an increasingly ugly civil war in Yemen, then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif referred the matter to the Pakistani parliament. In April 2015, in a rare display of democratic cross-party consensus, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a resolution [rejecting][11] military participation in the Yemen war and calling for neutrality to allow a mediating role. The vote was embarrassing for Riyadh and a shock to Saudi-Pakistani relations.
The war with Iran has once again raised the question of if and how the agreement can be enforced. The current version of the defense pact signed in 2025 has already been called into question, as Pakistan has been loathe to involve itself in a military confrontation targeting Iran, which currently enjoys widespread support among the Pakistani public.
“The Saudi pact is becoming a problem for us,” a source described as being familiar with Pakistani military decision-making [told][12] the Financial Times in an article about Pakistani mediation efforts on March 28. The comments also shed light on what Pakistan expected to get out of the deal: “It was supposed to be cash for deterrence. But we’ve not gotten any new Saudi investments, and deterrence failed.”
Iran has launched numerous attacks on U.S. forces based at Saudi military facilities who have been assisting in attacks against Tehran. On April 6, in retaliation for Israeli attacks on its own energy infrastructure, Iran also bombed Saudi Arabia’s Jubail petrochemical complex—one of the largest industrial complexes in the world and, according to some reports, responsible for 7% of Saudi GDP.
For now, the deployment remains largely symbolic and is not likely to have an immediate effect on the war as a whole. A Pakistani military expert who spoke to Drop Site News on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter said the deployment on Saudi territory offers limited utility in the current scenario. Iran is not conducting—and is not expected to conduct—a ground invasion of the Arabian Peninsula. Pakistani support for missile and drone defense would also not add much to the U.S.-provided defensive support that Riyadh presently enjoys.
Under the current terms of the deal, which is entirely defensive, Saudi Arabia could not request that Pakistan counterattack Iran, even from Saudi territory. An attack launched from Pakistani soil also appears unlikely, and would likely fall outside the scope of the SMDA.
Even a limited conflict with Iran would be politically radioactive inside Pakistan. It would place Pakistan on the side of the Israel-led coalition—an allegiance that would be highly unpopular with many Pakistanis. And it would also be a strategic nightmare for a country that is already facing two other hostile countries on its border, and would risk the prospect of total encirclement if ties deteriorated with Tehran.
Pakistan has a large Shia population which acts as a strong bridge between Islamabad and Tehran and the conflict has raised tensions with the government. In a late March meeting with prominent Shia clerics who had expressed concerns about the war, Army Chief Asim Munir reportedly told those assembled, “If you love Iran, go to Iran.” Syed Ahmad Iqbal Rizvi, deputy head of the Muslim Unity Movement, an umbrella body for Shia parties, pushed back in a recorded statement: “We boldly respond to the army chief’s remarks: we love our country, but this war is between right and wrong. We stand with the right, with Iran.”
In that light, Islamabad’s continued commitment to acting as a peacemaker makes sense as an attempt to ward off a strategic disaster that could engulf its own interests. In a statement the day after the collapse of the talks, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar held out hopes that Pakistan would continue to find a way to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran.
“It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” said Dar. “Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between Iran and the U.S. in the days to come.”
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
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[4]: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2602333/ksa-qatar-offer-5b-assistance-to-pakistan
[5]: https://urdu.arynews.tv/ishaq-dar-on-iran-and-saudi-arab-tension-3-mar-2026/
[6]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/world/middleeast/trump-pakistan-tweet-iran.html
[7]: https://x.com/modgovksa/status/2042903449876963634
[8]: https://x.com/AfriMEOSINT/status/2018996201392095247?s=20
[9]: https://mofa.gov.pk/press-releases/joint-statement-on-the-state-visit-of-prime-minister-of-the-islamic-republic-of-pakistan-muhammad-shehbaz-sharif-to-the-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia
[10]: https://www.thefridaytimes.com/13-May-2021/a-wink-or-a-nod
[11]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/4/10/pakistan-parliament-backs-neutrality-in-yemen-conflict
[12]: https://www.ft.com/content/5f946eff-3e9c-4feb-ab6b-60e15cc3e183?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[13]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/leaked-saudi-arabia-pakistan-mutual-defense-pact-iran/comments
[14]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/leaked-saudi-arabia-pakistan-mutual-defense-pact-iran?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/leaked-saudi-arabia-pakistan-mutual-defense-pact-iran

2026-04-03 14:40:45 UTC

U.S. destroys major bridge in Iran; IRGC claims strike on Amazon data center; Trump imposes 100% tariff on brand-name drugs
*U.S. [strikes][1] and destroys Karaj Bridge, killing eight. Trump says U.S. [destroyed][2] three major Iranian bridges overnight. Iran [shoots][3] down U.S. fighter jet. Iranian missile [strike][4] on Petah Tikva hit Israeli drone manufacturer Aero Sol. IRGC claims [strikes][5] on Amazon and Oracle data centers in the gulf. Tanker and carriers [attempt][6] Hormuz transit. Forty nations [meet][7] on Thursday to talk Hormuz reopening. Iran reportedly [working][8] with Oman on Hormuz navigation protocol. U.S. intelligence [finds][9] half of Iran’s missile launchers intact. Hamas will not [discuss][10] disarmament unless Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza. Trump [fires][11] Pam Bondi. Homeland Security shutdown [extends][12] into recess. Hegseth [demands][13] resignation of Army chief, two senior generals in leadership purge. Trump [imposes][14] 100% tariff on imported brand-name drugs. Federal inspection [finds][15] 49 violations at nation’s largest immigration detention facility. Muslim
civil rights groups [condemn][16] ICE arrest of Palestinian American community leader. Iraqi group [claims][17] 23 strikes on U.S. bases. U.S. special operations forces [join][18] Ecuador in raid of alleged drug compound. Senegal [doubles][19] prison term for same-sex relations. Satellite images [show][20] Chinese and Turkish combat drones at Haftar’s airbase in Libya. Russia and Ukraine [trade][21] strikes, with Kharkiv targeted. ISIS-linked ADF [kills][22] 43 civilians in northeast Congo attack. Drone strike on Sudan hospital [kills][23] 10. Morocco [has][24] less than two months of fuel reserves. Russia [loads][25] second oil tanker bound for Cuba. French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan [detained][26] in Paris over social media post.*
**NEW from Drop Site: [Israel’s assault on southern Lebanon][27]. [Pakistan’s military campaign against Afghanistan ravages civilian population.][28]**
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The Karaj bridge, several kilometers west of Tehran, which was destroyed during U.S.-Israeli military operations in Iran, on April 3, 2026. Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israel target civilian infrastructure in Iran:**
* President Donald Trump celebrated a double tap strike on a highway bridge linking Tehran to Karaj on Thursday, [sharing][31] video of the attack that killed eight people and wounded 95. The second strike occurred as rescue workers responded to the initial attack, according to the Fars news agency. Iranian officials told state media the casualties were [civilians][32] who had gathered beneath the bridge and along the riverbank to celebrate Nature Day in Iran. The unfinished bridge intended to connect Tehran to the Caspian Sea. “The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!” Trump wrote on social media. Trump told Time magazine in an [interview][33] on Thursday that U.S. forces destroyed three major bridges in Iran.
* A large column of smoke was [seen][34] near Mashhad International Airport in northeastern Iran on Thursday after a reported strike. Iranian media said fuel tanks and a warehouse were likely targeted.
* U.S.-Israeli airstrikes hit a Red Crescent relief [warehouse][35] in Iran’s Bushehr province on Friday, according to the Red Crescent. The [attack][36] destroyed two relief containers, a bus and an emergency vehicle.
* **Iran shoots down U.S. fighter jet:** Iran shot down a U.S. fighter jet over southern Tehran province, according to U.S. and Israeli officials cited by The New York Times as well as reports in Iranian state-affiliated media. An Iranian official [told][37] Drop Site News on Friday that the warplane was an F-15 fighter jet and that because of the nature of the strike, the pilot could not evacuate before crashing. Photos of the wreckage were published by the Fars News Agency. “The fighter jet belongs to the 48th Squadron of the U.S. European Command, based at Lakenheath Air Base, England,” the semi-official Tasmin news agency reported. “The squadron has been deployed to the CENTCOM mission area for operations against Iran.”
* **Iranian missile strike on Petah Tikva hit Israeli drone manufacturer Aero Sol: **An Iranian ballistic missile that struck Petah Tikva, a city in central Israel east of Tel Aviv, [hit][38] a facility belonging to Aero Sol, an Israeli defense company that designs, manufactures, and operates tactical drones for government and military clients. Aero Sol also manufactures composite components for Israeli aircraft, including parts used in F-15 and F-16 fighter jet pilot helmets.
* **Kuwait desalination plant, oil refinery struck:** An attack on a desalination plant in Kuwait on Friday caused “material damage to some of the plant’s components,” according to Kuwaiti authorities. About 90% of drinking water in Kuwait comes from desalination. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied targeting the plant and instead blamed Israel for the attack. Iranian drones also struck Kuwait’s state-run Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on Friday, sparking fires at the facility. The Mina al-Ahmadi refinery is one of the largest refineries in the Middle East. It has come under attack at least three times in the war.
* **Operations suspended at major UAE gas facility:** Debris from an intercepted missile caused a fire at the Habshan gas facility, a major Emirati gas processing complex, [according][39] to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. “Operations have been suspended while authorities respond to a fire. No injuries have been reported,” the office said.
* **IRGC claims strikes on Amazon and Oracle data centers in the Gulf: **Iran’s IRGC [claimed][40] Thursday it targeted cloud and data infrastructure in surrounding Gulf countries, including an Amazon computing center in Bahrain and an Oracle data center in Dubai. No confirmation has been provided for the Oracle attack, with Dubai’s Media Office calling it “fake news” in a [post][41] on X, but reports indicate that Amazon Web Services [experience][42]d a service outage Thursday. Iran had previously warned it would strike a list of 18 Western companies for each assassination attempt carried out against Iranian officials.
* **IRGC says it conducted joint missile strike with Houthis on Israel: **The IRGC [said][43] Thursday its aerospace forces, operating jointly with Yemen’s Houthi fighters, launched a major missile strike on the Tel Aviv area and the southern Israeli port city of Eilat, designating the attack the 91st wave of its ongoing missile operation against Israel. The IRGC said it deployed long-range liquid and solid fuel ultra-heavy missile systems targeting military-industrial facilities and troop positions, and claimed more than five million people sought shelter in underground facilities across Israel. Significant damage was [reported][44] in the central Israeli town of Ramat Gan, purportedly as a result of a falling Iranian fragmentation missile.
* **IRGC claims it downed Israeli and American aircraft: **In addition to downing an F-15 in southern Iran, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [said][45] Thursday it intercepted and destroyed a Hermes 900 drone over Shiraz in Fars province, according to a state news outlet. The IRGC also claimed on Thursday that it shot down an advanced enemy fighter jet south of Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf, claiming the aircraft crashed between Qeshm and Hengam islands and sank.
* **Tanker and carriers attempt Hormuz transit: **Three vessels—two very large crude carriers and one liquefied natural gas tanker—are [attempting][46] to exit the Gulf eastbound by hugging the Omani coastline and broadcasting Omani ship identities via AIS signals, according to a reporter from Lloyd’s List. The maneuver appears to be a test of alternative transit routes through the strait, and if successful, it would be the first LNG shipment through the chokepoint since the war began.
* **Forty nations meet on Thursday to talk Hormuz reopening: **Forty countries [met][47] on Thursday to discuss restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized control of the route following U.S.-Israeli strikes. The United States did not participate. European nations who previously declined to contribute to a naval mission are reportedly considering reversing that stance, with Britain and France leading a potential coalition. The French, however, are not committing to any forcible opening, with French President Macron [telling][48] the media on Thursday that a forcible reopening would be “unrealistic,” might take years, and would leave ships exposed to Iranian attacks.
* **Iran reportedly working with Oman on Hormuz navigation protocol: **Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi [said][49] Thursday that Tehran and Muscat are developing a formal protocol to regulate navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, in an interview with Russia’s state-owned media outlet Sputnik. Under the proposed peacetime framework, ships would be required to coordinate with Iran and Oman in advance and obtain permits for passage. The draft is in its final stages, with formal negotiations between Tehran and Muscat expected once internal reviews are complete.
* **U.S. intelligence finds half of Iran’s missile launchers intact: **Roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers [remain][50] operational, and thousands of its attack drones are still functional, according to U.S. intelligence assessments reviewed by three sources who spoke to CNN. “They are still very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region,” one source told the outlet. The assessment directly contradicts Trump’s claim on Wednesday that Iran’s missile and drone capabilities are “dramatically curtailed” with “very few of them left.” The intelligence also found that a large percentage of Iran’s coastal defense cruise missiles—the weapons most capable of threatening Hormuz shipping—remain intact.
* **Global food prices rise as Iran war raises energy costs:** World food prices rose in March, due largely to higher energy costs ‌linked to the Iran war, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization [said][51] on Friday. The FAO Food Price Index, which ⁠measures changes in a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4% from February. “If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days with high input costs with current low margins,” FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero said in a statement, “farmers will have to choose: farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops.”
# Lebanon and Gaza
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1,345—with 4,040 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Killings and forced displacement in Lebanon:**
* At least five people were killed in a series of Israeli strikes across Lebanon Friday, including two worshippers [targeted][52] by a drone as they left a mosque in Sahmar in the western Bekaa, one in Borj Qalaouiyeh, one in Yahmar al-Shaqif in the Nabatieh district, and one in Shaaitiyeh, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
* The Israeli army also threatened to strike two bridges linking Sahmar and Mashghara, ordering residents to move north of the Zahrani River, while issuing evacuation warnings to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, particularly in Haret Hreik, Ghobeiri, Laylaki, Hadath, Borj el-Barajneh, Tahwitat al-Ghadir, and Chiyah, in [posts][53] shared by the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson.
* **Two peacekeepers injured:** Two Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were injured in shelling targeting their unit in Adaisseh in southern Lebanon on Friday, according to a UNIFIL source speaking to Al Jazeera. Indonesia on Tuesday called for a direct UN investigation into the earlier deaths of three of its peacekeepers in Lebanon, with its UN representative saying, “We demand a direct investigation from the U.N., not just Israel’s excuses.”
* **Israel admits disarming Hezbollah is “unrealistic”:** Contradicting statements by Defense Minister Katz saying that Israel would not give up on disarming the resistance group, the Israeli military said its goal of disarming Hezbollah is unrealistic and not a “required goal” of the current military campaign. A senior military official quoted in [multiple][54] Israeli [media][55] [outlets][56] said to fully disarm Hezbollah would require the Israeli military to invade all of Lebanon. According to the official, the military is set to present to the political leadership its plan to establish a “security zone” in southern Lebanon, which would involve demolishing Lebanese villages near the border and setting up army posts several kilometers inside the country. The military later clarified in a statement that it was still committed to a “long-term objective” of disarming the group. Christian communities would not be demolished, the military said.
* **Israel is conducting a campaign to ethnically cleanse southern Lebanon of Shia residents: **The Israeli military is engaged in an attempt to ethnically cleanse the area of its Shia residents as part of its campaign in southern Lebanon. Last month, Israeli military officials called the heads of a cluster of majority Christian villages in southeastern Lebanon and ordered them to force out any “displaced people” that had taken refuge there, according to a municipal official in one of the villages who spoke to Drop Site. “Displaced people” was a thinly veiled reference to Shia residents who had been forced to flee nearby towns like Khiam. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army announced earlier this week its forces had withdrawn from southern border villages, leaving residents without even a semblance of protection.** Read more the latest dispatch on southern Lebanon from Drop Site contributor Lylla Younes [here][57].**
* **Hamas will not discuss disarmament unless Israeli troops agree to leave: **Hamas [told][58] mediators Wednesday and Thursday in Cairo that it will not discuss laying down its arms without guarantees that Israel will fully withdraw from Gaza, according to Reuters. A Hamas delegation met with Egyptian, Qatari, and Turkish mediators to deliver its initial response to a disarmament proposal presented last month—conditioning reconstruction on Palestinian disarmament—and conveyed several demands, including an end to Israeli ceasefire violations and full withdrawal from the Strip, per the ceasefire agreement. Hamas also expressed concern about Israel’s occupation of over half of Gaza. Hamas is expected to meet with mediators again next week.
# U.S. News
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][59].*
* **Trump fires Pam Bondi: **President Donald Trump [fired][60] **Attorney General Pam Bondi **on Thursday over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files release and what Trump viewed as insufficient speed in pursuing criminal cases against his critics and adversaries. **Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche**, a former personal lawyer to Trump, will lead the Justice Department in the interim. Bondi had been scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on April 14. Trump is reportedly considering **EPA administrator Lee Zeldin** as a potential permanent replacement.
* **Homeland Security shutdown extends into recess: **The Department of Homeland Security shutdown—already the longest partial government shutdown on record—will [continue][61] at least until Congress returns from recess on April 14. House Republicans declined on Thursday to take up a bipartisan Senate funding bill, despite **Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.)** endorsement. Far-right members reportedly rejected the Senate during a disorderly afternoon conference call because it omits dedicated funding for immigration enforcement. Similarly, **Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) **formally rejected a House counterproposal to fund the entire department for 60 days. Trump appeared to relieve pressure for immediate action by Congress posting that he would use executive authority to pay Homeland Security employees, “soon.”
* **Hegseth demands resignation of Army chief, two senior generals in leadership purge: **Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth [demanded][62] the immediate resignation of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and ordered the removal of Major General William Green Jr. and General David Hodne. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said George “will be retiring from his position effective immediately,” in a statement [posted][63] on X. Hodne led the Army’s Transformation and Training Command which “unifies force design,” and William Green headed the Army’s Chaplain Corps.
* **Justice Department declares Presidential Records Act unconstitutional: **The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion this week declaring the Presidential Records Act of 1978 unconstitutional, finding that the law exceeds congressional authority and unlawfully intrudes on executive independence, the Washington Post [reports][64]. The memorandum, signed by Trump appointee **T. Elliot Gaiser**, states that “the President need not further comply with its dictates.” The opinion does not carry immediate legal weight—changing the law would require either a lawsuit or an act of Congress. A White House spokeswoman said Trump “is committed to preserving records,” though the law could leave millions of records out of public reach. Gaiser has previously provided legal justifications for lethal U.S. strikes against alleged drug traffickers in Latin America and argued that the United States could forcibly remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
* **Trump imposes 100% tariff on imported brand-name drugs: **President Donald Trump [signed][65] an executive order Thursday imposing a 100% tariff on imported patented pharmaceuticals and their associated ingredients. Companies with plans in place to build U.S. manufacturing facilities will only be charged 20% tariffs, while drugs from the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein are subject to a 15% tariff, and those from the United Kingdom are subject to an unspecified lower rate tied to a bilateral trade agreement. Generic drugs, orphan drugs, and brand-name drugs from companies that have entered Most Favored Nation pricing agreements with the administration are exempt.
* **Federal inspection finds 49 violations at nation’s largest immigration detention facility: **A February inspection of Camp East Montana, the nation’s largest immigration detention facility, in El Paso, Texas [found][66] 49 violations—an unusually high figure compared to a maximum of 13 found at any other facility inspected so far this year. The inspection cited the use of excessive force, the provision of medical care, security, and mental health. The facility—which houses nearly 3,000 detainees per day, the majority of whom have no criminal convictions—has recorded at least three deaths since opening last summer. Despite the 49 violations, the report rated the facility “acceptable/adequate.”** Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas),** who has toured the facility, said the findings were “a drop in the bucket” of what is wrong there. “ICE is completely uninterested in really creating any change.”
* **Los Angeles teachers and school workers inch toward strike: **Nearly 68,000 Los Angeles Unified School District teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and other staff are moving closer to a joint strike set for April 14. UTLA, citing the rising cost of living in Los Angeles, is seeking an average 17% wage increase over two years, with an immediate boost for new teachers to nearly $80,000 annually. The district has countered with an 8% increase plus a one-time bonus. Union negotiators have pointed to the district’s nearly $5 billion in reserves, which officials say may be needed to offset rising budget deficits. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution on March 27 which noted that a first-year teacher cannot afford median rent anywhere in the city and that 65% of SEIU Local 99 members report food insecurity. Read Capital & Main’s full report [here][67].
* **ICE arrests Palestinian American community leader: **Ten Muslim civil rights organizations [issued][68] a joint letter Thursday denouncing the March 30 arrest of **Salah Sarsour**, president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and a prominent Palestinian American advocate. Sarsour, who was pulled over while driving, is a lawful permanent resident who has lived in the United States for 32 years; his wife and children are U.S. citizens. The letter said Sarsour “is being targeted on the basis of his Palestinian and Muslim background.”
# Other International News
* **Iraqi group claims 23 strikes on U.S. bases: **The Islamic Resistance in Iraq [claimed][69] 23 drone and missile strikes against U.S. and allied bases in 24 hours on Thursday, targeting the American consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, and Victoria Base, a major U.S. military installation adjacent to Baghdad International Airport. Strong explosions shook Baghdad, while violent explosions and sirens were reported at the American consulate compound in Erbil. Separate strikes reportedly targeted PKK and Iranian Kurdish opposition headquarters in the Koya district of Erbil province, though these strikes await verification. Drone strikes were also [reported][70] at Iraq’s Traibeel border crossing, adjacent to Jordan.
* **U.S. special operations forces join Ecuador in raid of alleged drug compound: **U.S. special operations forces [participated][71] alongside Ecuadorian troops in a joint raid on a coastal compound linked to Los Choneros, a powerful Ecuadorian criminal organization, CBS News reported Wednesday. The operation, dubbed Lanza Marina, targeted a site believed to serve as a staging ground for high-speed drug smuggling boats along Ecuador’s Pacific coast. U.S. forces played an advisory role, the military said. The raid is the latest example of the close security relationship between Daniel Noboa’s government in Ecuador with the U.S., which has prioritized a militarized strategy in Latin America via initiatives such as the “Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.”
* **Senegal doubles prison term for same-sex relations: **Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye [signed][72] legislation Wednesday doubling the maximum prison sentence for same-sex relations to ten years. In February, 12 men were arrested in Dakar under the existing law, and a local Islamic organization claimed to hold a list of 635 names of gay people it intended to use to seek the dismantling of sixteen LGBT rights groups. During a parliamentary debate, lawmaker Diaraye Ba declared that “homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country.” The Trump administration declined to comment, referring reporters to the Senegalese government, while UN human rights chief Volker Türk and UNAIDS urged Faye not to sign the bill before it passed.
* **Satellite images show Chinese and Turkish combat drones at Haftar’s airbase in Libya: **Satellite imagery reviewed by three independent weapons experts shows what appear to be a Chinese-made surveillance and attack drone and at least two Turkish-made drones at Al Khadim airbase in eastern Libya, Reuters [reported][73], in an apparent violation of the UN arms embargo in place since 2011. The drones belong to eastern Libya’s military leader Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army has attempted to form a unified Libyan government and is in conflict with the Tripoli-based central government. It is also accused of supporting the RSF in neighboring Sudan, which Haftar denies.
* **Chevron returns to Libya with offshore exploration deal: **Chevron has [signed][74] a memorandum of understanding with Libya’s National Oil Corporation to conduct a technical study of the offshore NC 146 exploration block in the Mediterranean, the Tripoli-based NOC announced. The agreement marks Chevron’s return to Libya after more than a decade’s absence. NOC chairperson Masoud Suleiman called the deal “a message of confidence in Libya’s investment environment.” The company was also separately awarded an onshore block in the Sirte Basin, a major oil-producing region in central Libya, in February 2026.
* **Russia and Ukraine trade strikes, with Kharkiv targeted: **Russian forces [carried][75] out a sustained drone barrage against Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, throughout Thursday and into the early morning hours of Friday, injuring at least two people, including an eight-year-old girl, according to Reuters. Further south, a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia damaged a high-rise apartment building and a local business with no reported injuries. Across the border in Russia’s Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 13 people were injured in Ukrainian drone strikes, 11 of them in the village of Shebekino.
* **ISIS-linked ADF kills 43 civilians in northeast Congo: **At least 43 people were killed and 44 houses torched in an attack Wednesday night by the Allied Democratic Forces in Bafwakoa, in the northeastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo, [according to][76] the Congolese army. The ADF, a group led by former Ugandan rebels that has pledged allegiance to ISIS, killed some with machetes while others burned alive in their homes; two people were abducted. The territory’s administrator said search operations were continuing and the death toll could rise.
* **Burkina Faso’s military killed more civilians than jihadists did, HRW finds: **Burkina Faso’s military junta [killed][77] more than 1,200 civilians between January 2023 and August 2025, more than twice the number killed by militant jihadist groups during the same period, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. The figures are “most likely a gross undercount,” HRW told the AP, given widespread underreporting. Human Rights Watch accused both government forces and the Al-Qaeda-aligned group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin of war crimes and crimes against humanity, saying the targeting of Fulani civilians by government forces appears to constitute ethnic cleansing that “senior leaders on all sides may be liable” for. In one documented incident in northern Yatenga province in early 2024, government forces allegedly executed 223 civilians including at least 56 children, accusing them of collaborating with militants.
* **Drone strike on Sudan hospital kills 10: **A drone strike on Al-Jabalain Hospital in Sudan’s White Nile State [killed][78] at least ten people, including seven medical staff, and wounded 19 others, Médecins Sans Frontières reported Thursday. The attack hit both the operating theatre and maternity ward and was attributed to the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces. The wounded were transferred to Kosti, approximately 80 kilometers away, as aid organizations rushed emergency supplies to the region’s overwhelmed medical facilities.
* **Morocco has less than two months of fuel reserves: **Morocco has approximately 51 days of diesel supply and 55 days of petrol [remaining][79], with coal and gas secured through the end of June, the country’s energy ministry told Reuters. Morocco has had no domestic refining capacity since its sole refinery shut in 2015 and relies entirely on imported fuel.
* **Russia loads second oil tanker bound for Cuba: **Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilyov [confirmed][80] that a second oil tanker is being loaded for shipment to Cuba, following the arrival of the sanctioned Russian vessel Anatoly Kolodkin at the port of Matanzas on Tuesday. The first shipment carried approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil, enough to meet Cuba’s energy needs for roughly nine to ten days.
* **Cuban president joins electric vehicle protest past U.S. Embassy in Havana: **Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel [joined][81] activists during a Thursday protest, in which a caravan of bicycles and electric tricycles rode along Havana’s Malecón boulevard, passing the U.S. Embassy in a show of defiance against U.S. sanctions. The caravan comes on the same day that Cuba announced the release of over two thousand prisoners in what was described as a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture.”
* **French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan detained in Paris over social media post: **French-Palestinian Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan was [taken][82] into police custody in Paris Thursday over a March 26 post on X that French authorities allege is an “apology for terrorism.” The post quoted Kozo Okamoto—a member of the Japanese Red Army convicted for his role in a 1972 attack at Ben Gurion Airport that killed 26 people—writing that resistance to oppression “is not only a right, it is a duty.” Hassan subsequently deleted the post. The complaint was filed by National Rally’s Matthias Renault. Hassan’s party, La France Insoumise, condemned the detention. “So there is no longer parliamentary immunity in France. Intolerable,” party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon wrote on X.
* **Pakistan plays peacemaker while bombing and blockading Afghan civilians: **As Islamabad attempts a complex diplomatic maneuver on the world stage,** **its military is waging a campaign across its border with Afghanistan that has killed at least 212 civilians, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, with the actual toll likely significantly higher. In Nooristan’s remote Kamdesh and Barg-e Matal districts, Pakistani forces have effectively imposed a blockade by destroying the region’s only road, cutting off flour, rice, cooking oil, and medicine to thousands of civilians, Mohammad Zaman Nazari reports for Drop Site. “We left everything behind to save our children,” one fleeing resident, originally from Khost told Drop Site. “On both sides, there are Afghans. We consider them as brothers who were once separated from us. But the Pakistani army shows no mercy.” **Drop Site’s report from the border provinces of Afghanistan is [here][83].**
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/us-destroys-major-bridge-in-iran

2026-04-02 21:36:23 UTC

Pakistan Plays Peacemaker While Bombing and Blockading Afghan Civilians
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Men in Khost gathered to fight voluntarily against Pakistani forces along the Durand Line. Photo: Mohammad Zaman Nazari.
*Story by Emran Feroz and Mohammad Zaman Nazari*
KHOST, Afghanistan—In Afghanistan’s border provinces, the pace of war with Pakistan is a familiar one: It arrives as coordinated artillery fire in the early mornings, followed soon by the systematic emptying of villages. Then comes the slow, unmonitored collapse of local infrastructure.
This border has once again become the scene of a major armed conflict, as the Pakistani military pushes forward a military campaign against Afghanistan. The campaign has been publicly justified as a response to terrorism following a series of clashes and attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), which Islamabad accuses of receiving support from the Taliban government in Kabul.
But the impact of the war is being felt largely by Afghan civilians, many of whom have spent more than 40 years surviving various iterations of occupation and proxy warfare only to find themselves once again in the path of a state-led, military campaign.
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At this same moment, Islamabad is attempting a complex diplomatic maneuver on the international stage, trying to position itself as a necessary mediator between Washington and Tehran, offering to facilitate the de-escalation of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict and even acting as an interlocutor for the Chinese government.
To the populations under fire in the Afghan highlands, the idea that Pakistan could act as a stabilizer or a bridge is an obscenity, enabled by Afghanistan’s own information vacuum.
There are no international monitoring missions in Kunar or Nooristan. Access for independent journalists is severely restricted by both the geography and the political climate. Aid organizations, already stretched thin by the broader Afghan economic crisis, operate under extreme constraints to reach the isolated communities, mostly members of Afghanistan’s Kohistani and Gujjar minorities.
“There is a lack of reporting because many people, including journalists or human rights activists from Kabul or abroad don’t visit this region,” said Sher Agha, a local activist from Kunar. Before speaking to Drop Site News on Wednesday, he had visited the funeral of one of the recent attacks’ victims, a little girl named Baharat whose picture was also spread on social media. “Attacks are taking place while I am talking to you. Sarkano district, which lies along the border, is being hit intensely. This is the ongoing situation for weeks,” he added.
What emerges from the border are fragments: local testimonies, community statements, and scattered data points. Taken together, however, they reveal a coherent picture of a war fought without internal or international accountability. The hunger, disease, and exposure reported by displaced families are the predictable outcomes of military strategies that treat civilian populations as variables in a larger geopolitical equation.
For the families forced to flee on dirt roads in Kunar, Nooristan, and Khost provinces, the conflict is defined by the absence of witnesses and the presence of a neighbor that defines its security through the destabilization of its periphery.
Men in Khost gathered to fight voluntarily against Pakistani forces along the Durand Line. Photo: Mohammad *Zaman Nazari. *
### **Deliberate Strikes, Strategic Displacement**
The geography of the conflict has moved far beyond disputed mountain passes, as the opening salvos in February 2026 revealed. Following Pakistan’s declaration of “open war” against the Taliban regime for its alleged support of TTP militants, Islamabad’s campaign shifted from rural border skirmishes to multiple targeted strikes on Kabul itself.
By March, these airstrikes intensified, culminating in the destruction of a rehabilitation clinic in the center of the capital, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.
According to findings from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), as of April 1, 2026, verified civilian deaths from Pakistani operations have reached a historic high of at least 212 victims, including male clinic patients, women, and children. However, the actual toll is likely significantly higher—owing to UNAMA’s conservative accounting methodology and the reality of armed conflict in a vast, largely inaccessible region.
Recent Pakistani strikes also targeted Asadabad, the capital of Kunar province, a city of roughly 50,000 people and the hub for northeastern Afghanistan. Residents reported that shelling and strikes over the past weekend did not discriminate between military installations and residential blocks. “Many people have been killed. I counted at least twenty. Many more were injured. We had to bring the victims to hospitals in Jalalabad city and elsewhere,” Mohammad Agha, a resident of Asadabad, told Drop Site*.* In the aftermath, the city’s markets slowed to a halt and the central hospital struggled to manage the dozens of casualties with dwindling supplies.
The targeting of a provincial capital marks a shift in Pakistan’s military doctrine toward Afghanistan. It suggests that the goal is no longer merely ”border management” or the containment of militants, but the application of maximum pressure on the Taliban administration by targeting the civilian centers it is supposed to protect.
Outside the capital, the rural districts of Kunar are emptying as they are systematically attacked. Residents describe a pattern of relentless shelling aimed at traditional villages. The targets appear to be the fabric of rural life rather than specific insurgent hideouts.
“The situation is very bad,” Shahzad, a resident of a village along the border, told Drop Site News. “Many people had to leave their homes. Others were killed. The Pakistani army is hitting all of us deliberately.”
When the smoke clears, the demographic shift is total. “Four villages were hit. All the people, including my own family, were expelled. Nobody is there anymore,” another witness reported. Homes, mosques, and schools have been destroyed or abandoned, residents told Drop Site. Many local observers consider these attacks as a deliberate strategy of the Pakistani army to expel residents and gain more land for creation of a “buffer zone” along the border, something that also happened in the era of the U.S.-backed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and before the return of the Taliban.
According to the United Nations, the Taliban’s government, local NGOs, the Red Crescent and various media reports, between 30,000 and 40,000 people have been driven from their homes in Kunar alone, with little prospect of receiving aid from international organizations or government authorities.
### **A Silent Blockade**
In Nooristan, the war is not defined by explosions, but by silence. In the remote districts of Kamdesh and Barg-e Matal, the Pakistani military has effectively created a blockade. The main road connecting these districts to the rest of the country—the region’s only lifeline—has been closed for over a month following attacks on roads and bridges by the Pakistani military aimed at severing connection to the area.
In a high-altitude environment where supply chains are already fragile, the consequences of a road closure are immediate. Locals who spoke to Drop Site described markets that have run out of flour, rice, and cooking oil, as well as clinics that are empty of medicine. The blockade creates a vacuum where basic survival becomes a daily struggle for thousands of people, including children and pregnant women.
Alternative routes through the mountains are currently impassable due to seasonal landslides and heavy rain. The region is under siege. While limited air deliveries have taken place, local sources report that the supplies largely benefit state and military personnel, leaving the civilian population to rely on dying livestock and deteriorating water sources.
Residents of Nooristan recently issued a collective appeal to the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the Red Cross. They are not asking for political intervention, but for the bare minimum: food, medicine, and the reopening of a single road. “This is a test for humanity,” their statement read.
Despite a fragile five-day ceasefire over the Islamic holiday of Eid last month brokered by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the Pakistani military resumed its campaign on March 19, the second day of the holiday. In both Kunar and Nooristan, the truce ended before it actually began with a new wave of aerial strikes that targeted civilians attempting to cross the mountain passes to visit relatives. Among the dead was a Kabul-based physician who was killed when her vehicle was hit near the border.
The Taliban-led Afghan government has waged its own counteroffensive against Pakistan. Over the last four weeks, Taliban border units have launched coordinated artillery barrages against Pakistani Frontier Corps outposts in the Khyber and Kurram districts. On March 31, Taliban forces successfully overran and destroyed a Pakistani army border installation in the Dangam district of Kunar—the same post residents identified as the source of the indiscriminate shelling that had decimated local villages earlier in the month.
The following day a new round of mediation was [announced][4] in China aimed at finding a durable ceasefire and reopening border crossings, though no progress has yet been made.
### **“We are ready to defend our land”**
Further south, in Khost and the broader southeastern zone, the military campaign has produced a dual effect: mass displacement and organized local defiance.
In districts like Ali Sher and Zazi Maidan, the population has begun to organize public gatherings against the Pakistani military. These are not merely symbolic protests; they are expressions of a deep-seated anger regarding the Durand Line—the 1,600-mile border drawn by the British in 1893 that has never been formally recognized by any Afghan government.
“We are ready to defend our land,” dozens of participants declared in a recent gathering, calling on the Taliban authorities in Kabul to allow them to dismantle Pakistani border installations. Some of the men were armed and most of them didn’t have any history of fighting with the Taliban. They repeatedly claimed that they would fight Pakistan’s soldiers themselves if the Taliban allowed them to participate.
Heavy clashes erupted early Thursday between Afghan forces and the Pakistani military along several points of the Durand Line, including the Ghulam Khan border crossing in Khost and the Dand-e-Patan district in neighbouring Paktia, resulting in at least two civilian injuries from mortar fire. Despite confirmation of the fighting from local officials and the Taliban’s 203 Mansouri Army Corps, specific casualty figures remain unknown, creating a sharp paradox as the hostilities unfold simultaneously with high-level peace negotiations between Taliban and Pakistani delegations currently taking place in China.
The numbers in the south reflect the scale of the crisis. In one week between late February and early March, more than 115,000 people across eastern Afghanistan were forced from their homes, according to aid organizations. Many spent the Eid holidays, traditionally a time of community and celebration, under plastic sheets or in unfinished buildings.
“We left everything behind to save our children,” said Abdullah, a 52-year-old from Zazi Maidan. “On both sides, there are Afghans. We consider them as brothers who were once separated from us. But the Pakistani army shows no mercy.”
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2026-04-02 18:49:23 UTC

Israel is Conducting a Campaign to Ethnically Cleanse Southern Lebanon of Shia Residents
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A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Lebanese village of Zawtar al-Charkiyeh on March 31, 2026. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.
BEIRUT, Lebanon—On March 28, George Saeed, 62, and his 24-year-old son Elie were driving back to their home in Debel, a village in southern Lebanon close to the border with Israel. It was a route Saeed knew well. He ran a small laundromat beneath his house, where he washed uniforms for a Polish unit in the United Nations peacekeeping force stationed in the nearby village of Tiri. The trip from Tiri used to take a few minutes, but after the main road was bombed by the invading Israeli military he had begun taking a longer route through the neighboring village of Rmeich.
That afternoon, villagers saw George’s car pass through Rmeich and enter Debel, disappearing along the village’s steep, winding roads. When they were roughly 60 meters from their house, the crackle of gunfire rang out, followed by the blare of a stuck car horn.
Elie Louqa, Saeed’s nephew and the former mayor of Debel, was in Beirut when he got a call from his brother describing what had happened. He began contacting UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL), the Lebanese Army, and the Red Cross, asking them to reach the car. Both the Red Cross unit in Rmeich and the nearby UNIFIL contingent told Louqa they could not secure permission from their superiors to move.
After about 90 minutes, a group of young men from the village decided to go themselves. Carrying white blankets and mattresses to signal they were civilians, they reached the site of the attack and found the father and son dead inside their bullet-ridden car. They pulled the bodies out and carried them to the village cemetery for burial.
“You won’t find a man with cleaner hands. He was generous to a fault,” Louqa told Drop Site News. “Go and ask the people of our villages who George Saeed was.”
The killings were just one in a series of attacks on residents of several villages along the southern border who have chosen to remain in their homes despite repeated sweeping displacement orders by the Israeli military covering all of southern Lebanon.
Earlier this week, the Lebanese army [announced][3] its forces had withdrawn from southern border villages, leaving residents without even the semblance of protection. At least six Lebanese soldiers have been killed by Israel over the past month. The army said its troops had to “reposition” as they were being encircled and cut off from their supply lines but claimed it continued to “stand by residents” by “maintaining a group of military personnel” in the villages. What this meant in practice, according to residents, was that soldiers from the area could stay in their homes provided they did not wear army uniforms or carry arms.
“We don’t know why the army made this decision,” said Boutros al-Rai, a local farmer and civilian administrator. “For us, its presence made us feel protected.”
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Lebanon is being ravaged as Israel’s escalated assault enters its second month. More than 1,300 people have been killed, including over 120 children, and over 4,000 injured in a relentless onslaught. Israel has issued displacement orders covering around 15% of Lebanese territory and more than 1.1 million people—about a fifth of the country’s population—have been forced from their homes. Emergency workers have also been increasingly targeted, with over 50 killed over the past four weeks.
Despite a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, Israel continued to carry out near daily attacks and occupied five hilltop positions on Lebanese territory. When Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Tehran, Israel launched a full scale aerial assault and ground invasion on Lebanon.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that the Israeli military plans to occupy the entire area south of the Litani River and will not allow hundreds of thousands of residents to return to their homes, making a reference to areas in Gaza that have been completely razed in the genocide. “The return of over 600,000 residents of the area south of the Litani River will be completely prohibited until the safety and security of residents of the north is ensured, similar to the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip,” Katz said.
The Israeli military also appears to be engaged in a campaign to ethnically cleanse southern Lebanon of its Shia residents. Around three weeks ago, Israeli military officials called the heads of a cluster of majority Christian villages in southeastern Lebanon and ordered them to force out any “displaced people” that had taken refuge there, according to a municipal official in one of the villages, who spoke to Drop Site on condition of anonymity. “Displaced people” was a thinly-veiled reference to Shia residents who had been forced to flee nearby towns like Khiam.
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa used explicitly sectarian language two weeks ago in referencing Israel’s military campaign in the south. “We asked the Israelis to leave the Christian villages in southern Lebanon and requested that the army keep a unit stationed there,” Issa [said][4] in a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rah.
Over the past week, the Israeli military made a new round of phone calls to leaders in majority Sunni villages Chebaa and Kfarchouba, warning them to not accept any non-locals into their village. Mohammad Hammoud, a spokesperson for the town of Chebaa, confirmed the authenticity of a [video][5] circulating online showing a call received on Tuesday by local leader Ibrahim Nabaa. Over the phone, an Israeli soldier warned that the village would be targeted if officials failed to keep resistance fighters out. Hammoud said that the municipality had organized a small police force to conduct patrols at night and make sure no outsiders entered—measures that, he hoped, would spare residents their homes and land.
As part of its invasion of southern Lebanon, the Israeli military is in the midst of a scorched earth campaign, systematically destroying homes and civilian infrastructure in border villages. Louqa, the former mayor of Debel, said he fielded frantic calls on Wednesday from village residents who told him that occupation forces had begun to blow up homes on the village periphery. The homes were empty, he explained, because in times of war, residents often move closer to the village center for safety.
“These homes are in Debel—not on the outskirts, not kilometers away,” Boutros al-Rai, a local official told Drop Site, adding that at least 10 houses had been demolished on Wednesday alone. “They’re blowing them up one by one. We don’t know why or how.”
Around 1,700 people remain in Debel, according to al-Rai, down from 2,500 before the war. Once the escalation began on March 2, residents started making trips to the nearby village of Rmeich to buy essential goods. But after the killing of George and Elie Saeed last week, and without any support from UNIFIL or the withdrawn Lebanese army, that route was no longer considered safe.
“People have supplies for a week or two,” al-Rai said. “They rely on each other. But it’s not enough for much longer.”
Access to medical care is also severely limited. In Rmeich, where about 6,000 people remain, there is no hospital. Residents depend on coordinated evacuations, typically requiring approval from the Lebanese Army as well as UNIFIL, which then communicates with Israeli occupation forces.
Elie Shoufani, a local official and Red Cross volunteer, said the process is inconsistent. “Sometimes we get permission quickly, sometimes we don’t.”
Earlier this week, a 48-year-old man, Paul Mu’awwad, went into cardiac arrest and died before he could get treatment. “We didn’t get permission to take him for emergency care,” Shoufani said, adding that Mu’awwad had left behind a wife and six children. “If we had been able to reach a hospital, he might have lived.”
Over the past month, residents in Debel, Rmeich, and nearby Ein Ebl have relied largely on aid convoys from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which in the past have been accompanied by the Lebanese army.
“Now that the army has left, we don’t know what will happen,” Shoufani said.
UNIFIL troops have also limited their movement after Israeli airstrikes killed three Indonesian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon over a 24 hour period last week. Residents say this has further reduced their options.
“All we ask is for a way to move the injured or reach medical care,” Louqa said. “A mechanism to respond when we call. God will take care of the rest.”
Al-Rai described the difficulty and humiliation of displacement in a state with overburdened shelters and skyrocketing rents. More than anything, he worried that if he abandoned his home, it would be destroyed by Israeli occupation forces. He, like the others in his village, was determined to stay put.
“These are our homes, our livelihoods, our villages, the homes of our parents and grandparents,” he said. “These are not places that can be left behind.”
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2026-04-02 14:51:03 UTC

U.S.-Israeli strikes target Iran’s healthcare system; Israel continues bombing of Lebanon, assassinates Hezbollah commander; Congress lands on a plan to reopen DHS
*U.S.-Israeli attacks continue to pound Iran. Former Iranian foreign minister [wounded][1] in strike on Tehran residence. President Donald Trump [discusses][2] Iran war in an address to the nation. Trump [threatens][3] to leave NATO over Hormuz. U.S. military [briefs][4] Trump on plan to seize Iranian uranium in ground operation. UK to [convene][5] talks on Strait of Hormuz reopening with 35 nations. Houthis [threaten][6] to close Bab el Mandab strait. Israel [kills][7] Hezbollah’s southern front commander in Beirut strike. Israeli airstrike [kills][8] family of four in southern Lebanon. Israel privately [pressures][9] Christian and Druze towns in southern Lebanon to expel displaced Shiites. House Speaker Mike Johnson [buckles][10] under Trump pressure, end to record closure of DHS in sight. Possible Democratic hopefuls [say][11] Israel must pay for its own missiles. Top Trump lobbyist [testifies][12] in Venezuela lobbying trial. Democratic socialist Claire Valdez [reports][13]
$750,000 fundraising haul. U.S.-Israeli strike [kills][14] three PMF fighters in northwestern Iraq. Magnitude 7.4 earthquake [kills][15] at least one in northern Indonesia. Pakistan and Afghanistan [hold][16] China-mediated peace talks. Russia [claims][17] full control of Luhansk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [calls][18] Easter ceasefire talks with U.S. envoys “positive.” New UN force leader and Chadian advance troops [arrive][19] in Haiti. Washington [removes][20] Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez from sanctions list. RSF advance [drives][21] 10,000 displaced to Sudan’s Blue Nile region. Iran war [drives][22] sharp fuel price hikes across Africa.*
**NEW from Drop Site: [Premature babies evacuated amid Israeli attack on Al-Shifa Hospital returned to Gaza after two and a half years][23]**
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U.S.-Israeli airstrikes caused extensive damage to the Pasteur Institute of Iran, in Tehran. Photo Hossein Kermanpour, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Health, via X.
# War on Iran
* **U.S.-Israeli attacks continue to pound Iran:**
* Strikes were reported across three locations in Khuzestan province on Thursday, including in the city of Abadan, according to the Mehr news agency.
* American and Israeli aircraft [struck][26] multiple coastal sites in southern Iran on Wednesday, including Qeshm Island, the port of Charak, and nearby Hengam Island near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Mehr News Agency. An official said the strike on Qeshm targeted the Doha fishing pier, injuring two people, and that the Charak strike damaged three landing craft at the port’s commercial pier.
* U.S.-Israeli airstrikes have caused extensive damage to the Pasteur Institute of Iran, a century-old medical research center in Tehran, [according][27] to the spokesperson for Iran’s health ministry Hossein Kermanpour, who called the attack “a direct assault on international health security. This violates Geneva Conventions & IHL principles.”
* U.S.-Israeli airstrikes [hit][28] a second pharmaceutical facility in western Tehran on Tuesday. The plant, the Daro Bakhsh Pharmaceutical Factory, is one of Iran’s oldest medical production hubs and produces a significant share of Iran’s domestic medicine supply, including antibiotics, cardiovascular drugs, and intravenous fluids used in hospital operations.
* The U.S.-Israeli campaign has [damaged][29] more than 115,000 civilian units in Iran so far, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Iran’s main humanitarian body. Its president, Pir Hossein Kolivand, said 44,391 of those units are located in Tehran.
* The death of a third Iranian Red Crescent volunteer was [announced][30] on Wednesday.
* **Former Iranian foreign minister wounded in strike on Tehran residence: **Kamal Kharazi, an 81-year-old former Iranian foreign minister and a foreign affairs adviser to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was severely [injured][31] Wednesday in a U.S.-Israeli strike on his Tehran residence that also killed his wife, according to Iranian media reports.
* **CENTCOM reports 12,300 Iranian targets struck: **U.S. Central Command claimed on Wednesday it had [struck][32] more than 12,300 Iranian targets since its campaign against Iran began, including command and control centers, ballistic missile facilities, and storage depots. More than 155 Iranian naval vessels have been damaged or destroyed, CENTCOM said.
* **British Royal Air Force shoots down 10 Iranian drones: **Britain’s Royal Air Force [intercepted][33] and destroyed 10 Iranian drones overnight in what the Ministry of Defense described as a “high-threat area,” without specifying the exact location, according to an announcement Wednesday. Typhoon and F-35 fighter jets are continuing defensive missions over Cyprus, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, the ministry said.
* **Iran fires largest missile barrage at Israel in weeks: **Iran [launched][34] at least 10 ballistic missiles toward central Israel on Wednesday evening, just before Passover Seder began, in its largest barrage in weeks, according to the Israeli military, which said many missiles were intercepted and others landed in open areas. One missile carrying a cluster warhead dispersed bomblets over the cities of Rosh Haayin and Petah Tikva, damaging homes, cars, and a playground, according to Israeli rescue services. No injuries were immediately reported.
* **Trump offers few new details in Iran War speech: ** President Donald Trump offered few new details about the Iran war in a primetime [address][35] on Wednesday night, despite the White House billing it as an “important update” on the war. Trump gave a vague timeline of when the U.S. will end its military campaign against Iran, saying, “We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks—we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong.” Trump claimed the “core strategic objectives are nearing completion” and did not indicate he was preparing to send in ground troops. He said that if Iran does not make a deal with the U.S., “we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.” Trump also said “This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren’s future. The whole world is watching.” After his address, oil rose and stocks fell with U.S. crude surging over $110 a barrel
Thursday—for the first time in over three weeks. In remarks to the press earlier in the day, Trump also noted the domestic cost of the war, and of the administration’s belligerent foreign policy generally, [saying][36], “We can’t take care of daycare. We’re a big country. We’re fighting wars. It’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these things.”
* **Iran Foreign Ministry: “We will not tolerate this vicious cycle”:** In response to Trump’s address, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, “We will not tolerate this vicious cycle of war, negotiations, ceasefire, and then repeating the same pattern.” He added that Iran does not consider its Gulf neighbors as enemies. “We have repeatedly said that we are determined to continue our good neighborly relations with all of them. The problem is that the United States and Israel are exploiting their territories to carry out their military aggression against Iran.”
* **Trump threatens to leave NATO over Hormuz: **President Donald Trump threatened to [withdraw][37] the United States from PURL—the NATO program through which European nations fund weapons purchases for Ukraine—after NATO allies declined his demand that they join a coalition to force open the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing officials briefed on the discussions. One source described Trump as “rather hysterical” over the refusal. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte subsequently pressed allies to commit to a March 19 joint statement expressing their readiness to help secure the strait, according to the report. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker [told interviewers on Wednesday][38] that President Donald Trump is “evaluating and reevaluating everything,” including American participation in NATO and support for Ukraine. In an interview with Fox News, he said that NATO “has to be a two-way street” and that the U.S. could not indefinitely guarantee
European security without “benefit for America.”
* **Iran says supreme leader in good health: **Iran’s Foreign Ministry [said][39] Wednesday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is “in perfect health” and that his absence from public view is a result of wartime precautions.
* **Iranian healthcare system shows signs of collapse:** Iran’s healthcare system is showing signs that it may be breaking down as a result of recent U.S.-Israeli attacks on key health infrastructure. A cancer patient told the Iranian newspaper Sharg that the MAHAK cancer charity informed them it had no post-chemotherapy medication available. Non-emergency surgeries are being postponed due to anesthesia shortages; and in some Tehran neighborhoods, a single doctor is seeing 200 to 300 patients per day. Iran’s deputy health minister said that 24 pharmaceutical and medical facilities have sustained partial or total damage since the war began. Also on Wednesday, a group of Austrian physicians pointed out that recent Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iranian pharmaceutical facilities fall “outside all legal frameworks of war,” in an [interview][40] with Deutsche Welle Persian.
* **U.S. military briefs Trump on plan to seize Iranian uranium in ground operation: **The U.S. military has [presented][41] President Donald Trump with a plan to seize approximately 970 pounds of highly enriched uranium stored at Iranian nuclear facilities, according to the Washington Post. The plan involves the airlift of potentially hundreds or thousands of troops, excavation equipment, and the construction of a runway inside Iran to fly the material out, according to two people familiar with the matter. The uranium, enriched to 60 percent, is stored primarily in tunnels more than 300 feet deep at a facility outside Isfahan, and additional material is stored at Natanz. The Isfahan site’s entrance is currently buried under rubble from the U.S. bombing in June. A former CIA officer and Defense Department official said the plan had the potential to be “one of, if not the largest, most complicated special operations in history.”
* **Iran launches volunteer recruitment: **Iran has [launched][42] a nationwide volunteer recruitment campaign, promoted via mass text message and state television, calling on citizens to defend the country against “the American-Zionist enemy’s threats against Iran’s shores, islands and borders” amid the prospect of a U.S. ground invasion, the Financial Times reports. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also begun a recruitment drive of its own, calling for individuals as young as 12 to take up roles at security checkpoints, caring for the wounded, or cooking for the military, or to donate financially to the group. Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on Iranian authorities to revoke the campaign, warning that recruiting children under 15 constitutes a war crime under customary international law and that “children at military facilities would be at serious risk of death and injury.”
* **UK to convene talks on Strait of Hormuz reopening with 35 nations: **British Prime Minister Keir Starmer [announced][43] Wednesday that Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper will host a virtual meeting of 35 countries Thursday to coordinate diplomatic, political, and military planning to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “after the fighting has stopped.” Starmer said the talks would assess “all viable measures” to restore “freedom of navigation”, ensure the safety of trapped ships and seafarers, and “resume [the] movement of vital commodities.” He also noted that military planners would separately examine how to “marshal our capabilities” to make the Strait “accessible and safe” once hostilities cease. Starmer said that signatories to a recent joint statement on safe passage—including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands—would be among the participants. “I do have to level with people on this,” Starmer said. “This will not be easy.”
* **Macron says Hormuz can only reopen through coordination with Iran:** French President Emmanuel Macron said it was “unrealistic” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz through a military operation in comments to reporters Thursday during a visit to South Korea. “There are people who advocate the idea of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by force, through a military operation, a position that has at times been expressed by the United States,” he said. “That has never been the option we have chosen, and we consider it unrealistic.” The reopening of the Strait “can only be done in coordination with Iran,” through negotiations, Macron added.
* **Houthis threaten to close Bab el Mandab strait: **Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour [told][44] Al-Monitor in a March 31 interview that the group could close the Bab el Mandab strait—the 32-kilometer chokepoint at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula—if Gulf states become directly involved in military operations alongside the U.S. and Israel against Iran. The threat takes on heightened significance as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, pushing more Saudi oil exports through Bab el Mandab to Asian markets than before the war.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1,318—with 3935 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Israeli strikes kill seven on Thursday:** At least seven people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Thursday, including [four][45] in Ramadiya in the Tyre district and [three][46] in a dawn strike on a two-storey building in Kfarsir, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry and the National News Agency. Six others were wounded—three critically—after a strike destroyed the Abdul Raouf Sbaiti complex in Kafra.
* **Israel kills Hezbollah’s southern front commander in Beirut strike: **Israel [assassinated][47] Haj Youssef Ismail Hashem, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, in a strike on Beirut’s Jnah neighborhood Wednesday. Hezbollah confirmed Hashem’s death, calling him a “beacon of the Islamic Resistance.” He is the most senior Hezbollah figure killed since Lebanon was drawn into the war on March 2. The strike that killed Hashem was conducted near a school sheltering displaced civilians, according to Al Jazeera, and killed at least seven people in total.
* **Israeli airstrike kills family of four in southern Lebanon: **An Israeli airstrike [killed][48] two young sisters and their parents Wednesday when warplanes bombed their home in Houmeen al-Tahta in southern Lebanon’s Iqlim al-Tuffah district, approximately 20 miles from the Israeli border, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. The victims were identified as sisters Nour and Hanan Hamiyeh and their parents, Mohammad Hamiyeh and Rima Jouni.
* **Hezbollah claims strikes on Israeli military positions, engagements with Israeli aircraft: **Hezbollah [said][49] on Wednesday that it launched rockets toward northern Israeli areas including Kiryat Shmona, Avivim, Kabri, and Nahariya, and struck Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon at sites including Qantara, Ainata, Aitaroun, Qouzah, Odaisseh, Markaba, and Robb Thalathin. The group also claimed air-defense success, saying it fired on an Israeli aircraft over Jwayya on Wednesday afternoon and struck a helicopter over Yaroun on Tuesday using surface-to-air missiles.
* **Israel privately pressures Christian and Druze towns in southern Lebanon to expel displaced Shiites: **While publicly ordering a blanket evacuation of all civilians within 25 miles of the Israeli border, Israeli military officials have privately called leaders of at least eight Christian and Druze villages in southern Lebanon, directing them to expel Shiite Muslims who had sought refuge in their communities, according a new [report][50] from New York Times. Local leaders said they complied out of fear their own towns would be bombed if they refused. “I visited the families one by one and told them to prepare themselves, that if we got an alert they would have to move,” one deputy mayor told the Times, who complied with the order “for the safety of the town.”
* **France and Indonesia condemn Israeli actions against UNIFIL peacekeepers: **France’s junior army minister Alice Rufo [said][51] on Wednesday that French peacekeeping troops serving in Lebanon had been subjected to “absolutely unacceptable intimidation” by Israeli forces, citing three incidents on March 28 between French and Israeli military personnel. Rufo, speaking at the War and Peace conference in Paris a day after returning from Lebanon, said she was sending “a message of solidarity” to French soldiers in the field. Separately, Indonesia called on the United Nations to investigate the deaths of three Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon this week.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, three Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,289 killed, with 172,043 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 713 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,943, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israel continues to bombard Gaza: **A Palestinian woman, Rawan Fayyad, was [killed][52] Thursday by Israeli gunfire near al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, according to Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha. Three people, including a child, were also injured by Israeli gunfire Wednesday in separate areas of Gaza, with the child critically wounded in Khan Younis, while two others were shot near Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood and east of Nuseirat refugee camp, WAFA reported. Sustained heavy strikes were also [reported][53] in eastern Gaza on Wednesday night.
* **Premature babies evacuated amid Israeli attack on Al-Shifa returned to Gaza after more than two years:** Eight Palestinian children who were evacuated to Egypt as premature babies in November 2023 were reunited with their families in Gaza on Monday after two and a half years of separation. The eight toddlers were among 31 Palestinian infants who were evacuated from the neonatal intensive care unit in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, as the Israeli military laid siege to the medical complex and raided it in November 2023. 28 of the babies were transported across the border to Egypt for treatment. None were accompanied by family members. “These two years felt like forty, even more—a lifetime. During this time, I was a body without a soul. I couldn’t work or do anything,” Ahmed Al-Harsh, who was reunited with his son Mahmoud on Monday, told Drop Site. His wife gave birth to Mahmoud as she was gravely injured following an airstrike that killed their entire family. His wife succumbed to
her injuries after giving birth. **Read more from Drop Site contributor Abdel Qader Sabbah [here][54].**
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][55].*
* **Johnson buckles under Trump pressure, end to record closure in sight: **House Speaker** Mike Johnson (R-La.)** [agreed][56] to move forward with the two-track Senate deal to end the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Johnson and Senate Majority Leader **John Thune (R-S.D.) **announced on Wednesday that they would pass a bill funding most of DHS immediately, while routing money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection through a separate reconciliation package. Johnson, who called the deal a “crap sandwich,” reversed course less than three hours after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, urging Republicans to fund ICE and CBP through reconciliation and demanding the legislation reach his desk by June 1. The House is not due back until April 14, though Johnson could recall members sooner or use a procedural maneuver to pass it during recess. **House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)** and **Senate
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)** both declared victory, with Jeffries saying Republicans “have come to realize that we will never bend the knee.”
* **Possible Democratic hopefuls say Israel must pay for its own missiles: **New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani [voiced][57] his agreement with **Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)**, who announced on Tuesday that she would oppose all military aid to Israel. “I support what the Congresswoman said,” Mamdani said. Ocasio-Cortez issued another statement regarding her new position, saying that Israel is “well able” to fund its Iron Dome system, which she defended in principle as “critical [in keeping] innocent civilians safe from rocket attacks and bombardment.” **Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)** joined in on Wednesday, signalling he would not support additional funding for Israel’s Iron Dome. “Israel is a first-world country,” Khanna said, “and it can pay for the defensive systems it needs.” Former Chicago mayor **Rahm Emanuel **made similar comments [in an interview][58] with Semafor’s Dave Weigel.
* **Death of Rohingya refugee abandoned by Border Patrol at Buffalo doughnut shop ruled a homicide: **The death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a 56-year-old nearly blind Rohingya refugee from Myanmar found dead on a Buffalo street in February—five days after Border Patrol agents dropped him at a Tim Hortons restaurant—was [ruled][59] a homicide by the Erie County Medical Examiner. The county determined he died from complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer brought on by hypothermia and dehydration. Shah Alam had been released from Erie County jail on misdemeanor charges the same day Border Patrol briefly detained him, determined he was ineligible for deportation, and then left him at the closed restaurant in jail-issued booties without notifying his family.
* **Top Trump lobbyist testifies in Venezuela lobbying trial : **Washington lobbyist **Brian Ballard**, a prominent figure in Trump’s political orbit, [testified][60] in federal court in Miami that he immediately severed ties with **former Florida Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.)** after learning in 2020 that Venezuela’s government had paid Rivera a $50 million consulting contract, telling Rivera “I have nothing to do with this.” Rivera is on trial on charges for allegeding lobbying on behalf of **Nicolas Maduro** without registering as a foreign agent. Ballard’s testimony touched upon his work on behalf of Venezuelan media billionaire **Raúl Gorrín**—later indicted for allegedly bribing Venezuelan officials—who flew Ballard and Rivera to the Dominican Republic on his private jet to meet with Venezuelan opposition leaders. **Susie Wiles**, Trump’s chief of staff, was once registered as a lobbyist for Gorrín’s television network, though the White House has blocked efforts to compel her
testimony in the trial. **Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas)**, who prosecutors say secretly traveled to Caracas for a meeting with Maduro, is also scheduled to testify.
* **FBI declares China-linked hack a major national security incident: **The FBI [determined][61] that a suspected Chinese intrusion into an internal agency system containing law enforcement surveillance data was a “major incident” and poses “significant risks” to U.S. national security. The compromised system reportedly held pen register and trap-and-trace surveillance returns—tools that reveal which phones and websites are being monitored by the FBI—as well as personally identifiable information on subjects of FBI investigations.
* **OpenAI built national security hiring pipeline to capture Pentagon contracts, Lever reports: **OpenAI quietly removed longstanding prohibitions on military use of its models in January 2024 and embarked on a systematic hiring spree of national security insiders, recruiting more than a dozen former officials from the Defense Department, National Security Council, and Capitol Hill, according to a new report from the Lever. The strategy paid off last month when OpenAI secured a $200 million Pentagon contract after the Trump administration froze out rival Anthropic over its resistance to having its models used for surveillance and automated weapons without sufficient safeguards. OpenAI’s deal with the government was reportedly brokered by OpenAI’s lobbying chief Joseph Larson, a former deputy chief digital and artificial intelligence officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. **Read more about this hiring spree [here][62].**
* **Claire Valdez reports $750,000 fundraising haul: **Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist running for New York’s 7th Congressional District, [raised][63] $750,000 from more than 11,200 donors in her first campaign finance reporting period, with an average contribution of $53.73, according to her campaign. Valdez has the endorsement of both **Zohran Mamdani** and Justice Democrats. Fundraising figures for her principal opponent, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who is backed by outgoing **Rep. Nydia Velázquez**, have not been reported.
* **Report: Internal power struggle “saps momentum” from UAW revival as Fain faces re-election challenge: **A bitter rift has developed between UAW President **Shawn Fain** and Secretary-Treasurer **Margaret Mock**—the two leaders who jointly won control of the union in its first-ever rank-and-file election in 2022—a new report from The American Prospect details. Fain’s inner circle, drawn from the labor-radical publication Labor Notes, clashed repeatedly with Mock over financial oversight and staffing decisions. **Neil Barofsky**, a lawyer appointed by a federal court to oversee the union, has also been a major source of conflict, within and outside of the union. All of this has stalled the union’s organizing momentum following landmark contract wins with the Big Three automakers and a historic victory at Volkswagen’s Tennessee plant, and touches upon both the future of Fain’s leadership and (tangentially) upon the war in Gaza. Read Harold Meyerson’s full report [here][64].
* **NYC politician opposing Mamdani’s wealth tax accused of obscuring family fortune: **New York City Council Speaker **Julie Menin**, a leading obstacle to Mayor **Zohran Mamdani**’s proposed tax on ultra-wealthy New Yorkers, publicly claimed under $500,000 in assets on disclosure forms. According to The Lever, however, her family’s total holdings may be worth well into the tens of millions of dollars, including a $22 million Hamptons home, luxury Manhattan properties, and access to private jets. She may have been able to obscure this wealth, furthermore, because of a disclosure rule that allows spouses’ assets to remain confidential on public filings. Menin, whose husband runs a major real estate firm, has advocated spending cuts over new taxes to address the city’s deficit, a position Mamdani has called “unrealistic,” warning her approach would “slash billions” from city agencies. The full report is available [here][65].
# Other International News
* **U.S.-Israeli strike kills three PMF fighters in northwestern Iraq: **A U.S.-Israeli strike on the 53rd Brigade of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces in Tal Afar, Nineveh province, [killed][66] three fighters Thursday, the Iraqi News Agency reported. Separately, the Islamic Resistance of Iraq—an umbrella of mostly Iran-aligned armed factions—said it carried out 41 retaliatory operations against U.S. bases in Iraq and the region on Wednesday, deploying “dozens of drones and missiles,” according to Iran’s state news agency ISNA.
* **U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warns of potential attacks:** The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad [warned][67] citizens Thursday that “militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours.” The embassy said targets could include “U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian targets.” It also added that “militias have targeted Americans for kidnapping. U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now.”
* **Magnitude 7.4 earthquake kills at least one in northern Indonesia: **A magnitude 7.4 earthquake [struck][68] the Molucca Sea near northern Indonesia on Thursday, killing at least one person, injuring several others, and generating tsunami waves of up to 75 centimeters at monitoring stations along the coast. A 70-year-old woman died in a building collapse in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, while at least three people were hospitalized in Ternate, in neighboring North Maluku province. Dozens of aftershocks followed, including one of magnitude 6.2.
* **Pakistan and Afghanistan hold China-mediated peace talks: **Pakistan and Afghanistan [opened][69] the first round of China-mediated peace talks in Urumqi, in China’s northern Xinjiang region, on Wednesday, with negotiations expected to continue Thursday, according to the Associated Press. The talks came after weeks of the most severe cross-border fighting between the two countries in decades. Even as diplomats met, an Afghan police spokesman said Pakistani mortar fire killed two civilians and wounded six others, including four children, in Kunar province on Wednesday night. China has been pressing both sides toward dialogue since late February, with special envoy Yue Xiaoyong visiting both capitals.
* **Russia claims full control of Luhansk: **Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Wednesday that its forces had [completed][70] the capture of the entire Luhansk region of Ukraine, a claim which the Ukrainian military denied (it claims it holds “small patches” and has held them “for a long time.” Russian claims of full Luhansk control have been made before—with a similar such claim made in June—and Ukrainian officials have previously said Moscow inflates battlefield gains to convince U.S. negotiators that a Russian victory is inevitable.
* **Russia launches drone barrage on Ukraine, killing four: **Russia [launched][71] more than 360 drones against Ukraine during daylight hours Wednesday—an unusual departure from overnight attacks—killing four people in the Cherkasy region and wounding at least eight others across the Poltava and Khmelnytskyi regions, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 345 of the daytime drones. Strikes hit energy infrastructure and industrial facilities across western Ukraine, including critical infrastructure in the Zakarpattia region near the Slovak and Hungarian borders, cutting power to roughly 11,000 customers in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
* **Zelenskyy calls Easter ceasefire talks with U.S. envoys “positive”: **President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [described][72] Wednesday’s remote talks with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Senator Lindsey Graham, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte as “positive,” saying the Ukrainian and U.S. teams agreed to strengthen a document outlining American security guarantees for a future peace deal. Zelenskyy said he raised his proposal for an Easter ceasefire—Orthodox Easter falls on April 12—during the call, calling it a signal that “could tell everyone that diplomacy can be successful.” Russia’s foreign ministry publicly rejected the proposal as a “PR stunt” and the Kremlin reiterated its demand that Ukraine withdraw from the remainder of Donbas “yesterday.”
* **New UN force leader and Chadian advance troops arrive in Haiti: **Jack Christofides, a South African UN official appointed late last year to lead the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force, [arrived][73] in Haiti on Wednesday alongside an advance deployment of troops from Chad, the force announced. Chad has pledged 800 troops in total, though the overall force remains severely below its target—fewer than 1,000 personnel, mostly Kenyan, are currently deployed, representing less than 20 percent of the 5,500-troop number approved last year.
* **Washington removes Venezuelan interim president from sanctions list: **The U.S. Treasury Department [removed][74] Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, from its sanctions list Wednesday, marking a shift in the Trump administration’s approach toward Caracas. Rodríguez welcomed the decision, calling it a step toward “normalization” and expressing hope it could lead to the lifting of broader oil sanctions and expanded bilateral cooperation.
* **RSF advance drives 10,000 displaced to Sudan’s Blue Nile region: **More than 10,000 displaced people from the Geissan district on the Sudan-Ethiopia border have [arrived][75] in Er Roseires, the second-largest city in Sudan’s Blue Nile region, after a coalition of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North threatened the area, the Sudanese Doctors Network reported Wednesday. The displacement follows last week’s rebel alliance seizure of the strategic border city of Kurmuk, which intensified civilian flight toward Ed Damazin, the regional capital. The Doctors Network said the majority of arrivals are women, children, and the elderly facing acute shortages of food, medicine, and basic necessities, and issued an urgent appeal to national and international organizations for emergency aid, shelter, and civilian protection.
* **RSF drone strike destroys medicine warehouse in Sudan’s White Nile State, injuring three: **A drone [suspected][76] to belong to the Rapid Support Forces struck a medicine warehouse in Kosti, White Nile State, on Wednesday, destroying the facility and injuring three people, including a pharmacist, according to Sudan Tribune. The same drone fired additional missiles across parts of Kosti and targeted a water truck near the town of Al-Layyah.
* **Munitions explosion at Burundi military camp kills 13, injures 57 after storage fire: **A fire [caused][77] by a short-circuit in a storage unit at a military camp in Musaga, on the outskirts of Bujumbura, ignited explosives and triggered a series of blasts Tuesday night that killed 13 people and injured at least 57 others, the Burundian army said Wednesday. Army spokesperson Gaspard Baratuza said three soldiers were among the injured and confirmed the incident was not an attack.
* **Iran war drives sharp fuel price hikes across Africa: **African governments have imposed steep fuel price increases as the Iran war drives a surge in global oil prices, Reuters [reports][78], with a number of import-dependent countries especially vulnerable to the changes. Ghana raised petrol prices roughly 15 percent and diesel 19 percent for the April 1–15 period, with President John Mahama saying the government was considering reducing fuel margins and exploring a supply agreement with Nigeria’s Dangote refinery to secure alternative sources. Malawi imposed the steepest increases, raising petrol 34 percent and diesel 35 percent. Tanzania raised petrol and diesel prices 33 percent each, while Mauritania raised petrol 15 percent and diesel 10 percent (and announced minimum wage increases and cash transfers to cushion low-income households). Botswana, Gambia, and Mali also announced sharp increases. South Africa moved in the opposite direction, temporarily reducing its fuel levy
for one month following pressure from trade unions and business groups.
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[62]: https://www.levernews.com/how-openai-hacked-the-military-industrial-complex/
[63]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2039420344105140392
[64]: https://prospect.org/2026/04/01/apr-2026-magazine-house-of-labor-divided-uaw-union-autoworkers/
[65]: https://www.levernews.com/the-quiet-fortune-of-nycs-top-anti-tax-democrat/
[66]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2039562374223417683
[67]: https://x.com/USEmbBaghdad/status/2039600089849627052
[68]: https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-earthquake-molucca-sea-3538e21d71cf82da4733747987f701cd
[69]: https://apnews.com/article/china-host-talks-between-pakistan-afghanistan-ceasefire-207a599868bf4ba127c53b188e8e7769
[70]: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-luhansk-us-talks-drones-d78a7b78203130ddef11757e7df88abe
[71]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-launches-rare-daytime-drone-attack-ukraine-killing-four-ukrainian-2026-04-01/
[72]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-rutte-hold-talks-with-us-negotiators-source-says-2026-04-01/
[73]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chadian-forces-arrive-haiti-fight-gangs-part-new-un-backed-force-2026-04-01/
[74]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2039453653078024415
[75]: https://sudantribune.com/article/312342
[76]: https://sudantribune.com/article/312337
[77]: https://apnews.com/article/burundi-military-camp-fire-explosions-40c10cdbc733daa8a53cd657637263de
[78]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fuel-prices-surge-africa-iran-war-hits-supply-2026-04-01/
[79]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
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[81]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-israel-war-healthcare-lebanon-hezbollah-dhs/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-israel-war-healthcare-lebanon-hezbollah-dhs

2026-04-01 20:03:01 UTC

Premature Babies Evacuated After Israeli Attack on Al-Shifa Returned to Gaza After More Than Two Years
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Sundus al-Kurd reunites with her daughter Bissan after 2.5 years in Khan Younis on March 31, 2026. Bissan was born premature and evacuated to Egypt during an Israeli military attack on Al-Shifa Hospital in November 2023. Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images
KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA—Ahmed Al-Harsh waited outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday to meet his son, a toddler and the only other survivor of his entire family.
“I’m waiting for my son Mahmoud. I haven’t seen him in two and a half years except once, before he was transferred to Egypt. I’ve been waiting for two and a half years,” Al-Harsh, 31, told Drop Site News.
Mahmoud is one of 28 Palestinian infants who were evacuated to Egypt as premature babies in November 2023 from the neonatal intensive care unit in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, as the Israeli military laid siege to the medical complex and raided it. Mahmoud and seven other children were returned to Gaza on Monday to be reunited with their families, or what was left of them.
On October 14, 2023, one week into Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, the Israeli military bombed the Al-Harsh’s family home in the Jabaliya refugee camp. Al-Harsh’s entire family was killed in the attack—his four-year-old daughter, his father, mother, brother, sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces. Al-Harsh initially thought his wife, who was eight months pregnant at the time, had also been killed. He only later learned that she had been gravely injured and had given birth to their son, Mahmoud, in hospital before succumbing to her injuries.
Al-Harsh was able to see Mahmoud only once before he was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit in Al-Shifa’s hospital for care. He had been staying in Beit Lahia, unable to move amid the escalating Israeli assault. In November, Israel laid siege to Al-Shifa hospital, surrounding the medical complex and cutting it off from the rest of Gaza City before raiding it on November 15. Doctors inside scrambled to keep their patients alive, including the nearly 40 premature babies in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, Mahmoud among them. There was no electricity and incubators were failing. The World Health Organization, which was able to coordinate a one-hour visit to Al-Shifa at the time, [described][3] the hospital as a “death zone.”
After much negotiation, 31 premature babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa on November 19 and taken to Rafah. UNICEF said the conditions of the babies had been “rapidly deteriorating” inside the besieged hospital. Five died before they could be evacuated. The next day, 28 of the babies were [transported][4] across the border to Egypt for treatment. None were accompanied by family members.
For the past two and a half years, Al-Harsh has seen his son only in photos or videos sent to him from Egypt—first as an infant, then a toddler. “The feeling is indescribable. What can I tell you about this feeling?” he said. “These two years felt like forty, even more—a lifetime. During this time, I was a body without a soul. I couldn’t work or do anything.”
Video of the convoy arriving at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis bringing eight children who were evacuated from Gaza to Egypt in November 2023. March 30, 2026. Video provided by Abdel Qader Sabbah.
By early afternoon on Monday, the convoy from Egypt finally arrived. A Red Crescent ambulance and UN vehicles escorted a large bus carrying the children. Families crowded around the doors as they pulled up outside Nasser Hospital. The children were passed into the waiting arms of family members, most of them meeting for the first time, in scenes of joy. Al-Harsh appeared overwhelmed with emotion as he held Mahmoud, chubby, bespectacled and crying, in his arms. When Mahmoud grabbed a bottle of water and drank thirstily, Al-Harsh broke down and wept.
“Every human being needs the love of a mother and father. I am 31, I lost my mother and father, and I’m still suffering,” Al-Harsh said. “This boy—where do I find him a mother? Where do I find him his mother? When he grows up and asks about his mother, what do I tell him?”
At least four of the babies who were evacuated to Egypt died while there, Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, the director of the pediatric department at Nasser Hospital, told Drop Site. He added that the children who returned to Gaza, while healthy, would require additional medical and psychiatric evaluation.
Gaza’s health care system has been systematically destroyed by the Israeli military since October 2023. Every single hospital was attacked and 25 were completely shut down while 13 remain partially functioning, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Despite a “ceasefire” that went into effect in October, Israel has continued near daily attacks in Gaza, killing over 700 Palestinians since then. Israel has also continued to severely restrict the amount of humanitarian aid, fuel, medicine and other essentials, allowing in an average of only 200 trucks daily instead of the 600 agreed upon in the deal.
At the onset of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on February 28, Israel reinforced a total siege on Gaza, citing “security concerns.” The Kerem Shalom crossing was partially reopened three days later. The Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt—which had only opened in early February for medical evacuations and for Palestinians returning to Gaza—was also closed at the onset of the Iran war and only reopened on March 18. Roughly 20,000 people are on waiting lists for medical evacuation abroad, 4,000 of them children, according to the Health Ministry.
The Gaza Health Ministry this week warned of a severe shortage of generator fuel that threatened hospital operations. The Ministry said that remaining generators are “worn out and prone to repeated breakdowns,” placing critical departments such as intensive care, surgery, neonatal units, and dialysis at risk of shutting down. Israeli forces have allowed the entry of only 1,240 fuel trucks out of the 8,350 that were supposed to enter over the 167 days since the ceasefire agreement took effect—a compliance rate of just 14.8%—according to the latest statistics from officials in Gaza shared with mediators and obtained by Drop Site. The Health Ministry warned that 90 generators are already out of service, while 11 are running on limited supplies. All hospitals in Gaza remain fully dependent on emergency back-up generators, according to OCHA.
Regardless of the continued Israeli siege and daily military assaults, the families who were finally reunited with their children in Gaza on Monday after nearly two and a half years of separation, described the moment as nothing short of miraculous.
Sundus Al-Kurd was among them. She was badly wounded in an Israeli airstrike on her family home in Beit Lahia on October 22, 2023. Her daughter Habibat Al-Rahman was killed in the attack. Eight months pregnant, Al-Kurd was rushed to hospital where doctors operated on her to save her life and conducted an emergency delivery to save her unborn daughter, Bissan.
“On the day I gave birth to my daughter, I lost her only sister,” Al Kurd said.
“When I woke up, I asked, ‘Where is my daughter?’ They told me, ‘Your daughter is fine and doing well,’” she added. “They told me she was in an incubator and that due to my health condition I wouldn’t be able to care for her.”
Al-Kurd continued to recover from her injuries and was unable to see her daughter before the Israeli military attacked Al-Shifa in November 2023.
“I was evacuated from the hospital with difficulty and I asked to take my daughter with me, but they said I wouldn’t be able to care for her due to my medical condition,” she said.
Having lost her other daughter, parents, and two siblings during the war, Al-Kurd said she could not bear the thought of losing Bissan, whom she described as “a gift and compensation from God.” Al-Kurd did not know what had happened to her daughter until much later when she found out she had been among the 28 premature babies evacuated to Egypt.
Sundus Al-Kurd holds up a traditional Palestinian dress she brought for her daughter Bissan, who returned to Gaza after being evacuated to Egypt 2.5 years ago for medical treatment. Khan Younis. March 30, 2026. Screenshot of video by Abdel Qader Sabbah.
“Today, after two and a half years, God willing, we will be reunited with our daughter,” Al-Kurd said. She brought a traditional Palestinian dress for Bissan to wear. When her daughter finally arrived in the convoy to Nasser hospital, Al-Kurd held her tightly before dressing her in the white and red dress as relatives took turns embracing her.
“I am meeting my daughter for the first time,” she said. “It’s as if today is the day of her birth. I can’t describe my feelings.”
*Kamal El Bardai edited the video for this report.*
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[3]: https://www.who.int/news/item/18-11-2023-who-leads-very-high-risk-joint-humanitarian-mission-to-al-shifa-hospital-in-gaza
[4]: https://x.com/PalestineRCS/status/1726550643291095546
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2026-04-01 13:57:01 UTC

Iran war rages ahead of Trump’s “important update”; Houthis launch third attack on Israel; Lebanese army withdraws from border towns
*U.S.-Israeli attacks hit Iran. IRGC claims hundreds of attacks on Israel and Gulf. Houthis launch third attack on Israel. Drone strike [hits][1] fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport. Fires [reported][2] in Bahrain following missile strike. Oil tanker struck off Qatar coast. Drones strike BP subsidiary in Iraq. Debris kills Bangladeshi in UAE. UAE bars Iranian nationals from entering country. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei praises Hezbollah. IRGC commander [claims][3] strike on U.S. personnel housing in Saudi Arabia. China and Pakistan [propose][4] five-point peace plan. [WSJ][5]: UAE willing to join Strait of Hormuz military operation. Israeli strikes [hit][6] Beirut, killing nine. Lebanese army withdraws from southern border towns. Israeli strikes [kill][7] three in Gaza. Israel to [nix][8] French defense imports. Israeli settlers [attack][9] West Bank village, injuring four. President Donald Trump [signs][10] executive order creating national voter list, restricting
mail-in voting. Supreme Court [strikes][11] down Colorado conversion therapy ban. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [commits][12] to oppose all U.S. arms funding for Israel. Pentagon [weighs][13] deploying anti-drone laser system to defend War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. U.S. journalist [kidnapped][14] in Iraq. U.S. senators [urge][15] Taiwan not to be “naive” about China. MSF [reports][16] 3,300 sexual violence victims treated in Darfur in under two years. Sudanese army strikes [kill][17] RSF-aligned political figure in Nyala. Serbian students clash with police. Ukraine [continues][18] strikes on Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga. Colombian army [rescues][19] six siblings who hid in rainforest to evade rebel capture. Gang violence [continues][20] in Haiti’s Artibonite region.*
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Smoke rises after a drone attack struck fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City on April 01, 2026. Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S.-Israeli attacks hit Iran:**
* U.S.-Israeli airstrikes hit several civilian neighborhoods in Tehran on Wednesday morning as well as in the nearby city of Malard, [according][26] to the Iranian Red Crescent. Among the targets struck in Tehran appears to be the former U.S. Embassy compound, according to AP. The embassy has been controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard since the 1979 hostage crisis.
* On Tuesday, the Red Crescent [said][27] airstrikes hit multiple sites across Iran including the Mobarakeh Steel complex in Isfahan, Shahid Haghani Port in Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf coast, a steel complex in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in western Iran, and meteorological facilities in Bushehr. A Red Crescent emergency worker was also reportedly [killed][28] on Tuesday morning in an airstrike on Zanjan.
* **IRGC claims hundreds of attacks on Israel and Gulf:** The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran’s latest wave of attacks and its allied “resistance fronts” used more than 100 heavy missiles and attack drones, along with at least 200 rockets, according to IRIB. The IRGC claimed the attacks targeted various locations in Israel, a site hosting U.S. forces in Bahrain, and a U.S. helicopter unit at the al-Adiri base in Kuwait.
* **Iran continues to hit sites in Israel: **At least 25 people were wounded across 20 sites in Israel in attacks on Wednesday morning, [according][29] to Israeli media. A missile strike caused a four-story building south of Tel Aviv to partially collapse. Iran’s army also [announced][30] Tuesday that it launched drone attacks targeting what it believed to be Israeli military-linked industrial and communications facilities near Ben Gurion Airport and in Haifa, according to Fars News Agency. The army claimed the sites were affiliated with Siemens and AT&T, both of which, it claimed, support Israeli weapons production, artificial intelligence systems, and military communications infrastructure.
* **Houthis launch third attack on Israel: **The Houthis said in a televised statement on Wednesday that they fired ballistic missiles at “sensitive targets” in southern Israel. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, said in the statement that Israel’s “aggression, crimes and attacks on Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Palestine will only push us towards further military escalation.”
* **Drone strike hits fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport: **A drone attack [struck][31] fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport on Tuesday, sparking a large fire at facilities belonging to the Kuwait Aviation Fuel Supply Company, according to the country’s state news agency KUNA. Emergency crews moved to contain the blaze, with thick smoke reported at the scene. No injuries were immediately reported, though material damage was confirmed. KUNA said the attack may have been carried out by Iran-backed militias in Iraq.
* **Fires reported in Bahrain following missile strike: **Bahrain’s interior ministry [said][32] on Tuesday that it is working to extinguish a fire at a business facility following what it described as an Iranian attack, with images online showing thick black smoke rising over multiple sites in the Hamala area of western Bahrain. Unverified claims from open-source trackers suggest the strike may have hit infrastructure linked to Batelco, Bahrain’s main telecommunications provider and the host of AWS cloud operations in the country.
* **Tanker struck off Qatar coast: **An oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy was hit by an Iranian missile off the coast of Qatar early Wednesday, [according][33] to the Qatari Ministry of Defense, which added that it intercepted two other missiles.
* **Drones strike BP subsidiary in Iraq:** Multiple drones attacked a fuel warehouse in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil on Wednesday, according to the AP. The attack started a massive fire that sent a column of black smoke into the air. The facility is owned by Castrol, a subsidiary of BP.
* **Debris kills Bangladeshi in UAE:** Debris from an intercepted drone killed a citizen of Bangladesh in Fujairah, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, on Wednesday, according to authorities. The fatality brings the death toll in the UAE to nine civilians and two soldiers since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.
* **UAE bars Iranian nationals from entering country: **Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Flydubai [issued][34] travel advisories Tuesday barring Iranian nationals from entering or transiting through the United Arab Emirates, with exceptions made for certain individuals, including holders of a UAE Golden Visa. Over 1,200 Iranians living in Dubai have returned to Iran since the war started, according to the Tasnim news agency. With direct flights to Iran closed, the returnees have flown via Afghanistan and Armenia.
* **Mojtaba Khamenei praises Hezbollah:** Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei sent a message of gratitude to Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem on Wednesday. In a statement read on air by a state television anchor, Khamenei also vowed to continue “to support the resistance against the Zionist-American enemy.”
* **IRGC commander claims strike on U.S. personnel housing in Saudi Arabia: **IRGC Air Force commander Seyed Majid Moosavi [claimed][35] on Tuesday that Iranian forces struck a residence housing American pilots and aircrew in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. Moosavi said the attack caused multiple casualties and injuries among United States personnel, though the U.S. has yet to confirm either the casualties or the attack. Footage circulating online on Tuesday does appear to [show][36] an Iranian ballistic missile striking near a U.S. base in the Middle East, though the exact date and location of this video have not been verified.
* **China and Pakistan propose five-point peace plan: **China and Pakistan on Tuesday jointly [issued][37] a five-point plan aimed at ending the conflict in the Gulf. The plan, a result of a one-day meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, calls for an immediate ceasefire, the launch of peace talks, protections for civilians, secure shipping in the Gulf, and a “comprehensive peace framework” under international law.
* **Syrian president says Damascus will stay out of Iran war: **Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa [said][38] at a Chatham House event on Tuesday that Syria will not involve itself in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. “As long as Syria is not targeted by any party, it will remain outside any conflict,” Al-Sharaa said, adding that Damascus has had no official ties with Iran since the war began. Al-Sharaa did, however, note the risk of spillover from fighting in neighboring Lebanon and stressed the need to secure Syria’s borders against weapons smuggling.
* **Aragchi confirms messages sent from Witkoff:** Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on Al Jazeera on Tuesday that he receives messages from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. “I receive messages from Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations,” he said. “We do not have any faith that negotiations with the U.S. will yield any results. The trust level is at zero.”
* **Trump says U.S. achieved regime change in Iran, expects to leave in weeks**: President Donald Trump [told][39] a reporter in the Oval Office on Tuesday that he expects the United States to withdraw from the war in Iran within two to three weeks, declaring that Washington has achieved regime change and eliminated the Iranian nuclear threat. He said a diplomatic deal between the countries is “irrelevant” to the timeline of American withdrawal, which he predicted could happen in “two to three weeks.” In similar remarks, Trump [told][40] NBC News during a phone interview on Tuesday that the United States military campaign against Iran is “coming to an end,” claiming on day 32 of the conflict that American strikes have “decimated” the Iranian military and that the U.S. is “way ahead of schedule” in its objectives. The White House [announced][41] President Donald Trump will provide “an important update on Iran” on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET.
* **Thousands of additional U.S. troops, carrier strike group deploy to Middle East: **The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush departed Tuesday for the Middle East, accompanied by three destroyers and more than 6,000 sailors, as thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division also began arriving in the region, the Associated Press [reports][42]. The Trump administration has not disclosed what role those troops will play, though the 82nd Airborne specializes in parachuting into hostile or contested territory to seize key ground and airfields. Describing the deployment, Pete Hegseth said, “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground. And guess what? There are.”
* **WSJ: UAE willing to join Strait of Hormuz military operation:** The United Arab Emirates is [preparing][43] to support a U.S.-led coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, lobbying for a UN Security Council resolution to authorize military action and potentially becoming the first Gulf state directly involved in combat since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Arab officials told the Wall Street Journal. Emirati officials say they are ready to assist with operations such as mine-clearing and have even proposed U.S. occupation of strategic islands. While Bahrain is sponsoring the resolution, Gulf states have so far supported the war against Iran without committing troops. Gulf countries fear a diplomatic resolution would give Iran a formal say over the Strait, the officials said. Following the report, an Emirati official said the country maintains a “defensive posture” and “remains ready to support collective international efforts aimed at safeguarding maritime
security.”
* **Argentina designates IRGC a “terrorist organization”: **Argentina [designated][44] Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization on Tuesday, enabling the country to levy financial sanctions and other operational restrictions on the group, its presidential office said. Argentina also designated Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a terrorist organization earlier in the week.
# Lebanon
* **Israeli strikes hit Beirut, killing nine: **A [pair][45] of Israeli strikes hit vehicles in two locations in the Beirut area, killing at least nine people and wounding 24, according to a Wednesday statement from Lebanon’s health ministry. One strike in the Khaldeh area south of Beirut killed two and wounded three; a second in the Jnah district killed seven and wounded 26. Israel’s military claimed both strikes targeted senior Hezbollah commanders but did not identify them or confirm whether they were killed.
* **Casualty count: **At least 21 people were killed and 70 wounded in Lebanon on Tuesday, according to the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, bringing the cumulative toll since the start of Israel’s war and invasion to 1,268 killed and 3,750 wounded. The dead include 125 children and 88 women. The country’s health system has sustained severe damage across the conflict: 52 healthcare workers have been killed and 128 wounded, 52 ambulances struck, 19 medical centers damaged, and five hospitals forced out of service.
* **Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill at least 9: **Israeli air raids, artillery, and drone strikes [hit][46] multiple towns across southern Lebanon Tuesday evening, killing at least nine people, according to Al Jazeera and L’Orient Today. Five were killed in Najjariyah near the coastal city of Sidon, including two women, in a strike on a house; three were killed and at least 19 were wounded in Srifa near Tyre; and one was killed in Arab Salim, inland from Tyre. Israeli strikes also hit towns across Nabatieh province, including Jibsheet, Aita al-Jabal, and Harouf, while artillery shelled border towns, including Kfar Tibnit, Zawtar, and Naqoura.
* **Lebanese army withdraws from southern border towns:** The Lebanese military said its forces have largely withdrawn from border towns in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops invade the area. In a [statement][47], the army said troops had to reposition as they were being encircled and cut off from their supply lines. Lebanese citizens remain in the towns however. Israel has declared it will invade and occupy southern Lebanon up until the Litani River and residents will not be able to return until further notice. Over 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced over the past month.
* **Rockets, drone launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel: **Around 50 rockets and a drone were [launched][48] from Lebanon toward northern Israel within the span of an hour, Israeli Channel 12 reported on Tuesday.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, four Palestinians were killed and 12 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,289 killed, with 172,040 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 713 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,940, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli strikes kill three in Gaza: **Two Palestinians, a father and his child, Mahmoud and Yahya al-Byok, were [killed][49] in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to WAFA. A separate strike in Mawasi Rafah killed one and wounded eight others.
* **Israel to nix French defense imports: **Israel’s Defense Ministry [announced][50] Tuesday that it would reduce defense imports from France to zero, in retaliation for what it described as hostile French policies during the Iran war. “France has taken a series of actions that have harmed Israel’s security and the operational capabilities of its defense industry,” the statement said, which a spokesperson later clarified included the French recognition of a Palestinian state and its ban on Israeli aircraft carrying munitions through French airspace. Israeli procurement of French weapons totaled approximately $260 million between 2015 and 2024, according to the AFP.
* **Israeli settlers attack West Bank village, injuring four: **Israeli settlers [launched][51] an attack on the occupied West Bank village of Tayasir on Tuesday, injuring at least four Palestinians and setting homes, vehicles, and farm structures on fire, according to CNN. Witnesses said Israeli soldiers blocked ambulances and firefighters from accessing the area while allowing the assault to continue. The attack follows an earlier settler raid on the same village in which Israeli soldiers detained and assaulted a CNN crew. Despite limited disciplinary action against soldiers, no arrests have been made over either incident.
* **Outgoing UNRWA chief calls for investigation into killing of nearly 400 agency staff: **Philippe Lazzarini, outgoing commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), [called][52] on Tuesday for a “high-level panel of experts” to investigate the killing of more than 390 UNRWA staff members since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023. Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Lazzarini said many others had sustained life-changing injuries or been arbitrarily detained and tortured, and called for the inquiry to extend to the deaths of other United Nations personnel and the large-scale destruction of UN premises in Gaza. “The more time” before an investigation is started, he said, “the more difficult the task for the commission will be in the future.” Lazzarini said he had raised the matter with the office of Secretary-General António Guterres and with several UN member states.
* **Protests in the West Bank and Gaza, amid widespread condemnation of death penalty law:** Protests [took][53] place Wednesday in Ramallah, the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian demonstrators marched through the city rejecting Israel’s newly approved death penalty law targeting Palestinian prisoners, with calls for international intervention and a general strike declared across the northern West Bank, reported WAFA. A protest was also held outside the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza, with families of Palestinian prisoners present. The law has drawn widespread international condemnation, with UN High Commissioner Volker Türk calling it “deeply discriminatory” and a violation of international law, while a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said it is “particularly cruel and discriminatory” and reaffirmed opposition to the death penalty in all forms. The European Union also described the legislation as a “grave regression” and raised concerns over its discriminatory nature,
urging Israel to rescind it.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][54].*
* **Trump signs executive order creating national voter list, restricting mail-in voting: **President Donald Trump [signed][55] an executive order Tuesday directing the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to create a national list of verified eligible voters and seeking to bar the U.S. Postal Service from sending absentee ballots to those not on state-approved lists. Voting law experts say the move unconstitutionally usurps states’ authority to run elections. Federal funding could be withheld from states that do not comply.
* **Supreme Court strikes down Colorado conversion therapy ban: **The Supreme Court [ruled][56] Tuesday against Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors, with an 8-1 majority finding the measure violates the First Amendment’s free speech protections. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the court and joined by liberal justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, said the law “censors speech based on viewpoint” and sent the case back to a lower court for further review. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenter, warning the decision “opens a dangerous can of worms” that threatens states’ ability to regulate medical care. The ruling is expected to render similar laws in roughly two dozen other states unenforceable.
* **Trump to attend Supreme Court arguments on birthright citizenship: **Trump [plans][57] to attend Wednesday’s Supreme Court oral arguments over his executive order limiting birthright citizenship, which would make him the first sitting president to do so. The order, signed on the first day of Trump’s second term, declares that children born to non-citizen parents who are in the United States temporarily or without authorization are not American citizens.
* **AOC commits to oppose all U.S. arms funding for Israel: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)** [said][58] on Tuesday she would vote against “any spending on arms for Israel, including so-called defensive capabilities” at a candidate forum for the New York City branch of the Democratic Socialists of America. “There are a lot of organizations with which I may have a more transactional political relationship. I do not seek a transactional relationship with DSA,” she said. “I seek a relationship of mutuality and shared interest.” The remarks were reported by City & State NY’s Peter Sterne, [full article here][59].
* **Pentagon weighs deploying anti-drone laser system to defend Hegseth and Rubio: **The Pentagon is [considering][60] using the Army’s LOCUST anti-drone laser system near Fort Lesley J. McNair in southwest Washington, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reside, the New York Times reports, following reports of unusual drone activity over the installation. The potential deployment is complicated by an ongoing dispute between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department over the laser’s safety risks, especially in congested airspace—a dispute that came to a head last month when the laser fired near El Paso prompted the FAA to shut down the city’s airspace.
* **Trump administration planning international summit to counter “antifa”: **The Trump administration is organizing an international summit, tentatively scheduled for June or July, to convene officials from multiple nations to share intelligence and coordinate strategies against “antifa” (which is not an organization) and related left-wing groups, Reuters [reports][61].
* **Private equity’s “continuation fund” crisis: **Private equity firms are increasingly selling companies to themselves through “continuation funds,” which allow fund managers to transfer aging investments into newer investment structures. A lawsuit by Abu Dhabi’s $330 billion sovereign wealth fund against Houston firm Energy & Minerals Group offers a rare window into the practice; the suit alleges the firm presented contradictory valuations to existing and prospective investors in the sale of a natural gas company. That case, and the private equity crisis at large, are discussed in the latest from David Dayen and Moe Tkacik at The American Prospect, [here][62].
# Other International News
* **U.S. journalist kidnapped in Iraq: **Iraq’s Interior Ministry [said][63] Tuesday that a foreign journalist was kidnapped by unknown assailants, with the victim later being identified as award-winning freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson, who covers Iraq and the broader Middle East for Al-Monitor, Foreign Policy, BBC World Service, and Politico. Security forces pursued the kidnappers as they fled, causing one of their vehicles to overturn and resulting in the arrest of one suspect. In an online [post][64], Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said the State Department was aware of the kidnapping, adding, “The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible.”
* **U.S. senators urge Taiwan not to be “naive” about China: **A bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation visiting Taipei on Tuesday [pressed][65] Taiwan to move forward on President Lai Ching-te’s proposed $40 billion defense spending increase, which has stalled in a Taiwanese parliament controlled by Ching-te’s opposition. **Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah)** warned that Taiwan should heed the example of Hong Kong, where China’s “intentions…were made very, very clear.” “Please don’t be naive,” King said. The visit coincides with an invitation from China to Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, leader of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, to visit Beijing next week.
* **Thousands held in overcrowded RSF prison in South Darfur: **Around 13,000 people are being [held][66] at the Rapid Support Forces-operated Diqris prison near Nyala in South Darfur, according to the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, well over three times the facility’s capacity. Reports indicate detainees have died from disease and poor conditions at the site, which remains heavily guarded and largely inaccessible to independent monitors.
* **MSF reports 3,300 sexual violence victims treated in Darfur in under two years: **Médecins Sans Frontières [said][67] Tuesday it treated 3,396 survivors of sexual violence at facilities in Sudan’s North and South Darfur states between January 2024 and November 2025, identifying Rapid Support Forces fighters and allied militias as the primary responsible party for the widespread and systemic abuse. Women and girls accounted for 97% of victims, and one in five survivors in South Darfur were under 18, including 41 children under the age of five.
* **Sudanese army strikes kill RSF-aligned political figure in Nyala: **A senior member of the Sudan Founding Coalition, the RSF-aligned political body that forms the basis of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo’s parallel government in Nyala, was [killed][68] Tuesday during Sudanese army drone strikes on the South Darfur capital. Local sources identified the victim as Osama Hassan, a prominent young coalition leader. The strikes hit multiple areas of the city including the Cinema neighborhood, areas near the Specialized Hospital, and a Starlink internet cafe where several people were injured, marking the second consecutive day of aerial bombardment of Nyala.
* **Serbian students clash with police: **Hundreds of students [clashed][69] with police in Belgrade on Tuesday after officers searched University of Belgrade offices, seizing computers and finding firecrackers, gas masks, and other materials. The police allegedly operated under a court order linked to the death of a 25-year-old female student who fell from a faculty building window last Friday. Antigovernment protests have been a feature of life in Serbia since the winter of 2024, when a train accident catalyzed opposition to President Aleksandar Vucic, who has been accused by his opponents of corruption, ties to organized crime, and stifling press freedom.
* **Argentina detains Gaza aid activist at Buenos Aires airport: **Brazilian humanitarian activist Thiago Ávila, known for co-leading Gaza aid flotillas alongside climate activist Greta Thunberg under the Global Sumud Flotilla, was [detained][70] Tuesday at Buenos Aires’ Aeroparque airport and separated from his wife and child. Ávila had previously been detained by Israel during each of his last two missions to Gaza.
* **Ukraine continues strikes on Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga: **Ukrainian drones [struck][71] the Transneft crude oil loading terminal at Ust-Luga on Russia’s Baltic coast for the fifth time in ten days on Tuesday, with industry sources telling Reuters the attack hit oil export facilities at the port, which typically handles around 700,000 barrels of crude per day. At least 40% of Russia’s total oil export capacity has been halted through a combination of drone strikes, a disputed pipeline strike, and tanker seizures, according to Reuters calculations.
* **Fire at Russian petrochemicals plant kills three, injures dozens: **A gas explosion and [fire][72] at the Nizhnekamskneftekhim petrochemicals complex in Russia’s Tatarstan region killed at least three people—two employees and a firefighter—and injured 68 on Tuesday, with 21 remaining hospitalized. Owner Sibur said a gas mixture exploded following a loss of pressure at a facility producing synthetic rubber and plastics, with the cause of the ignition still unclear.
* **Colombian army rescues six siblings who hid in rainforest to evade rebel capture: **Colombia’s army [rescued][73] five children and their adult sister Tuesday after they spent three days hiding in a rainforest in the southwestern province of Caquetá to avoid capture by a rebel group that had kidnapped their parents, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said. The group responsible is led by Alexander Díaz, known as Calarca, a former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia commander who refused to join the 2016 peace deal and now leads a militia faction currently in peace talks with President Gustavo Petro’s government.
* **Gang violence continues in Haiti’s Artibonite region: **Armed men from the Gran Grif gang and its ally Kokorat San Ras [repositioned][74] Tuesday in the town of Pont Benoit and attempted a new offensive on Marchand Dessalines, days after a weekend assault on Jean-Denis in Haiti’s Artibonite region left approximately 70 dead. Also on Tuesday, Haiti’s prime minister met with a UN delegation to discuss expanding the partially deployed international security mission, which has been hampered by shortages of equipment, troops, and funding.
* **Video: **A doctor describes the severe constraints on healthcare imposed by the U.S. blockade on Cuba, using the particularly harrowing case of a 6-year-old undergoing urological surgery.** Watch the full video, from Liz Oliva Fernández [here][75].**
# More from Drop Site
* **Israel’s football violations against Palestinians have been “normalized” by FIFA and UEFA, sparking legal cases and an ICC complaint: **The world’s leading football governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, are confronting a growing backlash over their handling of Israeli football, including a February filing before the International Criminal Court accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin of aiding and abetting war crimes by permitting Israeli settlement-based clubs in the occupied West Bank to compete in their competitions. Last week, FIFA declined to sanction the Israeli Football Association over the matter, citing the West Bank’s legal status as unresolved.” “In this decision, FIFA ignored 59 years of UN resolutions and settled international legal doctrine regarding the status of the West Bank as being nothing but Palestinian land that Israel occupies,” Iranian football journalist Nima Roodsari told Drop Site News. **Read more about the crisis in
football and the relationship of international sports bodies to Palestine in the latest from Drop Site contributor Abubaker Abed, available [here][76].**
* **Report from Komala camp in Iraqi Kurdistan: **Drop Site contributor Alexis Daloumis [visited][77] a camp of Komala, an Iranian Kurdish Marxist group banned and designated a terrorist organization by Tehran, in Iraqi Kurdistan on Tuesday, capturing new footage from inside the base. The group, led by Ibrahim Alizade and based near Sulaymaniyah, has faced growing pressure in recent months as Iraqi authorities push Kurdish opposition factions to relocate under security agreements with Iran, and its members have repeatedly been targeted in Iranian strikes. An interview with Komala’s leadership will be published by Drop Site soon.
* **LIVESTREAM: Trump, Hegseth: Open Your Own Strait of Hormuz | Ep. 52**
Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain discuss Trump and Hegseth, the Strait of Hormuz, recent events in Bahrain, and the Cuban blockade, recently broken by Russia.
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[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2039033114249355317
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[45]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-says-it-struck-senior-hezbollah-commander-senior-member-beirut-2026-03-31/
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2039095275269091477
[47]: https://x.com/LebarmyOfficial/status/2039239625370112378
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[54]: mailto:[email protected]
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[56]: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-conversion-therapy-colorado-92b34295f9ef497a4a1cbeb56c9b74c6
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-israel-houthis-lebanon

2026-03-31 19:51:15 UTC

World’s Leading Football Bodies Under Fire Over Israel Policies
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President of FIFA Gianni Infantino holds up a USA hat as he attends the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace on February 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
The world’s leading football governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA, are facing several legal cases and increasing public pressure over their policies toward Israel, including a case before the International Criminal Court accusing their presidents of aiding and abetting war crimes, complaints over violations of anti-discrimination rules, and outrage over their positions regarding Palestine.
Last week, FIFA announced it would take no action against Israeli football clubs based in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank in response to a complaint filed by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) in 2024. FIFA had opened two investigations into the Israeli Football Association (IFA)—one regarding Israeli settlement club teams being allowed to play in competitions organized by the IFA, and another into allegations of discrimination by the IFA. On the former, FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee [determined][3] no action should be taken because “the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law.”
The controversial decision ran counter to findings by the International Court of Justice, UN Security Council resolutions, and international law experts who all say Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.
“In this decision, FIFA ignored 59 years of UN resolutions and settled international legal doctrine regarding the status of the West Bank as being nothing but Palestinian land that Israel occupies,” Iranian football journalist Nima Roodsari told Drop Site News, describing the decision as a “new low” for FIFA. “This aberration of a decision simply cannot be seen as anything other than FIFA being complicit in occupation and the violation of international law.”
In a separate decision, FIFA [sanctioned][4] the IFA for failing to act against persistent racist and anti-Palestinian behavior by supporters of Beitar Jerusalem, an Israeli club, and inflammatory statements by Israeli football officials about the genocide in Gaza. As part of the sanctions, FIFA fined the IFA 150,000 Swiss ⁠francs (around $190,000) and ordered it to implement a mandatory “prevention plan” to combat discrimination, including displaying “a significant and highly visible banner with the words ‘Football Unites the World – No to Discrimination’ alongside the Israel Football Association’s logo” at its next three A-level FIFA competition matches.
“Describing the West Bank as disputed is especially worrying because that kind of language doesn’t just blur reality, it actively helps normalise Israel’s actions. It is the same wording that has been used for years to justify what is happening in Palestine, and it feels like the kind of framing that prepares the ground for further annexation of Palestinian land,” Moroccan-Spanish football journalist Leyla Hamed told Drop Site. “At the same time, FIFA fines the Israeli FA, but the amount is so small for a federation of that scale that it comes across as almost insulting, and it is hard not to see it as a performative move,” she added. “The focus ends up being on the headline of a sanction rather than on the fact that Israeli clubs in illegal settlements are still allowed to compete without consequence. At some point, calling this neutrality just does not hold, because what it really shows is a willingness to avoid accountability.”
## **The ICC Case**
The most serious case currently being considered was filed in mid-February and refers the heads of FIFA and UEFA to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The 120-page filing accuses FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin of “aiding and abetting war crimes (specifically, the transfer of civilian population into occupied territories) and crimes against humanity (specifically, apartheid).”
The complaint was filed by advocacy groups Irish Sports for Palestine, Scottish Sports for Palestine, Just Peace Advocates, Sport Scholars for Justice in Palestine, and Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
The focus of the ICC case is the same issue as the longstanding PFA complaint to FIFA: that the IFA has been permitted to materially support, recognize, and include in domestic and international competitions clubs that are based in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
At least six to eight Israeli football teams, based in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, participate in the IFA leagues, according to human rights reports. Settlements like Ariel, Ma’ale Adumim, Givat Ze’ev, and Oranit, are home to these clubs, which include Maccabi Ariel and Ariel Municipal. These clubs, allowed by FIFA and UEFA to host games on stolen Palestinian land, also receive structural and financial support from the two football bodies and have played in UEFA-organized competitions over the past years.
The filing argues that in addition to violating FIFA and UEFA statutes, the involvement of settlement clubs normalizes settlements, justifies Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestine, and assists in the relocation of citizens into occupied territory in contravention of the Rome Statute. The complaint also says Palestinians are not allowed to manage the settlement clubs, play for them, or even access their stadiums, which aids and abets apartheid, a crime against humanity.
“Sports is a great avenue to deliver a message and show solidarity with people. Despite Israel’s egregious violations of sporting statutes, an apartheid, genocidal, occupying regime still somehow plays in worldwide sports competitions,” Rebecca O’Keeffe, the chairperson of Irish Sports for Palestine—one of the groups that brought the complaint—told Drop Site News. “Sports boycotts have an effect, and banning apartheid South Africa from sports was decisive in ending it. But there has always been a pattern in FIFA and UEFA to shield Israel from accountability and allow it to act with impunity. No one is above international law. I hope the ICC will open the investigation and see the gravity of Infantino’s and Ceferin’s complicity.”
The groups also allege that both Infantino and Ceferin “cooperated with the highest levels of the Israeli and US governments to facilitate the continued participation of Israel FA and settlement clubs, and to shield them from accountability.” FIFA is also accused of suppressing the PFA’s attempts to gain political and legal authority over settlement clubs for over 15 years, and of ignoring internal advice from its Israel-Palestine Monitoring Committee to ban settlement clubs outright. Meanwhile, UEFA is accused of expanding its own territorial and administrative jurisdiction into occupied Palestine under Ceferin, which includes territories under the jurisdiction of the PFA and thus the Asian Football Confederation.
One of the lawyers who worked on the ICC complaint told Drop Site News that FIFA and UEFA have failed to meet their statutory obligations by shielding Israel from accountability for years. The lawyer, who spoke to Drop Site on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said FIFA and UEFA demonstrated hypocrisy by suspending Russia’s national and club teams from all international football competitions in 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine but did not take any significant action against Israel.
“We have been investigating Israel’s abuses of Palestinians, particularly Palestinian athletes, across the occupied West Bank since shortly before Infantino and Ceferin’s appointment as FIFA and UEFA presidents in 2016,” the lawyer said. “From day one, both have been very fully aware of Israel’s violations but continued to turn a blind eye to them. That’s why we believe both are complicit in Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Infantino attended the inaugural meeting of President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” in Washington, D.C. on February 19, where FIFA announced a $75 million plan to reconstruct Gaza’s devastated sports infrastructure. FIFA signed what it called a “landmark partnership agreement” with the Board of Peace to “help the recovery process in post-conflict areas” across the globe. The plan includes rebuilding 50 mini-pitches in Gaza embedded within residential areas, five full-size pitches, an academy, and a 20,000-seater national stadium over almost five years.
“This is a plan to erase the cultural and historical identity of Palestine and Gaza. Many of these clubs are older than the so-called state of Israel. Israel is dependent on other states. Israel isn’t Russia,” the lawyer said. “The occupation must end. International law must be applied. Show Israel the red card. This is how you help Palestinians, not by putting your hands with Trump to serve his colonial and capitalistic interests.”
Infantino has long worked to ingratiate himself with Trump. In October, he was the only sports official to attend the official signing ceremony in Egypt for the Gaza “ceasefire” deal at Trump’s invitation. In December, during the 2026 World Cup Draw in Washington, D.C., Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize.” The award was so hastily arranged that it surprised several of FIFA’s most senior officials, including board members and vice presidents, [according][5] to The New York Times.
Calls for countries to boycott the U.S. in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup—which is being hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada—are also growing. Earlier this month, the Boston Coalition for Palestine voted to join the Anti-Fascist Football Coalition’s call to “Move the FIFA World Cup games out of the U.S.” and “Boycott the U.S.”, citing U.S. war crimes in Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Venezuela, Cuba, and elsewhere. Boston is one of the 11 U.S. cities scheduled to host World Cup games beginning mid-June.
## **Israel’s Destruction of Sports in Gaza**
Since October 2023, Israel has destroyed almost 300 sports facilities and killed nearly 1,000 athletes in Gaza and the West Bank. Nine out of Gaza’s 10 stadiums and the facilities of 51 out of 54 of Gaza’s football clubs were damaged by Israel, according to the Palestinian Football Association. Among the more than 450 footballers killed, which include over 100 children, were legendary professional players like Mohamed Barakat, Gaza’s first “centurion of goals” (a player who scores 100 goals or more), and Suliman Al-Obeid, known as the Palestinian Pele. Many of the devastated clubs and stadiums were established before 1948 and constitute integral and significant parts of Palestine and Gaza’s cultural and archaeological history.
Managers were also killed, such as Yousef Al-Heela and Hani Al-Msadar from central Gaza. Academies and their teams were wiped out, including Al-Mohtarifin Academy in Gaza City. Stadiums like Al-Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City were turned into makeshift detention and torture centers in December 2023. Players from the West Bank and Gaza have also been detained and tortured by Israeli forces, according to the PFA.
Ahmed Hamad, a 23-year-old Beit Hanoun resident, is a goalkeeper for the first-tier Shabab Beit Hanoun Al-Ahli football club, which was a strong contender to win the league in 2023 before the genocide.
“I was juggling between studying at university and playing football with my club to manage to live in Gaza,” Hamad told Drop Site. “Football is my dream and my passion. I was close to joining the Palestinian national team; however, the war shattered all my dreams. My club and my stadium were destroyed. Israel levelled my entire hometown. Nothing is left. We lost the team captain, one of our best young players, many of our biggest fans, and the club veterans.”
O’Keeffe of Irish Sports for Palestine called on sports media organizations to do more coverage of the tragedy in Gaza and the West Bank and to stop peddling the line that “sports and politics shouldn’t mix.”
“Look at FIFA’s plan to rebuild Gaza’s sports facilities, it’s sportswashing of the highest level. Hundreds of sports facilities were destroyed,” she said. “Attacks against the sports community in the West Bank don’t stop. Additionally, the political interference we have seen from FIFA is astounding. It’s disgusting and enraging. Palestinians are victims of this system, which Trump is building up. They all talk about Palestinians but never integrate them into their plans. There is a reason for it, which is to pass their agenda and repackage it as a reconstruction or rehabilitation plan.”
[Leave a comment][6]
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
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[3]: https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/fifa-council/media-releases/council-power-of-football-world-cup-build-bridges-promote-peace
[4]: https://inside.fifa.com/legal/judicial-bodies/media-releases/disciplinary-committee-sanctions-israel-football-association
[5]: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/us/politics/trump-fifa-peace-prize-world-cup-infantino.html
[6]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/football-israel-gaza-west-bank-fifa-uefa-infantino-icc/comments
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/football-israel-gaza-west-bank-fifa-uefa-infantino-icc

2026-03-31 14:19:57 UTC

Israel plans to occupy Lebanon south of Litani River; Knesset passes death penalty law targeting Palestinians; Gang massacre kills at least 70 in Haiti
*U.S.-Israeli attacks continue to target Iran. Over 90,000 residential units damaged in Iran. Israel [shifts][1] to attacking Iranian economic infrastructure. Iran [strikes][2] Sharjah industrial area. Kuwaiti oil tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude [struck][3]. President Donald Trump to allies: [“Get your own oil.”][4] Broker for War Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly [attempted][5] to buy defense fund ahead of Iran strikes. Trump [willing][6] to end war even if Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio [says][7] war on Iran is ahead of schedule and could end in weeks without ground troops. Gulf states [push][8] Trump to continue war. Iran [plans][9] to consolidate control over Hormuz. Dozens arrested in Iran, MEK members executed. Average U.S. gas prices jump to over $4 a gallon. Israel plans to demolish homes and occupy Lebanon south of Litani River. Israel [opens][10] new front in Lebanon. Four Israeli soldiers [killed][11] in southern Lebanon Monday.
Israeli strikes [kill][12] five Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Knesset [passes][13] death penalty law targeting Palestinians. U.S. embassies to [work][14] with Pentagon psychological operations unit and Elon Musk. Trump [strips][15] endangered species protections in Gulf of Mexico. New York City [launches][16] free on-site child care program for municipal workers. Gunmen [kill][17] more than 70 at South Sudan gold mine. Flooding and landslides [kill][18] at least 45 across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Russian [strikes][19] on Ukraine kill two and injure more than 20. Mexico to [raise][20] migrant deaths before regional commission. Jordan and Egypt [make cuts][21] to address energy shortages. Somali federal forces [seize][22] regional capital. Gang massacre [kills][23] at least 70 in Haiti. Gunmen [kill][24] at least 30 in attack on Nigeria’s Plateau state. British pro-Palestine activist [arrested][25] over Instagram post.*
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Protesters hold placards outside the Red Cross offices in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on March 31, 2026, during a rally against a bill approved by Israel's parliament that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on “terror” charges. Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S.-Israeli attacks continue to target Iran:**
* U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday hit one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Iran that produces anti-cancer drugs, anesthetic, and other specialized medicines, according to state news agency IRNA. The pharmaceutical company, Tofigh Daru Research & Engineering, is owned by a state-run firm. Iran has long faced chronic shortages of medicines, partly due to sanctions imposed over its nuclear program.
* A U.S.-Israeli airstrike on the city of Mahallat in the Markazi province on Monday night killed 11 people, including three children, and injured 15 others, according to the Tasnim news agency. Four residential units were completely destroyed in the attack. Multiple waves of Israeli strikes also hit Tehran on Monday night, the Israeli military [confirmed][28].
* An uncaptioned [video][29] of a massive explosion shared by President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account appears to be of a major strike conducted outside the central city of Isfahan. According to AP, fire-tracking satellites from NASA suggest the explosions happened near Mount Soffeh, an area believed to have military positions. A U.S. official told [The Wall Street Journal][30] that a large ammunition depot in Isfahan was hit with 2,000-pound bunker buster bombs, and that a large number of the “penetrator munitions” were used in the strike. Iran has not formally acknowledged the attack but Fars news agency reported that US-Israeli attacks on Isfahan province targeted some “military sites.”
* A U.S.-Israeli [airstrike][31] on an orphanage complex in Fardis, west of Tehran, killed at least two people and wounded five others Monday, according to Iranian media. At least 230 children have been killed and 1,800 injured since the war began, according to Iranian officials.
* The northwestern city of Tabriz—near Iran’s border with Armenia and Azerbaijan—was hit at least 13 times on Monday, according to an Iranian Azeri group.
* **Over 90,000 residential units damaged in Iran:** The Iranian Red Crescent [said][32] Tuesday that over 90,000 residential units have been damaged in airstrikes on Iran since the start of the war, including 307 medical facilities and 760 schools.
* **Israel shifts to attacking Iranian economic infrastructure: **Israel has [pivoted][33] toward striking Iran’s economic infrastructure after largely exhausting its initial military target list, entering what Israeli officials are describing as the “completion phase” of the war, the Times of Israel reported Monday. After hundreds of strike waves and more than 13,000 bombs that Israeli officials claim have severely degraded Iran’s missile systems, air defenses, and weapons production capacity, leaders have ordered attacks on the country’s gas infrastructure and major steel plants. Israeli officials framed the shift as a strategy to weaken the Iranian government and “create conditions” for its collapse.
* **Iran strikes Sharjah industrial area: **Iranian missiles and drones [struck][34] the Sharjah industrial area in the United Arab Emirates early Monday, hitting an administrative building belonging to Thuraya Telecommunications. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strikes were carried out in retaliation for attacks on Iranian industrial infrastructure, targeting sites it described as linked to U.S. military operations and weapons production, including aluminum facilities.
* **Kuwaiti oil tanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude struck: **A fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker was [struck][35] Monday near Dubai. The vessel, the Al Salmi, was carrying approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil. Authorities in Dubai said Tuesday morning the situation has been “contained” and that there was “no oil leakage and no injuries reported.”
* **Trump to allies: “Get your own oil”:** President Donald Trump on Tuesday [said][36] nations upset by high fuel prices should “go get your own oil” as Iran continues to restrict passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth underlined Trump’s comment in a Pentagon [briefing][37], saying “This Strait of Hormuz situation, we’ve set the conditions for success.”
* **Broker for Hegseth attempted to buy defense fund ahead of Iran strikes: **A broker acting on behalf of U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth [attempted][38] to purchase a multimillion-dollar stake in BlackRock’s Defense Industrials Active Exchange-Traded Fund through Morgan Stanley shortly before U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began, the Financial Times reported Monday. The transaction was never completed because the fund was not yet available to Morgan Stanley clients. The Pentagon denied the report, calling it “fabricated.”
* **Trump reportedly willing to end war even if Strait of Hormuz remains closed: **President Donald Trump has [told][39] aides he is prepared to conclude the U.S. war on Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, marking a significant shift from earlier U.S. statements that the waterway would reopen “one way or another.” The revised strategy prioritizes degrading Iran’s military capabilities and winding down active operations within Trump’s stated four-to-six-week timeline, with diplomatic pressure on Tehran to restore free navigation as the primary follow-on tool. If diplomacy fails, U.S. officials said Washington would push European and Gulf allies to take the lead on reopening the strait.
* **Rubio says war on Iran is ahead of schedule, could end in weeks without ground troops: **Secretary of State Marco Rubio [told][40] Al Jazeera Monday that the U.S. war on Iran is progressing “ahead of schedule” and might conclude without the deployment of ground troops. Rubio said ongoing operations aim to substantially reduce Iran’s missile launcher inventory, eliminate its capacity to produce long-range weapons, end its sponsorship of regional armed groups, and ensure it never acquires nuclear weapons. Earlier Monday, Rubio [added][41] the destruction of Iranian factories to the list of U.S. war objectives. On the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio called Iran’s effective control over the waterway a “tollbooth system” that is “unacceptable” and “illegal,” and said the strait will reopen “one way or another.” Rubio said all of these goals could be achieved “in a matter of weeks,” and claimed the Iranian government was weaker than it had been in recent history.
* **Netanyahu says no timetable for ending Iran war, predicts regime will “collapse internally”**: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [told][42] Newsmax Monday that there is “no set timetable” for ending the war against Iran, saying he is committed to an open-ended strategy of sustained military and strategic pressure aimed at forcing an internal collapse of the Islamic Republic. Netanyahu also [boasted][43] about the murder of four Iranian nuclear scientists by the Israeli military, and said Israel is examining options to reroute gas and oil pipelines from the Arabian Peninsula westward as a workaround to the disruption from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
* **Gulf states reportedly push Trump to continue war: **Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain are privately urging President Donald Trump to press on with the war against Iran, according to a report from [The Associated Press][44], arguing that a monthlong bombing campaign has not sufficiently weakened Tehran and that the moment presents a historic opportunity to cripple Iranian clerical rule. The push comes despite initial complaints from Gulf governments that they were given inadequate notice before the February 28 strikes and that Washington ignored their warnings about the war’s regional consequences. The UAE has reportedly emerged as the most hawkish voice among Gulf states, pushing for a U.S. ground invasion alongside Kuwait and Bahrain, with one Foreign Ministry official [calling][45] for Iran’s full disarmament in an article on Monday. Oman and Qatar, which have historically played mediating roles between Iran and the West, favor a diplomatic resolution.
* **Iran plans to consolidate control over Hormuz: **Iran’s National Security Commission has [approved][46] a formal plan to codify Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Fars News Agency, with a member of the commission confirming the proposal Monday. The plan would establish transit tolls and new “financial arrangements” for vessels passing through the waterway, while banning U.S. and Israeli ships from passage entirely and restricting transit for countries that impose unilateral sanctions on Iran. The proposal also calls for expanded naval enforcement by Iran’s armed forces and identifies Oman as a potential partner in shaping the legal framework. The measure still requires a full vote by the Majlis and final ratification by the Supreme National Security Council before taking effect.** **A senior Iranian official [reiterated][47] to Al Jazeera on Tuesday morning that no cargo vessels belonging to “hostile nations” have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the
war began, and that no transit through the waterway will occur without Iranian authorization.
* **Iran executes MEK members:** Two members of the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) were hanged Tuesday in Iran, according to state media. The United Nations’ special rapporteur on Iran denounced the executions. Amnesty International said Iran’s Revolutionary Court convicted the men on charges of armed rebellion against the state “following a grossly unfair trial in October 2024.” Two other MEK members were hanged Monday over the same case.
* **Dozens arrested in Iran:** Iranian authorities have arrested 54 people, accusing them of planning attacks against Iran or passing information to Israel, according to the Tasnim news agency. The majority of the arrests, over 40, were made in Tehran of people accused of taking pictures of targets attacked by the U.S. and Israel and sending them to “the media headquarters of the Zionist regime,” the Ministry of Intelligence said.
* **Average U.S. gas prices jump to over $4 a gallon: : **U.S. gas prices rose past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. crude oil settled above $100 per barrel for the first time since the war on Iran began Monday, with Brent crude rising above $116 before closing above $114.
* **Italy refuses permission to U.S. for use of base:** Italy refused permission for the U.S. military to use the Sigonella air base in Sicily for an operation linked to the war on Iran, according to the AP. The refusal was reportedly issued a few days ago and concerned U.S. aircraft that were intended to land at the base before continuing toward the Middle East. According to the AP, the request was denied because Italian authorities were not alerted in time and the U.S. aircraft included bombers, the official said.
# Lebanon
* **Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon: **Seven people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon Tuesday, according to the state-run National News Agency. A strike on a car in the al-Wasita al-Qasimiyeh area near Tyre in the south killed two people while another strike on Derikifa killed two more people. An overnight airstrike on the town of Aba killed a young man, Shadi Moallem, after his home was targeted, while another strike on Srifa in the Tyre district left two people dead and three injured. Civil defense personnel and Lebanese Red Cross teams suffered suffocation from chlorine inhalation while carrying out evacuations for wounded individuals Monday night after a leak caused by an Israeli airstrike on a water station in Marj al-Khokh–Marjayoun.
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1268—with 3750 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Israel plans to demolish homes and occupy Lebanon south of Litani River:** Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz [announced][48] on Tuesday that the Israeli military plans to occupy the entire area south of the Litani River in Lebanon and will not allow hundreds of thousands of residents to return to their homes. “At the end of the operation, the IDF will be positioned in a security area inside Lebanon—in a defensive line against anti-tank missiles—and will have security control over the entire area up to the Litani River, including the remaining bridges,” Katz said in broadcast comments. “The return of over 600,000 residents of the area south of the Litani River will be completely prohibited until the safety and security of residents of the north is ensured, similar to the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip.”
* **Israel opens new front in Lebanon: **Israel has [opened][49] a new front in its Lebanon campaign by striking roads in the west Bekaa Valley along the Syrian border, an area of strong Hezbollah presence, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khodr. Strikes hit routes connecting the towns of Yohmor, Suhmor, and Loubaya, as well as a key road linking the west Bekaa to southern Lebanon. The strikes appear aimed at severing movement corridors and isolating Hezbollah-held areas by disrupting supply lines between eastern and southern Lebanon.
* **Israel confirms four soldiers killed in southern Lebanon Monday: **Israel [confirmed][50] on Monday that four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, with one additional soldier severely wounded and two others moderately injured and evacuated for treatment, according to Israeli broadcaster N12. It marked the single deadliest incident for the Israeli military since it launched a new ground offensive in Lebanon. A total of ten Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon fighting Hezbollah.
* **France calls emergency UN Security Council regarding attacks on peacekeepers: **France has [requested][51] an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following the deaths of three UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon within 24 hours, with Paris directly blaming Israeli forces for the incidents. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the violations “unacceptable and unjustifiable,” saying its concerns had been raised directly with Israel’s ambassador in Paris.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, five Palestinians were killed and 14 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,285 killed, with 172,028 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 709 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,928, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli strikes kill five Palestinians in Gaza: **An Israeli airstrike on Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza [killed][52] one man and wounded six others Monday, while Israeli gunfire in the nearby Al-Nuseirat camp killed a 27-year-old woman, according to local reports. An Israeli [strike][53] on Jabalia in northern Gaza later on Monday killed three more Palestinians.
* **Israeli Knesset passes death penalty law targeting Palestinians: **Israel’s Knesset [passed][54] a law Monday imposing the death penalty on individuals convicted of killing Israelis in acts of “terror,” in a measure critics say is designed almost exclusively for use against Palestinians. The bill passed 62 to 48, with one abstention, and will go into effect within 30 days across all territory Israel functionally controls, including the occupied West Bank and most of the Gaza Strip. [Advanced][55] by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s “Jewish Power” party, the law allows courts to impose the death penalty even without a request from the prosecution and without requiring unanimous consent among judges. Because the bill applies only to terrorism “with the intent to deny the state of Israel,” none of its punishments apply to Jewish Israelis. “The law is worded in such a way that it targets only Palestinians. And it will turn the killing of Palestinians into an
accepted and common tool of punishment through several mechanisms,” Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said in response to its passage. The UN Human Rights Office urged Israel to “immediately repeal” its “discriminatory” death penalty law, saying it violates international obligations, while Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset said the Council would closely monitor developments around the law and assess its implications for the conventions Israel is party to.
* **Jordan’s king refuses to meet with Netanyahu amid closure of holy sites: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently [requested][56] a meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II and was turned down, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday. Jordan on Monday condemned Israel’s closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem, calling it a “crime against religious freedom.” Government spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani told Anadolu that Israel, as an occupying power, “has no legal sovereignty over Jerusalem or its holy sites,” adding that the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf under Jordan is the only authority responsible for administering Al-Aqsa. Israel has kept the sites closed since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, citing security concerns.
* **Israeli forces shot and killed an 82-year-old Palestinian woman in Beit Lahia: **Palestinian writer Mosab Abu Toha [told][57] the story on Monday of his 82-year-old neighbor, Yousra al-Ashqar, who Israel forces shot and wounded in Beit Lahia on March 23. Al-Ashqar died days later following surgery. Abu Toha described her as a decades-long fixture in their neighborhood, where she ran a small shop with her husband.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][58].*
* **Trump urges Congress to cut recess short to resolve longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history: **President Donald Trump is [pressing][59] Congress to return early from its two-week recess to resolve a funding impasse at the Department of Homeland Security, now the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history at more than 40 days, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday. Congress is not scheduled to return until mid-April. Though some TSA agents received their first paychecks since the shutdown on Monday, employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and civilian Coast Guard personnel remain unpaid.
* **Trump administration partially lifts asylum freeze: **The Trump administration [announced][60] Monday it would be scaling back the general pause on asylum adjudications that had halted hundreds of thousands of immigration applications since late November. The freeze will remain in place, however, for citizens from “high-risk” countries under travel restriction, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Nigeria, Senegal, Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela.
* **U.S. embassies to work with Pentagon psychological operations unit and Elon Musk: **Secretary of State Marco Rubio [signed][61] a cable Monday directing every U.S. embassy and consulate in the world to launch coordinated campaigns against foreign propaganda, endorsing Elon Musk’s X platform as an “innovative” counter-disinformation tool and instructing diplomatic staff to coordinate with the U.S. military’s psychological operations unit, according to The Guardian. Embassies were directed to recruit local influencers, academics, and community leaders to carry counter-propaganda messaging in ways designed to appear locally organic rather than centrally directed by Washington. The cable specifically endorses X’s Community Notes feature as a crowdsourced instrument for countering anti-American propaganda “without compromising free speech or privacy.”
* **Palestinian activist describes being chained to hospital bed during her ICE detention: **Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old New Jersey resident [arrested][62] during protests at Columbia University, told MSNOW that immigration authorities chained her to a hospital bed following a seizure she suffered while in ICE detention, where she was held for more than a year. Her description of her time in ICE custody is available in full [here][63].
* **Trump strips endangered species protections in Gulf of Mexico: **The Trump administration is convening the rarely used Endangered Species Committee—known informally as the “God squad”—to revoke protections for dozens of endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico, according to [The Guardian][64], citing national security concerns. Among the species at risk are Rice’s whales, of which only approximately 51 remain, as well as whooping cranes and sea turtles. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is seeking to exempt all oil and gas industry activities in the Gulf from the act, though neither the military nor the oil and gas industry has proposed a specific project or identified a conflict with existing species protections. The committee has been convened only three times in history, and has overridden the Endangered Species Act only once.
* **New York City launches free on-site child care program for municipal workers: **New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday a pilot program offering free, year-round on-site child care for city workers with children under three at the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building in Manhattan, the first free child care program for municipal employees in the city’s history. The pilot is part of Mamdani’s broader push toward universal child care, which received a boost from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who agreed to expand the city’s existing universal pre-kindergarten program to include 1,000 new 3-K and 2,000 new 2-K slots beginning this fall, with the goal of making both programs universal and free by the end of Mamdani’s first term. David Dayen discusses this policy push, and its potential implications, at The American Prospect; the full article can be found [here][65].
# Other International News
* **Gunmen kill more than 70 at South Sudan gold mine: **Unidentified gunmen [killed][66] more than 70 people and wounded many others at a gold mining site at Jebel Iraq in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State, on the outskirts of Juba, the Associated Press reports. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army–In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) blamed government forces, saying that “full responsibility for the massacre rests” with the government. Gold mining in South Sudan is largely unregulated, with state governments operating their own sectors without the involvement of the national government, and Jebel Iraq has previously been the site of violent clashes involving illegal gold miners.
* **Flooding and landslides kill at least 45 across Afghanistan and Pakistan: **At least 45 people have been [killed][67] and more than 100 injured over the past five days as severe flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall swept across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority reported 28 dead and 49 injured, with more than 100 homes destroyed and 1,140 families affected, with most deaths concentrated in the central and eastern provinces of Parwan, Maidan Wardak, Daikundi, and Logar. In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, 17 people were killed and 56 were wounded, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. Afghan authorities closed several highways and warned citizens to avoid rivers and flooded waterways, with further storms forecast for Tuesday.
* **Russian strikes on Ukraine kill two and injure more than 20**: Russian attacks on Monday killed two people and wounded more than 20 others across central and northern Ukraine, according to [Reuters][68]. Falling drone debris near Poltava killed one person, injured three, and damaged a high-rise apartment building. In the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, drone attacks and artillery strikes near Nikopol killed one person and wounded 14 others across the region.
* **Mexico to raise migrant deaths before regional commission: **Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum [announced][69] Monday that her government will bring the deaths of Mexican nationals in U.S. immigration detention before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and file an amicus brief in a lawsuit challenging conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. The move was prompted in part by the March 25 death of José Guadalupe Ramos, 52, a Mexican citizen who was found unconscious in his bunk at the private facility northeast of Los Angeles. Sheinbaum said Mexico is also expanding its consular network in the United States to provide detained nationals with legal assistance and closer monitoring.
* **U.S. Embassy in Caracas formally resumes operations: **The United States Embassy in Caracas formally resumed operations on Monday. The embassy had been [closed][70] since March 2019, with U.S. diplomatic engagement conducted through a Venezuela Affairs Unit at the embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. Laura Dogu, who was sent to the country in January as the charge d’affairs, is tasked with a full return of personnel to the embassy and the eventual resumption of consular services “as soon as possible.”
* **Jordan and Egypt make cuts to address energy shortages: **Jordan and Egypt announced sweeping austerity measures Monday as regional governments struggle to absorb the economic impact of soaring energy prices driven by the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, Al Monitor [reports][71]. Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan announced a ban on air conditioning and heating in all ministries, government departments, and public institutions, alongside a prohibition on non-essential government vehicle use, a two-month freeze on international travel for officials, and a suspension of spending on official delegations and banquets. Egypt, meanwhile, began enforcing early closing times for cafes, restaurants, shops, cinemas, theaters, and wedding halls as of Saturday night, with most required to shut by 9 p.m. daily. Egyptian authorities are also dimming streetlights, cutting government vehicle fuel allocations by 30%, slowing major state infrastructure projects, and shifting some employees to partial
remote work.
* **Somali federal forces seize regional capital: **Somalia’s national army [took control][72] of Baidoa, the administrative capital of the country’s South West state, on Monday, prompting regional president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen to resign days after being re-elected to a new five-year term. The takeover follows the South West state’s declaration two weeks ago that it was severing ties with the federal government in Mogadishu, a dispute rooted in Laftagareen’s opposition to constitutional amendments backed by federal authorities.
* **Gang massacre kills at least 70 in Haiti: **At least 70 people were killed and 30 injured in a [gang attack][73] on rural communities near Petite-Rivière in Haiti’s Artibonite region that began in the early hours of Sunday and continued into Monday, according to the Defenseurs Plus human rights group. Gang members stormed communities around Jean-Denis, setting homes ablaze, with Defenseurs Plus estimating 50 houses were destroyed and approximately 6,000 people displaced. An audio message circulating on social media attributed to Gran Grif leader Luckson Elan suggested the attack was retaliation for a rival armed group’s strike on Gran Grif’s base in Savien. The United States designated Gran Grif and the Viv Ansanm coalition as terrorist organizations, and earlier this month offered rewards of up to $3 million for information on their financial activities.
* **Gunmen kill at least 30 in attack on Nigeria’s Plateau state: **Gunmen attacked the Gari Ya Waye community in Angwan Rukuba district of Nigeria’s Plateau state late Sunday, killing at least 30 people and wounding an unknown number of others, according to [Reuters][74]. The identity of the gunmen remains unknown.
* **British pro-Palestine activist arrested over Instagram post: **Qesser Zuhrah, a 21-year-old pro-Palestine activist who had been released on bail last month after 15 months on remand without conviction, was [arrested][75] again Monday morning by masked police officers who took her from her home in Watford, near London. Hertfordshire Police said she was suspected of intentionally encouraging a crime and “encouragement of terrorism,” with supporters saying the arrest stemmed from an Instagram story in which she allegedly encouraged people to take “direct action.” Zuhrah is among the group known as the “Filton 24,” defendants alleged to have raided an Elbit Systems UK factory in Filton near Bristol in August 2024, which has been linked to Palestine Action. The aggravated burglary charge against the group was dropped last month, and the UK High Court ruled that the government’s designation of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization unlawful, but the ban on Palestine Action remains
in place.
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[4]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116323481956698353
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[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038794155023884535
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038702028877414711
[8]: https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-saudi-arabia-mbs-gulf-war-uae-89f690b952fe28d3140c537b70fa5051
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038783382847381721
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[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/30/israel-passes-discriminatory-death-penalty-bill-targeting-palestinians
[14]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/30/embassies-campaign-marco-rubio-elon-musk
[15]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/30/trump-protections-endangered-species-gulf-of-mexico
[16]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/30/mamdani-announces-free-child-care-program-for-city-workers/
[17]: https://apnews.com/article/south-sudan-gold-mine-jebel-iraq-deaths-juba-d7f2d7954df7275add92f3017d565947
[18]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/30/heavy-rain-floods-kill-at-least-45-people-in-afghanistan-pakistan
[19]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-attacks-kill-two-injure-dozens-2026-03-30/
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[21]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/egypt-closes-stores-early-jordan-bans-ac-iran-war-takes-toll
[22]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/somali-national-army-takes-control-part-biggest-city-south-west-state-2026-03-30/
[23]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/31/at-least-70-killed-30-wounded-in-haiti-gang-attack-rights-group-says
[24]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-13-nigerias-plateau-state-attack-2026-03-30/
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[30]: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-news-updates/card/u-s-attacks-large-ammunition-depot-in-isfahan-2JHG6jkDzTmvVU7DtKBl
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038799185445527977
[32]: https://x.com/Iranian_RCS/status/2038923420931682767
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038800381120327742
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[44]: https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-saudi-arabia-mbs-gulf-war-uae-89f690b952fe28d3140c537b70fa5051
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038636587030827503
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[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038638030353764859
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038736216015687921
[54]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/30/israel-passes-discriminatory-death-penalty-bill-targeting-palestinians
[55]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-03-30/ty-article/israel-passes-bill-mandating-death-penalty-for-palestinians-convicted-of-terror/0000019d-3f83-d3ba-abbf-bfdfd95c0000
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[60]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-scaling-back-asylum-crackdown-national-guard-shooting/
[61]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/30/embassies-campaign-marco-rubio-elon-musk
[62]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038723287996317946
[63]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038723287996317946
[64]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/30/trump-protections-endangered-species-gulf-of-mexico
[65]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/30/mamdani-announces-free-child-care-program-for-city-workers/
[66]: https://apnews.com/article/south-sudan-gold-mine-jebel-iraq-deaths-juba-d7f2d7954df7275add92f3017d565947
[67]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/30/heavy-rain-floods-kill-at-least-45-people-in-afghanistan-pakistan
[68]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-attacks-kill-two-injure-dozens-2026-03-30/
[69]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038686581788221779
[70]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-30/us-embassy-in-venezuela-formally-reopens-as-trump-plan-advances
[71]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/egypt-closes-stores-early-jordan-bans-ac-iran-war-takes-toll
[72]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/somali-national-army-takes-control-part-biggest-city-south-west-state-2026-03-30/
[73]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/31/at-least-70-killed-30-wounded-in-haiti-gang-attack-rights-group-says
[74]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-13-nigerias-plateau-state-attack-2026-03-30/
[75]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/30/uk-pro-palestine-activist-arrested-weeks-after-being-released-on-bail
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2026-03-30 15:17:08 UTC

Israel assassinates three journalists in Lebanon; Iranian universities and energy sites targeted; Cuban oil embargo broken
*U.S.-Israeli attacks [continue][1] Monday. President Donald Trump [resumes][2] threats on Iranian civilian infrastructure. U.S. [considers][3] seizing Iran’s uranium. Iran rejects U.S. ceasefire framework. Iranian strikes [damage][4] aluminum facilities in Bahrain and UAE. Iran revokes residency permits for UAE citizens. Fire [erupts][5] at Israel’s main chemical hub following Iranian strike. Yemen’s Ansar Allah [enters][6] war directly, launches ballistic missile barrage at Israel. Kata’ib Hezbollah strikes Oman. Kurdistan Region [bombarded][7]. Iran [agrees][8] to allow 20 more Pakistani ships through Strait of Hormuz. Pentagon [prepares][9] ground operation options for Iran. Israeli airstrike [kills][10] three journalists in southern Lebanon. Israeli airstrike [kills][11] seven paramedics in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces [launch][12] cross-border incursion into southern Lebanon via Syria. Three UN peacekeepers [killed][13] in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces [kill][14] three
Palestinians in West Bank raids, including a teenager. Israeli shelling [kills][15] six police officers at Gaza checkpoint. Israel [bars][16] Catholic patriarch from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday. Millions [march][17] in “No Kings” protests across U.S. against Trump agenda and Iran war. Deaths in ICE detention [reach][18] record high. New Jersey man [arrested][19] in plot to firebomb Palestinian activist’s home. House [forces][20] floor vote on Haitian temporary protected status. Pakistan [shells][21] Afghan city as renewed fighting kills civilians. Russian tanker to [deliver][22] oil to Cuba, easing blockade. Sudanese paramilitaries [kill][23] 14 in Kordofan offensive, including five children. Russia and Ukraine [trade][24] strikes, no negotiations underway. Ukraine signs defense deals with Arab countries. Spain bars U.S. aircraft involved in strikes on Iran. Ecuador [moves][25] up elections.*
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A poster is held up during a funeral ceremony in Choueifat, south of Beirut, for three journalists killed the previous day by Israeli airstrikes. Ali Shoeib, Fatima Ftouni, and Mohamed Ftouni were killed in Jezzine, southern Lebanon. Photo by Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S.-Israeli attacks continue Monday:**
* US-Israeli strikes hit Tehran and other cities overnight, with power infrastructure targeted in the Iranian capital. Iranian state media reported a petrochemicals plant in Tabriz was damaged in an airstrike.
* A U.S.-Israeli airstrike in Isfahan killed nine students and a teacher, [according][29] to Press TV.
* Explosions were [reported][30] Monday morning across several Iranian cities, including Tehran, Rey, Qom, Bandar Abbas, and Kish. A senior official in Qom confirmed four locations in the province were struck by U.S. and Israeli projectiles, including areas outside the city.
* **Trump resumes threats on civilian infrastructure:** President Donald Trump [threatened][31] Monday on Truth Social to target Iran’s energy infrastructure, oil wells and Kharg Island, and desalinization plants, if a ceasefire deal is not reached soon. In an [interview][32] with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said he was considering seizing Iran’s oil infrastructure, including Kharg Island, saying his “preference would be to take the oil.” Trump set an April 6 deadline for Iran to accept a deal or face further strikes on its energy infrastructure. “We’ve got about 3,000 targets left—we’ve bombed 13,000 targets—and another couple of thousand targets to go,” he told the paper. “A deal could be made fairly quickly.”
* **Iran rejects U.S. ceasefire framework: **Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, on Monday reiterated that Iran has not had any direct negotiations with the U.S. “What has been communicated to us, whatever you may call it, 15-points or more or less, are a set of very excessive, unrealistic and irrational demands,” Baghaei said, according to the Tasnim news agency. “Iran has been clear about its position from the beginning, and we know very well what the framework is that we are considering. The material conveyed to us has been excessive and unreasonable requests. The meetings that Pakistan has are a framework that they established themselves and we did not participate in.” On Friday, Drop Site first [reported][33] that both Iran and the U.S. recently submitted their own sets of terms and conditions to end the war via intermediaries, according to a senior Iranian official with direct knowledge of internal deliberations. “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the
United States will not negotiate through the news media,” said Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, in a statement to Drop Site. “As President Trump and his negotiators explore this newfound possibility of diplomacy, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated to achieve the military objectives laid out by the Commander in Chief and the Pentagon.”
* **U.S considers seizing uranium:** President Trump is reportedly considering a military operation to extract nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran, [according][34] to the Wall Street Journal, a complex mission that could take days. “Teams of U.S. forces would need to fly to the sites, likely under fire from Iranian surface-to-air missiles and drones,” the Wall Street Journal wrote. “Once on site, combat troops would need to secure perimeters so that engineers with excavating equipment could search through debris and check for mines and booby traps.”
* **U.S. and Israel pound Iran over the weekend:**
* A U.S.-Israeli airstrike [destroyed][35] more than ten residential units on Saturday in Kermanshah, a major city in western Iran near the Iraqi border.
* Majid Zakariyayi, commander of the Protection Unit of Iran’s Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, [died][36] after being wounded in a U.S.-Israeli strike on the agency on Saturday, according to the Iranian Students News Agency.
* An airstrike [hit][37] a residential building on Sabounchi Street in Tehran’s Abbas Abad neighborhood on Saturday, killing five people and injuring others.
* An airstrike[ hit][38] Isfahan University of Technology for the second time on Sunday, damaging buildings and injuring four staff, according to the university. Tehran University of Science and Technology was also struck a day earlier. The Israeli military [admitted][39] it bombed the Imam Hussein University in Tehran in recent days, claiming without evidence that “under civilian cover, research and development operations for advanced combat means were conducted inside the university.”
* The IAEA [said][40] on Sunday that the Arak heavy water production plant, which Iran reported had been attacked on Friday, had sustained severe damage and is “no longer operational.”
* **Iran responds with attacks on U.S. installations and allies in the region:**
* Kuwait’s Electricity and Water Ministry [said][41] an Iranian strike hit a service building at a power generation and desalination plant on Sunday, killing one worker of Indian origin and causing significant material damage. Iran’s military accused Israel of attacking Kuwait’s desalination plant, according to the Tasnim news agency.
* Several missile and drone strikes [hit][42] Victoria Base on Sunday, according to a source cited by Al Jazeera. Victoria is a U.S. logistics support camp west of Baghdad’s airport complex. The Mohamad ⁠Alaa air base, located next to Baghdad International ‌Airport, was also hit by rockets, destroying ⁠an aircraft, but causing no casualties, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Monday.
* Kuwait’s Defense Ministry [said][43] Sunday that 14 ballistic missiles and 12 drones were detected in the past 24 hours, with several striking a military camp and injuring ten personnel, who are receiving treatment. A separate strike hit a private logistics warehouse, damaging the structure.
* Drone strikes [hit][44] Kuwait’s international airport on Saturday, significantly damaging its radar systems, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority said.
* A wave of strikes [hit][45] Bahrain on Saturday, with unconfirmed reports of an impact on an oil facility linked to BAPCO, the kingdom’s state energy company.
* **Iranian strikes damage aluminum facilities in Bahrain and UAE: **Aluminium Bahrain, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, [confirmed][46] Saturday that its facilities were damaged in an Iranian attack. Two workers sustained minor injuries. Alba produces around 1.6 million tonnes of aluminum annually—roughly 1–1.5% of global output—making it a cornerstone of Bahrain’s economy and a significant node in global supply chains. Iranian missile and drone strikes on Saturday also significantly damaged Emirates Global Aluminium’s Al Taweelah facility in Abu Dhabi, one of the largest single-site aluminum smelters in the world.
* **Iran revokes residency permits for UAE citizens:** Iran’s judiciary said on Monday it had revoked the residency permits of 1,200 Emiratis living in Iran in retaliation for the UAE revoking residency permits for Iranians in the UAE. The UAE had also shut down the Iranian Hospital and the Iranian Club in Dubai.
* **Fire erupts at Haifa oil refinery after strike:** A fire erupted at an oil refinery in the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Monday after the facility was struck, according to Israeli media. It was unclear whether a missile strike or debris caused the blaze. It marked the second time the facility was hit in the war. Hezbollah later said its forces targeted a naval base in Haifa with a “barrage of advanced missiles.”
* **Fire erupts at Israel’s main chemical hub following Iranian strike: **A fire [broke out][47] at Israel’s Neot Hovav industrial zone south of Beersheba on Sunday after an Iranian strike. The complex is Israel’s primary chemical hub and produces pharmaceuticals, bromine, and pesticides. It also contains the country’s central hazardous waste treatment facility.
* **U.S. university campuses in Qatar shut down:** Several American universities with campuses in Qatar, including Northwestern, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, and Texas A&M, [shifted][48] to remote operations on Sunday after the IRGC warned that U.S. institutions in the region could be targeted in retaliation for strikes on Iranian universities, according to Doha News.
* **Yemen’s Ansar Allah enters war directly, launches ballistic missile barrage at Israel: **Yemen’s Ansar Allah [confirmed][49] Saturday that it had fired a barrage of ballistic missiles at what they described as sensitive Israeli military sites in southern Israel, marking the Houthi movement’s first declared direct military intervention in the current war. In a statement, the group said the operation was carried out in support of Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iraqi resistance factions, and the Palestinians. The movement said that it would resume its attacks on Israel, but that its ceasefire with the U.S. would [hold][50] unless the U.S. attacks Yemen directly. The Houthis launched a [second][51] and [third][52] wave of strikes toward Israel on Saturday and Sunday.
* **Kata’ib Hezbollah strikes Oman**: Kata’ib Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a drone strike on Oman’s Port of Salalah, using drones that “flew from UAE territory.” The attack injured one worker and prompting Maersk to temporarily halt operations there. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned and distanced Iran from both the Barzani and Salalah attacks, warning that Israel may be conducting false-flag operations to broaden the conflict.
* **Kurdistan Region bombarded: **The Kurdistan Region of Iraq [suffered][53] its most intense 24-hour period of attack since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28, with 36 drone and missile strikes recorded between Saturday morning and early Sunday, according to Rudaw. Erbil and its surrounding areas absorbed 27 of those strikes, while Duhok recorded 8 and one drone exploded in Sulaimani. Since the war began, the Kurdistan Region has faced a total of 480 attacks, leaving at least 14 people killed and 93 injured, according to data compiled by The New Region.
* **Iranian strike on Saudi base destroys U.S. AWACS aircraft, may have hit refueling fleet: **New images [confirm][54] the destruction of a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia following an Iranian strike, with the fuselage torn open and burned out. The U.S. has only approximately 16 of these crucial surveillance aircraft remaining, and replacement cost for the plane now exceeds $1 billion, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine. The strike also reportedly hit up to six KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft stationed at the base, with unconfirmed claims that three were destroyed and others damaged, each valued at around $80 million.
* **Iran agreed to allow 20 more Pakistani ships through Strait of Hormuz: **Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar [said][55] that Iran has agreed to allow 20 additional Pakistani-flagged ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, with two ships crossing daily. President Trump said on Sunday night that Iran agreed to release these ships as a “tribute” to the United States and a “sign of respect” towards it. A senior Iranian official told Drop Site, however, that the move is entirely unrelated to Trump or Washington, saying some Pakistani ships have been permitted transit since the war began as part of bilateral goodwill discussions between Tehran and Islamabad. President Trump also [declared][56] Sunday that regime change in Iran had been achieved, saying “I think we’ve had regime change. You can’t do much better than that,” and described negotiations with Tehran as going “very well.”
* **Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia float consortium plan to manage Strait of Hormuz: **Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia have [proposed][57] to Washington a plan to form a consortium to manage oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports, as part of broader efforts to stabilize shipping through the waterway. The proposal, discussed at a meeting in Pakistan, would include Pakistan as an additional partner and has reportedly been raised with both the U.S. and Iran.
* **Analysis links new U.S. ballistic missile to deadly strikes on sports hall and school killing 21: **[The New York Times][58] and BBC [verified][59] in separate reports that a newly developed and previously untested U.S.-made ballistic missile was likely used in a February 28 strike on a sports hall in Lamerd, Iran, where at least 21 people were killed, including young girls training at the facility. An IRGC facility adjacent to the facility appeared in the footage to be undamaged by the attacks. The analyses show that the munition used was a short-range ballistic missile called the Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, which is designed to detonate just above its target and blast small tungsten pellets outward. Read Drop Site’s report on the strike featuring accounts by eyewitnesses and parents of the victims [here][60].
* **Pentagon prepares ground operation options for Iran: **The Pentagon is [preparing][61] plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran, with options ranging from Special Operations raids to conventional infantry missions targeting coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz and a possible seizure of Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub in the Persian Gulf, according to U.S. officials cited by the Washington Post. Any operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion, with one official estimating objectives could take “weeks, not months” to complete. Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintained on Sunday, however, that the U.S. “can achieve all of [its] objectives without ground troops.”
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1,247—with 3,680 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **At least eight killed in strikes on Monday: **One person was killed and 17 injured in the Rahab area Monday, including Lebanese and Syrian nationals, four children, and a Kenyan woman, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Additional strikes hit Bint Jbeil and nearby towns, causing further casualties and widespread destruction to buildings and shops. An airstrike on a civil defense center in Mansouri left multiple people wounded. An Israeli attack on an army checkpoint in Ameriyeh killed one Lebanese soldier and injured others. Further raids on Hnaoueh, Baraachit, and Shaqra resulted in at least six deaths and three injuries.
* **Strikes on Lebanon continue over the weekend**
* An Israeli [strike][62] on the town of al-Haniyah in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon killed at least seven people and wounded nine others on Saturday, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Six of those killed were Syrian nationals, among them one child.
* Israel [killed][63] two Lebanese soldiers on Saturday, one Corporal in the Lebanese Military Police in the town of Deir al-Zahrani, and another soldier, Fadel Ayoub, in a strike on Kfar Tibnit in Nabatieh.
* **Israeli airstrike kills three journalists in southern Lebanon: **An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon [killed][64] three journalists on Saturday, bringing the number of media workers killed in Lebanon this year to five, according to the Associated Press. Ali Shoeib, a correspondent for Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV who had covered southern Lebanon for nearly three decades, was killed in the strike; the Israeli military falsely claimed that Shoeib was a Hezbollah intelligence operative. Also killed in the same strike in the Jezzine district were Al-Mayadeen TV reporter Fatima Ftouni and her brother Mohammed, a video journalist. Their car, which was clearly carrying press equipment, according to an Al Araby correspondent, was struck multiple times, with Ftouni initially surviving and attempting to flee, before she was killed in a targeted strike by Israel. Two passersby who tried to help Ftouni were also reportedly killed. Days earlier, a separate Israeli strike on a Beirut
apartment killed Mohammed Sherri, head of political programs at Al-Manar TV, along with his wife.
* **Israeli airstrike kills seven paramedics in southern Lebanon: **An Israeli airstrike [struck][65] an ambulance on the Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh road on Saturday, killing seven paramedics from the Al-Risala Scouts Association, an emergency service affiliated with the Amal Movement, according to local reports. An ambulance coordinator said the ambulance was sent to bury an elderly man. A Spanish reporter for the country’s Cuatro TV described arriving at the site of the attack to find paramedics still in bloodstained uniforms after treating their own comrades: “They’re all still here, and they say they’re not leaving because this is their job.” The strike is part of a broader pattern of attacks on medical personnel, with at least nine total paramedics killed in five separate attacks on Saturday, and two more fatal attacks on healthcare workers in Lebanon reported on [Saturday][66] and [Sunday][67]. The WHO estimates that at least 53 health care workers have been killed since the current
conflict began on March 2.
* **Sixth Israeli soldier killed since the start of Lebanon invasion: **An Israeli soldier, Sgt. Liran Ben Zion, was killed and an officer seriously wounded when a Hezbollah anti-tank missile struck a tank from the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion in southern Lebanon, according to the IDF. Ben Zion is the sixth Israeli soldier killed in clashes with Hezbollah during Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.
* **Israeli forces launch cross-border incursion into southern Lebanon via Syria: **Israeli forces [carried out][68] a cross-border incursion into southern Lebanon through the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on Sunday, Israeli media confirmed. The operation involved the Israel Defense Forces’ Alpinist Unit from the 810th Mountain Brigade, which moved from Syrian territory into the Mount Dov area, reportedly targeting weapons smuggling routes and Hezbollah infrastructure.
* **Three UN peacekeepers killed in southern Lebanon: **A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Indonesian peacekeeper was [killed][69] and another was seriously wounded after a projectile exploded at a UN position near Adchit Al Qusayr in southern Lebanon on Sunday, UNIFIL said. The source of the projectile is unknown and under investigation. UNIFIL warned that attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes and urged all parties to ensure their protection. Two additional peacekeepers were killed and two others injured on Monday when an explosion struck an Indonesian UNIFIL unit between Talousa and Bani Hayyan, according to UNIFIL in a statement to Al-Araby TV.
* **Netanyahu orders expanded invasion of southern Lebanon as forces approach Litani River: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [ordered][70] a further expansion of Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon on Sunday, saying he had instructed the military to enlarge the existing security buffer zone in a bid to replicate what he described as the “Gaza model” of occupation. Israeli forces advanced across multiple areas of southern Lebanon in a push toward the Litani River, reaching a tributary south of the town of Qantara on the eastern front near al-Muhaysibat—just a few hundred meters from the river itself in some areas.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, two Palestinians died from wounds sustained in earlier attacks and one was injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,280 killed, with 172,014 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 704 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,914, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli forces kill three Palestinians in West Bank raids, including a teenager: **Israeli forces [killed][71] three Palestinians on Friday across two refugee camps in the occupied West Bank. In Qalandiya refugee camp, troops shot and killed Sufyan Ahmed Abu Leil, 46, while opening fire on mourners at a cemetery following a funeral, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The funeral had been held for Mustafa Hamad, 22, who was killed earlier that day during an Israeli raid at the camp’s entrance. Hours later, a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed during an Israeli raid on Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem. The Israeli military claimed “violent disturbances” involving stone-throwing and said troops used live fire against “key instigators.”
* **Israeli attacks kill three Palestinians across Gaza: **Three Palestinians were [killed][72] in two separate Israeli attacks across Gaza on Saturday, according to WAFA. In the south, one person was killed when an airstrike struck a vehicle east of Khan Younis. Earlier, two brothers were shot and killed by Israeli forces in Gaza City, with several others wounded, some critically.
* **Israeli shelling kills six police officers at Gaza checkpoint: **An Israeli [attack][73] on a police checkpoint south of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday killed three police officers and wounded others, according to local reports.
* **Israel blocks attorney access to Marwan Barghouti: **A planned visit to Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouti was blocked after Israeli authorities transferred Barghouti from Megiddo Prison in northern Israel to Ganot Prison in the south, Attorney Ben Marmarelli [said][74]. Marmarelli described the transfer as an exercise of “arbitrary power,” and claims that the move forces him to restart the visitation process entirely.
* **Israel bars Catholic patriarch from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday: **Israeli police [blocked][75] Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the Rev. Francesco Ielpo from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass on Sunday, the first time in centuries the service could not be held at Christianity’s holiest site. The Patriarchate called the incident “a grave precedent” and it drew swift international condemnation: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the barring was “difficult to understand or justify.”
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][76].*
* **Millions march in “No Kings” protests across U.S. against Trump agenda and Iran war: **Thousands of rallies [drew millions][77] of demonstrators Saturday across the United States in the third nationwide “No Kings” protest, with participants citing opposition to the war in Iran, mass deportations, rising gas prices, voting restrictions, and complaint about the rising cost of living. Organizers claimed eight million participants across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and 39 international locations. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published Tuesday found President Donald Trump’s approval rating had fallen to 36%, with just 35% of respondents approving of the U.S. strikes on Iran.
* **New from Ryan Grim: Adam Hamawy, Saikat Chakrabarti Get Boost in House Bids with Justice Dems Endorsement: **Justice Democrats is endorsing two new candidates on Monday. Both candidates, for their own reasons, threaten to have outsized importance if they make it to Congress. **Saikat Chakrabarti **is the former chief of staff to **Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez** and a founder of Justice Democrats. Chakrabarti was driven out of Washington by Speaker **Nancy Pelosi**, who objected to his hard-charging approach. Now he’s running to replace her. In New Jersey, **Dr. Adam Hamawy **is running in an open seat to replace retiring **Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman**. Hamawy, an Army veteran and surgeon who served as a doctor in Iraq and, later, was part of a delegation of doctors to Gaza. [More from Ryan Grim here][78].
* **Deaths in ICE detention reach record high: **46 people have died in federal immigration detention since President Donald Trump took office, including 13 in the first three months of this year alone—the highest annual total on record since the Department of Homeland Security began operating in 2003, according to the [New York Times][79]. The deaths come as the number of immigrants in ICE custody has nearly doubled in 14 months. The Times’ full investigation is available [here][80].
* **New Jersey man arrested in plot to firebomb Palestinian activist’s home: **Federal authorities arrested Alexander Heifler, 26, of Hoboken, New Jersey, on Thursday after an undercover New York City Police Department operation uncovered his plot to firebomb the Brooklyn home of Nerdeen Kiswani, a prominent Palestinian activist and co-founder of Within Our Lifetime. Heifler, identified as a member of JDL 613 Brotherhood—a New Jersey-based group founded in 2024 and inspired by the original Jewish Defense League—was apprehended while assembling eight Molotov cocktails and had planned to flee to Israel following the attack, the AP [reported][81].
* **House forces floor vote on Haitian temporary protected status: **A discharge petition to force a House floor vote on restoring temporary protected status for Haitian migrants [reached][82] the required 218 names on Friday. The petition, sponsored by** Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) **secured support from four Republicans—**Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.)**, **Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.)**, **Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.)**, and **Don Bacon (R-Neb.)**. The resolution would direct the Department of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status through January 20, 2029, protecting roughly 350,000 Haitian nationals from deportation. The Trump administration had moved to revoke Haitian temporary protected status, but a federal judge blocked the policy last month. The case is now before the Supreme Court, which has agreed to hear both the Haiti case and a similar challenge involving Syria’s temporary protected status designation.
* **Body camera footage shows rough arrest of 19-year-old who later died in ICE custody: **Body camera footage obtained by Miami New Times [shows][83] the January 21 arrest of Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old Mexican national who later died at the Glades County Detention Center in Florida in what ICE has described as a “presumed” suicide. The footage shows officers tackling Perez to the ground near Daytona Beach after he allegedly failed to stop when approached for crossing traffic lanes outside a crosswalk, with officers kneeling on his back while handcuffing him as he cried out in distress. Perez, who speaks Tzotzil, an Indigenous Mayan language, initially could not communicate with officers. Perez was transferred to ICE custody following his arrest and died last week. A full account of the new evidence is available from the New Times, [here][84].
# Other International News
* **Pakistan shells Afghan city as renewed fighting kills civilians: **Afghanistan [accused][85] Pakistan’s military of shelling the outskirts of Asadabad, the capital of Kunar Province, on Sunday, killing one person and wounding 16 others, mostly women and children, according to Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, who said mortars and heavy weaponry struck rural areas and civilian homes. Pakistan did not immediately respond to the accusations. The latest violence follows a brief Eid al-Fitr truce mediated by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar that expired earlier this week, with renewed fighting erupting Wednesday. The current conflict, which began in late February after a series of cross border clashes and militant attacks. Pakistan has declared it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, citing Kabul’s alleged harboring of the Pakistani Taliban, a charge the Afghan government denies.
* **Russian tanker to deliver oil to Cuba, easing blockade: **A Russian tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of crude oil is expected to [reach Cuba][86], easing a months-long blockade, according to U.S. officials cited by the New York Times. The tanker is expected to arrive at Matanzas, Cuba by Tuesday. With U.S. Coast Guard vessels in the area opting not to intercept, the decision also avoids a direct confrontation with Russia near U.S. waters. “We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload, cause they have to survive,” [said][87] President Trump on Sunday. “If a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem with it.”
* **Airstrikes hit PMF base in Kirkuk and Kurdish leader’s residence in Duhok: **Airstrikes [struck][88] a Popular Mobilization Forces base in Kirkuk on Saturday, killing at least three fighters and wounding up to seven others, according to a PMF statement and reports cited by Al Jazeera. The PMF said its Northern and East Tigris Operations Command headquarters was hit in three separate strikes. U.S. and Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted the PMF, a state-affiliated paramilitary network operating under the Iraqi government, in recent weeks, killing dozens of fighters.** **Another U.S.-Israeli airstrike [killed][89] two Iraqi police officers and wounded five others in Mosul on Saturday, in what Iraq’s Interior Ministry described as a deliberate double-tap attack.
* **Sudanese paramilitaries kill 14 in Kordofan offensive, including five children: **The Rapid Support Forces and allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North fighters launched a major offensive Saturday on Dilling, the capital of South Kordofan province, [killing][90] at least 14 people including five children and two women, and wounding at least 23 others, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The group said RSF forces shelled residential areas during the hourslong attack, and the Sudanese military said it repelled the assault.
* **Sudanese army claims it repels RSF offensive in Blue Nile region: **The Sudanese army [said][91] Sunday it repelled a joint Rapid Support Forces and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North attack on the Al-Kaili area in the southern Blue Nile region, according to Sudan Tribune. The army claimed 94 opposition fighters were killed in the attack, four combat vehicles were destroyed, and several fighters were captured.
* **Russia and Ukraine trade strikes, no negotiations underway: **Russian [strikes][92] hit Odesa and Kryvyi Rih early Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding more than a dozen others. Russian drones also struck three Naftogaz gas production facilities in the Poltava region on Saturday, killing one person, Ukraine’s state energy company said. A Russian glide bomb strike on Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine killed three people and wounded 13 on Sunday, including a 13-year-old boy, Reuters reported. Russian attacks also struck the nearby town of Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka and the city of Sloviansk to the north.
* **Ukrainian drone strikes Russian port city**: A Ukrainian drone attack [killed][93] one person, injured eight, and triggered fires across residential, social, and industrial sites in the southern Russian port city of Taganrog on Sunday, local officials said. Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova described widespread damage across the city.
* **Ukraine signs defense deals with Arab countries: **Ukraine signed long-term defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan aimed at expanding defense and economic cooperation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is interested in strengthening its anti-ballistic capabilities and securing energy supplies and in exchange, it would provide its drone expertise and technology.
* **Spain bars U.S. aircraft involved in strikes on Iran:** Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. military aircraft involved in attacks on Iran, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Monday. The move expands Spain’s earlier restrictions on U.S. access to jointly operated bases in the country.
* **Ecuador moves up elections:** Ecuador’s National Electoral Council has moved the 2027 local elections from February 2027 to November 2026, a move critics say is [politically motivated][94] and is aimed at holding the vote before the country’s electricity crisis worsens. Ecuador’s electoral authority alleges that the change, labeled as unconstitutional by legal experts, is necessary to avoid the impact of the “El Niño” climate phenomenon. The decision follows a ruling by the electoral court to temporarily ban the largest opposition party.
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038466963857428945
[2]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116317880658472708
[3]: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-weighs-military-operation-to-extract-irans-uranium-37427c8b?st=B9Dvsc&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
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[17]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/us/no-kings-trump-iran-immigration-minnesota.html
[18]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/us/ice-detention-deaths-immigrants.html
[19]: https://apnews.com/article/fbi-nypd-nerdeen-kiswani-e8fa38819b4f65f830b26b640d44cd72
[20]: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5806112-trump-haiti-tps-petition-vote/
[21]: https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-pakistan-asadabad-shelling-fighting-d6c9c6a99e2a80748fb2f9f1471810d6
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038388772136448355
[23]: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-war-military-rsf-6abc282349c8deba92481895d1744913
[24]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/28/russian-strikes-on-ukraine-cities-kill-4-as-deal-to-end-war-dims
[25]: https://www.radiopichincha.com/crisis-electrica-oposicion-elecciones-ecuador/
[26]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/justice-democrats-adam-hamawy-saikat-chakrabarti-endorsement
[27]: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbC8sIT2Jl8B4r4N202q
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[29]: https://x.com/PressTV/status/2038619010317594828?s=20
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038466963857428945
[31]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116317880658472708
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038440937689391497
[33]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-trump-witkoff-ceasefire-negotiation
[34]: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-weighs-military-operation-to-extract-irans-uranium-37427c8b?st=B9Dvsc&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037808919595061306
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[58]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/world/middleeast/us-precision-strike-missile-iran-lamerd.html
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038257680611967172
[60]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-lamerd-sports-hall-teenage-girls-killed-us-israel-war
[61]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/28/trump-iran-ground-troops-marines/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzc0NjcwNDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc2MDUyNzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NzQ2NzA0MDAsImp0aSI6ImE4ZTFjYjIwLTYwOTYtNGJkYy04MjQ2LTE3ZGExNGRmZmFkYyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9uYXRpb25hbC1zZWN1cml0eS8yMDI2LzAzLzI4L3RydW1wLWlyYW4tZ3JvdW5kLXRyb29wcy1tYXJpbmVzLyJ9.y4sTP3rbCgNH1OdFC3m_A8XMw5dYWGhVp5EglolKJLQ
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[63]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038142288858055122
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[75]: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/israel/israeli-police-block-catholic-figures-palm-sunday-mass-jerusalem-holy-rcna265669
[76]: mailto:[email protected]
[77]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/us/no-kings-trump-iran-immigration-minnesota.html
[78]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/justice-democrats-adam-hamawy-saikat-chakrabarti-endorsement
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[81]: https://apnews.com/article/fbi-nypd-nerdeen-kiswani-e8fa38819b4f65f830b26b640d44cd72
[82]: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5806112-trump-haiti-tps-petition-vote/
[83]: https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/body-cam-video-shows-rough-arrest-of-teen-who-died-in-florida-ice-custody-40535037/
[84]: https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/body-cam-video-shows-rough-arrest-of-teen-who-died-in-florida-ice-custody-40535037/
[85]: https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-pakistan-asadabad-shelling-fighting-d6c9c6a99e2a80748fb2f9f1471810d6
[86]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2038388772136448355
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[91]: https://sudantribune.com/article/312234
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[94]: https://www.radiopichincha.com/crisis-electrica-oposicion-elecciones-ecuador/
[95]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-press-killings-lebanon-iran-war-cuba-russia-oil

2026-03-30 09:05:30 UTC

Exclusive: Adam Hamawy, Saikat Chakrabarti Get Boost in House Bids with Justice Dems Endorsement
Saikat Chakrabarti. Photo: Campaign video.
Justice Democrats is endorsing two new candidates on Monday, throwing its weight behind Saikat Chakrabarty in San Francisco and Adam Hamawy in New Jersey. Both candidates, for their own reasons, threaten to have outsized importance if they make it to Congress, and both are running in open seats vacating by a retiring Democrat.
Chakrabarti was himself a co-founder of Justice Democrats and went on to be the first chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Chakrabarti was driven out of Washington by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who objected to his hard-charging approach, which had included helping to organize an occupation of Pelosi’s office during freshman orientation. Chakrabarti initially filed to challenge Pelosi directly, but Pelosi has since announced her retirement. Ocasio-Cortez has not yet endorsed Chakrabarti; winning the backing of Justice Democrats could be a step in that direction. Chakrabarti faces state legislator Scott Wiener.
Chakrabarti being thrown out of Washington by Pelosi for being too aggressive as a chief of staff and returning as a member of Congress replacing Pelosi would rattle the lower chamber in a major way. Chakrabarti is also unusual among Democrats in presenting a full-spectrum populist economic agenda that goes far beyond checking the boxes of Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
[
[Headshot of Dr. Hamawy, candidate for U.S. Congress in NJ District 12]
][1]Dr. Adam Hamawy. Photo: Campaign.
In New Jersey, Dr. Adam Hamawy is running in an open seat to replace retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman. Hamawy, a renowned surgeon, served as an Army doctor in Iraq, where he treated countless wounded veterans. By happenstance, one of them was Tammy Duckworth, who is know a senator from Illinois. Duckworth lost both legs when her helicopter crashed. As a senator, she worked to come to Hamawy’s rescue when he and a delegation of American and British doctors were trapped by Israel in European Hospital in Khan Younis in May 2024. As supplies of food and water ran low, Duckworth joined global calls for Israel to allow the medical workers to leave.
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Hamawy was among three of the 20 doctors who refused to evacuate until Israel agreed to allow a new rotation to replace them. Leaving without being replaced would leave the hospital short on staff, but importantly, Hamawy understood that Israel would be less likely to attack the hospital with Western doctors inside it. “A decision for some of us to stay was consistent with our American values,” Hamawy said at the time. “We came in as a team and we do not leave anyone behind. If all and only the Americans left at once, what would that say about us as a nation?”
Hamawy was invited to be Watson Coleman’s guest at the State of the Union, and spoke with members of Congress about what he saw in Gaza. Now a candidate for Congress, he represents a particularly powerful threat to Israeli propaganda narratives, as he can speak from direct experience and, by virtue of his status as a celebrated Army veteran, can’t easily have his patriotism questioned.
Hamawy is facing Sue Altman, who previously ran in a nearby district and benefited from significant AIPAC support. She has now distanced herself from the pro-Israel organization, and her time as head of the New Jersey Working Families Party gives her some progressive credibility in the district. Whether that reputation can survive growing awareness of her previous alliance with AIPAC will likely determine the outcome of the race, as the district is heavily Democratic. Justice Democrats and the WFP often work in coalition to support the same candidates; JD’s decision to endorse against a top WFP official will put WFP’s independent expenditure arm in a tricky situation, leaving them either to abandon their longtime ally or spend money against another ally—potentially landing them on the same side of the race as AIPAC.
Justice Democrats Executive Director Alexandra Rojas, a co-founder of the group, and a key figure in the election of Ocasio-Cortez, announced this week she would transition out of her role as ED to become chair of the board at the end of this cycle.
Chakrabarti, meanwhile, has the personal capacity to mostly self-fund his campaign. As I covered in my book *We’ve Got People*, Chakrabarti was the second engineer at Stripe, and his stock options made him and extremely rich young man. Repulsed by the wealth inequality he saw around him, he quit Stripe before he was fully vested—an extraordinarily rare move—and volunteered for the first Bernie Sanders campaign, becoming a key player in the organization’s distributed volunteer operation. After the campaign, he co-founded Brand New Congress, an effort to oust every member of Congress, which then birthed Justice Democrats.
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/justice-democrats-adam-hamawy-saikat-chakrabarti-endorsement

2026-03-27 23:59:00 UTC

Iran Rejects U.S. Narrative That It Must Adhere to Trump’s ‘Disingenuous’ Negotiation Framework
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President Donald Trump speaks during the Future Investment Initiative summit in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 27, 2026. Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
Over the past week, both the U.S. and Iran delivered frameworks to mediators aimed at ending the ongoing war. The Trump administration is now insisting that its framework must be the basis for any negotiations, a high-level Iranian official told Drop Site, as President Donald Trump’s top envoy on Friday repeatedly asserted that direct talks are imminent and that the U.S. expects a response from Tehran in the coming days.
Trump has portrayed the diplomatic situation as the U.S. offering a desperate and broken Iran a chance to end the war. “They’re being hit so hard, anybody would be negotiating. They are negotiating. They’re begging to make a deal,” Trump said in remarks at the Future Investment Initiative summit in Miami on Friday. “Turned out I was right, they were negotiating.”
But Iran, which continues to launch regular missile and drone attacks at Israel and at U.S. military sites across the Persian Gulf, maintains that Trump is sinking deeper into a quagmire and Tehran will decide when the war ends. The senior Iranian official with direct knowledge of internal deliberations said that both Iran and the U.S. recently submitted their own sets of terms and conditions to end the war via intermediaries. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed out that it was the U.S. that abandoned formal direct talks last month mediated by Oman. On February 28, two days before scheduled technical discussions were to take place in Vienna, the U.S. and Israel began a massive bombing campaign they claimed was aimed at overthrowing the Iranian government.
Since the war began, messages have been delivered through intermediaries, most recently through Pakistan. The senior Iranian official said that Iran, however, remains deeply skeptical of Trump’s sincerity and cannot rule out that the entire process is a smokescreen ahead of a major military escalation. As of this publication, Iran was still contemplating whether to offer any further response to the U.S. terms, as Tehran’s view is that it already has laid out its own framework for starting diplomatic negotiations.
“The Americans are not prepared to engage in what can genuinely be called negotiations. Rather, they seek to impose their own terms,” the Iranian official told Drop Site. “They are clearly being disingenuous. We have had, and continue to have, the Omani platform for negotiations. Their unwillingness to engage within that framework calls into question the sincerity of their claims regarding negotiation and diplomacy.”
Neither the White House nor Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, immediately responded to a request for comment.
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Iran has consistently said that it will not accept what it views as a temporary ceasefire akin to the one requested by the U.S. and Israel that ended the “12-Day War” in June 2025. From Iran’s perspective, that agreement only served to buy the U.S. and Israel time to prepare for the larger war they ultimately unleashed last month.
Among Iran’s terms for permanently ending the war are a longterm guarantee that the U.S. and Israel will not attack Iran again and that any ceasefire also apply to Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine; reparations for the damages done to Iran during the war; sanctions relief; and that Iran retain control over the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian official told Drop Site Iran also addressed issues related to nuclear enrichment in its proposal but declined to offer specific details.
“They’re trying to frame Iran as a country that refuses to negotiate, while in reality we have a clear, logical position that the war must come to an end,” the Iranian official said. “We have conveyed our own positions to them, encompassing both the format of the negotiations and the substance of the issues to be addressed.”
Witkoff, speaking at the investment forum in Miami on Friday, reiterated the U.S. claim that Washington had presented the Iranians a plan but had heard nothing in response. “We have a 15-point deal on the table that the Iranians have had for a bit of time. We expect an answer from them,” Witkoff said, adding that he was hopeful that sit-down negotiations could begin as early as this week.
On Saturday, Trump asserted that Iran had 48 hours to open the Strait of Hormuz before facing attacks on civilian infrastructure. On Monday, he extended the deadline several days, and then extended it again on Thursday—saying Iran had requested the extension. The Iranian official said that any deadline extension had never, in fact, been requested by Iran, as Trump had claimed. Mediators also confirmed to the [Wall Street Journal][4] that no such request was made by Iran.
Trump, in a speech on Friday, repeated his demands. “They have to open up the Strait of Trump—I mean Hormuz,” he said in wide-ranging remarks. “Fake news will say ‘he accidentally said.’ No, there’s no accidents with me. Not too many.”
“I think we have regime change already,” he declared.
Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, was lead negotiator in the previous two rounds of talks, both of which ended with surprise U.S. attacks. “My definition of real negotiating would be right here,” Witkoff said, pointing to himself and the moderator, “and we don’t leave until we’re done. And we’ve offered that and we think there will be meetings this week. We’re certainly hopeful for it.”
While Trump has repeatedly claimed that Iran has been “begging” him to negotiate, Drop Site [reported][5] last week that it was Witkoff who repeatedly texted Iranian officials and passed messages via intermediaries.
Trump earlier this week celebrated a “gift” he claimed Iran had presented him as a gesture of good faith. He later claimed that the gift was the passage of ten oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as a way for the Iranians to “make up for their misstatement” regarding the absence of negotiations. The Iranian official said that some Pakistani ships have been cleared to pass through the Strait since the war began as a result of bilateral “goodwill” discussions between Islamabad and Tehran. “The whole claim about ships passing through had nothing to do with Trump or the U.S. at all,” he said. Iran has maintained that the Strait remains open to some ships from friendly nations as long as they are not connected to the U.S. or Israel.
Yet Witkoff pointed to it as a sign of warming relations. “Ships are passing, that’s a very, very good sign,” he said.
Despite Witkoff’s claims of progress, massive attacks continued unabated Friday, as the U.S. and Israel launched a coordinated bombing campaign on three steel plants, in Mobarakeh, Esfahan, and Khuzestan, targeting the heart of the Iranian economy. Mobarakeh Steel Company is the largest steel production facility in the Middle East and North Africa. Israel also claimed credit for striking the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, an attack that could lead to radioactive fallout if powerful enough.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that “Iran will exact [a] HEAVY price for Israeli crimes” carried out “in coordination with the U.S.” After Trump claimed he was postponing civilian infrastructure attacks, Araghchi said on Twitter, the “attack contradicts POTUS extended deadline for diplomacy.” On Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published a list of targets that included steel plants across the Persian Gulf.
Witkoff, who made no mention of Iran’s proposed framework, said at the forum Friday that the U.S. terms presented to Iran were sweeping and would “solve it all.”
“It would solve the enrichment question, which is, we can’t have enrichment there today. It would solve the [nuclear] material question,” he said. “They have close to 10,000 kilograms of enriched material stockpiled, which they have to give up.”
“It would solve the stockpiling question, and the oversight question,” Witkoff went on. “So all of these are red lines for us, but we’re not looking to see the dissolution of the Iranian people.”
Iran has expressed deep concerns about the U.S. negotiating team consisting of Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. In the 2009 and 2015 negotiations with Iran, President Barack Obama dispatched multi-disciplinary teams consisting of senior U.S. officials and subject area specialists. During the February negotiations, according to [The Guardian][6], Trump did not send U.S. technical experts to accompany Witkoff and Kushner.
“We made it clear to the mediator that these individuals have no familiarity with diplomacy,” the Iranian official told Drop Site. “The U.S. delegation in the negotiations should include people who are technically well-versed in regional issues, nuclear matters, and peace processes.”
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2026-03-27 15:20:24 UTC

Democrats caving on Iran war powers; Israel expands Lebanon ground invasion; Hamas denounces Board of Peace plan conditioning reconstruction on disarmament
*Day 28 of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Trump again postpones the threatened U.S. attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure. The U.S. is [running][1] low on Tomahawk missiles. The Pentagon [redirects][2] $750 million in Ukraine weapons funds to replenish American stockpiles. Iran [fires][3] at least ten missile salvos at Israel, wounding nine. Bellingcat reports U.S.-made mines were [scattered][4] near an Iranian village. Iran [threatens][5] “special and unprecedented” measures against UAE and Bahrain over Gulf island security. Pentagon [weighs][6] deploying up to 10,000 additional troops to Middle East. Israel [expands][7] southern Lebanon ground invasion. Gaza disarmament plan ties [reconstruction][8] to weapons handover; Hamas official tells Drop Site it will reject the plan, denouncing it as “catastrophic.” Senate unanimously [passes][9] TSA funding at 2 a.m amid DHS shutdown. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is [drafting][10] authorization for the Iran war. State Department [diverts][11] $1.25
billion from disaster and peacekeeping funds to Trump’s Board of Peace. House delays Iran War Powers Resolution until after congressional recess. Israeli citizen [arrested][12] in Las Vegas after weapons and biological samples found at home linked to California biosecurity case. Judge declines to [dismiss][13] drug charges against Maduro so that he can pay for his defense. Wall Street has its worst day since the Iran war started. Colombia to [withdraw][14] from international investor-state arbitration system. Zelenskyy [visits][15] Saudi Arabia to trade Ukrainian drone expertise for Gulf air-defense missiles.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **[Palestinians in the West Bank Are Now Experiencing Multiple Settler Attacks Per Day][16]. [The Untold Story of Dario Amodei’s Antiwar Past, as His AI Tech is Used for a New Middle East War][17].
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Children sit on the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on March 27, 2026. Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP via Getty Images.
# Iran War
* **U.S. and Israel continue attacks on Iran:**
* U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on a residential area in Isfahan in central Iran on Friday killed 26 people, including seven children, [according][20] to Press TV.
* The Israeli military [announced][21] a broad wave of attacks targeting government infrastructure in the heart of Tehran, with Iranian state media and residents reporting explosions across the capital, including the Chitgar neighborhood in northwest Tehran.
* At least seven people were [killed][22] in U.S.-Israeli strikes on residential units in the city of Urmia in northwestern Iran, near the borders with Turkey and Iraq, BBC reports.
* Early Friday, Iranian Red Crescent teams were [deployed][23] after an airstrike struck a residential area in Qom, a central Iranian city south of Tehran, with crews carrying out search and rescue operations at the scene.
* Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Friday that Israel will “escalate and expand” attacks on Iran. Iran “will pay heavy, increasing prices” for attacking Israeli civilians, Katz said in a televised statement.
* **Casualty counts: **More than 1,900 people have been killed and at least 20,000 injured in Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Maria Martinez of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [told][24] Reuters.
* **Trump again postpones attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure: **President Donald Trump announced he would further delay attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure by 10 days—until April 6—for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump claimed talks to end the war are “going very well.” Iran continues to staunchly deny it is in any negotiations with Washington.
* **U.S. running low on Tomahawk missiles: **The U.S. military has fired over 850 Tomahawk cruise ‌missiles since the start of the war on Iran, a rate that is prompting the internal discussions at the Pentagon about how to make more available, [according][25] to the Washington Post. One U.S. official cited by the Post characterized the number of Tomahawks left in the Middle East as “alarmingly low.”
* **Pentagon redirects $750 million in Ukraine weapons funds to replenish American stockpiles: **The Pentagon [notified][26] Congress it plans to divert roughly $750 million from the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, a NATO-backed program funding American-made weapons for Kyiv, to restock its own depleted arsenal, the Washington Post reports. Officials cited shortages of critical air defense systems—including Patriot and THAAD missiles drawn down through heavy use in the Middle East. President Donald Trump publicly attacked NATO, calling it a “paper tiger” on Truth Social and warning the United States would “remember” which countries failed to step up.
* **Iran fires at least ten missile salvos at Israel, wounding nine: **Iran [launched][27] at least ten missile salvos at Israel on Thursday, many carrying cluster warheads, wounding at least nine people across the country following a 14-hour pause in hostilities, according to the Times of Israel. Submunitions struck multiple locations in Kafr Qasim, injuring five, while two others were wounded by shrapnel and blast in Tel Aviv, one person was injured near Haifa in northern Israel, and a home in a West Bank settlement was struck, wounding one.
* **Iranian drone and missile attacks continue on day 28 of war: **Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry [announced][28] Friday it intercepted four drones in the country’s eastern region, adding to multiple interceptions reported over the preceding 24 hours. Kuwait’s military separately warned residents of incoming missile and drone attacks.
* **Drones strike Kuwait ports: **Two ports in Kuwait were struck on Friday by drones and cruise missiles. Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, jointly constructed with China as part of its Belt and Road initiative and located in Bubiyan Island in the Persian Gulf, suffered “material damage,” but no injuries. Drones also [struck][29] Shuwaikh port, according to the Kuwait Ports Authority. Shuwaikh serves as Kuwait’s primary commercial gateway and handles the bulk of the country’s non-oil imports, including food, consumer goods, vehicles, and construction materials.
* **Iran continues launching missiles from Yazd base despite repeated strikes: **Missiles were [launched][30] overnight Friday from the Yazd region of central Iran, the same mountain area that has been struck multiple times in United States and Israeli operations, according to footage reviewed from March 9, March 22, and March 24 showing successive waves of attacks on the site including secondary explosions and sustained bombardment. Iran’s underground “missile city” is a network of deeply buried infrastructure that allows operations to persist even after surface entrances are targeted. The strikes may have damaged access points while leaving core launch systems largely intact.
* **Evidence points to U.S.-made mines scattered near Iranian village, Bellingcat reports: **Air-dropped mines [discovered][31] in Kafari, a village near Shiraz in southern Iran, appear to be American-made Gator anti-tank munitions, according to an investigation by open-source intelligence outlet Bellingcat. Experts identified the devices as BLU-91/B mines delivered via cluster munitions, with debris consistent with aerial deployment. Bellingcat noted the United States is the only party in the conflict known to possess Gator Scatterable Mines, and analysts believe the weapons were placed to deny vehicle access to a nearby Iranian “missile city,” preventing repair or recovery operations at the site.
* **Iran petitions UN to intervene against reported U.S.-Israeli assassination plots targeting senior officials: **Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani formally [petitioned][32] Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council Friday to intervene against reported Israeli intentions to assassinate Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, describing the threats as “state-sponsored terrorism” and a violation of international law. The petition cited a March 25 Wall Street Journal report revealing that both officials had been temporarily removed from assassination target lists and granted a four-to-five day reprieve to allow for potential peace negotiations. A March 26 Reuters report, citing a Pakistani source, stated that Israel had already identified coordinates for both men and intended to strike, but that Pakistan intervened, leading the US to ask Israel to stand down. Ambassador Iravani warned the Security Council that such actions
establish a “dangerous heresy” in international relations and urged member states to compel the parties to cease all unlawful attacks.
* **Iran threatens “special and unprecedented” measures against UAE and Bahrain over Gulf island security: **Tehran has [prepared][33] “special and unprecedented” measures targeting the UAE and Bahrain if any ground attack is launched against Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, an informed military source told Fars News Agency on Friday. The warning follows United States threats of a ground operation and Tehran’s accusation that Gulf states have facilitated attacks by hosting American bases and providing infrastructure and advanced technologies. Iranian authorities said any retaliatory response would be “very damaging and instructive.”
* **France says UN draft resolution on Strait of Hormuz navigation is under discussion: **French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot [confirmed][34] Friday that talks are underway at the United Nations on a draft resolution aimed at restoring free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Associated Press. Barrot described the proposed mission as “strictly defensive” in nature—an international escort operation intended to resume maritime traffic once conditions on the ground stabilize—and said it is also aimed at relieving pressure on global energy prices.
* **UAE commits to joining proposed Hormuz Security Force to escort ships through strait: **The UAE has [informed][35] Western allies it will participate in a proposed Hormuz Security Force to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, with Abu Dhabi potentially deploying its own naval assets, according to the Financial Times. Senior Emirati minister Sultan al-Jaber discussed the plan with United States Vice President JD Vance in Washington this week.
* **Pentagon weighs deploying up to 10,000 additional troops to Middle East: **The Pentagon is [considering][36] sending as many as 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, with Fox News citing a senior defense official confirming similar details. The potential deployment would expand an already significant American buildup in the region that includes roughly 5,000 Marines and thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division. The United States currently maintains approximately 50,000 service members stationed across nearly 20 sites and aboard warships in the countries and waters immediately surrounding Iran.
* **U.S. officials reviewing high-risk ground operation options inside Iran, CNN reports: **United States officials are [examining][37] plans that could involve ground forces operating inside Iran, according to CNN, citing more than half a dozen people familiar with the discussions. Plans under review reportedly include seizing Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub handling roughly 90 percent of the country’s crude exports, though holding it would expose American troops to sustained missile and drone counterattacks. Other options include capturing islands near the Strait of Hormuz to secure shipping lanes, sending forces into Iran to extract enriched uranium from fortified nuclear sites, and broadening strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure at the risk of wider regional retaliation and global market shocks. Officials warned the options carry significant risks, offer no clear path to ending the war, could dramatically escalate the conflict.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1,116—with 3,229 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Another 22 people were killed and 110 injured on Thursday.
* **Israeli attacks kill at least nine and wound 18:** A series of Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, overnight and early Friday, killed at least nine people and wounded 18, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The deadliest strikes were reported in Saksakiyeh where four people were killed and eight wounded, and in Kfarreman where two people were killed and eight wounded. Additional strikes killed two people in Tahweitat al-Ghadir and one person in Bazaliyeh in northern Baalbek while wounding two others. Artillery shelling and the use of phosphorus munitions were reported near Naqoura, Bayada, and Shamaa.
* **UNICEF: Over 370,000 children displaced in Lebanon: **At least 370,000 children have been [displaced][38], with over 121 killed and 399 injured, amid ongoing Israeli strikes, according to UNICEF’s representative in ⁠Lebanon Marcoluigi Corsi, as reported by Reuters. More than 1.16 million people in total have been displaced since March 2, Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs said Monday. UNHCR representative Carolina Lindholm Billing noted that Israel’s destruction of bridges in the south has isolated tens of thousands of residents, preventing aid from reaching them.
* **Israeli military orders all residents south of Zahrani River to displace:** The Israeli military on Thursday issued a sweeping displacement order for all residents of Lebanon living south of the Zahrani River, which is roughly 20 kilometers further north of the Litani River—where Israel has destroyed several bridges and said it plans to invade and occupy.
* **Hezbollah rocket barrage kills one and wounds dozens; Two IDF soldiers killed in clashes: **A rocket strike on Israel from Lebanon [killed][39] a man in his 30s and wounded around 25 others in Nahariya, a coastal city near the Lebanese border, on Thursday, according to Israeli emergency services. The barrage caused damage across multiple sites. Separately, an Israeli soldier was [killed][40] in a Hezbollah missile strike in south Lebanon, the second killed Thursday, and at least the 4th by the resistance in Lebanon since March 2. The soldier was killed and four others were wounded when a Hezbollah anti-tank missile struck a Merkava tank in southern Lebanon, the military said, according to The Times of Israel.
* **Israel expands southern Lebanon ground invasion: **The Israeli military [deployed][41] additional troops from Division 162 into southern Lebanon on Thursday, joining two divisions already operating in the country following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of plans for a “larger buffer zone” to neutralize Hezbollah’s missile threat. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned UN Secretary-General António Guterres that Israel’s actions “constitute a matter of utmost gravity that threatens Lebanon’s sovereignty,” and said Beirut would file a formal complaint with the Security Council. France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Canada have also warned that an expanded ground offensive “would have devastating humanitarian consequences.” Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem vowed the group would continue fighting “without limits.”
* **Netanyahu urges northern mayors to keep residents in place as Hezbollah rocket fire empties border communities: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [asked][42] northern Israeli mayors via Zoom on Friday to do everything possible to prevent residents from fleeing their communities, even as Hezbollah rocket fire continues without early warning, according to the Times of Israel. Netanyahu acknowledged that elderly and disabled residents often cannot reach shelters in the seconds available between a strike and impact. Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern told the call his city’s population has collapsed from around 24,000 to roughly 10,000, warning that if conditions persist another month, only those physically unable to leave will remain.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Attacks on Gaza: **Two children were injured by Israeli army gunfire on Friday in the eastern area of Al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers fired live bullets toward civilians east of the camp. Parts of the Al-Shawa and Al-Hasri towers in the Rimal neighborhood, which house displaced families, collapsed due to ongoing Israeli attacks, causing damage to surrounding sheltering families. Israeli artillery intensified strikes on eastern Gaza City, with an explosion heard in central Khan Younis.
* **Gaza disarmament plan ties reconstruction to weapons handover, Al Jazeera documents show: **A phased disarmament plan has been [presented][43] to Hamas by Nikolay Mladenov, President Donald Trump’s High Representative for Gaza and envoy of his “Board of Peace,” according to documents obtained by Al Jazeera. The framework operates on a strict step-for-step basis, conditioning the entry of aid and rebuilding materials on areas being verified as weapons-free. Under a “one authority, one law, and one weapon” model, Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups would be required early in the process to catalog their weapons and a transitional national committee would gradually assume administrative and security responsibilities as the process advances.
* **Senior Hamas official tells Drop Site movement will reject “catastrophic” Gaza disarmament plan: **A senior Hamas official [confirmed][44] the authenticity of the disarmament documents published by Al Jazeera, telling Drop Site News the plan was “catastrophic” and that the movement would oppose it. The official added that Palestinians as an occupied people retain the right to resist and that the core of the conflict cannot be resolved through security arrangements alone. While Hamas has previously expressed willingness to transfer governance and security control in Gaza to a Palestinian national committee, the movement has repeatedly stressed that disarmament of the Palestinian people is not a matter it can negotiate on its own. Hamas’s Basem Naim [charged][45] on Wednesday that Mladenov was “threatening Palestinians with a return to war on behalf of Netanyahu and his fascist government” rather than acting as a neutral peace envoy.
* **Settler attacks escalate in the West Bank**: Violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers against Palestinians in the West Bank, that had already reached record levels in 2025 alongside the genocide in Gaza, has escalated further since the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran last month. Reporter Naqaa Hamed documents a wave of violence last weekend, with marauding settlers attacking over two dozen villages and towns across the West Bank, burning cars and homes and assaulting residents. Read her dispatch for Drop Site [here][46].
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][47].*
* **House delays War Powers Resolution until after congressional recess:** Democratic leaders plan to delay a vote on their War Powers Resolution until the House returns in mid-April. Privately and publicly, **Rep. Greg Meeks**, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been arguing that while Democrats are on board, he needs more Republican support. Yet **Thomas Massie** and **Warren Davidson** are solid backers (Davidson confirmed his support to Drop Site on Thursday) and **[Nancy Mace][48]**[ has made the case for it][49], too. Mace told Drop Site that she had not heard from Democrats about her position. With those three Republicans voting yes, if Democrats hold their caucus they could pass the resolution, and yet they’re declining to put it on the floor. A rather testy Meeks** **told our Hill intern Lillian Franks that he is not bringing the Iran War Powers vote on to the floor this week because he is confident it would lose. He won’t force a vote today or
tomorrow “because we can’t win. When you see me put the bill on the floor, that means we’re gonna win. I know how to count,” he said. “I know how to do my job.” ([Watch here.][50])
* **Senate unanimously passes DHS funding bill at 2 a.m., excluding ICE and border enforcement amid shutdown crisis: **The Senate [approved][51] a Department of Homeland Security funding package by voice vote at 2:20 a.m. Friday, The 42-day funding lapse has left TSA officers without pay and caused widespread airport disruptions, with call-out rates exceeding 11 percent nationally and surpassing 40% at some airports. The legislation funds all of DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which Democrats refused to support without reforms to immigration raid and deportation practices. The bill now goes to the Republican-controlled House, which is aiming to go on recess for two weeks starting this afternoon. Republicans plan to pursue separate ICE and CBP funding through a party-line bill that could also carry Iran war funding and elements of the Trump-backed SAVE America Act.
* **Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski drafts war authorization legislation: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)** is working with a group of colleagues on a formal authorization for the use of military force against Iran, nearly a month into the conflict, The New York Times [reports][52], after growing frustrated with the Trump administration’s refusal to share details about the war’s objectives, cost, or timeline with Congress, a spokesman confirmed Thursday. Murkowski described the effort as an act of desperation to impose some parameters on a conflict that lawmakers have largely been shut out of, and raised pointed questions about the administration’s direction. “This president came into office saying he was going to be the peace president,” she said. “People are asking me, ‘Is that what we’re moving into?’ And I can’t honestly tell them the answer, because I don’t know that answer.” Congress is departing for a two-week recess Friday, pushing any vote to after the break.
* **State Department diverts $1.25 billion from disaster and peacekeeping funds to Trump’s Board of Peace: **The State Department [transferred][53] $1.25 billion to President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace by drawing on funds designated for international disasters and peacekeeping operations, according to a new report from Semafor. Officials pulled $1 billion from international disaster assistance, $200 million from peacekeeping operations, and $50 million from international organizations and programs to make up the total. Trump has said the United States will contribute $10 billion to the board overall, which he says will fund the rebuilding of Gaza. The transfer prompted **Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)** to introduce a bill that would redirect $1 billion of those funds to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program amid rising energy costs driven by the Iran war. “Instead of giving President Trump a $1 billion blank check to fund a ‘Board of Peace’ that has offered no
transparency about how it is investing its money, let’s focus on helping American families afford their monthly power bill,” Cortez Masto said.
* **Israeli citizen arrested in Las Vegas after weapons and biological samples found at home linked to California biosecurity case: **Ori Solomon, 55, an Israeli citizen, was [arrested][54] in Las Vegas after officers in protective gear discovered a cache of firearms, lab equipment, and more than 1,000 samples of unknown liquids at a home on Sugar Springs Drive, according to the Los Angeles Times. Solomon faces charges of illegally possessing firearms and improperly disposing of hazardous waste. Authorities said the materials were consistent with evidence from a separate investigation in Reedley, California, where a foul smell led officials to a hidden warehouse lab containing thousands of biological samples, 1,000 lab mice, and traces of at least 20 infectious agents including SARS, hepatitis, and dengue. Chinese national Jia Bei Zhu is accused of running that operation—importing COVID tests from China and selling them as American-made—with a congressional report flagging more than
$1.3 million in unexplained payments from Chinese banks tied to the scheme. Investigators linked the Las Vegas property to Zhu after finding he had listed it as bail collateral and called it hundreds of times over the past year, with Solomon identified as the property manager.
* **Judge declines to dismiss drug charges against Maduro so that he can pay for his defense: **Federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein [ruled][55] Friday he would not dismiss drug conspiracy charges against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, at least for now, over a dispute about whether Maduro can access funds to pay for his defense. Maduro, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of helping traffic large quantities of cocaine into the United States and faces the possibility of decades in prison. His lawyers argue that sanctions are blocking access to Venezuelan state funds needed to retain counsel.
* **Tennessee Senate committee approves bill to replace “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria”: **A Tennessee Senate committee [approved][56] legislation Tuesday that would prohibit state agencies from using the term “West Bank” in official government materials, requiring instead the use of the biblical designations Judea and Samaria. The bill, which already passed the Tennessee House, advances to the full Senate for a final vote and is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026, if enacted. Arkansas passed similar legislation in 2025, and comparable bills have been proposed in other states. **Tennessee state Sen. Paul Rose**, a Republican, [threatened][57] to physically attack journalist and activist **Jonathan Kanew** after Kanew asked who sponsored the West Bank terminology bill and whether Rose was concerned it could push the United States toward war. “If I was at home I’d bust your face right now,” Rose told Kanew during the exchange.
* **Wall Street has its worst day since the Iran war started: **The stock market tumbled on Thursday amid doubts on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran. Rising oil prices fueled inflation fears, leading to a spike in 10-year Treasury yields to 4.415% as investors bet the Federal Reserve may delay interest rate cuts. The S&P 500 fell 1.7%—its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth straight losing week, making it the longest losing streak in nearly four years.
# Other International News
* **Colombia to withdraw from international investor-state arbitration system: **President Gustavo Petro [announced][58] Thursday that Colombia will exit the Investor-State Dispute Settlement system, a mechanism that allows foreign corporations to sue governments in international tribunals over policies affecting their profits, often bypassing domestic courts. Petro cited roughly $14 billion in claims currently at risk under the system, arguing that states frequently lose such disputes. The decision follows a call from more than 220 economists and legal scholars—including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and economist Thomas Piketty—urging countries to abandon the regime. The withdrawal aligns Colombia with South Africa, India, and Indonesia, which have also terminated such agreements, and comes ahead of the first-ever Global Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, set to be hosted by Colombia in April.
* **Zelenskyy visits Saudi Arabia to trade Ukrainian drone expertise for Gulf air-defense missiles: **Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [arrived][59] in Saudi Arabia on Thursday for an unannounced visit centered on a proposed strategic exchange, offering Ukrainian battlefield expertise in countering Iranian drones in return for advanced air-defense missiles held by Gulf nations. Zelenskyy revealed that more than 200 Ukrainian anti-drone specialists have already been deployed across the Middle East—including in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar—to help defend against Iranian-designed Shahed drones. Kyiv is offering to share its experience with low-cost drone interceptors and electronic jamming systems in exchange for the high-end air-defense missiles Ukraine needs to counter Russian ballistic missile threats.
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[1]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/27/iran-war-tomahawk-missiles/
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037240949927976999
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037325679029596581
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037261904490442835
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037301074835481028
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037338672672944237
[7]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/26/israel-sends-more-troops-into-southern-lebanon-as-ground-invasion-expands
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037263428662755760
[9]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-agrees-fund-dhs-ice-border-patrol-bid-shutdown-tsa-pay-delays-rcna265108
[10]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/us/senator-murkowski-iran-war-vote-congress.html
[11]: https://www.semafor.com/article/03/26/2026/state-department-sends-125b-in-foreign-aid-to-board-of-peace
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037204201688736110
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037407453134934263
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037256588147515829
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037375827868823993
[16]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palestinians-west-bank-israeli-settlers-attacks-iran-war
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/house-war-powers-vote-stalled-by
[18]: https://www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbC8sIT2Jl8B4r4N202q
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[20]: https://x.com/PressTV/status/2037490591945072707
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037369444452753561
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037421077245137112
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037400221777367100
[24]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/more-1900-dead-iran-start-us-israel-strikes-ifrc-says
[25]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/27/iran-war-tomahawk-missiles/
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037240949927976999
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037325679029596581
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037379107395178773
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037438558315680129
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037327335117005063
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037261904490442835
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037377409503170910
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037301074835481028
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037327695990628520
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037435543500280062
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037338672672944237
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037408677284474940
[38]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/unicef-says-over-370000-children-displaced-lebanon-121-killed-2026-03-27/
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037221492337856660
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037245270115688658
[41]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/26/israel-sends-more-troops-into-southern-lebanon-as-ground-invasion-expands
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037285051759567062
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037263428662755760
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037266263320519055
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037418527544508559
[46]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palestinians-west-bank-israeli-settlers-attacks-iran-war
[47]: mailto:[email protected]
[48]: https://x.com/zeteo_news/status/2037310578151325962
[49]: https://x.com/zeteo_news/status/2037310578151325962
[50]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2037247700824199517
[51]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-agrees-fund-dhs-ice-border-patrol-bid-shutdown-tsa-pay-delays-rcna265108
[52]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/us/senator-murkowski-iran-war-vote-congress.html
[53]: https://www.semafor.com/article/03/26/2026/state-department-sends-125b-in-foreign-aid-to-board-of-peace
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037204201688736110
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037407453134934263
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037383165006778632
[57]: https://x.com/TheTNHoller/status/2036635301691449508
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037256588147515829
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037375827868823993
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-reconstruction-board-of-peace-hamas-democrats-congress-iran-war-israel-lebanon

2026-03-27 11:03:02 UTC

Palestinians in the West Bank Are Now Experiencing Multiple Settler Attacks Per Day
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A Palestinian man in his home in Deir al-Hatab in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers attacked and set it ablaze. March 23, 2026. Photo by Issam Rimawi.
RAMALLAH, Occupied West Bank—As Palestinians in al-Fandaqumiya, a village south of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Saturday evening, dozens of Israeli settlers raided the area, physically assaulting residents and torching homes and cars. “They attacked at midnight,” Ghassan Qararyeh, the head of al-Fandaqumiya village council, told Drop Site News. “It was Eid evening, so everyone was trying to feel any kind of joy under the overall difficult situation, but the attack destroyed that.”
Qararyeh described what happened as “rapid and horrifying.” The marauding settlers came from the Homesh settlement, located three miles from al-Fandaqumiya on the main road that connects Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nablus in the northern West Bank. At least 13 people were injured in less than an hour before the settlers moved on to neighboring villages, terrorizing nearby Palestinian communities in what has been a continuously escalating campaign of violence across the territory in recent weeks.
The weekend attacks were organized by settlers through public social media groups on Telegram and WhatsApp in apparent revenge for the death of Yehudan Sherman, an 18-year-old settler from the settlement outpost of Shuva Yisrael Farms, who was killed in a car accident earlier that day. Settlers also cited the Iran war and continued missile attacks as motivations. An online page for the Shuva Yisrael Farms outpost describes its mission as being “the spearhead for activities throughout northern Samaria with the goal of seizing the lands and leaving them in Jewish hands.”
The wave of settler raids spread into Sunday with at least 25 attacks reported across the West Bank with settlers attacking several villages near Nablus, including Beita, Qaryut, Deir Sharaf, Huwara, and Deir al-Hatab, which was described by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society as the most severe assault, with nine Palestinians injured. Settlers burned cars and homes, attacked residents, stole herds of sheep, pepper-spraying Palestinians while sleeping, and attacked a secondary school. In the village of Burqa, east of Ramallah, settlers attacked and burnt down a health care clinic during one of multiple attacks on the village.
A burnt car in Deir al-Hatab in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers attacked and set it ablaze. March 23, 2026. Photo by Issam Rimawi.
Qararyeh says the wave of violence may have been sparked by Sherman’s death but that routine settler attacks had long been a feature of life in the West Bank. “This is not the first attack on our village, nor on the surrounding communities like Burqa and Beit Imrin,” he said, while noting that “these attacks have become frequent.” “They usually happen late at night, when people are asleep in their homes with their families,” he added. “They take advantage of that moment, when everyone is tired and resting.”
Violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers, that had already reached record levels in 2025 alongside the genocide in Gaza, have escalated further since the U.S. and Israeli launched a war on Iran last month. Since the beginning of 2026 through to March 16, a total of 26 Palestinians, including six children, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, according to the UN, including 18 by Israeli forces and seven by Israeli settlers. More than 260 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli settlers alone.
More than half the killings and over 100 of the injuries were inflicted between February 28, when the Iran war began, and March 16. The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), a Palestinian governmental body, has documented over a thousand attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers from the beginning of January through to mid-March, with more than 200 of them occurring in the first two weeks after the Iran war began.
Since December 2025, Israeli authorities have unleashed a series of measures “deliberately designed to dispossess Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and to make the annexation of the territory an irreversible reality,” [according][3] to Amnesty International. The measures include authorizing a record number of new settlements, expanding existing ones, and formalizing registration of land in the West Bank as Israeli state property in what Amnesty described as “turbocharged” and illegal efforts by Israel to dispossess Palestinians. “The accelerating expansion of unlawful settlements and the rise in state-backed settler violence and crimes across the occupied West Bank are a direct indictment of the international community’s catastrophic failure to take decisive action,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, said in a statement.
The relentless violence has made life all but impossible for Palestinians in the West Bank. “I have a family of nine. They burnt my car, this is how I make a living,” Fadi Issa, a taxi driver, told Drop Site after a settler attack on his village of Qaryoot south of Nablus. “They came in one second and burned everything down, destroyed everything in a minute. They came at night and after the people around noticed them, it was already too late.”
Displacement of Palestinians from attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the first two and half months of 2026 has already reached about 95 per cent of the total recorded in the whole of 2025, the UN said. Israeli authorities have also severely intensified restrictions on movement since the start of the Iran war, effectively putting the West Bank on lockdown with more barriers and checkpoints, while settlers have also been closing entrances to many Palestinian villages and towns.
“I didn’t know what to do, should I stay with my family and protect them or go to put out the fire?” Issa said. “My children are in such a bad psychological condition, they are in constant fear, I keep distracting them, and comforting them but what do my words mean in front of the daily reality that they see?”
Israeli soldiers, who frequently attack Palestinian communities themselves, have stood by during settler attacks. Unarmed Palestinians have taken to trying to patrol their villages themselves to try and protect their communities. “The world has turned a blind eye—we were left alone long before the [Iran] war, these attacks especially here in Jaloud and Qaryoot were vicious and continuous, the settlers do whatever they want because they are supported. We have been left alone,” Issa said.
The situation is worse in the southern part of the West Bank. Hebron governorate has had the highest number of settler attacks, according to the CWRC, with 47 in the two weeks after the Iran war began. Many of those attacks are concentrated on Masafer Yatta, a cluster of Palestinian villages in the South Hebron Hills that has been turned into a place of “unbearable suffering,” according to Mohammad Rabai, the head of the Al-Twane village council. During a 10-minute phone interview, Rabai was interrupted five times by phone calls from people in the village reporting attacks.
In the Hawara area of Masafer Yatta, Adel Hamamdeh lives with his wife and children on land that has belonged to his family for 80 years. Settlers now attack communities in the area more than once a day, Hamamdeh said, trying to drive them off their land.
“Everyday we have attacks. We ask them why are you doing this? The attacks went through the roof after the beginning of the war. We are living in constant fear, and our children are terrified,” Hamamdeh told Drop Site.
“They use every tactic they can think of. They have pepper-sprayed us, beat us, detained us, taken my children’s IDs, beaten women, and stolen our sheep. They threatened to kill me and my family recently and told me I have a couple of days to leave to Mecca or Jordan as these lands have been promised to them by God.”
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
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[3]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/02/israel-opt-global-impunity-fueling-israels-unlawful-annexation-measures-in-the-west-bank/
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palestinians-west-bank-israeli-settlers-attacks-iran-war/comments
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palestinians-west-bank-israeli-settlers-attacks-iran-war

2026-03-26 15:19:38 UTC

Israel claims killing of IRGC naval commander; Hezbollah mounts heavy resistance in Lebanon; U.S. conditions Ukraine security on ceding Donbas
*U.S.-Israeli attacks continue in Iran. Israel says Iranian naval commander killed in strike. Thousands of American troops [forced][1] off U.S. bases by Iran attacks. Iran’s IRGC [claims][2] it shot down U.S. F/A-18 over Chabahar. Iran [strikes][3] chemical complex in Negev linked to white phosphorus production. Pakistan [confirms][4] role in relaying messages from U.S. to Iran. Trump insists Iran interested in talks. Iran’s foreign minister [says][5] no negotiations taking place. Hezbollah [claims][6] record day of attacks. Iran [pushes][7] to include Lebanon in any deal to end war with the U.S. Israel has not [prosecuted][8] a single killing of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank since 2020. Gaza electricity [costs][9] soar tenfold. Palestinian [killed][10], eight wounded by IDF gunfire in South Hebron. Jeffries, Meeks [face][11] backlash over delay on war powers vote. Top Republican [slams][12] Pentagon for leaving Congress in the dark on Iran war plans. Graham Platner blowing
out Janet Mills in new Maine Senate poll, beating Susan Collins by 7. TSA [warns][13] of historic wait times as DHS shutdown drains staff and cripples airport security. ICE [admits][14] it lied for over a year about legal authority to arrest immigrants at courthouses. U.S. [kills][15] four more in 47th maritime strike; total death toll reaches roughly 163. Ukraine has [knocked out][16] 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity. U.S. [conditioning][17] security guarantees on Ukraine ceding all of Donbas to Russia, Zelenskyy says. RSF and allied forces [capture][18] strategic border town of Kurmuk in Sudan’s Blue Nile region. Rwanda-backed rebels in Congo [detain][19] journalists in shipping containers, advocacy group says. UN General Assembly [declares][20] transatlantic slave trade a “gravest crime against humanity.”*
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Video released by Hezbollah, claiming to show the targeting of an armored personnel carrier and an Israeli tank in Taybeh’s town square in southern Lebanon. March 25, 2026.
# War on Iran
* **U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran continue:** Heavy U.S.-Israeli airstrikes continued in Iran on Thursday with strikes on Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashad, [according to the AP][22]. At least 1,937 people have been killed in Iran during the U.S.-Israeli war, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera. He said 240 of the dead were women and 212 were children. At least 24,800 people have been injured.
* **Israel says Iranian naval commander killed in strike:** Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said the Iranian naval commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Alireza Tangsiri, was killed along with other “senior officers of the naval command” in a strike overnight. Iran has not yet confirmed Tangsiri’s killing. “The IDF eliminated the commander of the IRGC Navy, the person directly responsible for the terror operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic,” Katz said during a briefing with military officials on Thursday.
* **Thousands of American troops forced off U.S. bases by Iran attacks:** Iran’s bombing of U.S. bases in the Middle East in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war has forced many American troops to relocate to hotels and office spaces throughout the region, [according][23] to The New York Times. “Many of the 13 military bases in the region used by American troops are all but uninhabitable, with the ones in Kuwait, which is next door to Iran, suffering perhaps the most damage,” the Times wrote. “There were close to 40,000 U.S. troops in the region when the war started, and Central Command has dispersed thousands of them, some to as far away as Europe, American military officials said. But many have remained in the Middle East, although not on their original bases...The result, according to current and former military officials, is a war that is much harder to prosecute.” Iranian officials have accused the U.S. military of using civilians as human shields by putting American military
personnel in hotels. “We are forced to identify and target the Americans,” the IRGC said according to the Tasnim news agency. “Therefore, it is better not to shelter them in hotels and to stay away from their locations.”
* **Iran’s IRGC claims it shot down U.S. F/A-18 over Chabahar**: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard [claimed][24] Tuesday evening it downed a U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighter jet over Chabahar, a port city on Iran’s southeastern coast near the Pakistani border, using a new air defense system, with the aircraft—valued between $66 million and $75 million—reportedly crashing into the Indian Ocean. The IRGC described Tuesday’s incident as “the fourth successful hunt” for U.S. or Israeli fighter jets since the war began. U.S. Central Command [denied the claim][25] on X.
* **CENTCOM: U.S. has struck more than 10,000 targets in Iran**: CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper [said][26] Wednesday that American forces have struck more than 10,000 targets across Iran since the war began on February 28, including naval assets and missile sites. Cooper claimed 92 percent of Iran’s largest naval vessels have been destroyed and are “not sailing” and said the U.S. has “significantly” degraded Iran’s naval drone and missile capabilities while removing the regime’s ability to rebuild them.
* **Two killed in UAE:** Two people were killed by falling shrapnel from a missile interception over Abu Dhabi, according to authorities in the UAE.
* **Jordan suspends residency of Iranian diplomat:** Jordan suspended the residency of an Iranian diplomat and denied accreditation to another, the foreign minister told state-owned TV on Thursday, in what he said was a message to Iran. Both Saudi Arabia and Lebanon have declared Iranian diplomats personae non gratae in recent days.
* **Gulf states activate air defenses amid incoming Iranian fire**:
* Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates [moved][27] to intercept incoming Iranian projectiles early Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Bahraini authorities said they were working to extinguish a fire at a site in Muharraq—home to the country’s international airport.
* On Wednesday, Iran launched a missile strike on Israel’s largest power plant in Hadera, a coastal city in northern Israel roughly halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa, with the missile striking a short distance from its target.
* **Iran strikes chemical complex in Negev linked to white phosphorus production**: An Iranian ballistic missile [struck][28] the state-owned ICL Rotem chemical complex in Israel’s Negev on Wednesday, causing a large blast and fire at the facility, according to reports and geolocated footage. The site, located near Dimona, is part of Israel’s largest chemicals company and is linked to phosphate extraction used in white phosphorus production, which Israel has used illegally in both Gaza and southern Lebanon.
* **Pakistan confirms role in relaying messages from U.S. to Iran: **Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar confirmed on Thursday that Pakistan has been relaying messages between the U.S. and Iran. “There has been unnecessary speculation in the media regarding peace talks to end ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In reality, US-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan. In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran,” Dar wrote in a [post on X][29]. “Brotherly countries of Turkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative.”
* **Trump insists Iran interested in talks:** U.S. President Donald Trump again insisted Iran is interested in a deal after Tehran dismissed the claims. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said, “The Iranian negotiators are very different and ‘strange.’ They are ‘begging’ us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only ‘looking at our proposal.’ WRONG!!! They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”
* **Iran’s foreign minister says no negotiations taking place: **Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flatly [contradicted][30] Trump’s claims of active diplomacy between the countries in a state television interview Wednesday. “No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” Araghchi said. He added the U.S. tried to send messages to Iran through other nations, “but that is not a conversation nor a negotiation.” Araghchi said Iran has selectively allowed passage through the Strait of Hormuz only to countries it considers friends—naming China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan—and that there is “no reason” to extend that access to enemies.
* **Iran fortifies Kharg Island as U.S. weighs ground operation:** Iran is [reinforcing][31] defenses on Kharg Island—which handles roughly 90 percent of the country’s crude exports—including laying mines and deploying additional air defenses and forces, CNN reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with U.S. intelligence. The Trump administration is weighing a ground operation to seize the island as leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. officials, military planners, and regional sources warn of significant casualty risks. A senior Gulf official told CNN that Gulf allies are actively urging Washington against deploying ground forces, cautioning that such a move could trigger Iranian retaliation against regional infrastructure.
* **Iran’s parliament moves toward formalizing tolls in Strait of Hormuz:** Iran’s parliament is pursuing [legislation][32] to assert formal sovereignty and control over the Strait of Hormuz and charge tolls to vessels transiting it, according to Fars News Agency. “This is entirely natural, just as goods pay transit fees when passing through other corridors, the Strait of Hormuz is also a corridor,” lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi was quoted as saying. “We provide its security, and it is natural that ships and oil tankers should pay such fees.” The shipping analysis firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence published a report claiming Iran is already charging fees and is running “de facto ‘toll booth’ regime” for passage through the strait.
* **UAE envoy calls for “conclusive outcome” beyond ceasefire with Iran**: UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba [wrote][33] in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday that a simple ceasefire with Iran is insufficient and that any resolution must address Tehran’s “full range of threats.” Al Otaiba announced the UAE would join international efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and keep it open, reaffirmed the country’s $1.4 trillion investment commitment in the U.S., and claimed Iran has launched more than 2,180 missiles and drones at the UAE since the war began, with over 95 percent intercepted. The op-ed marks a significant public signal of UAE alignment with Washington’s war aims at a moment when both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are reportedly weighing whether to formally join U.S. military operations against Iran.
* **UN Security Council split over resolution to authorize force in Strait of Hormuz**: Bahrain has put [forward][34] a draft UN Security Council resolution calling on countries to use “all necessary means” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open—including military action to “repress, neutralize and deter” attempts to obstruct international navigation—but the proposal is facing significant resistance, according to three council diplomats who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The draft, placed under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter which authorizes measures up to the use of force, is being reworked after multiple countries raised concerns; China and Russia, both veto-wielding members, are among those opposed to the current text. France separately introduced a competing resolution Monday that makes no mention of Iran, carries no Chapter Seven authorization, and instead urges all parties to de-escalate and return to diplomacy. Neither draft is expected to come to a vote
this week.
* **Trump is receiving curated, daily “highlight reel” of Iran war strikes: **Each day since the war on Iran began, U.S. military officials [compile][35] a roughly two-minute video of the biggest U.S. strikes on Iranian targets over the previous 48 hours for President Donald Trump—a montage one official described as “stuff blowing up”—but the briefing format is fueling concerns among some of Trump’s own allies that he is not absorbing the full picture of the conflict, three current and one former U.S. official told NBC News. The concerns echo a pattern from previous wars: former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent said recently that “key decision-makers were not allowed to come express their opinion to the president” and that “there wasn’t a robust debate.”
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1,094—with 3,119 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Attacks on Lebanon continue:**
* Israeli artillery fired phosphorus shells targeting several villages Thursday, including Deir Siryan, Al-Qantara, Al-Taybeh, Zawtar, Froun, Al-Ghandourieh, and Burj Qallawiya, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
* At least five people were killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon overnight and early Thursday. Two were killed when an airstrike hit a residential and commercial building in the Al-Ma‘aqil neighborhood of Kfarreman, completely destroying it, while another strike on the Saf al-Hawa area in Bint Jbeil killed three people.
* Three people were [killed][36] and four others wounded in an Israeli airstrike Wednesday on the town of Kounin in southern Lebanon in the Bint Jbeil district near the Israeli border, according to Lebanon’s Public Health Ministry.
* A separate airstrike in Touline, in the Marjayoun district, wounded seven people, the ministry said.
* The Health Ministry also reported that two people were killed and eight wounded in another strike on the town of Harouf, in the Nabatieh district.
* In light of Israel’s [war][37] on the country’s first responders—with at least 42 killed—Lebanese health workers in Nabatieh have begun to [deliberately delay][38] their arrival at emergency scenes to avoid Israeli “double-tap” strikes, according to Sky News foreign correspondent Alex Crawford.
* **Hezbollah claims record day of attacks: **Hezbollah [reported][39] on Wednesday that it carried out 87 operations against Israeli forces, its highest single-day total since the war began. An Israeli soldier, of the Golani Brigade, was killed during an exchange of fire with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon overnight, the IDF announced. He is the third IDF soldier to be killed in clashes with the Lebanese resistance. Among the operations Hezbollah announced on Wednesday were:
* Rocket fire targeting Israeli positions in Dhaira and Yarin, both along Lebanon’s western border sector, and the Blat site, a recently established Israeli military position near the frontier;
* Clashes with Israeli armored forces advancing from Taybeh toward Qantara, another nearby village in the Marjayoun district;
* Strikes in Nahariya, a coastal city in northern Israel, and Beit Hillel, near Kiryat Shmona in the Upper Galilee, and
* The launch of nine rockets [targeting][40] central Israel, with reports of one direct impact in Tel Aviv.
* Lebanese journalist Fatima Ftouni [reported][41] that Hezbollah fighters destroyed four Israeli Merkava tanks and a D9 bulldozer in the Taybeh clashes. Since the beginning of the war on March 2, Hezbollah has [fired][42] more than 3,500 rockets, artillery shells, and drones towards Israeli positions.
* **Iran pushes to include Lebanon in any deal to end war with the U.S.:** Iran has [told][43] mediators that any agreement with the U.S. and Israel must also halt Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, six regional sources told Reuters on Wednesday. “Iran is prioritizing Lebanon—it will not accept Israeli violations in Lebanon like what happened after the 2024 ceasefire,” one source said.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, two Palestinians were killed—one due to wounds sustained in earlier attacks and another in new strikes—and 17 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,267 killed, with 171,976 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 691 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,876, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israel has not prosecuted a single killing of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank since 2020:** No Israeli soldier, police officer, or settler has been [charged][44] for killing a Palestinian civilian in the occupied West Bank since the start of this decade, a Guardian review of legal data and public records shows. At least 1,100 Palestinian civilians have been killed there since 2020—more than a quarter of them children, according to UN data—with legal rights group Yesh Din finding that out of 1,746 complaints filed against Israeli soldiers, including over 600 related to killings, less than 1% resulted in charges, and only eight of 368 settler violence cases ended in any conviction.
* **Hamas appeal against UK proscription set to begin Thursday**: Hamas’s legal challenge to Britain’s ban on the organization is [scheduled][45] to be heard at the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission in London on Thursday, more than seven months after the appeal was first lodged, Middle East Monitor reported. Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, head of Hamas’ International Relations and Legal Office, is expected to appear by video link; his April 2025 filing argued Hamas poses no threat to Britain and has not conducted operations outside historic Palestine. Britain banned Hamas’s military wing in 2001, with then-Home Secretary Priti Patel extending the prohibition to its political wing in 2021. Additional background on this case from Drop Site is available **[here][46]**.
* **Gaza electricity costs soar tenfold:** Palestinians in Gaza [are paying][47] between 20 and 30 shekels per kilowatt-hour for generator electricity—nearly ten times the pre-war rate of 2.5 shekels—as Israel has allowed only 14.7% of the fuel shipments required under the ceasefire’s humanitarian protocol, Al Jazeera [reports][48]. Of the 8,050 fuel trucks expected since the ceasefire began, Israeli authorities have permitted just 1,190 to enter; cooking gas reaches households only every 45 to 100 days, compared with every 25 days before the war.
* **Palestinian killed, eight wounded by IDF gunfire in South Hebron**: A 31-year-old Palestinian was [killed][49] and eight others wounded Wednesday after Israeli troops, together with settlers, pursued Palestinian vehicles in Masafer Yatta, South Hebron area of the occupied West Bank and opened fire, according to WAFA. No further details about the circumstances of the incident were provided, and the IDF had not issued a response at time of reporting.
* **At least 11 Palestinian families forced out of homes in East Jerusalem: **Eleven Palestinian families were forcibly [displaced][50] from their homes in the Batn al-Hawa area of Silwan, south of Jerusalem’s Old City, according to Al Jazeera. The Norwegian Refugee Council said the homes are expected to be transferred to the settler group Ateret Cohanim after Israel’s Supreme Court rejected appeals earlier this year. Rights group Ir Amim described a “sharp escalation in evictions,” citing a 1970 law that grants Jews property reclamation rights while denying Palestinians the same. B’Tselem warned of “imminent” displacement for at least 2,200 more residents, while one Palestinian resident said his family was being expelled again after 1948, having built their home “stone by stone.”
* **VW in talks to convert German car factory into Iron Dome missile defense plant: **Volkswagen is in [discussions][51] with Israel’s state-owned Rafael Advanced Defence Systems to repurpose its Osnabrück plant in Lower Saxony from car manufacturing to producing components for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the talks. The factory, slated to cease vehicle production next year, would manufacture the heavy-duty trucks, launchers, and power generators that carry the system—though not the interceptor missiles themselves—with the German government backing the proposal and production potentially beginning within 12 to 18 months, pending worker approval.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][52].*
* **Jeffries, Meeks face backlash over delay on war powers vote: **House Democratic leaders, including **Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries** and **Rep. Greg Meeks**, both of New York, are [facing][53] sharp criticism from progressive allies after postponing a War Powers Resolution vote to limit President Donald Trump’s authority in Iran until mid-April, despite indications the measure now commands enough support to pass. Meeks may in fact be pulling back precisely because the resolution has the votes, as some Democrats are reluctant to end a war they view as a political liability for Trump. Ryan Grim’s segment on the WPR for Breaking Points is **[here][54].**
* **Graham Platner blowing out Janet Mills in new Maine Senate poll, beating Susan Collins by 7: **In the wake of negative ads launched by Gov. Janet Mills against her oysterman opponent for Senate, [Platner has only grown][55] his lead. [Mills is out with a new attack ad,][56] but the poll showing Platner with a significant lead over Collins undercuts Mills’ electability argument. Platner holds his 50th town hall today—a trivia night—in Kittery, Maine.
* **Top Republican slams Pentagon for leaving Congress in the dark on Iran war plans: **House Armed Services Committee chair **Mike Rogers** (R-Ala.)** **[denounced][57] Pentagon officials after a classified briefing on Operation Epic Fury failed to answer basic questions about troop deployments and strategic planning, saying “we just wanted them to tell us what’s the plan, and we didn’t get any answers.” Senate Armed Services chair **Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) **echoed the frustration, telling reporters “I can see why he might have said that” without elaborating. Rogers warned the administration directly that congressional support for the nearly month-old war is not unconditional: “This has consequences if you don’t remedy it.” **Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.)** posted on X after the briefing: “I will not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing.” **Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.)** said he hoped the deployments were posturing to strengthen Trump’s negotiating hand
rather than a prelude to invasion. “We certainly do not want to get embroiled in another forever war,” Mackenzie told Politico.
* **TSA warns of historic wait times as DHS shutdown drains staff and cripples airport security**: Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers Wednesday that airport security is [experiencing][58] “the highest wait times in TSA history,” with some passengers waiting more than 4.5 hours, as a roughly 40-day Department of Homeland Security funding shutdown that began February 14 has cost the agency more than 480 transportation security officers. At some major airports, between 40 and 50 percent of officers have called out on certain days, forcing TSA to consolidate screening lanes; George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston warned of four-hour waits after shutting down checkpoints and halting all PreCheck and CLEAR operations.
* **Justice Department agrees to pay Michael Flynn $1.2 million to settle malicious prosecution lawsuit: **The Justice Department has [reached][59] a settlement of roughly $1.2 million with former national security adviser Michael Flynn to resolve his lawsuit claiming he was politically targeted for prosecution during President Donald Trump’s first term, sources told ABC News Wednesday. The figure is well below the $50 million Flynn initially sought when he filed the suit in 2023, and comes after a federal judge threw out the case in 2024 for failing to meet the essential elements of a malicious prosecution claim—a ruling Flynn’s attorneys moved to revive after Trump returned to office. The Justice Department framed the settlement as redress for the “Russia Collusion Hoax.”
* **ICE admits it lied for over a year about legal authority to arrest immigrants at courthouses: **Immigration and Customs Enforcement misrepresented its legal authority to arrest immigrants at routine immigration court hearings for more than a year, according to a letter filed Wednesday by Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton revealed that ICE legal counsel admitted the May 2025 memo they had been using to justify courthouse arrests—titled “Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions in or Near Courthouses”—never actually applied to immigration courts. Federal agents had used the guidance to detain immigrants outside hearings, including people judges had found to have credible asylum claims. More on ICE overreach is in the latest from The American Prospect, **[here][60]**.
* **Black philosophy professor sues Texas State after firing over off-campus Palestine talk: **Idris Robinson, a tenure-track philosophy professor and the only Black philosophy professor at Texas State University, has sued university officials [alleging][61] his constitutional rights were violated after the school terminated his contract. The termination followed a social media campaign by pro-Israel activists over a talk he gave at a North Carolina anarchist book fair in June 2024, the Guardian reported Wednesday. Robinson did not identify himself as affiliated with Texas State during the talk. Robinson’s lawsuit alleges violations of his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, and he is seeking a temporary restraining order to halt his firing in May.
# Other International News
* **U.S. kills four more in 47th maritime strike; total death toll reaches roughly 163:** U.S. Southern Command [conducted][62] its 47th strike on an alleged “drug-trafficking” vessel Wednesday in the Caribbean, killing four people and bringing the total death toll from Operation Southern Spear to over 160 since the campaign began on September 2. SOUTHCOM described the strike as “applying total systemic friction on the cartels,” saying intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting known narco-trafficking routes, but provided no further details identifying who was on board or which organization they supposedly belonged to.
* **Russian strikes kill two in Kharkiv region; Ukraine hits Danube port and Belgorod:** Russian attacks [killed][63] two people in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region early Thursday—a woman who died of injuries from strikes and a man killed in his car by a drone closer to the border—while a separate Russian strike damaged port facilities and energy infrastructure at the Danube port of Izmail in southwestern Ukraine, Reuters reported. On the Russian side, Ukrainian drones killed an 18-year-old on a motorcycle and a woman in her car in Russia’s Belgorod region, which has come under frequent Ukrainian attack throughout the war. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 17 Ukrainian drones targeting the capital were intercepted Wednesday.
* **Ukraine has knocked out 40% of Russia’s oil export capacity:** At least 40% of Russia’s crude oil export capacity—roughly two million barrels per day—was [offline][64] as of Wednesday, Reuters calculated from market data. The shutdown represents the most severe oil supply disruption in modern Russian history. Ukraine has hit Novatek’s Ust-Luga and Primorsk terminals on the Baltic Sea, the Novorossiysk terminal on the Black Sea, and damaged the Druzhba pipeline running through Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia; frequent European seizures of Russia-linked tankers have separately disrupted around 300,000 barrels per day of Arctic oil exports from Murmansk. With western export routes under sustained attack, Russia is increasingly dependent on Asian markets, though traders say those routes are capacity-constrained. Oil and gas revenues account for around a quarter of Russia’s state budget.
* **U.S. conditioning security guarantees on Ukraine ceding all of Donbas to Russia, Zelenskyy says:** President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [told][65] Reuters Wednesday that the United States is offering security guarantees for a Ukraine peace deal if it cedes the entire Donbas region to Russia. “The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy also told the outlet that Trump is applying disproportionate pressure on the Ukrainian side, influenced in part by his focus on the Iran conflict, and that Russia is betting Washington will lose interest and walk away if talks stall—a risk he acknowledged exists. A fourth round of trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks, previously held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, was postponed this month due to the Iran war.
* **RSF and allied forces capture strategic border town of Kurmuk in Sudan’s Blue Nile region:** A coalition of the Rapid Support Forces and the Abdul Aziz al-Hilu faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North said on Tuesday that they had [seized][66] Kurmuk, a strategic town on Sudan’s border with Ethiopia in the Blue Nile region, following what they described as fierce battles against the Sudanese army. The Blue Nile state’s government spokesperson alleged that attacking forces received foreign logistical support — including drones, mercenaries, and cross-border training—and pointed toward Ethiopia. Thousands of civilians have fled toward Ed Damazin, the regional capital, with the region’s humanitarian situation deteriorating rapidly.
* **Rwanda-backed rebels in Congo detain journalists in shipping containers, advocacy group says: **The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controlling parts of eastern Congo has been [holding][67] civilians—including at least two journalists—in metal shipping containers without light or ventilation at the compound of Goma’s provincial legislative assembly, Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday. Based on witness accounts, satellite imagery, and photos collected in 2025, the advocacy group said as many as 80 detainees at a time were packed into a single container, allowed outside only once daily, given minimal food, subjected to routine beatings, and endured suffocating heat by day and cold at night. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka dismissed the findings as “disinformation” on X.
* **Armed militants kill eleven in ambush on Nigerian security forces in Kebbi state**: Armed militants fatally [shot][68] nine soldiers, a police officer, and one civilian and wounded several others in an ambush in the village of Giron Masa in Kebbi state’s Shanga council area, northwestern Nigeria, after luring security forces into an ambush, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but residents suspect the Islamic State Sahel Province, known locally as Lakurawa.
* **UN General Assembly declares transatlantic slave trade a “gravest crime against humanity”**: The United Nations General Assembly [adopted][69] a landmark resolution Wednesday declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement the “gravest crime against humanity,” passing 123 votes in favor with only three opposed—the United States, Israel, and Argentina—and 52 abstentions, including the United Kingdom and all 27 European Union members. Proposed by Ghana on behalf of the African Group, the resolution calls for a full formal apology, restitution of cultural artifacts, and financial reparations; defines the transatlantic slave trade as a violation of jus cogens—peremptory norms of international law binding on all nations—and asserts that slavery’s legacies continue to drive global racial disparities and systemic discrimination.
* **Uganda’s military chief threatens to enter Iran war on Israel’s side**: General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s military chief and son of President Yoweri Museveni, [unleashed][70] a flurry of posts on X Wednesday declaring solidarity with Israel and warning that Uganda would enter the war on Israel’s side if it faces defeat, saying Israel need only “ask” its “Ugandan brothers.” Kainerugaba, who has a well-established pattern of posting inflammatory statements he later deletes or walks back, threatened retaliation with Ugandan missiles if Tehran struck Uganda and separately claimed that any attack on Cuba would mark “the beginning of World War 3.” In a since-deleted post, he added that Israel and the U.S. could have taken Tehran “in 72 hours” without bombing had they sought Uganda’s help.
* **The U.S. blockade of Cuba is leading to preventable deaths: **U.S. policy toward Cuba is causing deteriorating conditions in the country’s once lauded healthcare system, with healthcare workers telling the [New York Times][71] that hospitals are canceling surgeries, doctors halting treatments due to power outages and supply shortages, ambulances are left idle due to a lack of fuel, and the state unable to procure medicine to stock pharmacies. Cuban doctors said that as a result the country is experiencing otherwise preventable deaths.
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[1]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/us/politics/iran-us-bases.html
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036905728833655296
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036919381473505590
[4]: https://x.com/MIshaqDar50/status/2037109327719522764
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036900124404634033
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036936714103488931
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036960757384929621
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036830258872090776
[9]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/24/palestinians-struggle-as-gaza-endures-severe-fuel-and-gas-shortages
[10]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/25/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A5%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%88%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8-144392
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036920633540694098
[12]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/25/rogers-attacks-pentagon-iran-troops-00844639
[13]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-25/tsa-warns-new-airport-screeners-won-t-be-ready-for-world-cup
[14]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/25/ice-lied-about-its-authority-to-make-courthouse-arrests/
[15]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2036900417347707303
[16]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/least-40-russias-oil-export-capacity-halted-reuters-calculations-show-2026-03-25/
[17]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-links-security-guarantees-ukraine-giving-up-donbas-zelenskiy-says-2026-03-25/
[18]: https://sudantribune.com/article/312054
[19]: https://apnews.com/article/congo-goma-m23-reporters-without-borders-f2c557904c997a40cc4992276c8de7cf
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037002723275522138
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[22]: https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-03-26-2026#0000019d-2858-d29d-affd-effed0b60000
[23]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/us/politics/iran-us-bases.html
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036905728833655296
[25]: https://x.com/centcom/status/2036869094595568037?s=46
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036960757384929621
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037018839783756172
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036919381473505590
[29]: https://x.com/MIshaqDar50/status/2037109327719522764
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036900124404634033
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036895880721125392
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036953339720540492
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036976025775575464
[34]: https://apnews.com/article/strait-of-hormuz-iran-us-trump-israel-172e6f41b0e4af99881ca8ef2f69ed17
[35]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-gets-daily-video-montage-briefing-iran-war-rcna263912
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036941003345527210
[37]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/21/israel-targeting-medical-facilities-south-lebanon-health-workers
[38]: https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/2036859652256764188
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036936714103488931
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036989048338686139
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036874872823902680
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036933555704512873
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036960757384929621
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036830258872090776
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036919944970199193
[46]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hamas-uk-britain-terrorism-international-law-zionism-israel
[47]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/24/palestinians-struggle-as-gaza-endures-severe-fuel-and-gas-shortages
[48]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/24/palestinians-struggle-as-gaza-endures-severe-fuel-and-gas-shortages
[49]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/25/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A5%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%88%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8-144392
[50]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/25/israel-forcibly-displaces-more-palestinian-families-in-east-jerusalem
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036882577345196361
[52]: mailto:[email protected]
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036920633540694098
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews
[55]: https://x.com/nathanTbernard/status/2037139441962164729?s=20
[56]: https://x.com/JanetMillsforME/status/2037123323587420619?s=20
[57]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/25/rogers-attacks-pentagon-iran-troops-00844639
[58]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-25/tsa-warns-new-airport-screeners-won-t-be-ready-for-world-cup
[59]: https://abcnews.com/US/doj-pay-trump-adviser-michael-flynn-1m-settle/story?id=131411111
[60]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/25/ice-lied-about-its-authority-to-make-courthouse-arrests/
[61]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/25/professor-texas-state-university-israel-palestine
[62]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2036900417347707303
[63]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-attacks-kill-two-ukraines-kharkiv-damage-infrastructure-danube-2026-03-26/
[64]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/least-40-russias-oil-export-capacity-halted-reuters-calculations-show-2026-03-25/
[65]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-links-security-guarantees-ukraine-giving-up-donbas-zelenskiy-says-2026-03-25/
[66]: https://sudantribune.com/article/312054
[67]: https://apnews.com/article/congo-goma-m23-reporters-without-borders-f2c557904c997a40cc4992276c8de7cf
[68]: https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-kebbi-attack-militants-giron-masa-236fa65e7cd1531a465aadb6fcee46e4
[69]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037002723275522138
[70]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2037006999209075071
[71]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/world/americas/cubas-health-system-us-oil-blockade.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WFA.SxZz.Cn4RxDM8rCKv&smid=nytcore-ios-share
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-irgc-naval-commander-hezbollah-ukraine-donbas-russia

2026-03-25 15:20:32 UTC

Suspicious market bets on the Iran war; Knesset advances bill to execute Palestinians accused of “terrorism”; Trump sends 15-point proposal to Iran
*Israel continues attacks on Iran. Pakistan hands over 15-point U.S. proposal to Iran. Projectile [hits][1] Bushehr nuclear plant site again on Monday, no damage reported. Drone strike [ignites][2] fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport. Iranian strikes [wound][3] seven in Bnei Brak, as President Donald Trump declares Iran “militarily dead.” QatarEnergy [declares][4] force majeure on LNG contracts with Europe and Asia. Pentagon [reports][5] 290 U.S. troops wounded and 13 killed in Iran war. Iran [reports][6] 241 students and teachers killed, 644 schools damaged since war began. Hezbollah rockets [kill][7] woman in northern Israel on Tuesday. Five Palestinians [killed][8] in Israeli attacks across Gaza. Israeli Knesset [advances][9] death penalty bill that would allow hanging for those accused of “terrorist acts.” Palestinian teen [starved][10] to death in Israeli prison. Oklahoma governor [appoints][11] energy executive Alan Armstrong to fill Mullin’s Senate seat. Democrat
[flips][12] Florida House seat in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago district. North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger [concedes][13] primary defeat by 23 votes. Delta [suspends][14] congressional flight perks. Anonymous trader [wins][15] nearly $1 million on Polymarket with suspiciously timed bets on Iran strikes. Sen. Chris Murphy raises the red flag on futures bought ahead of major Trump announcement. Seven Iraqi soldiers [were][16] killed and 13 injured in an airstrike on a base in Anbar. Czech and Slovak police [arrest][17] three over arson attack on arms facility with Israeli ties. U.S.-backed Ecuador drug strike [appears][18] to have destroyed a cattle farm. Student [kills][19] two staff members in school shooting in Michoacán. WHO raises Darfur hospital death toll to 70 as UN [flags][20] possible war crimes.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **Trita Parsi joins the Drop Site [livestream][21] to discuss the latest in Iran.
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Missiles fired from Iran toward Israel are spotted in the skies over Hebron on March 25, 2026. Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Israel continues attacks on Iran:** The Israeli military said it conducted several waves of airstrikes in Tehran on Wednesday, without elaborating. Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli air force has dropped over 15,000 bombs on Iran since the start of the war—four times the number of munitions dropped during the 12-day war on Iran in June. Katz, who made the remarks during a joint briefing with the Israeli army chief of staff, also said he has approved a new series of targets for strikes in Iran and Lebanon.
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll in Iran has reached at least 1,500, with more than 18,551 injured, Iran’s Health Ministry reported. At least 66 children under the age of five have been killed so far, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.
* **Pakistan hands over 15-point U.S. proposal to Iran:** Pakistan has shared a 15-point U.S. ceasefire proposal with Iran and is awaiting a response, according to multiple news outlets. According to Pakistani officials cited by the AP, the 15-point plan touches on “sanctions relief,” “missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” and addresses Iran’s nuclear enrichment and its non-military use. Iran, which has twice been bombed during negotiations with the U.S., has not officially confirmed receiving any U.S. plan and publicly dismissed the proposal. Iranian officials have said they will continue their retaliatory strikes until an agreement acceptable to Tehran is reached. In a televised statement, Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said, “Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?” He added, “The one claiming to be a global superpower would
have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don’t dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end.”
* **Projectile hits Bushehr nuclear plant site again on Monday, no damage reported: **A probable U.S.-Israeli projectile [struck][23] the Bushehr nuclear power plant site in southern Iran for the second time this month, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed it was informed by Iran that the strike caused no technical damage, no injuries to staff, and that operations remain normal, mirroring a similar incident on March 16. Iran warned that strikes on nuclear facilities violate international law and risk serious consequences for Gulf regional safety.
* **Drone strike ignites fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport: **Drones [struck][24] a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire that emergency teams brought under control, Kuwait’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said. Authorities reported material damage, but no casualties, with firefighting units and officials deployed to secure operations at the site. Footage from Wednesday morning showed a plume of dark smoke rising across Kuwait City’s skyline, as the fire appeared to be still burning.
* **Iranian strikes wound seven in Bnei Brak, as Trump declares Iran “militarily dead”: **A missile with a fragmenting warhead [struck][25] Bnei Brak in Israel without being intercepted, wounding seven people including an infant, a 7-year-old boy, and a 23-year-old man who suffered moderate injuries. President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, declared Iran “completely defeated” and “militarily dead” as the attacks unfolded.
* **QatarEnergy declares force majeure on LNG contracts with Europe and Asia: **State-owned QatarEnergy [declared][26] force majeure on several long-term gas supply contracts with buyers in Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and China, suspending deliveries without penalty after Iranian missile and drone strikes disrupted its LNG export capacity. The decision threatens to ripple across energy markets in Europe and Asia, which rely significantly on Qatari gas supplies.
* **Pentagon reports 290 U.S. troops wounded and 13 killed in Iran war: **The Pentagon [said][27] Tuesday that 290 U.S. service members have been wounded in the war with Iran, an increase of 90 since mid-March, with 255 having returned to duty and 35 still out of action, including 10 seriously wounded, according to the Associated Press. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed in combat.
* **Iran reports 241 students and teachers killed, 644 schools damaged since war began: **Iran’s Ministry of Education [reported][28] Tuesday that 241 students and teachers have been killed and 183 wounded across 17 provinces since the start of the war, with 644 schools and educational facilities damaged or destroyed. Students account for 190 of the deaths and 164 of the injuries, while 51 teachers were killed and 19 were wounded.
* **Trump claims victory in Oval Office remarks: **President Donald Trump [declared][29] the war with Iran effectively won, asserting the U.S. has achieved “some form of regime change, very serious regime change,” while dismissing continued fighting as “fake news.” He described a major concession from Tehran—framed as a “present” tied to oil, gas, and the Strait of Hormuz—and claimed Iran has agreed it will never develop a nuclear weapon, though Iran had already committed to that position before the war began. In response to these remarks, Iranian state media [published][30] footage of what it described as a ground-to-ground missile strike on the U.S. base at Erbil airport, framing it as the “gift we sent to Trump.”
* **U.S. awaits Iran’s answer on Islamabad talks: **The U.S. and regional mediators Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are [pushing][31] for talks in Islamabad as early as Thursday, but are still awaiting Tehran’s response, Axios reported. Iranian officials told Drop Site News that enrichment will continue, missile capabilities are “not subject to negotiation,” and any deal must include a broader ceasefire and compensation. Reuters also reported Tehran is seeking formal control over the Strait of Hormuz. Israel has expressed concern that Trump may cut a partial deal limiting its operations, and U.S. officials told Axios they expect at least two to three more weeks of war even if talks do proceed.
* **Senior Iranian official Saeed Jalili dismisses U.S. talk of dialogue as “deception”: **Saeed Jalili, the Supreme Leader’s representative to the Supreme National Security Council and member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, [accused][32] Washington of bad faith in calling for talks, saying the same side that had pushed for regime change and Iran’s fragmentation was now seeking dialogue. “The one who spoke of changing the regime… now yearns for dialogue… this too is an effort at deception,” he wrote.
* **U.S. deploys 82nd Airborne elements to the Middle East: **At least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division will be deployed to the Middle East, according to AP. The Pentagon is also in the process of deploying two Marine units that will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region.
* **IRGC forces container ship to turn around: **On Monday,** **Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy [forced][33] the St. Kitts-and-Nevis-flagged container ship SELEN to reverse course near the Strait of Hormuz entrance, citing failure to comply with “legal protocols” and lacking authorization to transit, IRGC naval commander Alireza Tangsiri said. Tangsiri maintained any vessel passing through the waterway must coordinate with Iran’s maritime authorities.
* **UAE and Bahrain come under fire as Iran kills contractor: **A Moroccan civilian contractor working with the UAE Armed Forces was [killed][34] in Bahrain after Iran launched missiles and drones at both Gulf states, Bahraini and Emirati authorities said. The UAE reported five Defense Ministry personnel wounded, while Bahrain said its forces were targeted with six missiles and 19 drones. The UAE said its air defenses intercepted five ballistic missiles and 17 drones, and that the country has faced a total of 372 missiles and 1,806 drones since the war began.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **At least 33 people were killed and 90 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon over the previous 24 hours, Lebanese authorities reported on Tuesday evening.** **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1072—with 2966 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday:**
* At least nine people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the state-run National News Agency.
* Four people were killed in an attack on Adloun in the southern Sidon area, and another two in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh Palestinian refugee camp that also left four wounded.
* An Israeli attack on the town of Habboush killed an additional three people. Journalist Hussein Hamoud, a cameraman for Al-Manar TV, was killed in an airstrike on the Al-Maslakh neighborhood in Nabatieh early Wednesday morning.
* Air strikes were recorded across the country; Tyre, Nabatieh, Marjeyoun, Hermel, Saida, Mount Lebanon, and the Bekaa were hit.
* Towns, roads, and residential areas were struck, with reports of phosphorus use by Israel in Naqoura, Qawzah, and Aita Al-Shaab.
* Israeli forces briefly entered Hilta, searched homes, executed a 15-year-old, detained another civilian, then withdrew.
* Two paramedics were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, while on a rescue mission, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The strike targeted their motorcycle despite them wearing medical uniforms and riding a vehicle marked with ambulance symbols. Among the victims was 15-year-old volunteer medic Joud Suleiman. The ministry said the attack brings the total number of killed emergency responders to 42.
* Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon later Tuesday [killed][35] at least nine more people and wounded dozens, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, according to the Associated Press. The casualties included: three killed and 18 wounded in Nabatieh, six killed and five wounded in Sidon, and 29 wounded in Tyre.
* **Hezbollah rockets kill woman in northern Israel on Tuesday: **A woman in her 30s was [killed][36] and two others lightly wounded by shrapnel when dozens of Hezbollah rockets struck the southern Hula Valley and Upper Galilee regions, Magen David Adom said. Israeli authorities said it marked the first civilian death in Israeli from Hezbollah fire since fighting intensified earlier this month.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, two Palestinians were killed and 11 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,265 killed, with 171,959 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 689 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,860, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Five Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza: **Several Palestinians were [injured][37] on Wednesday morning after an Israeli drone targeted a facility distributing goods south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to WAFA. On Tuesday night, four civilians were killed and others injured in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a group of people near Al-Sawarha cemetery in central Gaza. Earlier on Tuesday, a child, 13-year-old Khaled Arada, was killed after being shot by Israeli forces while inside his tent in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the south of the Strip.
* **Israeli Knesset advances death penalty bill for final readings:** Israel’s Knesset National Security Committee [approved][38] Tuesday a draft law—advancing toward final readings next week—that would impose the death penalty on prisoners accused of carrying out killings classified as “terrorist acts.” The bill mandates execution—by hanging within 90 days—without requiring unanimous judicial approval and eliminates any possibility of pardon, making sentences final and irreversible. The proposed law, introduced by Limor Son-Harmalk and backed by extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir, establishes a geographically differentiated system that makes execution the primary punishment in the occupied West Bank and allows life sentences only in exceptional cases under military authority. The Prisoners’ Media Office labeled it “an unprecedented escalation,” warning it violates international law and could pave the way for systematic executions of prisoners.
* **Palestinian teen starved to death in Israeli prison:** Journalist Jasper Nathaniel: “Judge rules that 17-year-old Walid Ahmad likely starved to death in Israeli military detention, but closes the case anyway. Israel never charged him with a crime and still holds his body. **[Here’s][39]** how he died, as reported by his cellmate, 16-year-old American Mohammed Ibrahim.”
* **UN experts demand Israel free Gaza hospital director amid new torture allegations: **UN Special Rapporteurs on torture, health, and the occupied Palestinian territories [called][40] Tuesday for the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, citing new reports of “severe torture” and denial of medical care despite deteriorating health. Detained since December 2024 under Israel’s “unlawful combatant” law, his detention is arbitrary and violates international law, the experts said, urging states with influence over Israel to act to secure his release and treatment. Read Drop Site’s coverage of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya [here][41].
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][42].*
* **Oklahoma governor appoints energy executive Alan Armstrong to fill Mullin’s Senate seat: **Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt [named][43] Alan Armstrong, executive chair of Tulsa-based Williams Companies, to fill the Senate seat vacated by Markwayne Mullin, who was sworn in Tuesday as Secretary of Homeland Security. Armstrong, who has never previously held public office, will serve until a successor is elected in November and is barred by state law from seeking election to the seat himself. Representative Kevin Hern, who secured Trump’s endorsement shortly after announcing his candidacy in mid-March, is the heavy favorite to win the full term in November.
* **Democrat flips Florida House seat in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago district: **Emily Gregory, a first-time candidate and business owner, [defeated][44] Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples 51% to 49% in a Florida state House special election covering the district that includes Mar-a-Lago, flipping a seat Trump carried by roughly 11 percentage points in 2024, according to Associated Press projections. It is the 10th GOP-held state legislative seat Democrats have flipped since President Donald Trump returned to office, while Republicans have not flipped any Democratic seats in the same period.
* **North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger concedes primary defeat by 23 votes: **Republican Phil Berger, who has led North Carolina’s state Senate since 2005, [conceded defeat][45] Tuesday to Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page after a machine recount and hand recount confirmed he lost his primary by just 23 votes. Berger had touted a Trump endorsement throughout the campaign, though the president also called Page “great” and described both candidates as “outstanding people.” Page’s challenge was fueled in part by his vocal opposition to a 2023 casino expansion Berger championed before Republicans ultimately abandoned it. Berger’s loss creates a significant power vacuum in North Carolina Republican politics; he played a central role in cementing GOP legislative dominance, including a 2024 move to shift elections authority away from the governor and redrawing congressional maps to target a Democratic incumbent. Page is expected to win the Republican-leaning district in November.
* **Delta suspends congressional flight perks: **Delta Air Lines announced it is [temporarily suspending][46] dedicated airport escort and red coat services for members of Congress, citing strain on resources from the partial government shutdown that has left TSA officers without pay since Department of Homeland Security funding lapsed in mid-February. The move comes days after the Senate unanimously approved a proposal to end preferential airport treatment for lawmakers, including line-skipping privileges at security checkpoints. More than 400 TSA officers have quit altogether, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport—the world’s busiest—is asking passengers to allow at least four hours to clear security. Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over a funding resolution, with Democrats refusing to back any bill that does not include reforms to immigration enforcement agencies.
* **Anonymous trader wins nearly $1 million on Polymarket with suspiciously timed bets on Iran strikes: **An anonymous trader [netted nearly $967,000][47] on the prediction market Polymarket since 2024 by correctly wagering on U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran at an overall win rate of 83%—and 93% on bets over $10,000—according to an analysis by blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps shared with CNN. The bets were placed hours before Israeli strikes in October 2024, hours before U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, and hours before the joint U.S.-Israeli attack in February that started the current war. “Having win rates in the 80% to 90% range is just too good to be true,” said Todd Phillips, a finance professor and former Commodity Futures Trading Commission advisory board member.
* **Sen. Murphy raises the red flag on $1.5 billion in futures bought ahead of Trump’s war announcement:** Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) raised concerns about suspicious trades on Monday in the oil market minutes ahead of President Trump touting “productive” talks with Iran and postponing strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure. Murphy cited reports showing $1.5 billion in S&P 500 futures bought and $192 million in oil futures sold just five minutes before the post, and asking who had advance knowledge. “Who was it? Trump? A family member? A White House staffer? This is corruption. Mind blowing corruption,” Murphy [posted][48]. The Financial Times [reported][49] bets worth half a billion dollars in the oil market were placed about 15 minutes before Trump’s post, which triggered a sharp sell-off across global energy markets and jumps in S&P 500 stock index futures. One source told the Financial Times, “It’s hard to prove causality . . . but you have to wonder who would have been relatively
aggressive at selling futures at that point, 15 minutes before Trump’s post.” A portfolio manager told the paper, “My gut from watching markets for the last 25 years is this is really abnormal,” he added. “It’s Monday morning, there’s no important data today, there aren’t any Fed speakers you’d want to front run. It’s an unusually large trade for a day with no event risk . . . Somebody just got a lot richer.”
* **Venezuelan man deported to El Salvador prison sues U.S. government for $1.3 million: **Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, a barber who lived in Irving, Texas, [filed][50] what appears to be the first lawsuit seeking damages from a deportee sent to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, accusing the U.S. government of false imprisonment and negligence after he was detained in March 2025 based solely on his tattoos and wrongly identified as a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Rengel spent four months in the maximum-security prison, where he said he was subjected to physical and psychological abuse, before being released in July 2025 and returned to Venezuela through a prisoner swap.
* **Minnesota sues Trump administration: **Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration Tuesday [for access][51] to evidence needed to independently investigate three shootings by federal officers—including the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti—after state officials say the federal government broke its promise to cooperate following the Minneapolis immigration crackdown known as Operation Metro Surge.
* **Louisiana prosecutor with history of racism accusations runs for judge in Caddo Parish: **Hugo Holland, a prosecutor whose nearly 40-year career in Caddo Parish includes findings by Louisiana judges that he withheld evidence in at least two death penalty cases and accusations of racism from defense attorneys, is running for a seat on the First Judicial District Court with Republican Party backing. Courts found Holland withheld evidence in cases involving Bobby Hampton, David Brown, and Corey Williams, a severely intellectually disabled 16-year-old whose conviction was eventually resolved through a plea deal after dozens of former federal prosecutors filed a brief supporting efforts to overturn it. Caddo Parish sent more people to death row per capita than any other county in the United States between 2010 and 2014, with 80 percent of those sentenced being Black despite Black residents comprising just under half the parish population. Read from [ProPublica][52].
* **Pentagon’s top technology official holds millions in Anthropic competitor: **Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer, holds between $2 million and $10 million in stock in Perplexity AI—a direct competitor to Anthropic—while playing a central role in the decision to blacklist Anthropic from government contracts, according to financial disclosures [reviewed by The Lever][53]. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently labeled Anthropic a “supply chain risk” over limitations Anthropic put on AI use. OpenAI is reportedly positioned to take over the contract. Michael’s disclosures list assets totaling between $121 million and $277 million, including additional stakes in robotics and AI companies with Pentagon ties.
# Other International News
* **Another major strike in Iraq: **Seven Iraqi soldiers were killed and 13 injured in an ⁠airstrike on a base in Anbar, which hosts both regular security forces and the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The Iraqi defense ministry said the strike also targeted the base’s military healthcare clinic, calling it a “flagrant and dangerous violation of international law, which prohibits targeting medical facilities and their personnel.” The strike came a day after an attack on the same base that killed at least 15 PMF fighters—including senior commander Saad al-Baiji—and wounded about 30, according to the group. That attack prompted Iraq’s government to grant the PMF a “right to respond” to any attack against it, a position that was reaffirmed on Wednesday.
* **Iran files sovereignment claim with the UN over Iran war:** Iraq is preparing to file a sovereignty complaint to the United Nations Security Council, Khalid al-Yaqoubi, security advisor to Iraq’s prime minister, told AP on Wednesday. Yaqoubi said 80 members of the Iraqi security forces have been killed and 150 have been wounded since the start of the war last month.“We are against the aggression on Iran because it is not justified,” he said about the U.S.-Israeli war.
* **International activist convoy delivers aid to Cuba: **A small ship [carrying][54] 14 tons of food, medicine, solar panels, and bicycles arrived in Havana Harbor on Tuesday as part of the Nuestra America Convoy, an international effort organized by nearly 300 groups from more than 30 countries to circumvent U.S. sanctions restricting fuel and goods to the island. The delivery, supplemented by six tons of goods flown in over the past week, was largely symbolic given Cuba’s near-catastrophic economic crisis, which the Trump administration has deepened by cutting off fuel supplies and threatening tariffs on countries that deliver oil to the island. Costa Rica recently joined Ecuador in severing diplomatic relations with Cuba, compounding pressure on a government that has long prized its international ties.
* **Czech and Slovak police arrest three over arson attack on arms facility with Israeli ties: **Czech and Slovak police [detained][55] three people—including U.S. and Czech citizens—on terrorism charges following a Friday arson attack on a building used by Czech defense group LPP Holding at an industrial complex in Pardubice, about 120 kilometers east of Prague. The group claiming responsibility, Earthquake Faction, said it targeted the facility over LPP’s announced plans to cooperate with Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems, though LPP says that cooperation was never carried out. Earthquake Faction said Tuesday it had taken restricted documents and would publish them unless LPP cut ties with Elbit and denounced what it called the occupation of Palestine.
* **Colombia issues arrest warrants for rebel leaders over political assassination**: Colombia’s attorney general [issued arrest warrants][56] Tuesday for seven leaders of the Segunda Marquetalia rebel group, including veteran guerrilla commanders Iván Márquez and Jhon 40, over the June 2025 assassination of senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe in Bogotá. Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo described the killing as a “structured criminal operation” in which a hired urban gang carried out the hit for a reported 1 billion peso ($250,000) payment, coordinated near the Venezuelan border—where several suspects are believed to be hiding.
* **U.S.-backed Ecuador drug strike appears to have destroyed a cattle farm: **A New York Times investigation raises serious questions about a March 6 airstrike that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicized on social media as proof the U.S. military was “now bombing Narco Terrorists on land”; according to the Times, the target appears to have been a 350-acre cattle and dairy farm owned by a 32-year-old carpenter named Miguel, not a drug trafficking compound. Farm workers told the Times that Ecuadorean soldiers arrived three days earlier, beat and detained four Colombian workers, subjected them to waterboarding and electric shocks, doused structures with gasoline and set them alight—then returned on March 6 to film themselves bombing the smoldering ruins, producing footage Ecuador and the U.S. jointly promoted as the destruction of a traffickers’ training camp. The Pentagon said the strike was conducted “jointly” with Ecuador, though Times sources said U.S. troops had no direct
involvement in the bombing itself. Ecuador claimed to have recovered weapons and evidence of illicit activity but released no photographs, as it typically does following drug seizures. “It’s a lie that 50 people trained here,” Miguel said, standing amid his dead chickens. “There’s no logic.” ([NYT][57])
* **Student kills two female staff members in school shooting in Michoacán: **A 15-year-old student allegedly[ opened fire][58] with a high-powered assault rifle at the private Makarenko School in the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas, killing two female staff members—reported to be a teacher and an administrator—before being arrested, local authorities in Michoacán said. School shootings are rare in Mexico. The student, now detained, shared on social media his sympathy for the so-called incel movement.
* **WHO raises Darfur hospital death toll to 70 as UN flags possible war crimes: **The death toll from the strike on Al Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur on March 20 [is now][59] 70 people with 146 injured, according to the WHO. The attack put a facility serving more than 2 million people permanently out of operation. The UN Human Rights office said the strike involved drones in an area controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, though the office said it lacked sufficient evidence to assign blame, noting both sides in the civil war have used drones against civilians. More than 500 civilians have been killed in drone strikes since the start of the year, mostly in the Kordofan region, the UN rights office said.
# More from Drop Site
* **Livestream: **Drop Site’s Ryan Grim, Jeremy Scahill, and Murtaza Hussain discuss the latest developments on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran with Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
* **Ryan Grim talks Cuba on Newsmax: **
* **Julian Andreone** makes a cameo in **Tommy G’s** video about stock trading in Congress:
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036551156177018921
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036592673436656106
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036549087894688247
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036646178884931873
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[9]: https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168636
[10]: https://x.com/infinite_jaz/status/2036506611091390833
[11]: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/24/congress/oklahoma-senator-alan-armstrong-00841481
[12]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/democrat-flips-republican-florida-house-seat-includes-trump-mar-lago-rcna264660
[13]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/24/trump-endorsed-north-carolina-state-senate-leader-loses-00843104?referrer=https://reddit.com&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it
[14]: https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5797907-delta-suspends-special-congressional-desk-service/
[15]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/24/politics/iran-war-bets-prediction-markets
[16]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/international-convoy-delivers-tons-aid-cuba-amid-crisis-2026-03-24/
[17]: https://www.reuters.com/world/czech-police-say-three-suspects-detained-over-arson-attack-pardubice-facility-2026-03-24/
[18]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/world/americas/us-ecuador-drug-camp-bombing-dairy-farm.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VlA.IAXf.JXmzcnExAYLX&smid=url-share
[19]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/two-dead-school-shooting-western-mexico-teenager-arrested-2026-03-24/
[20]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/death-toll-sudan-hospital-strike-rises-70-who-says-2026-03-24/
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[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036645114726973762
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036639544301260923
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036538045114249610
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036540048644907098
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036585493937389737
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036573561792634947
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036590845902586149
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036470111305949567
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036644799927726108
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036541603410543092
[37]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/25/%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A5%D8%AB%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%B3%D8%A7-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8-%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%AD-%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B7-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-144363
[38]: https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/168636
[39]: https://x.com/infinite_jaz/status/2036506611091390833
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036625214789091578
[41]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/the-disappearance-of-dr-hussam-abu-safiya-hospital-gaza
[42]: mailto:[email protected]
[43]: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/24/congress/oklahoma-senator-alan-armstrong-00841481
[44]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/democrat-flips-republican-florida-house-seat-includes-trump-mar-lago-rcna264660
[45]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/24/trump-endorsed-north-carolina-state-senate-leader-loses-00843104?referrer=https://reddit.com&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it
[46]: https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5797907-delta-suspends-special-congressional-desk-service/
[47]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/24/politics/iran-war-bets-prediction-markets
[48]: https://x.com/chrismurphyct/status/2036277990489764135
[49]: https://www.ft.com/content/1171d623-3709-4f6e-8ded-a5df4ec57696?syn-25a6b1a6=1
[50]: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/venezuelan-man-sues-us-over-deportation-el-salvadoran-prison-2026-03-24/
[51]: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-minneapolis-sue-alex-pretti-renee-good-5a0b98ac7173ce0e9ecc3bf9a39e3919
[52]: https://www.propublica.org/article/hugo-holland-louisiana-judge-race-controversies
[53]: https://www.levernews.com/the-pentagons-ai-gatekeeper-holds-stock-in-anthropics-rival/
[54]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/international-convoy-delivers-tons-aid-cuba-amid-crisis-2026-03-24/
[55]: https://www.reuters.com/world/czech-police-say-three-suspects-detained-over-arson-attack-pardubice-facility-2026-03-24/
[56]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-seeks-arrest-rebel-leaders-over-2025-assassination-senator-2026-03-24/
[57]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/world/americas/us-ecuador-drug-camp-bombing-dairy-farm.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VlA.IAXf.JXmzcnExAYLX&smid=url-share
[58]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/two-dead-school-shooting-western-mexico-teenager-arrested-2026-03-24/
[59]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/death-toll-sudan-hospital-strike-rises-70-who-says-2026-03-24/
[60]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
[61]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[62]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trades-bets-knesset-bill-execute-palestinians-terrorist-acts-trump-15-point-plan/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trades-bets-knesset-bill-execute-palestinians-terrorist-acts-trump-15-point-plan

2026-03-24 18:31:15 UTC

Iran War Enters New Phase
As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran stretches into its fourth week, Tehran is denying claims by President Donald Trump that the U.S. and Iran are in the midst of negotiations to end the war, saying that no direct talks are occurring. Drop Site’s **Jeremy Scahill, Ryan Grim**, and **Murtaza Hussain** discuss the latest.
Grim and Hussain are also joined by jouranlist **Alexis Daloumis** on the ground in Sulaymaniyah, in northeastern Iraq’s Kurdistan region near the Iranian border. Daloumis is the director of the documentary “Belkî Sibê,” that follows leftist Western fighters—of which he was one—who fought alongside the Kurdish-led, American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in their battle against ISIS.
Analyst **Trita Parsi**, the executive Vice President of Quincy Institute, also joins to discuss the latest geopolitical developments around the war on Iran.
Grim also discusses his recent trip to Cuba which is suffering from severe power shortages as a result of the Trump administration’s oil blockade which is affecting everything from hospitals to water systems.
And **Sharif Abdel Kouddous** speaks about Palestinian journalist and Drop Site contributor **Hossam Shabat** on the one-year anniversary of his assassination by the Israeli military.
[Share][1]
[1]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-iraq-cuba-hossam-shabat?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-iraq-cuba-hossam-shabat

2026-03-24 14:53:50 UTC

Israel asserts control over southern Lebanon; 82,000 civilian targets struck in Iran, Red Crescent says; Antibiotics, insulin scarce in Cuba
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the assassination of our colleague, Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia. Shabat, 23, was a Gaza correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher and a contributor for Drop Site News. He filed his last story for Drop Site hours before he was killed. His brother, Wissam Shabat, also a journalist, [wrote][1] on Tuesday: “I lost you before my eyes, and I was helpless, unable to do anything. That moment still lives within me every single day. You were martyred for the sake of truth, because you spoke what had to be said and revealed what they tried to hide...You were a hero, and you will always be.”
**[Read more about Hossam and his coverage here.][2]**
*U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran [unabated][3] on Tuesday. Over 82,000 civilian targets struck in Iran. 466 people arrested in Iran for online activity. Iranian missile strikes [hit][4] Israel. Iranians [form][5] human chains around power plants. Missile and drone attacks [disrupt][6] power grid in Kuwait. Iran [appoints][7] Zolghadr to top security post after Larijani killing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [signals][8] openness to a deal. A quarter of Lebanon is [displaced][9]. Israel will control Lebanon south of the Litani River, Defense Minister Israel Katz asserts. Israeli cross-border raid in Lebanon [leaves][10] civilian dead, resident abducted. Israeli operations [continue][11] in Gaza. Palestinian [detained][12] at Rafah crossing as access remains uncertain. UN rapporteur [alleges][13] systematic torture in Israel’s campaign in Gaza. Collision at LaGuardia [leaves][14] two dead, dozens injured, airport shut down. Senate [confirms][15] Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS
amid prolonged shutdown. U.S. to [pay][16] TotalEnergies nearly $1B to abandon offshore wind projects. Pentagon [tightens][17] press access after court ruling on media restrictions. Pentagon guidance shaping satellite firms’ public language on Iran war: [report][18]. Medical shortages [deepen][19] in Cuba amid sanctions pressure. Airstrike [hits][20] PMF headquarters in Iraq, killing senior figures. Hungarian opposition leader [alleges][21] EU leaks to Russia as election tensions rise. Colombian military plane crash [kills][22] dozens after takeoff.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **Iran [rejects][23] Trump claims of negotiations, outlines war conditions. Janet Mills [faces][24] voter backlash over attack ad against Graham Platner in Senate primary.
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Qasmiya Bridge in Lebanon after an Israeli airstrike on March 23, 2026. Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S.-Israeli airstrikes continue to pound Iran:** U.S.-Israeli airstrikes continue to pound Iran on Tuesday with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) saying it is continuing to “aggressively strike” targets, while the Israeli military said it has “completed a wave of extensive strikes targeting production sites” without elaborating.
* At least six people were killed in overnight attacks that destroyed several residential units in Tabriz, according to the Tasnim news agency.
* At least six people were killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on a residential area of East Azerbaijan province, according to ISNA.
* **Attacks on Iran unabated on Monday:**
* The U.S. and Israel continued their strikes on Tehran, with Israel saying it struck the IRGC’s main security headquarters in the city. Another [strike][26] killed electrical engineering professor Saeed Shamghadari and his children, along with other reported civilians. Presumably regarding this attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had recently “eliminated” additional nuclear scientists.
* U.S.-Israeli strikes [targeted][27] energy and water-related infrastructure in Isfahan, Khorramshahr, and Bushehr, Iranian media reported Monday, damaging gas facilities, a power plant area, and a key desalination site amid existing water shortages. Iranian reports said a meteorological official was killed in Busheh.
* Electrical engineering professor Saeed Shamghadari and his children were killed, Iranian media said, along with other reported civilian casualties in the building. The coordinated early-morning attacks come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had recently “eliminated” additional nuclear scientists, signaling continued targeted operations.
* New explosions and strikes were reported in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran.
* A large explosion and fire were reported at an Iranian naval facility near Sirjan in southern Iran, with footage from BBC verifying the conflagration.
* Iranian officials [reported][28] widespread damage to the country’s cultural heritage, with Tehran’s tourism chief. Ahmad Alavi, reporting that more than 120 registered historical sites across Iran have been damaged since the start of the war. He said 43 of those are in Tehran.
* **Over 82,000 civilian targets struck in Iran:** Over 82,000 civilian targets have been hit in U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran since the start of the war, [according][29] to the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Pirhossein Kolivand:
* Civilian targets included over 62,200 residential units and over 19,100 commercial units.
* 275 healthcare and treatment centers and emergency service facilities have been targeted.
* 498 healthcare and treatment centers and emergency services have been targeted.
* 17 Red Crescent centers, three medical helicopters, and 48 ambulances and vehicles have been targeted.
* 22 Red Crescent workers and medical staff have been killed.
* **IRGC threatens Israel over continued attacks on Lebanon and Palestine:** Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Tuesday that if Israel continued to carry out “continued crimes against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine” it would wage “heavy missile and drone attacks” at Israeli troops in northern Israel and the area near Gaza “without restraint,” according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.
* **Iranian missile strikes hit Israel:** Iran [launched][30] multiple barrages overnight into central Israel, with impacts reported in the Tel Aviv area that damaged buildings and vehicles, according to AP and Israeli media. Authorities said several people were lightly wounded, as emergency crews responded to multiple strike sites amid ongoing exchanges. Damage was also reported in Nesher and Nahariya, two cities in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.
* **Iran outlines its conditions for any U.S. deal, rejects Trump claims of negotiations: **Iranian officials on Monday denied President Donald Trump’s assertion that “good and productive” talks were underway, with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf calling the claims “fake news” and a senior Iranian official telling Drop Site that no direct negotiations are occurring beyond indirect messages via intermediaries. The official said Iran’s conditions for ending the war include a simultaneous ceasefire across Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq, and insisted Iran’s missile program and nuclear enrichment will continue. Asked about Trump’s reversal on his energy infrastructure threats, the official suggested the shift was aimed at managing fallout rather than changing course. “The fact that he publicly responds to [Iran’s position] by posting a tweet is solely intended to manage the financial markets—nothing more.” **Read the latest from Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain [here][31].**
* **Iranians form human chains around power plants:** Residents in multiple Iranian cities [formed][32] human chains around major power facilities, a video shared by FARS News on Monday appears to show. The demonstrations follow President Donald Trump’s warning that the U.S. would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
* **Missile and drone attacks disrupt power grid in Kuwait: ** Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water [said][33] Monday that falling shrapnel from intercepted missiles and drones knocked out seven transmission lines, causing outages in parts of the country. A second wave of attacks and interceptions followed with heavy explosions reported, as authorities work to assess damage and restore electricity.** **Also on Monday, sirens sounded nationwide in Bahrain in response to reported Iranian attacks on the country, and Saudi Arabia later also said it intercepted and destroyed four drones over its Eastern Province, with no casualties reported.
* **Iran appoints Zolghadr to top security post after Larijani killing: **Iran has [named][34] Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on March 17. The appointment places a former IRGC brigadier general at the helm of Iran’s top national security body, where he will oversee the country’s defense, intelligence, and foreign policy.
* **Netanyahu signals openness to a possible deal, if it meets Israeli goals: **Netanyahu [said][35] Monday he spoke with President Donald Trump and suggested a potential agreement with Iran could “safeguard” Israel’s interests, even as Israeli forces continue strikes in Iran and Lebanon. “Just a few days ago, we eliminated two more nuclear scientists, and there is more to come,” Netanyahu threatened.
* **466 people arrested in Iran for online activity:** Iranian police said they have arrested 466 people accused of online activity aimed at “creating internal instability,” according to the Tasnim news agency. The accusations include “spreading public fear, creating anxiety in society, undermining mental security, promoting the enemy and inciting or organising security-disrupting actors online.”
* **WATCH: Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill speaks with Danny Davis about Iran’s stance toward negotiations with the United States.**
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1039, including 118 children, since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **A quarter of the country is displaced: **Over 1.16 million people in Lebanon—over a quarter of the population—have been displaced since Israel’s escalated offensive began on March 2, [according][36] to Lebanon’s Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayyed. The country’s shelter capacity has also rapidly expanded to meet demand, though at the cost of the country’s education infrastructure, with more than 470 schools now turned into shelters.
* **Israel will control Lebanon south of the Litani River, Katz asserts: **Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military will take control of south Lebanon all the way to the Litani river and that hundreds of thousands of residents would be barred from returning to their homes in the area indefinitely. Katz made the comments in a meeting with top Israeli defense officials, according to a statement released by his office. “The IDF will continue to operate in Lebanon with full force against Hezbollah. Hundreds of thousands of residents of southern Lebanon who evacuated northward will not return south of the Litani River until security for the residents of the north is ensured,” he said. Katz added that Israel had blown up all bridges over the Litani River that he claimed Hezbollah had been using, and that the Israeli military would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani.” He also said the Israeli military will destroy homes and civilian
infrastructure as it did in Gaza, implementing “the Rafah and Beit Hanoun models,” referring to two Gaza border towns that Israel completely razed. “The principle is clear: Where there is terror and missiles, there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF is inside.”
* **Israel’s strikes [across Lebanon][37] on Monday and early Tuesday:**
* At least three people were killed including a three-year-old girl in an Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment in Bchamoun, several miles southeast of Beirut, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
* Four people were killed and four others injured by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the town of Selaa, according to the National News Agency.
* The Israeli military announced it targeted a radio broadcasting station in the village of Al-Tiri in the governorate of Nabatieh while people were inside. No casualties have been reported yet.
* Israeli air strikes destroyed the al-Dallafa bridge in the western Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera.
* Three Lebanese civilians were [killed][38] following an Israeli airstrike on the village of Srifa in southern Lebanon, Quds News reported.
* An Israeli airstrike in Aitit, north of Qana, targeted vehicles belonging to the al-Risala Scouts, a civil defense and emergency response group affiliated with the Amal Movement that assists with rescue and medical operations. One person was killed, and several rescuers were injured in the strike.
* A separate Israeli strike hit Biyada, and at least two air strikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, local media reported.
* Israeli airstrikes were also reported in multiple towns across the south, including Bint Jbeil, Adsheet in the Marjayoun district, and Mansouri and Haniyeh along the Tyre coast.
* In Taybeh, near the border in Marjayoun, an Israeli army unit reportedly demolished several homes, according to L’Orient Today.
* **Hezbollah responds: **Hezbollah said it carried out a series of attacks on Israeli positions along the southern border throughout the afternoon, including repeated strikes on Metula and areas north of Kfar Yuval—both Israeli communities along the border—as well as Khirbet al-Manara opposite the Lebanese village of Houla, and on other Israeli military targets.
* **Iranian diplomat expelled from Lebanon: **Lebanon Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Raggi [ordered][39] Iran’s ambassador to leave by March 29, declaring him persona non grata. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson told AP that Iran’s embassy will still have a charge d’affaires to head its diplomatic mission.
* **Israeli cross-border raid in Lebanon leaves civilian dead, resident abducted: **Israeli forces [raided][40] the southern Lebanese town of Halta, killing one civilian, injuring others, and abducting a resident before withdrawing, according to Al Manar, marking the second reported civilian abduction during the current war.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the last 24 hours, four Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,263 killed, with 171,948 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 687 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,849, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli attacks continue in Gaza: **Israeli forces [shot][41] and wounded two Palestinians in Beit Lahia and Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza on Monday. Israeli naval forces also set a fishing boat on fire off the coast of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
* **Detainees released, reports of abuse emerge:** 11 Palestinians detainees were released from Israeli detention and transferred to a hospital in Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military also [arrested][42] and tortured a 1-and-a-half-year-old child, Kareem Abu Nassar, during an operation in central Gaza, according to family accounts shared in local media. While his father was detained and within his sight, the child was reportedly burned with cigarettes and pierced with a metal object. The abuse was reportedly used to extract a confession from the father, who remains in custody.
* **Palestinian detained at Rafah crossing as access remains uncertain: **Israeli forces [arrested][43] Mohammed Othman at a checkpoint on Sunday as he tried to return to Gaza via the Rafah crossing, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office. This marks the first reported detention since the crossing’s partial reopening. No patients were allowed to exit through Rafah on Monday.
* **UN rapporteur alleges systematic torture by Israel in Gaza: **UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said on Monday that Israel has systematically used torture against Palestinians since October 2023, describing torture as a central tool in what she characterizes as a “genocidal” campaign, based on hundreds of testimonies documenting abuse in detention and daily life. Her latest report [documents][44] mass detention, sexual violence, starvation, and the targeting of professionals by the Israeli state against Palestinians. “Israel has effectively been given a license to torture Palestinians, because most of your governments, your ministers, have allowed it,” Albanese told the UN Human Rights Council.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][45].*
* **Collision at LaGuardia leaves two dead, dozens injured, airport shut down: **An Air Canada Express plane [struck][46] a firefighting vehicle while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday evening, killing at least two people and injuring dozens, prompting a full closure of the airport and widespread flight diversions. Officials said most of the injured have been released as of Monday, though several people remain hospitalized.
* **Senate confirms Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS amid prolonged shutdown: **The Senate on Monday [confirmed][47] Sen. Markwayne Mullin as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in a 54–45 vote, as the agency’s shutdown entered its sixth week with no resolution in sight. Mullin’s appointment is unlikely to end the shutdown of the agency; Democrats are demanding restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol agents, and without them, the Senate is unlikely to reach the 60 votes necessary to end the shutdown.
* **U.S. to pay TotalEnergies nearly $1B to abandon offshore wind projects:** The Trump administration will [pay][48] the French energy company TotalEnergies about $928 million to relinquish its leases for two planned offshore wind farms off New York and North Carolina, redirecting the investment toward oil and gas projects in the United States, according to the Department of the Interior. Josh Stein, the Democratic Governor of North Carolina, criticized the policy. “Our state has the offshore wind potential to power millions of homes with renewable American-made energy,” he said. “It’s ludicrous and wasteful that the Trump Administration is spending $1 billion in taxpayer money to pay off a company to stop it from investing private dollars to create the clean energy we need.”
* **Janet Mills faces voter backlash over attack ad against Graham Platner in Senate primary: **Maine Governor Janet Mills encountered criticism from voters at a Hancock County Democratic meeting on March 19 over a campaign ad targeting primary rival Graham Platner, with attendees urging a more positive campaign and warning the attacks could be divisive. “Let’s have a positive campaign. I don’t think anyone should be attacking another Democrat, right before the primary, and using underhanded means and that kind of language,” one participant said. Mills defended the ad as an issue of “electability,” but recent polling shows Platner outperforming her against Republican Senator Susan Collins. **Read the latest from Nathan Bernard for Drop Site [here][49].**
* **Pentagon tightens press access after court ruling on media restrictions:** The Defense Department said Monday it will move journalists out of the Pentagon and require escorts for access, while revising credentialing rules after a federal judge ruled parts of its previous policy unconstitutional in a case [brought by The New York Times][50]. The Pentagon plans to appeal the decision but says the new measures aim to comply with the ruling while maintaining security, as critics argue the changes continue to restrict press freedoms.
* **Report alleges Pentagon guidance shaping satellite firms’ public language on Iran war: **The Pentagon issued guidance to commercial satellite companies on how to describe imagery from the Iran war, advising against language that suggests definitive assessments of damage, according to [a leaked U.S. Space Force document][51] published by journalist Ken Klippenstein. The guidance, described as advisory but influential due to companies’ reliance on government contracts, is raising concerns about increasing control over publicly available information. (The satellite imagery company Planet Labs [previously restricted][52] satellite imagery covering Iran and nearby bases, citing concerns the images could be used by adversaries to target NATO-partner personnel and civilians.)
* **NY-10 primary clash intensifies over PAC spending and outside influence: **A heated Democratic primary in New York’s 10th District escalated Monday as challenger Brad Lander urged incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman to sign a “People’s Pledge” aimed at deterring outside PAC and dark money spending. The proposal reflects greater scrutiny on the millions in third-party spending now common in House races—particularly from pro-Israel and other well-funded groups. **Read more from our friends at The Lever [here][53].**
# Other International News
* **Medical shortages deepen in Cuba amid sanctions pressure: **Antibiotics, insulin, asthma inhalers, and basic painkillers are increasingly [scarce][54] in Cuba, with Bob Schwartz, head of Global Health Partners, telling CNN on Monday the country’s health system is “pretty much on life support” after years of tightening U.S. sanctions. Schwartz said shortages have sharply worsened in recent months—citing extreme gaps like a three-year wait for pacemakers—and argued that sanctions and Cuba’s terrorism designation restrict banking access and imports, calling the embargo “immoral” and unsustainable.
* **Six killed in rocket attack on Peshmerga base in Erbil:** At least six Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed and 30 wounded in an attack on their base in Erbil in northern Iraq on Tuesday, [according][55] to Reuters. A statement from the Peshmerga forces blamed Iran for the strike.
* **Airstrike hits PMF headquarters in Iraq, killing senior figures: **Airstrikes on Monday [struck][56] a Popular Mobilization Forces headquarters in Iraq’s Anbar province during a meeting of senior commanders, killing at least 15 people, including operations commander Saad al-Baiji, and wounding dozens, according to Reuters. The PMF accused the United States of carrying out the strike and called it a breach of Iraqi sovereignty.
* **Hungarian opposition leader alleges EU leaks to Russia as election tensions rise:** Hungarian candidate Péter Magyar said Monday that reports of government officials sharing confidential EU information with Russia [could amount to treason][57], as the European Commission called for clarification over the allegations. The claims, denied by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, come weeks before elections in which Magyar’s Tisza party is leading polls against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s long-ruling government.
* **Colombian military plane crash kills dozens after takeoff: **At least 66 people [were killed][58] Monday when a Colombian military C-130 Hercules aircraft carrying 125 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff near Puerto Leguizamo, with officials saying the impact triggered an explosion of onboard ammunition. Authorities said there was no indication of an attack. Dozens of injured were evacuated for treatment and rescue efforts continued in the remote jungle area.
* **Italian voters reject judicial overhaul in blow to Meloni government:** Italian voters on Monday [rejected][59] Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s proposed judicial reforms in a referendum, with about 54 percent opposing the plan in a setback to her authority ahead of expected elections next year. While Meloni said she would continue governing, the result raises doubts about her political standing.
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[1]: https://x.com/wissamshabat/status/2036218365069427019?s=46
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hossam-shabat-palestinian-journalist-gaza-martyr-assassinated
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036250510605287748
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036332724722524540
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036140144051241223
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036266548990492672
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036406043626901854
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036182582421864872
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036217058631807396
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036270404109566107
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036170836478947544
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036173093887201628
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/23/un-expert-says-world-has-given-israel-licence-to-torture-palestinians
[14]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/23/air-canada-jet-collides-with-ground-vehicle-at-new-york-airport
[15]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/senate-confirms-markwayne-mullin-dhs-secretary-replacing-kristi-noem-rcna264329
[16]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/climate/offshore-wind-gas-trump-total.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VVA.0qz3.Ky8_BXCFNsil&smid=nytcore-ios-share
[17]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/business/media/pentagon-closes-journalists-work-area.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VVA.fT6d.Lea23i_SZBM-&smid=nytcore-ios-share
[18]: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/leaked-document-iran-war-meets-little
[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036117291633422711
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036318033514274970
[21]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/23/hungarian-election-candidate-peter-magyar-viktor-orban-alleged-leak-eu-russia
[22]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/23/colombian-military-plane-with-125-on-board-crashes-after-takeoff
[23]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-blasts-trump-claims-direct-talks-false-market-manipulation?triedRedirect=true
[24]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/leaked-video-janet-mills-attack-ad-graham-platner-voter-reactions
[25]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036236884800839889
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036250510605287748
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036227051804409924
[29]: https://x.com/Iranian_RCS/status/2036364947387531569
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036332724722524540
[31]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-blasts-trump-claims-direct-talks-false-market-manipulation?triedRedirect=true
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036140144051241223
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036266548990492672
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036406043626901854
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036182582421864872
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036217058631807396
[37]: https://x.com/i/status/2036165889704280413
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036179503274139907
[39]: https://x.com/YoussefRaggi/status/2036396506387714453
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036270404109566107
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036170836478947544
[42]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2036170836478947544?s=46
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036173093887201628
[44]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/23/un-expert-says-world-has-given-israel-licence-to-torture-palestinians
[45]: mailto:[email protected]
[46]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/23/air-canada-jet-collides-with-ground-vehicle-at-new-york-airport
[47]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/senate-confirms-markwayne-mullin-dhs-secretary-replacing-kristi-noem-rcna264329
[48]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/climate/offshore-wind-gas-trump-total.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VVA.0qz3.Ky8_BXCFNsil&smid=nytcore-ios-share
[49]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/leaked-video-janet-mills-attack-ad-graham-platner-voter-reactions
[50]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/business/media/pentagon-closes-journalists-work-area.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VVA.fT6d.Lea23i_SZBM-&smid=nytcore-ios-share
[51]: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/leaked-document-iran-war-meets-little
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031188821069447493
[53]: https://www.levernews.com/nyc-primary-erupts-over-corporate-spending/
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036117291633422711
[55]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/rocket-attack-kills-six-kurdish-peshmerga-fighters-iraqs-kurdistan-sources-say-2026-03-24/
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2036318033514274970
[57]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/23/hungarian-election-candidate-peter-magyar-viktor-orban-alleged-leak-eu-russia
[58]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/23/colombian-military-plane-with-125-on-board-crashes-after-takeoff
[59]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/world/europe/italy-referendum-judiciary-meloni.html
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-control-southern-lebanon-civilian-buildings-iran-destroyed-cuba-blockade-insulin-antibiotics

2026-03-24 13:58:47 UTC

Remembering Palestinian Journalist Hossam Shabat
One year ago today, on March 24, 2025, the Israeli military assassinated our colleague, Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, in an airstrike in Beit Lahia. Shabat, 23, was a Gaza correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher and a contributor for Drop Site News. He filed his last story for Drop Site hours before he was killed.
Shabat was one of a handful of reporters who remained in northern Gaza through Israel’s genocidal war and was repeatedly threatened by the Israeli military. In October 2025, he was one of six Al Jazeera journalists who was placed on a hit list by the Israeli military. At the time, Shabat said he felt like he was being “hunted.” Israel openly bragged about Shabat’s killing the next day [saying][1], “Don’t let the press vest confuse you, Hossam was a terrorist.”
To mark the anniversary of his death, Hossam’s brother, Wissam Shabat, also a journalist, wrote: “My brother…I lost you before my eyes, and I was helpless, unable to do anything. That moment still lives within me every single day. You were martyred for the sake of truth, because you spoke what had to be said and revealed what they tried to hide…You were a hero, and you will always be.”
The Israeli military [assassinated][2] another journalist on the hit list, Al Jazeera correspondent [Anas al-Sharif][3], and five other journalists in an airstrike on a media tent in Gaza City in August. Since October 2023, Israel has murdered over 260 journalists and media workers in Gaza in an unprecedented killing campaign of journalists.
Like other Palestinian journalists in Gaza, Shabat knew he would most likely be targeted by the Israeli military and wrote a letter to be published posthumously in the event of his death. In it he wrote, “If you’re reading this, it means I have been killed — most likely targeted — by the Israeli occupation forces.” He ended with: “I ask you now: do not stop speaking about Gaza. Do not let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories—until Palestine is free.”
We will not let the world look away.
**[Statement from Drop Site News on Israel’s Murder of Our Colleague Hossam Shabat: We Hold Both Israel and the U.S. Government Responsible][4]**
# Hossam Shabat’s Articles for Drop Site
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[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/anas-al-sharif-israeli-assassination-journalists-gaza-city
[3]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/anas-al-sharif-journalist-northern-gaza
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/statement-israel-killing-hossam-shabat-journalist-gaza
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2026-03-23 17:54:26 UTC

Iran Blasts Trump’s Claims of Direct Talks as “Fake News” Aimed at Manipulating Markets
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images.
On Monday, Iran forcefully denied claims by President Donald Trump that the U.S. and Iran are in the midst of negotiations to end the war, saying that no direct talks are occurring.
Trump claimed on Monday via Truth Social that “GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS” had taken place with Iranian officials over the past two days, backtracking from his Saturday threat to destroy Iranian energy infrastructure if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
Iran immediately dismissed his claims. “Fake news is intended to manipulate financial and oil markets and to escape the quagmire in which America and Israel are trapped,” wrote Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Iran’s parliament, in a [post][3] on X.
A senior Iranian official confirmed to Drop Site that “no new developments have occurred” between Washington and Tehran. The official was not authorized to make public statements and spoke on condition of anonymity. The U.S. has continued to send messages through third countries, he said, but Iran has only reiterated its position and has not engaged in any back and forth.
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“There aren’t any negotiations taking place. The Iranian side has simply communicated its conditions to them and even that has been done indirectly,” the official said. He added that Iranian officials had previously expressed their position on ending the war in general terms to regional countries acting as intermediaries, but that they “firmly deny” claims that any talks had taken place between Iranian and American officials.
According to the official, Iran’s conditions for an end to the war include a simultaneous ceasefire in Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq. Iran has consistently said that it will not accept a ceasefire similar to the one requested by Israel and the U.S. that ended the “12-Day War” in June 2025. Tehran has maintained that agreement was exploited to buy time for another U.S.-Israeli war and that Iran will only consider a comprehensive deal.
The war, the official said, created a new dynamic for Iran’s nuclear enrichment. “In light of the violations of international law by the United States, as well as Israel’s extensive attacks on nuclear facilities, Iran will formulate a new doctrine concerning its nuclear industry,” he said. “Under this doctrine, enrichment activities at levels required for national needs will continue, either independently or in cooperation with China and Russia.” Iran had previously insisted on the right to enrich uranium on its soil for purposes of generating energy and medical research.
Iran also wants U.S. sanctions on the procurement of defensive weapons and equipment lifted. Iranian ballistic missiles, the official asserted, represent a deterrent against future aggression that Iran will not abandon. “Given its defensive nature in countering Israel, this program will continue unchanged and with increased intensity in the event of a ceasefire,” he said. “The missile program shall not be subject to negotiation under any prospective talks.”
Iran would also pursue compensation for damages inflicted by the U.S. and Israel during the war, the official added.
On Saturday, Trump issued a statement threatening a massive escalation of the war by attacking Iranian energy infrastructure: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the US will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”
The Iranian government quickly responded to Trump by threatening to systematically target energy infrastructure in Israel and throughout the Persian Gulf region in retaliation—a measure that Iran would only take, the official emphasized to Drop Site, as retaliation for U.S. or Israeli strikes on their own power supply. Ghalibaf, a leading figure in the Iranian war effort, [wrote on X][5] that if Trump carried out his threats then critical infrastructure and energy facilities across the Middle East would be “irreversibly destroyed.” The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also responded with its own statement directed at Trump, stating that if his orders were carried out, “The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed and will not be opened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt.”
Trump’s statements backing off from the energy threat “for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions” resulted in an immediate rally in financial markets that have been thrown into chaos. Trump’s sensitivity to the economic impact of his decision to attack Iran three weeks prior, and, in particular, market fluctuations, has fed the belief in Tehran that his statements about the war are aimed at cynically preserving short-term economic stability.
“The fact that he publicly responds to [Iran’s position] by posting a tweet is solely intended to manage the financial markets—nothing more,” the Iranian official told Drop Site on Monday soon after Trump made his comments. “Since this morning up to this moment, the heaviest attacks by the United States and Israel against urban centers in Iran have taken place.”
Tehran was subjected to heavy bombardment Sunday night before Trump’s announcement, including attacks on Iranian infrastructure and an apparent assassination targeting an Iranian aerospace scientist, Saeed Shamghadari, who was reportedly killed at home along with his family.
Soon after posting on Truth Social, Trump made even more expansive claims in comments to reporters, claiming his envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, had engaged in talks with Iran, and that, “We’ve had very strong talks. Mr. Witkoff and Kushner had them. They went perfectly.” He added, ”I would say that if they carry through with that, it’ll end that problem, that conflict.” Trump said there were “major points of agreement” not only on access to the Strait of Hormuz but also on the Iranian nuclear program and the war in general. The senior Iranian official told Drop Site this was completely false.
All these claims have also been officially denied by the Iranian foreign ministry. In a statement reported by Mehr News the foreign ministry stated that it had “rejected the US President’s claims that talks are ongoing with Iran.” The statement also claimed that Trump’s comments are “within the framework of efforts to reduce energy prices and gain time to implement his military plans.”
While denying any talks with Washington, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said “messages from the US, sent via friendly countries to seek talks and end the war, were received and answered in line with Iran’s principles,” [according][6] to Press TV.
The senior official told Drop Site the messages from the U.S. presented to Iran are “difficult to assess, as they have conveyed different points to each of the intermediary countries.” He added that the U.S. has “expressed a willingness to halt operations” in the messages passed onto Iran via third parties, but said they appear “primarily aimed at reassuring those countries and [have] not been taken seriously by the Iranian side.” Regarding reports of a possible meeting to be convened in Islamabad, the senior official told Drop Site that “each of the intermediaries is eager to have the ceasefire talks held in their own capital. Pakistan is no exception.”
In response to a request for comment about Iran’s denials of Trump’s claims, the White House pointed to remarks Trump made implying that the U.S. is secretly talking to an anonymous top Iranian official. “We’re dealing with the man who, I believe, is the most respected and the leader,” Trump said, adding that he won’t name the Iranian figure because “I don’t want him to be killed.”
Last week, Drop Site [reported][7] that Witkoff had sent a series of messages to Iran, including directly to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, attempting to restart talks and that Tehran ignored his messages. The White House quickly spun an alternate version of the narrative, claiming Iran was begging him to negotiate.
Three weeks after the U.S. and Israel initiated a war of choice against Iran, Trump’s daily pronouncements on how he intends to secure a victorious ending to the conflict have begun to resemble the unraveling of a leader drifting toward psychological abyss. In a single set of comments on Saturday, Trump pivoted between boasts that the war has already been won, demands to select the new leadership of Iran, denunciations of allies, and wild threats of escalation—including the threat to target critical civilian infrastructure in Iran, a war crime.
The war started on February 28 with a series of bombings and assassinations carried out by Israel and the U.S. reportedly intended in part to trigger an uprising and the collapse of the government. Israel has continued to press forward with a strategy aimed at causing regime change or spreading chaos inside Iran while the Trump administration has expressed increasing doubt about this outcome. The war, meanwhile, has now metastasized into a regional conflict as the Iranian government has seemingly consolidated power while continuing to fire a steady rate of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, the U.S., and Gulf Arab states hosting American military bases.
Iranian attacks have continued despite Trump’s repeated assertions that he had “blown Iran off the map,” and that the country was “dead,” and as the Iranian military now maintains de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz. While periodically dismissing the strait as something “we don’t need,” Trump has also threatened retribution against NATO countries for refusing to assist in the campaign to restore access to the strategic waterway.
After temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports in hopes of stabilizing global markets, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—who has increasingly become the face of a conflict that JD Vance and Marco Rubio appear increasingly reluctant to embrace—claimed that the move, which will provide a financial windfall to Iran, was actually “jujitsuing the Iranians,” and “using their own oil against them.”
As the situation has dragged on, Trump has refused to rule out the possibility of a ground invasion of parts of Iran to regain access to the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham also called on U.S. troops to storm Iran’s strategic Kharg Island—a major export terminal for Iranian oil—while invoking the specter of the World War II invasion of Iwo Jima, which killed nearly 7,000 American soldiers.
Over the weekend ballistic missiles fired by Iran struck the Israeli cities of Arad and Dimona—the latter being the site of Israel’s primary nuclear facility. Footage showed that the strikes, which Iran described as a direct retaliation for an earlier attack on its Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, caused significant destruction to residential areas. The Israeli Ministry of Health reported at least 180 casualties across both locations declaring a “mass casualty incident” following the attack.
Several Gulf states have further hardened their positions against Iran. UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said on Sunday the country “will never be blackmailed by terrorists,” referring to Iran, while Saudi Arabia expelled the Iranian military attaché and four embassy staff on Saturday, declaring them persona non grata. In a statement issued Sunday, Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomatic advisor to the UAE government, went even further—stating that the goals for terminating the conflict should go beyond a ceasefire towards a full dismantling of Iranian military capacities, including “curbing the nuclear threat, missiles, drones, and the bullying of the straits.”
When asked about the position of Gulf countries regarding regime change in Iran, the senior official said, “Unfortunately, this is the heartfelt wish of the rulers of some of these countries. However, they are fully aware of our patience and perseverance, as well as the resilience of the Iranian side, and they know that this is an unattainable aspiration.”
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[3]: https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf/status/2036108959417827447?s=20
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[5]: https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf/status/2035665493307130044?s=46
[6]: https://x.com/presstv/status/2036108842296025307?s=46
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-witkoff-araghchi
[8]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-blasts-trump-claims-direct-talks-false-market-manipulation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
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2026-03-23 15:03:58 UTC

Trump backs off Iran power plant threat; Israeli settlers torch West Bank villages; Dozens killed in East Darfur hospital attack
*Trump [backs off][1] threat to target Iran’s energy infrastructure. Strikes on Iran continue. Iran death toll [surpasses][2] 1,500. U.S. and Israel strike Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. Iranian missile strikes [hit][3] southern Israel. Iran [denies][4] responsibility for reported Diego Garcia missile attack. U.S. advances $23 billion in arms sales to Gulf allies. Countries [scramble][5] to resolve Hormuz closure. Saudi Arabia [expels][6] Iranian military attaché. Israel [destroys][7] critical bridges, plans more. Israeli double-tap strikes [hit][8] rescue workers in southern Lebanon. Israeli strike [kills][9] three Palestinian police officers in central Gaza. Settlers [torch][10] West Bank villages in coordinated raids. ICE agents to [deploy][11] at U.S. airports as TSA staffing shortages worsen. Trump [celebrates][12] the death of Robert Mueller. California [sheriff][13] seizes ballots in election probe. Second nationwide blackout [hits][14] Cuba as fuel blockade deepens crisis.
Dozens killed in strike on hospital in East Darfur as attacks on healthcare mount. Shelling [kills][15] civilian in Afghanistan despite Eid truce with Pakistan. U.S.-Ukraine talks [continue][16] in Florida as peace prospects remain uncertain. Ecuador’s most-wanted “narcoterrorist” accuses President Daniel Noboa of collusion with organized crime groups.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **Cuba [offers][17] compensation deal in talks with U.S. amid push for broader economic opening, official tells Drop Site’s Ryan Grim in an exclusive interview.
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
Israeli settlers attacked Deir al-Hatab in Nablus, setting fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles. Photo by Issam Rimawi/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Trump backs off threat to target Iran’s energy infrastructure:** President Donald Trump on Monday retreated from his threat to target Iran’s energy infrastructure.
* On Saturday, Trump warned he was giving Iran 48 hours to open the strait of Hormuz or the U.S. would “hit and obliterate” power plants in Iran starting with “the biggest one first.” Iran responded that if the U.S. followed through on the threat it would strike electricity plants and vital infrastructure across the Middle East and mine the “entire Persian Gulf.”
* In a social media [post][18] on Monday, Trump said the U.S. and Iran have held “very good and productive conversation regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East” over the past two days. “Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, which will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the department of war to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions,” Trump wrote in all caps.
* Iranian state-affiliated media denied there were direct or indirect discussions with the White House, saying instead Trump backed down out of fear of an Iranian retaliation. Iran’s Foreign Ministry [made][19] a statement over the weekend that restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz requires “an end to military aggression,” and full respect for Iran’s “legitimate interests.”
* **U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran:** Israel launched new attacks on Tehran on Monday saying it has “begun a wide-scale wave of strikes” targeting government infrastructure as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran continued into its fourth week:
* In Tabriz, six people were killed in two separate attacks on Monday, according to Fars News, including four killed in a strike on a residential unit in the Marzdaran area, and two killed in a park in Rabe Rashidi. A U.S.-Israeli strike on a radio station in Bandar Abbas city killed one person.
* On Sunday, rescue crews [recovered][20] the bodies of two children from a residential building struck in Tabriz, as footage showed emergency teams searching through collapsed structures for survivors.
* Multiple air strikes [targeted][21] the IRGC’s Dezful air force in western Iran on Saturday. The Dezful air base is home to Iran’s F-5 fighter jets.
* **Iran death toll surpasses 1,500: **Iran’s health ministry [reported][22] on Saturday that more than 1,500 people have been killed since the start of the war.
* **Head of IEA warns of energy crisis:** The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, said on Monday that the global energy crisis caused by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is equivalent to the combined effect of the two oil shocks of the 1970s, and the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction,” Birol said at Australia’s National Press Club in Canberra on Monday.
* **U.S. and Israel strike Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility:** U.S. and Israeli forces [targeted][23] the Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday, one of Iran’s key nuclear sites, according to Iran’s atomic energy organization. Officials reported no radioactive leakage or danger to nearby populations. The strike, part of an expanding campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, drew calls for restraint from the International Atomic Energy Agency and condemnation from Russia.
* **Iranian missile strikes hit southern Israel near nuclear site:** Iranian ballistic missiles [struck][24] the Dimona area in southern Israel on Saturday, home to Israel’s main nuclear facility. Another Iranian missile directly [hit][25] a residential building in the nearby desert town of Arad. More than 180 people were injured across the two attacks.
* **Iran denies responsibility for reported Diego Garcia missile attack: **Tehran [told][26] reporters from Al Jazeera that it is not responsible for missile launches toward the U.S.-U.K. base on Diego Garcia on Saturday, and denied any involvement in the attacks on the base that occurred on Thursday and Friday. Ballistic missiles were reportedly fired toward the base but failed to hit it, with one reportedly intercepted and another falling short. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte similarly [told CBS][27] that the alliance “cannot confirm” Israel’s assessment that missiles fired toward Diego Garcia were Iranian. Rutte defended the war as necessary and urged Americans to support Trump, saying he hoped the public would back the effort to “make the whole world safe.”
* **Missile interceptions in the Gulf: **Saudi Arabia said it [intercepted][28] a missile targeting Riyadh on Sunday, while another struck an “uninhabited area.” The UAE said it intercepted a ballistic missile near Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, where one person was injured by falling debris.
* **Gulf states escalate their response to the war: **UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed [said][29] on Sunday the country “will never be blackmailed by terrorists,” referring to Iran. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar are allegedly [pushing][30] to continue the war until Iran’s military capabilities are decisively degraded, warning that ending the conflict now would be a “strategic disaster,” according to senior officials speaking to The Times of Israel. On Monday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement, following phone calls from Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Egypt, emphasizing “combined efforts for an immediate halt to any escalatory acts,” and a return to dialogue.
* **Saudi Arabia expels Iranian military attaché: **Saudi Arabia [announced][31] the expulsion of Iran’s military attaché, his deputy, and three additional embassy staff, on Saturday, declaring them persona non grata and ordering them to leave the country within 24 hours.
* **U.S. advances $23 billion in arms sales to Gulf allies:** The Trump administration has advanced roughly $23 billion in weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan without congressional approval, [according][32] to the Wall Street Journal. The arms sales included more than $16 billion for air-defense systems, munitions and radar equipment for the three countries plus an additional $7 billion in weapons to the UAE. For some of the sales, the State Department issued emergency waivers to bypass the standard 30-day congressional review period.
* **Countries scramble to resolve Hormuz closure: **Leaders from 22 countries, including the UAE, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan, [said][33] on Saturday that they are preparing joint measures to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and limit global economic fallout, citing ongoing “preparatory planning” and support for an International Energy Agency decision to release strategic petroleum reserves. No specific plans for a mission to reopen the waterway were announced and the statement was not clear whether the mission would begin before or after the conclusion of the current war. Iran’s representative to the UN’s International Maritime Organization, Ali Mousavi, [said][34] on Sunday that the waterway remains open to most vessels, but requires coordination with Iranian authorities for safe transit, reiterating that restrictions apply to countries Iran considers adversaries. Gulf countries alone are [estimated][35] to be losing more than $2.3 billion per day due to
disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with oil exports falling by nearly 60% from around 25.1 million barrels per day to 9.7 million, according to Anadolu Agency.
* **Asian countries respond to oil crisis: **Asian refiners [began][36] exploring purchases of Iranian crude after the U.S. issued a 30-day sanctions waiver allowing imports of oil already at sea, Reuters reports. Up to 170 million barrels of Iranian crude are currently afloat, offering short-term relief, though traders say banking restrictions and U.S. sanctions rules may slow deals. India, in particular, has been consulting with Tehran and the U.S. to improve its access to Iranian oil assets. The Japanese government [said][37] on Saturday it would not pursue direct negotiations with Iran for exclusive access through the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offering “safe passage” to countries not involved in attacks on Iran. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tokyo will instead coordinate with the United States and European allies on maritime security. Japan remains highly exposed to energy market disruptions, relying on the Middle East for roughly
93% of its crude oil imports.
* **Yemen’s Ansar Allah warns against Hormuz escalation: **Ansar Allah [warned][38] on Saturday that U.S. actions risk widening the conflict and cautioned against military escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying regional states that bring in foreign forces would be “the first to lose,” according to a statement carried by Saba News. Yemen said it is monitoring developments and “will not stand idly by,” signaling it might take action if the conflict expands.
* **Graham urges seizure of Iran’s Kharg Island:** During an appearance on *Fox News Sunday*, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) [called][39] on President Donald Trump to seize or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, arguing it could cut off roughly 90% of Iran’s oil revenue and “end the war.” “We did Iwo Jima. We can do this,” Graham said.
* **Bessent says U.S. is “jujitsuing” Iran with limited sanctions relief on oil: **Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent [told][40] *Meet the Press *on Sunday that the U.S. is “jujitsuing the Iranians” by allowing the sale of roughly 140 million barrels of Iranian oil already at sea, aiming to prevent China from buying it at steep discounts and increasing its oversight of oil flows. Banking sanctions remain in place, he added, which may prevent Iran from accessing up to $17 billion in potential revenue from the released oil.
* **IAEA chief says strikes cannot eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, urges diplomacy: **Appearing on *Face The Nation* on Sunday, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi [said][41] U.S.-Israeli strikes have set back Iran’s nuclear program but are unlikely to eliminate it, and warned that enriched uranium stockpiles and technical expertise are likely to survive the war. Grossi called the damage to sites like Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan “relatively marginal.”
* **Iran says it arrested alleged “American-Zionist” operatives in multiple provinces: **Iranian authorities [said][42] they detained 25 people in Markazi and Golestan provinces on Sunday accused of coordinating with Israeli-linked networks, sharing military information, and planning attacks, according to Fars News. Officials said weapons and equipment were seized, and 15 suspects have been referred to the judiciary.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1029—with 2786 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Over a million people have been displaced.
* **Israel destroys critical bridges: **An Israeli airstrike destroyed another bridge on the Litani River in Lebanon on Monday. The strike on the bridge in the southern village of Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr cut a main link between the city of Nabatiyeh and the al-Hujair valley region further south.** **Israeli forces also [destroyed][43] the Qasmiyeh Bridge north of Tyre on Sunday, which served as a primary link between southern Lebanon and Beirut, and the strike on it effectively cut off large parts of southern Lebanon from the rest of the country. Israel has [ordered][44] the military to destroy all bridges over the Litani River deemed usable by Hezbollah. Katz said the operation also includes “accelerating the destruction of Lebanese homes in border villages” and expanding ground operations to seize key positions. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called Israel’s new targeting of bridges in the south “a prelude to a ground invasion.” Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated Monday
that “Just as we control 55 percent of Gaza, we must do the same in Lebanon,” adding that the Litani River must “become the border between us and Lebanon.”
* **Israeli double-tap strikes hit rescue workers in southern Lebanon: **Israeli strikes on Saturday [hit][45] rescue vehicles responding to an earlier attack in Deir al-Zahrani in southern Lebanon, injuring at least 21 people, including two women. A second strike on the area wounded nine more health and rescue workers, who “narrowly escaped death,” Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. Israeli strikes have targeted at least 128 medical facilities and ambulances and killed at least 40 healthcare workers since March 2, according to the Ministry.
* **Israeli army says citizen killed by errant Israeli artillery fire:** The Israeli army said on Monday that an Israeli citizen in Misgav Am near the border with Lebanon was killed by its own artillery fire and not a Hezbollah attack. “The shells were fired at the wrong angle and not according to procedures,” the Israeli military said. “As a result, five shells hit the Misgav Am ridge instead of enemy targets.” Hezbollah on Sunday said it targeted “a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers with a rocket barrage” in Misgav Am.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Casualty count: **Over the three days of the Eid holiday, nine Palestinians were killed—one due to wounds sustained in earlier attacks—and 30 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,263 killed, with 171,944 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 687 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,845, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli strike kills three Palestinian police officers in central Gaza: **An Israeli [strike][46] on Sunday hit a police vehicle in central Gaza, killing three Palestinian officers and wounding eight, according to local reports. The attack comes amid repeated Israeli attacks on police units in recent weeks, in which it has targeted civilian law enforcement to disrupt basic governance and sow chaos. One more person was [killed][47] in a separate attack in Gaza City, according to Al-Shifa hospital.
* **Settlers torch West Bank villages in coordinated raids: **Dozens of Israeli settlers [carried out][48] coordinated attacks across at least 15 Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, setting homes and vehicles on fire and assaulting residents. The attacks were reportedly “retaliation” for an incident in which an Israeli settler died in an accident with a Palestinian driver. At least nine Palestinians were injured in the attacks, with incidents recorded in Jalud, Fandaqumiya, Silat ad-Dhahr, and Qaryut. Over 15 Palestinians were detained and no settlers were arrested. An additional 10 Palestinians were injured on Sunday in attacks by rampaging settlers on four Palestinian villages in the Nablus area. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich used the funeral of the settler killed in the accident to [advocate for][49] unimpeded settlement of the West Bank, saying that, “We will erase the lines, the definitions, and the letters, and we will settle our land in all its
expanses.”
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][50].*
* **ICE agents to deploy at U.S. airports as TSA staffing shortages worsen: **White House border official Tom Homan [confirmed][51] on Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would begin deploying to major U.S. airports to assist with security and crowd control amid long TSA lines caused by a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Officials said the agents, who are the beneficiaries of separate, unimpacted funding, will not conduct screenings but will support operations like managing exits.
* **Trump celebrates the death of Robert Mueller:** After it was announced on Saturday that Robert Mueller, the former director of the FBI and special counsel who investigated potential Trump connections to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, had died, Trump [posted][52] the following response to Truth Social: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people.”
* **California sheriff seizes ballots in election probe: **Riverside County Sheriff and Republican candidate for governor Chad Bianco [announced][53] on Friday that he had seized more than 500,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election, saying he is investigating a possible counting discrepancy, a move election officials dispute. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the action unprecedented and wrote in a response to the seizure that the move was “unacceptable” and “sets a dangerous precedent [that] will only sow distrust in our elections.”
* **Controversial new rule bars immigrants from becoming truck drivers**: A new federal rule that bans roughly 200,000 immigrants—including refugees, asylum seekers, and DACA recipients—from obtaining or renewing commercial driver’s licenses is facing legal challenges and backlash from states and labor advocates. The policy, which could remove tens of thousands of drivers in key logistics hubs, threatens to worsen chronic labor shortages in trucking, an industry already marked by low pay and high turnover, and could disrupt supply chains and increase consumer costs. Read more about this in the latest from Harold Meyerson at The American Prospect [here][54].
# Other International News
* **Cuba offers compensation deal in talks with U.S. amid push for broader economic opening: **Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Drop Site’s Ryan Grim that the country is willing to negotiate a “lump sum” compensation agreement for American claims over nationalized property as part of a broader deal to lift U.S. sanctions and allow expanded investment during a sit-down interview with Drop Site on Saturday. The move would require a more “holistic” deal with concessions from the U.S., according to de Cossio. “We believe the Cuban people and the Cuban nation requires, or deserves, to be compensated for the damage done by the economic blockade, by the invasion, by terrorism, by assassinations, by actions, violent actions against the economy,” he told Drop Site. **Read more from Cuba in the latest from Grim and José Luis Granados Ceja [here][55].**
* **Second nationwide blackout hits Cuba as fuel blockade deepens crisis:** Cuba [suffered][56] a second nationwide blackout this week as a U.S.-imposed oil blockade has left the island without significant fuel imports for more than three months, crippling electricity generation and basic services, according to multiple reports. Power grid failures have affected millions, with fuel shortages disrupting aviation, waste collection, and daily life, as shipments have been blocked, diverted, or delayed and tanker traffic to the island has largely stalled.
* **Dozens killed in strike on hospital in East Darfur as attacks on healthcare mount: **On Friday night, at least 64 people, including 13 children, two nurses, and a doctor, were killed in a strike on Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur’s capital, according to the World Health Organization, with 89 others injured and key departments damaged. The attack adds to a broader pattern of attacks on healthcare facilities during the war—with the WHO reporting more than 2,036 people killed in such attacks over the past three years. No perpetrator was yet identified for the strike on Al Deain as fighting between the Sudanese army and RSF forces intensifies in the region.
* **Iraqi armed groups agree to 24-hour ceasefire to allow U.S., NATO withdrawal: **On Sunday, Iraqi resistance factions agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire at the request of the United States and NATO to facilitate a withdrawal from Victoria Base in Baghdad, according to Al Mayadeen, with the pause conditioned on no strikes against Popular Mobilization Forces positions. NATO also confirmed it withdrew personnel from its mission in Iraq following recent attacks.
* **Kataib Hezbollah suspected in Baghdad intelligence HQ attack: **On Sunday, Iraqi sources said the pro-Iran militia Kataib Hezbollah is the main suspect in a drone attack on the National Intelligence Service headquarters in Baghdad that killed one officer and damaged communications systems, as authorities continue their investigation. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani condemned the strike as a “shameful terrorist act” and ordered a full probe, while officials warned that accountability will depend on political will to rein in armed groups.
* **UAE restructures covert supply routes to Sudan’s RSF, report says: **The United Arab Emirates is reorganizing its covert arms supply network to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, according to [a report in Le Monde][57], relying on three shifting corridors through Libya, Chad, and a developing route via Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. The Libya route, tied to Khalifa Haftar, remains the primary channel, while pressure and strikes along the Chad corridor have disrupted deliveries.
* **Shelling kills civilian in Afghanistan despite Eid truce with Pakistan: **On Sunday, Afghanistan’s Taliban government [said][58] a Pakistani mortar shell killed one civilian and injured another in Kunar province, despite a recently agreed truce for the end of Ramadan. Afghanistan also accused Pakistan of violating the truce on Thursday, killing two. Read Drop Site’s coverage of the escalating cross-border war,** [here.][59]**
* **Sanctioned ICC judge says U.S. measures cut off access to basic services: **On Sunday, French International Criminal Court judge Nicolas Guillou [said][60] U.S. sanctions imposed after the court’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu have left him unable to access basic financial and digital services. Guillou said he can no longer use platforms including Amazon, Airbnb, Booking, or Expedia, and reported disruptions to deliveries. French officials say efforts to lift the sanctions have received no response.
* **U.S.-Ukraine talks continue in Florida as peace prospects remain uncertain: **On Sunday, Ukrainian and U.S. officials [concluded][61] a second day of talks in Florida on ending the war with Russia, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy citing possible progress on prisoner exchanges but giving no details on next steps. The discussions were held without Russian participation, as Washington presses Kyiv on potential elections and broader terms for a negotiated settlement.
* **Russia and Ukraine trade strikes ahead of U.S.-led peace talks: **On Saturday, Russian and Ukrainian attacks [killed][62] at least four people, with a drone strike in Zaporizhzhia killing two civilians and shelling in Russia’s Belgorod region killing two others, officials said. The violence came ahead of U.S.-Ukraine talks aimed at reviving stalled negotiations in Miami, as the war nears its fourth year and diplomatic efforts remain overshadowed by the escalating conflict with Iran.
* **Ecuador’s most-wanted “narcoterrorist” accuses President Daniel Noboa of collusion with organized crime groups: **William Alcívar, leader of the Los Tiguerones gang now living free in Cataluña, claimed in an interview with [El Mundo][63] he helped deliver votes and financing for Noboa’s election before being cast aside. Alcívar further alleged that the government staged the widely publicized attack on a TV station on January 9, 2024 to justify a crackdown. The accusations add to growing scrutiny over the Noboa family’s alleged links to drug trafficking routes to Europe.
# More from Drop Site
* **Eyeing Office: Episode 4: **Julian Andreone talks with Kaylee Peterson, running for Congress in Idaho
* **Programming note:** [You can sign up here to get updates from us][64] on our WhatsApp channel.
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[11]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/tom-homan-ice-crowded-airport-security-tsa-screenings-wait-times-rcna264618
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2035413585690591247
[13]: https://apnews.com/article/california-ballot-seizure-bianco-bonta-election-68754a307394ca3c90ec627ce4e3e4fa
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2035560501774544918
[15]: https://www.newarab.com/news/afghanistan-says-one-killed-pakistan-shelling
[16]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-urges-allies-keep-up-pressure-russia-ahead-talks-with-us-2026-03-22/
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-prepared-offer-lump-sum-agreement-united-states-property-lost-revolution?triedRedirect=true
[18]: https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036036830877925719
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[23]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/21/iran-says-us-and-israel-attacked-natanz-nuclear-facility
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[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2035455081483481521
[32]: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-us-israel-war-news-2026/card/u-s-advances-23-billion-in-arms-for-mideast-countries-otQuGGrSLa0anJcm0Ucd?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqeUOsAhVpnPn6zAAaFrmt795sDNZo3-kD-YyXeDZ4mOVUagqTG-gub-H2D7yo4%3D&gaa_ts=69c1484e&gaa_sig=RXnYpfqmhjjp8EExocJA6nwd3oaVRo1Vur3ldXSlanMpCmd1GpXh2ktCllBsEh4j5JnJ-vXRg00y66B8kz0Eug%3D%3D
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[50]: mailto:[email protected]
[51]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/tom-homan-ice-crowded-airport-security-tsa-screenings-wait-times-rcna264618
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2035413585690591247
[53]: https://apnews.com/article/california-ballot-seizure-bianco-bonta-election-68754a307394ca3c90ec627ce4e3e4fa
[54]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/23/immigrant-truckers-commercial-drivers-licenses-trump/
[55]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-prepared-offer-lump-sum-agreement-united-states-property-lost-revolution?triedRedirect=true
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[58]: https://www.newarab.com/news/afghanistan-says-one-killed-pakistan-shelling
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[60]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2035777376328818894
[61]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-urges-allies-keep-up-pressure-russia-ahead-talks-with-us-2026-03-22/
[62]: https://apnews.com/article/peace-talks-ukraine-russia-zelenskyy-drones-861a4bc4ebccd55aa00715917d060036
[63]: https://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2026/03/21/69b9a8c6e85ecefe738b4594.html
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2026-03-22 23:56:52 UTC

Exclusive: Cuba Is Prepared to Offer Compensation to Americans Who Lost Property in the 1959 Revolution
The story below was reported over the weekend from Havana, Cuba, where I traveled with a delegation organized by Progressive International (though we paid our own way).
On Saturday, I sat down with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio. We’ll post video of the interview later this week, but I wanted to share portions of it here, because what he said bears heavily on the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Cuba.
The U.S. has fully blocked oil from reaching the island for three months—both an act of war and a war crime—producing dire shortages. On Friday night, power went out throughout much of Havana, and on Saturday night, power went out again, this time across the entire nation. This morning, as power was being restored, I visited William Soler Pediatric Hospital, and spoke with doctors, nurses, and the parents of children in intensive care about what it’s like to suffer a blackout in an ICU.
Hospitals by design are the last to lose power in Cuba, but with a nationwide blackout, even they go down. Each hospital has a generator, but there’s a dangerous lag between the power going out and the generator kicking in, and the nurses described racing to the babies and children on ventilators to hand pump the machine until the generator kicked in.
*A nurse explains the ventilator in William Soler Pediatric Hospital’s ICU.*
A special thanks to independent U.S. news organization Belly of the Beast, whose reporters based in Cuba helped us get access to hospitals and other facilities so we could get a better understanding of how the full-spectrum oil blockade is impacting the health system. (Sign up for [their newsletter here][1] and/or [join their Patreon and send them a donation][2].) I’ll be back home tomorrow and will have more to say on what I saw here in the coming days, but for now I wanted to share the dispatch below.
Reporting like this isn’t cheap, but if it can help stave off a war on Cuba and bring the people of our two countries closer together, it’s worth it. If you can support it by becoming a paying subscriber, please do. Or if you’re already a subscriber, consider making [a one-time or recurring contributio][3]n. Thanks as always for your support.
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Ryan Grim sits down with Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio.
## Cuba Is Prepared to Offer Compensation to Americans Who Lost Property in the 1959 Revolution
*Cuba is willing to put the “lump sum” compensation measure on the table in talks with the U.S., a Cuban official told Drop Site in an exclusive interview.*
HAVANA, Cuba—The Cuban government is prepared to offer compensation to Americans and American firms that saw property nationalized after the 1959 revolution, Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Drop Site News in an interview.
The “lump sum” agreement—meaning that Cuba would pay the U.S., which would then handle the claims—would need to be a part of a broader “holistic” deal that would address U.S. sanctions and the blockade and also allow for an amount of American investment in Cuba that previously had been forbidden, he said.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel revealed last week that his government was in direct talks with the United States. After the New York Times reported that the U.S. officials are pushing for the ouster of Díaz-Canel, Cuba rejected outright the possibility that the Cuban president’s role or the Communist-run political system is up for negotiation.
After the revolution, Cuba negotiated lump sum compensation agreements with countries such as Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Spain, and France, but the United States refused to participate, planning to overthrow Fidel Castro’s government instead.
“[Cuba made] lump sum agreements with the six governments whose property was nationalized in Cuba, all of them had compensation schemes, all of them were compensated with the exception of the U.S.,” said Cossio.
Had compensation been accepted by the United States in the 1960s, Fernandez de Cossio said, studies show the final payments would have been made by the 1980s. The Cuban government today lacks the reserves to make major compensation payments, but with the lifting of the embargo, economic growth could produce revenue that could finance such an arrangement.
Nearly 6,000 American individuals and businesses have filed claims for nationalized property, according to U.S. government data and [industry estimates][5] gathered by Bloomberg. With interest, the certified claims are now estimated to total approximately $9 billion.
Compensation, he added, should not just go one way.
“We’re ready to sit down with the United States and discuss these issues; but Cuba also has claims,” Cossio told Drop Site. “We believe the Cuban people and the Cuban nation requires, or deserves, to be compensated for the damage done by the economic blockade, by the invasion, by terrorism, by assassinations, by actions, violent actions against the economy.”
The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment on Cossio’s remarks.
A closed gas station in Havana, Cuba. Photo: Ryan Grim.
Cuban Vice Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga announced Monday a sweeping package of measures expanding the economic role of Cubans residing abroad that would allow them to own and invest in private business for the first time since the revolution, including the possibility of large-scale investments by foreign capital in key sectors of the economy, as well participation Cubans residing abroad in the national financial system.
“We are not talking about specific businesses. The doors of our country are open to the participation of the Cuban community residing abroad,” Pérez told the Cuban news program Mesa Redonda in an interview.
Fernandez do Cossio said in his interview with Drop Site, that the scope of what is now being offered far exceeds what has been possible in the past. While it’s hard to imagine Costco or Starbucks on the island, he said that the freedom of political movement that would come from a lifting of the embargo would open up new possibilities in terms of economic and political reforms. Trump himself long ago registered the trademark for Trump Hotel Havana, according to Cuban government records, and a new agreement would pave the way for such a development.
Pérez, who also serves as minister of foreign trade and investment, said in his comments that Cuba was taking steps to reduce red tape for foreign investment and added that Cubans abroad would also be afforded the opportunity to invest in development projects and funds in Cuba.
The official said Cuba would welcome investment by U.S. firms but specified that it is U.S. law that does not permit this.
“It would take a very bold step by the U.S. government to overhaul that legislation and let American companies trade freely with Cuba and invest in our country,” said Pérez.
“The U.S. government, if it wants, can make exceptions so that whoever wants to invest specifically or in general would never go to court,” Cossio told Drop Site News.
Both Cossio and the Cuban deputy prime minister made reference to the Helms-Burton Act, a key piece of U.S. legislation that strengthened and codified the economic blockade against Cuba. This legislation allows U.S. citizens, including Cuban-Americans, to file lawsuits in U.S. federal courts against any company that “traffics” in property confiscated by the Cuban government after the 1959 revolution. Cuban-American judges in Miami have interpreted the law extremely liberally in a way that has staunched investment for fear of litigation.
By putting compensation on the table in talks with the U.S., Cuba is looking to assuage concerns from elements of the Cuban exile community who may seek to scuttle a potential deal by threatening lawsuits. Cuba’s olive branch to Cubans living abroad aligns with recent rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly talked about Cuban Americans who want to “return and assist” their homeland.
The energy blackout in Havana, Cuba. Photo: Ryan Grim.
Any diplomatic agreement between the United States and Cuba is likely to face fierce opposition from hardline exile factions who prioritize regime change over all. Danny Valdes from Cuban Americans for Cuba, an upstart organization that was formed to challenge the hardline exile narrative, told Drop Site he expects this faction of the Cuban community to attempt to “sabotage” any diplomatic breakthrough.
“My experience with these folks is that their number one priority is revenge against the regime,” said Valdes, who grew up with his Cuban family in Miami, a hotbed of radical counterrevolutionary activity and the home of notable regime-change advocates in Trump’s orbit.
The organizer and activist, who travelled to Cuba as part of the “Nuestra America Convoy” to deliver humanitarian aid, said the current discussions that would allow for U.S. investment would nonetheless align with U.S. aims for the island country.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that the goal of the United States is to build a private sector that can also contest for political power down the road,” said Valdes.
Trump has talked about a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, while Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, recently told lawmakers in a Senate hearing that the military was not actively planning an attempted invasion of Cuba. Valdes argues that given the quagmire the U.S. already finds itself in its aggression against Iran, the military option in Cuba seems less likely.
Cossio, for his part, says that despite Trump’s penchant for attacking countries in the midst of talks, the Cuban government sees “no alternative” to direct dialogue with the U.S. “We believe it’s the only way in which we can find solutions to the issues between Cuba and the United States; and we truly believe that they could be found, we don’t think that our two countries should live forever in hostility,” Cossio told Drop Site.
In a sign of the challenge facing negotiators, Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a long-time advocate of regime change in Cuba—said the economic measures announced Monday were insufficient and suggested that what the country needed was “new people in charge.”
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-prepared-offer-lump-sum-agreement-united-states-property-lost-revolution

2026-03-20 17:41:57 UTC

With the House Eyeing Another Iran WPR Vote, Pro-Israel Democrats Explore Routes to Delay
**Before today’s story, we wanted to share an update on one we published earlier this week. **
On Monday, Drop Site News broke the story that Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has been privately texting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, asking to start talks. Two Iranian officials told us directly: Witkoff reached out, and Tehran has been ignoring him.
The White House responded by **calling Drop Site News “abhorrent” and accusing us of “America Last behavior.” **They offered no evidence that our reporting was wrong. They didn’t dispute a single fact.
Then, less than an hour after we published, an anonymous U.S. official ran to Axios with a flipped version of events: actually, it was Araghchi who reached out to Witkoff. Araghchi himself then went on the record denying it, saying his last contact with Witkoff was before the war started and that the claims were designed to mislead oil traders and the public. The anonymous official’s response? “He is lying.”
Let’s lay this out. On one side: accurate reporting, multiple sources, including Iran’s Foreign Minister, all saying the same thing. On the other side: an anonymous U.S. official offering zero evidence.
This is the easiest possible thing for Witkoff to dispute. These are text messages. They “exist” on a phone. If Araghchi really texted Witkoff, show the texts.
**We don’t answer to the White House. We answer to you.** Your support is what makes it possible for us to publish the truth even when the most powerful office in the world calls us “abhorrent” for doing it. If you’re able,[ please consider making a tax-deductible donation][1] or upgrading to a paid subscription. Every dollar goes directly into the reporting they don’t want you to see.
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Gottheimer questions CIA Director John Ratcliffe during a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on March 19, 2026.
## **With the House Eyeing Another Iran WPR Vote, Pro-Israel Democrats Explore Routes to Delay**
*Story by Julian Andreone*
Democrats in the House are preparing to force a vote on another War Powers Resolution as early as next Wednesday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries [told reporters][3] that, this time, he is optimistic the effort to cease American hostilities in Iran will win the votes of the Democratic holdouts on the Massie-Khanna effort earlier this month.
Jeffries was referring to Democrats who voted against the WPR introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY), which failed 212-219 in a March 5 vote on the House floor, favoring instead a proposal by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). The text of Gottheimer’s resolution—which provided a watered-down alternative when the Khanna-Massie WPR was gaining momentum, but did not end up going to the floor—sets a 30-day maximum on hostilities from the day the bill was filed.
The bill was designed to give Trump the leeway to continue bombing without congressional approval for 30 days. But if reintroduced and passed now, it would force Trump’s war efforts to come to a close by March 30, putting the cosponsors who voted against the Khanna-Massie WPR in a position where they may be forced to vote to effectively end the war immediately.
Gottheimer told Drop Site that he’s been communicating and collaborating with Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who has introduced a War Powers Resolution of his own that foreign policy experts claim is ripe to call for a vote while Gottheimer’s is still ripening.
“Have you talked to Meeks? Get him,” Gottheimer told Drop Site. “Ask Meeks. It’s relevant to what I’m doing too, but I want to defer to him.”
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Last week, however, in an appearance on MSNOW, Meeks indicated that he intends to allow Trump to continue waging his assault for two more months before bringing his resolution, despite acknowledging that, “this is a war that has not been authorized by Congress.” This approach stands in stark contrast with the timeline that Gottheimer’s resolution would achieve, ending the Iran War in the next ten days.
“In about 60 days, this war will probably still be going on,” Meeks said. “I have another War Powers act and we are able to bring it forward at that time as a privileged resolution.”
Executive branch lawyers have long argued that the War Powers Act permits the president to engage in military action for 60 days without any authorization from Congress. Congress has historically rejected this interpretation, saying it runs afoul of the requirements of the Constitution and War Powers Act, which both state that only Congress can authorize war or offensive military action.
Meeks’ 60-day delay appears to be intended to reaffirm the false claim that Trump is allowed 60 days of military action, even after House Democrats voted overwhelmingly that Trump must cease his unauthorized war immediately. More than 40 anti-war groups, including the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Demand Progress and Just Foreign Policy, are now calling on Meeks to bring his resolution for a vote immediately and abandon the arbitrary and self-imposed 60-day wait period he discussed.
Meeks, according to AIPAC Tracker, has accepted more than $2.2 million from the pro-Israel lobby throughout his career in Congress and has consistently voted in line with the lobby’s policy priorities.
Cavan Kharrazian, senior policy advisor at Demand Progress, called for members to “be put on the record regularly” on whether they will act to end the war, especially given what he called a “real and growing” risk of further U.S. involvement and ground troops. He also chided Democrats for using delay tactics to prolong the war and deepen Trump’s political liability.
“We were deeply troubled to see Rep. Meeks say earlier this month that he would wait 60 days before forcing a vote on his resolution to end this unpopular and illegal war, effectively giving Trump a free pass on his own timeline for escalation,” Kharrazian said. “That was unacceptable given the urgency of the moment and the daily escalation we are seeing, and it falls short of what anti-war leadership demands. We welcome indications that Rep. Meeks may now be considering bringing a vote next week”
The delays come amid reports that prominent Democrats are eyeing the partisan electoral benefit of Trump continuing a disastrous war, while other pro-Israel Democrats support the military assault generally but oppose Trump’s lack of planning. Drop Site [reported][5] in February, for instance, that, according to an unnamed foreign policy advisor to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a “substantial number” of Senate Democrats privately supported a regime change war in Iran and hoped Trump would pursue it so that he and the Republicans would absorb the political repercussions.
Anti-war advocates have thus openly speculated whether the Democratic establishment would deliberately allow the war to drag on in order to benefit the party politically in the 2026 midterm elections.
Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay told Drop Site that Democratic and Republican voters alike are calling for “leadership against Trump’s immoral and illegal war,” rejecting the partisan electoral games some lawmakers seem to be playing.
“Anything less than a forceful condemnation of war is a pro-war position,” Shiney-Ajay said. “Voters see through this attempt to leave the door open to funding the next war and will remove spineless politicians from office.”
Days before Gottheimer introduced his WPR, he filmed a video with AIPAC about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship in fighting Iran. “When we look at Iran, continuing to rear its head, you understand, whether it’s fighting their ballistic missiles, fighting their nuclear program, we have to stand up to Iran and what they’re doing to their people,” Gottheimer said.
When Gottheimer introduced his alternative WPR in early March, eight pro-Israel Democrats signed on as co-sponsors: Greg Landsman (Ohio), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Jimmy Panetta (Calif.), Tom Suozzi (New York), Adam Gray (Calif.), Jim Costa (Calif.) and Vicente Gonzalez (Texas). Among these eight Democrats, three voted against the Massie-Khanna War Powers Resolution: Greg Landsman, Jared Golden, and Henry Cuellar.
Rep. Juan Vargas (Calif.) was the fourth and final Democrat to join House Republicans in killing the WPR and extending Trump’s war of aggression, seemingly waged to carry out the Israeli government’s regional ambitions. A Democratic dissenter on the Massie-Khanna resolution and notably missing among co-sponsors of the Gottheimer resolution, Vargas is expected to be the primary target of Democratic leadership’s whipping efforts.
At the time of the Massie-Khanna vote, the war was in its first days. Advocates argue now that the war has spiraled and lawmakers should once again go on the record, particularly as strikes on energy facilities affect gas prices in the United States and indications grow that Trump may be looking to deploy ground troops in Iran.
The Senate voted down another War Powers Resolution, spearheaded by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), on Wednesday by the same 47-53 margin that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) resolution failed earlier this month. Booker told Politico that Senate Democrats plan to bring War Powers Resolutions “again and again and again” to continue to force colleagues on the record as the war drags on.
In addition to Senate Democrats’ sustained WPR push, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced a Joint Resolution of Disapproval on Thursday to block any further arms sales to Israel. The motion specifically targets three particular sales: $298 million for 5,000 “defense articles” relating to 250-pound small-diameter bombs, $209 million for 10,000 500-pound bombs and $151.8 million for 12,000 1,000-pound bombs.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee now has five calendar days to consider Sanders’ resolution in committee, a timeline the Arms Export Control Act requires for foreign military sales to NATO allies and major non-NATO allies, of which Israel is the most prominent. After this period, Sanders and the three co-sponsors of the resolution, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), can force a Senate floor vote on a motion to discharge the resolution, which is privileged and thus cannot be amended or filibustered, from committee. It would require a simple majority to pass.
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/house-iran-wpr-gottheimer-meeks

2026-03-20 14:43:36 UTC

Refineries hit in Kuwait, Haifa; Israel assassinates two Iranian military officials; Al-Aqsa closed for Eid prayers for the first time since 1967
*Israel bombs targets east of Tehran. IRGC officials [assassinated][1] by Israel. Netanyahu [says][2] Israel will “hold off” on further attacks on Iran’s energy facilities. Kuwait refinery hit for the second time. Israel bombs Syria. Drone [strike][3] on Haifa oil refinery in Israel. IRGC [claims][4] it hit F-35 over central Iran. U.S. [fast-tracks][5] $16.5B in arms sales to Gulf allies amid Iran strikes. 3,200 vessels stranded west of Strait of Hormuz. Lebanon [signals][6] readiness for immediate talks with Israel. Al-Aqsa mosque closed for Eid. U.S. proposal [calls][7] for full Hamas disarmament in Gaza. Senate panel [advances][8] nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS. Tulsi Gabbard [says][9] American and Israeli war aims in Iran diverge. Trump administration [pushes][10] to deport 5-year-old. Pentagon to [extend][11] National Guard deployment in Washington through 2029, ABC reports. Mexican fuel shipments to Cuba [remain][12] paused. Mexican forces [kill][13] 11 in raid
leading to the capture of Sinaloa Cartel faction leader. Drone strike from Sudan [kills][14] 17 in Chad, risking escalation. DRC and Rwanda [agree][15] to de-escalate after Washington talks. FIFA [keeps][16] Iran World Cup matches in the U.S., declines action on Palestinian complaint.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **On the ground report from [Kabul][17]: Strike on rehab center that killed at least 400 leaves families searching for missing. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) [to reject][18] future AIPAC donations.
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
Israeli forces walk past Muslim worshippers gathered for early morning prayers for Eid al-Fitr outside the Jerusalem old city walls on March 20, 2026. Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Israel bombs targets east of Tehran:** The Israeli military said on Friday it has begun striking targets east of Tehran. Late on Thursday, the Israeli military said it had carried out over 130 strikes on targets in western and central Iran over the previous day.
* **Iranian officials assassinated by Israel:** Israel [said][19] it killed the head of the Intelligence Division of the paramilitary Basij Force, Esmail Ahmadi, as well as several other senior commanders in a strike in Tehran on Friday. Earlier on Friday, Iranian state media said the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ali Mohammad Naini, had been killed in an airstrike that was later confirmed to be Israeli. Hours before his death, Naini issued a statement insisting Tehran was still able to build missiles despite U.S. and Israeli attacks, countering a claim by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
* **Netanyahu claims Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities are severely degraded: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in a press conference in Jerusalem on Thursday that Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium or produce ballistic missiles. Other notable comments:
* Netanyahu also said Israel would avoid further strikes on energy sites at President Donald Trump’s request and backed Trump’s claim that Israel “acted alone” in attacking the South Pars facility.
* He continued to urge Iranians to overthrow their government, saying that regime change would require a significant “ground component” of Iranians themselves.
* Netanyahu addressed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, [saying][20] that the war with Iran could accelerate plans to bypass maritime “chokepoints” through new oil and gas routes, including pipelines running west across Saudi Arabia to Israeli ports. He framed the idea as part of a broader “land bridge” vision linking Asia to Europe, arguing it could stabilize global energy flows.
* **Kuwait refinery hit for second time:** Drones struck the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery in Kuwait for the second day on Friday, with fires breaking out across multiple units at the facility. Iran is increasingly targeting energy sites in the Gulf after Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars offshore natural gas field earlier this week.
* **Israel bombs Syria:** The Israeli military said it targeted sites in Sweida in southern Syria on Friday in response to what it said were attacks against the Druze community.
* **Israel says it carried out first strikes on Iranian navy in Caspian Sea:** The Israeli military [said][21] on Thursday that it struck Iranian naval infrastructure at a port and base in the Caspian Sea, targeting its missile ships, patrol vessels, and naval facilities. The operation was described as an effort to disrupt the Iranian navy’s operations and to degrade command and operational capacity in the region.
* **Strike on Haifa oil refinery in Israel: **An Iranian missile attack struck an Israeli refinery in Haifa on Thursday, damaging electrical infrastructure. In a statement, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said power was briefly disrupted as a result of the attack on the Oil Refineries Ltd facility before being restored for most customers.
* **Israeli reservist charged with spying for Iran:** Israeli authorities announced on Friday they arrested an army reservist on charges of spying for Iran. Police claimed the reservist, Raz Cohen, maintained contact with Iranian intelligence for months before the war and that he passed on sensitive information, including details related to Israel’s Iron Dome system, where he had previously served. According to [Haaretz][22], prosecutors “allege Cohen’s Iranian handler asked him for the names of associates of high-ranking officials and members of the Knesset, as well as the names of senior IDF officers and pilots.” Read Drop Site’s previous coverage of Iran’s attempts to recruit Israeli citizens as spies [here][23].
* **U.S.-linked facility near Baghdad airport targeted dozens of times:** A former U.S. base near Baghdad’s airport that still supports American operations has been [hit][24] at least 65 times since early March, according to an Iraqi security report obtained by the Associated Press, with most attacks involving drones. While many attacks were intercepted, a recent rocket strike wounded four airport personnel. Iraqi militias backed by Iran have claimed responsibility for a number of these strikes.
* **Iraq’s PMF says airstrikes killed fighters in the north: **Airstrikes [killed two fighters][25] from Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces in northern Iraq, with the group blaming Israel and the United States for the attacks on positions in Nineveh and Salah al-Din provinces.
* **IRGC claims it hit F-35 over central Iran: **Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [said][26] its air defenses struck a U.S. F-35 fighter jet around 2:50 a.m. over central Iran, claiming the aircraft was seriously damaged and may have crashed. The group said the incident followed the interception of more than 125 “American-Zionist” drones. A spokesperson for Central Command later [announced][27] a fifth-generation F-35 was forced to make an emergency landing, and that the aircraft landed safely; the incident is now “under investigation.”
* **U.S. reportedly launches ground-based missiles at Iran from Gulf territory: **The United States has used ground-launched ballistic missiles in its war on Iran, marking the first combat use of its newer long-range Army systems, according to the Wall Street Journal. The missiles’ limited range suggests launches from nearby Gulf territory, with verified footage indicating at least some launches from Bahrain. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also alleged that U.S. forces struck Kharg Island from the United Arab Emirates earlier this week.
* **U.S. weighs options to seize or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island to reopen Hormuz: **The Trump administration is [considering][28] plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios, though no decision has been made. Officials say the move would likely follow further strikes to weaken Iranian defenses and could require additional troop deployments to the region.
* **UAE says $1.4 trillion U.S. investment plan will proceed despite war: **The United Arab Emirates will [continue][29] its $1.4 trillion long-term investment framework with the United States despite the war with Iran, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said in a letter, according to Bloomberg. “The UAE’s $1.4 trillion investment… will stay on track with plans to accelerate deployment and funding [to the framework,” Otaiba reportedly wrote.
* **UN shipping agency says 3,200 vessels stranded west of Strait of Hormuz: **About 20,000 seafarers are stranded aboard ships as attacks on commercial vessels disrupt transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the International Maritime Organization said at a March 19 emergency meeting in London. Roughly 3,200 vessels are confined in the Gulf, including around 450 oil and gas tankers, 150 container ships, and 200 bulk carriers. Crews are facing worsening conditions, with reports of rapidly dwindling food and water supplies.
* **Iran establishes controlled shipping corridor through Hormuz: **Iran is [allowing][30] select vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz along routes inside its territorial waters with prior approval, according to Lloyd’s List. At least one tanker reportedly paid around $2 million for passage. India, China, Pakistan, Iraq, and Malaysia have made requests to coordinate passage with Tehran. Ships linked to the United States or Israel will be excluded from this route.
* **G7 allies signal coordinated response to Hormuz disruption: **The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan issued a joint [statement][31] on Thursday expressing their “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait.” There was little detail on any immediate measures and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated that any contribution to securing the strait would come only after hostilities ended, according to Reuters.
* **U.S. fast-tracks $16.5B in arms sales to Gulf allies amid Iran strikes: **The United States has [approved][32] more than $16.5 billion in arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued emergency waivers for the sales, skirting congressional review to fast-track the transactions. The packages focus heavily on air and missile defense systems and aircraft upgrades. U.S. officials say the move aims to rapidly reinforce Gulf defenses, as the region comes under fire during the U.S. and Israel’s campaign against Iran.
# Lebanon
* **The Israeli assault on Lebanon continues:**
* On Friday, Israeli air strikes on a home in Bafliyeh, near Tyre killed at least two people, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
* On Thursday, An Israeli air strike on a house on the outskirts of Adloun killed two people, NNA reported.
* Two more people were killed, and eight were wounded, in an Israeli attack on the Tyre district, according to Al Jazeera.
* Israel shelled the entrances to the towns of Chihine and Marwahin in southern Lebanon, near the country’s border with Israel.
* Sheikh Ragheb Harb University Hospital in Toul, near Nabatieh, said in a statement that an Israeli attack on an adjacent building had caused significant damage to a number of the hospital’s facilities, including its intensive care unit.
* **Lebanon signals readiness for immediate talks with Israel: **Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam [said][33] Lebanon is ready for “immediate negotiations” with Israel and urged President Donald Trump to play a “decisive” role in ending the war, in comments he made to CNN on Thursday. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has proposed a “four-point plan,” which would include a “complete truce” and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
* **IDF says it has hit over 2,000 targets in Lebanon:** The Israeli military said its 91st, 146th, and 36th divisions are continuing ground raids in southern Lebanon as part of a “forward defense” campaign, claiming it has destroyed roughly “120 command centers,” more than “100 weapons depots,” and over “130 rocket launch sites.” It also said more than 570 Hezbollah fighters have been killed, including members of the Radwan force and senior field commanders, adding that operations will continue against the group. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Thursday that at least 1,001 people have been killed and 2,584 wounded since the start of Israeli attacks.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Al-Aqsa mosque closed for Eid: **Israeli occupation forces have kept the Al-Aqsa compound closed for Eid prayers for the first time in nearly 60 years. Hundreds of Palestinian Muslims held Eid al-Fitr prayers at the gates of the Old City after being prevented from entering. It marks the first time the site is fully closed on Eid al-Fitr—the holiday on which Muslims mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan—since 1967 when Israel occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli occupation forces have kept Al-Aqsa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed since the launch of the war on Iran.
* **U.S. proposal calls for full Hamas disarmament in Gaza: **U.S. mediators [presented][34] Hamas with a proposal requiring the complete handover and decommissioning of all weapons in Gaza in exchange for large-scale reconstruction. The plan was reportedly delivered to the group’s representatives in Cairo. Hamas has described the offer as “take it or leave it” and is weighing its response. The Israeli military also reported that it “eliminated” Muhammad Abu Shaleh, the military intelligence head of Hamas’ Khan Younis brigade. The group has yet to confirm his death.
* **Aid to Gaza has plunged by 80% since Iran war began, according to latest figures: **The number of aid trucks [entering][35] Gaza has dropped by about 80% since the war with Iran began, according to figures from an Israeli coordination center reported on by Haaretz, with deliveries falling sharply from prewar levels and fewer than 400 trucks entering in recent days. Israeli authorities also said that they have suspended all aid shipments from UNICEF due to the discovery of “undeclared items” among their medical supplies. The decline has driven steep food price increases and widespread shortages of basic goods and medical supplies in Gaza.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][36].*
* **Senate panel advances nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS: **The Senate’s Homeland Security Committee [advanced][37] Senator Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security on a near party-line vote. The Republican committee chair, **Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.)**, voted against the move, after demanding why Mullin had vocally supported a physical attack on Paul in 2017. A single Democrat, **Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.)**, voted for Mullin. The nomination now moves to the full Senate, where Mullin’s confirmation is likely.
* **Tulsi Gabbard testifies that American and Israeli war aims in Iran diverge:** Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers on Thursday that U.S. and Israeli objectives in the war in Iran are not aligned. “We can see…that the Israeli government has been focused on disabling the Iranian leadership and taking out several members, obviously beginning with the Supreme Leader,” Gabbard told the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The U.S. objectives are, according to Gabbard, “to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile launching capability, their ballistic missile production capability, and their navy.” She was questioned about the resignation of counterterrorism director Joe Kent, who said that Iran did not pose an imminent threat of attack. A full summary of the intelligence briefing is available from Responsible Statecraft [here][38].
* **Japan’s Takaichi meets with Trump the White House: **Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi [sought][39] to reaffirm ties with President Donald Trump during a White House meeting, as Trump pressed her to support efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for Japan’s energy imports, and to discuss coordination in the Indo-Pacific, a concern of Takaichi’s administration. The leaders also signed a $40 billion nuclear reactor deal and emphasized broader security coordination. Trump responded to a question from the press about why the U.S. did not inform its allies before going to war against Iran, [saying][40], “We didn’t tell anyone about it. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor, OK?”
* **Trump administration pushes to deport 5-year-old: **The Trump administration is [continuing][41] its efforts to deport Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy whose detention in Minnesota has drawn widespread attention, by seeking to dismiss his family’s asylum case without a full hearing. The family’s lawyers have appealed the decision, arguing they entered legally and deserve due process. “Considering all this family has gone through, the trauma and public reaction, it’s unbelievable that the government is continuing to traumatize them,” one of their attorneys told the New York Times.
* **Pentagon to extend National Guard deployment in Washington through 2029: **The Pentagon is preparing to maintain a federal National Guard mission in Washington, D.C., through January 2029, pending final approval from War Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to [ABC][42]. Nearly 3,000 troops are currently deployed in the capital, as part of a mission called “Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful.”
* **Court ruling throws student loan repayment program into uncertainty for millions:** A federal appeals court has nullified the Biden-era SAVE income-driven repayment plan, potentially forcing millions of borrowers back into repayment, though the Trump administration has yet to resume collections. The decision of the Eighth District and its possible effects for borrowers and for the GOP’s election prospects are covered in the latest from David Dayen at The American Prospect, available [here][43].
# Other International News
* **Mexican fuel shipments to Cuba remain paused for now: **President Claudia Sheinbaum [said][44] on Thursday that oil shipments to Cuba remain paused, but that her government is exploring options to resume them without harming Mexico’s economy, and stressed the importance of supplying the island. Mexico had become Cuba’s top crude supplier after U.S. pressure disrupted Venezuelan exports to the island; fuel deliveries from Mexico to Cuba halted in January.
* **Mexican forces kill 11 in raid leading to the capture of Sinaloa Cartel faction leader: **Mexican authorities [said][45] 11 people were killed during a navy raid in Culiacán that resulted in the capture of Omar Oswaldo Torres, a leader of the Los Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Officials said security forces came under fire and seized high-powered weapons at the scene. A woman the military identified as Torres’ daughter was present during the raid, but she was released to her family because she had no established link to her father’s criminal activity.
* **Drone strike from Sudan kills 17 in Chad, risking escalation:** A drone attack launched from Sudan killed 17 people in the border town of Tine in Chad. Among the dead were mourners at a funeral, according to the government, which has threatened retaliation and bolstered forces along the frontier. Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces [denied involvement][46]** **and blamed the Sudanese army.
* **DRC and Rwanda agree to de-escalate after Washington talks: **The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda [agreed][47] to measures to reduce tensions following talks in Washington, committing to respect sovereignty, disengage forces, and protect civilians, according to a joint statement. Rwanda pledged a phased withdrawal from eastern DRC, while Kinshasa said it would intensify efforts against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda armed group.
* **Middle East war drives price shocks in Africa: **Escalating conflict in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is [pushing up][48] fuel, fertilizer, and food prices, putting fragile countries at risk of deep hunger, with up to 45 million more people potentially affected this year. Sudan and Somalia are among the most exposed, due to reliance on imports through the Strait of Hormuz; rising fuel costs threaten agriculture amid declining humanitarian aid.
* **FIFA keeps Iran World Cup matches in U.S., declines action on Palestinian complaint: **FIFA [said][49] Iran’s 2026 World Cup matches will remain in the United States despite Iranian objections, with President Gianni Infantino saying the tournament will proceed as scheduled. The organization also rejected a Palestinian Football Association request to sanction Israel over settlement teams, citing legal complexity, but fined Israel’s federation for discrimination and ordered corrective measures.
* **On the ground report from Kabul: Strike on rehab center that killed at least 400 leaves families searching for missing: **An airstrike by Pakistani jets struck Kabul’s overcrowded Omid rehabilitation center during iftar, killing hundreds of patients and injuring many more, according to Taliban officials and witnesses. In the aftermath, families searched hospitals and morgues across the city for missing relatives. The strike is part of a sharp escalation in cross-border violence tied to long-standing tensions along the Durand Line. The full article from Fazelminallah Qazizai and* *Emran Feroz for Drop Site is available [here][50].
* **As Pakistan bombed villages in Afghanistan, the Pakistani government was busy purchasing luxury Gulfstream jets:** As bombs fell in Kabul, the son of the Chief Minister of Punjab province took a newly purchased, approximately $50 million Gulfstream G500 jet to Vienna on his honeymoon. After Drop Site journalist Waqas Ahmad reported on it, the Pakistani government resorted to online threats.
# More from Drop Site
* **EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) to reject future AIPAC donations**
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[1]: https://x.com/IDF/status/2034921621543113155
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[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034654513437593792
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034666659684778206?s=20
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034716151461433384
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034718748419269116
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034843542325993478
[8]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/19/senate-committee-advances-markwayne-mullin-homeland-security
[9]: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/tulsi-gabbard-iran/
[10]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/family-minneapolis-boy-ice-deportation.html
[11]: https://abcnews.com/Politics/pentagon-plans-national-guard-dc-2029-2-us/story?id=131234530
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034708935156928631
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/mexican-military-says-11-killed-in-raid-targeting-sinaloa-cartel-leader
[14]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/drone-attack-from-sudan-kills-17-in-chad-as-conflict-spills-over
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034851280779165956
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034823819089580384
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/kabul-afghanistan-rehab-center-hospital-airstrike-pakistan
[18]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIXvX5vNm0s
[19]: https://x.com/IDF/status/2034980980990030039
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034725674884223390
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034730568772940142
[22]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-03-20/ty-article/.premium/israeli-reservist-charged-with-leaking-iron-dome-secrets-to-iran/0000019d-0a49-d46f-affd-9adf65430000
[23]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-ministry-of-intelligence-israel-infiltration-spies
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034798209487228960
[25]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/strikes-kill-two-pmf-fighters-in-northern-iraq-amid-wider-war-group-says
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034666659684778206?s=20
[27]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/19/politics/f-35-damage-iran-war
[28]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/20/iran-invasion-kharg-island-strait-hormuz
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034699099807641758
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034644273107181923
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034749627174723802
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[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034718748419269116
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034843542325993478
[35]: https://www.haaretz.com/gaza/2026-03-19/ty-article/.premium/humanitarian-aid-trucks-entering-gaza-falls-80-percent-as-food-prices-surge/0000019d-0251-df92-a9df-ebd16eda0000
[36]: mailto:[email protected]
[37]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/19/senate-committee-advances-markwayne-mullin-homeland-security
[38]: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/tulsi-gabbard-iran/
[39]: https://apnews.com/article/trump-takaichi-japan-iran-strait-of-hormuz-0006b848118381786baa837c403e5e13
[40]: https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/2034665181117112807
[41]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/family-minneapolis-boy-ice-deportation.html
[42]: https://abcnews.com/Politics/pentagon-plans-national-guard-dc-2029-2-us/story?id=131234530
[43]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/20/trump-biden-student-loan-borrowers-default-saving-on-valuable-education-save-act/
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034708935156928631
[45]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/mexican-military-says-11-killed-in-raid-targeting-sinaloa-cartel-leader
[46]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/drone-attack-from-sudan-kills-17-in-chad-as-conflict-spills-over
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2026-03-19 20:09:56 UTC

Afghans Search for Missing Family Members After Strike on Rehab Center Kills At Least 400
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The aftermath of airstrikes on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo by Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu via Getty Images.
*Story by Fazelminallah Qazizai and Emran Feroz*
KABUL—On Tuesday, lists of names were nailed to wooden boards outside the gates of the Omid rehabilitation center, some typed on A4 sheets and others handwritten. Their edges curled quickly in the damp air, blurred by rain and a crowd of men running their fingers down the pages again and again, whispering names under their breath, as if repetition might produce a different outcome.
Behind the gates, officials in white medical gowns read names through a megaphone. In front of them, the crowd pushed forward waiting for confirmation of whether their family member was injured, dead, or missing.
“I came from Jalalabad to find my father,” said Shafiq, a teenager holding a crumpled piece of paper. “His name is Delaram.” He pointed to a number on a list. “It says he is alive. But…I don’t know where he is.”
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On Monday, an airstrike by Pakistani jets hit the center at the precise moment when hundreds of patients gathered to break their fast. No official figure has captured the full scale of the attack. According to Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesperson, 400 patients were killed by the strike and 250 injured. But the medical staff and witnesses who handled the bodies insist the true toll is far higher than what has been publicly acknowledged. Pakistan has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that its operations targeted Taliban-affiliated sites.
“The strike happened during iftar,” said a nurse who told Drop Site he arrived at the scene shortly after the strike. “Several hundred patients were gathered together. Many of these people died. There were not many injured—mostly dead.”
The facility, already overcrowded far beyond its intended capacity, became a death trap within seconds. Originally meant to house about 1,000 patients, the center had long been overcrowded. Thousands passed through its gates – men struggling with addiction, often brought by families who had exhausted all other options in a country where healthcare has been steadily collapsing. According to officials, between 1,300 and 1,800 people were being treated at the rehab center when the strike occurred.
“Many people were burned to ashes,” said the nurse, who asked to remain anonymous for his safety. “There was too much fire. We couldn’t handle it.”
Two brothers stood near the gate, searching for a man named Jahanker. “We brought him here two days before the attack,” one said. He declined to give his name. “After the strike, we checked this center, Aghosh, and the hospitals. His name is nowhere.”
Nearby, an elderly father and his son prepared themselves for the next step. “Our son’s name is not on any list,” the father said. “Now we go to the morgue. Maybe he is among the unidentified.”
“Maybe he burned to ashes,” said Abdul Basir Watan, whose cousin had been at the center for months. “We cannot find his body.”
*Relatives of victims of the strike waiting for information for their loved ones in Kabul, March 18, 2026. Photo: Fazelminallah Qazizai.*
### **A Brief Pause in “Open War”**
On Thursday, after weeks of deadly cross-border strikes, a fragile ceasefire went into effect for Eid—the holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But almost as soon as it was announced, reports emerged that the ceasefire had been violated by Pakistani forces. According to TOLO news, at least two people were killed by cross border shelling from Pakistan in Nuristan province on Thursday. The dead included a female doctor and her young son who had traveled to the region to celebrate Eid with family.
At the heart of the conflict lies the Durand Line, a 2,600-kilometer border drawn by British colonial authorities in 1893 that cuts through Pashtun tribal regions. While Pakistan treats it as an international boundary, no Afghan government—past or present—has formally recognized it. The dispute has fueled decades of tension, cross-border militancy, and competing claims of sovereignty, making the frontier one of the most volatile in the region.
In February, Pakistan effectively declared an “open war” against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Since then, its military has carried out dozens of cross-border operations. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), between the evening of February 26 and March 2 alone, at least 146 civilian casualties were recorded—42 killed and 104 injured, including women and children. These figures remain preliminary.
At the same time, Taliban forces launched retaliatory attacks on Pakistani troops along the Durand Line. In recent days, following the strike on the rehabilitation hospital, civilian casualties have risen sharply.
For decades, Pakistan was one of the Taliban’s key backers, offering sanctuary and support during their insurgency against U.S. and NATO forces. That relationship, however, has frayed since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
Since then, Islamabad has accused Kabul of failing to contain militants from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has carried out attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban leadership has rejected these claims and asserted its sovereignty.
At the same time, Pakistan has increased unilateral strikes inside Afghan territory. This aggressive stance echoes earlier phases of the post-9/11 “war on terror,” when cross-border operations were routinely justified as necessary and precise—even as civilian casualties mounted.
Relatives of victims of the strike waiting for information for their loved ones in Kabul, March 18, 2026. Photo: Fazelminallah Qazizai.
### **A City of Searchers**
The strike turned Kabul into a city of searchers. The dead were transported across Kabul in ambulances, pickup trucks, and private vehicles. Some bodies were intact. Many others were not. “Just in our clinic, we had 60 to 70 dead bodies,” the nurse told Drop Site.
Outside hospitals, families looked through lists, books, and scraps of paper, any record that might contain a name. They moved from one location to another, following fragments of information passed by officials, strangers, or other relatives.
Sahil, a teenager from Kabul, was looking for his brother, Mohammad Yahya, 25, who had been a patient at the center.
At the site of the strike, Sahil had seen ambulances still carrying bodies away. Now he moved through the city’s fractured healthcare system—Omid, Aghosh camp, Wazir Akbar Khan, and now the Emergency Hospital.
A thick registry book lay open at the entrance, but it did not contain Mohammad’s name. From the back of a pick-up truck, officials told him the last place to try was the morgue.
To reach the morgue, known as Sard-Khana, Sahil followed a narrow cement path behind the hospital. Inside, bodies lay on metal beds, wrapped in white cloth. Some were recognizable. Many were not. “One of them was burned black as coal,” one person searching for relatives said. “Another had no face.”
Sahil could not bring himself to uncover them. Others did it for him. None of them was his brother. He left and continued searching.
Outside, families directed one another toward hospitals or morgues, forming temporary networks of information in the absence of any centralized system.
Some suggested creating WhatsApp groups to track the names of the living and the dead. “Someone should collect all the names,” one man said. During the last decades of conflict in Afghanistan, collecting the many names of the dead was always a burden, and many victims remained unnamed and faceless.
### **Targeted Without Explanation**
Pakistan’s government and many of its supporters on social media aggressively continue to insist that the strike hit Taliban sites and that the incident was somehow made up by the regime. Other airstrikes on the same night allegedly hit Taliban military sites. “We heard the rockets. A few moments later we noticed that they struck a local Taliban site again,” Rias Mohammadi, who lives in western Kabul’s Dar-ul-Aman area, told Drop Site. Such operations received little attention and the Taliban did not allow reporters to enter affected sites.
Things were different on the other side of the city. “We thought they hit military targets,” Ahmad Karimi, a student who lives near the site, told Drop Site. “Then we realized it was the rehab clinic.”
At the Omid center, the Taliban allowed journalists to visit the area shortly after the strike “That suggests they had nothing to hide,” said Thomas Ruttig, a senior Afghanistan researcher and former co-founder of the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN). He emphasized that restrictions were much tighter at actual military sites that were recently hit by the Pakistani army.
Some have suggested that Pakistan relies on old maps. Before becoming known as Omid, which means “hope” in Farsi, the hospital was a U.S. military base called Camp Phoenix. Years ago, during Afghanistan’s Soviet invasion, it was a logistics center. But Camp Phoenix was abandoned by the troops more than a decade ago. In 2016, it was converted into a rehab center by then-President Ashraf Ghani.
Regardless of whether the strike was based on outdated maps, it reflects an escalation in Pakistan’s approach—one that increasingly extends beyond the border conflict and deep into Afghan territory.
In the absence of international scrutiny—especially as the world is focused on the Iran war—Pakistan’s strikes have not resulted in international consequences. ُThe U.S. government has continued to embrace the military junta currently ruling Pakistan, which has offered itself as a counterterrorism partner to Washington following its withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2020.
Facilities like Omid serve a critical role in a country where drug addiction has surged, fueled by poverty, displacement, decades of war, and continued U.S. economic sanctions. Families brought their relatives there with the hope of recovery. “We hoped to see him healthy again,” Shafiq said of his father.
As evening approached, the crowds began to thin. Some families left with answers. Many did not. “We are still searching,” one man said quietly.
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2026-03-19 14:58:27 UTC

Iran hits Gulf oil facilities with retaliatory strikes; Global energy markets shaken; Lebanon death toll tops 1,000
*Israel kills 12 in strike on residential area in Iran. Iran targets energy infrastructure in Gulf states in retaliatory strikes. President Donald Trump [threatens][1] to hit gas field again. Pentagon [requests][2] $200 billion for Iran war. Oil [hits][3] $119 a barrel. Projectile [hits][4] Bushehr nuclear plant grounds. Fire [aboard][5] USS Gerald R. Ford injures sailors, raises concerns over deployment. Saudi Arabia [says][6] missiles intercepted over Riyadh as videos show fires. Qatar expels Iranian officials after missile strike on gas hub. U.S. [weighs][7] troop deployments and expanded operations in Iran, report says. Four Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City. Four women [killed][8] in Hebron area salon. Rafah [reopens][9] for pedestrian movement. Germany [withdraws][10] support for Israel in ICJ genocide case. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard [defers][11] to Trump on defining “imminent threat” in Iran testimony. Fed [holds][12] rates steady,
flags inflation risks from Iran war. FBI [investigates][13] former counterterrorism chief after resignation over Iran war. Founder of United Farm Workers [accused][14] of rape. DACA [recipient][15] detained by ICE on his way to the NICU. Pakistan and Afghanistan [agree][16] to temporary Eid ceasefire amid clashes. Russian oil shipments [head][17] to Cuba as blackout deepens crisis. Kataeb Hezbollah [sets][18] conditions to pause attacks on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Iraq [resumes][19] Kirkuk oil exports via Turkey amid war disruptions. China [offers][20] Taiwan energy security in push for reunification. Clashes along Sudan-Chad border [kill][21] 17 as fighting intensifies. RSF [accused][22] of executing civilians in North Kordofan. UN-backed Haiti security force [aims][23] for full deployment by October. Nigerian forces [repel][24] insurgent assault on Borno base, army says. Suspect in Ecuadorean presidential candidate [slaying][25] arrested in Mexico.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **Grieving Parents in Iran [Spend Every Night][26] at the Graves of Their Children, Killed by U.S. Strike
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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A view of the liquefied natural gas production facility in Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City. Photo by Stringer/picture alliance via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Casualty count: **At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran since February 28, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.
* **Israeli strikes kill civilians:** A U.S.-Israeli attack on a residential area in Dorud in western Iran killed at least 12 people Thursday, according to Iranian media, while a drone attack near the city of Malekan killed two people, according to the Tasnim news agency.
* **Iran targets energy infrastructure:** Iran targeted energy facilities in several Gulf states in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike Wednesday on Iran’s South Pars gas field, the largest natural gas field in the world.
* Qatar said Iranian missiles struck Ras Laffan, the country’s main gas facility, causing “significant damage.” The CEO of state-owned QatarEnergy Saad al-Kaabi told [Reuters][28] that the strike “knocked out 17% of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies ‌to Europe and Asia.” QatarEnergy may have to declare force majeure on long-term contracts for up to five years for gas supplies for Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and China as a result of the attacks, al-Kaabi said.
* Kuwait said a drone hit an operational unit at the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, sparking a fire. A second facility, the Mina Abdullah refinery, was also hit by a drone, causing a fire.
* Saudi Arabia said a drone crashed at the SAMREF refinery in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, with “damage assessments” still ongoing.
* The United Arab Emirates said falling debris from intercepted missiles hit the Habshan gas facility and Bab oilfield, resulting in the shutdown of processing at the facility, one of the country’s largest.
* **Trump threatens to hit gas field again:** President Donald Trump threatened to “massively blow up” the South Pars gas field if Iran attacked Qatar again. Writing on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump [claimed][29] that the U.S. “knew nothing” about Israel’s attack on the gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar. Trump declared “no more attacks will be made by Israel” on the field unless Iran attacks Qatar, adding: “In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.” While Trump declared the U.S. knew nothing about Israel’s strike, the [Wall Street Journal][30] cited unnamed U.S. officials saying Trump was informed of the attack ahead of time and approved of it to try and pressure Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a [post on X
][31]Thursday that Iran’s retaliatory strikes on oil and gas infrastructure in the region “employed FRACTION” of its power due to de-escalation requests, adding that there will be “ZERO restraint” if Iranian infrastructure is hit again.
* **Pentagon requests $200 billion for Iran war:** The Department of War has asked the White House to approve a request to Congress for more than $200 billion to fund the war in Iran, [according][32] to the Washington Post, which characterized the move as “an enormous new ask that is almost certain to run into resistance from lawmakers opposed to the conflict.”
* **Oil hits $119 a barrel:** Oil and natural gas prices surged after Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field and Iran’s retaliatory strikes. Brent Crude, the global pricing benchmark for oil, rose to nearly $120 a barrel in trading, up from less than $73 per barrel on the eve of the war. On Wednesday, Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act, allowing foreign-flagged ships to carry fuel between U.S. ports to speed deliveries and ease price pressure. Other governments are moving to limit shortages, with Slovakia capping diesel sales and countries across Asia tightening their supply in anticipation of the crunch. The Philippines, Myanmar, and Thailand have introduced various measures to cope with this, such as workweek reductions, driving limits, export bans, and price controls.
* **Projectile hits Bushehr nuclear plant grounds: **Iran [reported][33] that a projectile struck the premises of the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with no damage to the reactor or injuries to staff. In a statement, agency chief Rafael Grossi called for “restraint during the conflict to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident.”
* **Fire aboard USS Gerald R. Ford injures sailors, raises concerns over deployment: **A fire aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Red Sea [injured][34] sailors and damaged about 100 sleeping berths, with nearly 200 crewmembers treated for smoke inhalation after the blaze in the ship’s laundry area. One crew member was flown off the ship with injuries, according to The Guardian. The carrier is expected to sail to Crete for repairs, as concerns grow over crew fatigue, morale, and ongoing technical issues aboard the vessel.
* **Private planes damaged in missile interception at Ben Gurion Airport: **Three private planes parked at Ben Gurion Airport were [damaged][35] by shrapnel Wednesday after an Iranian missile was intercepted by Israeli air defenses, the Israel Airports Authority said. One aircraft caught fire and others sustained structural damage, but no casualties were reported.
* **Saudi Arabia says missiles intercepted over Riyadh as videos show fires: **Saudi Arabia [said][36] its air defenses intercepted four ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh, with debris falling across parts of the city. The government later [confirmed][37] that 4 people were injured in the strike, all of whom were foreign Asian residents. The rare strike on the capital follows earlier Iranian threats to target Saudi energy infrastructure.
* **Qatar expels Iranian officials after missile strike on gas hub: **Qatar [confirmed][38] that Iran launched ballistic missiles at the country on Wednesday, with one missile striking Ras Laffan Industrial City and igniting a fire. Most of the missiles were intercepted, according to the government. In response to the attacks, Doha expelled Iranian military and security attachés and their staff, calling the attack a violation of its sovereignty and warning it reserves the right to respond under international law. As of late Wednesday evening, Qatar was still [dealing][39] with the fire at Ras Laffan, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
* **U.S. weighs troop deployments and expanded operations in Iran, report says: **The Trump administration is [considering][40] a significant escalation in Iran, including deploying thousands of additional troops and expanding air and naval operations to secure oil routes through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters. Options under discussion include potential ground operations near key oil infrastructure and nuclear sites, though officials say no final decision has been made, as the operation is considered highly risky.
* **Barrack declines to condemn Iran strikes: **U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack [brushed off][41] the toxic, carcinogenic effects of the U.S. attacks on Tehran, saying that the strikes were conducted in the “fog of war,” and refused to condemn the incidents when he was questioned about them at a New York event on chemical weapons. He was also [pressed][42] on newly released DOJ records indicating he remained in contact with Jeffrey Epstein years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, saying that “all of us dealt with Jeffrey Epstein in the Eighties as a business person…he was bigger than life.” He added that everyone suspected Epstein’s influence had to do with his relationship with the government of Israel, but did not elaborate on the nature of this relationship.
* **Omani foreign minister warns Gulf states now exposed by Iran retaliation: **Oman’s foreign minister [said][43] Iran’s retaliation against targets in neighboring countries was “inevitable” but unacceptable, arguing it reflects the limited options Tehran faced amid a war aimed at ending the Islamic Republic, in an article in The Economist. He warned that Gulf states now view U.S. security guarantees as a vulnerability, and that the conflict has seriously threatened the bloc’s economic model.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 1,001—with 2,584 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Four killed in Thursday morning strikes on Lebanon:** Two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Adloun in southern Lebanon Thursday, according to the National News Agency. Two more were killed and eight injured in strikes on Housh Tyre, Burj al-Shamali, Bazouriyeh, and the public housing area. RT correspondent Steve Sweeney and his cameraman Ali Rida were injured in a strike on the Qasmiyeh bridge. Israeli airstrikes also targeted Qantara, while artillery shelling hit Wadi al-Slouqi and the outskirts of Ghandoorieh. This comes amid renewed Israeli displacement orders warning residents south of the Zahrani River to move north.
* **Israeli strikes on Wednesday:**
* In southern Lebanon, Israel [shelled][44] two bridges across the Litani River, according to reports from the National News Agency. Israel said it would target bridges crossing the river, “to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and weapons” to the frontlines, which would in effect disconnect a large part of the south from the rest of the country.
* Six civilians were [killed][45], including two children and two women, following an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese town of Younine on Wednesday night.
* An Israeli air attack in Saada killed two and wounded one, the NNA reported.
* An Israeli attack targeting four houses in the town of Sahmar in the Bekaa killed at least four people.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Four Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City:** Four Palestinians were killed in Gaza City on Thursday in two separate Israeli airstrikes, according to the AP. A strike in the Zeitoun neighborhood followed by a second in the Tuffah neighborhood each killed two people.
* **Four women killed in Hebron area salon: **Four Palestinian women were [killed][46], and at least six others were injured after debris from an Iranian missile struck a salon in Beit ‘Awwa, southwest of Hebron, according to the Palestine Red Crescent. The victims were inside a metal caravan when it was hit. Other rocket fragments also landed across the Hebron governorate, including Hebron City and Deir Sammit, emergency teams said.
* **Rafah reopens for pedestrian movement: **The Rafah Crossing [reopened][47] on Thursday morning for the first time since the launch of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, according to WAFA. A group of eight patients in need of medical evacuation and 17 companions departed for the Rafah crossing from the Red Crescent in Khan Younis after their documents were processed. More than 20,000 patients require treatment abroad and the number of travellers from Gaza has not exceeded 700 since Israel partially reopened the crossing in February. Since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, only a third of the aid agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement has been allowed through the Kerem Shalom crossing, with Israel announcing Tuesday it suspended the entry of aid shipments from Egypt after alleging tobacco and nicotine smuggling inside hygiene kits.
* **Germany withdraws support for Israel in ICJ genocide case: **Germany has [withdrawn][48] its support for Israel in proceedings at the International Court of Justice over the accusations of genocide brought to the court by South Africa, reversing its earlier plan to intervene as a third party. Berlin had previously dismissed the case as “baseless” and as a “political instrumentalization” of the genocide convention, and defended Israel’s military actions as an exercise of its right to self-defense.
* **Palestinian sexually assaulted by settlers recounts attack:** CNN [interviewed][49] Qusai Abu al-Kebash, a 29-year-old Palestinian shepherd, who was sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank village of Khirbet Humsa. He told the outlet that settlers zip-tied his genitals, paraded him through the village while beating him, threatened to rape women, assaulted children, and stole hundreds of his sheep.
* **Record number of Palestinian child detainees held without trial, report says: **More than half of Palestinian children in Israeli detention—180 out of 351 as of December 31, 2025—are being [held][50] without charge or trial, the highest proportion recorded since monitoring began in 2008, according to Defense for Children International–Palestine. The group and lawyers released a new report documenting Israel’s widespread abuse of children in its prison system. The full report is available [here][51].
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][52].*
* **Gabbard defers to the president on defining “imminent threat” in Iran testimony: **Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard [told][53] the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday that determining whether a threat is “imminent” is the responsibility of the president, declining to directly assess Iran’s pre-strike nuclear posture. She said Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded by U.S. and Israeli strikes, though she gave differing accounts on its recovery efforts and warned the country could rebuild and potentially develop an ICBM capability before 2035.
* **Fed holds rates steady, flags inflation risks from Iran war:** The Federal Reserve [kept][54] interest rates unchanged on March 18 and projected higher inflation, driven by rising energy prices tied to the Iran war; the projections included the possibility that there would only be one rate cut this year. “In the near term, higher energy prices will push up overall inflation, but it is too soon to know the scope and duration of the potential effects on the economy,” Powell announced in a press conference following the Fed’s decision.
* **Trump voters back war with Iran but favor quick end, poll finds: **Most voters who [support][55] President Donald Trump back a war with Iran, with 76% expressing support, but majorities oppose sending U.S. ground troops and favor ending the conflict quickly, according to an Ipsos poll commissioned by the American Conservative and the Quincy Institute. Support is stronger among older voters, while younger respondents are more divided and more concerned about economic impacts such as rising gas prices, and a narrower majority views Israel’s role positively.
* **FBI investigates former counterterrorism chief after resignation over Iran war: **The FBI has [opened][56] a leak investigation into former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, focusing on allegations he improperly shared classified information, according to people familiar with the probe cited by Semafor. Kent resigned Tuesday, stating Iran posed no imminent threat and accusing President Donald Trump of launching the war under pressure from Israel.
* **Founder of United Farm Workers accused of rape:** Several women accused Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers, of abusing them for years when they were as young as 13, according to an [investigation][57] by the New York Times. Dolores Huerta, a co-founder of the UFW, also said that Chavez sexually assaulted her during the 1960s. “The farmworker movement has always been bigger and far more important than any one individual,” Huerta [wrote][58] in response to the revelations. “Cesar’s actions do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people.” Chavez died in 1993.
* **DACA recipient detained by ICE on his way to the NICU:** Juan Chavez Velasco, a DACA recipient and medical worker, was detained by immigration agents in Texas while on his way to see his premature newborn, leaving behind his U.S.-citizen wife and children, according to a report from [MS Now][59]. The Trump administration has escalated its targeting of Dreamers, advocates say, and those who have not been directly targeted have faced lengthy delays in their renewal processes. Regarding his detention, Velasco said: “I feel very sad and heartbroken because I would have thought that the Trump administration would be more compassionate towards people like me who contribute to the country and have basically lived here all our lives. I love this country. I love what I’ve been able to accomplish here.”
* **FBI and IRS launch initiative to probe nonprofits over terrorism concerns:** The FBI and IRS are [launching][60] a joint initiative to investigate nonprofit organizations for potential links to domestic terrorism, following a directive from Attorney General Pam Bondi that prioritizes cases tied to “extremist activity” and possible tax violations, according to CBS News. The effort, part of a broader campaign authorized in December, includes a centralized command unit and will enlist officers from the IRS’s Criminal Investigation unit.
* **Proposal outlines plan to cut U.S. electricity bills by 30 percent:** A policy proposal from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator argues that regulators could reduce household electricity costs by about 30 percent—saving households roughly $500 annually—primarily by targeting investor-owned utilities’ returns and expenses. “It’s a matter of fairness, and it’s also a matter of making sure that utilities can’t make customers pay for the things that the utility does to try to increase the prices on customers,” the plan’s author says. Read more about the report in a write-up from The American Prospect, available [here][61].
# Other International News
* **Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to temporary Eid ceasefire amid clashes: **Pakistan and Afghanistan have [agreed][62] to a temporary pause in hostilities over Eid al-Fitr, running through early next week, following mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. The truce comes after weeks of deadly cross-border fighting and air strikes, with both sides warning that operations could quickly resume if violence continues.
* **Russian oil shipments head to Cuba as blackout deepens crisis: **Two vessels [carrying][63] Russian oil and fuel are expected to arrive in Cuba in the coming days, marking the first such deliveries in three months as the island grapples with severe blackouts and fuel shortages, according to the Financial Times. The shipments follow a nationwide power outage and come after supplies from Venezuela and Mexico were halted under U.S. pressure, leaving Cuba’s energy system strained and largely without fuel imports.
* **Kataeb Hezbollah sets conditions to pause attacks on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad: **Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah militia [said][64] it will halt attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for five days if demands are met, including an end to Israeli strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a halt to attacks in Iraq, and the removal of CIA personnel from the embassy. The group warned that failure to comply would lead to renewed and intensified strikes, while saying foreign diplomatic and economic sites would be spared if their governments stay out of the conflict.
* **Iraq resumes Kirkuk oil exports via Turkey amid war disruptions: **Iraq has resumed crude exports from its Kirkuk fields to Turkey’s Ceyhan port after Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government reached an agreement, with initial flows of around 170,000 barrels per day set to rise to 250,000, [Reuters][65] reported. The move comes as the Iran war has slashed Iraq’s southern production and strained finances, prompting efforts to restore exports and stabilize revenue amid broader regional supply disruptions.
* **China offers Taiwan energy security in push for reunification: **China said it would provide Taiwan with stable energy supplies if it accepted Beijing’s rule, linking the offer to its broader campaign for “peaceful reunification,” as global markets face disruption from the Middle East war. Taiwan rejected [the offer][66], with President Lai Ching-te saying the island has secured diversified energy sources, including increased U.S. gas imports, to ensure near-term supply stability.
* **Clashes along Sudan-Chad border kill 17 as fighting intensifies: **Heavy fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces near the Chad border has [killed][67] at least 17 people and wounded more than 100, many seriously, according to Doctors Without Borders. The escalation around Tina, a key aid corridor in Darfur, underscores the worsening humanitarian crisis in a conflict that has already killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
* **RSF accused of executing civilians in North Kordofan, medical group says: **Sudan’s Doctors Network said the Rapid Support Forces executed 12 civilians, including six women, in the Shuraim Mima area north of Bara on March 18, alleging they were targeted on suspicion of ties to the army. The group [described][68] the killings as a “new massacre,” warning of escalating violence against civilians and calling for international action as control of Bara continues to shift amid the broader conflict.
* **UN-backed Haiti security force aims for full deployment by October: **A UN-backed international force to combat gangs in Haiti is expected to reach full deployment of about 5,500 personnel by October, Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez [said][69], with new Chadian troops training in the United States and Kenyan forces set to withdraw gradually. The rollout follows delays and staffing shortages in earlier missions, as Haiti continues to face widespread violence that has killed thousands and displaced more than a million people.
* **Venezuela replaces longtime defense minister amid post-Maduro reshuffle: **Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced the replacement of longtime defense minister Vladimir Padrino López, a key figure from Nicolás Maduro’s administration, as part of a broader cabinet shake-up following Maduro’s removal in January. General Gustavo González López, who occupied key roles in Maduro’s government and is viewed as a loyal Chavista by the rank and file, was [named][70] as his successor.
* **Nigerian forces repel insurgent assault on Borno base, army says: **Nigerian troops backed by air support [repelled an attack][71] by Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters on a military base in Borno state, killing at least 80 insurgents including senior commanders, according to the army. The assault followed deadly suicide bombings earlier in the week, underscoring an intensification of militant operations in the region.
* **Russia boosts military support to Iran with intelligence and drone technology, report says: **Russia has expanded intelligence sharing and military cooperation with Iran, providing satellite imagery, targeting data, and enhanced drone technology to support strikes on U.S. and allied forces, according to a new report from [The Wall Street Journal][72]. The assistance, which draws on Russia’s battlefield experience in Ukraine, will allegedly help Iran refine its targeting and tactics in its ongoing war with the United States and Israel.
* **EU offers to fund pipeline repairs to break Hungary’s veto on Ukraine aid: **European Union leaders have [offered][73] funding and technical support to help Ukraine repair the Druzhba oil pipeline, aiming to persuade Hungary to lift its veto on a €90 billion aid package for Kyiv, according to the AP. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has tied his opposition to the restoration of oil flows, escalating tensions with Ukraine as the bloc seeks to secure funding and maintain its unity in support of Kyiv.
* **Suspect in Ecuadorean presidential candidate slaying arrested in Mexico:** Ángel Esteban Aguilar is accused of being the leader of Ecuador’s Los Lobos gang and suspect in the 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. He was detained entering Mexico using a false identity and was extradited to Colombia, [Al Jazeera][74] reported. Ecuadorean Interior Minister John Reimberg hailed the trilateral effort to arrest Aguilar, despite his country’s ongoing tensions with both Mexico and Colombia.
* **Poll Shows U.S. population rejects Trump’s Cuba policy:** A new survey from Blue Rose Research commissioned by the Progressive International finds most Americans [oppose a naval blockade on Cuba][75], with fewer than a quarter agreeing with Donald Trump’s characterization of the country as an extraordinary national security threat and only 7% support the use of force to remove the Cuban government.
# More from Drop Site
* **Families hold nightly vigils after deadly school strike in Minab: **Families in Minab, Iran, have been gathering each night during Ramadan to hold quiet vigils at the graves of at least 168 children killed in a February 28 U.S. strike on an elementary school, one of the deadliest single attacks on children in memory. Parents described their grief and communal mourning at the cemetery. “We exchange memories. We talk about the games our children loved, and we bring back moments of their laughter,” one parent said. “All of that makes the night a little less lonely, and eases the feeling of absence a little.” **Read the full report from Drop Site contributor Mahmoud Aslan [here][76].**
* **Watch: Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill joined Owen Jones on a discussion on the events of the past 24 hours in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran**
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[1]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116253388303392718
[2]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/18/iran-cost-budget-pentagon/
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[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034408845825733095
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[13]: https://www.semafor.com/article/03/18/2026/fbi-investigates-national-security-aide-who-resigned-over-war
[14]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html
[15]: https://www.ms.now/news/ice-detains-daca-recipient-premature-baby
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[19]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iraqi-government-kurdish-authorities-reach-deal-resume-oil-exports-turkeys-2026-03-17/
[20]: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-makes-energy-security-reunification-offer-taiwan-amid-middle-east-war-2026-03-18/
[21]: https://apnews.com/article/sudan-chad-border-attacks-bf385efedd9e06312b6eed4fbf16f67c
[22]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311909
[23]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chad-gradually-replace-kenyan-force-haiti-through-october-dominican-republic-2026-03-17/
[24]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/least-80-insurgents-killed-nigerian-troops-repel-base-assault-military-says-2026-03-18/
[25]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/18/leader-of-ecuadorean-criminal-group-los-lobos-apprehended-in-mexico-city
[26]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/minab-iran-elementary-school-airstrike-cemetery-families
[27]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[28]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iran-attack-damage-wipes-out-17-qatars-lng-capacity-three-five-years-qatarenergy-2026-03-19/
[29]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116253388303392718
[30]: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/escalating-attacks-on-gulf-energy-assets-plunge-iran-war-into-new-phase-36cc0a6e?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqcxmcGX1KVN6MA7wGgF6DW_Pa2djoiNhVC9wyFE4LaOUzzbHtGnGvFeIo6iORM%3D&gaa_ts=69bbfd53&gaa_sig=_ZJq8ZKN4JffxmIS3zCf4G43Q0UohYVdeto5DxUMXRrcnO4nMR0_96YCjcrCg1TuOMY57DtrMLZdIUfHLVoD1Q%3D%3D
[31]: https://x.com/araghchi/status/2034627715882504560?s=46
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[34]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/18/onboard-fire-uss-gerald-ford-aircraft-carrier
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[44]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/israel-conducts-wave-strikes-beirut-knocks-out-southern-bridges
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[51]: https://www.dci-palestine.org/more_than_half_of_palestinian_child_detainees_have_no_charges
[52]: mailto:[email protected]
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034401872509911332
[54]: https://www.reuters.com/business/fed-likely-hold-rates-steady-iran-war-shocks-policy-debate-2026-03-18/
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034299684164927800
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[68]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311909
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[70]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/18/delcy-rodriguez-replaces-venezuelas-defence-minister-vladimir-padrino
[71]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/least-80-insurgents-killed-nigerian-troops-repel-base-assault-military-says-2026-03-18/
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[74]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/18/leader-of-ecuadorean-criminal-group-los-lobos-apprehended-in-mexico-city
[75]: https://x.com/ProgIntl/status/2034622506318115135?s=20
[76]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/minab-iran-elementary-school-airstrike-cemetery-families
[77]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
[78]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
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[80]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-israel-trump-oil-gas-strikes-energy-lebanon/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-israel-trump-oil-gas-strikes-energy-lebanon

2026-03-18 20:09:02 UTC

Grieving Parents in Iran Spend Every Night at the Graves of Their Children, Killed by U.S. Strike
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Families spend Ramadan evenings at the graves of children killed in the Shajareh Tayyiba elementary school on February 28. March 15, 2026. Credit: semi-official news agency Mehr.
MINAB, IRAN—Families arrive at the cemetery after sunset. They come carrying rugs and cushions, food and water, and candles or lanterns that they place on the small, freshly dug graves. Parents carefully clean the tombstones of their buried children. They arrange the spaces around them and settle in for the night—a quiet vigil that will continue until dawn.
The collective grief in Minab, Iran is unfathomable. At least 168 children, most of them girls aged between seven and 12 years old, were killed in a single strike on the Shajareh Tayyiba elementary school on February 28, in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
As the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close this week—a time when prayers carry special weight—families have continued to gather at the cemetery after iftar, the sunset meal to break the fast, to pray beside their dead children in the dark.
Amina Karimi, 42, lost her seven-year-old daughter, Leila, in the strike. She comes to the cemetery every night.
“Ramadan this year arrived carrying a grief I have never known before,” Karimi told Drop Site News. “I read the Quran in a low voice and recite prayers I dedicated to her, and I speak to her as though she can hear me.” She pauses. “Sometimes I close my eyes and recall her laugh, her voice, how she used to run at school, laugh with her friends, and how we used to dream of her future.” Karimi stays at the graveyard through the night despite the cold that cuts through her clothes. “The night is heavy and the cold bites. But the dim candlelight gives me some warmth.”
Evidence collected by human rights groups and media outlets strongly point to the U.S. conducting the Tomahawk missile strike—one of the deadliest single attacks on children in memory. Preliminary findings of an internal U.S. military investigation determined the U.S. was responsible and the school was likely bombed based on outdated targeting data. The Trump administration has not admitted to anything.
In Minab, parents are struggling to come to terms with the scale of the loss.
Reza Zarei’s seven-year-old son, Ali, was killed in the strike. The 45-year-old comes to the cemetery to be beside Ali’s grave through the night until the predawn call to prayer. “I remember the small details of his life,” Zarei told Drop Site. “How he went to school. His friends. His games in the street.” He added, “The night here is silent except for the sounds of prayer and recitation.”
The atmosphere in the cemetery, where all the victims of the school bombing were laid to rest, is unlike anything in the city around it. Sounds disappear. Voices are muted. Families sit or lie down beside the graves, reciting verses, whispering to one another, or falling into long silences. Those who cannot sleep stare at the headstones. The candles planted at the graves create a scattered, uneven light—dozens of small flames that bend in the wind but do not go out. From a distance, the cemetery glows with dim flickering lights.
Reyhana Akbari Far, 40, who lost her eight-year-old daughter Zahra, told Drop Site that she sometimes lies down beside the grave and closes her eyes. “I try to feel her close to me,” she said. “The lit candles around the graves give me some light in the long night, but they cannot remove the pain that fills my heart.” She said the sound of other families nearby—talking, reciting, sharing memories—makes the nights less unbearable. “We exchange memories. We talk about the games our children loved, and we bring back moments of their laughter,” she said. “All of that makes the night a little less lonely, and eases the feeling of absence a little.”
Parents describe the experience of gathering at the cemetery not as mourning in isolation but as a form of continued presence, a refusal to fully accept the distance between the dead and the living. Small children, most of them presumably brothers, sisters, or cousins of the victims, move carefully between the graves. They watch how the adults hold themselves, how grief is organized into ritual, how it is possible to sit with an unbearable thing for hours without breaking apart. They are learning something they are too young to learn.
For Reza Rezaei Pour, 47, the hours in the cemetery are organized around the act of speaking. “I put my hand on the cold stone, I read prayers, and I recall my son Mohammed’s memories,” he told Drop Site about his dead seven-year-old. “His laughs. His play. The small things of his daily life that used to give us happiness.” He describes meeting other fathers in the dark, trading what they remember. “We tell each other about the moments that no longer exist,” he said. “And we learn that shared pain can lighten some of the weight.”
Suhoor—the pre-dawn meal before fasting resumes—passes quietly at the cemetery. Families bring some food but few seem to eat. The ritual of suhoor is observed more than the meal itself. Mothers pour tea from thermoses. A child falls asleep on a father’s shoulder. Someone straightens a candle tilting over in the soft earth.
Fatima Azadi Pezeshki, 43, lost her seven-year-old daughter Huda. She arrives each evening and stays as long as she can. “Sometimes I close my eyes and try to imagine her voice and her image in front of me,” she told Drop Site, “as though she is still present with me.” She said she reads the prayers she used to recite with her daughter at home, in the same order, as a way of keeping something intact. “I try to make her part of these moments despite her physical absence.”
Just before sunrise, families begin to slowly gather their belongings. They fold the blankets, collect the food they barely touched, extinguish the candles. The cemetery empties gradually, family by family, until the dawn breaks and the graves are silent and alone once again.
*This story was published in collaboration with [Egab][3].*
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[3]: https://www.egab.co/
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2026-03-18 15:22:42 UTC

Israel strikes largest Iranian gas field, central Beirut; What AIPAC got for $22 million in Illinois; U.S. hits Iran missiles sites near Strait of Hormuz
*Israel kills Iran’s intelligence minister. Eight killed in airstrike on Iranian judicial complex. Thousands attend funeral ceremony for top officials [assassinated][1] in Tehran. Israel [targets][2] Iranian offshore gas field. U.S. [strikes][3] Iranian missile sites near Strait of Hormuz with bunker-buster bombs. Iran [war][4] threatens to push global hunger to record levels.** **UK adviser [said][5] Iran proposal could have averted war. Israeli strikes kill 27 in Lebanon on Wednesday. Lebanese journalist killed in Beirut strike. Israel [orders][6] overnight displacement from Tyre. U.S. [urged][7] Syria to consider sending forces into Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.** **Trump “Board of Peace” envoys [meet][8] Hamas in Cairo to shore up Gaza ceasefire. Israel suspends Gaza aid [shipments][9] from Egypt over alleged smuggling.** **[AIPAC sees mixed results][10] in Illinois Democratic primaries. Senate [advances][11] debate on Trump-backed SAVE America Act.** **Arizona [files][12] criminal
charges against prediction market Kalshi. ADL chief [criticizes][13] Democratic lawmakers over rhetoric on Israel and AIPAC.** **Pentagon [says][14] anti-cartel military operations may expand beyond sea strikes. Kataeb Hezbollah [confirms][15] the death of senior commander Abu Ali al-Askari. RSF [captures][16] key cities in North Kordofan and North Darfur. Suicide bombings in Maiduguri [kill][17] at least 23 and wound more than 100. Artillery [attack][18] in northern Yemen kills 10, including six children. Kenya [says][19] Russia will stop recruiting its citizens to fight in Ukraine.** **Somalia’s South West state [accuses][20] federal government of backing militias. Trump admin [considers][21] withholding lifesaving aid unless Zambia expands minerals access.*
**NEW from Drop Site: Basij members [speak][22] to a Drop Site correspondent in Tehran. Foad Izadi joins the [livestream][23] to discuss the latest in the war on Iran.**
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
[Subscribe now][24]
The remains of a residential building in the Bachoura neighbourhood of central Beirut after it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on March 18, 2026 in Beirut, Lebanon. Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Israel kills Iran’s intelligence minister:** Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight strike. Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian confirmed Khatib was killed in a “cowardly assassination” in a [post][25] on X. Khatib previously served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and in the judiciary. He was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2022 over alleged cyber operations targeting Washington and its allies. “On this day, significant surprises are expected across all arenas that will escalate the war we are conducting against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Katz said during a briefing with military officials, according to Israeli media. “The intensity of the strikes in Iran is increasing,” he added.
* **Eight killed in airstrike on Iranian judicial complex:** At least eight people were killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike on a courthouse complex in Iran’s Larestan County on Wednesday, according to the Mizan news agency. One lawyer, six clients and a member of the judicial staff were killed in the attack.
* **Thousands attend funeral ceremony for top officials assassinated in Tehran:** A funeral ceremony was held in Tehran on Wednesday for top security official Ali Larijani and Basij forces commander Gholamreza Soleimani, who were both assassinated in Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday. In [confirming][26] Larijani’s death, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said that his son Morteza, his deputy for security Alireza Bayat, and several guards were also killed in the attack. Thousands attended the funeral procession as the bodies were driven through the streets.
* **Israel target Iranian offshore gas field:** Facilities associated with Iran’s massive offshore South Pars natural gas field came under attack Wednesday, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. Iran shares the offshore field with Qatar. Israel carried out the strike, which was “coordinated with and approved by the Trump administration,” Israeli officials [told][27] Axios. Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [condemned][28] Israel’s attack as “a dangerous and irresponsible step,” warning that “targeting energy infrastructure constitutes a threat to global energy security, as well as to the peoples of the region and its environment.”
* **U.S. strikes Iranian missile sites near Strait of Hormuz with bunker-buster bombs: **U.S. forces [used][29] 5,000-pound GBU-72 Advanced Penetrator munitions to strike Iranian anti-ship cruise missile positions near the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said the sites were targeted because they threaten international shipping through the critical waterway. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a [post][30] on X on Tuesday that “The Strait of Hormuz situation won’t return to its pre-war status.”
* **Iran war threatens to push global hunger to record levels: **The war with Iran could push an additional 45 million people into acute hunger by June, as U.S.-Israeli attacks disrupt aid routes and push up food, oil, and shipping costs, according to an [analysis][31] published Tuesday by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). “This would take global hunger levels to an all-time record and it’s a terrible, terrible prospect,” WFP Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau told reporters in Geneva.
* **UK adviser said Iran proposal could have averted war: **Britain’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell [said][32] that Iran’s proposal during February’s nuclear talks in Geneva was enough to prevent the outbreak of war, believing that significant progress was made and describing Iran’s offer as “surprising,” according to sources cited by The Guardian. Powell was present at the meetings and has much experience in crisis mediation. “The British team expected the next round of negotiations to go ahead on the basis of the progress in Geneva,” according to one official cited by the Guardian.
* **Iranian missile barrage hits central Israel, killing two: **Iran [launched][33] its 60th wave of strikes against Israel on Tuesday, with missiles hitting multiple sites near Tel Aviv and killing two people in the city of Ramat Gan, according to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom. Israeli authorities reported structural damage at several locations, including heavy damage at Tel Aviv’s Savidor Central Train Station, while emergency crews searched debris for additional casualties.
* **Iran’s new supreme leader rejects ceasefire proposals: **Iran’s new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei [rejected][34] proposals conveyed by intermediaries to de-escalate the war with the United States and Israel, saying it was not the “right time for peace” until both countries are “brought to their knees,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday. The comments followed his first foreign policy meeting since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in earlier strikes.** **Drop Site’s latest report on Iran’s war posture, which discusses the government’s unwillingness to negotiate with a belligerent United States, is available [here][35].
* **Iran executes man accused of spying for Israel, arrests dozens:** Iran’s judiciary said Wednesday it executed a man accused of spying for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, according to the Mizan news agency. It marked the first publicly announced execution for spying during the current war. The man, who was a [Swedish citizen][36], was accused of “providing images and information on sensitive locations” to Mossad. Meanwhile, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced that 111 people were arrested overnight accused of being “royalist cells,” according to the Tasnim news agency. Four people accused of being spies for the U.S. were also arrested.
* **Israeli officials assess Iranian protesters might face a deadly crackdown, continue calls for uprising: **Senior Israeli officials [told][37] U.S. diplomats that Iranian protesters would likely “get slaughtered” if they rose up against the government, even as Israel has publicly called for a popular uprising, according to a State Department cable reported by The Washington Post. The cable relayed Israel’s belief that Iran’s government remains intact and resilient and is willing to “fight to the end” despite the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the ongoing U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign. Israeli officials nonetheless said they hoped for a revolt and urged Washington to prepare to support protesters if it occurs.
* **Basij members vow to fight until the end: **The Basij—an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps–affiliated militia central to the Islamic Republic’s internal security—has been mobilized across the capital, where members say they are more willing than ever to defend the cause of the revolution. In Drop Site’s latest dispatch from Tehran, a local reporter asks members of the Basij how they are responding to the U.S.-Israeli onslaught, the assassination of the country’s leadership, and the violence in the capital. “If I’m about to die, I’d rather die like my guide and leader, the great Khamenei,” one member told our correspondent. “There is nothing in this world I’d cherish more than martyrdom.” **The full dispatch is available [here][38].**
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 912, including 111 children, and 2,221 wounded since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Israeli strikes kill 27 on Wednesday:** At least 27 people were killed and dozens more wounded in a wave of Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, including a series of attacks in the heart of Beirut that killed at least 12 people, according to Lebanon’s Health ministry. The Beirut airstrikes were within walking distance of the city center and the headquarters of the Lebanese government
* **Lebanese journalist killed in Beirut strike:** Mohammad Shari, a prominent journalist with Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV was killed alongside his wife in an Israeli airstrike on central Beirut on Wednesday. Shari’s children and grandchildren were wounded and hospitalized in the attack, according to Al-Manar. Shari was the director of Al-Manar’s political programs and had been a presenter at the TV station for many years.
* **Wednesday attacks:** Casualties from Israeli attacks on Wednesday included:
* Two killed and six wounded in the town of Sohmor, in the western Bekaa valley.
* Two killed and seven wounded in a strike on a residential building in Deir ez-Zahrani, southern Lebanon.
* Two killed, including a paramedic, and one wounded in an airstrike on a car in the city of Saida.
* **Israeli strikes hit multiple sites across Lebanon on Tuesday:**
* In Aaba, a village in Nabatieh, an airstrike [killed][39] two people. In Jibsheet, another strike hit a civilian area, killing at least one person and leaving multiple members of the same family dead, wounded, or missing.
* Strikes also hit civilian vehicles and structures in the towns of Sultanleh and Sharqieh.
* An airstrike leveled a residential building in Harouf, a town in southern Lebanon, with at least one family still trapped under the rubble.
* A drone strike hit a structure housing Syrian agricultural workers in the Zahrani coastal area near Sidon. A second strike hit the area as relatives rushed to help.
* **Israel orders overnight displacement from Tyre: **Israel [issued][40] overnight orders for residents of Tyre—one of southern Lebanon’s largest cities—and surrounding neighborhoods and refugee camps housing about 74,000 Palestinians to move north of the Zahrani River, including areas such as Shabriha, Hamadiya, Jal al-Bahr, Al-Bass, Rashidiya, and Burj al-Shamali. Lebanese authorities say more than one million people have been displaced since the Israeli assault on Lebanon began on March 2, with over 130,000 sheltering in more than 600 collective centers.
* **Israel to destroy bridges across Litani River:** The Israeli military [said][41] it will soon begin attacking bridges across the Litani river in southern Lebanon “to prevent the transfer of reinforcements and weapons” by Hezbollah. The Israeli military repeated an earlier warning for people to move north of the Zahrani river, which is several miles north of the Litani.
* **U.S. urged Syria to consider sending forces into Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah: **U.S. officials have encouraged Syria to consider deploying forces into eastern Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah, according to multiple sources cited by [Reuters][42], though Damascus remains reluctant to do so, over fears of the conflict’s escalation and its own sectarian unrest. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff later denied the report, calling claims that Washington encouraged such a move “false and inaccurate.”
* **UN probe finds Israeli tank fire likely struck UN peacekeeper base in southern Lebanon: **The Israeli military admitted to firing on a UN base in southern Lebanon, claiming it was responding to anti-tank missile fire from Hezbollah fighters, according to Reuters. The attack wounded three Ghanaian peacekeepers. A Western military source said UN investigators identified three 120 mm tank shells fired within five minutes that struck the al-Qawzah base, suggesting repeated fire rather than a stray round, and noted the base’s coordinates were known to all parties. UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said the investigation is ongoing and its findings will be released once completed.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, four Palestinians were killed–-three in new attacks and one due to wounds sustained in earlier attacks—and 14 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,253 killed, with 171,912 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 677 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,813, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Trump “Board of Peace” envoys meet Hamas in Cairo to shore up Gaza ceasefire: **Envoys from President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” met Hamas representatives in Cairo over the weekend in an effort to preserve the Gaza ceasefire, a ceasefire agreement which has come under additional strain since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, according to sources cited by [Reuters][43]. Following the talks, Israel announced plans to reopen the Rafah pedestrian crossing between Gaza and Egypt, which had been closed since February 28, a move one source said may have been linked to the meeting. Hamas warned that continued Israeli restrictions imposed during the Iran war could lead the group to reconsider its commitments under the ceasefire framework. Israel has continued to kill civilians and bomb Gaza nearly every day since the so-called ceasefire.
* **Israel suspends Gaza aid shipments from Egypt over alleged smuggling: **Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) [said][44] Tuesday it suspended aid shipments entering Gaza from Egypt after alleging tobacco and nicotine products were smuggled inside UNICEF-coordinated hygiene kits at the Kerem Shalom crossing. The suspension will remain in place pending a UNICEF investigation, as Israel maintains a near-total closure of Gaza’s crossings since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The Kerem Shalom crossing is currently allowing about 200 trucks per day—far below the roughly 600 required under the humanitarian protocol.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][45].*
* **AIPAC records mixed results in Illinois Democratic primaries: **Democratic voters in Illinois’ 9th Congressional district chose Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss to replace retiring **Rep. Jan Schakowsky** in Tuesday’s elections. Biss defeated both Palestinian-American activist and commentator Kat Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine, the candidate favored by pro-Israel groups, despite AIPAC spending over $5 million in the race. “There was once again a vast amount of money spent and wasted trying to dust up a candidate [in Biss] who, by almost anybody’s reasonable analysis, Israel should be happy to have in Congress supporting a strong U.S.-Israel relationship,” one longtime AIPAC member told Politico. AIPAC, the person said, “should take a look at the results in [the 9th district] and New Jersey and reconsider their strategy.”
* Meanwhile, former congresswoman and member of the Blue Dog caucus,** Laura Bean**, defeated progressive **Junaid Ahmed**, who had the backing of the Justice Democrats, in the 9th Congressional District. Ahmed notably did not receive the backing of American Priorities, a new anti-genocide PAC with deep pockets, despite pressure.
* **Jesse Jackson Jr.**, the son of the recently deceased civil rights leader and a former congressman, was unable to defeat Cook County commissioner **Donna Miller **in the 2nd district, despite his support from the artificial intelligence industry. Miller drew much of her financial support from AIPAC-affiliated groups and donors.
* State Sen. **La Shawn Ford** pulled off an upset in the 7th district, defeating the AIPAC and crypto-backed **Melissa Conyears Ervin**, and will now run in the general election to replace retiring **Rep. Danny Davis **In the state’s senate primary
* **Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton** defeated **Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi **and **Robin Kelly **to succeed the retiring **Sen. Dick Durbin**. According to the [Chicago Sun-Times][46], super PACs spent almost $17 million in the Senate primary, much of it boosting Krishnamoorthi.
* **Senate advances debate on Trump-backed SAVE America Act: **The Senate [voted][47] 51–48 on Tuesday to begin debate on the SAVE America Act, a bill backed by President Donald Trump that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification to cast a ballot. Republican leaders plan to keep the legislation on the floor for extended debate to build support, while Senate Democratic Leader **Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)** called the measure “pernicious” and accused Republicans of pursuing voter suppression ahead of the midterm elections. The bill might also see amendments, including restrictions on mail-in voting, though some Republican senators, including** Steve Daines (R-Mont.)** and **Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.),** have raised concerns about limiting absentee ballots in rural states.
* **Arizona files criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi: **Arizona’s attorney general [filed][48] criminal charges Tuesday against prediction market platform Kalshi, accusing the company of operating an illegal gambling business and allowing bets on sports and elections in violation of state law. Attorney General Kris Mayes said the company was running an unlicensed gambling operation and charged it with four counts related to election wagering. Kalshi denied the allegations and called the charges “meritless.”
* **ADL chief criticizes Democratic lawmakers over rhetoric on Israel and AIPAC: **Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, [criticized][49] **Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)** and **Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)** during the group’s Never Is Now conference in Manhattan, accusing them of promoting rhetoric that fuels antisemitism. Greenblatt reproached Van Hollen for his criticism of AIPAC, which he said was especially egregious given that Maryland has “one of the largest, most active and most observant Jewish populations in the country.” About Ro Khanna he said, “Then, there is the U.S. congressman who stated that he stands against the ‘neoconservatives’ who led the U.S. into the current war [with Iran] and instead is ‘proud to stand’ with Hasan Piker, one of the most outspoken, virulent antisemitic influencers in the world…who the congressman described as one of the representatives of the ‘new moral order.” The event was attended by 4,000 people and featured a
conversation between Greenblatt and a prominent American evangelical pastor.
* **Pentagon report details misconduct by former general overseeing Ukraine aid: **A U.S. Defense Department inspector general report [found][50] that retired Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto Jr., who oversaw U.S.-led military support for Ukraine, violated policy by mishandling classified maps that were later left on a train in Europe before being recovered, according to the Kyiv Independent. The report also concluded that Aguto suffered a concussion after a night of heavy drinking in Kyiv in May 2024, when he consumed significant amounts of alcohol during a six-hour dinner before falling multiple times. Investigators recommended disciplinary action and referred the incident for further security review.
* **Witness video of border beating that killed Anastasio Hernández Rojas: **Ashley Young, a college graduate visiting San Diego in 2010, filmed U.S. immigration officials beating and repeatedly tasing Anastasio Hernández Rojas as he lay face down at the border crossing from Tijuana. Hernández Rojas later died in the hospital, and Young’s footage helped challenge official accounts of the incident and renewed calls for accountability. Although a Justice Department investigation ended without charges, an Inter-American human rights body later concluded the man had been tortured and killed. Young discusses this case and its aftermath in a recent article from Capital and Main, available [here][51].
# Other International News
* **Pentagon says anti-cartel military operations may expand beyond sea strikes: **A senior Pentagon official [told][52] lawmakers Tuesday that current U.S. military operations targeting Latin American drug cartels are “just the beginning,” leaving open the possibility of ground deployments and expanded strikes. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Humire defended the ongoing mission—known as Operation Southern Spear—which has killed at least 157 people in 45 strikes on suspected smuggling boats since September, and insisted the operations are “saving American lives.”
* **Kataeb Hezbollah confirms death of senior commander Abu Ali al-Askari: **Iraq’s Iran-backed militia Kataeb Hezbollah [announced][53] Monday that its senior security commander and spokesman Abu Ali al-Askari had been killed, without detailing the circumstances of his death. A security official, however, told The New Arab that Askari—also known as Abu Ali al-Amiri—was killed in a strike in Baghdad on Saturday. The group said Abou Moujahed al-Assaf would replace him.
* **RSF captures key cities in North Kordofan and North Darfur: **Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces [seized][54] the strategic city of Bara in North Kordofan and the border town of Karnoi in North Darfur on Monday, expanding their offensive across western and central Sudan. The paramilitary group said the capture of Bara—retaken by the army only 10 days earlier—followed a dawn assault involving drones, artillery, and dozens of combat vehicles, though its claim that it killed 500 Army soldiers could not be independently verified. Sudan’s army said it repelled a separate attack on Dilling in South Kordofan, which it said was carried out jointly by the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.
* **Suicide bombings in Maiduguri kill at least 23 and wound more than 100: **Three suspected suicide bombings [struck][55] crowded sites in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state, on Monday night, killing at least 23 people and wounding 108 others, police told the Associated Press. The blasts occurred near the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, the Monday Market, and a nearby business hub, triggering chaotic rescue efforts as hospitals appealed for blood donations. No group claimed responsibility, but likely candidates include Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, which have intensified attacks in northeastern Nigeria in recent weeks.
* **Artillery attack in northern Yemen kills 10, including six children: **An artillery strike on a village in Yemen’s Hajjah province [killed][56] at least 10 people, including six children, and wounded more than 30 others during an iftar gathering for the holy month of Ramadan, officials told the Associated Press on Monday. Yemen’s government blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the shelling, though the circumstances of the attack remain unclear, and Houthi officials declined to comment on them.
* **Karzai rejects Pakistan’s denial of Kabul Strike: **Afghanistan’s former president, Hamid Karzai, [rejected][57] Pakistan’s denial of civilian casualties after a strike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul reportedly killed more than 400 patients. Karzai said, “There was a bombing. I witnessed it myself. The people of Kabul have witnessed it. The international media have witnessed it.” Pakistan dismissed reports of civilian casualties as “false and misleading,” claiming secondary explosions from the attack indicated they had hit ammunition depots rather than civilians. The Guardian reported Tuesday that rescue crews were continuing to use heavy machinery to pull victims from the rubble, with many bodies severely disfigured.
* **Russia says it captured 12 settlements in Ukraine: **Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, [said][58] on Monday that Russian forces had captured 12 settlements in Ukraine during the first two weeks of March as part of advances along the eastern and southern front lines. He said troops were pushing toward Sloviansk and had gained control of about 60 percent of Kostiantynivka, where street fighting is ongoing. Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied these claims and said the Ukrainian army had plans in place to halt the Russian advance.
* **Kenya says Russia will stop recruiting its citizens to fight in Ukraine: **Kenya said Monday it had reached an agreement with Russia to stop recruiting Kenyan citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine after reports that more than 1,000 Kenyans had signed up as contract soldiers, Reuters [reports][59]. Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi announced the decision following talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, saying Kenyans would no longer be eligible to enlist through Russia’s defense ministry. The move comes after growing domestic pressure in Kenya over recruitment networks and concerns from families of those who traveled to join the fighting.
* **Somalia’s South West state accuses federal government of backing militias: **Officials in Somalia’s South West state [accused][60] the federal government of arming militias and attempting to unseat regional president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, deepening tensions between Mogadishu and regional administrations. The dispute comes amid broader disagreements in the country over changes to the constitution, elections, and the balance of power between the central government and federal states.
* **Trump admin considers withholding lifesaving aid unless Zambia expands minerals access:** The Trump administration is considering withholding lifesaving assistance—including HIV treatment, tuberculosis, and malaria medications—from Zambia to force the country to open its mines to U.S. companies, according to a leaked State Department memo [obtained][61] by the New York Times. “We will only secure our priorities by demonstrating willingness to publicly take support away from Zambia on a massive scale,” the memo said. The proposed deal would offer Zambia $1 billion in health funding over five years, which is less than half the amount of health assistance Zambia received before Trump took office. In return, American businesses would get more access to Zambia’s vast mineral deposits—including copper, lithium and cobalt.
* **First Delegation Arrives in Cuba for Nuestra América Convoy:** Activists and organizers are [beginning to arrive][62] in Havana as part of the Nuestra América Convoy, an international effort to deliver humanitarian aid—including medical equipment, medicines, and food—via coordinated air, sea, and volunteer efforts aimed at alleviating shortages linked to the U.S. blockade of the island country. “[The blockade] affects everyone and every political or humanitarian organization that wants to do something to stop the people from dying,” Grasa Guevara, a member of the grassroots initiative Bloque Latinoamericano and a participant in the convoy, told Drop Site News.
# More from Drop Site
* Livestream: Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim were joined by Foad Izadi to discuss the assassinations of top Iranian officials, the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s current war posture.
**Programming note:** [You can sign up here to get updates from us][63] on our WhatsApp channel.
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033987394744340987
[2]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/18/israel-strikes-iran-natural-gas-infrastructure
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034075713347670337
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033983210191769999
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034003314187149659
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034065246424269035
[7]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-encourages-syrian-action-against-hezbollah-damascus-is-hesitant-sources-say-2026-03-17/
[8]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-holds-talks-with-trump-led-board-iran-war-strains-gaza-plan-2026-03-16/
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034042738510028871
[10]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/18/special-interest-super-pacs-underperform-illinois-democratic-primary-stratton-biss-miller-bean-ford/
[11]: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5788105-senate-save-america-act-debate/
[12]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/technology/arizona-criminal-charges-kalshi.html
[13]: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/03/jonathan-greenblatt-adl-speech-khanna-van-hollen/
[14]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/17/pentagon-boat-strikes-south-central-america-00832855
[15]: https://www.newarab.com/news/iraqs-kataeb-hezbollah-says-security-commander-killed
[16]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311812
[17]: https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-suicide-bombings-borno-maiduguri-3eaeb7f126866ab3c8b1d927a8bc7168
[18]: https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-attack-village-35f7ee9557460e6983263b8eef82018a
[19]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/russia-kenya-agree-that-kenyans-will-no-longer-fight-russia-ukraine-minister-2026-03-16/
[20]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/somalias-south-west-state-says-it-has-severed-ties-with-federal-government-2026-03-17/
[21]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/health/zambia-hiv-aid-minerals-trump.html
[22]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-israel-uprising-basij-militia-assassinations
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033899622041518299
[24]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[25]: https://x.com/drpezeshkian/status/2034271068488130787?s=46
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033987394744340987
[27]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/18/israel-strikes-iran-natural-gas-infrastructure
[28]: https://x.com/majedalansari/status/2034254436491559043?s=46
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034075713347670337
[30]: https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf/status/2033972126948937872
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033983210191769999
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034003314187149659
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034062895781204351
[34]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/irans-new-supreme-leader-rejects-proposals-reducing-tensions-with-us-senior-2026-03-17/
[35]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-witkoff-araghchi
[36]: https://x.com/MariaStenergard/status/2034249136581575064
[37]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/17/israel-iran-cable-revolt-slaughtered/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzczNzIwMDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzc1MTAyMzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3NzM3MjAwMDAsImp0aSI6IjkzZTA0MTdiLThlNmYtNDkyYi1iZjUxLTUwMDAwM2I4ODM1NSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9uYXRpb25hbC1zZWN1cml0eS8yMDI2LzAzLzE3L2lzcmFlbC1pcmFuLWNhYmxlLXJldm9sdC1zbGF1Z2h0ZXJlZC8ifQ.dxo84wNEwvfy_-7AKfwin6X1UQwlIFcIDWYcRbpqGe8
[38]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-israel-uprising-basij-militia-assassinations
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033966464001278439
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034065246424269035
[41]: https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2034215553200423193
[42]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-encourages-syrian-action-against-hezbollah-damascus-is-hesitant-sources-say-2026-03-17/
[43]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-holds-talks-with-trump-led-board-iran-war-strains-gaza-plan-2026-03-16/
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034042738510028871
[45]: mailto:[email protected]
[46]: https://www.wbez.org/government-politics/elections/2026/03/17/sen-dick-durbin-senate-seat-2026-illinois-democratic-primary-krishnamoorthi-kelly-stratton
[47]: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5788105-senate-save-america-act-debate/
[48]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/technology/arizona-criminal-charges-kalshi.html
[49]: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/03/jonathan-greenblatt-adl-speech-khanna-van-hollen/
[50]: https://kyivindependent.com/former-us-commander-in-charge-of-security-assistance-to-ukraine-left-classified-maps-on-train-overindulged-in-alcohol-watchdog-finds/
[51]: https://capitalandmain.com/the-video-that-changed-the-narrative-of-a-fatal-beating-on-the-border
[52]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/17/pentagon-boat-strikes-south-central-america-00832855
[53]: https://www.newarab.com/news/iraqs-kataeb-hezbollah-says-security-commander-killed
[54]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311812
[55]: https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-suicide-bombings-borno-maiduguri-3eaeb7f126866ab3c8b1d927a8bc7168
[56]: https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-attack-village-35f7ee9557460e6983263b8eef82018a
[57]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2034048518470488289
[58]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-has-taken-12-settlements-ukraine-first-two-weeks-march-top-general-says-2026-03-16/
[59]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/russia-kenya-agree-that-kenyans-will-no-longer-fight-russia-ukraine-minister-2026-03-16/
[60]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/somalias-south-west-state-says-it-has-severed-ties-with-federal-government-2026-03-17/
[61]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/health/zambia-hiv-aid-minerals-trump.html
[62]: https://x.com/ProgIntl/status/2034267659311718756
[63]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
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2026-03-17 21:53:26 UTC

As Israel Calls for an Uprising in Iran, Basij Militias Vow to Crush Opposition to the State
The Israeli military announced Tuesday that it had carried out an airstrike in Tehran assassinating the commander of the paramilitary Basij force, Gholamreza Soleimani. The Basij, otherwise known as the Basij-e Mostazafin, or “Mobilization of the Oppression” are a volunteer militia operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that is critical to the Islamic Republic’s internal security and has been blamed for carrying out some of its most extreme domestic oppression.
The strike came on the same day Israel assassinated Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a leading political figure in the country. Soleimani was killed along with several other Basij commanders in a separate strike on a combat tent encampment in the city, part of a bombing campaign targeting police stations, checkpoints, roadblocks, and other sites associated with the Basij.
Israel has publicly said these bombings are aimed at provoking a revolution or coup via aerial bombardment. The Israeli military [claimed][1] it targeted ten Basij posts in Tehran on Tuesday and released a [video][2] of a strike targeting a checkpoint on a busy thoroughfare in the capital—firing a missile at what it called “Basij soldiers,” while a civilian bus and other traffic were directly passing through the area.
After the killing of Ali Khamenei and the naming of his son, Mojtaba, as the next Supreme Leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to revolt—portraying their own attacks on the country as an operation intended to clear the way for an uprising. Former Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi has also issued calls for individuals inside Iran to rise up and topple the government.
Trump has since taken a more ambiguous view of his endgame in Iran, however, and on Tuesday the Washington Post reported on a State Department cable circulated by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem claiming that Iranian protestors would “get slaughtered” if they launched an uprising. The cable stated that the Israeli assessment is that the Iranian government is willing to “fight to the end” and maintains continued capacities to rule and suppress internal dissent.
The Basij, established by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the 1979 revolution, claims millions of registered volunteers and maintains units embedded across workplaces, universities, and neighborhoods throughout the country, though its actual numbers are likely smaller. They are widely known for carrying out waves of violence targeting internal dissenters—including a brutal crackdown on nationwide protests in response to the death in police custody of a Kurdish-Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini in 2022, as well as involvement in the killing of thousands of opponents of the Iranian government during the most recent uprising in January. In these episodes, as well as previous incidents of unrest, Basij units were deployed alongside police and Revolutionary Guard forces to disperse demonstrations, conduct arrests, and maintain neighborhood surveillance.
The following dispatch, filed by a reporter in Tehran, features interviews with members of the Basij as the U.S. and Israel continue their relentless bombing. If people do rise up against the government inside Iran, the Basij have vowed to forcefully confront anyone they see as supporting the U.S. and Israel. The interviews occurred before Soleimani’s killing. The reporter asked to remain anonymous for security reasons.
—Murtaza Hussain
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On Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force posted video of a strike it said targeted Basij militias in Tehran. The strike hit in one lane of a busy street as a bus passed by.
*Story by a correspondent in Tehran*
TEHRAN, IRAN—”We have to protect our sacred Islamic Revolution,” said Amir, a 29-year member of the Basij manning a checkpoint in Tehran on Saturday who joined the organization as a student in order to help defend the government. “I don’t care what the people think of us. Our Imam, and our Leader have said that protecting the Islamic Republic is the most vital thing we have to do, so we are protecting it however we can,” he said.
Amir and his friends have been stationed at the checkpoint since last week. They are armed with assault rifles and check every vehicle that passes for suspicious items, as the state braces itself against the threat of an internal uprising.
The checkpoints remind many Tehran residents of those set up by Basij in years past, when the group was primarily responsible for enforcing—often violently—the Islamic Republic’s strict morality codes. The group’s members were notorious for accosting women caught in public without religious headscarves, as well as policing the possession of contraband, including alcohol, while intimidating members of the public with their weaponry and authority to intervene in their lives.
Today, instead of attempting to enforce the increasingly relaxed morality codes of the government, the Basij are looking for weapons and Starlink equipment, used for internet connection during widespread and frequent blackouts. During the January uprising, the U.S. helped [smuggle][4] thousands of Starlink devices to help encourage opponents of the government to organize.
Since the war began, the Islamic Republic has held large state-approved public demonstrations in cities across the country to both rally support and signal in a concrete way that it has a base who are ready to retaliate against an uprising that they believe is being encouraged from abroad. “Your presence in the streets has bewildered and enraged the enemy. This humble soldier of yours has three requests from you: the streets, the streets, the streets,” said Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament. “Your children in the armed forces have taken their lives in hand to defend Iran; strengthen their backs by holding the streets firm.”
The demonstrations have shown a degree of support among a significant sector of the Iranian public, but the government does not permit counterdemonstrations during wartime and the Basij, now mobilized throughout the capital, threaten to meet them with violence.
Amir described Tehran as a place that he loves and that shaped him as a person. But when asked how he feels that the city is under constant heavy bombardments, he told Drop Site that he “doesn’t care about Tehran right now.” He added, “Buildings can be rebuilt. Ideologies can’t. What matters to me the most is protecting the Islamic Revolution, and annihilating the evil Zionist regime off of the face of earth,” he said.
Like many members of the Basij, he also expressed a willingness to die in a coming confrontation.
“If I’m about to die, I’d rather die like my guide and leader, the great Khamenei,” he said. “There is nothing in this world I’d cherish more than martyrdom.”
## **“We are at war”**
While the Basij was originally imagined purely as a defense against external aggression, the kind of help that it has provided to the state has changed drastically in over the past two decades as it has transformed into a paramilitary group that is tasked with suppressing Iranian protesters—or “rioters,” as members put it to Drop Site—during periods of domestic unrest.
Passing through Basij checkpoints is often a terrifying experience for people in Tehran, as individual members of the militia are empowered to detain individuals on suspicion of espionage or working for a foreign intelligence agency.
Sina, a 21-year old member of the Basij force, who is also out on the streets at another checkpoint, says he is “ready to shoot at anyone who’d come out on the streets” in response to calls from Israeli or Reza Pahlavi to revolt.
“I don’t see anyone on the streets now and that is a good thing. We are at war right now. This is no time to protest against the system. That can happen later. Right now, anyone I’d see on the streets of Tehran, I’d immediately shoot. These won’t be protesters. These guys would be the agents of the enemy. They’d answer the Zionist regime and Pahlavi’s calls. They certainly strike me as the enemy. We stand ready to shoot them,” Sina told Drop Site.
Sina expressed the same willingness as Amir to be killed for the cause of defending Iran and fighting the Israeli and American attack on the country.
“I’d rather die a martyr than to be alive and witness the Islamic Republic being—God forbid” said Sina. “Now, the child-killer Netanyahu says he wants to provide a condition for an uprising in Iran. Over my dead body.”
This uncompromising message of being willing to kill and die to protect the government from an existential threat line was echoed in a March 10 interview with Tehran’s Police Chief, Ahmad Reza Radan. During the interview, Radan said ”We don’t see people who come to the streets at the request of the enemy as protesters anymore, we see them as the enemy, and we deal with them just like we deal with the enemy. Our forces stand ready to shoot, to protect the Revolution.”
Since Radan issued that call, Tehran, already reeling from Israeli and American attacks, has felt like a soulless city. The normal bustle of commerce and social life—already heavily suppressed by the war—has come to a total standstill as people avoid unnecessary outings out of fear of both bombings, and the threat of an uprising and government crackdown that could target anyone.
Iranians, still bracing from the trauma of the violence in January that killed thousands, now face the prospect of both external aggression and renewed domestic infighting that many fear could lead to civil war.
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[1]: https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2033967595586806124
[2]: https://x.com/shahpas/status/2033932162370576478
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[4]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/us-smuggled-around-6000-starlink-terminals-into-iran-after-protests-report/
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-israel-uprising-basij-militia-assassinations

2026-03-17 17:20:39 UTC

The Iran War Rages On: Israeli Assassination Strikes, Steve Witkoff's Texts, and the Mounting Storm in the Strait of Hormuz
On Tuesday, Israel announced that it assassinated Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani and the head of Irani’s internal security force and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on Iranians to begin preparing to overthrow the government in Tehran. President Donald Trump and his senior aides claim that Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capacity has largely been decimated and that Iran is begging to negotiate an end to the war. Yet Iran continues to dominate access to the Strait of Hormuz and to launch strikes against both Israel and U.S. military outposts and bases across the Persian Gulf—and Iranian leaders say they will determine when the war ends.
On Drop Site’s weekly livestream, Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim discuss the latest developments on the 18th day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, including yesterday’s reporting on how special envoy Steve Witkoff has been texting Iranian officials asking to resume talks, messages Iranian officials told Scahill they have ignored. The White House responded angrily to Scahill’s report, calling Drop Site “abhorrent,” and denouncing the publication as engaging in “America Last behavior.”
Scahill then speaks to Dr. Foad Izadi of the University of Tehran about Larijani’s reported assassination, Iran’s current position in the war and the prospects for civil unrest or armed battles inside Iran.
Finally, Grim speaks to Emran Feroz, a journalist and contributor to Drop Site, about the growing conflict on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and last night’s raid on a hospital in Kabul that killed 400 people and wounded about 250 others. Residents in the area told Drop Site News contributor Feroz that the hospital itself was struck during the attack. Pakistan has not immediately commented on the allegation.
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/the-iran-war-rages-on-israeli-assassination

2026-03-17 15:19:12 UTC

Israel says it killed top Iranian security official; Pakistan bombing kills hundreds in Kabul; Cuba hit by blackout amid Trump blockade
*Israel claims it killed top Iranian security official. U.S.-Israeli strikes [kill][1] civilians. 12,000 Tehran housing units damaged. Drone [strikes][2] target Fujairah. Strikes in Iraq [kill][3] PMF fighters. Explosions [reported][4] in Doha and Dubai. Iran [allows][5] limited shipping through Hormuz. Mass displacement in Lebanon [surges][6]. Three Lebanese soldiers killed in Israeli strikes. Israeli strikes [hit][7] multiple sites across Lebanon. UN peacekeepers [report][8] Israeli troop buildup inside southern Lebanon. Israeli forces [continue][9] their slaughter in Gaza. Israeli forces [shoot][10] two Palestinian teenagers near Ramallah. Settlers [assault][11] Palestinian residents during raid in the Jordan Valley. Trump official resigns citing Israeli influence over government. Momentum picks up for a vote on Gottheimer’s War Powers Resolution. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO cashes out while laying off workers amid merger. Progressives and special interests showdown in Illinois.
Former presidents [deny][12] President Donald Trump’s claim about bombing Iran. Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia [released][13] from ICE detention. Afghanistan says Pakistani raid on Kabul hospital [killed][14] hundreds. U.S. reportedly [demands][15] Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel step down. Cuba [suffers][16] island-wide blackout amid deepening fuel shortages. Ecuador launches U.S.-backed military operation. Colombia claims Ecuador bombed border region.*
**NEW from Drop Site: Iran is [ignoring][17] U.S. requests to talk. Israel [kills][18] over a dozen Lebanese paramedics in three days. War returns to [Iraq][19] as political uncertainty deepens. Colorado’s Melat Kiros is the latest [guest][20] on Drop Site’s “Eyeing Office.”**
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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A view of destruction following reported Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 17, 2026. Afghan officials said the strikes allegedly hit a drug rehabilitation center in the capital, causing civilian casualties. Photo by Haroon Sabawoon/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Israel claims it killed top Iranian security official: **Israel said Tuesday it has killed Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the paramilitary Basij force, in separate airstrikes. “Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell,” Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement. At the time of publication, Iran has not confirmed or denied either death. If confirmed, Larijani would be the highest-level Iranian official killed in the war since the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several members of his family in an Israeli attack, on the first day of the war. A former parliamentary speaker and senior policy adviser, Larijani was appointed to advise the late Khamenei in nuclear talks with the Trump administration.
Larijani was last seen publicly on Friday, attending a rally in support of Palestinians in Tehran. Larijani’s office published a handwritten letter in Farsi that it said he wrote commemorating the Iranian sailors killed when their ship was targeted by a U.S. submarine off the Sri Lankan coast. Israel said it killed Gholam Reza Soleimani, the head of the paramilitary Basij force in a combat tent alongside other Basij commanders.
* **U.S.-Israeli strikes kill civilians:**
* A U.S.-Israeli missile [strike][22] hit a home in Amrabad near Arak in central Iran, killing a family of four as they slept, local reports said. The victims included a three-day-old baby, his two-year-old sister, their mother, and grandmother.
* Multiple reports said a new wave of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes [struck][23] Tehran on Tuesday morning, with videos and social media posts showing impacts in several parts of the capital, including Piroozi Street in eastern Tehran and the Niavaran area in the north, according to the BBC. Earlier Monday, Israel struck a government-linked economic office in the city, with nearby civilian shops—including a bakery, supermarket, banks, and other storefronts—also damaged in the blast.
* **12,000 Tehran housing units damaged:** At least 12,000 housing units in Tehran have sustained partial or total damage as a result of the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran, the governor of Tehran Mohammad Sadegh Motamadian said, according to the Mehr news agency. At least 56 museums, historical monuments, and cultural sites in Iran have also been damaged, according to the country’s Heritage Ministry.
* **A heavy price for civilians in Iran:** In a [statement][24], the International Committee of the Red Cross’s head of delegation in Iran, Vincent Cassard, said civilians are paying a “heavy price” in Iran. “I am seeing the heavy strain that the recent escalation of hostilities has placed on people in Iran, who fear for their lives, the safety of their loved ones and their livelihoods. The heavy loss of life is alarming. Civilian infrastructure has been affected, and many homes have been severely damaged by the hostilities. Daily life in Tehran has been profoundly disrupted: children are not attending school, and many businesses have temporarily closed as a precaution due to the ongoing strikes,” Cassard said.
* **Drone strikes target Fujairah: **Fires were still [burning][25] Monday in the oil industrial zone at the UAE’s Fujairah port after a drone strike hit the facility early in the day, according to Reuters and CNBC. The attack forced ADNOC to suspend crude loading temporarily. A commercial tanker [anchored][26] about 23 nautical miles off Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman was also struck by an unknown projectile on Monday, causing minor structural damage but no injuries, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations. The incidents follow another drone-related fire Saturday that briefly halted the port’s operations.
* **Strikes in Iraq kill PMF fighters: **Suspected U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iraq [killed][27] at least eight fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces in the country’s Anbar province, according to Associated Press reporting, though no group has formally claimed responsibility. The deadliest attack struck a PMF checkpoint, killing six fighters, while another strike hit a brigade headquarters in the same region. The Iran-aligned Kataib Hezbollah militia also said one of its senior security officials was killed. Separate drone attacks targeted Baghdad’s Rasheed Hotel in the Green Zone and Iraq’s Majnoon oil field in Basra province, damaging infrastructure but with no reported casualties. In response to the U.S.-Israeli escalation, Iran has continued its retaliatory attacks in the country, with two Shahed-136 drones reportedly striking inside the U.S. embassy complex, according to Reuters. No casualties or injuries were reported from these attacks.
* **Explosions reported in Doha and Dubai: **A Pakistani national was killed by debris from strikes in Abu Dhabi.** **Explosions were [reported][28] in Doha and Dubai, and regional air defenses were activated under the threat of continued Iranian strikes, with Qatar saying it intercepted at least one incoming missile, according to the Associated Press.
* **Iran allows limited shipping through Hormuz: **Iran has [allowed][29] at least four vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, routing them through the Larak-Qeshm channel inside Iranian territorial waters rather than the usual international shipping lanes, according to MarineTraffic. The ships included three bulk carriers and a Pakistani Aframax tanker carrying Abu Dhabi crude—the first non-Iranian cargo to pass the chokepoint while broadcasting its AIS signal.
* **Trump claims Tehran rally was AI-generated despite verified footage: **President Donald Trump [claimed][30] a large rally in Tehran supporting Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “totally AI-generated,” despite photos and video verified by multiple international outlets, including The New York Times, showing tens of thousands gathered in Revolution Square. Trump also suggested potential treason charges and FCC license reviews over media coverage of the event and accused Iran of using artificial intelligence as a “disinformation weapon.”
* **Iranian parliament speaker says security in Strait of Hormuz has forever changed: **Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, [said][31] the security landscape in the Strait of Hormuz “will never be the same.” He accused the United States of submitting to Israeli influence and said President Donald Trump is “lying several times a day out of desperation,” claiming Iran has targeted all U.S. bases in the region. Ghalibaf added that the “face and order of the Middle East are changing,” arguing that the region’s countries will shape their own security and economics, and will no longer answer to the United States.
* **Iran is ignoring U.S. requests to talk: **Iranian officials told Drop Site that the Trump administration has privately sought talks through envoy Steve Witkoff while publicly claiming Tehran is seeking negotiations. Tehran says it will only consider a ceasefire once it secures guarantees against future attacks on itself and its allies in Iraq and Lebanon. “The message…is clear: Iran has once again closed the window for any direct negotiations,” a senior Iranian official told Drop Site. And it is doing so because the U.S. “appears to be seeking a temporary ceasefire in order… to employ a combination of diplomacy and pressure to advance its broader objectives within Iran’s political system.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later [rejected][32] a White House claim, reported by Axios, that he had sent messages to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff seeking talks to end the war. Araghchi said his last contact with Witkoff occurred before Washington “decided to kill diplomacy with another
illegal military attack on Iran,” and suggested the claims were intended to “mislead oil traders and the public.” **Read the full report from Jeremy Scahill [here][33].**
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 886, including 111 children, since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Mass displacement in Lebanon surges: **Lebanon’s government [said][34] Israeli strikes and ground incursions since March 2 have displaced more than 1 million people—about one-fifth of the country’s population.
* **Three Lebanese soldiers killed in Israeli strikes:** Three Lebanese army soldiers were killed and four others wounded in Israeli strikes on Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on Tuesday as they were moving by car and motorcycle, the Lebanese army said.
* **Israeli strikes hit multiple sites across Lebanon:**
* **Five killed on Tuesday:** Two people were killed on Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes on al-Jumayjimah in southern Lebanon, according to the state National News Agency. Three people were also killed in Israeli airstrikes on the nearby town of Bint Jbeil.
* **Airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs: **Two large Israeli airstrikes [hit][35] Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday night, minutes apart, after a forced displacement order for the area was renewed. Another strike targeted a residential building in Aramoun.
* **Israel kills three more first responders in southern Lebanon strike: **Israel [killed][36] three first responders on Monday morning after striking an ambulance in Kfar Sir in the Nabatieh district that had been responding to an earlier attack, according to L’Orient Today. The ambulance was operated by the Islamic Health Committee and was hit around 9:31 a.m. Beirut time. The deaths bring the number of healthcare workers killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon to 35 since March 2.
* **Close-quarters fighting intensifies along the Israel-Lebanon border: **Close-quarters fighting [continues][37] between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, with local media reporting intense clashes in the hilltop town of Khiam as Israeli troops attempt to seize control. Israeli forces that pushed into Kfar Shuba reportedly raided homes on the town’s outskirts and abducted a resident before withdrawing to nearby highlands. Hezbollah said it struck five Israeli tanks in the past 24 hours, including a direct hit in Taybeh, and fired rockets at Israeli positions near the stadium and detention center in Khiam.
* **UN peacekeepers report Israeli troop buildup inside southern Lebanon:** The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) [says][38] it has observed an “evident” buildup of Israeli troops at six locations inside southern Lebanon near the Blue Line, according to the Associated Press. Peacekeepers reported clashes around Odaisseh and Khiam, with Israeli ground incursions reaching roughly three miles into Lebanese territory in some cases. UNIFIL said its ability to monitor the situation has been limited by ongoing fighting, which has restricted peacekeepers’ movements. That buildup is corroborated by other reports on Monday that Israel is considering mobilizing up to 450,000 reservists for its ground invasion, according to Middle East Monitor, a major increase from the 260,000 previously authorized, as reported by the BBC.
* **European leaders warn against Israeli offensive in Lebanon:** Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain said in a joint statement on Monday that a “significant” Israeli offensive in Lebanon must be averted. “A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict,” the countries said. “We are gravely concerned ⁠by the escalating violence in Lebanon and call for meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives to negotiate a sustainable political ⁠solution.”
* **Israeli strikes kill Lebanese paramedic who vowed to continue rescue work: **Lebanese paramedic Haj Qassem Sultan, who had publicly vowed to continue serving despite Israeli attacks on emergency workers, was killed Friday when an Israeli strike destroyed an Islamic Health Authority medical center in Burj Qalaouiyah in southern Lebanon, killing 12 people, including doctors, paramedics, and patients. “Our message is clear,” Sultan said in his final remarks. “Even if we are killed one by one, we will not abandon our duty. We will continue to serve Khiam and Marjayoun and Al-Taybeh and Debbine and all of our sacred land.”** Read more about Israel’s targeting of Lebanese medical personnel in the latest dispatch from Drop Site contributor Lylla Younes, [here][39].**
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, two Palestinians were killed and 20 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,249 killed, with 171,898 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 673 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,799, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli forces continue their slaughter in Gaza: **Two Palestinians were killed Tuesday and 12 wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Muwasi Khan Younis, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.** **On Monday, Israeli forces [killed][40] at least two Palestinians in Gaza. Bahaa al-Qarra was shot by Israeli snipers near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, and a child, Mohammad Warsh Agha, was shot in the abdomen in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. A later Israeli strike killed Younis Eliyan and wounded four others, while a woman, Amna Subh, was critically wounded by sniper fire in Beit Lahia.
* **Israeli forces shoot two Palestinian teenagers near Ramallah: **Israeli forces [shot][41] two 16-year-old Palestinians, Fathi Sahouri and Salim Faqha, near the entrance to Turmus Ayya northeast of Ramallah on March 16 in the occupied West Bank. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israeli forces prevented its medical crews from reaching the wounded near the Sinjil junction, an area the army declared a closed military zone. Israeli troops later raided the nearby town of Sinjil, searching homes and commercial shops.
* **Settlers assault Palestinian residents during raid in the Jordan Valley: **Israeli settlers [carried out][42] a violent overnight raid on Khirbet Humsa in the northern Jordan Valley, where witnesses told Haaretz that dozens of masked attackers stormed the community, bound residents, and reportedly sexually assaulted a Palestinian man while forcing families to watch. Residents and international activists said settlers beat men, women, and girls, threatened to rape women and kill children, and assaulted detainees who had been zip-tied and blindfolded. Six people were evacuated for medical treatment, and residents said Israeli soldiers later detained the victims while the illegal settlers fled the area.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][43].*
* **Trump official resigns citing Israeli influence over government:** Joe Kent resigned Tuesday as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, saying, “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” While a number of leaders in the Trump administration have acknowledged Israel’s role in compelling the United States to join them in their war against Iran, Kent is the first to directly cite the influence of the Israel lobby and seemingly imply corrupt motives behind the conflict.
* **Momentum picks up for a vote on Gottheimer’s War Powers Resolution: **Pro-Israel congressman **Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.)** announced in a press release that he plans to force a vote on his War Powers Resolution, initially introduced as a watered-down countermeasure to the resolution brought forth by **Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)** and **Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)**. The vote could come as early as Thursday next week. This motion, if passed, would end the Trump administration’s illegal war of aggression against Iran by March 30, thirty days after it was originally introduced, a constraining timeline outlined specifically in the text of the legislation.
* **CEO cashes out while laying off workers amid merger: **Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is set to walk away with an $887 million compensation package after the Trump administration facilitated a monopolistic merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. As the agreement is being finalized, thousands of workers are simultaneously set to lose their jobs.
* **Progressives and special interests showdown in Illinois**: A wave of Democratic primaries defined by excessive special interest spending will come to an end Tuesday night as polls close at 8 p.m. ET. National progressive figures like **Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)**, **Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)**, and **Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)** have passed out a handful of endorsements to populist candidates like Junaid Ahmed and Juliana Stratton across the state to counter the influence of groups like AIPAC, the pro-crypto lobby, and pro-AI super PACs, who have concentrated their efforts on electing more conservative Democrats.
* **Kat Abughazaleh’s changes website language on National Endowment for Democracy: **Kat Abughazaleh, who is seeking to replace** Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) **in today’s Illinois primaries, has [rewritten][44] the “issues” page of her campaign website, removing language that called for the State Department to work with the National Endowment for Democracy and other foreign capacity-building entities in the rebuilding of Gaza. Her website was updated to say that the earlier language “did not accurately reflect Kat’s views or the values of the campaign.” Abughazaleh’s foreign policy views have been a matter of concern before; her former foreign policy advisor [described][45] her to Drop Site as “firmly an interventionist,” though that criticism revolved primarily around her views on Russia and Taiwan. Abughazaleh picked up another important endorsement today, with **Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)** [joining][46] **Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)** in endorsing her ahead of today’s elections.
* **Former presidents deny Trump’s claim about bombing Iran**: President Donald Trump [said][47] Monday that a former U.S. president told him he wished he had been the one to bomb Iran. Aides for George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama said no such conversations had occurred, and a source said the remark did not refer to Joe Biden. Trump repeated the claim twice during the day but declined to identify the person to whom he was referring.
* **Federal judge blocks Kennedy’s vaccine policy changes: **A federal judge in Massachusetts [halted][48] a series of vaccine policy changes implemented by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ruling that the government bypassed established scientific procedures in altering immunization recommendations. The decision temporarily reverses actions taken by Kennedy’s newly appointed Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices and blocks the panel from meeting this week. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit by medical organizations that argued the changes, which included reducing the number of diseases covered by routine childhood vaccinations and restricting access to Covid shots, were arbitrary and endangered public health.
* **Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia released from ICE detention: **Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, who had been [held][49] by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly a year following the Columbia University Gaza protest crackdown, was released Monday on a $100,000 bond, according to The New York Times. An immigration judge granted the bond on March 13, marking the third court order for her release after the government previously blocked earlier rulings. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani noted that he personally asked President Trump last month to release Kordia, saying that he was “grateful that Leqaa has been released…after more than a year in detention for speaking up for Palestinian rights.” Drop Site contributor Areeba Fatima [points out][50] that a number of activists and organizations, including Aida Alami and the Sunrise Movement, have been tireless in pursuit of this result. Kordia, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem arrested by ICE on March 13, 2025 after attending Gaza
solidarity protests at Columbia, had her protest-related charges later dropped. **More about her case can be read here, in an [article][51] from the New Yorker.**
* **Private prison firms and lobbyists profit from expanding ICE detention:** More than 70,000 migrants are currently held in U.S. immigration detention facilities, most without criminal convictions, as private prison companies GEO Group and CoreCivic derive significant revenue from federal contracts tied to immigration enforcement. The companies and their lobbyists have spent millions of dollars influencing federal policy and funding for detention facilities, including large lobbying campaigns on K Street and substantial political donations. Migrant Insider has provided a profile of a few of these lobbyists and their firms. **That full report is available [here][52].**
# Other International News
* **Afghanistan says Pakistani raid on Kabul hospital killed hundreds: **Afghanistan’s Ministry of Health [said][53] a Pakistani raid on a hospital in Kabul killed 400 people and wounded about 250 others. Residents in the area told Drop Site News contributor Emran Feroz that the hospital itself was struck during the attack. Pakistan has not immediately commented on the allegation.
* **U.S. reportedly demands Díaz-Canel step down in Cuba talks: **The Trump administration has [told][54] Cuban negotiators that President Miguel Díaz-Canel must step down for meaningful progress in U.S.-Cuba negotiations, according to The New York Times. U.S. officials are reportedly seeking his removal as a symbolic political concession while pressing Havana to open parts of its economy to American businesses and release political prisoners. Díaz-Canel, president since 2018, is widely seen as having limited authority within Cuba’s power structure, where the military-linked conglomerate GAESA and senior Communist Party figures hold significant influence. Also on Tuesday, Trump [called][55] Cuba “a beautiful island” and said he would have “the honor” of taking it. “Whether I free it, take it. I think I can do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth.”
* **Cuba suffers island-wide blackout amid deepening fuel shortages: **Cuba [reported][56] an island-wide blackout Monday after a “complete disconnection” of the national electrical system, affecting roughly 11 million residents, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines. Officials say the crisis is driven by severe fuel shortages linked to U.S. pressure on countries supplying oil to the island, leaving the grid reliant on solar power, natural gas, and aging thermoelectric plants. The outage—the sixth nationwide blackout in 18 months—has forced hospitals to postpone tens of thousands of surgeries as authorities begin restoration efforts that could take days. Cuban authorities said Tuesday that the system was gradually being restored, with service restored to most of the island.
* **Police investigate chant at London Al Quds Day rally: **London’s Metropolitan Police [said][57] it has opened a new investigation after rapper Bobby Vylan led chants of “death to the IDF” during an Al Quds Day rally in central London on Sunday. Vylan previously led the same chant during a performance at the Glastonbury Festival last year. A prior police investigation into the Glastonbury chant ended without charges after prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to pursue a case.
* **Probe examines alleged payments to Javier Milei over $Libra cryptocurrency promotion: **Argentina’s judiciary has uncovered evidence [suggesting][58] President Javier Milei may have been paid to promote the cryptocurrency $Libra, which is now under fraud investigation. El País reports investigators recovered deleted notes from businessman Mauricio Novelli’s phone describing a $5 million agreement tied to Milei publicly endorsing the token, with amounts matching millions later moved through crypto wallets. Prosecutors in Argentina and the United States are investigating the February 2025 collapse—after Milei promoted the token on X and its price spiked then crashed—as a possible insider-driven scam that left thousands of investors with losses.
* **War returns to Iraq as political uncertainty deepens: **Rallies in Baghdad marking Al Quds Day and honoring Iran’s new Supreme Leader reflected growing mobilization among Iran-aligned paramilitaries as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran spills into Iraq, where recent strikes have killed members of the Popular Mobilization Forces and triggered attacks on U.S. positions. The violence has intensified political fractures within Iraq’s Shia establishment, with armed factions threatening retaliation while the government struggles to maintain authority, and with the potential ascension of Nouri al-Maliki, the country’s disgraced Shia prime minister, looking more likely. **Read Nabih Salih’s full dispatch from Iraq for Drop Site [here][59].**
* **Ecuador launches U.S.-backed military operation: **President Daniel Noboa deployed 75,000 soldiers, rounding up children, and reportedly torturing a 20 year old man to death. In the days leading up to the operation, soldiers dismantled hundreds of public street cameras and imposed curfews that even barred journalists, normally exempt from such restrictions, from being in public after 11 p.m. A family from the city of Milagro came forward, alleging that the military had tortured their relative, Bryan Argenis Ledesma Franco, a man in his 20s, to death, placed his body in a pick-up truck, and left him at a hospital where he was [pronounced dead][60]. Noboa has issued 11 State of Exception decrees in the past year, effectively imposing a de facto martial law that grants both Ecuadorian soldiers and U.S. military personnel broad authority with minimal oversight.
* **Colombian President claims Ecuador bombed border region:** Colombian President Petro claimed that a bomb had hit the border region, with the attack not coming from irregular armed groups but rather from a plane, suggesting the Ecuadorean military was to blame.
# More from Drop Site
* Melat Kiros, running to represent Colorado’s first congressional district, joined Julian Andreone to discuss her campaign against incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) Watch episode 3 of our new series “EYEING OFFICE,” interviewing 2026 congressional candidates, below.
* In the days following the launch of the US and Israel’s war on Iran, the circumstances of a strike that killed at least 175 civilians at a girls’ school in Minab have been heavily debated — specifically, the question of which country’s military was behind the strike. As of Wednesday, the preliminary findings of an ongoing military investigation confirmed the US to be at fault. Drop Site’s Washington correspondent, Julian Andreone, asked members of Congress what they knew about the strikes and potential investigations into the subjects. Here’s what they said:
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[12]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/said-spoke-a-former-president-bombing-iran-four-denials-suggest-not-rcna263819
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[48]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/health/childhood-vaccines-lawsuit-kennedy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TlA.4pN0.7WpZ5AtZw5ut&smid=url-share
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2026-03-17 10:06:09 UTC

As the Gulf Burns, Political Uncertainty Looms Over Iraq
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Hundreds of people gather at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 13, 2026, to participate in the 'International Quds Day' event in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images
*Story by Nabil Salih*
BAGHDAD, IRAQ—Through two improvised checkpoints, men filed into Al-Ummah Park in central Baghdad’s Al-Tahrir Square on Friday to mark the celebration of Al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day). Behind the artist Jewad Selim’s Monument to Freedom, a relic from a secular society that seemed so out-of-place and obsolete, a few hundred mourners gathered underneath a sea of paramilitary flags. A succession of defiant chants came in unison, condemning the U.S. and pledging loyalty to the Supreme Leader in Tehran. Projected on a giant screen before them were the smiling faces of Ruhollah Khomeini and his successor, the recently murdered Ali Khamenei. The image soon gave way to another, with Ali’s son, the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, flanked by his elders and crowned with the words “fa‘azazna bi thalithin,” a cursive allusion to a Quranic verse from Surat Yasin: “We sent them two messengers, but they rejected both. So We reinforced the two with a third.”
None of this was likely to impress U.S. President Donald Trump. As his air force rampages through history and geography, he placed a bounty on Mojtaba’s head and issued diktats on who may or may not be in charge in Baghdad. That night, “Death to America” rang against the derelict towers of Al-Tahrir. A child held an Iranian flag in one hand and an anti-Israel poster in the other. His fragile voice struggled to match the cacophonous chorus from the surrounding men: “Yes! Yes! Khamenei!” The Iraqi tricolor was a rare sight.
Looming over the commotion was the immeasurable calamity of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, a regional conflagration into which Iraq, and the crisis of its government formation, have already been pulled. Only a few years ago, in 2019, hundreds of thousands of protesters marched into Al-Tahrir against the U.S.-made regime and its neoliberal policies. Hundreds were mowed down with impunity. In Al-Tahrir, their faded slogans and graffitied art remain, profane traces from a defeated generation. Now, 23 years after George W. Bush and his neoconservative mob bombed Iraq into a fractured death world, U.S.-Israeli strikes have returned, committing massacres against the destitute youth who fought the terror the War on Terror had engendered in the image of the Islamic State. By March 12, 27 members of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, the constellation of paramilitary units also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, were killed and 50 others were wounded.
A few days later, on March 16, news of another massacre came from the border town of Al-Qa’im, in western Iraq. Sabah al-Nu’man, a spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi military, [said in a statement][3] that eight paramilitary members were killed in “a treacherous aggression” that left seven others wounded. By the time news arrived in Baghdad, plumes of smoke towered over Al-Rasheed Hotel, a 1980s landmark inside the Green Zone where foreign reporters and diplomatic missions have long stayed. No casualties were reported.
Iraqis are not oblivious to Iran’s role in their politics, nor have they forgotten the corpses dumped by sectarian Sunni and Shia death squads in their streets during the occupation. But like the Shia, the paramilitaries are not a monolith. Not all factions are involved in the current mayhem, and their role in fighting the Islamic caliphate cannot be dismissed. The modest meals around which the fallen volunteers gathered are far removed from the extravagant villas of the Shia elite. Their images, already adorning city streets before the war broke out, have become a symbol of the country’s unspeakable inequality. After George W. Bush’s “regime change,” Iraqi bodies became superfluous. They filled morgues, perished along perilous migration routes to Europe, or joined the sprawling state apparatus and its paramilitary groups. Some still dare to die fighting in Vladimir Putin’s army for a living. The U.S. bombing is condemned by many, as are the paramilitaries’ attacks on oilfields and the
misfiring rockets landing on people’s homes. The resurgent violence evokes familiar images, when decades of war erected the misshapen future they inhabit today.
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On Friday night, security forces marked every corner and side street, their amphibious combat vehicles and SUVs blocking civilian traffic. Dozens of women sported black abayas and trekked from the downtown’s squalid sidewalks into the park. The buses shuttling them in were parked in lifeless streets nearby. Along Al-Saadoun Street, where Baghdadis once flocked into now-dead cinemas for the likes of Costa-Gavras and Jean-Pierre Melville, some two dozen school kids marched towards Al-Tahrir, a poorly choreographed spectacle missing its audience. Leading them was a flagbearer waving the Iranian flag. In their hands were images of the schoolchildren made forever asleep by the cowardly strike in Minab. The atrocity reminded Iraqis of both the 1991 Al-Amiriyah shelter massacre and the 1987 bombing of Bilat al-Shuhada’ elementary, where an Iranian rocket killed dozens and wounded hundreds of students in Baghdad during the Iraq-Iran war. I stood watching as a paramilitary parade coursed its
way through the unlit avenue when someone dangled his penis and relieved himself on the curb. He busied himself with a phone call as the urine splattered between his legs. The procession passed; the pool of piss remained.
Later that night, three members of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi were assassinated in Arasat al-Hindiyah, a former bourgeois neighborhood where Saddam Hussein’s cronies caroused before the new Shia elite moved in. Among the murdered was a prominent figure in Kata’ib Hezbollah known by his nom de guerre Abu Ali al-Ameri. At dawn, the U.S. embassy was attacked for a second time since the start of the war. It later urged U.S. citizens to leave the country at once. The “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” put a $100,000 reward for tips leading to the capture or elimination of U.S. officials—and claimed responsibility for the downing of KC-135 refueling aircraft and the death of its six crew members. U.S. Central Command denied the claim, saying “the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
Coffins of Kataib Hezbollah members killed in a US-Israeli airstrike in Iraq are carried during a funeral ceremony at the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, on March 14, 2026. Photo by Karar Essa/Anadolu via Getty Images.
After Al-Ameri’s murder Kata’ib Hezbollah announced the death of Abu Ali al-Askari, another senior figure. A chasm widened within the Shia establishment. Qais al-Khazali, leader of the powerful Shia paramilitary group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said “let the criminals know their punishment would be severe.” Kata’ib al-Imam Ali, whose units were the target of repeated strikes, said “our partners at home” had tipped off the Americans, and “both the murderers and the agents shall pay a heavy price.” Kata’ib Sayid al-Shuhada, whose positions were attacked by Apache helicopters on March 7, issued repeated statements urging the state to protect its torn sovereignty. As the incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani reiterated a tired message that Iraq will not be “a launchpad” against its neighbors, a Telegram channel affiliated with Kata’ib Hezbollah issued another statement threatening to attack Syria in the event of “any hostile move” from Damascus against Hezbollah, the staunch ally repelling
another attack on Lebanon. Al-Sudani dismissed a number of intelligence officials and pledged to hold those jeopardizing Iraq’s stability to account, but few believed he’d act on his words. One paramilitary member threatened to “cut the ears and shave the moustache” of anyone who stands in the way. By Sunday, images from a local TV station showed another drone winding its way to U.S. positions in Baghdad. By nightfall, a succession of explosions rattled western Baghdad, targeting Victory Base and the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, a U.S. logistic and diplomatic hub near the city’s airport. Security forces said five were wounded, including an engineer. Saraya Awliya’ al-Damm offered another version, claiming to have killed six U.S. troops and wounded four others.
I spoke with Safaa Khalaf, the analyst and investigative journalist, in a self-imposed exile in Norway. He said, “the current escalation exposes the fragmentation of Iraq’s political order, proving the failure of the political system in transitioning towards an accountable state in control of its political and security decisions more than twenty years after the U.S. invasion.” By Friday, the government resembled a harmless spectator. A French soldier was also killed in another drone attack in Kurdistan, where the Islamic Resistance has been launching barrages against U.S. and NATO forces. Italy was forced to pull its troops out of Camp Singara in Erbil.
## The Next Head of State
Suspended over the broiling turmoil is the question of the next Iraqi head of state. The Coordination Framework, the ruling coalition of Shia parliamentary blocs, is torn between placating Washington and preserving their domination over the state apparatus or succumbing to pressure from the Western hegemon and finding its alternative in Al-Sudani, whose Reconstruction and Development bloc won the parliamentary elections in the fall. In [a column][5] for the Arabic-language newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Iraq’s top judge Faiq Zidan opined on a decades-old question. He said, belatedly, that according to the Iraqi constitution, the “largest parliamentary bloc” is the one that wins the election, not the one later formed, after backroom deals are sealed.
It remains unclear what impact his words will have on government formation, and the backroom intrigue continues. Nouri al-Maliki, the discredited former premier, is grooming himself for another stint in power, and behind him lurk a host of political figures and an embattled Iranian regime keen on preserving their material interests in Iraq. A leader of the Da‘wa Party, he is a pillar of Shia politics. Despite his contempt for the lower caste followers of the Sadrist movement, his anti-Sunni rhetoric, and the blame he assigned the Kurds for the rise of the caliphate, he is the image of the strongman needed by an increasingly obsolete generation of exiled Shia politicians to overcome their anxiety in a shape-shifting region.
But Al-Maliki was singled out by Trump. “I’m hearing that the Great Country of Iraq might make a very bad choice by reinstalling Nouri al-Maliki as Prime Minister,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Last time Al-Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos.”
He was right. “Iraqis’ [collective] memory is burdened with distressing memories,” Sajjad Salim, a former parliamentarian who rose to prominence after the anti-establishment uprising of 2019, told me over the phone. In Al-Maliki’s first year in power alone 30,000 civilians perished in violence, according to Iraq Body Count.
A protester holds a portrait of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki during a protest against President Donald Trump near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, on January 29, 2026. Photo by Ameer Al-Mohammedawi/picture alliance via Getty Images.
The Coordination Framework’s intent to sponsor Al-Maliki’s political rehabilitation has shocked Iraqis. Nida Alahmad, a University of Edinburgh professor whose [forthcoming][6] book concerns the Iraqi state and its undoing, told me that “Al-Maliki is a figure that is closely associated with the forces that are understood to have fragmented the state and are benefiting from this fragmentation.” His image was irredeemably stained by lethal crackdowns on civil dissent and the failure to protect Iraq’s territory before the advance of the Islamic State, a time when an army of nonexistent “ghost soldiers” drained the state’s revenues but evaporated in time of need.
The consequences of Al-Maliki’s rule are enduring. Kali Rubaii, an anthropologist at Purdue University, told me in an email exchange that “the post-2003 regime joined the U.S. in its deployment of War on Terror rhetoric to justify shutting down popular demands and deploying coercive force as a modus operandi that ultimately dismantled safety, security, and wellbeing among the general population.”
By nominating Al-Maliki, the Coordination Framework reminded Iraqis of the disposability of their lives. But his successors didn’t fare much better, allowing the murder, displacement, and assassination of thousands, most recently the anti-imperialist women right’s defender Yanar Mohammed, the co-founder of Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq who was killed by two gunmen outside her Baghdad home this month.
“Regardless of the changing faces in power for the past quarter century,” Rubaii told me, “Iraqi people have been shouldering the immense imperial burden of the War on Terror, including the insulting rhetoric of salvation by subjugation.”
Before the unprovoked U.S.-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic, the U.S. envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack met with Al-Maliki in Baghdad to convey Trump’s diktats that it “should not be allowed to happen again.” Al-Maliki was adamant that he would not withdraw his nomination. He later made overtures to Washington, pronouncing on X his intention to reform the system and, of course, opening Iraq’s market to U.S. and European businesses.
But Al-Maliki has long been seen as a strong ally of Tehran. Salim, the former MP, told me that Iran still “has the long hand” in Baghdad’s politics. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the onslaught on Hezbollah’s leaders and Lebanese territories during the ongoing genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza, Iraq resembles Iran’s “last bastion of [defending its] national security.” Now a regional war is shuffling positions and forcing reconsiderations.
As Tehran and the region’s capitals erupt in flames, Shia elites and armed factions seemed to be initially at odds. Against the fiery statements of factional leaders, Al-Maliki retracted his condolences on X for Ali Khamenei. He called for restraint, insisting the next government should submit to no ‘axis’ and maintain its independence. Paramilitary leaders have opened fire on Shia politicians.
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Earlier in March, I stood under an overpass where paramilitaries and their supporters protested, wanting to storm the Green Zone over the Tigris. Bitter chants rang through the night. Al-Sudani, who had been trying to curb their activities, was heckled as “a coward” and “an agent.” On March 12, Sadiqoun, the political front of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said that “sovereignty” needs to translate into concrete actions rather than remain a vacuous term in official jargon. The previous weekend, parliamentarians were filmed chanting and making their allegiance to Khamenei heard, condemning the U.S. and Israel and hailing praises over the resistance. Abu Alaa’ al-Wala’i, the secretary-general of Kata’ib Sayid al-Shuhada’, describes the crisis as “an existential war against the Shia.” It requires rising to the challenge, he said, when many are hesitant to take a position on the side of the Islamic Republic and its allies. Akram al-Ka‘abi, the leader of Harakt al-Nujaba’, issued one scathing invective
after another. Perhaps irked by Al-Sudani’s timidity and Al-Maliki’s overtures to Trump, he lashed out against those yet to condemn the U.S. actions and still “pandering to the Americans.” The cause is not negotiable, he declared, inviting fellow Arabs to form their own armed factions, to which he’d be open to bring his expertise, a statement that would only raise the concern of Iraq’s neighbors in the Arabian Peninsula.
By Friday, after a week of silence, Al-Maliki was abandoning his cautiousness for a [caustic condemnation][8] of “the American-backed Zionist forces.” The paramilitaries’ pressure had paid off, and Al-Sudani now seems to be on the back foot.
It was in the early years of occupation, Alahmad told me, that “militia-backed political groups with strong ethno-sectarian agendas moved into the space of state authority and have since then firmly consolidated their demarcated domains of authority over Iraq’s economy and politics.” Some had fought alongside Iran in the 1980s, others joined U.S. mercenary James Steele in his torture chambers. Al-Maliki had fought some of them in his early years in power, most notably Muqtada al-Sadr’s Jayish al-Mahdi. Al-Sadr, having won the 2021 elections, has withdrawn from politics and decided to be on the sidelines in the current upheaval. The popular cleric’s Shia foes have since closed their ranks and formed their own government, represented by the Coordination Framework’s current front man, Al-Sudani. Now both the paramilitary groups and the genocide enabler at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have their own visions of what the next government should be.
While it is tempting to overstate the intra-Shia rift, both the leading Shia figures in the porous apparatus that lends the paramilitaries their legitimacy and the very paramilitaries that undermine the state share an interest in the regime’s longevity. As Khalaf puts it, hinting at the repeated suppression of peaceful uprisings, “the Shia political actors that run the state and control its political and security affairs have long found a protector in these groups.” After the toppling of Al-Assad’s regime in Syria and the takeover by Ahmed al-Sharaa, what the U.S. wants is another vassal, one “beholden to a new imperial hegemony [and] sponsored by Washington.” It is a shoe that many Shia, including Al-Maliki, have comfortably filled before, their affiliation with Tehran notwithstanding.
Al-Sudani has so far been busy with masquerading this ruin. His infrastructure projects allowed real-estate investments and corruption to bloom, turning an ancient capital into a gentrified caricature no different than Doha and other “old towns” in the Gulf. In Sharm el-Sheikh, Al-Sudani posed with Trump before the cameras. Trump mumbled something about “plenty of oil.” The two gave cameramen the thumbs-up. Al-Sudani’s urban spectacle channels the illusion of progress, espousing the state’s interests with that of a budding class of nouveaux riches and elite investors. But the proscenium might be coming down before the play is over.
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*Nabil Salih is a writer and photographer from Baghdad. His writing has also appeared in the London Review of Books and the New York Review of Books, among other publications. He is an incoming PhD candidate at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Follow him @NabilAlMafrachi on X and @nabilsalih.bsky.social.*
[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
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[3]: https://x.com/IraqiPMO/status/2033621361537466781
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[5]: https://aawsat.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A3%D9%8A/5246785-%D8%AE%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%A6%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%A6-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B1
[6]: https://www.cambridge.org/iq/universitypress/subjects/politics-international-relations/middle-east-government-politics-and-policy/state-matters-theorizing-state-fragmentation-and-consolidation-iraq?format=PB&isbn=9781009673952
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[8]: https://x.com/nourialmalikiiq/status/2032201052603498846
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2026-03-16 22:06:57 UTC

Israel Killed Over a Dozen Lebanese Paramedics in Three Days, Now Claiming That Ambulances Are “Hezbollah” Targets
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A man wearing the logo of the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Organisation stands in the remains of a health centre in Bourj Qalaway, following an Israeli attack. Photo by Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
BEIRUT, LEBANON—In early October 2025, Lebanese paramedic Haj Qassem Sultan stood outside Marjayoun Government Hospital in southern Lebanon and [addressed][3] Lebanese TV.
“Our message is clear. Even if we are killed one by one, we will not abandon our duty,” he said. “We will continue to serve Khiam and Marjayoun and Al-Taybeh and Debbine and all of our sacred land.”
He was attending a memorial for seven of his colleagues who were killed exactly one year earlier in an Israeli airstrike on ambulances parked outside the hospital. Five other paramedics, including Sultan, were wounded in the attack, in what human rights groups [said][4] was an apparent [war crime][5].
On Friday, Sultan was killed in another Israeli strike on an Islamic Health Authority (IHA) medical center in Burj Qalaouiyah in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil District. The bombing destroyed the facility, killing 12 people, including on-duty doctors, paramedics, nurses, and three patients.
The majority of the victims worked with the IHA, a healthcare and emergency service provider affiliated with Hezbollah that operates rescue and medical services in Beirut’s southern suburbs and across much of southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
Sultan “was very loved, very respected,” IHA spokesperson Mahmoud Karaki told Drop Site News. “He was always present among the people. Everyone knew him.”
The day after the attack, Israel doubled down on its attacks on emergency workers with its military spokesperson, [claiming][6] without evidence that Hezbollah was making “military use of medical facilities and ambulances” and that occupation forces would target them if they did not cease.
A strike on Monday on a house in Kfar Sir, just north of the Litani River killed one person. When an ambulance from the IHA arrived, a second strike killed two paramedics and wounded another, [according][7] to the state-run National News Agency. Two more IHA ambulances were targeted on Monday in separate strikes, killing four more paramedics.
“Some of our personnel have been killed at our medical centers, others while they were out in the field, trying to pull people out from under the rubble,” he said. “The exact place they went to do their rescue work was targeted again once they arrived,” he added, a tactic known as a double tap strike.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condemned the escalating attacks on medical workers in Lebanon. “These incidents highlight the ongoing assault on Lebanon’s healthcare system, which is crucial for the populations it serves,” Ghebreyesus wrote in a social media [post][8]. “WHO condemns this tragic loss of life and emphasizes that health workers must always be protected. According to international humanitarian law, medical personnel and facilities should never be attacked or militarized.”
Israel dramatically escalated its assault on Lebanon with relentless airstrikes and ground incursions on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran. Last week Israel ordered the forced displacement of all of southern Lebanon and launched a ground invasion. Over the past two weeks, at least 850 people have been killed across the country, including over 100 children. More than 850,000 people have been displaced. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz [likened][9] the operation to the genocidal assault on Gaza and said on Monday that Lebanese residents in the south of the Litani River would not be able to return to their homes indefinitely.
Among the most targeted groups of Israel’s expanded military campaign have been medical workers. Over the past two weeks, Israeli attacks have struck 13 medical and ambulance centers and forced five major hospitals to shut down, according to the health ministry. [At least 38][10] have been killed so far, including personnel from the IHA, the Red Cross, and the Islamic Risala Scout Association, a medical and rescue organization affiliated with Lebanon’s Amal Movement. The IHA has been the hardest hit, with more than two dozen killed, according to Karaki.
The Israeli military itself has been accused of using ambulances in military operations in Lebanon. Most notably, during its [attack][11] on the town of Nabi Chit in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley last week that killed 41 people, the Lebanese Army accused Israeli commandos of moving through the area using ambulances marked with the insignia of the IHA.
Human rights groups say Israel’s targeting of medical personnel and infrastructure is part of a deadly pattern that emerged during Israel’s assault on Gaza. Hospitals in the enclave were systematically bombed, raided, and destroyed and [some 1,700 health care workers][12] were killed during the first two years of the genocide, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. During Israel’s assault on Lebanon between October 8, 2023 and late November 2024 when a “ceasefire” was put into effect, Israeli attacks killed at least 222 medical and civil defense personnel and injured hundreds more, according to the Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Researchers with Amnesty International[ examined four cases][13] in which Israeli forces struck first responders in Lebanon during that period. According to Kristine Bekerle, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, the organization found no evidence that the facilities or vehicles hit in those attacks were being used for military purposes at the time.
“We looked at attacks affecting the Islamic Health Authority, but we also examined strikes on organizations with no connection to Hezbollah, like the Lebanese Civil Defense and the Red Cross, and in different parts of the country,” Bekerle told Drop Site. “We saw a range of civilian actors—some loosely affiliated with Hezbollah, others with no affiliation at all—being killed, wounded, or targeted.”
“From an international law perspective, civilians and civilian objects should not be targeted for attack,” Bekerle added. “But healthcare workers, facilities, and ambulances are especially protected.”
Bekerle noted that the Israeli military has a long record of publishing lies, but even if the claim were true, it would not justify broad attacks. Under international humanitarian law, an army must demonstrate that a specific object is being used for military purposes, for example, a particular ambulance in a particular location at a specific time. “You cannot simply declare that all ambulances are legitimate targets,” Bekerle said.
“What we’re seeing between Lebanon and Gaza is this big broadening of what constitutes an ‘acceptable’ target to the military,” she added. “The reality is that a civilian entity affiliated with a non-state armed group is not automatically targetable.”
Israel’s massive and unprecedented displacement orders in Lebanon have made the work of Lebanese first responders all the more dangerous.
Moussa Shaalan, a medic with the Lebanese Civil Defense in the coastal city of Sour, told Drop Site that the current war is the hardest he has experienced in more than three decades of service.
“The difference this time is that there are many more people in the villages,” Shaalan said. “They say they can’t afford the rent in other parts of the country…and that when they fled north, they were humiliated. They tell you they would rather die at home,” he added. “So the demand for emergency services under dangerous conditions is much higher.”
Most of the places being struck are still densely populated and full of children, Shaalan added. He fears the death toll will continue to rise, particularly since Israel has begun targeting civilian infrastructure such as bridges and roads that enable rescue teams to reach the wounded.
Karaki, the IHA spokesperson, said Israel’s attacks on first responders are part of a broader effort to force people from the region.
“The presence of a team of first responders offers a last remaining sense of security for people who have chosen to remain steadfast on their land,” he said. “That’s why the occupation targets healthcare workers who have nothing to do with what’s happening on the battlefield.”
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[3]: https://www.instagram.com/p/DV1zF-Ojea-/
[4]: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/10/30/lebanon-israeli-attacks-medics-apparent-war-crimes
[5]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/03/lebanon-israeli-attacks-on-health-facilities-ambulances-and-paramedics-must-be-investigated-as-war-crimes/
[6]: https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2032725479879221755
[7]: https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/news/153006/security-update-israeli-strikes-kill-four-in-qantara-as-ground-activity-reported-in-south-lebanon-2
[8]: https://x.com/drtedros/status/2032853185996743140
[9]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/katz-on-lebanon-ground-op-displaced-lebanese-wont-return-home-until-north-israel-is-safe/
[10]: https://www.moph.gov.lb/en/Media/announcements#/en/Media/view/83209/daily-report-on-the-aggression-death-toll-rises-to-886daily-report-on-the-aggression-death-toll-rise
[11]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-nabi-chit-displacement-beirut-army
[12]: https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/two-healthcare-workers-killed-every-day-average-during-israels-genocide-gaza
[13]: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde18/9062/2025/en/
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2026-03-16 16:46:33 UTC

Iranian Officials Say They Have Been Ignoring Witkoff's Private Requests to Talk
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U.S Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff listens to President Donald Trump speak to reporters at Trump National Doral Miami on March 9, 2026 in Doral, Florida. Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images.
President Donald Trump has been leading a double life in prosecuting his war against Iran. In public, he regularly boasts that Iran’s military might has been decimated, its leadership killed off, and that the few officials remaining alive in Tehran are begging him to talk. “They want to negotiate. They want to negotiate badly,” Trump said Sunday night. “We’re talking to them. But I don’t think they’re ready, but they’re getting pretty close.”
Behind the scenes, it is the Trump administration that has been asking for talks. Two Iranian officials told Drop Site that Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff personally sent messages to officials in Tehran, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, last week exploring possibilities for resuming negotiations. Iran has not replied to Witkoff. The Iranian officials told Drop Site that Iran has also received messages from the White House via third countries.
“Because of decisions made by [Iran’s] top authorities, no response was sent to his messages,” a senior Iranian official told Drop Site. “The message here is clear: Iran has once again closed the window for any direct negotiations,” he added. “The authority to declare a ceasefire rests solely with the country’s Supreme Leader. It’s not something the foreign minister, or any other official or organization in Iran, would send messages about to a foreign party.”
In response to request for comment, a White House spokesperson sent Drop Site the following: “The radical, left-wing Drop Site News is clearly carrying water for the Iranian terrorist regime — and reports like these based on pure fiction and citing unnamed anonymous sources should be discarded immediately. Iran feeds this fake news media outlet propaganda and they publish it as fact, which is abhorrent, America Last behavior. Operation Epic Fury will continue unabated until President Trump, as Commander-in-Chief, determines that the goals of Operation Epic Fury, including for Iran to no longer pose a military threat, have been fully realized.”
Witkoff did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a series of media appearances over the weekend, Araghchi publicly rejected Trump’s characterizations. “We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,” he told CBS on Sunday. “We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes. And this is what we have done so far, and we continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory.”
One of the sources, a senior Iranian official who spoke with Drop Site on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss potential negotiations, said the U.S. outreach indicates that the Trump administration underestimated Iran’s resolve and is seeking an offramp. “Many direct and indirect requests for a ceasefire have been coming from the U.S.” over the past week, said the senior Iranian official. “Now that they’ve seen the Iranian side isn’t responding to those requests, they’re trying to make up for their embarrassment by twisting the narrative in the media.”
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“This whole thing is completely false,” the senior Iranian official continued, referring to Trump’s repeated claims that Iran is asking for a ceasefire. “The responses that we provide [to third party countries] for a ceasefire are being publicly presented by [Trump] as if they were his own positions.” He said that Iran has made clear to all nations that inquire about potential ceasefire talks that Tehran will not enter into any agreement that leaves the door open for continued U.S. and Israeli attacks by Iran.
“The United States appears to be seeking a temporary ceasefire in order to assess the outcomes thus far and to employ a combination of diplomacy and pressure to advance its broader objectives within Iran’s political system,” the senior Iranian official added. He said that while many nations have reached out to Tehran urging it to engage in talks with the U.S., their efforts should instead be aimed at Trump and his administration.
On a daily basis, Trump and his War Secretary Pete Hegseth stand before cameras and offer sweeping assessments of their obliteration of Iran’s missile and drone capacity. U.S. Central Command posts grainy videos of strikes blowing up airplanes, naval vessels, and infrastructure. “We have achieved a 90% reduction in their ballistic missile launches and a 95% reduction in their drone attacks. They don’t have too many missiles left,” Trump said Monday. “This is a paper tiger that we’re dealing with now. It wasn’t a paper tiger two weeks ago.” Yet Iranian strikes against U.S. bases and assets in the region, as well as attacks on Israel, continue.
Global oil and gas prices have risen dramatically over the past two weeks, as Iran has threatened to attack any U.S. or Israeli-linked tankers that traverse the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. International oil shipments through the strait have plummeted to [less than 10%][4] of their pre-war levels. At the same time, Iranian exports last week exceeded their normal levels. “Through effective management of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has secured a notable advantage at sea,” the senior Iranian official said.
“The Strait of Hormuz is not closed in general, it is closed only to America and its allies, and we will continue this policy as long as the attacks continue,” Araghchi told Al Araby Al Jadeed on Sunday. Tehran has also suggested it would be open to increasing the flow of traffic through the area as long as the financial transactions were paid for in Chinese yuan.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed Monday that the U.S. has been allowing Iranian ships to pass through Hormuz without bombing them. “The Iranian ships have been getting out already, and we’ve let that happen to supply the rest of the world,” he told CNBC.
Last Wednesday, the CEOs of Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips held talks with senior officials at the White House and [warned][5] of grave consequences if the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened. One oil executive told the Wall Street Journal that if oil reached $120 a barrel, it would cause “economic destruction.” Those meetings came as Trump is pressing the U.S. military to come up with options for stripping Iran of its dominance in the strait.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (C) participates in the traditional Quds Day rally in the capital Tehran on March 13, 2026. Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images.
This weekend, Trump claimed he was assembling a multinational coalition to escort ships, and the Pentagon recently approved the rapid deployment of at least 2,000 U.S. soldiers from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. “I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their territory,” Trump said Sunday, saying that NATO nations as well as China should participate. “They should help us. You could make the case that maybe we shouldn’t be there at all, because we don’t need it. We have a lot of oil.” Many nations have expressed reservations about participating in such operations and some—including Germany, Greece, Japan, and Australia—have ruled out joining any Hormuz mission. Trump has suggested he may postpone his trip to China scheduled for later this month if Beijing does not agree to aid U.S. operations in the strait, and has warned of a “very bad future” for NATO if it does not participate.
“This war has nothing to do with NATO. It’s not NATO’s war,” said Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for the German chancellor, in a press briefing on Monday. “I would also like to remind you that the U.S. and Israel did not consult us before the war, and that Washington explicitly stated at the start of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired.”
Trump’s decision to deploy Marines, combined with recent U.S. strikes on the Iranian island of Kharg, could indicate that the U.S. is contemplating an operation to occupy the island, which houses Iran’s most important oil terminal through which 90 percent of its crude oil exports run. Trump said the U.S. has refrained from directly bombing the oil depots on Kharg but said that if Iran directly prevents ships from passing the Strait of Hormuz, “I will immediately reconsider this decision.”
“No one should read into anything more than what the president announced,” a senior White House official told [Axios][6]. “The president has made no decisions on Kharg Island,” the official said, adding, “The president is not going to wait around and let the Iranians dictate the pace of the conflict.”
Iranian naval forces have spent decades wargaming in the Strait of Hormuz, including exercises that began on February 16, less than two weeks before the U.S. and Israel launched the war. These preparations have focused on asymmetric attacks on larger military vessels, utilizing fastboats, drones, and anti-ship cruise missiles. If Trump decides to move toward military confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, it would increase the risks to U.S. troops, placing them within direct reach of Iran’s shorter range munitions and smaller naval attack vessels and maritime missile systems.
“Everything they have done during this period has been the result of miscalculation and error,” Araghchi told Al Araby Al Jadeed. “The attack on Kharg was a mistake, and occupying Kharg would be an even bigger mistake. As we said before, we are waiting for American ground forces to enter our territory, because we know how to confront them.”
In response to the Iranian stance in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia has increased its oil output through its western coast and oil tankers have begun traveling through the Red Sea in large numbers. But these ships will ultimately need to ship their cargo through the Bab al Mandeb strip where they could potentially face a blockade from Yemen’s Ansar Allah. While the group, which controls large parts of Yemen, technically has a ceasefire agreement with the US, signed in May 2025, there have been indications it will enter the war in defense of Iran.
Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a senior member of Ansar Allah’s political bureau, said on March 14 that a “zero hour”—a coordinated campaign of military operations—could be declared soon. “All options are on the table,” Al-Bukhaiti told RT Arabic. “If we are compelled to use the Bab al Mandeb card, we will use this in a flexible manner by targeting all the countries involved in the aggression against Lebanon and Iran.”
## **“The End of the War is in Our Hands”**
Even before the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks on February 28, Iran vowed that it would not repeat the “12-Day War” of June 2025. Then, as with the current war, the U.S. claimed to be negotiating with Iran only to turn around and launch massive bombings. The ceasefire that ended the June war was requested by the U.S. and Israel and, from Iran’s perspective, it was a strategic pause aimed at preparing for the wider war that began last month. “They went back, prepared themselves again, and attacked us once more,” Araghchi said Sunday. “This scenario cannot be repeated. We will end this war when we guarantee that it will not be repeated, and that requires a decisive and final conclusion to the war.” Iranian officials have told Drop Site that they will not consider any ceasefire proposals until Tehran believes it has convinced the U.S. and the world that Iran will not accept repeated and periodic U.S. and Israeli military strikes.
“The end of the war is in our hands,” said Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a veteran commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in an interview on Iranian television on March 14. He said that as part of any ceasefire negotiations Iran would seek reparations for the damage done during the U.S.-Israeli bombing and reiterated Tehran’s call for the U.S. to withdraw its military presence in the Persian Gulf. The senior Iranian official also said that Tehran would only consider a ceasefire if it also included Lebanon and Iraq and was certified by the United Nations Security Council.
Unlike previous military confrontations where Iran has choreographed its retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. bases in the region ahead of time, the past two weeks have seen the Iranian military conduct unprecedented missile and drone strikes across the Persian Gulf as well as a steady pace of attacks on Israel.
“Iran’s strategy is centered on diversifying its attacks and opening multiple fronts against the U.S. and Israel over an extended period,” the senior official said. “The focus will be on gradually wearing down the opponent and delivering more effective blows to U.S. and Israeli interests, in order to create the necessary conditions for a broad and sustainable ceasefire.”
The senior Iranian official told Drop Site that Tehran understands it is fighting an asymmetric war and is confident in its ability to endure the U.S.-Israeli bombing. More than 1,400 people have been killed in the U.S.-Israeli bombings and more than 18,500 injured, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. Among the dead are at least 223 women and 200 children—41 of them under the age of two.
Iranian state media and news outlets close to the IRGC have suggested that Iranian forces may soon begin targeting the offices of large tech companies in Israel and the Persian Gulf, including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Nvidia, and Palantir. Iranian strikes have forced the closure of Gulf airports and spurred an exodus of Americans, Europeans, and other Westerners from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain. The U.S. has been forced to abandon a number of military facilities and move personnel to hotels or out of the region.
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“Continuing these strikes—if carried out precisely and without harming the citizens of these countries—can play a very effective role in applying pressure to achieve a ceasefire,” the senior Iranian official said. “There are very deep economic ties between American companies and these countries. Threatening those interests would be a powerful leverage to pressure the Trump administration.”
With the exception of Oman, the Persian Gulf nations that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have refused to issue any condemnations of the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran. Instead, they have portrayed Iran as the aggressor and accused it of engaging in wanton attacks on their sovereignty and dismissing any suggestion that Iran has a right to target U.S. bases or assets housed within their borders.
On March 11, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution drafted by Bahrain on behalf of the GCC that denounced Iran’s “egregious attacks” and demanded that Iran “immediately and unconditionally cease from any provocation or threats to neighboring States, including the use of proxies.” The resolution did not mention either the U.S. or Israel, nor did it issue any condemnation or expressions of concern over the killing of Iranian civilians or the bombing of Iranian schools, apartment buildings, hospitals, oil and gas facilities and heritage sites.
While Iran continues to speak to officials from some GCC countries, it has made no secret of its anger with them. “The situation is not good at all. This war was ignited by the United States and the Zionist entity,” said Arraghchi. “They did not condemn the attack on Iran, and that is truly regrettable.”
Iran has acknowledged that some of its strikes against U.S. military bases and other assets in the Gulf have inflicted “collateral damage,” and Iranian officials have pointed to an apology issued by President Masoud Pezeshkian to Iran’s Arab neighbors on March 7. Iranian officials maintain that their strikes are aimed at U.S. and Israeli military and intelligence structures.
Iran has also claimed that in some cases, it has struck sites in Gulf countries based on intelligence they were used to directly attack Iran. Gulf countries have denied that their territory is being used in any attacks, despite the presence of key U.S. installations such as the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain or CENTCOM in Qatar. But Araghchi said that Iran has intelligence that some of the strikes on Kharg island came from missiles launched from the UAE. The New York Times recently [verified][8] video showing ballistic missiles being launched at Iran from Bahrain.
Araghchi denied that Iran has deliberately targeted any civilian sites in Gulf countries that have no connection to the U.S. or Israel. In some cases, Iran has acknowledged it did hit hotels or other civilian buildings, but has claimed those sites were being used by U.S. soldiers or Israeli intelligence. This is the same justification Israel has repeatedly employed to defend its strikes on civilian sites in Gaza and international law experts have widely denounced the practice as illegal. Iran has also denied being behind a range of attacks over the past two weeks, including in Cyprus, Turkey and in several Gulf countries and has accused the U.S. and Israel of conducting false flag attacks in an effort to try to further pull other nations into an overt conflict with Iran.
“We are ready to sit with our friends in the region and form an investigative committee to determine which targets were struck and whether they were American or not,” Araghchi told Al Araby Al Jadeed. He claimed that Iran has intelligence that Israel and the U.S. have cloned Tehran’s Shahed drones and are using them to conduct strikes on civilian sites in the Gulf. Iran has not publicly released any evidence to support these claims.
In a [post on X][9] Sunday, CENTCOM denied the allegations. “U.S. attack drones are only targeting Iranian military capabilities to eliminate threats posed to the region,” read the post.
On Monday, Ali Larijani, the chair of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, published a six point message addressed to Muslims across the world and to Islamic governments in which he defended Iran’s actions in responding to the U.S.- Israeli war. “Today the confrontation is between America and Israel on one side, and Iran, the Muslim nations, and the forces of resistance on the other. So which side do you stand with?” Larijani [wrote][10]. “Think about the future of the Islamic world. You know that America is not loyal to you and that Israel is your enemy. Pause for a moment and reflect on yourselves and on the future of the region.”
[Leave a comment][11]
[Share][12]
*Jawa Ahmad, Drop Site News’s Middle East Research Fellow, contributed to this report.*
[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[3]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[4]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/14/business/energy-environment/iran-strait-hormuz-oil-middle-east.html
[5]: https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/oil-industry-warns-trump-administration-energy-crisis-will-likely-worsen-0a5c8b1a
[6]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/16/trump-iran-hormuz-strait-kharg-island
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[8]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/world/middleeast/bahrain-us-missile-strike-iran.html
[9]: https://x.com/centcom/status/2033190759654981777?s=46
[10]: https://x.com/alilarijani_ir/status/2033552693759787104?s=46
[11]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-witkoff-araghchi/comments
[12]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-witkoff-araghchi?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-witkoff-araghchi

2026-03-16 15:15:37 UTC

Trump struggles to secure Strait of Hormuz; Israel launches ground invasion of Lebanon; North Korea conducts new missile tests
*Iran hit with “wide-scale wave of strikes” as the war enters its third week. U.S. airstrikes [hit][1] oil-production hub. More Marines and warships being [sent][2] to the Middle East. Trump [warns][3] allies against refusing to send ships to Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi says Strait of Hormuz only closed to “enemies.” IRGC aerospace chief [claims][4] Iranian missile “hit rate” has doubled. Iran [launches][5] multiple missile waves at Israel, Iraq, and Kuwait. Iran [claims][6] regional attacks are “false flag” operations meant to frame Tehran. Goldman Sachs [warns][7] Gulf economies could contract sharply; U.S. Energy Secretary says war “will definitely come to an end in the next few weeks.” *
*Israel [launches][8] ground operation in Lebanon. Israeli strikes [hit][9] multiple sites across Lebanon. Israeli strikes across Lebanon kill [dozens][10] and hit medical and UN sites. Israeli strike [kills][11] eight police officers in central Gaza. Israeli forces [kill][12] family of four in Tammun in northern West Bank. Limited opening of Rafah [following][13] Israeli closure. *
*Senate set for weeks-long debate and vote on SAVE America Act starting Tuesday. Illinois primaries on Tuesday. FCC Chair [threatens][14] to revoke broadcast licenses over Iran war coverage. Afghan U.S. ally [dies][15] hours after ICE arrest in Texas. ICE [released][16] Haitian asylum seeker alone in Pittsburgh; she was found dead days later. Immigration judge [orders][17] release of Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia on bond for third time. *
*“Private Mossad” [caught][18] spying on center-left Slovenia government. Bobi Wine [says][19] he fled Uganda after disputed election. Somalia [says][20] 22 Al-Shabaab fighters killed in joint operations. Pakistan [launches][21] strikes inside Afghanistan overnight. EU [renews][22] sanctions on Russia as attacks hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Rwanda [warns][23] it may withdraw troops from Mozambique mission without EU funding. North Korea conducts new missile tests. Ambush in Nigeria’s Plateau state kills security personnel. [Reports][24] of protests turning violent in Cuba after announcement of U.S. talks.*
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Israeli army soldiers gather on the border with Lebanon in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel on March 16, 2026. Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Iran hit with “wide-scale wave of strikes” as the war enters its third week:**
* The Israeli military announced it had begun a “wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure” in the cities of Tehran, Shiraz, and Tabriz.
* Several civilians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an electricity department building east Tehran, according to the Fars news agency.
* At least five people were killed and seven injured after strikes on Markazi province.
* U.S.-Israeli airstrikes hit the Shahid Khomeini Boys’ School in the city of Khomein at dawn. No casualties were reported, according to the Mehr news agency, though many houses in the area were damaged.
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes continued to pound Iran over the weekend:**
* Six people were killed and seven others [injured][26] after a projectile strike hit a rural home in Khizab village near Khomein in Iran’s central Markazi Province on Saturday, according to Iranian media reports citing a provincial security official.
* A [strike][27] on a residential house in Ivan, a city in Ilam province near Iran’s border with Iraq, killed six members of the same family on Saturday, including a six-month-old infant, according to provincial officials cited by Iran’s Fars News. The explosion destroyed the home and was reportedly heard across the city.
* At least 15 people were [killed][28] after a strike hit a factory in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Saturday, according to the Fars News Agency. The victims were reportedly factory workers producing heaters and refrigerators who were inside the facility when it was struck.
* Massive explosions were reported early Saturday at the Iranian Space Research Center in western Tehran, a civilian government facility involved in satellite development and space technology research. Iranian media [said][29] the site was among several locations hit in the capital as Israel continued strikes on military and research infrastructure, with video circulating online showing smoke rising from the complex, followed by large blasts. The center is part of Iran’s civilian space program, though Israel and the United States have accused Iran of using the facility for the development of rocket and satellite technologies.
* **Casualty count: **At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since the war began on February 28, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. The attacks have killed 223 women and 202 children, 41 of whom were under the age of two, the ministry reported Sunday.
* **U.S. airstrikes hit oil-production hub: **U.S. airstrikes [hit][30] Kharg Island on Friday, multiple reports say. Witnesses to the attack described at least 15 explosions targeting the island’s air defense systems, the Joushan naval base, the airport control tower, and a helicopter hangar used by Iran’s offshore oil company. Iran claims that its oil export infrastructure was not damaged, a claim later [buttressed][31] by satellite imagery published by The Washington Post. President Donald Trump said the strikes “obliterated” all military targets on the island, including its air defenses, though Iranian reports say those systems resumed activity hours later.
* **Iran says Kharg and Abu Musa strikes launched from UAE: **Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [alleged][32] on Saturday that attacks on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf were carried out using HIMARS rockets fired from the United Arab Emirates. Araghchi said the launches came from two locations in the UAE—one in Ras Al Khaimah and another near Dubai—adding that Iran “will certainly retaliate” while attempting to avoid attacks on populated areas.
* **More Marines and warships being sent to the Middle East:** Some 2,500 Marines on as many as three warships are heading to the Middle East from the Indo-Pacific region, [according][33] to The New York Times. The Marines will join more than 50,000 American troops in the region. It is unclear how the new deployment would be used.
* **Trump warns allies against refusing to send ships to Strait of Hormuz:** President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has “demanded” that about seven countries heavily reliant on Middle East oil join a coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked by Iran. “I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump said. “It would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we’ll help. We’ll work with them.” On Saturday, he listed China, France, the UK, Japan, and South Korea as countries he hoped would send ships. A German government spokesperson said NATO would not participate. “As long ⁠as this war continues, there will be no participation, ⁠not even in ⁠any effort ⁠to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military ‌means,” the spokesperson [said][34]. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a press conference at Downing Street that the UK would not be drawn into a wider
war. Greece also said it would not engage in any military operation in the Strait of Hormuz. The price for Brent crude oil has increased more than 40% since the start of the war.
* **Araghchi says Strait of Hormuz only closed to “enemies”: **Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a press conference in Tehran on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz is only closed to the U.S., Israel, and their allies. “They are asking other countries to come and help them so that the strait remains open. From our perspective, the strait is open, but it is closed to our enemies, closed to those who carried out this cowardly aggression against us and to their allies,” Araghchi said.** **Iran [allowed][35] two Indian-flagged LPG carriers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to Indian media reports.
* **Dubai airport suspends all flights:** All flights were temporarily suspended at Dubai International Airport after a drone struck a fuel tank and sparked a fire, Emirati authorities said on Sunday. Dubai airport has since resumed reduced flight operations.
* **Fire at UAE’s Fujairah oil facility after drone attack:** A fire broke out on Monday after a drone attack on an industrial oil facility in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The Fujairah Oil Industry Zone hosts the largest commercial storage capacity for refined products in the Middle East. The fire comes two days after oil-loading operations were [suspended][36] at the facility after debris from an intercepted drone sparked a fire near the port on Saturday.
* **Drones strike Ahmed Al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait: **Several “hostile drones” [targeted][37] Ahmed Al-Jaber Air Base in southern Kuwait on Saturday, causing material damage near the installation and minor injuries to three Kuwaiti armed forces personnel, Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said. The base, operated by the Kuwaiti Air Force near the Saudi border, also hosts U.S. Air Force aircraft—including A-10 attack planes, MQ-9 drones, and other support aircraft used in operations under U.S. Central Command.
* **Missile hits helipad inside U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad: **A missile [struck][38] a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone on Friday, Iraqi security officials told the Associated Press, after smoke was seen rising from within the embassy perimeter. After the attack, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad told American citizens in Iraq to leave the country immediately.
* **Iranian missile strike damages U.S. refueling aircraft at Saudi base: **Five U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft were [damaged][39] while parked at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The aircraft were not destroyed but sustained damage and are currently undergoing repairs. No fatalities were reported in the strike.
* **IRGC aerospace chief claims Iranian missile “hit rate” has doubled: **Major General Seyed Majid Moosavi, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, [said][40] on Saturday that Iranian missile strikes on U.S. and Israeli targets have become more effective. “In the past 48 hours, the rate at which Iranian missiles strike American and Zionist targets has doubled,” Moosavi said, adding that “the sky has opened to Iran’s giant missiles, and the punishment of the aggressor continues.”
* **Iranians volunteer in support of the government: **Residents in Iran were filmed lining up to volunteer for neighborhood checkpoints after Israeli strikes targeted Basij and police posts across Tehran and other areas, reportedly killing security personnel. Fars News [shared][41] a video on Saturday that shows residents responding to calls for additional “popular forces” to help staff new checkpoints.
* **Internet blackout tightens in Iran:** The internet blackout in Iran is getting worse. The group NetBlocks [reported][42] on Monday, “Over the last day a decline has been tracked in reserved telecoms network infrastructure, further reducing VPN availability.” On Sunday NetBlocks [reported][43] a collapse in connectivity on a key Iranian telecoms network that had so far remained partly online as part of the state infrastructure.
* **IRGC warns U.S. companies in region to evacuate facilities: **On Saturday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that American industries operating in the region could become targets, urging the United States to evacuate its companies and advising people living near facilities in which U.S. firms hold shares to leave the area. The warning was issued alongside a graphic circulated by IRGC-affiliated news outlets, which listed American companies and office locations in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The list included major firms across the defense, technology, energy, and financial sectors, such as **Lockheed Martin**, **Boeing**, **Microsoft**, **Oracle**, **ExxonMobil**, **Citigroup**, and **Amazon Web Services** in Amman, as well as companies including **KKR**, **Boston Consulting Group**, **Bain & Company**, and **Trafigura** with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
* **Iran launches multiple missile waves at Israel, Iraq, and Kuwait: **Iran [fired][44] at least ten successive waves of missile attacks on Israel early Sunday, with additional barrages targeting southern Israel and some strikes reportedly coordinated with Hezbollah.
* Footage from Israel’s public broadcaster Kan and Haaretz showed fires and significant property damage in parts of central Israel and in Tel Aviv following the attacks, and with sirens sounding almost continuously in parts of the country.
* At least six people were [injured][45] in the strikes.
* Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the 52nd wave of “Operation True Promise 4” also targeted three U.S. bases with missiles and drones—Al-Harir near Erbil in northern Iraq, and Ali Al-Salem and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
* The IRGC said the strikes were retaliation for the killing of at least 15 factory workers in Isfahan, adding that missiles aimed at Tel Aviv targeted industrial sectors in Israel’s commercial hub.
* **Iran claims regional attacks are “false flag” operations meant to frame Tehran: **A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters [said][46] on Saturday that recent attacks on infrastructure in Turkey, Kuwait, and Iraq attributed to Iran are part of a deception campaign intended to drive a wedge between Tehran and neighboring states. The spokesperson claimed the United States and other hostile actors have copied Iran’s Shahed-136 drone—developing what the U.S. military calls the “LUCAS” drone—and are using it to strike illegitimate targets across the region, adding that Iran only targets U.S. and Israeli interests and publicly claims responsibility when it carries out attacks. The IRGC made a similar [claim][47] about drone attacks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, saying that the strikes in Riyadh and Sharqiya were not carried out by its military.
* **Goldman Sachs warns Gulf economies could contract sharply; U.S. Energy Secretary says war “will definitely come to an end in the next few weeks”: **Goldman Sachs [estimates][48] that Qatar and Kuwait could each see their GDP contract by about 14% this year if the conflict continues through April and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for two months. The bank said the disruption would severely limit the ability of both countries to export hydrocarbons, which underpin their economies. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would likely fare better due to their capacity to reroute some oil exports away from the critical waterway, though Goldman Sachs still projects GDP declines of roughly 3% for Saudi Arabia and 5% for the UAE under that scenario. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright [projected][49] on Sunday that the crisis “will definitely come to an end in the next few weeks,” possibly even sooner, while acknowledging there are “no guarantees in wars at all.”
* **EU foreign policy chief warns of food deprivation if Strait of Hormuz remains closed:** The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, called for a diplomatic effort to get oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Kallas also warned of food shortages next year as a result of fertilizer shortages if the crucial waterway remains closed. “If there is lack of fertilizers this year there’s going to be also food deprivation next year,” she said.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 850, including 107 children, and 32 medical workers—with 2105 wounded—since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Israel launches ground operation in Lebanon:** The Israeli military launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on Monday as it continued to bombard the country. In a [statement][50], the Israeli military characterized the offensive as “limited and targeted ground operations...aimed at enhancing the forward defense area.” However, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz likened the operation to the Israeli military’s genocidal assault on Gaza and said Lebanese residents in the south would not be able to return to their homes indefinitely. “Hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of south Lebanon who have evacuated and are evacuating from their homes will not return to the area south of the Litani [River] until the safety of the residents of the north is guaranteed,” Katz said, [according][51] to the Times of Israel. Katz says that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have told the military to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure close to the border, “just as was done against Hamas in
Rafah, Beit Hanoun, and the terror tunnels in Gaza.”
* **Israeli strikes hit multiple sites across Lebanon:**
* **Monday: **A strike on a house in Kfar Sir killed one person on Monday. When an ambulance from the Islamic Health Organization arrived, a second strike killed two paramedics and wounded another, [according][52] to the state-run National News Agency. Additional airstrikes hit Khiam, Qantara, Sawana, Burj Qalawiya, Sultaniyeh, Shaqra and Yater.** **Civil defense teams recovered the bodies of Youssef Al-Saghir, his wife, and their two children from beneath the rubble of a house in the town of Qantara, two days after it was struck by an air raid.
* **Sunday:** A [strike][53] in Sharhabil near Saida killed one person—identified as Wissam Taha—and wounded three children, while additional Israeli drone, jet, and artillery attacks targeted areas around Nabatieh, Tyre, Zawtar Sharqieh, Al Sawaneh, Touline, Majdel Selm, and the strategic border town of Khiam. Hezbollah said it responded with multiple rocket attacks Sunday morning, targeting sites including Balmakhim airbase south of Tel Aviv, an air-defense system in Ma’alot-Tarshiha, and the coastal town of Nahariya.
* **Israeli strikes across Lebanon kill dozens and hit medical and UN sites: **Israeli airstrikes and shelling [killed][54] dozens across southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, according to Lebanese health authorities and local media. Among the dead were at least 12 medical professionals killed in a strike on a healthcare center in Burj Qalawiya, while additional strikes in Nabatieh, Al Sawaneh, Bint Jbeil, and Ghazieh killed civilians including a young girl and two boys. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also reported artillery shells landing inside a UNIFIL compound housing the Nepalese battalion in Mays al-Jabal, injuring peacekeepers.
* **WHO says Israeli strikes killed 14 health workers in southern Lebanon in 24 hours: **The World Health Organization [said][55] on Saturday that Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have killed 14 health workers over the past 24 hours, including 12 doctors, nurses, and paramedics killed in an attack on the Burj Qalawiya primary healthcare center near Bint Jbeil and two paramedics killed earlier at a health facility in the border town of Al Sawaneh. The WHO said it has verified 27 Israeli attacks on healthcare sites in Lebanon since March 2, leaving at least 30 health workers dead and 35 injured. Israel later suggested it would continue targeting ambulances and medical facilities in Lebanon, [claiming][56] without evidence that Hezbollah uses ambulances “for military purposes.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, eight Palestinians were killed and 17 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,247 killed, with 171,878 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 671 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,779, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli strike kills eight police officers in central Gaza: **Eight Palestinian police officers were [killed][57] and 14 people injured after Israeli aircraft struck a police vehicle on Salah al-Din Street near the entrance to Al-Zawayda in Gaza’s Central Governorate on Sunday, according to Gaza’s Interior Ministry. The dead include Colonel Iyad Abu Yusuf, director of the Central Governorate Intervention Police, along with seven other officers. In a separate strike in the Al-Sawarha area of Nuseirat refugee camp, three members of the Ayash family were killed. The incidents bring the reported death toll across Gaza on Sunday to at least 11 people.
* **Israeli strikes and gunfire kill at least six Palestinians in Gaza: **Israeli strikes and gunfire [killed][58] at least six Palestinians in Gaza on Saturday, including two children, according to reports from Felesteen Today and the Associated Press. Among the dead were Ahmed Mohammad Al-Maghribi, killed in an Israeli artillery strike on a police checkpoint in Khan Younis, and three civilians shot by Israeli aircraft in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, including two 17-year-olds. Another Palestinian, Mutasim Maher Fares, was shot and killed by Israeli forces east of Deir al-Balah.
* **Gaza dust storm:** Gaza Civil Defense officials [urged][59] residents to remain indoors, in homes, shelters, or tents, as a dust storm swept across the enclave on Saturday, warning people to go outside only if necessary, particularly those with respiratory illnesses. Authorities advised anyone who must leave to cover their noses with a mask or a damp cloth and protect their eyes from dust. Displaced families were told to secure tents and tarpaulins—especially in coastal areas where strong winds could tear them away.
* **Israeli forces kill family of four in Tammun in northern West Bank: **Israeli forces [opened][60] fire on a car carrying the Bani Odeh family in the town of Tammun in the northern occupied West Bank, killing Ali Khaled Bani Odeh, 37, his wife Waad, 35, and their two sons, Mohammad, 5, and Othman, 7 on Sunday. Two other children in the vehicle—Mustafa and his brother Khaled—survived the shooting but were wounded. One of the surviving boys said soldiers pulled him from the vehicle and beat him, saying they shouted “We killed dogs.” The Israeli military said its troops were operating in the area during an arrest raid and that the incident is under review.
* **Palestinian man killed in settler attack in Qusra village: **Israeli settlers killed Palestinian Amir Odeh during an attack on the village of Qusra on Saturday, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on Saturday evening, according to witnesses. Islam Odeh, who was shot in both legs during the attack, said settlers surrounded Amir and his father, shot Amir, then beat him with sticks and knives before shooting him again.
* **Limited opening of Rafah following Israeli closure: **The Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt will [reopen][61] Wednesday, March 18, for “limited movement” of people only, in both directions, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced. The crossing will operate under the same mechanism used before its closure, with travel coordinated with Egypt and subject to prior Israeli security approval and EU supervision. Following U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, Israel reinforced a total siege of Gaza and closed the Rafah crossing—allowing only the partial operation of Kerem Shalom and the entry of about 200 trucks daily instead of the 600 required under the ceasefire agreement.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][62].*
* **Senate set for weeks-long debate and vote on SAVE America Act starting Tuesday:** Several GOP senators, including Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), have attempted to lobby Senate Majority Leader John Thune to set a “talking filibuster,” essentially requiring Democratic senators to speak for hours on the floor to delay a vote on the controversial bill designed to suppress already disenfranchised voters, namely women and lower income Americans. Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), have advocated for doing away with the filibuster altogether and dropping the 60-vote threshold required to pass the legislation in the Senate to a simple 51-vote majority. Republican Sens. Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska have both expressed opposition to any suspension of the filibuster as well as with the text of the bill itself. Thune and his advisers told NBC News that they expect weeks of
debate on this legislation, but it appears to be dead on arrival.
* **Bipartisan housing bill moves to the House: **Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tim Scott’s (R-SC) 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed the Senate by a vote of 89-10 on Thursday in a rare show of bipartisan support for a bill that seeks to constrain private equity’s power in the single-family housing market and build more affordable units. The bill will now head for a vote in the House of Representatives, where a similar bill passed earlier this year.
* **Congress to introduce yet another Iran War Powers Resolution: **Democrats in Congress are set to coalesce around another War Powers resolution this week and force a vote to constrain the Trump administration’s all-out assault on Iran. According to Aída Chávez, human rights and peace groups have been mounting a pressure campaign on Democratic lawmakers to bring Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s watered-down WPR back up for a vote weeks later. This particular resolution would force the administration to end its war by March 30, due to a provision outlined in the bill written by Gottheimer and other hawkishly pro-Israel lawmakers that says the conflict must not last longer than 30 days. Eight Democrats—Greg Landsman, Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, Jimmy Panetta, Tom Suozzi, Vicente Gonzales, Adam Gray, and Jim Costa—are cosponsoring this resolution. It remains to be seen whether pro-war Democrats, four of whom voted with Republicans in the House to kill the initial War Powers resolution, would
vote against their own bill if reintroduced as a vehicle to end, not prolong, the war.
* **Illinois primaries on Tuesday: **AIPAC has outdone itself in spending that was intended to be secret in the upcoming Illinois primaries, funneling money through a series of pop-up Super PACs with anodyne names like “Elect Chicago Women” and “Affordable Chicago Now” and, when those were outed, “Chicago Progressive Partnership.” AIPAC is backing **Laura Fine** in IL-09, and initially spent heavily against **Daniel Biss**, but is now also targeting democratic socialist **Kat Abughazaleh**. Its latest innovation has been to cynically spend money on a leftist candidate polling in the single digits in an effort to draw votes away from Abughazaleh. In IL-02, AIPAC is behind** Donna Miller** and is backing **Melissa Bean** in IL08 and Chicago City Treasurer **Melissa Conyears-Ervin** in IL07. [Crypto and AI are also spending heavily ][63]in the races.
* **Illinois Senate race a test for crypto**: The crypto Super PAC Fairshake is trying to be a rare open Senate seat, spending heavily to back Rep. **Raja Krishnamoorthi **against Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who has the support of popular Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
* **Tlaib endorses Kat Abughazaleh in Illinois House race: **Rep. **Rashida Tlaib** (D-Mich.) has officially [endorsed][64] Kat Abughazaleh for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, joining Rep. **Ro Khanna** (D-Calif.) in supporting the progressive candidate against Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and AIPAC-backed state senator Laura Fine. Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old Palestinian American and former journalist for Media Matters, is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. **Jan Schakowsky.** Tlaib said she decided to endorse after AIPAC began cynically [boosting][65] a longshot, left-wing candidate in an attempt to draw votes away from Abughazaleh and Biss.
* **FCC Chair threatens to revoke broadcast licenses over Iran war coverage:** The chair of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr [threatened][66] to revoke broadcasters’ licenses over their coverage of the war on Iran: “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.” Trump later said in a social media post he was “thrilled” with Carr’s statement.
* **Afghan U.S. ally dies hours after ICE arrest in Texas: **Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal, a 41-year-old Afghan special forces veteran, [died][67] Saturday roughly a day after being arrested by federal immigration agents near Dallas, according to his family. Paktyawal, who fought alongside U.S. troops and was evacuated to the United States after the fall of Kabul, had a pending asylum case. He was preparing to take his children to school when agents detained him Friday and he later told relatives from ICE custody that he was feeling ill before being admitted to Parkland Hospital late that night and dying around noon the following day. The case marks at least the 12th death in ICE custody this year.
* **ICE released Haitian asylum seeker alone in Pittsburgh; she was found dead days later: **Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker whose misdemeanor charges were dismissed on February 26, was transferred from Washington County Jail to ICE custody, fitted with an ankle monitor, and released in Pittsburgh the next day without notice to her brother or legal representatives. Five days later, on March 2, she was found unresponsive at a South Side bus shelter and later pronounced dead. The full report on what has been described as a “profound failure” by immigration authorities is available from Migrant Insider [here][68].
* **Immigration judge orders release of Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia on bond for third time: **An immigration judge [ordered][69] the release of Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia on bond for a third time, after the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly kept her detained through appeals and automatic procedural stays. Kordia has been held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas since March 13, 2025, when she was taken into custody during a routine immigration check-in in New Jersey. Her lawyers and supporters, including Amnesty International, say she has suffered deteriorating health and inhumane conditions in detention, including a seizure that led to her hospitalization on February 6.
* **Democrats debate middle-class tax cuts: **A policy debate among Democrats ahead of the 2028 presidential cycle is centered on competing proposals from Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Cory Booker to expand the standard deduction and cut taxes for middle-class households while raising rates on high earners. Booker’s plan would exempt up to $75,000 in income for married couples and expand the Child Tax Credit, while Van Hollen’s proposal exempts the first $46,000 of income and adds surtaxes on million-dollar earnings. The measures have inspired a debate within the party about whether or not the correct approach is to imitate Republican tax-slashing rhetoric, or to challenge it, given the immense importance of taxes to funding social services. More in the last from David Dayen and Ryan Cooper at The American Prospect, [here][70].
* **Beef workers strike in Colorado:** About 3,800 workers at one of the country’s largest beef processors went on strike Monday in Greeley, Colo. The plant, owned by Brazil’s JBS, accounts for roughly 5% of U.S. beef capacity, the Wall Street Journal [reported][71]. The strike puts more pressure on U.S. beef prices, which are up 15% from last year.
# Other International News
* **“Private Mossad” caught spying on center-left Slovenia government: **Black Cube, a notorious spy firm with links to the Israeli government, has been spying on Slovenian government officials and allies in the months leading up to a crucial election,[ according to a new report.][72] The center-left coalition is trailing the right wing in the polls ahead of elections scheduled for March 22, but the new revelations upend the campaign and threaten to further complicate increasingly strained relations between Israel and the European Union. This morning, [the Slovenian prime minister ][73]held a press conference in relation to the report by Mladina, a storied Eastern European magazine that found Black Cube officials had met right-wing opposition leader Janez Janša before secretly recorded videos of government figures began appearing anonymously online. Black Cube became infamous for working on behalf of Harvey Weinstein to surveil journalists and dig up dirt on accusers of the convicted
rapist.
* **Baghdad–KRG dispute threatens restart of northern Iraq oil exports: **Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government are at [odds][74] over restarting exports through the Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline to Turkey as the U.S.–Israel war on Iran disrupts the country’s energy trade. With tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz effectively halted, exports from southern terminals around Basra have stopped, cutting national output to roughly 1.3–1.4 million barrels per day—a third of the pre-war level. Baghdad has proposed sending up to 300,000 barrels per day through the northern pipeline along with about 200,000 barrels from Kurdish fields, but the KRG has refused to resume shipments. Kurdish officials accuse Baghdad of imposing an “economic blockade” that restricts access to U.S. dollars through a new customs system and say repeated drone and missile attacks by pro-Iranian groups have disrupted energy infrastructure, leaving the dormant Kirkuk–Ceyhan route as Iraq’s only
realistic option for restoring exports.
* **Bobi Wine says he fled Uganda after disputed election: **Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, said he [fled][75] the country on Sunday after going into hiding following January’s presidential election, claiming security forces threatened his life. In a video message, Wine said the military invaded his home a day after President Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner with 71.65% of the vote, an outcome Wine rejected as fraudulent after finishing second with 24.72%. Wine said he will meet “friends and allies” abroad before returning to Uganda to continue campaigning for democratic reforms.
* **Somalia says 22 Al-Shabaab fighters killed in joint operations: **Somali forces [killed][76] at least 22 Al-Shabaab militants in two operations in central Somalia carried out with support from the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia and other international partners, according to the National Intelligence and Security Agency. Fifteen fighters were killed in Dumaye in the Mudug region in a strike targeting senior commanders, while a second operation in the Hiran region hit two houses used by the group, killing seven militants, including operatives accused of financing attacks. The raids were part of Operation Rolling Thunder, a broader campaign aimed at dismantling Al-Shabaab strongholds and disrupting its operational routes. The offensive follows the recent recapture of the towns of Daarusalaam, Mubarak, and Hawadley as Somali authorities seek to roll back the group’s 16-year insurgency.
* **Pakistan launches strikes inside Afghanistan overnight: **Pakistan [said][77] its forces carried out strikes inside Afghanistan on Sunday, targeting what it described as Taliban-linked military installations and “terrorist hideouts” in southern Kandahar province. State-run Pakistan Television said the operation destroyed technical support infrastructure, an equipment storage site, and a tunnel housing equipment used by the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban group Islamabad calls “Fitna al-Khawarij.” Residents reported hearing explosions and seeing jets over Kandahar, while Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes instead damaged a drug rehabilitation center and other civilian structures. The exchange marks the sharpest escalation yet in the current conflict. Nearly 100 people have been reported killed on both sides and about 115,000 displaced, according to United Nations estimates, since late February.
* **EU renews sanctions on Russia as attacks hit Ukrainian energy infrastructure: **The European Union [renewed][78] sanctions on Sunday against 2,600 individuals and entities linked to Russia’s war on Ukraine, overcoming opposition from Hungary and Slovakia to extend travel bans and asset freezes until September 15. EU Council President António Costa criticized the United States for easing sanctions on Russian oil exports, warning the move could increase Moscow’s resources to continue the war. Russian missile and drone attacks targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, killing six people in the Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia regions and injuring others in Russia’s latest wave of strikes.
* **Rwanda warns it may withdraw troops from Mozambique mission without EU funding: **Rwanda [warned][79] it could withdraw its troops from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province if sufficient international funding for the deployment is not secured. Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the sustainability of the mission depends on “adequate, predictable funding,” after reports that European Union support for the operation is set to expire in May. Rwandan forces were deployed in 2021 at Mozambique’s request and have helped stabilize parts of the gas-rich region that had been overrun by an Islamist-linked insurgency.
* **North Korea conducts new missile tests:** North Korea fired more than ten ballistic missiles in tests conducted Saturday, according to a statement by the South Korean military, amid rising tensions on the peninsula. The reported launches originate from an area near Pyongyang and traveling toward waters off the country’s east coast. Japan’s coast guard also detected a suspected ballistic missile that landed in the sea, reportedly outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The tests coincided with a recent decision by the U.S. to relocate an advanced THAAD anti-missile system from South Korea to help assist in the war with Iran.
* **Ambush in Nigeria’s Plateau state kills security personnel: **Gunmen ambushed security forces on patrol in several communities in Nigeria’s Plateau state, killing an unspecified number of personnel, according to the state government. A local group, the Kanam Development Association, said the attack near the communities of Wanka, Kyaram, and Gyambau killed around 20 people, including two senior military officers and eight local security operatives.
* **Reports of protests turning violent in Cuba after announcement of U.S. talks: **Peaceful protests turned violent in at least one location, [reports from Cuba indicate][80], with a regional Communist Party office reportedly targeted. The flare-up appears isolated so far but comes shortly after President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced official talks with the United States. The timing has raised questions about whether the unrest is linked to domestic political tensions or reactions to the prospect of renewed engagement with Washington. Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga [said][81] the country will allow Cubans abroad to invest and own business on the island. Former Mexican President López Obrador issued a public call to support Cuba as the country faces a hardened U.S. blockade.
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032647323516354962
[2]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/world/middleeast/us-marines-warships-middle-east.html
[3]: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/3/16/strait-of-hormuz-which-countriess-ships-has-iran-allowed-safe-passage-to
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032833572332036473
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033043994679058578
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032984222026076633
[7]: https://x.com/annmarie/status/2033257878795223280
[8]: https://x.com/IDF/status/2033425293814235430
[9]: https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/news/153006/security-update-israeli-strikes-kill-four-in-qantara-as-ground-activity-reported-in-south-lebanon-2
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032708706807246928
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033207155159965780
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033251556263391330
[13]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2033263071712473102?s=46
[14]: https://x.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/2032855414233047172
[15]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-asylum-seeker-dies-ice-custody-us-advocacy-group-says-2026-03-15/
[16]: https://migrantinsider.com/p/the-lonesome-death-of-daphy-michel
[17]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032540846134845818
[18]: https://www.mladina.si/247423/israeli-intelligence-agents-in-slovenia/
[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033337428841267379
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033335280606822471
[21]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/14/pakistan-strikes-afghan-base-after-its-president-warns-red-line-crossed
[22]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/14/eu-sanctions-against-russia-renewed-amid-deadly-attacks-on-ukraine
[23]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/rwanda-warns-it-may-withdraw-troops-mozambiques-insurgency-hit-cabo-delgado-2026-03-14/
[24]: https://x.com/GranadosCeja/status/2032845875140067732
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[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032986786218061853
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032647323516354962
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032916746491855300
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032874720454991998
[33]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/world/middleeast/us-marines-warships-middle-east.html
[34]: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/3/16/strait-of-hormuz-which-countriess-ships-has-iran-allowed-safe-passage-to
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032957591811186870
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032852416157114408
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032858131793928576
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032677203859706078
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032683669274480836
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032833572332036473
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032945870547636610
[42]: https://x.com/netblocks/status/2033448212430758038
[43]: https://x.com/netblocks/status/2033199851232534653
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033043994679058578
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033200994104811637
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032984222026076633
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033049426634105170
[48]: https://x.com/annmarie/status/2033257878795223280
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033315943300952079
[50]: https://x.com/IDF/status/2033425293814235430
[51]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/katz-on-lebanon-ground-op-displaced-lebanese-wont-return-home-until-north-israel-is-safe/
[52]: https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/news/153006/security-update-israeli-strikes-kill-four-in-qantara-as-ground-activity-reported-in-south-lebanon-2
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033247938630013068
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032708706807246928
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032908312690479370
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032936545418711067
[57]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033207155159965780
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032693247793906176
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032834727283945977
[60]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033251556263391330
[61]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2033263071712473102?s=46
[62]: mailto:[email protected]
[63]: https://www.wbez.org/government-politics/elections/2026/03/13/super-pacs-influence-2026-illinois-primary-races-glossary
[64]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033241769735819295
[65]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2032939169358430546
[66]: https://x.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/2032855414233047172
[67]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghan-asylum-seeker-dies-ice-custody-us-advocacy-group-says-2026-03-15/
[68]: https://migrantinsider.com/p/the-lonesome-death-of-daphy-michel
[69]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032540846134845818
[70]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/16/democratic-presidential-contenders-new-idea-tax-cuts-van-hollen-booker/
[71]: https://www.wsj.com/business/jbs-beef-plant-workers-begin-industrys-largest-strike-in-years-ec8ee178?st=U1tdLq&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[72]: https://www.mladina.si/247423/israeli-intelligence-agents-in-slovenia/
[73]: https://english.sta.si/3534208/investigation-implicates-israeli-private-intelligence-in-recent-leaks
[74]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033306560202461285
[75]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033337428841267379
[76]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2033335280606822471
[77]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/14/pakistan-strikes-afghan-base-after-its-president-warns-red-line-crossed
[78]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/14/eu-sanctions-against-russia-renewed-amid-deadly-attacks-on-ukraine
[79]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/rwanda-warns-it-may-withdraw-troops-mozambiques-insurgency-hit-cabo-delgado-2026-03-14/
[80]: https://x.com/GranadosCeja/status/2032845875140067732
[81]: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/cuba/cuba-allow-nationals-living-abroad-invest-businesses-island-economy-rcna263637
[82]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
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2026-03-13 15:00:13 UTC

15,000 targets struck in Iran, Hegseth says; Lebanon is near a “breaking point”; U.S. temporarily lifts Russian oil sanctions
*U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for the fourteenth day as death toll rises to 1,444. Trump [issues][1] another threat against Iran. Hegseth says over 15,000 targets hit in Iran, while Iranian Red Crescent [reports][2] strikes on over 21,700 civilian sites. Mojtaba Khamenei [vows][3] to keep Hormuz closed; Brent crude [tops][4] 100. Six U.S. crew members [die][5] after refueler crashes in Iraq. IRGC [says][6] it struck U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. U.S. temporarily [lifts][7] sanctions on Russian oil already at sea. Lebanon death toll rises to 687 amid Israeli assault. Israel’s defense minister admits attacking Lebanese infrastructure. Lebanon [nearing][8] “breaking point” with over 816,000 displaced. IDF [drops][9] indictment against soldiers accused of sexually abusing Palestinian detainee. Israel deepens restrictions on aid entering Gaza. Attack on synagogue in Michigan; suspect [lost][10] several family members in Israeli strike on Lebanon. AIPAC spends over $15M
on four Illinois House races. China [mediates][11] to ease Pakistan–Afghanistan fighting. Sudanese army drone strike [kills][12] four civilians at border market. Russia [says][13] Ukrainian drone strike killed eight medics in Donetsk. Cuba [confirms][14] “sensitive dialogue” with U.S..*
**NEW from Drop Site: **Behind the Bombs, New Details Emerge on Iran’s Infiltration of Israel. [Read the latest][15] by Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain.
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Smoke rises after an explosion during the World Quds Day march as participants carry Iranian flags and banners in Tehran, Iran, on March 13, 2026. Photo by Iranian President's Press Office/Handout via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for the fourteenth day: **A series of heavy airstrikes hit areas in and around Tehran on Friday, and blasts were heard in several neighborhoods, including Poonak, Marzdaran, Shahr Rey, Lavasan, Zafaranieh, and Tehran Pars. One strike hit near a large rally in the capital where thousands gathered for the annual Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) demonstration, a state-organized rally in support of Palestinians. The rally took place despite the Israeli military issuing an earlier warning on its Farsi-language X account for people to evacuate the area. The airstrike hit the area of Ferdowsi Square, just down the street from the heart of the rally. Iran’s state-owned Press TV reported that shrapnel killed one person. Top government officials attended the demonstration, including Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, who heads the country’s judiciary.
* **Casualty count: **At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since the war began on February 28, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.
* **Trump issues another threat against Iran: **President Donald Trump said in a statement on [Truth Social][17] overnight that: “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth. We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time - Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.”
* **Hegseth: Over 15,000 targets hit in Iran:** War Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed in a press conference on Friday that over 15,000 targets have been struck in Iran, equating to more than 1,000 a day since the day began. Despite senior Iranian officials being filmed at the demonstration in Tehran on Friday, Hegseth said Iran’s leadership is, “Desperate and hiding, they’ve gone underground, cowering – that’s what rats do.” Hegseth also claimed that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “wounded and likely disfigured.” A senior Iranian official confirmed to Drop Site that Khamenei was injured in the initial strikes of the war, but declined to comment on the extent of his injuries.
* **Iranian Red Crescent says over 21,700 civilian sites hit during war: **The head of the Iranian Red Crescent [said][18] more than 21,720 civilian sites have been targeted during attacks on the country by the U.S. and Israel, including 17,353 residential units, 4,122 commercial properties, and 160 medical centers. The organization also said 69 schools and 16 Red Crescent branches were struck, and that 21 rescue vehicles and 19 ambulances were targeted. According to the group, one Red Crescent worker was killed and seven were injured. Across the broader medical sector, 12 healthcare workers have been killed and 78 have been wounded.
* **Khamenei vows to keep Hormuz closed and promises revenge:** In his first address to the country on Thursday, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei [vowed][19] to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and promised “revenge” against the United States and Israel, saying in a statement read by a state TV presenter the “leverage of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used.” The 56-year-old cleric, chosen Sunday by the Assembly of Experts after the killing of his father at the start of the war, has not appeared publicly since the conflict began.
* **Brent crude tops $100 as Hormuz disruption continues: **Brent crude [closed][20] above $100 for the first time since July 2022 as the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil, remains largely closed. At least 16 vessels have been attacked in and near the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, according to the New York Times, with two of the most recent attacks targeting Iraqi tankers, causing the country to suspend operations at its oil export terminals on its southern ports. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC on Thursday that the U.S. military is currently “not ready” to escort oil tankers through the corridor, though officials say a U.S.-led multinational naval coalition could begin planned escorts later this month or in early April.
* **Drone strike hits tourist camp on Iran’s Qeshm Island, killing three civilians:** A U.S.-Israeli drone strike [hit][21] a tourist camp on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, killing three and injuring another, according to the island’s police commander. The island was also struck five days earlier when U.S.-Israeli forces hit a desalination plant, an attack authorities said disrupted water supplies to roughly 30 villages.
* **Israel targets Basij checkpoints in Tehran:** Israel [said][22] its air force struck Basij militia checkpoints and officers across Tehran after claiming the units were setting up roadblocks around the capital, vowing to continue attacks aimed at damaging “the Iranian regime’s core systems and foundations.” The Basij is a volunteer paramilitary force that operates under the IRGC. Iranian state media reported that at least ten Basij officers were killed in drone strikes over the past day.
* **Six U.S. crew members die after refueler crashes in Iraq: **All six crew members aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have been confirmed dead, [according][23] to U.S. Central Command. CENTCOM said the accident occurred in airspace controlled by friendly forces. CENTCOM added that the crash “was not caused by enemy or friendly fire,” though further details have not yet been released. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the attack.
* **Drone attacks hit Iraqi army positions near Makhmour, killing a French soldier**: A drone attack struck Iraqi army positions in the Makhmour district of Nineveh province, which Iraqi authorities [said][24] involved four drones. French President Emmanuel Macron later announced that a French soldier stationed at the joint Peshmerga-French base was killed in the attack, marking the first French fatality since the start of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. At least six other French soldiers were wounded in the strike.
* **Two killed in Oman: **Two people were killed in Oman on Friday after the downing of a drone in Sohar province, according to Oman’s state news agency.
* **IRGC says it struck U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain**: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [said][25] its navy launched two waves of missile and drone strikes early Friday targeting the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet at Mina Salman port in Manama, Bahrain. The IRGC claimed the attack struck anti-drone systems, drone storage depots, fuel tanks, support equipment, and areas where U.S. personnel were gathered, using one-way attack drones along with cruise and ballistic missiles. The statement added that “by God’s grace, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed.”
* **Debris from aerial interception sparks fire in Dubai industrial district: **Authorities [said][26] Friday that a fire broke out in an industrial district of Dubai after debris fell following what officials described as a successful aerial interception. The falling fragments damaged the exterior of a building in central Dubai and sent heavy smoke over parts of the skyline. Officials said no injuries were reported.
* **IRGC claims missile and drone strike damaged USS Abraham Lincoln, while U.S. says it fired on a vessel that got “too close”**: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [claimed][27] early Friday that a missile and drone attack caused significant damage to the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier during operations in the region, according to a report from Anadolu. The U.S. [said it fired][28] on a vessel that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln “earlier this week” and it is not clear whether the account is of the same incident. The USS Abraham Lincoln is a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that has long supported U.S. operations in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.
* **U.S. temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian oil already at sea:** The Trump administration [announced][29] on Thursday that it will temporarily allow shipments of Russian oil already at sea to reach global buyers as part of its efforts to stabilize surging energy prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the exemption, in place until April 11, could release roughly 130 million barrels into the market and help curb the soaring prices of Brent crude. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday criticized the U.S. decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil. “Six members of the G7 expressed a very clear view that this is not the right signal to send,” Merz said.
# Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 687, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The number of paramedics killed has risen to 18, with 45 wounded, since March 2.
* **Israeli strikes hit multiple sites across Lebanon:**
* At least eight people were killed and nine wounded in an Israeli attack on a residential building in Saida, southern Lebanon, on Friday, according to the state-run National News Agency.
* At least two people were also killed in a strike on the town of Qalila in southern Lebanon, with at least two others still missing under the rubble.
* On Thursday evening, Israeli strikes [hit][30] at least four locations across Beirut, including Saint-Therese in the southern suburbs, Zoqaq al-Blat in central Beirut, Bachoura near Downtown Beirut, and the Faculty of Sciences at the Lebanese University in Hadath.
* An Israeli drone strike on the campus killed faculty director Hussein Bazzi and professor Mortada Srour as they stood in the courtyard, in what officials say is the first direct strike on a university during the current escalation. The Israeli military [admitted][31] it conducted the strike and claimed without evidence that Srour was a Hezbollah operative.
* **Eight members of a single family killed in Israeli strike:** Eight members of a single family from Tyre were [killed][32] in a recent Israeli strike, according to local reporting cited by Sahat news. The father, who returned after the attack, said the blast left multiple family members dismembered, including his five-year-old daughter, whose body he said had been torn apart.
* **Israel’s defense minister admits attacking Lebanese infrastructure:** An Israeli strike on Friday targeted a bridge over the Litani River, a major crossing point between northern and southern Lebanon. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said afterwards, “This is just the beginning.” He added, “The Lebanese government, which misled and failed to fulfill its commitment to disarm Hezbollah, will pay an increasing price through strikes on Lebanese national infrastructure.”
* **Lebanon nearing displacement “breaking point”: **Lebanon is approaching “a breaking point,” as displacement accelerates, with one in every seven people uprooted from their homes, [according][33] to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). At least 816,000 people have been displaced since March 2, according to official figures. Israel’s evacuation orders have now engulfed 1,470 square kilometres, or 14 percent of Lebanon. “The scale of destruction and displacement is increasing with every passing hour,” Maureen Philippon, NRC Country Director in Lebanon, said in a statement. “This indiscriminate bombing must stop.”
* **Missile strike in northern Israel: **Nearly 30 people were [injured][34] in the Israeli village of Zarzir after Hezbollah said it fired a rocket salvo at northern Israel near the Lebanon border.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **IDF drops indictment against soldiers accused of sexually abusing Palestinian detainee:** Israel’s Military Advocate General Itay Offir has [canceled][35] the indictment against five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military detention facility, citing evidentiary and procedural problems, according to The Jerusalem Post. The soldiers were accused of sodomizing the detainee with a sharp object, and medical reports found fractured ribs, chest trauma, and a perforated rectum requiring surgery. Video of the assault was leaked by the former military advocate, who was later forced to resign. Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed Thursday’s decision, calling the case a “blood libel against IDF soldiers” and saying the military legal system should protect troops “who engage heroically in war.”
* **Israel deepens restrictions on aid entering Gaza:** Israel is exploiting the war with Iran to deepen Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, with aid deliveries falling to 30% of required levels and transfers of critically ill patients out of the enclave halted, according to Ultra Palestine. Amjad al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza, told Ultra Palestine that the Rafah crossing remains fully closed, while Kerem Shalom is operating only partially, allowing about 200 trucks daily instead of the 600 required under the humanitarian protocol. The UN said food distributions had been cut in half due to aid disruptions, while hospitals face growing generator failures due to shortages of spare parts and oil, and that 23,000 suspected infection cases linked to insect infestations were recorded last month.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][36].*
* **Attack on synagogue in Michigan: **Ayman Ghazali, the man who rammed a truck loaded with explosives into a Michigan synagogue yesterday, lost several members of his family in an Israeli air strike on the town of Mashgara in Lebanon, Ryan Grim [reports][37]. Ghazali was killed after driving through the doors of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, law enforcement sources told news outlets. No injuries or deaths were reported as a result of the attack, according to officials from the synagogue. A source close to the family told Drop Site that Ghazali posted photos of his brothers, niece, and nephew on WhatsApp the night before the attack.
* **ROTC instructor killed in shooting at Old Dominion University investigated as terrorism:** An Army Lieutenant Colonel and ROTC instructor, Brandon A. Shah, was [killed][38], and two other U.S. Army personnel were wounded in an attack at Old Dominion University in Virginia on Thursday, which authorities are now investigating as a potential act of terrorism. The suspected gunman, Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a 36-year-old former Army National Guard member previously convicted on terrorism-related charges, was also killed after the attack in an ROTC classroom shortly before 11 a.m., according to federal officials. Investigators said Jalloh had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State and had been released from prison in 2024.
* **AIPAC spends over $15M on four Illinois House races: **The race in Illinois’s Ninth Congressional District has narrowed to a contest between progressive candidates Daniel Biss, the mayor of Evanston, and political newcomer Kat Abughazaleh. Super PACs, however, have spent heavily on the campaign of state senator Laura Fine, who has received nearly $4 million from AIPAC-backed groups. Illinois’s Democratic primary is March 17. More on the state of the race in IL-09 is at The American Prospect [here][39]—and more on the dark money in Illinois’s House races is available [from local reporter Matthew Eadie here][40].
* **Federal prosecutor Jay Clayton holds investments tied to cases he oversees:** Jay Clayton, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and President Donald Trump’s pick for the post, holds more than $1.6 million in investments in companies that could be affected by investigations his office is handling, according to ethics disclosures reviewed by The Lever. Clayton maintains large holdings in Apollo Global Management, where he served as board chairman, as well as stakes in major banks linked to congressional probes into Jeffrey Epstein and in oil companies that could benefit from potential changes in Venezuela’s energy sector. Clayton is in charge of the investigation into Epstein and the DOJ’s case against Nicholas Maduro. The full report on Clayton’s potential conflicts of interest is available from The Lever, [here][41].
* **Colorado meatpackers: **3,800 meatpacking workers for JBS in Colorado are [set to strike ][42]on Monday, the first major labor strike in the meatpacking industry in decades. The workers’ contract expired in July; the United Food and Commercials Workers Local 7, said it had met with the company over two dozen times in an attempt to reach a new agreement.
# Other International News
* **China mediates to ease Pakistan-Afghanistan fighting: **China’s mediation between Afghanistan and Pakistan in their ongoing conflict has been effective, [according to Reuters][43]. While daily clashes continue along the 2,600-kilometer border, Pakistani airstrikes appear to have halted, and ground fighting has tapered as China’s special envoy shuttles between the two countries, urging a return to negotiations. Three Pakistani officials told Reuters that Chinese outreach has helped to reduce the fighting, the worst between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
* **Sudanese army drone strike kills four civilians at border market: **Four people were [killed][44] when a Sudanese Armed Forces drone struck fuel reserves at the Adikong market near the Sudan-Chad frontier, triggering explosions that burned the victims to death. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that 23 injured civilians—including four women and seven children under 15—were treated at an MSF-supported hospital in Adré, Chad. MSF said the strike was the second deadly drone attack in Adikong in less than a month, warning that civilians continue to bear the brunt of Sudan’s war. Earlier Thursday, the UN reported that drone strikes in Sudan had killed more than 200 civilians since March 4. UN officials also warned the conflict is spreading into White Nile state south of Khartoum, where RSF drone attacks have struck schools, clinics, and power infrastructure.”
* **Senegal passes harsh anti-LGBTQ law: **Senegal’s parliament has passed a law that would impose up to 10 years in prison for same-sex relations and criminalize the “promotion of homosexuality.” The bill passed overwhelmingly with 135 votes in favor, none against, and three abstentions, and now awaits the signature of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
* **South Africa summons new U.S. ambassador over criticism: **South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola summoned newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Leo Brent Bozell III after he publicly criticized the country’s policies, including its ties with Iran, affirmative action laws addressing apartheid-era inequality, and a land reform law allowing expropriation without compensation. Bozell also condemned a court ruling allowing the controversial “Kill the Boer” chant, calling it hate speech. Tensions between Washington and Pretoria remained high after the expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador from Washington and U.S. moves to exclude the country from G20 meetings.
* **Somalia warns against Israeli military base in Somaliland:** Somalia’s government [warned][45] Thursday that its territory cannot be used for foreign military operations after reports that Israel is considering establishing a base in the breakaway region of Somaliland near the strategic port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar told Al Jazeera that only Somalia’s federal government has the authority to approve foreign military arrangements. (For background, read Drop Site’s report on how Israel’s [recognition of Somaliland][46] is sowing conflict.)
* **Russia says Ukrainian drone strike killed eight medics in Donetsk: **Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that eight medics were killed and 10 people wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack earlier this week on a medical facility in the Donetsk region, which is largely controlled by Russian forces, according to [Reuters][47]. The ministry claimed the facility had never been used for military purposes. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the allegation, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the incident.
* **Cuba confirms “sensitive dialogue” with U.S.:** Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel [confirmed][48] that officials from Cuba and the United States have recently held conversations aimed at resolving their longstanding differences. The announcement by Díaz-Canel is the first official confirmation from Cuba that official talks with the U.S. were happening, following weeks of rumors and comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were in contact with Havana.
* **French UN staffer killed in drone strike in Goma:** French UN humanitarian worker Karine Buisset, 54, was killed in a drone strike in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, along with two civilians early Wednesday morning, the UN said. The drone struck a residential building in the Himbi district, an area housing many aid workers and expatriates. Security sources cited by AFP said the strike may have been aimed at M23 figures in the neighborhood but hit the residence by mistake. Local media reports said a second drone targeting Corneille Nangaa, political coordinator of the AFC alliance aligned with M23, fell into Lake Kivu. M23 blamed the Congolese army, and the government said it would investigate.
# More from Drop Site
* **Ryan Grim **[asked][49] Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) whether his support for Trump’s Iran war has anything to do with his [ownership of an arms trafficking company][50]. Mills, who currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee (specifically as Chairman of the Oversight and Intelligence Subcommittee), co-founded PACEM Solutions International and PACEM Defense, which manufacture and distribute munitions, including high-explosive grenades. He claimed today to have divested from the companies, but later backtracked on that assertion.
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[1]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116219996530067941
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032144663340040461
[3]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/first-remarks-mojtaba-khamenei-vows-revenge-holds-firm-hormuz-closure
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032216364337778773
[5]: https://x.com/centcom/status/2032389087491985700?s=12
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032246495957631080
[7]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/us/politics/trump-russia-oil-sanctions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.S1A.DRxa.X5wRjcuUnGs6&smid=nytcore-ios-share
[8]: https://www.nrc.no/news/2026/lebanon-one-in-seven-displaced-1500-square-kilometres-under-evacuation-orders
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032128917801181514
[10]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2032204336244171027?s=20
[11]: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-mediation-eases-fighting-between-pakistan-afghanistan-sources-say-2026-03-12/
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032260206780965178
[13]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-says-eight-medics-killed-ukrainian-drone-attack-donetsk-region-2026-03-12/
[14]: http://cubaminrex.cu/en/remarks-first-secretary-communist-party-cuba-and-president-republic-miguel-diaz-canel-bermudez
[15]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-ministry-of-intelligence-israel-infiltration-spies
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[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032216364337778773
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032150901197033866
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032183363851702355
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[27]: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iran-s-irgc-says-uss-abraham-lincoln-aircraft-carrier-sustained-heavy-damage-in-attack/3862531
[28]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-fired-at-iranian-vessel-that-approached-aircraft-carrier-officials-say/
[29]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/us/politics/trump-russia-oil-sanctions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.S1A.DRxa.X5wRjcuUnGs6&smid=nytcore-ios-share
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032165052392878282
[31]: https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2032395880410587471
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032230550958637507
[33]: https://www.nrc.no/news/2026/lebanon-one-in-seven-displaced-1500-square-kilometres-under-evacuation-orders
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[38]: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/gunman-dead-2-people-injured-shooting-old-dominion-university-rcna263189
[39]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/13/progressives-fight-aipac-congress-illinois-biss-fine-abughazaleh/
[40]: https://evanstonnow.com/dark-money-balloons-as-election-day-nears/
[41]: https://www.levernews.com/the-wall-street-prosecutor-with-a-portfolio-problem/
[42]: https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/workers-plan-strike-jbs/
[43]: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-mediation-eases-fighting-between-pakistan-afghanistan-sources-say-2026-03-12/
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032260206780965178
[45]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/12/somalia-warns-against-any-israeli-base-plans-on-somaliland
[46]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/mogadishu-hargeisa-somalia-somaliland-israel-recognition-uae
[47]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-says-eight-medics-killed-ukrainian-drone-attack-donetsk-region-2026-03-12/
[48]: http://cubaminrex.cu/en/remarks-first-secretary-communist-party-cuba-and-president-republic-miguel-diaz-canel-bermudez
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032237847500218530
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2026-03-13 14:05:31 UTC

Behind the Bombs, New Details Emerge on Iran’s Infiltration of Israel
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A motorcycle drives past a lone restaurant serving pizza that is still open while people sit outside on February 28, 2026 in Tel Aviv, Israel after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran. Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images.
On Sunday, March 1, a day after launching the war on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entreated the Iranian people to overthrow their government, pledging that the U.S. and Israel would strike thousands of sites across Iran to weaken its hold on power. “Do not sit idle, because your moment will arrive soon. The moment when you must take to the streets, come to the streets in your millions to finish the job, to overthrow the regime of terror that has embittered your lives,” Netanyahu declared. “Now is the time to unite your forces to overthrow the regime and secure your future.”
That urging of Iranians to action was echoed by President Donald Trump, who told them: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations.”
The joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is the culmination of a decadeslong campaign spearheaded by Netanyahu and waged by powerful forces within Israel’s intelligence, military and political machine. Trump’s canceling of the 2015 nuclear deal and the intensification of economic sanctions morphed, in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, into an open campaign of periodic military attacks against Iran, with the U.S. finally declaring openly that it wanted the government in Tehran toppled.
For Israel, the widespread Iranian protests in January presented a grand opportunity. Though the peaceful demonstrations were spurred by worsening economic conditions and the collapse of the national currency—caused largely by U.S.-led sanctions—within days the dynamic shifted dramatically. Violent riots broke out, and Trump and Netanyahu issued public calls for an uprising to seize control of the country. The situation was viewed by Iranian officials as an armed insurrection backed by Israel and aimed at toppling the state. Amid peaceful protests, reports emerged of organized cells inside Iran who launched deadly attacks on Iranian police, mosques, and civilian infrastructure.
The narrative of foreign involvement was endorsed by some Israeli commentators, as well as former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who claimed that Mossad agents were on the ground helping to organize the uprising. The riots were crushed with intense brutality by Iranian authorities. But the violence provided a prime opportunity for Netanyahu to press his case for war, wrapped in a veneer of freeing the Iranian people and eliminating a terrorist theocracy intent on building and using a nuclear bomb.
As the war nears the end of its second week, Trump has sidelined his talk of Iranian liberation. He routinely dismisses the idea that the son of the deposed Shah could take over, has said he is open to a religious leader ruling Iran, and declared that he prefers to have Iran’s head of state come from within the current system—a leader Trump said should be “internal and eternal.”
Netanyahu, however, is continuing to emphasize Israel’s goal of shattering the Iranian state as it exists after the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “The Ayatollah is no more, and I know you don’t want him replaced with another tyrant. So you must act,” Netanyahu wrote in a [post on X][3] addressed to the “People of Iran” on March 10. “In the coming days we will create the conditions for you to grasp your destiny. Your dreams will become a reality. When the time is right, and that time is fast approaching, we will pass the torch to you. Be ready to seize the moment!”
Israel has long waged a shadow war inside Iran, employing a mixture of covert operations, assassinations, coercion, and psychological messaging aimed at engineering the government’s collapse. The Israeli campaign to infiltrate and undermine Iranian society has included recruiting individual Iranians to carry out influence operations as well as large-scale psychological operations [involving][4] anti-government Persian-language media networks.
This is well established. Far less is known about Iran’s secret operations inside Israel, and its ongoing clandestine battles with Israeli intelligence.
Drop Site News has obtained internal Iranian intelligence briefing summaries, photos, and other materials related to secret influence operations targeting Israeli citizens. Iranian intelligence has carried out a series of small-scale active measures for the past three years in an attempt to foment social division inside Israel and build relationships with individual Israeli citizens. Drop Site also spoke to two Iranian officials, one of them an intelligence operative who worked directly on the program, and granted them anonymity to discuss the operations because they are not officially authorized to confirm or deny the program’s existence.
“A shadow war has been underway for years between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other,” one of the Iranian officials told Drop Site. “Regarding operations of this nature, no responsibility has ever been officially claimed nor is it likely to be,” he added. “No country openly speaks about them.”
Over the past two years, roughly three dozen Israeli citizens have been arrested on charges of carrying out espionage and influence operations inside Israel on behalf of the Iranian government. The charges have mostly involved surveillance and vandalism—though some have risen to the level of attempted violence against selected targets. In 2025, Israel witnessed a 400% increase in suspected and confirmed cases of Israelis performing espionage related activities for Iranian intelligence, according to a report by the Dor Moriah Analytical Center, an Israeli think tank.
The Israeli government has made a concerted effort to control information during the current war and requires that all reports pertaining to national security be reviewed by a military censor. It has also begun suppressing footage of Iranian ballistic missile strikes in the country—footage of which was widely disseminated during the 2025 conflict and impacted public opinion at home and abroad about the course of the war.
The intelligence materials, which represent the first internal Iranian confirmation of such covert operations within Israel, show handlers inside the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) recruiting individuals living in Israel to share political messages in public places—including banners and placards containing domestic political messages and stylized insignia from the Islamic Republic. The contacts span from the outbreak of judicial reform protests in Israel in 2023 through the genocide in the Gaza Strip.
The degree to which Israel and Iran have utilized their clandestine networks to aid their current war aims is unknown. An unnamed senior Israeli official [told][5] the Wall Street Journal on March 12 that Israel is receiving targeting assistance from “ordinary Iranians”—via Israeli social media accounts—that has been used in strikes against Iranian security forces. Likewise, the Iranian intelligence official told Drop Site, “some of the targets being struck within [Israel] are dynamic targets that have been identified in recent days. These targets are collected by MOIS through its local contacts.” The official declined to offer any specifics.
An Iranian man walks under a display featuring a logo of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence in the historic city of Isfahan, Iran, on February 20, 2025. Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
## **Iran’s Covert Efforts**
The officials who spoke to Drop Site described Iran’s activities as a parallel campaign to Israel’s—what one of the officials termed a “reciprocal measure” to exert influence inside Israel by seeking to enlist ordinary Israelis in disruption operations. But relative to the size, scope, and lethality of Israel’s operations—and its proven ability to accentuate unrest or conduct assassinations inside Iran—the actions described by the Iranian officials are modest.
“Foreign actors linked to Israeli intelligence services had, over time, established contact—through various social media platforms and under diverse cover identities—with a significant number of Iranian citizens, particularly young people,” said the Iranian official who shared the materials. “These contacts encouraged and incentivized the performance of specific tasks through a combination of financial and non-financial rewards, as well as the provision of material support, including small arms and other equipment.”
Among the materials shown to Drop Site are social media groups established by MOIS agents, intelligence reports detailing the cultivation of Israeli assets, operational summaries of the activities of Israelis recruited by Iranian spies and scores of photographs of propaganda posters, leaflets, T-shirts and other materials the assets distributed on behalf of Iran.
The materials date back to mid-2023 and extend through early 2026. The officials said that the Iranian influence campaign began as retaliatory actions amid the outbreak of protests in Iran in 2022 following the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini in police custody. According to witnesses, she was arrested for not wearing a head cover and severely beaten. Iranian authorities claimed she died [because of an underlying condition][6].
Hundreds of people died when security forces sought to crush the demonstrations, along with dozens of members of the police and Basij militia. Iranian intelligence operatives internally concluded that some of the violence was being encouraged and facilitated by Israeli operatives, according to the sources. “Foreign actors linked to Israeli intelligence services had, over time, established contact—through various social media platforms and under diverse cover identities—with a significant number of Iranian citizens, particularly young people,” the Iranian intelligence official alleged. These Israeli handlers, he said, “encouraged and incentivized the performance of specific tasks through a combination of financial and non-financial rewards, as well as the provision of material support, including small arms and other equipment.”
Iranian intelligence agents, according to the two officials, studied the tactics of the alleged Israeli-orchestrated influence efforts and embarked on an operation to expand their targeting of Israeli citizens for recruitment.
In June 2023, Haaretz [reported][7] on the existence of an astroturfed campaign inside Israel related to judicial reform protests under the tagline “No Voice.” The report described the display of banners that authorities suspected were created by Iran. At the time, the Shin Bet told Haaretz that it had “recently identified Iranian influence activity on social media in Israel, whose purpose is to exacerbate the social and political rifts in Israel over the entire political spectrum.”
The internal materials provided to Drop Site include evidence of Iran’s role in the “No Voice” campaign, as well as video and photographic documentation of other limited activities by the MOIS inside Israel—including display of seditious messages in public spaces for broadcast on social media, and photographing of public sites. In some cases, activist groups created and promoted on Facebook succeeded in drawing small numbers of people for public demonstrations that were later filmed. Photos of these materials were later sent back as evidence to handlers in Iran. The materials do not provide information on specific Israelis involved in the operations and obscured the identities of participants.
*Image of anti-Netanyahu protest materials in Israel reportedly created by Iranian intelligence including QR code for a social media page created by MOIS. Obtained by Drop Site.*
After Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza, the Iranian intelligence officers said they sought to infiltrate Israeli demonstrations calling on the government to make a deal with Hamas and secure the return of Israeli captives held in Gaza.
In some images and videos of protests provided to Drop Site, individuals whose faces have been obscured can be seen holding up signs in Hebrew while others depict banners displayed in public areas—including draped on apartment balconies—with messages expressing support for Israeli captives, or criticism of the Netanyahu government.
While such banners have been common in Israel during protests, Iranian intelligence created custom designs for their assets to mass produce and distribute that included discretely embedded signatures visible in the materials showing the logo of the MOIS, or stylized depictions of former Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the U.S. at Baghdad airport in a drone strike ordered by Trump in January 2020.
Other photographs show images of individuals at protest rallies in Israel wearing T-shirts with the same images and holding them up for the camera. In one video of a protest outside a Tel Aviv police station, a group of demonstrators can be seen chanting and displaying Israeli flags while being filmed from above with a drone whose footage Iranian intelligence claims was later provided to them by a source inside Israel.
Following videotaped instances of police brutality against protestors in Israel, the Iranian intelligence operative claimed that Tehran’s Israeli assets were instructed to promote videos that identified specific Israeli police officers on Hebrew-language social media channels in order to create “a shame campaign” against the officers and increase public criticism of the police. The broader effort employed social media pages and personas in an effort “to ensure that the protests would continue in a sustained manner.” While the Iranian officials provided documentary evidence of their involvement in some small protests, organically organized political demonstrations are not unusual in Israel.
*Banners created by MOIS and displayed on public buildings in Israel. The bottom left corner displays stylized signatures or images of Qassem Soleimani and the bottom right corner a QR code for a social media page created by the MOIS. Photos of some signs were later posted on Israeli social media and shared in news reports. Obtained by Drop Site.*
In some cases, the Iranian officials claimed, Israelis enlisted in these operations believed they were being paid by Jewish Americans concerned about the fate of the captives in Gaza or angered by the Netanyahu government’s policies. The payments, they said, were made in cryptocurrency, though they declined to give specific amounts paid.
“The missions assigned via WhatsApp from the other side gradually took on a different tone and flavor,” the Iranian intelligence official alleged. He said the “missions” would begin as printing leaflets or stickers and then moved to helping to “organize a rally in front of [Israeli President Isaac] Herzog’s house and protest Netanyahu’s war crimes as well as his indifference to the fate of Israeli captives in Gaza.”
## **From Surveillance to Violent Attacks**
Although the materials shared with Drop Site point to mostly small-scale activities in comparison to Israel’s demonstrated ability to recruit individuals inside Iran to carry out [complex, violent attacks][8], the wider phenomenon of Iranian infiltration inside Israel has evolved into a notable issue within Israel.
One recent case in which an Israeli was charged with carrying out surveillance on behalf of Iran (though not directly referenced in the Iranian materials shared with Drop Site) involves an Israeli citizen named Yosef Ein Eli, 23.
Eli was arrested last September, accused of providing handlers based in Iran with information and photographs from hotels and tourist sites in southern Israel, for which he was provided the equivalent of roughly $3,000 in cryptocurrency. The operations were intended to be a step up the escalatory ladder, Israeli authorities claim. Eli had allegedly been cooperating with Iran since late 2024 and had been assigned further tasks by his handlers—including arson attacks, surveillance of political figures, and providing identifying information about IDF soldiers.
Since 2024, Israel has handed down nearly three dozen indictments of Israelis accused of espionage-related activities for Iran, though only one person has been sentenced. Israeli officials have been pressuring prosecutors to move these cases toward convictions and sentencing, in part to serve as a deterrent. “There needs to be harsher and faster punishment,” a security official told [Israel’s YNet][9] in January. “If people saw that defendants immediately received 10-year sentences, that alone would deter others.”
Prosecutions in Israel dealing with national security are covered by a state censor and only cases “cleared for publication” are permitted to be disclosed to the public, leading to ambiguity about the scale and detail of the allegations involved in many cases.
But the incidents have become serious and widespread enough that Israeli officials [launched][10] a national advertising campaign last year to urge citizens against spying for Iran, with messages warning members of the public, “For 5,000 shekels is it worth ruining your life/family?”
“In the past, Iranian intelligence was believed to work exclusively with marginal elements of society,” according to the Dor Moriah Analytics Center report. “Now, those arrested include mainstream Israelis—active-duty military personnel, students at religious seminaries, and even ideologically motivated citizens acting not just for money but out of conviction. Notably, it was Jewish citizens, rather than the Arab minority, who made up the bulk of Iran’s agent network.”
The report also highlighted several individuals from economically marginalized sectors of Jewish Israeli society and the Druze community who have been accused of conducting espionage for Iran, including surveillance activities on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for payment. There are even cases of individuals acting out of ideological hostility to Zionism, including an American-Israeli dual citizen from the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic sect who allegedly conducted surveillance and provided Iran with intelligence on former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
Israeli reservists have also been arrested, accused by authorities of transmitting photos of the Iron Dome missile defense system to Iran in exchange for small cash payments. In one case, a military base used by the IDF’s Golani Brigades was reportedly [surveilled by a group of Israeli agents][11] working for Iran before being struck by a Hezbollah drone in an attack that killed four soldiers. The same network—all Jewish immigrants to Israel from Azerbaijan—allegedly carried out hundreds of missions over two years, including surveillance of the Nevatim and Ramat David airbases.
In another case, an Israeli man who had allegedly conducted several missions for Iran was also accused of trying to assassinate an Israeli scientist for a promised payment of $100,000. He was apprehended by the Shin Bet in October 2024 while attempting to retrieve a handgun intended for the murder from a “dead drop” location.
## **“Everyone is free to guess”**
There are clear hints that the clandestine war between Israel and Iran has continued during the current war—including dissemination of rumors targeted at rival populations online and via media channels influenced by both Tel Aviv and Tehran, as well as threats of future uprisings and infiltration by Israel inside Iran.
The Iranian government blames Israel for helping incite disorder and violence inside Iran via its own covert operations, including widespread violence during nationwide demonstrations in January that killed thousands of people. International human rights organizations have characterized the death toll as more than double the official Iranian claims of 3,100 dead and charged that the vast majority of deaths occurred at the hands of Iranian forces attacking largely peaceful demonstrators. Iran has characterized the violence as the product of an Israeli-led terror campaign aimed at sparking an uprising.
“Go out into the streets together. The time has come. We are with you. Not just from a distance or through words. We are also with you on the ground,” read a post on a Farsi language site widely believed to be linked to Mossad. It was subsequently deleted and some Israeli security analysts argued that boasting of Israeli involvement could undermine the efforts to destabilize the Iranian government.
“Foreign actors are arming the protesters in Iran with live firearms, which is the reason for the hundreds of regime personnel killed,” wrote Tamir Morag, the diplomatic correspondent for Israel’s Channel 14, during the uprising. “Everyone is free to guess who is behind it.” Morag and his network are well known for their close ties to Netanyahu.
“There is already an operation. There is currently a very significant U.S. influence operation,” said Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman, former chief of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, in an interview with Israeli radio on January 13.
On February 24, four days before the U.S. attack on Iran began, the CIA issued a Farsi-language [public communication][12] asking Iranians to make contact with them to provide intelligence and other cooperation via encrypted channels. “Hello. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) can hear your voice and wants to help you,” the post on X read. It included a video explaining how to use software to send messages to the Agency.
In the face of mounting instability, global economic shock, and continuing Iranian missile and drone strikes, Trump has increasingly hinted that he wants the war to wrap up soon. Israeli and U.S. media are reporting that internal intelligence assessments indicate it is unlikely the Iranian government will be brought down by force alone. “You can lead someone to water; you cannot make him drink,” Netanyahu said on March 12, in his first press conference since the war began. He boasted that the military attacks of the past two weeks had weakened Iran with “crushing blows,” but added, “ultimately, a regime is ousted from within.”
When the bombs do stop falling, the battle will shift back to the shadow war.
When asked why Iranian officials were willing to discuss details of their clandestine efforts in Israel with Drop Site, one of the officials said that, in light of recent Israeli involvement in protests inside Iran, it “is a deliberate reminder that [we] too possess the capability to manipulate citizens on the Israeli side and carry out reciprocal actions.” Iranian intelligence, he claimed, is “indeed proceeding with precisely such operations against them.”
[Leave a comment][13]
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[3]: https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2031452019861459240
[4]: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2025-07-07/ty-article-magazine/.premium/not-on-israels-target-list-the-iranian-tv-channel-challenging-tehran/00000197-e5e9-d615-ab9f-edebc1f40000
[5]: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/us-israel-iran-war-2026/card/israel-relying-on-ordinary-iranians-for-drone-strike-targets-cG5TorYxcFvRCJlbFnDq
[6]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/7/iranian-coroner-denies-mahsa-amini-died-from-blows-to-body
[7]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-06-18/ty-article-magazine/.premium/iranian-influence-groups-are-attempting-to-deepen-social-rifts-in-israel/00000188-c4db-dd1d-ad98-cddb4d2f0000
[8]: https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-iran-war-mossad-iranian-recruits
[9]: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1q8karv11g?
[10]: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/national-advertising-blitz-urges-israelis-not-spy-iran-2025-07-16/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[11]: https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/defense/article/16645061
[12]: https://x.com/CIA/status/2026315891055436079
[13]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-ministry-of-intelligence-israel-infiltration-spies/comments
[14]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-ministry-of-intelligence-israel-infiltration-spies?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-ministry-of-intelligence-israel-infiltration-spies

2026-03-12 15:04:15 UTC

UN says 3.2 million displaced in Iran; 40+ senators press Hegseth over Iran school bombing; Drone strikes in Sudan kill dozens of civilians
*U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for thirteenth day. UN: 3.2 million [displaced][1] in Iran. Satellite imagery [shows][2] new strike damage at Iran’s Taleghan-2 site. U.S. intelligence [says][3] Iran’s leadership remains stable. Iran [says][4] drones struck Israeli intelligence and missile-defense sites. Iranian officials [say][5] ports operating normally. Citibank [closes][6] branches in the UAE. Strike on Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces in Anbar [kills][7] at least 31. Drone strike [hits][8] fuel storage tanks at Oman’s Salalah port. Bahrain [hit][9] once again, and foreign riot police deployed to put down domestic unrest. Iran [denies][10] FBI claim of potential drone attack from Mexican territory. Iran [outlines][11] conditions it says are needed to end the war, as President Donald Trump [claims][12] war will end soon. Israeli strikes across Lebanon [kill][13] dozens. Israel [issues][14] sweeping displacement order to residents south of Zahrani River. Hezbollah
[launches][15] major rocket barrage toward northern Israel. Israel [strikes][16] Gaza City. Spain permanently [withdraws][17] ambassador to Israel. U.S. to [release][18] 172 million barrels from strategic reserve. Dozens of senators [sign][19] letter to War Secretary Pete Hegseth calling for answers on deadly Iran school bombing. First week of Iran war cost U.S. over $11B. U.S. to permanently [close][20] consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan. Two drone strikes on [school][21] and [funeral convoy][22] in Sudan kill at least 57. Drone strike in rebel-held Goma [kills][23] UNICEF aid worker and two civilians. Russia weighs 10% budget [cuts][24] as oil revenues fall despite Iran war price spike.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **Rescue Efforts in Tehran After a Triple Strike Hit Apartment Buildings, Killing 40, Mahmoud Aslan [reports][25] from Tehran. **NEW [POLL][26]** from Drop Site/Zeteo/D4P finds many Americans believe the Iran War is linked to Epstein scandal and expect political fallout.
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Texas after speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite an immigration judge twice ruling that she is eligible for release. Drop Site joins the IMEU Policy Project, MPower Action, Jewish Voice for Peace ACT, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action in calling for her immediate release. **The link below allows users to send emails and make calls to their member of Congress on Leqaa’s behalf:**
[CALL FOR LEQAA KORDIA'S RELEASE][27]
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Iranians collect belongings from a damaged residential building in Tehran following U.S-Israeli airstrikes, on March 12, 2026. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for thirteenth day: **Multiple airstrikes hit Tehran on Thursday—the thirteenth day of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The Israeli military said Thursday that it carried out a “wave of extensive strikes” targeting Iranian government infrastructure.
* **UN: 3.2 million displaced in Iran: **The UN refugee agency UNHCR [said][29] on Thursday that up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the war. “This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs,” UNHCR said in a statement. It added most have fled from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas.
* **Satellite imagery shows new strike damage at Iran’s Taleghan-2 site: **New satellite images [appear][30] to show serious damage done to the layer of earth covering the roof of the Taleghan-2 facility inside Iran’s Parchin military complex—a site linked to explosives and missile research. The facility was previously destroyed in an airstrike in 2024 and later rebuilt with reinforced concrete and soil, but the latest imagery suggests the hardened structure has been struck again. In a statement, the Israeli military acknowledged it hit the facility.
* **U.S. intelligence says Iran’s leadership remains stable: **U.S. intelligence assessments indicate Iran’s leadership remains largely intact and that its government is not at risk of collapse, despite nearly two weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to [Reuters][31]. A “multitude” of reports from intelligence agencies have furnished “consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger” of collapse, and that the government “retains control of the Iranian public.” The assessments also cast doubt on the ability of Iranian Kurdish militias to mount a sustained insurgency against the state.
* **Iran says drones struck Israeli intelligence and missile-defense sites: **Iranian drones targeted several Israeli military and intelligence facilities Wednesday, including the Aman military intelligence directorate, the Unit 8200 signals intelligence unit, the Green Pine missile-defense radar, and the submarine headquarters at the Haifa naval base, according to a [statement][32] from Iran’s military. Iranian officials said the strikes began early in the morning and lasted several hours.
* **Iran says ports operating normally: **Iranian shipping officials [said][33] on Wednesday that ports across the country remain fully operational and cargo traffic is continuing normally despite disruptions to regional shipping around the Strait of Hormuz. Masoud Polmeh, secretary general of the Iranian Shipping and Related Services Association, said vessels are loading and unloading goods, including bulk cargo, containers, and staple commodities, without restrictions. Tanker-tracking data from Kpler cited by the Wall Street Journal shows Iranian crude exports averaging about 2.1 million barrels per day over the past six days, with much of the oil bound for China and India aboard older “shadow fleet” tankers operating under sanctions or false flags.
* **Citibank closes branches in the UAE: **Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters [warned][34] people across the Gulf to avoid being within one kilometer of banks linked to the United States or Israel, saying such institutions could become targets after one of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran hit a Bank Sepah building. Iranian media reported bank employees were killed in the attack, which officials said hit a facility on Haqqani Highway where staff were working an emergency shift. Following the warning, Citigroup evacuated staff from its Dubai offices and employees at other firms in the Dubai International Financial Centre were also told to leave amid heightened security concerns. Citibank later announced it would be [closing][35] all but one of its branches in the UAE.
* **Russia evacuates additional workers from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant: **Russia’s state nuclear company Rosatom [said][36] Wednesday that 150 additional Russian employees have left Iran from the Bushehr nuclear power plant, exiting through Iran’s border with Armenia. Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev said about 450 Russian personnel remain at the facility, where Russia had been building two additional reactor units before construction was halted last week because of the war. Bushehr, Iran’s only operating nuclear power plant, has not been attacked, though Likhachev said the situation around the site remains “tense.”
* **Strike on Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces sites in Anbar kills at least 31: **At least 31 people were [killed][37] in strikes targeting sites belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) near the Akashat area of Anbar province, according to the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate. The attacks reportedly hit facilities of the PMF’s 19th Brigade, including a medical headquarters and battalion base, with aircraft allegedly returning to strike a medical center and ambulances as rescuers attempted to reach the wounded. The PMF, an umbrella force of militias formally integrated into Iraq’s armed forces, has been targeted in a series of recent U.S.-Israeli strikes.
* **More attacks in Iraq: **Drone attacks were [reported][38] late Wednesday in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. An intercepted drone fell near the Divan Hotel at the Saad Abdullah Conference Hall complex in Erbil. Also on Wednesday, two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were [attacked][39] inside Iraqi territorial waters, according to the Associated Press. Both vessels caught fire, though Iraqi authorities were able to successfully evacuate all 25 crew members from the two vessels. As of late Wednesday, fires remain ablaze on both ships.
* **Drone strike hits fuel storage tanks at Oman’s Salalah port: **Several drones [struck][40] fuel storage tanks at the port of Salalah in southern Oman, causing a large fire but no reported disruption to oil supplies or damage to merchant vessels, according to Omani state media and maritime security firm Ambrey. Iran denied any role in the attack, which a spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters [called][41] “highly suspicious.” Salalah is one of Oman’s main commercial and energy hubs on the Arabian Sea coast.
* **Bahrain hit once again, and foreign riot police deployed to put down domestic unrest:** Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior reported on Wednesday that an Iranian attack [hit][42] fuel tanks at a facility in the Muharraq Governorate, where Bahrain International Airport is located. Due to the persistent threat, Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs said it relocated several Gulf Air aircraft and cargo planes to alternative airports, including sites in Saudi Arabia, to ensure “continuity of operations.” Bahrain has also [brought][43] in anti-riot forces from Jordan, it was reported on Wednesday, as domestic unrest grows over the kingdom’s role in hosting U.S. forces used in the war with Iran. The move marks the first time since the 2011 Arab Spring that Bahrain has deployed foreign troops to help contain domestic unrest.
* **Iranian drones strike Dubai skyscraper: **Iranian drones [struck][44] Dubai overnight, hitting a skyscraper in the Creek Harbor development and sparking a fire that civil defense crews later contained, with no casualties reported. The strike followed the interception of two drones near Dubai International Airport a day earlier that injured four people.
* **Iranian drones strike Kuwait airport and power infrastructure: **Iranian drones [struck][45] infrastructure in Kuwait on Wednesday, hitting Kuwait International Airport and damaging facilities but causing no reported injuries, according to the country’s Civil Aviation Authority. Shrapnel from interception attempts also struck six power transmission lines, briefly causing limited outages nationwide, the Ministry of Electricity said.
* **U.N. Security Council condemns Iranian attacks on Gulf states in new resolution:** The U.N. Security Council [adopted][46] a resolution Wednesday condemning Iran’s attacks on Gulf Cooperation Council states and Jordan, with 13 votes in favor, and Russia and China abstaining. The resolution, presented by Bahrain and co-sponsored by 135 countries, said the strikes violate international law and threaten international peace and security, and condemned Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure. The measure did not reference the ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that have killed more than 1,300 civilians.
* **Iran denies FBI claim of potential drone attack from Mexican territory: **Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, [rejected][47] reports that Iran could launch drone attacks from Mexican territory, telling Drop Site News the allegation was “totally false.” The denial followed an ABC News report that the FBI warned California police Iran had “allegedly aspired” to launch a surprise drone attack from a vessel off the U.S. West Coast if the United States struck Iran.
* **Iran outlines conditions it says are needed to end the war: **Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian [said][48] ending the war would require recognition of Iran’s “legitimate rights,” payment of reparations, and firm international guarantees against future aggression. He said he conveyed this position during talks with the leaders of Russia and Pakistan, framing it as Tehran’s proposed path to peace.
* **Trump claims war will end soon:** President Donald Trump [told][49] Axios’ Barak Ravid during an interview on Wednesday that the war with Iran will end “soon” because there is “practically nothing left to target.” “Little this and that... Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump reportedly said.
* **International Energy Agency says Iran war has caused largest oil supply disruption in history:** Oil prices topped $100 per barrel on Thursday before dropping back slightly. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its latest market report that the war with Iran “is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.” The IEA said crude production was currently down by at least eight million barrels per day, with an additional two million related to petroleum products shut off. On Wednesday, the IEA ordered the largest release of government oil reserves in its history.
* **U.S. to release 172 million barrels from strategic reserve: **The United States will [release][50] 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of a coordinated 400 million-barrel emergency release organized by the International Energy Agency. The Department of Energy said shipments will begin entering distribution next week and deliveries will take about 120 days to complete. Officials say the U.S. plans to replenish the reserve with 200 million barrels over the next year.
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 634, including 91 children, with 1,586 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Israeli strikes across Lebanon kill dozens: **At least 64 people were [killed][51] and 142 injured in Israeli airstrikes across Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, with additional strikes Thursday morning killing at least 11 more people and wounding 32, including a “double tap” strike on Ramlet al-Baida, a major seaside tourist area of Beirut where dozens of displaced people have been sheltering in tents.
* **Israel issues sweeping displacement order: **The Israeli military on Thursday [issued][52] a sweeping displacement order for all residents south of the Zahrani River, which lies even further north of the Litani River. Lebanese officials announced earlier that the number of people displaced since March 2 has risen to 816,000.
* **Israel orders more forced displacement in Beirut’s southern suburbs: **The Israeli military also [issued][53] repeated orders to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs, including Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Laylaki, Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Tahwitat al-Ghadir and Chiyah in Dahieh, to immediately evacuate on Wednesday. “The IDF will not hesitate to target anyone who is near Hezbollah members, its facilities, or its combat equipment,” the statement added. Israeli airstrikes were reported about 30 minutes after the warnings were issued.
* **Hezbollah launches major rocket barrage toward northern Israel: **Hezbollah [fired][54] multiple waves of rockets from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel, with Israeli media reporting around 100 rockets launched and air raid sirens sounding across Haifa, the Galilee, and the Golan Heights. Lebanon’s Al-Manar said eight successive barrages were fired, while Hezbollah later announced the start of what it called the “Operations of the Devouring Storm.” The Israeli military has been [instructed][55] to prepare for expanded operations in Lebanon following this barrage of rockets, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz saying an escalation is aimed at restoring security to northern communities. “If the Lebanese government does not know how to control the territory and prevent Hezbollah from threatening northern communities and firing at Israel,” Katz said, “we will take the territory and do it ourselves.”
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, one Palestinian was killed and nine were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,136 killed, with 171,839 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 651 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,741, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israel strikes Gaza City: **Israeli airstrikes [hit][56] Gaza City on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring several others. The strike hit a shopping center near Haidar Roundabout. Videos from later on Wednesday night showed airstrikes igniting tents sheltering displaced families, with fires spreading through an encampment.
* **Spain permanently withdraws ambassador to Israel: **Spain has permanently [withdrawn][57] its ambassador to Israel as tensions escalate over Madrid’s opposition to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Spain’s embassy in Tel Aviv will now be headed by a chargé d’affaires, the Foreign Ministry said. Diplomatic relations have been strained since Spain recognized a Palestinian state and imposed restrictions on weapon shipments to Israel through its ports and airspace.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][58].*
* **Elementary school was on U.S. target list relying on outdated targeting data:** The girls’ elementary school in Minab where at least 175 people were killed, including 168 children, in a strike in the opening hours of the war was on a U.S. target list and may have been mistaken for a military site, [according][59] to the Washington Post citing multiple people familiar with the attack. On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that a preliminary Pentagon investigation into the strike found that the United States was at fault and that the incident may have been the result of using outdated targeting data. The AP also reported that the preliminary Pentagon investigation found that outdated intelligence provided to CENTCOM by the Defense Intelligence Agency likely led to the deadly strike.
* **Dozens of senators sign letter to Hegseth calling for answers on deadly Iran school bombing:** Over 45 Senators—all of them Democrats or Independents—signed a [letter][60] addressed to War Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding answers about whether the U.S. was responsible for the girls’ elementary school strike and what analysis had been done of the site before it was bombed. The letter also raised concerns about Hegseth dismantling congressionally mandated offices set up to reduce civilian casualties. “Under this administration, budgetary and personnel cuts at the Department have robbed military commands of crucial resources to prevent and respond to civilian casualties, including at U.S. Central Command and the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence,” the senators wrote.
* **First week of Iran war cost U.S. over $11B:** The Pentagon estimates that the first week of the war with Iran cost $11.3 billion, according to the AP, which provided the estimate to Congress in a briefing earlier this week. The U.S. military reported spending $5 billion on munitions alone in the first two days of the war.
* **AIPAC backs Bean return in Illinois: **Former congresswoman Melissa Bean is attempting a political comeback in Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District, backed by millions of dollars from super PACs tied to AIPAC, pro-AI interests, and cryptocurrency groups ahead of a March 17 primary. Her main challenger is progressive candidate Junaid Ahmed, supported by Justice Democrats, who has raised far less money and is campaigning on issues like affordability and universal child care. More on the Bean-Ahmed race, which has received far less attention than the high-profile race in the nearby Ninth District, is available from our friends at The American Prospect, [here][61].
* **Poll finds many Americans believe Iran war linked to Epstein scandal and expect political fallout: **A survey of 1,272 likely voters conducted from March 6–8 by Data for Progress for Drop Site News and Zeteo found a 52–40 majority believes that President Donald Trump launched the war with Iran at least partly to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal surrounding his presidency. The poll also found 55% of voters disapprove of the war and nearly half expect it to make their lives more difficult, while respondents said they would be less likely to support candidates who back the conflict or approve additional war funding. **The poll’s full results, and an accompanying report, can be found [here][62].**
# Other International News
* **U.S. to permanently close consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan: **The U.S. State Department has [notified][63] Congress it will permanently close its consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, a mission near the Afghan border that served as a key logistics and diplomatic hub during and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. Officials said the move, part of a broader downsizing of federal agencies, will save about $7.5 million annually while shifting services to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. The consulate employs 18 American personnel and 89 local staff and will cost about $3 million to shut down, according to the notification obtained by the Associated Press.
* **Drone strike on school and clinic in Sudan’s White Nile state kills at least 17: **At least 17 people, including nine schoolgirls as well as teachers and health workers, were [killed][64] when an explosive-laden drone struck a secondary school and nearby health center in the village of Shukairi in Sudan’s White Nile state, hospital officials and a medical monitoring group told The Associated Press. At least 10 others were wounded, including three girls with serious injuries. The Sudan Doctors Network blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, saying there was no military presence in the village.
* **Drone strike on funeral convoy in Sudan kills 40:** A drone strike [hit][65] a pickup truck carrying mourners to a funeral in Sudan’s West Kordofan state on Tuesday, killing 40 people, mostly women, according to a medical source at Abu Zabad Hospital who spoke to AFP. Many of the victims were members of the same family, a local resident said. The attack came hours after another drone strike killed seven people, including three children, in the city of Dilling.
* **Drone strike in rebel-held Goma kills UNICEF aid worker and two civilians: **A French aid worker with the United Nations children’s agency and two other people were killed when a drone struck a residential building in Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a city controlled by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, according to [Al Jazeera][66]. The UN confirmed the deaths and condemned the attack. M23 blamed the Congolese government for the strike, which the government has yet to comment on.
* **Russian drone strike on business in Kharkiv kills two: **A Russian drone struck a civilian business in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, killing two people and injuring five others, local officials told [Reuters][67]. Kharkiv’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said the attack sparked a fire at the site, while regional authorities reported the wounded were in serious condition. The city, located about 30 kilometers from the Russian border, has been repeatedly targeted since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
* **Russia weighs 10% budget cuts as oil revenues fall despite Iran war price spike: **Russia’s government is considering cutting about 10% of “non-sensitive” spending in this year’s budget as it grapples with falling energy revenues and an economic slowdown, according to sources cited by [Reuters][68]. Officials said the final decision will depend partly on whether the recent surge in oil prices triggered by the Iran war proves sustainable. Military spending on the war in Ukraine and major social obligations would likely be spared from the proposed cuts.
* **Right-wing hardliner takes office in Chile:** José Antonio Kast was sworn into office pledging to lead an “emergency government” that is poised to implement a hard right shift in Chile that will further align the country with U.S. interests in the region. Kast has already moved on his promise to crack down on migration and taken steps to reduce public spending as part of his pro-market agenda.
# Drop Site on the Hill
* **Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)** [railed][69] against the Trump administration to Drop Site’s Julian Andreone for being beholden to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It appears as if…the United States is delivering not what is best for the United States, but whatever Netanyahu wants,” she said.
* **Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.)** [acknowledged][70] to Andreone that “there are a lot of special interests involved” in Trump’s decision to go to war in Iran, but said regarding Israel’s influence over U.S. foreign policy, “I don’t think it is that prevalent.”
# More from Drop Site
* **Deadly strike on Tehran’s Resalat Square kills dozens as residents and rescuers search rubble: **An overnight airstrike on a residential area near Resalat Square in eastern Tehran killed at least 40 people and destroyed several apartment buildings, with most victims reported to be civilians inside their homes, according to Iranian officials and rescue workers. Neighbors and Iranian Red Crescent teams rushed to the scene, digging through rubble to rescue survivors as the wounded were transported to nearby hospitals. “The continuous noise of screaming and calling for help filled the place,” one rescue worker said. **The latest piece from Drop Site contributor Mahmoud Aslan, a collaboration with Egab, is available [here][71].**
* Jeremy Scahill joined Breaking Points on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in the war on Iran. **His full appearance is available [here][72].**
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[1]: https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-3-2-million-iranians-temporarily-displaced-iran-conflict-intensifies
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031874374186553613
[3]: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-intelligence-says-iran-government-is-not-risk-collapse-say-sources-2026-03-11/
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031759300025102382
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031763553221296407
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031769140902670339
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032011557249352144
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031798420852101286
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031911494913257766
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031897546067525684
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031909206555529696
[12]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/trump-iran-war-end-withdrawal
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032032103353774378
[14]: https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2032075951463444701
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031806939890356254
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031892825957113952
[17]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/spain-removes-ambassador-israel-2026-03-11/
[18]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032027408858005850
[19]: https://www.reed.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_hegseth_on_minab_bombing_civcas_iran.pdf
[20]: https://apnews.com/article/us-pakistan-peshawar-consulate-cf62fadb62918bda3cdc253f6cdaa2a1
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031810800424214827
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031831003388657832
[23]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/11/un-aid-worker-killed-in-dr-congos-rebel-held-goma
[24]: https://www.reuters.com/business/russia-prepares-10-cut-non-sensitive-spending-2026-sources-say-2026-03-11/
[25]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-strike-resalat-square-civilians-killed-rescue-red-crescent-us-israeli-war
[26]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/new-survey-american-voters-believe-trump-launched-iran-war-cover-up-epstein-scandal-israel
[27]: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-free-leqaa-kordia-from-ice-detention?source=direct_link&referrer=group-drop-site-news&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fgivebutter.com%2Fsupport-dropsite
[28]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[29]: https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-3-2-million-iranians-temporarily-displaced-iran-conflict-intensifies
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031874374186553613
[31]: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-intelligence-says-iran-government-is-not-risk-collapse-say-sources-2026-03-11/
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031759300025102382
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031763553221296407
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031769140902670339
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032033777271083055
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031774710124413428
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032011557249352144
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031865996055609496
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031883143402168609
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031798420852101286
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031887275043213741
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031911494913257766
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031852477813866993
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031915194306216231
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032042228433006922
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031843172314218672
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031897546067525684
[48]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031909206555529696
[49]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/trump-iran-war-end-withdrawal
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032027408858005850
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032032103353774378
[52]: https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2032075951463444701
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031822969865900210
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031806939890356254
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2032047038582370346
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031892825957113952
[57]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/spain-removes-ambassador-israel-2026-03-11/
[58]: mailto:[email protected]
[59]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/11/us-strike-iran-elementary-school-ai-target-list/
[60]: https://www.reed.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_hegseth_on_minab_bombing_civcas_iran.pdf
[61]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/12/illinois-eighth-congressional-district-aipac-ai-bean-ahmed/
[62]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/new-survey-american-voters-believe-trump-launched-iran-war-cover-up-epstein-scandal-israel
[63]: https://apnews.com/article/us-pakistan-peshawar-consulate-cf62fadb62918bda3cdc253f6cdaa2a1
[64]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031810800424214827
[65]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031831003388657832
[66]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/11/un-aid-worker-killed-in-dr-congos-rebel-held-goma
[67]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-strike-ukraines-kharkiv-kills-two-officials-say-2026-03-11/
[68]: https://www.reuters.com/business/russia-prepares-10-cut-non-sensitive-spending-2026-sources-say-2026-03-11/
[69]: https://x.com/JulianAndreone/status/2031913000852975976
[70]: https://x.com/JulianAndreone/status/2031752537120899438
[71]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-strike-resalat-square-civilians-killed-rescue-red-crescent-us-israeli-war?triedRedirect=true
[72]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDm0p6QK8i8&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE
[73]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
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[76]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-millions-displaced-us-israel-trump-hegseth-school-bombing-sudan-drone-strikes-lebanon-invasion/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-millions-displaced-us-israel-trump-hegseth-school-bombing-sudan-drone-strikes-lebanon-invasion

2026-03-11 20:01:00 UTC

Rescue Efforts in Tehran After a Triple Strike Hit Apartment Buildings, Killing 40
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An Iranian Red Crescent worker at the site of a U.S.-Israeli strike on residential buildings in Resalat Square in Tehran on March 10, 2026. Source: [X][3].
TEHRAN, IRAN—Less than an hour before a deadly airstrike tore through a residential neighborhood in Resalat Square in eastern Tehran late Monday evening, Hassan Sharifi was walking through the area on his way home. He passed by the mid-rise apartment buildings that housed bakeries, shops, cafes, and small grocery stores on their ground floors. When the missile struck, he immediately ran back to the square.
“I didn’t think about myself,” Sharifi, a 40-year-old accountant, told Drop Site News. “I ran toward the collapsed buildings to help whomever I could. I felt that every minute mattered.”
What he found was devastating. The building facades had been blown away. Balconies had collapsed. Windows shattered. Rubble was everywhere. Inside, where families lay buried under the broken concrete, screams began to fill the air.
At least 40 people were killed, according to official reports. Most of the victims were civilians who had been inside their homes when the strike hit, Iranian media reported.
The bombing was a concentrated attack, with several blasts hitting buildings in the area in short succession, according to the spokesperson for the Iranian Red Crescent, Mujtaba Khalidi. “Three residential buildings were bombed simultaneously and on the same street a missile struck a building belonging to the Iranian police,” Khalidi told Drop Site.
At least 460 people have been killed and over 4,300 wounded in Tehran alone since the launch of the war, the deputy head of Tehran Emergency Health Department Mehr Soroush told public broadcaster IRIB News. Monday’s strike was one of the deadliest attacks on Tehran since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that has killed over 1,300 people across the country.
The strike hit at 1:00 a.m. on March 10, according to Khalidi. But during Ramadan, shops are open late into the night for people to gather and eat. Grocery stores had their lights on, bakeries were serving Ramadan bread and pastries to customers, and men were sitting in the local café, talking and waiting for the late night meal ahead of another day of fasting.
Laila Brahimi was still awake preparing the late night meal for her three children when the missiles struck. “The buildings shook violently. Windows and doors trembled. Objects fell from shelves,” said Brahimi, a 39-year-old high school philosophy teacher who lives across the street from the bombing site. She rushed outside to help walking towards the rising dust and smoke. Neighbors, some in sleepwear and holding their phones, were on the scene before the first ambulance arrived. They pulled at the concrete with their hands.
“The explosion turned our lives upside down,” Brahimi told Drop Site. “I saw buildings collapsing in front of me, I heard the screams of the neighbors. I couldn’t sit still.” She ran toward the nearest damaged building, afraid with every step that more of it would collapse to the ground. “Every minute that passed might mean the loss of a life.”
Emergency workers with the Iranian Red Crescent arrived a short while afterwards. “The rubble spread into every corner, the collapsed walls, the destroyed cars,” one of the rescue workers, Ali Rezaei, 28, told Drop Site. “We immediately began opening paths through the debris to reach the injured.”
They followed the sound of survivors crying out for help. “The continuous noise of screaming and calling for help filled the place,” he said. His team moved from case to case, working to save the injured before additional equipment arrived. “Every movement you make could be the difference between life and death for someone trapped under the concrete. The first minutes were decisive.”
Video posted online by the Iranian Red Crescent of rescue efforts at the site of the Resalat Square bombing in Tehran. March 10, 2026. Source: [X][4].
Fatima Kadhemi, a 25-year-old paramedic, described one apartment where two children were trapped under the ruins of a collapsed wall while their mother screamed outside. “I felt helpless for a moment,” Kadhemi told Drop Site. Her colleagues helped lift the heavy concrete slab and get the children out. “I saw the mother crying bitterly, and I felt that my work is not just treating a body, but psychological support as well.”
Neighbors helped move the injured to ambulances. The wounded were rushed to Gandhi Hospital, which had also been badly damaged in airstrikes last week and partially evacuated. Dr. Ali Moradi, 55, said the injured arrived in waves, many with severe fractures and acute hemorrhaging. Some cases were life-threatening. “We had to make very rapid decisions, and coordinate between surgery, the emergency department, and intensive care,” Moradi told Drop Site.
Rescue operations continued through the night and into the early morning. Heavy machinery was brought in and emergency workers kept calling out for survivors under the rubble. Kazem Najafi, 32, a Red Crescent coordinator, said the cooperation between professional rescue teams and residents of the neighborhood was a decisive factor in how many people survived. “Seeing the local teams and the community working together was very moving,” Najafi said.
Teams also swept surrounding buildings for structural damage and evacuated some as a precaution.
Mohamed Haidari, part of a Red Crescent search and rescue team, described the conditions: dense debris, heat from smoldering fires, and the ever-present risk of structural collapse. “Every time we lifted a stone, we increased our sense that we might succeed in saving a life, or that we might find someone who could not be saved,” he told Drop Site. “This mixture of hope and fear accompanied us constantly.”
The hardest moments, he said, came when they found people motionless beneath the wreckage. “In some cases, we had to make difficult decisions: which person to try to save first, and how to distribute the team to cover as many damaged buildings as possible.”
By dawn, the lights of emergency vehicles still filled the narrow streets around Resalat Square. Pavements were grey with dust. In one apartment whose outer wall had partially collapsed, an entire living room was visible from the street, with an overturned sofa, a small table, and a torn curtain hanging from a broken window.
Hassan Sharifi, the accountant, wandered the streets for hours after the explosion. He moved between the rubble, looking for anyone who might still be trapped. It was psychologically painful,” he said. “But seeing a person come out from under the rubble alive was a reward that cannot be described. I felt that we were all—residents and paramedics—living a moment of real human unity.”
Kadhemi, the paramedic, agreed the community’s efforts were essential. Hours into the rescue operation “we began to feel that we were regaining some control over the situation,” she said. “I felt that we, despite everything that happened, gave everything we could, and that every effort, no matter how small, has value,” Kadhemi added.
“But the psychological pain and fear did not disappear, especially seeing the great destruction in the surrounding buildings, and the blood spread in the streets.”
*This story was published in collaboration with [Egab][5].*
[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[3]: https://x.com/Iranian_RCS/status/2031143401769300154/photo/1
[4]: https://x.com/Iranian_RCS/status/2031125461804138683
[5]: https://www.egab.co/
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-strike-resalat-square-civilians-killed-rescue-red-crescent-us-israeli-war

2026-03-11 16:26:21 UTC

NEW POLL: Majority of Americans Believe Trump Launched Iran War to Cover Up Epstein Scandal
There has been no shortage of surveys of the American public’s attitude toward the war on Iran, and the polls have all found broadly the same dynamic: Democrats are strongly opposed, independents lean against, and Republicans are broadly supportive.
But all of this polling, done by reputable survey companies and paid for by mainstream media outlets, has conspicuously avoiding asking tough questions about the motivations behind the war. Or, at least, we found it conspicuous.
Nobody, for instance, has surveyed the American public to ask them whether they believe this war is being fought in the interests of the American public or on behalf of Israel. And nobody has asked whether Trump launched the war to distract the public from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Indeed, anybody at an American news organization who even suggested asking such questions would at best never be invited back to the Zoom call, and more likely would find their key card no longer working at the front desk.
Doing sophisticated polling that follows best practices is an expensive endeavor, which is why it’s usually left to major media with major budgets. But thanks to the generous support of our readers, we decided it’s something we can afford, too, and we teamed up with our friends at Zeteo to split the costs of a national survey of likely American voters, one that allowed us to ask the kinds of questions we’re interested in, and that we believe you’ll be interested in too.
We hope to do more of these in the future, particularly if there’s reader interest. In fact, one way we gauge that is by looking at how many readers decide to become donors or paying subscribers after reading a particular article.
So if you’d like to see us do more of these, vote by upgrading to a paid subscription or, if you’re already a subscriber, throw us a few bucks as a one-time or charitable contribution.
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President Donald Trump speaks to the Republican Members Issues Conference on March 9, 2026 in Doral, Florida. Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images.
A majority of likely American voters believe that Donald Trump launched the war on Iran at least in part to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal that had engulfed his presidency, according to a new survey.
The survey found that a solid 52-40 majority of voters agreed with the statement, with the other 8% saying they were unsure as to his motivations. The findings will come as little surprise to a public that has morphed Trump’s codename for the war, Operation Epic Fury, into “Operation Epstein Fury.”
*Most voters believe Trump took military action in Iran to distract from Epstein, according to the survey of likely voters by Drop Site and Zeteo conducted by Data for Progress.*
The belief that Trump is trying to knock Epstein off the front pages by going to war with Iran is most strongly held, unsurprisingly, by Democrats, who agree with the statement by an 81-14 margin. For those under 45, it is approaching an article of faith, with a 66%-26% majority agreeing with the idea. But even a quarter of Republicans told pollsters Trump launched the war as a distraction from Epstein.
The survey of 1,272 likely voters, using a national web panel of respondents, was conducted from March 6 to March 8 by Data for Progress, and paid for by Drop Site News and Zeteo. We put the survey into the field in order to be able to ask the American people the kind of questions mainstream news organizations shy away from. The precise wording of the questions can be found [here][1], with breakdowns among party, race, gender, and age.
The public’s belief that Trump waged the ongoing war to distract from the Epstein scandal was branded as antisemitic this week by the Anti-Defamation League and [the Washington Post][2], which said the viral claim owed its popularity to a “pro-Iran propaganda network.”
“Pretty quickly after the conflict began, this conspiratorial rebranding of Operation Epic Fury into ‘Operation Epstein Fury’ started circulating on social media platforms,” Oren Segal, the ADL’s “senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence,” told the Post. An ADL report said the phrase “Epstein Fury” has been mentioned more than 90,000 times by roughly 60,000 accounts. The Post did not explain why it was antisemitic to believe that Trump launched the war to distract from the Epstein scandal beyond noting that Epstein was Jewish.
The Post recently laid off its entire Middle East team. Nevertheless, according to the Post, Iranians are trying to undermine American support for the war by linking it to Epstein. “To erode public support for the joint U.S.-Israel military operation, Iranian state media has sought to portray those countries’ leaders as part of a corrupt and depraved ‘Epstein class’ or ‘Epstein regime,’” the paper reported, claiming that the “the message is spreading through generically named ‘news’ accounts” shilling for Iran. The term “Epstein class” was in fact first used by American Democratic politicians such as Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, and Rep. Ro Khanna, who is not.
## **Israel’s Influence**
The survey also probed the question of Israeli influence over Trump’s decisionmaking. Americans were split over the question of Trump’s loyalty, with 47% saying he is more responsive to the American people than to Israel, and 46% saying he was more responsive to Israel.
Among independents, a crucial voting block that swung the election to Trump, half—50-44%—said that Trump prioritizes Israeli interests over Americans’. Among Republicans, 17% said the same. Democrats overwhelmingly held that view, 75-17%.
Asked if the Trump administration was pursuing its war with Iran “primarily for American interests” or “primarily for Israeli interest,” the public was also divided, but half—50-41%—said that he was considering America first. Another 9% said they didn’t know.
Still, no president has ever gone into war with 41% of the country convinced he was doing so on behalf of a foreign country, putting Trump and Israel’s war in uncharted territory.
## **Electoral Backlash**
The survey found that Americans are sour on it, with 55% saying they disapproved; among those 39% said they strongly disapproved, while just 42% approved. This result is in line with [other polls on the war][3].
Overwhelmingly, voters believe the war will make their lives worse. The survey was in the field before the wild volatility in the oil market, but even then, 49% of voters said the war “will make my life more difficult” compared to just 10% who said they’d see an improvement. One third said it would have no impact.
More pressing for Washington, however, may be the public’s attitude toward politicians and candidates who support the war or support emergency supplemental funding for the war, which Trump has requested. The survey asked whether voters would be more likely or less likely to vote for a congressional candidate in 2026 or a presidential candidate in 2028 if they support the war or support new war funding.
For Democratic voters, the question is existential. A candidate who supports the war will be badly punished by primary voters in the 2026 congressional elections, with voters saying they’d be 79% less likely to support them, a number that held roughly the same for 2028 presidential candidates.
Republicans, however, would be more likely to support a pro-war candidate by a net 39 points, with only 20% saying it would make them less likely to back the candidate for president.
In the general election, this means voters would be less likely to support a congressional candidate by 19 points; roughly the same result holds for candidates who vote for war spending. Among presidential candidates, the number is negative 19.
*Political candidates who back the war with Iran risk electoral backlash, according to the survey by Drop Site and Zeteo conducted by Data for Progress.*
### **Ballistic Missiles**
Still, the poll found contradictory views among Americans. By a net margin of 70 points—83-13%—votes said it was important to them that Iran be prevented from possessing ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel. (In hindsight, the word “prevent” may have been the wrong one to use, since Iran already possesses such weapons.)
Asked if Iran should be allowed to possess ballistic missiles “because countries have a right to defend themselves,” only 13% agreed, while 14% said it’s “not a concern of the United States.” The remaining two-thirds said that they should be prevented from having them.
### **Girls’ Elementary School Strike**
Finally, we asked how much voters had read, seen, or heard about the attack on the girls’ school in southern Iran, which killed more than 180 people, mostly young girls.
A full 32% said they had heard nothing at all, and another 23% said they had heard “a little.” Some 29% said they’d heard “some,” and 16% had heard “a lot.”
Of those who had heard of it, 70% believed it was the work of either Israel, the U.S., or the U.S. and Israel together. A quarter of Americans believes Iran hit the school—a theory that was promoted by Trump and a cadre of war defenders without evidence. Republicans are the only demographic where a substantial portion holds that view, with 45% blaming Iran, 45% blaming the U.S. and/or Israel, and 10% unsure.
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[1]: http://www.filesforprogress.org/datasets/2026/3/dfp_zeteo_dropsite_iran_tabs.pdf
[2]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/03/10/epstein-files-pro-iran-propaganda/
[3]: https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/polls-us-iran-attack-2026-03-06
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/new-survey-american-voters-believe-trump-launched-iran-war-cover-up-epstein-scandal-israel/comments
[5]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/new-survey-american-voters-believe-trump-launched-iran-war-cover-up-epstein-scandal-israel?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/new-survey-american-voters-believe-trump-launched-iran-war-cover-up-epstein-scandal-israel

2026-03-11 15:34:36 UTC

Over 1,000 children injured in Iran; Unprecedented 400M barrels of oil reserves slated for release; Death and displacement mount in Lebanon amid Israeli assault
*U.S. and Israeli airstrikes [pound][1] Iran for twelfth day, civilian casualties continue to rise. Nearly 20,000 civilian buildings damaged in Iran. Russia [says][2] Isfahan consulate damaged during earlier strikes. Iran [says][3] multiple waves of missile attacks struck U.S. and Israeli targets. Iraqi militias [claim][4] surge of attacks on U.S. bases. Drone strike [forces][5] shutdown of Abu Dhabi’s Ruwais refinery complex. Pentagon says 140 U.S. troops wounded in Iran war. President Donald Trump [threatens][6] major retaliation over reported Iranian mining of Hormuz.” U.S. [asks][7] Israel to halt further strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure. Israeli strikes hit dozens of locations across Lebanon as number of displaced rises to 780,000. Israel [prepares][8] for an extended war with Hezbollah. Israeli strikes kill [paramedics][9] and Red Cross staff. Hezbollah [strike][10] hits Israeli satellite communications facility. Reports [say][11] Israel used white phosphorus in southern
Lebanon. Regional war [deepens][12] food shortages and price spikes in Gaza. Senators [warn][13] of Iran war escalation, blame Israel. Senate GOP to [bring][14] election bill to a vote. American Farm Bureau Federation sounds alarm over Iran war. Hackers [accessed][15] an FBI server containing Epstein investigation files. IEA votes to release 400 million barrels of oil. Pakistan [imposes][16] austerity measures as Iran war disrupts energy supplies. Deadly strikes [reported][17] in Sudan’s Kordofan region. UN [refuses][18] order to withdraw peacekeepers from Akobo in South Sudan. Ukraine [strikes][19] Russian military electronics plant in Bryansk. UN inquiry [says][20] Russia’s transfer of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity. Iran war [costing][21] EU $3.5 billion in energy costs. U.S. nearing [deal][22] with Mali to resume intelligence flights.*
**NEW from Drop Site: **Iran says the U.S. and Israel underestimated its military capacity and will to fight, as Trump careens toward a quagmire, Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain [report][23]. Ariya Farahmand [reports][24] from Tehran, where Iranians are struggling to breathe after Israeli strikes on oil facilities in and around the capital.
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Texas after speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite an immigration judge twice ruling that she is eligible for release. Drop Site joins the IMEU Policy Project, MPower Action, Jewish Voice for Peace ACT, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action in calling for her immediate release. **The link below allows users to send emails and make calls to their member of Congress on Leqaa’s behalf:**
[CALL FOR LEQAA KORDIA'S RELEASE][25]
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Scores of camping tents are erected by displaced Lebanese who fled intense Israeli strikes in southern Beirut to find refuge at Beirut Sports City. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa. Photo by Marwan Naamani/picture alliance via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for twelfth day: **U.S.-Israeli airstrikes hit areas across Tehran on Wednesday as the war on Iran entered its twelfth day. On [Tuesday][27], Israel carried out simultaneous strikes on Iranian security force headquarters in Tehran and Tabriz. The Israeli army said targets in Tabriz included special forces headquarters, a unit responsible for ballistic missile and artillery fire, and a large Basij complex. Israel also said it struck an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military complex in Tehran and the Public Security and Intelligence Police headquarters in Maragheh. Other attacks included:
* A [strike][28] on eastern Tehran Tuesday night, in which several civilians were killed and wounded, according to Iran’s Red Crescent.
* Heavy [bombardments][29] in the Mehrshahr district of Tehran, with strikes occurring near residential buildings. One villa in the area was destroyed in the early morning attack, according to witnesses who spoke to BBC Persian.
* A series of strikes [caused][30] heavy explosions in the city of Quds (Shahr-e Qods) on the western edge of the Tehran metropolitan area, earlier on Tuesday morning, according to images available online.
* **Civilian casualties continue to rise in Iran:** The death toll in Iran is over 1,300, with more than 17,000 injured, and the number of civilian casualties continues to rise. Over 1,000 children have been injured, including 65 under the age of 5, and 35 infants under two years old, [according][31] to Hossein Kermanpour, the head of Iran’s Public Relations and Information Center at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. At least 11 children under the age of 5 have been killed, he added.
* **Nearly 20,000 civilian buildings damaged in Iran:** Over 19,000 civilian buildings across Iran have suffered damage since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Among the damaged sites are 77 medical centers and 65 educational institutions. Sixteen Red Crescent facilities have also been hit.
* **Russia says Isfahan consulate damaged during earlier strikes: **Russia’s consulate general in Isfahan was [damaged][32] during strikes on March 8 that hit a nearby governor’s office building, according to its Foreign Ministry, with shattered windows and staff knocked backward but no serious injuries. Moscow called the incident a “blatant violation” of international law. Its mission to the UN is presently circulating a draft Security Council resolution calling for an immediate halt to military activity and a return to negotiations.
* **Iran says multiple waves of missile attacks struck U.S. and Israeli targets: **Iran [said][33] it launched multiple waves of strikes Tuesday and early Wednesday as part of “Operation True Promise 4,” firing Qadr, Emad, Kheibar, and Fattah missiles at Israeli targets and U.S. military sites across the region, according to statements from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Tehran claimed missiles targeted Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Two missiles reportedly struck the U.S. base at Arifjan in Kuwait on Tuesday, and explosions were heard in Doha. At least 17 U.S. military, diplomatic, and air defense sites across the Middle East have been [damaged][34] since the war with Iran began, according to a New York Times analysis published Tuesday, based on the paper’s analysis of satellite imagery, verified videos, and official statements. The attacks also
targeted several sites in Israel, including Ramat David Airbase, a HaEla satellite communications center south of Tel Aviv, and several other locations near the city.
* **Iraqi militias claim surge of attacks on U.S. bases: **Groups within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq [said][35] that, on Tuesday, they carried out 31 drone and missile strikes on U.S. bases in Iraq and the wider region, and claimed without evidence they inflicted significant U.S. casualties. Among the attacks was a drone [strike][36] on the U.S. Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center on Tuesday, during which six drones were launched toward the compound, five of which were intercepted and one of which hit near a guard tower, according to the Washington Post.
* **Drone strike forces shutdown of Abu Dhabi’s Ruwais refinery complex: **The Ruwais refinery complex in Abu Dhabi, one of the largest single-site refineries in the world, has been [shut down][37] after a drone strike triggered a fire at the facility, prompting Abu Dhabi’s National Oil Company to halt operations at the 922,000 barrel-per-day site to assess damage and implement safety procedures, Reuters reported. The 417,000 bpd Ruwais West unit was directly shut down as part of a broader safety shutdown across the plant, which had already reduced output earlier in March due to halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
* **Pentagon says 140 U.S. troops wounded in Iran war: **The Pentagon said on Tuesday that 140 service members have been [wounded][38] in the war with Iran, including eight who are “severely injured.” Spokesperson Sean Parnell claimed most injuries have been minor and that 108 troops have already returned to duty.
* **Trump threatens major retaliation over reported Iranian mining of Hormuz: **President Donald Trump [warned][39] Iran of unprecedented military consequences if naval mines that Iran reportedly began laying in the Strait of Hormuz are not removed immediately. Tehran has placed “a few dozen” mines in the waterway, according to CNN, and has the capacity to lay thousands more. Trump said U.S. forces had already destroyed 10 inactive mine-laying vessels, and CENTCOM [said][40] U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian vessels that could be used to lay mines.
* **Three ships struck by projectiles near Strait of Hormuz: **Three commercial vessels were [struck by suspected projectiles][41] within roughly three hours, according to the UK maritime monitor. The incidents come as Iran escalates warnings about shipping in the strait. A spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said “not even one liter of oil” will be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of the U.S., Israel, and their partners.
* **Shadow fleet dominates Hormuz tanker traffic as risks mount: **Shadow fleet tankers now [make up][42] most of the traffic through the Strait of Hormuz as mainstream shipowners avoid the route amid heightened security risks, though Greek operator Dynacom remains one of the few conventional firms still transiting, according to Lloyd’s List. The development comes as President Donald Trump urged shipowners to “show some guts” and continue using the passage despite shipping advisories warning the maritime threat level remains critical. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that a tanker had been successfully escorted by U.S. navy ships, a claim that he later retracted, and which caused considerable fluctuation in that day’s energy markets.
* **Iran seeks to keep Kurdish forces out of expanding war: **Iran has reportedly [offered][43] post-war concessions to Kurdish parties in an effort to keep them from joining the widening U.S.-Israeli war, though Kurdish leaders have not responded, according to The Amargi. Kurdish groups have been in contact with U.S. officials about possible cooperation, even as President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals on whether Washington wants them to enter the conflict. Iranian security chief Ali Larijani warned that Kurdish parties would be “dealt with” if they join the war, while Kurdish leaders say they have taken no action due to the lack of U.S. security guarantees against retaliation.
* **U.S. asks Israel to halt further strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure: **The Trump administration asked Israel on Monday not to carry out additional strikes on Iran’s energy sector, particularly oil facilities, according to [Axios][44], marking the first report of Washington seeking to restrain Israeli targeting since the joint campaign against Iran began ten days ago. U.S. officials reportedly conveyed the message at senior political levels and directly to Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir, citing concerns that attacks on oil infrastructure harm civilians, risk triggering Iranian retaliation against Gulf energy facilities, and could complicate potential post-war cooperation with Iran’s oil sector.
* **Experts question U.S. justification for strikes on Iran’s research reactor: **The Trump administration has cited Iran’s Tehran Research Reactor as a key justification for military strikes, but nuclear scientists and nonproliferation experts say the decades-old civilian facility lacks the capacity to serve as an easy pathway to a nuclear weapon, as outlined in new report from [MS Now][45]. Critics say the administration has not presented evidence that the reactor was being used to stockpile material for a bomb, while the International Atomic Energy Agency has said it has no proof Iran was building a nuclear weapon. The administration’s statements “mix up different elements of the nuclear program and their potential proliferation capabilities,” one expert said. “Research reactors are not capable of doing enrichment of uranium, whether for civil or military purposes.”
* **As war stretches into a second week, Trump signals desire to declare victory: **As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran continues into its second week, President Donald Trump said Monday he wants to declare Mission Accomplished, arguing the United States has already “won in many ways.” Iranian officials rejected that framing, with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini saying Iran can sustain at least six months of intense fighting and will determine when the war ends, while continuing missile and drone strikes across Israel and U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf. “We are absolutely not seeking a ceasefire,” said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, on Monday. “We believe the aggressor must be struck in the mouth so it learns a lesson and never again thinks of attacking our beloved Iran.” **Read Drop Site’s latest overview of Iran’s approach to the war, from Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain, [here][46].**
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon rose to at least 570, including 86 children, and 1,444 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The ministry said that 84 were killed and 131 injured on Tuesday alone.
* **At least 780,000 displaced in Lebanon:** The number of people displaced in Lebanon by the Israeli assault has risen to at least 780,000, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Social Affairs. Roughly 120,000 are currently sheltering in official government-run facilities.
* **Israel continues relentless bombardment: **Israel continued its bombardment of Lebanon, killing at least 21 people overnight and into Wednesday. Attacks included seven killed in al-Shahabiya in southern Lebanon, seven killed in a strike on Tamnin al-Tahta in the eastern Baalbek district, and three people killed in a drone attack on an SUV in the Saf al-Hawa area of Bint Jbeil. Israel also bombed an apartment building in central Beirut on Wednesday, wounding four people. It marked the second strike in central Beirut over the past few days. Israel also struck a medical center operated by Lebanon’s Islamic Health Authority in Zawtar al-Sharqiya on Tuesday evening, killing two people, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. The Lebanese army [said][47] one of its soldiers was killed by an Israeli strike in Bint Jbeil on Tuesday, bringing the army’s death toll during the conflict to five.
* **Israel prepares for extended war with Hezbollah: **Israeli officials say the military is [preparing][48] for a prolonged campaign against Hezbollah that could extend beyond the expected “weeks-long” U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, according to the Financial Times. The reported objective is to inflict enough damage on Hezbollah to stop rocket fire and remove the persistent threat to Israeli communities along the northern border. Prior to Hezbollah firing a barrage of rockets at northern Israel on March 2 following the assassination of Khameni—its first major violation of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement—Israel was bombing Lebanon on a near daily basis and had committed over 15,000 ceasefire violations, according to the UN. Since the latest escalation, Israeli forces have struck more than 600 sites across Lebanon and expanded their presence inside Lebanese territory.
* **Israeli strikes kill paramedics and Red Cross staff: **Israel has [killed][49] at least 15 paramedics from Lebanon’s Islamic Health Authority and wounded 30 others since March 2, according to the organization, Al Jazeera reported. The group said ambulance teams and health centers have repeatedly come under attack while responding to Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon. A Lebanese Red Cross rescuer from Tyre, Youssef Assad, [died][50] on Tuesday from wounds sustained when an Israeli strike hit a rescue team responding to an attack in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
* **Hezbollah strike hits Israeli satellite communications facility: **Dashcam footage [showed][51] a Hezbollah long-range missile strike on the Emek HaEla Teleport near Beit Shemesh in the Elah Valley, a major Israeli satellite relay hub roughly 100 miles from Lebanon. The facility hosts more than 80 antennas used for broadcasting, data transmission, and military communications. Israeli officials described the incident as an “isolated failure” in air defenses that allowed at least two missiles to strike central Israel without interception or warning sirens.
* **Reports say Israel used white phosphorus in southern Lebanon: **Israeli forces [fired][52] white phosphorus munitions into Wadi al-Saluki along the southern Lebanon border, according to Lebanese reports, with additional phosphorus shelling reported in Khiam and Tal Nahas on March 10 by Lebanon’s National News Agency. While white phosphorus can be used for smoke or illumination, its use as an incendiary weapon in populated areas is widely considered a violation of international humanitarian law and can cause severe burns and respiratory damage. Human Rights Watch found evidence Israel used white phosphorus in residential areas of southern Lebanon earlier this month, resulting in fires breaking out in homes and other civilian property.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, one Palestinian was killed and two were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,135 killed, with 171,830 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 650 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,732, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Regional war deepens food shortages and price spikes in Gaza: **Residents in Gaza are rushing to markets to [buy][53] what meager rations of food they can afford as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupts already fragile supply lines and border access, according to Al Jazeera. Prices for staples and fresh produce have surged while some essentials, including cooking oil and flour, have disappeared from shelves, residents and aid groups tell the outlet. With crossings operating at reduced capacity due to Israeli restrictions, and aid volumes far below the roughly 600 trucks needed daily and agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement, humanitarian agencies warn the territory’s fragile food security situation could rapidly deteriorate.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][54].*
* **Senators warn of Iran war escalation, blame Israel: Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), **who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, [said][55] “we seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran,” after a classified briefing from top military officials Wednesday. **Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.),** who sits on the Foreign Relations committee, discussed the war in especially stark terms. When [asked][56] why the U.S. had chosen to go to war with Iran, Murphy said that the “simplest explanation” is that “Israel made us do it.” He also [said][57], “I just came from a two-hour, closed-door classified briefing on the war. It just confirmed to me it’s totally incoherent. We are not gonna be able to achieve any of our stated objectives ... this is a disaster of epic proportions.”
* **Senate GOP to bring election bill to a vote: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)** plans to bring the SAVE America Act, which seeks to enshrine voter ID law nationally, to the floor next week without meeting the standard 60-vote threshold, according to [Politico][58]. This move effectively ensures the bill will fail due to unified Democratic opposition. Thune is rejecting a push by more conservative Republicans to force a “talking filibuster” that would require Democrats to hold the floor to block the bill, saying there is insufficient support within the Republican conference for that strategy.
* **American Farm Bureau Federation sounds alarm over Iran war:** The American Farm Bureau Federation sent a [letter][59] addressed to President Donald Trump warning that the Iran war is driving up costs for key inputs like fertilizers and fuel, and warning of food price inflation. “Just as America’s farmers begin to put seeds in the ground for spring planting, the prices for key inputs such as fertilizers and fuel increased rapidly following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” they wrote. “Not only is this a threat to our food security—and by extension our national security—such a production shock could contribute to inflationary pressures across the U.S. economy.”
* **Hackers accessed an FBI server containing Epstein investigation files: **A foreign hacker gained access to a server at the FBI’s New York Field Office in February 2023 that contained files related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, according to Justice Department documents and a source cited by [Reuters][60]. The breach occurred after a server at the bureau’s Child Exploitation Forensic Lab was inadvertently left vulnerable, allowing the intruder to browse files linked to the case before access was cut off. The FBI described the incident as an isolated cyber intrusion and said the investigation into the breach remains ongoing.
* **Watchdog investigates claim former DOGE employee accessed Social Security databases: **The Social Security Administration’s inspector general is [investigating][61] a whistleblower complaint alleging that a former U.S. DOGE Service software engineer claimed to possess copies of two highly sensitive databases containing records on more than 500 million Americans, living and dead. According to the complaint, the engineer said he had stored data from the “Numident” and “Master Death File” databases on a thumb drive and intended to use it at a private employer. The allegations, which the individual denies and which remain unverified, have raised concerns among lawmakers about potential security breaches during the period when DOGE staff had broad access to government data systems.
* **Leaked documents show expanded use-of-force tactics by U.S. Border Patrol: **Leaked internal documents and accounts from Department of Homeland Security employees suggest the U.S. Border Patrol has expanded aggressive enforcement tactics, including guidance on breaking car windows to remove suspects and rolling back limits on use of force at the border, according to a new report from [The American Prospect][62]. The changes are linked to policies advanced under former commander Gregory Bovino, whose tenure has drawn lawsuits and investigations following several controversial incidents involving civilian deaths.
# Other International News
* **IEA votes to release 400 million barrels of oil:** The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 32 member states unanimously agreed on Wednesday to release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves to address disruptions in oil markets as a result of the Iran war. “The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale, therefore I am very glad that IEA Member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size,” Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a[ statement][63].
* **Pakistan imposes austerity measures as Iran war disrupts energy supplies: **Pakistan has [ordered][64] sweeping fuel conservation and austerity measures after disruptions to oil and gas supplies linked to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and instability in the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced steps including a four-day workweek for government employees, school closures, remote work arrangements, and salary cuts for officials, as the country confronts surging fuel prices and supply risks. With Pakistan importing more than 80% of its oil and relying heavily on LNG shipments that transit Hormuz, analysts warn that prolonged disruption could deepen inflation and economic strain.
* **Report says RSF systematically destroyed farming communities near El-Fasher: **A report from the Yale School of Public Health Humanitarian Research Lab [found][65] that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces systematically razed at least 41 agricultural communities around El-Fasher in North Darfur between March 31 and June 12, 2024, based on satellite imagery and remote-sensing analysis. Researchers said the villages—key food-producing areas—were intentionally burned, with 68% now showing no visible pattern of life and widespread abandonment. The destruction disrupted farmland that helped feed the region, worsening displacement and famine.
* **Deadly strikes reported in Sudan’s Kordofan region: **The Sudan Doctors Network [said][66] Rapid Support Forces shelling in Dilling, South Kordofan, killed seven people and injured 13 others. Separately, Radio Dabanga reported that a drone strike on a bus in Abu Zabad, West Kordofan, killed 17 people, with the attack believed to have been carried out by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
* **UN refuses order to withdraw peacekeepers from Akobo in South Sudan: **The United Nations Mission in South Sudan said Monday it will not comply with a government order to close its base in Akobo, an opposition stronghold near the Ethiopian border where tens of thousands of civilians have sought refuge. According to a report from the [AP][67], the South Sudanese army ordered peacekeepers, aid groups, and civilians to evacuate ahead of a planned assault, but the UN said it will maintain a protective presence to safeguard civilians. Aid groups warn that the offensive and evacuations risk worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis as fighting intensifies.
* **Ukraine strikes Russian military electronics plant in Bryansk: **Ukraine said it [struck][68] a key Russian military electronics factory in Bryansk with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, targeting a facility that produces components used in Russian missile systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Russian authorities said the strike killed six civilians and wounded at least 37, though Ukraine has not commented on the casualty claims. The attack comes as Russia continues near-daily missile and drone strikes on Ukraine. U.S.-brokered talks between Moscow and Kyiv are expected to resume next week
* **Russian strikes kill civilians as both sides claim battlefield gains in Ukraine: **Russian attacks killed at least four people and wounded 16 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk on Tuesday, while overnight drone strikes injured at least 17 others across several cities, according to [Al Jazeera][69]. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 122 of 137 drones launched by Russia during the night as fighting continued along multiple front-line sectors.
* **UN inquiry says Russia’s transfer of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity: **A United Nations investigative commission [said][70] Russia’s deportation and forcible transfer of Ukrainian children during the war amounts to crimes against humanity, citing evidence of thousands of children taken from occupied areas since 2022. The probe confirmed at least 1,205 cases and said most of the children have not been returned, with many placed in Russian families or institutions without notifying relatives. The findings add to earlier accusations that the transfers constitute war crimes and reinforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for President Vladimir Putin.
* **Iran war costing EU $3.5 billion in energy costs:** The Iran war has already cost the European Union around 3 billion euros (around $3.5 billion) in energy imports, [according][71] to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Gas prices have risen by 50% and oil prices have risen by 27%. If you translate that into euros—the 10 days of war have already cost European taxpayers an additional 3 billion euros in fossil fuel imports,” von der Leye told EU lawmakers in Strasbourg, France on Tuesday. Von der Leyen also rejected calls for the EU to return to buying Russian oil and gas, which the EU stopped after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
* **U.S. nearing deal with Mali to resume intelligence flights: **The United States is nearing an agreement with Mali that would allow U.S. aircraft and drones to resume intelligence-gathering flights over the country to track jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda, according to current and former U.S. officials cited by [Reuters][72]. Washington recently lifted sanctions on Mali’s defense minister and other officials as part of efforts to rebuild relations with Bamako after years of strained ties. U.S. officials say the surveillance missions would help monitor militant activity and aid efforts to locate an American pilot believed to be held in Mali by the Al Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin.
* **Ecuador Bans Opposition Party:** A judge in Ecuador suspended the country’s largest opposition party, Citizens Revolution, for nine months, barring it from the 2027 local elections in what critics condemn as a the latest deliberate move by President Daniel Noboa to marginalize opposition voices. The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) [denounced][73] the ban as the latest escalation in a broader pattern of authoritarian regression, including lawfare against opponents, repeated states of emergency, and deepening military ties with the Trump administration.
# Drop Site on the Hill
* **Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) **[told][74] Drop Site’s Julian Andreone that “Prime Minister Netanyahu is telling President Trump what to do and when to do it.” He said revelations about the U.S. military’s role in the attack on the Iranian girls’ school point to a pattern of “one coverup after another,” which he said only makes their initial lies worse.
* **Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) **is [calling][75] for an investigation to hold Trump administration officials accountable for the strike on the Iranian girls’ school in Minab, telling Drop Site’s Julian Andreone that “we know [it] was the result of U.S. military action.” Van Hollen also questioned President Trump’s claim that ending the war would require a “mutual” decision with Netanyahu: “Why does the President of the United States need to consult with anybody when it comes to ending a war that is making the region and the world less safe for Americans?”
* **Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)** repeatedly [sidestepped][76] questions from Drop Site’s Julian Andreone about the role pro-Israel lobbying groups and senior Israeli officials played in the Trump administration’s decision to launch war on Iran. That exchange is available [here][77].
# More from Drop Site
* **Oil depot strikes in Tehran trigger fires, toxic smoke, and civilian displacement: **Tehran residents described massive explosions and raging oil fires after U.S.-Israeli strikes hit fuel depots in neighborhoods of Shahran, Aghdasieh, and Shahr-e-Ray on March 7. Witnesses said shockwaves shattered windows and left apartments coated in thick black soot as fires burned through the night. Iranian authorities and the World Health Organization warned the strikes released toxic pollutants and acid rain, prompting health warnings for the roughly nine million residents of the Tehran area. One resident described the reality of life in the capital to Drop Site: “By the time we finally packed our bags and locked the door, our fingernails were caked in chemical grime, and our lungs were burning just from breathing inside our own living room.” **Read the latest report from Drop Site contributor Ariya Farahmand [here][78].**
* **“Eyeing Office: Episode 2 (Ft. Oliver Larkin),” with Drop Site’s Julian Andreone.**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031579217859695018
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031587987897672137
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031486854667604418
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031602650479796662
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031439481505460681
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031475590482768097
[7]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/10/iran-oil-israel-strikes-trump
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031404504835383416
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031449589224534394
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031423240971628649
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031538682683867402
[12]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/10/gaza-food-prices-soar-as-border-closures-deepen-shortages-amid-iran-war
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031443404572229865
[14]: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/10/congress/save-america-act-senate-vote-00821365
[15]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/foreign-hacker-2023-compromised-epstein-files-held-by-fbi-source-documents-show-2026-03-11/
[16]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/10/pakistan-orders-sweeping-austerity-measures-as-iran-war-triggers-oil-crisis
[17]: https://x.com/BSonblast/status/2031570322252771388
[18]: https://apnews.com/article/south-sudan-un-akobo-jonglei-fighting-1b0a532e159525a4bf78c3f23da04a61
[19]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260310-kyiv-says-it-hit-key-russian-military-factory-in-missile-strike
[20]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260310-russia-deportation-ukrainian-children-a-crime-against-humanity-says-un-inquiry
[21]: https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-the-latest-iran-fires-at-gulf-states-as-australia-grants-asylum-to-women-on-iranian-soccer-team/
[22]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-nears-deal-resume-intelligence-operations-mali-2026-03-09/
[23]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-drones-thaad-ballistic-missile-patriot-interceptors-capacity-persian-gulf
[24]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-oil-depots-israeli-strikes-toxic-acid-rain-breathing-chemicals
[25]: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-free-leqaa-kordia-from-ice-detention?source=direct_link&referrer=group-drop-site-news&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fgivebutter.com%2Fsupport-dropsite
[26]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031579217859695018
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031557237424922965
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031569891950571676
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031591874784297246
[31]: https://x.com/hkermanpour/status/2031672724091797585
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031587987897672137
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031486854667604418
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031640268554781097
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031602650479796662
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031542515292160487
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031439481505460681
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031451685994795516
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031475590482768097
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031501535885046229
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031731463909986758
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031410671808602513
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031455047679111518
[44]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/10/iran-oil-israel-strikes-trump
[45]: https://www.ms.now/news/trump-iran-nuclear-reactor-war-evidence
[46]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-drones-thaad-ballistic-missile-patriot-interceptors-capacity-persian-gulf?triedRedirect=true
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031565019393958188
[48]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031404504835383416
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031449589224534394
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031564217866735658
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031423240971628649
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031538682683867402
[53]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/10/gaza-food-prices-soar-as-border-closures-deepen-shortages-amid-iran-war
[54]: mailto:[email protected]
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031443404572229865
[56]: https://x.com/atrupar/status/2031468915826540713
[57]: https://x.com/atrupar/status/2031467676078416116
[58]: https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/10/congress/save-america-act-senate-vote-00821365
[59]: https://www.fb.org/files/AFBF-Letter-to-POTUS-Fertilizer.pdf
[60]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/foreign-hacker-2023-compromised-epstein-files-held-by-fbi-source-documents-show-2026-03-11/
[61]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/10/social-security-data-breach-doge-2/
[62]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/11/border-patrol-gregory-bovino-dhs-immigration-trump/
[63]: https://www.iea.org/news/iea-member-countries-to-carry-out-largest-ever-oil-stock-release-amid-market-disruptions-from-middle-east-conflict
[64]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/10/pakistan-orders-sweeping-austerity-measures-as-iran-war-triggers-oil-crisis
[65]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031527169214599392
[66]: https://x.com/BSonblast/status/2031570322252771388
[67]: https://apnews.com/article/south-sudan-un-akobo-jonglei-fighting-1b0a532e159525a4bf78c3f23da04a61
[68]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260310-kyiv-says-it-hit-key-russian-military-factory-in-missile-strike
[69]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/10/russian-attack-kills-four-in-ukraines-sloviansk-as-both-sides-claim-gains
[70]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260310-russia-deportation-ukrainian-children-a-crime-against-humanity-says-un-inquiry
[71]: https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-international/ap-the-latest-iran-fires-at-gulf-states-as-australia-grants-asylum-to-women-on-iranian-soccer-team/
[72]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-nears-deal-resume-intelligence-operations-mali-2026-03-09/
[73]: https://cepr.net/newsroom/ecuador-suspends-the-countrys-largest-opposition-party/
[74]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031467989950935198
[75]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031469962607436158
[76]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031515749643141283
[77]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031515749643141283
[78]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-oil-depots-israeli-strikes-toxic-acid-rain-breathing-chemicals
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2026-03-11 01:03:10 UTC

In Tehran, Iranians Struggle to Breathe After U.S.-Israeli Oil Facility Strikes
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Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026. Photo by Sasan / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images.
TEHRAN, IRAN—Saghar recalls the airstrikes that targeted oil facilities in and around Tehran on Saturday with a terrifying clarity. It was exactly one week into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the constant roar of fighter jets overhead punctuated by loud explosions that rattled the windows had already become a familiar sound in the capital.
But at around 10:30 p.m. on March 7, three deafening blasts, distinctly larger than the strikes of previous days, shook her home. Saghar, 24, lives with her parents and sister in a residential complex in northeastern Tehran, perilously close to the Aghdasieh oil depot.
“The house shook, it truly shook. Far worse than an earthquake,” Saghar told Drop Site News. (Saghar is a pseudonym; she requested anonymity to speak with Drop Site News given the war.) “I remember the Tehran earthquake of May 2020—this was exponentially worse. The kitchen and living room windows shattered instantly, and the chandelier swung violently like a pendulum. My mother was at the sink washing dinner plates when the blast hit. The shockwave threw her so hard she landed head-first on the floor.”
A colossal orange flash ignited on the horizon. Israeli airstrikes had targeted major oil depots and infrastructure in the Tehran neighborhoods of Shahran, Aghdasieh, and Shahr-e-Ray, as well as in the nearby city of Karaj. The massive reservoirs of combustible fuel triggered apocalyptic-looking fires that raged throughout the night.
“My sister and I were in the living room. My father was lying down nearby. We rushed to my mother first, and my father slowly dragged himself over because his leg prevented him from walking easily,” Saghar said in a trembling voice. Her father, a combat veteran, had suffered a gunshot wound from the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s that left him severely impaired. “For the first few seconds, my mother was completely dazed. We were paralyzed, not knowing what to do.”
They called emergency services and received triage instructions over the phone. “They told us not to move her, fearing a critical fracture. After about 15 minutes, each second dragging like a year, the paramedics arrived. Following an initial assessment, they loaded her into an ambulance and rushed her to a nearby hospital.”
Medical staff determined the head trauma was not critical, and Saghar’s mother was discharged after roughly 24 hours of observation. “While she was hospitalized, my father hired someone to reinstall the shattered windows,” Saghar said. “My sister and I packed our bags. As soon as my mother was discharged and cleared by the doctors, we planned to flee to Ramsar.”
Ramsar, located some 220 kilometers (136 miles) northwest of Tehran on the Caspian Sea, has become something of a safe haven in the escalating war. Tens of thousands of residents of Tehran and other cities have fled north to Mazandaran seeking shelter from the bombardment.
“Since the war began, we stayed in Tehran under the assumption that a purely residential complex wouldn’t be targeted,” she added. “We figured we were safe, with no military or security installations nearby. We never imagined a fuel depot nestled next to a civilian neighborhood would be bombed.”
When they returned to their apartment to pack, some nine hours after taking their mother to hospital, they found it blackened from the oil fires raging nearby. “Everything was coated in soot,” Saghar said. “Our white refrigerator was entirely black. If you ran your finger across any surface, it came away stained black.”
For two grueling hours, Saghar and her sister scrubbed surfaces and wiped down appliances. Wet rags became instantly soaked with heavy, black sludge as they tried to clean the thick, greasy layer of airborne crude. “We went through rolls of paper towels and bottles of detergent, but the oily film just smeared before it lifted,” she said. “By the time we finally packed our bags and locked the door, our fingernails were caked in chemical grime, and our lungs were burning just from breathing inside our own living room.”
## **Acid rain and a city gasping for air**
When Tehran residents awoke the next day, March 8, they found a city robbed of daylight.
“When I woke up, the house was so dark I assumed it was heavily overcast,” said Sina, a 42-year-old father to a five-year-old, who lives in the Sattarkhan neighborhood in central Tehran, far from the burning depots. “I showered and dressed for work. But the moment I stepped outside, I panicked. A mixture of smoke and clouds, but overwhelmingly thick smoke, had blackened the entire sky.”
Sina, who gave his first name only, continued, “The air smelled horrific, but it wasn’t just the smell. A brief rain shower had turned everything greasy and black. My white car was covered in dark, oily spots.”
The Iranian Red Crescent issued a warning on Sunday for Tehran residents to stay indoors, saying that the explosions had spread “toxic hydrocarbon compounds and sulfur and nitrogen oxides” in the air. The group warned that any precipitation would result in highly dangerous acid rain capable of causing chemical skin burns and lung damage. It also encouraged people to protect exposed food.
“The streets were deserted. It took me about 15 minutes to reach my office, and by the time I arrived, my throat was burning and my head was pounding,” Sina said. “I immediately called my wife. She’s staying home these days to take care of our son. I woke her up, warned her about the toxic smoke, and told her to seal all the windows. She said the baby was still sleeping.” Two days after the attack, Sina said his chest still felt heavy, and he was struggling to breathe normally.
On Monday, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, put out a [statement][3] on social media about the dangers posed to the nine million residents of Tehran and its surrounding area: “Damage to petroleum facilities in Iran risks contaminating food, water and air—hazards that can have severe health impacts especially on children, older people, and people with pre existing medical conditions. Rain laden with oil has been reported falling in parts of the country.”
Since the start of the war, Tehran has been the most heavily targeted location of the U.S.-Israeli aerial campaign. As in other cities, residential areas and civilian infrastructure in the capital have not been spared the relentless bombardment. Hospitals, shops, schools, public squares, and residential buildings have all been hit, in addition to government buildings. But the oil facility strikes were impossible to escape. Iran’s Department of Environment formally declared the strikes a violation of human rights, citing the Geneva Conventions.
Sara, 36, had been sheltering for a few days with her husband at their home in the Tehran neighborhood of Ekbatan, far from the targeted oil facilities. “My husband and I had planned to go grocery shopping on Sunday morning—meat, fruit, basic essentials. We’d been cooped up for two or three days,” Sara, who only gave her first name, told Drop Site. “When I saw the air on Sunday morning, I told him it wasn’t safe to go outside. We postponed it. By evening, the soot in our neighborhood seemed to have cleared, and we could see patches of blue sky, even though we could see other parts of the city were still smothered in smoke. We decided to make a run for it.”
Sara and her husband, Mehdi, walked to the grocery store about five six minutes away. “Our breathing became incredibly heavy. We felt like we had been doing grueling manual labor after walking for only five minutes,” she said. “We bought face masks on the spot and wore them the entire way back.”
Sitting in her two-bedroom apartment with her husband, Sara displayed her hands that were inflamed and covered in hives. “I have an old allergy that used to bother me, but it had been dormant for a long time. A few hours after getting back, my hands started itching intensely, turned red, and broke out in these hives,” she said. Her forearms were scratched raw while Mehdi suffered from labored breathing and a severe headache.
“Despite the blue sky, it felt like acid had been poured down our throats,” she said.
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2026-03-10 18:04:02 UTC

Trump Might Want to End the War. Iran Won’t Do It on His Terms.
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U.S. President Donald Trump at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2026. Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images.
As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran stretches into its second week, President Donald Trump has been floating the idea that he wants to declare Mission Accomplished. “We will. We’ve already won in many ways, but we haven’t won enough,” Trump declared on Monday afternoon in a speech before Republican lawmakers in Florida.
Iran, however, has shown no sign of ceasing its attacks. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is steadily launching missiles at cities across Israel and continues to strike U.S. military assets and outposts in the Persian Gulf. “The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are capable of continuing at least a six-month intense war at the current pace of operations,” IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini said Sunday in video remarks broadcast on state media. “Iran will determine when the war ends.”
Iranian military officials have said that in the first days of the war, they overwhelmingly used missiles developed between 2010 and 2014, while holding some of Iran’s more sophisticated, modern missiles for future use as the war stretches on. “In the last ten years, what’s been produced, we haven’t used at all,” Naini said. The IRGC announced Monday that it was going to begin deploying more of its advanced 1,000 kg ballistic missiles and, in the first series of retaliatory strikes launched since the naming of a new Supreme Leader, fired dozens of missiles at Tel Aviv and at the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet infrastructure in Bahrain.
Iran’s latest round of strikes began as Trump was addressing a press conference in Florida, assuring reporters that Iran’s drone and missile capacity had been “utterly demolished.”
“Their missile capability is down to about 10 percent, maybe less. We’re also hitting where they make missiles and where they deliver missiles,” Trump said. “We’re knocking them out. We know where they all are. We’re knocking them out very quickly. We’re ahead of our initial timeline by a lot.”
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Despite these claims, Iranian forces have continued to conduct counterstrikes across the region and inside Israel, and Iranian leaders have asserted they have the ability to continue the war. “Let them continue lingering in these illusions,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei at a press briefing Monday in Tehran. “They started this war and now realize they are caught in a quagmire.”
While U.S. and Israeli leaders have loudly proclaimed that the use of overwhelming force is evidence that they are winning the war, political and military analysts say this rhetoric obscures the reality that in asymmetrical warfare, the less powerful force does not need to militarily defeat an adversary, but rather force it to a point where it determines the costs of continuing the war is too high.
“Iran’s goal is to impose such a great cost that the war ends and their ‘win condition’ is the war has ended and they are still the guys you have to talk to,” said Amir Husain, author of “Hyperwar: Conflict and Competition in the AI Century,” in an interview with Drop Site. Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in the region are not aimed at causing random widespread damage or defeating the U.S. and Israel militarily, he said, but rather at inflicting economic damage that forces Trump to cease the war and deters future attacks. “The U.S. is the biggest military machine in the world. Nothing that the U.S. has lost is irreplaceable in time. The question is economic costs and that is really the big driver.”
Iranian officials told Drop Site that after being attacked on February 28 they moved swiftly to implement a series of planned retaliatory strikes that had been war-gamed extensively in the months following the 12-Day War in June 2025. Iran, they said, anticipated that the U.S. and Israel would conduct a systematic assassination campaign against the country’s leaders so Tehran’s military planners preemptively constructed a “mosaic” system where command authority was delegated further down the chain. This allowed commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace division to launch ballistic missile and drone attacks within hours of the war beginning and to strike at predetermined targets even if communications were disabled or senior leaders killed or incapacitated.
“This is the war that Iran has been preparing for for a generation. And the question was always when this existential war was going to take place. And it seems that they believe that that time is now,” said Jon Elmer, an analyst on weapons and military tactics of Palestinian and regional resistance groups for Electronic Intifada. “The Trump administration was treating Iran as if you just come back every few months and destroy and attempt to overthrow the country, overthrow the regime. Iran’s preparation for this war is generational and there’s strategic depth, both within their hardware capacity, but also within their human capacity.”
Smoke rises after Iran carried out a missile strike on the main headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Manama, Bahrain in retaliation against U.S.-Israeli attacks, on February 28, 2026. Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images.
Since the war began, Iran’s drone and ballistic missile attacks have hit major U.S. airbases, naval headquarters, logistics sites, and missile-defense radar systems across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Iran also struck a CIA station in Saudi Arabia. Perhaps the most significant strikes have been Iran’s attacks on U.S. advanced warning radar systems, the nerve center for the military’s defensive missile apparatus.
Satellite imagery has shown that Iranian attacks have damaged or destroyed advanced AN/TPY-2 and PAC-3 missile defense radars for the THAAD and Patriot systems as well as other radar domes at U.S. bases in the Gulf. In addition to reducing ballistic missile defense effectiveness for the entire region, the disabling of defensive facilities at airbases may force operations to be carried out farther from Iran, further reducing the number of sorties that the U.S. can carry out on a daily basis. On March 9 the satellite imagery provider Planet Labs announced that it would restrict access to its commercial imagery over the region for security reasons.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that the U.S. had begun relocating components from its THAAD missile defense system in South Korea to the Middle East, as well as more Patriot interceptors that had been deployed to East Asia. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said that Seoul had “expressed opposition,” to the decision, which would increase its own exposure to the threat of war. “The reality is that we cannot fully push through our position” and block the transfers, he added.
In addition to ballistic missile strikes, U.S. officials on Tuesday [confirmed][3] the downing of at least 11 MQ-9 Reaper drones over Iran, with another reportedly shot down on Wednesday. Iran claims to have shot down over 80 drones, and the officially confirmed U.S. losses come in addition to significant numbers of downed Israeli drones [verified][4] by OSINT researchers and independent monitors. The loss of drones over Iran further degrades the ability to stop Iran from firing by adding a limitation to the intelligence the U.S. can gather on ballistic missile launches.
Prior to the war, concerns over missile interceptor stockpiles, which are costly and time-consuming to replenish, were a major factor in arguments against launching the war. Figures on U.S. stockpiles are classified, but a significant number of interceptors are believed to have been employed in response to Iranian missile bombardments targeting Israel and the Gulf Arab states.
The continued firing of missiles nearly two weeks into the fighting will soon push against logistical limits for the forces deployed, Elmer told Drop Site. “There’s only so many missile interceptors on the [U.S.] destroyers. Once they expend those missiles, they have to go back down to Diego Garcia and reload the missiles. And reloading the missiles looks like offloading a ship. It involves a significant amount of labor. It’s not something that’s simple to do. It’s a multi-day process,” said Elmer. Iran is “using a defense that puts weight on the fact that there’s a distribution over the territory to different autonomous units that can continue the battle if one particular territory runs short or is depleted or is attacked.”
## Economic shock waves
The war has sent economic shock waves through the region and the global economy. In an interview with Princeton Alumni Weekly on March 6, Sheikh Nawaf Al‑Sabah, the chief executive officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)—the national oil company of the State of Kuwait and one of the largest oil companies in the world—discussed the impact of the war on oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. He explained that the company immediately activated a “contingency plan” once strikes on Kuwait began. “What I didn’t expect is, one, that Kuwait would be so consistently targeted, and two, that Iran would be effective in essentially closing down the Strait of Hormuz. Physically it’s not closed, but there’s nothing going through because they’ve threatened every ship that might go through,” Al-Sabah said. He added that while KPC has a strategic tanker fleet prepared to move through the Gulf, the company is still waiting for “some level of assurance on safe passage from the U.S. Navy, but that’s
not there yet.”
Al-Sabah explained that KPC had prepared for such a disruption by storing oil outside the Gulf near Japan and Korea, and by loading its tanker fleet before the strikes and sending them out of the Gulf to provide cover for a limited period. However, he emphasized that these steps were only temporary. “There has been oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz for over 80 years, and not a single day of those 80 years has it ever been closed to traffic. After eight decades, we have now entered a new era of geopolitics in the region, where we now have five or six days of practically zero traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is where you get 20% of the world’s oil supply.”
Major Persian Gulf oil producers have begun sharply reducing output as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has largely ground to a halt, with petroleum storage facilities filling up with unsold crude.
Anusar Farooqi, a geopolitical and defense analyst who authors the [Policy Tensor][5] newsletter, said that the sustained ability of the Iranian military to hold closed the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz has been the most revelatory development of the war to date, adding that a failure to coerce the strait open would mean a strategic defeat for the U.S. whose relationship with the Gulf oil monarchies has been built on protection of the waterway as well as their own security.
“There is a specific strategic problem that must be solved: unless the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened, the war cannot be brought to an end. If Hormuz remains closed, the vectors through which Iran can deliver economic pain are effectively unlimited,” Farooqi said. “The economic consequences of a three-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz have been modeled many times, and the results are catastrophic. Unless flows can be restored—even at reduced levels—the situation becomes extremely severe.”
The ability of Iran to hold the strait closed has been built largely on its deployment of large numbers of cheap and effective Shahed drones—a one-way attack UAV used to strike ships in the region as well as targets in the Gulf Arab states. The Shahed, which can be produced for tens of thousands of dollars a piece and deployed from low-cost mobile launch platforms, has transformed the security environment in the Gulf by allowing Iran to strike targets on a level that has effectively shut down the economically vital region.
“The big shock of this war is that Iran has adopted a highly effective defense strategy mixing both counterforce and countervalue targeting,” Farooqi said, referencing attacks that strike both military and infrastructure targets. “The original U.S. strategy for defending the region was based on the assumption that it could deny Iran the option of closing the strait. But the economics of modern warfare—cheap drones, missile proliferation, and technological diffusion—have changed that equation. The old strategy was not simply responsive enough to the spread of precision-strike capabilities to countries like Iran.”
Iranian missile and drone strikes have declined over the past two days. The U.S. has attributed this to the massive bombing and the decimation of its munitions and launch systems. Iranian officials say that the decrease is a result of the initial damage done to U.S. and Israeli defense systems and that they do not need to launch as many missiles or drones.
Husain said that Iran recognizes the asymmetry of the conflict and has engaged in a strategic series of attacks aimed at maximizing the economic damage. Iran’s opening days of attacks degraded the defensive military infrastructure of Gulf states to a degree that Iran is able to more successfully strike. “Initially [Iran] expended 2,000 plus [missiles and drones] because they needed the ability to launch a few and have them get through. They needed to increase their penetration factor, they needed to take out early warning, they needed to take out counter batteries, and they needed to expend their opponents’ interceptors,” he said. “Once that’s done, the strategy shifts into economic cost maximization mode. Their goal is not to flatten a place. Their goal is to impose such a great cost that the war ends and their win condition is the war has ended and they are still the guys you have to talk to.”
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Iran utilizes both mobile and fixed missile launch sites and has spent significant resources embedding many inside mountains, making them difficult for the U.S. to destroy. Within these sites are tunnels and other infrastructure with subterranean missile silos—what are known as “missile cities.” “There are reports that there might be between 70 and 100 Iranian underground launch facilities for ballistic missiles,” Husain said. “Many of these facilities have rail mounted ballistic missiles. We’ve seen video in the past of a rail infrastructure underground carrying multiple Iranian missiles that are almost like an automated magazine. A missile moves into position and then it can fire, then the next one moves into position and so on.” Some of these underground sites house bulldozers and other equipment that can clear debris at entrances that are struck by U.S. or Israeli missiles.
Husain also cited videos of Iranian missiles being launched from a fixed silo with a concealed exit. “It’s underground and suddenly the ground bursts open and this missile is launched,” he said. The U.S. and Israel would “need to launch extremely devastating repeat strikes with some of the largest bombs in the arsenal and maybe—maybe—then you can penetrate and that’s over 100 sites,” he added. “I haven’t really seen any devastating strikes on Iranian missile cities. It seems to me like a lot of that is being held in reserve. So, I haven’t seen anywhere near the evidence that would convince me that all of this is gone.”
Iran is now using long range drones that Husain, a specialist in artificial intelligence, said appear to utilize AI to guide their paths once they extend beyond the range of control and they employ antennas that are more challenging to jam. The Karrar drone also includes air-to-air infrared missiles, a technology that both Russia and Ukraine have used against the other’s drones.
“The drones are extremely precise. They’re able to pick off the particular installations inside the bases, the radar domes in particular. That has been something that they have hit at these bases all across the region. And when you do that, you knock out this multi-layered missile defense system,” said Elmer. “So the strategic outlook for Iran is the longer this battle goes on, the more it tilts in their favor because of the disruption that it causes in the Gulf countries even though the U.S. bases are the targets.”
The launch systems for Iran’s drones are highly mobile and easy to produce, making it much more difficult for the U.S. to target launch sites as it did in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq’s Scud missile launchers. “There are no complex launchers that are necessary,” said Husain. “In the Iraq war there were these complex transporter erector launchers that you could take out and then Iraq didn’t have the ability to launch a Scud. It’s not like that with Iranian drones.”
If Trump decides he wants to end the war, which he has begun referring to as a “short term excursion,” there is no indication Iran would accept a temporary ceasefire similar to the “12-Day War” in June 2025. Iran’s senior leaders have said they do not trust the U.S. and point out that Trump has twice claimed to be negotiating with Tehran only to launch massive attacks. Iran’s strategic position, as articulated by its leadership, is that the war must end on terms that make clear the costs of future attacks on their country. “We are absolutely not seeking a ceasefire,” said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, on Monday. “We believe the aggressor must be struck in the mouth so it learns a lesson and never again thinks of attacking our beloved Iran.”
There is speculation that Trump has begun speaking of wrapping up the war because of the response of global financial markets and increased pressure from U.S. allies, who fear even greater economic and security consequences. Iranian leaders have been clear they believe Trump underestimated the damage Iran could inflict and overestimated the ability of the U.S. and Israel to swiftly impose a state of collapse on the Iranian state. “They thought that, in a matter of two or three days, they can go for a regime change, they can go for a rapid, clean victory, but they failed. So I believe that the option plan A was a failure, and now they are trying other plans, but all of them have failed as well,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [said][7] on Monday. “I don’t think they have any realistic endgame in their mind,” he added. “I think they are aimless.”
*Jawa Ahmad, Drop Site News’s Middle East Research Fellow, contributed to this report.*
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[4]: https://defence-blog.com/analyst-confirms-israeli-and-u-s-drone-losses-during-iran-strikes
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2026-03-10 15:21:28 UTC

40 killed in strike on Tehran; Trump says Iran war “very complete, pretty much” while Hegseth promises “most intense day of strikes”; Quadcopters in Haiti
*“Today will be our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth says. Forty killed in U.S.-Israeli strike on Tehran residential building. The official death toll in Iran tops 1,300. Iranian strikes kill two in Israel, one in Bahrain. Gulf oil producers [cut][1] output and look for alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, while France [plans][2] a naval escort mission to reopen the strait. Iran [warns][3] of “uncontrollable consequences” after President Donald Trump threatens broader strikes. Trump says Iran war is “very complete, pretty much” and denies responsibility for school strike. Iran releases photos of alleged missile fragments from the strike. Iranian officials [say][4] no room for diplomacy, ready for a long war.*** ***Turkey [says][5] NATO systems intercepted another Iranian missile. UAE rules out participating in attacks on Iran. Israel [launches][6] new wave of strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon. Forced displacement spikes in Lebanon. No
Gaza talks, while Board of Peace takes a step forward. Senate Democrats threaten to block floor business over Iran war hearings. Pentagon estimates $5.6B spent on munitions in first two days of war, more money demanded. Rep. Kevin Kiley [leaves][7] the Republican Party. Trump [delays][8] Texas Senate primary endorsement to pressure GOP on voting bill. Pentagon [spent][9] $93 billion in one month, including on a Steinway piano. Monday’s Live Nation/Ticketmaster settlement stunned judge, trial may continue. Quadcopters in Haiti have [killed][10] more than 1,200 people, report says. U.S. accuses Taliban government of holding Americans for leverage. Militants [kill][11] at least 15 in coordinated attacks in northeast Nigeria. Russian drone attacks [injure][12] more than 20 in Kharkiv and Dnipro. Bangladesh [shuts][13] down universities and rations fuel amid energy shock from Iran war.*
**NEW from Drop Site: ***Iran [signals][14] possible shift in strikes on Gulf states, intensifying its attacks on Israel, according to a new report from Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill. Plus, a [dispatch][15] from Lebanon by Lylla Younes.*
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Texas after speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite an immigration judge twice ruling that she is eligible for release. Drop Site joins the IMEU Policy Project, MPower Action, Jewish Voice for Peace ACT, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action in calling for her immediate release. **The link below allows users to send emails and make calls to their member of Congress on Leqaa’s behalf:**
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U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, March 9, 2026. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for an eleventh day: **War Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a news conference in Washington D.C. on Tuesday that “Today will be our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” while the Israeli military also said it has begun a “wave of strikes” on Iran.
* **Monday’s major strikes on Iran:**
* U.S.–Israeli [strikes][18] on a residential complex in eastern Tehran late Monday killed at least 40 people, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, in one of the deadliest attacks in the capital since the start of the war. The attack hit apartment blocks near Resalat Square, a densely populated area of the capital, with rescue crews searching the rubble for survivors.
* Three school students were [killed][19] after U.S.–Israeli strikes hit residential areas in Lorestan Province in western Iran, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that the attack also destroyed the Intelligence Department building in the city of Kuhdasht. The blast reportedly leveled nearby homes and commercial buildings, with sources saying both intelligence personnel and civilians were among the dead.
* A U.S.–Israeli drone strike [hit][20] a two-story residential building in the central Iranian city of Arak shortly after midnight Tuesday, killing five people and injuring one, according to Iran’s Mehr News. State media reported heavy damage to the residential structure following the strike.
* U.S. fighter jets [reportedly][21] struck Saravan Airport in southeastern Iran, roughly 30 miles from the border with Pakistan. If confirmed, the attack would mark only the second known U.S. strike on Iran’s eastern flank, following the opening-day strike on the port city of Chabahar. The U.S. government has not officially commented on the reported strike, though U.S. Central Command has said it is conducting ongoing “precision strikes” against Iranian military airfields and drone launch sites to counter what it calls “imminent threats.”
* U.S.–Israeli strikes in the Iranian city of Isfahan have [damaged][22] the Chehel Sotoun Palace, a 17th-century Safavid-era pavilion that forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage site known as “The Persian Garden.” Iranian state media footage showed shattered windows and damage to parts of the interior structure caused by nearby explosions. Israel’s military said it carried out a “wide-scale wave of strikes” in Isfahan targeting military infrastructure, drone headquarters, and command centers. The strikes also hit near Naqsh-e Jahan (Maidan Emam) Square, another UNESCO-listed site in the city’s historic core.
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll in Iran has reached at least 1,348, with more than 17,000 injured, the head of Iran’s National Emergency Organization reported. At least 193 children have been killed so far, with the youngest victim an eight-month-old girl, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said.
* At least 460 people have been killed and over 4,300 wounded in Tehran alone since the launch of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran ten days ago, deputy head of Tehran Emergency Health Department Mehr Soroush told public broadcaster IRIB News, according to Al Jazeera.
* Health Ministry Adviser Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera that strikes have hit over 200 cities across Iran.
* **Two killed in Israel in Iranian missile attack:** An Iranian missile attack on the central Israeli city of Yehud on Monday killed two people, [according][23] to the Times of Israel. Israel’s Ministry of Health said that 191 people have been admitted to hospital over the past 24 hours due to the war. A total of 2,339 people have been admitted to hospitals in Israel since the war began, with 11 in serious condition.
* **One killed in Iranian attack on Bahrain:** One person was killed and eight injured in an Iranian attack on a residential building in the Bahraini capital of Manama, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday.
* **Gulf oil producers cut output and look for alternatives to Hormuz: **Major Persian Gulf oil producers have [begun][24] sharply reducing output as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has largely ground to a halt, with petroleum storage facilities filling up with unsold crude. Saudi Arabia has cut roughly 2–2.5 million barrels from its usual production of about 10.1 million barrels per day, while Iraq has reduced output by around 2.9 million barrels from a baseline of roughly 4.2 million barrels per day. About 35 percent of the oil that normally [transits][25] the Strait of Hormuz is still reaching export markets, according to energy analyst Javier Blas, with roughly 5.5 million barrels per day moving compared with about 15 million before the war. Saudi Arabia is rapidly increasing shipments through its East–West pipeline to the Red Sea, a shift that could raise total crude reaching markets to around 9.5 million barrels per day—about 63 percent of normal flows—within the next few
days.
* **France, allies plan naval escort mission to reopen Strait of Hormuz: **France and several partner countries are [preparing][26] a “purely defensive” naval mission to escort shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, once the initial phase of the war subsides, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday. Speaking in Cyprus, Macron called the waterway’s reopening essential for global trade.** **France has already deployed the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean and says its broader naval presence includes eight frigates and two amphibious helicopter carriers operating across the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Hormuz region. Iran’s IRGC said on Monday that any Arab or European country that [expels][27] Israeli and U.S. ambassadors will be granted full freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz starting Tuesday.
* **Trump claims Hormuz traffic rising despite shipping collapse: **President Trump [warned][28] that if Iran disrupts oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States would strike the country “twenty times harder,” writing on Truth Social that Tehran must not “stop the flow of oil.” In a phone interview with CBS News on Monday, Trump claimed that ship traffic through the strait was increasing and that vessels were “moving through now.” His comments come as commercial traffic through the waterway has collapsed by roughly 94 percent, with about eight ships transiting daily compared with around 138 under normal conditions.
* **Trump declares war on Iran “very complete, pretty much”; offers additional justifications for attack: **President Trump on Monday said the war against Iran is “very complete, pretty much” and that the United States is “very far ahead” of the four-to-five-week timeline he initially projected, according to an interview with CBS News. Trump claimed Iranian military capabilities had been largely destroyed, saying the country now has “no navy, no communications” and “no Air Force.” He later reversed his remarks, saying that while “we’ve already won in many ways…we haven’t won enough.” He also [claimed][29] that the United States launched strikes on Iran because, if Washington “didn’t hit them first,” Tehran would have “taken over the Middle East” and attempted to destroy Israel with its “thousands of missiles.”
* **Trump denies responsibility for school strike; Iran releases photos of alleged missile fragments:** Trump once again [deflected][30] blame for the strike on Minab that killed over 170 people, mostly schoolgirls, saying that the Tomahawk, the missile reportedly used in the strike, “is one of the most powerful weapons around, is used by—you know—is sold and used by other countries.” Photos released by Iranian state media Monday showed missile fragments from the Feb. 28 strike. An analysis by the New York Times found that the debris in the images appears to have markings consistent with a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile manufactured in 2014 or later, though it is unclear exactly where the debris was recovered.
* **Iran warns of “uncontrollable consequences” after Trump threatens broader strikes: **Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf [warned][31] of severe retaliation after President Trump said the United States could target new “areas and groups of people” in Iran that had not previously been considered for attack. Trump said those targets could face “complete destruction and certain death.” Ghalibaf described the remarks as an “official confession” that Washington intends to target civilians, warning that attacks on population centers would have “uncontrollable consequences.” He added that Iran would respond “recklessly and without restraint.”
* **Iranian officials say no room for diplomacy, ready for long war: **Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi [told][32] PBS on Monday that “talking with, negotiating with Americans” is not on the table, a sentiment echoed by Kamal Kharazi, a foreign policy adviser to the country’s supreme leader, who [told][33] CNN that there is “no room for diplomacy anymore,” and said that Iran is prepared for a long war. Speaker of Iran’s Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf concurred, saying, “We are absolutely not seeking a ceasefire. We believe the aggressor must be struck in the mouth so it learns a lesson and never again thinks of attacking our beloved Iran.” In a different set of remarks, Araghchi [addressed][34] the American people, saying that ordinary Americans should not bear the economic consequences of the expanding regional war, and arguing that the U.S. public had “overwhelmingly voted to end involvement in costly foreign wars.” Writing on social media, Araghchi said rising
economic pressures in the United States should instead be blamed on “Israel and its dupes in Washington.”
* **Turkey says NATO systems intercepted Iranian missile in its airspace: **Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense [said][35] a second ballistic missile launched from Iran was intercepted in Turkish airspace by NATO air and missile defense systems, with debris falling on vacant land in Gaziantep. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later warned Tehran against taking “wrong and provocative” steps that could endanger the “thousand-year-old neighborly bond” between the two countries. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied the missiles were launched from Iran, and added that a full investigation will be carried out.
* **UAE rules out participating in attacks on Iran: **The United Arab Emirates publicly [ruled][36] out taking part in military attacks against Iran, with its UN ambassador Jamal Al Musharakh saying the UAE “will not partake in any attacks against Iran from our territory” and “will not be involved in such a conflict.” Despite repeated assurances from Gulf governments that their territories would not be used to attack Iran, War Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed Monday that they have given the U.S. “access basing and overflight,” adding that Gulf states have “gone on the offensive” in their support of the U.S.
* **Bahrain prosecutors seek death penalty over photos in “prohibited locations”: **Bahrain is [seeking][37] the death penalty for several citizens accused of “high treason” after allegedly photographing locations where images are prohibited following Iranian attacks. In court, prosecutors said the kingdom faces “brutal Iranian aggression,” declaring that “loyalty to the homeland is not an option that accepts negotiation” and calling for maximum penalties. The case comes as Bahraini authorities continue to blame Iran for damage from a strike in Sitra, where 32 civilians, including children, were injured after a Bahraini air-defense interceptor reportedly struck a residential area.
* **Planet Labs restricts satellite imagery over Iran and Gulf bases: **Planet Labs has [imposed][38] new restrictions on satellite imagery covering Iran and nearby Gulf military bases, citing concerns the images could be used by adversaries to target NATO-partner personnel and civilians. The company said it is expanding its restricted Area of Interest to include all of Iran and nearby military installations across the Persian Gulf. Planet will also extend the delay before new imagery enters its commercial archive from four days to 14. While satellites will continue collecting images, the material will be withheld during that window, significantly slowing open-source verification of military strikes and damage assessments.
* **Iran signals possible shift in strikes on Gulf states, intensifying its attacks on Israel: **Iran is considering reducing attacks inside most Arab countries hosting U.S. bases, a senior Iranian official told Drop Site, arguing that earlier missile and drone operations had already degraded key U.S. radar systems and interceptor stockpiles in the Gulf. “In the coming days, it is likely that operations will place greater emphasis on targets associated with Israel, while attacks on U.S. bases in the region may decrease to some extent,” he told Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill. **Read the full report from Jeremy Scahill [here][39].**
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Israel launches new wave of strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon: **Israeli warplanes [carried][40] out a new wave of attacks overnight and on Tuesday morning across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, east of Beirut, while the military ordered residents of Tyre and Sidon to evacuate north, ahead of “imminent” strikes on alleged Hezbollah infrastructure. Lebanese media reported airstrikes on several towns, including Almajadel, Chaqra, Srifa, Majdal, Kafr Sasir, Ansariya, and areas near Bint Jbeil and Ainatha. On Monday, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that the Israeli military had pushed [deeper][41] into the country’s south and that it was considering a major expansion of a “buffer zone” inside Lebanese territory.
* **Casualty count: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon rose to at least 486, with 1313 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Forced displacement spikes in Lebanon:** More than 667,000 have been officially registered as displaced in Lebanon, an increase of 100,000 in just one day, according to UNHCR’s representative in Lebanon, Karolina Lindholm Billing, as reported by Al Jazeera. She added that the figure represented “a faster pace of displacement” compared to 2024, when Israel’s assault on Lebanon led to more than 1.2 million displaced.
* **Israeli strike kills Christian priest in southern Lebanon: **An Israeli strike [killed][42] Father Pierre Al-Rai, the parish priest of the Christian village of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon, and another Christian civilian, according to local officials. The priest had urged residents not to abandon the town despite Israeli forced displacement orders, saying the community carried only “peace, love, and prayer” and that no armed activity should take place in the area. Qlayaa’s mayor blamed Israel for the killings and said no Hezbollah fighters were present in the village at the time of the strike.
* **Lebanon proposes talks with Israel, Axios reports:** The Lebanese government has proposed direct negotiations with Israel, mediated by the Trump administration, in an effort to end the war and reach a broader peace arrangement, according to reporting from [Axios][43]. Officials in Beirut reportedly suggested immediate ministerial-level talks in Cyprus, but both Washington and Israel were skeptical, with U.S. officials insisting that “real action” be undertaken by the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack reportedly told his Lebanese counterparts, “Stop with the bullshit.”
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, two Palestinian bodies arrived at hospitals—one killed in new Israeli attacks and another recovered from the rubble—and at least two Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,134 killed, with 171,828 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 649 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,730, while 756 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **No Gaza talks, Board of Peace takes a step forward: **Negotiations over the second phase of President Trump’s Gaza plan continue to be [stalled][44], according to sources cited by Reuters, with the Trump administration now citing the Iran war. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reports that Trump’s “Board of Peace” issued tenders for projects linked to the postwar plan, including a refugee camp in Gaza, a base for international troops, and a management headquarters in Israel, with an initial $60–70 million budget reportedly provided by regional partners.
* **Israeli minister expands gun permits to all Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem:** Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, announced Monday that the 300,000 residents of all Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem will now be eligible to apply for personal firearm licenses, in a [post on X][45]. Ben-Gvir urged residents to obtain firearms, and claimed that “a weapon in the hands of responsible citizens,” is important in responding to “terrorism and crime incidents.” Since October 7, 2023, at least 1,058 Palestinians—231 of them children—have been killed in Israeli army and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to OCHA.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][46].*
* **Senate Democrats threaten to block floor business until Rubio and Hegseth testify on Iran: **[A group of Senate Democrats says it will use procedural tools][47] to slow or block Senate business until senior officials testify under oath about the U.S. war with Iran. Senators including **Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) **are demanding hearings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth before the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees. Lawmakers say they want answers on the duration, cost, and objectives of the war, as well as rules of engagement and reports of civilian casualties.
* **Pentagon estimates $5.6B spent on munitions in first two days of war, more money demanded: **The Pentagon fired nearly $6 billion worth of munitions during the first two days of the war on Iran, [according][48] to the Washington Post. The estimate was shared with Congress on Monday. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) [said][49] on Monday it had struck over 5,000 targets in Iran in the first 10 days of the war. The Post reports the Trump administration is expected to send Congress a supplemental defense budget request as soon as this week to sustain the war.
* **Rep. Kevin Kiley leaves Republican Party: **Kiley, of California, [announced][50] he will register as an independent due to “hyper-partisanship in Congress.” The move narrows the GOP’s margin in the House to 217 Republicans and 214 Democrats, with three vacancies; Kiley will be the House’s only independent. Kiley said he will continue caucusing with Republicans for the remainder of his term but declined to guarantee support for Speaker Mike Johnson on procedural votes. Kiley’s move is a nakedly political response to naked politics played against him by Democrats: the party redrew his district to make it much more Democrat-friendly in response to Texas Republicans doing a mirror version of the same this cycle. Kiley is jumping from the 3rd to the 6th district, where he faces a longshot race even as an independent.
* **Trump delays Texas Senate primary endorsement to pressure GOP on voting bill: **President Trump is delaying his endorsement in the Texas Republican Senate primary as he tries to pressure Senate Republicans to pass his high-priority voting restrictions legislation, according to [Politico][51]. Trump had been expected to quickly back Sen. John Cornyn after the primary, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pulled off a remarkable pirouette just before he did so, publicly offering to drop out but only if Senate Republicans eliminated the filibuster and passed the SAVE America Act. Trump fell for it, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned that eliminating the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act “is not going to happen.” It’s now a Texas standoff. (Sorry.)
* **New Mexico investigators search Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch:** On Monday, investigators from New Mexico’s Department of Justice and a local sheriff’s office [searched][52] the remote desert ranch formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein where victims say they were abused. Last month state lawmakers voted to set up a bipartisan “truth commission” to determine exactly what happened at the ranch.
* **Pentagon spent $93B in a single month, including buying a Steinway piano:** The Pentagon spent $93 billion in September 2025—the final month of the fiscal year—its highest end-of-year spending surge since 2008, according to an analysis by the government watchdog Open the Books reported on by [The New Republic][53]. Much of the spending appeared driven by “use-it-or-lose-it” budget rules that encourage agencies to exhaust remaining funds before the fiscal deadline. The purchases included items not obviously essential for a war effort, such as a $98,329 Steinway grand piano for the Air Force chief of staff’s residence, $5.3 million in Apple devices, millions of dollars in seafood and steak, and $225 million in furniture. More on the Pentagon’s spending spree is available from TNR, [here][54].
* **Rubio set to testify against longtime ally in Venezuela foreign-agent trial: **Secretary of State Marco Rubio is [expected][55] to testify as a government witness in the federal trial of his longtime friend and political ally David Rivera, a former Florida congressman accused of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Venezuela. Prosecutors allege Rivera secretly worked to influence U.S. policy toward Caracas through a $50 million consulting contract tied to Citgo, Venezuela’s state-owned oil company subsidiary, while arranging meetings between Venezuelan figures and U.S. officials including Rubio and others in Donald Trump’s orbit. More on the case from The Lever, [here][56].
* **Monday’s Live Nation/Ticketmaster settlement stunned judge, trial may continue: **Per The American Prospect: “Judge Arun Subramanian demanded to know why Live Nation hadn’t told him about the deal during a private meeting Friday evening, wondered what he was supposed to tell the jury, and bemoaned the government’s “absolute disrespect for the court, the jury, and the entire process.” Attorneys for at least 27 of the 40 states (plus the District of Columbia) that had joined the case offered to continue prosecuting it in lieu of the DOJ lawyers. Judge Subramanian told the jury to go home and report back to the courtroom in a week, which may not be enough time for the remaining states to assemble a full team of litigators and pursue a case where Live Nation’s main argument would be that the experts at DOJ already settled it.” [More from TAP][57].
# Other International News
* **U.S. accuses Taliban government of holding Americans for leverage: **Secretary of State Marco Rubio [announced][58] Monday that the United States is designating Afghanistan’s Taliban government as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” accusing it of holding American citizens for leverage. Rubio demanded the release of U.S. nationals detained in the country, including Mahmood Habibi and Dennis Coyle, and said the practice amounts to using “terrorist tactics” to seek ransom or policy concessions. Rubio warned that Washington could restrict the use of U.S. passports for travel to Afghanistan if the detainees are not released—a measure currently applied only to North Korea. U.S. officials are also seeking the return of the remains of Paul Overby, an American author who disappeared near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan in 2014.
* **U.S. designates Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as global terrorist group: **The U.S. State Department [designated][59] the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization and signaled plans to formally list it as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The group includes the Sudanese Islamic Movement and its armed wing, the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, which Washington accuses of carrying out violence against civilians and contributing more than 20,000 fighters to Sudan’s ongoing civil war. U.S. authorities allege the brigade conducted mass executions and that some of its fighters received training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
* **Quadcopters in Haiti have killed more than 1,200 people, report says: **Haitian security forces have [killed][60] at least 1,243 people and injured 738 since March 2025, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. The attacks, carried out with assistance from the U.S.-licensed security firm Vectus Global, use quadcopter drones equipped with explosives in anti-gang campaigns across the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince. Human Rights Watch said some strikes hit densely populated neighborhoods and killed civilians, including children.
* **Militants kill at least 15 in coordinated attacks in northeast Nigeria: **Islamist militants killed at least 12 soldiers and three civilians in coordinated overnight attacks across Borno and Yobe states in northeast Nigeria, according to [Reuters][61]. Fighters from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province attacked multiple locations, including Kukawa, Dalwa, and the Goniri military base. Troops eventually retook their positions in some areas, but not before insurgents killed soldiers, burned homes, and damaged military vehicles and facilities.
* **Russian drone attacks injure more than 20 in Kharkiv and Dnipro: **Russian drone strikes [hit][62] the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Dnipro overnight on Monday, injuring more than 20, according to Ukrainian officials cited by [Reuters][63]. In Kharkiv, drones struck near residential buildings, injuring several people, shattering windows, and setting cars on fire. In Dnipro, 10 people—including a 12-year-old boy—were reported injured as multiple high-rise buildings were damaged. Of the 137 drones, Ukraine said 122 were intercepted or neutralized.
* **Bangladesh shuts down universities and rations fuel: **Bangladesh has [closed][64] universities, rationed fuel sales, and halted several fertilizer factories as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has driven oil prices upwards and disrupted the import-dependent country’s energy markets. The government canceled decorative lighting for events celebrating Eid al-Fitr in an effort to reduce the use of energy, and officials are reportedly scrambling to secure costly spot-market LNG.
# More from Drop Site
* **Ground Troops, Airstrikes, and Displacement: No Guarantee of Safety in Lebanon With Relentless Israeli Assaults:** Israeli forces launched an air and ground operation on the town of Nabi Chit in southeastern Lebanon overnight on Friday that killed at least 41 people in one of the deadliest attacks since Israel dramatically escalated its assault on Lebanon. The relentless Israeli airstrikes and repeated mass displacement orders have uprooted over 700,000 from their homes in just one week. Meanwhile, the Lebanese government is trying to pressure Hezbollah to end its resistance against Israel and has imposed a ban on its military activities. Beirut-based contributor Lylla Younes speaks with eyewitnesses, victims’ families, and displaced families. Read her report **[here][65]**.
* **Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone joined Don Lemon on “Lemon Live”** to discuss the growing rift in the MAGA movement over the war in Iran. His full appearance is available here:
**Programming note:** [You can sign up here to get updates from us][66] on our WhatsApp channel.
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031287182497833285
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031069871879106775
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031096785796780212
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031256919487267281
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031086548892938747
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031313039413125600
[7]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kevin-kiley-leaves-republican-party-becomes-independent/
[8]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/09/trump-is-delaying-texas-senate-endorsement-to-pressure-gop-senators-on-save-america-act-00819991
[9]: https://newrepublic.com/post/207555/pete-hegseth-billions-dollars-fruit-basket-stands-chairs-crab
[10]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/10/hundreds-killed-in-haiti-drone-strikes-including-60-civilians-report
[11]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/islamist-militants-kill-15-coordinated-raids-across-northeast-nigeria-2026-03-09/
[12]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-drone-injures-six-by-apartment-block-ukraines-kharkiv-2026-03-09/
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031042159479046635
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031043907283230749
[15]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-nabi-chit-displacement-beirut-army?triedRedirect=true
[16]: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-free-leqaa-kordia-from-ice-detention?source=direct_link&referrer=group-drop-site-news&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fgivebutter.com%2Fsupport-dropsite
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[18]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031221626402906249
[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031225491605082426
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031302609005330476
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031204149489172580
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031282771331571988
[23]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/second-victim-dies-after-mondays-iranian-cluster-missile-strike-in-central-israel/
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031287182497833285
[25]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031296817808199692
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031069871879106775
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031168808317080021
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031274363471716668
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031180625697227201
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031250192184348834
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031096785796780212
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031256919487267281
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031264628919951768
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031076083471118503
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031086548892938747
[36]: https://x.com/Aya_Isk/status/2031029497047535736
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031086548892938747
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031188821069447493
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031043907283230749
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031313039413125600
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031121935669624937
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031157067168272714
[43]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/09/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-peace-talks
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031324900556763240
[45]: https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/2030898377689334269?s=46
[46]: mailto:[email protected]
[47]: https://www.wsav.com/news/democrats-vow-to-shut-down-senate-over-iran-conflict/
[48]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/09/iran-war-cost/
[49]: https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2031141236107509958
[50]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kevin-kiley-leaves-republican-party-becomes-independent/
[51]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/09/trump-is-delaying-texas-senate-endorsement-to-pressure-gop-senators-on-save-america-act-00819991
[52]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/us/epstein-new-mexico-zorro-ranch-search.html
[53]: https://newrepublic.com/post/207555/pete-hegseth-billions-dollars-fruit-basket-stands-chairs-crab
[54]: https://newrepublic.com/post/207555/pete-hegseth-billions-dollars-fruit-basket-stands-chairs-crab
[55]: https://www.levernews.com/the-miami-trial-exposing-foreign-influence-in-trumpland/
[56]: https://www.levernews.com/the-miami-trial-exposing-foreign-influence-in-trumpland/
[57]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/09/live-nation-settlement-spurs-chaos-in-court/
[58]: https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/03/afghanistan-designated-as-a-state-sponsor-of-wrongful-detention/
[59]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311544
[60]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/10/hundreds-killed-in-haiti-drone-strikes-including-60-civilians-report
[61]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/islamist-militants-kill-15-coordinated-raids-across-northeast-nigeria-2026-03-09/
[62]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-drone-injures-six-by-apartment-block-ukraines-kharkiv-2026-03-09/
[63]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-drone-injures-six-by-apartment-block-ukraines-kharkiv-2026-03-09/
[64]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2031042159479046635
[65]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-nabi-chit-displacement-beirut-army
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2026-03-09 20:41:12 UTC

Ground Troops, Airstrikes, and Displacement: No Guarantee of Safety in Lebanon With Relentless Israeli Assaults
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The aftermath of an Israeli air and ground attack on Nabi Chit, Lebanon. March 7, 2026. Photo by Adri Salido/Getty Images.
BEIRUT, LEBANON—For several nights, Walaa Raya had barely slept. The 32-year-old lay awake in her home in the village of Tamnin Al-Tahta in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, listening to the roar of warplanes and refreshing the news updates on her phone, waiting for the warning that might force her family to flee. Israel had dramatically escalated its war on Lebanon over the past week, and she feared that if she dozed off, she might miss a displacement order.
Shortly after midnight on Friday, the sounds overhead grew louder. Fighter jets and drones circled the sky, and soon Raya began hearing helicopters. Then came a strange popping noise that sounded like fireworks.
Confusion quickly spread through the village’s WhatsApp groups. Some messages claimed the helicopters belonged to the Lebanese Army and were evacuating wounded soldiers. Others warned that Israeli troops were attempting to invade the area.
Panic set in. Flares lit up the sky as the Lebanese Army responded to what it had identified as an Israeli military incursion. Moments later, the sound of fierce clashes broke through the night — bursts of gunfire followed by a wave of airstrikes. At around 2 a.m., the sky finally fell silent.
In the hours that followed, details of what transpired began to emerge.
Israeli forces had launched an operation on the nearby town of Nabi Chit with helicopters and ground troops that it claimed was to retrieve the remains of Israeli soldier Ron Arad, who disappeared in Lebanon four decades ago. Lebanese Army commander Rodolphe Haykal said in a statement that the Israeli commando unit involved in the operation disguised themselves in uniforms that resemble the Lebanese Army’s and moved through the area using ambulances marked with the insignia of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization.
Hezbollah said in a statement its fighters “observed the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction.” Hezbollah fighters alongside local residents fought back against the Israeli incursion, engaging in a fierce gunbattle. Israeli troops were eventually forced to withdraw as warplanes and helicopter gunships fired 40 strikes on the area. At least 41 people were killed, including at least three Lebanese army soldiers and one member of the general security directorate, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The Israeli military reported no casualties.
Footage from a mass funeral the following day showed crowds weeping around dozens of coffins and raising their fists in defiance. Since the attack, Raya said residents of Tamnin Al-Tahta have begun leaving, fearing their village could be next.
“I lived through 2006 and I lived through the war in 2024, but the conditions today are harder than everything that happened in the past 25 years,” Raya told Drop Site News. She said she had purchased a plane ticket to Istanbul, where Lebanese citizens can stay for one month on a visa.
The raid on Nabi Chit was one of the deadliest attacks on Lebanon by the Israeli military since March 2, when it began heavily bombarding southern and eastern Lebanon, and the capital Beirut, in response to Hezbollah firing a barrage of rockets into Israel. The group said the strike was meant to avenge the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and respond to Israel’s continued attacks and occupation of territory in southern Lebanon.
Since the escalation began last week, Israeli attacks have killed at least 486 people in Lebanon—including 83 children—and wounded more than 1,313 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. “On average, more than 10 children have been killed every day across Lebanon over the past week, with approximately 36 children injured each day,” UNICEF said in a [statement][3].
Sweeping displacement orders issued by the Israeli military have forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. After ordering everyone south of the Litani River to flee north on March 4, the Israeli military issued a displacement order for all of Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiye—home to approximately 700,000 people—causing panic and traffic jams across the capital. Evacuation orders have also been issued for parts of the Bekaa Valley.
More than 517,000 people have been officially registered as displaced, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Social Affairs, with many now taking refuge in schools and sports arenas that have been converted into shelters. The [International Rescue Committee][4] and [UNICEF][5] estimate the total number of displaced since last week at over 700,000.
“This time, it’s more about the orders instead of the bombing,” said Mohanad Haj Ali, deputy director for research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. “They’re more focused on the collective punishment of the Shia populace and putting pressure on the Lebanese government.”
The renewed fighting follows a fragile ceasefire reached after 66 days of intense combat in late 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah. Under the agreement, Israel would halt its attacks if Hezbollah ceased military operations south of the Litani River. According to the United Nations, however, Israel has violated the agreement more than 15,000 times, including at least 1,500 incursions into Lebanese territory, and killed over 340 people.
Hezbollah’s escalation last week increased pressure on the Lebanese government to confront the group directly. Following the rocket attacks, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared the group’s military operations “illegal” and imposed a ban on its security and military activities.
Hezbollah has largely ignored the government’s orders and continued resistance attacks, conducting drone strikes and firing anti-tank missiles. On Friday, Hezbollah issued its own displacement order, posting a message on its Telegram channel in Hebrew warning residents in northern Israel to evacuate towns within 5 kilometers of the border. “Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will ⁠not go unchallenged,” Hezbollah said.
Members of Lebanon’s Change parliamentary bloc and several independent lawmakers have sharply criticized Haykal, the Lebanese Army commander, accusing the military of dragging its feet on implementing directives to disarm the group.
Haykal addressed the situation during a meeting at army headquarters in Yarze on Saturday. “The army is exerting its utmost efforts to protect internal stability and national unity,” he said, and “stands at equal distance from all Lebanese and deals with them from its comprehensive national role.”
Haj Ali said that Israel’s objective is to “increase public pressure and corner the Lebanese government to take action on Hezbollah.” He added, “[Haykal’s] statement is trying to preserve internal peace, which is not what the Israelis want,” said Haj Ali. “They want a civil war.”
On Sunday, Israel’s military chief of staff Eyal Zamir said the war in Lebanon “will take a long time,” describing Hezbollah as “an extremist arm of the Iranian octopus.”
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s strained shelter system is struggling to cope with the surge in displaced families.
In Bir Hassan, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs that has endured repeated bombing since the escalation began, a technical college has been converted into a makeshift shelter.
Inside the gates, displaced residents sit around tables in the sun, trying to warm themselves after another cold night. Children play beneath a canopy tent while newly arrived families wait to register.
“Some buildings are at capacity but there is a waiting list,” a member of the Lebanese Civil Defense helping run the shelter told Drop Site. “When someone finds shelter elsewhere—an apartment to rent or space with family—we take in new people.”
In the hallways, families have erected makeshift partitions from cardboard and hung blankets for privacy. There are no showers, only overcrowded bathrooms.
Norma Zayneddine fled to the shelter with her husband and seven children from the neighborhood of Laylaki in the southern suburb of Dahiye on the first night of the escalation.
“We left with nothing, just the clothes on our back,” she said. “We can’t sleep. We have no privacy. This is not a life, to be honest with you. We don’t know where we’re going.”
Another displaced resident, Samah Al-Ghaddaf, evacuated with her husband and three children from Kafa’aat, another neighborhood in Dahiye. The shelter does not feel safe, she said. Since the escalation began, the Israeli military had issued warnings for Bir Hassan. The previous day, the Israeli military announced it would strike the nearby neighborhood of Jnah. Al-Ghaddaf and her family drove to the seaside district of Raouche and slept in their car before returning to the shelter the following morning.
Even areas outside Israel’s declared evacuation zones are no guarantee of safety. Early Sunday morning, an Israeli airstrike struck the Ramada Hotel in Raouche, in the center of Beirut, killing four and sending shockwaves through the city. The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted commanders from Iran’s elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Across Lebanon, the relentless airstrikes have continued.
On Saturday evening, an Israeli drone strike leveled a home in the Al-Athar neighborhood of Sour, killing eight members of a single family as they prepared the Ramadan iftar meal. The area had been considered safe and had not been targeted before.
Among the victims were a Lebanese man who held Swedish citizenship, his wife, and their two children. Also killed were the wife of the man’s nephew—who was pregnant—her five-year-old daughter, and two elderly relatives.
“What was the goal of this massacre?” asked Mohammad Saleh, a relative. “My uncle was European, he had a Swedish passport. My sister-in-law’s aunts were old people. The rest were children.”
Saleh said his brother Hassan ran to the scene after hearing the strike and began digging through the rubble while calling out for his daughter. He eventually found her head severed from her body.
“The drone appeared above the house 15 minutes before the strike and flew very low,” Saleh said. “They knew who they were targeting.”
Khalil Al-Zain, a local leader in the city of Sour told Drop Site that many residents have no choice but to remain in their homes. “Many people are staying not because they’re stubborn but because they have nowhere else to go or no resources to leave.”
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[3]: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-regional-director-middle-east-and-north-africa-edouard-beigbeder-5
[4]: https://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/2026-03/CS2603_Watchlist%20Alert%20-%20Lebanon.pdf
[5]: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-regional-director-middle-east-and-north-africa-edouard-beigbeder-5
[6]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-nabi-chit-displacement-beirut-army/comments
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2026-03-09 16:26:22 UTC

Iran Weighs Tactical Shift in Persian Gulf Strikes While Intensifying Attacks on Israel
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Security forces deploy to guard a rally in support of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026. Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP via Getty Images.
Iran is considering reducing its strikes in most Arab nations that house U.S. military bases while expanding attacks against Israel, a senior Iranian official told Drop Site. Iran’s political and military leaders believe their ballistic missile and drone operations targeting U.S. bases and infrastructure have largely achieved their intended aim of degrading major radar systems and depleting stockpiles of interceptors, said the official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.
“This is a trend we are likely to observe over the course of the coming week in the ongoing conflict,” the senior Iranian official said. “There has been no change to the overall strategy—this continues the previous defensive approach. In the coming days, it is likely that operations will place greater emphasis on targets associated with Israel, while attacks on U.S. bases in the region may decrease to some extent. However, this reduction may not apply to U.S. bases in two particular countries, where such actions could continue.”
The Iranian official declined to name the countries, but over the past two days, Iran has escalated its attacks in Bahrain, which houses the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and plays a central role in the military onslaught against Iran. Tehran has repeatedly said it will continue to target U.S. military infrastructure in countries whose territory is used in attacks against Iran.
“Their territories were used to initiate attacks. We have the right to defend ourselves and this act cannot be interpreted as aggression against other countries,” said Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, at a press briefing in Tehran Monday. “I hope those countries have learned the lesson. We urge them not to allow their territories to be used by the U.S. or the Zionist entity to stage attacks against Iran.”
The senior Iranian official emphasized that the situation remains fluid and that decisions on which targets to strike, including inside Gulf countries, was subject to ongoing review by Iran’s political and military leadership.
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In the early stages of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian military forces orchestrated a decentralized retaliatory campaign. Within hours of the strike that assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran activated a regime of retaliatory strikes based on a bank of targets in Israel and across the Persian Gulf that had been planned in advance. As the war reached the end of its first week, according to the senior Iranian officials, military commanders and political leaders shifted to more centrally coordinated operations.
“The political and decision-making system has been restructured. In the military sphere as well, we are witnessing more organized and systematic actions,” the senior Iranian official said. “The military system has been operating in a much more organized way, both in timing and in the choice of targets.” Iran’s overarching military strategy, he said, is aimed at “exerting maximum pressure on U.S. and Israeli interests in the region in order to compel them to move toward halting the war and de-escalating the situation.” President Donald Trump, he said, “has cornered both himself and U.S. interests.”
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [posted an image][3] on X depicting the dramatic increase in oil and gas prices across the world. “9 days into Operation Epic Mistake, oil prices have doubled while all commodities are skyrocketing,” he wrote. “We know the U.S. is plotting against our oil and nuclear sites in hopes of containing huge inflationary shock. Iran is fully prepared. And we, too, have many surprises in store.”
## **Iran’s New Leader**
The choice by Iran’s Assembly of Experts to name Ayatollah Khamenei’s son Mojtaba as Supreme Leader was a direct rebuke of Trump’s insistence that he must be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. Mojtaba Khamenei is known for his close relationship with the IRGC, the most elite military and security force in the country. In addition to the assassination of his father, the U.S.-led war has killed his mother, his wife and one of his children. “He believes in taking a firm and strong stance,” the senior Iranian official said. “This decision will probably escalate the war in the short term.”
The choice of Khamenei was viewed in the upper echelons of power in Tehran as asserting the nation’s sovereignty and continuing the position of no surrender or negotiations based on U.S. or Israeli ultimatums.
“It was not just a symbolic or performative act to defy or spite Trump/Israel but a strategic position in the face of the U.S. and Israeli attempt to break Iran’s will to resist. If any other leader was chosen, this may have been interpreted by Trump as weakness and possibly even surrender to U.S. diktat,” said Amal Saad, a lecturer on international relations and politics at Cardiff University in the UK and author of “The Iran Connection: Understanding the Alliance with Syria, Hizbu’llah and Hamas.” “For Iran, resistance is itself the source of institutional legitimacy and the entire governing logic of the Islamic Republic is organised around the assertion of sovereignty against imperial pressure, so the threat of escalation does not function as a deterrent but as a consolidating force that reproduces this resistance and sovereignty assertion.”
Khamenei’s succession as Supreme Leader also offers Iran’s military and political system continuity at a moment when both the U.S. and Israel have threatened to assassinate any leader deemed unacceptable by Trump or Netanyahu, said Abdullah Al-Arian, an Associate Professor of History at Georgetown University in Qatar. “There’s also a sense of this being something of a consensus figure who enjoys a tremendous amount of credibility within a lot of the decision-making bodies within the country,” Al-Arian told Drop Site. “But, a lot of that has less to do with just simply the family lineage and more the fact that he was quite active across a number of the key decisions that have been made in recent times and enjoys good relations with a number of different state bodies and institutions, including the IRGC, but not solely the IRGC.”
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The internal strategic discussions among the Iranian leadership about its retaliatory strikes in the Persian Gulf seeped into public view on Saturday when President Masoud Pezeshkian released a video statement saying that Iran would end its strikes. “I personally apologize to neighbouring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” he said. Pezeshkian’s comments were widely reported as an apology for launching retaliatory strikes in those countries, and Trump celebrated his comments as a sign of weakness and surrender. “Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack,” Trump [wrote on TruthSocial][5] on March 7. “They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries.”
Iranian officials moved swiftly to clarify that Pezeshkian’s remarks were misinterpreted, and that the Iranian president was effectively acknowledging collateral damage suffered by Gulf states and that Iran reserves its rights to continue striking any U.S. bases or facilities that initiate attacks against Iran. “The enemy had crude misconceptions about my statements; the enemy wants us and neighboring countries to be at war,” Pezeshkian later said. “If they seek to attack and invade our soil from any country, we are compelled to respond to this aggression.”
Soon after Pezeshkian’s original comments, a desalination plant in Iran was bombed, and Tehran accused the U.S. of launching the attack, saying it was a war crime to target vital civilian infrastructure. “President Pezeshkian expressed openness to de-escalation within our region—provided that our neighbors’ airspace, territory, and waters are not used to attack the Iranian people,” Araghchi [wrote on X][6] Saturday after the desalination plant was bombed. “Gesture to our neighbors was almost immediately killed by President Trump’s misinterpretation of our capabilities, determination and intent.”
That night, Iranian forces conducted heavy strikes across the region, including an attack on the U.S. base in Bahrain, which Iran said was the site from which the attack on the desalination plant was launched.
A man holds a picture of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (R) being handed over a folded Iranian flag by his late father Ali Khamenei (L), during a rally in support of him at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on March 9, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images.
## **Tactical Shifts, No Surrender**
The senior Iranian official maintained that internal discussions about shifting away from strikes inside regional countries and focusing on striking Israel have largely resulted from Iran’s military assessments of the damage inflicted on U.S. capacity in the Gulf. But the possible shift in tactics also coincides with nascent and fragile diplomatic efforts at backdoor diplomacy with countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. With the exception of Oman, these Gulf states have spent the past week portraying Iran as an aggressor, while almost entirely avoiding any denunciations of the U.S. or Israel. They have characterized Iran’s strikes as attacks on their sovereignty, offering no credence to Iran’s claims to be engaged in retaliation against U.S. military targets.
Over the weekend, Bahrain—with the support of France—circulated a draft UN Security Council Resolution on behalf of GCC countries that “condemns unequivocally in the strongest terms the egregious attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The draft paints Iran as an unprovoked aggressor flouting international law and deliberately targeting civilian sites. Russia is pursuing its own resolution, which does not name Iran, the U.S., or Israel, but calls on “all parties to immediately stop their military activities and refrain from further escalation” and “condemns in the strongest terms all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.” The Russian draft calls for a return to negotiations “without further delay.”
If Iran does reduce its strikes inside the borders of most Gulf countries, as the senior Iranian official suggested, Tehran would expect those nations to pressure the U.S. to end the war, a political calculation complicated by these states’ reliance on the U.S. military and their deep business ties to Trump and his family. Trump has signed massive business deals in the Gulf and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s firm is largely bankrolled by Gulf money.
Iran’s Arab neighbors understand they must “walk this tightrope very cautiously” in their approach to Trump, knowing that they could quickly fall out of favor with him, said Al-Arian.
“This comes down to the bigger question about what leverage these states are willing to exert regarding the U.S. and Israel and their maximalist goals and the fact that until the U.S. sees a reason for it to back down from its stated positions, then diplomacy can only go so far between the states of the region,” Al-Arian told Drop Site. “It’s pretty clear that all of this is a result of U.S.-Israeli aggression. The reason that many of these states have probably resisted stating the obvious is in part due to maintaining what they see as a more positive and open direct line to Washington and to the U.S. President. Any words of condemnation in public would be seen potentially as affecting or harming that relationship which they are depending on, in part, to bring this to an end at some point.”
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The substantial economic damage that has rocked the region and the global economy over the past week is the most likely pressure point that Trump will face from Gulf nations in any discussions about ending the war, rather than concerns for Iran’s sovereignty or the well being of the Iranian people. “I think the argument that is probably being made is the kind of mutual harm, the broader economic consequences that are now reverberating globally, the shockwaves that are starting to even begin to be felt within the U.S. Economy in a way that’s going to then give the U.S. Administration more domestic considerations going forward,” Al-Arian said. “There’s certainly a fear, based on Trump’s record, of how things could escalate to where countries that are one at one point considered to be staunch allies could all of a sudden find themselves in a different column.”
Iranian officials maintain that they have not reached out in any way to discuss a ceasefire with the Trump administration and that they intend to continue their counterstrikes against Israel and any U.S. bases used in attacks on Iran. “Iran’s position [is] that it will continue to defend itself firmly until a credible and robust framework is established for a ceasefire and for preventing any renewed attacks by the United States or Israel,” said the senior Iranian official.
Saad said she thinks it is unlikely Iran would accept any temporary deal with the U.S. that leaves open the possibility that another war could be launched again in the near future.
“Iran will not accept any ceasefire at this stage because what it is pursuing is not a mere end to hostilities, which can and will be easily broken by Israel and the United States, but a deterrence-restoring outcome that creates the conditions for a lasting and enforceable settlement,” she said. “The strategic logic is that holding out now, despite the costs, is the precondition for an agreement that actually holds—a ceasefire concluded only after Iran has demonstrated sufficient retaliatory capacity to make the cost of violating it prohibitive for the other side.”
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2026-03-09 15:35:30 UTC

Oil prices yoyo as refineries hit and shipments halt; White House won’t rule out a draft in Iran war; Trump bails out Ticketmaster
*U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for a tenth day. “Black rain” [reported][1] in Tehran after Israeli strikes on oil facilities. Desalination plants [targeted][2] in strikes. Oil prices soar; Bahrain and Kuwait oil companies declare force majeure. Iran’s retaliatory strikes continue to hit the Gulf.* *Record pace of strikes in U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran, according to Airwars, including twice as many as during the opening days of Israel’s war on Gaza. Iran [says][3] oil tanker struck in Strait of Hormuz. Iran [names][4] Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader. President Donald Trump [blames Iran][5] for girls’ school bombing as more evidence emerges that it was the U.S. Trump says any end to the Iran war will be [decided][6] jointly with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. U.S. [begins][7] using British bases for operations tied to Iran war. Israeli raid in Lebanon leaves dozens dead. Israeli drone strike in Khan Younis [kills][8] father and daughter. Israeli strikes
[kill][9] Palestinians in Central Gaza and Gaza City. Settler [attack][10] kills three Palestinians in West Bank village. White House won’t rule out a draft. Trump settles the highly anticipated antitrust trial against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation. U.S. military kills six in latest Pacific vessel strike. Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is leading Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a new poll, as Gov. Janet Mills trails her.** **Trump-endorsed North Carolina Senate leader appears to have been ousted. Trump calls Mexico the “epicenter” of cartel violence at Shield of the Americas summit in Florida. Corpus Christi water crisis [threatens][11] fuel supplies and major energy exports. Drone strikes on markets in Sudan’s Kordofan [kill][12] at least 33. Nigerian troops [kill][13] 45 bandits in clash in Katsina state. Russian missile and drone barrage [kills][14] at least 12 across Ukraine.*
**From Drop Site: Jeremy and Ryan [appear on][15] Tim Dillon to discuss the Iran War. New episodes of [“Trading Inside of Congress”][16] and [“Eyeing Office”][17] from Capitol Hill.**
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Texas after speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite an immigration judge twice ruling that she is eligible for release. Drop Site joins the IMEU Policy Project, MPower Action, Jewish Voice for Peace ACT, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action in calling for her immediate release. **The link below allows users to send emails and make calls to their member of Congress on Leqaa’s behalf:**
[CALL FOR LEQAA KORDIA's RELEASE][18]
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Smoke rises from Shahran oil depot after U.S. and Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran on March 08, 2026. Photo by Hassan Ghaedi/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for a tenth day: **The U.S. and Israel continued to bombard Iran on Monday, with reports of massive explosions in Tehran as well as cities in the south. The Israeli military said it had begun a “wide-scale wave of strikes…across Tehran, Isfahan, and southern Iran.” Explosions were [heard][20] across Tehran over the weekend as Israeli forces targeted Iranian infrastructure, including the campus of Imam Hussein University. Images circulating online showed fires and smoke near Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, with blasts shattering windows in the western part of the city and forcing some people to shelter in underground parking areas, residents told BBC. Airstrikes also damaged multiple buildings inside a complex housing Iran’s judiciary and Supreme Court near Arg Square in central Tehran’s historic government district.
* **“Black rain” reported in Tehran after Israeli strikes on oil facilities: **Israeli attacks on fuel depots and other oil infrastructure in and around Tehran on Saturday caused massive fires to burn for hours in the capital. Roughly 30 large storage tanks at the country’s largest refinery were targeted, according to Israel’s Channel 14, and with major fires at the Shahr-e Rey refinery south of the capital and an explosion at the Fardis oil depot in Karaj. The strikes released large quantities of toxic hydrocarbons and industrial gases, which Iranian authorities [said][21] are mixing with rainfall to produce highly acidic “black rain” capable of causing skin burns and respiratory distress. Dense smoke from fires darkened parts of the city, with reports describing conditions resembling a “nuclear winter” effect as sunlight is obscured by thick plumes. Authorities say oil-contaminated rainwater has coated rooftops and streets with oily soot that may carry heavy metals such as nickel and
vanadium, raising concerns about long-term contamination of soil and water systems. The Iranian Red Crescent advised residents to protect exposed food and avoid contact with the corrosive rainfall. Iran threatened to attack oil facilities in neighboring countries in retaliation for Israel hitting at least five energy sites in and around Tehran. State media quoted a spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) accusing the U.S. and Israel of targeting civilians and fuel facilities, urging Gulf states to press them to stop. “If you can tolerate oil at more than $200 per barrel, continue this game,” the IRGC spokesperson said.
* **Oil prices soar then dip: **Oil prices soared to nearly $120 a barrel with the war threatening production and shipping—crossing $100 for the first time since 2022 shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine—before going back down on Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that “the use of strategic reserves is an envisaged option.” He said G7 leaders could meet this week to coordinate a response to climbing energy prices. Global stock markets fell on Monday, with Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunging more than 5% and markets across Europe losing between 2% and 3%.
* **Bahrain and Kuwait oil companies declare force majeure:** Bahrain’s national oil company on Monday declared force majeure for its shipments, releasing the company of its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances. Kuwait’s Petroleum Corporation also declared force majeure after it implemented a reduction in crude oil production and refining throughput because of the conflict.** **The head of Kuwait’s national oil sector [said][22] on Sunday the near halt in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz marks an unprecedented shift in regional geopolitics, noting that the waterway had never been closed to traffic in more than 80 years. He said there has been “five or six days of practically zero traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” which is astonishing, given that the Strait accounts for 20% of the world’s oil supply.
* **Desalination plants targeted in strikes: **Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran’s desalination plant on Qeshm Island in statements to the press over the weekend, calling the attack “a blatant and desperate crime” that disrupted water supplies to 30 villages and warned that targeting Iranian infrastructure would carry “grave consequences.” On Sunday, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry [said][23] an Iranian drone attack caused material damage to a water desalination plant in the Gulf country.
* **Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei as new supreme leader: **Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated by Israel on the first day of the war, has been named as the new Supreme Leader of Iran, Iranian state TV reported early on Monday. An Iranian official told Drop Site on Friday that [no new negotiations][24] would be initiated with the U.S. or intermediaries until the new Supreme Leader was announced.
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll in Iran has not been updated since Friday when the Iranian Red Crescent Society reported at least 1,332 had been killed in the war.** **Over 10,000 civilian structures have been damaged across Iran in the U.S. and Israeli strikes since last week, including homes, schools and almost three dozen medical facilities, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.
* **Record pace of strikes by U.S. and Israel; twice as many as the opening days of Israel’s war on Gaza:** The first days of bombing in Iran saw far more sites targeted than any recent U.S. or Israeli military campaign, according to an [investigation][25] by Airwars. The study found that in the initial days of the war, significantly more targets were hit per day than any campaign in recent decades. “Even in the opening days of Israel’s unprecedented bombardment on Gaza after October 7th, it appears that around half the number of targets were hit compared to the first days in Iran,” the report says. “In 100 hours the U.S. and Israel declared hitting more targets in Iran than in the first six months of the U.S.-led Coalition’s bombing campaign against the so-called Islamic State,” the report said. The analysis added that the rate of strikes also raises questions about the role of AI in targeting, with reports that Anthropic’s Claude AI has been integrated throughout the U.S. military.
* **Retaliatory strikes in the Gulf: **Iran’s army [said][26] early Saturday that its naval forces launched a large wave of drone attacks targeting U.S. bases and Israeli military installations.
* Iranian forces said the strikes included the Al Minhad base in Abu Dhabi and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, where U.S. troops are stationed, as well as radar installations at Israel’s Sedot Micha base.
* Explosions were reported in Dubai and Manama, according to Agence France-Presse.
* Strikes were also reported in Qatar on Saturday, and a drone strike on Dubai’s airport briefly halted the facility’s [operations][27], after Emirati airspace had just reopened after a sustained closure.
* Fuel tanks at Kuwait’s International Airport were reportedly [struck][28] by Shahed drones on Sunday, as the country’s government [announced][29] an intensified effort to shore up its air defenses. Two Kuwaiti security officers were [killed][30] on duty on Sunday, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
* Also on Sunday, Saudi Civil Defense [said][31] a “military projectile” struck a residential site in Al-Kharj, killing two maintenance workers of Indian and Bangladeshi origin and injuring 12 others, though officials did not initially attribute the projectile to Iran.
* Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [said][32] its missile units struck positions of Kurdish separatist groups at three locations in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. Multiple explosions were reported across Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, including a strike on the headquarters of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan in the Zargwezala area, according to local Channel 8 and reporting from Drop Site correspondent Alexis Daloumis.
* **Bahrain sees civilian casualties rise: **More than 32 civilians were [injured][33] when a missile struck and damaged several homes on Sitra Island, south of Manama, according to Bahrain’s Al-Abdal Media Network, 4 of whom are in “serious condition.” Bahrain’s Interior Ministry attributed the damage to a “blatant Iranian drone attack” that hit residential areas. Videos and local reports circulating online suggest the object may have been a Patriot interceptor missile that fell after attempting to intercept an incoming drone. Missile interception debris fell in the Muharraq area of the country on Sunday, according to officials, [injuring][34] three people and damaging a university building.
* **Iran says oil tanker struck in Strait of Hormuz, where it “welcomes” U.S. escorts of tankers: **Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the *Prima* oil tanker was struck by a drone on Saturday after repeatedly ignoring warnings from IRGC naval forces about prohibited passage and unsafe conditions in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities said the vessel continued through the waterway despite multiple warnings, but did not immediately say whether it sustained major damage or altered course after the strike. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense HQ sarcastically [said][35] it “welcomes” the U.S. escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Iranian forces are “waiting” for the Americans.”
* **PUK leader signals reluctance to join anti-Iran campaign: **President Trump [held][36] separate phone calls on March 1 with Bafel Jalal Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party, telling Kurdish leaders they must choose between alignment with the United States and Israel or with Iran, according to The Washington Post. The U.S. and Israel were reportedly exploring whether Kurdish factions in Iraq could support Iranian Kurdish groups in opening a second front in western Iran.Trump told reporters on Saturday that he has “ruled [Kurdish participation] out, I don’t want the Kurds going in.”
* **Trump says Iran does not need to become a democracy: **President Trump [told][37] CNN and NBC News on Saturday that he is not concerned with whether Iran becomes a democratic state after the U.S.-Israel war, stating instead that the country needs a “fair and just” leader who will treat the United States and Israel well. Trump said he would be open to working with a “moderate Shia religious leader” and suggested he expects to play a role in shaping or influencing Iran’s future leadership. Trump has previously rejected Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his newly named successor.
* **Iranian drone strike destroys U.S. THAAD radar in Jordan: **An Iranian drone strike [destroyed][38] an AN/TPY-2 radar used by the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Saturday, according to a U.S. official and satellite imagery reviewed by CNN. The radar is central to tracking ballistic missiles and guiding THAAD interceptors, and its loss may shift missile interception duties to Patriot batteries whose PAC-3 interceptor stocks are already limited. The United States operates only eight THAAD batteries worldwide, according to experts cited by Foreign Policy, each costing about $1 billion, while another advanced radar reportedly damaged earlier in the war in Qatar—the AN/FPS-132—could take five to eight years and roughly $1.1 billion to replace.
* **Trump blamed Iran for the Minab girls’ school bombing, as more evidence emerges it was the U.S.: **Trump denied reports that the U.S. bombed the elementary school in Minab, at which around 175 casualties have been reported, [saying][39] on Air Force One that, “Based on what I’ve seen, it was done by Iran.” His comments came as the investigative group Bellingcat said a newly released video appears to contradict Trump’s claim that Iran was responsible for the attack. The three-second clip of a video circulated Sunday by Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency shows a munition falling on a building. Trevor Ball of Bellingcat identified the munition as a Tomahawk cruise missile—which only the U.S. is known to possess in the war. Previous reports by the New York Times and Reuters also point to U.S. culpability for the deadly school strike.
* **Iran says temporary ceasefire no longer acceptable: **Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [told][40] NBC News on Sunday that Tehran will not consider another temporary ceasefire, arguing that previous pauses in fighting only allowed Israel and the United States to resume the war. “We are not at that point yet,” Araghchi said when asked about conditions to end the conflict, adding that this time Iran is seeking a permanent end rather than another halt that fails to bring lasting peace. The statement comes after Iranian military officials walked back statements from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that were interpreted as ordering a cessation of Iranian strikes against regional countries, blaming Trump for “misinterpretation.”
* **U.S. orders diplomatic staff to leave Saudi Arabia: **The U.S. State Department [ordered][41] American diplomatic staff in Saudi Arabia to depart the country on Sunday, according to The New York Times, as security concerns grow amid the escalating war with Iran. On Monday, the State Department also ordered non‑emergency staff and family members to leave the U.S. consulate in Adana, in southern Turkey.
* **Trump says end of Iran war will be decided jointly with Netanyahu: **President Donald Trump [said][42] in an interview with The Times of Israel on Sunday that the decision on when to end the war with Iran will be made jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump said the timing would be “mutual… a little bit,” adding that he would make the final call “at the right time.” Praising Netanyahu’s leadership, Trump said the two had “worked together” throughout the conflict and claimed the war had prevented Israel’s destruction. He added that Iran had intended to destroy Israel but that the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign had instead left Iran “being destroyed.”
* **U.S. begins using British bases for operations tied to Iran war: **The United States has begun using British military bases for certain operations against Iran, Al Monitor [reports][43], with the United Kingdom’s defense ministry saying the sites are being used for “specific defensive operations” aimed at preventing Iranian missile launches into the region. The bases involved include RAF Fairford in southwestern England and the joint U.K.-U.S. base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
* **U.S. service member dies from injuries in Saudi Arabia:** A U.S. service member has [died][44] from injuries sustained during an attack on American troops in Saudi Arabia on March 1, U.S. Central Command said Sunday, bringing the number of American military personnel killed in the Iran war to seven. The first six were Army reservists killed in a March 1 attack on a Kuwaiti port.
* **One killed in Israel:** Israel said a man was killed in an Iranian missile attack on Monday, raising the death toll in Israel since the start of the war to 11.
* **UN Security Council split over competing Iran resolutions: **A split has [emerged][45] at the United Nations Security Council after Bahrain and Russia submitted competing draft resolutions about the war on Iran. The draft submitted by Bahrain on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council condemns Iran for attacks on Gulf states and calls Iran’s actions a breach of international law, without mentioning that the conflict was initiated as an attack on Iran by the United States or Israel. Russia circulated a rival draft that avoids singling out any country and instead condemns attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure by all parties while calling for an immediate halt to escalation. The dispute over the competing resolutions comes after a March 5 meeting in Moscow where Gulf ambassadors urged Russia to pressure Iran to stop attacks on their territories; Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected efforts to single out Tehran.
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Israeli raid in Lebanon leaves dozens dead: **At least 41 people were killed and 40 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the Nabi Sheet area and nearby towns in Lebanon’s Baalbek District after Israeli soldiers disguised as Lebanese soldiers launched an air and ground raid on the area. The operation early Saturday was reportedly undertaken to retrieve the remains of Israeli soldier Ron Arad, who disappeared in Lebanon four decades ago; the Israeli commandos did not recover Arad’s body. Local residents and fighters reportedly detected the force, triggering clashes with Hezbollah and members of the community before Israel carried out about dozens airstrikes to cover the unit’s withdrawal.
* **Israeli air attacks on Lebanon continue: **Israel continued airstrikes on Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Monday. The Israeli military on Monday said it was targeting Hezbollah’s financial arm, al-Qard Al-Hasan. Over 70 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since dawn on Sunday, according to local reports. Weekend attacks included:
* Multiple locations across the south and in Beirut were hit, and an overnight airstrike on a building in Seer al-Gharbiyeh, north of the Litani River, killed at least 19 people, most of them women and children, according to Naharnet.
* In Sidon, Israeli naval missiles struck near the northern entrance of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, hitting a house and injuring civilians and Lebanese Army soldiers stationed nearby.
* On Saturday night, Israel [struck][46] the Ramada Hotel in Beirut, killing 3 and injuring 9, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
* Israeli ground troops launched what the military said were “focused raids” on Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the south.
* Two paramedics were killed and six injured in separate Israeli air strikes in the town of Tayr Debba and the village of Jouaiya, both in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which blasted the “systematic targeting of ambulance teams.”
* **83 children killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon over a week: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 394, with 1130 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. At least 83 children have been killed and 254 injured by Israeli attacks on Lebanon, [according][47] to UNICEF. “On average, more than 10 children have been killed every day across Lebanon over the past week, with approximately 36 children injured each day,” UNICEF said.
* **Half a million displaced: **Over 517,000 people have been forcibly displaced in Lebanon as a result of Israeli attacks and displacement orders over the past week, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Social Affairs. Some 70,000 Syrians have crossed the border from Lebanon into Syria, according to UNHCR.
* **Israel using white phosphorus in Lebanon: HRW: **Israeli forces are unlawfully and indiscriminately using white phosphorus munitions over residential areas in southern Lebanon, [according][48] to Human Rights Watch. “The Israeli military’s unlawful use of white phosphorus over residential areas is extremely alarming and will have dire consequences for civilians,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. “The incendiary effects of white phosphorous can cause death or cruel injuries that result in lifelong suffering.”
* **Lebanon postpones elections for 2 years:** Lebanon’s parliament has postponed legislative elections, originally scheduled for May, by two years because of the Israeli assault. Lebanon’s state news agency said 76 legislators voted in favor of the decision, 41 were against, and four abstained. Hezbollah’s 13-member bloc in parliament voted in favor of the extension.
* **Israeli military chief warns Lebanon war will be long: **Israel’s military chief of staff Eyal Zamir [said][49] on Sunday the war in Lebanon “will take a long time,” as the Israeli military confirmed that two Israeli soldiers were killed in overnight Hezbollah attacks in southern Lebanon—the first Israeli troop deaths reported since the wars with Lebanon and Iran began. Zamir said Israeli forces carried out strikes overnight against “Iranian Quds Force units in Lebanon,” and warned that “there is no safe place for the tentacles of Iranian evil anywhere in the Middle East.” Describing Hezbollah as “an extremist arm of the Iranian octopus,” Zamir said the group will continue to pay a “heavy price” for these casualties.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel, and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, seven Palestinians were killed and 17 were injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,133 killed, with 171,826 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 648 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,728, while 755 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli drone strike in Khan Younis kills father and daughter: **An Israeli drone strike in central Khan Younis [killed][50] a man and critically injured his young daughter as she was preparing to leave for kindergarten. The girl, Julia Al-Qedra, was with her father, Ahmad Al-Qedra, when the strike hit, killing him at the scene. On Sunday, it was announced that Julia had succumbed to her wounds.
* **Seven Palestinians killed across Gaza on Sunday: **An Israeli [strike][51] on tents sheltering displaced families in the Al-Sawarah area of central Gaza killed three people on Sunday, including two children, according to Al Jazeera. Ten others were wounded in the attack, among them three children. Another Israeli airstrike [killed][52] three Palestinians near Al-Azhar University in western Gaza City after a car traveling in the area was hit, according to local sources speaking to Drop Site. Paramedic AbdulrahmanHamdouna, 31, was killed by the airstrike. Several other people nearby were wounded in the attack, Al Jazeera reported. A separate attack on tents in Al-Zawaida killed Palestinian journalist Amal Al-Shamali, 46, a correspondent for Qatar Radio.
* **Settler attack kills three Palestinians in West Bank village: **Armed** **Israeli settlers [killed][53] three Palestinian civilians in the village of Abu Falah in the occupied West Bank on Sunday during an attack on the community, under the protection of the Israeli army, according to Palestinian activist Issa Amro. Thaer Hamayel, 24, and Fare’e Hamayel, 57, were both shot in the head by settlers, while Mohammad Marra, 55, died after suffocating from tear gas fired by Israeli forces. This attack comes amid a broader escalation in settler violence and movement restrictions across the occupied West Bank since the onset of U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran. In the past week, eight Palestinians were killed in a series of Israeli settler and military attacks and 225 were detained, according to WAFA.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][54].*
* **TicketMaster/Live Nation settlement: **The antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, which the Department of Justice has been preparing for years, was supposed to continue this week. Trump [settled it instead][55], after firing the head of the antitrust division. The first week of the trial went poorly for Live Nation, one of the most reviled companies in the United States, [reports Matt Stoller, ][56]author of the BIG newsletter. State attorneys general, however, [are planning to pursue the company regardless][57]. The NYT reports that Live Nation agreed to allow venues to use competing platforms to sell tickets, rather than lock them into exclusive deals with Ticketmaster, and would also allow artists to use alternate platforms. Such an arrangement was the bare minimum prosecutors were seeking.
* **White House won’t rule out a draft: **In a Fox News interview, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt declined to rule out a possible draft in the United States. Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene[ laid into her on Twitter][58]: “How about the answer is NO DRAFT AND NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND because we campaigned on NO MORE FOREIGN WARS OR REGIME CHANGE!!! Liars every single one of them! Not my son, over my dead body!!!!!”
* **U.S. military kills six in latest vessel strike in the Pacific: **The U.S. military conducted a strike against a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Sunday, killing six people, [according][59] to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). SOUTHCOM posted a video of the strike and said, “six male narco-terrorists were killed” as they were “engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” without providing evidence. Over 150 people have been killed in dozens U.S. strikes on vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean since September.
* **Trump calls Mexico the “epicenter” of cartel violence at Shield of the Americas summit in Florida:** Trump [said][60] the “epicenter” of cartel violence is in Mexico, and continued to hint at a U.S. intervention. “The Mexican cartels are fueling and orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere, and the United States government will do whatever is necessary to defend our national security.” Under discussion is a hemispheric “agreement” to use “lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum brushed off Trump’s remarks.
* **Trump administration exploring potential economic deal with Cuba: **USA Today reported Sunday that the White House is quietly [exploring][61] an economic agreement with Cuba that could ease sanctions and loosen restrictions on Americans traveling to the island. The reported discussions include possible cooperation on ports, energy, and tourism, and could allow the Communist Party of Cuba to remain in power. At the Shield of the Americas summit, however, Trump also [threatened][62] Cuba, saying, “Cuba’s in its last moments of life as it was. It’ll have a great new life…That’ll be an easy one.”
* **Corpus Christi water crisis: **Corpus Christi, Texas, is facing a severe water shortage that could disrupt jet fuel supplies to Texas airports and oil exports from one of the United States’ largest petroleum ports if reservoirs continue to decline. Without significant rainfall, officials warn the city could enter a water emergency within months and face total depletion next year, potentially forcing curtailment of industrial activity at major refineries operated by companies such as Valero, Flint Hills Resources, and Citgo. The last hope, according to one official, would be 20-30 inches of rainfall—“basically a hurricane.” **Read the full report from The Texas Tribune [here][63].**
* **Defense contractor gets major ICE contract: **On Friday, the administration [awarded a contract ][64]worth at least $113.1 million to KVG LLC, a defense contractor, to build and operate a detention center in a Williamsport, Maryland warehouse, according to federal spending website USASpending.gov. The company has not been awarded any previous federal contracts for immigrant detention, according to government procurement records.
* **Jewish Insider keys in on Dan Osborn’s independent Senate bid in Nebraska: **The news outlet Jewish Insider is often a leading indicator of where pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC plan to spend money, [and on Monday the outlet came after Osborn][65] for accepting an endorsement from the New Policy PAC, which backs candidates critical of Israel. The PAC was launched by former State Department officials who resigned in protest of the genocide. JI highlighted comments Osborn made that were critical of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, which has the support of incumbent Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts.
* **Graham Platner leading Susan Collins in new poll, as Janet Mills trails her: **[A new survey from the conservative-leaning Quantas Insights finds Platner][66], who also has the support of a New Policy PAC, ahead of Collins by seven points in the Maine Senate race, while sitting Gov. Janet Mills trails Collins by just under two points. The new poll comes after another concerted effort to derail Platner by establishment Democrats in Washington. The [poll has Platner ahead of Mills ][67]by five points.
* **Trump-endorsed North Carolina Senate leader ousted: **It’s not yet official, but the longest-serving leader of the NC State Senate [appears to have been ousted in a primary,][68] another reflection of voter anger. Phil Berger’s loss could have broader implications for GOP fundraising and the party’s prospects in the fall, where a key Senate race hangs in the balance. That race includes Green Party nominee Brian McGinnis, [a veteran who had his arm broken at a congressional protest last week][69].
# Other International News
* **Drone strikes on markets in Sudan’s Kordofan kill at least 33: **Drone attacks on two markets in the towns of Abu Zabad and Wad Banda in Sudan’s West Kordofan state killed at least 33 people and injured 59 others, according to [AFP][70]. The strikes targeted areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the Kordofan region.
* **Sudan’s Burhan warns factions against backing Iran, meets with Hilal: **Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan [warned][71] Islamist factions fighting alongside the military not to declare support for Iran in the Gulf conflict, saying no group can speak on behalf of the Sudanese state or its armed forces, according to Sudan Tribune. Burhan reportedly said such statements could damage Sudan’s relations with Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, a major backer of the Sudanese Armed Forces.
* **Nigerian troops kill 45 bandits in clash in Katsina state: **At least 45 armed bandits were killed in a clash with Nigerian troops in the Danmusa area of Katsina state in northern Nigeria on Saturday, according to reporting from [Reuters][72]. Gunmen from neighboring Zamfara state rode into Alhazawa village in Musawa on March 5 and attempted to steal cattle. The attackers returned the following day and encountered soldiers stationed at the army’s Forward Operating Base in Dan Ali near Maidabino ward, triggering a gun battle. A Nigerian army captain and two soldiers were also killed in the clash.
* **Russian missile and drone barrage kills at least 12 across Ukraine: **Russia launched a large wave of missiles and drones across Ukraine early Saturday morning, killing at least 12 people and wounding more than a dozen others, according to the [AFP][73]. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired 29 missiles and 480 drones, with strikes hitting energy and railway infrastructure and a ballistic missile destroying a five-story apartment building in Kharkiv, where at least 10 people were killed, including two children.
* **Left coalition wins Colombian congressional elections: **Colombia’s legislative elections [delivered][74] strong results for the left-wing Historic Pact coalition, winning more than 4 million votes and expanding their presence in Congress. The result is seen as a boost for allies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro ahead of the May 31 presidential election where their candidate Iván Cepeda Castro currently leads in polls against the hardline conservative Abelardo de la Espriella. The results nonetheless leave Congress divided, meaning no single bloc will control a majority.
# More from Drop Site
* Watch Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim’s full appearance on The Tim Dillon show, where they discussed the latest in Iran, the response of the Gulf States to the war, the Epstein Files, and more:
* **The second installment of “Trading Inside Congress”** dropped this weekend. Julian Andreone looks at the more conspicuous stock trades from members of Congress:
* **“Eyeing Office”: **Andreone interviews Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, running for Michigan’s Senate seat this year. That video is here:
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030670499517239725
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030541544797741480
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030331897570906287
[4]: https://x.com/jeremyscahill/status/2030754166931439907
[5]: https://x.com/Acyn/status/2030410019775389737
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030858870902411270
[7]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/us-starts-using-uk-bases-defensive-iran-operations
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030324624370573345
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030783995403735552
[10]: https://x.com/Issaamro/status/2030692639130144776
[11]: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/08/texas-corpus-christi-water-crisis/
[12]: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260308-at-least-33-people-killed-separate-drone-strikes-on-sudan-markets
[13]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerian-army-kills-45-katsina-clash-2026-03-07/
[14]: https://www.barrons.com/news/russian-strikes-kill-nine-across-ukraine-ravage-apartment-house-c7c13e15
[15]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lTk2SOHeVM
[16]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S1Tzscz6hg
[17]: http://youtu.be/feFaM3ZHxdA?si
[18]: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-free-leqaa-kordia-from-ice-detention?source=direct_link&referrer=group-drop-site-news&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fgivebutter.com%2Fsupport-dropsite
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[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030683787948962030
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030541544797741480
[24]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-denies-trump-united-states-negotiations-new-supreme-leader-israel-bombing-tehran
[25]: https://airwars.org/record-pace-of-strikes-in-iran-bombing-campaign-analysis/
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030192238806872570
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030214963491475745
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030442473764307184
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030461837465002204
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030514825374142606
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030745646966174029
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030203283759919603
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030910963055014059
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030541544797741480
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030331897570906287
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030159688306749935
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030175475557859689
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030181425438183448
[39]: https://x.com/Acyn/status/2030410019775389737
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030668230394511656
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030772415005966685
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030858870902411270
[43]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/us-starts-using-uk-bases-defensive-iran-operations
[44]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/08/politics/us-service-member-killed-iran-war
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030856903954223226
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030447689716924594
[47]: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/statement-unicef-regional-director-middle-east-and-north-africa-edouard-beigbeder-5
[48]: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/09/lebanon-israel-unlawfully-using-white-phosphorus
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030764701215298024
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[53]: https://x.com/Issaamro/status/2030692639130144776
[54]: mailto:[email protected]
[55]: https://apnews.com/article/livenation-antitrust-justice-department-0a6ef66f497e5f626096de753bfff8ce
[56]: https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-will-the-iran-price
[57]: https://x.com/matthewstoller/status/2031009227091677402?s=20
[58]: https://x.com/FmrRepMTG/status/2030719678935429554
[59]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2030800534052196608
[60]: https://x.com/cspan/status/2030302757559685303
[61]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030836601794756799
[62]: https://x.com/cspan/status/2030303268690149865
[63]: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/08/texas-corpus-christi-water-crisis/
[64]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/09/ice-warehouse-detention-centers/
[65]: https://archive.is/9eBls
[66]: https://x.com/nathantbernard/status/2031005137238442390
[67]: https://x.com/nathanTbernard/status/2031018914025558248?s=20
[68]: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BWEKm_QJPteanEv-XmDEVXlWsUpWVvt41ACd4LPaqsw/edit?tab=t.0
[69]: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5771363-brian-mcginnis-protest-green-party-senate-race/
[70]: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260308-at-least-33-people-killed-separate-drone-strikes-on-sudan-markets
[71]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2030868855094985112
[72]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerian-army-kills-45-katsina-clash-2026-03-07/
[73]: https://www.barrons.com/news/russian-strikes-kill-nine-across-ukraine-ravage-apartment-house-c7c13e15
[74]: https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20260309-colombia-elects-a-divided-congress-ahead-of-may-presidential-polls
[75]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
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2026-03-06 17:05:09 UTC

Iran Denies Asking Trump to Talk; Official Says No Negotiations Will Be Considered Until a New Supreme Leader Is Named
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Iranian protesters carry images of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian flags in an anti-U.S.-Israeli rally in Tehran, Iran, on March 6, 2026, after Friday prayers outside Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque. Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
Since launching a scorched earth bombing campaign against Iran on February 28 despite ongoing negotiations, President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to portray the Iranian government as cowering in the face of American might, appealing to him to make a deal to end the war. “They have no air defense. All of their airplanes are gone. Their communications are gone. Missiles are gone. Launches are gone. About 60% and 64%, respectively. Other than that, they’re doing quite well,” Trump quipped on Thursday. “And they’re calling. They’re saying, ‘How do we make a deal?’ I said, ‘You’re being a little bit late,’ and we want to fight now more than they do.”
Trump’s claims that Iran has sought to negotiate a ceasefire with the U.S. are a “huge lie,” a senior Iranian official told Drop Site. On Thursday, Abbas Araghchi similarly [told NBC News][2] that Iran has not had any communications with the U.S. through backchannels since his meeting in Geneva last week with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. “No, not after Thursday that we met last time. We met last Thursday. We negotiated for almost seven hours,” he said.
“No negotiations from the Iranian side are conceivable until the official announcement by the Supreme Leader of Iran,” the senior official, who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said. “The decision of Iran’s military forces is the continuation of the defense of the country against attacks by Israel and the United States, and the long-term management of the war imposed by foreign forces.”
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Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian leaders were assassinated last Saturday in the opening strikes of the U.S. war. The Iranian government moved swiftly to name an interim leadership council consisting of President Masoud Pezeshkian, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, and Ayatollah Ali Arafi, a prominent member of Iran’s Guardian Council and Assembly of Experts—the body that is ultimately responsible for choosing the country’s Supreme Leader.
Iran is expected to name a new Supreme Leader in the coming days. Some reports indicate that a leader may already have been selected by the Assembly of Experts. “The voting has been conducted,” the Iranian official told Drop Site. “Security and protection measures for the new leader must be put in place before they can announce his name.”
While Iran denied communications with the U.S., the official said other nations had reached out to Iran appealing for it to consider discussing a ceasefire. “Our assessment is that the USA side has requested their mediation. These requests have so far been rejected by our side,” the official said, adding that he believed such claims by Trump were part of a broader propaganda campaign.
“Some countries have begun mediation efforts,” Pezeshkian [said][4] on Friday. “Let’s be clear: we are committed to lasting peace in the region yet we have no hesitation in defending our nation’s dignity and sovereignty. Mediation should address those who underestimated the Iranian people and ignited this conflict.” Pezeshkian did not offer any details on the nature of these diplomatic initiatives.
Soon after Pezeshkian’s statement was posted on X/Twitter, Trump took to Truth Social to demand full capitulation from Iran. “There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote on Friday. “After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. IRAN WILL HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. ‘MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!).’”
On Wednesday, in an [interview][5] with Drop Site, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei also denied that Iran had asked to resume talks with the U.S. “They are killing our citizens. Municipalities, schools, hospitals, medical centers, sports clubs—everywhere is being bombarded and targeted by missiles by [the] Israeli and American war machine. Do you think any Iranian with common sense would be really in a position to reach out to the United States under these circumstances?” Baghaei asked. “We were negotiating with the United States,” he said, pointing out that another round of talks was scheduled for Monday, March 2. “Just two days before that, the United States and Israel attacked Iran,” he added. “We were betrayed. Diplomacy was betrayed.”
## **The Iranian Military Mosaic**
As the war nears a week, the U.S. and Israel continue to rain missiles and bombs on cities and villages across Iran, inflicting massive destruction not only to government buildings, military infrastructure, air defense capacity and missile systems, but also directly striking civilian buildings, including schools, hospitals and parks. Among the dead are [168 young girls][6] killed in a direct strike on their school in Minab in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli assault. The World Health Organization said that 13 medical facilities in Iran have been struck in attacks over the past week. According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the death toll in Iran is at least 1,332, and roughly 30 percent of those killed are children.
Trump and his aides—most prominently War Secretary Pete Hegseth—speak of the war as a sporting event, gloating over the U.S. military’s overwhelming firepower advantage. “Our rules of engagement are bold, precise and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it. This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight,” Hegseth said Thursday during a visit to U.S. Central Command. “We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be. Thus far, Operation Epic Fury has delivered twice the air power of shock and awe of Iraq in 2003.” Hegseth promised the U.S. would intensify the bombing, including through the use of 2,000-pound gravity bombs. “We are just getting started,” he boasted.
“Iran is not the same country it was a week ago,” Trump told CNN on Friday. “A week ago they were powerful, and now they’ve been indeed neutered.”
While it is undeniable that Iran’s military forces have absorbed massive damage and that the U.S. and Israel have degraded its air defenses, making it easier to fly warplanes over the country with greater frequency, Tehran is exhibiting an ongoing capacity to launch missiles and drones at both Israel and at U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence targets across the region. Since Monday, the State Department has been sending Americans in more than a dozen countries urgent messages to “DEPART NOW,” spurring an exodus of tens of thousands from the Gulf. U.S. embassies and consulates, several of which have come under attack, have shut down and U.S. military and civilian personnel have been moved away from bases.
Since the bombing started, Iranians have regularly gathered in crowds in the streets and squares across the country to denounce the U.S.-Israeli war and Iranian officials have maintained that the country will remain defiant and that capitulation is not an option. The U.S. has repeatedly said that it believes Iranians will rise up against the government and Trump has openly called on anti-government Iranians to seize power as the U.S. decimates Iranian military and security forces.
In January, large peaceful protests against the government in Tehran descended into bloodshed after groups of people began attacking police stations, mosques, and government buildings. In response, Iranian forces violently cracked down. The Iranian government says that roughly 3,100 people were killed during the unrest, blaming the deaths on Israeli and U.S.-backed “terrorist” forces, while human rights organizations asserted the death toll was much higher and accused Iranian forces of indiscriminately shooting protesters.
Throughout the past week, Iranian security agencies have sent out text messages to Iranian citizens, warning of potential plots to create unrest and threatening that “any movement that disrupts security will be met with [a] strong fist.” The agencies warned against engaging in actions “that could pave the way for enemy exploitation” and asking citizens to report suspicious activity. “If you observe any suspicious anti-security incidents, such as movements of terrorist groups, movement of weapons and military equipment, and misinformation and anti-psychological security measures, please send reports to your servants in the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps],” read one message confirmed as authentic by Drop Site. Another government text message verified by Drop Site said that “the next step” in the U.S.-Israeli war will include efforts to spark “terrorist acts and street riots.”
While there is little doubt Iranian authorities would respond forcefully to anti-government protests as the country is under bombardment, the U.S.-Israeli bombing also casts any anti-government protests as pro-Trump and in favor of regime change. “Now it’s a very different dynamic where if you’re protesting right now, it comes off as explicit support for a foreign entity that is killing your fellow Iranians,” said Ali Ahmadi, an Iranian-American analyst who is a fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy. “It is a very different dynamic.”
While the senior Iranian official who spoke to Drop Site acknowledged the damage wrought to Iran’s military infrastructure, he said the U.S. and Israel were exaggerating its impact. Prior to the bombing, he said, Iran engaged in extensive planning for a protracted war with the U.S. and Israel that would include leadership decapitation strikes, including by delegating authority further down the command structure to engage in military action.
“This mosaic of different Iranian military commands around the country operate independently and continue firing missiles, firing drones, and basically running out the stock of American interceptors that’s available not just to the United States itself, but also to Israel and the Gulf states,” Ahmadi said. “You have different military sectors in different parts of the country with predetermined strike packages, ways of coordinating without talking, knowing each other’s game plan and responding to attacks and counter attacking. There doesn’t need to be a centralized command structure.”
Airstrikes in central Tehran on March 6, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images
Senior Iranian military commanders, meanwhile, have claimed that their missile and drone attacks have done far more extensive damage to U.S. air defense systems inside the borders of its regional Arab allies that house U.S. military facilities than the U.S. and Israel are publicly acknowledging. Iranian missile strikes have hit THAAD anti-aircraft sites and early warning radar detection systems, including the billion dollar ballistic-missile early-warning radar at Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which feeds data to THAAD and Patriot systems throughout the region of incoming missile attacks. An open source [investigation][7] by the New York Times confirmed that in just the first three days of the war, Iranian strikes “damaged structures that are part of or near communication and radar systems on at least seven U.S. military sites across the Middle East.”
Sources from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps told state media over the past two days that in the opening phase of its retaliatory attacks, Iran largely used missiles produced between 2010-2014 and that it was beginning to deploy more modern, longer range missiles against U.S. and Israeli targets. After U.S. officials claimed Iran’s pace and scope of attacks seemed to be slowing on Thursday, that night Iran launched heavy attacks at U.S. facilities in multiple Gulf countries and successfully struck multiple sites across Israel.
The initial days of Iran’s military response, the Iranian official told Drop Site, were aimed at “setting the stage to unleash a lot more power,” utilizing “stronger and more advanced missile weapons in [Iran’s] arsenal.”
Iran has carried out strikes against civilian targets in Arab nations, including hotels and other buildings in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Iranian officials [told Drop Site][8] that some of the buildings were housing U.S. military or intelligence personnel. Without confirming that any officials were in sites hit in Bahrain, the U.S. embassy did [evacuate][9] its staff from hotels in Manama and Israel recently [conducted][10] a special airlift to exfiltrate Israeli government employees from the UAE.
Tehran has also denied that it bombed an airfield in British-controlled Cyprus. A drone hit a hangar used by American U2 spy planes. Britain initially accused Iran of launching the attack, but UK defense officials later said it did not come from Iran and that they believe it was launched from Lebanon or Iraq. Iran likewise claimed it was not behind an attack on an airport in Azerbaijan.
Throughout the past week, Iran has accused Israel of engaging in “false flag” attacks in an effort to draw other nations into the U.S.-Israeli war. “Attacks have been carried out that have been attributed to Iran,” the Iranian official said. “These attacks are false-flag operations intended to provoke the countries of the region into entering a regional war.”
No evidence has been produced to indicate Israel has been responsible for any of the strikes in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries or Azerbaijan.
On Thursday, following a meeting of the foreign ministers of European nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council, the EU and GCC officials issued a [joint statement][11] condemning Iran for its “inexcusable attacks” in the region and calling on Tehran to “cease immediately.” Attacks in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the U.A.E. have killed eight people, including two Kuwaiti soldiers and an 11-year-old girl. At least 11 have been killed in Israel. Six U.S. military members were also killed on the second day of the war when an Iranian drone hit an operations center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. The statement ignored entirely the mounting civilian death toll in Iran and the bombing of civilian sites.
The GCC countries, Ahmadi said, were blindsided by the actual impact the war against Iran has had on Gulf Arab countries. “I don’t think they expected to get hit hard. I don’t think they expected the U.S. to focus so heavily on defending Israel to their detriment,” Ahmadi said. “The foundation of their governance philosophy is the idea that America is going to put a lot of bases in their countries and they’re going to be essentially guaranteed security regardless of what America even uses their bases to do. And that creates the foundation for GCC stability and prosperity. And now that’s all been thrown into chaos.”
Iran has said repeatedly that it would intentionally strike oil infrastructure only if its facilities were attacked first and it has denied striking such sites in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. “As Iran has previously announced, it will only attack energy infrastructure if Iran’s energy infrastructure is targeted by the United States or Israel,” the Iranian official told Drop Site. “The logic of this position is also clear: energy infrastructure in the region constitutes USA interests, directly or indirectly.”
On Friday, the price of Brent crude oil surged past $90 a barrel for the first time in two years. Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi warned in an interview on Friday that if the conflict with Iran continues for several weeks, it could “bring down the economies of the world,” predicting oil prices could reach $150 per barrel amid ongoing disruptions to shipping and production in the region. “Everybody’s energy price is going to go higher. There will be shortages of some products and there will be a chain reaction of factories that can’t supply,” al-Kaabi told the Financial Times. Qatar also supplies about 20% of the world’s liquid natural gas and has stopped production since Monday.
## **Trump’s Regime Change Visions**
Since the first bombs struck Iran last weekend, Trump has been on a telephone tour with a variety of Washington, D.C. journalists, bragging about the war he unleashed and engaging in theoretical discussions about what might happen next in Iran.
Trump told Axios’s Barak Ravid on Thursday that he must approve of any future Iranian leader. “I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela,” he said in a reference to the U.S. operation to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro and the consolidation of U.S. support for Venezuela’s vice president. “We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.” Trump told CNN’s Dana Bash on Friday, “It’s gonna work very easily. It’s going to work like [it] did in Venezuela,” adding, “I don’t mind religious leaders, I work with a lot of religious leaders and they are fantastic.”
In recent days, there has been a spate of news reports that the CIA has been arming Kurdish rebels in Iraq and may try to deploy them in a ground invasion in Iran. On Thursday, multiple media reports said Kurdish forces had already crossed over into Iran—but Kurdish sources [rejected this claim][12] wholesale. Any Kurdish effort would be up against a large and well-equipped national army. The concept seems to be one component of an emerging U.S. plan that envisions widespread instability gripping Iran, accompanied by defections and support for armed attacks against government forces in a campaign to overthrow the government.
“I don’t know what capabilities they’re going to be able to bring over from other places to fight the Iranian government,” said Ahmadi. “They’re dancing around trying to figure out options because sending 100,000 American troops isn’t really politically viable.”
When it comes to attempts to foment unrest, Ahmadi believes both the U.S. and Israel are misjudging the cohesion of the Iranian state and the strength of its governing, security, and military structures.
“You have a very decentralized network of ideological, security, economic organizations, all of whom are loyal to the founding principles of the Islamic Republic. They are decentralized enough to the point where killing individual people is not going to really accomplish very much,” Ahmadi said. “This is just a huge miscalculation on the part of the Israelis and the Americans, a miscalculation they keep making over and over and over and over again where they think Iran functions the same way as Hezbollah, which is a non-state actor. This is an actual country. It’s a government. The IRGC is an actual military force. It has a command structure. It has lines of security succession. Decapitation strikes don’t really accomplish much.”
Iran has dismissed Trump’s calls for the government to surrender and senior officials have predicted that once the U.S. realizes that Iranian retaliatory strikes cannot be entirely prevented and a domestic uprising is not occurring, the U.S. and Israel will seek an end to the war. “We didn’t ask for a ceasefire even last time,” Araghchi told NBC, referring to the 12 Day War in June 2025. “In [the] previous time, it was Israel who asked for a ceasefire. They asked for an unconditional ceasefire after 12 days that we resisted against their aggression,” he said. “We are not asking for a ceasefire, and we don’t see any reason why we should negotiate with the United States when we negotiated with them twice, and every time they attacked us in the middle of the negotiations.”
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[4]: https://x.com/drpezeshkian/status/2029877231942590545
[5]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/exclusive-interview-iran-deputy-foreign-minister-esmail-baghaei-trump-israel-big-lie
[6]: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/brutality-war-measured-childrens-lives-hostilities-escalate-iran
[7]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/world/middleeast/iran-strikes-us-military-communication-infrastructure-in-mideast.html
[8]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-israel-khamenei-assassination-retaliation-gulf-states
[9]: https://bh.usembassy.gov/security-alert-update-5-u-s-embassy-manama-bahrain-u-s-government-personnel-moved-from-hotels-march-1-2026/
[10]: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hy9ezjnkbl#google_vignette
[11]: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/03/05/joint-statement-by-gcc-eu-ministers-meeting-on-recent-developments-in-the-middle-east-iran-s-attacks-against-gcc-states/
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029347752497348946
[13]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-denies-trump-united-states-negotiations-new-supreme-leader-israel-bombing-tehran/comments
[14]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-denies-trump-united-states-negotiations-new-supreme-leader-israel-bombing-tehran?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-denies-trump-united-states-negotiations-new-supreme-leader-israel-bombing-tehran

2026-03-06 15:51:01 UTC

U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran enters 7th day; Hundreds of thousands displaced in Lebanon amid Israeli assault; Trump fires Noem
*U.S. and Israeli airstrikes [pound][1] Iran for a seventh day. Over 3,600 civilian sites damaged in U.S.-Israeli strikes. U.S. and Israeli officials hint at escalation in coming days. Evidence grows that the U.S. is responsible for deadly strike on elementary school. President Donald Trump demands Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Iranian strikes [hit][2] Bahrain. Iran [launches][3] attacks on Kuwait, where U.S. [suspends][4] embassy operations. Fighter jet [appears][5] to crash in Iraq. U.S. and Qatar [discuss][6] acquiring Ukrainian interceptor drones. U.S. continues to eye Kurdistan for help in war on Iran. Israeli strikes [hit][7] Beirut suburbs as bombardment intensifies across Lebanon. Mass displacement in southern suburbs of Beirut as Israeli leadership threatens destruction. IDF [says][8] two soldiers wounded in fighting in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah [deploys][9] elite Radwan fighters to southern Lebanon. Trump again calls for a Netanyahu pardon. Trump [dumps][10] Noem. House
[blocks][11] resolution that would have limited Trump’s war on Iran. Stephen Miller [calls][12] for military campaign against drug cartels. Trump [says][13] U.S. action against Cuba could follow Iran war. Afghans [rally][14] in border provinces as fighting with Pakistan displaces tens of thousands. Sudanese army [retakes][15] strategic city, shelling [continues][16] in Kordofan. Islamist militants [kill][17] at least 14 Nigerian soldiers in attacks on army bases. Landslide at Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Congo [kills][18] more than 200. Iran war [postpones][19] new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks.*
**From Drop Site: Drop Site [reports][20] on the Afghanistan-Pakistan war. Drop Site on the Hill asks lawmakers about the [War Powers Act][21] and the [role of special interests][22] in the decision to attack Iran. Commonwealth [summons][23] Pakistan over rule-of-law concerns and treatment of opposition.**
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Texas after speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite an immigration judge twice ruling that she is eligible for release. Drop Site joins the IMEU Policy Project, MPower Action, Jewish Voice for Peace ACT, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action in calling for her immediate release. **The link below allows users to send emails and make calls to your member of Congress on Leqaa’s behalf:**
[CALL FOR LEQAA KORDIA's RELEASE][24]
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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A view of destruction after the Israeli military launches airstrikes on the Dahiyeh district in Beirut, Lebanon on March 5, 2026. Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for a seventh day: **Intense U.S. and Israeli airstrikes hit Tehran and cities across Iran on Friday as the war entered its seventh day. Huge explosions were reported in residential areas of the capital and in the vicinity of Tehran University. Witnesses in Tehran told the AP the airstrikes were particularly intense, shaking homes in the area. Blasts were also reported in Shiraz, Qom, Isfahan, and Kermanshah. At least 20 civilians were [killed][26] and 30 injured after U.S.-Israeli strikes hit the Zibashahr residential district in the city of Shiraz, according to ISNA. Two paramedics are among the dead, according to the Tasnim news agency.
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll in Iran has reached at least 1,332, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. Children account for about 30% of those killed in the U.S. and Israeli attacks, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said.
* **Over 3,600 civilian sites damaged in U.S.-Israeli strikes:** The U.S.-Israeli attacks have damaged 3,643 civilian sites, including 3,090 homes, according to the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Pir Hossein Kolivand. In addition, 528 commercial and service centers, 14 medical or pharmaceutical facilities and nine Red Crescent facilities, have also been damaged.
* **U.S. and Israeli officials hint at escalation in coming days:** U.S. and Israeli officials both suggested on Thursday that strikes on Iran would escalate. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference Thursday that “the amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically.” Meanwhile, Israeli army chief of staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir said the Israeli military “will intensify the strike on the foundations of the regime and its military capabilities.” The Israeli military also issued a displacement order for residents of an industrial area of Qom, a seminary city south of Tehran.
* **Evidence grows that U.S. is responsible for deadly strike on elementary school that killed 180 children:** There is growing evidence that the U.S. military carried out Saturday’s strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab that killed around 180 children, including [168 schoolgirls][27], the majority of them aged between 7 and 12. An [investigation][28] by The New York Times using satellite imagery, verified videos, and social media posts, found that U.S. forces were most likely to have carried out the strike as they were attacking Iranian naval targets near the Strait of Hormuz. In a separate [report][29], Reuters, quoting U.S. officials, reported that U.S. military investigators believe it was likely that U.S. forces were responsible for the strike, but had not yet reached a final conclusion. War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday acknowledged the US military was investigating the attacks, which ranks as one of the deadliest cases of children being killed in a single strike in
memory.
* **White House posts movie montage glorifying war:** As the war continues to escalate, the White House posted a [video][30] on Wednesday evening under the words “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY” of what appeared to be footage of real military strikes and statements by War Secretary Pete Hegseth interspersed with a montage of famous movie clips including from including “Gladiator,” “Braveheart,” “Top Gun,” “Tron,” “John Wick,” “Superman,” “Transformers,” and “Deadpool.”
* **Trump demands Iran’s “unconditional surrender”: **President Donald Trump said on social media that there would be no deal with Iran without “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
* **Iranian strikes hit Bahrain: **Iranian strikes [hit][31] state oil facilities in Bahrain, including Bapco Refining’s Sitra refinery, the country’s only refinery and a major regional energy hub, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry confirmed. Another [strike][32] hit a high-rise in Manama, the country’s capital, and appeared to be a precision strike, targeting a specific apartment in a luxury tower where expatriates and business travelers often stay.
* **Iran launches attacks on Kuwait, where U.S. suspended embassy operations: **Iran [launched][33] a new wave of missiles and drones toward Kuwait, with the Kuwaiti Army saying its air defenses were responding to hostile projectiles that breached the country’s airspace. Air raid sirens sounded and explosions were heard during interception attempts, while sources said the incoming weapons appeared to target U.S. military installations in the country, according to a statement on X. The U.S. State Department announced it had [suspended][34] operations at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City and urged U.S. citizens to leave the country if possible or to shelter in place. Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said two Kuwaiti Army personnel have been killed in attacks and 67 people have been injured.
* **Fighter jet appears to crash in Iraq: **A fighter jet [crashed][35] in the southern Basra province of Iraq, according to local police, with the pilot ejecting before impact. Authorities say the pilot had not yet been located. Iranian outlet Fars News described the aircraft as an “aggressor fighter jet,” though it remains unclear whether it was American or Israeli. United States Central Command denied reports that a U.S. jet had been shot down over Basra, calling the claims “baseless and NOT TRUE.”
* **IRGC says it has more weapons, U.S. targets missile launchers: **Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [said][36] the country is prepared for a prolonged conflict and has not yet used many of its newest weapons systems, with IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini saying “the enemy should expect painful blows in every operational wave” and that “new innovations and weapons” have not been used on a wide scale. It was also [reported][37] Thursday that the U.S. and Israel are racing to destroy Iran’s missile launchers and drone systems before their own air-defense interceptor stockpiles dwindle, according to The Wall Street Journal. War Secretary Pete Hegseth described the approach as “shooting the archer instead of the arrows,” with U.S. and Israeli aircraft monitoring subterranean bases to strike mobile launchers as they emerge. U.S. Central Command reports that launches have fallen by 86 percent over the first four days of the conflict despite Iran’s use of
dispersed “mosaic defense” tactics and modified trucks to conceal its missile launchers.
* **U.S. and Qatar discuss acquiring Ukrainian interceptor drones: **The United States and Qatar are in early discussions with Kyiv about acquiring Ukrainian interceptor drones to counter Iranian Shahed UAVs, according to [Reuters][38]. The talks are reportedly focused on Ukrainian technology capable of detecting incoming drones and disrupting their communications signals. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Washington had requested assistance in countering Shahed drones and said Kyiv would consider such cooperation only if it does not weaken Ukraine’s defenses against Russia.
* **Araghchi discusses Iranian war aims: **Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [appeared][39] on NBC News once again, where he discussed Iran’s war aims and outlook. He said, categorically, that Tehran is not seeking a ceasefire or talks with the U.S. Aragchi said that Iran sees no reason to negotiate after the second round of negotiations did not prevent an increase in American aggression. Araghchi said that Iran has no intention to strike the U.S. homeland, and is focusing its attacks on the extensive U.S. military presence in the region. He also said that Iran has no plans to close the Strait of Hormuz, which he insists remains open, but that “all scenarios” remain possible if the war continues. “This is not our war,” he emphasized. “This is a war of choice by the United States.”
* **Trump touches on Iranian missiles, gas, and leadership: **President Donald Trump [echoed][40] the claim of his military’s top leadership that the U.S.-Israeli campaign has rapidly degraded Iran’s military capabilities, claiming that “as soon as they set off a missile, within four minutes the launcher gets hit.” He claimed that roughly 60% of Iran’s missiles and 64% of its launchers have been eliminated. When asked about the effect of the war on the U.S. energy market, he [told][41] Reuters that he does not “have any concern about” rising gas prices. “They’ll drop very rapidly when this is over, and if they rise, they rise, but this is far more important than having gasoline prices go up a little bit.” In the same interview, Trump said the United States must be involved in selecting Iran’s next leader, saying Washington would “have to choose that person along with Iran.” Trump added that it was too early to determine who might lead Iran next, saying “everybody’s in the mix,”
including exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. According to a [report][42] from The Washington Post, U.S. intelligence has seen “no signs of uprisings or defections” during the early days of the campaign.
* **U.S. continues to eye Kurdistan for help in Iran war: **Nearly half of documented U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran’s Kurdish regions have [targeted][43] Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities and police command centers, according to a strike map compiled by journalist Evan Hill. The sites are concentrated in West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and Ilam provinces. On the topic of the role of the Kurds in the conflict, Trump [told][44] Reuters on Thursday that it would be “wonderful” if Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq crossed into Iran to attack security forces there. When asked about the possibility of the U.S. providing air cover for Iranian Kurdish forces, Trump responded, “I can’t tell you that,” but added that ‌the goal ⁠for the Kurds would be “to win.”
* **War drives large-scale displacement across the region: **The World Health Organization [said][45] the conflict is triggering mass displacement across multiple countries. Around 100,000 people have fled Iran since the fighting began, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said that up to 1 million people in southern Lebanon could be forced to move after recent evacuation orders, with another 700,000 in Beirut’s southern suburbs facing possible displacement. The WHO also said it has [verified][46] 13 attacks on healthcare infrastructure in Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign, and has confirmed the deaths of 4 medics, along with injuries to 25 others.
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 217, with 798 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
* **Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon and Beirut suburbs: **Israeli warplanes bombed Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, on Friday, with the Israeli military saying it conducted 26 rounds of attack on the area. Israel also bombed towns in southern and eastern Lebanon, including the southern coastal city of Sidon where five people were killed and seven wounded, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. It marked the second day of heavy airstrikes on Dahiyeh, with strikes also reported in the towns of Ghobeiry and Haret Hreik on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera. Across Lebanon, at least 10 people were killed on Thursday, including a family of four in southern Lebanon and a village mayor and his wife.
* **Southern suburbs of Beirut forcibly evacuated as Israel threatens destruction: **In the wake of intensifying strikes, and forced displacement orders issued by the Israeli military, residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs have begun to flee.** **This includes residents of the Dahiyeh area, home to roughly 400,000 people. Israel also [issued][47] an evacuation order for residents in the Baalbek region, which could affect up to 80,000 people. Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the far-right National Religious Party, [said][48] on Thursday that “Dahiyeh will look like Khan Younis,” the city in Gaza that Israel has burned to the ground. Yair Lapid, the centrist leader of the Israeli opposition, [said][49] that Israel should “depopulate and destroy every village in southern Lebanon, with the Yellow Line in Gaza as the model.” “It may not be pleasant,” he said, “to scrape off two or three Lebanese villages, but they brought this upon themselves.”** For a sense of what Lebanese people are
expecting, listen to [a voice message][50] sent to journalist Jeremy Loffredo in the Dahiyeh area, describing fears of imminent carpet-bombing.**
* **ICRC: Hundreds of thousands displaced in Lebanon:** Hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon have been displaced since Monday, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said Hachem Osseiran, ICRC spokesperson for the Middle East, according to AP. “The intensification of hostilities, coupled with evacuation orders covering entire districts in Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley, has sown panic and confusion. Many people have fled, some on foot, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and no clear sense of where to go.”
* Hezbollah issued a displacement order of its own, posting a message on its Telegram channel in Hebrew early on Friday warning residents in northern Israel to evacuate towns within 5 kilometers of the border. “Your military’s aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will ⁠not go unchallenged,” Hezbollah said.
* **Hezbollah deploys elite Radwan fighters to southern Lebanon: **Hezbollah has redeployed members of its elite Radwan force to southern Lebanon to confront advancing Israeli troops, according to [Reuters][51] on Thursday. Within a day of their redeployment, the group [released][52] footage that reportedly shows attacks by Radwan fighters on the “Majin Daniel” Israeli base in southern Lebanon, which they claim resulted in injuries. One Israeli officer was severely wounded and another moderately injured during combat in southern Lebanon on Thursday, according to a [statement][53] from the Israeli military.
# The Gaza Genocide, Israel and the West Bank
* **Israeli forces kill man in Gaza as airstrikes and shelling continue across the Strip: **A Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Salah al-Din Street in the Shujaiya neighbourhood east of Gaza City Friday, according to WAFA. The Israeli army is continuing to carry out systematic demolitions of homes and buildings near the “yellow line,” while Israeli forces struck areas east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and shelled the eastern parts of the Bureij refugee camp, amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement.
* **Trump again calls for a Netanyahu pardon: **President Donald Trump reiterated his demand that Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whom Trump called a “disgrace,” pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for corruption charges, in an interview with Axios. “Every day I talk to Bibi about the war. I want him to focus on the war and not on the fucking court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran,” Trump said.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][54].*
* **Trump dumps Noem: **President Donald** **Trump [announced][55] Thursday that he will replace Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security with Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R), effective March 31. Trump was reportedly incensed by her testimony to Congress on Tuesday, and particularly irate at the fact that she spent $220 million dollars on ads that featured and promoted herself, according to the Wall Street Journal. Noem is the first cabinet secretary to be fired by Trump in his first term, though Trump’s announcement included a new appointment for her as “special envoy” to the “Shield of the Americas,” a new security arrangement the administration is expected to detail at an initial conference next week. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)** **said he would press for a perjury investigation into Noem’s testimony. According to [NBC][56], Noem handpicked contractors—as opposed to hosting a competitive bidding process—for a $100 million ad campaign, whose ostensible purpose was the
recruitment of ICE officers. Earlier reporting suggested that DHS employees were disciplined for questioning this abnormal procedure.
* **House blocks resolution that would have limited Trump’s war on Iran:** The Republican-controlled House voted 212–219 to [reject][57] the Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution, which would have required congressional authorization for President Donald Trump’s military operations against Iran, one day after the Senate blocked a similar measure. Only two Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the proposal, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Massie himself. Four Democrats—Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) voted with Republicans to defeat it. Lawmakers also passed a separate nonbinding resolution declaring Iran the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.
* **Stephen Miller calls for military campaign against drug cartels: **White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller [said][58] drug cartels should be confronted “as brutally and ruthlessly” as ISIS or al-Qaeda, arguing at the Americas Counter Cartel Conference at U.S. Southern Command that there is no “criminal justice solution,” and that cartels “can only be defeated with military power.”
* **Senators demand investigation into the murder of Palestinian-American in the West Bank:** More than 30 senators, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) demanded a formal investigation into the February murder of Philadelphia native Nasrallah Abu Siyam by settlers in the occupied West Bank. In a letter to the State Department, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, and the Department of Justice, Van Hollen was joined by 31 of his Democratic and Independent colleagues, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Ralph Warnock (D-Ga.).** **Pennsylvania Sens. John Fetterman (D) and Dave McCormick (R), did not sign the letter, nor did Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, as Drop Site contributor Jasper Nathaniel [pointed][59] out.
* **Trump says U.S. action against Cuba could follow Iran war: **President Donald Trump [said][60] the United States could move against Cuba after completing its war against Iran, praising Secretary of State Marco Rubio for tightening sanctions on the country. Speaking at the White House during a visit by the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, Trump said, “What’s happening with Cuba is amazing. And we think that, we want to finish this one [Iran] first,” Trump said. “But that will be just a question of time.”
* **Proton Mail payment data helped identify account linked to Stop Cop City activists: **Swiss authorities provided the FBI with payment data linked to a Proton Mail account associated with the Defend the Atlanta Forest group, part of the Stop Cop City movement protesting a police training center in Atlanta, according to a new report from [404][61]. The information, obtained through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request, identified the person who paid for the account, which investigators believed was connected to organizing activities and online posts tied to protests that included alleged vandalism and arson. Proton, which often heralds its focus on users’ privacy, said it did not directly provide data to the FBI but complied with a legally binding order from Swiss authorities, noting that if users pay by credit card the company can access payment identifiers that may reveal the cardholder. **Read the full report from 404 [here][62].**
* **TAP tackles the Ohio data center boom: **New Albany, near Columbus, has become a major hub for U.S. data centers as companies including Meta, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft build large server campuses to support the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence. The surge in development has transformed thousands of acres of land and positioned the Columbus region as one of the country’s largest concentrations of hyperscale data infrastructure. But ratepayers in Ohio are paying $42 more per month for electricity than they did in 2021, according to a new report from The American Prospect. And not everyone is happy: at a community meeting, Granville Mayor Melissa Hartfield warned residents, “We’re paying to poison ourselves, is in essence what we’re doing.” **Read TAP’s full report on the data center boom in Ohio [here][63].**
# Other International News
* **Afghans rally in border provinces as fighting with Pakistan displaces tens of thousands: **Hundreds of Afghans [gathered][64] in the country’s eastern provinces to show support for Afghan troops and protest Pakistani strikes that residents say have killed civilians during a week of border fighting. The United Nations reports at least 42 civilians have been killed and 104 wounded since February 26, with nearly 66,000 people displaced by the conflict. The fighting has also disrupted humanitarian aid, with the World Food Programme saying emergency food assistance has been suspended for about 160,000 people in a country already facing a severe hunger crisis. Casualty claims from both sides remain difficult to verify, with Pakistan saying more than 430 Afghan soldiers were killed while Afghan authorities estimate roughly 150 Pakistani troop fatalities.
* **Drop Site reports on the Afghanistan-Pakistan war: **Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan remains ongoing, with residents from Afghanistan’s eastern provinces—Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Nangarhar—reporting artillery fire and aircraft passing overhead, and with fighter jets and drones heard in the country’s capital. “Everyone [in Kabul] knew immediately that something serious had happened,” one resident tells Drop Site. “People said the war had returned.” A new report from Drop Site correspondent Emran Feroz outlines recent developments in the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.** That report is available [here][65].**
* **Sudanese army retakes strategic city, shelling continues in Kordofan: **The Sudanese army said on Thursday that it had recaptured the strategic city of Bara in North Kordofan after intense fighting with the Rapid Support Forces, which had controlled the city since October, according to [The Sudan Tribune][66]. Local sources reported that RSF fighters retaliated by attacking the nearby village of Umm Kuraidim, burning homes and assaulting residents amid accusations that villagers had aided the army. At least two people were reportedly killed in the [attack][67]. RSF shelling was reported in Dilling on Thursday, with nine fatalities and 51 injuries. Also on Thursday, the Sudanese tribal leader Musa Hilal [arrived][68] in Khartoum, in his first public appearance since surviving an assassination attempt and an RSF offensive that captured his stronghold of Misteriya in North Darfur.
* **Islamist militants kill at least 14 Nigerian soldiers in attacks on army bases: **Islamist militants killed at least 14 Nigerian soldiers and wounded several others in coordinated attacks on two army bases in northeastern Borno state on Tuesday night, according to security sources cited by [Reuters][69]. Suspected Islamic State West Africa Province fighters overran a base in Ngoshe, killing nine troops and a local imam, seizing weapons and abducting an unknown number of women, while another assault on a base in Pulka killed five soldiers, including the base’s commanding officer.
* **Landslide at Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Congo kills more than 200: **More than 200 people, including about 70 children, were [killed][70] on March 4 after heavy rains triggered a landslide at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, authorities said. The mine, which produces roughly 15 percent of the world’s coltan and has been controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group since 2024, has seen repeated disasters, including a collapse in late January that killed about 400 people. M23 disputes the latest death toll and claims that bombings caused the collapse, according to Al Jazeera.
* **Iran war postpones new round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks: **President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [said][71] a new round of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for this week has been postponed as a result of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. “Right now, because of the situation around Iran, there are not yet the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting,” Zelenskyy said. “But as soon as the security situation and the overall political context allow us to resume that trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done.” Despite stalled negotiations, Russia and Ukraine carried out a prisoner exchange mediated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates, with 200 prisoners returned by each side and plans to swap up to 500 more.
* **U.S. issues temporary waiver for Russian oil shipments to India: **The United States has temporarily [eased][72] sanctions to allow Indian refiners to receive Russian crude that was already loaded on tankers by March 5, 2026, issuing a short-term waiver through the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the 30-day measure, set to expire in early April, aims to prevent supply disruptions and ease pressure on global energy markets after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran drove oil prices sharply higher.
* **Finland moves to lift ban on nuclear weapons on its territory: **Finland’s government [said][73] it plans to amend its 1987 Nuclear Energy Act to remove a ban on the import, possession, and deployment of nuclear weapons, potentially allowing atomic arms to be stationed on Finnish soil during wartime. “The amendment is necessary to enable Finland’s military defense as part of the alliance and to take full advantage of NATO’s deterrence and collective defence,” Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said at a press conference. The proposal will now go to parliament, where the right-wing holds a majority. Finland’s Nordic neighbors have laws prohibiting nuclear weapons on their soil in peacetime but have no laws banning their presence during wartime.
# Drop Site on the Hill
* **Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.)** [told][74] Drop Site’s Julian Andreone that she would “kick [defense contractors] out of my office” when asked if special interests played a role in the U.S. decision to go to war with Iran. She deferred on follow-up questions, however, saying it “depends on how you define special interests.” According to OpenSecrets, Murkowski has received $436,022 from pro-Israel lobby groups and $440,500 from defense industry PACs over her career.
* **Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.)** [told][75] Andreone he had flipped to a “Yes” on the War Powers Resolution to preserve the authority of Congress. He then proceeded to vote against the bill.
* **Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)**, who sponsored the House War Powers resolution to limit U.S. military action against Iran, [told][76] Drop Site the Trump administration effectively acknowledged the U.S. was pulled into the conflict because of Israel. Massie said the push for war was driven by “neocons” and warned it would be “very troublesome if our foreign policy is dictated by a country of 8 million people in the Middle East.”
* **Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)** [criticized][77] the Trump administration’s rationale for the war with Iran, saying the U.S. should not send troops to fight on Israel’s behalf. Omar also [discussed][78] potential motivations for the war: “When you see these people falling over themselves in Congress, unable to actually make a rational sentence about why we are engaging in this war of choice… You start to wonder how much the money that they get for their campaigns plays a role,” she said.
# More from Drop Site
* **Commonwealth summons Pakistan over rule-of-law concerns and treatment of opposition: **Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey has summoned Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appear before the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in London on March 7 to address concerns about the rule of law, according to an internal document leaked to Drop Site. The hearing will examine issues including constitutional amendments affecting the judiciary, the reinstatement of military courts for civilians, the continued imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and alleged restrictions on media and political freedoms. Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar is expected to skip the meeting, likely sending the country’s high commissioner instead. **Read the full report from Waqas Ahmed and Murtaza Hussain [here][79].**
* The Border Patrol and ICE are no strangers to uncoordinated drop-offs like the one that appears to have played a role in the death of Nural Amin Shah Alam, a blind Rohingya man in Buffalo, New York. Drop Site’s Rhana Natour breaks down how just a single event pushed Shah Alam into a system that can ensnare even legal immigrants, **in a video available [here][80].**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029834424041287717
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029611245838475617
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029735687071879385?s=20
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029684050592510131
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029676323245834398
[6]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-qatar-discuss-acquiring-ukrainian-drones-down-irans-shaheds-source-says-2026-03-05/
[7]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/5/israeli-strikes-hit-beirut-amid-threats-on-iranian-officials-in-lebanon
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029659122568753211
[9]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/hezbollah-elite-fighters-return-south-lebanon-fight-israeli-troops-lebanese-2026-03-05/
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029649681735717080
[11]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republican-led-house-declines-constrain-trumps-war-iran-just-senate-rcna261909
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029756602761310293
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/5/trump-says-regime-change-in-cuba-is-question-of-time-after-iran
[14]: https://www.barrons.com/news/afghans-rally-against-pakistan-and-civilian-casualties-f3c9cd38
[15]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311381
[16]: https://x.com/BSonblast/status/2029782198916980846
[17]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/islamist-militants-kill-14-nigerian-soldiers-borno-state-sources-say-2026-03-05/
[18]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029759172212855167
[19]: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drones-iran-5cafbae5d360a44c4502b69647269037
[20]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/pakistan-afghanistan-border-war-taliban-durand-line
[21]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2029673369424089462
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029652303678963719
[23]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/commonwealth-ministerial-action-group-pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan-social-media-crackdown
[24]: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-free-leqaa-kordia-from-ice-detention?source=direct_link&referrer=group-drop-site-news&redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fgivebutter.com%2Fsupport-dropsite
[25]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029834424041287717
[27]: https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/brutality-war-measured-childrens-lives-hostilities-escalate-iran
[28]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/world/middleeast/iran-school-us-strikes-naval-base.html
[29]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-investigation-points-likely-us-responsibility-iran-school-strike-sources-say-2026-03-06/
[30]: https://x.com/whitehouse/status/2029741548791853331
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029611245838475617
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029743967806386647
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029735687071879385?s=20
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029684050592510131
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029676323245834398
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029809976173015366
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029622246336037292
[38]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-qatar-discuss-acquiring-ukrainian-drones-down-irans-shaheds-source-says-2026-03-05/
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029656646411047307
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029690142135570846
[41]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/trump-rising-gas-prices-during-iran-operation-if-they-rise-they-rise-2026-03-05/
[42]: http://v
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029746919183110548
[44]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-tells-reuters-us-will-have-role-choosing-irans-next-leader-2026-03-05/
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029599062735908928
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029603783798308957
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029635045930029200
[48]: https://x.com/SaadAbedine/status/2029566512328061237
[49]: https://x.com/Seamus_Malek/status/2029659218920223119
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029609183717302353
[51]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/hezbollah-elite-fighters-return-south-lebanon-fight-israeli-troops-lebanese-2026-03-05/
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029640500857233693
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029659122568753211
[54]: mailto:[email protected]
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029649681735717080
[56]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/noem-handpicked-contractors-lead-100-million-ice-recruitment-campaign-rcna261968
[57]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republican-led-house-declines-constrain-trumps-war-iran-just-senate-rcna261909
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029756602761310293
[59]: https://x.com/infinite_jaz/status/2029620947167138289
[60]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/5/trump-says-regime-change-in-cuba-is-question-of-time-after-iran
[61]: https://www.404media.co/proton-mail-helped-fbi-unmask-anonymous-stop-cop-city-protestor/
[62]: https://www.404media.co/proton-mail-helped-fbi-unmask-anonymous-stop-cop-city-protestor/
[63]: https://prospect.org/2026/03/05/ohio-tech-ai-data-centers-meta-amazon-google-energy/
[64]: https://www.barrons.com/news/afghans-rally-against-pakistan-and-civilian-casualties-f3c9cd38
[65]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/pakistan-afghanistan-border-war-taliban-durand-line
[66]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311381
[67]: https://x.com/BSonblast/status/2029782198916980846
[68]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311413
[69]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/islamist-militants-kill-14-nigerian-soldiers-borno-state-sources-say-2026-03-05/
[70]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029759172212855167
[71]: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drones-iran-5cafbae5d360a44c4502b69647269037
[72]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029762038981898585
[73]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/finland-lift-full-ban-hosting-nuclear-arms-government-says-2026-03-05/
[74]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029631370390130806
[75]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2029673369424089462
[76]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029713006104305975
[77]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029726428778962998
[78]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029725634310922513
[79]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/commonwealth-ministerial-action-group-pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan-social-media-crackdown
[80]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029606277866000844
[81]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/us-israeli-war-iran-lebanon-bombing-trump-noem

2026-03-05 22:10:03 UTC

Dozens Killed and Thousands Displaced in Growing Pakistan-Afghan Border Conflict
*While the U.S. and Israel continue a massive bombing campaign targeting Iran, another conflict continues to escalate nearby between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In recent weeks, the two countries have gone from border skirmishes to what senior Pakistani officials have described as “open war”—with airstrikes and bombardments targeting military positions and civilian communities in both countries.*
*The escalation comes amid increasingly warm ties between the Trump administration and the military junta in Islamabad, which has pitched itself as a regional security partner for Washington after its withdrawal from Afghanistan five years ago. This relationship has continued to grow despite escalating pressure on Pakistan over its crackdown on the rule of law, media freedom, and ongoing suppression of political opposition movements. *
*Afghanistan and Pakistan both share borders with Iran, and the outcome of the war between them is likely to shape postwar developments in Iran as it fights for survival under a joint U.S.-Israeli military assault. *
*The following dispatch by Emran Feroz describes the ongoing impact and historic origin of this conflict. We can’t produce this kind of journalism without your support. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a[ 501(c)(3) tax-deductible donation today][1].*
*Also on Drop Site today, Waqas Ahmed and I report on a [leaked letter][2] from the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group summoning Pakistan’s prime minister to answer for several recent authoritarian measures in Pakistan. The meeting, which will be attended by Pakistan’s high commissioner due to the Iran war, is planned for Saturday.*
*—Murtaza Hussain*
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Afghan men gather to show their solidarity for Taliban personnel in Gardez, in Paktia province, on March 4, 2026 amid ongoing cross-border conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.
“Even after iftar we could still hear the fighting. Pakistani jets keep circling above us,” said Mohammad Alam, a 38-year-old former NGO worker, on the phone from Kabul. It was late evening, shortly after the daily breaking of the fast during Ramadan. Such nights in Afghanistan are usually lively—families visiting each other, tea houses open late, children playing in courtyards. This year, he told Drop Site News, the soundscape has changed. Almost five years after the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces, above the rooftops of Kabul fighter jets and drones have become a familiar presence again.
This time, the jets and drones are Pakistani. In Afghanistan’s eastern provinces—Kunar, Khost, Paktia, and Nangarhar—residents report artillery fire and aircraft passing overhead. Especially along the so-called Durand Line, the disputed border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, clashes have intensified in recent days.
“It was very loud. Rockets hit near our house in western Kabul,” said Abdul Rauf, a man in his late twenties who lives not far from the historic Dar-ul-Aman Palace, describing an attack in the early hours of Friday, February 27. According to multiple residents and local journalists, Pakistani fighter jets struck several targets across Afghanistan, including locations in Kabul, Kandahar, and the eastern province of Paktia. Near the palace in western Kabul, witnesses reported powerful explosions and shockwaves that rattled windows. Videos circulating online showed aircraft flying low over the city.
“Everyone knew immediately that something serious had happened,” said Marouf Khan, who lives in the neighborhood. “People said the war had returned.”
Islamabad quickly confirmed the operation. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared war and said that his country’s “patience” had run out. He also framed the attack as one that Islamabad had been forced to make, and that followed Afghanistan’s “aggression”—a narrative that was also supported by U.S. President Donald Trump. When he was asked about the operations, Trump answered that “Pakistan has the right to defend itself.” The strikes, officials said, targeted facilities linked to militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
In Kabul, the Taliban authorities condemned the attacks as a violation of Afghan sovereignty. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed that fighting was taking place along several parts of the border. Independent casualty figures from the February 27 strikes remain difficult to verify. A local journalist in Kandahar told Drop Site that civilians in his area had not been directly affected, though residents fear that further escalation could change that quickly.
A week earlier, on the night of February 22, Pakistani aircraft had bombed targets in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, while additional explosions were reported in Paktika. Islamabad said those strikes targeted positions of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the militant movement often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, as well as the Afghan branch of the so-called Islamic State, Islamic State–Khorasan Province (ISKP).
Both groups have carried out a series of deadly attacks inside Pakistan in recent months. Among them was a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad earlier in February that killed dozens of worshippers. Pakistani officials argue that these militants operate from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan and accuse the Taliban authorities in Kabul of failing to dismantle their networks.
Officials in Kabul said the attacks had killed civilians rather than militants. The United Nations later confirmed that at least 13 civilians, including women and children, were killed during the bombings, while several others were injured. Local journalists and officials in Nangarhar suggested that the real number of casualties may be higher. Photographs from affected villages showed destroyed homes and frightened families digging through rubble.
## Restoring “Deterrence”
For the Taliban leadership, the incident was more than just a cross-border strike. It was a direct challenge to their authority. “Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and in Paktika provinces, murdering and wounding dozens of people, including women and children,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahed said on X.
On February 26, Taliban fighters reportedly attacked several Pakistani border posts along the frontier. The Taliban also claimed it used commercial drones to attack targets in Islamabad, which lies more than 100 miles away from the border, although no evidence has emerged for this claim. Taliban officials described the operation as retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes. According to Taliban statements, their units shelled multiple outposts and briefly took control of some positions along the border. Images and videos circulating on social media appeared to show destroyed vehicles and captured Pakistani soldiers, though the material could not be independently verified.
Pakistan acknowledged attacks on its border forces and announced a new military operation aimed at restoring what officials called “deterrence.” Pakistani media reported that the armed forces had been authorized to respond with large-scale air and artillery strikes against militant targets across the border.
The Taliban has rejected accusations of harboring the TTP and ISKP, and the escalation has continued. Heavy fighting and airstrikes were reported on the night of March 2 in the southeastern province of Khost. According to local sources in the districts of Ali Sher and Zazai Maidan, at least 20 civilians were killed, many of them children. Residents and journalists on the ground shared photographs with Drop Site showing destroyed houses as well as wounded and dead civilians lying in the rubble. Independent verification of the exact casualty figures remains difficult, but multiple sources in the region confirmed that entire families were affected.
“The situation is very bad. Many civilians have been hit directly and the resources to help them are very limited or simply don’t exist,” Mohammad Zaman, a local journalist from Khost, told Drop Site.
Further north, in the provincial capital of Asadabad in Kunar province, locals said that several strikes and clashes in recent days caused 13 civilian casualties and widespread destruction. “Many civilians were killed and many others lost their homes,” Sher Agha, a resident and local activist, told Drop Site. Other districts were reportedly hit as well.
The UN now reports at least 146 civilian casualties, including 42 deaths, occurred in Afghanistan between February 26 and March 2. The Taliban has reported 110 civilian casualties, including 65 women and children, and that 8,400 people have become internally displaced.
For the growing number of internally displaced families fleeing the violence, the prospect of a secure future appears increasingly distant. Families in some villages have begun moving out of fear that further strikes could hit populated areas. In Kabul, reports circulated over the weekend that Pakistani aircraft had also targeted the Bagram area north of the capital, where America’s largest abandoned military base in Afghanistan lies.
## ** A colonial legacy**
For more than a century, successive Afghan governments have rejected the Durand Line, which was created by British colonial authorities, as a legitimate international boundary. Monarchists, communist regimes, and Islamist leaders alike have all expressed reservations or outright opposition to it. Former presidents Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani repeatedly avoided formally recognizing the border. The Taliban, whose movement is dominated by Pashtuns, have taken a similar position.
For Pakistan, however, the border is settled and non-negotiable. The dispute has led to frequent clashes, particularly in recent years after Pakistan began constructing fences and new military posts along the frontier to prevent militant infiltration. Taliban fighters have repeatedly torn down sections of the barrier, arguing that it divides communities and tribal lands.
Ideological proximity plays a role: both the Afghan Taliban and the TTP share similar militant Islamist roots. Historical ties also matter. During the two decades of war against NATO forces and the former Afghan government, many Taliban fighters found refuge in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border. Networks linked to Pakistan’s powerful intelligence service provided logistical support and sanctuary.
For years, parts of Pakistan’s security establishment viewed the Afghan Taliban as a useful strategic partner. During the two-decade NATO presence in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters were widely believed to have received support and sanctuary across the border. The idea was that a friendly regime in Kabul would provide Pakistan with strategic depth and counter the influence of rival powers such as India.
When the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, many analysts predicted that Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan would grow significantly.
Now, what once served as a strategic partnership has turned into a dangerous conflict.
“How much Pakistan’s stance toward the Taliban has shifted is reflected in a statement from its Foreign Ministry last October expressing hope that the Afghan people will one day be liberated and governed by a ‘truly representative government,’” said Thomas Ruttig, a senior Afghanistan researcher and former co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network. The conflict also has regional dimensions, Ruttig said: “Minister Khawaja accuses Pakistan’s rival India of supporting TTP and ISIS through Afghanistan and claims the Taliban have turned Afghanistan into ‘a colony of India.’”
Islamabad now finds itself facing rising militant violence at home. The TTP insurgency has intensified, carrying out attacks against security forces and civilians across the country.
Pakistan has repeatedly demanded that the Taliban government take decisive action against the TTP. Islamabad claims that TTP fighters use eastern Afghanistan as a safe haven from which they plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban deny providing systematic support to the group, but they have also refused to disarm or extradite its members.
In recent weeks, Taliban officials [signaled][4] that they would support Iran if the country was attacked by the United States or Israel. Some analysts believe Pakistan’s recent assertiveness may also be [aimed at demonstrating][5] its [strategic importance][6] to Western security planners, though there is no official confirmation of such calculations.
Whether the current confrontation will remain a limited exchange of military pressure or evolve into a longer and more dangerous conflict remains unclear. Both governments face domestic pressures: Pakistan is dealing with growing militant attacks, while the Taliban leadership cannot afford to appear weak in the face of foreign airstrikes.
The Taliban, meanwhile, continues to deny that Afghanistan is being used as a base by terrorist groups to launch attacks against Pakistan—pointing the blame at Islamabad for using them as scapegoats for their internal security problems.
“Whenever an attack occurs inside Pakistan, they immediately blame Afghanistan without presenting any evidence,” said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. “TTP does not have a presence in Afghanistan. These are Pakistan’s internal problems. They control large areas inside Pakistan itself and have no need for Afghan territory, and we would never allow such activities.”
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[4]: https://kabulnow.com/2026/02/taliban-spokesman-says-afghanistan-ready-to-support-iran-if-u-s-attacks-urges-peace/
[5]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/28/us-backs-pakistans-right-to-defend-itself-against-taliban-after-strikes-on-afghanistan
[6]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/pakistan-afghanistan-pti-imran-khan-trump?utm_source=publication-search
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/pakistan-afghanistan-border-war-taliban-durand-line

2026-03-05 21:35:02 UTC

Commonwealth Summons Pakistan's Leadership to Answer for Authoritarian Measures
*Drop Site’s journalism is free to read because thousands of readers choose to fund it. If our work matters to you, please consider making a [tax-deductible donation today][1].*
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Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan speaks during the Security Council meeting at UN Headquarters on February 18, 2026. Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey has summoned the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appear before the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) on March 7 in London, according to an internal Commonwealth document leaked to Drop Site News. In the meeting, the CMAG will formally interrogate Islamabad’s military-backed government on “developments in regard to the rule of law and other principles enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter”—specifically, the recent constitutional amendments designed to neuter the judiciary, the reinstatement of military courts for civilians, the ongoing imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and what the letter diplomatically calls “allegations around restrictions on media and political freedoms.”
Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, was scheduled to represent the Pakistani prime minister for the hearing but has excused himself from appearing citing the Iran war days before the meeting. He is likely to send the Pakistani High Commissioner Dr. Muhammad Faisal in his place.
CMAG has the power to censure, formally investigate, and recommend suspension of any member state that commits “serious or persistent violations” of the foundational charter of Commonwealth [values][3]. It has suspended Pakistan’s membership twice in the past—first in 1999 after the military coup by General Pervez Musharraf, and then again in 2007 when General Musharraf declared emergency rule.
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In November, the Commonwealth had written a letter to the Pakistani government lodging its dissent against escalation of state repression in the country. It was the first time the Commonwealth had mentioned Imran Khan’s detention since he was arrested more than two years ago. Ministers at CMAG’s September 2025 meeting had already formally asked for updates on developments related to rule of law. Pakistan apparently didn’t provide a satisfactory answer.
Last year, the Commonwealth Secretary General did not release a report on Pakistan’s February 2024 elections that found evidence of widespread fraud—effectively providing cover for the Pakistani government. The report was [leaked to Drop Site][5] last September and then released by the Commonwealth. The CMAG’s summons indicates that Pakistan’s authoritarian trajectory is now becoming impossible for even its allies to ignore.
“I invite Pakistan to send a written submission ahead of the meeting to CMAG and to attend CMAG to directly engage with Ministers on the following matters,” the letter, dated February 5, reads. Despite the invitation, Pakistan has failed to provide a written submission, and the level of representation has been steadily downgraded.
## **Pakistan continues to arrest people for social media posts**
Among the “restrictions on media and political freedoms” alluded to in the letter are a growing number of people arrested for social media posts.
On February 19, Hamza Ahmad Khan, a 37-year-old Pakistani-Canadian PhD student at the University of Toronto who was visiting Pakistan to conduct field research for his dissertation, disappeared while going to a friend’s house, where he was staying, in a taxi. For three days, his family didn’t know what happened to him. Police in Lahore refused to file a report of his kidnapping till the Canadian government took an interest in the case, after which they filed a First Investigation Report (FIR). Hours after the police filed the report, Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) claimed that they had taken Ahmad Khan under custody.
NCCIA claimed that they had come across Ahmad Khan’s social media posts during a “routine cyber patrol” and found that he was “actively spreading misinformation and disinformation targeting state institutions.” According to his family, however, Ahmad Khan had been picked up by the Pakistani intelligence services and was only produced by the NCCIA due to the pressure from the Canadian government—another Commonwealth member.
Since Pakistan’s 2024 elections, several people have been targeted for posts on social media by the Pakistani government. On January 24, a sessions court sentenced human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to a combined 17 years in prison under the same law. They received ten years each for “cyber terrorism,” five for “glorification of an offence,” and two for spreading “fake and false information.” They were convicted for tweets posted between 2021 and 2025, many of them expressing solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists and criticizing the military’s role in human rights abuses.
Since Pakistan’s February 2024 elections, [thousands][6] of Pakistanis have disappeared, some later appearing in military courts and others remaining unaccounted for. These military courts and the constitutional amendments that made the trial of civilians in these courts legal is one of the topics of the Commonwealth hearing in March.
## **Khan discussed in the House of Lords**
The CMAG will also ask about the treatment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who remains under solitary confinement after almost 3 years in prison.
In February, after Khan suffered a health crisis in solitary confinement, he was [briefly hospitalized][7]. On February 25, Khan was again taken to the hospital secretly in the middle of the night as his health continued to deteriorate. He has almost completely lost vision in one of his eyes, according to Khan’s sisters, and the government has been refusing to allow him to see his personal physician.
On Tuesday afternoon, February 25, the British House of Lords took up a question that the UK government has avoided for the past few years: what exactly is it prepared to do about the imprisonment and deteriorating health of Imran Khan? During the question, one peer after another [pressed][8] the British government about Khan’s imprisonment and human rights abuses in Pakistan.
Zac Goldsmith, a former UK Foreign Office minister and Khan’s former brother-in-law, called Khan’s treatment “an international outrage” and urged the Foreign Office to intensify diplomatic engagement.
“He’s been denied access to his family, including his two sons, my nephews. He has been denied access even to doctors. We understand that he has spent much of his time in prison in solitary confinement, and that his health is deteriorating rapidly,” Goldsmith said.
Another peer, Lord Prem Sikka, pointed out the British government’s hypocrisy: “Successive governments show selective outrage at repression by authoritarian states such as China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, but offer very soft criticism when identical acts are committed by trade and defence partners,” he said. “The government have the tools: they can exert pressure on the army generals controlling Pakistan by ending aid and imposing trade sanctions, but they have not. Can the minister refer me to any moral principle guiding the government’s foreign policy?”
Lord Hannan of Kingsclere delivered what may have been the session’s most clarifying remark.
“I do not think that any British Government can be indifferent to the fate of Pakistan, a Commonwealth ally to which we are intimately linked—there are nearly 1.5 million Brits of Pakistani origin. The reason why Imran Khan is in prison is that he would win a free election, and Pakistan cannot begin to have stability and the investment that would flow from that until there is a restoration of democracy.”
Pakistan has been asked to submit a written response and send a delegation to engage directly with Ministers and explain why none of this constitutes a “serious or persistent violation” of Commonwealth values. Ishaq Dar, the same Foreign Minister who spent last summer trying to convince the Commonwealth’s former secretary general, Patricia Scotland, not to release its own election observer report, has reportedly been in contact with Botchwey’s office.
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[5]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/commonwealth-organization-pakistan-colluded-election-rigging-report-united-nations
[6]: https://www.nation.com.pk/05-Dec-2024/at-least-5-000-workers-still-missing-claims-pti-chairman#:~:text=At%20least%205%2C000%20workers%20still,shoots%20at%20its%20own%20civilians.
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/pakistan-imran-khan-health-crisis-eye-sons-denied-visas
[8]: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2026-02-25/debates/D9D51F4A-0B2C-432D-A0EB-1315DFA10FAF/ImranKhanImprisonment
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/commonwealth-ministerial-action-group-pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan-social-media-crackdown

2026-03-05 15:21:23 UTC

Over 1,300 strikes recorded by Iranian Red Crescent; Senate blocks war powers resolution on Iran; 66,000 displaced in Afghanistan-Pakistan fighting
*U.S. and Israeli airstrikes [pound][1] Iran for a fifth day, death toll rises to over 1,200. Iranian Red Crescent: Over 100 civilian sites hit. Airstrikes [target][2] Kurdish militia bases in Iraq. War Secretary [Pete Hegseth][3] says war could last up to eight weeks. Doha [rejects][4] Iranian claim that missiles were not aimed at Qatar. Spain [denies][5] White House claim it agreed to cooperate with American attacks on Iran. Israeli strikes pound Lebanon, killing eight. Israel [bombs][6] Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Israeli military orders displacement in southern Beirut. Indonesia [says][7] Gaza “Board of Peace” talks paused due to Iran war. Senate [rejects][8] bid to require approval for further Iran war action. Sen. Tim Sheehy [attempts][9] to drag anti-war protester out of committee hearing. Some Senate Democrats may [vote][10] to fund the Iran war. U.S. [preparing][11] to raise global tariff to 15 percent this week. Haitian asylum seeker [dies][12] in ICE
custody from untreated tooth infection. Russian LNG tanker [sinks][13] in Mediterranean after explosions. Haiti's prime minister [reshuffles][14] cabinet after surviving removal attempt. 66,000 [estimated][15] displaced by Afghanistan-Pakistan border fighting. Ecuador [expels][16] Cuban diplomatic mission and downgrades relations. Artillery shelling in Sudan’s Dilling [kills][17] at least five civilians. Nationwide [blackout][18] hits Iraq as regional conflict intensifies.*
**From Drop Site: Jeremy Scahill [holds][19] an exclusive interview with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei. Kurdish and Iranian sources [deny][20] reports of a planned or actual Kurdish invasion. [Dispatch][21] from Lebanon on continued mass displacement and heavy Israeli airstrikes. Drop Site on the Hill asks lawmakers about the [justification][22] for the war on Iran.**
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Texas after speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite an immigration judge twice ruling that she is eligible for release. Drop Site joins the IMEU Policy Project, MPower Action, Jewish Voice for Peace ACT, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action in calling for her immediate release. **The link below allows users to send emails and make calls to your member of Congress on Leqaa’s behalf:**
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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) walks through the senate subway of the U.S. Capitol during a vote on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. In a 47-53 vote, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-backed war powers resolution that would prevent President Donald Trump from continuing the military campaign against Iran. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for a fifth day:** Heavy waves of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes were [reported][25] across several Iranian cities, including Tehran, where explosions were heard near Mehrabad Airport, Azadi Square, Tehransar, and Chitgar in the western part of the capital. Additional strikes were reported in Bandar Abbas, Tabriz, Bushehr, and Qazvin, with officials in East Azerbaijan Province reporting dozens of casualties.
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll in Iran has reached at least 1,230, according to the official Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs.
* **Iranian Red Crescent: Over 100 civilian sites hit:** The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Thursday it has recorded 1,332 strikes in Iran by the U.S. and Israel since Saturday, with raids documented at 636 locations and at least 174 cities. The Red Crescent said at least 105 civilian sites have been struck, including 14 medical facilities and seven Red Crescent buildings. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei accused the U.S. and Israel of intentionally hitting civilian areas. “Our people are being brutally slaughtered as the aggressors deliberately target civilian areas and any location they believe will inflict the maximum possible suffering and loss of life,” Baghaei said on X.
* **U.S. and Israel bomb schools and sports facilities in Iran:** U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Thursday hit two indoor sports halls in Tehran as well as Azadi stadium, which was destroyed in the attacks, according to the Fars news agency. Missiles also hit two schools in the town of Parand, southwest of Tehran. The Israeli military said on Thursday morning it had begun a “large-scale wave of strike against infrastructure” in Tehran.
* **Kurdish and Iranian sources deny reports of a planned or actual Kurdish invasion: **Kurdish sources [tell][26] Drop Site News that reports of Kurdish militants crossing from Iraq into Iran to seize territory and spark an uprising are not accurate, despite claims in multiple outlets from anonymous U.S. government officials. Speaking to Drop Site journalists Alexis Daloumis, Ryan Grim, and Jeremy Scahill, the sources allege that no invasion is currently underway. An Iranian official also told Scahill that there have been no reports of a border breach. The reports come amid claims that the CIA has sought to arm Kurdish fighters to destabilize Iran, though sources said Kurdish groups like the PJAK are unlikely to launch such an operation at this time, with the Associated Press reporting instead that some minor Kurdish forces are merely on “standby.”
* **Airstrikes target Kurdish militia bases in Iraq: **Airstrikes reportedly [struck][27] facilities used by Kurdish militias in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region early Thursday, with Iraqi media reporting heavy overnight attacks in Sulaymaniyah province near the Iranian border. The groups targeted by and the force responsible for the attacks have not been confirmed, but the IRGC and its allied Shiite militias have attacked the area in recent days.
* **Tehran denies responsibility for drone attack in Azerbaijan: **Azerbaijan has accused Iran of a drone attack that [struck][28] an airport in the region of Nakhchivan—bordering Iran—early Thursday. One drone hit the airport terminal, while another landed near a school in Shakarabad, injuring two civilians. Azerbaijan demanded that Iran swiftly clarify the incident, provide an explanation, and take urgent measures to prevent future occurrences. “These attacks will not remain unanswered,” the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said in a statement. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi denied any connection to the drone attack, according to Tasnim news agency.
* **Hegseth and Caine discuss war timeline, plans: **U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [said][29] the U.S. war with Iran could last up to eight weeks, adding that the United States and Israel expect to achieve “uncontested airspace” over the country in under a week. Hegseth declared that the U.S. and Israel would bring “death and destruction from the sky all day long.” At the same press conference, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claimed that Iran is [launching][30] fewer missiles than at the start of the war, and argued that Iranian military capabilities have been significantly degraded. “We will ⁠now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory, and creating additional freedom of maneuver for US forces,” Caine said. A strike map [presented][31] by Hegseth appeared to place Minab, the site of the school strike that killed over 165 people, nearly all of them schoolchildren, on the first day of the war, within a cluster of U.S.
strike zones in Iran. When asked about the strike, Hegseth said only that the department is “investigating.”
* **U.S. officials warn Iranian Shahed drones pose major challenge to air defenses: **Trump administration officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that Iran’s Shahed attack drones are proving more difficult to counter than expected and that U.S. air defenses will not be able to intercept all of them, according to [reporting][32] by CNN. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine said the drones’ ability to fly low and slow makes them harder to detect than ballistic missiles, and one source familiar with the briefing said Hegseth and Caine attempted to downplay concerns about the drones by pointing to the stockpiling of interceptors by American allies in the Gulf.
* **Iran fires large Khorramshahr-4 missiles at Israel:** The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday it launched its large Khorramshahr-4 missiles in an attack targeting Israel. The IRGC also claimed attacks in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE.
* **Tanker traffic through Strait of Hormuz plunges amid attacks on vessels: **Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has [fallen][33] by about 90 percent, with only three or four supertankers transiting on March 1 compared to a daily average of 138, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center and shipping tracker MarineTraffic. On Wednesday morning, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said a container ship was struck by an “unknown projectile” off Oman’s northern coast, while international reports confirm drones or projectiles have hit at least seven vessels, with one crew member killed. The consequences of this bottleneck are stark. Brent crude [was trading][34] around the daily high of $84.5 per barrel (up from about $60 in January), and analysts at Goldman Sachs have warned that prices could rise to $100 per barrel if major disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue for another five weeks.
* **Doha rejects Iranian claim that missiles were not aimed at Qatar: **Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani [told][35] Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a phone call that Doha “categorically rejects” Iran’s claim that recent missile strikes were not aimed at Qatar. According to Qatar’s foreign ministry, missiles struck areas near Hamad International Airport and industrial zones tied to LNG production, with Al-Thani calling the attacks—which he said involved missiles, drones, and aircraft entering Qatari airspace before interception—a “flagrant violation” of sovereignty and international law. Qatar has warned that the attacks “cannot go unanswered.”
* **Spain denies White House claim it agreed to cooperate with American attacks on Iran: **Spain [rejected][36] a White House claim that it agreed to cooperate with U.S. military operations against Iran after President Donald Trump threatened to “cut off all trade” with Madrid. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Spain’s position on the war “has not changed one iota,” reiterating that U.S. bases in southern Spain cannot be used for strikes on Iran unless the actions fall under the United Nations Charter.
* **Demonstrations across Iran show support for government after Khamenei assassination: **Large demonstrations [continued][37] for a fourth night across cities and towns in Iran, with crowds mourning the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and expressing support for Iranian troops. The rallies come despite President Donald Trump’s urging Iranians to rise against their government, with no evidence so far of widespread dissent or rebellion inside the country.
* **Netanyahu seeks assurances U.S. is not pursuing ceasefire talks with Iran: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [asked][38] the White House for clarification after Israeli intelligence raised concerns that the Trump administration might be communicating with Iran about a ceasefire, according to Axios. U.S. officials told Netanyahu that Washington was not holding talks with Tehran, though they acknowledged Iran had sent indirect messages through regional intermediaries that the United States did not answer. Iranian officials later [denied][39] sending any messages to Washington, saying Iran’s armed forces are preparing for a prolonged conflict.
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon has risen to at least 77, including seven children, with 527 injured.
* **Israeli strikes pound Lebanon: **Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed at least eight people, including four members of the same family in the southern village of Kfar Tebnit, and the mayor of a village and his wife in the Nabatieh region. A day earlier, Israeli airstrikes [hit][40] a hotel in a Beirut suburb and a residential complex in eastern Lebanon, killing at least 11 people, according to Al Jazeera. The former attack hit the Comfort Hotel in the eastern Beirut suburb area of Hazmieh/Baabda, and the latter attack, in Baalbek, killed five and wounded at least 15. A final strike in the Mount Lebanon area killed six and wounded eight. A number of Israeli strikes were reported in the southern suburbs of Beirut, and Hezbollah reportedly responded to the wave of Israeli attacks by launching rockets into the town of Metulla in northern Israel and on a base near Safed.
* **Israeli strike hits Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon: **Israel [carried out][41] an airstrike on the Al-Baddawi refugee camp near Tripoli in northern Lebanon, extending its attacks well beyond the southern front. Hamas official Waseem Atta Allah al-Ali and his wife were killed and one of their daughters wounded in attacks on the camp, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The camp, established by UNRWA in 1955 about three miles northeast of Tripoli, houses tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Many residents are families originally displaced from Galilee, Haifa, Safed, and Jaffa during the 1948 Nakba and have lived in the camp for generations.
* **Israeli military orders displacement in southern Beirut: **The Israeli military [issued][42] an urgent displacement order for Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh on Thursday, telling residents to evacuate their homes immediately. More than 83,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Monday.
* **Lebanese army detains 27 in weapons crackdown: **Lebanon’s army [said][43] it detained 27 people—26 Lebanese citizens and one Palestinian—for illegally possessing weapons and munitions, part of a broader crackdown on armed groups. The arrests took place at army checkpoints across several areas over the past two days, with officials not specifying whether the suspects were affiliated with Hezbollah.
* **Hezbollah leader says group’s patience has limits, looks to be reactivating in the South: **Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem [said][44] that diplomacy with Israel has failed and warned the group will not remain patient indefinitely as Israeli attacks continue. In his first public remarks since the escalation in Iran, Qassem described Israel’s large-scale strikes following recent rocket fire as “not a response but a pre-planned aggression,” and said Israel’s actions had crossed a line. Hezbollah also [released][45] footage on Wednesday of a resistance operation targeting an Israeli Merkava tank on the outskirts of Kfar Kfila, a border village in southern Lebanon.
# The Gaza Genocide and the West Bank
* **Israeli strikes continue across Gaza: **Israeli airstrikes, artillery fire, and gunfire were [reported][46] across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with four people killed, including a woman and a 13-year-old boy, according to Palestinian reports. Incidents included gunfire in Rafah’s Al-Mawasi area, drone fire near Al-Bureij refugee camp, and artillery shelling in Gaza City. A farmer, Montaser Samour, was reportedly returned dead—his body riddled with bullets—after military detention near Al-Qarara, according to witnesses, in what appeared to be a field execution. Israel continues to block the evacuation of patients in Gaza and the entry of returning Palestinians, while just over 100 aid trucks went through Rafah to the Karem Abu Salem crossing on Wednesday, according to AFP, after Israel reimposed a total siege on Gaza following attacks on Iran.
* **Indonesia says Gaza “Board of Peace” talks paused due to Iran war: **Indonesia’s foreign minister Sugiano told reporters discussions on President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza “Board of Peace,” which Jakarta was expected to support with troops, have been put on hold as attention shifts to the expanding war with Iran. Sugiono added that Indonesia would consult with its Gulf partners “because they are also under attack,” according to [Reuters][47].
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][48].*
* **Senate rejects bid to require approval for further Iran war action: **Senate Republicans [voted][49] down a War Powers Resolution that would have required congressional approval for additional U.S. military action against Iran, rejecting Congress’s first attempt to limit President Donald Trump’s war. The measure failed 47–53 largely along party lines, with **Republican Rand Paul (Ky.) **voting in favor and **Democrat John Fetterman** **(Pa.)** opposing. Before the vote, according to Drop Site’s Julian Andreone, **Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)** spoke to Fetterman privately about his intention to vote against his party, but this did not change his vote.
* **Sheehy attempts to drag anti-war protester out of committee hearing: **As Brian McGinnis, a Marine veteran, anti-war activist, and Green Party candidate, was being dragged out of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing by Capitol Police, **Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.)** left the dais and joined in. McGinnis had shouted, “America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel!” and [video][50] of the encounter captures an audible snap as his arm and hand were reportedly broken during his struggle with Sheehy and the police.
* **Some Senate Democrats may vote to fund the Iran war: **Some Democrats remain open to a possible infusion of money to the military, Politico [reports][51], despite the overwhelming opposition of the base to the Iran War. The White House is reportedly considering a $50 billion supplemental request to replenish depleted weapons and missile defense stocks, and the measure would require at least seven Democratic votes in the Senate to pass. Several Senate Democrats on the Armed Services Committee—including **Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.)**—have not ruled out voting for the package. “I need to know the goals and the plan. … I don’t rule anything out,” Slotkin said. “I mean, we’re in it.
* **U.S. preparing to raise global tariff to 15% this week: **Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent [said][52] the Trump administration’s global tariff will likely rise from 10 to 15% sometime this week, after the president previously announced the increase following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down his earlier tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The new tariffs are being implemented under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows temporary duties for up to 150 days without congressional approval. Bessent said the administration expects tariff rates to return to their previous levels by August, during which time the U.S. Office of the Trade Representative and the Commerce Department will conduct studies that can allow them to impose more tariffs.
* **Haitian asylum seeker dies in ICE custody from untreated tooth infection:** Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian asylum seeker held at the Florence Correctional Center in Arizona, [died][53] Monday in a Scottsdale hospital after developing sepsis from an infected tooth, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis said Damas had repeatedly complained of severe tooth pain for nearly two weeks and was reportedly given only ibuprofen before collapsing and being hospitalized. Damas’ death, which ICE had not publicly acknowledged at the time of reporting, marks the 10th death in ICE custody in 2026.
* **Gavin Newsom calls Israel an “apartheid state”: **While appearing on Pod Save America, California governor and potential 2028 candidate Gavin Newsom [said][54] that some “appropriately” view Israel as an apartheid state, and that the country’s current leadership is “walking [the U.S.] down a path” that would necessitate a reconsideration of American military support. He also came out forcefully against the war, saying “We’re talking about regime change? For two years they haven’t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.” Newsom travelled to Israel after October 7 and met with Netanyahu, but in recent months has distanced himself from the country and has declared that he has not received campaign donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
# Other International News
* **Russian LNG tanker sinks in Mediterranean after explosions: **A Russian liquefied natural gas tanker, the Arctic Metagaz, sank in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after explosions and a massive fire struck the vessel Tuesday night, according to [Al Jazeera][55]. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of attacking the ship with naval drones launched from the Libyan coast, though Kyiv has not commented on the allegation. Russia’s transport ministry said all 30 crew members were rescued and described the incident as “international terrorism,” while Libyan officials warned nearby vessels to avoid the area where the ship—carrying about 62,000 metric tons of LNG from Murmansk—went down.
* **Haiti’s prime minister reshuffles cabinet after surviving removal attempt: **Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé [replaced][56] most of his cabinet, appointing 11 new ministers and two secretaries of state while retaining only five members from the previous cabinet. The shakeup follows a power struggle in which Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council voted to remove him, though he remained in office after an international pressure campaign—led by the United States—helped keep him in power, with a U.S. naval vessel sent to Haiti’s coast during the standoff. Fils-Aimé’s move comes as the council’s mandate expires and as Haiti prepares for the first round of elections and for the deployment of a United Nations-authorized Gang Suppression Force, both expected later this year.
* **66,000 estimated displaced by Afghanistan-Pakistan border fighting:** Nearly 66,000 people have been [displaced][57] in Afghanistan as heavy shelling and explosions continued along the country’s border with Pakistan during the seventh day of war between the countries, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. The agency warned that escalating hostilities along the Durand Line have caused civilian casualties, damaged infrastructure, and worsened humanitarian conditions in already under-resourced communities.
* **Massive blackout in Cuba leave millions without power:** A blackout in Cuba has left millions of people without power in much of the island, including Havana, after an unexpected outage at one of the country’s largest thermoelectric plants. Cuba’s Energy Ministry reported Thursday that power was beginning to be restored but with reduced capacity. A U.S. blockade has cut off the Cuban government from accessing desperately needed fuel as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Cuba.
* **Ecuador expels Cuban diplomatic mission and downgrades relations: **President Daniel Noboa’s government [declared][58] Cuba’s ambassador and the entire Cuban diplomatic mission personae non gratae on Wednesday, and gave them 48 hours to leave Ecuador, according to a statement released by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In an earlier decree, Noboa also terminated the functions of Ecuador’s ambassador to Cuba, effectively downgrading diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Vienna Convention allows countries to declare diplomats from other countries personae non gratae without explanation.
* **Trump excludes left-leaning governments from his “Shield of the Americas” summit: **The White House [confirmed][59] that President Donald Trump will host leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean at the “Shield of the Americas” summit on March 7 at Trump National Doral Miami, focusing on regional security, organized crime, migration, and countering Chinese influence in the hemisphere. Confirmed participants include leaders from Argentina, Paraguay, El Salvador, Ecuador, Honduras, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Guyana, along with Chile’s president-elect, Costa Rica’s leadership team, and the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Mexico was not invited, while Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, and Nicaragua are also excluded from the gathering, and Brazil is not attending.
* **Artillery shelling in Sudan’s Dilling kills at least five civilians: **At least five people were killed and 33 injured on Wednesday when artillery fired by RSF troops and the SPLM-N struck the city of Dilling in South Kordofan state, according to [The Sudan Tribune][60]. Shelling hit residential neighborhoods including Freish, Al-Marafid, and Al-Hilla al-Jadida, causing civilian casualties and damaging homes as hospitals struggled to treat the wounded under difficult conditions. The attacks come as the RSF and SPLM-N attempt to reimpose a blockade on key cities in South Kordofan.
* **Sudan accuses Ethiopia of allowing drone attacks from its territory: **Sudan [accused][61] Ethiopia on Tuesday of allowing drones to be launched from its territory to carry out attacks inside Sudan during February and March, marking the first time Khartoum has directly alleged Ethiopian involvement in the country’s civil war. Sudan’s foreign ministry said the alleged strikes constituted a “blatant violation” of sovereignty and warned it reserves the right to respond by all available means.
* **Nationwide blackout hits Iraq as regional conflict intensifies: **Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity [announced][62] a complete shutdown of the national power system Wednesday after all transmission lines and generating stations went offline simultaneously, leaving every governorate without electricity. Officials said the cause of the grid failure remains unclear as the country faces growing instability amid the escalating war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.
# Drop Site on the Hill
* Drop Site [asked][63] Democratic lawmakers who served in the military about the Trump administration’s changing rationale for the war with Iran, particularly as it relates to Israel’s war. **Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.)** said Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “changed his story about 12 times in the last 24 hours,” saying the administration appears “either lying or confused.” **Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) **also pointed to contradictions within the administration. **Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.)** insisted the decision ultimately rests with Trump, saying “this is not about Israel…this is about President Trump choosing to go into Iran.” **A full compilation of responses is available [here][64].**
* **Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)** [called][65] the Trump administration’s assault on Iran “a war of choice” and challenged its characterization of Iran’s missile program as an “imminent threat” to the United States.
* **Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.)** did not directly [respond][66] to Andreone’s question about Secretary Rubio’s comment that the U.S. struck Iran because Israel was going to strike first, instead calling the moment a “real constitutional crisis” and bringing up funding cuts for school lunches and healthcare. Even after a follow-up, Booker refused to address Israel.
# More from Drop Site
* Lylla Younes reports from Lebanon where Israel continues heavy bombardment across the country and tens of thousands have been displaced since Monday. **[More here.][67]**
* **Jeremy Scahill held an exclusive interview with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei on Wednesday. **Among other topics, he discussed what sites Tehran is targeting, accused Israel of carrying out “false flag” attacks in the Gulf to drag Arab states into the war, called the negotiations with the U.S. “a sham,” and called the allegation that Iran was going to attack Israel a “big lie.” “They claim that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. Did we come to the Gulf of Mexico to target Los Angeles and other U.S. cities? Or did they come 6,500 miles away to Iranian shores?” he asked. **Their full 30-minute interview is available here.**
* Drop Site Washington correspondent Julian Andreone has been asking Congresspeople how they intend to vote for the War Powers Act, which was voted down in the Senate on Wednesday and whose House equivalent is set to be voted upon today. **A compilation of their responses is available [here][68].**
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[12]: https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_a5053df1-4ade-4424-972f-e9f5270829bb.html
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/4/russia-accuses-ukraine-of-drone-attack-as-gas-tanker-sinks-in-mediterranean
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029403786406429036
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[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029224420066095492
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029326157540139475
[47]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/discussions-with-board-peace-on-hold-due-iran-war-indonesia-says-2026-03-04/
[48]: mailto:[email protected]
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029331633539596404
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029394415018459589
[51]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/04/democrats-iran-supplemental-funding-00813547?utm_medium=bluesky&utm_source=dlvr.it
[52]: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/04/bessent-says-global-15percent-tariff-starts-this-week-move-back-to-prior-rates-within-5-months.html
[53]: https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_a5053df1-4ade-4424-972f-e9f5270829bb.html
[54]: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/04/newsom-israel-apartheid-state-questions-future-military-support-00811441
[55]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/4/russia-accuses-ukraine-of-drone-attack-as-gas-tanker-sinks-in-mediterranean
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029403786406429036
[57]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/4/nearly-66000-afghans-displaced-amid-fierce-fighting-on-pakistan-border-un
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029406538134159505
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029410244435095609
[60]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311367
[61]: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/sudan-accuses-ethiopia-first-time-involvement-its-civil-war-2026-03-03/
[62]: https://www.turkiyetoday.com/region/iraq-plunged-into-nationwide-blackout-as-us-tells-citizens-to-leave-immediately-3215617?s=2
[63]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029345418807816245
[64]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029345418807816245
[65]: https://x.com/JulianAndreone/status/2029216333791965354
[66]: https://x.com/JulianAndreone/status/2028945794879950956
[67]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/lebanon-hezbollah-army-israel-war-displacement-litani-river-beirut
[68]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029202705072205954
[69]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
[70]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-us-israel-senate-war-powers-resolution-afghanistan-pakistan-fighting

2026-03-04 20:38:12 UTC

Mass Expulsion in Lebanon as Israel Expands War: “We Don’t Know Where to Go”
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Smoke rises from Israeli bombardment on the southern Lebanese village of Khiam on March 4, 2026. Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP via Getty Images.
BEIRUT, LEBANON—Mustafa Arout was forced to flee his home in Mais al-Jabal, a town in southern Lebanon, before dawn on Tuesday as the Israeli military issued mass displacement orders to dozens of communities in the area and launched a wave of heavy airstrikes.
The 78-year-old mukhtar—an Arabic term for a local leader—had hoped for the roads to clear before evacuating with his family, but instead they found themselves inching through traffic in the darkness as thousands of others fled the area in a mass exodus. Arout and his family headed north with no clear destination, the sounds of bombing echoing from the hills in the near distance.
“We don’t know where to go,” Arout told Drop Site in a phone interview while still on the road. His voice shook as he spoke. They reached Saida after a grueling 12-hour drive that would normally take two hours.
Friends had offered refuge in Deir al-Zahrani, a town northeast of Saada, but that prospect offered little safety. Like his hometown, Deir al-Zahrani was among the more than 80 villages Israel had ordered to evacuate.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military escalated and issued a sweeping displacement order for all residents in Lebanon south of the Litani River. The order was accompanied by a map showing the entire southern part of Lebanon shaded in red with two large arrows pointing north.
Israeli displacement order [posted][3] by the military spokesperson on X.
Nearly 60,000 people have been displaced over the previous 24 hours alone, [according][4] to Lebanon’s state-run media outlet, the National News Agency, adding to the tens of thousands who have already fled their homes since Monday.
The escalated Israeli military campaign in Lebanon came after Hezbollah fired a barrage of missiles and drones at the Mishmar al-Karmel missile defense site in northern Israel overnight on Sunday, calling the strike retaliation for Israel’s killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and for ongoing Israeli operations in Lebanon.
Israel retaliated with heavy bombardment across southern Lebanon and Beirut. At least 50 people have been killed and 335 wounded in the Israeli attacks, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. Among them, two of Arout’s relatives—two-year-old Haidar and four-year-old Ruqaya, children of his cousin Ali Arout. They had been living in the village of Al-Sultanieh, 10 miles west of Mais al-Jabal, after their home was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in 2024. On Monday evening, just as the family was getting ready to flee the area, Israel bombed the house where they were staying, killing the two children and injuring Ali’s wife and baby daughter. They were among at least seven children killed in Lebanon within the first 24 hours, [according][5] to UNICEF.
“It was a home for displaced people. They weren’t building rockets,” Arout told Drop Site. “Where are the European nations with their great morals? Where is the conscience of humanity?”
Hezbollah’s decision to fire rockets across the border at Israel marked the first major violation of the ceasefire by the group since it took effect in November 2024. Over that same period, Israel has bombed Lebanon on a near daily basis, killing over 340 people, and committing over 15,000 ceasefire violations, according to the UN. It also established five military positions and two “buffer zones” inside Lebanon.
Hezbollah began firing rockets and artillery at Israeli forces on October 8, 2023, one day after Israel began its genocidal assault on Gaza. Israel launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon, with cross border attacks continuing for months. In September 2024, Israel escalated, detonating thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies across Lebanon, killing dozens of people and injuring thousands. Israel then launched a wave of heavy airstrikes on Lebanon and a series of assassinations of top Hezbollah commanders, culminating in the killing of the group’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, followed by a ground invasion in October 2024. Large swathes of southern and eastern Lebanon were destroyed in the Israeli attacks, with entire villages being demolished. Over 3,800 people were killed and more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced.
Arout was among roughly 600 families who returned home to Mais al-Jabal after the so-called ceasefire. Before the war, the town was home to about 30,000 people. They returned to find that the Israeli military had booby trapped and obliterated entire neighborhoods, razed farmland, and destroyed two local schools. And while the ceasefire brought an end to Israel’s mass bombing campaign, it only ushered in a new phase of violence, particularly in the south.
In Mais al-Jabal, as with other towns in the area, Israel conducted routine nighttime incursions, assassination operations, and drone surveillance. Israeli troops targeted villages who tried to rebuild their homes or tended to farmland close to the border. Faced with these conditions, Arout said he came to support Hezbollah’s decision to reenter the war.
“We are lovers of life, we don’t like death,” he said. “But a good, dignified life, not a life of humiliation.”
However, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, along with numerous members of parliament, reacted angrily to Hezbollah’s decision to fire at Israel. On Monday, Salam declared Hezbollah’s military operations “illegal acts” and imposed a ban on the group’s security and military activities—the government’s harshest stance against Hezbollah yet. He also called on security agencies to prevent the firing of missiles or drones from Lebanon and detain those behind the launch.
“There is a side that wants to drag the country to matters that we have nothing to do with,” the Lebanese information minister quoted President Joseph Aoun as saying, in reference to Hezbollah, during an emergency meeting of the Cabinet that discussed the escalation.
The Lebanese Armed Forces have been tasked with enforcing the decision and asserting a state monopoly over weapons north of the Litani River using “all means necessary.” On Tuesday, the army detained 12 armed Hezbollah members at a military checkpoint, according to local broadcaster LBCI.
In a statement early Tuesday, Hezbollah said “confrontation is a legitimate right,” adding that it had repeatedly warned that Israeli attacks “could not continue without a response.” Senior Hezbollah official Mohamoud Komati went further, saying, “The Zionist enemy wanted an open war, which it has not stopped since the ceasefire agreement,” senior official Mohamoud Komati said. “So let it be an open war.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has begun advancing further into Lebanese territory from positions along the border. Israeli ground troops have entered the town of Khiam, according to NNA, and established a military position near the municipality building. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military has been instructed “to advance and seize additional controlling areas in Lebanon to prevent firing on Israeli border settlements.” Katz also declared that Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, who succeeded Nasrallah, is a “target for elimination.”
As the Israeli military campaign in Lebanon continues, tens of thousands of displaced families have been uprooted from their homes in the largest mass displacement since the 2024 war. In Beirut, scenes along the seaside boardwalk recalled that period, with families walking beside cars packed with mattresses and suitcases, and sleeping on the pavement in the cold.
Finding housing has become another battle. Dozens of shelters are already[ at full capacity][6]. Landlords in Beirut suspicious of southerners’ ties to Hezbollah are demanding identification cards and conducting background checks before accepting new tenants. Rents have soared into the thousands of dollars per month in a country where modest apartments typically cost a few hundred.
Lebanon’s border region, now largely evacuated, is an agricultural heartland that is also home to thousands of Syrian refugees who work the land.
Um Mahmoud, who fled Idlib in northern Syria in 2011, has lived in the southern village of Khiam ever since. She and her husband worked a plot owned by a Lebanese family, harvesting crops and caring for the property while raising their three children.
When the war between Hezbollah and Israel first erupted in October 2023, Um Mahmoud and her family were displaced four times before settling near Nabatieh. Unable to find work, they survived on food rations provided by a local Lebanese woman, who was herself displaced. Syrian refugees are barred from official displacement shelters, which are reserved for Lebanese citizens.
Her greatest fear is that the ordeal would be repeated. When they learned of the displacement orders late Monday night, Um Mahmoud and her family packed a few bags and headed for Marj al-Khokh, a displacement camp for Syrians.
“You should have seen the exodus in the darkness. It was devastating—some people on motorcycles, others on foot,” she said. “Farmers without trucks herded their sheep on the shoulders of the road.”
They rented an unfurnished tent and slept on the ground. The next day, nearby Israeli strikes prompted some of the roughly 400 Syrian families in the camp to return to Syria. Um Mahmoud refused to do the same, fearing the insecurity that still grips Idlib.
Instead, the family traveled to the Bekaa Valley to stay with her brother-in-law. She said leaving Khiam was painful. “My soul is attached to the south,” she said. “After 15 years there, I got used to the people, the land. If I were to have a homeland, it would be the south.”
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[3]: https://x.com/AvichayAdraee/status/2029135233828663710
[4]: https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/news/152615/unicef-children-are-bearing-the-brunt-by-the-escalating-violence-in-lebanon-2
[5]: https://x.com/uniceflebanon/status/2028879416890409041
[6]: https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/news/152615/unicef-children-are-bearing-the-brunt-by-the-escalating-violence-in-lebanon-2
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/lebanon-hezbollah-army-israel-war-displacement-litani-river-beirut

2026-03-04 17:41:39 UTC

EXCLUSIVE: Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Rejects Trump’s “Big Lie” About Why He Went to War
In an exclusive interview with Drop Site News, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Esmail Baghaei rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that he launched the war because Iran was “going to attack first,” calling it a “big lie.”
“There was no intention on the part of Iran to attack the United States,” he said. “They claim that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States,” Baghaei added. “Did we come to the Gulf of Mexico to target Los Angeles and other U.S. cities? Or did they come 6,500 miles away to Iranian shores?”
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. decided to preemptively attack Iran because the White House knew Israel was going to begin bombing Iran and that Iran would strike back. “We knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”
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On Tuesday, Trump sought to recast the U.S. rationale and said that he believed Iran was going to launch an attack first. “They were going to attack if we didn’t do it. They were going to attack first—I felt strongly about that,” Trump said, charging that the Iranians “were getting ready to attack Israel. They were gonna attack others.”
Rubio subsequently tried to walk his initial remarks back, saying that the media had mischaracterized his comments and—regardless of whether Israel was going to strike—Trump had already made a decision to attack Iran’s ballistic missile capability and go to war. “We are not going to put American troops in harm’s way,” Rubio said. “If you tell the president of the United States that if we don’t go first, we’re going to have more people killed and more people injured, the president’s going to go first. That’s what he did.”
Baghaei called all of these claims by U.S. officials, “Lies after lies.”
“I think the American people deserve to know, to understand what their government is doing,” Baghaie, who is also the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said. “How their government is abusing their money, their tax money, their image in the Middle East, in the Islamic world, just in furtherance of the whims of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is by the way, wanted by the ICC [International Criminal Court], who is a genocidal killer in Palestine.”
Baghaei denied claims by some U.S. officials, including Trump, that Iran had asked to resume talks with the U.S. “They are killing our citizens. Municipalities, schools, hospitals, medical centers, sports clubs—everywhere is being bombarded and targeted by missiles by [the] Israeli and American war machine. Do you think any Iranian with common sense would be really in a position to reach out to the United States under these circumstances?” Baghaei asked. “We were negotiating with the United States,” he said, pointing out that another round of talks was scheduled for Monday, March 2. “Just two days before that, the United States and Israel attacked Iran,” he added. “We were betrayed. Diplomacy was betrayed.”
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The Gulf Arab states that host U.S. military facilities have been targeted by barrages of Iranian retaliatory strikes. Satellite imagery and recent news reports suggest that billions of dollars of sensitive U.S. reconnaissance equipment have been destroyed or damaged during these attacks. The CIA station in Saudi Arabia and U.S. embassies have also been hit, while six U.S. servicemembers were killed in missile strikes on a makeshift operations center at a civilian port in Kuwait.
Gulf Arab states have universally condemned Iran for its strikes on civilian airports and hotels they say are not related to the U.S.-Israeli war. Along with attacks on maritime shipping, oil and gas production facilities in multiple states have also been struck during the fighting in attacks that have already led to a disruption of global energy flows.
Baghaei stated that Iran’s attacks in the Gulf were retaliatory due to the presence of U.S. troops organizing the war based in these countries, in some cases while reportedly embedded in civilian infrastructure like commercial hotels.
“Iran is surrounded by American military bases across the region. And they are using those bases for logistics, for preparation and for conducting this act of aggression against Iran. And under international law, Iran is entitled to defend itself. We are entitled to target the origin of those attacks against Iran,” Baghaei said. He disputed the characterization of Iran as the aggressor and emphatically denied Tehran is intentionally targeting oil infrastructure or civilian sites in the Gulf. “Our armed forces, they attack only those installations, those military bases that are being used, or in fact abused, by the United States to attack Iran.”
Baghaei also claimed Israel was engaging in “false flag” attacks in the Gulf in an effort to further draw Arab nations into the war against Iran. “Israel has already used this during the past eight decades in many cases,” he said. He also referenced Tucker Carlson’s recent claim that Saudi Arabia and Qatar recently arrested Mossad agents plotting to bomb sites in those countries. “Right now, the situation is very complicated and the probability, the likelihood of abuse by such actors is very high,” he said. “During a situation of war, other actors may abuse the situation.” Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that there is currently “no information” about alleged Mossad cells operating inside Qatar. Iran has not produced any evidence that Israel has been responsible for any of the recent attacks inside Arab countries.
Amid claims by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. and Israel have been systematically killing any potential successors to the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on Saturday in the opening attack of the war, Baghaei said that Iran will soon announce a new Supreme Leader. “The process is going on in accordance with the constitution. Right now we have an interim leadership council that is charged with governing the everyday affairs of the state. The Supreme Leader should be elected quite soon, but until then this interim council is in charge of the state,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military struck the offices of the Assembly of Experts in the Iranian city of Qom—the body tasked with electing a new Supreme Leader. Israeli sources also claimed that they had struck the building while dozens of assembly members were holding a vote for Khamenei’s replacement.
Baghaei did not provide any details on the Qom strike. Asked about the bombing another senior Iranian official told Drop Site that Iran denied Israeli claims that council members charged with electing the new leader were killed in that strike while meeting. “The original report was not accurate. In reality, one of their buildings located in the city of Qom was targeted. Some administrative staff members who were inside were martyred, but the Assembly of Experts main meeting was not being held at that time,” the official said.
Trump has reportedly been speaking to Kurdish leaders in the region, and CNN and other media outlets have reported that the CIA has been working to arm and support Kurdish forces to potentially be used in ground operations as part of a regime change campaign. The U.S. and Israel have also been attacking domestic security forces in Iran, the police, and paramilitary Basij units as part of what has been described as a precursor to fomenting or encouraging domestic uprisings and civil disorder inside of Iran.
“If you see the pattern of their behavior, the United States and Israel during the past three or four decades, they love to create failed states. They love to create bloodshed. They [have] so much appetite for turning the states into chaos,” Baghaei said. He charged that this was part of a U.S.-Israeli plan for “regime change,” saying, “At the end of the day they do not care about the human rights of the Iranians. Because if they cared even a bit, they would not target innocent girls in their school.”
**[READ MORE IN DROP SITE DAILY: Death toll in Iran tops 1,000, while Trump weighs arming Kurdish forces to attack Iran][3]**
Baghaei also disputed the recent characterizations offered by Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that Iran was days away from obtaining “weapons grade bomb making material,” calling it, “Absolutely false. That’s simply a big lie.”
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Witkoff also claimed that Iranian negotiators boasted that they had enough enriched uranium to make 11 nuclear bombs. “They were proud of it,” Witkoff said. “They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.”
Baghaei pointed to statements made by the Omani mediator that Iran was showing flexibility and that a deal was within reach. “We negotiated in all good faith, in all seriousness in Geneva,” Baghaei said.
MS NOW [reported][4] that a Persian Gulf diplomat also disputed Witkoff’s characterization of Iran’s negotiating position and the alleged comments about boasting that it had enough enriched uranium to make 11 bombs. “I can categorically state that this is inaccurate,” said the diplomat, referring to Witkoff’s account, saying that it was a mischaracterization of Iran’s efforts to offer an overview of the materials it was willing to give up as part of a deal.
As to whether there will be a diplomatic solution between the U.S. and the current Iranian government, Baghaei again returned to the Trump administration using the “pretext” of negotiations as a tool of war. “I think this is an existential war because this is what they have imposed on Iran for the past two years. We tried our best. We tried to remove all the excuses that they provided,” he said.
Baghaei invoked the decades of U.S. interference in Iran that began with the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953. “Now we are in the middle of a historic moment and I think the United States administration, instead of trying to somehow take care of the old wound that they created in 1953, they are recreating that,” he said.“They are reminding Iranians of the betrayal of 1953 when they tried to plant a dictatorship in Iran. Right now, they are repeating the same.”
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[4]: https://www.ms.now/news/exclusive-diplomats-claim-witkoff-undermined-iran-talks
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2026-03-04 16:07:16 UTC

Death toll in Iran tops 1,000; Trump weighs arming Kurdish forces to attack Iran; Israel orders mass displacement of all of southern Lebanon
*The U.S. and Israel have now killed more than 1,000 Iranian people. CENTCOM reports hitting 2,000 targets, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth announces sinking an Iranian submarine. Israel [says][1] it struck the Assembly of Experts, though Iran says the building was not being used at the time. Iranian drones hit [central Israel][2], [Gulf countries][3], and U.S. targets, including the consulate and [CIA station][4] in Saudi Arabia and a THAAD missile interception [radar system][5]. NATO shoots down missile headed toward Turkey. UAE and Qatar [deny][6] role in attacks on Iran. The U.S. will [cover][7] shipping losses in the Gulf, President Donald Trump says. U.S. [weighing][8] plan to arm Kurdish forces against Iran. Israel orders mass displacement of all of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah declares “open war.” [Raids][9] across the occupied West Bank. James Talarico wins Texas Democratic Senate primary against Rep. Jasmine Crocket. Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley [win][10] primaries in pivotal
North Carolina Senate race. Nida Allam seeks recount in North Carolina Democratic primary. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem [defends][11] immigration crackdown at Senate hearing. U.S. reportedly [prepares][12] draft indictment against Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez. U.S. [launches][13] military operations against “narco-trafficking” with Ecuador. Cuban tanker [cleared][14] to load LPG in Venezuela. Pakistan-Afghanistan war [continues][15] as civilian deaths rise. West African bloc plans activation of regional standby force to fight armed groups.*
Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman from Paterson, New Jersey, has spent nearly a year in ICE detention in Texas after speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite an immigration judge twice ruling that she is eligible for release. Drop Site joins the IMEU Policy Project, MPower Action, Jewish Voice for Peace ACT, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action in calling for her immediate release. **The link below allows users to send emails and make calls to your member of Congress on Leqaa’s behalf:**
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An Iranian man walks through the area targeted in U.S.-Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran, on March 4, 2026. Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images.
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# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for a fifth day, killing civilians:** The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has entered its fifth day with new waves of intense bombing targeting Tehran and other areas. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it has struck nearly 2,000 targets since Saturday. In the past 24 hours, the IRGC has [recorded][18] 104 attacks across 19 of the country’s provinces, with strikes hitting military bases, medical centers, and residential areas. A statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detailed several incidents from yesterday’s strikes. A U.S. Tomahawk missile struck a residential home in Oshnavieh County, killing an entire family; an air-launched missile hit a private car in Salman County, killing five; and a missile strike in the Qasemiyeh neighborhood of Urmia killed an elderly couple. The statement also reported strikes on residential homes and a wedding hall in Kangavar County. The IRGC warned that “none of these crimes and innocent massacres will
go unanswered.”
* **Casualty counts: **The death toll in Iran has reached 1,045 people, according to the official Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, state media reported. The foundation said the death toll represented the number of bodies that have been identified and prepared for burial.
* **Israel says it struck the Assembly of Experts: **Israel [carried][19] out strikes in Qom on Tuesday, hitting a building associated with the Assembly of Experts, the body responsible for appointing Iran’s Supreme Leader. There are disputed accounts over whether the strike actually hit the Assembly as it conducted its business. American and Israeli sources have been reported in the media as saying the strike interrupted an active vote to replace the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iranian sources calling such reporting “completely false” and part of psychological operations conducted against the country.
* **Israel threatens to kill Khamenei’s successor:** Israeli defense minister Israel Katz on Wednesday threatened to assassinate whoever is selected to be the next supreme leader of Iran. “Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people—will be a target for elimination,” Katz wrote.
* **Khamenei funeral ceremony postponed:** The funeral ceremony for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated by Israel in one of the early strikes of the war, originally scheduled to start at 10 p.m. tonight, has been postponed, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Officials had planned three nights of public mourning with the casket containing Khamenei’s body at the Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
* **Israel issues evacuation warnings inside Iran: **The Israeli military [posted][20] Farsi-language evacuation orders on Tuesday for residents near Tehran’s Hakimiyeh industrial zone and Payam Airport in Karaj, publishing maps marking areas it said were designated for strikes.
* **War Secretary Pete Hegseth said “more forces are arriving” in the Middle East:** Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hegseth said, “It’s very early and as President Trump has said we will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed.” He added, “America is winning. Decisively, devastatingly and without mercy.” Hegseth said a U.S. submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean off the southern coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. About 30 people survived the attack while 140 others are still missing.
* **U.S. weighing plan to arm Kurdish forces against Iran: **The Central Intelligence Agency is [working][21] on plans to arm Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in an effort to foment a popular uprising against Iran’s government, CNN reported, citing multiple people familiar with the discussions. The report comes amid statements by President Trump that he is open to backing armed militias willing to engage in armed confrontation with the Iranian government and a reported phone call between the president and Kurdish leaders in the region.
* **Iran strikes back, drones hit Gulf countries: **In response to the onslaught, the IRGC announced that it would continue to issue retaliatory strikes, sending 40 missiles in its 17th wave of strikes since the beginning of hostilities over the weekend. Tuesday saw strikes all over the Gulf. Omani authorities [said][22] three Iranian drones were detected over Dhofar Governorate, two of which its air defenses shot down, while the third crashed near the Port of Salalah. Videos circulating online show a drone descending toward the port area and striking near what appears to be a storage tank, producing black smoke. A similar strike was [reported][23] at an American base in Bahrain, with video evidence of the explosion. An Iranian drone also [struck][24] the U.S. consulate in Dubai, U.S. officials report, sparking a small fire that authorities said was quickly contained with no reported injuries. Qatar’s Defense Ministry [said][25] two Iranian ballistic missiles were launched toward the
country, with air defenses intercepting one. The second reportedly struck the U.S. Al-Udeid Air Base. Authorities said no casualties were reported as a result of this attack. An 11-year-old girl was [killed][26] in Kuwait’s Al-Asimah Governorate after shrapnel from an aerial interception struck a home shortly after midnight Tuesday, according to the country’s Health Ministry.
* **NATO shoots down missile headed toward Turkey: **A ballistic missile fired from Iran and directed toward Turkish airspace was shot down by NATO air and missile defenses deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, [according][27] to a statement by Turkey’s defense ministry on Wednesday. The missile passed through the airspace of Iraq and Syria, the statement said. A senior Turkish official told AFP they believe it was likely headed for Cyprus and veered off.
* **U.S. embassy, CIA station hit in Saudi Arabia: **A suspected Iranian drone strike [hit][28] the United States Embassy compound in Riyadh on Tuesday, including the CIA station there, according to the Washington Post. U.S. and Saudi officials confirmed that two drones struck the embassy complex, but did not publicly disclose that the intelligence facility was among the sites hit.
* **Iranian strikes disable U.S. military technologies: **Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [said][29] it struck and disabled a second United States THAAD missile defense system at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, after claiming a THAAD radar at Al Ruwais base was destroyed a day earlier. The IRGC said precision missiles launched by its aerospace force put the system out of service and restored Iran’s ability to penetrate regional missile defenses, though the report carried by IRNA has not been independently verified. An earlier Iranian drone attack also [disabled][30] the AN/FPS-132 Block 5 early-warning radar near Al-Khor, Qatar, according to satellite images from Planet. Iranian strikes have [damaged][31] structures on or near U.S. military communications and radar systems at seven American bases across the Middle East, the New York Times reported, with at least 11 facilities hit in total.
* **Iranian missiles hit central Israel: **Iranian missile and drone attacks reportedly [damaged][32] parts of Gush Dan, the densely populated metropolitan area that includes Tel Aviv and its surrounding cities. Photos circulating on Israeli Telegram channels show damage to a residential building in the city. More damage from Iranian missiles was [visible][33] in Bnei Brak, an Israeli city east of Tel Aviv, which IRGC-affiliated media has said was struck by an Iranian fragmentation missile.
* **UAE and Qatar deny role in attacks on Iran: **Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari [denied][34] reports by Israel’s Channel 12 and The Jerusalem Post that Doha had taken part in attacks on Iran. Al Ansari said Qatar “has not been part of the campaign targeting Iran,” adding that the country is acting only in self-defense to deter Iranian attacks. The United Arab Emirates also [said][35] it has not participated in attacks on Iran, nor has it changed its “defensive posture,” according to a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The statement stressed that it has not allowed its territory, waters, or airspace to be used for strikes against Iran. Emirati authorities say the country has been subjected to more than a thousand attacks during the conflict.
* **Trump says Reza Pahlavi is unlikely to lead Iran: **President Donald Trump [said][36] on Tuesday that the son of the deposed shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, “seems like a very nice person” but suggested Iran’s next leader should come from within the country and be someone who is “popular” and able to “bring it back for the people.” Trump warned the “worst case scenario” would be a successor “just as bad” as Ali Khamenei and added that many potential leadership figures have already been killed in recent strikes.
Trump also contradicted an earlier suggestion by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Israel had pushed the United States into the war, saying the decision was his own: “It was my opinion that [Iran was] going to attack first… If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that… If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand.”
* **The U.S. will cover shipping losses in the Gulf, Trump says: **President Donald Trump [said][37] on Tuesday the United States will help cover financial losses for tankers or cargo ships attacked or blocked while transiting the Gulf, and directed the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to provide government-backed political risk insurance for shipping companies operating in the region. Trump also said the U.S. Navy could begin escorting oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible.” Under normal conditions, about 80 oil and gas tankers [cross][38] the Strait of Hormuz daily, but shipping data from Kpler, analyzed by the New York Times, show only three tankers crossed since Monday. Brent crude prices hit $84 a barrel, up more than 15% since before the war and at its highest price since July 2024.
* **Germany renews its support for the Iran War; Canada shifts its tone: **German Chancellor Friedrich Merz [said][39] Tuesday after meeting President Donald Trump at the White House that Berlin and Washington are “on the same page” about the need for regime change in Iran and share an interest in stopping Tehran’s nuclear program. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who initially [voiced][40] clear support for the U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran, [shifted][41] his tone on the conflict, saying that “the United States and Israel have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting allies, including Canada” and that the conflict is “another example of the failure of the international order.” He says he still supports the U.S. and Israel, but does so “with regret.”
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Casualty counts: **At least 50 people have been killed and 335 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since Monday, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
* **Israel orders mass displacement of southern Lebanon:** The Israeli military on Wednesday issued a sweeping displacement order to all residents in Lebanon south of the Litani River to evacuate to the north. Previous orders have displaced 105 different villages, recent reports [suggest][42], with authorities estimating that more than 58,000 people have had to leave their homes since Monday.
* **Israel continues to strike Lebanon: **More than 160 strikes have been reported in the past 24 hours, including attacks on the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon and the seven-story headquarters of the Jamaa Islamiya group in Sidon.The Public Health Emergency Operations Center said Israeli strikes on the areas of Aramoun and Saadiyat left at least six people dead and eight others injured. In a separate statement, the Ministry’s media office [said][43] an Israeli airstrike on a building adjacent to Bahman Hospital in Beirut’s southern suburbs caused severe damage to the facility. Another Israeli strike on a home in Baalbek killed 8 and injured 12.
* **Hezbollah declares “open war”: **After** **Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared Hezbollah’s military operations against Israel “illegal acts,” and ordered the group to disarm, Hezbollah said that it is ready for “an open war” with Israel. “The Zionist enemy wanted an open war, which it has not stopped since the ceasefire agreement,” senior official Mohamoud Komati said. “So let it be an open war.”
* **Lebanese army withdraws border posts as Israeli forces advance in south: **Lebanese troops [withdrew][44] from several forward positions along the southern border on March 3 after Israeli forces began advancing deeper into Lebanese territory, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency and local media reports. Positions in towns including Aita al-Shaab, Qouzah, Dibil, Ramieh, Ain Ibl, and Rmeish in the Bint Jbeil district were evacuated as the army redeployed further north, while Israeli officials said their forces were moving to hold additional “dominant terrain” to protect border communities.
* **Paramedics killed in southern Lebanon while responding to Israeli strike, WHO chief says: **World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said three paramedics were [killed][45] and six injured in Lebanon’s Tyre district while rescuing people wounded in earlier explosions, in what appeared to be a “double-tap” strike by Israel.
# The Gaza Genocide and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, one Palestinian was killed and three were injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,117 killed, with 171,801 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 633 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,703, while 753 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Lockdown and raids across the occupied West Bank: **Israeli forces carried out overnight raids in Salfit, Jenin, Tubas and Tammun, Hebron and Nablus in the occupied West Bank, detaining at least 35 Palestinians, WAFA reported. In Salfit, forces stormed dozens of homes, ransacking property and detaining several young men. Israeli forces continued their incursion into Faqqua in Jenin, where nine homes were taken over and turned into military posts. The head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Moayad Shaaban, [said][46] Israeli forces and settlers carried out 1,965 attacks in February alone, including physical assaults, land seizures, tree uprooting, and home demolitions. Israeli forces have also [kept][47] Al-Aqsa Mosque—the third holiest site in Islam—in Jerusalem closed for the fifth consecutive day, barring worshippers from entering under the pretext of a declared state of emergency, according to WAFA.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][48].*
* **James Talarico wins Texas Democratic Senate primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett: **State Representative and seminarian **James Talarico** won the Democratic Senate primary in Texas on Tuesday, defeating **Rep. Jasmine Crockett**. Crockett alleges that some Texas voters were disenfranchised after a judge’s order to extend voting hours was blocked by the Texas Supreme Court. On the Republican side, **Sen. John Cornyn** and **Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton** advanced to a May runoff. In Texas’ House races, **Rep. Dan Crenshaw** became the first incumbent to lose a primary this cycle. Crenshaw was defeated by state legislator **Steve Toth**, who positioned himself as a more Trump-aligned alternative. **Rev. Frederick Douglas Haynes III** won the primary for Texas’s heavily Democratic 30th Congressional District, the seat currently held by Crockett. Haynes, who had the backing of Justice Democrats, has voiced his support for Palestine on several occasions, including in [this viral
sermon][49].
* **Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley will face off for pivotal North Carolina Senate seat: **Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper won [his][50] Democratic Senate primary, and former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley secured the Republican nomination, setting up a closely watched Senate race that could help determine control of the chamber. Republicans currently hold a 53–47 majority, and Democrats view the seat—currently held by Republican Thom Tillis—as critical to their chances of gaining the four seats needed to take control. Cooper enters the general election with a large fundraising advantage ($21 million to $6 million).
* **Nida Allam seeks recount in North Carolina Democratic primary: **Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam said she will request a recount in her race against Rep. Valerie Foushee in North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District after preliminary results showed Foushee ahead by about 1,200 votes with more than 95 percent of ballots counted, according to The Associated Press.
* **Congress gets a classified briefing on Iran: **At a briefing from top administration officials on Tuesday, the total membership of both the House and Senate was updated on the U.S.’s plans. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) [said][51]: “This is as serious as it gets…They told us in that room that there are gonna be more Americans that are gonna die” before coming out forcefully for a Senate debate on the authorization of military force. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, said that, after the briefing, he is “more fearful than ever” that the U.S. could end up sending “boots on the ground” to Iran. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) [echoed ][52]that the situation is “so much worse than you thought.” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) [said][53] that the administration has provided “three or four or five justifications for this act of war over the last four or five days,” and that nothing in the session clarified the actual motivation for the escalation.
* **Hawkish House Democrats propose alternative WPR: **Six House Democrats are [backing][54] an alternative War Powers resolution that would require Trump to halt U.S. military hostilities within 30 days unless Congress formally authorizes the war. The proposal, supported by Josh Gottheimer, Jimmy Panetta, Henry Cuellar, Greg Landsman, Jared Golden, and Jim Costa, competes with the separate resolution from Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie that calls for an immediate end to unauthorized military action. The new resolution represents recognition from supporters of the war that the Khanna–Massie WPR has momentum.
* **Kristi Noem defends immigration crackdown at Senate hearing: **Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem [defended][55] the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign during a Senate hearing Tuesday. Lawmakers from both parties pressed Noem on several issues, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens during a January immigration raid in Minneapolis and a $220 million advertising campaign urging undocumented immigrants to “self-deport.” Noem expressed sympathy for the families of those killed but declined to apologize for previously describing one victim’s actions as “domestic terrorism.” **A video breaking down of her appearance is available from Migrant Insider [here][56].**
# Other International News
* **U.S. reportedly prepares draft indictment against Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez: **The Trump administration is [preparing][57] a draft criminal indictment against Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez as leverage over Caracas, Reuters reported, citing four sources. U.S. prosecutors in Miami have drafted potential corruption and money-laundering charges tied to Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA, covering alleged activities between 2021 and 2025. Sources said Rodríguez has been warned she could face prosecution if she stops cooperating with Washington. The Department of Justice denied the report, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche calling it “completely false.”
* **United States launches military operations with Ecuador: **The United States and Ecuador [have begun][58] joint military operations targeting what the Pentagon described as “designated terrorist organizations,” with U.S. Special Forces advising and supporting Ecuadorian commandos in raids on suspected drug-trafficking facilities. A U.S. official said American personnel are helping plan operations and provide intelligence and logistics, but that they will not directly participate in the raids. Ecuador’s President, Daniel Noboa, celebrated the announcement of operations by tweeting that this marks “a new phase against narco-terrorism and illegal mining.”
* **Cuban tanker cleared to load LPG in Venezuela:** The tanker Eugenia Gas, part of Cuba’s coastal fleet and sailing under the Belize flag, [received][59] authorization on March 2 to load liquefied petroleum gas at Puerto José in Venezuela, marking the first cargo of its kind by a Cuban vessel since late 2025. AIS tracking shows the ship spent nearly two months drifting across the Caribbean after unsuccessful attempts to obtain fuel in Jamaica and Curaçao, where ports reportedly feared potential U.S. sanctions for supplying Cuba with fuel. Cuba faces a severe energy crisis, producing roughly 40,000 barrels of fuel daily while needing about 110,000, leaving much of the country struggling with fuel shortages.
* **Pakistan-Afghanistan war continues as civilian deaths rise: **Pakistani officials [say][60] that their troops repelled an Afghan attack on several border outposts Tuesday morning, which left 67 Afghans and one Pakistani soldier dead. Kabul rejected Islamabad’s claims, saying its forces had repelled Pakistani attacks, destroyed a dozen or so of its outposts, and killed four Pakistani soldiers. Violence has also worsened in Kabul, where AFP journalists reported multiple explosions and gunfire on Tuesday. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan [said][61] at least 42 civilians have been killed and 104 wounded in cross-border violence since February 26.
* **West African bloc plans to activate regional standby force to fight armed groups: **West African nations have agreed to activate the Economic Community of West African States standby force to confront escalating violence by cross-border armed groups across the region, according to [Al Jazeera][62]. Military chiefs meeting in Sierra Leone approved plans to mobilize an initial force of about 2,000 troops by the end of 2026 as attacks by groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State expand from the Sahel into coastal states such as Togo and Benin. The militant violence has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands, with groups increasingly targeting urban centers and key infrastructure.
* **More than two dozen Doctors Without Borders staff missing after attacks in South Sudan: **Doctors Without Borders said 26 of its staff remain unaccounted for a month after attacks on two of its medical facilities in South Sudan’s Jonglei State on February 3, according to [AP][63]. The organization said a hospital in Lankien was bombed by government forces while another facility in Pieri was raided by unknown assailants, forcing staff and civilians to flee into remote areas amid ongoing clashes and aerial bombardments. Fighting between government and opposition forces has displaced an estimated 280,000 people since December. MSF said its clinics in the country have been targeted 10 times in the past year, warning that the assaults are severely undermining its provision of healthcare services.
* **Japan could face an energy crisis as a result of Iran war: **Japan may face a major energy crisis if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. The waterway carries roughly 70-80% of Japan’s crude oil imports and about 10% of its liquefied natural gas, according to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. **Political commentator Hasan Piker breaks down the situation in Japan [here][64].**
# More from Drop Site
* **Hillary Clinton questioned about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged intelligence ties: **Video of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s testimony to a congressional committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein shows Clinton being asked about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged connections to U.S. and foreign intelligence. The lawmaker who asked the question noted that the issue has become a frequent question from constituents. Julian Andreone, Drop Site News’ Capitol Hill correspondent, has been pressing members of Congress on the matter for weeks. **Here is a [compilation of their responses][65].**
* **Interview with Karim Makdisi:** Our weekly livestream covers the latest from Iran and Lebanon in a conversation with American University of Beirut professor Karim Makdisi, available below.
**Programming note:** [You can sign up here to get updates from us][66] on our WhatsApp channel.
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[8]: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/03/politics/cia-arming-kurds-iran
[9]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/3/%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%86-1965-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%B4%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7-143254
[10]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/cooper-whatley-north-carolina-senate-primary-wins-election-race-rcna259989
[11]: https://migrantinsider.com/p/watch-gop-senators-cook-kristi-noem
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029055706490376662
[13]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/us/politics/us-ecuador-trump-military-operations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QlA.fOhh.0RAzVioUnLQg&smid=url-share
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029016564284998041
[15]: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-fighting-ground-attacks-military-posts-e057780413f84b222c2fe30b3cbcf172
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[27]: https://x.com/tcsavunma/status/2029157856654598319
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[43]: https://www.moph.gov.lb/ar/Media/view/82839/1/%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%88-%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%A2%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D8%A3%D8%B6%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%81%D9%89-%D8%A8%D9%87%D9%85%D9%86
[44]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/israel-advances-south-lebanon-army-withdraws-quds-leader-killed
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[47]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/4/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%A5%D8%BA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AC%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%89-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B3-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-143272
[48]: mailto:[email protected]
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029069241505259620
[50]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/cooper-whatley-north-carolina-senate-primary-wins-election-race-rcna259989
[51]: https://x.com/atrupar/status/2028951432284500051
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028983302372180270
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[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028915240939700537
[55]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cre02yzv807o
[56]: https://migrantinsider.com/p/watch-gop-senators-cook-kristi-noem
[57]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029055706490376662
[58]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/us/politics/us-ecuador-trump-military-operations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QlA.fOhh.0RAzVioUnLQg&smid=url-share
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029016564284998041
[60]: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-fighting-ground-attacks-military-posts-e057780413f84b222c2fe30b3cbcf172
[61]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/least-42-civilians-killed-afghanistan-conflict-with-pakistan-un-agency-says-2026-03-03/
[62]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/2/west-african-regional-army-why-thousands-of-soldiers-are-deploying
[63]: https://apnews.com/article/south-sudan-msf-aid-workers-unaccounted-for-b9df50eaa5df080080cc2dd6d26b13bb
[64]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2029063141439701386
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-death-toll-1000-trump-kurds-iran-overthrow-lebanon-hezbollah-israel

2026-03-03 19:45:48 UTC

U.S.-Israeli Bombing and Assassination Campaign Intensifies in Iran as Israel Threatens Wider War Against Hezbollah
Jeremy Scahill, Murtaza Hussain, and Sharif Abdel Kouddous discuss the latest developments in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran with Karim Makdisi, an associate professor at the American University of Beirut and a co-host, with his brothers, of the Makdisi Street podcast. With Hezbollah entering the war and Israel slowly moving troops into Lebanon, they discuss the spreading conflict in the context of Israel’s broader agenda in the region.
“If you go back to the question of resistance, if you go to the question of Hezbollah, I think their calculation now is to say, look, if Iran falls, we’re doomed, Hezbollah’s doomed, Lebanon is doomed. So this is a situation where we need to enter in whatever capacity possible and support this particular attack or do whatever they can do in order to support this larger regional war, because otherwise the Israelis with the Americas are going to just pick off each of these entities one at a time in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Iran, etc.... This is for them an existential situation, as it is in Iran.”
Attempting to weaken or overthrow Iran, they note, is a means to support Israel’s campaign of annihilation in Palestine and beyond.
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-united-states-israel-hezbollah-lebanon-conversation-karim-makdisi

2026-03-03 15:48:38 UTC

Mass funeral for children killed in school strike; Israel weighs “buffer zone” in Lebanon; Gaza food and fuel supplies dwindle
*At least 787 people have been killed since Israel and the U.S. launched the war on Iran. President Donald Trump [says][1] the war could last more than four weeks and may involve a ground invasion. Secretary of State Marco Rubio [says][2] the U.S. “knew there was going to be an Israeli action,” so the U.S. acted first. State Department [urges][3] Americans to depart Middle East. Iranian airplanes [downed][4] in Qatar. Drone attack [causes][5] minor damage at U.S. Embassy in Riyadh. Iranian strike on Manama hotel injured U.S. Defense personnel, diplomatic cable [says][6]. Khamenei’s wife dies from wounds after strike. Pakistan [deploys][7] military and issues ban on large gatherings. Israeli military [issues][8] evacuation orders as strikes intensify. Lebanese government [orders][9] Hezbollah to disarm. Palestinian Islamic Jihad says Lebanon commander [killed][10] in Israeli strike. Israeli military [weighs][11] Lebanon ground campaign to establish “buffer zone.” Gaza fuel and food
supplies dwindle after Israel [reimposes][12] total siege. Israeli settlers [killed][13] two Palestinian brothers in West Bank village. UK Foreign Office [funded][14] Israeli October 7 sexual violence report. Primaries in Texas and North Carolina today.*** ***Former President Bill Clinton [talks][15] about Trump and denies misconduct in his Epstein deposition. Supreme Court [blocks][16] California law limiting parental notification on gender identity. Sen. Lindsey Graham [hints][17] Cuba could be Trump’s next target. Afghanistan-Pakistan war [enters][18] its fifth day. Ukraine [says][19] it has retaken nine settlements in Zaporizhzhia. Emmanuel Macron [announces][20] nuclear arsenal expansion. Gunmen [kill][21] at least 15 in Niger state village attacks.*
***[NEW from Drop Site:][22]**********[Hakeem Jeffries to whip Democratic votes against Iran war.][23]***
***Also from Drop Site: Reporting on the “double tap” bombing of [Niloofar Square ][24]in Tehran. Drop Site on the Hill asks Senators about the [Minab school strike][25], [Iran war][26].***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
[Subscribe now][27]
Mourners dig graves on March 3, 2026, during the funeral for children killed in a reported strike on a primary school in Iran's Hormozgan province in Minab. Photo by Iranian Press Center / AFP via Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **U.S. and Israeli airstrikes pound Iran for a fourth day:** U.S. and Israeli warplanes continued their assault on Iran Tuesday with a fresh wave of strikes, including an attack on the Iranian state broadcaster. The Israeli military also claimed it struck Iran’s presidential office and the building of the country’s Supreme National Security Council. Much of the bombing has been directed at Tehran, where scenes emerged of widespread destruction in residential areas, with collapsed buildings and debris on the streets. A double-tap strike on Niloofar square on Sunday left over 20 people dead. **Read Drop Site’s coverage [here][28].**
* **Mass funeral for dozens of children killed in school bombing:** Thousands of residents in the city of Minab held a mass funeral for schoolchildren and staff killed in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli strikes when a missile hit a girls’ elementary school, killing 165. Video circulating on social media showed the streets packed with mourners. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shared a [photo][29] on social media of what he said were dozens of graves being dug for the schoolchildren killed in the attack. “This is how ‘rescue’ promised by Mr. Trump looks in reality,” Araghchi wrote. “From Gaza to Minab, innocents murdered in cold blood.”
* **Casualty counts: **At least 787 people have been killed in Iran since the U.S.-Israeli military campaign began on Saturday, according to the Iranian Red Crescent. Over 153 counties across the country have come under attack, the Red Crescent said.
* **U.S.-Israeli strikes damaged 10 health facilities: **At least 10 medical centers, hospitals, and emergency bases have been damaged in U.S. and Israeli attacks, including facilities in Chabahar, Hamedan, and Sarab, according to a [statement][30] by the head of Iran’s Medical Council Organization on Monday. In Tehran, Khatam al-Anbia and Gandhi hospitals were also reported damaged, the statement added. The claim was reported by HRANA, an Iranian human rights monitoring outlet that receives partial funding from the United States government, as fighting continues to expand across the country.
* **U.S. casualties rise: **The U.S. military on Monday confirmed** **that a total of six U.S. servicemembers were killed in an Iranian missile attack on the Kuwaiti port of Shuaiba.** **The number of seriously [injured][31] U.S. soldiers more than tripled, the Pentagon reported, with 18 serious injuries, up from the 5 that were initially reported. Kuwaiti officials also [announced][32] two deaths from the attacks, both members of the Kuwaiti navy.
* **Drone attack targets U.S. embassy in Riyadh: **Iran’s retaliatory strikes have continued, with two drones [striking][33] the U.S. embassy in Riyadh on Monday, causing a limited fire and minor material damage, a Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson said. Following the incident, the United States Mission to Saudi Arabia issued a “shelter in place” order for Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran and restricted non-essential travel to military installations.
* **U.S. State Department urges Americans to depart Middle East: **The State Department [issued][34] an urgent advisory on Monday telling American citizens in more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries to “DEPART NOW” via available commercial transportation due to “serious safety risks.” The list included countries whose airports have been shut down because of the war. Its travel advisory lists Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen as potentially unsafe locations.
* **War could last more than four weeks and may involve a ground invasion, Trump says: **After conflicting comments over the weekend, President Trump [said][35] at a Monday press conference that the war could last “4 to 5 weeks” (or longer), saying operations were “substantially ahead” of schedule. “We have the capability to go far longer than that,” he said. “We’ll do it. Whatever it takes.” In a separate set of [comments][36], Trump told reporters from the New York Post that he doesn’t “have ‘the yips’ with respect to boots on the ground,” and may launch a ground invasion “if it’s necessary.” As of Monday, Trump is also claiming he made the final decision to strike Iran after he saw new intelligence that showed Iran resuming nuclear enrichment at a “totally different site.” Trump previewed escalating attacks in an interview with CNN on Monday, saying, “We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.”
* **Hegseth discusses war plans: **Secretary of War Pete Hegseth [said][37] during a Pentagon press briefing Monday that there are currently no American troops inside Iran, but declined to rule out a future ground invasion. He added that the U.S. would go “as far as we need to go” to ensure Iran’s conventional and nuclear military capabilities are “completely neutralized.” He insisted that the war “is not Iraq” and would not be “endless.” He also said that the U.S. military would operate under “no stupid rules of engagement” during the war, that it would not engage in “nation-building,” and that this war would not be “politically correct.”
* **Rubio says the U.S. “knew there was going to be an Israeli action,” so the U.S. acted first: **During his remarks to the press after a classified briefing to Congress, Secretary of State Marco Rubio answered the question of “why now” by [saying][38] the administration “knew that there was going to be an Israeli action,” which “would precipitate an attack against American forces.” He [argued][39] the U.S. would have crossed some terminal threshold concerning Iran’s nuclearization “in about a year or a year and a half.” After that, he claimed, no one would have been able to stop a nuclear Iran.
* **UAE reports the interception of additional Iranian missiles: **On Monday evening, the UAE Ministry of Defense [said][40] its air defenses were “currently dealing with a barrage of ballistic missiles coming from Iran.” It claimed that it detected 174 ballistic missiles, 161 of which were intercepted and 13 of which were impacted at sea, during this weekend’s attacks. It also reported intercepting all 8 detected cruise missiles within its airspace, and 645 of 689 UAVs, with 44 drones impacting within state territory.
* **IRGC adviser says Strait of Hormuz “closed,” insurers drop coverage for ships in region: **Ebrahim Jabari,** **an adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, [said][41] on Monday that the Strait of Hormuz is “closed,” and warned that Iran would “set any ship who wants to pass [through the Strait] on fire.” Jabari also suggested that Iran will strike regional pipelines to prevent oil exports. The closure of the Strait has already had profound effects on the global energy sector and on the shipping industry. According to a [report][42] from the Guardian, leading marine insurers, including Gard, Skuld, NorthStandard, the London P&I Club, and the American Club, have cancelled war insurance coverage for vessels operating in the Gulf and adjacent waters effective March 5. In response, freight rates have surged, with container rates from Shanghai to Dubai more than doubling and major carriers such as Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM diverting ships away from the region.
* **Iranian airplanes downed in Qatar:** Qatar’s Defense Ministry [said][43] Monday that its air force shot down two Iranian Su-24 aircraft after they entered Qatari airspace, adding that its air defenses also intercepted seven ballistic missiles and five drones, all of which were destroyed before reaching their intended targets. Qatar’s media office [said][44] the country’s Patriot interceptor missile inventory “has not been depleted,” contrary to a Bloomberg report that suggested supplies could last only four more days. Separately, Tucker Carlson [claimed][45] that officials in Qatar and Saudi Arabia arrested Mossad agents “planning on committing bombings” on Sunday evening, but Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that there is currently no information about the presence of cells affiliated with Israel’s Mossad inside the country.
* **Iranian strike on Manama hotel injured U.S. Defense personnel, diplomatic cable says: **Two U.S. Defense Department personnel were [injured][46] in an Iranian drone strike on the Crowne Plaza hotel in Manama, Bahrain, according to a State Department cable, according to The Washington Post. Drop Site reported this weekend, citing Iranian officials, that some Gulf hotels were being used to house U.S. or Israeli personnel and intelligence operations. **That piece is available [here][47].**
* **Iraqi Shia militant group launches attacks on U.S. bases: **On Monday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it had carried out 28 operations targeting United States bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. The statement from the group reported that they had launched dozens of rockets and drones against what they described as “enemy bases.”
* **United Arab Emirates and Qatar seek a diplomatic off-ramp: **The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are privately [urging][48] allies to press President Donald Trump to find a diplomatic off-ramp in the ongoing conflict with Iran, seeking to keep U.S. military operations short and to prevent broader escalation, Bloomberg reported Monday. Both governments are reportedly engaging European leaders in pursuit of a swift diplomatic resolution.
* **Erdoğan urges urgent containment of regional conflict: **Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan [warned][49] on Monday that unless decisive action is taken to stop the expanding conflict in the region, there could be “serious consequences for regional and global security,” and insisted that “the fire must be extinguished before it grows any more.” Erdoğan’s remarks, delivered at a Ramadan event in Ankara, criticized U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran as “clear” violations of international law.
* **Masoud Pezeshkian visits key ministries amid wartime crisis: **Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian [visited][50] Iran’s Oil, Industry, Health, and Agriculture ministries, issuing orders to maintain the country’s fuel supplies, stabilize the distribution of food and essential goods, and ensure uninterrupted medical care for those wounded in U.S. and Israeli attacks.
* **Pedro Sánchez condemns U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and blocks base access: **Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez [rejected][51] the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran as a “unilateral” and “dangerous escalation” that violates international law and the United Nations Charter, and urged an end to the “spiral of violence.” Madrid also announced that it would refuse to allow the United States to use the jointly operated bases at Rota and Morón for strikes on Iran, with reports that at least 15 U.S. aircraft have since relocated elsewhere in Europe. Sánchez also condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states as “illegal and indiscriminate,” a sentiment echoed by his foreign minister. Spain becomes the first major EU country to explicitly criticize the U.S.-Israeli operations.
* **Pakistan deploys military and issues ban on large gatherings: **Pakistan has [deployed][52] troops to the Gilgit-Baltistan region and imposed a nationwide ban on large gatherings, according to Reuters, after protests over U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran left at least 35 people dead. Authorities imposed a three-day curfew in Gilgit and Skardu and tightened security around U.S. missions in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Shi’ite leaders in the country have announced funeral processions for the deceased and have called for further demonstrations.
* **President Donald Trump spoke with Iraqi Kurdish leaders: **On Sunday, President Donald Trump [spoke][53] by phone with Iraqi Kurdish leaders Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani to discuss the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, a day after authorizing the Saturday bombing campaign, according to Axios. Kurdish forces control strategic territory along the Iran-Iraq border and maintain ties to Iran’s Kurdish minority. Axios also reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had lobbied for months for Kurdish involvement in the conflict, and that he views them as a possible ground force that could complement the U.S.-Israeli air campaign.
* **Khamenei’s wife dies from wounds after strike:** Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, the wife of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has died from injuries sustained in U.S.–Israeli military strikes that also killed him, according to Press TV. Iranian state media reported that several members of Khamenei’s family—including his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law—were also killed in the attacks.
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Casualty counts: **At least 40 people were killed and 246 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since Monday, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. More than 30,000 [displaced][54] people are in shelters in Lebanon since the resumption of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Many of those displaced were unable to access shelters and are sleeping in their cars on the side of roads or are still stuck in traffic jams on the roads.
* **Israeli military issues evacuation orders as strikes intensify: **Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon for a second consecutive day, targeting residential neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut as well as in the south and in the Beqaa Valley. Israel struck the headquarters of Al Manar, a Hezbollah-aligned TV station in southern Beirut on Monday. A video also [appears][55] to show Israel bombing a 12-story building in Tyre, though no casualties have been reported from this attack. The Israeli military [issued][56] additional evacuation and forced displacement orders for at least 18 villages and towns in southern and eastern Lebanon, warning residents to leave ahead of planned strikes on areas it claimed were used by Hezbollah.
* **More Israeli troops move into south Lebanon:** The Israeli military appears to be launching a new ground incursion in southern Lebanon with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz directing troops to advance to 16 additional positions across the border, and the military announcing its soldiers were “operating in southern Lebanon.” Meanwhile, the Lebanese army evacuated some of its positions along the border. The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, says its peacekeepers saw Israeli forces crossing into Lebanon in several areas Tuesday morning. This comes amid reports that the Israeli military is weighing a possible ground operation to establish “a buffer zone” between Lebanon and Israel’s northern communities, according to [Haaretz][57]. Approximately 110,000 reservists have been called up to reinforce the northern border and the West Bank since the outbreak of the war with Iran, with the army saying it is preparing for “developments across multiple fronts.”
* **Lebanese government orders Hezbollah to disarm:** The Lebanese cabinet, led by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, formally [moved][58] to curb the military role of Hezbollah on Monday, directing the Lebanese Army to implement its February 16 plan to confine weapons north of the Litani River and authorizing the use of “all necessary means” to enforce the plan. The government also ordered an immediate halt to Hezbollah’s security and military operations, demanded the group hand over its arms and restrict itself to political activity within “constitutional frameworks,” and instructed security forces to prevent rocket or drone launches and arrest violators. Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammad Raed rejected the decision, arguing the state had shown a “clear inability” to halt Israeli assaults.
* **Palestinian Islamic Jihad says Lebanon commander killed in Israeli strike: **Palestinian Islamic Jihad [said][59] on Monday that Adham Adnan Al-Othman, 41, the Lebanon commander of its armed wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, was killed in an Israeli strike on a southern suburb of Beirut. Israel had earlier announced it killed a PIJ commander it described as responsible for attacks and cross-border operations along the Syria-Lebanon front.
# The Gaza Genocide and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, the bodies of 18 Palestinians arrived at the hospitals in Gaza after being recovered from under the rubble. At least two Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,116 killed, with 171,798 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 631 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,700, while 753 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Gaza fuel and food supplies dwindle after Israel reimposes total siege: **Gaza is rapidly running out of fuel and could soon face shortages of food staples after Israel closed all border crossings on Saturday after its joint attack on Iran with the U.S., according to [Reuters][60]. Karuna Herrmann, Jerusalem director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, said fuel stocks may last only “a couple of days,” while Palestinian aid official Amjad Al-Shawa estimated three to four days’ supply remaining. Late Monday, Israeli authorities said the Kerem Shalom crossing would reopen Tuesday for the “gradual entry of humanitarian aid,” without specifying the amounts that will be allowed in.
* **Israeli settlers kill two Palestinian brothers in West Bank village:** Israeli settlers [killed][61] two Palestinian brothers, Mohammad and Faheem Mo’mar, in the village of Qaryout in the northern occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, via WAFA. Mohammad was shot in the head, and Faheem was hit in the pelvis. Three others were wounded, including a third brother, and ambulances were delayed for more than an hour due to Israeli checkpoint closures, B’Tselem reported. At least 20 Palestinians were detained from the village.
* **UK Foreign Office funded Israeli October 7 sexual violence report: **The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office quietly [provided][62] £90,000—covering 75 percent of the budget—for Israeli organization Dinah Project’s report that described sexual violence on October 7 as “systematic” and “premeditated,” according to Novara Media’s Rivkah Brown. That characterization has not been substantiated by investigations from the United Nations or Amnesty International, and Israeli officials reportedly called the document “a significant public diplomacy tool” as state agencies coordinated a global campaign to promote it. Drop Site News previously reported that the Dinah Project report was, primarily, an 80-page case for lowering evidentiary standards required to prosecute Hamas for war crimes. Our full report is available **[here][63]**.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][64].*
* **NEW: Hakeem Jeffries to whip Democratic votes against Iran war: **House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) will whip votes in support of the War Powers Resolution this week, multiple Democratic sources told Drop Site News. The decision comes after a group of progressive Democrats urged leadership to break with their recent practice of allowing Democrats freely to back Trump administration policies, which began when 46 Democrats broke ranks to support the Laken Riley Act and set the stage for Trump’s mass deportation project. Four Democrats openly oppose the WPR: Reps. Greg Landsman (Ohio), Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), and Jared Moskowitz (Fl.), who received a combined $1.7 million in the last election cycle from American Israel Public Affairs Committee [according to The Lever][65]. The House is tentatively scheduled to begin debate on Wednesday and vote on Thursday. **[Full story here.][66] **
* **Primaries in Texas and North Carolina today: **In North Carolina’s 4th district, AIPAC and AI money has flooded in to support incumbent Democrat Valerie Foushee, support facilitated by Jeffries. She faces a challenge from pro-Palestine, Bernie-backed Nida Allam, who is herself benefiting from outside money intended to boost candidates who oppose the genocide. It’s a major test for both AIPAC and the AI industry. In Texas, both Democrats and Republicans have closely watched Senate primaries, with James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett facing off in the former and Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton in the latter. Drop Site and Breaking Points may team up for an election livestream this evening. (Though we also may not, if we get too busy.)
* **Bill Clinton talks Trump and denies misconduct in his Epstein deposition: **Bill Clinton [told][67] the House Oversight Committee in a videotaped deposition on Monday that President Donald Trump once said he had “some great times” with Jeffrey Epstein before their relationship soured over a real estate dispute. Clinton said the exchange occurred at a golf tournament in 2002 or 2003, after he left office, and that it did not lead him to believe Trump was involved in any wrongdoing. Both Clinton and Trump associated with Epstein before the financier pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor. Clinton testified he was introduced to Epstein as a donor, flew on his jet for foundation-related travel, and denied any improper conduct on his own part.
* **Supreme Court blocks California law limiting parental notification on gender identity: **The Supreme Court temporarily [blocked][68] a California law that would prevent involuntary outing of transgender students to their parents on Monday, granting an emergency appeal against the law from the conservative Thomas More Society. The parents who brought the action argued that the law caused schools to “mislead them” and secretly facilitate their children’s gender transitions. The state of California, however, argued that students have a right to privacy concerning their gender expression. The court stalled the enforcement of the law with a 6-3 decision.
* **Sen. Lindsey Graham hints Cuba could be Trump’s next target: **Sen. Lindsey Graham [praised][69] President Donald Trump’s military campaign in Iran and suggested that Cuba could be the “next” country Washington might confront, saying Trump is “on a roll” following recent operations abroad in an interview with Fox News. “Cuba’s next,” he said. “They’re gonna fall. This communist dictatorship in Cuba, their days are numbered.”
* **Ruben Gallego endorses Graham Platner in Maine Democratic Senate primary: **Senate hopeful Graham Platner has [secured][70] a key endorsement from Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego in Maine’s Democratic primary, bolstering his bid to unseat five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November. Gallego is the second senator, after Bernie Sanders, to endorse Platner, and the first Democrat to do so. “I think right now what people need and want is authenticity and a certain level of populism that they’re not going to get from Gov. Mills and they’re certainly not going to get from Collins,” Gallego told the Washington Post. “This is the candidate that can win.”
# Other International News
* **Afghanistan-Pakistan war enters its fifth day: **Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities and Pakistan’s military [said][71] their forces had targeted each other’s outposts along their 2,600-kilometer border as fighting entered a fifth day. Afghan officials said they destroyed a Pakistani armored tank and repelled jets near Bagram air base, while Pakistan said it struck ammunition depots and a drone storage site in Jalalabad. Pakistan claimed it killed 435 Afghan troops, and Afghanistan claimed it inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistan. Despite Qatar’s offer to mediate, there has been no visible progress toward de-escalation.
* **Ukraine says it has retaken nine settlements in Zaporizhzhia: **On Monday, Ukraine’s general staff said its forces have retaken nine settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region since late January, with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi saying Kyiv had regained more territory over the past month than Russian troops had captured for the first time since summer 2024 (via [Reuters][72]). The gains follow reported outages of Russian Starlink terminals on the battlefield, which Ukrainian officials said disrupted Moscow’s frontline communications.
* **Emmanuel Macron announces nuclear arsenal expansion: **President Emmanuel Macron [announced][73] Monday that France will increase the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal and temporarily deploy nuclear-armed aircraft to eight European countries—Germany, Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, and Denmark—under a new “advanced deterrence” framework distinct from but complementary to NATO. Speaking at the Île Longue submarine base, Macron said the move responds to a “hardening” global environment marked by Russia’s war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and broader nuclear expansion by major powers. Macron said France will no longer publicly disclose the size of its nuclear arsenal, reversing its past practices of transparency regarding its arsenal. France is estimated to possess roughly 290 nuclear warheads, the fourth-largest nuclear arsenal globally and the largest within the European Union.
* **Gunmen kill at least 15 in Niger state village attacks: **At least 15 people were [killed][74] after gunmen attacked three communities—Tashan Maje, Saduro, and Runtuwa—in Nigeria’s Niger state on Saturday, according to Amnesty International (via the AP). Assailants reportedly arrived on dozens of motorcycles, fired indiscriminately, and ransacked shops. The killings come amid a broader wave of violence across northern Nigeria involving Islamist militants and armed criminal gangs.
* **Sudanese army repels assault on Dilling: **On Sunday, the Sudanese army [said][75] it repelled a joint offensive by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North on the city of Dilling in South Kordofan state, according to reporting from Sudan Tribune. Fighting centered around the al-Taqma area east of the city and along the highway linking Dilling to North Kordofan. The SPLM-N claimed its forces and the RSF seized the al-Taqma garrison and cut the road between Habila and Dilling, assertions the army denied, saying it inflicted heavy losses on the militia and destroyed its combat vehicles.
* **United States sanctions Rwandan Defence Forces over alleged support for M23:** The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Rwandan Defence Forces and four of its senior officials for allegedly supporting the March 23 Movement in eastern Congo, according to the [Associated Press][76]. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said M23’s offensives would not have been possible without active Rwandan support and called for the immediate withdrawal of government troops. Rwanda rejected the sanctions as unjust and accused Congo of violating the December truce agreement, which was mediated by the U.S. M23 itself has been under U.S. sanctions since 2013.
# Drop Site on the Hill
* **Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) **[told][77] Julian Andreone: “Israel should not be directing American war policy. That’s something the American Congress should be doing.”
* **Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) **[said][78] Secretary Rubio invoking Israeli policy to justify an American war on Iran is a “terrible commentary on the United States of America.”
* **Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)** [called][79] the strike on a girls’ school in Minab a “horror.” He also rejected Secretary Rubio’s argument that the U.S. had to follow Israel into war to defend American interests. “I think it’s not a close call. We make foreign policy in the interests of the American people,” Wyden said.
* **Sen. Thom Tillis (R- N.C.)** [said][80] he “wouldn’t put it past the mullahs” to place military facilities near civilian areas, responding to reports that 165 schoolgirls were killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on a girls’ elementary school in southern Minab. Asked whether he supports an independent investigation of the attack, Tillis did not directly endorse one, but said that “experts on the ground” are needed to determine what was in and around the site.
# More from Drop Site
* **Foiled armed plot puts focus on U.S.-based Cuban exile networks: **Last week, Cuban authorities said they foiled an armed infiltration attempt involving U.S.-based Cuban exiles that left four people dead. In the aftermath, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernández de Cossío denounced what he called the “impunity” enjoyed in the United States by perpetrators of “violent and terrorist plots and actions” targeting Cuba. **Drop Site investigates, [here][81].**
* **VIDEO: Ten years of Donald Trump promising not to start new wars:**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028537772357963792
[2]: https://x.com/Acyn/status/2028573242173366282
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028591874219315593
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028540473061913059
[5]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/iran-us-embassy-riyadh-saudi-arabia-drones
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028564793871716725
[7]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/military-called-northern-pakistan-region-after-deadly-iran-protests-2026-03-02/
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028513731391394054
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028544283339575617
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028621808895746073
[11]: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2026-03-02/ty-article/.premium/idf-prepares-for-lebanon-operation-to-create-defense-line-for-border-communities/0000019c-adb4-df60-afdf-fdfc5a5e0000?gift=64a1d08294124f93ae46fc350355c8ce
[12]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-fuel-running-short-after-israel-closes-borders-amid-iran-war-2026-03-02/
[13]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/2/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%B3-143164
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028497294606172632
[15]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/clinton-says-trump-told-him-some-great-times-with-jeffrey-epstein-2026-03-02/
[16]: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-students-california-cca311ae39d267f31c1392a0bcf780cd
[17]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/lindsey-graham-cuba
[18]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-afghanistan-show-no-signs-stepping-back-fighting-enters-fifth-day-2026-03-02/
[19]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-military-makes-gains-southeast-region-zaporizhzhia-kyiv-says-2026-03-02/
[20]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/2/france-to-increase-nuclear-warheads-lend-nuclear-aircraft-to-europe-allies
[21]: https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-attack-gunmen-security-ca2c3a05402b4eafff60c1cac18b72f2
[22]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hakeem-jeffries-house-leaderhip-whip-votes-iran-war-powers-resolution
[23]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hakeem-jeffries-house-leaderhip-whip-votes-iran-war-powers-resolution
[24]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-double-tap-bombing-trump-israel-war-niloofar-square
[25]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028703645152256315
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028624013711335796
[27]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[28]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-double-tap-bombing-trump-israel-war-niloofar-square
[29]: https://x.com/araghchi/status/2028550945278222558
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028596546430738790
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028536665216581888
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028616450999562448
[33]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/iran-us-embassy-riyadh-saudi-arabia-drones
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028591874219315593
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028537772357963792
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028602674388586758
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028493358172184730
[38]: https://x.com/Acyn/status/2028573242173366282
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028608599522738567
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028614894887514313
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028586527895257248
[42]: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/02/maritime-insurers-war-risk-cover-gulf-iran-shipping-strait-of-hormuz
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028540473061913059
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028617769084653664
[45]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2028599187059732751
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028564793871716725
[47]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-trump-israel-khamenei-assassination-retaliation-gulf-states
[48]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028575052229181771
[49]: https://x.com/clashreport/status/2028518167396462927
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028522675916722361
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028553244616643041
[52]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/military-called-northern-pakistan-region-after-deadly-iran-protests-2026-03-02/
[53]: https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/trump-iran-war-kurds-iraq
[54]: https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-mobilizing-across-region-middle-east-crisis-escalates
[55]: https://x.com/WarMonitors/status/2028485873927331895
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028513731391394054
[57]: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2026-03-02/ty-article/.premium/idf-prepares-for-lebanon-operation-to-create-defense-line-for-border-communities/0000019c-adb4-df60-afdf-fdfc5a5e0000?gift=64a1d08294124f93ae46fc350355c8ce
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028544283339575617
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028621808895746073
[60]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-fuel-running-short-after-israel-closes-borders-amid-iran-war-2026-03-02/
[61]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/3/2/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AB-%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%AA-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%B3-143164
[62]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028497294606172632
[63]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/un-statements-undercut-dinah-project-report-october-7-sexual-violence-claims
[64]: mailto:[email protected]
[65]: https://www.levernews.com/operation-aipac-fury/
[66]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hakeem-jeffries-house-leaderhip-whip-votes-iran-war-powers-resolution
[67]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/clinton-says-trump-told-him-some-great-times-with-jeffrey-epstein-2026-03-02/
[68]: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-students-california-cca311ae39d267f31c1392a0bcf780cd
[69]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/lindsey-graham-cuba
[70]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/platner-wins-second-senate-endorsement-as-gallego-praises-him-as-fighter-for-working-families
[71]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-afghanistan-show-no-signs-stepping-back-fighting-enters-fifth-day-2026-03-02/
[72]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-military-makes-gains-southeast-region-zaporizhzhia-kyiv-says-2026-03-02/
[73]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/2/france-to-increase-nuclear-warheads-lend-nuclear-aircraft-to-europe-allies
[74]: https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-attack-gunmen-security-ca2c3a05402b4eafff60c1cac18b72f2
[75]: https://sudantribune.com/article/311239
[76]: https://apnews.com/article/us-rwanda-sanctions-congo-m23-military-nyakarundi-4122f57015e3f5688d4011de737e278b
[77]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028624013711335796
[78]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028706955447902214
[79]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028706488064049373
[80]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2028703645152256315
[81]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2027206764882719194?s=46
[82]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/school-strike-israel-us-war-iran-lebanon-buffer-zone-gaza

2026-03-03 14:37:36 UTC

Hakeem Jeffries Whipping Votes Against Trump’s So-Far-Unbridled War on Iran
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries before President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries will whip votes in support of the War Powers Resolution this week, multiple Democratic sources told Drop Site News.
Whipping the vote means that Democratic leaders will apply pressure to colleagues to vote in support of the resolution to constrain Trump’s war ambitions, making defections more costly internally. The whip team is run by the party’s number two in the House, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts.
The decision comes after a group of progressive Democrats urged leadership to break with their recent practice of allowing Democrats freely to back Trump administration policies, which began when [46 Democrats][1] broke ranks to support the Laken Riley Act and set the stage for Trump’s mass deportation.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), told Drop Site that leadership should not allow the WPR to be “a vote of conscience”—a term used to describe a vote that isn’t whipped in the House—because it goes to the core of the powers of Congress. “This is not a vote of conscience, this is a vote about the Constitution and Article 1 responsibilities for members of Congress,” she said.
The House is tentatively scheduled to begin debate on Wednesday and vote on Thursday.
On Saturday, CPC members were briefed privately on Iran by Ben Rhodes, formerly the national security adviser for President Barack Obama, and a host on the popular Pod Save America, according to a CPC source.
The resolution from Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie is being publicly opposed by at least four Democrats: Jared Moskowitz of southeastern Florida, Josh Gottheimer of northern New Jersey, Tom Suozzi of Long Island, and Greg Landsman of Cincinnati. Republican Warren Davidson, also of Ohio, however,[ has signaled he may break ranks and support it][2].
Moskowitz is facing a primary challenge and Gottheimer may also face one if he bucks his party on the war resolution; the deadline to file as a challenger to him is March 23.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a co-author of the parallel War Powers Resolution in the Senate, said that none of the classified intelligence he’s received as a senior member of both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Armed Services committee has revealed an imminent threat to the United States that would justify the war President Trump started in Iran.
After Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed lawmakers on Monday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) [concurred with Kaine][3], saying there was no evidence that Iran was going to strike the U.S. first. Warner, one of the most pro-Israel Democrats, said that “there *was* a threat to Israel” and so “we were in uncharted territory.”
Pentagon officials within the Trump administration have, per [Reuters][4], privately corroborated Kaine’s assertion, acknowledging in closed-door briefings with congressional staff that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first.
Nevertheless, Sen. John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has become notorious in Washington for bucking his party on foreign policy, has joined the aforementioned war supporters in the House in also publicly [announcing][5] his intention to oppose the War Powers Resolution. He appears to be alone among Democrats in the Senate.
Fetterman baselessly asserted in a Sunday [appearance][6] on CNN that Trump exhausted diplomatic efforts to arrive at firm agreements barring Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, despite Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi, who was mediating negotiations with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, suggesting a peace agreement was within reach when the U.S. struck Iran.
“They could have possibly acquired a [nuclear] bomb if we weren’t [to] bomb back in June,” Fetterman said. “So yeah there is a threat. It’s not imminent that could happen right now but it’s one that I think it’s entirely appropriate to deal with it.”
Prominent anti-war progressives in Congress have issued scathing criticisms of the American-Israeli joint operation and both called upon Congress to reconvene and assert its war powers to end Operation Epic Fury.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called President Trump’s strikes “unlawful” and “unnecessary,” committing to vote “Yes” on the War Powers Resolution, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said these actions constitute an “illegal war of aggression,” emphasizing that the Trump administration has already killed children and risks igniting a catastrophic regional conflict.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, also issued a more sweeping condemnation of U.S. foreign policy, rejecting the framing of the war as an effort to usher in democracy, attacking U.S. sanction policy, chiding President Trump for ignoring public opposition to a new war, and saying “you cannot ‘free’ people by killing them.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told Drop Site on Monday, “Israel should not be directing American war policy. That’s something the American Congress should be doing.” [Rubio on Monday claimed that Israel][7] had indeed forced the U.S. to attack. “We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action, we knew that that would precipitate an attack against American forces,” said Rubio. That left Trump no choice, he said, but to join Israel in the attack.
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[1]: https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202523
[2]: https://x.com/WarrenDavidson/status/2028457310687817945
[3]: https://x.com/calebhowe/status/2028614263032447129?s=46
[4]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-tells-congress-no-sign-that-iran-was-going-attack-us-first-sources-say-2026-03-02/?taid=69a552c63c32b50001a2e0ac&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
[5]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2026748211914813850?s=46
[6]: https://x.com/halalflow/status/2028216090594050212
[7]: https://x.com/Acyn/status/2028573242173366282
[8]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hakeem-jeffries-house-leaderhip-whip-votes-iran-war-powers-resolution/comments
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hakeem-jeffries-house-leaderhip-whip-votes-iran-war-powers-resolution

2026-03-02 22:42:39 UTC

Witnesses Describe Horror Scene After “Double-Tap” Bombing Kills Over 20 at Popular Tehran Square
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Twenty people were killed in a U.S.–Israeli attack on Niloofar Square in Tehran on March 1, 2026. Photo: SNN.
TEHRAN, IRAN—As groups of families and others gathered Sunday evening at cafes around Niloofar Square—a middle-class area in eastern Tehran—after breaking their fast for Ramadan, a series of explosions struck the area, leveling several buildings and killing over 20 people, according to witnesses at the scene and later reports from local news sources.
Witnesses who spoke to Drop Site said two explosions hit the area—a smaller strike in the vicinity, followed by a larger one that devastated much of the neighborhood, a tactic known as a “double tap” strike that is used to inflict maximum casualties.
Videos of the immediate aftermath of the attack showed several individuals dead and wounded as well as massive destruction on the street outside. In Cafe Ahla, next to the square, blood and debris soaked the floors. Several patrons who had been sitting there when the attack struck could be seen dead on the floor or with their mutilated bodies still sprawled across their seats.
“We were sitting here around 8:00-8:30 p.m. and suddenly there was the noise and explosion. We got up and a few people ran away. We turned around to get our belongings and we saw that blood was spraying everywhere. Someone’s hand had fallen on the floor, a head had fallen on the floor,” said Shahin, a witness who had been at the cafe and asked to be identified by first name only. “There were scalps torn off, hands severed, a few people were laying here all cut up and two people were martyred.”
As has been the case with nearly all of the bombings in Iran, it remains unclear whether this attack was carried out by the U.S. or Israel. Israel has used “double tap” strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, and elsewhere. In one prominent incident, the Israeli military killed 22 Palestinians, including five journalists, in a double tap strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in August. The U.S. repeatedly [engaged][3] in double tap strikes during the so-called “War on Terror” in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen and, most recently, in a September 2025 [attack][4] on an alleged Venezuelan drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean.
Survivors of the Sunday attack at Niloofar Square described a similar pattern in which an initial bombing was followed by a much larger attack a short time later.
“One hit and it wasn’t that bad but when the second one hit, suddenly everything exploded. The windows all shattered. Whoever had hookahs were thrown to the floor,” Shahin said. “One of my friends whom I don’t know that well he was sitting here. His hookah was in his hands until the last moment. He was severed in half. Half of him was thrown to the side. I put him back together and placed him where he was. A piece of his brain was thrown here on the floor.”
The bombing at Niloofar Square was one of a number of attacks on densely populated areas of the Iranian capital over the past 24 hours. A separate strike hit Ferdowsi Square—a major historical area in central Tehran—amid a broader campaign striking targets all across the city. Among the sites hit were police stations, government buildings, and offices of the country’s national broadcaster. Numerous videos circulating on social media showed widespread destruction on city streets including collapsed buildings and debris. Another strike reported by local media damaged the Golestan Palace—a UNESCO world heritage site.
At least 555 people have been killed in Iran so far in the U.S.-Israeli military campaign that began on Saturday, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. That number is believed to be an undercount given the large scale of the campaign targeting cities in numerous parts of the country.
“The worst thing that can happen in your life is this. You’re sitting here in peace, relaxing for an hour, and something like this destroys your whole life,” said Shahin, who survived the attack on Cafe Ahla. “You tried to hit the police and you killed average people. If this is how you want to kill, then kill us all. Every night we are seeing killings. We can’t sleep at night because we’re worried something will happen to our kids.”
Hospitals and other medical facilities have also been repeatedly targeted in the U.S.-Israeli strikes. On Monday, Fatemeh Mohammad Beigi, a member of parliament’s health commission, said on state media that nine hospitals have been attacked, including five in Tehran and four in other cities. The Gandhi hospital in northern Tehran was completely evacuated, with patients—including babies in incubators—being moved to other facilities after it sustained severe damage from airstrikes. Abuzar Hospital in Ahvaz was also hit and evacuated. Iran’s Red Crescent Society said its Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center in the Seyed Khandan neighborhood of the capital was seriously damaged, with photos showing shattered treatment rooms.
“Attacking a hospital is an attack on life, and attacking a school is an attack on a nation’s future,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in a social media [post][5]. “Targeting patients and children is a blatant violation of all human principles, and the world must condemn it. I stand with the grieving nation; the Islamic Republic of Iran neither remains silent nor submits in the face of such crimes.”
Meanwhile, War Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed claims of civilian casualties in a press conference on Monday saying, “No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives. As the president warned, an effort of this scope will include casualties. War is hell and always will be.”
The Trump administration has given mixed signals about its own motivations for the war and how long it will last—citing sometimes conflict claims about stopping the Iranian nuclear program, ballistic missile development, or even toppling the ruling government. At present there is no clear timeline for how long the fighting will continue, with Trump himself suggesting that the fighting could stretch on for weeks or more.
“All these people have died and they had nothing to do with nuclear bombs, they had nothing to do with missiles,” said Shahin.
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[3]: https://airwars.org/citation/al-jazeera-report-on-u-s-double-tap-strikes/
[4]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/8/us-lawmakers-urge-release-of-video-of-double-tap-boat-strike-in-caribbean
[5]: https://x.com/drpezeshkian/status/2028513504001483027
[6]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-double-tap-bombing-trump-israel-war-niloofar-square/comments
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-double-tap-bombing-trump-israel-war-niloofar-square?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/tehran-iran-double-tap-bombing-trump-israel-war-niloofar-square

2026-03-02 16:20:06 UTC

Iranian Death Toll Rises to 550+, Israel threatens invasion of Lebanon after Hezbollah strikes, 3 U.S. warplanes down in Kuwait
*Heavy bombing of Iran as war enters its third day. Strikes kill major Iranian leaders. Mass civilian casualties as Israel and the U.S. strike in the center of Tehran. Medical facilities in Tehran and Ahvaz damaged, and Iran says a nuclear facility was attacked. U.S. strikes across Iran include attack drones for the first time. Iran retaliates with major offensive against Israel and U.S. bases and military sites across the Gulf, and in Cyprus. Four U.S. service members killed. Three U.S. fighter jets shot down; Iran claims it downed at least one, while U.S. says it was friendly fire. At least ten killed at demonstration at U.S. consulate in Karachi. Oil facilities attacked, prices soar. President Donald Trump’s estimate of the length of the war shifts from “days” to “weeks.” Top Iranian officials signal Iran’s willingness to fight, defend retaliation. U.S. and Israel burning through munitions. China backs Iran’s self-defense.*
*Israel pounds Lebanon, killing 31, after Hezbollah fires rockets.** **Lebanon’s prime minister demands ban on Hezbollah operations.* *Israel uses Iran war as a pretext to halt already limited aid to Gaza. Israel blocks movement in the West Bank.*
*Congress to vote on War Powers Resolution. Sen. Tim Kaine, on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says no imminent threat justified war with Iran. Rashida Tlaib, AOC denounce U.S.–Israeli strikes and call for Congress to act. First anti-war ad of the midterm election cycle. Dark money–funded think tanks pushed regime change. Sen. Bernie Sanders unveils billionaire tax.*
*169 killed in attacks in South Sudan. Afghanistan says it fired on Pakistani jets as border fighting intensifies. Russian tanker bound for Cuba is drifting in the North Atlantic. Argentine Senate approves Javier Milei’s anti-labor reform.*
**In case you missed it, Drop Site’s weekend [coverage of the Iran war][1]:**
* **[Iran Prepared for an Existential War. How Much Are Trump and Israel Willing to Gamble?][2]**
* **[After a Sports Hall in Iran Was Bombed, Witnesses Describe Chaos and “Continuous Screaming”][3]**
* **[“Small Children Who Knew Nothing of Politics or Wars”][4]**
* **[As Trump Launches “Massive” Regime Change War, Iran Strikes Back at U.S. Bases and Vows Not to Capitulate][5]**
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
[Subscribe now][6]
A general view of Tehran with smoke visible in the distance after explosions were reported in the city, on March 02, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Photo by Contributor/Getty Images.
# War on Iran
* **Heavy bombing of Iran as war enters its third day:** Multiple airstrikes hit Tehran on Monday as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran expands. Tehran’s streets have been largely deserted with people sheltering during airstrikes. On Sunday, the Israeli military launched a new wave of attacks targeting what it [described][7] as the “heart of Tehran,” with the Associated Press reporting a major explosion near a police headquarters, a state television building, the Revolutionary Court, and a Defense Ministry building. Al Jazeera said an army hospital and other government sites were also struck. Also on Sunday, Mehr News Agency [reported][8] that 20 people were killed in a strike on Niloufar Square, a densely populated residential and commercial area in Tehran’s District 7.
* **Strikes kill major Iranian leaders:** President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been targeted and killed. Khamenei’s daughter, son-in-law, grandchild, and a daughter-in-law were also killed in the strikes. Iranian state media on Sunday also announced the deaths of Chief of Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, Supreme National Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps head Mohammad Pakpour.
* While Trump touted the intelligence operation that tracked Khamenei’s movements, an Iranian official tells Drop Site the Supreme Leader refused extra safety measures: “[The Supreme Leader] insisted on keeping things as normal and ordinary as possible, without seeking extra security measures or standing out in any way.” **[Read the full report, from Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain.][9]**
* **Mass civilian casualties from U.S.-Israeli airstrikes:** In the deadliest recorded attack of the war, an airstrike on Saturday morning struck a girls’ elementary school in Minab, a small city near the Strait of Hormuz, killing 165 people, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, many of them schoolgirls between seven and 12 years old. It was unclear if it was a U.S. or Israeli strike. On Saturday, CENTCOM’s spokesperson said they were “looking into” the reports. Hours later, an airstrike hit the main sports hall in Lamerd, a city near the Persian coast, as dozens of teenage girls were attending their regular training sessions. Additional strikes hit two nearby residential areas and a hall adjacent to a school. At least 18 people were killed, including many teenage girls. **Read Drop Site’s on-the-ground reports from [Minab][10] and [Lamerd][11].**
* **Iran’s casualty counts: **At least 555 people had been killed in Iran, according to the Iranian Red Crescent. An earlier report had 747 injured, though the toll is expected to be an undercount. Over 130 cities across the country have come under attack, the Red Crescent said, with strikes hitting 24 of the country’s 31 provinces.
* **Medical facilities in Tehran and Ahvaz damaged as civilian toll mounts: **Iran’s Red Crescent Society said its Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center in Tehran’s Seyed Khandan neighborhood was seriously damaged in strikes, with photos showing shattered treatment rooms. On Sunday, Iran’s Health Ministry [said][12] Gandhi Hospital in Tehran was struck and Abuzar Hospital in Ahvaz was hit and evacuated, while damage was also reported at Khatam and Motahari hospitals in Tehran and three emergency bases in Sarab, Chabahar, and Hamedan. Officials said 21 patients were transferred after the Ahvaz strike and two emergency medical personnel were injured.
* **Iran says nuclear facility attacked:** Iran’s Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency said that U.S.-Israeli airstrikes targeted the Natanz enrichment facility on Sunday. “Again they attacked Iran’s peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities yesterday. Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,” Reza Najafi told reporters at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna
* **U.S. strikes across Iran include attack drones for the first time: **U.S. CENTCOM said on Saturday its early strikes targeted IRGC command centers, air defenses, missile and drone launch sites, as well as military airfields. It also reported the use of low-cost one-way attack drones in combat for the first time. Its ballistic missile attacks [hit][13] areas near Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Shiraz, according to the Associated Press, and Israel assisted in choosing targets and carrying out the attacks.
* **Iran’s major offensive against U.S. bases and Israeli military sites: **Iran responded to the Saturday attacks by unleashing a series of sustained missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. military facilities across the Persian Gulf, striking the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar. Iran also targeted Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, and Cyprus. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [described its offensive][14] operation as the most intense in its history. At least 11 people were killed in Israel, along with three in the UAE, two in Iraq, one in Bahrain, and one in Kuwait.
* **Iranian missiles hit Israel: **Israel declared an immediate nationwide state of [emergency][15] after launching the war on Iran, with Defense Minister Israel Katz announcing school and workplace closures and the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command ordering civilians to remain near shelter. Over the weekend, Iran [fired][16] ballistic missiles at Israel, including strikes on Tel Aviv, west Jerusalem, and Beit Shemesh, where nine people [were killed][17] in a residential building collapse, while additional fatalities [brought][18] the nationwide death toll to 11 and injuries to 456, according to the Health Ministry.
* **Four U.S. service members killed: **The U.S. military said a fourth service member has been killed since the start of the operation against Iran. On Sunday, CENTCOM announced that three soldiers had been killed and five were seriously wounded—the fourth, announced Monday, “succumbed to their injuries.” The soldiers killed had been deployed to a base in Kuwait supporting the operation, U.S. officials told NBC News.
* **Three U.S. fighter jets shot down; Iran claims it downed at least one, while U.S. says it was friendly fire:** The U.S. military said Kuwait “mistakenly shot down” three American F-15 fighter jets during a combat mission while attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones were underway. Iran [claimed][19] it shot one of them down. U.S. Central Command said all six pilots ejected safely and are in stable condition.
* **Iranian strikes hit airport and military sites in Kuwait: **An Iranian drone [struck][20] Kuwait International Airport on Sunday, injuring several workers and damaging Terminal 1, according to Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Authority. Kuwait hosts major United States military facilities, including Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base. Overnight into Sunday, further explosions were [reported][21], with the IRGC claiming Ali Al Salem Air Base was put “out of service.” Black smoke was later [seen][22] rising from inside the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City, which issued a shelter-in-place order as air raid sirens sounded.
* **At least ten killed at demonstration at U.S. consulate in Karachi: **In Karachi, Pakistan, demonstrators breached the outer wall of the U.S. Consulate in a protest over the war in Iran—following which security forces opened fire after parts of the compound and nearby police posts were set ablaze. Two more people were killed in a separate demonstration near the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. The embassy issued a high-level security alert as unrest in the country continued. At least 35 people have been [killed][23] and hundreds more wounded across Pakistan during nationwide protests though total casualty figures remain disputed.
* **Fires and drone attacks reported at U.S. facilities in Iraq: **A fire was [reported][24] Saturday at the U.S. airbase at Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq following an Iranian strike, and by Sunday, the Iraqi Shiite militia Saraya Awliya al-Dam had [claimed][25] responsibility for a drone attack on U.S. forces at Baghdad International Airport in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei. As of late Sunday, there were no confirmed U.S. or civilian casualties from the Iraq incidents.
* **Suspected drone strike hits UK base in Cyprus: **Around midnight Monday, March 2, the British Ministry of Defense [confirmed][26] a suspected Iranian drone strike caused minor damage at RAF Akrotiri, a UK base in Cyprus, with no injuries reported. The incident followed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement that Britain would permit the United States to use its bases for limited defensive purposes, including targeting Iranian missile launchers, while London, Paris, and Berlin said they were prepared to take proportionate defensive action but were not involved in the initial offensive strikes. Reports suggested RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia could also be made available as the conflict widens.
* **Strikes in Bahrain: **On Saturday, reports [circulated][27] that an Iranian drone struck the Crowne Plaza complex in Manama’s Diplomatic Area, near key government buildings, though Bahraini authorities did not immediately confirm damage or casualties. Early Monday, explosions were [heard][28] across the capital as Iranian missiles targeted sites in Bahrain, according to The Guardian, with footage appearing to show a direct impact inside a U.S. military facility. Bahrain hosts the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters.
* **Thousands stranded as air travel disrupted: **Iran also hit civilian airports in Kuwait, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai and airspace over much of the region remained closed on Monday. Major regional airports—including Dubai International, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Hamad International Airport in Doha—have suspended operations. More than 3,400 flights have been cancelled in the first few days of the conflict, and an estimated 300,000 people are currently stranded across the Gulf region, according to the Associated Press. Semafor reported that a limited number of private flights out of Riyadh are running the wealthy up to $350,000.
* **Oil facilities attacked, prices soar:** On Sunday, at least four oil tankers were [struck or damaged][29] in and around the Strait of Hormuz after Iran declared the waterway closed to international navigation. Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura oil refinery, one of the largest in the world came under a drone attack on Monday, and was temporarily shut down. Qatar’s Defense Ministry said two drones struck energy facilities in the industrial city of Ras Laffan and Mesaieed with no reported casualties. QatarEnergy said it would stop its production of liquefied natural gas after the attacks. Oman said an oil tanker was attacked by an explosive-laden boat in the gulf of Oman on Monday. Earlier in the day, debris fell on Kuwait’s Ahmadi oil refinery, injuring two workers, after drones were shot down, the state-run KUNA news agency reported. Meanwhile, Chevron said it has been instructed by Israel’s Energy Ministry to temporarily shut down production at the Leviathan gas field. Oil prices surged to
a 52-week high on Monday.
* **Trump’s estimate of the length of the war shifts from “days” to “weeks”:** On Saturday, Trump [claimed][30] on Truth Social that military action was justified because Tehran tried to interfere in the 2020 and 2024 U.S. presidential elections. On Saturday and [Sunday][31], Trump said U.S. strikes on Iran would continue until American objectives were achieved, warning Iranian security forces to surrender while urging citizens to rise up. He offered [varying timelines][32] for the war, running from “two or three days” to “four to five weeks” and acknowledged further U.S. casualties were likely. Trump told [Axios][33], [The Atlantic][34], and [The New York Times][35] that he sees potential “off ramps” and has agreed to talks with Tehran. On [Sunday][36], President Trump told ABC the U.S. had identified possible candidates to take over Iran after the death of Khamenei and other members of the country’s senior leadership, but that all of them were killed in the weekend’s strikes. “The
attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump said. “It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead.”
* **Top Iranian official Larijani signals Iran’s willingness to fight: **Ali Larijani, the current secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and one of the most influential figures within the Iranian government, made several public statements about the Iranian government’s unwillingness to bend in the face of U.S. and Israeli aggression. On Saturday, he [vowed][37] “retaliation” that would make “Zionist criminals and the shameless Americans regret their actions.” He stressed that the casualties suffered were “very low” in the eyes of the Iranian government, and said that the armed forces of the country were experienced and ready for further aggression.
On Sunday, Larijani [underscored][38] the posture that the government intends to take, saying unequivocally: “We will not negotiate with the United States.” Earlier Sunday, Aragchi said, “They must explain why they launched this aggression. After the attacks stop and they provide an explanation, we will consider how to respond.”
* **Iranian foreign minister defends retaliation: **On Saturday, Araghchi [said][39] in calls with counterparts in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq that U.S. and Israeli strikes were a “flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter”, and warned that any territory used to launch attacks on Iran would be treated as a legitimate target. In interviews with [NBC][40] and [ABC][41] News, Araghchi said Iran was acting in self-defense against U.S. military bases being used to attack it and insisted Tehran would respond “whatever it takes.” When asked by American reporters why Iran carried out several strikes on U.S. bases over the weekend, Aragchi responded accordingly: “We are under an attack from you. This is obvious. This is a very simple fact,” he told NBC.
* **U.S. and Israel burning through munitions: **Limited U.S. and Israeli interceptor stockpiles are influencing planning, the Financial Times [reported][42], noting the Pentagon has ordered fewer than 650 THAAD interceptors since 2010 and could burn through large quantities quickly in a sustained exchange, after expending up to 150 during last year’s 12-day war with Iran. Officials told the paper that “magazine depth” may constrain the scope or duration of operations and force trade-offs affecting U.S. commitments in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific.
* **China backs Iran’s “self-defense”:** Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in a phone call that Beijing supports Tehran in “defending its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity, and national dignity,” following U.S.-Israeli attacks that have killed hundreds since Saturday. Wang also “urged the US and Israel to immediately cease military operations, avoid further escalation of tensions and prevent the conflict from spreading to the entire Middle East region.”
# Attacks on Lebanon
* **Israel pounds Lebanon, killing 31, after Hezbollah fires rockets: **At least 31 people were killed and over 140 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon late Sunday and Monday after Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at northern Israel. It marked the first major violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah since it took effect in November 2024. Over that period, Israel has bombed Lebanon on a near daily basis and committed over 15,000 ceasefire violations, according to the UN. Hezbollah said it [launched][43] “advanced missiles” and a swarm of drones at the Mishmar al-Karmel missile defense site south of Haifa, calling the strike retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and for ongoing Israeli operations in Lebanon. Israel launched strikes across southern Lebanon and on the capital of Beirut. Tens of thousands in southern and eastern Lebanon are estimated to have fled their homes after the Israeli military ordered residents of 50 towns and villages to
evacuate. The Israeli military threatened to invade Lebanon and Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim ‌Qassem is now a “target for elimination.” Qassem succeeded longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah after he was assassinated by Israel in September 2024.
* **Lebanon’s prime minister demands ban on Hezbollah operations: **Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam [said][44] Hezbollah’s military activities are “illegal acts” and demanded the group hand over its weapons. He said rocket fire from southern Lebanon was an “irresponsible and suspicious act” that threatens national security. “We prohibit Hezbollah’s military activities and confine its role to the political sphere, and we demand that the military institutions implement this,” Salam said.
# The Gaza Genocide and the West Bank
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, at least one Palestinian was killed and five wounded in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,097 killed, with 171,796 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 630 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,698, while 735 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israel closes Gaza crossings and halts aid staff rotations: The **Israeli military has [reimposed][45] a total closure on Gaza, shutting all crossings, including Rafah, “until further notice” COGAT said humanitarian staff rotations are postponed, preventing aid workers from entering or leaving the enclave. Israeli authorities claimed the aid already present in the area would suffice for an extended period even though Israel has only allowed in a fraction of the agreed-upon aid since the ceasefire went into effect. Food prices immediately soared in Gaza with Palestinians rushing to markets for basic goods. World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés warned the organization will run out of food this week. The group is currently preparing about 1 million hot meals per day, according to their estimates.
* **Israel blocks movement in the West Bank:** Israeli forces began enforcing strict restrictions on movement for Palestinians across the occupied West Bank on Saturday as it launched its war on Iran. Some 1,000 checkpoints and entrances to cities, towns, and villages have been closed until further notice, paralyzing daily life.
# United States
*By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at [[email protected]][46].*
* **Congress to vote on War Powers Resolution: **The Senate currently plans to vote Tuesday, and the House on Wednesday, on a resolution that would put lawmakers on record on whether to limit Trump’s war on Iran. In the House, opponents of the war are actively pressuring Democratic leaders **Hakeem Jeffries and Katherine Clark** to whip support for the measure rather than advise members to vote however they want—referred to as a “vote of conscience” on Capitol Hill. On Saturday, Jeffries [said][47] the Trump administration must immediately explain its decision to strike Iran and clearly define its national security objectives. He also urged the White House to articulate a plan to avoid another costly and prolonged military incursion in the Middle East.
* **“This is not a vote of conscience,** this is a vote about the Constitution and Article 1 responsibilities for members of Congress,” Rep. **Pramila Jayapal** told Drop Site. In the first year of the Trump administration, Jeffries and Clark have largely refrained from exerting discipline over the Democratic caucus, allowing significant defections beginning with the Laiken Riley Act, which set the stage for Trump’s violent mass deportation policy. The resolution from Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie is being publicly opposed by three Democrats: Josh Gottheimer of northern New Jersey, Thomas Suozzi of Long Island, and Greg Landsman of Cincinnati. Republican Warren Davidson, also of Ohio, however,[ has signaled he may break ranks and support it][48].
* **First anti-war ad of the midterm election cycle: **Voters in Texas and North Caroline go to the polls on Tuesday in closely-watched primaries. In North Carolina’s fourth district, [AIPAC is secretly funneling money through a PAC linked to Hakeem Jeffries][49] to boost incumbent **Valerie Foushee**, who won in 2022 thanks to an influx of more than $2 million from AIPAC. She is facing a rematch from Durham County Commissioner **Nida Allam**. [Allam on Monday launched an ad condemning the Iran war][50]; it will air during the Duke-N.C. State basketball game Monday night. In it, Allam slams Foushee for taking money from defense contractors and an AI company used by the Pentagon in the attack. (Ironically, that firm, Anthropic, is being pushed out by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, but in the meantime it is spending more than $1.5 million dollars backing Foushee.) In Texas, polls have Democrat **James Talarico** slightly ahead of **Jasmine Crockett** in the Senate primary, while **Attorney
General Ken Paxton** holds a slight lead over incumbent** Republican Sen. John Cornyn**. The GOP primary is likely to head to a very expensive runoff. If the ethically challenged, scandal-plagued Paxton emerges the primary winner, Democrats feel they have a genuine chance at flipping the seat.
* **Rashida Tlaib, AOC denounce U.S.–Israeli strikes and call for Congress to act: **On Sunday, Rep. Rashida Tlaib [issued][51] a sweeping condemnation of the U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran, calling it an “illegal war of aggression” that has already killed children and risks igniting a catastrophic regional conflict. She accused President Trump of ignoring public opposition to a new war, criticized U.S. sanctions policy, and rejected the framing of the campaign as promoting democracy, saying “you cannot ‘free’ people by killing them.” Tlaib urged Congress to reconvene to assert its war powers and stop further escalation. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [called][52] President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran “unlawful” and “unnecessary” and said she would vote “Yes” on the measure.
* **Sen. Tim Kaine says no imminent threat justified war with Iran: **Sen. Tim Kaine [said][53] on CNN that, based on the classified information he’s seen, there was no imminent threat from Iran to the United States that would justify sending American forces into another war, and he criticized the strikes as lacking legal authority. Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced the parallel War Powers Resolution in the Senate. “Trump administration officials acknowledged in closed-door briefings with congressional staff on Sunday that there was no intelligence suggesting Iran planned to attack U.S. forces first,” [Reuters confirmed][54].
* **Sen. John Fetterman backed strikes, even as Oman said diplomacy was close: **On Sunday, Senator John Fetterman [defended][55] President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran, telling CNN that Trump had tried to negotiate firm agreements barring Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons but that Iran refused (a misstatement of the facts, according to the Omani Foreign Minister). “Remind everybody…you are never allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, and clearly they was,” he said.
* **Dark money–funded think tanks pushed regime change:** Conservative dark money networks funneled millions into think tanks advocating regime change, including the Center for Security Policy and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Donors Trust, tied to conservative legal strategist Leonard Leo and funded in part by billionaire Barre Seid, gave more than $2.7 million to the Center for Security Policy between 2020 and 2023, while the Sarah Scaife Foundation, financed by the Mellon oil fortune, provided over $1.6 million to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies during the same period. The groups have publicly urged the Iranian public to overthrow its government and warned of threats to the United States. **Report from The Lever available [here][56].**
* **Sen. Bernie Sanders unveils billionaire tax: **Jeff Stein in the Washington Post reports that Sanders is proposing a mega-tax on America’s roughly 1,000 billionaires, a levy that would raise a staggering $4.4 trillion and looks to reshape the conversation around wealth and inequality. The tax would pay for $3,000 stimulus checks to everyone earning less than $150,000 a year and also go toward proving universal child care, reducing health insurance premiums, expanding Medicaid, and requiring Medicare to cover vision, hearing, and dental, among other investments in housing and education. Potential Democratic presidential candidate Ro Khanna called it a “bold economic proposal” and said he would be working with Sanders on it.
* **LEAKED Email: Kat Abughazeleh “firmly an interventionist,” foreign policy adviser said:** Kat Abughazaleh, a socialist Democratic candidate in Illinois’ 9th District and one of the only Palestinian-Americans seeking office in 2026, was [described][57] by her national security adviser as “firmly an interventionist” who “won’t stop until Russia is made to pay for its crimes,” in written responses detailing her foreign policy vision, obtained by Drop Site. Abughazaleh subsequently said the email’s content was unauthorized and the individual was no longer on her staff. She said the advisor misrepresented her as an “interventionist,” while reiterating her support for arming the Ukrainian people, and eliminating “strategic ambiguity” with respect to China/Taiwan. **[The full leaked email is here.][58]**
# Other International News
* **169 killed in attacks in South Sudan: **At least 169 people, including 90 civilians, were killed in South Sudan on Monday after militants raided a village in Abiemnom county, a remote area of the country, according to the Associated Press. The U.N. Mission in South Sudan said in a statement that 1,000 people sought shelter with its base after the attack. The killings are part of an escalating wave of violence gripping South Sudan as forces loyal to President Salva Kiir battle armed groups believed to be loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar.
* **Afghanistan says it fired on Pakistani jets as border fighting intensifies: **Afghanistan’s Taliban administration said it carried out air defense attacks against Pakistani aircraft over Kabul on Sunday, after explosions and gunfire shook the capital, according to [Reuters][59]. Heavy fighting has escalated between the countries along the 2,600-kilometer border, with a Pakistani official declaring that they were at “open war” last week.
* **Russian tanker bound for Cuba is drifting in the North Atlantic: **The Russian tanker Sea Horse, believed to be carrying about 200,000 barrels of diesel for Cuba, was diverted on February 25 and is now drifting in the North Atlantic to avoid potential U.S. enforcement action, Bloomberg reports. Although the Treasury Department said oil resales benefiting Cuba’s private sector would be permitted, infrastructure constraints and few reported deliveries—about 150 barrels per day versus roughly 22,000 barrels needed for basic operations—suggest that the shortfall will persist.
* **Argentine soldier detained in Venezuela released after more than a year: **An Argentine soldier, Nahuel Gallo, who had been held in Venezuela since late 2024, has been released and has already left the country, Reuters [reported][60].
* **Argentine Senate approves Javier Milei’s anti-labor reform: **On Friday, Argentina’s Senate approved a sweeping labor reform backed by President Javier Milei, with the bill passing 42–28 with two abstentions. The overhaul weakens worker protections, including the right to strike, and unions say that the employer-funded severance scheme it creates could affect pension resources. **[Read more on this bill][61] from Drop Site contributor Sam Carliner.**
# More from Drop Site
* **DOJ records show Epstein role in Gates Foundation polio work in Pakistan:** Newly released United States Department of Justice documents detail Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s anti-polio campaign in Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. Emails show Epstein positioning himself as a gatekeeper between the foundation and the International Peace Institute, and receiving confidential field reports that included sensitive information about Taliban contacts, Pakistani military operations, and references to North Atlantic Treaty Organization activity. The disclosures, which come as Bill Gates publicly acknowledges and regrets his past association with Epstein, risk further inflaming mistrust of vaccination campaigns in Pakistan, where polio eradication efforts have long been entangled with intelligence operations and regional conflict. **The latest on Pakistan from Waqas Ahmed and Murtaza Hussain [here][62].**
* **On Saturday, Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim discussed Trump’s launch of the war on Iran **with guests Ali Abunimah of The Electronic Intifada and Iranian-American writer Hooman Majd, Jeremy and Ryan discussed the roots and potential futures of the conflict in Iran. **That livestream is here:**
* Jeremy Scahill joined Hasan Piker’s livestream to discuss Iran. **His appearance is here:**
* Ryan Grim joined Rania Khalek on BreakThrough News on Saturday to discuss the war on Iran, with a particular eye to the way U.S. domestic politics might forge its path.** Here**:
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[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027819619122110961
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027810895691128983
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027908621745475599
[54]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pentagon-tells-congress-no-sign-that-iran-was-going-attack-us-first-sources-say-2026-03-02/?taid=69a552c63c32b50001a2e0ac&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
[55]: https://x.com/halalflow/status/2028216090594050212
[56]: https://www.levernews.com/the-shadow-campaign-behind-the-iran-strike/
[57]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027501433285755327
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027501433285755327?s=20
[59]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/blasts-heard-kabul-amid-clashes-between-afghan-pakistani-forces-2026-03-01/
[60]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/argentine-soldier-detained-venezuela-released-argentina-says-2026-03-02/
[61]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/argentina-javier-milei-labor-reform-worker-rights-roll-back
[62]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/epstein-sensitive-military-intelligence-bill-gates-pakistan-polio
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iranian-death-toll-rises-to-550-israel

2026-03-01 22:46:01 UTC

Iran Prepared for an Existential War. How Much Are Trump and Israel Willing to Gamble?
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A banner with the image of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen during a memorial vigil on March 1, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Khamenei was confirmed killed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump went to TruthSocial to announce the U.S. and Israel had been successful in assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead,” Trump wrote. “He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”
The New York Times followed with a [breathless account][3] published Sunday purporting to tell the secret story of how the CIA and Israel hunted down Khamenei, “tracking him for months” and “gaining more confidence about his locations and his patterns,” before pinpointing his location so he could be killed. “People briefed on the operation described it as a product of good intelligence and months of preparations,” the report claimed.
Khamenei’s secret location, it turned out, was simply his office.
The U.S. and Israel have consistently claimed Khamenei was in hiding. “This is basically just fabricated drama to make Trump look bigger and more dramatic than he really is,” a senior Iranian official told Drop Site. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about internal matters.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council “personally recommended to [Khamenei] that he relocate, change his workplace, and even adjust his living arrangements for safety reasons,” the Iranian official said. “But [Khamenei] had a completely different perspective on moving—he insisted on keeping things as normal and ordinary as possible, without seeking extra security measures or standing out in any way.”
**[For breaking news updates, follow Drop Site News on X.][4]**
Ali Larijani, the chair of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Iranian officials anticipated that the U.S. and Israel would target Khamenei. “They decided to strike him first. This analysis was also circulating among military circles—that they were pursuing exactly this objective,” he told Iranian state TV after Iran confirmed Khamenei was killed.
“This event is an extraordinarily bitter one for us,” Larijani added. “America and the Zionists, through this act, have effectively created a situation for Iran—for the Iranian people—that we must say: You have burned the heart of the Iranian people. We will burn your hearts in return.”
As of Sunday morning, the Iranian Red Crescent and state-linked media have reported preliminary casualty figures of over 200 people killed and more than 740 injured across Iran, though the actual toll is expected to be significantly higher. One strike on a [girls’ elementary school][5] in Minab killed 165, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
Within hours of the U.S.-Israeli bombing, Iran began launching barrages of ballistic missiles at Israel in attacks that have so far killed at least 11 people and injured several hundred. On Sunday morning, an Iranian missile struck a building near Jerusalem, in an attack that is estimated to have killed at least nine people in a bomb shelter.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran considers bloodshed and revenge against the perpetrators and commanders of this crime as its legitimate duty and right, and will fulfill this great responsibility and duty with all its might,” Pezeshkian said Sunday in a statement carried on state TV.
Iran has also unleashed a series of sustained missile and drone attacks against U.S. military facilities across the Persian Gulf, striking the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, as well as targets in Jordan. The UAE reported three deaths and 58 minor injuries in Iranian strikes, with most of those impacted believed to be foreign workers. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airline hub, was also damaged and partially shut down after an unidentified projectile struck one of its concourses. Two were also killed in Iraq and one in Kuwait.
The attacks have also drawn the first acknowledged U.S. military casualties of the war. In a statement early Sunday, U.S. Central Command announced that three American service members had been killed and five others seriously wounded during “Operation Epic Fury,” adding that several other additional personnel had sustained minor shrapnel injuries. The soldiers killed had been deployed to a base in Kuwait supporting the operation, U.S. officials told NBC News.
Iranian officials have said their initial response to the U.S.-Israeli bombing, while unprecedented in scope, did not represent the full force of Tehran’s potential retaliatory strikes.
## **Is a Diplomatic Solution Still Possible?**
The Saturday strikes on Khamenei’s office wiped out the top echelon of Iran’s political and military structure and killed several of the late Supreme Leader’s family members. Iran, which has spent decades investing in a horizontal leadership structure to defend against this type of attack, announced a new leadership structure. Along with President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s new interim leadership council includes Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, and Ayatollah Ali Arafi, a prominent member of Iran’s Guardian Council and Assembly of Experts—the body that is ultimately responsible for choosing the country’s Supreme Leader.
The White House said President Trump intends to speak with what a U.S. official called the “new potential leadership” of Iran in the coming days and Trump has suggested the war may be shorter in duration than he initially projected. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long,” Trump told The Atlantic. “They could have made a deal. They should’ve done it sooner. They played too cute.”
For now, Trump said in a post on Truth Social, “heavy” bombing would continue “uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary.”
In a [pre-recorded message on Sunday afternoon][6], Trump said, “I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military, police to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death. It will be certain death. Won’t be pretty. I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment.”
Likewise, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would expand its strikes. “In the coming days, we will strike thousands of targets of the terrorist regime,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media. “We will create the conditions for the brave people of Iran to free themselves from the chains of tyranny.”
Trump said he still believes there will be an uprising in Iran spurred by the U.S.-Israeli bombings and assassinations. “I think it’s gonna happen,” Trump told the Atlantic.
“Everyone said that if Ali Khamenei is killed the people will come into the streets to overthrow the regime, and so far that has not happened. Some people have cheered, but overall the system is quite resilient,” said Sina Azodi, director of Middle East studies at Georgetown University. “One thing the Israelis have tried for the past two years is decapitating the top echelon of their enemy and expecting them to implode tomorrow. That works well against non-state actors, but not against a state actor that is quite resilient, has a constitution and other structures in place, and that in its early years already had to go through the experience of total war and leadership assassinations.”
Hooman Majd, an Iranian-American political analyst who served as an advisor to former Iranian President Mohammed Katami, said Iran has been preparing for major U.S.-Israeli attacks since the 12-day war last June, during which more than 1,000 Iranians were killed, including senior military commanders. “Their military leadership is quite deep in terms of both the regular army, the IRGC, and the Navy. They have an ability to sustain a war, perhaps even longer than the U.S. wants to,” Majd told Drop Site. “There will come a point at which Trump may decide Trump is the one who wants the off-ramp, not Iran.”
**[Watch Drop Site’s full conversation with Majd here.][7]**
Majd said that if Iran decided to start targeting oil infrastructure in the Persian Gulf or completely shut off access to the Strait of Hormuz, the economic consequences would be significant. “A financial hit on America and Western Europe is something that nobody wants for a long period of time, certainly not Trump,” he said. “So there’s going to be an advantage for Trump to have [an off ramp]. But if he really believes that Iran is then going to come in and say, ‘Enough, we give up, whatever you want, we’ll do,’ that’s very unlikely.”
Iran, meanwhile, has said it remains open to diplomacy and [has denounced the U.S. “deception”][8] in the purported negotiations that preceded the bombings that began Saturday morning. Technical talks were scheduled for Monday in Vienna. Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr Al Busaidi, the chief mediator of the talks between Iran and the U.S., said Sunday he had spoken with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. In a statement, Al Busaidi called for a ceasefire and said that Araghchi told him Iran was open “to any serious efforts that contribute to stopping the escalation and returning to stability.”
In an appearance Sunday on ABC’s This Week, Araghchi was asked by host George Stephanopoulos if a diplomatic resolution was still possible. “You answer this question,” Araghchi shot back. “We negotiated with the United States twice in the past 12 months. And in both cases, they attacked us in the middle of negotiation. And that has become a very bitter experience for us.”
Dr. Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran, said that Iranian forces still have not used their most powerful weapons systems, including its hypersonic and long-range ballistic missiles, in retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. bases and vessels in the region. If meaningful steps toward a ceasefire or a return to diplomatic talks do not emerge soon, he said, Iran is likely to intensify its military responses.
“[Iranian leaders] are getting this idea that you either use it or lose it. Iran has some capabilities and the other side is hitting these capabilities, so the sense is that Iran should use these capabilities as long as they remain available,” said Izadi, a prominent supporter of the Iranian government, in an interview with Drop Site. “They have to basically measure how much they can use, when they can use it, keeping in mind that they may not be able to access these stockpiles if they wait too long. But when you lose senior commanders, then sometimes making decisions on these issues becomes more difficult.”
## **Iran’s Strikes in the Gulf**
The Gulf states have issued strong denunciations of “Iranian aggression” against them, while avoiding explicit demands for an end to the U.S. attacks that are being launched with the use of military and intelligence facilities on their soil.
“To the countries of the region: We are not seeking to attack you,” said Larijani, one of the central figures directing Iran’s current strategy. “When the bases located in your country are used against us, and when the United States carries out operations in the region relying on these forces, then we will target those bases. For these bases are not part of the land of those countries; rather, they are American soil,” he [wrote on X.][9]
But Iran has not only struck U.S. military facilities. It has also hit civilian airports in Kuwait, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, as well as hotels and other buildings in the UAE and Bahrain. “We have begun targeting their military bases. They evacuated their bases and moved into hotels, turning civilians into human shields,” Araghchi charged in an interview with Al Jazeera. “We are trying to target only military personnel and facilities assisting U.S. operations against Iran.”
On Sunday, an Iranian strike also hit a port in Oman, the central mediator in the recent negotiations between Iran and the US. Araghchi said the strike was not intended as an attack on Oman and indicated that it was the result of pre-selected targets developed before the war began. “We have already told our Armed Forces to be careful about the targets that they choose,” he told Al Jazeera. “Our military units are now, in fact, independent and somehow isolated, and they are acting based on general instructions given to them in advance.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia summoned the Iranian ambassador on Saturday and issued a statement condemning what it described as “cowardly Iranian attacks” targeting its territory. In a Sunday interview with CNN, United Arab Emirates Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy conveyed a similar combative stance, saying that the UAE won’t “sit idly by.” The UAE also said it had closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrawn its ambassador and diplomatic mission.
In an extraordinary meeting held via video conference on Sunday, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned “treacherous Iranian attacks” on GCC countries and Jordan and stated that it will take “all necessary measures to defend its security and stability,” including the option to “respond to the aggression.” The GCC said that attacks happened despite “repeated assurances that their territories would not be used to launch any attack” on Iran and urged for decisive action from the UN Security Council, “noting that the stability of the Gulf region is not only a regional concern but also a cornerstone of global economic stability and maritime navigation.”
Araghchi said that Iran’s Arab neighbors “should be angry at the United States and Israel,” adding, “They should not pressure us to stop this war; they should pressure the other side.”
Analysts have suggested that some of the targets hit by Iran in the opening phase of the war were selected because Iranian intelligence believed they housed Israeli intelligence and defense companies or personnel. The U.S. embassy in Bahrain evacuated government personnel from hotels and issued a [warning][10] for citizens to avoid hotels in the country after an Iranian strike on the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama.
“Right after the 12-day war, with the threat of a new regional conflict looming, Iran’s security and military agencies jointly put together a target bank that included potential strikes on American and Israeli personnel and forces if things escalated into a full-blown regional war,” the senior Iranian official told Drop Site. “The fact that they’ve now pinpointed the residences/locations of some of these forces has really caught the Americans and Israelis off guard. And yeah, the precision and targeting of these attacks are getting sharper and more focused by the day.” There has been no independent confirmation that any of the sites hit by Iran housed Israeli intelligence facilities or personnel.
“The UAE is host to a lot of Israeli intelligence companies, arms companies, and Iran considers those offices legitimate targets because they’re Israeli targets,” Izadi said. “The UAE government has allowed Israelis to basically have an unofficial base in different parts of UAE. Part of the Israeli operation against Iran is run out of the UAE. So Iran has been monitoring these places.”
On Sunday, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that an Iranian drone struck an apartment inhabited by Israelis in Abu Dhabi near the Israeli embassy. The UAE is one of the only Muslim countries in the world to have normalized relations with Israel and officials from both countries often publicly celebrate their close ties.
Amid a wave of attacks on targets in the UAE including iconic buildings like the Burj al-Arab hotel, which was reportedly struck by a drone, multiple fires visible from satellite imagery also broke out at one of the berths at Jebel Ali Port after debris from what local authorities claimed was as an “aerial interception” struck the area. Jebel Ali is the largest container shipping port in the Middle East and a critical node in the Emirati economy. DP World, which operates the facility, announced that it was suspending operations at the port temporarily in response to the attack.
The leaders of France, Germany and the UK issued a joint statement Sunday that appeared to indicate they may get involved directly with the U.S.-Israeli war. “We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” they wrote. “We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter.“
Faced with an existential war, Iran has long signaled it could retaliate by striking the global economy—including by hitting oil facilities around the Persian Gulf. In addition to the attacks on Jebel Ali, at least two ships, including an oil tanker, in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz were also hit by projectiles over the past 24 hours. The Iranian government has warned ships not to attempt to cross the strait, through which roughly 20% of global oil and gas production flows. As of Sunday, over 200 ships, including at least 150 oil and gas tankers, are estimated to have dropped anchor outside the waterway, while commercial traffic has plunged 70%. Oil prices have already risen by over 10% to over $80 a barrel and could rise above $100 in the event of further escalation.
“Iran’s strategy and only real option is to continue attacking and increase the costs on the Americans and U.S. allies. Part of that strategy of increasing costs means attacking the GCC countries but also hitting U.S. bases in the region. We have now seen the three Americans killed and the Iranians know that Americans are sensitive to casualties including in a midterm election year,” said Azodi. “For Iran, an ideal scenario might be to fight for three to four weeks after which there is no clear winner at the end—they are trying to increase pressure in every way. They cannot win the war but they can absorb a lot of punishment and can force it to stop.”
*Jawa Ahmad, Drop Site’s Middle East research fellow, contributed to this report.*
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2026-03-01 20:20:07 UTC

After a Sports Hall in Iran Was Bombed, Witnesses Describe Chaos and “Continuous Screaming”
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A sports hall in Lemard, southern Iran, where dozens of teenage girls were attending training sessions, was bombed on February 28, 2026. Photo distributed by Fars news agency.
LAMERD, IRAN—Dozens of teenage girls were attending their regular training sessions of volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics in the main sports hall in Lamerd, a city near the Persian coast, when a missile slammed into the building at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Additional strikes hit two nearby residential areas and a hall adjacent to a school, as the U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran on the first day of what President Donald Trump declared as a regime change war. According to local officials cited in Iranian state media, the strikes on Lamerd killed at least 18 civilians and wounded scores more.
“Within seconds of the missile strike, the windows shattered into thousands of fragments. Sports equipment, balls, tables, barriers flew through the air. Black smoke filled the space. The smell of gunpowder made breathing almost impossible. The screaming began immediately, layered with the sound of debris collapsing and concrete falling from the ceiling,” Mohammed Saed Khorshedy, a 29-year-old worker at the gym who witnessed the attack, told Drop Site News.
The facility sits on the outskirts of Lamerd, a quiet city in Fars province, near the surrounding Zagros mountain range, giving the natural landscape an uneven, rugged character. The rectangular building is at a crossroads connecting the city center to Bandar Assaluyeh, an industrial port and energy hub on the Persian Gulf.
The sports hall was poorly maintained, with deteriorating walls surrounded by a low perimeter fence. A high arched metal roof sat atop a reinforced concrete frame and a rubber floor for volleyball and other sports. The missile struck the middle of the roof, destroying a large part of the building. The main court, small spectator stands, changing rooms, and coach’s office were all reduced to rubble.
Hossein Gholami, a 50-year-old elementary school teacher, was returning from work when he heard the blast. His 16-year-old daughter, Zahra, was training in the hall.
“I noticed a strange gathering of people at the corner of the street leading to the sports hall,” Gholami told Drop Site. “The screaming was rising from a distance. A colleague ran toward me, waving his arm, and said in a shaken voice: ‘Zahra, the hall, there has been an explosion.’ I felt as though the ground had split beneath my feet. Everything around me became hazy,” he said. “I ran immediately, and with every step the columns of black smoke rose higher, while the smell of fire and flames entered my nose with force.”
When he reached the site, he came upon a scene of horror. “The continuous screaming of the injured mixed with the sounds of secondary explosions. The ground was covered in debris and shattered glass. It was difficult to move with all the rubble. Ambulances arrived after about twenty minutes, but most of the injured were in critical condition,” he said. “The smell of blood and burns covered everything…the survivors were injured with fractures and burns from the shrapnel.”
Later, he learned that Zahra was among the dead. “Every time I close my eyes I see her face, her smile, and I hear the sound of the explosion,” Gholami said.
There has been no public statement by the U.S. or Israeli on the Lamerd strikes. CENTCOM and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The bombing of the sports hall in Lamerd came hours after a strike on a [girls’ elementary school][3] in Minab, another small city on the Persian Gulf, further east near the Strait of Hormuz, that, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, killed 165 people, many of them schoolgirls. Neither the U.S. nor Israel claimed that strike. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area of Minab; CENTCOM’s spokesperson said they were “looking into” reports. Another strike hit an adjacent IRGC naval base and the USS Abraham Lincoln is stationed nearby.
The governor of Lamerd said “The United States and the Zionist regime fired missiles at the sports hall while female students were playing inside,” according to the Fars news agency.
As of Sunday morning, the Iranian Red Crescent and state-linked media have reported preliminary casualty figures of over 200 people killed and more than 740 injured across Iran. Iran launched retaliatory strikes across nine countries in the region: Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with a total of 18 killed, according to a tally by Al Jazeera.
Mir Dehdasht, an administrative officer at Azad university whose 15-year-old daughter Rabab Dehdasht was training at the sports hall, was at home when a neighbor knocked on his door to tell him the facility had been attacked.
“I ran immediately toward the place, and when I arrived, I found burning cars and rubble scattered everywhere,” Dehdasht told Drop Site. “The injured were bleeding heavily, some had lost consciousness on the ground, others were screaming without stopping. Their voices were deafening.”
He continued: “Blood and dust covered everything, and the rubble blocked quick access to the building. Rescue teams were working with extreme care to bring out the injured athletes and the bodies of the victims. The screaming filled everything,” he said. “Robab did not survive the force of the explosion, while others survived but with life-threatening injuries. I felt complete helplessness.”
Farhad Za’eri, a retired Ministry of Health employee, received the news of the strike by phone. His 16-year-old daughter Elahe, was also there.
“I left immediately with some neighbors. The roads were unusually congested and there was a sense of anxiety throughout the neighborhood,” Za’eri told Drop Site. “When we arrived, the rescue teams were already there and they had begun bringing out the bodies one by one.”
“I did not know what I would see,” he continued, “but when I got close to the place where they were bringing out the victims, I felt a heaviness in my chest. Every body that was lifted carried the mark of pain, and the rescue effort was trying to distinguish between those who could still be saved and those whose lives had ended,” he said. “There were voices from every direction, everyone was trying to understand what had happened. In that moment, everything inside me was silent, and I was waiting for them to tell me about my daughter Elahe.”
Elahe’s body was eventually brought out. “My daughter’s body was completely destroyed. It appears she was directly hit by the strike. The lower part of her body was completely destroyed,” Za’eri said. “How can a father describe what he feels when he sees his child like this? All my memories of her, her laugh, her training, her dreams, collapsed before my eyes in a single moment.”
*This story was published in collaboration with [Egab][4].*
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2026-02-28 21:28:37 UTC

U.S. and Israel Attack Iran as Trump Announces Regime Change War
The U.S. and Israel continue to attack Iran in a massive bombing campaign that President Donald Trump characterized as the start of a regime change war. Tehran has launched an unprecedented series of retaliatory attacks at U.S. military bases and other targets across the region and has hit Israel with a series of intense missile strikes. There are widespread reports that the US-led attacks have killed senior Iranian leadership.
In this special Drop Site News broadcast, **Jeremy Scahill** and **Ryan Grim** speak with **Hooman Majd**, an Iranian-American analyst and author who served as an advisor to former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, and **Ali Abunimah**, one of the founders of Electronic Intifada, who is in Amman, Jordan.
**[Read all of Drop Site’s coverage of Iran here.][1]**
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2026-02-28 20:55:34 UTC

“Small Children Who Knew Nothing of Politics or Wars”
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An image of a girls’ elementary school hit by an airstrike on Saturday in Minab, Iran [posted by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X][3].
*Story by Mahmoud Aslan*
MINAB and TEHRAN, IRAN—Mohammed Shariatmadar stood outside the wreckage of the Shajareh Tayyiba girls’ elementary school in Minab, in southern Iran on Saturday morning, unable to process what he was seeing. His six year-old daughter, Sara, a second grade student, was among dozens of girls killed when the school was bombed in the first few hours of the war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Iran.
In the immediate aftermath of the strike he remained standing in the shade of a cracked wall, staring at the ground and ignoring the commotion around him. He didn’t approach the building, which had been sealed off, but he didn’t move away either. His hands knotted together, then separated, then knotted again, in a repeated motion. Every time a paramedic emerged or an ambulance moved, he quickly raised his head, then returned to staring at the ground. He asked no one a direct question. He was only waiting for his daughter’s name to be called.
When families were finally directed to a gathering point to receive the bodies of their children, he slowly moved forward. When asked if he needed help, he shook his head silently and waited for his daughter’s body to be brought out.
“I cannot understand how a place where innocent children learn can be bombed like this,” Shariatmadar told Drop Site. “We are talking about small children who knew nothing of politics or wars. And yet they are the ones paying the highest price.”
Some 170 students were inside the building attending morning classes when the missile struck. At least 108 people were killed, according to the public prosecutor’s office in Minab, many of them schoolgirls between seven and 12 years old.
It was unclear if it was a U.S. or Israeli strike. On Saturday, CENTCOM’s spokesperson said they were “looking into” the reports.
“My heart is broken,” Shariatmadar said. “For Sara and for all the children we lost today. I want the world to know that the children are the real victims. Every day that passes without a solution increases the pain and the suffering for the families and for the children alike.”
Minab sits far from Tehran, but the school was adjacent to a naval base belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Hormozgan province, where the small city of Minab is located, borders the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically sensitive waterways.
A resident of Minab, who spoke to Drop Site on the condition of anonymity, said explosions shook the city Saturday morning, sending residents into an immediate panic. Then reports started emerging that the school had been hit.
“Everyone rushed to the school the moment they heard the blasts,” the resident, who spoke to Drop Site on the condition of anonymity, said. “Chaos took over completely. Security forces were trying to push families back, fearing the area would be targeted again.”
The school building was reduced to a massive pile of rubble and dozens of schoolgirls were trapped under the concrete. People began trying to frantically dig them out with their bare hands. Families wandered around in shock, searching for their children amid the wreckage. “The final number of dead reached around half the students in the school,” the resident said.
Fatima al-Zahra Mohammad Ali, a nine-year-old student, was among those killed. “When we arrived at the school, the place was in chaos,” her mother, Amina Ansari, told Drop Site. The girl’s father, Mohammad Ali, who lost his right leg during the Iran-Iraq war, did not want to speak.
“The school itself didn’t know how to handle the situation,” Ansari said. “There was no accurate information about what was happening. Every time we asked someone they said, ‘Be patient until we get the girls out from under the rubble.’” The family did not learn that Fatima had been killed until around 4 p.m., when her body was discovered.
In a [statement][4], President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the “brutal attack by American and Zionist aggressors,” calling it a “barbaric act [that] is another black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the invaders of this land.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [posted][5] an image of the destroyed school on social media. “It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils,” Araghchi wrote. “Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone. These crimes against the Iranian people will not go unanswered.”
“We do not understand the reasons for the U.S. attack on Iran,” he continued in a subsequent post. “Perhaps the U.S. administration was dragged into it. Here is what I do know: Iran will punish those who kill our children.”
Seyyed Ibrahim Mirkhayali, a municipal employee from Bandar Abbas, was also at the school gate. His nine-year-old daughter, Zeinab, a fourth-grade student, was killed in the bombing.
“I was at work when my wife called and told me that the girls’ primary school in Minab had been bombed. I could not process what I was hearing at first. Then I left immediately and drove to the school,” Mirkhayali told Drop Site. When he arrived he found a large crowd of parents standing outside. Some were crying. Others stood in heavy silence.
“The atmosphere was terrifying and catastrophic. The parents were in a deadly silence, filled with fear and dread for their daughters. We did not know who had gotten out and who was still under the rubble,” he said.
He said news seeped out gradually from inside the school as search and rescue operations continued. Every name announced changed the fate of an entire family.
“How long are we going to live like this? Why can’t the United States and Israel reach an agreement with Iran and end this war? What happened is a crime,” he said. “Since the last war we have not lived a stable life in our country because of the United States and Israel.”
The family waited through the afternoon. Near sunset, they were informed that Zeinab was among the dead. “We stayed until her body was brought out from under the rubble,” he said. Her body was largely intact. “But her head was crushed by falling stones from the building. That is what killed her.”
An ambulance took the body to the hospital. The family began the legal process of obtaining a burial permit. “We are waiting for the permits. The burial is expected tomorrow,” he said.
Mirkhayali recounted how Zeinab had memorized the Quran and was preparing to compete in a recitation competition in Tehran in two months. “I had a great dream for my daughter. She was hardworking and outstanding, and she had memorized the book of God. Her participation in the competition was a source of pride for all of us. My dream died with her.”
Iranian state media, citing the Red Crescent, on Saturday evening said at least 201 people had been killed across the country and more than 700 injured.
Iranians gather at Palestine Square carrying Iranian flags, chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans to protest the attacks by the United States and Israel in Tehran, the capital of Iran, on February 28, 2026. Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images.
## **The scene in Tehran**
Several hours after President Donald Trump announced the launch of the war in a taped statement, Iran’s National Security Council issued a statement, assuring residents of Tehran that food supplies were stable but advising those who wished to leave the capital to do so, while urging them to avoid traffic congestion. The council’s reasoning, according to the statement, was to prevent a repeat of the mass flight that occurred during the U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran in June, when hundreds of thousands fled the capital to Turkey and to other Iranian cities including Gilan, Qom, and Isfahan, and Israeli strikes on those convoys killed dozens.
By the time the statement was issued, the exodus had already begun. Tehran’s main roads and highways filled with cars. Families loaded luggage onto rooftops or piled it between seats. Horns blared continuously. Passengers shouted into phones trying to reach relatives. Children cried. Women wept openly. Gas stations descended into chaos with growing queues of cars as fuel ran out within minutes at some locations. Nearby shops and small markets were emptied of food, water, and medicine as residents bought whatever they could carry, fearing supply disruptions or further strikes in the hours ahead.
University students from outside Tehran, those studying in the capital but from other provinces joined the flight. Some ran to catch buses. Others drove themselves, laptops and notebooks thrown into bags alongside whatever personal items they could grab.
Not everyone fled. At Palestine Square, one of Tehran’s most politically charged public spaces, scores of Iranians gathered to protest the strikes. They raised Iranian flags and portraits of Supreme Leader Khamenei and former commander Qassem Soleimani. They burned photographs of Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
*This story was published in collaboration with [Egab][6].*
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2026-02-28 15:15:27 UTC

As Trump Launches “Massive” Regime Change War, Iran Strikes Back at U.S. Bases and Vows Not to Capitulate
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In a pre-recorded video statement, President Donald Trump announced what he characterized as the launch of a war aimed at toppling the Iranian government and destroying its missiles and naval forces.
At approximately 9:40 a.m. local time in Iran, President Donald Trump launched what he bluntly characterized as a regime change war aimed at eliminating the Iranian leadership, destroying the country’s missile system and naval forces, and calling on Iranians to rise up and seize control in the aftermath of the attacks. The bombing campaign was initiated by Israel but Trump’s statement announcing U.S. involvement made clear the stakes to Iranians: “Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take,” Trump said in a taped statement on Truth Social soon after Operation Epic Fury began. “This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
In what has now become a signature component of Trump’s approach to Iran, the U.S. constructed a false veneer of continuing diplomatic negotiations, only to turn around and launch a major attack.
In the months running up to the strike, Israel and the U.S. reportedly engaged in close coordination to synchronize attacks aimed at decapitating the leadership of Iran and degrading its ballistic missile program. This morning, strikes targeted both the Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei and President Masoud Pezeshkian; while Israel claimed the targeting was successful, Iran denied that either had been killed.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking in an interview with NBC, said Iran’s supreme leader and president are still alive “as far as I know.” Araghchi added that while “one or two,” commanders may have been killed, senior government officials including the head of judiciary and the parliament speaker survived.
Technical negotiations on the nuclear file were scheduled for Monday in Vienna, and the Omani foreign minister—who had been mediating the talks—had just concluded a visit to the U.S. where he met with Vice President JD Vance and proclaimed that a diplomatic agreement was within reach. It was the precise tactic Trump employed last June when the U.S. and Israel initiated a 12-day bombing campaign targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and killing more than 1,000 Iranians in the process.
“Once again, diplomacy has been reduced to an instrument of deception, and international law has been openly disregarded by the United States. The assassination or elimination of Iranian political and military officials will have no impact on the continuity and authority of the Iranian system,” a senior Iranian official told Drop Site on the condition of anonymity because he was not officially authorized to speak. “We had anticipated that unlawful and aggressive attacks by the United States and Israel were far more probable than the acceptance of a fair and effective agreement. For this very reason, the military and political posture of the country had been carefully planned and structured for precisely such circumstances.”
In his announcement of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, Trump spoke in sweeping terms about the military and political objectives, boasting that “no military on earth is even close to its power, strength, or sophistication.”
“We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally totally, again, obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” Trump said. He called on members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) to lay down their weapons and surrender. “ I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death,” Trump said. “You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death.”
Dr. Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran, told Drop Site that despite the massive deployment of military assets in the region and Trump’s vow to enact regime change, he believes the stated aim will ultimately fail. “They cannot do it. It’s not possible—physically not possible. Iran has a population of over 90 million. You cannot kill everybody,” Izadi said. “Iran is not an organization or a small entity. Iran is a serious country with a serious history. And we have seen aggression in the 7,000 years of Iranian history. And the aggressors have been defeated and Iran has continued to live.”
In contrast with previous attacks by the U.S. and Israel, within hours of bombs hitting cities across Iran, Tehran unleashed a series of ballistic missile and drone strikes aimed at Israel and U.S. military facilities across the Persian Gulf, as well as in Jordan. Iran targeted U.S. assets in Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq.
It is not yet clear what targets were hit in Israel. Videos of Iranian Shahed drones and ballistic missiles hitting U.S. positions quickly emerged on social media including attacks on radar stations in Bahrain. Only one casualty has been officially reported so far in the attacks—a laborer in the UAE killed by shrapnel from an intercepted missile. Reports have also emerged online of strikes targeting the Muwaffaq al-Salti airbase in Jordan, which is hosting dozens of U.S. military aircraft deployed for use in the operation.
Smoke from an Iranian missile attack targeting the headquarters of the U.S. Navyâs Fifth Fleet in Bahrain on February 28, 2026. Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images.
“The instruction [the Iranian military] had was that once the US or Israel attacked, the targets that were supposed to be hit were supposed to be hit, and they needed no more instructions, and that’s what they did. And this is going to continue,” said Izadi, who maintains close contacts with members of Iran’s leadership. “The consensus here is that the pain for the other side should be strong enough so these types of attacks every few months are not carried out against Iran.”
Trump acknowledged that U.S. personnel could be killed in his war based on Iran’s capacity to launch strong ballistic missile counterstrikes. “My administration has taken every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties,” Trump said. “That often happens in war, but we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future, and it is a noble mission.”
Gulf Arab countries and Jordan all issued condemnations of Iranian “aggression,” but did not condemn the U.S. launching the war against Iran. Saudi Arabia quickly condemned the Iranian counter attack instead of the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes, with the foreign ministry saying in a [statement][4] that it “denounces in strongest terms the blatant Iranian aggression and the flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan. The Kingdom affirms its full solidarity with and unwavering support for the brotherly countries, and its readiness to place all its capabilities at their disposal in support of any measures they may undertake.”
“The failure of countries in the region—especially those hosting American military bases—to condemn this criminal U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran is deeply regrettable. This is not merely an Iranian matter; it is a matter concerning the entire region,” the Iranian official told Drop Site. Pointing out that Iran is striking U.S. bases in these countries, he added, “It is certain that American soldiers stationed in the region will not return home alive.”
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Last month, as the threat of a U.S. attack was growing, Saudi Arabia struck a different chord, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman calling Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to inform him that the kingdom was ruling out the use of its airspace for a potential attack. The UAE also said it would not allow its airspace or territorial waters to be used in any military action against Iran.
The breadth and immediacy of Tehran’s retaliatory strikes in the region are unprecedented. In his statement to NBC, Araghchi said Iran had communicated its intentions to Gulf Arab countries, stating that “I was in contact with my colleagues in the Persian Gulf and explained to them that we have intention to attack them; but we are actually attacking the American bases in an act of self-defense. We cannot just sit and watch them attack us and not respond simply because their bases are in a friendly neighboring country.”
After the initial wave of U.S. and Israeli attacks, videos circulated showing the aftermath of an airstrike that struck a girls’ elementary school in southern Iran, including harrowing images of families screaming and searching through the rubble of the collapsed building. According to state-run IRNA news outlet, the attack on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, a city in southern Iran, killed at least 60 students. Many more students were reportedly trapped beneath the debris; approximately 170 girls were inside the school at the time.
Araghchi said the attack “will not go unanswered.”
[
[Image]
][6]An image of a girls’ elementary school hit by an airstrike on Saturday in Minab, Iran [posted by Araghchi on X][7].
“The targeting of civilian infrastructure—such as schools and hospitals—in the city of Minab sends a clear message to all: in this criminal aggression, the attackers recognize no red lines and evidently intend to shed a great deal of the blood of the noble people of our country,” the Iranian official told Drop Site.
Both the House and Senate indicated that lawmakers would vote on respective War Powers Resolutions early this week, which in theory could limit Trump’s ability to attack Iran because the U.S. constitution states that Congress has the exclusive authority to declare war. In launching the strikes, the Trump administration preempted any formal congressional debate.
“We had Congresspeople talking about the War Powers act, so they wanted to get this started so diplomacy wouldn’t have a chance,” Izadi said. “And this is logical because they’re saying that they want to overthrow the Iranian government and if you want to do that, then you shouldn’t be reaching a diplomatic solution. Because if you reach a diplomatic solution, that means there is no war. And if you want to overthrow the government, you need war. So this was very much a deception operation.”
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2026-02-27 23:58:40 UTC

Epstein Received Sensitive Military Intelligence Amid Gates Foundation Polio Campaign in Pakistan
On February 27, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared “[open war][1]” on Afghanistan after a week of clashes with the Taliban along the border and strikes on military positions in Afghan territory.
For decades, Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan have served as a testing ground not only for new military tactics but also for ambitious international organizations and philanthropists who have tried to reshape the region’s public health sector and state institutions.
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice reveal surprising details about one particular episode: Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan. Epstein long maintained a close personal relationship with Gates as well as with officials from his charitable foundation, which he used to steer resources toward [politically sensitive research projects][2] and technology firms.
The email correspondence in the disclosures about Pakistan came a few years before the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in neighboring Afghanistan. They also suggest that Epstein’s interest in the region was not strictly limited to public health matters. In a series of emails on the polio vaccination campaign from the International Peace Institute (IPI)—a nongovernmental organization that Epstein funded and often used as a vehicle for backchannel diplomatic efforts—Epstein also received confidential reports and on-the-ground military intelligence, including sensitive information about NATO operations at Zhob Airport, a small domestic airport in Balochistan, only an hour’s flight away from the Afghan capital in Kabul.
Epstein leveraged his relationship with Gates and contacts in the region to become a central figure in Pakistan’s anti-polio efforts from 2013 to 2018. By personally orchestrating the partnership between the Gates Foundation and IPI, Epstein positioned himself as the gatekeeper for the Gates-Pakistan relationship for five years. During this time he also explored developing backchannel contacts with the Taliban over polio eradication.
The fallout for Gates from his connection to Epstein continues. This week, he was scheduled to be one of the headline draws at India’s high-profile AI summit—a gathering to showcase the country’s ambitions to become a global artificial intelligence powerhouse—before the Microsoft founder abruptly announced he was dropping out of the event.
At a town hall meeting Tuesday with foundation staff, Gates acknowledged having two consensual affairs that were known to Epstein, but denied any involvement in illicit activity or contact with victims of sex trafficking, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Gates said he deeply regretted his relationship with Epstein, claiming that he had been aware of an “18-month thing” that had previously restricted Epstein’s ability to travel—a reference to his conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution—but had failed to properly scrutinize Epstein’s background before associating with him.
This is the latest in Drop Site’s series on Epstein. We are partnering with [Jmail][3], a searchable inbox of Epstein’s emails, to make all the Epstein messages public. Without your support, we can’t operate. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a [501(c)(3) tax-deductible donation today][4].
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Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, right, listens to Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan during their meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan on Feb. 17, 2022.
## **“Everyone Except the Govt Wins.”**
In March 2013, Epstein sent an email to Boris Nikolic, Bill Gates’s chief scientific advisor and trusted confidante, with the subject, “example of first polio idea, there are many.” In the email, Epstein goes on to explain a non-profit structure that would allow donors to pledge donations and receive tax benefits for their pledges in the future. “Everyone except the govt wins,” Epstein wrote. “In essence funding todays polio with future estate tax paid to the foundation instead of govt.”
Correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and Boris Nikolic, March 2, 2013.
At the time, Epstein had been complaining to Nikolic that Bill Gates did not appreciate the full potential of the Gates Foundation. “I have five or six schemes that would work for polio. bill is welcome to meet for breakfast tomorrow, or both of you come to the island sometime in the next two weeks and i will spend a couple of hours sharing methods,” [he wrote][6] in an early March email pitching ideas to Nikolic. Nikolic’s close association with Epstein had begun around 2009, and for the next few years he remained the point person in Epstein’s association with Gates.
Within a few days, Epstein had [met][7] with Gates and wrote positively about the meeting in a message to Nikolic on March 5, 2013, “We could definitely structure things so that instead of the us gvt getting 100 billion dollars in esate taxes it would go to the foundaiton,” Epstein wrote. “This is easy, most people would prefer it, if they knew how to accomplish it.” He offered the services of Terje Rød-Larsen, president of the International Peace Institute: “Terje will help with pakistan, and nigeria, you guys should be specific about what you want. very specific.”
The Gates Foundation, Boris Nikolic, Terje Rød-Larsen, and the International Peace Institute did not respond to requests for comment.
Along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, Pakistan was one of the last countries where polio remained endemic. But the politics of the U.S. war in Afghanistan made international NGO work in Taliban-controlled areas of Pakistan difficult—a fact Epstein was acutely aware of. The next day, he [emailed Nikolic][8] again, “Re Afghanistan, does foreign corrupt practice act apply to foundation work?” Epstein wanted to know if the law, which prohibits U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials, would apply to payment for the Taliban. In the email thread, Epstein then asked Nikolic if he was free to explore the possibility of bribing the Taliban to build a relationship with the group even if the money could be used for [weapons][9]. “Lets assume … the bad buys begin controlling more closely the vaccine procedure, and the only way to win them over is to pay the bad guys to allow vaccines,” Epstein asked. “How would you think about it.”
Correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and Boris Nikolic, March 6, 2013.
Rød-Larsen was also [working with Epstein][10] in Mongolia and Africa, making mining deals and selling Israeli military-linked security services. Rød-Larsen’s extensive UN and diplomatic connections through IPI (including his previous role as UN Under-Secretary-General) provided the legitimacy and access needed to facilitate these backchannel operations.
Correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and Boris Nikolic, March 18, 2013.
In an exchange of proposals between Rød-Larsen and Nikolic, Epstein directly negotiated the scope of work IPI would take and the specific areas they would operate in. By early April 2013, IPI had a roadmap ready, which was delivered directly to Epstein.
IPI [received grants][11] for $2.5 million in 2013 and for $5.5 in 2014. IPI also sent another grant proposal to the Gates Foundation for [$25 million][12], but it is unclear if that materialized.
Through his connection to Nikolic, Epstein had established himself within a span of a few months as an indispensable advisor to the Gates Foundation’s global polio work. Since IPI owed its association and a lucrative contract with the foundation to Epstein’s connection, the think tank reported directly to him, as if he were the head of the project.
## **“The Jihad Capital of the World”**
On April 23, 2013, Nasra Hassan, a senior advisor at IPI, traveled to Pakistan on a fact-finding mission for the project. Hassan, a terrorism expert, had spent 27 years at the UN before joining the Association of Austrian Peacekeepers as director of international relations. There’s no indication in the available emails that Hassan ever emailed Epstein directly. She reported to the senior leadership at IPI, including Rod-Larsen and Andrea Pfanzelter, IPI’s Vienna director. Her emails, including the plan for her Pakistan mission, budget, and later findings were all duly forwarded to Epstein.
Nasra Hassan did not respond to a request for comment.
“Finally left Peshawar, the jihad capital of the world,” Hassan [wrote][13] to Pfanzelter on April 30, in the middle of the general elections and government transition. In her report, she described her meetings with the officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Hassan also described a phone call she had with a Taliban commander through her fixer. “It appears that religion-based refusal [to polio vaccines] is a very tiny part,” Hassan wrote. “The rest is pressure tactics, one-upmanship, and the vast amount of jobs and money involved.”
The polio work directly overlapped sensitive intelligence and kinetic military operations conducted by the U.S. military and C.I.A., and Hassan’s reports often contained critical information from human sources on the ground in Pakistan. “Since our meeting/tel con in Vienna 15 May, I have been following up. Unfortunately today’s CIA droning to death of the Pak Taliban’s No 2 (Wali ur Rahman) has complicated matters,” Hassan [wrote][14] in May to Rød-Larsen, who forwarded it to Epstein.
Hassan lamented that the U.S. had killed a moderate figure critical to talks with the incoming government, and the assassination was a major setback for polio efforts. “He was a pragmatic voice, who opposed suicide attacks in Pakistan (though not in Afghanistan) and who believed in and was ready to negotiate with the ‘new’ Govt in Pak (govt not yet finalized)-- has led to the Pak Taliban TTP suspending talks with the ‘new’ Govt,” she [wrote][15]. “This will delay polio-related talks with them, as I was working behind the scenes to get the ‘new’ Govt to include polio issues in their negotiations with TTP.”
In June, however, a crisis emerged when Bill Gates took matters into his own hands and circumvented the informal communication structure implemented by Epstein and Rød-Larsen. As Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party formed a provincial government for the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, with Khan himself emerging as Pakistan’s most popular leader, Pakistani media reported that Gates had written to him directly asking for help contacting the Pakistani Taliban in the FATA region, where many areas were not under the Pakistani government’s control.
“Someone jumped the gun, probably in the Foundation,” Hassan [wrote][16] to the senior IPI leadership. “Unfortunately, this will harden the Pak Taliban’s position, and may well jeopardize the back channel very discreet and very confidential outreach that has been going on. I wish BG had consulted you before doing this. Let me see what the fall-out is and how we can rectify the damage caused by this very public affair.” This email, too, was forwarded to Epstein, who in turn forwarded it to Nikolic, who sent it to Gates.
At 3 a.m. the same night, Epstein [wrote][17] a separate email to Nikolic, conveying the seriousness of Gates’s blunder: “terje called meto say that the paki press said that bill is having a call with Imran Kahn today publicly , a highly politzied issue, and that this will set back his polio program.”
“Bill just landed to London. He is having back to back mtgs for next three days,” Nikolic wrote back. “No calls with Imran. Not sure if he had a call earlier in week. I will ask him. Neverhelss, he is not having it today or n next few days.”
By November, IPI consolidated its intermediary role between the Gates Foundation and Pakistan’s polio efforts. “I have been given to understand that our efforts are definitely beginning to bear fruit, so far, visavis the hardliners,” Hassan [wrote][18] to IPI staff, [referring][19] to a religious ruling in support of polio vaccinations by a prominent Pakistani religious leader, Maulana Sami ul-Haq. “Sorry cannot be more concrete in an email, but circumspection & caution are both necessary. Hope this trend continues and that no other external event causes a setback. Wanted to share this on a preliminary, confidential basis right away.” In spite of Hassan’s “caution,” IPI staff immediately forwarded the email to Epstein.
The following month, Pfanzelter forwarded an [email][20] to Epstein with the comment, “This is not in the press yet,” explaining that a religious institution accepted by the Taliban was about to issue an edict supporting vaccinations for polio and other diseases. “This outreach to clerics acceptable to the Taliban was a primary reason for latest visit,” [the note read][21], adding, “This fatwa will soon be released in the media, I have received an advance copy (though it is pre-dated). Small steps in the right direction, although other problems remain.”
Correspondence between Andrea Pfanzelter and Jeffrey Epstein, Dec. 10, 2013.
Over the next few years, Epstein continued to receive reports marked “confidential” from Hassan via other senior staff at the IPI. Included in the reports were details about Pakistan’s military operations in Pakistan’s tribal areas. [Some of these reports][22] were only tangentially related to polio and contained non-public, sensitive information related to NATO operations in South Asia. In one such report, for example, [Hassan wrote][23], “Zhob Airport was used by NATO 2009-2011”—a fact that, to this day, has never been acknowledged by Pakistan’s government or reported in the Pakistani media.
In other emails that were forwarded to Epstein, IPI leadership [discussed][24] “seemingly negative developments”—such as the lack of progress in talks between Pakistan and the Taliban and efforts by the government to support a breakaway Taliban faction and help it take over South Waziristan—that could have “a positive effect on polio.” One scheme that IPI discussed with the Pakistani Army was the possibility of making “polio-drops arrangements as tribesmen flee the air strikes into settled areas.”
On April 7, 2015, Hassan sent a detailed report on Pakistan’s internal deliberations about cooperating with Saudi Arabia, suggesting she had deep access in the Pakistani government and military establishment, drawing from her long career and expertise in counterterrorism work. None of these deliberations have ever been reported by the Pakistani media.
An email from Nasra Hassan to staff at the International Peace Institute, April 7, 2015.
Later that year, Pakistan’s government publicly acknowledged the death of Mullah Omar, the founder of the Taliban and its emir in Afghanistan until 2001. On August 10, 2015, Hassan [sent a report ][25]suggesting she enjoyed special insight and connections within the Taliban, as well as information sourced from the Pakistani military establishment.
A report from Nasra Hassan sent to the International Peace Institute on Aug. 10, 2015.
As with her other reports, the dispatches from Hassan explained the implications of the ongoing military activities on the polio vaccination campaign that was proceeding in parallel.
By the end of 2018, the IPI’s polio project with the Gates Foundation was over and Hassan [wrote her farewell email][26] to the staff: “I hope you’ll see zero cases/ES samples in 2019, though I doubt it for known reasons: the cross-border transmission will continue because of of gaps & weaknesses in Pak PEP; issues between Pak/US; & between Kabul & Islamabad including over the Indian presence; the Afghan Taliban see no reason to make concessions & still refuse to talk officially with Afghan Govt.” That email was also forwarded to Epstein.
## **“No Thanks Needed”**
Early in 2013, when Epstein first began working on polio initiatives with the Gates Foundation, Nikolic sent Epstein an email expressing his thanks. In Epstein’s [reply][27], he suggested that eradicating polio was not his lodestar and that he was doing a favor to Gates. “If you wanted to cure polio, no thnx needed,” he wrote. “If i wanted to cure polio no thanks needed, however there is only one of us with this desire.”
By 2017, as the IPI contract and the U.S. war in Afghanistan were winding down, Epstein was searching for other avenues for directing charitable contributions by billionaires for lucrative tax benefits. In a February 2017 conversation over iMessage with Steve Bannon, Epstein and Bannon discussed Gates’s philanthropic endeavors in Pakistan, outlining a cynical strategy for reframing the foundation’s efforts in a way that would be palatable to President Donald Trump.
“bill needs to focus on american problems first and foremost , if he wants deals,” Bannon wrote. “He can also portray certain worldwide iniativies as buying american drugs etc. IT MUST have an american component. donald says it is childish to count the lives at risk in africa and make believe you are doing something for america. or pakistan afhhntan, etc. he points to 8500 killed in chicago vs 2500 killed in afganistan over the past 10 years,” Bannon added.
“bill should be careful very careful as donald could make an example of him using american dollars to help other than america which really needs it. Careful,” Bannon said.
In the same conversion, Epstein and two others discussed zero-knowledge proofs, a cryptographic method that could enable anonymous, cross-border transfer of funds with cryptocurrency.
Immediately after the conversation, Epstein wrote an email directly to Bill Gates, “have some straight from the horses mouth for you. america first .. malaria. polio. not. . i will try to find a non controversial conduit. cyber health info security big. you’ll hear more zero knowlege proof . medical info etc.”
## **“Ethics Is Always A Complicated Subject”**
In a [video interview][28] shot the year before Epstein’s death that has been shared widely on Pakistani social media, Bannon asked him, “Why is your money not dirty money?”
“Ethics is always a complicated subject,” Epstein replied. “With the money I gave to help try to eradicate polio, in Pakistan and India, instead of asking me whether that should be given to these children for vaccines, I think you might want to ask their mothers who received the vaccines who know that their child now won’t get polio. Ask them if Epstein should have helped their people.”
In Pakistan, prominent physicians have expressed shock at the extent of Epstein’s involvement in the country’s polio initiatives, one of the highest priority public health programs over the past two decades.
“The statement by a convicted individual has raised concerns about the involvement of certain entities in Pakistan’s polio campaign. Vaccination is a significant scientific achievement, and transparency in health initiatives is crucial,” said Dr. Asma Nasim, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, in an interview.
Polio vaccination has been the subject of major controversy in Pakistan since the CIA used a fake polio vaccination campaign to collect DNA samples from Osama bin Laden’s family, before the operation to assassinate Bin Laden in Abbottabad in 2011. That incident caused the polio vaccination campaign in Pakistan to suffer a serious setback—one of the problems Epstein was claiming to address via IPI.
Epstein’s involvement in post-2011 polio efforts may cause further setbacks, 15 years after Bin Laden’s death. “Pakistan has never recovered from the fake vaccination campaign blow,” said one Pakistani doctor associated with the polio campaign. “Now this entire Epstein saga will just give more oxygen to anti-vaccine hysteria and put millions of Pakistani children at risk. Just the thought of Gates and Epstein ‘helping’ children is enough to give any parent nightmares.”
*Sumaira Jajja contributed reporting for this article.*
[Leave a comment][29]
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[1]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/feb/27/pakistan-afghanistan-taliban-war-cross-border-kabul-latest-news-updates
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-recruited-nsa-codebreakers-genome-russia-skolkovo-bill-gates-mit
[3]: https://jmail.world/
[4]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[5]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[6]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01802300?view=inbox
[7]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00955128-pdf?view=inbox
[8]: https://jmail.world/drive/vol00010-efta01901811-pdf?q=EFTA01901811
[9]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01901811?view=inbox
[10]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-ehud-barak-leaked-emails-mongolia-security-deal
[11]: https://jmail.world/drive/vol00009-efta01113710-pdf?q=ipi+grant
[12]: https://jmail.world/drive/vol00009-efta01087571-pdf?q=ipi+grant
[13]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01761816
[14]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01969802
[15]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01969802
[16]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00962456-pdf
[17]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00657679-pdf
[18]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01951616
[19]: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-25325097
[20]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01942397.pdf
[21]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01942397
[22]: https://jmail.world/drive/vol00009-efta00666895-pdf?q=EFTA00666895
[23]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00864113-pdf
[24]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA01924609
[25]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00657953-pdf
[26]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta01008672-pdf
[27]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00956643-pdf?view=inbox
[28]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIEYmflX090&t=6880s
[29]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/epstein-sensitive-military-intelligence-bill-gates-pakistan-polio/comments
[30]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/epstein-sensitive-military-intelligence-bill-gates-pakistan-polio?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/epstein-sensitive-military-intelligence-bill-gates-pakistan-polio

2026-02-27 15:41:08 UTC

Pakistan and Afghanistan declare “open war”; Ellison’s Paramount poised to acquire Warner Bros for $111B; Mamdani to Trump: Let's Build
*Israeli airstrikes [hit][1] two police stations in Gaza. Fourteen-year-old Palestinian [shot][2] by IDF at close range and denied medical care, BBC report shows. Iran and the United States [conclude][3] talks in Geneva. The U.S. State Department authorizes departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Israel. Vice President JD Vance will [meet][4] the Omani foreign minister in Washington. Hillary Clinton [denies][5] ties to Jeffrey Epstein in House deposition. House Democrats will [force][6] a vote on Khanna-Massie Iran War Powers Resolution. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani [meets][7] President Donald Trump for a second time. DHS agents [detain][8] a student after entering Columbia dormitory in search of a “missing child”; Mamdani secures her release. The United States [plans][9] to take in up to 4,500 white South African refugees per month. Paramount poised to acquire Warner Bros after Netflix walks away from the deal. Family of Francesca Albanese sues over U.S. sanctions. U.S.
military laser [downs][10] Border Patrol drone in Texas. Labor leaders [press][11] Democrats to drop their support for Janet Mills. Israeli air strikes [kill][12] teenager in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Pakistan and Afghanistan [enter][13] “open war.” Cuba [says][14] it alerted United States to alleged armed infiltration attempt. Israeli forces [enter][15] Syria’s Quneitra province. Thousands displaced by RSF attacks in western Darfur. President Paul Kagame [lobbied][16] Senator Lindsey Graham over stalled Rwanda sanctions. Turkey and United States are reportedly [negotiating][17] an energy-for-defense framework tied to F-35s. Zelenskyy [discusses][18] more U.S.-brokered talks. Hannah Spencer [wins][19] Gorton and Denton by-election in an upset over Labour.*
**New from Drop Site: Palantir’s AI is already playing a [major role][20] in tracking Gaza aid deliveries. Argentinian workers [fight][21] a bill that strips workers of protections.**
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
[Subscribe now][22]
A Pakistani soldier stands guard at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Chaman on February 27, 2026, following overnight cross-border firing between the two countries. Photo by Abdul BASIT / AFP via Getty Images.
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israeli airstrikes hit two police stations in Gaza: **At least five Palestinians were [killed][23] and several others injured by Israeli airstrikes on two police stations in the Mawasi area in southern Gaza and Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported. In Rafah, the Israeli military struck Palestinian resistance fighters on Friday saying they were “emerging from underground terror infrastructure” and alleging violation of the ceasefire—as Israel continues to besiege and target fighters it signed the ceasefire with, citing unverified claims of security threats.
* **14-year-old Palestinian shot by IDF at close range and denied medical care, BBC report shows: **Jad Jadallah, a 14-year-old Palestinian resident of the al-Far’a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, was [shot][24] at close range by Israeli soldiers during a November raid, a BBC investigation found. Closed-circuit television footage showed an Israeli soldier firing on an unsuspecting Jadallah, then continuing to shoot at him as he attempted to run away before collapsing in an alley. Video and witness accounts reviewed by the BBC indicate at least 14 soldiers formed a cordon as he “bled to death” for roughly 45 minutes. The soldiers administered no life-saving medical aid to Jadallah, and Red Crescent ambulances were reportedly blocked from reaching him. The Israeli army has since refused to return his body to his family. The BBC’s full report is available [here][25].
* **Israel’s High Court freezes deportation order against international aid groups: **Israel’s High Court of Justice issued a temporary injunction on Friday, halting a government move that would have forced 37 international aid organizations to stop operating in Gaza and the West Bank. Seventeen NGOs and the Association of International Development Agencies previously filed an urgent petition seeking suspension of the decision, warning of devastating humanitarian consequences if their work is shut down. The new rules, introduced in late December, require organizations to submit detailed staff information or cease operations within 60 days. Aid groups argue that sharing employee names could endanger staff, and are asking the court to remove the disclosure requirement and allow deregistered NGOs to continue operating while the case is heard. At least 588 aid workers have been killed by Israel since the start of the genocide in Gaza, according to the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
* **State Department authorizes departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Israel:** The State Department on Friday authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of U.S. government personnel from Israel due to “safety risks.” The announcement comes amid concerns that the U.S. could strike Iran, and Iran’s threat to retaliate against Israel and U.S. bases. Mike Huckabee, the ambassador to Israel, told embassy employees in an email that they could leave the country and urged anyone considering departure to do so immediately, according to AP. “Those wishing to take AD should do so TODAY,” Huckabee wrote, using an acronym for “authorized departure.”
# Iran
* **Iran and the United States conclude talks in Geneva: **Another round of indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials concluded in Geneva on Thursday without a deal. Iran’s foreign minister said afterwards that “further progress has been made” in diplomatic engagement with the U.S., calling this round “the most intense so far.” He said six hours of talks included “a serious examination of the elements of an agreement, both in the nuclear field and in the sanctions field” and ended with a “mutual understanding” to continue detailed discussions on “sanctions termination and nuclear-related steps.” Further technical talks are scheduled for next week in Vienna, where the International Atomic Energy Agency is headquartered.
* **Reports shed light on potential Iran proposal: **A senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera that Tehran rejects permanently ending enrichment, dismantling facilities, or exporting uranium stockpiles, calling enrichment a “sovereign right,” but confirmed offering a temporary freeze, reduced stockpiles under IAEA supervision, and economic cooperation. Separately, Elyas Hazrati, head of Iran’s Government Information Council, said enrichment “will continue in accordance with our needs,” that “nothing will leave Iran,” and that alternatives including dilution remain “on the table,” while stressing sanctions relief is the priority.
* **Vice President JD Vance to meet Omani foreign minister in Washington: **Vice President JD Vance is [set][26] to meet on Friday in Washington with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi in previously unreported talks aimed at averting war with Iran, NBC News reported. Vance [told][27] The Washington Post on Thursday that “there is no chance” of a years-long war with Iran. “The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight — there is no chance that will happen,” he said.
# United States
* **House Democrats will force a vote on Khanna-Massie Iran War Powers Resolution next week:** Democratic leadership in the House [announced][28] it will compel a vote as soon as the body reconvenes on the bipartisan Khanna-Massie Iran War Powers Resolution, which would require the president to seek congressional approval before using military force against Iran. The war, of course, could be launched before the vote, but the administration has indicated the assault will last for quite some time, meaning the vote would remain relevant. In a statement issued Thursday, Democratic leaders described a potential conflict as “a war of choice,” “reckless,” and “unconstitutional,” saying the resolution would allow every member of Congress to record his or her position regarding further escalation in the region. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) [said][29] he would support the Khanna-Massie resolution, making him the second Republican to publicly signal his support.
* **Mamdani meets President Donald Trump for a second time: **New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani [met][30] on Thursday with President Donald Trump at the White House for a second time, proposing a $21 billion federal plan to build 12,000 affordable homes over Sunnyside Yard in Queens. To make his pitch, Mamdani presented Trump with mock New York Daily News front page reading “Trump to City: Let’s Build”—a play on a famous NYDN headline concerning the city’s request for a federal bailout (“Ford To City: Drop Dead”). Mamdani’s office described the president as “very enthusiastic” about the proposal.
* **DHS agents detain student after entering Columbia dormitory, Mamdani secures release: **An undergraduate at Columbia University, Ellie Aghayeva, was [detained][31] by federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, according to a statement from Columbia University President Claire Shipman. According to Shipman, the agents entered a campus residential building at approximately 6:30 a.m on Thursday and detained Aghayeva, gaining entry by claiming they were searching for a “missing person.” She was released after Mayor Zohran Mamdani brought the issue up to Trump during their meeting. Mamdani also asked for cases against four others to be dismissed: Yunseo Cheng; Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate, was detained at his apartment in 2025; Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia undergraduate, was arrested by ICE agents in Colchester, Vermont. The fourth, Leqaa Kordia, who participated in protests at the school, remains in detention. **Drop Site contributor Areeba Fatima
[spoke][32] to protesters about the arrest of Aghayeva.**
* **U.S. to take in up to 4,500 white South African refugees per month: **The United States aims to [process][33] up to 4,500 refugee applications per month from white South Africans, according to a January 27 State Department contracting document reviewed by Reuters. The document outlines plans to install 14 prefabricated trailers on United States embassy property in Pretoria to create a secure processing site after operations at a previous location in Johannesburg were disrupted by a South African immigration raid. Only about 2,000 white South Africans have entered the United States as refugees as of January 31, after the program was launched in May 2025. President Trump previously set a cap of 7,500 refugees to be admitted in total in FY 2026. The South African government has rejected Trump’s claims that Afrikaners face systemic persecution, the basis for the Trump administration’s refugee policy.
* **Francesca Albanese’s family sues over U.S. sanctions:** The family of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has sued the Trump administration over U.S. sanctions imposed on her last year for her criticism of Israel’s policies in Gaza. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, Albanese’s husband and child, who is a minor and a U.S. citizen, outlined the impact the sanctions have had on their lives. “At its heart, this case concerns whether Defendants can sanction a person—ruining their life and the lives of their loved ones, including their citizen daughter—because Defendants disagree with their recommendations or fear their persuasiveness,” the filing said. The State Department dismissed the lawsuit as baseless and said, “Francesca Albanese has openly supported antisemitism, terrorism, and has engaged in lawfare against our nation and our interests, including against major American companies vital to the world economy.”
* **U.S. military laser downs Border Patrol drone in Texas: **On Thursday, the United States military [used a laser][34] to shoot down what it described as a “seemingly threatening” drone near Fort Hancock, Texas, about 50 miles southeast of El Paso, later determining it belonged to Customs and Border Protection. It was the second laser-related airspace disruption in the area in two weeks, after Customs and Border Protection previously deployed a counter-drone system near Fort Bliss without hitting any targets, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to shut down El Paso airspace for several hours.
* **Labor leaders press Democrats to drop their support for Janet Mills: **Union leaders [are urging][35] Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to withdraw support for Governor Janet Mills in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary, according to NBC News, arguing her record on labor is weaker than that of her opponent Graham Platner. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain discussed the race with Schumer on a phone call earlier this month, while the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have backed Platner and warned that national party spending for Mills could undermine Democratic chances against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
* **Hillary Clinton denies ties to Jeffrey Epstein in House deposition: **Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [denied][36] meeting Jeffrey Epstein or knowing about his crimes during a more than six-hour closed-door deposition on Thursday before the House Oversight Committee in Chappaqua, New York, calling the inquiry “partisan political theater” and accusing Republicans of trying to distract from President Donald Trump’s connections to Epstein. The session briefly descended into chaos after Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado leaked a photograph from inside the room to Benny Johnson, a right-wing podcaster, prompting objections from Clinton’s lawyers and Democratic members who said committee rules were violated. President Bill Clinton is scheduled to testify on Friday before the panel concerning his ties to Epstein.
* **Epstein files shed light on Leon Black’s spending: **Apollo Global Management co-founder and Epstein associate Leon Black spent lavishly on himself, according to a recent trove of Epstein-related documents released by the Justice Department, with expenses including a $3 million 60th birthday party and more than $115 million on art purchases in 2011 alone, as well as an estimated $1.2 billion in family expenditures from 2007 to 2011. Two of the country’s largest teachers’ unions, which have pension investments in Apollo, have urged the SEC to investigate previous statements about the firm’s ties to Epstein, which they say may have been “misleading.” Apollo, one of the country’s largest private equity firms in the world, has invested in nearly every sector of the American economy and has been under increasing scrutiny for how it has pressured its healthcare acquisitions to aggressively cut costs. Read more about Black, Epstein, and Apollo, at The Lever, [here][37].
* **Paramount poised to acquire Warner Bros after Netflix walks away from the deal:** Paramount Skydance is in a position to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery after Netflix declined to match its $111 billion dollar offer. On Thursday, Warner’s board announced that Paramount’s latest offer to buy the entire company for $31 per share was superior to the agreement it had previously struck with Netflix. Warner gave Netflix four business days to come up with a counteroffer—but Netflix responded the same day, declining to raise its offer. Paramount’s offer still requires regulatory approval in the US and Europe. President Trump has a close relationship with billionaire Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount’s CEO David Ellison who is heavily backing Paramount’s bid to buy Warner. If completed, it would create the largest media conglomerate in U.S. history.
# International News
* **Israeli air strikes kill teenager in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley: **A wave of Israeli air strikes across Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley [killed][38] a 16-year-old Syrian national west of Baalbek, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Thursday; the report identified the teenager as Hussein al-Khalaf. Israeli jets also struck areas near Hermel, according to Al Jazeera English. The Israeli military claimed without evidence that it targeted “infrastructure” linked to Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, and an Israeli Merkava tank reportedly fired two shells on the outskirts of Aitaroun and Yaroun in Nabatieh. Twenty-nine were wounded in Thursday’s attacks.
* **Pakistan and Afghanistan enter “open war”: **Pakistan’s defense minister declared an “open war” with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, with intense cross-border strikes and ground offensives along the Durand Line on Thursday. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghan forces launched “large-scale offensive operations” on the border. Afghan officials claimed that they have captured between 13 and 19 Pakistani border posts and killed up to 55 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan responded with airstrikes on Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia on Friday, with Al Jazeera reporting explosions and anti-aircraft fire over the Afghan capital. Pakistani officials said more than 130 Taliban fighters were killed and 200 were injured in attacks on Thursday and Friday.
* **Cuba says it alerted U.S. to alleged armed infiltration attempt: **Cuba [said][39] it alerted U.S. authorities as soon as it detected that a Florida-registered vessel involved in what it described as a thwarted attempt at armed infiltration had come from U.S. territory, adding that Cuba remained in contact with the State Department and the Coast Guard before any shooting occurred. Cuban officials said the intercepted boat was carrying assault rifles, a sniper rifle, pistols, Molotov cocktails, night-vision equipment, body armor, camouflage clothing, ammunition, combat rations, and communications gear. It also stated that its investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Cuba’s Vice Foreign Minister Fernández de Cossío said two suspects, Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, were already on Cuba’s national terrorism list. “This is not an isolated incident,” de Cossío said, saying that Cuba has in recent years warned of an “increase in violent and terrorist
plots and actions against Cuba,” originating in the United States.
* **United Nations seeks relief for Cuba: **The United Nations is [warning][40] that without fuel, basic services and relief operations in Cuba cannot continue. United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cuba Francisco Pichon said Thursday that cargo extraction at ports and supply transport are already slowed or paralyzed, describing the fuel crisis triggered by a U.S. executive order as a “risk multiplier,” disrupting hospitals, water systems, food distribution, and medicine delivery, with only a 30-day contingency plan in place. The shortages are affecting some 5 million people with chronic illnesses, thousands of cancer patients, more than 32,000 pregnant women, and the roughly 20,000 newborns annually who depend on incubators and ventilators. Pichon also reports that the UN’s $74 million response plan is only about 30 percent funded as of Thursday.
* **Claudia Sheinbaum criticizes the U.S. for allowing guns to enter Mexico: **Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum [criticized][41] the United States on Thursday over “Operation Fast and Furious,” the gun-walking program that allowed more than 2,000 weapons to reach Mexican cartels between 2009 and 2011, many of which later surfaced at crime scenes including the 2010 killing of United States Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Sheinbaum said 70 to 80 percent of illegal firearms seized in Mexico originate in the United States.
* **Israeli forces enter Syria’s Quneitra province: **Dozens of Israeli military vehicles [entered][42] Syria’s southwestern Quneitra province in the occupied Golan Heights on Wednesday, with Al-Ikhbariah TV reporting that a convoy of about 30 vehicles carried out a search operation near Tel al-Ahmar and Ain Ziwan. Syria’s state news agency said forces also approached Bariqa village, where they detained a young Syrian man. Quneitra lies partly within the buffer zone established by the United Nations under a 1974 disengagement agreement, after Israel seized much of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967. Israeli strikes across Syria have intensified since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, with ACLED recording more than 600 Israeli air, drone, or artillery attacks on the country in 2025 alone.
* **China escalates military purge**: Chinese President Xi Jinping has dismissed nine senior People’s Liberation Army officers from China’s legislature, deepening an ongoing anti-corruption purge inside the military. The move follows an investigation into senior general Zhang Youxia and further consolidates Xi’s control over the top Chinese military authority. Among those removed are Ding Laifu, commander of the strategically vital 73rd Army—a unit central to any potential Taiwan conflict and the commander of a nuclear missile base.
* **Paul Kagame lobbied Sen. Lindsey Graham over stalled Rwanda sanctions: **Rwandan President Paul Kagame [called][43] South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in late January to urge him to block sanctions over Kigali’s alleged breach of a Trump-brokered Congo peace deal, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The proposed sanctions were drafted after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels renewed their offensive in the eastern DRC, threatening the peace agreement signed at the White House in December. Graham argued to Trump that Rwanda is an important security and critical minerals partner, and senior officials ultimately delayed the sanctions rollout. Fighting between M23 and the Congolese government continues in South Kivu, with M23 seizing a critical mining town in the region yesterday.
* **Turkey and United States reportedly negotiating energy-for-defense framework tied to F-35s: **Turkey is [preparing][44] to sign a multi-billion-dollar energy agreement with the United States that could pave the way for Ankara to purchase Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, according to a report from Defence Industry Europe, with negotiations said to center on a $500 billion cooperation framework linking energy investment to defense procurement. The proposal would see United States energy firms invest in exploration, production, and pipeline development in Turkey’s Mediterranean waters, as well as in Syria and Libya. Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after acquiring the Russian S-400 missile system, which Washington said threatened the aircraft’s security, and any revival of the deal would likely draw objections from Greece and Israel. There has been no official confirmation of a deal.
* **Zelenskyy discusses more U.S.-brokered talks: **Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy [said][45] that the next round of negotiations with Russia would likely take place in Abu Dhabi in early March, after talks concluded in Geneva on Thursday. Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s delegation, said this round of negotiations involved economic and security issues, and that Ukraine wishes to make the next meeting with Russia “as substantive as possible.”
* **Hannah Spencer wins Gorton and Denton by-election in upset over Labour: **Pro-Palestine Green candidate Hannah Spencer [won][46] a United Kingdom parliamentary by-election in Gorton and Denton on Thursday, securing 14,980 votes en route to victory. The win represents the UK Green Party’s first in a by-election and its first seat in northern England. Spencer, a self-employed plumber who left school at 16 and campaigned as “Hannah the Plumber,” told Sky News she is “really proud” of her record supporting Palestinians, and was filmed earlier in the day dancing with supporters to the Palestinian anthem “Ana Dammi Falastini” on her way to a polling station.
* **AP: Iranian security forces intimidated doctors, obstructed care to wounded protesters:** Plainclothes Iranian security agents swarmed hospitals in several cities treating the wounded during mass protests in January, according to a [report][47] by the Associated Press based on interviews with doctors in Iran, reports from human rights groups, and AP’s verification of more than a dozen videos posted on social media. The agents monitored and sometimes prevented medical care to injured protesters, intimidated staff, harassed doctors, and detained demonstrators. The AP reported it verified videos posted from four hospitals “as a snapshot of the Iranian security forces’ activity.” One video verified by AP shows security agents breaking through glass entrance doors into Imam Khomeini Hospital in the western city of Ilam. The Health Ministry told state media it was investigating the incident, saying it was committed to protecting medical centers, staff and patients. Other videos verified
by AP show a heavy presence of security forces surrounding three hospitals in Tehran, firing tear gas and chasing protesters. Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour denied reports of treatment being prevented or protesters being taken from hospitals, calling them “untrue, but also fundamentally impossible.”
* **Thousands displaced by RSF attacks in western Darfur:** Deadly attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s western Darfur region displaced more than 3,000 people in the past few days, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Thursday more than two and a half times the number of civilians were killed in Sudan in 2025 compared with the previous year with thousands still missing or unidentified. “This war is ugly. It’s bloody. And it’s senseless,” Türk said during a human rights council session in Geneva. “If much of the international community continues to act as a passive bystander, then something is fundamentally wrong with our collective moral compass.”
* **Sudan Core Group launches atrocity prevention coalition: **Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom announced the formation of a new Coalition for Atrocity Prevention and Justice in Sudan, aiming to strengthen civilian protection and advance accountability efforts as the war continues. They cited “collective outrage and profound sorrow” over a UN Fact-Finding Mission report that found Rapid Support Forces violence in El Fasher bears the “hallmarks of genocide.” The United States—historically a key player in the Sudan Core Group—did not join the statement.
# More from Drop Site
* **Exclusive: Palantir maintains a desk at U.S.-led Gaza coordination center: **Palantir Technologies maintains a permanent desk at the United States–led Civil Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, according to three diplomatic sources. Palantir is providing technological support on tracking delivery and distribution of aid, the sources tell Jonathan Whitall. “The United Nations already has a humanitarian architecture in place to step in during crises, abiding by humanitarian principles and grounded in international law,” UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese told Drop Site. “This profit-driven parallel system involving companies like Palantir, already linked to Israel’s unlawful conduct, can only be regarded as a monstrosity.” **Jonathan Whittall’s full report on Palantir in Gaza is [here][48]**.
* **Argentinian bill strips workers of protections: **Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies approved a sweeping labor reform bill last Friday after a marathon parliamentary session stretching from Thursday into early Friday morning, amid the country’s fourth general strike since President Javier Milei took office. The measure, backed by Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party and allied right-wing blocs, would make it easier and cheaper to fire workers, extend the standard workday to 12 hours, reduce overtime and severance, and restrict strike and collective bargaining rights. **Sam Carliner’s report on labor resistance to the Milei austerity regime can be found [here][49].**
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[1]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/27/israeli-attacks-on-police-sites-kill-five-in-southern-central-gaza
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027145118214422813
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027052034239729762
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027217267046412726
[5]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/us/politics/hillary-clinton-epstein-deposition-lauren-boebert.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PFA.rdCY.dW4vY747GQwi&smid=nytcore-android-share
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027076098668757049
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027250493592842271?s=20
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027040921380884539
[9]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-aims-bring-4500-white-south-africans-per-month-refugees-document-says-2026-02-26/
[10]: https://apnews.com/article/military-laser-border-drone-texas-airport-55aaab7093f7d6dd174f909f3875001c
[11]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/unions-chuck-schumer-democratic-leaders-maine-senate-primary-rcna260797
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027078557076488590
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027226588635390270
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027152512566902809
[15]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/israel-carries-out-military-incursion-into-syrias-quneitra-in-the-golan
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027294244608639376
[17]: https://defence-industry.eu/turkey-reportedly-weighs-500-billion-u-s-energy-deal-linked-to-potential-f-35-lightning-ii-fighter-purchase/#google_vignette
[18]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/us-ukraine-to-meet-in-geneva-as-russia-attacks-kyiv-with-missiles-drones
[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027261211746652247
[20]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palantir-ai-gaza-humanitarian-aid-cmcc-srs-ngos-banned-israel
[21]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/argentina-javier-milei-labor-reform-worker-rights-roll-back
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[23]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/27/israeli-attacks-on-police-sites-kill-five-in-southern-central-gaza
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027145118214422813
[25]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqwv9vvzx9o
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027217267046412726
[27]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/26/vance-no-chance-us-will-be-drawn-out-war-middle-east/
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027076098668757049
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027064358413508677
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027250493592842271?s=20
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027040921380884539
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027252738120159370
[33]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-aims-bring-4500-white-south-africans-per-month-refugees-document-says-2026-02-26/
[34]: https://apnews.com/article/military-laser-border-drone-texas-airport-55aaab7093f7d6dd174f909f3875001c
[35]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/unions-chuck-schumer-democratic-leaders-maine-senate-primary-rcna260797
[36]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/us/politics/hillary-clinton-epstein-deposition-lauren-boebert.html?unlocked_article_code=1.PFA.rdCY.dW4vY747GQwi&smid=nytcore-android-share
[37]: https://www.levernews.com/lifestyles-of-the-rich-famous-and-epstein-connected/
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027078557076488590
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027152512566902809
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027235252767244780
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027256208323727690
[42]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/israel-carries-out-military-incursion-into-syrias-quneitra-in-the-golan
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027294244608639376
[44]: https://defence-industry.eu/turkey-reportedly-weighs-500-billion-u-s-energy-deal-linked-to-potential-f-35-lightning-ii-fighter-purchase/#google_vignette
[45]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/us-ukraine-to-meet-in-geneva-as-russia-attacks-kyiv-with-missiles-drones
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2027261211746652247
[47]: https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-crackdown-hospitals-326f127b5fef610a89f89e5c164b473c
[48]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palantir-ai-gaza-humanitarian-aid-cmcc-srs-ngos-banned-israel
[49]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/argentina-javier-milei-labor-reform-worker-rights-roll-back
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2026-02-27 03:06:00 UTC

⁨Dem support for Gaza genocide gave Trump the White House. The DNC is trying to cover it up.⁩
On Breaking Points this morning, I was joined by American Prospect Editor David Dayen and former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg. We talked about the recent report that the DNC had commissioned an autopsy—they called it an “after action report”—of the 2024 election, that found the party’s support for genocide in Gaza had materially harmed Kamala Harris.
But we don’t know anything more than that, because DNC Chair Ken Martin has refused to release it. During our interview, Hogg said that Martin has explicitly campaigned on a pledge to conduct and make public the autopsy.
Without transparency there can be no serious democracy. So we partnered with Breaking Points to put together [a petition calling on the DNC to release the autopsy][1]. Petitions don’t often do much, but if half a million people sign it, it’ll be hard for the party to ignore that level of public pressure.
The DNC knows Gaza cost Harris the election. Tell Ken Martin to release the full report
—Ryan Grim
[PLEASE SIGN HERE AND SHARE!][2]
For today’s story:
## Javier Milei Is Set to Roll Back Argentina’s Historically Strong Labor Rights
**Unions stage general strikes as outrage grows against the regressive labor reforms pushed by Milei**
*Story by Sam Carliner*
Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies passed a bill Friday that would massively overhaul the country’s labor relations in an unprecedented rollback of workers’ rights. The 135-115 vote came after a marathon midnight session lasting from Thursday into Friday as trade unions again wielded their ability to bring out striking workers across Argentina and shut down ports, public transit, schools, and hospitals to protest the bill.
The lead-up to the vote was marked by the country’s fourth general strike since President Javier Milei took office. The CGT, the country’s largest federation of trade unions, called the 24-hour work stoppage following weeks of growing outrage as more and more workers learned of the severity of the attacks in the labor reform. The country, which has a unionization rate of around 27% nationally, was brought to a standstill.
Julián Aguirre, Director of the International Relations Secretariat from the CTA Autómoma labor federation which represents workers in industries ranging from healthcare to sugar production, told Drop Site that the reform has broader implications for labor in Latin America.
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“It sets a worrying precedent for the region,” Aguirre said. “Argentina today is a laboratory for a project that is not only economic but also social and cultural. In this case it aims to dismantle 100 years of labor rights in Argentina.”
The bill will return to the Senate on February 27 and labor leaders have pledged to maintain their protests. Although the bill is expected to become law, the right-wing Argentine government will have to face off with an increasingly mobilized and militant labor movement.
Argentina has generally been considered to have some of the strongest labor rights in the region. The bill includes a barrage of pro-big business measures which would make it cheaper and easier for employers to fire workers, standardize a 12-hour workday, reduce overtime pay and severance, and restrict paid time off. This is characteristic of the “Chainsaw Agenda” which is at the center of president Javier Milei’s economic policy. The bill also restricts workers’ rights to strike and engage in collective bargaining. The lower house eliminated one of the more controversial proposals that would have reduced by half the salaries of workers on leave due to injury or illness.
Businesses have already begun laying off workers in anticipation of the law. Just days before the vote, FATE, the largest tire factory in the country, announced it would be closing after over half a century of operations, firing hundreds of workers in the process. In response, a group of workers entered the factory and set up an occupation on the roof, which is ongoing at this time of writing.
Victory Ottobino, a FATE worker of three years who is participating in the occupation, told Drop Site that the closure is connected to Milei’s larger agenda.
“There are already hundreds of thousands of people who have been laid off across the country, mainly as a result of this government’s economic policy, a government that is totally aligned with the Trump administration in the United States, with the policies of financial capital, the IMF, etc.”
The occupation at FATE draws from recent history in Argentina. At the start of the 2000s, there was a wave of occupations in which workers took control of factories throughout the country, fighting for several years to bring them under workers’ control. Raúl Godoy, a labor leader who led the worker takeover of Zanon, a ceramics factory, told Drop Site that this history still inspires workers.
“This is a fight that is open and etched in the historical memory of the workers of our country,” Godoy said. “They are a very important achievement and a symbol in the face of closures: to occupy, to produce, to resist, and to have an alternative from the workers.”
## **Milei’s U.S.-Backed Agenda**
[Milei][4] campaigned in 2023 as an outsider who would improve the living conditions of workers. His campaign took advantage of economic concerns in a country plagued by runaway inflation, fueled largely by an imposing debt from the International Monetary Fund.
As president, he has been attempting to completely reorganize Argentina’s economy for the benefit of big business by gutting long-standing protections for workers, privatizing public services, and opening the country to foreign capital, with a focus on attracting U.S. investment. Milei’s policies have not only worsened living conditions for most Argentines but have also gutted the country’s small and medium businesses. The new labor reform is the most extreme measure to date.
While many workers and small business owners voted for Milei, his administration has seen growing discontent reflected in plummeting approval ratings and large protests.
Despite this, Milei’s party received a boost in recent parliamentary elections. The win was largely the result of direct interference by the United States, with Trump announcing days before the election that he would condition $40 billion in aid to Argentina on Milei’s party La Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advances) winning sufficient seats to push forward liberalization of the country.
Milei’s party did not have enough votes in the Chamber of Deputies to pass the labor reform on their own. The vote passed with the support of other right-wing parties including Propuesta Republicana (Republican Proposal) and Unión Cívica Radical (Radical Civic Union).
In addition, several Peronist deputies provided the numbers needed to pass the bill. Some voted in favor of the bill after modifications had been made; others didn’t vote for it, but their presence allowed for the necessary quorum needed for the debate to commence. Peronism is the country’s longstanding populist movement which ranges from center-right to center-left. Many different groups, often with conflicting interests, make up the base of Peronism, which partially explains some of the representatives helping to advance the bill.
Aguirre told Drop Site that there is a “divorce” between the growing opposition in the streets and the political representatives in Congress.
“In all these demonstrations that have been massive on many occasions—whether to repudiate the attack on the university system, to repudiate the attack on the public health system—they have been massive marches, but they have perhaps not yet found a national leadership with a proposal that represents them.”
## **Worker Opposition**
Along with the strike, workers, socialists, and broader activist sectors engaged in combative protests. On the morning of February 19, protesters set up several roadblocks at major transit arteries including the Pan-American Highway and the Pueyrredón Bridge. Early in the afternoon, a large crowd convened outside of Congress, enduring a militarized police presence which has been a staple of Milei’s [repressive response to opposition][5]. Later into the night neighborhoods were filled with the sound of *cacerolazos*, a popular protest in which people bang on pots and pans.
The day marked the culmination of outrage that had grown in waves since Milei first began preparing to pass the labor reform at the start of January. Just one week before the Deputies held their vote, the public became aware of Article 44, a section of the bill which undermined sick leave, rapidly increasing outrage over the reform.
Godoy told Drop Site that more left-wing sectors of the labor movement had launched a campaign to inform workers about the impact of the labor reform and organize for unions to take action against it.
“Campaigns were held in plazas, on beaches, in vacation spots, on trains, in subways, in public squares to inform the union leadership, the official union offices, especially the CGT, about the seriousness of this situation,” said Godoy.
Unlike previous work stoppages, the latest strike saw all of the country’s trade union confederations “set aside partisan and ideological differences in pursuit of a common goal,” according to Aguirre, with chatter among trade unions that the time has come for an indefinite general strike.
The ongoing occupation at FATE shows another side of the labor movement, in which some workers are responding spontaneously to the impact of Milei’s policies. In January, Lustramax, a cleaning and paper goods manufacturer, tried to illegally fire several workers known for their union activity, which resulted in a factory occupation and ended in the workers getting their jobs back.
Ottobino, the FATE worker, told Drop Site that these initiatives play an important role in activating the labor movement.
“All these sectors and movements that exist and are being monitored and attacked by the government must join forces to develop a widespread struggle to impose on the union bureaucracy until we bring down the economic plan of the government of the big bosses and the IMF,” said Ottobino.
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[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/javier-milei-argentina-state-surveillance-decree-941
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/argentina-javier-milei-labor-reform-worker-rights-roll-back

2026-02-26 22:40:26 UTC

NEW: Palantir's AI Is Already Playing a Major Role in Tracking Gaza Aid Deliveries
*Drop Site is a reader-funded, independent news outlet. Without your support, we can’t operate. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a [501(c)(3) tax-deductible donation today][1].*
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U.S. Army personnel monitor screens displaying maps and imagery of the Gaza Strip during a media tour inside the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) on November 20, 2025 in Kiryat Gat, Israel. The screen (above left) shows the use of Palantir’s Gaia application, billed as a tool to “bring the battlefield into view.” Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images.
Palantir Technologies has a permanent desk at the U.S.-led Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) headquarters in southern Israel, three sources from the diplomatic community inside the CMCC told Drop Site News. According to the sources, the artificial intelligence data analytics giant is providing the technological architecture for tracking the delivery and distribution of aid to Gaza.
The presence of Palantir and other corporations—along with recent changes banning non-profits unwilling to give data to Israeli authorities—is creating a situation in which the delivery of aid is taking a backseat to the pursuit of profit, investment, and the training of AI products, experts say.
“The United Nations already has a humanitarian architecture in place to step in during crises, abiding by humanitarian principles and grounded in international law,” UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca** **Albanese told Drop Site. “This profit-driven parallel system involving companies like Palantir, already linked to Israel’s unlawful conduct, can only be regarded as a monstrosity.”
The CMCC was established by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in October, one week after the so-called ceasefire went into effect in Gaza to “monitor implementation of the ceasefire” and “help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical, and security assistance from international counterparts into Gaza.” Last week, at the inaugural summit of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C., Major General Jasper Jeffers—who was tapped in January to lead the International Stabilization Force in Gaza—announced that the CMCC will serve as the Board of Peace’s operational headquarters.
According to the sources, a representative from Palantir sits in the CMCC operations room where aid convoys and distributions inside Gaza are monitored through drone surveillance. The representative integrates convoy and distribution-related data into Palantir’s systems, the sources said.
Palantir did not respond to an inquiry from Drop Site on its role in the CMCC or in aid distribution in Gaza. Founded in 2003 by billionaire Peter Thiel with the help of investments from the CIA’s venture capital arm In-Q-Tel, Palantir is known for its work with government agencies, including the U.S. military and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In January 2024, three months into Israel’s war on Gaza, Palantir [announced][3] it had entered into a “strategic partnership” with the Israeli military for “war-related missions.” The company’s board meeting that month in Tel Aviv was held “in solidarity” with Israel, Bloomberg reported. Palantir did not disclose what technologies would be provided to Israel but a year earlier the company introduced its Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) to help militaries rapidly analyze and identify bombing targets. The company’s technology has been described by a Palantir executive as a way of “optimizing the kill chain.” Palantir’s software has also been used by the Israeli military in several raids in Gaza, [according][4] to a biography of its CEO, “The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir and the Rise of the Surveillance State” by Michael Steinberger.
In a June 2025 [report][5] to the UN Human Rights Council, Albanese found “reasonable grounds to believe Palantir has provided automatic predictive policing technology, core defence infrastructure for rapid and scaled-up construction and deployment of military software, and its Artificial Intelligence Platform, which allows real-time battlefield data integration for automated decision-making.”
The use of Palantir to track aid deliveries to Gaza is of particular concern to observers. “The distinction between death by drone and delivery of aid is being evaporated while we all sit around the same table,” a source from the diplomatic community who attends CMCC sessions told Drop Site.
Palantir’s two main platforms are Gotham and Foundry. “Gotham’s targeting offering supports soldiers with an Al-powered kill chain, seamlessly and responsibly integrating target identification and target effector pairing,” according to the company’s website. Foundry is Palantir’s platform for supply chain management and is billed as a way to “bridge siloed planning and execution processes, optimize inventory management, and help build supply chain resilience for economic and geopolitical uncertainty.”
Palantir does not operate its systems in isolated silos. According to the company’s own [documentation][6], “Palantir AIP and Foundry are designed to interoperate with the full range of data, logic, AI, workflow, and security systems.” A feature called “Type Mapping” allows data entered into the civilian Foundry system to be instantly synchronized and queried by the military’s Gotham platform.
This means that, in theory, information that is being gathered at the CMCC—including from participating governments the UN and NGOs regarding the type of aid being distributed, its distribution locations and systems, and truck convoy routes—could be seamlessly pulled into Gotham’s AI targeting matrix. The same software logic used to track aid at the CMCC could be used to optimize and accelerate lethal airstrikes.
There is no information available as to whether Gotham and Foundry are the specific products being used to track aid, but publicly available photographic evidence indicates that Palantir’s Gaia—a platform referred to on their website as a tool to “bring the battlefield into view”—is being deployed at the CMCC.
In an interview with Drop Site on the role of Palantir in Gaza, the economist Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek Finance Minister and a former member of Greece’s parliament, described an encounter he had with a Palantir representative who had explained to him the benefit the company gained from Gaza. “He was saying that ‘as the bombs fell we were having a party,’” Varoufakis said. According to Varoufakis, the Palantir representative explained how the chaos of intense violence in a high-density urban area like Gaza generates substantial data for training their AI models on how humans respond under stress. “The more bombardment and havoc, the better the training,” Varoufakis said.
“It’s one thing to say that companies like Lockheed Martin make money selling F35s to the Israelis,” he said. “That has been a time-honored way that the military industrial complex has benefited from war and genocide and war crimes.” He continued, “This is the first instance in history where it is the suffering of a people being subjected to genocide and bombing—the suffering itself—which is adding to the capital of a company which then uses that capital to produce commodities to sell elsewhere.”
Palantir operates on Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, led by Larry Ellison—a major donor to the Israeli military who also funds the Tony Blair Institute, which has itself consulted on governance mechanisms for Gaza.
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The growing use of Palantir and other private sector companies in Gaza comes as the non-profit sector is being systematically squeezed out. As of March 1, 2026, Israel will ban dozens of aid groups from operating in Gaza, as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem, under new registration rules, including prominent NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Medical Aid for Palestinians.
The new measures require aid groups to register the names and contact information of employees and to provide details about their funding and operations to Israeli authorities. The aid groups said in a joint statement this week that “the demand to transfer personal data raises acute security and legal risks. It exposes national staff to potential retaliation and undermines established data protection and confidentiality safeguards.”
“NGOs are being pushed out of Gaza because aid delivered by humanitarian organizations is based on need and is provided to people wherever they are located,” said an aid worker who spoke to Drop Site on condition of anonymity. “This doesn’t match the vision of the ‘New Gaza’ where Palestinians will need to be displaced again into the zones where reconstruction will be permitted and their access to aid will be controlled through screening.”
Not all NGOs are being pushed out of Gaza. Others—on a list of registered and approved organizations—are expanding their role alongside the private sector. These include Christian groups like Samaritan’s Purse and GAiN, both of whom were involved in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), and who sources from the diplomatic community have recently seen gathering in a “prayer circle” at the CMCC.
These approved NGOs, alongside private firms coordinated through the CMCC like Palantir, stand ready to take over the distribution of aid in Gaza.
“Aid in Gaza has been stripped to bare survival and its future delivery appears to be faith based, profit driven, militarized and certainly not to be delivered by anyone that dares to speak out about what Palestinians are being subjected to,” said a senior aid worker who spoke to Drop Site on condition of anonymity.
Gaza’s experience with private delivery mechanisms has been catastrophic. In May 2025, the U.S. and Israeli-backed GHF was contracted to distribute aid in the enclave. During the four and half months the GHF operated in Gaza, more than 2,600 Palestinians seeking food were killed and over 19,000 wounded by Israeli forces or security contractors at or near aid distribution sites.
The former headquarters of the GHF, a large warehouse-style building in Kiryat Gat, is now the headquarters of the CMCC.
As aid groups are being banned, U.S. military contractors are also filling the vacuum. According to sources from the diplomatic community who attend the CMCC, the physical presence of Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), a U.S. military contractor that provided security for the GHF, has recently expanded at the center of the facility, with SRS officials taking up more prominent seating space on the operations floor. The company’s representatives now sit behind name tags in seating that had previously been reserved for UN agencies, the sources said.
SRS did not respond to an inquiry from Drop Site about its role at the CMCC or in Gaza aid distribution.
“Given the precedent of the GHF, which turned aid delivery into a killing machine,” Albanese told Drop Site, “and the grave violations of international law embedded in the so-called peace plan—first and foremost the negation of the Palestinian right to self-determination—the risk that companies and states involved in the CMCC may be complicit in, or even direct perpetrators of, international crimes is real.”
Arkel International, a longtime U.S. military contractor, has also had representatives at CMCC briefing sessions, according to the sources inside the center. Arkel recruited drivers from Serbia and Georgia to drive supplies into Gaza for the GHF in 2025, [according][7] to Haaretz. At the time, Arkel was represented in Israel by businessman Hezi Bezalel, who has served as honorary consul of Rwanda in Israel.
The re-emergence of GHF-linked companies, alongside the digital capacity to monitor and monetize the surviving population in Gaza, is now converging with the construction of a new physical infrastructure spearheaded by giant real estate conglomerates.
At last week’s Board of Peace meeting, the reconstruction of Gaza was positioned as a massive financial “unlocking” of a distressed asset. Figures like Yakir Gabay, who built a real estate empire in Germany, envisioned the coastline transformed into a “Mediterranean Riviera” featuring 200 hotels and artificial islands. Marc Rowan, a billionaire investor and the CEO of Apollo Global Management, framed the project as the consolidation of Gaza’s “productive assets” into a “unified structure.”
A significant addition to the CMCC’s corporate roster is Terra Firma Capital Partners, which sources confirmed now maintains a permanent presence at the CMCC. Founded by British financier Guy Hands, the firm brings experience in managing massive-scale residential assets. Terra Firma has links to the New Labour era, specifically through Lord John Birt, Tony Blair’s former strategy director, who worked for the company after he left government.
“The genocide is entering a new phase. After the destruction of Gaza and the erasure of entire family lines, powerful states are now deciding the fate of the survivors without ever listening to their voices,” Albanese said.
“If Gaza is not to become a capitalist techno-dystopia, the time to act is now. States and corporations supporting this emerging infrastructure must be stopped, and held accountable. There is no time to lose.”
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[3]: https://www.palantir.com/assets/xrfr7uokpv1b/3MuEeA8MLbLDAyxixTsiIe/9e4a11a7fb058554a8a1e3cd83e31c09/C134184_finaleprint.pdf
[4]: https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Philosopher_in_the_Valley/azYMEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=gaza+palantir+inauthor:Steinberger&pg=PT205&printsec=frontcover
[5]: https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/59/23
[6]: https://www.palantir.com/docs/foundry/architecture-center/interoperability
[7]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2025-08-05/ty-article/.premium/u-s-firm-eastern-european-drivers-israeli-link-whos-behind-getting-aid-into-gaza/00000198-73ff-dcb9-ab99-73ff7d4d0000
[8]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palantir-ai-gaza-humanitarian-aid-cmcc-srs-ngos-banned-israel/comments
[9]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palantir-ai-gaza-humanitarian-aid-cmcc-srs-ngos-banned-israel?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palantir-ai-gaza-humanitarian-aid-cmcc-srs-ngos-banned-israel

2026-02-26 15:45:27 UTC

Iran rejects Trump’s missile claims; Cuba intercepts U.S. “terrorist” speedboat, killing 4; Vance withholds Minnesota Medicaid funds
*Israeli fire [kills][1] three in Gaza and wounds several. Gaza [firm][2] to build Emirati compound in Israeli-occupied south. Palestinian resistance official [says][3] President Donald Trump’s BoP framework is political theater, affirms steadfastness is the only option left. U.S.-Iran nuclear talks [resume][4] in Geneva. Iran foreign minister [rejects][5] Trump missile claims, says “fair” deal still achievable. Iran’s nuclear program remains [paused][6], but Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims Iran wants to restart it. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi [discusses][7] alliances. DCCC [drew][8] millions from Palantir-linked lobbyists, new report finds. Anthropic drops flagship AI safety pledge. Vice President JD Vance [announces][9] temporary halt of some Medicaid funds to Minnesota. Rohingya refugee [found][10] dead after Border Patrol release in Buffalo. Larry Summers to [relinquish][11] Harvard professorship amid Epstein fallout. Cuba claims it thwarted “terrorist” speedboat
registered in the U.S. U.S. Treasury [signals][12] limited authorization for Venezuelan oil resales to Cuba. Clashes in Syria’s Latakia province [kill][13] four. Hezbollah [signals][14] it would stay out of limited U.S. strikes on Iran. RSF [targeted][15] people with disabilities in El Fasher, HRW alleges. UN sanctions committee [adds][16] four senior RSF leaders to blacklist. 34 militants [killed][17] in Pakistani raids, government says. Air strike in Myanmar’s Rakhine state [kills][18] at least 17 civilians. 25 [killed][19] in raids in northeast Nigeria. Congo [launches][20] drone strikes on rebel-held Rubaya mine. Ukrainian drone strike [hits][21] fertiliser plant in Russia’s Smolensk.*
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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US special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) and Jared Kushner hold a meeting with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi (R) in Geneva, on February 26. (Photo by Omani Foreign Ministry / AFP via Getty Images)
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israeli fire kills three and wounds several in Gaza:** Two Palestinians were [killed][23] and several others injured on Thursday when Israeli aircraft struck the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, according to WAFA. On Wednesday evening, several people were wounded when the Israeli navy fired toward the shore of Al-Shati refugee camp. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported one person killed and others injured in a separate strike east of Deir al-Balah. These Israeli violations come as heavy rains have damaged tents sheltering displaced Palestinian families in areas such as Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, worsening already dire humanitarian conditions.
* **Gaza firm to build Emirati compound in Israeli-occupied south: **A Gaza-based contractor was [selected][24] to build an Emirati-funded compound for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in a southern area of Gaza under Israeli military control, according to Reuters. The firm, Masoud & Ali Contracting Co., will reportedly partner with two Egyptian companies on a 74-acre project near Rafah featuring multi-story prefabricated units, in what diplomats have dubbed “Emirates City,” though no formal announcement has been made and the Israelis have not yet signaled their approval for the compound. The United Arab Emirates has pledged $1.2 billion for President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” and a U.S. official previously said Abu Dhabi was coordinating with Washington, the Board and the Palestinian technocratic committee on the project. Leaked documents from the U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center obtained by Drop Site last month outlined plans for an “Emirati compound” to
house Palestinians in Rafah. Read more [here][25].
* **Palestinian resistance official says Trump’s BoP framework is political theater, affirms steadfastness is only option left:** Dr. Muhammad Al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, [told][26] Al Jazeera Mubasher that with “every door closed,” Palestinians have only steadfastness and resistance left, dismissing Trump’s ceasefire framework and the so-called Board of Peace as political theater that grants “sovereignty for President Trump, security for Israel,” while sidelining Palestinian representation. He accused Israel and the U.S. of blocking the reconstruction of Gaza as a form of “extortion,” and rejected calls for disarmament as an “attempt at deception” that would only invite further displacement—citing the occupied West Bank as an example. Al-Hindi added that the resistance does not trust Washington and entered negotiations only to stop bloodshed. He warned that Israel is pushing for wider regional war, including with Iran, to entrench its dominance,
adding that Palestinians have been, “resisting for a century, before Iran, before any “axis”—and they will continue.”
# Iran
* **U.S.-Iran nuclear talks resume in Geneva: **U.S. and Iranian officials [began][27] another round of talks in Geneva on Thursday morning, aimed at resolving their long-running nuclear dispute and averting possible U.S. strikes following a major American military buildup in the region, Reuters reports. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in attendance, while Iran is represented by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi mediating between the sides. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is also in Geneva for consultations. The sides remain divided over sanctions relief, the fate of highly-enriched uranium still inside Iran, and Iran’s right to enrich uranium. Badr Albusaidi [said][28] U.S. and Iranian negotiators in Geneva had adjourned after what he described as “exchanging creative and positive ideas.” Ali Shamkhani, senior political advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Secretary of the Defense
Council established in the aftermath of the so-called 12-Day War in June 2025, [said on X ][29]that “an immediate agreement is within reach” between Iran and the U.S.
* **Iran foreign minister rejects Trump missile claims, says “fair” deal still achievable: **Abbas Araghchi [rejected][30] President Donald Trump’s State of the Union assertion that Tehran is developing missiles capable of reaching the United States, saying Trump was “himself the victim of fake news.” Araghchi said Iran has limited its missile range to under 2,000 kilometers and has “no intention” of building nuclear weapons. He added that decades of hostility between the U.S. and Iran stem from Washington being “fed with misinformation campaigns, mostly by Israeli lobbyists,” and stressed that a “fair, balanced and equitable deal” is still achievable.
* **Iran’s nuclear program remains paused, but Rubio claims Iran wants to restart it: **Iran’s nuclear program has not [advanced][31] significantly since U.S. and Israeli strikes last June, despite White House claims that Tehran is nearing weapons-grade capability, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. Experts and diplomats cited in the report say uranium enrichment appears effectively paused, while Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has said there is no evidence Iran resumed enrichment after the strikes. Abbas Araghchi told India Today that there is “no military option” within Iran’s nuclear program, and that Iran is willing to answer questions about the program, but it is not willing to suspend its use of nuclear technology entirely. “We have accepted not to have nuclear weapons,” he [said][32], and Iran is willing to “build confidence” to ensure its nuclear program will remain “peaceful forever.” On Thursday, however, Secretary of State
Marco Rubio [said][33] that “Iran poses a very grave threat to the United States. …They are not enriching right now, but they are trying to get to the point where they ultimately can be.”
* **Araghchi discusses alliances:** In the same interview, Araghchi [said][34] that Iran has “lots of friends and partners,” such as China and Russia, but that it doesn’t “need anybody to defend” it. “When it comes to defending ourselves, we know how to defend ourselves by ourselves.” Araghchi rejected attempts to label the actions of Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas as “terrorism” and said that Iran considers them “groups who are fighting for a just cause.” Iran remains committed to the Palestinian cause, according to the foreign minister. “Unless there is justice for the Palestinian people, there will be no peace,” he said.
* **Iran floats U.S. investment incentives as part of nuclear negotiations: **Iran is [offering][35] the prospect of major U.S. investment in its oil, gas, mining, and aviation sectors as part of efforts to secure a deal that would avert U.S. strikes, the Financial Times reported. One person briefed on the talks described the proposal as a “commercial bonanza” aimed at appealing to President Donald Trump’s focus on economic returns, while Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Ghanbari told Iranian businessmen that joint energy development, mining projects, and civilian aircraft purchases are among the “common interests” under discussion. The report notes Iran holds the world’s third-largest oil reserves and second-largest gas reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and shares the world’s largest natural gas field with Qatar.
# United States
* **DCCC drew millions from Palantir-linked lobbyists, new report finds: **The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee received $2.9 million in January from lobbyists at firms representing Palantir Technologies, accounting for 38 percent of the committee’s monthly haul, according to new Federal Election Commission filings reported in Sludge. The donations come amid protests over the company’s artificial intelligence tools being used in federal immigration enforcement. Those contracts include a $30 million Trump administration award to develop an AI-powered “ImmigrationOS” platform, as well as a potential $1 billion blanket purchase agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to provide software and related services. The lobbying firms Invariant LLC and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck bundled the contributions; both have lobbied on defense appropriations, artificial intelligence policy, and border surveillance tied to Palantir’s government contracts. Read the full report from
Sludge** **[here][36].
* **Anthropic drops flagship AI safety pledge:** Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced it was dropping a core AI safety pledge. In 2023, the company said in its Responsible Scaling Policy that it would delay AI development that might be dangerous. The company updated its rules on Tuesday saying in a statement, “The policy environment has shifted toward prioritizing AI competitiveness and economic growth, while safety-oriented discussions have yet to gain meaningful traction at the federal level.” The news comes as War Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei an ultimatum to remove safeguards on Anthropic’s advanced AI systems—including bans on mass domestic surveillance and autonomous lethal use—by Friday or face termination of its military contract.
* **Vance announces temporary halt of some Medicaid funds to Minnesota: **Vice President JD Vance [announced][37] on Wednesday that the Trump administration will temporarily withhold $259 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota over alleged fraud concerns. Vance was accompanied by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Dr. Mehmet Oz, who said the funds would be released only after the state submits and implements a corrective action plan, for which it will have 60 days, and warned that up to $1 billion could be deferred over the next year if requirements are not met. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) called the move “a campaign of retribution,” while state Attorney General Keith Ellison said the state has secured hundreds of Medicaid fraud convictions and signaled potential legal action if funds are unlawfully withheld.
* **Rohingya refugee found dead after Border Patrol release in Buffalo:** A nearly blind Rohingya refugee, Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, [was found dead][38] after being detained at the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo and later released by U.S. Border Patrol at a Tim Hortons five miles from his home, according to a new report from Investigative Post. Alam had been freed on bail Feb. 19 on local charges but was taken into custody by immigration agents, who allegedly left him at the coffee shop without notifying his family. Buffalo mayor Sean Ryan said in a statement on Wednesday: “A vulnerable man–nearly blind and unable to speak English–was left alone on a cold winter night ‌with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location. …That decision from US Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane.”
* **Larry Summers to relinquish Harvard professorship amid Epstein fallout: **Former Harvard President Larry Summers will [resign][39] from his teaching posts and give up his University Professorship, the institution’s highest faculty title, according to The Harvard Crimson, following renewed scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Newly released emails show years of contact between the two, including exchanges up to the day before Epstein’s 2019 arrest. Summers has also stepped down from roles at The New York Times, Bloomberg L.P., and OpenAI, and faces a lifetime ban from the American Economic Association, according to the report.
* **Mamdani rejects calls to ban snowball fights after Washington Square Park clash: **On Thursday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani [said][40] he would not criminalize organized snowball fights after a large gathering in Washington Square Park escalated and New York Police Department officers were pelted with snowballs. Mamdani described the episode as a “snowball fight that got out of hand,” urged respect for officers, and joked “If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me,” while rejecting demands for a sweeping crackdown. Four officers were reportedly treated for injuries and the department has opened an investigation. One person has [reportedl][41]y been arrested.
* **Lindsey Graham scoffs at any deal that allows for uranium enrichment: **South Carolina Senator and Trump advisor Lindsey Graham (R) [said][42] if reports are true that the U.S. may allow Iran limited uranium enrichment for a “face-saving” deal, his response would be “screw that.” In a post on X, Graham called Iran’s leaders “religious Nazis.” “I hope help is on the way,” he said regarding a potential regime change he called “long overdue”.
* **GOP housing bill would cap corporate homeownership while limiting state action: **Draft legislation circulated by Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) would bar institutional investors from owning more than 100 single-family homes, a proposal which would ostensible fulfil President Trump’s promise to curb corporate landlords, which he referenced in his State of the Union address. However, versions reviewed by The Lever include provisions that would preempt certain state and local regulations on corporate homeownership, potentially affecting efforts underway in at least 18 states to impose stricter limits. Read more about this proposal and nationwide attempts to limit corporate homeownership in the full report from The Lever [here][43].
# International News
* **Cuba claims it thwarted “terrorist” speedboat: **Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior [said][44] it thwarted what it described as an armed “terrorist” infiltration near Cayo Falcones in Villa Clara in an announcement Thursday. Authorities intercepted a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed men who reportedly fired on Cuban personnel and injured their commander. Four of the speedboat crew were killed and the remaining six members of the party were detained. All the suspected invaders are Cuban nationals who were residing in the United States before the attack. The ministry said it seized assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, body armor, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms, and separately detained Duniel Hernández Santos inside Cuba on accusations he was sent from the United States to receive the group.
* **U.S. Treasury signals limited authorization for Venezuelan oil resales to Cuba: **The U.S. Treasury Department [said][45] it will consider license applications allowing Venezuelan oil to be resold to Cuba, provided the fuel supports civilians, private businesses, and humanitarian needs rather than the Cuban military or intelligence services. In an updated guidance, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said transactions must comply with Venezuela General License 46A and cannot benefit entities on the State Department’s Cuba Restricted List.
* **Clashes in Syria’s Latakia province kill four: **Clashes on Tuesday between Syrian internal security forces and Saraya al-Jawad, a militia linked to remnants of the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad, [left][46] at least four people dead in the coastal province of Latakia, including one security officer, according to Al Jazeera. Saraya al-Jawad is reportedly loyal to Suheil al-Hassan, a brigadier general and special forces commander who served in the military under the Assad regime.
* **Hezbollah signals it would stay out of limited U.S. strikes on Iran: **Hezbollah would not [intervene][47] militarily if the United States carries out limited strikes against Iran, a “pro-Iranian official” told AFP, though any direct attack on Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, would constitute a “red line.” Lebanese officials, speaking to Reuters on Wednesday, reported that Israel has warned Lebanon it would “strike Lebanon hard” if Hezbollah aided Iran during a U.S.-Iran conflict.
* **RSF targeted people with disabilities in El Fasher, HRW alleges:** Human Rights Watch [said][48] it interviewed 22 survivors and disability rights activists who accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces of executing, abusing, and extorting people with disabilities during and after their October 26, 2025 takeover of the North Darfur city of El Fasher. Survivors described fighters singling out amputees as alleged combatants, mocking others as “insane” or “not complete,” and shooting civilians as they fled, while witnesses recounted killings of people with Down syndrome and visual and mobility impairments, as well as looting of wheelchairs and hearing aids. HRW said families were forced to abandon relatives unable to flee, and that those who reached refugee camps in Tawil struggle with inaccessibility and lack of medical care. The group said the alleged targeted killings and degrading treatment amount to war crimes and may constitute crimes against humanity, urging action by the United
Nations Security Council and sanctions on RSF leaders and their backers.
* **UN sanctions committee adds four senior RSF leaders to blacklist:** The United Nations Security Council sanctions committee on Sudan [added][49] four senior Rapid Support Forces leaders to its sanctions list, imposing global asset freezes and travel bans on those named. The new list includes Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, RSF deputy leader and brother of commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo; Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, the RSF’s North Darfur commander; Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, an RSF brigadier general; and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, a field commander. The four join other senior RSF figures already under UN sanctions, including Osman Mohamed Hamid, the RSF’s head of operations, and Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla, a West Darfur commander, both of whom were blacklisted in November 2024.
* **34 militants killed in Pakistani raids, government says: **Pakistani security forces killed 34 militants in multiple operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, the military [reported][50], including 26 in districts near the Afghan border and eight in Balochistan. The fighters were indicated to be members of either the Tehreek-e-Taliban and or militant Baloch separatist groups. Separately, suspected militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ambushed a police patrol in Bajaur district, killing four officers and wounding two, according to local officials.
* **Air strike in Myanmar’s Rakhine state kills at least 17 civilians: **A Myanmar military air strike [killed][51] at least 17 people, including women and children, and injured more than a dozen in Yoengu village in Ponnagyun township on Tuesday, local media and the Arakan Army said. The village, about 33 kilometers northeast of Sittwe in Rakhine state, has been under the control of the Arakan Army since March 2024 amid fighting with the military.
* **25 killed in raids in northeast Nigeria:** Gunmen [killed][52] at least 25 people and burned homes in coordinated attacks on the villages of Kirchinga and Garaha in Adamawa State on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Village leaders said attackers dressed in military uniforms struck Kirchinga, where 18 bodies were recovered, while more than 50 gunmen on motorcycles stormed Garaha, killing seven people and attacking a nearby military base, where three soldiers also died. The communities lie on the edge of the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. The Nigerian military pledged to restore “peace and stability” to the region in its response to the attacks.
* **Congo launches drone strikes on rebel-held Rubaya mine: **DRC government forces [launched][53] drone strikes against AFC/M23 rebels near the strategic mining town of Rubaya in North Kivu province on Wednesday, sources told AFP. M23, which is backed by Rwanda, seized the coltan-rich site in April 2024. The mine in Rubaya produces an estimated 15 to 30 percent of the world’s supply of coltan, a key mineral for electronics. Clashes were also reported in South Kivu, where the Congolese military is also battling M23-aligned groups.
* **Ukrainian drone strike hits fertiliser plant in Russia’s Smolensk: **A fertiliser plant in Dorogobuzh, in Russia’s Smolensk region about 290 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, was [struck][54] by around 30 Ukrainian drones, killing seven people and injuring at least 10, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Wednesday. Regional Governor Vasily Anokhin described the incident as a “barbaric terrorist attack,” saying the facility—which produces ammonium nitrate and nitric acid—caught fire but that flames were contained.
* **Orban orders heightened security at energy sites amid oil dispute with Ukraine: **Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban [ordered][55] additional security at critical energy infrastructure on Wednesday, accusing Ukraine of attempting to disrupt Hungary’s energy system through what he described as an “oil blockade.” Orban said his country’s intelligence services warned of further actions targeting power plants and control centers, though he provided no evidence for the claim, and pledged to deploy soldiers and increase police patrols around key facilities. Budapest has accused Kyiv of holding back Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline, while Ukrainian officials say the line was damaged by a Russian drone strike and can operate reliably only if attacks cease.
# Drop Site on the Hill
*Send any congressional tips to Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone via email at [email protected] or via Signal at julianandreone.2003*
* **Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) **[answered][56] Drop Site correspondent Julian Andreone’s question about the profits Hern made on a timely trade involving his position in UnitedHealth. “You need to talk to my guy that’s been doing my stuff for about 13 years now,” Hern responded. He added that he had “no idea” about the sale and said a Tulsa-based firm manages his portfolio and has “not at all” discussed his congressional work with him.
* **Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)** [said][57] he intends to vote “no” on the Kaine-Paul War Powers Resolution in the Senate, and when Andreone asked him on how strikes on Iran might benefit Pennsylvanians, he replied: “Oh, it absolutely does. It makes the Middle East safer.” Asked again how such action might help Pennsylvanians, he answered: “Absolutely.”
* **Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)** was [pressed][58] by Andreone on why the U.S. would need to strike Iran again after President Trump declared in June 2025 that its key nuclear enrichment sites had already been “completely and totally obliterated.” “I don’t know,” he responded.
* **Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)** [discussed][59] Trump’s data center proposal. “The bottom line is that of course a local community should not have to pay for the electricity problems caused by these giant corporations,” Sanders said. “Trump is doing everything he can to expand AI, which I think in a number of ways, including job loss [and] privacy rights, is a disaster for the country.”
* **Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.)** [told][60] Andreone that he intends to vote for the war powers resolution restricting strikes on Iran, “unless [he] gets a clear and concise briefing from the administration that explains the strategy, their intentions, how it will make America safer.” He said he’s received “almost nothing” so far, and added the President in his speech yesterday “didn’t give an explanation for what’s the goal here,” questioning the rationale for sustaining what Coons described as the “largest armada in three decades” in the Middle East.
* **Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)** [told][61] Drop Site that “We shouldn’t be going to war in the Middle East,” adding, “I’m sick of f—ing wars.” According to Gallego, war with Iran is “not in our national interest” and “not going to accomplish much of anything.” He warned it would “destabilize the region” and be “much, much tougher” than Iraq.
* **Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)** [said][62] President Trump should publicly demand floor votes on the economic proposals he highlighted in his State of the Union, including a ban on congressional stock trading, a 10% cap on credit card interest rates, and curbs on private equity in housing. “It’s nice that you all stood and cheered for these things,” Hawley told Drop Site, noting bipartisan applause yesterday for the proposal. “When push comes to shove, they don’t want to vote on it. They’ll cheer for it.”
* **Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) **[said][63] that “A war with Iran would be a grand disaster. Completely unnecessary.” “My constituents don’t want it, and they especially don’t want a president to take us into war without an adequate debate about the reasons.” Asked why the U.S. would attack Iran, Sen. Kaine responded: “I don’t have any idea.” He added, “I don’t think last night the president gave the American public any reason to suggest that a war with Iran would be a good idea.”
# More from Drop Site
**“While Iran Boils, Trump’s ‘Peace Plan’ Threatens Palestinian Existence”**
Drop Site co-founder Jeremy Scahill joined Palestinian-American journalist Rami G. Khouri in a discussion hosted by Massachusetts Peace Action, to discuss recent developments in Iran, Palestine, and the U.S., particularly as they relate to the ongoing struggle for Palestinian nationhood. A full video of their discussion is available here.
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[1]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/2/26/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-142959
[2]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-firm-build-uae-funded-housing-compound-israeli-held-south-sources-say-2026-02-25/
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026826693835432236
[4]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-iran-nuclear-talks-resume-geneva-against-backdrop-military-threat-2026-02-26/
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026716564536410435
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026822213211504866
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026880237112345055
[8]: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/25/dccc-rakes-in-millions-from-palantir-lobbyists-as-protests-target-the-companys-ice-surveillance-tools/
[9]: https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-medicaid-funding-fraud-trump-47b160fd664cdfeef355ae00ca5fecc0
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026916992209293753
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026766810503061563
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026732823101542407
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/25/syria-faces-twin-battles-as-assad-loyalists-and-isil-attack-in-west-east
[14]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-02-25/ty-article/official-to-afp-hezbollah-wont-step-in-if-u-s-conducts-limited-iran-strikes/0000019c-95cc-d981-a1be-97fead0d0000
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026865659724923337
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026889156052254767
[17]: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-troops-killed-militants-afghanstan-taliban-e7552b635c4a14b12c1d8cbec5ac2804
[18]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/25/military-government-air-strikes-kill-17-in-western-myanmar-state
[19]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-least-25-twin-attacks-nigerias-adamawa-state-2026-02-25/
[20]: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260225-dr-congo-govt-forces-target-strategic-coltan-mine-in-drone-strike-against-m23-rebels
[21]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjend9nqqxjo
[22]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[23]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/2/26/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-142959
[24]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-firm-build-uae-funded-housing-compound-israeli-held-south-sources-say-2026-02-25/
[25]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cmcc-leaked-documents-gaza-residential-zone-surveillance-checkpoints-rafah
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026826693835432236
[27]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-iran-nuclear-talks-resume-geneva-against-backdrop-military-threat-2026-02-26/
[28]: https://x.com/badralbusaidi/status/2026997987298406676
[29]: https://x.com/alishamkhani_ir/status/2026979974511518044
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026716564536410435
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026822213211504866
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026871433549287776
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026816614457303486
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026880237112345055
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026863402342064423
[36]: https://readsludge.com/2026/02/25/dccc-rakes-in-millions-from-palantir-lobbyists-as-protests-target-the-companys-ice-surveillance-tools/
[37]: https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-medicaid-funding-fraud-trump-47b160fd664cdfeef355ae00ca5fecc0
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026916992209293753
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026766810503061563
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026738677511004594?s=20
[41]: https://abc7ny.com/post/nypd-snowball-fight-man-arrested-injured-officers-washington-square-park/18653349/#
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026815720034578832
[43]: https://www.levernews.com/gop-housing-bill-could-block-states-from-regulating-corporate-landlords/
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026837536530669808
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026732823101542407
[46]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/25/syria-faces-twin-battles-as-assad-loyalists-and-isil-attack-in-west-east
[47]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-02-25/ty-article/official-to-afp-hezbollah-wont-step-in-if-u-s-conducts-limited-iran-strikes/0000019c-95cc-d981-a1be-97fead0d0000
[48]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026865659724923337
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026889156052254767
[50]: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-troops-killed-militants-afghanstan-taliban-e7552b635c4a14b12c1d8cbec5ac2804
[51]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/25/military-government-air-strikes-kill-17-in-western-myanmar-state
[52]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-least-25-twin-attacks-nigerias-adamawa-state-2026-02-25/
[53]: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260225-dr-congo-govt-forces-target-strategic-coltan-mine-in-drone-strike-against-m23-rebels
[54]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjend9nqqxjo
[55]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/25/hungarys-orban-orders-extra-security-alleges-ukraine-attacks-plot
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026718458881388627
[57]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026748211914813850
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026753799331667991
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026759714424463572
[60]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026762639712702805
[61]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026834559363416322
[62]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026844053346631701
[63]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026717987957288976
[64]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
[65]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
[66]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[67]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-talks-cuba-speedboat-minnesota-medicaid-pakistan-border-drop-site-daily/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-talks-cuba-speedboat-minnesota-medicaid-pakistan-border-drop-site-daily

2026-02-25 15:56:51 UTC

Israel responsible for 2/3 of press killings worldwide; Hegseth threatens Anthropic; Omar and Tlaib heckle Trump at SOTU
*Gaza Health Ministry reports three Palestinians killed in past 24 hours. Israel [expands][1] administrative detention to highest levels in decades. U.S. [embassy][2] to offer passport services inside illegal Israeli settlement for first time. Aid groups [petition][3] Israeli court to allow them to keep working in Gaza. Israel [responsible][4] for 2/3 of all press killings worldwide in 2024 and 2025. Iranian foreign minister [signals][5] nuclear deal possible. U.S. stealth fighters [deploy][6] toward Israel as regional military buildup accelerates. Top U.S. political leaders [discuss][7] Iran strikes and a potential deal. Campus clashes in Iran. President Donald Trump gives State of the Union. Trump administration [sues][8] UCLA over alleged antisemitic workplace environment. Scott Wiener continues to take AIPAC-associated money, report says. Democratic leadership quietly [works][9] to delay Iran war powers vote. Rep. Ro Khanna [renews][10] call for public debate on Iran war as war
powers vote nears. Former Vice President Kamala Harris [says][11] she is considering running again in 2028. Quad proposal [pushes][12] 90-day ceasefire in Sudan. Honduras [ends][13] Cuban medical mission under U.S. pressure. Pakistan and Afghan forces [exchange][14] fire along their shared border. Bolivia [restores][15] cooperation with U.S. drug agency after 17-year break. M23 spokesperson [killed][16] in drone strike in eastern Congo. Sierra Leone and Guinea [trade][17] accusations after border forces detained.*
**New from Drop Site: [ICE contractor receives millions in subsidies from NYC][18]. Weekly [livestream][19]. Drop Site on the Hill talks war powers resolution and the State of the Union address with members of Congress. New [video][20] on Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.**
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) shout at U.S. President Donald Trump as he delivers his State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, nine Palestinian bodies arrived at hospitals—three killed in new Israeli attacks and six recovered from under the rubble—and at least six Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,082 killed, with 171,761 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 618 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,663, while 732 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israel strikes southern Gaza, two Palestinians killed: **A Palestinian was killed and several others were injured after an Israeli strike in Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera. Israeli aircraft carried out three strikes in the south of the Strip in Rafah and Khan Younis, with artillery shelling areas east of Gaza City. Two Palestinians were also injured by Israeli gunfire in the Shujaiya neighborhood. An Israeli strike [targeted][22] the Ard al-Laymoun area south of Khan Younis on Tuesday evening, killing at least one Palestinian, according to Civil Defense officials.
* **Israel expands administrative detention to the highest levels in decades:** Israeli authorities have sharply [increased][23] the use of administrative detention, issuing more than 1,400 new or renewed orders without formal charges in the first two months of 2026, according to the Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies. Administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians indefinitely without charge or trial. The number of administrative detainees held by Israel has risen from about 1,300 before October 7, 2023 to more than 3,500 in February 2026, with the group saying activists, students, journalists, lawmakers, women, and children are being increasingly targeted.
* **U.S. embassy to offer passport services inside West Bank settlement for first time: **The United States Embassy in Jerusalem [announced][24] on Tuesday that American consular officers will provide on-site passport services this week in Efrat, an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, according to Reuters. This marks the first time such services have been offered inside an Israeli settlement. The U.S. embassy also announced that similar services are planned for the Palestinian city of Ramallah and Beitar Illit, another illegal Israeli settlement near Bethlehem. Hamas called the move a “dangerous precedent” and a “blatant alignment” with Israeli settlement and annexation policies, adding that it exposes a “stark contradiction” in Washington’s stance of opposing West Bank annexation while taking steps that reinforce it.
* **Israel detains 18 Palestinians as settler and military attacks continue across the West Bank: **Israeli forces arrested 18 Palestinians, including several minors, during raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to the Prisoners’ Media Office. Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, [stormed][25] the village of al-Mughayyir northeast of Ramallah, while soldiers fired tear gas inside the community, WAFA reported. In Nahalin, west of Bethlehem, Israeli authorities issued demolition notices for 23 inhabited homes. For the second consecutive day, Israeli troops raided areas south of Nablus, storming and damaging dozens of homes and conducting field interrogations. Meanwhile, armed settlers, also under army protection, attacked the home of detainee Khalil al-Manasra in Masafer Bani Naim east of Hebron, stealing and killing livestock and vandalizing property.
* **Aid groups petition Israeli court to allow them to keep working:** A group of leading international aid organizations have petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to allow them to keep working in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Israel is set to ban 37 aid groups by March 1 for refusing to comply with new rules announced last year that require aid groups to register the names and contact information of employees and to provide details about their funding and operations. In a [joint statement][26] on Tuesday, the groups said: “The demand to transfer personal data raises acute security and legal risks. It exposes national staff to potential retaliation and undermines established data protection and confidentiality safeguards.” The groups, which include prominent NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Medical Aid for Palestinians, have appealed for an urgent interim order that would halt the process until a final ruling.
* **Israel responsible for 2/3 of all press killings worldwide in 2024 and 2025, according to CPJ report:** The killings of journalists and media workers reached an all-time high in 2025, according to a special [report][27] by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), with Israel responsible for two-thirds of all press killings. “This marks back-to-back record years for press fatalities due to Israel’s continued and unprecedented targeting of journalists and media workers. More than 60% of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli fire in 2025 were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, where human rights groups and U.N. experts agree a genocide is taking place,” CPJ said. This is the second consecutive year-on-year record for press deaths since CPJ began collecting data more than three decades ago. The Israeli military has committed more targeted killings of journalists than any other government’s military since CPJ began documentation in 1992. The report also noted that drone
killings of press members are on the rise, from two in 2023 to 39 in 2025. The report highlighted specific cases of Palestinian journalists killed, including Hossam Shabat, a 23-year-old correspondent for Al Jazeera Mubasher and a contributor to Drop Site, who was assassinated on March 24, 2025 in an Israeli strike on his car in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza. You can read Hossam Shabat’s last article [here][28]**.**
* **Indian PM Modi arrives in Israel for official visit:** Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Israel Wednesday as part of a two-day visit to the country. Modi is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, address the Knesset, and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center. Netanyahu’s office said that the two leaders would sign a number of economic, security, and political cooperation agreements. India and Israel have deepened ties under Modi, a Hindu nationalist who became the first Indian prime minister to travel to Israel in 2017. India historically supported Palestinians and did not establish full diplomatic ties with Israel until 1992.
# Iran
* **Iranian foreign minister signals nuclear deal possible: **Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [said][29] on Tuesday that Iran will “under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon,” while insisting it will not relinquish its right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology, adding that a deal with the United States is “within reach.” Araghchi framed the upcoming Geneva talks as a “historic opportunity” for a fair and rapid agreement.
* **U.S. stealth fighters deploy toward Israel as regional military buildup accelerates: **Twelve U.S. F-22 stealth fighters [departed][30] RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom for an Israeli Air Force base in southern Israel on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump weighs possible military action against Iran. Open-source analysts say dozens more U.S. fighter jets, refueling aircraft, and hundreds of cargo flights have surged into the region since mid-February.
* **Top U.S. political leaders discuss Iran strikes and a potential deal:** Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said regarding a potential strike on Iran that the administration “has to make its case to the American people as something as important as this.” Schumer made his remarks before attending a briefing on Iran alongside the other members of the so-called “Gang of Eight,” given by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. ABC also reported that earlier in the afternoon, Trump [said][31] “Iran wants a deal more than I do,” but that it refuses to say the “magic words,” namely, that it “won’t build a bomb.”
* **Campus clashes in Iran:** Confrontations [escalated][32] at universities in Tehran and other major cities on Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal, as anti-government protests on campus entered their fourth consecutive day. Protesters chanted against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and revived Iran’s pre-1979 flag, while footage from a WSJ source showed fistfights at the Iran University of Science and Technology between the anti-government and pro-government contingents.
* **CIA publicly solicits contacts inside Iran: **The CIA’s verified X account [posted][33] a Persian-language message urging Iranians to contact the agency securely using tools such as Tor and VPNs, saying it could “hear your voice,” an unusually open appeal for sources. The outreach reflects the United States’ long-standing efforts to cultivate intelligence assets inside Iran, as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fueling unrest earlier this year.
# United States
* **State of the Union highlights:**
* **Trump discusses Iran: **During his address, Trump [accused][34] Iran of “again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions,” claiming that despite the June 2025 U.S. strikes he said “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran is now trying to rebuild its weapons capabilities. He echoed almost verbatim the comments earlier reported by ABC regarding his willingness to pursue a deal and Iran’s refusal to say the “secret words.” Iran’s foreign minister Araghchi said those exact words earlier today on Twitter.
* **Tlaib and Omar heckle Trump during State of the Union over immigration and Epstein files: **Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) repeatedly [interrupted][35] Trump, shouting accusations that his immigration policies were “killing Americans” and calling his claims about fraud in Somali-American communities “a lie.” Tlaib also heckled Trump to “release the Epstein files,” while Omar fired back “you should be ashamed” after Trump criticized Democrats for not standing in applause.
* **Trump endorsed a ban on congressional stock trading: **Trump lauded proposed legislation to ban individual stock trading among members of Congress. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who has been trying to pass an individual stock trading ban for more than a decade, stood up to clap, exclaiming, “Let’s pass it!”
* **Trump administration sues UCLA over alleged antisemitic workplace environment: **The Trump administration [filed][36] a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles, on Tuesday, alleging the school created a “severe and pervasive” hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli employees after October 7 by failing to address antisemitism complaints linked to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused UCLA of allowing “virulent anti-Semitism to flourish.” The university said it has taken concrete steps to combat antisemitism and will defend its record.
* **Wiener continues to take AIPAC-associated money, report says: **Scott Wiener, running to replace Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in Congress, has sworn off money from AIPAC after declaring Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. According to a review of his campaign finance disclosures, however, he has taken in tens of thousands of dollars from major donors to AIPAC, as well as donors who serve on AIPAC’s national and regional boards, including from donors like Jeff Farber who usually donate only to right-wing causes (such as the Heritage Foundation, the David Horowitz Freedom Center, and the Federalist Society). Asked if AIPAC executives counted when it came to the bar on AIPAC money, a spokesman for Wiener said, “Senator Wiener has taken the Reject AIPAC pledge—he has not and will not take money from AIPAC or from AIPAC-aligned PACs. He’s held to that and will continue to do so. …Scott has been clear he won’t support U.S. funding for the destruction of Palestinian communities.”
* **Democratic leadership quietly works to delay Iran war powers vote: **Democrats in the House Foreign Affairs Committee have been working behind the scenes to stall a bipartisan war powers resolution from Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would require explicit congressional authorization before any United States military action against Iran, according to a new report from Capital and Empire. According to multiple sources cited in the report, a senior committee staffer has inflated projections of Democratic defections to sap momentum. Critics say Democratic leaders are avoiding a recorded vote that would expose divisions and force members to take a public position on a conflict many privately expect but fear openly backing. Read the full report from Aída Chávez [here][37].
* **Ro Khanna renews call for public debate on Iran war as war powers vote nears: **Khanna has again [challenged][38] Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) to publicly debate whether the United States should go to war with Iran, as he works with Massie on their war powers resolution. Khanna told Breaking Points he expects to have the votes by early next week after delaying a floor push to avoid losing 20 to 30 Democrats, and argued that “powerful interests” seeking regime change are pressuring lawmakers who fear alienating major donors and entrenched lobbying groups.
* **Harris says she is considering running again in 2028: **On a video call with author Sharon McMahon, former Vice President Kamala Harris left the [door open][39] to another presidential run, responding to McMahon’s rapid-fire question “Will you run again?” with a concise, “I might.”
* **Anthropic-backed super PAC pours funds into North Carolina primary to boost Valerie Foushee:** An “artificial intelligence safety” super PAC largely [funded][40] by AI-firm Anthropic has raised nearly $700,000 in North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District to support incumbent Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) over her challenger, the progressive Nida Allam. Foushee sits on House Democrats’ artificial intelligence task force and previously received major backing from the now-imprisoned FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
* **Pentagon pressures Anthropic to loosen AI restrictions or risk losing contract: **On Tuesday, War Secretary Pete Hegseth [gave][41] Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei an ultimatum to remove safeguards on Anthropic’s advanced AI systems—including bans on mass domestic surveillance and autonomous lethal use—or face termination of its military contract, according to the Associated Press.
# International News
* **Quad proposal pushes 90-day ceasefire in Sudan: **A proposal backed by the U.S., UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia—known as the “Quad”—and presented to Sudan’s warring parties [calls][42] for a 90-day nationwide ceasefire in Sudan as well as for open corridors, according to a senior European Union diplomat speaking to the Ayin Network. The ceasefire would freeze both Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Army in their current positions, establish demilitarized zones in the country, and necessitate withdrawals from El Fasher and parts of Kordofan to allow humanitarian aid corridors to be re-established. Sudanese Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has signaled resistance to any truce short of a full RSF withdrawal in recent days, and his army has separately submitted its own 50-page ceasefire proposal.
* **Sheinbaum discusses Cuba, tariffs, and Musk: **During a press conference on Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum [addressed][43] a U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed the threat of tariffs on Mexico should it resume oil exports to Cuba, adding that her government is reviewing the ruling before deciding whether to continue shipments. Canada separately announced it is preparing a humanitarian aid package for Cuba as fuel shortages and blackouts strain hospitals and basic services, following recent United States measures targeting countries that supply the island with oil. Sheinbaum also [said][44] her government is considering taking legal action against Elon Musk after he accused her without evidence of taking orders from “cartel bosses.” Sheinbaum dismissed the claim as absurd and reiterated her opposition to a militarized “war on drugs,” arguing that past crackdowns fueled state breakdown and bloodshed.
* **Honduras ends Cuban medical mission under U.S. pressure: **Honduras will [terminate][45] its Cuban medical brigade this week as contracts for about 130 doctors and nurses expire, according to Bloomberg. The shift follows President Nasry Asfura taking office and moving the country closer to the United States, which has aggressively cut revenue streams to Havana. Similar pressure prompted Guatemala to phase out its program as well.
* **RSF leader bought property in Dubai and gave it to sanctioned financier, report says: **Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed “Hemedti” Hamdan Dagalo purchased three Dubai apartments in 2020 that were later transferred to a real estate firm owned by financier Abozer Habib, according to [a new report][46] by The Sentry. Habib was sanctioned by the United States in 2025 for funding and supplying the RSF with weapons, despite the Emirati government’s denials that it has provided the group, accused of genocide in Darfur, with any backing. The properties are located near Al Minhad airbase and are valued at roughly $1.7 million; according to the Sentry’s estimates, they have generated at least $80,000 annually in rent since 2023.
* **Pakistan and Afghan forces exchange fire along their shared border: **Pakistani and Afghan troops [traded fire][47] in multiple sectors along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border on Tuesday, with each side accusing the other of initiating the clash, Reuters reports. Islamabad said its forces responded to what it called unprovoked Taliban fire near Torkham and Tirah, while Afghan officials said Pakistani troops opened fire first in areas of Nangarhar Province, adding that fighting later subsided with no Afghan casualties reported.
* **Militant attacks kill police officers in northwest and central Pakistan: **Militants [ambushed][48] a police patrol in Kohat in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing five officers and later two civilians, while a separate suicide bombing at a checkpoint in Bhakkar district of Punjab killed two police officials and wounded five others, including polio workers, according to reporting from Reuters. The Tehreek-e-Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks.
* **Bolivia restores cooperation with U.S. drug agency after 17-year break: **Bolivia resumed its operational cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Tuesday, resuming collaboration after a 17-year break, according to a statement from its government reported on in [Reuters][49]. Interior Minister Marco Oviedo confirmed DEA officials are again working with Bolivian authorities, reversing the 2008 expulsion ordered by former president Evo Morales, saying President Rodrigo Paz’s government intends to tighten border surveillance and dismantle trafficking networks in the country, alongside American and European law enforcement agencies.
* **M23 spokesperson killed in drone strike in eastern Congo: **On Tuesday, Willy Ngoma, a senior spokesperson and officer for the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, was [killed][50] in a predawn drone strike near the mining town of Rubaya in North Kivu Province, according to reporting from Associated Press. The attack comes weeks after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement and amid continued clashes following the group’s 2025 advances into Goma and Bukavu.
* **Sierra Leone and Guinea trade accusations after border forces detained: **Sierra Leone [accused][51] neighboring Guinea of capturing several members of its army and police on Tuesday, allegedly detaining the security forces while they were building a border post in the frontier town of Kaliyereh, and called for their unconditional release, according to a government statement reported by Reuters. Guinea’s defense ministry said dozens of Sierra Leonean soldiers had crossed into its territory without authorization, prompting the detention of 16 personnel and the seizure of weapons.
# Drop Site on the Hill
*Send any congressional tips to Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone via email at [email protected] or via Signal at julianandreone.2003*
* **Here’s what members of Congress said about voting for the Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution:**
* **Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) **[signaled][52] he may vote in favor of the Khanna–Massie War Powers resolution on Iran. “I think it’s an important moment for us to make sure that the people, through their elected representatives, are the ones making decisions about war and peace.” Pappas is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Jeanne Shaheen in this year’s midterm elections.
* **Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)** said Iran is “certainly subject to a war powers action by the Congress.” Pressed on American interventionism, he rejected the framing, saying the U.S. remains “the single power in the world that can hopefully bring stability and security,” and that he doesn’t think “we’re playing that role very well.”
* **Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.)** [refused][53] to answer how he’ll vote on the war powers resolution, saying he would not respond because he “does not recognize Drop Site News.” Torres, who regularly comments on matters related to Israel, has previously taken questions from Drop Site’s Julian Andreone.
* **Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.)** [said][54] he opposes the war powers resolution, arguing it would “tie the president’s hands” in responding to Iran. Pressed on how attacking Iran would benefit Americans in his district, Lawler pointed to Iran’s support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and repeated unsubstantiated claims that the groups are operating in Venezuela and posing a threat across the Western hemisphere.
* **Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)** [joked][55] with our correspondent Julian Andreone when he brought up the Trump administration’s claims that Iran’s uranium reserves, which it claimed it destroyed in last summer’s attacks, justify another set of attacks. “You can’t destroy them twice?”
* **Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.)** [said][56] Trump has “not made any kind of case to the American people for why Americans should go fight in Iran,” and said those “beating the war drum” have also failed to make their argument. Deluzio also called for banning super PAC spending and overturning Citizens United.
* **Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.)** [stated][57] that negotiations to end the war in Sudan are ongoing but argued there will be no agreement “until the Trump administration actually holds the UAE accountable for funding and enabling this genocide, and arming this genocide.”
* **Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) **[remarked][58] that Trump is “all talk” and “no action” on all policies except those that benefit the ultra wealthy. “Donald Trump has promised to get private equity out of housing for over a year now. And what has he done? Zero.”
# More from Drop Site
**Weekly Livestream: **Yesterday, Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Ryan Grim, and Murtaza Hussain discussed the lead-up to Trump’s State of the Union, the seemingly impending American war with Iran, and Drop Site’s reporting on how Iranian officials view the conflict and upcoming negotiations with the United States. The full livestream is available here:
**Trump’s so-called America First foreign policy:** Drop Site contributor Ben Craw outlines all of the ways Trump has pursued the interests of other countries during his second term. The full video is available here:
**During our livestream:** Drop Site’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous [detailed the results of an investigation][59] by Forensic Architecture and Earshot into the Tal al-Sultan massacre in southern Gaza. Israeli forces killed 15 aid workers, some at point-blank range, and buried them in a mass grave along with their ambulances.
**Programming note:** [You can sign up here to get updates from us][60] on our WhatsApp channel.
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026350598874882274
[2]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-offer-passport-services-west-bank-settlement-first-time-2026-02-24/
[3]: https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/humanitarian-organisations-petition-israeli-high-court-closure-deadline-approaches
[4]: https://cpj.org/special-reports/record-129-press-members-killed-in-2025-israel-responsible-for-2-of-3-of-deaths/
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026366660899111020
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026370685392527571
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026433761697505633
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026487951262167184
[9]: https://capitalandempire.com/p/top-democrats-try-to-stop-vote-that
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026328641538261105
[11]: https://x.com/AlexThomp/status/2026408268155740247?s=20
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026266501536248228
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026392621640298874
[14]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-afghan-forces-exchange-fire-after-airstrikes-deepen-tensions-2026-02-24/
[15]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolivia-restores-us-dea-ties-after-17-years-push-against-drug-trafficking-2026-02-24/
[16]: https://apnews.com/article/congo-goma-m23-rebels-official-killed-86d81ad26c798c4e7741fb1f8449389e
[17]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sierra-leone-says-members-its-security-forces-held-by-guinea-border-row-2026-02-24/
[18]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/ice-border-patrol-israeli-military-mamdani-new-york-city
[19]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NW4NfTxzz0
[20]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHj8trLIrsU
[21]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026429808004026836
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026350598874882274
[24]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-offer-passport-services-west-bank-settlement-first-time-2026-02-24/
[25]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/2/25/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%8A%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%8A%D8%B7%D9%84%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85-142896
[26]: https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/humanitarian-organisations-petition-israeli-high-court-closure-deadline-approaches
[27]: https://cpj.org/special-reports/record-129-press-members-killed-in-2025-israel-responsible-for-2-of-3-of-deaths/
[28]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hossam-shabat-journalist-killed-gaza-last-article
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026366660899111020
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026370685392527571
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026433761697505633
[32]: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/tensions-rise-in-iran-as-protesters-face-off-with-regime-loyalists-32d97c99?st=g3Sehv&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026328641538261105
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026512588008288276
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026503217861787904
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026487951262167184
[37]: https://capitalandempire.com/p/top-democrats-try-to-stop-vote-that
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026328641538261105
[39]: https://x.com/AlexThomp/status/2026408268155740247?s=20
[40]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2026377799297007779
[41]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026417777502990528
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026266501536248228
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026356356718961081
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026361765366477233
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026392621640298874
[46]: https://thesentry.org/2026/02/24/80915/new-investigation-links-sudans-rsf-leader-to-property-holdings-in-the-uae/
[47]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-afghan-forces-exchange-fire-after-airstrikes-deepen-tensions-2026-02-24/
[48]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/gunmen-kill-five-policemen-northwest-pakistan-police-say-2026-02-24/
[49]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/bolivia-restores-us-dea-ties-after-17-years-push-against-drug-trafficking-2026-02-24/
[50]: https://apnews.com/article/congo-goma-m23-rebels-official-killed-86d81ad26c798c4e7741fb1f8449389e
[51]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/sierra-leone-says-members-its-security-forces-held-by-guinea-border-row-2026-02-24/
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026384778765701280
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026381760494174631
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026427358576832993
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026439919095202066
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026478295060029720
[57]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026480211835908574
[58]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026521728533368835
[59]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-soldiers-tel-sultan-gaza-red-crescent-civil-defense-massacre-report-forensic-architecture-earshot
[60]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-press-killings-hegseth-anthropic-sotu-drop-site-daily

2026-02-24 19:55:58 UTC

ICE and Israeli Military Supplier Receives Millions in Subsidies from NYC
*Drop Site's journalism is free to read because thousands of readers choose to fund it. If our work matters to you, [please consider making a tax-deductible donation today.][1]*
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference at Deno's Wonder Wheel on Coney Island in the New York City on February 15, 2026. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
New York City offers a contractor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Israeli Defense Forces millions of dollars in rent and construction subsidies, according to leases obtained by Drop Site through a Freedom of Information Law request.
The company, [Crye Precision][2], designs and manufactures “combat proven” tactical gear and clothing for military applications and has been a tenant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard since 2002, according to [the website][3] of the city-owned complex.
Incentives offered by the Brooklyn Navy Yard to Crye Precision contrast with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s policy positions. Earlier this month, Mamdani issued [an executive order][4] reaffirming the city’s “sanctuary” status and restricting local agencies from collaborating with federal immigration enforcement. The mayor also campaigned extensively against the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
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The Mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Publicly available federal contracts indicate that Crye Precision received [its latest contract][5] from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Border Patrol and ICE, on January 19. The $40,000 contract for cold weather apparel for the Border Patrol’s Maine sector coincided with ICE’s “surge” in the state, which resulted in the warrantless arrests of more than 200 people, according to the [office of Gov. Janet Mills (D).][6]
Drop Site [previously reported][7] that Crye Precision has produced camouflage gear for the Israeli Defense Forces. According to a whistleblower familiar with its operations, the company has continued to supply the Israeli military since the start of the Gaza genocide.
Crye Precision did not respond to requests for comment.
The company currently holds three leases for spaces in the Brooklyn Navy Yard complex that were signed in 2012, 2019, and 2022. The leases range in size from 8,000 to 85,000 square feet, in terms of five to 20 years, with options to renew.
The Navy Yard advertises a number of [leasing incentives][8] on its website. Crye Precision’s 2012 lease waives the first year of rent, saving the company at least $340,000. Rent for the remaining 19 years of the lease’s initial term is reduced by more than $1 million, based on a federal tax credit to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The complex also offers to perform $1 million worth of construction “at tenant’s direction.” The 2019 lease waives the first quarter of rent, which comes to at least $159,444.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard declined to comment. The office of City Council Member Lincoln Restler, whose district includes the Navy Yard, did not respond to requests for comment.
In response to Crye Precision’s military and DHS contracts, local community members organizing under the banner of [Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard][9] have been pushing the complex to evict the company, as well as Easy Aerial, another military contractor that provides drones to [the Israeli military][10] and [DHS][11]. Federal contracts indicate that both[ Easy Aerial][12] and[ Crye Precision][13] have additional facilities in New Jersey.
“It’s shameful that the City of New York is providing them with subsidies while in that very rented space, they produce tactical equipment for ICE and a genocidal army,” said a DBNY spokesperson, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “Instead of that subsidized space being used for the benefit of the community, it is being used by a war profiteer.”
Earlier this month, the Navy Yard’s board met some of the activists’ demands and declined to renew the lease of Easy Aerial. According to a statement provided to [Hyperallergic][14], the facility “notified Easy Aerial at the beginning of the year that it would not renew its lease agreement for business reasons related to tenant conduct on campus.”
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Crye Lease 2012
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Crye Lease 2022
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Crye Lease 2019
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.cryeprecision.com/
[3]: https://www.brooklynnavyyard.org/tenants/crye-precision/
[4]: https://www.nyc.gov/content/dam/nycgov/mayors-office/downloads/pdf/executive-orders/2026/eo-13.pdf
[5]: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70B03C26P00000029_7014_-NONE-_-NONE-
[6]: https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/news/governor-mills-attorney-general-frey-demand-trump-administration-release-full-details-maine
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-military-camouflage-being
[8]: https://www.brooklynnavyyard.org/leasing-incentives/
[9]: https://www.instagram.com/demilitarizebklynnavyyard/
[10]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqlw8QFmXNo
[11]: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70B02C20P00000424_7014_-NONE-_-NONE-
[12]: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_FA442721P0105_9700_-NONE-_-NONE-
[13]: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_W911QY13P0470_9700_-NONE-_-NONE-
[14]: https://hyperallergic.com/brooklyn-navy-yard-evicts-drone-manufacturer-after-months-of-protests/
[15]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/ice-border-patrol-israeli-military-mamdani-new-york-city/comments
[16]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/ice-border-patrol-israeli-military-mamdani-new-york-city?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/2b6bc95c-3900-4c77-8f40-514b752e021d.pdf
[18]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/2b6bc95c-3900-4c77-8f40-514b752e021d.pdf
[19]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/498c3808-61e8-4e9b-a04d-830cc461ce93.pdf
[20]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/498c3808-61e8-4e9b-a04d-830cc461ce93.pdf
[21]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/08951634-bea2-4e91-93b5-15261c80126f.pdf
[22]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/api/v1/file/08951634-bea2-4e91-93b5-15261c80126f.pdf
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/ice-border-patrol-israeli-military-mamdani-new-york-city

2026-02-24 17:29:46 UTC

State of the Union: War with Iran Edges Closer
Ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, there is a flurry of activity taking place inside the White House and Pentagon as Trump continues to deliberate whether he will authorize military strikes on Iran. A new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva.
Iranian officials tell Drop Site they are showing an “almost unbelievable level of flexibility” in talks with the U.S. to avert war, saying Tehran has “decided to exercise maximum flexibility on the nuclear issue, but only on the strict condition that it would genuinely prevent the outbreak of war.”
Officials said Iran is directly addressing U.S. concerns on the nuclear issue with concrete proposals, and asserting a willingness to expand talks to other issues once a deal to avert imminent conflict has been concluded. Although talks are scheduled for Thursday, the prospects for a deal that would halt the U.S. drive to war remain fragile.
Drop Site’s **Jeremy Scahill** and **Murtaza Hussain** join **Ryan Grim** to discuss the latest.
In the second half of the broadcast, Drop Site’s **Sharif Abdel Kouddous** discusses a new joint investigation by the independent research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture on the Israeli military’s massacre of 15 Palestinian aid workers in southern Gaza on March 23, 2025. The report, based on eyewitness testimony and audio and visual analysis, found that Israeli soldiers fired nearly a thousand bullets at the aid workers—with at least eight shots fired at point blank range in execution-style killings.
**[Read all of Drop Site’s coverage of Iran here.][1]**
**[Read about the 2025 massacre of Palestinian aid workers here.][2]**
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[1]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/t/iran
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-soldiers-tel-sultan-gaza-red-crescent-civil-defense-massacre-report-forensic-architecture-earshot
[3]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/state-of-the-union-war-iran-trump-gaza-aid-workers-massacre?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/state-of-the-union-war-iran-trump-gaza-aid-workers-massacre

2026-02-24 15:44:11 UTC

Rubio to brief Congress on Iran before SOTU; Gaza hit by flooding; RSF kills 28 in North Darfur
*Israeli strikes continue across Gaza, killing one. Flooding [hits][1] displacement camps in Gaza. Board of Peace [explores][2] dollar-pegged stablecoin. Israel [approved][3] tens of thousands of settlement homes while Palestinian construction was largely blocked. Military and intelligence officials [size up][4] U.S. operation against Iran. Iran [nears][5] deal to acquire Chinese anti-ship missiles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will brief House and Senate leaders on Tuesday afternoon ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. U.S. military kills three in Pacific vessel strike. Supreme Court [weighs][6] scope of Helms-Burton Act in Cuba property claims. Former ICE instructor [alleges][7] training standards were slashed amid deportation surge. U.S. [orders][8] partial embassy drawdown in Lebanon. Islamic State [kills][9] four Syrian security personnel; U.S. expects to fully withdraw within a month. Mexico [says][10] cartel unrest has eased. RSF attack in North Darfur
kills 28. Over a dozen [killed][11] in attack in South Sudan. Gulf states [back][12] Kuwait after Iraq submits new maritime claims to the United Nations. [Attacks][13] on southern Ukraine and possible Ukrainian military [advances][14]. Thai Navy [seizes][15] Cambodian fishing boat. Former UK ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson [released][16] on bail.*
**New from Drop Site: Iranian officials [discuss][17] the “unbelievable flexibility” the country has shown in negotiations with the United States. Drop Site on the Hill. New [video][18] about congressional stock trading from Julian Andreone.**
**This is Drop Site Daily, our free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Flooding in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, Gaza on February 24, 2026. Photo by Abdallah F.s. Alattar/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, seven Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 stands at 72,073 killed, with 171,756 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 615 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,658, while 726 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli strikes continue across Gaza, killing one: **One Palestinian was killed and several others injured in an Israeli strike on Beit Lahiya on Tuesday, in northern Gaza. Two Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Israeli forces launched airstrikes on areas east of Khan Younis, while Israeli artillery targeted western Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and east of the Bureij refugee camp in the central part of the Strip.
* **Flooding hits displacement camps in Gaza: **Overnight, heavy rains [flooded][20] hundreds of displacement tents across the Gaza Strip, with submerged roads in areas like Al-Mawasi prompting urgent rescue calls, according to Civil Defense officials. Israel’s siege is blocking heavy machinery and rescue equipment needed to respond, municipal officials report. UNRWA has warned that shortages of shelter materials have left more than a million displaced people exposed to the rain and cold.
* **Board of Peace explores dollar-pegged stablecoin: **Officials working with President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” [are considering][21] launching a U.S. dollar–pegged stablecoin in Gaza, the Financial Times reports. Cash circulation and banking systems in Gaza have been severely curtailed since October 2023. Critics warn that a Gaza-only digital currency might further separate the enclave economically from the West Bank and consolidate external financial control. Chronic electricity shortages in Gaza and Israeli restrictions on mobile networks have also raised doubts about the feasibility of the currency alternative.
* **Israeli prison chief hosts synagogue group at Ramle detention site: **Israel’s prison chief Kobi Yaakobi [brought][22] around 20 congregants and a rabbi from his synagogue in the illegal Har Homa settlement in East Jerusalem to tour the Nitzan detention center in Ramle on Monday, according to Channel 12. Witnesses said Palestinian detainees were shown handcuffed, shackled, and lying face-down during the visit, which included a religious sermon and lunch. The Israel Prison Service said the rabbi had entered to “bless” the prison’s guards.
* **Settlers deface West Bank mosque:** Israeli settlers torched and vandalized the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque in Tell, near Nablus, early Monday during Ramadan, spray-painting insults against the Prophet Muhammad and the words “revenge” and “price tag,” according to the Palestinian Authority. Security footage showed two suspects carrying gasoline and paint. Forty-five West Bank mosques were vandalized or attacked last year, according to the PA’s Ministry of Religious Affairs.
* **Israel approved tens of thousands of settlement homes while Palestinian construction was largely blocked: **Between 2009 and 2020, Israeli authorities [issued][23] just 66 building permits to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank’s Area C, while approving roughly 22,000 housing units for Jewish settlers, according to a new report from Haaretz. With construction permits effectively barred, thousands of Palestinian structures have been demolished—including 2,461 over the past two years alone—displacing about 2,500 people, data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs show. Israel’s security cabinet recently approved wide-ranging steps aimed at deepening Israeli control in the occupied West Bank and enabling further growth of settlements.
* **Israel cancels travel authorizations to block foreign activists from entering the West Bank:** Israel has begun [to revoke][24] electronic travel authorizations under its new visa-free ETA system, intending to deny entry to foreign activists en route to the occupied West Bank, [according][25] to +972 magazine. Activists who documented settler violence or provided protective presence said their approvals were abruptly canceled—often after soldiers scanned their passports. The new policy has targeted citizens from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, and Australia.
# Iran
* **Iranian officials discuss upcoming talks and state of negotiations: **U.S. and Iranian negotiators are set to begin a new round of talks in Geneva aimed at averting a widening conflict on Thursday, even as President Donald Trump demands sweeping concessions on uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles, and regional alliances. Iranian officials told Drop Site that Tehran has shown “an almost unbelievable level of flexibility on the enrichment issue” on the nuclear issue to prevent war, though they warn that Washington’s escalating threats suggest regime change may be the real objective and that Iran will not hesitate to respond. **The latest article from Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain is available in full [here][26].**
* **Iran nears deal to acquire Chinese anti-ship missiles: **Iran is close to [finalizing][27] an agreement to purchase Chinese-made CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, according to six sources cited by Reuters, as the United States has deployed a major naval force in its vicinity ahead of possible strikes. The missiles have an estimated 180-mile range and are designed to evade ship defenses, and if acquired, would significantly enhance Tehran’s ability to target U.S. vessels. Doubts remain about whether or not Beijing will complete the transfer under the circumstances, but the sale would represent one of China’s most advanced weapons transfers to Iran in decades.
* **Military and intelligence officials size up U.S. operation against Iran: **Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly warned Trump that the military may face munitions shortages and resistance from U.S. allies, and discussed the possibility that a conflict with Iran could become prolonged and costly, according to a new [report][28] from The Washington Post. Trump later called the Post’s [account][29] “100% incorrect,” and said that Caine believes any war would be “easily won.” Axios and The Wall Street Journal later confirmed the report from WaPo. An Israeli intelligence official [told][30] the Financial Times that, even with the imminent arrival of a major U.S. aircraft carrier, the United States could likely sustain only four to five days of intense air operations—or about a week at lower intensity—against Iran.
# United States
* **State of the Union: **President Donald Trump will address the nation on Tuesday evening in his second State of the Union since taking office again. Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna, Jamie Raskin, and Suhas Subramanyam have invited Epstein’s accusers to attend, while another set of Democrats is holding a rally outside. At 3 p.m., hours before SOTU, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to brief House and Senate leaders on Iran.
* **U.S. military kills three in Pacific vessel strike:** The U.S. military conducted a strike on a boat in the Caribbean on Monday, killing three people, according to U.S. Southern Command. SOUTHCOM posted [video][31] of the strike and claimed without evidence they were engaged in narco-trafficking, saying “Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.” The Trump administration’s targeting of vessels has killed over 150 people in dozens of strikes on boats in the Pacific and Caribbean since September.
* **Supreme Court weighs scope of Helms-Burton Act in Cuba property claims: **The U.S. Supreme Court [heard][32] arguments on Monday in two cases testing the reach of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which codified the U.S. embargo on Cuba and allows Americans to sue over property seized after the 1959 revolution, Reuters reports. ExxonMobil is seeking more than $1 billion from Cuban state firm CIMEX, while Havana Docks Corporation is suing Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and MSC Cruises over their use of Havana port facilities between 2016 and 2019, arguing they “trafficked” in confiscated property. The rulings could affect billions of dollars in claims and clarify how broadly Title III of the law applies.
* **Democrats introduce bill to condition U.S. arms on Israel’s Gaza ceasefire compliance: **On Monday, Democratic lawmakers led by Rep. Sean Casten (Ill.) introduced the Ceasefire Compliance Act, which would require the United States to review every 90 days whether Israel is honoring the Gaza ceasefire negotiated by President Trump, [Zeteo reports][33], including allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, halting annexation in the West Bank, and addressing settler violence. If Israel is found in violation, the bill would suspend U.S. weapons sales and restrict the use of previously transferred arms. The bill is backed by J Street.
* **Former ICE instructor testifies before Congress: **A former instructor at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement academy in Georgia testified before Congress on Monday and accused the agency of cutting roughly 240 hours from its basic training program—including classes on use of force, firearms safety, and arrest procedures WaPo [reports][34]. The instructor, Ryan Schwank, said internal documents from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers show the course was shortened from 72 days to 42 days, a claim the Department of Homeland Security denied. In light of his testimony, lawmakers have renewed calls for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to step down.
# International News
* **U.S. orders partial embassy drawdown in Lebanon: **On Monday, the United States [ordered][35] the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from its embassy in Beirut, citing escalated security risks as Washington weighs possible military action against Iran and prepares for a new round of nuclear talks with the Iranian government in Geneva.
* **Islamic State kills four Syrian security personnel; U.S. gives exit timeline: **Islamic State militants killed four Syrian government security personnel in an attack on a checkpoint west of Raqqa, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported (via [Reuters][36]), marking the group’s deadliest strike on government forces since the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad. The Islamic State has described a “new phase of operations” against the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa as Damascus attempts to consolidate its control of northern and eastern Syria. Meanwhile, U.S. forces [continued][37] their planned exit from the country, pulling out of the Qasrak base in the northeast, with sources telling AFP that the American military is expected to complete a full withdrawal within a month.
* **Sheinbaum says cartel unrest has eased: **Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum [said][38] during a Monday press conference that highway blockades and unrest linked to cartel retaliation had largely eased. Sheinbaum also said that the recent security operation was planned and carried out entirely by Mexico’s federal forces, and, aside from intelligence sharing, saw no direct involvement from the United States. Mexico also announced that gunmen tied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel killed 25 National Guard troops in six separate attacks following the operation, bringing the total number of deaths to 73.
* **RSF attack in North Darfur kills 28: **An attack by the Rapid Support Forces on Monday on the town of Misteriha, in North Darfur left at least 28 people dead, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. At least 39 people, including 10 women, were wounded in the attack. The town is a stronghold of tribal leader Musa Hilal, who survived an RSF drone strike over the weekend. The RSF then launched a major ground offensive on Monday and took over the town.
* **Civilians killed in Jonglei attack as South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis deepens: **More than a dozen civilians were [killed][39] on Monday in Jonglei state, where survivors said fighters allied to the government lured villagers in Pankor with promises of food aid before opening fire, the Associated Press reported. A local commissioner blamed Agwelek militia fighters and said some had been arrested, while disputing claims that victims were tricked with aid.
* **Gulf states back Kuwait after Iraq claims maritime areas: **On Monday, Gulf countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates [pledged][40] support for Kuwait after Iraq submitted updated maritime coordinates and maps to the United Nations asserting claims over areas Kuwait says are fully under its sovereignty, according to reporting from Al Jazeera.
* **Four years since Russia began war on Ukraine:** Russian drone and missile strikes on Monday night [killed][41] at least four people in southern and southeastern Ukraine, including two in the Odesa Oblast and two in Zaporizhzhia, local officials say. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed on Monday that his forces [regained][42] about 400 square kilometres and eight settlements along part of the southern front in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised recent Ukrainian gains as “astonishing,” though Syrskyi’s statement is unclear about whether these gains came at Russian expense (as opposed to being in the “gray zone” which is not held by either side). Tuesday marks four years since the war began.
* **Hungary blocks new EU sanctions and Ukraine loan: **Hungary [continued][43] to exercise its veto on a new European Union sanctions package against Russia and a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, as part of its dispute with Kyiv over halted oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline. Slovakia supported Hungary’s decision, announcing that it would refuse to provide Ukraine with any emergency electricity until oil resumes its flow through the pipeline.
* **Thai Navy seizes Cambodian fishing boat: **Thailand’s navy intercepted and confiscated a Cambodian fishing vessel it says was operating in its waters on Monday, detaining three crew members, according to [The Diplomat][44]. Cambodia’s foreign ministry protested the seizure, saying it occurred within its own waters and constituted a violation of its sovereignty. The incident follows last year’s border clashes between the two countries amid unresolved disputes over land and maritime borders.
* **Peter Mandelson released on bail: **On Tuesday, British police said the former UK ambassador to Washington, had been [released][45] on bail after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct tied to his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, days after Prince Andrew was detained in a related investigation. The Metropolitan Police Service is examining claims that Mandelson shared sensitive U.K. government information with Epstein in 2009, allegations which surfaced following the recent release of millions of pages of Epstein-related documents by the Justice Department.
# Drop Site on the Hill
Drop Site’s D.C. reporter Julian Andreone asked members on Monday their position on U.S. war with Iran. Here’s what they said:
*Send any congressional tips to Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone via email at [email protected] or via Signal at julianandreone.2003*
* **Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.): **Garcia told Drop Site he will back the resolution to stop Trump from launching a war against Iran without congressional approval, suggesting that talk of invading Iran is about resources and compared it to the recent operation in Venezuela. Garcia, a ranking member of the House Oversight committee, also said that lawmakers are actively probing Jeffrey Epstein’s potential foreign intelligence links. “We’re actually investigating all of that. We’re specifically investigating some of the possible foreign ties to intelligence,” Garcia said. **The full exchanges are [here][46] and [here][47].**
* **Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.)** “probably will be in favor” of the War Powers resolution, and that he does not know why the United States is considering attacking Iran. **Full exchange [here][48].**
* **Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.)** [indicated][49] he would vote against the War Powers resolution, saying he wants the President to have “maximum flexibility” against what he called the “greatest source of evil in the Middle East since 1979.” He argued Iran had launched a “seven-front war against Israel,” and described that as justification for opposing limits on presidential war authority. **Their full conversation [here][50].**
* **Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) **said he will vote in favor of the War Powers resolution, warning also that it would be a mistake to attack Iran. He challenged supporters of military action: “If you’re for it, have the balls to come to the floor and actually explain to the American people why you’re voting to go to war.” **His comments are available [here][51].**
* **Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.)** [told][52] Drop Site he plans to vote for the War Powers Resolution, saying the administration must explain why diplomacy failed and why war would be the only remaining option. Asked about the Israeli government’s decades-long push for U.S. regime change in Iran, Subramanyam said, “I understand why they want us to go to war. We need to do what’s in the best interests of our country, though.” **Subramanyam’s exchange with Andreone is available in full [here][53].**
* **Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.)** [said][54] he had not yet reviewed the Khanna–Massie WPR but suggested military action against Iran would be justified because Iran was “days away from weapons-grade uranium.” When asked why the U.S. would consider further strikes if President Trump had already declared Iran’s uranium reserves “completely destroyed” in June, Palmer accused Drop Site of “taking Iran’s side.” **Full exchange available [here][55].**
# More from Drop Site
* **📺 WATCH**: Capitol GAINS: Trading Inside Congress: Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone analyzes the most significant stock trades and traders in Congress each week. ** Episode one is here:**
* **“The biggest fish” Mexican authorities could catch: **Drop Site’s José Luis Granados Ceja joined Breaking Points to discuss the killing of Mexican cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera and the unrest that followed. Ceja discussed the operation, as well as the way that shifts in tariff policy might affect Mexico’s decisions regarding the oil it sends to Cuba. **Watch his appearance on Breaking Points:**
**Programming note:** [You can sign up here to get updates from us][56] on our WhatsApp channel.
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026251117244371146
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025992235758526736
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026163406433116539
[4]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/23/dan-caine-iran-risk-trump/
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026257320435425343
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025983670503514346
[7]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/02/23/former-ice-instructor-says-agency-slashed-training-new-officers/
[8]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/02/us-pulls-non-essential-embassy-staff-lebanon-iran-tensions-rise
[9]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/islamic-state-kills-four-security-personnel-syria-state-news-agency-says-2026-02-23/
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025973889432539182
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025977939595284658
[12]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/23/gcc-states-back-kuwait-maritime-sovereignty-after-iraq-draws-new-boundaries
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/23/four-killed-in-russian-attacks-in-ukraine-ahead-of-eu-ministers-meeting
[14]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-touts-recapture-eight-settlements-rare-battlefield-success-2026-02-23/
[15]: https://thediplomat.com/2026/02/thai-navy-seizes-cambodian-fishing-boat-in-disputed-waters/
[16]: https://apnews.com/article/police-arrest-peter-mandelson-epstein-bc1cbabe40687e09d0f145a75f6a77e2
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-negotiations-nuclear-ballistic-missiles-military-buildup-trump
[18]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026019289367519437
[19]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026251117244371146
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025992235758526736
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026051523810398351
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026163406433116539
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026238377700290873
[25]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026238377700290873
[26]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-negotiations-nuclear-ballistic-missiles-military-buildup-trump
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026257320435425343
[28]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/23/dan-caine-iran-risk-trump/
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026058284365381721
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026243940354007471
[31]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2026006115428016257
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025983670503514346
[33]: https://zeteo.com/p/aipac-israel-gaza-ceasefire-compliance
[34]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/02/23/former-ice-instructor-says-agency-slashed-training-new-officers/
[35]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/02/us-pulls-non-essential-embassy-staff-lebanon-iran-tensions-rise
[36]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/islamic-state-kills-four-security-personnel-syria-state-news-agency-says-2026-02-23/
[37]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/02/us-forces-complete-withdrawal-syria-within-month
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025973889432539182
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025977939595284658
[40]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/23/gcc-states-back-kuwait-maritime-sovereignty-after-iraq-draws-new-boundaries
[41]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/23/four-killed-in-russian-attacks-in-ukraine-ahead-of-eu-ministers-meeting
[42]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-touts-recapture-eight-settlements-rare-battlefield-success-2026-02-23/
[43]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260223-hungary-blocks-eu-ukraine-loan-russia-sanctions-on-eve-of-war-anniversary
[44]: https://thediplomat.com/2026/02/thai-navy-seizes-cambodian-fishing-boat-in-disputed-waters/
[45]: https://apnews.com/article/police-arrest-peter-mandelson-epstein-bc1cbabe40687e09d0f145a75f6a77e2
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026105398848069726
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026107861999210923
[48]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026105398848069726
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026008913112678566
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026008913112678566
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026028363765145638
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026138510680342688
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026138510680342688
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026069424835338601
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2026069424835338601
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/rubio-congress-sotu-iran-trump-flooding-gaza-rsf-darfur-sudan-kills-28-drop-site-daily

2026-02-24 00:37:46 UTC

Iranian Officials to Drop Site: Tehran is Showing “Unbelievable Level of Flexibility" in Talks to Prevent U.S. War
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Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (C) speaks to the media after his meeting with the E3 group of European ministers on June 20, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo by Sedat Suna/Getty Images).
The U.S. and Iran are headed to a new round of talks in Geneva aimed at averting a conflict this week—as the U.S. continues to surge military forces to the region in its largest military buildup since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Although talks are scheduled for Thursday, the prospects for a deal that would halt the U.S. drive to war remain fragile. The U.S. has demanded sweeping concessions, including the cessation of all nuclear enrichment on Iranian soil, the end of Iranian support for regional armed resistance movements, and strict limits on the Iranian ballistic missile program—the only meaningful deterrent that Iran was able to employ during its conflict with Israel last year.
In a [post][3] on Truth Social on Monday, President Donald Trump wrote, “I am the one that makes the decision, I would rather have a Deal than not but, if we don’t make a Deal, it will be a very bad day for that Country and, very sadly, its people, because they are great and wonderful, and something like this should never have happened to them.”
An Iranian official told Drop Site that Tehran understands the erratic nature of the Trump administration, but believes the position its diplomats are outlining to U.S. negotiators represents an unprecedented effort by Iran aimed at preventing a regional war. The official said Iran is directly addressing U.S. concerns on the nuclear issue with concrete proposals, and asserting a willingness to expand talks to other issues once a deal to avert imminent conflict has been concluded.
“We have demonstrated an almost unbelievable level of flexibility on the enrichment issue itself,” said the Iranian official who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. Iranian negotiators, he said, working in coordination with the Supreme National Security Council and empowered by the country’s leadership, “decided to exercise maximum flexibility on the nuclear issue, but only on the strict condition that it would genuinely prevent the outbreak of war.” The council is Iran’s highest authority on national security and defense strategy and is headed by Ali Larijani, a veteran of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a former speaker of parliament and a trusted advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On Sunday, Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff asserted in an interview on FOX News, conducted by Trump’s daughter Lara, that Iran is “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bombmaking material.” Witkoff did not offer any evidence for the claim and it flew in the face of years of U.S. national intelligence estimates. It also dramatically undermined the contentions of Trump administration officials who claimed that the June 2025 U.S. bombing of Iran had resulted in “complete and total obliteration” of its nuclear program. On Monday, referring to Iran’s nuclear development, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “It is a Development no longer, but rather, was blown to smithereens by our Great B-2 Bombers.” Drop Site has reached out for comment to the White House and will update this story with any response.
Given “the amount of seapower and naval power” the U.S. has amassed in the region, Witkoff continued, the president is “curious as to why [the Iranians] haven’t—I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated,’ but why they haven’t capitulated.”
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a [post][4] on Twitter/X, “Curious to know why we do not capitulate? Because we are Iranian.”
The talks between the U.S. and Iran are being mediated by Oman and began on February 6 in Muscat. A second round was held in Geneva on February 17. The U.S. delegation is led by Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Since early January, Iran has laid out what it has characterized as its red lines. Among them: that the nation has a right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and that its ballistic missiles are a core aspect of its independence and national defense.
The Iranian official said that in order to preempt any “additional pretexts” the U.S. may use to justify launching a war against Iran, the government has indicated in the recent negotiations that it is willing to open talks beyond the nuclear issue “through a clearly defined mechanism if a temporary agreement is reached.” He declined to elaborate.
A second Iranian official who spoke to Drop Site also said that the government was serious about reaching a deal with Trump and saw a new agreement as feasible, but expressed wariness about the nature of U.S. intentions heading into the next round of talks.
“If America’s genuine concern is to prevent us from building a nuclear bomb, the Islamic Republic can address those concerns with diplomacy. We think a win-win agreement is possible, if the other side wants the same,” the senior foreign ministry official said.
“There are signs that America’s objective is not to negotiate in earnest about our nuclear program,” the official added, referring to overt threats by Trump and other officials beginning in January to wage a regime change war. “There are signs that their objective is to see our collapse. If that is the case and they start a war, we are ready to defend ourselves. Our response will be beyond anything they’ve ever seen and will involve the entire region.”
The Iranian officials would not discuss technical specifics of the ongoing negotiations currently scheduled in Geneva or offer any concrete details of what Tehran is willing to offer. Iranian negotiators have also reportedly discussed offering economic incentives designed to appeal to Trump, including cooperation on oil and gas development inside Iran and purchases of civilian airliners.
“I can imagine Iran putting serious concessions on the table, but insofar as any American pledge would be inherently reversible—and in [Iran’s] eyes, utterly unreliable—they likely will want their concessions to be just as reversible,” said Robert Malley, a former Middle East official under both President Barack Obama and Joe Biden who was also a top U.S. negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in an interview with Drop Site. “It’s not clear that [a deal with any perceived contingencies] is something the Trump administration would accept.”
Malley said that, at a minimum, Tehran would need to offer a significant suspension of uranium enrichment—either indefinitely or for a defined period—in order to sell a deal to the Trump administration that was superior to Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Despite Biden’s campaign pledge to restore the JCPOA, no such agreement was reached before Trump won back the presidency in 2024.
“If the Trump administration wants an outcome in which it could say we achieved more than Obama or Biden, I think they can do it,” said Malley, who served as Special Envoy to Iran under Biden and sought to restart nuclear talks after Trump canceled the nuclear deal in 2018. “If Iran is prepared to suspend enrichment for a period of years, that is more than certainly Obama achieved or Biden could have achieved.”
But, Malley cautioned, Trump is demanding sweeping concessions from Iran beyond its nuclear program, including on its ballistic missile capabilities and stockpiles. “I do think that there are lines that the [Iranian] system simply won’t cross, either because of matters of dignity or because of matters of their perception of self-defense and self-reliance,” he said. “But the circumstances are different today than they were in 2015 or 2021, undoubtedly.”
And, while Malley believes Iran genuinely wants to prevent a war with the United States and is negotiating toward that end, trust was eroded in Trump’s first administration. “I do think that Iran would accept a war if the alternative were what they consider to be capitulation or if they believe that the first concession they make is just an invitation to the next one,” he said. “We were never able to reassure the Iranians back in 2021 that a deal would survive. I don’t know how the Trump administration is going to give them guarantees. I understand that they want a deal. They’re not complacent about a war. I also think that they are deeply mistrustful that any deal—in the American mind—is an alternative to war as opposed to a step towards more demands and then, if they’re not met, a war.”
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi, US President Donald Trump's Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner meet ahead of the US-Iran talks, in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on February 06, 2026. (Photo by Oman Foreign Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Another new dynamic in the current talks has been the role of regional countries—several of which have been advocating to President Trump to hold off on any attack against Iran. One of the Iranian officials who spoke to Drop Site said that in the aftermath of the June 2025 war, during which the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran for 12 days and killed more than 1,000 Iranians, Tehran intensified its targeted campaign of diplomacy in the region, seeking to improve its relationships with Arab governments.
The official said Iran sought to repair relations with some key Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, in order to counter what was, in addition to Israeli influence, becoming an “influential variable in pushing Trump toward war with Iran.” He added, “At the same time, clear warning messages were also delivered to them to discourage any continued covert encouragement of Trump.” Since early January when the U.S. once again began openly threatening Iran, many Arab governments have very publicly stated their opposition to any U.S. attacks and have said they would not allow their territory or airspace to be used for strikes.
Egypt and Iran are reportedly finalizing an agreement to fully restore diplomatic relations for the first time since 1979, and Iranian officials regularly meet with their counterparts in a variety of Arab countries. Despite Iran’s overtures and clear evidence of closer relations with its Arab neighbors, the U.S. has been amassing substantial attack aircraft, air defense systems, and other military hardware in Arab countries. While their territories may not be used to launch an attack, in the event Trump does authorize strikes on Iran, the U.S. would utilize command and control and targeting systems in several Arab nations, as well as satellite and surveillance capabilities. Some of these nations would also be an integral part of countering Iranian retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases, oil infrastructure in the region and, in the case of Jordan, defending Israel from Iranian missiles.
Even if Iran and the U.S. sign a temporary agreement centered on Iran’s nuclear enrichment, the issue of its ballistic missiles will hover over the long-term viability of any deal. The demand that Iran curtail or even fully dismantle its capacity has been advocated most strongly by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite protests from regional countries—aiming to avoid a war—that the demand would function as a poison pill for any negotiation. “I would be very surprised if Iran took a step that meant de facto that they’re giving up on what they would consider the means of deterrence through their means of retaliation, the ballistic missile program,” said Malley.
“After all,” added Ali Alfoneh, an Iran analyst, “what guarantee does [Tehran] have that Israel and the United States will not attack Iran again if it disarms?”
The Iranian government has meanwhile begun preparations for surviving a possible U.S. military offensive. In recent weeks, Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian has been delegating powers to provincial governors in order to maintain government continuity in the event of attacks that kill a significant number of senior leaders in Tehran. The Iranian military has also carried out a series of ballistic and anti-ship missile tests in addition to naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz intended to simulate a possible closure of the vital waterway.
Contrary to hopes that a war with Iran could succeed in quickly toppling the ruling government by killing a number of its key leadership figures, experts on the Iranian political system say that such a campaign is unlikely to replicate the quick success that Trump enjoyed in Venezuela. The elevation of Larijani—a veteran politician and former Revolutionary Guards officer—as a key figure charged with handling the nuclear talks represents just one example in a broader effort by the government to diffuse authority as it prepares for possible succession scenarios amid a war.
“The Islamic Republic is not a personalist dictatorship with Ayatollah Khamenei sitting atop the pyramid of power. Rather, the regime now has a collective leadership composed of the president, the parliamentary speaker, the judiciary chief, one representative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and one from the regular army,” said Alfoneh, author of the book “Political Succession in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
“A collective leadership is inherently harder to neutralize than a single individual,” he added, “and the regime is therefore in a better position to survive decapitation.”
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[3]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116121997925438698
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2026-02-23 15:48:17 UTC

Mexico kills cartel boss, triggering wave of violence; Toddler in Gaza dies waiting for medical evacuation; Huckabee’s explosive interview
*Israeli attacks on Gaza [intensify][1], killing at least three. Gaza toddler [dies][2] after being blocked from medical evacuation. Teen [killed][3] in Israeli raid near Nablus as settler violence spreads across nearby towns. Trump continues to [weigh][4] Iran strikes. Pezeshkian [says][5] Tehran is committed to peace. Araghchi [announces][6] further talks with U.S. envoy in Geneva. Trump [raises][7] global tariff rate to 15%. Trump [says][8] U.S. will send hospital ship to Greenland. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tells Tucker Carlson that Israel has a right to the entire Middle East: “It would be fine if they took it all.” Gaza policy hurt Kamala Harris with young and progressive voters, Democratic election review [finds][9]. Cuban security presence in Venezuela [shrinks][10], as U.S. [escalates][11] its interdiction of oil shipments to Cuba. Mexican [forces][12] kill cartel leader El Mencho in Jalisco raid; organized crime groups respond with violence. Israeli [strikes][13]
kill 12 in Lebanon, Hezbollah leader says it has no option “but resistance.” Islamic State [launches][14] a new phase of attacks on Syrian forces. In Darfur, RSF [seizes][15] border town of Al-Tina. Russia [launches][16] massive missile and drone barrage across Ukraine, while terrorist attack [cripples][17] Lviv. Somaliland [offers][18] U.S. mineral and base access as it seeks recognition.*
**NEW from Drop Site: [Israeli Soldiers Killed Gaza Aid Workers at Point Blank Range in 2025 Massacre][19]: ***A minute-by-minute reconstruction of the massacre by Earshot and Forensic Architecture found Israeli soldiers fired over 900 bullets at the aid workers, killing 15. *
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Mexico’s National Guard outside the facilities of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO) after the killing of “El Mencho” in Mexico City, Mexico on February 22, 2026. (Photo by Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, one Palestinian was killed and eight were injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,073 killed, with 171,749 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 615 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,651, while 726 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli attacks kill one Palestinian and wound three across Gaza:** The Israeli army announced that it had killed a Palestinian Monday morning in Gaza, claiming he had crossed the “yellow line.” Three Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire east of Gaza City, according to WAFA. Israeli naval boats also destroyed a fishing vessel belonging to two young men after heavily targeting it with gunfire off the coast, southwest of Gaza City.
* **Three Palestinians killed over the weekend: **Israeli forces [killed][21] two Palestinians and wounded four others in Gaza on Saturday. Osama an-Najjar, 46, was killed by an Israeli drone strike in Qizan an-Najjar, south of Khan Younis. Majed Abul-Awf was killed in the Jabalia refugee camp by a bomb dropped by a drone. A young woman was shot in the neck near the Holy Family Church, east of Gaza City, and three others were wounded by Israeli gunfire in Shuja’iya. Fire from Israeli armored vehicles was reported east of Khan Younis as well, and warplanes and gunboats struck the city from the coast. On Sunday, 27-year-old Basma Aram Banat, was fatally shot by Israeli troops in Beit Lahia.
* **Israel declines to fund Board of Peace: **Israel will not [contribute][22] financially to the Board of Peace, finance minister and security cabinet member Ze’ev Elkin confirmed during his remarks to state broadcaster Kan Reshet Bet on Sunday. Elkin claims that Israel has “no reason” to pay for rebuilding a territory it says was used to attack it. Israel signed the Board’s charter at its inaugural meeting last week—maintaing direct influence over decisions concerning Gaza’s future.
* **Gaza toddler dies after being blocked from medical evacuation: **Two-year-old Nidal Abu Rabie [died][23] in central Gaza on Sunday, after Israeli authorities prevented him from traveling abroad for urgent treatment for severe liver and spleen enlargement. Rabie was on the medical transfer list for more than 14 months and held an official referral for nine of those months. His sister, who also has a valid referral for evacuation, remains hospitalized at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Health officials say some 22,000 Palestinians remain on medical evacuation lists—including 5,000 urgent cases and 8,000 cancer patients—with at least one patient dying each day while awaiting permission to leave Gaza for treatment.
* **Israeli attacks force Bedouin families to flee area north of Ramallah: **Eleven Palestinian Bedouin families—55 people—[began][24] dismantling their homes in the settlement of Al-Khalail, near the village of Al-Mughayir, after escalating attacks by Israeli forces and settlers, according to Shehab News Agency, including attempts to burn down their tents and steal their livestock. The families had already been displaced from Ain Samiya in 2023. More than 60 Palestinian Bedouin communities have been displaced since October 7 across, according to the settlement-monitoring group Peace Now.
* **Teen killed in Israeli raid near Nablus as settler violence spreads across nearby towns: **Seventeen-year-old Mohammad Wahbi Hanani [was shot][25] in the head and killed by Israeli forces during a Saturday evening raid in Beit Furik, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. A 16-year-old was also shot and wounded during the attack, Anadolu Agency reported. The incursion followed an earlier settler attack on Beit Furik’s Officers’ Neighborhood. Separately, settlers assaulted residents in the western area of Qasra, triggering clashes and heavy gunfire that left three Palestinians injured, including a 70-year-old man.
* **Over 100 Palestinians detained across West Bank since Ramadan began, rights group says: **Israeli forces have [detained][26] more than 100 Palestinians across the West Bank since the start of Ramadan, including women, children, and former prisoners, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society. The group said the arrests follow Israel’s announcement of intensified Ramadan detention campaigns, which are often carried out under the cover of settler attacks. The group documented severe beatings, destruction and looting of homes, confiscation of properties, hostage-taking of family members, and the use of detainees as human shields, and extrajudicial killings during the operations.
* **Congressman urges investigation into killing of Palestinian-American in West Bank:** Rep. Brendan Boyle is [calling][27] for an “honest and open investigation” into the killing of his constituent, 19-year-old Philadelphia native Nasrallah Abu Siyam, who was shot dead by Israeli settlers in the West Bank on February 18. Journalist Jasper Nathaniel [interviewed eight witnesses][28] to reconstruct the killing. The State Department on Saturday said it expects “a full, thorough, and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.”
# Iran
* **Trump weighs Iran strikes: **President Donald Trump is [considering][29] a targeted military strike on Iran within days to force Iran to submit to U.S. demands, according to The New York Times, and has kept open the possibility of a broader campaign later this year aimed at toppling the country’s supreme leader. The report comes as two U.S. carrier groups have moved within striking distance of Iran, which would be poised to carry out that initial strike. Targets under review reportedly include nuclear facilities, missile sites, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters. Several people around Trump are [urging][30] him not to bomb Iran, Sen. Lindsey Graham told Axios on Saturday, though Graham clarified he is not among them. Axios reports that Trump has been presented with military scenarios that include targeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and his son, but that he has not made a final decision. A senior official told the outlet that the U.S. would consider an
Iranian proposal that includes some “token” uranium enrichment if there is a guarantee that no bomb would be pursued.
* **Pezeshkian says Tehran is monitoring the situation and is committed to peace:** Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian [tweeted][31] on Sunday that Tehran remains committed to regional peace and stability, and noted that recent negotiations produced “practical proposals” and “encouraging signals.” In light of the U.S.’s alarming buildup in the region, he also noted that Iran is closely monitoring U.S. actions and is fully prepared for any potential scenario.
* **Araghchi announces further talks with U.S. envoy in Geneva: **Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi [told][32] CBS News he expects to meet Witkoff in Geneva on Thursday. Speaking to journalist Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation, Araghchi said Tehran is working on a proposal limited to nuclear issues, excluding Iran’s missile program and regional alliances, and argued that a deal better than the 2015 nuclear agreement is within reach. “When we meet probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal.”
* **IAEA chief and Iran’s foreign minister discuss nuclear talks: **International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi [held][33] a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi to review recent developments, according to Mehr News Agency.
* **Iran designates EU militaries as “terrorist organizations” after IRGC listing: **Iran’s Foreign Ministry [said][34] on Saturday that Tehran has designated the military forces of all European Union member states as terrorist organizations in response to the EU labeling part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist entity. It based this decision on the principle of “reciprocity,” the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
* **University students protest in Iran:** Students across several universities in Iran have staged anti-government protests on their campuses in recent days. Iran’s state news agency said students demonstrated at five universities in Tehran and one in the city of Mashhad over the weekend. The university protests took place following 40-day memorials for people killed in January during large anti-government mobilizations. According to the U.S. government-funded Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), over 7,000 people were killed and over 53,000 arrested. The Iranian government put the death toll at over 3,000.
# United States
* **Trump raises global tariff rate to 15%: **Responding to the Supreme Court’s decision to throw out a number of his tariffs on Friday, President Donald Trump [announced][35] in a Truth Social post on Saturday that he would immediately raise the existing 10% worldwide tariff to 15%, describing it as the maximum level he believes is legally permitted. Trump said his administration will soon introduce additional tariffs, and pledged to press ahead with his broader trade agenda.
* **House split over Iran war powers vote: **As Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mike Lawler [say][36] they oppose the War Powers Resolution put forward by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie — which would require congressional authorization before any U.S. military action against Iran and force lawmakers to go on the record next week — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly declared: “No war with Iran.” Sources on Capitol Hill told Drop Site News that many Democrats still view potential war with Iran as both sound policy and politically advantageous. Khanna has challenged Gottheimer and Lawler to debate the issue publicly as the vote approaches.
* **Trump says U.S. will send hospital ship to Greenland: **President Donald Trump also [announced][37] on Saturday that the United States would be sending a naval hospital ship to Greenland, claiming residents are not receiving adequate medical care. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, publicly rejected the overture, noting the territory already has a free public health system.
* **Mike Huckabee says Israel has right to Middle East:** In an interview with Tucker Carlson [released][38] over the weekend, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee made the shocking claim that Israel has the Biblical right to take over all of the Middle East, saying, “It would be fine if they took it all.” This comment alone inspired the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, as well as the General Secretariats of the GCC, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to issue a joint statement expressing their concern and condemning the comments.
* **Trump administration lets lifesaving aid lapse across seven African countries: **The Trump administration is [allowing][39] U.S. humanitarian programs to expire in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Somalia, and Zimbabwe, arguing there is “no strong nexus” to United States national interests, according to an internal State Department email obtained by The Atlantic. The cuts come a year after the dismantling of USAID and follow earlier cancellations of aid to Afghanistan and Yemen.
* **Gaza policy hurt Kamala Harris with young and progressive voters: **Senior officials at the Democratic National Committee [told][40] the pro-Palestinian IMEU Policy Project in a closed-door meeting that internal data from a 2024 election autopsy showed vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris lost meaningful support over the Biden administration’s handling of Gaza, calling it a “net-negative,” especially among younger and progressive voters, according to a report in Axios. Harris has since said the administration should have more forcefully criticized some actions by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The DNC has refused to release the report, and has denied that it is hiding Israel-related findings.
* **U.S. military kills three in Pacific vessel strike:** The U.S. military conducted a strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific on Friday, killing three people, according to U.S. Southern Command. SOUTHCOM posted [video][41] of the strike and claimed without evidence they were engaged in narco-trafficking, saying “Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.” The Trump administration’s targeting of vessels has killed at least 148 people in dozens of strikes on boats in the Pacific and Caribbean since September.
# Cuba
* **Cuban security presence in Venezuela shrinks under U.S. pressure: **Cuban security advisers and medical workers have begun leaving Venezuela as interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s government faces mounting pressure from Washington to unwind Caracas’s long-standing alliance with Havana, according to multiple sources cited by [Reuters][42]. Rodríguez has replaced elite Cuban protection units with Venezuelan bodyguards, breaking from the precedents of Nicolás Maduro and Hugo Chávez, and some Cuban advisers have been removed from their counterintelligence posts. Thousands of Cuban teachers, doctors, coaches and military advisors are still working in Venezuela as part of cooperation agreements signed in previous years that saw Cuba send professionals to Venezuela in exchange for shipments of oil, which have been suspended since December.
* **U.S. escalates interdiction of oil shipments to Cuba, including from civilian vessels: **The United States Coast Guard and other U.S. military forces have been [intercepting][43] and redirecting oil tankers in international waters in a campaign that has all but halted fuel shipments bound for Cuba, according to reporting from The New York Times. Civilian vessels like the Ocean Mariner have been turned back about 65 miles off the Cuban coast under Coast Guard escort. Since late 2025, at least six tankers linked to Venezuelan fuel shipments have been seized or driven from routes feeding Cuba’s energy supply, dramatically constricting inbound fuel and contributing to worsening blackouts, halted transportation, and dwindling reserves.
* **Florida congressman rejects report of Rubio contacts with Raúl Castro: **Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) [denied][44] that United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been communicating with the grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, a claim made in Axios reporting last week. Gimenez is the only member of Congress born in Cuba.
# International News
* **Mexican forces kill cartel leader El Mencho in Jalisco raid, violence erupts across the state in response: **Mexican army special forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, during a dawn operation in the town of Tapalpa, Mexican authorities [said][45] on Sunday. The operation was carried out with intelligence cooperation from the United States. Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense said its troops came under fire before killing seven alleged cartel members, and that they seized armored vehicles and rocket launchers. Over 70 people were arrested in the operation and the ensuing violence launched in retaliation by cartel gunmen via “narco-blockades” across Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and surrounding areas, prompting shelter-in-place warnings, suspended transit, canceled public events, and school closures.** **The Mexican government reported that 25 security forces were killed across the country in the unrest and that
calm had been restored.
* **Israeli strikes kill 12; Hezbollah leader says it has no option “but resistance”: **Israeli airstrikes [hit][46] the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp and towns across the Bekaa Valley on Friday, killing at least 12 people. Hezbollah said six of those killed were members of the group. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health issued a statement Saturday saying that 10 people were killed and 24 injured, including three children. In response to Friday’s strikes, Mahmoud Qumati, a senior official with Hezbollah, [said][47] “we no longer have any option but resistance,” describing the attacks as a “new aggression.”
* **Islamic State launches new phase of attacks on Syrian forces: **Islamic State claimed responsibility on Saturday for shootings targeting Syrian army personnel in Mayadin and Raqqa, as Syria’s Defence Ministry confirmed a soldier and a civilian were killed in attacks by unknown assailants, according to [Reuters][48]. The group said it is entering a “new phase of operations” against the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. According to a report from the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism released last week, al-Sharaa and two senior cabinet ministers have been targeted in five assassination attempts by the Islamic State, all of which have been foiled.
* **RSF seizes border town of Al-Tina in Darfur: **The Rapid Support Forces reportedly [took][49] control of Al-Tina from a coalition aligned with the Sudanese army on Friday, according to 24Darfur and local sources. The North Darfur town, which borders Chad, caused Chad to close several of its crossings with Sudan, including the important Adré crossing, which has halted food and fuel flows into Darfur. Chad also deployed troop reinforcements to the area and warned about the prospect of the war spilling over into its border; last year, two Chadian soldiers were killed along the frontier in incidents linked to the Sudanese conflict. More combat was reported over the weekend, as Sudanese Army air defenses reportedly thwarted an attempted RSF drone strike on El-Obeid in North Kordofan State on Saturday, and SAF drones also reportedly struck RSF positions in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State. On Sunday, the RSF launched attacks on Misteriya in North Darfur, according to Darfur24.
* **Uganda hosts RSF leader after UN genocide accusations: **Uganda welcomed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo for his first foreign trip in over two years, a day after a UN fact-finding mission said RSF forces carried out crimes in El-Fasher that “bear the hallmarks of genocide.” Dagalo arrived Friday as part of a regional tour aimed at shoring up diplomatic backing amid Sudan’s expanding civil and proxy war. Hemedti met Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala.
* **Fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border escalates: **Pakistan’s military launched airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan along the border, claiming it killed at least 70 militants linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while Afghan authorities said civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces were hit, including homes and a religious school, leaving at least 18 people dead, according to [The Associated Press.][50] Afghan officials rejected Islamabad’s casualty estimates and condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty, as Pakistan’s government framed the operation as self-defense against cross-border attacks it blames on Afghanistan-based armed groups. In Pakistan’s northwest, a suicide bombing in Bannu on Saturday [killed][51] two Pakistani soldiers.
* **Russia launches massive missile and drone barrage across Ukraine, while terrorist attack cripples Lviv: **Russian forces fired roughly 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones at Ukraine overnight, striking regions including Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials [said][52] Sunday, killing at least one person and wounding dozens. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is investing in escalating its military assault on the country rather than in diplomatic efforts. In Lviv, at least one person was killed and about two dozen wounded in a “terrorist attack,” according to [CNN][53], in which homemade explosive devices planted in rubbish bins detonated as police responded to an emergency call. Ukrainian authorities later detained a suspect they say acted on instructions from Russia.
* **Somaliland offers U.S. mineral and base access as it seeks wider recognition: **Somaliland is prepared to grant the United States exclusive access to mineral resources and potential military bases, Minister of the Presidency Khadar Hussein Abdi told [Agence France-Presse][54], as the breakaway region intensifies efforts to secure international recognition. Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland’s independence in December, in a move condemned by Somalia and the African Union. **Drop Site covered [Somaliland’s U.S. lobbying effort here][55].**
# More from Drop Site
* **Israeli soldiers killed Gaza aid workers at point Blank Range in 2025 Massacre:** Israeli soldiers fired nearly a thousand bullets during the massacre of 15 Palestinian aid workers in southern Gaza on March 23, 2025—with at least eight shots fired at point blank range—according to a joint investigation by the independent research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture. The report, based on eyewitness testimony and audio and visual analysis, reconstructs, minute by minute, how the massacre unfolded and shows that a number of the aid workers were executed at close range, with at least one shot from as close as one meter away. Read more from Drop Site’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous **[here][56].**
* **Questioning Congress on allowing journalists into Gaza: **Israel has killed more than 270 Palestinian journalists in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and foreign reporters remain barred from entering the territory. What does Congress actually know—and what are they doing about it? Drop Site’s Julian Andreone went to Capitol Hill and pressed members, not just on press freedom but on Israeli ceasefire violations and whether they plan to take action in response.
* **Marco Rubio’s Cuba obsession:** United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio is “practically obsessed” with overthrowing the Cuban Revolution, Drop Site’s José Luis Granados Ceja explains, arguing it has long served as a political inspiration across the region. His full appearance on “World Affairs in Context” with Lena Petrova here:
* **While Iran Boils, Trump’s “Peace Plan” Threatens Palestinian Existence**
**📅 Wed. Feb. 25 | 5:30–6:30 PM ET**
Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill and Palestinian-American journalist and editor Rami Khouri will examine 75 years of U.S. intervention denying Iranian and Palestinian self-determination, and how Trump’s “Board of Peace” signals a dangerous new phase in U.S./Israeli policy.
**Register [here][57].**
* **Murtaza Husssain to join Quincy Institute panel: **Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain will join American Conservative’s** **Harrison Berger and broadcaster Ana Kasparian in a public conversation with the Quincy Institute’s Kelley Vlahoson titled “Epstein Files: A Roadmap of Post-Cold War Corruption and Geopolitical Chaos” on Wednesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET. More information [here][58].
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[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025642303507861787
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025616004009566591
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025252396385902820
[8]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/21/politics/trump-greenland-hospital-boat
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025729828897308881
[10]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuban-security-forces-exit-venezuela-us-pressure-mounts-2026-02-21/
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025289464663146497
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025694156929020383
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025220041445179627
[14]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/islamic-state-claims-two-attacks-syrian-army-announces-new-phase-operations-2026-02-21/
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025293074260545684
[16]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/22/at-least-one-killed-in-russian-widescale-attacks-on-ukraines-energy-sector
[17]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/21/europe/lviv-explosions-terror-attack-investigation-intl-hnk
[18]: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260222-somaliland-willing-to-give-us-access-to-minerals-and-military-bases-says-minister
[19]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-soldiers-tel-sultan-gaza-red-crescent-civil-defense-massacre-report-forensic-architecture-earshot
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[28]: https://www.infinitejaz.com/p/an-american-lynched-in-the-west-bank
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[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025270630963118293
[37]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/21/politics/trump-greenland-hospital-boat
[38]: https://x.com/TCNetwork/status/2024911932092813478
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[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025729828897308881
[41]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2025006036776878463
[42]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cuban-security-forces-exit-venezuela-us-pressure-mounts-2026-02-21/
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025289464663146497
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[47]: https://x.com/ZeinakhodrAljaz/status/2025255683424129112
[48]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/islamic-state-claims-two-attacks-syrian-army-announces-new-phase-operations-2026-02-21/
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2025293074260545684
[50]: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-afghanistan-militants-strikes-border-b849ad97b462de8067d1b7f20ffd9f9e
[51]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/21/2-soldiers-dead-5-militants-killed-in-pakistans-bannu
[52]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/22/at-least-one-killed-in-russian-widescale-attacks-on-ukraines-energy-sector
[53]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/21/europe/lviv-explosions-terror-attack-investigation-intl-hnk
[54]: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20260222-somaliland-willing-to-give-us-access-to-minerals-and-military-bases-says-minister
[55]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/somaliland-united-states-israel-recognition-lobbying-somalia
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[57]: https://masspeaceaction.org/event/iran-palestine-peace-plan/
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2026-02-23 12:06:30 UTC

Israeli Soldiers Killed Gaza Aid Workers at Point Blank Range in 2025 Massacre: Report
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Funerals held at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, for aid workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent who were killed in an Israeli attack in Tel al-Sultan. March 31, 2025. Photo by Hani Alshaer/Anadolu via Getty Images.
Israeli soldiers fired nearly a thousand bullets during the massacre of 15 Palestinian aid workers in southern Gaza on March 23, 2025—with at least eight shots fired at point blank range—according to a joint investigation by the independent research groups Earshot and Forensic Architecture. The report, based on eyewitness testimony and audio and visual analysis, shows that a number of aid workers were executed and that at least one was shot from as close as one meter away.
In Tel al-Sultan that day, Israel killed eight aid workers with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), six from Palestinian Civil Defense, and a UN relief agency staffer. It immediately triggered international condemnation and was described as “one of the darkest moments” of the war by PRCS.
The Israeli military was forced to change its story about the ambush several times, following the discovery of the bodies in a mass grave, along with their flattened vehicles, and the emergence of video and audio recordings taken by the aid workers. An internal military inquiry ultimately did not recommend any criminal action against the army units responsible for the incident.
The report by Earshot and Forensic Architecture reconstructs, minute by minute, how the massacre unfolded. Using video and audio recordings from the incident, open-source images and videos, satellite imagery, social media posts, and other materials, as well as in-depth interviews with two survivors of the attack, the groups were able to digitally reconstruct the scene and events surrounding the massacre.
The investigation’s findings include:
* Israeli soldiers ambushed and subjected Palestinian aid workers to a near continuous assault for over two hours even though the soldiers never came under fire.
* At least 910 gunshots were documented across three video and audio recordings of the attack. The vast majority of these gunshots, at least 844, were fired over just five minutes and 30 seconds.
* At least 93% of the gunshots recorded in the first minutes of the attack were fired directly towards the emergency vehicles and aid workers by Israeli soldiers. During this time, at least five shooters fired simultaneously. Witness testimonies suggest as many as 30 soldiers were present in the area.
* Israeli soldiers were initially positioned on an elevated sandbank by the road, with no obstructions limiting their line of sight. The emergency lights and markings of the victims’ vehicles would have been clearly visible to the soldiers at the time of the attacks.
* Israeli soldiers first maintained fixed firing positions from the elevated sandbank, then walked toward the aid workers while continuing to shoot. Upon reaching the aid workers, the soldiers moved between them and the vehicles and executed some of the aid workers at point blank range, as close as one meter away.
* In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the Israeli military conducted extensive earthworks at the site. In the days and weeks that followed, the area was further transformed by the Israeli military’s construction of the “Morag Corridor,” a security zone splitting the southern Gaza Strip, and the erection of an aid distribution site operated by the Israeli- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
“This seems to be a very well documented case using a number of forms of credible evidence that are cross referenced,” Katherine Gallagher, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, told Drop Site after reviewing a detailed summary of the investigation. “It presents a very compelling case, and honestly, a very devastating one.”
The Israeli military did not respond to specific inquiries from Drop Site and instead pointed to the findings of an internal investigation published on April 20 that found “the incident occurred in a hostile and dangerous combat zone, under a widespread threat to the operating troops.” It also “found no evidence to support claims of execution,” which it called “blood libels and false accusations against IDF soldiers.”
The joint report will be released February 24 at a gathering at British parliament in Westminster hosted by the British Palestinian Committee with Earshot, Forensic Architecture, and the international humanitarian law coordinator for PRCS, Dana Abu Koash. **The full report is available [here][3].**
## **How the Massacre Unfolded**
On March 23, 2025 at 3:52 a.m., PRCS dispatched two ambulances from two different areas to the scene of an Israeli airstrike in Al-Hashashin, an area near Rafah. Israel had resumed its scorched earth bombing campaign on Gaza a few days earlier after abandoning the January 2025 ceasefire agreement.
The attack on the aid workers began at approximately 4:00 a.m. when one of the ambulances driving along Gush Katif road in Al-Hashashin came under Israeli fire. The vehicle had its emergency lights turned on at the time. Mustafa Khafaja, who was driving, lost control of the vehicle, which veered left off the road and stopped near an electricity pole. Khafaja and his colleague, Ezz El-Din Shaat, who was in the passenger seat, were both killed. A third PRCS worker, [Munther Abed][4], who was in the back of the vehicle, threw himself to the floor of the van and survived.
After the shooting stopped, Israeli soldiers approached the ambulance and dragged Abed out of the car, beat him, and detained him at a nearby pit. Sometime later, two Palestinian civilians—a father and son from the Bardawil family—were also detained and brought to the pit. The Israeli soldiers then took the three detainees to an elevated area behind a tall concrete structure some 38 to 48 meters southeast of the ambulance, where an additional group of Israeli soldiers were positioned.
Still from the situated testimony with Munther Abed recounting the location of the pit and the area behind the tall concrete structure where he was taken when detained by Israeli soldiers. (Forensic Architecture, 2026).
By 4:35 a.m., the second ambulance, having completed its mission in Al-Hashashin, was dispatched to search for the first ambulance, which had lost contact with PRCS headquarters at 3:55 a.m. The second ambulance was joined by two more PRCS ambulances, one belonging to Civil Defense, and a Civil Defense fire truck. The five-vehicle rescue convoy arrived at the scene of the attack of the first ambulance shortly after 5:00 a.m. All vehicles were clearly marked and had their emergency lights turned on.
The position of each ambulance as the shooting began. (Forensic Architecture, 2026)
A PRCS worker in one of the ambulances, Refaat Radwan, began filming on his phone as they drove to the site. His recovered videos as well as recordings of phone calls by two other aid workers at the scene to PRCS dispatch provided crucial evidence of the massacre. Forensic Architecture and Earshot’s analysis of the recordings corroborated eyewitness testimony on the positions and movements of the Israeli soldiers throughout the attack.
At 5:09 a.m., as the aid workers parked and approached the first ambulance by foot, Israeli soldiers positioned on the elevated sandbank opened fire. A digital reconstruction of the scene shows that the soldiers would have had an uninterrupted view of the arrival of the convoy. Abed, who was being detained at gunpoint on the elevated sandbank, testified that the soldiers were kneeling and aiming their weapons at the convoy as it approached.
Locations of all emergency vehicles at the incident site at 5:10 a.m. relative to Munther Abed and the Israeli soldiers who detained him. From their position, the soldiers would have been able to clearly see the convoy’s arrival with their emergency lights on. (Forensic Architecture, 2026).
The Israeli soldiers remained on the sandbank while firing continuously at the aid workers for four minutes. The soldiers then advanced towards the aid workers at a walking pace of approximately one meter per second while continuously shooting.
Echolocation of Israeli soldiers approaching the aid workers during the final 1 minute and 30 seconds. (Earshot, 2026).
Upon reaching the vehicles, the Israeli soldiers continued to fire as they walked in between the ambulances and the fire truck, shooting the aid workers at close range in execution-style killings.
At approximately 5:13 a.m., PRCS aid worker Ashraf Abu Libda called the group’s headquarters. The recording, which overlaps Radwan’s video, provided additional details. In this recording, Earshot found that at least eight gunshots were fired from positions between the emergency vehicles. One of the gunshots captured on Abu Libda’s phone call was fired from a range of one to four meters from him. The gunshots coincide with the last time Abu Libda’s voice is heard on the call, suggesting these are the gunshots that killed him.
Echolocation of Israeli soldiers as close as 1 to 4 meters from aid workers and most likely close-range execution. (Earshot, 2026).
At least 844 gunshots were fired over a period of five minutes and 30 seconds, with at least 93% of the shots fired toward the emergency vehicles. The audio ballistics analysis confirms the presence of at least five shooters—and possibly many more—firing simultaneously. The two surviving PRCS aid workers, Munther Abed and Asaad Al-Nasasra, testified that between 12 and 30 soldiers were at the scene.
“The reconstruction was jointly achieved with the two survivors of the incident, with an immersive spatial model they could walk through and amend. Together with spatial and audio analysis we established the position of the soldiers on an elevated ground with an unobstructed line of sight to the emergency vehicles. The soldiers could clearly see the aid workers, shot at them continuously and deliberately from this position and then approached to execute them one by one at close range,” Samaneh Moafi, assistant director of research at Forensic Architecture, told Drop Site. “Locating the massacre within the evolution of Israel’s campaign in Gaza shows that it was not an isolated incident but part of the genocide.”
Earshot used echolocation to analyze the audio on the recordings in order to arrive at precise estimates of the shooters’ locations. Echolocation is the process of locating the source of a sound based on an analysis of the sound’s echoes and the environment in which the sound travels. The Israeli military destroyed and cleared so many buildings in the Tel Al-Sultan area where the ambush of the aid workers took place that very few structures remained. This destruction actually strengthened Earshot’s ability to determine the positions and movements of Israeli soldiers, based on identifying the surfaces responsible for clearly distinguishable gunshot echoes. Rather than having multiple buildings reflecting the sound waves, there were only a few standing walls and the emergency vehicles themselves.
The analysis of the video and audio corroborated Al-Nasasra’s eyewitness testimony that Israeli soldiers “came down [from the sandbank], got close to [the aid workers] and shot them from close range,” and “were walking between [the aid workers] and shooting.”
Map showing the Israeli soldier’s positions derived from an audio analysis of gunshot echoes from Refaat Radwan’s video. (Earshot, 2026).
“Earshot forensically analyzed over 900 gunshots fired at aid workers. It took one whole year of careful listening to reconstruct an auditory picture of what happened that dark night,” Lawrence Abu Hamdan, the director of Earshot, told Drop Site. “I am so proud that our work has corroborated the survivors’ testimony, establishing their brave accounts as accurate and reliable documentation of what occurred that day. Yet, it is the echoes of this event that continue to haunt us: the destruction and clearing of Tel al-Sultan left only three structures standing at this crime scene. While the few echoes reflecting off these buildings brought light to this crime, they have also revealed a scale of erasure of life beyond this one event.”
According to autopsy reports first reported by the [Guardian][5], the aid worker who filmed the video—Radwan—was shot in the head, while Abu Libda and another aid worker, Muhammad Bahloul, were shot in the chest. A doctor who examined the bodies reportedly described the “specific and intentional location of shots at close range” as indicative of an “execution-style” shooting.
More than two hours after the initial attack, a clearly marked UN vehicle, a Toyota Hilux, passed by the site. Israeli soldiers fired on the vehicle, killing the driver. The UN lost contact with the vehicle at 6:00 a.m. A second UN vehicle, a minibus, arrived in the area minutes later and was brought to a stop by gunfire a little over 200 meters away. The driver was able to escape.
Left: Photograph of the UN Toyota Hilux taken on the 30 March 2025, when the bodies of the victims were recovered. (OCHA, 2025). Right: Still from the situated testimony with Asaad recounting the location of the UN Toyota Hilux when brought to a stop. (Forensic Architecture, 2026).
Annotated 3D model showing the position of two UN vehicles in relation to the missing ambulance and the convoy of emergency vehicles. (Forensic Architecture, 2026).
Between 6:55 and 7:13 a.m., Al-Nasasra made a phone call to PRCS headquarters that captured at least 42 additional gunshots and the sound of vehicle movement. The recording also captured the sound of an explosion the investigation identified as the firing of an Israeli-made Spike LR guided missile.
Following the ambush, Israeli forces crushed all eight vehicles using heavy machinery and attempted to bury them under the sand.
The body of Anwar al-Attar was found near the ambush site on March 27, and the bodies of the other 14 aid workers, all wearing identifying uniforms or volunteer vests of their respective organizations, were found in a mass grave near the site on March 30.
The 15 aid workers killed were: Mustafa Khafaja, Ezz El-Din Shaat, Saleh Muammar, Refaat Radwan, Muhammad Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Libda, Muhammad al-Hila, and Raed al-Sharif with PRCS. Zuhair Abdul Hamid al-Farra, Samir Yahya al-Bahapsa, Ibrahim Nabil al-Maghari, Fouad Ibrahim al-Jamal, Youssef Rassem Khalifa, and Anwar al-Attar with Civil Defense. Kamal Mohammed Shahtout with UNRWA.
Annotated still from the 3D model showing the location of the bodies of aid workers and their vehicles before the mass burial. (Forensic Architecture, 2026).
One of the survivors, Abed, was released hours after the ambush. The other survivor, Asaad, was held in Israeli custody without charge for 37 days, tortured, and interrogated in relation to the incident at the Sde Teiman detention camp, a notorious Israeli prison camp in the Negev desert, before being released on April 29.
Jonathan Whittall, a senior UN official in Palestine between 2022 and 2025, was one of team members on the ground when the mass grave was discovered on March 30 and provided evidence to Forensic Architecture and Earshot for their investigation. “Following our discovery of the mass grave, the narrative from Israeli forces shifted multiple times; we were fed several versions of a blatant lie,” Whittall told Drop Site. “The men we retrieved on Eid last year were medics. We found them in their uniforms, ready to save lives, only to be killed by Israeli forces fully aware of their protected status.” Whittall, who is now executive Director of KEYS Initiative, a political affairs and strategic advisory organization, has also contributed reporting to Drop Site News.
“This illustrates an abhorrent disregard for international law,” he continued, “where any Palestinian in an Israeli-designated evacuation zone is targeted regardless of their civilian status. It highlights the total lack of accountability under which these forces operate. International governments continue to arm and trade with a leadership accused of genocide, whose soldiers massacred medics and buried them in a grave marked by the siren light of the ambulance they destroyed.”
Palestinian Red Crescent aid workers mourn the killing of their colleagues by the Israeli military in Tel al-Sultan as their bodies are brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. March 30, 2025. (Photo by Abdallah F.s. Alattar/Anadolu via Getty Images).
## **A Lack of Accountability**
In the aftermath of the massacre, the Israeli military provided several conflicting versions of events to justify the killings. On March 28, after the discovery of al-Attar’s body, the Israeli military admitted that its soldiers had fired on “ambulances and fire trucks.” Three days later, after the remaining bodies were discovered in a mass grave, the Israeli military claimed that “several uncoordinated vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals.”
After footage from Radwan’s phone was first published by the New York Times a few days later, the Israeli military backtracked on its claims that the vehicles did not have emergency signals on when Israeli troops opened fire, saying the statement was inaccurate.
The Israeli military then announced on April 20 that an internal [inquiry][6] into the incident had found the killings were caused by “several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident.”
The Israeli military said troops from the Golani reconnaissance battalion were involved in the attack. However, it said soldiers did not engage in “indiscriminate fire” during the incident, but that they opened fire on what they believed to be a “tangible threat” amid what the military called an “operational misunderstanding.” It blamed the attacks on “poor night visibility” and maintained the incident had unfolded in a “hostile and dangerous combat zone, under a widespread threat to the operating troops.” Six of the fifteen Palestinians killed, the military said, “were identified in a retrospective examination as Hamas terrorists,” but provided no evidence to support the claim.
“On the specific question of Israel justifying the attack on clearly marked medical personnel because of suspicions of membership in groups or links to groups or terrorism—because there is an affirmative duty to respect and protect medical personnel, you don’t shoot first, you protect first,” Gallagher told Drop Site. “But what this investigation reveals is that there was a shoot first policy, and that is unlawful under international law.”
As for the burial of the bodies in a mass grave, the Israeli military said in its report “it was decided to gather and cover the bodies to prevent further harm and clear the vehicles from the route in preparation for civilian evacuation. The body removal and vehicle crushing were carried out by field commanders.” It concluded, “removing the bodies was reasonable under the circumstances, but the decision to crush the vehicles was wrong. In general, there was no attempt to conceal the event.”
As a result of the investigation, the commanding officer of the 14th Brigade received a letter of reprimand for “his overall responsibility for the incident,” while the deputy commander of the Golani reconnaissance battalion involved in the incident was “dismissed from his position due to his responsibilities as the field commander and for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief.”
The inquiry did not recommend any criminal action be taken against the military units responsible for the incident. The Palestine Red Crescent Society, Civil Defense, and the UN humanitarian agency in Gaza all rejected the Israeli military report.
“Attacks on medical personnel and those who are identified as medical personnel are patently unlawful under international law, and there is an affirmative obligation to protect medical personnel in the context of armed conflict. So the very first thing is that there’s a breach of that very clear and time honored principle of international humanitarian law,” Gallagher said. “When you zoom out and look at this in the context of the way the Israeli assault has been carried out over many months and years in Gaza and we see that there is a pattern and practice of attacks on medical personnel—similar to journalists and other groups that are explicitly and uniquely protected as classes of civilians in international humanitarian law—it raises even more questions and deep concern about the lack of accountability, because what we know is that impunity breeds repetition.”
Gallagher, who previously worked at the UN’s International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia, said that a legal analysis of the massacre would find serious violations of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. “When you’re talking about grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, in particular war crimes, you have obligations, not just the possibility, but obligations, to open investigations,” Gallagher said.
## **Transforming the Site of the Massacre into a GHF Hub**
Satellite imagery from the morning of the ambush shows that extensive earthworks were carried out at the incident site. The images reveal the construction of an earth berm approximately 220 meters north of the ambush location and another roughly 410 meters to the south. These two positions later functioned as checkpoints, restricting access and controlling passage along an evacuation route established that morning by the Israeli military leading toward the coastal Al-Mawasi area.
The earthworks that began shortly after the attack were used in the construction of a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “aid distribution” site, at which civilians were targeted and shot at. (Forensic Architecture, 2026).
In the days and weeks that followed, the area surrounding the incident site was further transformed by the Israeli military’s construction of the “Morag Corridor” security zone and the erection of an aid distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
“On that same site of the mass grave, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation established a distribution point where desperate people were gunned down trying to access food,” Whittall told Drop Site. “Now, the U.S, under the so-called Board of Peace, plans to build a ‘New Rafah’ over this crime scene. Without meaningful accountability, ‘New Rafah’ will be a monument to impunity.”
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[3]: https://content.forensic-architecture.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Israeli-Executions-of-Palestinian-Aid-Workers.pdf
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/red-crescent-massacre-gaza-israel
[5]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/02/evidence-execution-style-killings-palestinian-workers-israeli-forces-doctor-says
[6]: https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/idf-press-releases-israel-at-war/april-25-pr/summary-of-the-examination-into-the-incident-involving-rescue-teams-and-vehicles-in-the-gaza-strip/
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-soldiers-tel-sultan-gaza-red-crescent-civil-defense-massacre-report-forensic-architecture-earshot

2026-02-20 21:57:04 UTC

Trump Privately Dreams of Iran Regime Change Glory as Democrats Cynically Weigh Political Benefits of War
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth looks on during a meeting of the Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.
Since mid-January, as U.S. war planners have presented President Donald Trump with a spectrum of options for military action against Iran, Trump has repeatedly opined in private about his desire to go down in history as the president who “changed the Iranian regime” that has remained in power since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Sources with knowledge of internal White House deliberations told Drop Site that Trump is emboldened by what he sees as a phenomenal success in his Venezuela strategy—issuing sweeping demands for capitulation under threat of removing the ruling government and then abducting President Nicolás Maduro when he refused to obey.
But, the sources said, Trump and his aides have pressed war planners for assurances that chaos produced by any U.S. military action would calm down in time for the midterm election season to kick into high gear.
Trump has suggested to aides that he would make a deal with Iran if its leaders bend to his central demands but he stands ready to unleash a massive military operation—potentially including one aimed at assassinating Iran’s leadership—if they do not. Trump has said he may consider an initial round of attacks in an effort to push Iran to submit. In that event, the massive firepower in the region would remain if he decided to move forward with a broader war. Iranian officials say they are currently working on a formal response to the U.S. position laid out in Geneva on Tuesday during indirect talks, but have cautioned Iran has its own red lines. Tehran, meanwhile, told the United Nations it [would consider][3] U.S. bases “legitimate targets” if attacked, putting U.S. servicemembers at serious risk.
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The potential for fallout in the event of a regime change war is at the heart of the meek response from Democrats, who see Trump walking into a trap of his own making. The Democratic political calculation was laid bare in an unusually frank conversation last June between a senior foreign policy aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and a top official in an organization opposing Iran strikes.
In June 2025, at the same time Trump was floating the possibility of a strike against Iran, he spoke positively about encouraging progress in ongoing nuclear talks—suggesting that if a deal was met, those strikes would be off.
Schumer responded by mocking the president [as TACO Trump—][4]using an acronym for “Trump Always Chickens Out,” a phrase describing Trump’s propensity to make major threats and then back away. For opponents of war with Iran, Schumer’s taunt was counterproductive, and a coalition of more than two dozen organizations [sent a letter][5] urging Schumer to delete the video and give Trump political space to reach a diplomatic solution.
The letter led to a phone call between one of the letter’s organizers and the top foreign policy aide to Schumer, who laid out the thinking of many Democrats in the Senate. The organizer who took the call agreed to share details of the conversation in exchange for anonymity. A congressional source briefed on the call shortly afterward confirmed the details. The foreign policy aide, whom Drop Site agreed not to name, explained that a substantial number of Senate Democrats believed Iran ultimately needed to be dealt with militarily. But those Democrats, the aide explained, also understood that going to war again in the Middle East would be a political catastrophe. That’s precisely why they wanted Trump to be the one to do it. The hope was that Iran would take a blow and so would Trump—a win-win for Democrats.
The aide claimed that Schumer did not share those views and opposed war with Iran. Schumer’s own rhetoric, however, including his TACO taunt, suggested the aide’s attempt to distance Schumer from the notion an Iran war would be politically advantageous for Democrats was perfunctory.
According to congressional records, the aide who offered the denials on behalf of Schumer has taken at least two trips to Israel in the past few years, paid for by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s education arm.
Contacted by Drop Site, a Schumer spokesperson rejected the characterization of the call, asserting “Leader Schumer’s long standing support for a diplomatic solution as the best solution to Iran’s nefarious actions.”
Less than two weeks later, on June 13, Trump struck Iran’s nuclear facilities, kicking off 12 days of sustained bombing alongside Israel. The strikes killed more than 1,000 Iranians. Democrats made only modest objections. Indeed, Schumer offered justification for the attack. “I have long said that Israel has a right to defend itself and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he[ said in a statement][6] at the time. “Ensuring they never obtain one must remain a top national security priority.” Now, as Trump hurtles toward an even larger attack, the Democrats are strangely quiet—particularly the party leadership.
**[READ MORE: “This is Not a Dress Rehearsal”: U.S. Engaged in Massive Military Buildup as Threat To Bomb Iran Grows][7]**
Cynically, Schumer may also have the midterms in mind: If Trump manages to topple the Iranian government, the ensuing chaos could prove a drag on Trump as the country heads into the November elections. An attack would put American servicemembers at [more serious risk than after past strikes][8], particularly if Iran makes good on its threats to unleash much heavier attacks than in its previous retaliatory strikes. And if the U.S. takes dozens, or even hundreds, of casualties as a result of Trump’s war of choice, that would also be damaging to the GOP. Trump’s America First base—promised their leader would end wars, not launch new ones—would see its divisions deepened, particularly around the increasingly polarizing subject of Israeli influence over Trump. The cost of a war in Iran, with likely thousands killed and a nation immiserated, has not registered so far with Democratic leaders as something worth consideration in the cost-benefit calculation.
Trump’s longtime foes in the neoconservative camp have embraced a similarly cynical calculation, seeing an attack on Iran—which they have long advocated for—as an obvious win, and also seeing the damage it would do to their populist enemies in the Republican coalition as a bonus. And “moderate” Republicans—like Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who regularly bucks Trump on other issues—are [urging Trump to attack,][9] warning of “empty promises” if he backs off.
While most Democrats have avoided commenting on the mounting threats of a U.S. war with Iran, the three top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Intelligence committees issued a joint statement Friday saying that Trump needed to seek congressional authorization before taking military action.
“We strongly oppose preemptive U.S. military action against Iran, which endangers U.S. personnel and risks drawing Israel and Gulf partners into a wider conflict. Absent a broader diplomatic framework, miliary strikes would be destabilizing, dangerous, and counterproductive to efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.
“Absent a broader diplomatic framework, military strikes would be destabilizing, dangerous, and counterproductive to efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East,” said Reps. Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), in a statement on Friday. “Renewed talks with Tehran show that a diplomatic path remains open, which President Trump should not abandon for a short-term, unauthorized show of military force that leaves Americans less secure.”
Hill sources tell Drop Site that many Democrats remain convinced a war with Iran is both the right policy and beneficial politically for them.
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) are among the few members of Congress who have not only voiced opposition but have also taken action against an attack. The duo, who have been responsible for the release of the Epstein files, have teamed up again to call for a vote on a War Powers Resolution that will force every member to go on the record when it comes to a vote on the House floor next week.
War supporters Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), among the top allies of Israel in Congress, have come out against the resolution. [Khanna responded ][10]by challenging them to debate their position publicly.
Trump’s ability to take out the senior leadership in Iran remains in question. In September, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian held a press briefing in New York City on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. He told the assembled reporters, Drop Site among them, that since the previous strikes his government had developed a much more sophisticated succession plan so that if Pezeshkian and many of his deputies were killed, it would be immediately clear who would become the new president.
In late January, moreover, Pezeshkian gathered provincial governors and his economy minister in Tehran in order to delegate emergency administrative powers to help maintain government continuity in the event war breaks out. The new measures, which include delegating a broader range of economic controls to the provincial level, were justified as a means of streamlining economic decision-making and “preventing hoarding.” They would also ensure government functioning in case of a breakdown of control by Tehran. “We are transferring authority to the provinces so that governors can contact the judiciary and officials in other organizations and make decisions themselves,” Pezeshkian said.
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[4]: https://x.com/TheDailyShow/status/1929985781633896893
[5]: https://x.com/RStatecraft/status/1932767267890115037
[6]: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/13/schumer-dems-split-response-israeli-attack-iran
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei
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[9]: https://x.com/RepDonBacon/status/2024524546250809676
[10]: https://x.com/rokhanna/status/2024883182672441663?s=42
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-iran-regime-change-democrats-chuck-schumer-midterms

2026-02-20 16:05:47 UTC

SCOTUS rules against Trump tariffs; Board of Peace’s sweeping plans for Gaza “redevelopment”
*Trump announces $7 billion in pledges for Gaza reconstruction from nine countries. Five countries pledge troops to “stabilization force.” The Board’s Nickolay Mladenov [says][1] disarmament plans have been finalized with mediators. Hamas responds to Board of Peace meeting, calls for“right to freedom and self-determination.” Trump [announces][2] FIFA partnership. Israeli real estate billionaire [pitches][3] “Mediterranean Riviera” vision for Gaza’s redevelopment. Israel strikes continue across Gaza. SCOTUS strikes down Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, the White House’s key economic and foreign policy cudgel. Trump [signals][4] escalation is possible within 10 days amid U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. Palestinian journalists [describe][5] systematic torture in Israeli detention. U.S. sanctions RSF commanders for El-Fasher atrocities. New York City budget gap [sparks][6] fight over taxes and spending cuts. Iran [tells][7] United Nations U.S. bases will be targeted if Washington attacks. Private
Cuban firms [begin][8] importing limited fuel. Turkey [objects][9] to Chevron-led gas exploration south of Crete. U.S. in talks to route Venezuelan oil to India.*
**This is Drop Site Daily, our daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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Empty Havana gas station in Havana on February 19, 2026, as Cuba faces a severe energy crisis from U.S. sanctions. Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP via Getty Images.
# Board of Peace
* **Trump announces $7 billion in pledges for Gaza reconstruction:** President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the first meeting of the Board of Peace (BoP) that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward Gaza’s reconstruction. The countries that made pledges include Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait, Trump said. Trump also announced the U.S. would pledge $10 billion for the Board of Peace without specifying where the money would come from or what would be used for.
* **Board of Peace unveils long-term reconstruction and governance plan for Gaza: **A video opening the meeting [outlined][10] a 20-point blueprint to rebuild Gaza, with plans to reconstruct Rafah within three years, sharply cut unemployment, and link the Strip to the global economy by means of a regional corridor (the “Abrahamic gateway”). Within ten years, the video said, Gaza would be self-governed and economically integrated, with “thriving industries” and housing for its residents. It also promised a new education curriculum promoting “tolerance, dignity, and peace.” All of this hinges on Gaza’s full disarmament under “one authority, one law, and one weapon,” according to the video.
* **Plans for the “Stabilization Force”: **U.S. Special Operations Command’s Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers [outlined][11] the BoP’s plan for an International Stabilization Force (ISF). The force will be organized into five sectors, each anchored by a brigade, and will begin its operations in Rafah. Over time, the mission is expected to field roughly 20,000 ISF troops alongside 12,000 Palestinian police officers. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, and Albania pledged personnel, with Indonesia’s military set to serve as deputy to the U.S. command. Egypt and Jordan will oversee the training of the Palestinian police force.
* **Mladenov says disarmament plans finalized with mediators: **President Donald Trump stated that he believes Hamas will “give up their weapons. If they don’t, it’ll be, you know, they’ll be harshly met.” Nickolay Mladenov, the Board’s High Representative for Gaza, [said][12] a weapons decommissioning framework has been “fully agreed [to]” with mediators Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey. Mladenov said the Board will now attempt to implement its plan by enlisting the cooperation of the armed Palestinian factions, and stressed that the Board’s plans for reconstruction will only proceed when the Strip is completely demilitarized. Read Drop Site’s [exclusive coverage][13] with senior Hamas official Basem Naim saying the group will not accede to sweeping demands that the Palestinian resistance unilaterally disarm.
* **Hamas responds: **In response to billions pledged towards Trump’s vision for a new Gaza at the inaugural meeting of the BoP—amid ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement—Hamas [said][14] any political arrangements concerning Gaza must begin with a “complete halt to the aggression, the lifting of the blockade,” and guaranteeing Palestinians’ “right to freedom and self-determination.” The group said convening talks while Israel’s crimes and ceasefire violations continue places an obligation on participating states to take “concrete steps” to compel Israel to stop attacks, open crossings, allow aid without restrictions, and immediately begin reconstruction. It added that any “genuine international effort” to stabilize Gaza must address the “root cause” of the crisis—the occupation—and ensure Palestinians obtain their rights in full.
* **Basic services in Gaza: **Ali Shaath, head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), [discussed][15] the Board’s priorities for early-stage policing and reconstruction. Five thousand Palestinian police officers will be trained and deployed within 60 days, Shaath said, as part of the new civilian administration. Shaath closed his speech by turning to Trump and saying, “Blessed is the peacemaker.”
* **Real estate investors eye reconstruction opportunities: **Marc Rowan, chief executive of Apollo Global Management, [said][16] the Strip’s coastline alone could be worth $50 billion “on a conservative basis,” and proposed to consolidate Gaza’s “productive assets” under a unified management structure. Rowan discussed a plan in which the Board would oversee the construction of homes, beginning in Rafah, where 100,000 homes would be built for 500,000 residents, and $5 billion would be set aside for infrastructure. This would serve as a blueprint for expanding construction to 400,000 homes, and for the allocation of more than $30 billion in total infrastructure investment. Rowan estimated that the total value of investment would exceed $115 billion. World Bank Group President Ajay Banga said the Bank has already established a Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund, which it will administer as trustee, using its AAA credit rating to raise additional capital and help de-risk private
investment.
* **Israeli real estate billionaire pitches “Mediterranean Riviera”: **Israeli-Cypriot developer Yakir Gabay [presented][17] a 10-year plan at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C. to transform Gaza into a tourism and business hub with 200 hotels, potential artificial islands, and major infrastructure spanning housing, transport, energy, and industry—contingent on the full disarmament of Hamas.
* **Israeli tech executive pitches digital reconstruction plan: **Liran Tancman, an Israeli cyber intelligence figure and technology executive, [discussed][18] plans to “reconnect Gaza.” By July, he claimed, Gaza’s 2G network will be upgraded and essential services will be available with “free, high-speed access.” When sketching designs for a new “digital backbone for the Strip,” he promised “user control over data,” which contrasts starkly with recently published investigative [reporting][19] in +972. According to the report, Israel has developed an extensive digital surveillance system in Gaza and the West Bank and has used data it accessed through phone and metadata tracking to facilitate targeted attacks on civilians.
* **Trump announces FIFA partnership: **President Trump [said][20] FIFA will bring “the greatest stars in the world” to Gaza as part of a newly announced partnership with the Board of Peace. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is reportedly committing $75 million toward stadium construction, training academies, and dozens of new football pitches. Trump also thanked Infantino for the peace prize that FIFA awarded to him. “I got screwed by Norway, and they said ‘Let’s give him a peace prize.”
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israel strikes continue across Gaza: **The Israeli army announced that it had killed a Palestinian in southern Gaza, claiming he had crossed the “yellow line.” A child was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the Halawa camp in Jabalia al-Balad in the northern Gaza Strip, according to Al-Araby TV. In Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, several people were injured in an Israeli airstrike.
* **Palestinian journalists describe systematic torture in Israeli detention: **The** **Committee to Protect Journalists [reports][21] that Israel has detained at least 94 Palestinian journalists since October 7, 2023, with 30 still held in Israeli prisons—including 25 without charges. In its latest report, it found that 58 of 59 former detainees it interviewed experienced torture or severe abuse while in Israeli custody. Testimonies from these reporters detailed beatings, starvation, sexual violence, “strappado” stress positions, prolonged sensory assault, medical neglect, and rape, with detainees losing an average of 54 pounds due to extreme hunger. Further arrests were reported Friday, with Israeli forces detaining journalist Hammam Atili, alongside four other Palestinians, after raiding homes in Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, according to WAFA.
* **Israeli settlers cross into Gaza:** Dozens of Israelis crossed the security fence into Gaza on Thursday night before being detained by the Israeli military and returned to Israeli territory, the Israeli military said in a [statement][22]. The group included parliament member Limor Son Har-Melech and members of Nachala, a radical organization that promotes Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. In a social media post, Har-Melech wrote that the group had entered Gaza “together with the Nachala movement and dozens of other families, women, men, and children,” adding, “Gaza is ours forever. Only in this way will we ensure victory and true security for the people of Israel.” The Israeli military said the group was “safely returned to Israeli territory.”
# U.S. News
* **SCOTUS rules against Trump tariffs: **The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Trump overstepped his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose aggressive tariffs at the start of his second term. The tariffs, now deemed illegal, have become a cornerstone of Trump’s foreign policy, as the starvation of Cuba relies on tariff threats to Mexico and the rest of the world. Trump is likely to try to reapply the tariffs using the Smoot-Hawley Act, Depression-era legislation that allows tariffs when countries are found to have “discriminatory” commerce practices against the U.S. Bloomberg[ lays out Trump’s options here][23].
* **Trump [signals][24] escalation is possible within 10 days amid U.S.-Iran nuclear talks: **At the BoP meeting,** **President Donald Trump [said][25] a decision on whether to escalate military action against Iran could come within “probably 10 days,” while claiming “good talks are being had” but insisting Tehran must reach a “meaningful deal.” He reiterated that Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon,” warning the United States could “take it a step further” if diplomacy collapses as Washington continues a major military buildup in the region.
* **Iran tells United Nations that U.S. bases would be targeted if Washington attacks: **Iran [warned][26] the United Nations that U.S. military bases would become “legitimate targets” if Washington carries out any strikes on its territory. In a letter sent to Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council, Iran’s delegation cited President Trump’s recent threats, which have referenced military facilities such as Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford. Tehran said it remains committed to diplomacy, but maintains it will respond if attacked, and warned that any U.S. assets used in a strike would be met with “decisive and proportionate” retaliation.
* **New York City budget gap sparks fight over taxes and spending cuts: **New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani [unveiled][27] a preliminary $127 billion FY 2027 budget that includes a $5.4 billion shortfall, warning that the city’s property taxes would need to rise by up to 9.5% to close the gap. City Council Speaker Julie Menin refused to countenance any hike in property taxes, arguing instead that the gap should be closed by cutting costs, pointing to the nearly $11 billion in public sector and retiree health care spending and calling its growth “unsustainable.” Alternatively, additional taxes could also be levied at the state level.
* **Union membership ticks up in the U.S. despite challenges: **American union membership rose for the first time in years, increasing by 463,000 workers and nudging overall union density from 9.9% to 10.0%. Gains were concentrated in the public sector, while manufacturing—the sector Trump has pledged to revive—lost 80,000 jobs and saw continued union decline. The public still supports organized labor, with Gallup reporting 68% approval for unions in its recent polling, though weakened labor law and employer resistance remain major barriers to broader unionization. A full rundown on the state of Labor in the U.S. is available from Harold Meyerson at The American Prospect [here][28].
* **University of Texas System adopts vague rule limiting “controversial” coursework: **The University of Texas System Board of Regents unanimously approved a policy requiring campuses to ensure students can graduate without taking courses in what it deems “unnecessary controversial subjects.” The rule also requires faculty to pre-declare course topics and present disputed issues in a “broad and balanced” way, terms which it does not define. Civil rights advocates warned that the change will chill teaching on race, gender, and politics and invite viewpoint discrimination. Read more about the crisis in Texas higher education in the latest from The Texas Tribune, available [here][29].
* **GOP bill would curb states’ interest-rate caps:** Sen. Bernie Moreno and Rep. Warren Davidson, both Republicans from Ohio, introduced the American Lending Fairness Act of 2026 to override a recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruling that upheld states’ authority to enforce their own usury caps on out-of-state lenders. The bill would effectively codify the “rent-a-bank” model—often used by institutions based in states like Delaware and South Dakota with no rate limits—allowing lenders to bypass stricter caps elsewhere. Both lawmakers have received millions in donations from finance, insurance, and real estate interests and industry groups including the American Financial Services Association. Critics say it would undercut state efforts such as Colorado’s 2023 law targeting high-cost lending and could enable a new surge in triple-digit interest loans. More on this can be found in the latest from The Lever, available [here][30].
# Africa Update
* **South Africa: **On Thursday, South African police arrested Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, after he allegedly shot an employee at his home in Johannesburg, leaving the victim in critical condition. Authorities said Mugabe was taken into custody alongside another man suspected of assisting in the attack and will face attempted murder charges. Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years before being deposed in a 2017 coup. He died in 2019 at the age of 95.
* **Kenya: **A Kenyan intelligence report found more than 1,000 Kenyans had been recruited to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine, with at least 89 still on the front lines as of February 2026. The report alleges that a network of rogue officials and trafficking syndicates—including airport staff, immigration officers, police units, and employment authorities—have worked with recruitment agencies to facilitate travel and enlistment, and have secured recruits with false promises of jobs in Russia. Parliament majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah called the operation “deeply disturbing,” and accused the staff at the Russian embassy in Nairobi and the Kenyan embassy in Moscow of helping recruits obtain visas.
* **Rwanda: **Rwanda signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to deploy artificial intelligence across its education and healthcare sectors, as well as in its public sector. This is the firm’s first formal multi-sector government partnership in Africa. Information and communications technology minister Paula Ingabire said the initiative aims to strengthen learning and improve healthcare outcomes and governance. The agreement builds on a 2025 education partnership that provided 2,000 Claude Pro licenses for Rwandan educators, AI literacy training for public servants, and rollout of a Claude-powered learning companion across a total of eight African countries, according to the company.
* **U.S. sanctions RSF commanders for El-Fasher atrocities:** The U.S. announced sanctions on Thursday against three commanders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for their actions in El-Fasher. “These individuals were involved in the RSF’s 18-month siege of and eventual capture of El-Fasher, in which the RSF perpetrated a horrific campaign of ethnic killings, torture, starvation, and sexual violence,” the Treasury Department said in a [statement][31]. “Since the beginning of Sudan’s civil war in April 2023, the RSF and its aligned militias have committed widespread atrocities, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.”
* **Three killed in RSF bombing of aid convoy:** At least three aid workers have been killed and four others wounded in a drone attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on an aid convoy in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The convoy was targeted while travelling through the Kartala area on its way to the cities of Kadugli and Dilling on Thursday, the group said.
* **Madagascar: **President of Madagascar, Michael Randrianirina, met President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Russia, where the two leaders are set to discuss expanded cooperation and regional and international issues, according to the Kremlin.
* **Nigeria:** At least 34 people were killed Tuesday when suspected Lakurawa Islamist militants launched coordinated assaults on rural villages in Kebbi State, according to a security report seen by [Reuters][32]. The attacks targeted multiple communities in a remote border district, including the villages of Mamunu, Awashaka, and Masama. Survivors described highly organized, indiscriminate gunfire during the attacks, which forced residents to flee from their houses. Lakurawa, a relatively new insurgent group operating in the Kebbi and Sokoto states, staged similar simultaneous raids in recent months, overwhelming local defenses. Nigerian security forces have reportedly deployed to the region.
# Other International News
* **Private Cuban firms begin importing limited fuel: **Small private companies in Cuba have [started][33] receiving imported diesel despite a United States oil blockade that has halted shipments of Venezuelan oil, according to EFE. Deliveries are arriving in ISO tanks via state importers at the Port of Mariel, with some shipments reportedly operating under licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, though volumes remain far below Cuba’s national demand. Separately, a tanker carrying fuel reportedly docked this week in Matanzas Bay—potentially the first crude delivery since early January, when a shipment arrived from Mexico—as Cuba continues to produce only about a third of the 110,000 barrels per day it needs.
* **Turkey objects to Chevron-led gas exploration south of Crete: **Turkey [announced][34] its opposition to what it called Greece’s “unilateral activities” in energy fields south of Crete, after a consortium led by Chevron signed exclusive lease agreements to explore for natural gas in the area, according to Reuters. Ankara said the move violates a 2019 maritime jurisdiction memorandum it signed with Libya and infringes on Libyan maritime claims, while Greece responded that its policies fully comply with international law.
* **U.S. in talks to route Venezuelan oil to India amid trade and tariff deal**: The United States is in “active negotiation” over facilitating Venezuelan crude sales to India to help New Delhi diversify away from Russian oil, said U.S. ambassador to India Sergio Gor as Washington and Indian continue to pursue a final trade agreement. The talks come after President Donald Trump agreed to cut tariffs on Indian goods to 18% under an interim deal and lift a 25% punitive levy following India’s commitment to halt Russian oil purchases, which the U.S. says fund Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
* **Peru’s Congress installs José Maria Balcázar as interim president ahead of April elections: **Peru’s Congress [voted][35] Wednesday to appoint former judge and left-wing lawmaker José Maria Balcázar as interim president, replacing José Jeri a day after his removal. Balacázar will be the country’s ninth president in a decade, and will serve only until elections are held on April 12. Depending on the outcome of the election, there may be a runoff in June.
# More from Drop Site
* **“Hard to See Anything But a Massive Military Campaign Against Iran”:** Jeremy Scahill interviewed Robert Malley, former U.S. special envoy for Iran and a lead negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal. Malley [told Drop Site][36] that, given what is “undeniably” the largest U.S. military mobilization since 2003, it is “hard to imagine” this is merely to exert pressure on Iran. He sees little chance Iran will accept the sweeping demands reportedly under discussion, leaving “a massive military campaign against Iran” as the likeliest result — one he notes would be “illegal, unlawful, unjustified.” **[Watch or listen to the full interview here.][37]**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024546244350119981
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024591910963380273
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024602558397108411
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024586765596565704
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024477723352023157
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024607778392932662
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024617863332409465
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024592913632485453
[9]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/turkey-says-greece-chevron-activity-off-crete-unlawful-2026-02-19/
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024540203818352730
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024531556321095993
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024546244350119981
[13]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-netanyahu-demands-hamas-disarmament-gaza-board-peace-negotiations-mladenov
[14]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2024700788111548762?s=46
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024534211017994365
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024566166170087606
[17]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024602558397108411
[18]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024612868612927756
[19]: https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/#:~:text=Such%20a%20machine%2C%20it%20turns,early%20stages%20of%20the%20war
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024591910963380273
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024477723352023157
[22]: https://x.com/idfonline/status/2024755737889591582
[23]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-20/trump-s-tariffs-ruled-illegal-by-supreme-court-what-are-his-options-now?embedded-checkout=true
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024586765596565704
[25]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024586765596565704
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024617863332409465
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024607778392932662
[28]: https://prospect.org/2026/02/19/trump-union-growth-labor-law-organizing/
[29]: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/02/19/texas-university-ut-regents-unnecessarily-controversial-subjects/
[30]: https://archive.ph/JkMeN#selection-1201.0-1643.106
[31]: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0399#
[32]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/suspected-lakurawa-militants-kill-34-coordinated-attacks-nigerian-villages-2026-02-19/
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024592913632485453
[34]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/turkey-says-greece-chevron-activity-off-crete-unlawful-2026-02-19/
[35]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/19/peru-appoints-new-president-after-jose-jeris-removal
[36]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2024748471153008664?s=46
[37]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-united-states-build-up-robert-malley-negotiator-nuclear-deal
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2026-02-19 17:58:00 UTC

Iran in the Crosshairs: Former Senior U.S. Iran Negotiator Robert Malley on Trump’s Threats to Bomb
With a U.S. military build-up unprecedented since the 2003 Iraq invasion underway in the Middle East, Iran may soon find itself in the cross-hairs of a massive military onslaught.
President Donald Trump has publicly said that diplomatic channels with Iran remain open and Iranian diplomats say they are in the process of drafting a document responding to U.S. demands recently presented in the indirect talks in Geneva, Switzerland. But several former senior U.S. officials have told Drop Site that the size and scope of the military deployment indicate a high likelihood of a U.S. attack. One former senior intelligence official who informally advises the Trump administration put the chances of a strike at 80-90 percent.
Drop Site News’s Jeremy Scahill spoke to former senior U.S. Middle East diplomat Robert Malley, a lead negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Malley has served under three U.S. presidents and has extensive experience negotiating with Iranian officials. He is currently a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs and author, with Hussein Agha, of “Tomorrow is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine.” Scahill and Malley also discuss the first meeting of the so-called Board of Peace and the ongoing Israeli war against Gaza.
**[Read Drop Site’s coverage of the U.S. buildup here.][1]**
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[1]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-war-united-states-build-up-robert-malley-negotiator-nuclear-deal

2026-02-19 16:08:38 UTC

Trump’s “Board of Peace” convenes in Washington; Congress to force vote on Iran war; UN finds “hallmarks of genocide” in El-Fasher
*Israeli attacks [kill][1] three Palestinians in southern Gaza. Palestinians [detained][2] by Israel released back to Gaza. U.S. officials [prepare][3] large military base in southern Gaza. White House [weighs][4] using Israeli-backed gangs to form Gaza police force. Settlers kill Palestinian-American in the West Bank; Israeli police [kill][5] Palestinian citizen of Israel. President Donald Trump hosts inaugural Board of Peace meeting. Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie to force a vote on war with Iran. U.S. is holding backchannel [talks][6] with Castro family confidante. Trump [threatens][7] potential Iran strikes from UK bases amid dispute over Diego Garcia. U.S. [delays][8] Taiwan arms package amid pressure from Xi Jinping ahead of Beijing summit. Wexner [says][9] DOJ and FBI never questioned him over Epstein ties. Former Prince Andrew arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over Epstein ties. Mexico [explores][10] mediating between U.S. and Cuba as aid shipments
continue. UN mission finds “hallmarks of genocide” in RSF takeover of El-Fasher. South Korean court [sentences][11] former president to life in prison over failed self-coup attempt. U.S. [begins][12] full military withdrawal from Syria. Rights group [alleges][13] record extrajudicial killings by Punjab police unit. Congo [offers][14] rebel-held Rubaya coltan mine to U.S. in strategic minerals push. U.S.-brokered Russia–Ukraine talks in Geneva [end][15] without a breakthrough.*
***NEW from Drop Site: “This is no dress rehearsal”: U.S. [amasses][16] major military buildup near Iran as talks proceed. The Israeli government [ran security operation ][17]at Epstein-linked Manhattan apartment.***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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U.S. President Donald Trump at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on February 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, two Palestinians were killed and four were injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,069 killed, with 171,728 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 611 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,630, while 726 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israeli attacks kill three Palestinians in southern Gaza: **Three Palestinians were [killed][19] by Israeli fire east of Khan Younis on the first day of Ramadan as Israel continued air, artillery, and tank strikes across the Gaza Strip, medical sources told Palestine Online. One person was killed in the Al-Tahlia neighborhood and two in Bani Suheila. Israeli artillery hit eastern Gaza City and homes were demolished in Beit Hanoun. Airstrikes also targeted Khan Younis and Rafah, extending attacks across both northern and southern Gaza.
* **Palestinians detained by Israel released back to Gaza: **Israel [released][20] 13 detainees back to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening via the International Committee of the Red Cross, including one woman and a 15-year-old boy detained during earlier ground incursions. They arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in poor health, with signs of malnutrition and physical abuse, according to medical sources.
* **U.S. officials prepare ISF military base in Gaza:** The Trump administration is [planning][21] a 5,000-person military base in Gaza spanning more than 350 acres to serve as an operating hub for the International Stabilization Force (ISF) under the “Board of Peace,” according to contracting records reviewed by The Guardian. The plans outline a phased construction of a fortified base featuring 26 armored watchtowers, a small arms range, bunkers, equipment warehouses, and barbed-wire perimeter defenses, to be built in southern Gaza.
* **White House weighs using Israeli-backed gangs to form Gaza police force: **The White House is [considering][22] a proposal to recruit anti-Hamas Palestinian gangs—armed by Israel since the onset of the genocide—into a new Gaza police force, The Telegraph reports. Some of these gangs, which include organized crime groups and drug-trafficking clans, have been reported to have been looting aid amid famine conditions and carrying out murders and kidnappings, with members of at least two groups reportedly having fought for or pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
* **Settlers kill Palestinian-American in the West Bank:** Israeli settlers shot and killed Nasrallah Muhammad Jamal Abu Siyam, a 19-year-old Palestinian-American, in the village of Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem on Wednesday night, according to reports citing the Health Ministry. The Israeli military said soldiers responded to a violent confrontation in the area and attempted to disperse a riot. Several Palestinians were shot and evacuated for medical treatment. Abu Siyam’s mother told the Associated Press that he held American citizenship.
* **Israeli police kill Palestinian citizen of Israel; additional shootings reported: **Israeli border police [shot and killed][23] 18-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel Ahmad Mohammad Ashqar during a stop in Kabul in the Galilee on Wednesday, according to The Times of Israel. Police said an officer opened fire after Ashqar, riding a motorcycle, allegedly failed to heed orders to stop; footage showed him crashing into a parked car after being shot. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the officer had his “full backing.” Separately, three other Palestinian citizens of Israel were shot dead on the same day amid a surge in violence affecting Palestinian communities within Israel.
* **U.S. approves coordination between Palestinian Authority and BoP: **The United States has [approved][24] the creation of a formal coordination committee between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and President Trump’s Board of Peace to oversee postwar reconstruction in Gaza Strip, U.S. and Palestinian officials told The Times of Israel. The panel will include PA Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa and Gaza High Representative Nickolay Mladenov, as Ramallah seeks greater influence over Gaza’s future despite continued U.S. and Israeli opposition to an expanded PA role. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has not been invited to Thursday’s Board of Peace meeting.
* **Palestinian photographer killed in Gaza named 2026 George Polk Award winner: **Palestinian photojournalist Mariam Dagga was posthumously [named][25] as one of the winners of the 2026 George Polk Awards for photojournalism. Dagga was killed in an Israeli “double tap” attack on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis that killed at least 21 Palestinians, including five journalists. The second strike of the attack was captured on camera directly hitting journalists and rescuers on a staircase.
* **Lancet study finds Gaza death toll far higher than previously reported: **A new study published in The Lancet [estimates][26] more than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip—at least 25,000 more than figures released by local authorities at the time—while confirming that Gaza health officials accurately reported the share of women, children, and elderly among the dead. Researchers found that about 56 percent of violent deaths between October 2023 and January 2025 fell into those groups and that thousands more people likely died from indirect causes such as disease and malnutrition. The study challenges Israeli claims that combatant and civilian deaths were roughly equal following the October 7 attack by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli assault, suggesting the official toll substantially undercounted fatalities by a margin similar to earlier independent estimates.
# U.S. News
* **Congress to vote on Iran war: **Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie, (R-Ky.) are forcing a vote on Trump’s war with Iran by using the privileged procedure associated with the War Powers Act. The resolution is likely to come to the floor of the House next week, yet has been assiduously ignored by the mainstream press. [It could end up becoming as politically consequential ][27]as the 2002 vote to authorize war in Iraq.
* **Trump hosts inaugural Board of Peace meeting:** President Donald Trump opened the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C. on Thursday where representatives from more than 45 countries are expected to attend. “In terms of power and in terms of prestige there’s never been anything close because these are the greatest leaders,” Trump said in his opening remarks. There is no Palestinian representation on the board, while Israel holds a seat. According to a run of show circulating online, Trump and Vance will open, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Envoy Steve Witkoff and Ambassador Mike Waltz. Dr. Ali Shaath of the NCAG on Gaza’s future will follow, then Tony Blair on capacity building, World Bank President Ajay Banga on fiscal oversight, and Jared Kushner on “measurable” results in Gaza. Roundtables will cover Gaza aid, policing, reconstruction, sovereign wealth funding, supply chains, and redevelopment plans. The agenda also features a “FIFA video
presentation.”
* **U.S. holds quiet backchannel talks with Castro grandson: **Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly [held][28] secret discussions with Raúl Castro’s grandson and close confidant, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, according to Axios, citing three sources including a senior Trump administration official. The outreach suggests Washington views Raúl Castro—rather than President Miguel Díaz-Canel—as a power broker who can facilitate a deal. In February, the U.S. diplomat for Cuba Mike Hammer said, “Obviously there are conversations with some very high-ranking people within the regime,” and added, “Yes, there is a Delcy Rodríguez” in Cuba.
* **“This is no dress rehearsal”: U.S. amasses major military buildup near Iran as talks proceed: **The United States is deploying a massive concentration of air and naval power in the Middle East as talks continue with Iran. Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday the talks in “some ways…went well” but warned that the administration has set red lines Iran has not accepted; Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has rejected what he called ultimatums disguised as negotiations. The deployment includes two carrier strike groups—the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford—dozens of advanced fighter jets and refueling aircraft, expanded missile defense batteries, and more than 30,000 U.S. personnel positioned within range of Iran. Current and former U.S. officials told Drop Site that the scale of the buildup would support sustained strikes targeting Iranian air defenses, missile forces, and senior leadership if diplomacy collapses, while Tehran has signaled it would retaliate forcefully and
could threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. **Read the full report on the buildup from Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain for Drop Site, [here][29].**
* **Trump threatens potential Iran strikes from UK bases amid dispute over Diego Garcia: **President Donald Trump [suggested][30] the United States could launch attacks on Iran from British territory—including the major U.S.-UK base on the island of Diego Garcia—with or without London’s consent. Trump also used the opportunity to criticize Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a sovereignty deal that transferred the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius.
* **Lawmakers press State Department over detention of Palestinian-American teen: **Fifteen U.S. lawmakers [led][31] by Sen. Peter Welch wrote to Rubio to demand answers about the nine-month imprisonment of Palestinian-American teenager Mohammed Ibrahim in Israel. Arrested at 15 in the occupied West Bank, Ibrahim was allegedly beaten, pepper-sprayed, and denied adequate food and medical care, losing roughly a third of his body weight before his release in November. The lawmakers asked whether the State Department has sought an independent investigation and accountability for those responsible.
* **U.S. delays Taiwan arms package amid pressure from Xi ahead of Beijing summit: **The Trump administration is holding up a major U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan after Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged caution in a recent call with Trump, the Wall Street Journal [reports][32], with officials fearing approval could derail Trump’s planned April visit to Beijing. Advisers are weighing the deal—expected to include Patriot missile interceptors—against broader efforts to preserve a trade truce and stabilize relations between the U.S. and China.
* **Regulators face pressure over Blackstone’s early equity move in New Mexico utility takeover: **Private equity giant Blackstone purchased $400 million in shares of TXNM Energy—the parent of the Public Service Company of New Mexico—before receiving the approval from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission it is legally require to obtain, according to filings tied to Blackstone’s proposed acquisition of the utility. Mariel Nanasi of New Energy Economy said the move shows “reckless disregard for New Mexico law,” arguing the unauthorized purchase of equities should block the broader merger, which would be a major victory for consumer advocates in the state who have sought to prevent private equity’s takeover of the state’s largest electricity provider. Read more at the The American Prospect, [here][33].
# Epstein
* **Israeli government ran security operation at Epstein-linked Manhattan apartment:** The Israeli government installed and maintained security equipment beginning in early 2016 at a Manhattan apartment building controlled by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to emails recently released by the Department of Justice and reviewed by Drop Site News. The system covered a unit where former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak stayed for extended periods, with officials from Israel’s permanent mission to the United Nations coordinating regularly with Epstein’s staff over access and arrangements. Epstein frequently loaned apartments to his contacts and used the building to house underage models. **The full report from Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain is available [here][34].**
* **[WSJ:][35] “French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel was negotiating to provide prosecutors with evidence against the sex offender in 2016—three years before he was finally arrested—but ultimately backed out.” **The Wall Street Journal reports that in 2016 Epstein ally Brunel was in talks with federal investigators to flip on Epstein in exchange for immunity. Epstein got wind of the talks and told his attorney, Kathy Ruemmler, that Brunel wanted $3 million to stay quiet. Brunel ultimately backed out of the talks with investigators and was later arrested in France in 2020 in connection with the Epstein probe, [and charged with rape][36] of a minor under 15. [He died in prison][37] under contested circumstances. WSJ: “Brunel was a central figure in Epstein’s orbit who used his position atop a U.S. modeling agency to recruit foreign girls and young women, securing work visas and providing the appearance of real employment. The Frenchman traveled on Epstein’s plane, visited his island and
exchanged hundreds of emails with him.”
* **Wexner says DOJ and FBI never questioned him over Epstein ties: **Billionaire retail executive Les Wexner [told][38] lawmakers during a congressional deposition at his Ohio mansion that he was never interviewed by the Department of Justice or the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his decades-long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to Rep. Robert Garcia and Rep. Yassamin Ansari. Wexner, 88, maintained in his opening statement before the committee that he was “duped” by Epstein, denied knowledge of criminal activity, and said he cut ties in 2007.** **The lawmakers said during his testimony that he claimed federal authorities never sought to question him during any prior Epstein investigation, even though he provided the financier with roughly $1 billion in financial support. Ansari called the failure to probe him “completely inconceivable” and likened it to one of the largest coverups in history.
* **Former Prince Andrew arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over Epstein ties:** Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles, has been arrested in Britain on suspicion of misconduct in public office by police investigating the former prince’s dealings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Police have not said what led them to arrest Mountbatten-Windsor, but they have previously said they were reviewing allegations that a woman was trafficked to the UK by Epstein to have a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor, and claims he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy. King Charles released a statement expressing his “deepest concern” over his brother’s arrest and said “the law must take its course.” In November, King Charles stripped his brother of his title as prince and duke of York, and evicted him from his royal residence over his relationship with Epstein.
# International News
* **Mexico explores mediating between U.S. and Cuba as aid shipments continue:** President Claudia Sheinbaum [said][39] Wednesday that Mexico is holding talks to explore facilitating dialogue between the United States and Cuba. Sheinbaum said any mediation would depend on the will of Washington and Havana and must respect Cuba’s self-determination, adding that feasibility hinges on the conditions set by both governments. Mexico recently sent 814 tons of aid to Havana and is preparing another shipment, while acknowledging it has “for now” paused fuel exports following new U.S. sanctions targeting countries supplying oil to Cuba, deepening the island’s economic strain.
* **South Korean court sentences former president to life in prison over failed self-coup attempt: **A Seoul court [sentenced][40] former president Yoon Suk Yeol to life imprisonment with labour for attempting to spark an insurrection with his December 2024 martial law declaration. The court found that Yoon sought to block access to the parliament building with troops and to arrest political leaders, with the intent to disrupt the country’s constitutional order. Judges cited Yoon’s lack of remorse, refusal to attend hearings, and the severe social and political damage caused by his decision, though they stopped short of the death penalty because his plans were poorly executed and largely failed. The verdict marks the harshest sentence imposed on an elected leader in South Korea’s democratic era. Yoon is expected to appeal.
* **UN mission finds “hallmarks of genocide” in RSF takeover of El-Fasher:** A “campaign of destruction” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher in October shows “hallmarks of genocide” according to a [report][41] by the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan. The report documented mass killings, starvation, rape, torture, and ethnically targeted killings, particular against the Zaghawa and the Fur communities, after the RSF takeover of El-Fasher following an 18-month siege. The Genocide Convention sets out five criteria to assess whether genocide has taken place; a genocide determination can be made even if only one of the five criteria is met. The mission concluded the RSF committed at least three: killing members of a protected ethnic group; causing serious bodily and mental harm; and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction in whole or in part. Investigators said the scale, coordination, and
public endorsement by RSF leadership show the crimes were planned and warned the risk of further genocidal acts remains serious without accountability.
* **U.S. begins full military withdrawal from Syria: **The Trump administration is [pulling][42] all roughly 1,000 U.S. troops out of Syria over the next two months, the WSJ reports. This ends the U.S.’s decade-long deployment of military forces against the Islamic State, with U.S. military officials arguing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have effectively disbanded and integrated into the Syrian army. U.S. officials say their withdrawal is “conditions-based” and could be reconsidered if the Islamic State regains strength.
* **Famine risk surges in North Darfur as RSF attacks cut off aid and livelihoods:** Nearly 25,000 people in Umm Buru, Karnoi, and Al-Tina [are][43] on the brink of famine as fighting and drone warfare sever humanitarian access and local economies, according to the Sudanese outlet The Ayin Network. The Rapid Support Forces have assaulted the areas since mid-December in a bid to seize control of the North Darfur region, while the Sudanese Armed Forces claim to have slowed the advance with the help of Turkish-made drones. Aid workers said insecurity has halted farming and trade, blocked exit routes into Chad, and left communities trapped as hunger rapidly worsens.
* **Egypt pressures Haftar to cut ties with Sudan militia as Libya supply route exposed: **Senior officials from Egypt have repeatedly [traveled][44] to eastern Libya to urge Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, to end his alleged support for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, amid fears the war could spill across Egypt’s borders, according to Asharq Al-Aswat. Satellite imagery and a detailed investigation by Reuters point to heavy cargo flights into the Kufrah airstrip that funneled supplies to the RSF, helping it regain ground in Darfur after setbacks in Khartoum. While the LNA denies backing either side, analysts say mounting pressure from Egypt and Turkey could force Haftar to distance himself from the RSF as concerns grow over Libya’s fragile internal stability.
* **France presses ahead with bid to oust UN rapporteur despite debunking of claims: **More than 150 former ministers, ambassadors, and senior officials [accused][45] French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot of spreading disinformation by citing a doctored video to call for the resignation of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, after independent fact-checkers found she never labeled Israel an “enemy of humanity.” The coalition urged the French government to retract the claims it made about Albanese and to defend the UN’s ability to conduct its business in Gaza without external interference. Despite this, and despite criminal claims lodged against him by French legal groups, Barrot doubled down in parliament on Wednesday, saying France still plans to formally seek Albanese’s removal at the United Nations Human Rights Council session on February 23, 2026. Barrot pointed to a ministry-curated compilation of Albanese’s past social media posts—some from 2014 and 2023—as evidence to
justify his decision.
* **Rights group alleges record extrajudicial killings by Punjab police unit: **The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent, non-profit organization, [says][46] that more than 900 people have been killed in extrajudicial “encounters” by Punjab’s Crime Control Department between April and December of 2025, according to a summary of their report in Al Jazeera. HRCP documented at least 670 encounters resulting in 924 deaths—more than double the total recorded across Punjab and Sindh in all of 2024. Critics say a pattern of strikingly similar police reports and the sheer scale of the deaths suggest malfeasance and dispute the state’s account that the killings were done in “self-defence.”
* **Cambodia accuses Thailand of occupying territory despite U.S.-brokered truce: **Prime Minister Hun Manet said Thai forces remain inside Cambodian territory months after a ceasefire brokered by Trump, calling the situation fragile and urging Bangkok to allow a joint boundary commission to begin border demarcation work, according to [Reuters][47]. Thailand denied occupying land, saying it is maintaining existing troop deployments as part of de-escalation measures. Manet made the comments while in Washington for Trump’s Board of Peace meeting, warning Cambodia cannot accept what it views as a violation of its sovereignty and stressing that talks are needed to prevent renewed conflict along the disputed border.
* **Congo offers rebel-held Rubaya coltan mine to U.S. in strategic minerals push: **The Democratic Republic of the Congo has added the rebel-controlled Rubaya coltan mine—which produces about 15 percent of the world’s coltan—to a shortlist of strategic assets it is offering Washington under a new minerals cooperation framework, according to [Reuters][48]. The offer was made even though the site is presently under the control of M23 and its political affiliate, and in spite of the continued fighting in the region. U.S. officials say that under the agreement, American companies will receive preferential access to the site. Congolese authorities estimate that Rubaya would require up to $150 million to restart production.
* **U.S.-brokered Russia–Ukraine talks in Geneva end without a breakthrough: **The latest U.S.-organized [negotiations][49] in Geneva between envoys from Russia and Ukraine concluded Wednesday with both sides calling the discussions “difficult” and acknowledging no major progress. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of dragging out talks while continuing its military onslaught, though he noted some constructive movement in the talks concerning on military issues, such as potential ceasefire monitoring with U.S. involvement. The disputes over Russian-occupied eastern territory remain, however. Both delegations said another round of talks is planned.
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024317272597131578
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024319463848374628
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/19/trump-gaza-military-plan
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024228217989841148
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024347491647340631
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024160164266315784
[7]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-starmer-diego-garcia
[8]: https://www.wsj.com/world/china/u-s-arms-sale-to-taiwan-in-limbo-amid-pressure-campaign-from-china-d228f912?st=LHptVY&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024333247023599895
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024188791423111502
[11]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/yoon-suk-yeol-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-leading-insurrection-in-south-korea
[12]: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/syria-us-troops-withdraw-a97a2665?st=EyPRd1&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/18/pakistans-punjab-police-kill-900-people-in-eight-months-whats-going-on
[14]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-offers-tantalum-deposit-under-m23-control-us-minerals-pact-document-shows-2026-02-18/
[15]: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-talks-geneva-0f22fa796cafd6606a88ad1b101ab3fb
[16]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-government-surveillance-epstein-apartment-66th-street-ehud-barak
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[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024317272597131578
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024319463848374628
[21]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/19/trump-gaza-military-plan
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024228217989841148
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024347491647340631
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024245453051875706
[25]: https://x.com/sharifkouddous/status/2024215093555106094
[26]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/gaza-death-toll-higher-than-reported-lancet-study
[27]: https://x.com/justfp/status/2024499826293960938
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024160164266315784
[29]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei
[30]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-starmer-diego-garcia
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024199023868190767
[32]: https://www.wsj.com/world/china/u-s-arms-sale-to-taiwan-in-limbo-amid-pressure-campaign-from-china-d228f912?st=LHptVY&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[33]: https://prospect.org/2026/02/19/blackstone-private-equity-utility-acquisition-new-mexico-public-service-txnm-energy/
[34]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-government-surveillance-epstein-apartment-66th-street-ehud-barak
[35]: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/epstein-accomplice-brunel-evidence-6693cb70
[36]: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/17/europe/france-jean-luc-brunel-intl
[37]: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60443518
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024333247023599895
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024188791423111502
[40]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/yoon-suk-yeol-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-leading-insurrection-in-south-korea
[41]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/sudan-evidence-el-fasher-reveals-genocidal-campaign-targeting-non-arab?sub-site=HRC
[42]: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/syria-us-troops-withdraw-a97a2665?st=EyPRd1&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024359229038219676
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024325288499527899
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2024216460701135100
[46]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/18/pakistans-punjab-police-kill-900-people-in-eight-months-whats-going-on
[47]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/cambodian-pm-says-thailand-occupying-territory-after-trump-brokered-ceasefire-2026-02-18/
[48]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-offers-tantalum-deposit-under-m23-control-us-minerals-pact-document-shows-2026-02-18/
[49]: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-talks-geneva-0f22fa796cafd6606a88ad1b101ab3fb
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2026-02-18 21:13:13 UTC

"This is Not a Dress Rehearsal": U.S. Engaged in Massive Military Buildup as Threat To Bomb Iran Grows
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An aerial view of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group while operating at the Arabian Sea, escorted by two military replenishment ships and two U.S. Coast Guard vessels, as fighter jets from Carrier Air Wing Nine conducted flight operations overhead in the Arabian Sea, on February 6, 2026. (Photo by US CENTCOM/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The U.S. military is in the midst of amassing an enormous fleet of aircraft and warships within striking distance of Iran as the region enters the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It is the largest buildup of firepower in the Middle East since President Donald Trump authorized a 12-day bombing campaign against Iran last June that killed more than 1,000 people.
While Iranian and U.S. negotiators are speaking in cautiously optimistic tones about the latest round of indirect talks held Tuesday in Geneva and suggested another meeting was possible, comments from the highest levels of power in both countries drive home the reality that the U.S. may be on the verge of attacking the Islamic Republic.
“In some ways it went well. They agreed to meet afterward,” Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on Tuesday, following the talks. “But in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.” Vance maintained that Trump prefers a diplomatic solution, but warned that “the president reserves the ability to say when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end.”
A former senior U.S. intelligence official who is an informal advisor to the Trump administration on Middle East policy told Drop Site that, based on his discussions with current officials, he assesses an 80-90% likelihood of U.S. strikes within weeks.
The extraordinary and expensive U.S. military buildup would be sufficient for a large-scale campaign against Tehran that goes far beyond the limited strikes that have taken place in the past. “It harkens back to what I saw ahead of the 2003 Iraq war,” said retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, a senior fellow and military expert at Defense Priorities, in an interview with Drop Site News. “You don’t assemble this kind of power to send a message. In my view, this is what you do when you’re preparing to use it. What I see on the diplomatic front is just to try to keep things rolling until it’s time to actually launch the military operation. I think that everybody on both sides knows where this is heading.”
Iran realizes that it is facing an unprecedented threat from the U.S. if a deal that conforms with Trump’s terms is not reached, former Pentagon official Jasmine El-Gamal told Drop Site. “This is not a dress rehearsal,” she said. “This is it. This is not the negotiations of last year or the year before or the year before that. They’re backed into a corner. There’s no off ramp.”
The ongoing deployment includes the stationing of dozens of aircraft including F‑15 strike fighters, F‑35 stealth fighters, Boeing EA‑18G Growler electronic‑warfare aircraft, and A‑10C ground‑attack aircraft at a military airbase in Jordan—despite the Jordanian government’s recent insistence that its territory would not be used as a base to attack Iran. Dozens more F-35, F-22, and F-16 fighter jets have also been observed by independent flight trackers transiting to the region over the past 48 hours, along with a large number of tanker refueling aircraft departing from the continental U.S.
Two carrier strike groups—each built around one aircraft carrier, several guided‑missile destroyers armed with Tomahawk missiles, and at least one submarine—are also being stationed nearby, along with several additional U.S. destroyers and submarines in regional waters near Iran to defend against ballistic missile attacks, as well as more than 30,000 U.S. military personnel and numerous Patriot and THAAD anti-missile batteries spread across regional military bases.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been in the region since late January, also carries an air wing of roughly 60–70 warplanes, including about 40–45 F‑35C and F/A‑18 strike fighters, as well as Growler electronic‑warfare jets, early‑warning radar aircraft, and MH‑60 attack helicopters.
The USS Gerald R. Ford—which last week was redirected from Venezuela to the Middle East—is the world’s largest and most advanced carrier, and can operate a similar mix of up to 75 aircraft. “The Ford was used for the campaign in Venezuela and eventually the strikes on [President Nicolás] Maduro. And now they’re being sent to the Middle East. They won’t be back for several months. So this is a crew that has been stretched to the limit,” said El-Gamal, who specialized in Middle East policy at the Defense Department. “The fact that *that* carrier is there tells me that this isn’t just a routine kind of, ‘Hey, let’s flex some muscle.’ He didn’t need that. He didn’t need to send that second carrier to flex muscle.”
President Trump explained the move in remarks at Ft. Bragg as a threat to the Iranians amid ongoing talks, saying, “In case we don’t make a deal, we’ll need it.”
## Parallel Negotiations
In June, the Trump administration used the veneer of preparing for additional talks with Iran as cover to launch a surprise attack on the country. Both U.S. and Israeli warplanes struck military and civilian strikes across Iran and killed scores of senior and mid-level Iranian military and intelligence officials, including Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s highest-ranking military official, Hossein Salami, the commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the IRGC’s chief of aerospace operations who commanded Iran’s ballistic missile strikes. The attacks also killed several Iranian nuclear scientists. Estimates put the number killed in the strikes at more than 1,000, including at least 400 civilians, alongside an additional 4,000 other Iranians—both military and civilian—wounded.
In a speech on Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei struck a defiant tone and denounced the Trump administration’s approach to nuclear talks, charging that an ultimatum is not a negotiation. “The Americans say, ‘Let’s negotiate over your nuclear energy, and the result of the negotiation is supposed to be that you do not have this energy,” Khamenei said. “If that’s the case, there is no room for negotiation; but if negotiations are truly to take place, determining the outcome of the negotiations in advance is a wrong and foolish act.”
Acknowledging the “beautiful armada” Trump has boasted of sending to the region, Khamenei said, “The Americans constantly say that they’ve sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware. However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.” He added, “The U.S. President has said that for 47 years, the United States hasn’t been able to eliminate the Islamic Republic. That is a good confession. I say, ‘You, too, will not be able to do this.’”
The Israeli military has also indicated it is [making preparations][3] for potential war with Iran. After meeting with Trump in Washington, D.C. last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put out his own list of priorities, which included ending both Iran’s enrichment program and addressing its ballistic missile capabilities. “[President Trump] is determined to exhaust the possibilities of achieving a deal which he believes can be achieved now because of the circumstances that have been created, the force projection,” Netanyahu said at a conference of presidents of major American Jewish organizations. “And the fact that, as he says, Iran must surely understand that they missed out last time, and he thinks there is a serious probability that they won’t miss out this time. I will not hide from you that I express my skepticism of any deal with Iran.”
El-Gamal, the former country director for Syria and Lebanon at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy under the Obama administration, said she believes Trump would prefer to make a deal that he can claim goes beyond any Iranian concessions made in the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration, specifically dealing with ballistic missiles and support for regional resistance groups. “If he can get that without a military confrontation, he will take it,” she said, quickly adding that Iran almost certainly will continue to hold firm to its red lines against such demands.
“Right now, the ballistic missile program is essentially all Iran has left to maintain any sort of deterrence posture and defend itself and project any sort of power in the region,” she added. “And what is the Islamic Republic of Iran if it doesn’t have the ability—any government, by the way—if it doesn’t have the ability to project power as a serious player in the region, maintain deterrence capacity and defend itself? Then you might as well not be a government at all.”
The former senior U.S. intelligence official told Drop Site that Trump was intent on striking Iran in January, but was not satisfied with the options presented by the military based on the existing assets in the region. The renewed diplomatic talks gave the Pentagon time to dispatch more weapons, ships and planes, significantly expanding the scope and power of potential operations. Extensive deployments are necessary not only to conduct sustained attacks on Iran, but also to position munitions and aircraft for confronting Iranian retaliatory strikes against U.S. military facilities and Israel, which Iran has indicated would come under heavy bombardment in the event of a U.S.-led air war.
While several Arab countries have publicly stated they will not allow their territory or airspace to be used for an assault against Iran, in the event of large strikes, the U.S. would need to utilize command and control and targeting systems in several nations, as well as satellite and surveillance capabilities. Military assets in these countries, including advanced U.S. missile systems, would also be used to confront Iranian retaliatory action.
“Everything was set up” to strike in January, Davis said, “And then all of a sudden it didn’t happen.” Netanyahu was concerned that more defensive capabilities were needed to respond to Iranian retaliation, he said, and these concerns were echoed by Pentagon war planners. “And I think that *that* delayed it,” Davis added. “And then of course, right after that, you saw this big surge of air defense missiles going in all over the place.”
Following Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had asked Davis to join the administration in a senior post where he would have overseen the compiling of the Presidential Daily Briefing, a comprehensive intelligence summary presented each morning to the president. In March, as Davis was going through the background check process, Gabbard withdrew his name from consideration after lawmakers and pro-Israel groups protested, citing Davis’s criticism of Israel, the Gaza War and his opposition to military attacks on Iran. Davis said he maintains contact with what he described as some of the few remaining “sane foreign policy minds” in the administration. “They’re beside themselves because they feel powerless,” he said. “They can only go so far to say something or else they’ll be either removed or sidelined.”
Based on his experience with past U.S. war planning and missions, Davis said he believes the military would first strike Iranian air defense, command and control, communications facilities and senior leaders of the IRGC. It would also target Iran’s offensive missile capabilities, mobile launchers, naval bases and vessels. “We’ll be going after the political leaders simultaneously with a lot of this. They may even go with them concurrently with trying to take out the air defense so that they don’t get a chance to go to bunkers or whatever,” Davis said. “I think that that’s the idea, because if you can take out the senior leaders and decapitate the regime, then you have the chance for people to rise up, at least according to that hoped-for theory.” He added that the U.S. will also likely engage in broader attacks against Iranian security forces that would be used to quell or crush domestic uprisings or riots.
El-Gamal said she believes U.S. war planners are anticipating unprecedented Iranian counterstrikes and will seek to preemptively attack its offensive infrastructure. “You have to stop anything that the Iranians would have planned before they even have the chance to begin. It’s kind of akin to destroying a country’s air force fleet before you go to war,” she said. “If you look at it from that perspective and you look at the assets that are being sent to the region and you look at what the Iranians could be planning as retaliatory attacks on the carrier strike group, attacks on U.S. personnel in the region, and you look at everything that would be needed to do those attacks—the ballistic missiles, the short range missiles, the shaheds, then you will have to have a plan to attack all of it right at the beginning, at the onset. And if you’re going to assume or get ready for talks to fail, that would have to be your plan.”
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## Trump’s Strategy
In the aftermath of the June strikes, Trump and other senior officials boasted that they had effectively wiped out Iran’s nuclear program. “Our objective was the destruction of Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” Trump said in a White House address on June 21. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed, “Our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “This was complete and total obliteration. They are in bad shape. They are way behind today compared to where they were.”
Since those strikes, [media reports][4] have suggested Iran is secretly [rebuilding][5] and fortifying missile facilities damaged in previous U.S. and Israeli attacks. But satellite images showing the building or reconstruction of access tunnels, which form the basis of these media reports, are not evidence of attempts to build nuclear weapons.
For years, U.S. [national intelligence estimates][6] have consistently undermined the alarmist tone of senior U.S. and Israeli officials warning of Iran’s ability to imminently build a nuclear bomb. Those assessments determined that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in late 2003. For decades, Khamenei has maintained his opposition to producing or using weapons of mass destruction. And Iran has publicly stated that the damage to its missile capabilities by the June war was far less significant than the U.S. claimed and that it has worked to rebuild its conventional missile capacity and stockpiles.
In addition to the U.S. military buildup, the White House has also been engaged in a prolonged economic war targeting Iran that has been described in increasingly blunt terms by Trump administration officials as a tool to generate social unrest inside the country.
At a Senate hearing earlier this month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described a policy aimed at inflicting maximum economic harm on ordinary Iranians by targeting the strength of the Iranian currency. “What we have done is create a dollar shortage in the country,” Bessent said in response to questioning by Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), stating that the policy had reached a “grand culmination” in December with the collapse of one of the country’s largest banks. “The Iranian currency went into freefall, inflation exploded, and hence, we have seen the Iranian people out on the street,” Bessent said.
The remarks echoed previous statements made by Bessent at the World Economic Forum in Davos in late January in the wake of mass public unrest in Iran. Following large peaceful demonstrations that began in late December against economic conditions in the country, the protests turned violent on January 8, spurring a series of events that would leave thousands of Iranians dead. Bessent described U.S. policy towards Iran at that time as “economic statecraft, no shots fired,” adding that the uprising showed that “things are moving in a very positive way here.”
As riots broke out and spread across the country, Trump called on Iranians to seize state institutions and promised help was on the way to support an insurrection. Police stations, mosques, hospitals, and other sites were attacked as security forces used overwhelming force to crush the rebellion. International human rights organizations have asserted that much of the violence consisted of unprovoked widespread attacks by Iranian security forces on peaceful protesters, while Tehran characterized the events as foreign-organized acts of terrorism.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and Iran during a second round of US-Iranian talks with Washington in Geneva on February 17, 2026. (Photo by CYRIL ZINGARO / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
In advance of the diplomatic talks that began February 6 in Oman, the U.S. and Israel sought to impose an ultimatum on the Iranian side. Not only did they demand a dramatic reduction in Iran’s civilian nuclear capabilities, but also a significant degradation of the country’s ballistic missile capacity—both in terms of stockpile and range—and an end to Iran’s support for armed resistance movements and groups in the region. Iran rejected that framing and insisted it would only negotiate on the nuclear issue.
“The best way I could characterize it is this is a detachment from reality,” Davis said of conversations he has had recently with current U.S. defense officials. He said some of them have spoken of an administration searching for a successful operation like the recent snatching of Maduro in Venezuela or the 2011 overthrow of Moamar Qaddafi in Libya, giving Trump the appearance of a quick regime change victory. “We’ve got a plan A, which is the Libya model—maybe even more than the Venezuela model—that the people will rise up and do on the ground what we don’t have ground troops for,” he said. “Therein is your problem. If plan A doesn’t work, we don’t have a ground force. The chances of having a regime decapitation—even with this massive amount of firepower, and it is massive, no question about that—I think you’re going to be surprised and disappointed. Then what are you going to do next?”
El-Gamal said that suggestions that Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted dictator who fled Iran in 1979 as the Islamic revolution began, or the Israeli-linked MEK (Mojahedin-e-Khalq), a fanatical cult-like faction that has achieved success in cozying up to U.S. politicians, would be major players in a regime change operation is fantasy. Iran is not comparable to Syria, she said, where there was a prolonged civil war, involving multiple armed factions and major Western military and intelligence support for overthrowing the Assad government and installing a replacement. More likely, she said, is that U.S. intelligence and military planners believe that if they decapitate the country’s leadership, they could make a deal with the surviving officials, similar to what is unfolding in Venezuela.
“You skim off the minimum required at the top and you keep as much of it as possible in place, but then it becomes a pliant regime. It’s exactly what’s happening in Venezuela,” she said. “If I were sitting at the Pentagon thinking, ‘Okay, how do we do this and not risk a country of 90 million just being a failed state essentially,’ I think that’s what you would try to plan for. So you would look at, what assets are we going to take out? What people and personnel are we going to take out? Who are we going to keep? What intelligence assets, largely Israeli, are we going to activate in order to send the messages that we need to send to the remnants of the regime? And how are we going to turn this around quickly so that you don’t leave a vacuum open?”
The level of military force now or soon to be stationed around Iran would be sufficient for a large-scale military operation potentially lasting weeks or longer. The logistical presence in the region also suggests that the U.S. could facilitate the fueling and support of longer-range heavy aircraft that could launch attacks from U.S. territory—similar to those that struck Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-Day War.
“Over the summer, the U.S. and Israel demonstrated that they can destroy or bypass Iranian air defenses. You probably don’t need eight aircraft carriers in theater, because U.S. aircraft can operate with a high degree of confidence moving in and out of Iranian airspace,” said Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army major and executive officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency for the Middle East/Africa Regional Center. “If you were trying to implement regime collapse in China or Russia, you would bring far more forces. This is still a budget operation—what is more notable is the reminder of what is not there, which is a substantial number of ground troops. The plan seems to be to simply destroy things until the Iranians accept an escalating list of demands—or until there is simply no government left to accept anything.”
In response to this buildup, Iran has hinted that it may take action during a conflict to halt traffic through the Strait of Hormuz—a strategic waterway vital to global energy flows through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil consumption and about one‑fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade pass.
On Monday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy started a live‑fire military drill in the strait. Iranian officials framed the exercises as a test of rapid reciprocal response to threats and a signal that they can threaten one of the world’s critical oil and gas chokepoints if pressured further.
“Iran’s missiles wreaked havoc against the best missile defense systems in the world in Israel during the 12-day war. Iran also enjoys very powerful speedboats that can operate in the environment of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. They can control everything there,” said Mostafa Khoshchesm, security analyst close to the Iranian government. “A second option is shutting down the Strait of Hormuz by mining it, sinking ships, and hitting vessels with missiles from anywhere in Iran.”
In previous cases where Israel and the U.S. have bombed Iran over the past two years, Iran has retaliated with strikes calibrated to avoid killing American military personnel and Israeli civilians and engaged in pre-strike choreography with the U.S. through back channels. The strategy was aimed at Iran being able to respond without dramatically escalating the situation into a larger-scale war. Since early January, Iranian officials have warned they will no longer operate under those informal rules of engagement and intend to inflict real damage in any future strikes. Davis, the retired Army officer, said he believes the U.S. is underestimating Iran’s missile capacity.
“I’ve heard this from people who have access deep inside the Pentagon at the highest levels that there are those who say, ‘I think we can handle Iran’s military, their missile strikes now. I think that we can defend adequately,’” said Davis. “I don’t think we can. I think that Iran demonstrated in the 12 Day War that they could penetrate the absolute best integrated air defense systems that we have. I think it’s a bad gamble—not even a bet, but I think it’s a gamble—to say, ‘I think we can sustain this and still knock them out and get their offensive missiles before they have a chance to shoot us.’”
[Leave a comment][7]
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[3]: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-886812
[4]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/world/middleeast/iran-missile-nuclear-repairs.html
[5]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwygxz81330o
[6]: https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF12106/IF12106.18.pdf
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei/comments
[8]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-us-nuclear-military-buildup-trump-khamenei

2026-02-18 17:52:08 UTC

The Israeli Government Installed and Maintained Security System at Epstein Apartment
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301 E. 66th St in Manhattan. Photo: Drop Site News
The Israeli government installed security equipment and controlled access to a Manhattan apartment building managed by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a set of emails recently released by the Department of Justice. The equipment was installed starting in early 2016 at 301 E. 66th Street—the residence where former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak frequently stayed for stretches at a time.
The security operation at “Ehud’s apartment” was in place for at least two years, emails from the DOJ disclosure show, with officials from the Israeli permanent mission to the United Nations corresponding regularly with Epstein’s staff regarding security. The apartment was technically owned by a company connected to Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, but was effectively controlled by Jeffrey Epstein. Units in the building were frequently loaned out to Epstein’s contacts and [used to house underage models][2].
Rafi Shlomo, then-director of protective service at the Israeli mission to the United Nations in New York and head of Barak’s security, corresponded with Epstein employees to arrange meetings to discuss security and coordinate installation of specialized surveillance equipment at the 66th Street residence. Shlomo personally controlled access to the apartment for guests and even conducted background checks on cleaners and Epstein’s employees.
Under Israeli law, former prime ministers and other high ranking officials typically receive security services after they leave office. According to the emails, Epstein personally approved the installation of the equipment and authorized meetings between his staff and Israeli security officials.
Ehud Barak and the Israeli mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment.
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At the time of Epstein’s death in 2019, Barak downplayed his connection to the disgraced financier, stating that while he had met with Epstein several times, he “didn’t support me or pay me.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently suggested that Epstein’s close ties to Barak, a longtime Labor Party official and rival of Netanyahu, undermine rather than strengthen the case for Epstein’s ties to Israel. “Jeffrey Epstein’s unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn’t suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite,” [Netanyahu said.][3] “Stuck on his election loss from over two decades ago, Barak has for years obsessively attempted to undermine Israeli democracy by working with the anti-Zionist radical left in failed attempts to overthrow the elected Israeli government.”
A January 2016 email exchange between Barak’s wife, Nili Priell, and an Epstein employee—whose name is partially redacted but appears from other communications to be his longtime assistant Lesley Groff—discussed installing alarms and surveillance equipment at the residence, including six “sensors sticked to the windows, and the ability to remotely control access to the premises.” Priell [informed][4] Epstein’s staff that, “They can neutralize the system from far, before you need somebody to enter the appartment. the only thing to do is call Rafi from the consulate and let him know who and when is entering.”
The correspondence also indicated that the work done by the Israeli government was significant enough that it required Epstein to personally approve it. “Jeffrey says he does not mind holes in the walls and this is all just fine!” Groff wrote to Barak and Priell.
Correspondence between Nili Priell Barak regarding security at the apartment, January 15, 2016.
The mission was in regular touch with Epstein’s representatives over multiple visits by Barak and his wife throughout 2016 and 2017.
In a January 2017 email to Shlomo—with the subject line “Jeffrey Epstein RE Ehud’s apartment”—an Epstein assistant provided Israeli officials with a list of employees who would need access to the apartment, [adding][5], “I understand from you already have a copy of her ID from awhile ago...she is the maid and has been going in and out of the apartment for a long time now!” A few weeks later, they [wrote][6] to Epstein himself that, “Rafi, the head of Ehud”s security, is asking if I could meet him at 4pm on Tues. 14th at his office (800 2nd Ave and 42nd) re Ehud’s apartment.” Epstein approved the meeting.
The correspondence continued throughout that year—in August an assistant for Epstein reached out again to Shlomo to inform him of yet another stay by Barak and his wife at the Epstein residence. By November 2017, Shlomo had been replaced by another Israeli official who managed security and surveillance for Barak.
Correspondence between Epstein and an unnamed person regarding security for “Ehud’s apartment,” February 6, 2017.
Barak’s longtime aide Yoni Koren, who died in 2023, was another [frequent guest][7] at Epstein’s 66th Street apartment. Koren stayed at the apartment on multiple occasions—including in 2013, while he was still [actively serving][8] as “bureau chief” for the Israeli Ministry of Defense, according to calendars released by the House Oversight Committee investigation into Epstein and emails released by Distributed Denial of Secrets. Email correspondence from Barak’s inbox also showed Koren exchanging information with Epstein for a wire transfer, as [previously reported][9] by Drop Site.
New emails released by the Department of Justice showed that Koren continued to stay at Epstein’s apartment while receiving medical treatment in New York up until the second arrest and death of the financier in 2019.
[Leave a comment][10]
[Share][11]
[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-nyc-building-at-the-center-of-jeffrey-epsteins-web-2019-8
[3]: https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2019739136660222088
[4]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00331291-pdf?view=inbox
[5]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00442482-pdf?view=inbox
[6]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA02205266?view=inbox
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-spy-yoni-koren-stayed-jeffrey-epstein-apartment-ehud-barak
[8]: https://www.haaretz.com/2013-01-29/ty-article/.premium/pm-aide-eshel-gone-but-not-forgotten/0000017f-f6a0-d47e-a37f-ffbca83a0000
[9]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-spy-yoni-koren-stayed-jeffrey-epstein-apartment-ehud-barak
[10]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-government-surveillance-epstein-apartment-66th-street-ehud-barak/comments
[11]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-government-surveillance-epstein-apartment-66th-street-ehud-barak?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-government-surveillance-epstein-apartment-66th-street-ehud-barak

2026-02-18 16:08:23 UTC

U.S. kills 11 in triple vessel strike; Mamdani to control pivotal NYC rent authority; "Voice of Hind Rajab" filmmaker rejects prize in Berlin
*As Ramadan begins, Israeli attacks continue across Gaza and Israel [imposes][1] restrictions on access to Al-Aqsa mosque. Mexico and the Vatican [decline][2] Trump peace board invitation; UN humanitarian official may not attend the first meeting on Thursday. Settler attacks, military raids and [arrests][3] across the West Bank. Palestinian child [killed][4] by unexploded Israeli ordnance in Jordan Valley. Chief Israeli ministers [push][5] for “emigration” and continued occupation in discussions of the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon. U.S. military kills 11 in triple vessel strike in Eastern Pacific and Caribbean. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani [poised][6] to have control over pivotal rent authority. U.S. [sells][7] over $1 billion in Venezuelan oil and projects expanded production. Palantir [relocates][8] headquarters to Miami. ICE facility in Texas [accused][9] of destroying children’s letters. Immigration judge [ends][10] removal case against Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi. House Democrats
[weigh][11] censure vote against Rep. Randy Fine over anti-Muslim remarks. Justice Department antitrust chief [ousted][12]. DHS workers [say][13] Noem-ordered demolitions are exposing them to asbestos. Massive U.S. military buildup continues near Iran. RSF drone strike [kills][14] three civilians in North Kordofan. Israeli drone strike [kills][15] Lebanese man after threatening phone call. Taliban [releases][16] Pakistani soldiers after Saudi mediation. Niger and Algeria [signal][17] thaw with gas pipeline plans. U.S.-mediated Ukraine-Russia talks [end][18] their first day with no breakthrough. Peruvian Congress [ousts][19] interim President José Jerí after four months in office. Colombia [resumes][20] peace talks with Gulf Clan. U.S. official [alleges][21] China carried out covert nuclear test in 2020. Deadly militant attacks [hit][22] northwest Pakistan. Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania refuses to accept a prize in Berlin for “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”*
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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A boat just before U.S. strike. Still from video posted by SOUTHCOM/X.
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israeli attacks continue across Gaza: **One Palestinian was shot and killed Wednesday by Israeli forces in the town of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, according to Al-Araby TV. Israeli tanks also targeted areas in eastern Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, 12-year-old Youssef Rasem Asaliya was killed in an Israeli drone strike in Jabalia in northern Gaza, WAFA reports. The Israeli military admitted it carried out the strike, claiming it “eliminated a terrorist” who posed an imminent threat.
* **Israel imposes restrictions at the onset of Islamic holy month:** As the month of Ramadan begins, Israeli authorities are intensifying security measures across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, tightening control around Al-Aqsa mosque—Islam’s third-holiest site. Israeli police [said][24] thousands of officers would be deployed in and around Al-Aqsa day and night throughout Ramadan, while limiting access for Palestinian worshippers from the West Bank to just 10,000 permits and reportedly restricting entry to older age groups, according to The Times of Israel. Earlier on Wednesday, dozens of settlers entered the compound of Al-Aqsa Mosque under Israeli military protection. Settlers’ incursions into the mosque are expected to be extended to up to five hours daily during Ramadan, According to WAFA.
* **Mexico and the Vatican decline Trump peace board invitations: **Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum formally [declined][25] to join President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, citing the fact that a recognized Palestinian state would not be part of the body. “Given that we recognize Palestine as a state, it’s important that both states, Israel and Palestine, participate. It isn’t set up that way,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference. Mexico joins France, Germany, Spain, Greece, and New Zealand in declining. The Holy See also announced that it would not [take part][26] in the Board of Peace, according to an announcement from Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Monday.
* **United Nations relief chief will not show up to BoP meeting: **United Nations humanitarian relief chief Tom Fletcher was [invited][27] to President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace meeting on Thursday, Al Jazeera English reported, but said he could not attend due to a scheduling conflict. It remains unclear whether the United Nations will be represented at the first BOP meeting.
* **Hamas spokesperson calls on “Board of Peace” to move beyond rhetoric: **Hamas spokesperson in Gaza, Hazem Qasem, [called][28] on the Board of Peace to go beyond mere statements at the upcoming meeting on Thursday. He urged the Board to “implement in practice the principles they have announced, and to take concrete action to secure a genuine cessation of the war on the Gaza Strip and halt Israel’s grave violations of the agreement,” noting Israel is continuing to kill civilians and demolish homes in violation of the agreement. Qasem called for pressure on Israel to allow the independent National Committee to enter Gaza to administer the Strip, oversee humanitarian relief, and begin reconstruction with adequate support, as well as for a “genuine reopening” of the Rafah crossing.
* **Dozens of states and organizations condemn Israeli actions in the West Bank: **More than 85 countries, alongside the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union, [issued][29] a joint statement on Monday denouncing what they called illegal moves by Israel in the occupied West Bank. The statement rejected the prospect of annexation and settlement expansion, warned against demographic engineering and displacement, and reaffirmed support for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.
* **Settler attacks, military raids and arrests across the West Bank: **Israeli forces [carried][30] out multiple overnight raids across the West Bank on Tuesday, according to WAFA. In Hebron, forces detained 14 Palestinians, erected several military checkpoints and demolished a three-story residential building that housed more than 40 Palestinians. In separate incidents, two young men were shot and injured by Israeli forces in Jerusalem and Hebron. Additionally, two Palestinians were injured in settler attacks north of Ramallah.
* **Palestinian child killed by unexploded Israeli ordnance in Jordan Valley: **A 13-year-old Palestinian boy was [killed][31] Tuesday and two other children were wounded when unexploded Israeli military ammunition detonated in the Jordan Valley. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society told Anadolu Agency that it received the boy’s body from Israeli soldiers, which it transferred to a hospital in Jericho. The Israeli military claimed the youths were handling explosives in what it described as a “designated firing zone” and that an investigation is underway.
* **Chief Israeli ministers push for “emigration” and continued occupation in the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon: **In light of the “state property” measure moved forward by Israel’s cabinet over the weekend, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich [called][32] for applying Israeli “sovereignty” over the West Bank, dismantling the Oslo framework, blocking a future Palestinian state, and promoting Palestinian “emigration” from both the West Bank and Gaza. Striking a similar tone, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces will not withdraw “one millimeter” from Gaza’s “Yellow Line” unless Hamas fully disarms and threatened a return to full-scale war within 60 days. On Lebanon, Katz said Israeli troops will remain at five strategic points in southern Lebanon—which, he said, were “not part of the ceasefire agreement, but we imposed it”—until Hezbollah is completely disarmed.
# U.S. News
* **U.S. military kills 11 in triple vessel strike:** The U.S. military conducted strikes on three boats in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean on Monday night, killing 11 people, according to U.S. Southern Command. SOUTHCOM posted [video][33] of the strikes and claimed without evidence they were engaged in narco-trafficking. It continued, “Eleven male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions, 4 on the first vessel in the Eastern Pacific, 4 on the second vessel in the Eastern Pacific, and 3 on the third vessel in the Caribbean.” The Trump administration’s targeting of vessels has killed at least 145 people in dozens of strikes on boats in the Pacific and Caribbean since September.
* **Mamdani poised to control rent authority: **New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to control a majority of appointments to the Rent Guidelines Board after member Alex Armlovich resigned Tuesday, The City [reports][34], bringing him closer to delivering on his signature campaign promise of a rent freeze for more than one million rent-stabilized apartments across the city. Armlovich is the third member to depart from the board this month, meaning that Mamdani has the ability to appoint six new people to the board. If the board approves a rent freeze this spring, prices would stay put for roughly one-third of all rental apartments in New York City.
* **U.S. sells over $1 billion in Venezuelan oil and projects expanded production: **U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright [told][35] Fox News that the United States has sold more than $1 billion worth of Venezuelan crude since the removal of President Nicolás Maduro in January, with short-term agreements expected to generate an additional $5 billion in sales in the coming months. Much of the oil is slated to be processed in American refineries, though the profits are supposed to be returned to Venezuela’s interim government. Wright estimated that annual revenues could exceed $10 billion if production and exports stabilize, projecting that Venezuela’s output—currently around 1 million barrels per day—could rise 30–40 percent within a year and quintuple over five years.
* **Palantir relocates headquarters to Miami: **Palantir Technologies [announced][36] Tuesday that it has officially moved its headquarters to Miami from Denver, marking its second relocation since leaving Palo Alto in 2020. Palantir CEO Alex Karp has announced his intention to scale the company’s revenue tenfold while shrinking its number of employees by relying more on artificial intelligence. The firm’s expanding contracts with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement—including a new five-year, $1 billion deal—have raised civil liberties concerns, as the firm expands its large-scale data aggregation capacities, surveillance operations, and facilitation of deportations.
* **ICE facility in Texas accused of destroying children’s letters: **Staff at an ICE detention center in Dilley, Texas have begun raiding family dormitories to confiscate and destroy letters written by detained children, Pablo Manríquez of Migrant Insider [reported][37] on Tuesday. The actions followed investigative reporting by ProPublica journalist Mica Rosenberg and colleagues on conditions inside the facility.
* **Immigration judge ends removal case against Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi: **An immigration judge has [terminated][38] removal proceedings against Mohsen Mahdawi, attorneys for Mahdawi announced on Tuesday, halting the Trump administration’s effort to deport the Columbia University student and lawful permanent resident. Mahdawi was arrested by federal immigration authorities in April of last year and spent 16 days in ICE detention. “Nearly a year ago, I was detained at my citizenship interview not for breaking the law but for speaking against the genocide of Palestinians,” Mahdawi said. “In a climate where dissent is increasingly met with intimidation and detention, today’s ruling renews hope that due process still applies and that no agency stands above the Constitution.”
* **House Democrats weigh censure vote against Rep. Randy Fine over anti-Muslim remarks: **House Democrats are discussing forcing a vote to censure Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) if Speaker Mike Johnson does not take action against him, Axios [reports][39], after Fine posted that “the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said the idea has circulated internally, with Representative Ro Khanna calling for formal censure. “I usually hate censure resolutions against members, but I’ve never seen someone deserve one more,” Mark Pocan said.
* **Justice Department antitrust chief ousted: **The Justice Department’s antitrust division head, Gail Slater, exited last week amid reported tensions with Attorney General Pam Bondi over how aggressively to pursue corporate enforcement. Her departure raises questions about how the DOJ will proceed with existing antitrust cases, including prominent cases involving Live Nation, Visa, and Apple. Her departure follows earlier firings of senior deputies, who warned that antitrust outcomes were being decided not by the merits of their respective cases, but by the interventions of politically connected lobbyists. Read more about the implosion of antitrust enforcement at the DOJ from our friends at The Lever, [here][40].
* **DHS workers say Noem-ordered demolitions are exposing them to asbestos: **Employees at the Department of Homeland Security say demolition work ordered by Secretary Kristi Noem at the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Washington has left them breathing asbestos dust without protective equipment, warnings, or clear communication about the risks of exposure. Staff described abatement crews in full protective gear working just yards away while DHS employees continued their normal operations. Read the exclusive report on DHS demolition discontent from our friends at Migrant Insider, [here][41].
# International News
* **Massive U.S. military buildup continues near Iran: **Dozens of fighter jets and other aircraft continued transiting towards the Middle East along with an expected deployment of a near aircraft carrier strike group. A report by Axios citing U.S. sources suggested that although negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program are still in progress, a large-scale conflict could “begin very soon.”
* **Civilians describe starvation and constant attacks during sieges in South Kordofan:** Residents who fled Kadugli and Dilling [told][42] the investigative outlet Ayin Network that during months of siege and shelling, “civilians were always the victims.” They described hospitals emptied of staff, salaries rendered worthless, and families subsisting on wild plants. Although the army partially broke the sieges on both cities in late January, residents say drone attacks continue in the region and that minimal humanitarian aid is reaching civilians. Separately, a drone strike [carried out][43] by the RSF hit the town of Alrahad Abu Dakna in North Kordofan, killing at least three civilians and injuring others.
* **Israeli drone strike kills Lebanese man after threatening phone call: **A man [identifying][44] himself as a member of the Israeli military called 62-year-old Ahmad Tarmas in the town of Tallousa near the Israeli border on Monday, asking whether he wished to die alone or with his family, [according][45] to journalist Radwan Mortada, to which Tarmas responded “alone.” Tarmas then drove away so the strike would not hit his home in Nabatieh—moments later, an Israeli drone fired two missiles at his car, killing him. Mortada reported that similar “death call” assassinations have occurred across southern Lebanon, with victims warned by phone shortly before being struck by the Israeli army.
* **Taliban releases Pakistani soldiers after Saudi mediation:** On Tuesday,** **Afghanistan’s Taliban government said that it had released three Pakistani soldiers seized during deadly border clashes in October, according to [Reuters][46]. The Taliban claims it handed over the captives to a delegation from Saudi Arabia in Kabul as part of mediation efforts between the countries. Relations between the states remain strained following months of border closures, cross-border attacks, and accusations from Islamabad that Kabul shelters Islamist militants.
* **Niger and Algeria signal thaw with gas pipeline plans: **Niger’s junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani [said][47] Monday that a “new dynamic” had begun with Algeria after talks in Algiers with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and announced plans to move ahead with a long-stalled gas pipeline crossing Nigerien territory, according to reporting from The New Arab. The rapprochement follows nearly a year of strained relations after Algeria shot down a drone operated by Mali—a close ally of Niger—which prompted a group of allied Sahel states to recall their ambassadors. Tebboune said the tensions between Niger and Algeria have ended and that construction will begin after Ramadan, though other tensions with Mali within the Sahel bloc remain unresolved.
* **U.S.-mediated Ukraine-Russia talks end first day with no breakthrough: **Ukrainian and Russian negotiators concluded the first day of peace talks in Geneva with no sign of progress toward ending the war, France 24 [reports][48]. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to move toward an agreement but questioned Moscow’s seriousness (”What do they want?”). Zelenskyy has also maintained that the U.S., which is mediating the talks, has been pressuring his state to make an inordinate number of sacrifices relative to its adversary, which is seeking major territorial gains from the process. Negotiations are set to resume Wednesday.
* **Peruvian Congress ousts interim President José Jerí after four months in office: **Peru’s Congress [voted][49] 75–24 (with three abstentions) on February 17 to remove interim President José Jerí, ending his brief time as president. Jerí has been plagued with allegations of impropriety, tied to undisclosed clandestine meetings with Chinese businessmen—a controversy dubbed “Chifagate.” A new interim president will be chosen by Congress to serve until the elected president is inaugurated later this year; this is the ninth change in leadership in less than 10 years.
* **Colombia resumes peace talks with Gulf Clan: **Colombia said on Tuesday it will restart negotiations with the powerful armed group known as the Gulf Clan, also called the Gaitanist Self-Defence Forces, Al Jazeera [reports][50]. The group had paused talks earlier this month following a meeting between President Gustavo Petro and President Donald Trump, during which Petro agreed to prioritize the capture of major cartel leaders. In a joint statement, the government and the group said hurdles to negotiation had been overcome, and that talks would be mediated by the Catholic Church, Qatar, Spain, Norway, and Switzerland.
* **U.S. official alleges China carried out covert nuclear test in 2020: **A senior U.S. official told [Reuters][51] that seismic data points to an underground nuclear test allegedly conducted by China in June 2020 at the Lop Nor test site in Xinjiang. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw pointed to a magnitude 2.75 “explosion” detected by a monitoring station in Kazakhstan and argued it was most consistent with a nuclear blast, rather than mining activity or an earthquake. The CTBO said there was insufficient data to confirm the claim, however, and China’s embassy in Washington rejected the allegation as unfounded and politically motivated.
* **Deadly militant attacks hit northwest Pakistan: **At least 14 security personnel and three civilians, including a child, were killed Monday in bombings and a gunfight across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AFP [reports][52]. One vehicle carrying explosives struck a checkpoint in Bajaur, while another blast hit a police station in Bannu, and separate clashes killed officers and militants in Shangla. The state police force said in their statement that they killed a dozen militants involved in the attacks, three of whom had been involved in “attacks targeting Chinese nationals.”
* **Burglary charges dropped against 18 defendants in Palestine Action case; retrial for six others:** Eighteen defendants accused of involvement in a 2024 Palestine Action raid on a factory in the UK owned by Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems will no longer face charges of aggravated burglary, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. Five of the defendants were granted bail at a hearing following the verdict. The decision comes two weeks after six other defendants in the case were acquitted of the same charge by a jury. However, prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said those six will face a retrial on all charges which had not ended in verdicts, including criminal damage and violent disorder. The other eighteen defendants also continue to face other charges in connection with the raid.
* **Film workers accuse Berlinale of being silent on Gaza and censoring dissent: **More than 80 film workers [signed][53] an open letter accusing the Berlin International Film Festival of “institutional silence on the genocide of Palestinians” and of censoring artists critical of Israel’s actions. Signatories include Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Mike Leigh, Adam McKay, Nan Goldin, and Tatiana Maslany.
* **Tunisian filmmaker refuses to accept award in Berlin:** Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania refused to accept the Cinema for Peace gala’s “most valuable film” prize during a ceremony in Berlin on Monday night for her feature film, “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The film, which is nominated for an Oscar, is a dramatic retelling of Israel’s killing of six-year-old Palestinian child Hind Rajab and her family in January 2024. “What happened to Hind is not an exception. It’s a part of a genocide. And tonight, in Berlin, there are people who gave political cover to that genocide by reframing the mass civilian killing as self-defense, as complex circumstances. By denigrating those who protest,” Ben Hania said. “But as you may know, peace is not a perfume sprayed over violence, so power can feel refined, and can feel comfortable. And cinema is not image-laundering.” She continued, “The Israeli army killed Hind Rajab; killed her family; killed the two paramedics who came to save her, with the
complicity of the world’s most powerful governments and institutions…I refuse to let their deaths become a backdrop for a polite speech about peace. Not while the structures that enabled them remain untouched. So tonight, I will not take this award home. I leave it here as a reminder. And when peace is pursued as a legal and moral obligation, rooted in accountability for genocide, then I will come back and accept it with joy.” The annual gala also honored Noam Tibon, a former Israeli general featured in the Canadian documentary The Road Between Us, which chronicles Tibon’s rescue of his family following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.
# More from Drop Site
**In case you missed it, highlights from Tuesday’s Drop Site livestream:**
* **Religious liberty commissioner says White House pressured her to resign over her Gaza posts: **Carrie Prejean Boller [joined][54] the livestream to discuss her resignation from the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission, which she said was a product of pressure from federal officials. The campaign for her removal began in August 2025 after she reposted statements by Pope Francis on Gaza and described Israel’s actions as genocide, she says. Prejean Boller said she was told by an official that the White House was monitoring her social media and labeling her posts “anti-Semitic.”
* **Palestine Action co-founder discusses her group’s direct action strategy: **“As a Palestinian, the best moment of my life was being on top of an Israeli weapons factory with a sledgehammer being able to destroy that site,” Huda Ammori, the 31-year-old co-founder of Palestine Action, [told][55] the livestream. “And knowing, that just that by being there and causing damage, they would have to shut down. Not just while I was there, but for weeks after.”
**Upcoming event:**
* Drop Site’s publisher, Dr. Nika Soon-Shiong, will speak at the Palestine Digital Activism Forum 2026 on March 30, joining journalists and media leaders for a session on “Resisting Dehumanization: The Fight for Visibility in Traditional Media and the Digital Space.” The event will be available to watch online. **Register [here][56].**
**Programming note:** [You can sign up here to get updates from us][57] on our WhatsApp channel.
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[1]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-police-say-theyll-deploy-around-temple-mount-compound-during-ramadan/
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023830430298914845
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023996580517298307
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023939617049690193
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023946837464395941
[6]: https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/17/rent-freeze-board-mamdani-regulated-apartments/
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023821661976269004
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023817917704413259
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023865916493361660
[10]: https://x.com/MeghnadBose93/status/2023868211360321819
[11]: https://www.axios.com/2026/02/17/randy-fine-muslim-censure-democrats-congress
[12]: https://www.levernews.com/top-monopoly-cop-forced-out-amid-lobbying-bonanza/
[13]: https://migrantinsider.com/p/demolition-poisons-workers-at-dhs
[14]: https://x.com/BSonblast/status/2024000828193808896
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023886226441252960
[16]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-frees-three-pakistani-soldiers-saudi-mediated-move-2026-02-17/
[17]: https://www.newarab.com/news/niger-algeria-announce-new-dynamic-ties
[18]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260217-first-day-of-ukraine-russia-peace-talks-in-geneva-ends-with-no-breakthroughs
[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023873204469551193
[20]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/17/colombia-to-resume-peace-talks-with-ecg-after-temporary-suspension
[21]: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-reveals-new-details-alleged-chinese-nuclear-test-2026-02-17/
[22]: https://www.barrons.com/news/at-least-17-killed-in-two-bomb-attacks-gunfight-in-northwest-pakistan-07cc6648
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[24]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-police-say-theyll-deploy-around-temple-mount-compound-during-ramadan/
[25]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023830430298914845
[26]: https://x.com/gerryorome/status/2023821173113671680
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023824867574030568
[28]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2023984662339535208?s=46
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023843067019612328
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023996580517298307
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023939617049690193
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023946837464395941
[33]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2023791027383890240
[34]: https://www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/17/rent-freeze-board-mamdani-regulated-apartments/
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023821661976269004
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023817917704413259
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023865916493361660
[38]: https://x.com/MeghnadBose93/status/2023868211360321819
[39]: https://www.axios.com/2026/02/17/randy-fine-muslim-censure-democrats-congress
[40]: https://www.levernews.com/top-monopoly-cop-forced-out-amid-lobbying-bonanza/
[41]: https://migrantinsider.com/p/demolition-poisons-workers-at-dhs
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023915087128375665
[43]: https://x.com/BSonblast/status/2024000828193808896
[44]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023886226441252960
[45]: https://x.com/radwanmortada/status/2023868272576250170?s=46
[46]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-frees-three-pakistani-soldiers-saudi-mediated-move-2026-02-17/
[47]: https://www.newarab.com/news/niger-algeria-announce-new-dynamic-ties
[48]: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260217-first-day-of-ukraine-russia-peace-talks-in-geneva-ends-with-no-breakthroughs
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023873204469551193
[50]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/17/colombia-to-resume-peace-talks-with-ecg-after-temporary-suspension
[51]: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-reveals-new-details-alleged-chinese-nuclear-test-2026-02-17/
[52]: https://www.barrons.com/news/at-least-17-killed-in-two-bomb-attacks-gunfight-in-northwest-pakistan-07cc6648
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023862546998960548
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023839377374240889
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023826042943570403
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2026-02-17 19:06:37 UTC

Banning Dissent and Criminalizing Palestine Activism
On Friday, the High Court in the United Kingdom ruled on Friday that the government’s ban on the pro-Palestine direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful. The ruling marked a major legal victory for the group, which was founded in 2020 and campaigns against companies complicit in “the occupation, apartheid and genocide of Palestine,” with a focus on Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
[Huda Ammori][1], the 31-year old British-Palestinian co-founder of Palestine Action, spoke to Drop Site News’s Jeremy Scahill and Sharif Abdel Kouddous about the movement’s strategy, rooted in direct action to physically disrupt and dismantle the war machine that facilitates the genocide and occupation in Palestine.
“As a Palestinian, the best moment of my life was being on top of an Israeli weapons factory with a sledgehammer being able to destroy that site. And knowing, that just that by being there and causing damage, they would have to shut down. Not just while I was there, but for weeks after.”
Also on the livestream, Ryan Grim spoke with Carrie Prejean Boller on her ouster from Trump’s religious liberty commission.
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[1]: https://x.com/HudaAmmori/status/2022251656256106746
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/banning-dissent-huda-ammori-palestine-action-carrie-prejean-boller-trump-israel

2026-02-17 18:13:04 UTC

Exclusive: Hamas Says It Will Not Unilaterally Disarm as Trump and Netanyahu Threaten a Return to Full-Scale War
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Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, speaks in Istanbul on February 8, 2025. Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images.
As President Donald Trump prepares to convene the first official meeting of his speciously named Board of Peace on Thursday, he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have re-escalated demands that Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions imminently disarm—with Netanyahu insisting that all small arms must be turned over before the Israeli military withdraws any of its forces.
“Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
This demand is being presented as a condition for any reconstruction to begin in Gaza, with no guarantees for Palestinian security or sovereignty. A senior Israeli official also claimed Monday that Trump is considering imposing a two-month deadline for Palestinians to surrender their weapons. Both Trump and Netanyahu have threatened that a large-scale war against Gaza could resume if Hamas refuses to capitulate.
Meanwhile Hamas has not been part of any formal negotiations for several months. Amid media reports of new drafts and U.S. preparation for negotiations, Hamas leaders say there has been nothing formally presented to the movement and that no official meetings have been held with the group to discuss possible scenarios.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas leader who has been deeply involved with ceasefire negotiations, told Drop Site that Hamas will not accede to sweeping demands that the Palestinian resistance unilaterally disarm, nor will it submit to a total demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. He reiterated that the group is willing to negotiate on disarmament of resistance forces only if it is linked to a long-term ceasefire that restrains Israel and is accompanied by a political process that leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state and armed force capable of defending itself.
“Our position on this matter is very clear,” Naim said. “Before speaking about disarmament or confiscation of weapons, we believe it is necessary for Netanyahu and his extremist government—along with the mediators and the American guarantor—to ensure full implementation of everything agreed upon in the first phase, so that there can be a fundamental change in the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
Drop Site is always free to read.
“Palestinian resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right, and disarmament is rejected and will not be accepted by any Palestinian,” Naim continued. “The problem is fundamentally political, not security-based, and its solution lies not in the weapons of the resistance but in [ending] the Zionist occupation. Gaza is not a real-estate project; it is an integral part of the Palestinian homeland.”
Netanyahu has regularly and falsely claimed—often backed by Trump and other Western leaders—that Hamas agreed to a total disarmament of the Palestinian resistance as part of the limited-scope first phase of the “ceasefire” deal signed in October. He has justified the killing of more than 600 Palestinians since the “ceasefire” was signed by claiming Hamas fighters and civilians alike are violating the agreement. In reality, Hamas did not sign any terms having to do with disarmament, asserting that they could not unilaterally make an agreement on future governance or armed resistance on behalf of all Palestinians.
“It is clear that Netanyahu and his extremist government are searching for new justifications to continue the aggression against Gaza and to resume the war, despite all the regional and international positions rejecting a return to fighting,” Naim said. “Hamas also is exerting all efforts to avoid the return to war again. Until recently, Netanyahu used the issue of [Israeli] captives to justify continuing the assault on the Gaza Strip, refusing to withdraw, open the crossings, and allow aid in.”
Throughout the Gaza genocide, Israel has demanded a total surrender not only of Hamas, but of the Palestinian cause of liberation. Hamas officials have told Drop Site that while the group rejects total disarmament, it is open to negotiating the issue of weapons, including an internationally-verified warehousing or decommissioning of some “offensive” weapons on the condition that a Palestinian security force is established in Gaza.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials have maintained that the armed resistance would only disband in the context of the establishment of an internationally recognized Palestinian armed force capable of defending its territory and people. The Trump plan calls for the destruction of “offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities” and a longer term vision for “an agreed process of decommissioning” other weapons.
“Life in Gaza today is unsustainable,” Naim emphasized, noting that the reported proposal and demands do not make any guarantees for Palestinian security. “How can there be talk of disarmament while the aggression continues and Netanyahu does not commit to the ceasefire? Armed gangs are being formed, supported, and backed to carry out dangerous security operations such as kidnappings and killings. How can disarmament be discussed while [nearly] 60% of the Gaza Strip remains occupied by Israel?”
## Mutual Security Pacts
As Drop Site has [previously reported][3], Hamas repeatedly suggested to regional mediators a solution to the weapons issue wherein the Palestinian resistance would agree to store or “freeze” its weapons and not deploy them in any attacks against Israel. This configuration, which would be part of an internationally-enforced long-term ceasefire, would come with the endorsement of the Palestinian resistance groups themselves. Violating such an agreement, especially one endorsed by large numbers of Arab and Islamic countries, would carry grave consequences for the broader Palestinian struggle. The key to its success, Palestinian officials cautioned, would be compelling Israel to respect the agreement. Israel has consistently violated ceasefire deals not only with Palestine, but also in Lebanon where it continues to bomb on a nearly daily basis despite a ceasefire signed in November 2024. Hamas’s proposals went nowhere and since Trump officially launched his board, there have been almost
no substantive discussions with Hamas leaders.
On Sunday, Netanyahu sought to front-run any potential technical negotiations with Hamas that would permit Palestinian fighters to retain even small arms, declaring that the Gaza Strip must be entirely demilitarized as a condition for Israel to move to the second phase of a deal.
“What has to happen is that Hamas must first be disarmed and then Gaza must be demilitarized. Disarmed means that it must give up weapons,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, dismissing the notion that any negotiations on decommissioning should take place. “There are practically no heavy weapons in Gaza. There’s no artillery, there are no tanks, there’s nothing. The heavy weapon, the one that does the most damage, is called an AK-47, okay, that’s it. That’s how they execute people. That’s how they shoot our people. That’s what they used, assault rifles. That’s what they used in the massacre of October 7,” he added. “That’s the main weapon, and that has to go.”
On Monday, Yossi Fuchs, Israel’s Cabinet Secretary and a senior aide to Netanyahu, claimed that the Trump administration had asked Israel for a two-month window to force Hamas to disarm before Israel re-launched a large-scale military assault on Gaza. ”We are currently preparing for a period of around 60 days during which Hamas will be given the opportunity. We are in complete coordination with the Americans, this is their request, we respect them,” Fuchs told a media conference in Jerusalem. “This process will be examined, if it goes well, great. And if not, the IDF will have to return and complete the mission.” Fuchs said he did not know when the 60-day deadline would begin, but predicted that if full disarmament did not happen by June, Israel would renew its total war against Gaza.
“Does talk of disarmament mean the absence of any reciprocal security arrangements, leaving Israel free to operate in Gaza Strip wherever, whenever, and however it wishes?” asked Naim. “Attempting to portray the problem as the existence of weapons in Palestinian hands—light weapons that cannot be compared in any way to the conventional, chemical, biological, or nuclear arsenal possessed by Israel—[ignores] what was witnessed over two years of genocide in the Gaza Strip. These light weapons in the hands of the Palestinian people are fundamentally for self-defense, not for aggression against anyone. Therefore, such a measure is rejected and cannot be allowed to pass, as they claim or demand.”
Naim said that Hamas’s position is that any proposals regarding weapons or disarmament must center around mutual security pacts, not unilateral demands put before the Palestinian side. “Israel must be restrained from continuing the aggression, and it must be ensured that a multi-year ceasefire—three, five, or seven years—runs parallel to the political process,” he said. “During this period, the resistance would commit—under Palestinian, Arab, and international supervision—to the ceasefire. In this time, the weapons would be removed from the field and stored, and full opportunity would be given to the Palestinian government or the administrative committee to manage all civil and security affairs in the Gaza Strip without interference from anyone.”
This position has been consistently articulated by Hamas officials since the signing of the October agreement at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Despite the pervasive false characterizations from U.S. and Israeli officials that Hamas agreed to all of Trump’s terms, Hamas and other Palestinian factions did not sign an agreement beyond a ceasefire, exchange of captives, and an initial framework for the redeployment or withdrawal of Israeli forces from some parts of Gaza. Officially, there is no deal on a “second phase.” Palestinian negotiators made clear that demands impacting the future of a Palestinian state, the weapons of resistance factions and other existential issues would require consultation with a broad cross-section of Palestinian political parties and factions.
“We have discussed a comprehensive and holistic approach. First, the humanitarian track must be entirely separated: the daily life of the people—their food, water, and medicine—cannot remain at the mercy of this fascist government and its political agenda, whose stated goal is to resolve the conflict by force in favor of the entity and to erase Palestinian existence,” said Naim. “There must also be a serious, time-bound political process that begins and ends with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. At that point, the weapons and fighters of the resistance would become part of that state and its army.”
## “Either disarmament or war”
Last weekend, Trump announced that he had received more than $5 billion in commitments for his board and that partner nations have pledged thousands of troops to deploy as part of an International Stabilization Force (ISF). While Trump did not name specific countries, Indonesia became the first nation to publicly declare its participation, announcing it was preparing for a potential deployment of up to 8,000 of its troops. Many nations have said they will not send troops if the mission includes disarming or clashing with Palestinian resistance factions.
Hamas has said it welcomes an international force, but only to serve as a neutral buffer between Israeli forces and Palestinians in Gaza. “Indonesia’s participation is not intended for combat missions and not for demilitarization missions,” read a February 14 statement from Indonesia’s foreign ministry. It added that the “mandate is humanitarian in nature, focusing on the protection of civilians, humanitarian and health assistance, reconstruction, as well as training and capacity-building for the Palestinian Police.” The statement declared that Indonesia would “terminate participation if the ISF’s implementation deviates” from that mandate.
The Trump plan also calls for a Palestinian police force to be formed under the banner of a newly-established technocratic governing body known as the National Committee for Administration of Gaza (NCAG). Composed of 15 Palestinians, the NCAG is the only component of Trump’s board that includes Palestinians and is situated on the lowest rung of the Board of Peace hierarchy. When Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, presented a slide deck at the launch of the Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland on January 22, a slide titled “Demilitarization Principles” stated, “Heavy weapons decommissioned immediately. Personal arms registered and decommissioned by sector as NCAG’s police becomes capable of guaranteeing personal security.” The section concluded: “The end state: only NCAG-sanctioned personnel may carry weapons.”
A top official in Trump’s Board of Peace likewise indicated that efforts to disarm Palestinian resistance groups would occur as part of the establishment of a Palestinian security force and not as a formal surrender ceremony. That Trump officials appeared headed toward a slower process of disarmament than Netanyahu has demanded was also reinforced by a [report][4] in the New York Times describing a draft U.S. plan that would require Hamas to “surrender all weapons that are capable of striking Israel, but will allow the group to keep some small arms, at least initially.”
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (left) shakes hands with Nickolay Mladenov, Bulgarian High Representative for Gaza (right) next to U.S. businessman Jared Kushner at the “Board of Peace” meeting during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images.
Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Dr. Khalil Al-Hayya, met recently in Cairo with Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Trump’s board, though a senior Hamas official told Drop Site that no official proposals for disarmament were presented at the meeting. “In some meetings, the topic was put on the table in general,” the official said. “Until now, no official discussion with us has been launched.”
At the Munich Security Conference on February 13, Mladenov was asked where he wanted to see the situation in Gaza a year from now. “I hope that we will be significantly advanced on deploying a new security force of Palestinians inside Gaza and Hamas would have given up a significant part of its weapons so that we are moving forward to the point at which Israel can withdraw from the yellow line,” said Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat who served as the UN’s top envoy to the region from 2015-2020. “These are conditions that I think are critical if we are ever to return back to the political resolution of the Palestinian question because the political resolution to the Palestinian question requires negotiations, it requires one Palestinian leadership over the entire occupied territory, and it requires a dialogue that is facilitated—not overseen, but facilitated—by the United States, Europe and others as it has been in the past.”
While Mladenov’s theoretical timeline appears to contradict Netanyahu’s demands for immediate disarmament, he also acknowledged that no serious reconstruction or Israeli military withdrawals would occur unless the resistance was disbanded. On this issue, Mladenov said that not only Hamas’s armed wing would need to disarm, but also Islamic Jihad and all other armed factions. He called Trump’s plan “the only option for going ahead with anything that makes sense in Gaza and that stops this war and doesn’t allow a return to violence.” He added, “Gaza needs to be governed by a transitional authority as authorized by the Security Council resolution under which it needs to take on the full civilian and security control of Gaza and that includes the disarmament of all factions in Gaza, not just Hamas.”
Mladenov said that is the condition for Israeli forces to withdraw and for reconstruction to begin. “The reality is that all of this needs to move very fast,” he said. “Let me be absolutely clear about the risks that we’re facing here: The first risk is that we are not going to implement the second phase of the ceasefire, but we’re going to go to the second phase of the war and that is a serious threat.” He said that if Israel resumed the war, there would be no place for the Board of Peace “until we see what is left and pick up the rubble, potentially, at the end of it.” Mladenov warned that if Phase 2 was not implemented swiftly, the Israeli division of Gaza into two halves and the treatment of Gaza as a separate entity from the West Bank and not as two parts of the same occupied territory would be “cemented.”
Naim, the Hamas official, blasted Mladenov’s statement. “It is a disgrace to hear some American or international politician like Mladenov saying, ‘Either disarmament or war’ because this makes him a spokesperson for the Israeli government, instead of being a representative of a body working to create peace.”
That coercive ultimatum constitutes the centerpiece of Israel’s campaign to ensure it maintains full control of the eastern half of Gaza, an ability to strike at will in the western areas and to impede the minimal concessions offered to the Palestinian side. Phase 2 of Trump’s plan envisions a large-scale reconstruction plan, expanded freedom of movement for Palestinians through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the empowerment of the Palestinian transitional technocratic committee, under the direction of Mladenov, to assume basic governance duties and the gradual deployment of a Palestinian security force in Gaza. It also includes terms that call for the withdrawal of Israeli forces to a perimeter encircling Gaza, rather than the status quo of Israel occupying more than half of the enclave.
“The U.S. is playing the good cop in this moment to Netanyahu’s bad cop position. They are talking reconstruction and peace while he keeps the threat of war hanging. So I see them doing a diversionary tango that constantly moves Hamas further and further into a corner,” said Sami Hermez, a political analyst and professor of anthropology at Northwestern University in Qatar. “I don’t think we can separate the U.S. and Israel or Trump and Netanyahu into two different strategies versus partners in one overall strategy working in tandem. It is naive to think otherwise or to follow the media narrative that Trump is not seeing eye-to-eye with Netanyahu every now and then.”
## Devastation in Gaza
Despite the overarching colonialist structure of the Board of Peace and Trump’s constant deference to Israel’s agenda, Netanyahu continues to publicly reject any plan that would allow Palestinians to remain in Gaza with even a semblance of autonomy or an ability to rebuild homes, hospitals, roads or schools. Israel has systematically refused to uphold the terms of the October agreement. Over the four months since the so-called ceasefire took effect on October 10, approximately 1,620 Israeli violations have been recorded, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Government Media Office. These include hundreds of shooting incidents, repeated shelling and airstrikes, incursions into residential neighborhoods, and the demolition of homes and buildings. These violations resulted in the killing of at least 603 Palestinians and the wounding of more than 1,600.
Israel has also refused to allow in the agreed-upon levels of food and other life essentials stipulated in the agreement. Although 600 aid trucks per day were supposed to enter the Gaza Strip, the average has been only around 260 trucks per day. Fuel deliveries have been especially restricted, with just 861 trucks entering out of the 6,000 agreed upon. Israel has severely restricted passage in and out of Gaza at the Rafah crossing since its partial reopening last week, allowing roughly a quarter of the expected number of Palestinians to depart or return to Gaza. As Israel continues to move its forces deeper into Gaza than permitted, it has also been [constructing][5] infrastructure in areas of eastern Gaza that indicate long term plans for open-ended occupation.
In the bigger picture, Netanyahu is manufacturing a state of chaos in Gaza that relegates Palestinians to fragile tent encampments and limited access to basic life necessities. He has made no secret that Israel’s aim is for Trump to empower ongoing Israeli attacks, severely limit any improvement to living conditions or the hope of reconstruction and to encourage the large-scale removal of Palestinians from Gaza. By making a boogieman of the small arms of the resistance, Netanyahu is maintaining a political justification to continue a low intensity war—that Amnesty International has deemed a continuation of the genocide—with the spectre of resuming larger operations.
“The longer Netanyahu can keep Gaza unlivable the better, the longer he can stall any reconstruction and relief the better. The idea of total disarmament is a good way to ensure nothing gets done in Gaza because he knows it is an unrealistic demand,” said Hermez. “To a great extent, the US and Israel are following the same playbook they used in the West Bank for decades: they talk peace and the US even funds peace initiatives, while the troops on the ground make life hell for Palestinians and continue to squeeze them. All in the name of some future promise—it was statehood post Oslo, it is mere reconstruction in Gaza. The wild card, of course, is Hamas and the resilience of life on the ground.”
Naim said that the unfolding events underscore the continuance of Israel’s multi-decade campaign to annihilate not only the aspirations for a Palestinian state, but an intensification of the war to force Palestinians entirely from the land. He pointed to Israel’s ongoing siege of the occupied West Bank, replete with regular Israeli military invasions, the expansion of illegal settlements, and the terror being unleashed on Palestinians by state-backed settlers on a daily basis. He also cited recent judicial actions that allow Israel to register land in areas of the West Bank as legal property of the state for the first time since 1967.
“The Palestinian experience over more than 33 years since the Oslo Accords—which were supposed to end with the establishment of a Palestinian state—shows how Israel, especially during Netanyahu’s tenure since 1996, used every means to destroy that opportunity, weaken and undermine the [Palestinian] Authority, and expand annexation by all means. Recent decisions bypassing previous Israeli laws and obligations toward both Palestinians and Jordanians and canceling Jordanian law and the administrative capacity of the Palestinian National Authority, amount to de facto and legal annexation,” he said. “This experience confirms that the problem has never been the Palestinians or the resistance, but rather the Israeli colonial settlement project aimed at erasing Palestinian existence and ending the Palestinian cause in favor of a Jewish state between the river and the sea.”
Naim added, “What Netanyahu and his army have failed to achieve over the course of two years, they will not succeed [in attaining] by any other means—regardless of the support he may receive from any party.”
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[3]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hamas-trump-netanyahu-palestinian-liberation-struggle-second-phase-ceasefire-international-stablization-force-abbas-fatah-gaza-genocide
[4]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/world/middleeast/hamas-weapons-draft-plan.html
[5]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-israel-building-military-outposts-roads-permanent-presence-yellow-line
[6]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-netanyahu-demands-hamas-disarmament-gaza-board-peace-negotiations-mladenov/comments
[7]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-netanyahu-demands-hamas-disarmament-gaza-board-peace-negotiations-mladenov?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
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2026-02-17 18:12:58 UTC

Rev. Jesse Jackson dies; Second round of Iran talks conclude amid major U.S. military buildup; 60 killed across Sudan
*Seventeen [killed][1] in Israeli strikes across Gaza. Critically ill Palestinian man [dies][2] in Gaza as Israel continues to restrict Rafah crossing.*** ***Hamas tells Drop Site it [rejects][3] President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s renewed demands for full disarmament in Gaza. Israel [moves][4] to register West Bank land as “state property.” Iran [stages][5] naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz amid U.S. military buildup. Iran and the U.S. conclude their second round of nuclear talks in Geneva; Iranian diplomat says “the ball is in America’s court.” Rev. Jesse Jackson, who brought a generation of progressives into national politics, dies at 84. Rubio [says][6] Cuba must “open” its economy if it wants sanctions relief. U.S. ambassador [scorns][7] the UN in Munich. Brooklyn Navy Yard [forces][8] Israeli military drone firm to vacate. Minnesota officials [say][9] the FBI is blocking evidence related to the killing of Alex Pretti. Leaked audio shows New
Jersey Democrat is [shifting][10] her stance on aid to Israel. More than 60 [killed][11] in a wave of drone strikes across Sudan. Israeli drone strikes [kill][12] civilians in southern and eastern Lebanon. Fuel shortages [trigger][13] mounting trash crisis in Cuba. Argentina’s Senate [passes][14] Milei-backed labor overhaul. Carney [pushes][15] EU–Indo-Pacific trade bloc to counter Trump tariffs. Russia [claims][16] mass drone interceptions and new territorial gains in eastern Ukraine. U.S. [deploys][17] troops to Nigeria as Nigerian forces [repel][18] coordinated militant attacks.*
***More from Drop Site: [Emails show][19] Epstein brokered logistics, security, and energy deals across Africa alongside former Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
[Subscribe now][20]
Rev. Jesse Jackson’s March for Jobs around the White House, 1975. Photo: [Thomas J. O’Halloran, via Library of Congress][21].
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Seventeen killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza: **Israeli airstrikes and shootings across the Gaza Strip [killed][22] 17 Palestinians over the weekend, including 11 people killed on Sunday morning. Civilians were struck near the “yellow line” in northern Gaza, and the tents of displaced families were hit west of Jabaliya camp. Among the dead was Sami al-Dahdouh, identified as a commander in Saraya al-Quds, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
* **Critically ill Palestinian man dies in Gaza as Israel continues to restrict travel through Rafah: **Muhammad Dhaban [died][23] in Gaza Monday after an eight-month battle with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a life-threatening condition that requires specialist care—care that he was unable to get as Israel’s military assault has systematically destroyed Gaza’s health system. More than 20,000 patients and wounded are waiting to travel abroad for treatment, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Ministry warned that the partial operation of the Rafah crossing “does not match the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.” Between February 2 and 16, 2026, only 925 people passed through Gaza’s Rafah crossing—just 31 percent of the roughly 3,000 Israel had previously said it would allow—according to the Government Media Office.
* **Doctors Without Borders suspends “non-critical” activities at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital: **On Wednesday, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) [said][24] it was halting all non-essential activities at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, claiming in a statement that masked, armed men had entered the compound. The organization said it could not confirm the identity or affiliation of the gunmen. MSF claimed the militants were intimidating patients, arresting them, and accused them of moving weapons. Hospital staff and witnesses have said Nasser has faced repeated incursions by masked gunmen and Israeli-backed militias in recent months, even with Gaza’s civil police stationed nearby. The [hospital administration in a statement rejected][25] MSF’s allegations as “false, unsubstantiated, and misleading,” warning they could put a protected medical site at further risk. Furthermore, Gaza’s Interior Ministry announced new police deployments to prevent the entry of any armed elements in the hospital.
* **Hamas tells Drop Site it rejects Trump and Netanyahu’s renewed demands for full disarmament in Gaza: **As President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu re-escalate demands for Hamas and all Palestinian resistance factions to immediately disarm as a precondition for reconstruction and Israeli withdrawal—threatening to resume full-scale war—Hamas says no formal proposals have been presented and it rejects demands for unilateral disarmament. Senior leader Basem Naim told Drop Site, “Palestinian resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right, and disarmament is rejected,” saying the movement would only discuss disarmament within a comprehensive framework that includes a binding long-term ceasefire and a political process toward a Palestinian state. In the near term, Hamas has signaled its openness to specific arrangements—such as internationally verified warehousing or decommissioning of certain “offensive” weapons—if a recognized Palestinian security force is
established in Gaza. **Read the full report from Jeremy Scahill and Jawa Ahmad [here][26].**
* **Board of Peace has more than $5 billion committed:** Trump [announced][27] on Sunday that member states of his “Board of Peace” have pledged more than $5 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction and committed thousands of troops to an international stabilization force. In the same post, Trump demanded that Hamas fully and immediately demilitarize. Writing on Truth Social, Trump described the Board of Peace as potentially “the most consequential International Body in History” and said he will formally outline its next steps when the board holds its inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C. on Thursday at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.
* **Israel moves to register West Bank land as “state property”: **The** **Israeli cabinet [approved][28] a plan to begin formally registering West Bank land as “state property” for the first time since 1967. The move, pushed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and others, exploits the fact that most Palestinian land was left unregistered after Israel froze the process in 1967, despite international law barring an occupying power from confiscating territory. Palestinian Authority officials and Hamas condemned the maneuver as illegal and void, and experts say it is tantamount to “de facto annexation.”
* **PA security forces kill two children in the West Bank: **Palestinian Authority security forces [shot][29] and killed two Palestinian children—siblings aged 16 and three—in the West Bank town of Tamoun on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. The contingent was pursuing their father, Samer Samara, who is wanted by Israel. A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority said that they had a judicial arrest warrant for Samara and announced that the killings would be investigated. Hamas condemned the killings, and said they reflect “repressive policies” pursued at a time of escalating Israeli attacks across the West Bank.
* **Israeli settler to face reckless homicide charges for killing Palestinian activist in West Bank: **Israeli prosecutors said on Monday they plan to [indict][30] settler Yinon Levy on reckless homicide charges for the July 28 killing of Palestinian teacher and activist Awdah Hathaleen in the village of Umm al-Khair, according to Times of Israel. Hathaleen, who appeared in the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” was filming when Levy fired at him from a distance. If convicted, Levy faces a maximum of 12 years in prison. Read Drop Site’s coverage of Awdah Hathaleen’s killing **[here][31]**.
* **Prominent Palestinian leader continues to face abuse in Israeli prison: **Longtime Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouti was [visited][32] on Tuesday at Megiddo Prison by his lawyer Ben Marmarelli, who said that while Barghouti is in relatively good mental condition and physically stable, he still suffers from hearing damage and his broken ribs, both of which are traceable to a September 15 assault. According to Barghouti’s lawyer, the harsh living conditions for Barghouti and his two cellmates include: severe food shortages, beatings, denial of access to the prison yard or showering, and isolation.
# Iran
* **Iran stages naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz: **Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz for several hours on Monday while it [conducted][33] live naval exercises in the area. The drills were aimed at assessing the readiness of the IRGC’s navy in light of “potential security and military threats” to the country, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA. The drills come amid a major military buildup by the United States in the region and speculation that Iran may announce a closure of the economically vital waterway if attacked. The U.S. military has dispatched F-35 jets, tanker aircraft, and naval assets in recent weeks. At least 163 heavy cargo flights have also landed at bases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait as part of the campaign.
* **Iran and U.S. announce end of second rounds of nuclear talks in Geneva:** Iranian and U.S. officials have announced the end of a second round of negotiations in Geneva. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump said, “I will participate in those talks, indirectly,” adding, “I don’t think they want to face the consequences of not making a deal.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meanwhile indicated that Iran is ready for war if talks fail, stating that “even the strongest army in the world can sometimes receive a blow that leaves it unable to rise.” On Monday, prior to the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held separate talks with Omani mediator Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi in Geneva, and said that Iran had “real ideas” for a deal focused on enrichment limits in exchange for sanctions relief, while staying that Iran was unwilling to submit to threats.
* **Netanyahu lays out his conditions for an Iran deal: **Netanyahu [said][34] at a Sunday press conference that he has presented Trump with five demands for any agreement with Iran. These include zero uranium enrichment, removal of all nuclear infrastructure from the country, strict missile range limits, a “full dismantling” of Iran’s regional allies, and continuous unannounced inspections to ensure compliance. These demands far exceed those of the 2015 nuclear deal, which limited, but did not abolish, Iran’s enrichment program. Tehran has previously rejected deals with zero enrichment as a component.
* **Iranian diplomat says “the ball is in America’s court”: **In an interview with the BBC on Sunday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, [said][35] that “the ball is in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal,” when discussing Tuesday’s talks between the two countries. Takht-Ravanchi said negotiations will focus solely on the nuclear issue, and warned they will collapse if Washington attempts to negotiate missiles or Iran’s regional alliances. Takht-Ravanchi also maintained that zero uranium enrichment continues to be a red line for the Iranian cohort.
# U.S. News
* **Jesse Jackson dies at 84:** Rev. Jesse Jackson died “peacefully” on Tuesday, according to his family, at the age of 84. A top aide to Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackson organized a Rainbow Coalition to try to stem the slide of the Democratic Party into neoliberalism. A roving, freelance diplomat, he was often at the center of global peace efforts, nearly capturing the 1988 Democratic nomination and bringing a generation of progressives, including Bernie Sanders, into national Democratic politics. Trump [posted a statement][36] praising Jackson and saying he had provided Jackson with office space. Jackson “had much to do with the election, with no acknowledgement or credit, of Barack Hussein Obama, a man who Jesse could not stand,” Trump wrote.
* **Mamdani secures $1.5B in NY state funding: **On Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the city will receive $1.5 billion [in state investment][37] in a major show of political support by Hochul. On Tuesday, Mamdani will present his administration’s first preliminary budget in City Hall.
* **Brooklyn Navy Yard forces Israeli military drone firm to vacate: **The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation [declined][38] to renew the lease of Easy Aerial at the city-owned Brooklyn Navy Yard, effectively forcing the Israeli military drone manufacturer to leave the complex, the New York Post reports. Rep. Elise Stefanik immediately condemned the decision as “deeply disturbing” and blamed Mamdani. Supporters of the move pointed to Easy Aerial’s production of surveillance drone systems used by United States agencies and the Israeli military in Gaza, arguing that such technology has played a central role in killing civilians during Israel’s genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip.
* **U.S. ambassador scorns the UN in Munich:** At the Munich Security Conference on Sunday, United States Ambassador Mike Waltz [called][39] the United Nations a “failed 80-year relic” and said Washington is “returning the world from the brink” by reforming multilateralism through direct deals, even presenting a “Make the UN Great Again” cap to European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas. Kallas pushed back, stressing that America’s strength lies in its allies. “When America goes to war, a lot of us go with you, and we lose our people on the way,” she said. “In terms of economic might, China is a very, very powerful country. In terms of military might as well. So what is the difference between you and the other superpowers?” Kallas also criticized the proposed Board of Peace for its expansive sense of its own remit, and for locating decision-making power in a single person—Trump himself.
* **Rubio says Cuba must “open” its economy if it wants sanctions relief:** Secretary of State Marco [told][40] reporters in Munich over the weekend that Cuba must grant greater economic freedom if it wants relief from U.S. sanctions and the oil blockade, arguing the country’s dire situation could push it toward reforms. Cuban officials rejected what they called Rubio’s “maximum pressure” approach, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accusing him of pursuing a personal agenda and Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío asserting the country’s sovereignty, saying Havana is “not ready to discuss [its] constitutional system.”
* **Trump continues to claim Rubio is in contact with Cuba, despite denials from Havana:** Trump [told][41] a gaggle of reporters Monday on Air Force One that Rubio is in contact with his Cuban counterparts, despite repeated denials from Havana that any such engagement is taking place. Drop Site’s report on Rubio’s attempt to exclude Trump from Cuba talks is available** [here][42].**
* **Leaked audio shows New Jersey Democrat shifts stance on aid to Israel: **In leaked audio, New Jersey Democrat Sue Altman, now running to represent the state’s 12th Congressional District, [said][43] she is rethinking her support for U.S. weapons transfers to Israel, striking a markedly different tone from her 2024 campaign, during which she was backed by the AIPAC-aligned group Democratic Majority for Israel and pledged to ensure Israel had the resources to defend itself. In the audio, Altman said, “a lot has happened since then,” and that what has happened in Gaza, “has been a horrific tragedy… I don’t want our taxpayer money being used to kill innocent children and women.” Altman faces physician Adam Hamawy, who opposes all military aid to Israel after serving medical missions in Gaza.
* **Federal judge orders release of ICE detainee who suffered medical neglect: **On Friday, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin [ordered][44] the release of Greggy Sorio from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the Northwest ICE Processing Center, noting a “pattern of failures” in his medical care that more likely than not led to extreme pain and permanent disability, according to an NBC News report on the case. Sorio had two partial foot amputations, suffered from ulcerative colitis, blood loss, severe weight loss, and a kidney injury while in ICE detention in Tacoma, WA. Lin wrote in her decision that Sorio suffered “unreasonable treatment” and that the conditions of his detention violated his constitutional rights.
* **Minnesota officials say the FBI is blocking evidence related to the killing of Alex Pretti: **Minnesota authorities [allege][45] that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is refusing to share evidence in its probe into the killing of Alex Pretti by CBP agents, according to The Guardian. Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) announced Monday that the FBI told it that it would not share evidence related to the Pretti case. The FBI also declined to share evidence in the cases of Renee Good and Julio Sosa-Celis.
# International News
* **More than 60 killed across Sudan:** More than 60 people were [killed][46] in a wave of drone strikes across Sudan’s Kordofan and Sennar states over a 48-hour period, according to Radio Dabanga. In West Kordofan, at least 28 civilians—including nine women and 12 children—died when a reported strike by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) hit a displacement shelter in El Sunut, while 28 were killed in North Kordofan when an SAF drone struck El Safiya market, according to the Emergency Lawyers group. In Sennar, the Sudan Doctors Network reported three killed in hospital shelling, which it blamed on the RSF. Additional SAF strikes were reported on Nyala in South Darfur, a key RSF hub for launching operations.
* **Sudan army says it destroyed second RSF air defense system in West Kordofan: **Sudan’s army [reported][47] Sunday that it carried out a “specialized operation” in Abu Zabad, West Kordofan, destroying a Chinese-made FB-10 short-range air defense system used by the Rapid Support Forces, according to Sudan Tribune. The military claimed the attack caused “heavy losses” for the RSF.
* **Israeli drone strikes kill civilians in southern and eastern Lebanon: **Early Monday, an Israeli drone strike [killed][48] a school bus driver in the border village of Hanine in Lebanon, with local reports saying he was preparing to transport children when his vehicle was hit and engulfed in flames. The strike followed another Israeli drone attack on Sunday on a vehicle near the Lebanon–Syria border in eastern Lebanon that killed four people. The Israeli military claimed the latter attack targeted figures linked to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, though it failed to provide any evidence to that effect.
* **Fuel shortages trigger mounting waste crisis in Cuba as U.S. pressure tightens: **Trash piled up across Cuba on Monday, particularly in Havana, after fuel shortages left fewer than half of the capital’s garbage trucks operational, according to a joint [report][49] from Al Jazeera and Reuters. Only 44 of Havana’s 106 rubbish trucks have been able to keep operating due to fuel shortages, causing a buildup of waste that has raised public health concerns. Trump has responded to the situation by calling Cuba a “failed nation,” while Mexico and Spain pledged to send aid.
* **Argentina’s Senate passes Milei-backed labor overhaul: **Argentina’s Senate [approved][50] President Javier Milei’s sweeping “Labor Modernization” bill in a 42–30 vote last Thursday, advancing reforms that would extend workdays through the use of “hour banks,” slash severance packages, restrict strikes in essential sectors, allow for employers to provide wages in foreign currency or in kind, and weaken union contracts. The vote came amid clashes outside Congress in Buenos Aires, as major unions weigh a national strike and the legislation moved to the Chamber of Deputies for final approval.
* **Carney pushes EU–Indo-Pacific trade bloc to counter Trump tariffs: **Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is [leading][51] early talks between the European Union and a 12-nation Indo-Pacific bloc to form a major trade alliance aimed at countering what he called the Trump administration’s “coercive” tariffs, according to Politico. Speaking at Davos earlier this year, Carney urged “middle powers” to unite against economic intimidation through the creation of a “super supply chain.”
* **Kallas says Russia wants more than Ukraine: **At the Munich Security Conference, the EU’s Kaja Kallas argued that Russia’s ambitions [extend][52] beyond Ukraine, saying that “Donbas is not Vladimir Putin’s endgame” and urging Europe to prepare for further Kremlin aggression. Kallas argued Russia’s economy is “in shreds” after years of war with limited territorial gains and massive casualties, but cautioned the greatest risk now is Moscow securing at the negotiating table what it failed to achieve on the battlefield, going on to insist that any peace deal must include concrete concessions like the return of abducted Ukrainian children and reparations for Ukraine.
* **Russia claims mass drone interceptions and new territorial gains in eastern Ukraine: **On Monday, Russia’s defense ministry said its forces [downed][53] 345 Ukrainian drones over the last 24 hours and seized control of the eastern settlements of Pokrovka and Minkivka, according to Reuters.
* **U.S. announces more missile deployments to Philippines in snub to China: **In a joint statement Monday, the U.S. and Philippine governments announced plans for expanded defense cooperation this year including joint military exercises, U.S. support to modernize the Philippine military, and intentions “to increase deployments of U.S. cutting-edge missile and unmanned systems to the Philippines.” The statement comes amid escalating naval confrontations between Chinese and Philippine naval vessels in disputed territorial waters in the South China Sea and a broader U.S. military buildup in the region.
* **U.S. deploys troops to Nigeria: **About 100 U.S. military personnel [arrived][54] in Nigeria on Sunday as part of Washington’s scaling up of operations targeting Islamist insurgents in the country, according to Reuters, with Nigerian officials saying the troops will train and advise local forces but not engage in combat. The deployment follows prior U.S. strikes against Islamic State-linked militants and comes as Trump has criticized Nigeria over its internal security and for “religious discrimination” against Christians, both of which Abuja contests.
* **Nigerian forces repel coordinated militant attacks: **On Monday, Nigerian troops [said][55] they pushed back simultaneous assaults by Islamist fighters on military bases in Pulka near the Cameroon border and Mandaragirau in southern Borno State, in some of the fiercest clashes reported in the northeast this year, according to Reuters. The army said militants from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province briefly breached one base before being driven back, with unspecified numbers of soldiers and civilian auxiliaries killed or wounded.
* **Ghanaian traders killed in Islamist attack in northern Burkina Faso:** Seven Ghanaian tomato traders were [killed][56] on Saturday, when Islamist militants stormed the town of Titao in Burkina Faso, according to Reuters, citing Ghana’s interior minister. The attackers separated men from women before opening fire. “They went on a shooting spree, killing almost all the males there, burning them together with the truck,” a witness told Reuters, adding that the bodies of the victims were burnt beyond recognition. Survivors were evacuated under military escort, as authorities struggle to secure the area.
* **Myanmar expels East Timor’s top diplomat after war crimes case opens: **Myanmar’s military government [ordered][57] East Timor’s senior diplomat to leave the country after courts in East Timor accepted a criminal complaint against Myanmar’s armed forces, sharply escalating tensions within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The case, backed by the Chin Human Rights Organization, targets senior junta figures, including Min Aung Hlaing, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta has been a longtime critic of Myanmar’s military rule.
# More from Drop Site
* **Emails show Epstein brokered logistics, security, and energy deals across Africa alongside Ehud Barak: **Newly released Justice Department emails reveal Jeffrey Epstein spent years brokering infrastructure and logistics deals in Nigeria for Emirati conglomerate DP World while simultaneously helping former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak expand Israeli surveillance, cybersecurity, and energy interests across West Africa. The correspondence details how security partnerships marketed as counterterrorism—including biometric systems first tested on Palestinians—were used to open doors to oil, mining, and port investments. Epstein described a dinner in Nigeria this way: “The dinner is one other excellent way…to meet with good Friends of Israel and make new friends for Israel as well.” **The full report, from Murtaza Hussain and Ryan Grim, is available [here][58].**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023259711735300270
[2]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2023386996081590353?s=46
[3]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-netanyahu-demands-hamas-disarmament-gaza-board-peace-negotiations-mladenov
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023098992465166841
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023382745154507068
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023421185837416686
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023051623396716872
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023157112180768963
[9]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/16/fbi-alex-pretti-minnesota-authorities-information-sharing
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023160518345723957
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023541958929535389
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023382741643927885
[13]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/17/waste-piles-up-in-cuba-as-us-imposed-fuel-blockade-halts-collection-trucks
[14]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023430816198439269
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023476433868493007
[16]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-downed-345-ukrainian-drones-24-hours-took-two-villages-2026-02-16/
[17]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigeria-says-100-us-forces-arrive-expanding-mission-2026-02-16/
[18]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerian-troops-repel-coordinated-islamist-attacks-borno-military-says-2026-02-16/
[19]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/epstein-ehud-barak-sultan-sulayem-nigeria-ports-israel-dp-world
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[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022846964702793738
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[26]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/trump-netanyahu-demands-hamas-disarmament-gaza-board-peace-negotiations-mladenov
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023079944796987399
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023098992465166841
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023191133833081194
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023445371465171335
[31]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/awdah-hathaleen-killing-israeli-settler-masafer-yatta-west-bank
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023531482132668519
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023382745154507068
[34]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023109866559324464
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023116038582276373
[36]: https://x.com/yashar/status/2023752974623785043?s=20
[37]: https://gothamist.com/news/hochul-mamdani-announce-15b-for-nyc-budget-ahead-of-preliminary-plan
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023157112180768963
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023051623396716872
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023421185837416686
[41]: https://x.com/ElNecio_Cuba/status/2023585673156919729
[42]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/marco-rubio-is-deliberately-blocking
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023160518345723957
[44]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/nbc-news-polls/judge-orders-ice-release-filipino-man-medical-care-failures-rcna259237
[45]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/16/fbi-alex-pretti-minnesota-authorities-information-sharing
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023541958929535389
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023227397357662569
[48]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023382741643927885
[49]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/17/waste-piles-up-in-cuba-as-us-imposed-fuel-blockade-halts-collection-trucks
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023430816198439269
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023476433868493007
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2023511652205789674
[53]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-it-downed-345-ukrainian-drones-24-hours-took-two-villages-2026-02-16/
[54]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigeria-says-100-us-forces-arrive-expanding-mission-2026-02-16/
[55]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/nigerian-troops-repel-coordinated-islamist-attacks-borno-military-says-2026-02-16/
[56]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/seven-ghanaian-traders-killed-burkina-faso-by-suspected-islamists-ghana-says-2026-02-16/
[57]: https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-east-timor-diplomat-expelled-human-rights-de79d58bf30ed102720722084907ab52
[58]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/epstein-ehud-barak-sultan-sulayem-nigeria-ports-israel-dp-world
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2026-02-13 16:29:08 UTC

Janet Mills Is Flopping in the Fight for Maine Senate
Maine Gov. Janet Mills as Trump addresses a meeting of governors at the White House on February 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.
LEWISTON, Maine—The day after Janet Mills launched her Senate campaign in mid-October, she made a major announcement that spoke to the energy behind her effort to blunt the momentum of oysterman Graham Platner: [She had raised a million dollars][1] in the first 24 hours, with “98 percent of the donations $100 or less.”
But Mills has now filed her fundraising records publicly, and the numbers paint a different picture.
According to records filed with the Federal Election Commission, Mills raised $465,000 in what are known as “itemized contributions” within the first day of her campaign. To be itemized, the contribution is generally at least $200. That would suggest 46.5% of her $1 million came from larger contributions—and not those giving less than $100.
The clever ambiguity in the wording of “percent of donations,” however, could also mean that out of every 100 donors, only two were donations over $100. In other words, when Mills’s campaign wrote that only 2 percent were from those giving over $100, she’s counting a donation of $5 and a maximum contribution of $3,500 as one each. In Mills’ case, she raised the maximum allowable amount from 36 people on the first day.
Help Drop Site raise $1 million — or why not $2 million? — over the next 24 hours by upgrading your subscription:
But if the million-dollar claim is true, it also suggests her campaign has sputtered out. Let’s assume that she raised, as she claimed, at least $535,000 in small contributions in the first 24 hours. That’s not bad at all, even if it’s not the million from small donors that was strongly implied.
The problem is that for the entire fourth quarter of 2025, she raised just $822,000 in small contributions. That would mean that, after raising more than a half million in one day from regular people, she raised just $287,000 more over the next two and a half months. As a candidate, some drop off after launch day is expected, but to drop that far and that fast raises major concerns about how much momentum there is behind her bid, especially considering that the Democratic Party in Washington has turned on its small-dollar fundraising program for Mills. The party has carpet-bombed inboxes on her behalf, but people seem not to be responding.
The Mills campaign did not respond when asked to clarify these day-one fundraising issues.
In-state fundraising data this quarter tells a similarly worrying story for the Mills campaign. It’s nice to get money from California, but that doesn’t tell you anything about how popular you are in Maine. While the governor leads her U.S. Senate opponent Graham Platner in total dollars from within Maine, about $700,000 to $500,000, Platner has a significant advantage in volume of small-dollar donations across the state.
The quarterly report shows Platner with 2,119 donations below $150 this quarter. Gov. Mills had 1,075 small-dollar donations, about half of Platner’s base. So Mills is beating Platner when it comes to the wealthiest Mainers, while Platner is beating her handily among regular people. The problem for Mills is that she will quickly run out of rich people at the polls.
In southern Maine counties, where [more than 53% of registered Democratic Primary voters live][2], Platner had almost three times as many small-dollar contributions as Mills. In the remaining central and northern Maine counties, Platner nearly doubles Mills in small-dollar donations, despite—or perhaps because of—Mills’s long history in the state.
“25,609 Mainers have already volunteered for or donated to our campaign,” the Platner Campaign said in a February 5 post on Twitter. “For context: Only 63,384 people voted for Janet Mills in the 2018 primary.”
The lack of enthusiasm gleaned from Mills’s fundraising data matches on-the-ground accounts from Maine. During the ICE surge, Gov. Mills’s approach to opposing the federal agency’s presence left community leaders feeling unaligned with her campaign.
### Mills Out
On January 24, the morning that federal agents murdered VA nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, more than 500 Mainers packed into the former St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, a towering gothic brick structure overlooking Lewiston’s Kennedy Park.
Despite sub-zero conditions, the crowd gathered for the state’s first large-scale ICE protest, an “ICE THEM OUT” rally. That week, masked federal agents launched [“Operation Catch of the Day][3],” a mass deportation campaign aimed at the nearly [6,000 Somalis who live in Maine][4]. By operation’s end, the administration claimed to arrest over 200 “immigrant offenders.” Many of these Mainers are now being held at a Massachusetts facility attorneys found to have “[inhumane” conditions][5].
The Lewiston event featured many of the state’s prominent Democratic politicians.
Speakers included Platner, as well as gubernatorial candidates Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson, Hannah Pingree, and Angus King III; Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline and Portland Mayor Mark Dion, the leaders of Maine’s two largest cities; and Rep. Chellie Pingree.
Gov. Mills was notably absent.
“Governor Mills did not reach out to me, or to the organizing team ahead of the January 24 rally, and none of her staff contacted us either,” Former Lewiston city councilor and lead organizer of the ICE THEM OUT protest Safiya Khalid told Drop Site News. “There was no indication of interest from the Governor or her team.”
The day ICE launched its Maine operation, Mills was [caught jetting off to California][6]. [Dinner invitations obtained by][7] Axios reveal Mills planned to attend a trio of big-money Senate fundraisers in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley on Wednesday, and the East Bay on Thursday. The Wednesday invitation described an “intimate dinner” in San Francisco’s financial district. Suggested donations ranged from $1,000 to $7,000—the maximum donation for both the primary and general.
“Governor Mills has been focused on leading our state through this moment by standing up to Donald Trump, calling out Susan Collins’ failures, and most importantly working to defend Maine people,” said campaign spokesperson Tommy Garcia in a statement. Garcia is also employed by the state Democratic party. “Maine people know Janet Mills has their back and is focused on keeping Maine safe, not scoring political points.”
The campaign also provided Drop Site a bulleted list with links to several press statements highlighting actions Gov. Mills has recently taken against ICE. This list included details on [requesting a meeting with Trump][8], writing a letter to the administration, and “[slamming][9]” Congress for advancing DHS funding without any reforms or measures.
For Khalid, [who in 2019 overcame waves of racist smears][10] to become the first Somali-American and youngest person ever elected to the Lewiston City Council, more meaningful actions would involve a structural “end to militarized enforcement models that destabilize communities.”
“We need leaders who are unequivocal in defending marginalized and vulnerable communities, not leaders who remain within the comfort of the political establishment,” Khalid said, “If you are running for office, you should be clear about whether you support dismantling an agency that has caused documented harm across this country.”
Platner, who spoke in Lewiston alongside Khalid, similarly believes the agency’s “institutional culture and total lack of accountability” cannot be reformed. He described the ongoing Chuck Schumer-led DHS negotiations as “acquiescence.”
“It just goes to show how out of step leadership in the Democratic Party is with membership,” Platner told Drop Site News. “I’ve been going all over the state of Maine. Every Democrat I talk to thinks ICE needs to be dismantled. People don’t think this agency deserves a single dime.”
“We watched Renee Good and Alex Pretti get shot from effectively every single possible angle,” Platner continued. “The idea one more camera would change that is insane.”
ICE THEM OUT organizer Safiya Khalid and Senate candidate Graham Platner in Lewiston, Maine. Photo: Nathan Bernard
On January 30, six days after Mills was a no-show at the Lewiston rally, a city-wide service worker strike took place in Portland, Maine’s largest city. Almost 200 businesses shut their doors to protest ICE. Thousands of people marched through the city, ending at the Sailor and Soldier statue, a monument honoring Mainers who died defending our country during the Civil War, clearly symbolic of the current political moment.
At this event, one of the largest protests in Portland’s history, Mills was again absent. That evening, [Mills was photographed dining at Scales][11], an upscale seafood restaurant in Portland’s gentrified Old Port District. [The pictures from Mills dinner][12] have now been viewed millions of times across platforms.
“Statements are not the same as standing with impacted communities. If elected officials say they oppose aggressive ICE tactics, that opposition should be visible and consistent,” Khalid said. “Right now, many people do not feel that level of alignment from the governor.”
[Leave a comment][13]
[Share][14]
[1]: https://x.com/JanetMillsforME/status/1978584848466911423?s=20
[2]: https://www.maine.gov/sos/sites/maine.gov.sos/files/content/assets/2025-02-06-20Reg-20--20Enr-20pdf-20-A-.pdf
[3]: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/01/21/ice-launches-operation-catch-day-targeting-worst-worst-criminal-illegal-aliens
[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Somalis_in_Maine#cite_note-3
[5]: https://www.pressherald.com/2026/02/07/ice-detainees-from-maine-being-held-under-inhumane-conditions-at-mass-facility-attorneys-say/
[6]: https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/01/22/politics/state-politics/janet-mills-san-francisco-maine-ice-surge/
[7]: https://www.axios.com/2026/01/23/janet-mills-california-fundraisers-ice-maine
[8]: https://x.com/GovJanetMills/status/2015162815334470095?s=20
[9]: https://janetmills.com/statement-governor-janet-mills-criticizes-congress-vote-on-dhs-funding-bill-continuing-resolution/
[10]: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/11/06/after-racist-attacks-former-refugee-makes-history-first-somali-american-elected-city
[11]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOu2Q3suh5A
[12]: https://x.com/nathanTbernard/status/2017626040110051332
[13]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/janet-mills-maine-senate-fec-million-dollars-small-donors/comments
[14]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/janet-mills-maine-senate-fec-million-dollars-small-donors?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/janet-mills-maine-senate-fec-million-dollars-small-donors

2026-02-13 15:14:15 UTC

UK ban on Palestine Action ruled unlawful; Trump effectively ends greenhouse gas regulations; Nationalist party wins Bangladesh elections
*Israeli fire [kills][1] one and wounds several in Gaza. Palestinian paramedic [dies][2] in Israeli detention. Whistleblowers [say][3] CPJ held back its index to protect Israel. Western governments [move][4] to oust UN rapporteur over remarks on Gaza, UN refuses to support her. Trump to [launch][5] Gaza reconstruction fund and Stabilization Force at first “Board of Peace” meeting. Palestinian citizens of Israel [suffer][6] disproportionately from crime wave. Widespread Israeli military assaults and settler [attacks][7] in the occupied West Bank. Trump administration [dismantles][8] the federal government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases. New York Fed [says][9] Americans bear most of the cost of Trump tariffs. New DOJ files [reveal][10] hidden-camera footage from Epstein’s Palm Beach office and references to secret recording equipment. Trump administration announces [end][11] to ICE operation in Minnesota. Attorney says [detained][12] 13-year-old attempted suicide at Texas ICE
facility before her family’s deportation. Raskin [calls][13] conditions at Baltimore ICE facility “disgraceful” after surprise oversight visit. U.S. to [deploy][14] second aircraft carrier to the Middle East. UK High Court rules Palestine Action ban unlawful in landmark victory. Israeli [attacks][15] hit southern Lebanon villages. Bangladesh Nationalist Party [claims][16] victory in first post-uprising election. Dubai’s DP World [replaces][17] chief amid scrutiny over Epstein ties. Mexican aid ships [arrive][18] in Havana as U.S. tightens fuel pressure on Cuba. Cuba [says][19] no dialogue underway with United States. Russia [launches][20] major missile and drone barrage into Ukraine. Turkey [says][21] United States and Iran show flexibility on reviving nuclear deal. Turkey and Armenia [move][22] toward direct land trade via Georgia in normalization push. Syrian forces take [control][23] of former U.S. al-Tanf base as American troops withdraw.*
***From Drop Site: Africa Update from Godfrey Olukya. Julian Andreone asks congresspeople about [stock trading][24], [Gaza][25].***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
Supporters of Palestine Action celebrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice after the High Court ruled that the banning by the government under terrorism legislation, is unlawful, on 13th February 2026, in London, England. (Photo by Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israeli fire kills one and wounds several in Gaza: **One Palestinian was [killed][26] and at least ten others were wounded by Israeli forces on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera. Mohammed Dabbash was killed by Israeli army fire in Al-Zarqa area northeast of Gaza City. Israeli troops backed by tanks and bulldozers advanced near the Kuwait roundabout east of Gaza City, opening heavy fire and injuring at least ten Palestinians along Salah al-Din Street, where Palestine Red Crescent Society crews evacuated three wounded under gunfire.
* **Palestinian paramedic dies in Israeli detention: **Hatem Rayyan, a Palestinian paramedic who was detained by Israel on December 27, 2024, during the siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, [died][27] inside Israel’s Naqab Prison. The Prisoners’ Media Office said his death “brings the number of identified martyrs from the prisoners movement since October 2023 to 88, including 52 prisoners from the Gaza Strip,” describing it as part of “a systematic killing policy and enforced disappearance targeting Palestinian prisoners.”
* **Trump to launch Gaza reconstruction fund and Stabilization Force at first “Board of Peace” meeting: **President Donald Trump will [unveil][28] a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction fund for the Gaza Strip and outline plans for a United Nations-authorized International Stabilization Force at the first formal meeting of his Board of Peace on February 19 in Washington D.C., Reuters reports. Delegations from at least 20 countries will attend the gathering, with several states reportedly prepared to contribute “several thousands” troops. The meeting is also expected to include briefings on the work of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza—the Palestinian body designated to assume day-to-day governance from Hamas.
* **Whistleblowers say CPJ cancelled its annual index to protect Israel: **Whistleblowers [told][29] The Electronic Intifada that the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) scrapped its annual Impunity Index because Israel was set to rank number one. The index—published annually since 2008 and regularly referenced in UN reports—measures countries where journalists are deliberately killed and killers go unpunished. The 2024 edition, covering killings through 2023, ranked Israel second. The 2025 index, reflecting 2024 amid record killings of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, would have pushed Israel to the top of the list. Since the index is calculated as a 10-year rolling rate relative to population, Israel would have been ranked near the top, if not number one, for many years to come, the whistleblowers said. They alleged donor and board pressure played a role. In response to Electronic Intifada, CPJ denied that donor considerations play any role in its decisions with respect to Israel
or any other country.
* **Western governments move to oust UN rapporteur over remarks on Gaza, UN refuses to support her: **France, Germany, Italy, and the United States have [escalated][30] their calls for the removal of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, falsely accusing her of calling Israel the “common enemy of humanity.” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Paris will formally seek her ouster at the United Nations Human Rights Council session on February 23, 2026, while Germany’s top diplomat Johann Wadephul and Italy’s foreign minister echoed the claims in support of the push. When asked about the controversy, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres refused to back Albanese. He told reporters that the UN does not agree with much of what she says and stressed that Albanese operates independently. Supporters of Albanese, including Amnesty International, say the campaign is political retaliation for Albanese’s reporting on Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip.
* **Palestinian citizens of Israel suffer disproportionately from crime wave: **Five Palestinian citizens of Israel were [killed][31] in a 12-hour period yesterday, bringing the number killed in suspected homicides in Palestinian towns within Israel to 45 in 2026. The mayor of Rahat called it “a black day”, while Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh said, “This is not culture, this is policy,” blaming the Israeli government’s racism and police neglect for the crime wave. While Palestinian citizens of Israel make up about 21 percent of the Israeli population, they accounted for more than 80 percent of all homicide victims in 2025.
* **Israeli military assault and settler attacks continue in the occupied West Bank: **Israeli forces and settlers [carried][32] out widespread attacks across the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to WAFA, leading to dozens of arrests and injuries, and the destruction of land and property. Settlers assaulted Palestinians in towns including Kafr al-Dik, Talfit, and Khallet Makhoul, preventing them from working their land, firing live ammunition, and causing injuries and property damage. Israeli forces fired tear gas at worshippers at a mosque in Ramallah and detained five Palestinians in Salfit, as well as a man, his wife and their child in the bedouin community of Khallet Makhoul. Settlers also cut down hundreds of olive trees in Turmus Ayya. According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, January saw a total of 1,872 incidents—1,404 by Israeli forces and 468 by settlers. These attacks followed Israel’s security cabinet approving new measures to tighten control over
the West Bank and accelerate settlement expansion.
# U.S. News
* **Trump administration dismantles the federal government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases: **President Donald Trump [announced][33] on Thursday the repeal of the federal “endangerment finding,” the scientific determination that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and the environment. The repeal effectively strips the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and other forms of pollution responsible for climate change. The finding, first issued in 2009, made it possible to impose limits on pollution from vehicles, power plants, and oil and gas operations. The repeal is expected to trigger major legal challenges from states and environmental groups.
* **New York Fed says Americans bear most of the cost of Trump tariffs: **A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York [found][34] that about 90 percent of tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump are paid by U.S. consumers and companies, contradicting administration claims that foreign exporters shoulder most of the burden of the administration’s tariffs. The analysis showed that the tariffs were almost totally absorbed by domestic prices last year. A summary of the report is available [here][35].
* **New DOJ files reveal hidden-camera footage from Epstein’s Palm Beach office and references to covert recording equipment: **Newly released Department of Justice files [include][36] grainy footage from a hidden camera inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach office showing him at times engaging in sexual acts with what appeared to be young women, according to Channel 4. Earlier victim testimony described surveillance rooms in Epstein’s New York home, and photos from his 2019 arrest showing labeled monitoring equipment amid claims that Epstein systematically recorded sexual activity.
* **Trump administration ends ICE surge operation in Minnesota after protests and killings: **The Trump administration will wind down its two-month immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced on Thursday. The move brings an end to what has been described as the largest immigration enforcement deployment in U.S. history with some 3,000 federal immigration agents, including from ICE, Border Patrol and other federal agencies, conducting immigration sweeps across the Twin Cities area. Some 4,000 people were arrested and two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal agents.
* **Attorney says detained 13-year-old attempted suicide at Texas ICE facility before her family’s deportation: **Immigration attorney Eric Lee [said][37] a 13-year-old girl held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Dilley, Texas attempted suicide earlier this month. According to the girl’s mother, she slit her wrists due to conditions in detention, and Lee said ICE deported the family to Colombia the following day. DHS earlier denied that the girl had attempted suicide.
* **Raskin calls conditions at Baltimore ICE facility “disgraceful” after surprise oversight visit: **Rep. Jamie Raskin [disclosed][38] on Thursday that he conducted an unannounced inspection of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Baltimore. At the facility, he said he found 60 men packed shoulder-to-shoulder in a room with one toilet, no showers, and aluminum foil blankets for sleeping. “What I saw was disgraceful,” Raskin said.
# Africa Update
* **Libya: **U.S. AFRICOM Deputy Commander John W. Brennan met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli on Wednesday to discuss expanding military and security cooperation. The talks were also attended by U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Jeremy Berndt. Brennan reaffirmed Washington’s readiness to expand technical and training assistance to the Libyan government, which Dbeibah accepted but noted that any cooperation must preserve Libyan sovereignty. Libya remains divided between Dbeibah’s Tripoli-based administration and a rival government appointed by the House of Representatives in 2022, led by Osama Hammad in Benghazi.
* **DRC**: The European Union reaffirmed its commitment to a political resolution to the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib telling the European Parliament in Strasbourg on February 10 that multilateral efforts and an inter-Congolese dialogue are essential for lasting peace. She said the international community is intensifying efforts amid rising violence and announced plans to travel to the Great Lakes region next week to support conflict-resolution initiatives. The UN also [announced][39] that its Stabilization Mission would begin aerial reconnaissance flights in Uvira in the coming days to monitor the ceasefire agreement between the Congolese government and the M23 rebel group. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, Angolan President João Lourenço, and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé all arrived in Luanda on Tuesday for talks about increasing militarization in the country’s east, where fighting has continued,
particularly in North and South Kivu. Humanitarian sources say renewed clashes since December 2025 have displaced more than 500,000 people.
* **Madagascar: **At least 31 people were killed when Cyclone Gezani struck Madagascar on Tuesday, making landfall in the port city of Toamasina with winds of around 180 kilometers per hour, according to Madagascar’s National Office for Risk and Disaster Management. The cyclone injured 33 people, damaged more than 3,200 homes, and displaced nearly 2,800 residents. President Michael Randrianirina said roughly 75 percent of Toamasina was left in ruins and that Madagascar lacks the capacity to address the damage on its own.
* **Sudan: **Médecins Sans Frontières [has launched][40] an emergency response in El Obeid in North Kordofan, as clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese Army were reported within 40 kilometers of the city. El Obeid’s main camp, Al-Mina Al-Muwahad, is sheltering around 25,000 people, and is experiencing extreme shortages of water and sanitation supplies, which heighten disease risks, MSF said.
* **Kenya**: Kenya will [reopen][41] parts of its border with Somalia in April, almost 15 years after shutting the crossings over attacks by the Islamist group al-Shabab, President William Ruto announced during a visit to the border town of Mandera on Thursday. Ruto said that troops and police officers will be deployed to the border posts to curb threats from militant groups, as well as weapons and contraband smuggling, adding that the reopening aims to restore links between transnational families and to boost cross-border trade.
# Other International News
* **UK High Court rules Palestine Action ban unlawful in landmark victory: **The High Court in the United Kingdom ruled on Friday that the government’s ban on the pro-Palestine direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful. The ruling marked a major legal victory for the group, which was founded in 2020 and campaigns against companies complicit in “the occupation, apartheid and genocide of Palestine,” with a focus on Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. In their ruling, the judges found that the “decision to proscribe Palestine Action was disproportionate.” In July, the government declared Palestine Action a terrorist organization alongside ISIS and Al-Qaida, making membership in or support for the group a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Since then, more than 2,700 people have been arrested at protests for holding signs saying “I support Palestine Action.” Palestine Action co-founder [Huda Ammori][42] called the decision “a
monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people, striking down a decision that will forever be remembered as one of the most extreme attacks on free speech in recent British history.” The ban will be kept in place as the UK government appeals the ruling although London’s Metropolitan Police said in a [statement][43] that in light of the ruling, they will “focus on gathering evidence…rather than making arrests.”
* **U.S. to deploy second aircraft carrier to Middle East: **The United States Navy will [send][44] the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln already operating in the Arabian Sea, according to the Associated Press, in a move sources tell the AP is calculated to increase pressure on Iran for a nuclear agreement. Trump has previously told Tehran that failure to reach a deal would be “very traumatic.” The Gerald R. Ford was previously part of the strike force that assembled off the coast of Venezuela.
* **Israeli attacks hit southern Lebanon villages: **Israeli forces [launched][45] a wave of drone, artillery, and machine-gun attacks across villages in southern Lebanon near the Blue Line on Thursday, killing one person near the coastal city of Tyre. Shelling and gunfire struck towns including Markaba, Maroun al-Ras, Yaroun, Alma al-Shaab, and Kfarshouba, while Israeli troops advanced into Odaisseh and Kfar Kila, demolishing homes. Israeli drones also hit equipment in Aita al-Shaab.
* **Bangladesh Nationalist Party claims victory in first post-uprising election: **The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), [led][46] by Tarique Rahman, claimed a sweeping victory in Bangladesh’s first election since a 2024 student uprising ousted longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and forced her into exile in India. The U.S., India, and Pakistan congratulated the BNP on the election victory, which brought the party back to power after 20 years. Rahman has pledged that his government will pursue democratic reforms aligned with the demands of the protesters. The Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, alleged irregularities after the results were announced, though the head of the party conceded defeat.
* **Dubai’s DP World replaces chief amid scrutiny over Epstein ties: **Sultan Sulayem, the chief of global logistics giant and port operator DP World, was replaced as head of the company following revelations of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The Dubai government’s statement on Friday did not mention Sulayem but announced that Essa Kazim had been named as chair of the company and Yuvraj Narayan as the chief executive—both positions that were held by Sulayem. Read Drop Site’s in-depth report on Sulayem’s history with Epstein **[here][47]**.
* **Mexican aid ships arrive in Havana as U.S. tightens fuel pressure on Cuba: **Two Mexican Navy vessels [carrying][48] humanitarian supplies docked this week in Havana, according to Al Jazeera, as the United States continues efforts to cut off fuel imports to Cuba. President Claudia Sheinbaum said that more assistance is on the way, and described Mexico’s role as “opening the doors for dialogue to develop” between the countries. Locals told reporters that they were grateful for the arrival of supplies. “Mexico hasn’t abandoned us,” a 65-year-old from Havana said. “Even with pressure from a global superpower, they weren’t afraid.”
* **Cuba says no dialogue underway with United States: **Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío [told][49] Mexico’s newspaper La Jornada that there is “no high-level dialogue,” or even sustained mid-level talks, with the United States, confirming Drop Site’s recent reporting that negotiations with Cuba are not underway. He said Washington’s expanded fuel sanctions are deliberately designed to cripple electricity, transport, food production, water systems, and health care, warning the policy sets a dangerous precedent of economic coercion against sovereign states.
* **Activists plan aid flotilla to Cuba to challenge tightened United States blockade: **An international coalition of activists, trade unionists, and humanitarian groups [says][50] it will sail next month with food, medicine, and essential supplies to Cuba. The “Nuestra América Flotilla,” backed by figures including the UK’s Jeremy Corbyn and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, is explicitly modeled on past blockade-challenging missions, with organizer David Adler saying the goal is to “break the siege” and deliver life-saving aid to the Cuban people.
* **Russia launches major missile and drone barrage into Ukraine: **Russia fired more than 200 drones and dozens of ballistic missiles overnight Wednesday into cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, leaving civilians injured and hundreds of thousands without heat or water, Ukrainian officials said Thursday, [according][51] to the AP. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv has agreed to attend another round of U.S.-brokered negotiations proposed for next week in Miami or Abu Dhabi, and accused Russia of hesitating as Moscow continues to escalate attacks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks were expected “soon” but gave no timeline, as disputes over occupied territory and security guarantees continue to block a broader agreement.
* **Turkey says United States and Iran show flexibility on reviving nuclear deal**: Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan [told][52] the Financial Times that both Washington and Iran are showing flexibility toward reviving a nuclear agreement, saying the United States appears willing to tolerate limited Iranian uranium enrichment under strict caps and inspections similar to the 2015 accord and that Tehran “genuinely wants” a deal. Fidan warned that expanding negotiations to cover Iran’s ballistic missile program or regional allies would likely stall progress and risk “another war,” as indirect talks resume following a first round in Oman, with a second expected but not yet scheduled. He also cautioned that potential United States strikes would be unlikely to trigger regime collapse, arguing that Iran’s leadership would remain a “functioning entity.”
* **Turkey and Armenia move toward direct land trade via Georgia in normalization push: **Turkey and Armenia have agreed to allow direct bilateral land trade through Georgia, ending a decades-old re-export system that routed goods through intermediaries, according to reporting in [Al-Monitor][53]. The step follows renewed normalization talks between the countries, and is expected to lower costs for traders while expanding commercial ties that exceeded $336 million in 2024. Ankara has accelerated its confidence-building measures with Yerevan, including increasing flights to and from the country and easing visa rules. The announcement also comes alongside broader United States-backed efforts to stabilize the South Caucasus, as exemplified in talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan hosted by President Trump.
* **Syrian forces take control of former U.S. al-Tanf base as American troops withdraw: **Syrian government forces have [assumed][54] control of the al-Tanf base in eastern Syria following an orderly withdrawal by the United States Central Command, according to the AP. The U.S. military said the handover was coordinated and completed on Wednesday. The base, near the borders with Jordan and Iraq, had played a key role in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State, which was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019. CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper said U.S. forces remain positioned to respond to any resurgence of the group, though Washington has consolidated its remaining presence in Syria to around 900 troops, down from the 2,000 troops it posted in the wake of the October 7th attack.
* **U.S. secretly sent thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran after protest crackdown: **The administration of President Donald Trump covertly smuggled roughly 6,000 Starlink satellite-internet terminals into Iran after authorities violently suppressed nationwide protests in January and imposed sweeping internet blackouts, according to a new [report][55] from the Wall Street Journal. The terminals—produced by SpaceX—were purchased by the State Department to help dissidents bypass censorship; to do this, funding for VPNs long used by Iranian dissidents was redirected.
* **Imran Khan’s son says former prime minister losing vision after prolonged solitary confinement: **Kasim Khan said his father, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, has [lost][56] most of the vision in his right eye—with only 15 percent remaining—after 922 days in solitary confinement. Kasim Khan blamed Pakistan’s ruling authorities and the army chief for his father’s condition, said family members are being denied visas to visit him, and called on international bodies to intervene. Pakistani authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.
* **U.S. military transfers ISIS detainees: **U.S. Central Command announced that it has completed an operation transferring more than 5,700 adult male ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraqi custody with the final transfer flight taking place on February 12. The transfer comes amid loss of control of parts of the region by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces members who had administered prisons holding former ISIS members and their families.
* **Zelensky visits joint German-Ukrainian drone factory:** Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the first joint German‑Ukrainian drone production facility in Germany in a ceremony that included receiving the first jointly produced AI‑equipped strike drone from the site. The facility is part of a broader program to expand joint defense production across Europe of drones and other military equipment as a means of indigenizing production and reducing reliance on U.S. weapons manufacturers for defense needs in the war with Russia.
# Drop Site on the Hill
*Send any congressional tips to Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone via email at [[email protected]][57] or via Signal at julianandreone.2003*
* **Sen. Mazie Hirono on Gaza: **Julian asked Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) about Israel’s continued genocide in Gaza and consistent violations of the October 2025 ceasefire. She tried initially to stress the importance of affordability to Americans (and the potential cost of foreign entanglements), but said she supports “Israel’s right to defend itself.” She would not, however, answer a question about whether or not Israel’s behavior constitutes self-defense. “Not going there.” **A video of their interaction is available [here][58].**
* **Sen. Katie Britt on congressional stock trading:** Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, disclosed a series of April stock trades months late, a violation of the STOCK Act. Drop Site correspondent Julian Andreone asked her about one standout purchase: JPMorgan stock, giving her a financial stake in the nation’s largest bank while serving on the committee tasked with regulating it. Between April 2025 and her January 2026 disclosure, the investment gained 27%. Sen. Britt first said, “I have not traded any stock,” then pivoted to say any proceeds from the trades were donated to charity. **Their full interaction is [here][59].**
* Sen. Elizabeth Warren, also on congressional stock trading: Sen. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) told Drop Site correspondent Julian Andreone that no member of Congress should be trading individual stocks. “They shouldn’t buy them, they shouldn’t sell them, they shouldn’t hold them,” Warren said. “I’ve got a bill to do that.” ** Warren’s comments to Drop Site are available [here][60].**
# More from Drop Site
* Ryan Grim went on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” to discuss Epstein, particularly as it relates to our recent reporting on his ties with Israeli intelligence. **His full appearance is available [here][61].**
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[1]: https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2026/2/12/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%885-%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC
[2]: https://asramedia.ps/?p=66981
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022065099805229566
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022081185539633457
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022081185539633457
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022163976583250170
[7]: https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/167331
[8]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/climate/trump-epa-greenhouse-gases-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LlA.6d3V.5k1fGFBssTtW&smid=url-share
[9]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ny-fed-report-says-americans-pay-almost-all-trumps-tariffs-2026-02-12/
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021999106592330201
[11]: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/12/nx-s1-5712280/minnesota-ice-surge-ends
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022173285316768193
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022142576841683002
[14]: https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-aircraft-carrier-military-8db3fab10476949acda8b973be416204
[15]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022087256824070602
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022187204034875773
[17]: https://apnews.com/article/dubai-mideast-jeffrey-epstein-chairman-replaced-82cf3efbffe5ed2c1ea89dde06c86490
[18]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/12/mexican-ships-arrive-in-cuba-with-humanitarian-cargo-amid-us-oil-blockade
[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022032607513547051
[20]: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-talks-drones-missiles-1e788221fd0e01158da721b2259f071a
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022006111432585365
[22]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/02/direct-turkey-armenia-land-trade-begin-amid-us-led-caucasus-peace-push
[23]: https://apnews.com/article/syria-iraq-jordan-altanf-us-military-defense-ministry-b4cdf708c56cfde2bbfbca117fdd871a
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022048617641512967
[25]: https://x.com/JulianAndreone/status/2021973110145081379
[26]: https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2026/2/12/%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D9%885-%D8%A5%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC
[27]: https://asramedia.ps/?p=66981
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022129249298133058
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022065099805229566
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022081185539633457
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022163976583250170
[32]: https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/167331
[33]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/climate/trump-epa-greenhouse-gases-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LlA.6d3V.5k1fGFBssTtW&smid=url-share
[34]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ny-fed-report-says-americans-pay-almost-all-trumps-tariffs-2026-02-12/
[35]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ny-fed-report-says-americans-pay-almost-all-trumps-tariffs-2026-02-12/
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021999106592330201
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022173285316768193
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022142576841683002
[39]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-launch-reconnaissance-flights-support-eastern-congo-ceasefire-2026-02-12/
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022133426246087053
[41]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70k4yw049yo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
[42]: https://x.com/HudaAmmori/status/2022251656256106746
[43]: https://x.com/metpoliceuk/status/2022275822485209559?s=20
[44]: https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-aircraft-carrier-military-8db3fab10476949acda8b973be416204
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022087256824070602
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022187204034875773
[47]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-united-arab-emirates-sultan-sulayem-dubai-dp-world
[48]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/12/mexican-ships-arrive-in-cuba-with-humanitarian-cargo-amid-us-oil-blockade
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022032607513547051
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021984323839074803
[51]: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-talks-drones-missiles-1e788221fd0e01158da721b2259f071a
[52]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022006111432585365
[53]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/02/direct-turkey-armenia-land-trade-begin-amid-us-led-caucasus-peace-push
[54]: https://apnews.com/article/syria-iraq-jordan-altanf-us-military-defense-ministry-b4cdf708c56cfde2bbfbca117fdd871a
[55]: https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-smuggled-thousands-of-starlink-terminals-into-iran-after-protest-crackdown-69a8c74f?st=dmJaEU&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
[56]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022052440581853527
[57]: mailto:[email protected]
[58]: https://x.com/JulianAndreone/status/2021973110145081379
[59]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022048617641512967
[60]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2022051939232440424
[61]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZS1dVumDIg&feature=youtu.be
[62]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
[63]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
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[65]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/uk-ban-palestine-action-trump-epa-greenhouse-gasses-epa-bangladesh-election-bnp/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/uk-ban-palestine-action-trump-epa-greenhouse-gasses-epa-bangladesh-election-bnp

2026-02-12 15:49:36 UTC

Netanyahu joins Board of Peace; Bondi’s burn book; House Republicans pass election overhaul
*President Donald Trump [urges][1] Iran negotiations and praises Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for conduct in Gaza. VP JD Vance [says][2] Trump wants a deal that blocks Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu, wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, [signs][3] onto Trump’s “Board of Peace.” Hamas leadership [meets][4] with an Iranian representative. U.S. draft [proposes][5] gradual disarmament of Hamas. Prominent Palestinian leader assaulted and starved in prison. Israel [revokes][6] citizenship of two Palestinians. GHF “security provider” in [talks][7] with Trump’s Board of Peace about a future role in Gaza. Attorney General Pam Bondi heads to the Hill, where she is confronted by [Epstein survivors][8] and [Rep. Becca Balint][9]. [Bondi’s “Burn Book.”][10] The House [passed the Save America Act,][11] which guts mail-in voting and aims to make casting a ballot harder: The IRS improperly [shared][12] taxpayer data with DHS in immigration crackdown. U.S. Energy
Secretary Chris Wright [meets][13] with Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez. The government [lost][14] hard drives and withholds surveillance footage in an ICE abuse lawsuit. U.S. [sanctions][15] Lebanese gold firm accused of financing Hezbollah. After El Paso airspace closure, Mexico [denies][16] evidence of cartel drone activity. Israeli forces [escalate][17] attacks across south Lebanon. China offers [support][18] to Cuba amid U.S.-driven fuel shortage. Deadly [clashes][19] erupt in Ataq, Yemen as an STC-linked crowd storms a government building. Five police officers are [killed][20] in an ambush in northwest Pakistan. Rebel attacks [kill][21] pilots and a soldier in Indonesia’s Papua region. Russia [says][22] it will observe expired nuclear treaty if the U.S. does the same. Russian drone strike [kills][23] three children and their father in Kharkiv. Russia moves to block WhatsApp. Thousands of UK passport holders [served][24] in Israeli military during Gaza genocide,
records show.
**From Drop Site: Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone talks with congresspeople about [Epstein][25], [Gaza][26], and the annexation of the [West Bank][27].***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Committee on the Judiciary on February 11, 2026. Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images.
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israeli attacks in Gaza continue across the Strip: **Two children were injured by Israeli fire while inside their tents in the Al-Musallah area, south of Khan Younis, according to Al-Araby TV. Israeli aircraft carried out an airstrike on eastern areas of Khan Younis city. In the central Gaza Strip, four Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire. A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, with reports of ambulances attempting to reach the wounded coming under fire.
* **Casualty counts: **Over the past 24 hours, the bodies of four Palestinians were recovered from under the rubble, while five Palestinians were injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,049 killed, with 171,691 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 591 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,583, while 724 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Netanyahu, wanted for war crimes, signs onto “Board of Peace”:** Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially [signed][28] onto President Trump’s “Board of Peace” on Wednesday during a meeting with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Blair House in Washington, D.C. The board, which has no Palestinians on it, is scheduled to hold its first meeting on February 19 in Washington to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza. Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi [wrote][29] on X that Netanyahu’s appointment “reinforces doubts, deepens the lack of trust, and rewards policies of extermination and repression instead of holding them accountable.”
* **Hamas leadership meets with Iranian representative: **The head of Hamas’ leadership council, Muhammad Darwish, [led][30] a Palestinian delegation in Doha, where it held talks with Iranian diplomat Ali Larijani on Wednesday. Darwish expressed solidarity with Iran, rejecting “any aggression targeting its territory.” Larijani briefed the group on Iran’s ongoing negotiations with the United States and reiterated Tehran’s “unwavering support” for the Palestinian cause.
* **U.S. draft proposes gradual disarmament of Hamas: **A United States draft proposal would [require][31] Hamas to surrender all weapons capable of striking Israel, though the proposal would “at least initially” allow the group to retain some small arms as part of a phased disarmament process that could take months or longer, according the New York Times. The plan is reportedly being prepared by Jared Kushner, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and Board of Peace High Representative Nickolay Mladenov. Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera Mubasher Wednesday the group has not received any disarmament proposals and has not officially adopted a decision to freeze its weapons reiterating that Palestinian arms are linked to ending the occupation. Several Hamas and resistance officials have previously outlined a proposal involving a long-term truce—supported by peacekeeping forces and regional guarantees—with pledges to refrain from publicly displaying or using weapons.
* **Limited movement, under Israeli-backed militia monitoring, continues at Rafah:** Forty-six Palestinians entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt under strict Israeli restrictions on Wednesday. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, 47 Palestinians—17 patients and 30 companions—left Gaza through Rafah on Wednesday. Israel is reportedly allowing the Abu Shabab militia to monitor movement on the Gaza side of the crossing under Israeli supervision and to conduct physical searches of Palestinians entering the Strip, Kan News reports, adding that this arrangement could soon become permanent. Returnees are transported along Salah al-Din Road toward an Israeli army checkpoint and searched by the militia before reaching Israeli forces, [according][32] to Haaretz.
* Prominent Palestinian leader assaulted and starved in prison: Abdullah Barghouti, a renowned Palestinian resistance leader, was injured during an Israeli assault at Gilboa Prison, suffering a bleeding wound to his left eye after a guard struck his head against an iron door, while also enduring severe weight loss from ongoing starvation policies, according to the Prisoners’ Media Office. At least 87 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli detention since the Gaza genocide began, according to the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs.
* **Israel continues to target aid workers in Gaza: **OCHA [reported][33] that one UNRWA staff member was killed in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday, bringing the total number of aid workers killed since October 2023 to 589, 397 of whom were employed by the United Nations.
* **Israel revokes citizenship for two Palestinians: **Israel [stripped][34] two Palestinians of their Israeli citizenship on Wednesday, an action which Netanyahu said would be repeated often in the future. Mahmoud Ahmed and Muhammad al-Halasa, both from occupied East Jerusalem, are set to be deported to the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, after Israeli courts convicted the men of “carrying out deadly attacks on Israelis.” Their loss of citizenship and deportation marks the first use of a 2023 law, which allows the Israeli government to revoke the Israeli citizenship of Palestinians convicted of attacks. The Palestinian human rights group Adalah says that the move violates international law by rendering the men effectively stateless, adding that it “undermines the fundamental protections that citizenship is meant to provide.”
* **GHF “security provider” in talks with Trump’s Board of Peace about its future role in Gaza: **UG Solutions, a U.S.-based security firm that deployed last year to guard so-called aid distribution sites in Gaza run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is in discussions with President Trump’s “Board of Peace” about a potential future security role in Gaza, according to [Reuters][35]. Over 2,600 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces or security contractors as they attempted to access aid at or near aid distribution sites in a system overseen by the GHF. UG Solutions said it has submitted proposals to the board—proposals which it says were “received positively—though officials privy to negotiations stressed no decisions have been finalized. Read Drop Site’s November report about how UG Solutions is stepping up its recruitment efforts amid possible plans to deploy to Gaza **[here][36]**.
* **Palestinian deported in private jet speaks out: **Maher Awad, a Palestinian who had been living in the U.S. and was in the process of obtaining his green card, was arrested and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with seven other Palestinians to Tel Aviv, from which he was taken by Israeli police to the town of Ni’lin in the occupied West Bank and released. Awad and his fellow Palestinians deportees were reportedly transported to Israel aboard a private jet owned by Israeli-American real estate developer and Donald Trump’s personal friend, Michael Dezer. He gave an account of his deportation to Middle East Eye in a video available [here][37].
# U.S. News
* **Trump urges Iran negotiations in meeting with Netanyahu: **President Trump held a nearly three-hour private meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. In a subsequent post on his social media site, Trump said that “nothing definitive” was decided and that “negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated.” He added, “Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a Deal,” Trump said. “Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.” Trump also said he discussed what he called “tremendous progress” in Gaza and claimed there was “truly peace in the Middle East,” despite Israel’s continued assault on Gaza that has killed nearly 600 Palestinians since the so-called ceasefire went into effect in October.
* **JD Vance says Trump wants a deal that blocks Iran’s nuclear program:** Vice President JD Vance told a reporter that Trump instructed his “entire senior team” to pursue a deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. When asked about regime change in the country with whom the U.S. is set to open negotiations later this week, Vance said, “If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime, that’s up to the Iranian people. What we’re focused on right now is the fact that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
* **Pam Bondi headed to the Hill, where she was confronted by Epstein survivors and Rep. Becca Balint: **Eleven Epstein survivors attended Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. When Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Dan Goldman [asked][38] them to raise their hands if they had been unable to secure meetings with the Department of Justice, all 11 did so. Bondi declined to apologize for her office’s behavior and instead accused the members of Congress of exploiting the victims for “theatrics” and “getting in the gutter.” Rep. Becca Balint also [confronted][39] Bondi in the hearing about whether the DOJ had questioned Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about a 2012 visit to Jeffrey Epstein’s island. Bondi deflected the question, invoking Bill Clinton and Merrick Garland. Bondi accused Balint, who is Jewish and whose grandfather died in the Holocaust, of fueling an “antisemitic culture,” citing Balint’s vote against a resolution condemning the
phrase “from the river to the sea.” This remark prompted Balint to leave the chamber in anger.
* **Bondi’s “Burn Book”:** A photo [taken][40] by freelance photojournalist Kent Nishimura appears to show Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Justice staff tracking which documents each member of Congress who accessed the unredacted Epstein Files has viewed. The materials, which were arranged in binders passed between Bondi and her team, have been described by some critics as a “burn book.”
* **IRS improperly shared taxpayer data with DHS in immigration crackdown: **The Internal Revenue Service [acknowledged][41] it improperly disclosed the confidential tax information of thousands of people to the Department of Homeland Security as part of a data-sharing agreement that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement to request names and addresses of suspected undocumented immigrants, according to Associated Press. A Wednesday statement from a top IRS official reports the tax agency has verified roughly 47,000 of the 1.28 million names DHS requested. Experts say that the disclosures likely violate federal privacy law and undermine long-standing protections for taxpayer information.
* **U.S. Energy Secretary meets with Venezuela’s acting president:** On Wednesday, Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez [welcomed][42] United States Energy Secretary Chris Wright to the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas to discuss a U.S.-led overhaul of the Venezuelan oil sector, locking in U.S. dominance of the country. A “bilateral energy agenda” was reportedly reviewed at the meeting and received positively by both parties. Wright’s three-day trip—the most significant engagement in Venezuela by the U.S. energy sector in decades—includes talks with major oil firms like Chevron and Repsol, as well as planned visits to key production sites in the Orinoco Belt. Rodríguez spoke of a long-term energy agenda between the two countries that would serve as the “motor” for the bilateral relationship. Wright said in an address that the U.S. will continue to ease sanctions on the country to attract foreign engagement, but that Washington will not commit to “on-the-ground” security for
those providers who choose to operate in the country.
* **Democratic senators press Rubio to stop deportations of Iranian asylum seekers: **Ten Democratic senators, including Tim Kaine and Peter Welch, [urged][43] Secretary of State Marco Rubio to halt deportations of Iranian asylum seekers, warning they face persecution if deported to Iran and arguing that this policy violates United States and international law. The lawmakers said the administration has deported at least 109 Iranians since late 2025, including 45 via Qatar in September or October, 50 through Kuwait on December 7, and 14 more on January 25, with another flight of deportees halted amid a measles outbreak and bipartisan pushback.
* **Homeland Security civil rights watchdog gutted as ICE expands its power:** The budget for the DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties—a watchdog agency created at the same time that ICE was, ostensibly as a safeguard against violations of civil liberties—has been slashed by more than 75 percent, according to a new report from The Lever. The agency now has nine staffers (down from 150 at the beginning of March), and it is headed by a former adviser to the Heritage Foundation who also holds another full-time job at DHS. It has also issued no policy recommendations despite receiving nearly 6,000 complaints since March, according to court filings released last month. The Lever’s full report on this silent gutting is available [here][44].
* **Federal government loses hard drives and withholds surveillance footage in an ICE abuse lawsuit: **In a court fight over conditions at the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, lawyers suing the United States Department of Justice say that the agency lost three hard drives provided to store surveillance footage, failed to turn over video from five key cameras—including cameras in isolation cells—and produced soundless footage of a visit by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The plaintiffs argue that the missing and delayed evidence severely prejudices their abuse case, noting the government has received nearly 72 terabytes of storage yet still claims footage is missing, destroyed, or unaccounted for despite court orders to produce it. More on the government’s convenient mishap from 404 Media, available [here][45].
* **The House [passed the Save America Act,][46] which guts mail-in voting and aims to make casting a ballot harder**: Republicans are stuck in a Catch-22, however, as the bill is aimed at boosting their chances in the midterms, but can’t pass without the votes of vulnerable Republicans like Susan Collins who would then be punished in the midterms for supporting it. The bill also can’t pass the Senate without ending the filibuster. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is opposed, [and Collins has expressed ][47]“concerns.” Backers of the bill want to attach it to government-spending legislation later this month to sneak it through. Yet it’s not obvious that requiring additional documentation to cast a vote will help Republicans overall, as the political realignment has found Democrats with more support among the upper class and less with working-class voters less likely to have their papers handy.
# International News
* **Rising accounts of death toll in Iran:** The death toll in Iran during mass protests in December and January has risen to 7,002, according to the U.S.-funded Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The group said 6,506 of those killed were protesters, including 216 children, while 214 individuals affiliated with government forces and 66 “non-protesters civilians” were killed. HRANA also put the number of arrests at over 52,000. Iran’s government issued a much lower death toll on January 21, saying 3,117 people were killed, including over 2,400 civilians and security forces.
* **U.S. sanctions Lebanese gold firm accused of financing Hezbollah: **The Trump [administration][48] imposed new sanctions on the Lebanese gold company Jood SARL on Tuesday, accusing it of helping Hezbollah convert gold reserves into cash, according to a statement from the United States Department of the Treasury. Secretary Scott Bessent said the move aims to cut Hezbollah off from the global financial system. The sanctions freeze the firm’s assets in the United States and make it illegal for U.S. individuals and companies to do business with them.
* **Drone strikes in Sudan:**
* **RSF drone strikes hit schools and civilian areas: **RSF drone attacks [struck][49] three sites in North and South Kordofan, one of which was a Quranic school in Al-Rahad, and killed at least one student in the attacks. Drones also hit civilian areas in Tandalti and heavily damaged a secondary school in Dilling. The attacks are part of efforts to sever key supply highways linking El Obeid to Kadugli. The Sudanese Armed Forces said it would retaliate with drone strikes on RSF positions near Bara and Taiba. Estimates of the number wounded by Tuesday’s drone strikes ranged from 18 to 25, and one additional person was reportedly killed.
* **WFP warehouse hit by rockets in Kadugli: **On Tuesday night, what[ appeared][50] to be rockets struck a WFP warehouse in Kadugli, causing substantial damage to its buildings and mobile storage units, UNOCHA reports. The Sudan Doctors Network reported more RSF drone attacks in Kadugli on Tuesday, which they say hit residential neighborhoods in the city and left 16 civilians injured.
* **Mexico denies there is evidence of cartel drone activity after El Paso airspace closure: **Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum [said][51] that Mexico’s airspace was never closed during the U.S. temporary shutdown of its airspace near El Paso, and that her government has “no information” about criminal cartels using drones in the area. United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the closure was intended to neutralize an incursion by cartel drones, though sources familiar with the situation told the Associated Press the airspace was shut down so the Pentagon could test an anti-drone laser it plans to deploy against the same groups.
* **Israeli forces escalate attacks across south Lebanon on Wednesday: **Israeli quadcopters [dropped][52] explosives on a stone factory in Wadi Hunein between the south Lebanese towns of Odaisseh and Markaba, while Israeli troops advanced into the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab from Tallat Shawat, prompting the Lebanese Army to deploy in response after residents demanded protection during the funeral of Abdullah Nasser. Witnesses told reporters that the area of the funeral was later hit with more than ten sound grenades and two artillery shells, likely used to disincentivize participation in the procession. A family home in Bilda was also destroyed.
* **China offers support to Cuba amid fuel shortage: **China’s foreign ministry released a statement on Tuesday [saying that][53] Beijing is ready to assist Cuba with its jet fuel shortage that has disrupted air travel to and from the country, though officials did not specify whether that help would include fuel, according to Reuters. Spokesperson Lin Jian said China “firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security” and opposes foreign interference, adding Beijing would provide assistance “to the best of our ability.”
* **Deadly clashes in Ataq, Yemen as STC-linked crowd storms government building: **On Wednesday, a crowd affiliated with Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council [attempted][54] to storm a local government building in Ataq, prompting security forces in the Shabwah Governorate to open fire, killing at least five people and wounding 39, according to reporting from Al Jazeera. The violence follows the announcement of a new cabinet by the Presidential Leadership Council, as power struggles between the STC and the Yemeni government (and between their respective backers, the UAE and Saudi Arabia) continue in southern Yemen.
* **Five police officers killed in an ambush in northwest Pakistan: **Militants [opened][55] fire on police patrols on Wednesday in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa city of Dera Ismail Khan. The patrols were returning from an operation in Pakistan’s northwest, and five officers in the group were killed before security forces killed four of the attackers in a retaliatory strike, according to Reuters. Dera Ismail Khan is about 70mi from Waziristan, a longtime stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, which ended its ceasefire with the Pakistani government in late 2022. The breakdown of that agreement has led to a resurgence of Islamist violence in the region.
* **Rebel attacks in Papua region kill pilots and a soldier in Indonesia: **Separatist gunmen [killed][56] a pilot and co-pilot of a small Smart Air plane as it landed at Korowai airport in Indonesia’s Papua region, according to Reuters, and a separate ambush on a convoy linked to the mining company Freeport Indonesia killed one soldier and wounded two others. The Free Papua Movement claimed responsibility for both attacks; the FPM is part of a long-running insurgency in the resource-rich region of West Papua that has intensified in recent years. **Drop Site spoke to a local leader shortly before he was killed in November. [Watch it here.][57]**
* **Russia says it will observe expired nuclear treaty limits if U.S. does the same: **On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov [told][58] parliament that Moscow will continue adhering to the warhead limits of the now-expired New START as long as the United States also abides by the old terms. Trump has so far refused to extend the treaty, saying he prefers a new agreement. Washington has also attempted to include China in a new nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which Beijing has resisted.
* **Russian drone strike kills three children and father in Kharkiv: **A Russian drone [struck][59] a home in the Kharkiv city of Bohodukhiv on Tuesday night, killing toddler twins Ivan and Vladyslav, their one-year-old sister Myroslava, and their father, Reuters reports. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack undermines diplomatic efforts to end the war. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 129 drones on Tuesday night, most of which it intercepted.
* **Russia moves to block WhatsApp**: Russian authorities have ordered a nationwide block on WhatsApp, saying Meta failed to comply with Russian law, as the Kremlin tightens control over messaging platforms as part of a push for “digital sovereignty.” WhatsApp says the move aims to push its 100M+ Russian users onto a state-backed “national messenger,” while officials say Meta could resume operations if it complies with new government regulations and enters dialogue.
* **Thousands of UK passport holders served in Israeli military during Gaza genocide, records show: **More than 2,000 United Kingdom passport holders were [serving][60] in the Israel Defense Forces during the war on the Gaza Strip, according to data obtained by Declassified UK through a freedom of information request, including 1,686 British-Israelis and 383 triple nationals as of March 2025 — far above the previously known 54 British “lone soldiers.” Declassified UK’s report found more than 50,000 Israeli soldiers held at least one other nationality, with the largest groups from the United States, Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. The full report is available [here][61].
* **India–France sign major arms deal**: India has placed a $39B order for 114 French Rafale fighter jets—one of its largest-ever defense procurements—as part of a sweeping air force modernization drive aimed at boosting readiness against regional threats, upgrading its air combat fleet, and deepening strategic defense ties with France and other Western arms suppliers.
# Drop Site on the Hill
*Send any congressional tips to Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone via email at [[email protected]][62] or via Signal at julianandreone.2003*
* **Drop Site’s Capitol Hill correspondent Julian Andreone spoke to lawmakers Wednesday:**
* **Sen. Bernie Sanders on West Bank annexation: **“The intention of a good part of the Israeli government is to… annex the West Bank and to do away with any hope for a two-state solution,” Sen. Sanders told Andreone. Sanders also discussed the case of the recently released Palestinian activist Leqaa Kordia, and warned about the “authoritarian” precedent her case sets. **Video [here][63].**
* **Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) on whether House Democrats could take steps to enforce the Gaza peace plan and halt Israel’s daily killings**: “I have called for a ceasefire,” she said, telling Drop Site to speak to Republicans and driving away. Brown has received millions of dollars in career support from pro-Israel groups; Democratic Majority for Israel spent over $2 million boosting her 2021 campaign against Nina Turner alone. **Brown’s full response (or lack thereof) is [here][64].**
# More from Drop Site
* Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain spoke to Owen Jones about Epstein’s ties to Israel and foreign intelligence. **The full show is linked [here][65].**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021662649621086291
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021624708928602378
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021626682906468860
[4]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021636869138616802
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021698785785590196
[6]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-approves-deportation-palestinians-after-revoking-residency-first-timehttps://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-approves-deportation-palestinians-after-revoking-residency-first-time
[7]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-firm-gaza-aid-program-criticized-by-un-talks-new-role-2026-02-12/
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021723466790048185
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021679080081371268
[10]: https://x.com/kentnish/status/2021702705387843711
[11]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/11/house-save-act-trump-elections-bill
[12]: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5734677-taxpayer-data-improperly-shared-dhs/
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021715826903056726
[14]: https://www.404media.co/government-loses-hard-drives-it-was-supposed-to-put-ice-detention-center-footage-on/
[15]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/10/us-imposes-new-hezbollah-sanctions-targeting-gold-exchange-firm
[16]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021619849709916629
[17]: https://x.com/galpalpheebs/status/2021575764194243048
[18]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021656301030482417
[19]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/11/five-killed-in-yemen-as-crowd-linked-with-stc-in-south-storm-govt-building
[20]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/militants-kill-five-police-attack-northwest-pakistan-2026-02-11/
[21]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/two-killed-after-civilian-airplane-shot-landing-indonesias-papua-police-say-2026-02-11/
[22]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/11/russia-says-it-will-stick-to-limits-of-expired-nuclear-treaty-if-us
[23]: http://v
[24]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021725671215575154
[25]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021668292021141641
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021753739791491208
[27]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021729549294154007
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021626682906468860
[29]: https://x.com/aalmrdawy21173/status/2021826641496842602?s=46
[30]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021636869138616802
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021698785785590196
[32]: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2026-02-11/ty-article-magazine/.premium/rafah-crossing-militias-interrogations-and-threats-the-harrowing-road-back-to-gaza/0000019c-479d-d571-affe-5fdfa86f0000
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021814928877719640
[34]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-approves-deportation-palestinians-after-revoking-residency-first-time
[35]: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-firm-gaza-aid-program-criticized-by-un-talks-new-role-2026-02-12/
[36]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-ghf-ug-solutions-aid-massacres-mercenaries-ceasefire-trump
[37]: https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/2021712532533326049
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021723466790048185
[39]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021679080081371268
[40]: https://x.com/kentnish/status/2021702705387843711
[41]: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5734677-taxpayer-data-improperly-shared-dhs/
[42]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021715826903056726
[43]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021691549424529482
[44]: https://www.levernews.com/the-watchdog-designed-to-keep-ice-in-check-is-being-quietly-erased/
[45]: https://www.404media.co/government-loses-hard-drives-it-was-supposed-to-put-ice-detention-center-footage-on/
[46]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/11/house-save-act-trump-elections-bill
[47]: https://x.com/AndiNapier/status/2021308161232163072
[48]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/10/us-imposes-new-hezbollah-sanctions-targeting-gold-exchange-firm
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021761559987372151
[50]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021803594341585334
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021619849709916629
[52]: https://x.com/galpalpheebs/status/2021575764194243048
[53]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021656301030482417
[54]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/11/five-killed-in-yemen-as-crowd-linked-with-stc-in-south-storm-govt-building
[55]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/militants-kill-five-police-attack-northwest-pakistan-2026-02-11/
[56]: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/two-killed-after-civilian-airplane-shot-landing-indonesias-papua-police-say-2026-02-11/
[57]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/west-papua-liberation-army-indonesia-counterinsurgency-star-mountains-china-france-weapons-lamek-taplo
[58]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/11/russia-says-it-will-stick-to-limits-of-expired-nuclear-treaty-if-us
[59]: http://v
[60]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021725671215575154
[61]: https://www.declassifieduk.org/over-2000-britons-served-for-israel-amid-gaza-genocide/
[62]: mailto:[email protected]
[63]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021729549294154007
[64]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021753739791491208
[65]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021741444268978377
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https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/netanyahu-board-of-peace-pam-bondi-burn-book-house-republicans-mail-in-ballot-election-bill-drop-site-daily

2026-02-11 16:06:25 UTC

Netanyahu meets with Trump at the White House; El Paso airspace quickly reopens; U.S. sends 200 troops to Nigeria
*Israel bombs areas east of Khan Younis. Israel continues to harass Palestinians returning to Gaza. Far-right Israeli bill would [mandate][1] death penalty for Palestinians. FAA closes, then reopens, airspace around El Paso. Justice Department unmasks alleged Epstein co-conspirators. President Donald Trump to meet Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to discuss Iran. Grand jury rejects Trump-backed effort to indict Democratic lawmakers over military dissent video. Trump [weighs][2] second U.S. aircraft carrier deployment to Middle East. Progressive challenger Analilia Mejia [wins][3] Democratic primary in New Jersey special House race. Instagram [suspends][4] AIPAC tracker. Children in Texas ICE family detention [experience][5] fear, illness, and months without school. Footage from Nancy Guthrie’s Nest camera raises privacy concerns. Children [zip-tied][6] during militarized immigration raid at Idaho horse racing venue, lawsuit claims. VP JD Vance’s office [deletes][7] post
referencing Armenian genocide during Armenia visit. U.S. to [deploy][8] 200 troops to train Nigerian forces against Islamist militants. Israeli [strikes][9] hit multiple towns in southern Lebanon. Iranian security chief [holds][10] Oman talks. Erik Prince [deployed][11] private forces in Congo in December to help retake a border city from M23 rebels, according to Reuters. Hungary’s opposition leader [says][12] he learned his sex tape will be released against his will, accusing the ruling party of blackmail. PKK fighters [withdraw][13] from Syria as part of a U.S.-brokered deal reshaping Kurdish forces. Colombia’s president [says][14] helicopter attack was narrowly avoided amid rising political violence. Nine are [killed][15] in a mass shooting at a rural British Columbia high school.
**From Drop Site: Epstein [cultivated][16] genomics, cryptography, and Russian tech networks in an attempt to “hack” human DNA. Palestinian man [sifts][17] rubble for remains of family killed in Gaza City airstrike.***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
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A car carrying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israel bombs east of Khan Younis:** Israeli military attacks on Gaza continued on Wednesday, with air strikes and artillery shelling on areas east of Khan Younis, according to Al Jazeera. In southern Gaza, a Palestinian child was shot and wounded by Israeli gunfire.
* **Casualty counts: **At least five Palestinians were killed and 20 injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 24 hours, while three bodies were recovered from under the rubble. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,045 killed, with 171,686 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 591 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,578, while 730 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Israel continues to harass returnees to Gaza: **At least 41 Palestinians who had sought medical treatment abroad returned to Gaza via the Rafah land crossing on Tuesday. As in previous cases, the returnees were subjected to humiliating searches and interrogations by Israeli troops on their arrival in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.
* **Rafah crossing extremely limited:** Only 102 patients left Gaza in 9 days after Rafah partially reopened. Israel had said 50 patients with two companions each would exit daily (150 total departures), plus 50 daily entries—1,800 total crossings over nine days. Gaza’s Government Media Office released new figures on movement through Rafah from February 2–10 showing that just 488 people crossed, about 27% of the projected movement. Only 102 were patients. Meanwhile, roughly 20,000 people in Gaza are on the WHO-approved list for urgent medical evacuation.
* **Forced displacements in West Bank village:** At least 15 Palestinian families have been forced out of their homes in the village of Deir al-Dik village, west of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, as a result of ongoing settler attacks, according to the Wafa news agency. Meanwhile, Israeli raids have continued across Al-Khalil/Hebron, with several Palestinians suffocating from tear gas fired by Israeli troops, according to Al Jazeera.
* **Israeli court blocks cancer-stricken Palestinian child from entering the country for treatment: **An Israeli court [barred][19] a five-year-old Palestinian boy with aggressive cancer from entering Israel for a life-saving bone marrow transplant, citing a blanket ban on Gaza-registered residents, according to the rights group Gisha. The child has lived in the West Bank since 2022. Gaza officials say cancer deaths have tripled since the war, and the Gaza Health Ministry estimates nearly 1,300 Palestinians have died in Gaza waiting for medical evacuation.
* **Far-right Israeli bill would mandate death penalty for Palestinians: **A draft law authored by the “Jewish Power” party (Otzma Yehudit) would [require][20] execution for Palestinians from the West Bank convicted of deadly “terror” offenses, while allowing Israeli citizens convicted of the same crimes to receive life imprisonment. The bill would also bar commutation for Palestinians and permit the prime minister to delay executions of Israelis.
# U.S. News
* **Netanyahu at the White House: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding talks with President Trump Wednesday morning at the White House primarily focussed on U.S. talks with Iran. Netanyahu had been expected to come to Washington on February 19 for a Board of Peace meeting on Gaza, but reportedly brought forward his visit as the U.S.-Iran talks proceeded.
* **FAA closes, then reopens airspace around El Paso: **The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted all flights to and from El Paso International Airport citing “special security reasons.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a [social media post ][21]the FAA and the War Department “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.”
* **Justice Department unmasks alleged Epstein co-conspirators: **The United States Department of Justice released newly unredacted portions of a 2019 FBI document naming billionaire Les Wexner, Epstein aide Lesley Groff, modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, and convicted trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell as co-conspirators with Epstein, after Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna accused the department of illegally withholding names under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wexner’s name had already appeared thousands of times in the files and that nothing was being hidden, while Wexner’s lawyers said prosecutors previously told him he was neither a target nor a co-conspirator. Four additional names in the document remain redacted, which lawmakers say violates the law’s requirement that only victims’ identities be concealed. **Sen. Ed Markey commented to Drop Site on DOJ’s uneven redactions [here][22].**
* **Grand jury rejects Trump effort to indict Democratic lawmakers:** Federal prosecutors in Washington failed Tuesday to secure indictments against six Democratic lawmakers, after a grand jury refused to take criminal action against them for appearing in a video reminding service members that they can refuse illegal orders. Prosecutors targeted Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Chris Deluzio, seeking to indict them under a statute that bars interference with military morale. In November, Trump threatened to “hang” the lawmakers “immediately” for their “seditious behavior.” Sen. Kelly is still under Pentagon investigation for misconduct related to his comments.
* **Nancy Guthrie’s Nest camera: **On Tuesday, law enforcement released footage from the Nest camera of Nancy Guthrie—the 84-year-old mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie who has been missing for almost two weeks. The retrieval of footage, when Guthrie reportedly did not have a [Google Nest][23] subscription and the camera was previously said to have been “disconnected” is raising surveillance and privacy concerns. On Wednesday, a man who had been detained for questioning and whose home was raided in connection with the investigation was released.
* **Trump weighs second U.S. aircraft carrier deployment to Middle East: **President Donald Trump [told][24] Axios he is considering sending a second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East if negotiations with Iran fail. Trump said Tehran is taking the talks seriously this time and suggested any agreement should go beyond Iran’s nuclear program to include its ballistic missile stockpiles, a position Iran has rejected.
* **Progressive challenger wins Democratic primary in New Jersey special House race:** Analilia Mejia, backed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, officially [won][25] the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 11th House district on Tuesday. Former Representative Tom Malinowski conceded yesterday as Mejia’s lead grew to several hundred votes. Mejia is now the heavy favorite heading into the April 2026 general election against Republican Joe Hathaway. Malinowski also [indicated][26] that if AIPAC tries to back a candidate against Mejia in the June primary (which will determine who gets a full two year term; the April election only fills the seat until January) he will encourage his supporters to vote against that candidate.
* **Instagram suspends AIPAC tracker: **Instagram has [suspended][27] Track AIPAC, the highly popular watchdog project that documents AIPAC’s political spending, citing a violation of Instagram’s intellectual property rules. The account tracks donations to candidates and highlights the lobby’s biggest beneficiaries in Washington.
* **Children in Texas ICE family detention describe fear, illness, and months without school: **Children [held][28] at the Dilley ICE detention center in Texas are experiencing depression, unreliable medical care, and prolonged confinement while missing school, according to a new report from [ProPublica][29]. The facility holds more than 750 families, nearly half of them with children, according to the report. Access to outside observers is tightly restricted.
* **Children zip-tied during militarized immigration raid at Idaho horse racing venue, lawsuit says: **A federal civil rights suit [filed][30] by the American Civil Liberties Union alleges children—including a 14-year-old U.S. citizen—were zip-tied, threatened at gunpoint, and traumatized during an October raid by federal agents and local law enforcement at a community horse racing venue in Wilder, Idaho, according to reporting from CBS News.
* **House progressives introduce legislation to bury Monroe Doctrine: **House progressives led by Nydia Velázquez and Delia Ramirez [introduced][31] the New Good Neighbor Act, a resolution urging Congress to formally end the 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine and replace it with a policy rooted in sovereignty, partnership, and mutual respect with Latin America and the Caribbean. The measure sharply rebukes the Trump administration’s aggressive interventionism, including its recent military operation in Venezuela and the Cuba oil embargo.
* **Vance’s office deletes post referencing Armenian genocide during Armenia visit: **Vice President JD Vance’s office [deleted][32] a social media post Tuesday that described his visit to the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex in Yerevan as honoring victims of the “1915 Armenian genocide.” An aide said the post was made in error by staff and directed reporters to Vance’s remarks calling the events “a very terrible thing” while emphasizing respect for Armenia as a regional partner. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which rejects the genocide designation, has long opposed U.S. recognition; former President Joe Biden formally recognized the genocide in 2021.
* **U.S. to deploy 200 troops to train Nigerian forces against Islamist militants: **The United States is [sending][33] 200 troops to Nigeria to train local forces in counterterrorism operations against Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province, U.S. and Nigerian officials said Tuesday. The deployment will expand a small existing U.S. presence, and Nigerian officials maintain that American forces will not take part in combat. Abuja says it requested the assistance and that cooperation has intensified since Trump’s accusations of government inaction regarding “Christian persecution” in the country.
* **U.S. sanctions Pacific island officials over alleged corruption and Chinese ties: **The Trump administration on Tuesday [announced][34] entry bans to the U.S. against Palau Senate president Hokkons Baules and former Marshall Islands mayor Anderson Jibas and their families, accusing them of “significant corruption” that Washington says might facilitate growing Chinese influence in the Pacific.
* **ICE agent who bit his wife kept on federal payroll: **An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, Mayowa Bonojo, remains employed at the Department of Homeland Security in a non-law enforcement role after he was found liable for a domestic violence incident in which he bit his wife and later lied to supervisors about it, according to documents obtained by Migrant Insider. A review board upheld findings of “conduct unbecoming” of an agent and “lack of candor” but decided he would be reassigned rather than terminated. The case is now being heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; the scoop from at Migrant Insider can be read in full [here][35].
* **AIPAC backs Chicago treasurer in Illinois House race with multimillion-dollar ad blitz: **AIPAC shifted its support in Illinois’s Seventh Congressional District to Chicago city treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, fueling her campaign with a roughly $2.8 million positive ad buy from its super PAC, United Democracy Project, after previously steering donors toward businessman Jason Friedman. The move follows UDP’s recent failure in New Jersey, where its attack ads against former Representative Tom Malinowski helped clear the path for progressive challenger Analilia Mejia, and comes in a crowded Chicago race for the seat now held by the retiring Representative Danny Davis. David Dayen outlines AIPAC’s strategy and recent moves in Illinois in his latest for The American Prospect, available [here][36].
# International News
* **Israeli cross-border strikes hit multiple towns in southern Lebanon: **Israeli forces [carried out][37] artillery fire, drone strikes, and machine-gun attacks across southern Lebanon on Tuesday, targeting towns near the border with Israel, according to a correspondent for Al Manar. Quadcopter drones dropped stun grenades over Houla and Aita al-Shaab, lightly wounding one civilian, while artillery and tank fire struck areas including Yaroun and the coastal waters near Naqoura. A Merkava tank also crossed the Blue Line near Hermon and fired toward Yaroun as drones dropped explosives on a residential home in Blida.
* **UN rights chief warns renewed Tigray fighting could trigger deeper humanitarian crisis: **Volker Türk [said][38] late January clashes in northwest Tigray risk plunging Ethiopia back into the conflict that consumed the country from 2020 to 2022 and urged all sides to immediately de-escalate and pursue political dialogue. He cited reports of drones, artillery, arrests, and civilians being targeted for perceived affiliations. Rival Tigray factions are reportedly fighting near the Afar border. More than one million people are still displaced from the 2020–2022 war.
* **Iranian security chief holds Oman talks:** In parallel to ongoing U.S.-Iran talks in Oman,** **Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, [traveled][39] Tuesday to Oman for high-level meetings with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. Larijani warned U.S. officials not to let Israel shape the framework of the nuclear negotiations ahead of Netanyahu’s White House visit; Oman’s top diplomat also urged restraint and compromise to safeguard peace in the region. Larijani [told][40] Omani state television that negotiations between Iran and the United States have seen “gradual development,” with Tehran prepared to engage further if talks remain realistic and focused on nuclear issues. Larijani also met with Mohammed Abdulsalam of Yemen’s Ansarallah and is expected to continue regional consultations in Qatar on Wednesday.
* **Erik Prince deployed private forces in Congo to help retake border city from M23 rebels: **Erik Prince, the founder of the mercenary company Blackwater and a longtime Trump ally, [sent][41] armed contractors and surveillance drones in December to assist the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in retaking the strategic border city of Uvira from Rwanda-backed M23 fighters, according to reporting from Reuters. The team worked alongside Israeli advisors on the ground involved in training elite Congolese battalions in what Reuters said was Prince’s first known frontline combat role in Congo, though Prince has reportedly worked to secure mineral tax revenues for the government.
* **Venezuela’s oil is reaching Israel under U.S.-managed export system: **A crude oil cargo from Venezuela is en route to Bazan Group, Israel’s biggest refinery, marking the first shipment of Venezuelan crude to Israel in years, Bloomberg reported. The delivery was enabled and facilitated by U.S. control over the country’s petroleum trade, which ultimately decides the destination for the country’s crude. Venezuela’s interim leadership, including acting president Delcy Rodríguez, has publicly condemned Israel’s actions in the Middle East, describing Palestinians as “victims of genocide” and Israel’s conduct as a “policy of extermination,” and criticized the U.S. intervention in Venezuela as having “Zionist undertones.”
* **Hungarian opposition leader says his sex tape will be released, accuses ruling party of blackmail:** Hungary’s opposition leader Peter Magyar [said][42] on Tuesday that a sex tape involving him and a former partner is about to be released, and suggested it reflects a Russian-style blackmail operation by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s embattled government. Acknowledging the relationship while condemning the tactic, Magyar accused the ruling Fidesz party of using personal attacks to cling to power, and added that he will not submit to threats of blackmail.
* **Ukraine preparing for elections and peace deal referendum**: Under U.S. pressure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is reportedly preparing to announce spring elections as well as a referendum on a peace deal with Russia, FT reports. The announcement is expected by February 24, marking four years since the start of the war. The U.S. has reportedly demanded a June target for a negotiated conclusion to the war, amid Moscow’s continued demand that Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas in any deal, a condition that Kyiv rejects.
* **PKK fighters withdrawn from Syria as part of U.S.-brokered deal reshaping Kurdish forces: **At least 100 non-Syrian militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party have [crossed][43] from Syria into Iraq’s Kurdistan Region and relocated to the Qandil Mountains, as part of an integration deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the interim government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, sources told Al-Monitor. The transfers followed talks involving Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and SDF commander Mazlum Kobane, and helped ease Turkish opposition to allowing the SDF to retain four brigades under Syria’s national army.
* **Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa placed under house arrest after a brief release: **Juan Pablo Guanipa, a prominent opposition figure and close ally of María Corina Machado, is under house arrest in Maracaibo after being freed from jail and then recaptured shortly afterward, his son Ramon Guanipa told [Reuters][44] Tuesday. Guanipa, who was jailed for more than eight months on terrorism-related charges, had been released on Sunday as part of a series of prisoner releases that the U.S. pressured the new Venezuelan government to undertake, but was seized on Tuesday and reportedly rearrested for allegedly violating the terms of his release.
* **Colombia’s president says helicopter attack was narrowly avoided amid rising political violence: **President Gustavo Petro [said][45] Tuesday that an apparent assassination attempt forced him to divert the helicopter in which he was traveling with his daughters along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, after security officials warned him that gunmen were preparing to fire on the aircraft. In comments reported by Radio Nacional de Colombia, Petro said landing sites were left dark and his flight was redirected out to sea with naval support, adding that the threat fits a pattern of alleged plots by drug traffickers since he took office. The incident comes amid escalating violence ahead of national elections and the brief kidnapping of Senator Aida Quilcue in Cauca, a conflict-hit region where armed groups linked to former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia factions remain active; she and her bodyguards were later freed unharmed.
* **Nine killed in Canadian school shooting: **Nine people were [killed][46] in a mass shooting in the rural Canadian community of Tumbler Ridge. Six victims were found dead inside Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, one died en route to the hospital, and two more were discovered in a nearby home. Police said the suspected shooter was also found dead inside the school from a self-inflicted injury. The current death toll would make this the third deadliest school shooting in Canadian history.
* **Australia seeks charges over 2024 Israeli airstrike on World Food Kitchen aid convoy:** Australia is demanding criminal charges over a 2024 Israeli airstrike on a World Food Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza that killed seven people, including an Australian aid worker, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday. Albanese said he conveyed the request to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is visiting Australia, during a meeting earlier in the day. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Sydney on Monday to protest Herzog’s visit. Sydney police were widely accused of using excessive force, including punching and attacking protesters and using pepper spray. At least 27 people were arrested.
# More from Drop Site
* **Epstein cultivated genomics, cryptography, and Russian tech networks in attempt to “hack” human DNA: **Financier Jeffrey Epstein poured money into elite U.S. research hubs like Massachusetts Institute of Technology while it partnered with Russia’s state-backed Skolkovo complex run by billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, backing projects including CRISPR gene-editing, cryptography, and AI-linked biotechnology. Emails released by the U.S. Justice Department show Epstein actively recruiting intelligence-linked hackers and scientists to apply signals intelligence methods to biology, seeking to decode intercellular communication and even alter his own genome for longevity. Framing genetics as a “codebreaking” problem, Epstein wrote that he wanted “to intercept communication between living cells in organisms,” highlighting his long-standing obsession with merging surveillance-style cryptography and human biology. **The full report from Ryan Grim, Murtaza Hussain, and Emily Jashinsky can be
read [here][47].**
* **Palestinian man sifts rubble for remains of family killed in Gaza City airstrike: **In Gaza City, Abu Ismail Hammad has spent months digging beneath his destroyed home in the Sabra neighborhood to recover the remains of his family, killed in an Israeli airstrike on December 6, 2023, less than two months into Israel’s assault on Gaza. Using a flour sifter to separate bone fragments from sand, Hammad said he located his pregnant wife by the room where her remains and those of their unborn child were found: “Today, I am using it to collect the bones of my wife and children… bone by bone, one by one.” His search reflects a wider crisis as tens of thousands of Palestinians remain buried under rubble, while equipment restrictions and limited forensic capacity leave families relying on primitive methods to identify the dead. **Abdel Qader Sabbah’s latest dispatch from Gaza is available [here][48].**
* **Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke with Drop Site’s Julian Andreone about **the case of Leqaa Kordia—a New Jersey resident who, after participating in a pro-Palestine protest almost a year ago, has been held in ICE detention and recently suffered a seizure, though she has been denied contact with her family and returned to detention after receiving medical care. **Their conversation is available [here][49].**
* **Drop Site correspondent Julian Andreone asked Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) **to explain why he traded up to $50,000 in Conoco Phillips, Chevron, and Raytheon stocks just days before the Trump administration’s unconstitutional operation to take custody of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and turn over Venezuela’s more than $17 trillion of oil reserves to American oil and gas companies. The senator said the information is “on public record,” and directed Andreone to review his disclosures and ethics reports. The senator has yielded 15-20% returns on his Conoco and Chevron trades, and 3.71% on his Raytheon trade. During his time in Congress, he has bought or sold $23.68 million worth of stocks in a total of 492 trades.** Andreone’s conversation with Mullin is available [here][50].**
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2026-02-10 21:42:47 UTC

Jeffrey Epstein Recruited NSA Codebreakers for Genome “Manhattan Project”
In the decade before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. and Russia were engaged in high-stakes exchanges of advanced technology involving the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Skolkovo Innovation Center—a Russian government-backed technology hub that aimed to jump-start a “venture” innovation ecosystem in Moscow.
Jeffrey Epstein sat at the crossroads of academia, philanthropy, and venture finance as these global capital flows were threatened by the brewing confrontation in Ukraine.
In 2013, during the early cryptocurrency boom, Epstein sought an audience with Vladimir Putin to encourage the Russian president to shift course from the MIT–Skolkovo model. Instead of playing “catch up” with the United States through venture-backed startups, Epstein proposed, Russia could help lead a new financial system based on a novel global currency.
Epstein funded the [early development][1] of cryptocurrency through the MIT Digital Currency Initiative, founded in 2015. MIT’s Bitcoin Core Development Fund helped pay bitcoin’s early developers to maintain the open-source software authored by Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoin’s anonymous inventor. Epstein was an [early investor][2] in Coinbase, and he was friends with Brock Pierce, the co-founder of U.S. dollar stablecoin company Tether, which operates, in effect, the world’s largest crypto bank.
Epstein was also recruiting cryptographers to a more ambitious project: hacking the human genome. In an email to a redacted recipient in August 2012, Epstein wrote, “My biology gurus at harvard all agree that the signal intelligence used by the various agencies , could be put to work on breaking the dna code or protein signal problems. breaking foreign codes is the expertise of the us and nsa.” Epstein prompted the recipient to help him recruit “code breakers” from the various intelligence agencies: “it would be great to know which agency button to push.”
In [an interview][3] with Steve Bannon months before his death, Epstein revealed that he had purchased a property in New Mexico—the Zorro Ranch—as a research facility to attract the nation’s top scientists from the former “Manhattan Project” campus in nearby Los Alamos after the U.S. government cut funding for high-energy physics at the end of the Cold War. “In our world, the physical world, there were things that were just unexplainable,” he told Bannon. “I wanted to see if we could build tools so others smarter than me could help investigate it.”
The millions of documents published by the Justice Department last month reveal Epstein’s disturbing fascination with eugenic science, expressed through research linked to the intelligence services of multiple governments. Epstein covertly negotiated access to dangerous and ethically dubious technology, between financial elites, often alluding to grand ambitions for reshaping both the human genome and the world order.
Drop Site News has spent the past several months exposing Epstein’s ties to U.S. and Israeli intelligence. **[Our full series is available here.][4]** We also partnered with Jmail in their effort to make the full Epstein files accessible and searchable. View the archive at **[https://jmail.world/][5]**.
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*From left, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, and Boris Nikolic. Photograph found in Epstein’s New York mansion, date unknown.*
# **Jeffrey Epstein Recruited NSA Codebreakers for Genome “Manhattan Project”**
***The financier pursued cryptographers to “hack” the genetic code, and develop “new signals intelligence” to understand inter-cellular communication.***
In January 2010, Ilya Ponomarev, a member of the Duma—the Russian parliament— helped arrange a visit to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by a group of senior Russian officials. He told a Latvia-based outlet he was in Boston to explore [cooperation][9] between Russian and American startups.
Vladislav Surkov, deputy of then-President Dmitry Medvedev, was part of the delegation. At the time, Surkov was seeking to develop the “[second leg][10]” of a managed multiparty system to counter-balance Putin’s dominant United Russia Party. After the visit, Surkov asked Ponomarev, a popular member of A Just Russia, the controlled opposition party, to become a “technology transfer” advisor for Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian-Israeli billionaire.
Vekselberg, owner of the conglomerate Renova Group, was in charge of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, dubbed Moscow’s “Silicon Valley,” a high-tech business district subsidized by Russian state-owned enterprises and administered by the non-profit Skolkovo Foundation.
With Ponomarev’s help, Vekselberg established the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, or “Skoltech,” a $300 million [research partnership][11] paid by the Skolkovo Foundation to MIT. MIT and Skolkovo share profits and royalties from the partnership, which includes intellectual property related to CRISPR gene-editing technology. Skoltech supported research on [RNA-targeting methods][12] using CRISPR, and also [owns rights][13] to diagnostic technology based on the same [RNA-targeting effector][14].
*Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, right; Li Keqiang, former Chinese premier, center; and President of Skolkovo foundation Viktor Vekselberg, left, visit the Skolkovo facility in Moscow. Photo: Wikimedia Commons*
Like many of his ultra-wealthy peers, Jeffrey Epstein was fascinated by gene therapy and life-extension technology. He once suggested to news anchor Katie Couric—to her shock and disgust—that he even planned to [clone himself][15]. But his interest in genomics was more than a passing fancy; it was an enduring obsession during the final decades of his life.
In December 2006, before Epstein was jailed for prostitution of a minor in Palm Beach, Ghislaine Maxwell invited Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his then-girlfriend Anne Wojcicki to Epstein’s Little St. James Island, according to emails in Epstein’s hacked Yahoo! inbox vetted and published by Distributed Denial of Secrets. Wojcicki had founded a personal genomics startup called 23andMe, and Maxwell encouraged Epstein to cultivate a relationship with her. “Be v nice to her not stupid,” Maxwell wrote. “She is interested in mapping DNA etc ..she is key :)”
*Email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell regarding Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki’s visit to Little St. James. Source: DDoS. View on [Jmail][16].*
That same year, Epstein had been in [contact][17] with leading Harvard geneticists George Church and Gary B. Ruvkun, who won a Nobel Prize in 2024 for his research into micro RNA. Epstein planned to fund Church’s Personal Genome Project at Harvard, and Ruvkun sought Epstein’s support for genomics research to elucidate “pleasure signals in the brain.” Ruvkun wrote to Stephen Kosslyn, later Harvard’s Social Science Dean, “let me know if this subject is too strange for our patron.” The correspondence was forwarded to Epstein, who wrote back, “[the patron has no boundaries][18].”
After Epstein’s release from prison on sex crime charges in 2010, he began [funding][19] Church’s CRISPR gene-editing research. In November 2011, Church stirred some controversy by telling an interviewer that he hoped to [clone a Neanderthal][20].
Epstein wrote to Church a few weeks later, after the scientist declined an invitation to an event, “did the cloning issue , give you pause?” Church replied, “Yes. I’m working toward this goal fairly rapidly but trying to do so in a way that minimizes risk to the field.”
“Why don’t you come and i won’t mention it,” Epstein coaxed him. “I just find it intellectually amusing.” Church did not reply to request for comment.
*Email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and George Church, likely referring to MIT scientists Marvin Minsky and Martin Nowak, whose research was funded by Epstein. Source: [U.S. Department of Justice][21].*
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## **“Find Me The Top Hacker”**
Epstein’s interest in gene-editing was not purely intellectual; it was personal. Joe Thakuria, Church’s Harvard Medical School colleague, helped Epstein conduct research on his own genome. In June 2014, Thakuria sent Epstein a $193,400 [invoice][23] for a [package deal][24] to mutate his adult stem cells “to increase longevity,” noting that “If we do this, he, like George Church, would be one of very few people in the world to have this done.” Later that year, Epstein tried to arrange a meeting between Church and Bill Gates to discuss “anti aging” and “[genetic fabrication][25].”
MIT received [millions of dollars][26] in donations directed by Epstein to support pet projects that happened to closely intersect the frontier research conducted under the Skoltech partnership.
Epstein gave his first gift to the MIT Media Lab in 2002, to fund the research of artificial intelligence pioneer Marvin Minsky. Over the next decade, Epstein gave [several large gifts][27] to Seth Lloyd, a quantum computing researcher [featured at][28] the Russian Quantum Center in Skolkovo, who co-authored [papers][29] with Skoltech-funded researchers.
Microsoft, the technology conglomerate of which Bill Gates is a founder and major shareholder, also had formal ties to Skolkovo. In 2010, Viktor Vekselberg and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer signed a [memorandum][30] in Moscow to begin “a wide-ranging series of collaborative initiatives that will underpin the Russian Federation’s technology innovation agenda,” later opening an [R&D center][31] at the Skolkovo Innovation Center.
Skolkovo was one of several foreign funders of the MIT Media Lab, led by Epstein’s close friend Joi Ito. The Skolkovo partnership funded research grants for high-profile principal investigators like Chilean physicist [César Hidalgo][32] and [Neri Oxman][33], hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s wife, whose research Epstein had [personally backed][34].
Epstein was also supporting the work of Madars Virza, a Latvian research scientist working on cryptocurrency at the Media Lab. In 2011, the Skolkovo Foundation [funded][35] Virza and Israeli scientist Eli Ben-Sasson’s research on Zerocash, a design for an anonymous cryptocurrency based on “zero-knowledge” cryptographic proofs—also backed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
In emails released by the Justice Department last month, Epstein [discussed][36] the cryptographic theory behind Zerocash with Italian hacker Vincenzo Iozzo, “ZeroCash…is essentially a ‘privacy preserving’ version of Bitcoin,” Iozzo wrote to Epstein. “If we use...similar [zero knowledge proofs] for our currency, we can enforce arbitrary rules on how the currency is spent.” Epstein invested in Ben-Sasson and Virza’s Electric Coin Company, to create the Zcash blockchain based on their research. Later, Epstein helped Virza make a [bank transfer in the Virgin Islands][37] before a “[fork][38]” in the Zcash code. Virza did not reply to request for comment.
Epstein’s interests in genes and cryptocurrency were deeply intertwined. He regarded the human genome as a cryptographic puzzle, and wanted to “hack” the genetic code.
As early as December 2009, Epstein [reached out][39] to Daniel Dubno, a CBS News producer who previously worked with DARPA and the Department of Homeland Security, to “find me the top hacker codebreaker, nsa type,” to assist in analysis of proteins.
That month, Epstein contacted MIT parallel computing pioneer Danny Hillis with the same request: “i am looking for nsa quality code theorist. biology at every level involves a host of Alice and Bob interactions, authentication, signnal processing. Noisy channels.” (In cryptographic theory, Alice and Bob are common placeholders for two parties trying to communicate with each other.)
In his messages to Hillis, Epstein seemed somewhat conversant in the frontier methods in artificial intelligence research at the time, writing, “THe math gets quite complicated. algebraic topologists ,sometimes look at the intersections in multidimensional spaces,” referring to the practice of representing a high-dimensional object as a collection of overlapping regions, then studying the pattern of their intersections.
Dubno followed up with Epstein a few months later, to inform him about [a crypto workshop][40] he was planning, with some promising recruits. “A bunch of Israeli hackers are in this with me as well as the chief disruption officer at Darpa, Dr. Peter Lee,” Dubno wrote. He added, “I’d design this so you’d get your questions answered if you’d help me get mine.” Epstein replied, “Im in.” Dubno visited Epstein’s island within a matter of days. Hillis and Dubno did not reply to requests for comment.
For the next decade, Epstein continued to recruit engineers from U.S. national security entities, [including DARPA][41], to his genome hacking project. He asked Kathryn Ruemmler, the White House attorney who had handled the legal fallout from the Edward Snowden leaks, to help him source cryptographers from the National Security Agency. “Can you find a guy from nsa that can think about signal intelligence applied to DNA,” Epstein wrote . “I want to intercept communication between living cells in organisms.”
In late 2012, he had sent the same request to Boris Nikolic, Bill Gates’ top aide: “do you have any contacts at nsa so that we can use de encypriton (sic) in biological systems?” “Yes,” Nikolic replied, “There are no many places where I do not have someone ;)”
## **“A New Form Of Money”**
Despite an auspicious start, the partnership between MIT and Skolkovo came under strain in 2012, caught between rising tensions between Washington and Moscow, and an increasingly restrictive political climate within Russia itself.
That year, major street protests broke out in Moscow and St. Petersburg against the Russian government. In response to the demonstrations, Putin accused the U.S. of fomenting unrest, and his foreign minister [claimed][42] the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was attempting to influence Russia’s elections through “pro-democracy” non-profit and non-governmental organizations.
USAID was funding a major Russian civil society organization to conduct election monitoring, documenting allegations of voter fraud that fueled the protests. Ponomarev—now seen as a liberal opponent of the government—did not have public ties to USAID, which was a close partner of the Gates Foundation. Even so, as concerns mounted over his safety inside Russia, Nikolic, Gates’ science and technology advisor, quietly sought Epstein’s help to protect him.
In an email dated January 11, 2012, Nikolic [asked][43] Epstein to travel with him to Russia to meet Ponomarev. Nikolic forwarded a message from Ponomarev requesting an invitation to speak at the World Economic Forum that year “so that not only official Putin’s voice is heard.”
“He is a member of Duma,” Nikolic explained to Epstein, “and he and Alyona (his very smart and cute girlfriend) are the main organizer of the uprising against Putin…I am afraid what will happened to him. The stakes are huge.”
Nikolic believed that Ponomarev was in imminent danger. “He might replace Putin and become a president by himself (he will sooner or later) if he does not [get] killed before. It is super dangerous - any idea how to help him???” Nikolic signed off, “Pls do not forward this email.”
*Nikolic invites Epstein to Russia to meet Putin rival Ilya Ponomarev*. *Source: U.S. Department of Justice.*
The documents do not show whether Epstein responded, or if he acted on Nikolic’s email at all. Ponomarev did not speak at Davos that year. As Nikolic had warned, Ponomarev’s status in Russia quickly became more precarious. After Putin’s return in May 2012, Ponomarev [led a failed filibuster][44] to stall a bill drastically increasing penalties for participating in protests. In June 2012, Nikolic sent another message encouraging Epstein to build a relationship with Ponomarev, writing, “It is somewhat dangerous for me to spend more time with him. But I think it is worth it.”
The next month, the Russian government adopted a new “[foreign agents][45]” framework for foreign-funded NGOs, restricting the activities of civil society organizations. In September 2012, USAID was [banned from Russia][46].
The MIT-Skolkovo partnership became a political flashpoint as the Kremlin moved to contain Ponomarev. In March 2013, Ponomarev [resigned][47] from his political party, A Just Russia, after being [forced][48] to break with the protest movement. Ponomarev and other high-profile figures connected to Skolkovo were investigated [for suspected embezzlement][49], and a Moscow court ordered Ponomarev to [pay back][50] his lecture fees from Skolkovo.
The same month that Ponomarev was separating from his political party in Russia, Ehud Barak stepped down as head of Israel’s Defense Ministry. With Epstein’s help, Barak quickly negotiated a lucrative consulting agreement with Renova Group—the conglomerate owned by Vekselberg, the billionaire head of Skolkovo.
Barak told reporters that his retirement meant that he now would have time to “study, write, live and enjoy.” Instead, he immediately began working with Epstein to conduct covert diplomatic work in support of Israeli security interests abroad. One of their first priorities was securing a [private meeting with Vladimir Putin to discuss a Russian-led resolution to the civil war in Syria, and the peaceful removal of President Bashar al-Assad from power.][51]
Epstein offered Barak a strategy he often employed: using non-governmental multilateral institutions to engage state leaders through backchannels. Within days of Barak’s retirement, on March 27, 2013, Epstein and Bill Gates visited Thorbjorn Jagland, a member of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, accompanied by representatives of the International Peace Institute (IPI), a non-profit think tank specializing in multilateral diplomacy.
Barak and Epstein were simultaneously using the IPI to cut a [security deal for Israel in Mongolia][52], in hopes of accessing mining interests in that country. Barak traveled to Ulaanbataar in late April 2013, and emailed Vekselberg to set up an urgent phone call: “met with most of the leaders from the President downwards and several business people. If your plans for Tuesday [have] not been changed I have a thought that could probably help.” That Tuesday, Vekselberg and Putin [attended][53] a meeting for the Board of Trustees of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg.
*From left, Bill Gates, Terje Rød-Larsen, Jeffrey Epstein, Boris Nikolic, Thorbjorn Jagland. Source: U.S. Department of Justice.*
On May 9, 2013, Epstein updated Barak on his efforts to engage Putin through Jagland: “jagland is going to see putin in sochi, jagland asked that I make myself availble to meet with him sometine in june, to explain how russia can structure deals in order to encourage western investment.” Barak wrote back: “i know Jagland for long time. probably we have to talk about it.”
The next day, Epstein laid out his proposal for Putin, [in a May 10 email][54] to Jagland: “When sputnik was announced, the West was caught flatfooted. The same can now happen with Russia taking the lead in finance.” Epstein suggested that Putin was chasing the wrong modernization model, “copying silicon valley, looking for start ups, playing catch up to Microsoft . apple google and the like.”
In place of the “Skoltech” model, Epstein wanted to offer Putin an alternate path: Russia could “get out in front and leapfrog the global community by reinventing the financial system of the 21st century.”
The American financier proposed a framework for a new global currency: “A new form of money, on a world wide basis… much larger than any single project envisioned by any govt. and at its core not really that difficult to bring to fruition.”
Jagland had no clue what Epstein was talking about. “Hi Jeffrey, all this is not easy for me to explain to Putin,” he wrote. “You have to do it. My job is to get a meeting with him.”
Epstein dialed back the message for Putin, writing, “You can tell him that you and I are close, and that i advise Gates. this is confidential, . I would be happy to meet him , but for a minimum of two to three hours, not shorter.”
*Email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Thorbjorn Jagland. Source: [U.S. Department of Justice][55].*
Jagland’s pitch to Putin appears to have worked. On May 22, 2013, Epstein claimed to Barak that he’d received, and rejected, an invitation to meet with Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum the next month: “Putin asked that i meet him in st petersburg the same time as his economic conference…i told him no, . If he wants to meet he will need to set aside real time and privacy.”
But, with [close guidance][56] from Epstein behind the scenes, Barak finally met Putin in late June 2013, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
## **“Access Remote Parts of Africa”**
On August 6, 2013, the Kremlin [extended][57] Skolkovo’s funding through 2020, reversing the prior decision to gut the program. Barak and Epstein swiftly found an opportunity to profit from the Kremlin’s decision, making use of Epstein’s connection to the Gates Foundation.
Shortly after returning from St. Petersburg, Barak joined the advisory board of Parasight, an [Israeli biotech company][58] in the Skolkovo Innovation Center, which was developing technology to detect malaria in blood samples using computer vision AI. On August 10, 2013, Epstein connected Barak to Nikolic to get support for Parasight (now called Sight Diagnostics) from the Gates Foundation. Nikolic’s invitation to Barak appears in both the hacked dataset published by Distributed Denial of Secrets and the DOJ release last month, further corroborating the authenticity of the hacked Barak email cache.
Nikolic made plans to meet Barak in New York during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in late September 2013. Nikolic [wrote][59] Barak: “I will be in NYC that whole week and I look forward to seeing you and catching up – most likely at Jeffrey’s – it is more interesting there than at CGI ;)”
Like most of the startups advised by Barak, Parasight’s roots were in Israeli military research units. Parasight co-founder Yossi Pollak is an alumnus of Talpiot, an elite Israeli Defense Forces science and technology program; Sarah Levy, a founding engineer and eventual chief technology officer, is also a Talpiot graduate and [veteran of Unit 81][60], the secretive special technology unit of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate.
Barak’s point man on the Parasight project was his brother-in-law and business partner Doron Cohen, who served under Barak in Sayeret Matkal, the Israel Defense Forces’ elite special operations unit. Cohen and Barak were working together, in secret, on a [security deal][61] between Israel and the West African nation of Ivory Coast. In parallel, Epstein was shepherding the Gates Foundation into Ivory Coast, leveraging his close relationship with Nina Keita, the niece of President Alassane Ouattara; he tried to coordinate [a meeting][62] between Ouattara, Keita, and Gates on September 16, 2013, before the U.N. General Assembly that week.
Barak met Nikolic at Epstein’s mansion on September 20, 2013, and Barak introduced Nikolic to Parasight co-founder Daniel Levner via email. Levner later conveyed Nikolic’s feedback on next steps with the Gates Foundation: “Dr. Nikolic’s view is that the Gates Foundation’s driver in choosing technologies is the ability to access remote parts of Africa.”
Two months later, in November 2013, Barak received an email from Parasight’s founders asking for Vekselberg’s support for additional grant funding from Skolkovo. Barak discussed on the phone with Cohen, and one week later, the grant application was approved: Skolkovo pledged an additional $2.5 million to Parasight, on the condition that Parasight put $1.25 million of its own money into a new Russian entity.
Sight Diagnostics later [developed][63] portable malaria detection in collaboration with the U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate at Kisumu field station in Kenya, where the army runs programs for the U.S. Presidents’ Malaria Initiative, a [USAID-led][64] partner of the Gates Foundation. Drop Site was unable to confirm if Gates Foundation was directly involved in the Kenya trial. The Foundation, Nikolic, and Ponomarev did not respond to requests for comment.
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## **“Designer Babies”**
The files released by the U.S. Justice Department and House Oversight Committee have shown Epstein deeply preoccupied with theories of [racial and genetic superiority][65]. In an anonymous essay recovered from Epstein’s files, titled “Africa, parasites, intelligence,” the writer mused that “For Africa, the environmental factor is parasites—disease—known to exert a strong negative effect on intelligence.” “And what is special about Jewish intelligence?” the author asked. “Surely it is that it emerged in mercantile settings, natural home of numbers, logic and mathematics.”
Calculations about the long-term viability of the Israeli state, and anxieties about the demographics of its Jewish population, formed a backdrop to Epstein and Barak’s engagement with Putin. In the last years of Epstein’s life, Barak shared [grave concerns][66] with Epstein about Israel’s looming demographic crisis. During a dinner at Epstein’s New York mansion in February 2013, Barak told former Obama economic adviser Larry Summers that Israel needs to solve its Jewish population shortage “before it’s too late” and stop “the slippery slope to a one state nation … with an Arab majority.”
Barak believed the best hope for Israel’s future was allowing for conversion into Judaism to promote migration, by breaking the orthodox Rabbinate’s authority to [define who is a “Jew.”][67] “Open the gates for massive conversion to Judaism,” Barak said. “It’s a successful country, many will apply.”
Russian migration had been essential to Israel’s past success, and Barak hoped to repeat the pattern: “The Russian million changed Israel dramatically. Many would prefer to be Jews rather than Russians. Lots of young people, including women. We can easily absorb another million.” He proposed restricting migration from Arab and North African countries, telling Epstein and Summers, “We can control the quality much more effectively, much more than the founding fathers of Israel did. They took whatever came just to save people. Now, we can be more selective.”
As the relationship between the U.S. and Russia continued to deteriorate over the subsequent decade, Israel was forced to manage an increasingly tenuous balancing act between the two great powers. Epstein himself took a quiet interest in Russia’s growing conflict with Ukraine and NATO. On March 13, 2014, three days before a referendum on whether Crimea should join Russia, Epstein wrote to his broker at Deutsche Bank, “let’s play,” and instructed her to place a $250,000 bet against the Russian ruble. By the end of the year, the ruble had lost nearly 50 percent of its value relative to the U.S. dollar.
After the referendum, on March 18, Epstein messaged Ariane de Rothschild and her senior advisor Olivier Colom, a former aide to Nicolas Sarkozy and expert in the African mining industry: “ukraine upheaval should provide many opportunites , many.”
*Email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Ariane de Rothschild. Source: [U.S. Department of Justice][68].*
On March 20, 2014, Ilya Ponomarev was the [sole “no” vote][69] in the Duma on Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He was vilified in Russian state media, and placed on a billboard in the center of Moscow which labelled him as a “[national traitor][70].” Ponomarev [fled][71] to the United States soon after.
The next year, in June 2015, Epstein [asked for Nikolic’s help][72] obtaining asylum for a Russian woman whose name is redacted in the emails. Nikolic offered to introduce her to Ponomarev. “He knows most of leadership of LGBT community in Russia and has helped such application for asylum in USA in past,” Nikolic wrote, adding, “He will help.”
By this time, Nikolic had departed the Gates Foundation, and was helping steer major private capital into the gene-editing boom. In August 2015, Epstein’s Deutsche Bank banker, Paul Morris, [forwarded a write-up][73] on the CRISPR startup Editas Medicine, highlighting a $120 million funding round led by Nikolic.
In the final year before his death, Epstein supported a [bio-lab][74] in Ukraine for the production of “[designer babies][75],” led by hacker Bryan Bishop. On July 21, 2018, Epstein [wrote to Bishop][76], “i have no issue with investing the problem is only if i am seen to lead.” Bishop [wrote back][77], “I have always envisioned there would be anonymity requirements about babies– we can’t publicly identify who these are or their parents or benefactors, it would brand the child as (essentially, and sadly) a freak for life in the media.”
Bishop planned to brainstorm with Epstein about ways to [protect the anonymity][78] of all persons involved. “I had always assumed the investor would need absolute anonymity, for these kinds of products,” Bishop wrote. “So the financial structure needs to be designed with these details in mind.”
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian state media began spreading a “[conspiracy theory][79]” that the United States was operating secret military biological experiments to create “monster” soldiers in Ukraine. U.S. and Ukrainian officials [categorically denied][80] the allegations.
As the war unfolded, Ilya Ponomarev became a leader of the Freedom of Russia Legion, a volunteer militia of Russian defectors fighting for Ukraine, and joined the Congress of People’s Deputies, a shadow parliament of Russian opposition figures.
In 2019, a redacted sender [wrote][81] to Epstein regarding another vocal critic of Putin, Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy. “[Zelensky looking for help][82],” the person wrote, “Putin dismissive, saying he is run by Israelis.” According to Epstein’s calendar, he [planned][83] to stay at the Hyatt Regency in Kyiv in February, one month before the first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections. In another message, Epstein received a link to a May 2019 [New York Times article][84] on Ihor Kolomoisky, Zelenskyy’s Ukrainian-born, Israeli backer. Epstein wrote back, “I’m following the situation. Lot of fun.”
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[1]: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/09/jeffrey-epstein-crypto
[2]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/02/03/epstein-files-coinbase-silicon-valley/
[3]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIH1kvRU0qI
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/s/epstein-and-israel
[5]: https://jmail.world/
[6]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[7]: https://givebutter.com/support-dropsite
[8]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[9]: https://meduza.io/feature/2019/09/20/chelovek-s-trezubtsem
[10]: https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2011/july/two-party-politics-russian-style
[11]: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/russia-teams-with-mit-on-skolkovo-institute-of-science-and-technology/2013/05/09/54b31e9c-b5da-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html
[12]: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5127784/
[13]: http://news.mit.edu/2019/license-sherlock-diagnostic-crispr-0321
[14]: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-021-00822-w
[15]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00432827.pdf
[16]: https://jmail.world/thread/aaf5736aa6029c8c83ed76ab50efe501?view=inbox
[17]: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/30/epstein-harvard-emails-bloomberg/
[18]: https://jmail.world/thread/6bc3cd1e8416102e0a3a10df7f0d0fbf?view=inbox
[19]: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/9/30/epstein-harvard-emails-bloomberg/
[20]: https://www.genengnews.com/news/gen-archives-concerns-over-the-cloning-of-a-neanderthal/
[21]: https://www.jmail.world/thread/EFTA02546529?view=inbox
[22]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[23]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/06/politics/jeffrey-epstein-genetic-test-joseph-thakuria-harvard
[24]: https://jmail.world/drive/EFTA02698643
[25]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00997773-pdf
[26]: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-an-elite-university-research-center-concealed-its-relationship-with-jeffrey-epstein
[27]: https://www.vice.com/en/article/students-are-demanding-mit-fire-a-professor-who-visited-epstein-in-prison/
[28]: https://www.eetimes.com/russia-pioneering-quantum-technologies/
[29]: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1611.09347
[30]: https://news.microsoft.com/source/2010/11/01/skolkovo-fund-and-microsoft-sign-memorandum-of-understanding/
[31]: https://www.rbth.com/articles/2012/05/22/microsoft_opens_randd_center_at_skolkovo_15687.html
[32]: https://skoltech.mit.edu/collaborative-projects/seed-funds/year-2-seed-fund-grants
[33]: https://skoltech.mit.edu/collaborative-projects/seed-funds/year-3-seed-fund-grants
[34]: https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/sites/default/files/20200121GoodwinProcterReport.pdf
[35]: http://zerocash-project.org/media/pdf/zerocash-extended-20140518.pdf
[36]: https://www.jmail.world/thread/EFTA02587613?view=inbox
[37]: https://www.jmail.world/thread/EFTA02469106?view=inbox
[38]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00842748.pdf
[39]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA02433034?view=inbox
[40]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00761906-pdf?view=inbox
[41]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00928099-pdf?view=inbox
[42]: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/putin-critics-hit-back-over-charge-of-western-funding-idUSTRE7BC101/
[43]: https://www.jmail.world/thread/EFTA02549251?view=inbox
[44]: https://imrussia.org/en/politics/308-three-is-too-many-russian-duma-roots-out-dissenters
[45]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2012/7/18/russia-parliament-passes-foreign-agents-law
[46]: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/moscow-forces-us-to-close-down-its-aid-mission-in-russia-idUSBRE88H11F/
[47]: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/gudkov-badkov-how-a-russian-parliamentarians-trip-to-america-rattled-the-kremlin/274337/
[48]: https://imrussia.org/en/politics/377-back-on-the-leash-the-end-for-a-just-russia
[49]: https://www.occrp.org/en/news/russia-former-lawmaker-charged-with-embezzlement
[50]: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/gudkov-badkov-how-a-russian-parliamentarians-trip-to-america-rattled-the-kremlin/274337/
[51]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-ehud-barak-putin-israel-russia-syria-war-depose-assad
[52]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-ehud-barak-leaked-emails-mongolia-security-deal
[53]: https://rgo.ru/activity/redaction/news/zasedanie-popechitelskogo-soveta-rgo-30-aprelya-2013-goda-sankt-peterburg/
[54]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01972089.pdf
[55]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00960647.pdf
[56]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4kgxxOG3y0
[57]: https://www.rbth.com/science_and_tech/2013/08/05/government_extends_skolkovo_funding_through_2020_28685.html
[58]: https://www.rbth.com/articles/2012/06/26/skolkovo_reaches_a_magic_number_15991.html
[59]: https://www.jmail.world/thread/ad7e2e222de8b58f3129eb4a48566f8b?view=inbox
[60]: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctec/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3886512%2C00.html
[61]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-israel-surveillance-state-cote-d-ivoire-ehud-barak-leaked-emails
[62]: https://www.jmail.world/thread/EFTA02575198
[63]: https://usamrukenya.org/
[64]: https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/php/public-health-strategy/global-activities.html
[65]: https://www.ms.now/news/epstein-emailed-with-silicon-valley-elites-about-racist-eugenicist-ideas
[66]: http://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryluimlpzg
[67]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/6/what-barak-epstein-audio-says-about-israeli-controlling-demographics
[68]: https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00870649.pdf
[69]: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/russian-deputy-isolated-after-opposing-crimea-annexation-idUSBREA2O177/
[70]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jackson-diehl-ilya-ponomarev-stands-alone-against-the-putin-agenda/2014/06/08/09b193ec-ecc5-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html
[71]: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/09/04/opposition-lawmaker-wont-return-to-russia-until-travel-ban-is-lifted-a39068
[72]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA02360267?view=inbox
[73]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta00635886-pdf?view=inbox
[74]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA02625362?view=inbox
[75]: https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/02/01/239624/the-transhumanist-diy-designer-baby-funded-with-bitcoin/
[76]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta01004801-pdf?view=inbox
[77]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta01004904-pdf?view=inbox
[78]: https://jmail.world/thread/vol00009-efta01004904-pdf?view=inbox
[79]: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/russian-war-report-russia-accuses-ukraine-of-creating-monster-troops-in-biolabs/#Russia-accuses-Ukraine-of-creating-monster-troops-in-biolabs
[80]: https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-demands-us-explain-biological-programme-ukraine-2022-03-09/
[81]: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/new-epstein-documents-include-discussion-of-russian-leadership-with-mentions-of-ukraines-zelenskyy/3817239
[82]: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/new-epstein-documents-include-discussion-of-russian-leadership-with-mentions-of-ukraines-zelenskyy/3817239
[83]: https://jmail.world/thread/EFTA02629223?view=inbox
[84]: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/16/world/europe/ukraine-zelensky-kolomoisky.html
[85]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-recruited-nsa-codebreakers-genome-russia-skolkovo-bill-gates-mit/comments
[86]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-recruited-nsa-codebreakers-genome-russia-skolkovo-bill-gates-mit?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-recruited-nsa-codebreakers-genome-russia-skolkovo-bill-gates-mit

2026-02-10 18:23:44 UTC

In Gaza, One Man Is Searching for the Remains of His Family With a Flour Sifter
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Abu Ismail Hammad searches for the remains of his family using a flour sifter in the rubble of their home in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City on January 18, 2026. (Screenshot of footage provided by Abdel Qader Sabbah.)
GAZA CITY—For 200 days, Abu Ismail Hammad has been digging beneath his home in Gaza City, painstakingly collecting the remains of his wife and unborn child. He has been using a flour sifter to find their bone fragments hidden in the sand.
His entire family was killed just under two months into Israel’s genocidal assault, when an airstrike hit their home in the Sabra neighborhood on December 6, 2023. His five children—Ismail, Mohammed, Ghaith, Jana, and Joudi—aged between eight to 16 years old, were all killed, along with his wife, Naama Alaa Al-Din Hammad. Naama was nine months pregnant with their sixth child, a girl they were planning to name Haifa, after her martyred aunt. His brother, sister-in-law and all of their children were also killed.
Hammad had left the apartment to go upstairs to another floor just 15 minutes before the strike. He was badly injured in the attack. Hammad was the sole survivor.
Wounded and displaced, and with the war raging, it took him a year before he was able to return, at the end of 2024, to begin trying to recover their bodies. After a few weeks, he was forced to stop again as Israel’s assault in the area intensified again. In November, soon after the so-called ceasefire went into effect, Hammad returned once more to find them.
He showed Drop Site pictures of them all together, smiling before the war, their faces slightly distorted by his heavily cracked phone screen.
Abu Ismail Hammad searches for the remains of his family beneath the rubble of their home in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City on January 18, 2026. (Footage provided by Abdel Qader Sabbah.)
Hammad spent weeks clearing away tons of rubble and then began to dig. “I was able to recover my brother, his wife, and their children. When I reached the living room in my home, it became clear that it was completely burned. I realized that the fate of my children was unknown—that they were burned and their bones had melted away. I then went to the room where my wife had been and I found her bones,” Hammad told Drop Site News. “How did I know it was my wife? First, the location of the room. Second, the bones of the unborn child were found in the same place, because the pregnancy was complete.”
He spoke crouching in a large hole, several feet deep, surrounded by the remnants of his destroyed home. Neighbors helped in the effort, digging with shovels, hoes, and their bare hands through the earth before placing small mounds in a sifter for him to sort through.
“I am now collecting her piece by piece. With what? With this sifter. This sifter is normally used to sift flour… Today, I am using it to collect the bones of my wife and children,” he continued. “Collecting bones with a shovel is difficult, so I thought of using a sifter—to sift, bone by bone, one by one. And praise be to God, I was able to reach this,” he said, pointing to a small pile of bone fragments, brown with dirt, grouped together on a tarp.
In Gaza, the living are surrounded by the dead. Over 72,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed but over 10,000 are estimated to be buried under tens of millions of tons of rubble. Israel has heavily restricted the entry of bulldozers, excavation equipment, and fuel into the enclave, preventing any search on a meaningful scale to get underway. Just 717 bodies have been recovered over the past four months.
Equipment was allowed into Gaza to retrieve the remains of Israeli captives—the last of which, a policeman, was located on January 26 and returned to Israel. Israeli troops excavated and destroyed the Palestinian Al-Batsh cemetery in northern Gaza as they searched for his remains.
“For a Zionist soldier, a killer—the one who killed us and killed our children, along with his occupying, colonial state that has colonized us since 1948—the entire world mobilized and did not rest until his body was recovered from Gaza,” Hammad said. “If I was able to reach my wife and children in this primitive way, there are many others in Gaza who are searching for the same thing,” he said. “Just provide the means.”
Palestinians’ search for bodies has become a defining feature of the genocide in Gaza. The efforts are constant and often futile. Along with the thousands lying beneath Gaza’s devastated landscape, an unknown number of Palestinian bodies are being held by Israel. As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel agreed to hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza in exchange for every Israeli body that was returned.
The last official exchange came on January 29, when Israel [returned][3] 15 Palestinian bodies after the remains of the last Israeli captive in Gaza was found. That brought the number of Palestinian bodies handed over by Israel since November to 360, all of them without identification and many bearing signs of abuse, torture, and summary execution.
Without forensic equipment or DNA testing kits, authorities in Gaza have been forced to photograph the remains and post them online or hold screenings for Palestinian families in the hope they can identify a piece of clothing or an identifying mark of their loved ones. Only 60 have been identified, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Dozens have been buried as unknown martyrs in mass graves.
“The population continues to face severe challenges. It continues to face immense suffering, destruction, and death. Thousands of families are awaiting any news about their missing children, and their pain continues amid the extreme difficulties they face in identifying their loved ones, given the limited forensic capacities in the Gaza Strip,” Amani Al-Naouq, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, told Drop Site outside Al-Shifa hospital on January 29 as the bodies were being carried in.
A week later, on February 4, Israel unexpectedly handed over the bodies of 54 Palestinians along with 66 boxes of body parts through the Red Cross. The boxes contained only skulls and bones, while some of the returned bodies showed signs of severe mutilation, including severed hands and abdomens surgically opened and subsequently re-stitched, according to Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa, in an interview on Al-Araby TV.
“We do not know where these bodies were recovered from—whether from Al-Batsh cemetery for example, or whether they were bodies that had been buried in other cemeteries inside the Gaza Strip, or bodies that were in the occupied Palestinian areas,” Moein Al-Wahidi, head of the special committee for receiving bodies, told Drop Site as he stood outside Al-Shifa hospital. “We are facing a real dilemma: the lack of tools and the absence of identification systems, such as DNA testing. This makes the documentation process difficult, primitive, and traditional, relying on photography and on families of the martyrs and missing persons recognizing certain details of their loved ones, such as clothing or shoes.”
The bodies of 54 Palestinians along with 66 boxes of body parts arrive from Israel at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on February 4, 2026. (Footage provided by Abdel Qader Sabbah.)
Allam Abu Wadi came to Al-Shifa on February 4 after hearing that more bodies were returned in the hopes of identifying his 17-year-old brother, Mohammed, who went missing nearly two years ago, on February 26, 2024, near a checkpoint in southern Gaza.
“I lost my brother two years ago. There is no information at all. Some people say he’s there, others say he’s not. And today we came just to identify his body,” Abu Wadi told Drop Site. “There is no way—no simple, clear evidence—that allows you to say whether he is here or not. We can’t find any way. Anything—clothes, for example, teeth, anything. Everything has decomposed.”
He continued, “Over the past two years, we went to Nasser Hospital, we went to Al-Aqsa, and today we came here to Al-Shifa. We are trying as much as we can just to identify the bodies of our children. But there is no evidence—any evidence, anything—to prove that these are our children. These are decomposed remains, decomposed organs. There is nothing.”
Each body or box was brought inside a room where a team of doctors and specialists gathered to photograph and examine each of the remains.
“The bodies arrive to us without any information, without any details, without even identification tags. They arrive labeled with only a number—the body is a number. But we are not numbers. These are Palestinian bodies, Palestinian martyrs. They are not numbers,” Al-Wahidi said. “Our message to the entire world is this: preserve the dignity of the Palestinian body, preserve the dignity of the Palestinian martyr. All international capabilities must be mobilized, as stipulated in international laws and conventions, to preserve human dignity and the dignity of the dead. The Palestinian is no less worthy than any other person in the world.”
*Drop Site News Middle East Research Fellow Jawa Ahmad contributed to this report. Sami Vanderlip edited the video.*
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[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
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[3]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2016930430256079181?s=46
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-palestinians-dead-buried-rubble-searching-bodies-returned-israel/comments
[5]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-palestinians-dead-buried-rubble-searching-bodies-returned-israel?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-palestinians-dead-buried-rubble-searching-bodies-returned-israel

2026-02-10 15:45:15 UTC

Indonesia prepares possible Gaza deployment; GOP weighs ban on mail-in voting; Lawmakers report back on unredacted Epstein files
*Israeli attacks kill at least six Palestinians across Gaza. Red Crescent [evacuates][1] patients from Gaza under Israeli restrictions. Israel [detains][2] at least 30 Palestinians, including children, in West Bank raids. Indonesia [prepares][3] possible troop deployment to Gaza. U.S. military [kills][4] two in 38th vessel strike. The U.S. military [boards][5] a Venezuela-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after a long pursuit. Former police chief [says][6] U.S. President Donald Trump knew of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse in 2006. Lawmakers who viewed unredacted Epstein files [say][7] DOJ blacked out the names of men who are “likely incriminated.” The White House [pushes][8] Republicans to restrict mail-in voting. NYC nurses reach a deal to end their strike at two major hospital systems. Hundreds are [reported][9] dead in RSF-run prison in western Sudan. Turkey [says][10] Iran–U.S. talks show no signs of imminent military conflict. Lebanese municipal worker [killed][11] by Israeli forces
in border town. Leaked messages [show][12] U.K. health secretary privately accusing Israel of war crimes. Turkey has [no plans][13] to withdraw troops from northern Syria. Five [abducted][14] mine workers are confirmed dead in Mexico’s Sinaloa state. Somalia signs a military cooperation deal [with][15] Saudi Arabia. Bangladesh [secures][16] lower U.S. tariffs in trade deal.*
***Exclusive from Drop Site: No high-level Cuba–U.S. talks are [underway][17] despite Trump’s claims. Sources tell Drop Site that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is misrepresenting the situation to Trump. Meanwhile, the U.S. [escalation][18] of the oil blockade is deepening Cuba’s energy crisis.***
*Jmail, the archive of Epstein emails stylized to look like the Gmail interface, now includes all of Epstein’s publicly released emails.** They are available [here][19].***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson surrounded by members of Congress in the Oval Office on February 3, 2026. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images.
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Israeli attacks kill at least five Palestinians across Gaza on Tuesday: **Five Palestinians were killed and at least 13 injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza early this morning, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Sources at Al-Aqsa Hospital told Al Jazeera Tuesday morning that a Palestinian woman was killed by Israeli forces in al-Musaddar village in central Gaza and two people were killed by Israeli bombing on Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza. This follows at least six Palestinians killed on Monday, including four killed in an Israeli strike on a residential apartment west of Gaza City.
* **Casualty counts: **At least five Palestinians were killed and five injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 24 hours. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,037 killed, with 171,666 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 586 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,558, while 717 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Red Crescent evacuates patients from Gaza: **The Palestinian Red Crescent Society [said][20] it helped evacuate 40 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on Monday. The group included 20 patients seeking medical treatment abroad and 20 companions. The Gaza Government Media Office says only 397 people out of a scheduled 1,600 have passed through the Rafah crossing since February 2, when it was partially reopened by Israel. The figure includes 225 who travelled out of Gaza and 172 who entered the enclave.
* **Israel detains at least 30 in West Bank raids:** At least 30 Palestinians, including children, were arrested by Israeli forces across the West Bank on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society. The arrests came amid a series of overnight Israeli raids across Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Nablus, and Jenin. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society [said][21] Israel is carrying out a targeted campaign of arrests against the wives and sisters of Palestinian detainees. It used as an exemplary case the detention of Wafaa Abu Ghlemi, the wife of imprisoned leader Ahed Abu Ghlemi, who was seized from her home in Ramallah during a Monday raid in the West Bank.
* **U.N. chief warns Israeli measures in West Bank undermine two-state solution: **U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres [said][22] he is “gravely concerned” by Israel’s approval of measures aimed at accelerating the annexation of the occupied West Bank, warning the move is “eroding the prospect for the two-state solution.” Guterres reiterated that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied territory is “unlawful” and called for the measures to be reversed.
* **Indonesia prepares possible troop deployment to Gaza: **Preparations are underway to deploy thousands of Indonesian soldiers to the Gaza Strip as part of the International Stabilization Force, [according][23] to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News, potentially making Indonesia the first foreign military presence on the ground in Gaza. The troops would reportedly be stationed in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. “It’s still ongoing. We’re waiting for the results of the co-ordination with the coordinator in Gaza,” Indonesian army chief of staff General Maruli Simanjuntak said on Monday. “Could be one brigade, probably 5,000 to 8,000. But it’s all still being negotiated.” He did not specify what activities the Indonesian troops would be involved in, but said the training was focused on humanitarian and reconstruction needs.
# U.S. News
* **No high-level Cuba–U.S. talks underway, despite Trump claims: **President Donald Trump said on February 1 that the United States is engaged in negotiations with senior Cuban officials, but five Cuban and American officials told Drop Site that no high-level talks between Havana and Washington are taking place and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has misrepresented the state of talks internally. **The full report from Ryan Grim, Noah Kulwin, and José Luis Granados Ceja is available [here][24].**
* **U.S. military kills two in 38th vessel strike:** The U.S. military conducted a strike against a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing two people, according to U.S. Southern Command. It [posted][25] a video of the strike and said two were killed with one survivor and adding, “Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.” Since September, at least 130 people have been killed in 38 U.S. strikes on vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean. This was the first strike under SOUTHCOM’s new commander, Gen. Francis L. Donovan.
* **U.S. military boards Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Indian Ocean: **U.S. forces [boarded][26] the Suezmax oil tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean. Washington accused the vessel of breaching its blockade on Venezuelan shipping and sanctions on sanctioned oil tankers. The tanker departed Venezuelan waters in early January with roughly 700,000 barrels of heavy crude bound for China. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the operation was conducted as a maritime “right-of-visit” and emphasized the U.S.’ resolve to enforce its blockade. The tanker’s ultimate fate is reportedly being determined by U.S. officials.
* **Netanyahu goes to Washington: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, has departed Israel for Washington, D.C., where he is set to meet Donald Trump on Wednesday. Netanyahu said the talks will focus on Gaza, the wider region, and “first and foremost” negotiations with Iran, adding that he will present Israel’s positions on what he called the “principles of the negotiations,” which he claimed are vital not only for Israel but for regional security.
* **Former police chief says Trump knew of Epstein abuse in 2006: **Former Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter [told][27] the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a 2019 interview that President Donald Trump called him in July 2006, saying Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of teenage girls was widely known in New York and Palm Beach, according to a new report from The Miami Herald. Reiter’s account directly contradicts Trump’s public denials.
* **Lawmakers say DOJ redacted names of men “likely incriminated” in Epstein files: **Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna [said][28] on Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice redacted the names of at least six men who may be incriminated in documents related to Jeffrey Epstein after viewing the unredacted files. They are considering disclosing the names on the House floor, they said, where they would be protected from legal action by the speech and debate clause.
* Rep. Becca Balint also reviewed unredacted Epstein files at the Department of Justice and told Drop Site they contradict Trump’s claim that he expelled Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, stating flatly, “That is not true. It’s a lie.”** Balint’s full remarks are [here][29].**
* **White House pushes Republicans to restrict mail-in voting: **The Trump administration is [pressing][30] congressional Republicans to add provisions limiting or banning mail-in voting to the SAVE America Act. House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed discussions are underway but said no final decisions have been made, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune has remained noncommittal as party leaders weigh whether tougher mail-in ballot rules could jeopardize passage of the bill.
* **Columbia University protester returned to ICE custody after hospital discharge: **Leqaa Kordia was [discharged][31] from the hospital on Monday, after receiving medical care over the weekend as a result of a “serious medical episode,” and was immediately returned to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, Laila El-Haddad reports. El-Haddad said ICE blocked Kordia’s family and lawyers from contact with her for more than 72 hours and that relatives still do not know what occurred during her hospitalization.
* **NYC nurses reach a deal to end strike at two major hospital systems:** Nurses in New York City reached a tentative deal with two of three major hospital systems to end a month-long strike over staffing levels, workplace safety, health insurance and other issues. The tentative agreement announced Monday by the nurses’ union affects the more than 10,000 nurses who were on strike at the Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospital systems. Some 5,000 nurses remain on strike at NewYork-Presbyterian while negotiations continue.
# International News
* **Turkey says Iran–U.S. talks show no signs of imminent military conflict: **Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan [met][32] in Ankara on Monday with Board of Peace head, Nickolay Mladenov, to discuss the humanitarian and political situation in the Gaza Strip, and separately spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about nuclear negotiations. Speaking to CNN Türk, Fidan said there are currently no signs of an imminent confrontation between the United States and Iran.
* **Israel kills Lebanese municipal worker in border town: **On Monday, Israeli forces shot and [killed][33] Abdullah Nasser, a municipal employee in Aita al-Shaab, according to a report from Lebanon’s Public Health Emergency Operations Centre. Journalist Ghadi Francis described Nasser as a steadfast figure who, after the ceasefire, devoted himself to clearing rubble and recovering bodies in the town near the southern border of Lebanon.
* **Reuters: Ethiopia hosts covert camp training RSF fighters for Sudan war:** Ethiopia is hosting a secret training camp in the Benishangul-Gumuz region near the Sudan border to prepare thousands of fighters for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, [according][34] to a Reuters investigation, marking the first direct evidence of Ethiopian involvement in the conflict and a major escalation as the war draws in regional powers. Eight sources said the camp and related logistics were financed and supported by the United Arab Emirates—claims Abu Dhabi denies—as satellite imagery and security documents reviewed by Reuters show the facility could house up to 10,000 fighters and is linked to new drone infrastructure at Asosa airport, raising fears of spillover fighting near the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
* **U.N. says millions returning to Sudanese cities as displacement surges elsewhere:** The International Organization for Migration [reported][35] on Monday that more than 3.5 million people have returned to their homes across Sudan, following the Sudanese army’s recapture of Sennar, Gezira, and the capital Khartoum. At the same time, displacement is rising in nine other states, particularly Darfur and the Kordofan region, which now hosts the majority of Sudan’s 9.1 million internally displaced people, more than half of whom are children, the agency said.
* **Hundreds reported dead in RSF-run prison in western Sudan: **A local volunteer group [told][36] Middle East Eye that more than 300 people have died in the past two months inside Shala prison southwest of El-Fasher, which has been operated by the Rapid Support Forces since October. The group said detainees are dying from disease, starvation, and lack of medical care amid a cholera outbreak, with the prison believed to hold up to 9,000 civilians.
* **Leaked messages show U.K. health secretary privately accusing Israel of war crimes: **U.K. Health Secretary Wes Streeting [released][37] private WhatsApp and text messages exchanged with Peter Mandelson, revealing that Streeting privately said in July 2025 that Israel was “committing war crimes before our eyes,” engaging in “rogue state behaviour,” and should face state-level sanctions—positions the government has not adopted publicly. Streeting shared the correspondence with Sky News to rebut what he called “smear and innuendo” over his relationship with Mandelson, a close confidant of Prime Minister Keir Starmer who resigned from the Labour Party amid fallout over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
* **Eritrea denies Ethiopian accusations:** Eritrea [rejected][38] accusations from Ethiopia that it is backing armed groups and occupying Ethiopian territory, calling the claims “false and fabricated” and part of a hostile campaign by Addis Ababa, Reuters reported on Monday. As clashes resume between Ethiopian federal forces and Tigrayan fighters—the first major fighting since 2022—Asmara warned against escalation.
* **Turkey says it has no plans to withdraw troops from northern Syria: **Turkey’s Chief of General Staff, Yaşar Güler, [said][39] Ankara has no plans to withdraw its forces from northern Syria, stressing that any decision would be taken solely by the Turkish state and not influenced by external pressure, according to a report from Al Monitor. Turkey is principally concerned about the SDF’s links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the report claims. Ankara has an estimated 10,000–20,000 troops deployed across northern Syria.
* **U.N. says fighting eases in parts of Syria:** The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [said][40] violence has subsided in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh, and Raqqa following a January 30 peace agreement, but that nearly 160,000 people remain displaced in the country, power outages persist, water systems are faulty, food supplies are unreliable, and schools still face widespread closures. OCHA says that between January 25 and February 5, U.N. partners delivered 154 aid trucks to the cities of Qamishli and Kobani, and aid their aid more than 190,000 people.
* **Five abducted mine workers confirmed dead in Mexico’s Sinaloa state: **Mexico’s Attorney General’s office [said][41] Monday it has identified five bodies found in El Verde, a rural area of Sinaloa, and has thus confirmed the deaths of five of the ten employees abducted last month from a Canadian-run mine operated by Vizsla Silver near Mazatlán. The killings are tied to factional violence between components of the Sinaloa Cartel under the leadership of Ismael Zambada and that of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán (both of whom are in custody in the United States). Sinaloa saw more than 1,680 homicides in 2025.
* **Somalia signs military cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia: **Somalia [signed][42] a military cooperation agreement on Monday with Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reports, as Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi met his counterpart Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh. The move follows a similar defense pact with Qatar last month.
* **Bangladesh secures lower U.S. tariffs in trade deal: **Bangladesh [signed][43] a trade agreement with the United States on Monday, which cut tariffs on Bangladeshi exports to 19 percent. The agreement also outlines tariff exemptions for some textiles and garments made using U.S. materials. In return for the cut, the White House said Dhaka will grant preferential access for U.S. agricultural and industrial products and ease its non-tariff barriers. The announcement is expected to strengthen Bangladesh’s export-driven garment sector.
* **China vows tougher stance against Taiwan “separatists”: **At Beijing’s annual Taiwan Work Conference on Tuesday, senior Chinese leader Wang Huning said China will firmly back “patriotic pro-reunification forces” in Taiwan and strike hard against independence advocates, according to [Reuters][44]. The Chinese military has warned that separatist forces would be “wiped out” if they provoke conflict, according to earlier reporting by Reuters. The comments come as President Xi Jinping reiterated to President Donald Trump that Taiwan is the central issue in U.S.–China relations.
* **Japan election strengthens hardline security agenda:** Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partners secured a solid parliamentary majority in national elections, extending their long-running dominance of Japanese politics. The vote gives Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi greater latitude to expand defense spending, loosen postwar military constraints, and deepen security cooperation with the U.S.
# More from Drop Site
* Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) reacted to Drop Site News reporting on internal divisions in the Trump administration’s Cuba policy by pointing to Gaza as evidence of a broader collapse in Western human rights norms. She said the “entire Western world” is looking the other way as the Trump administration “starves and deprives a people” because they deem the regime politically objectionable. AOC also warned that hospitals are nearing fuel exhaustion and that “innocent children [and] women” are being put in harm’s way. **A video of her interaction with Drop Site’s Julian Andreone is available [here][45].**
* Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) called Drop Site News’ reporting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been cutting President Trump out of Cuba policy, “shocking,” though he noted that he was sceptical of the account. Donalds defended Rubio’s working relationship with Trump and told our Capitol Hill correspondent that he himself has “long wanted regime change” in Cuba. **Andreone’s discussion with Donalds can be watched [here][46].**
* Drop Site’s Ryan Grim joined NewsNation to discuss recent developments in Venezuela after the abduction of Nicolas Maduro. **His full appearance is available [here][47].**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021078147362369621
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020946422120546428
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020980534160056541
[4]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2021023735881564262
[5]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020918517642498223
[6]: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314631578.html
[7]: https://www.axios.com/2026/02/09/epstein-files-unredacted-doj-massie-khanna
[8]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-congress-dhs-ice-immigration-epstein-files-doj-live-updates-rcna257949#rcrd99549
[9]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021098258500550747
[10]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020975033309413497
[11]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020904092382437621
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020970741286473935
[13]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/02/turkeys-army-chief-says-no-plans-withdraw-syria
[14]: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/10/five-employees-of-canadian-mine-found-dead-in-mexico-authorities-say
[15]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/10/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-agreement-on-military-cooperation
[16]: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/9/us-and-bangladesh-set-trade-deal-with-tariffs-at-19-percent
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/marco-rubio-is-deliberately-blocking
[18]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-united-states-oil-blockade-trump-mexico-claudia-sheinbaum
[19]: https://jmail.world/
[20]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021078147362369621
[21]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020946422120546428
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021055922827616734
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020980534160056541
[24]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/marco-rubio-is-deliberately-blocking
[25]: https://x.com/Southcom/status/2021023735881564262
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020918517642498223
[27]: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314631578.html
[28]: https://www.axios.com/2026/02/09/epstein-files-unredacted-doj-massie-khanna
[29]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021015709359247659
[30]: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-congress-dhs-ice-immigration-epstein-files-doj-live-updates-rcna257949#rcrd99549
[31]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021033601295384845
[32]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020975033309413497
[33]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020904092382437621
[34]: https://www.reuters.com/investigations/ethiopia-builds-secret-camp-train-sudan-rsf-fighters-sources-say-2026-02-10/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=twitter
[35]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021071940287406131
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021098258500550747
[37]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020970741286473935
[38]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021066331928302001
[39]: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/02/turkeys-army-chief-says-no-plans-withdraw-syria
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021080969902436564
[41]: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/10/five-employees-of-canadian-mine-found-dead-in-mexico-authorities-say
[42]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/10/somalia-saudi-arabia-sign-agreement-on-military-cooperation
[43]: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/9/us-and-bangladesh-set-trade-deal-with-tariffs-at-19-percent
[44]: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/senior-chinese-official-calls-resolutely-cracking-down-taiwan-independence-2026-02-10/
[45]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021019457053773988
[46]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021025443579642004
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2021053967686353392
[48]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
[49]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
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[51]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/indonesia-gaza-gop-weighs-ban-mail-in-voting-unredacted-epstein-files-drop-site-daily/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/indonesia-gaza-gop-weighs-ban-mail-in-voting-unredacted-epstein-files-drop-site-daily

2026-02-09 20:28:32 UTC

Marco Rubio Is Deliberately Blocking Trump From Cuba Talks
A crisis is rapidly developing in Cuba, as the Trump administration’s efforts to block fuel from reaching the island have become increasingly effective since an executive order threatened tariffs on any country trading with Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has buckled under the pressure and halted oil deliveries to Cuba. Drop Site’s José Luis Granados Ceja reports on the catastrophic consequences of the energy starvation.
**[Read his dispatch here][1].**
Meanwhile, back in Washington, President Trump claims that negotiations are underway to resolve the standoff. That, it turns out, is simply false—a lie being told to him by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of his ambitious play to overthrow the Cuban government.
The story below is written by Noah Kulwin, who reported from Havana; Granados Ceja, who reported from Mexico City; and myself. This kind of reporting isn’t cheap, but is made available to the public for free thanks to readers who fund Drop Site News.
Help us keep pushing by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio hands a note to President Donald Trump during a meeting with U.S. oil companies executives at the White House on January 9, 2026. Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images.
To hear President Donald Trump tell it, the United States is deep in negotiations with Cuban government officials as the U.S. applies maximum pressure to the island. “We’re talking to the people from Cuba, the highest people in Cuba, to see what happens,” Trump [told reporters][3] at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Sunday, February 1. “I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba.”
Cuban leaders, meanwhile, have said they are open to negotiations on everything from human rights to democracy to tourism and direct foreign investment. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a recent press conference that Cuba is willing to engage in dialogue with the United States on any issue, provided talks take place without pressure or preconditions, on the basis of respect for Cuban sovereignty. Senior Cuban leaders reiterated to Drop Site that the government is serious about being open to wide-ranging talks. And Trump is no stranger to the island’s potential for American companies, having himself [long held a registered trademark][4] for a Trump Havana property that he has annually renewed.
All the evidence would seem to suggest that the opportunity for Trump to strike a historic deal is at hand. But, despite the president’s claims, there are and have been no negotiations involving high-level officials between Havana and Washington, according to five Cuban and American officials, all of whom asked for anonymity given the sensitivity of the Cuba-U.S. relationship.
[Subscribe now][5]
When it comes to Trump’s claims of those talks, it turns out he isn’t lying. Instead, sources tell Drop Site, he’s being lied to. “He’s saying that because that’s what Marco is telling him,” said a senior Trump official, referring to an internal effort by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make Trump believe that the U.S. and Cuba are engaged in serious negotiations without ever doing so. The idea, the source said, is that in a few weeks or months, Rubio will be able to claim that the talks were futile because of Cuban intransigence. With diplomatic off-ramps being blocked, this would make Rubio’s vision of regime change the only path forward for an administration loath to reverse course on anything.
Asked about the fact that Rubio is misleading Trump about talks that aren’t going on, the State Department’s press office stood by the claim that such negotiations are indeed happening, forwarding along comment from an administration official: “As the President stated, we are talking to Cuba, whose leaders should make a deal. Cuba is a failing nation whose rulers have had a major setback with the loss of support from Venezuela and with Mexico ceasing to send them oil.” The statement offered no evidence the talks are taking place, named no officials participating, no dates of any meetings, nor did it identify a location where the supposed talks are happening.
Trump, meanwhile, has indicated he isn’t interested in an ideological confrontation with Cuba. This, sources suggest, is one way to understand why, after kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. has made Venezuela [roll back][6] key Chávez-era oil legislation via a reform that opens up the country to foreign investment instead of changing its regime. Rubio, meanwhile, pushed hard internally for a full regime change in Venezuela, but had to settle for merely removing Maduro. Ultimately, though, for Rubio, the real prize has always been Cuba.
The Cuban-American Rubio answers to a political base in south Florida that would revolt if he struck any deal normalizing relations with the communist government—and who, ultimately, would have the power to undo him. Rubio’s rise through Florida and national politics — which now has him on the cusp of the Oval Office — has been accompanied by a string of [corruption][7] [scandals][8], yet with unified support back home, he has managed to emerge with a relatively clean reputation nationally. If Trump successfully lands a deal with the Cuban government that Rubio would have to sign off on, Rubio would be left to either betray [his life’s cause][9] and that of [his backers in Miami][10], or resign in protest.
For Rubio’s opponents inside the administration, the moment represents an opportunity to make Cuba into his [Waterloo][11].
## **No Dialogue**
In the wake of Trump’s claims of high-level talks, confused Cuban officials insisted to Drop Site that no such talks were then underway, but that they were eager for them to start. Misinformation in the media, however, has muddied the situation.
On February 2, the day after Trump’s comments, [Politico highlighted a report][12] that the son of Raúl Castro had traveled to Mexico City for talks with the Central Intelligence Agency and asked in a headline: “Could a Castro become our man in Havana?”
The article, however, is sourced to [14YMedio][13], a news outlet run by Havana-based dissident blogger Yoani Sánchez, which itself based its reporting on a single, fantastical [Facebook post][14] made by a Spain-based Cuban journalist. Yet the Politico report began circulating in Washington and has been accepted as fact. Senior Cuban officials tell Drop Site there are no talks going on in Mexico or anywhere else.
“At the moment, we’ve had some exchanges of messages, but we cannot say we have set a bilateral dialogue at this moment,” Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernandez de Cossio [affirmed in a CNN interview][15] this past Wednesday. “Most things in Cuba dealing with the United States are linked to the highest level. It’s a large issue for us, so there’s no decision, no action taken that doesn’t involve the high level of government in Cuba.”
A “senior State Department official” told the [New York Times recently][16] that contact between the Cuban and U.S. government was “not substantive” and merely discussed migrant repatriation. Elaborating, a senior Cuban official told Drop Site that the contacts are purely technical, with the U.S. telling Cuban officials when flights with deported migrants would be heading to Havana, and Cuban officials acknowledging receipt of the message.
[An article on Wednesday][17] in the Spanish outlet ABC Internacional added to the confusion, claiming that Cuban official Efraín Guadarrama is facilitating the talks in Mexico. A well-placed source with direct knowledge tells Drop Site Guadarrama is doing no such thing.
In the wake of the [abduction][18] of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, top Cuban government officials have become increasingly interested in wide-ranging talks with the Trump administration—talks that could even include Rubio, a longtime foe of the government, multiple Cuban officials tell Drop Site. The only red line, they said, is that the island’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation.
Havana’s desire for talks, bordering on desperation, has been signaled to the United States through a variety of channels, including through [press statements][19] and recent interviews with the [Associated Press][20] and [CNN][21]. “Cuba reiterates its willingness to sustain a respectful and reciprocal dialogue with the Government of the United States,” the Cuban foreign ministry said in a February 1 release, “directed toward concrete outcomes, grounded in mutual interest and international law.”
The ministry added that Cuba was willing to “broaden” the scope of talks, saying the country “firmly rejects being portrayed as a threat to the security of the United States. It has never engaged in hostile actions against that country, nor will it permit its territory to be used against any other nation. Cuba, on the contrary, is prepared to resume and broaden bilateral cooperation with the United States in addressing shared transnational threats, while unwaveringly defending its sovereignty and independence.”
In [an interview with Newsweek][22], Cuban Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán said Cuba would be happy to work with Trump on immigration, drug interdiction, health research—he noted Trump’s praise for Cuba’s relatively lower rates of autism—and other areas.
In addition to the ongoing economic [crisis][23], the proximate cause for Cuban concern is an [executive order][24] issued on January 29 by President Donald Trump threatening heavy tariffs on “any other country that directly or indirectly sells or otherwise provides any oil to Cuba.”
Though not mentioned by name, the tariff threat is aimed at Mexico, whose state oil company has in recent years been the primary supplier of oil to the small island nation located 90 miles off the southern coast of Florida. In response, Mexico’s state oil company, PEMEX, has reportedly suspended at least one planned shipment of oil to its Cuban ally, leaving Cuba with [an estimated two to three weeks’ worth][25] of oil to keep the country running.
Overburdened, underfueled, and obsolete, Cuba’s electricity grid is [barely hanging on][26], while the Cuban government publicly says it is preparing to administer life in the country with almost zero power. On Friday, ministers began to roll out a nationwide [energy][27] [rationing plan][28]. The measures include cutting mass transit, slashing individual gasoline allotments, and reducing in-person days for secondary school students. While Americans sat down for Super Bowl Sunday, Cuban authorities [told airlines][29] there was only one day’s supply of aviation fuel left in the country. On Monday,[ the U.S. intercepted an oil tanker ][30]as far away as the Indian Ocean for allegedly planning to ship fuel to Cuba.
**[Read more from Drop Site on Cuba’s oil crisis here.][31]**
At a lengthy press conference this past Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel [reiterated][32] his country’s emphatic openness to negotiation with the United States without “pressure” or “preconditions.” Broadcasted on TV and radio around the world, Díaz-Canel’s comments were made, as one *Wall Street Journal* reporter [observed][33], “with an audience of one in Washington”—Donald Trump.
“We are a country of peace,” Díaz-Canel said. “We are not a threat to the United States.”
*Noah Kulwin reported from Havana, José Luis Granados Ceja reported from Mexico City, and Ryan Grim reported from Washington, D.C.*
[Leave a comment][34]
[1]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-united-states-oil-blockade-trump-mexico-claudia-sheinbaum
[2]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/01/us-is-in-talks-with-cuban-leadership-says-trump-after-blockade-threats
[4]: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/elections/2020/09/22/trump-registered-his-trademark-in-cuba-in-2008-to-build-hotels-casinos-and-golf-courses/
[5]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[6]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/americas/venezuela-oil-reform-approved-latam-intl
[7]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/06/marco-rubio-campaign-funds
[8]: http://cjr.org/feature/urgen-ideas-defending-press-freedom-gaza-palestine-israel-new-approach.php
[9]: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/marco-rubios-old-school-cuba-policy/384002/
[10]: https://prospect.org/2025/12/23/narco-terrorist-elite-rubio-south-america-iran-contra/
[11]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo
[12]: https://archive.is/GrA0j
[13]: https://www.14ymedio.com/cuba/cuba-cambia-tono-estados-unidos_1_1123289.html
[14]: https://www.facebook.com/carlos.cabreraperez.58/posts/pfbid021imkcCor3yr3g8FBrQiqpFzHv1SJGPpdif71FJGUEjTp6UaG3jsA44qncq3RBG3Ul
[15]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/04/tv/video/carlos-fernandez-de-cossio-cuba-amanpour
[16]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/08/world/americas/cuba-communist-government-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KlA.ri1c.PQiKdVhmzvI7&smid=url-share
[17]: https://www.abc.es/internacional/sobrino-fidel-castro-negocia-futuro-cuba-mexico-20260204173705-nt.html
[18]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/united-states-venezuela-nicolas-maduro-attacks-regime-change-bombing
[19]: https://cubaminrex.cu/en/cuba-condemns-terrorism-and-reaffirms-its-cooperation-matters-security-and-fight-against-money
[20]: https://apnews.com/article/cuba-cossio-us-trump-dialogue-negotiations-diplomat-bf386bb43bf9e101f0d76d24781c26e6
[21]: https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/04/tv/video/carlos-fernandez-de-cossio-cuba-amanpour
[22]: https://archive.ph/2026.02.08-144325/https://www.newsweek.com/cuba-ambassador-reveals-what-a-deal-with-trump-could-look-like-11483626
[23]: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/world/americas/cuba-economy-venezuela-oil.html
[24]: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/addressing-threats-to-the-united-states-by-the-government-of-cuba/
[25]: https://www.ft.com/content/f15ac8c6-c76b-40a1-bb41-95abbed7d8aa
[26]: https://apnews.com/article/cuba-us-oil-power-outages-electricity-trump-ccab32796f7b57353adedc380181c68f
[27]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2020218073177800782?s=20
[28]: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/cuba-protect-essential-services-us-moves-cut-off-oil-supply-2026-02-07/
[29]: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-09/cuba-tells-airlines-it-can-t-refuel-as-nicaragua-ends-easy-entry
[30]: https://x.com/davidrkadler/status/2020905933283496049?s=46
[31]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-united-states-oil-blockade-trump-mexico-claudia-sheinbaum
[32]: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/02/05/cuba-willing-to-talk-to-us-but-without-pressure-or-preconditions_6750186_4.html
[33]: https://x.com/VeraMBergen/status/2019438177988288551
[34]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/marco-rubio-is-deliberately-blocking/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/marco-rubio-is-deliberately-blocking

2026-02-09 19:14:18 UTC

Cuba Grapples with Hardened U.S. Blockade: "The Only Victims Are the People of Cuba"
*Drop Site is a 100% reader-funded, independent news outlet. Without your support, we can’t operate. Please consider making a [501(c)(3) tax-deductible donation today][1].*
A blackout in the 10 de Santo Suarez neighborhood of Havana in September. Power outages have gone from 4-6 hours a day in Havana several months ago to upwards of 12 hours a day in recent weeks. Photo: Belly of the Beast.
*Today’s story is written in collaboration with the news outlet [Belly of the Beast][2], an independent media organization that covers Cuba and U.S.-Cuba relations.*
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO—U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to impose an oil blockade on Cuba, declaring the government led by Miguel Díaz-Canel an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and announcing, on January 29, punishing tariffs on any country that provides oil to Cuba.
Washington’s effort to forcibly compel other countries to join its internationally condemned blockade threatens to further squeeze a population that is already experiencing enormous strain due to U.S. sanctions.
The Cuba-based media outlet Belly of the Beast [recently spoke][3] to Cubans in the capital—normally insulated from some of the worst impacts of the blockade but is now also experiencing blackouts—who described an increasingly difficult situation.
“The future is extremely uncertain but something has to happen, somehow, because we’re the ones suffering the most. Something has to happen because electricity is impossible to get, food is getting more and more expensive,” 36-year-old Raydén Decoro told Belly of the Beast. “Right now, fuel is only available in dollars, and inflation keeps rising.”
Keep up with Drop Site:
Cuban officials announced Friday a nationwide and far-reaching energy-saving plan that prioritizes fuel and electricity for essential and life-saving services. The measures also expand solar power deployment, sharply reduces transport services, and cut down operating hours for schools, universities, and workplaces. The aim is to protect health care, food and water supply, and social services amid an acute energy shortage caused by the U.S. blockade.
The country has already notified airlines that they will be unable to refuel international flights for at least a month, further complicating tourism to the island, a vital source of income for Cuba.
“Things have gotten worse this month. More hours of blackouts. My daughter in Baracoa [located in eastern Cuba] experiences 16 hours of power outages, and she has three children,” said 61-year-old Carlos Villaurrutia. “It’s a complete injustice. There won’t be anything for anyone.”
Trump’s executive order directly pressures Mexico and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has so far buckled to that pressure. Mexico’s state-owned oil company PEMEX became Cub'a’s major supplier of oil given that shipments from Venezuela to Cuba were suspended following the U.S. blockade of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro last month. PEMEX, which suspended a shipment of oil to Cuba in January, maintains that its deliveries are part of a 2023 contract with Cuba and the company is willing to continue to provide crude to the country. Víctor Rodríguez Padilla, director general of the state oil company, says a diplomatic solution must come first in order to avoid reprisals from Washington.
Two vessels from the Mexican Navy carrying humanitarian aid departed Sunday for Cuba. Sheinbaum said her country is directly exploring a diplomatic solution with Washington in order to resume deliveries of oil.
“What the U.S. is doing is not fair, it is a country that is using force, its power, and the pressure of an underlying threat of military invasion to pressure Cuba and other countries,” said Yosvani Pérez, a 30-year-old community manager from Havana.
Cuba’s energy infrastructure relies on foreign imports for energy generation and reportedly is only weeks away from running out of oil. Cubans describe a deteriorating situation on the island, especially with the recent suspension of oil shipments from both Venezuela and Mexico.
“I think everything is going to get even worse. There will be more power outages, less freedom of movement for people, many businesses will close, leading to greater food shortages, higher prices, and so on, a chain of problems with no end in sight,” Eduardo Riviera, a 28-year-old waiter in Havana told Belly of the Beast.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ambassador to Havana, Viktor Koronelli, told Sputnik in an interview that his country intends to continue supplying its oil to Cuba. Russia, already subject to sanctions, is less exposed to threats of further U.S. measures than Mexico, which has thus far avoided new tariffs on its exported goods despite repeated threats from Trump since his return to the White House.
Nonetheless, with an emboldened Trump administration and the revision of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement already in progress, the Sheinbaum government is reluctant to enter into direct conflict with Washington.
Grassroots organizations in Mexico are mobilizing to back Sheinbaum’s efforts to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Cuba. On February 1, several hundred demonstrators gathered in front of the former site of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to deliver a message to the Trump administration but also to the Sheinbaum government.
“Yes we know there’s a lot of pressure on Mexico, on the Mexican government…but that doesn’t change our history: We’ve never abandoned Cuba, and now is not the time to do so,” Tamara Barra of the Mexican Movement in Solidarity with Cuba told Drop Site News in Mexico CIty.
Barra says they will continue to work to give room for the Sheinbaum government to operate on this question while building a broad front of social movements, grassroots organizations, and trade unions to push the Sheinbaum government to break the blockade of Cuba.
In the meantime organizations inside Mexico are working to deliver humanitarian aid directly. The Association of Recent Cubans in Mexico “José Martí” launched a campaign last August on the occasion of the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Fidel Castro to procure and deliver a shipment of oil to Cuba.
“The idea takes up a precedent from the ‘90s, precisely here in Mexico, during the Special Period, when two oil tankers were sent to Cuba, in other words, there is a historical precedent, and it is a tribute to Comandante [Fidel Castro], but at the same time, it reactivates solidarity with Cuba and helps to alleviate the difficult economic situation our people are experiencing,” Olivia Garza Joa told Drop Site.
Garza describes an already complex situation for her own family members living in Cuba but says an oil blockade would be devastating.
“The human cost would be incalculable; it would be a Gaza in the Caribbean where nothing gets in and all because of a desire to starve and subdue the Cuban people,” said Garza.
She says without fuel, the country would grind to a halt: “In other words, there’s no transportation to get around, to go to school, or to work; there wouldn’t be electricity for hospitals, intensive care patients could die, dialysis patients wouldn’t be able to receive their treatment, and that goes for the entire healthcare system.”
In nationally televised remarks Thursday, President Díaz-Canel rejected allegations that his country represents a threat but warned that the country was preparing to move into a “state of war” if necessary.
“Our country’s defense doctrine, or military doctrine, is based on the concept of the People’s War, which is a concept of defending the country’s sovereignty and independence,” said Díaz-Canel. “It in no way contemplates, at any point, in any section, or under any concept, aggression against another country. We are not a threat to the United States.”
Despite the rhetoric from U.S. officials and the de facto oil blockade, Díaz-Canel said his government is open to dialogue with the United States. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Reuters that the two governments are in communication but that there are no formal high-level talks yet.
The U.S. announced Thursday $6 million in aid to be delivered by the Catholic Church and the Catholic charity group Caritas in order to circumvent the government. Senior State Department official Jeremy Lewin said U.S. officials would be “making sure that the regime does not take the assistance, divert it, try to politicize it.”
Washington pins the blame for the economic situation on the island on the Cuban government, claiming they are hoarding the country’s resources.
Pérez, the community manager, said the U.S. blockade is largely responsible but he also says the government has been too dependent on oil deliveries from foreign states and should have explored energy generation alternatives much sooner.
“There are several culprits, but the only victim is the people of Cuba,” Pérez told Drop Site and Belly of the Beast.
Despite the challenging circumstances, many also express a clear defiance of Washington’s efforts to dominate countries in the region.
“The revolution isn’t going to fall. We’ve been through worse. I lived through the Special Period and I survived,” said Villaurrutia referring to the economic crisis in the ‘90s following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of its support for Cuba.
“No one here is going to surrender,” 61-year-old retiree Caridad Ramírez told Belly of the Beast. “That’s why we Cubans are warriors, we are warriors because if Trump comes here to fight, I’ll be the first to pick up a rifle and defend my land because this is my land where I was born.”
[Leave a comment][4]
[1]: https://givebutter.com/dsn-substack
[2]: https://www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com/
[3]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYO--8TChsk
[4]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-united-states-oil-blockade-trump-mexico-claudia-sheinbaum/comments
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/cuba-united-states-oil-blockade-trump-mexico-claudia-sheinbaum

2026-02-09 16:02:51 UTC

Israeli cabinet deepens annexation of West Bank; Cuba is running out of jet fuel; Bad Bunny vs. Trump
*Thirty-seven children [have been killed][1] in Gaza this year, while the school system is nearly erased. Israel [approves][2] measures expanding settlements in the West Bank, while Palestine requests an urgent Arab League meeting in response. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Iran with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington this week. Minnesota man severely [injured][3] in controversial ICE arrest. DHS [used][4] Google data to track a man who emailed a prosecutor about an asylum case. Members of Congress to begin reviewing the unredacted Epstein files. Epstein emails [point][5] to a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman days before Jamal Khashoggi’s killing. Cuba [warns][6] airlines of imminent jet fuel depletion as U.S. energy pressure tightens. Turkey [arrests][7] alleged Israeli spy cell targeting Palestinians and supply chains. Ethiopia [demands][8] Eritrean troop withdrawal, warning of dangerous escalation. Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon [kill][9] four
people, including a three-year-old child. Russian drone and missile barrage [kills][10] civilians and knocks out power across Ukraine. Dozens missing and presumed dead after migrant boat [capsizes][11] off Libya’s coast. Iran adds [more][12] than seven years to the prison term of Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi. Mass graves [discovered][13] on Sudan university campus used by RSF during fighting. Support fractures inside Venezuela’s ruling party after Nicolás Maduro’s capture, new report [claims][14].*
***From Drop Site: West Bank violence from the Israeli military and settlers is [driving][15] mass displacement of Palestinians at an unprecedented rate. Somaliland [launches][16] a lobbying push for U.S. recognition, and Somalia mounts a counteroffensive.***
**This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. **We send it Monday through Friday.
[Subscribe now][17]
Israeli soldiers stand guard as an excavator demolishes Palestinian homes in the village of Beit Awwa near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, on February 5, 2026. Photo by Mosab Shawer / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images.
# The Gaza Genocide, West Bank, and Israel
* **Casualty counts: **At least five Palestinians were killed and ten injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 24 hours. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,032 killed, with 171,661 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 581 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 1,553, while 717 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
* **Six Palestinians killed over the weekend as Israeli attacks continue across Gaza: **Israeli forces [killed][18] at least six Palestinians over the weekend in separate incidents across the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials and local media, including two Palestinians in southern Gaza who succumbed to earlier injuries, one person in central Gaza, and three in northern Gaza. Ongoing Israel attacks included Israeli warships opening fire at sea off Khan Younis, artillery shelling in Beit Lahia in the north, and Israeli military vehicles advancing near Siyam Street in Zaytoun Neighbourhood. Health authorities said that dozens of previously undocumented victims continue to be added to official records as verification is completed, with 174 deaths recently added to the cumulative death toll on Saturday.
* **Child casualties rise as Gaza’s school system is nearly erased: **At least 37 Palestinian children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of 2026, according to UNICEF. The organization added that an estimated 90 percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed, leaving more than 700,000 children without regular access to education. This announcement follows a UN report on Thursday that Israeli forces recently demolished the UNRWA Jabalya Preparatory Boys’ School. The Jabalya Boys’ School was the last remaining school in a six-building complex.
* **Israel claims it killed four fighters exiting a tunnel in Rafah:** The Israeli military reported killing four Palestinian resistance fighters it claimed attacked Israeli troops as they emerged from a tunnel in southern Gaza’s Rafah area, describing the incident as a “blatant ceasefire violation.” No Israeli soldiers were reported injured.
* **Israel approves measures accelerating de facto annexation in the occupied West Bank:** Israel’s security cabinet [approved][19] a sweeping set of measures on Sunday aimed at entrenching Israeli control across the occupied West Bank and paving the way for further settler expansion. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has long called for Israel to annex the territory, said the government was “burying the idea of a Palestinian state.” The measures include repealing restrictions on land sales to Israeli settlers, publishing land registries, reviving a state land acquisition committee to expand settlements, extending Israeli enforcement into Palestinian-administered Areas A and B, shifting authority in Hebron settlements to the Civil Administration, and creating a special municipal body to oversee Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem.
* **Palestine requests urgent Arab League meeting in response: **Palestinian authorities have [submitted][20] an urgent request to the Arab League for an extraordinary session to address Israel’s recent measures in the occupied West Bank. Hamas said the Israeli cabinet’s decisions reflect a “fascist settler-colonial approach” and form part of a “comprehensive annexation plan” designed to change “geographical and legal facts on the ground” alongside a “genocidal war and ethnic cleansing.” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also strongly condemned the moves, saying they “reflect an open Israeli attempt to legalize settlement expansion, land confiscation, and the demolition of Palestinian properties,” and called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council and the U.S., to “intervene immediately and take decisive action to halt these dangerous Israeli decisions.”
* **Widespread condemnation: **Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey issued a joint [statement][21] condemning Israel’s measures as “illegal” and aimed at accelerating “annexation and the displacement of the Palestinian people.” They reaffirmed that “Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory” and warned that its expansionist policies “fuel violence and conflict in the region,” violate international law, and undermine the two-state solution.
* **West Bank arrests: **The Israeli military arrested at least 20 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank over the past 24 hours, including two children, according to the Wafa news agency. The arrests took place in various governorates, including Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron and Jenin.
* **Netanyahu adjusts Washington trip to talk Iran with Trump: **Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly [moved][22] up his Washington visit and intends to meet President Donald Trump on Wednesday for urgent discussions on United States–Iran negotiations. On Friday, Trump said Washington’s core demand is preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and signaled that resolving the nuclear file alone would be sufficient. Netanyahu has demanded that any U.S.–Iran agreement must include limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles and an end to Iranian support for allied regional forces, according to Axios. This will mark the seventh meeting between Trump and Israel’s leader since January 2025.
* **Hamas leader discusses disarmament, long-term truce, and Israeli threat: **Hamas’s political leader abroad, Khaled Meshaal, [said][23] Sunday at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha that demands for Palestinian disarmament are an Israeli dictate pushed onto Washington. Meshaal said Hamas has pursued a long-term truce framework, proposing a ceasefire of “five, seven, up to ten years” with guarantees including international forces on Gaza’s borders and oversight by regional mediators, while resistance weapons would “not be used and not displayed.” He pointed to Israel’s role as a regional threat, targeting not only Palestinians but also Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, while promoting instability and fragmentation. Meshaal called for Israel to be stripped of legitimacy “exactly like the apartheid system in South Africa.”
# **U.S. News**
* **Bad Bunny vs. Trump: **Puerto Rican star Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, on Sunday became the first artist to perform a Super Bowl halftime show almost entirely in Spanish. His album, *Debí Tirar Más Fotos*, was the first Spanish-language album to win the Grammy for album of the year. During his Grammy acceptance speech, Bad Bunny criticized ICE. In the Super Bowl halftime performance, Bad Bunny shouted “God bless America!” near the end of the show as he held up a light blue pro-Independence variation of the Puerto Rican flag and went on to list all the countries of North, South and Central America. In response, President Trump [posted][24]: “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”
* **Trump “very proud” of U.S. economy:** [In an interview][25] aired in conjunction with the Super Bowl, President Trump finally took ownership of the economy. Trump claimed the economy is doing so well that Democrats have even stopped discussing “affordability,” which he has previously referred to as a hoax. “In the last four days—it’s only four days—the Democrats have not uttered the word ‘affordability,’” he said. “They’re the ones that caused the problem. I took over a mess in every way.”
* **Minnesota man severely injured in unlawful ICE arrest: **Alberto Castañeda Mondragón, a 31-year-old who immigrated from Mexico, [said][26] he was beaten by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during his January 8 arrest in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mondragón described being pulled from a car, struck in the head with a metal baton, and beaten again at a detention facility. As a result of these attacks, Mondragon suffered eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages. Medical professionals confirmed his account, saying his injuries are inconsistent with the agency’s claim that he “ran into a wall.” A federal judge later ruled that Mondragón’s detention was unlawful, and Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and St. Paul’s mayor, condemned ICE’s use of excessive force in this case and called for an independent investigation.
* **Protesters arrested: **Local [police arrested ][27]at least 50 people outside a federal building in Minneapolis on Saturday as they were marking the one-month anniversary of Renee Good’s fatal shooting by an ICE officer.
* **Family says detained activist Leqaa Kordia’s location unknown after medical emergency in ICE custody:** The family and legal team of Kordia, a Palestinian resident of Paterson, New Jersey, [said][28] ICE reported she had been hospitalized following a reported seizure and head injury at the Prairieland Detention Center in North Texas. As of Sunday, her whereabouts and condition remain unknown. Kordia has been held by immigration officials for nearly a year after being detained at a routine check-in. The arrest came after her participation in 2024 protests at Columbia University; despite an immigration judge twice ordering her release on bond, ICE has utilized “automatic stays” to keep her detained.
* **Members of Congress to begin viewing unredacted Epstein files: **GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, whom Trump is trying to take out in Kentucky, [invited the public to point him toward][29] particular files he should review privately. Ghislaine Maxwell met virtually on Monday with congressional investigators [and took the Fifth][30].
* **DHS used Google data demand to track man who emailed prosecutor about an asylum case: **The United States Department of Homeland Security [issued][31] an administrative subpoena to Google seeking extensive personal data on a 67-year-old retiree who had emailed a DHS attorney urging mercy for an Afghan asylum seeker, according to reporting by The Washington Post. The subpoena required no judge’s approval or probable cause and triggered a home visit by DHS agents. Lawyers from the ACLU warn that the administrative subpoena process is ripe for abuse and could easily be used to intimidate government critics.
* **AIPAC is quietly funneling donor networks and shell super PACs into key Democratic primaries: **AIPAC is now employing a stealth strategy of bankrolling preferred Democratic candidates through coordinated donor networks and newly created super PACs that obscure its involvement, according to a recent investigation from Drop Site News and The American Prospect. Campaign finance filings in several Illinois House primaries show hundreds of donors previously tied to AIPAC and its affiliate the United Democracy Project, delivering synchronized donations to candidates. Similarly, pop-up super PACs with generic names have run million-dollar ad campaigns in the race, a tactic that mirrors one deployed by the group in Oregon’s 2024 race, that ultimately concealed its role until after the election. **The full report, co-authored by David Dayen of The American Prospect and our own Ryan Grim, is available [here][32].**
* **Epstein emails point to meeting with Mohammed bin Salman days before Khashoggi killing:** Emails from the inbox of Jeffrey Epstein [indicate][33] that he coordinated a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman just three days before the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2, 2018. The emails, coming from an archive of recent DOJ disclosures of Epstein’s communications, show Epstein corresponding about a meeting held on September 30 of that year with MBS, sharing comments about it with Anas al-Rasheed—a Kuwaiti academic and former cabinet minister, before referring al-Rasheed to his associate Terje Rod-Larsen for further information. You can read more about Epstein’s ties to [Gulf elites][34] and political [dealings with Rod-Larsen][35] in Drop Site’s ongoing series on his intelligence activities.
# International News
* **Cuba warns airlines of imminent jet fuel depletion as U.S. energy pressure tightens: **Cuba [alerted][36] international carriers that it will run out of jet fuel within 24 hours, according to EFE, with Jet A1 fuel unavailable at all of the country’s international airports from February 10 through March 11. Airlines may be forced to reroute, add foreign refueling stops, or cancel flights. Officials linked the shortage to intensified U.S. pressure on energy supplies, including new measures targeting countries that provide oil to the island after Washington cut off Venezuelan exports. **Ryan Grim comprehensively outlined the severe constraints on Cuba’s fuel over the weekend; his summary of the situation is available [here][37].**
* **Support fractures inside Venezuela’s ruling party after Nicolás Maduro’s capture, report claims:** A recent [report][38] from Reuters claims that backing for the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela has sharply eroded in multiple regions following the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Unnamed party members tell Reuters that participation in party affairs has collapsed, patronage payments have stalled, and distrust of interim President Delcy Rodríguez is spreading. Sources also described plunging attendance at party events, the breakdown of welfare distribution that long sustained loyalty, and growing fear of retaliation, with local leaders pushing members to inform on dissenters. The full report is available [here][39].
* **U.S. military ammunition tied to cartel firepower in Mexico: **Mexican cartels [obtained][40] .50-caliber ammunition manufactured at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant and used it in attacks on police and civilians, according to a joint investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and The New York Times. A third of the 40,000 ammunition rounds seized in security operations since 2012 can be traced back to the Army-owned plant, which began selling the ammunition commercially in 2008. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has previously argued that U.S.-made weapons being trafficked southwards are a core driver of cartel violence, accusations which have prompted new bilateral enforcement efforts between Mexico and its northern neighbor.
* **Epstein files push Keir Starmer’s UK government to the brink: **Longtime Starmer chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigned under pressure, more fallout from the scandal exposed in the Epstein files involving former British politician [Peter Mandelson][41], a close McSweeney ally who leaked details of an EU bailout to Epstein. [Drop Site previously reported on McSweeney’s role][42] in the destruction of opposition media in the UK, part of his effort to undermine Jeremy Corbyn. [Starmer himself could fall next][43].
* **Russian drone and missile barrage knocks out power across Ukraine: **Russian overnight strikes on Sunday killed at least four people across Ukraine, including a mother and her 10-year-old son in Bohodukhiv in the Kharkiv region, according to reporting from [Reuters][44]. Moscow launched 149 drones and 11 ballistic missiles into the country, Ukrainian officials said, though the Ukrainian Air Force reported that most of these drones were intercepted. Additional attacks hit the southern port city of Odesa, the northern Chernihiv region, and energy infrastructure in western Volyn, cutting electricity to more than 80,000 people.
* **Patriot missile shortages strain Ukraine’s air defense**: Ukraine’s air force says a lack of PAC-3 interceptor missiles has left some Patriot launchers empty at critical moments, according to a report in [the Financial Times][45] citing comments from Ukrainian military officials. Ukraine has warned that ammunition is being expended faster than partners can resupply it, forcing air defense crews to stand down even as Russian attacks continue. The shortage has forced many recent strikes on Ukrainian power plants to go unopposed.
* **Dozens dead or missing after migrant boat capsizes off Libya’s coast: **At least 53 people, including two babies, were [reported][46] dead or missing after a boat carrying 55 migrants overturned north of the coastal city of Zuwara in northwestern Libya on Friday, according to the International Organization for Migration. The UN agency said only two survivors were rescued from the boat. More than 1,300 people went missing and are presumed drowned in similar incidents in the central Mediterranean route in 2025.
* **Algeria moves to suspend air links as relations with the United Arab Emirates deteriorate:** Algeria [said][47] on Friday that it has begun steps to cancel its commercial air services agreement with the United Arab Emirates, a move that would allow Algiers to restrict or suspend direct flights until a new framework is negotiated. The decision follows earlier remarks by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, which accused an unnamed Gulf state (widely understood to be the UAE) of interfering in Algeria’s internal affairs. Abu Dhabi allegedly backed the separatist Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia, which Algeria designates as a terrorist organization. Algerian officials and regional media have also pointed to the UAE’s involvement in conflicts across Libya, Yemen, and Sudan, as well as its alignment with Morocco and Israel, as violating long-standing norms of regional non-interference.
* **Ethiopia demands Eritrean troop withdrawal, warning of dangerous escalation: **Ethiopia formally [accused][48] Eritrea of crossing into its territory and engaging in “outright aggression.” Ethiopia accused its neighbor specifically of conducting joint maneuvers with Ethiopian rebel groups and supplying them with weapons, according to a letter sent by Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos and reported by the BBC. Addis Ababa said talks, including on sea access through Eritrea’s Assab port, could follow an Eritrean withdrawal. Officials warned that the developments risk triggering a renewed war between the two countries.
* **Mass graves discovered on Sudan university campus used by RSF during fighting:** More than 1,000 bodies were [buried][49] in individual and mass graves on land belonging to the Sudan University of Science and Technology, according to the Sudan Tribune. The RSF allegedly used a campus site designated for a hospital as a burial ground, a university official told the paper. The university estimates that it lost property of a value up to $258 million during the war, a valuation which includes the destruction of all 300 of its laboratories (among them a rare nuclear chemistry lab) and widespread looting of its medical equipment, libraries, power infrastructure, and campus facilities.
* **RSF siege of El-Obeid drives mass displacement and deepening humanitarian collapse in Sudan: **Families fleeing fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces are pouring into El-Obeid after their homes were destroyed and supply routes were cut, with drone strikes intensifying around the city and humanitarian conditions rapidly deteriorating. Aid groups, including Plan International Sudan, say newly displaced families are sleeping outdoors without food or medical care; El-Obeid Teaching Hospital, for example, faces critical shortages of electricity, oxygen, fuel, and medicine. “We live without food, without medicine, without tents, without bathrooms — the diarrhea and malnutrition are hitting children and women the hardest,” said displaced farmer Abu Bakr Muhammad. **Read the collaborative report on the state of affairs in El-Obeid from Drop Site News and Egab [here][50].**
* **Congolese army retakes key South Kivu towns from M23 after two days of fighting: **The army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo [said][51] it killed more than 30 fighters from the M23 and recaptured strategic territory in South Kivu, including the towns of Minembwe, Fizi, Uvira, and Mwenga, after months of rebel control in the province. Officials warned the situation remains fragile despite the gains, as humanitarian groups say fighting in the region displaced more than 500,000 people in 2025.
* **Gunmen kill security personnel and abduct priest in Kaduna church raid: **Armed attackers [abducted][52] a Catholic priest and several others in a pre-dawn assault on a church residence in the Kauru district of Nigeria’s Kaduna State and killed three members of the security forces during a firefight, according to church officials and police. The attack came days after mass church abductions elsewhere in Kaduna and amid growing international scrutiny of unrest in the country.
* **Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon kill four people, including a three-year-old child:** An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in Yanouh killed three people, including a three-year-old child, according to Lebanon’s [National News Agency][53]. After the strike, the Israeli army claimed it had killed Ahmad Ali Salami, whom it described as a Hezbollah artillery commander, and expressed “regret” for any civilian harm, adding that the incident is “under review.” In Bint Jbeil district, Israeli gunfire reportedly wounded a municipal employee, killed a man, and injured others. Meanwhile, the Arkoub Regional Residents’ Association condemned Israel’s abduction of Islamic party official Atweh** **Atweh, calling it a grave violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
* **Iran adds years to the prison term of Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi:** Iranian authorities [sentenced][54] Narges Mohammadi to more than seven additional years in prison after she launched a hunger strike on February 2, with the Revolutionary Court in Mashhad imposing six years for “gathering and collusion” and 18 months for propaganda, alongside a two-year travel ban, her lawyer told reporters on Saturday. Mohammadi, a leading women’s rights advocate and vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, has been repeatedly jailed over the past decade for opposing compulsory hijab laws, documenting prison abuses in the country, and criticizing state repression, and was rearrested in December after a brief medical furlough.
* **Turkey arrests alleged Israeli spy cell targeting Palestinians and supply chains: **Turkey [dismantled][55] what officials described as an Israeli intelligence cell, which is accused of surveilling Palestinian targets and attempting to infiltrate commercial supply chains, according to Turkish security sources [cited by Middle East Eye][56]. In a joint operation last month, Turkish intelligence and Istanbul police arrested two Turkish citizens in the case, one of whom is accused of working for Israeli intelligence since 2012. Authorities say the accused ran shell companies, gathered intelligence across Turkey and the Middle East, sought to export drone parts, and planned front firms to manipulate supply chains as part of a long-running scheme. Observers have commented that the cell’s operations resemble the operations used in Israel’s pager attack in Lebanon in 2024.
* **Taiwan rejects U.S. pressure on reshoring semiconductor chip manufacturing**: In response to U.S. demands that Taiwan shift the bulk of its manufacturing of advanced chips to U.S. territory, Taiwanese Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun stated in an interview that the demand was “impossible” — pushing back on Washington’s push to reduce reliance on semiconductor fabs near China that could be captured or destroyed in a war. While Taipei has agreed to lower tariffs and boost U.S. investment in recent trade talks, Cheng stressed Taiwan’s chip ecosystem must remain rooted on the island, despite U.S. tariff threats if targets of 40% reshoring are not met.
* **Media mogul Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison: **A Hong Kong court on Monday sentenced Lai, 78, on charges of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. Lai has been behind bars since December 2020—mostly in solitary confinement where his health has severely deteriorated. Lai was arrested in 2020 under the national security law that China implemented in Hong Kong, following the pro-democracy protests in 2019. Lai is the founder of Apple Daily, a popular Hong Kong newspaper that supported the pro-democracy movement but was forced to close in 2021 after police arrested the paper’s employees and froze its assets. Reporters Without Borders said the court decision “underscores the complete collapse of press freedom in Hong Kong and the authorities’ profound contempt for independent journalism.”
# More from Drop Site
* **Israeli settlers, military accelerate violent expulsion of Palestinians off their land in the West Bank:** Israel’s state-backed campaign of forcible transfer of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has been unfolding at an unprecedented rate over the past three years. What was once creeping encroachment by settlers has escalated into a violent campaign of mass expulsion, with tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military and settlers working in tandem. Reporting from the ground in the West Bank, **Drop Site contributor Zena Tahhan** reports on Palestinian Bedouin communities who have been forcibly displaced from their lands, some of them multiple times.[ More than 60][57] Palestinian Bedouin villages have been entirely expelled and erased since 2022. **The full article is available[ here][58].**
* **Somaliland launches Trump-linked lobbying push for U.S. recognition as Somalia mounts counteroffensive: **The breakaway territory of Somaliland has hired the Trump-connected lobbying firm Nestpoint to press Washington for formal recognition following its establishment of ties with Israel, according to U.S. lobbying disclosures reported by Drop Site News. Republican-aligned think tanks and donors have pushed to follow Israel and recognize Somaliland, though most of Congress and President Donald Trump have so far resisted altering long-standing U.S. policy in the Horn of Africa.** An exclusive report on the effort from Drop Site contributor Daniel Medina is available [here][59].**
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[1]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020181607047434253
[2]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020580665629303243
[3]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020747782475129197
[4]: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/department-homeland-security-demanding-google-200000413.html
[5]: https://x.com/MazMHussain/status/2020707860813152523
[6]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020678870865694842
[7]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020222722824106435
[8]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020705135035396102
[9]: https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/news/151969/strike-on-carin-yanuh-kills-three-including-a-child-2
[10]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-attack-ukraines-odesa-kills-one-governor-says-2026-02-09/
[11]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/9/at-least-53-people-dead-or-missing-after-boat-capsizes-off-libya
[12]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020553656202928352
[13]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020704020885606830
[14]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/distrust-desertions-dwindling-bonuses-undermine-socialist-partys-grip-venezuela-2026-02-08/
[15]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-west-bank-palestinian-displacement-settlers-bedouins-jordan-valley
[16]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/somaliland-united-states-israel-recognition-lobbying-somalia
[17]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[18]: https://x.com/dropsitenews/status/2020627270457868426?s=46
[19]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020580665629303243
[20]: https://www.wafa.ps/news/2026/2/9/%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A6-%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%AB-%D8%B3%D8%A8%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A9-141884
[21]: https://x.com/ksamofaen/status/2020800251754434767?s=46
[22]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020237520022446443
[23]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020639164602200358
[24]: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116038200403048483
[25]: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/politics/president-trump/trump-accepts-ownership-current-economy/4030196/
[26]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020747782475129197
[27]: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/minneapolis-protesters-arrested-renee-good
[28]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020611538986680638
[29]: https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/2020620474888474941
[30]: https://www.axios.com/2026/02/09/ghislaine-maxwell-pleads-fifth-oversight-epstein
[31]: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/department-homeland-security-demanding-google-200000413.html
[32]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/aipac-super-pacs-illinois-house-primaries-melissa-bean-laura-fine-donna-miller
[33]: https://x.com/MazMHussain/status/2020707860813152523
[34]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-united-arab-emirates-sultan-sulayem-dubai-dp-world
[35]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-ehud-barak-leaked-emails-mongolia-security-deal
[36]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020678870865694842
[37]: https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2020218073177800782
[38]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/distrust-desertions-dwindling-bonuses-undermine-socialist-partys-grip-venezuela-2026-02-08/
[39]: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/distrust-desertions-dwindling-bonuses-undermine-socialist-partys-grip-venezuela-2026-02-08/
[40]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020266337956773955
[41]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_of_Peter_Mandelson_and_Jeffrey_Epstein
[42]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/keir-starmer-chief-staff-secret-campaign-demonetize-breitbart-news-fake-news
[43]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn9el55ddxno
[44]: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-drone-attack-ukraines-odesa-kills-one-governor-says-2026-02-09/
[45]: https://www.ft.com/content/53214fda-22c2-48ea-8d62-abba78e17a87
[46]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/9/at-least-53-people-dead-or-missing-after-boat-capsizes-off-libya
[47]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020235053544923183
[48]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020705135035396102
[49]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020704020885606830
[50]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/sudan-obeid-north-kordofan-displacement-humanitarian-crisis-rsf-army
[51]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020731529316421997
[52]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-three-people-abduct-catholic-priest-northern-nigeria-2026-02-08/
[53]: https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/news/151969/strike-on-carin-yanuh-kills-three-including-a-child-2
[54]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020553656202928352
[55]: https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020222722824106435
[56]: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-links-israeli-spy-cell-hezbollah-pager-attack-style-supply-chain-infiltration
[57]: https://peacenow.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The_Bad_Samaritan_ENG.pdf
[58]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-west-bank-palestinian-displacement-settlers-bedouins-jordan-valley
[59]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/somaliland-united-states-israel-recognition-lobbying-somalia
[60]: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6VmnSHrDZWpCqcrS2e
[61]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/account
[62]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe?
[63]: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-west-bank-annecation-cuba-jet-fuel-bad-bunny-trump-drop-site-daily/comments
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