JERUSALEM, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military has killed about 1,900 Iranian soldiers and commanders since the start of the conflict, military spokesman Effie Defrin said on Monday, adding that Israel did not rule out targeting Iran's newly announced supreme leader.
Iran war fuel crisis forces Pakistan to close schools, take austerity measures Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 19:21 The steep austerity measures come as the US-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic shows no signs of slowing Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Congress Centre in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 12 December 2025 (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik via Reuters) Off Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Monday the closure of all schools through the end of the month, and remote work for all university students and half the workforce, as his country implements steep austerity measures amid soaring global fuel prices. The US - Israel war on Iran is now into its second week, with few signs that US President Donald Trump plans to scale back the operation. Iran has been retaliating against US assets in the Gulf - a region that produces a quarter of the world's entire oil supply - and choking off the Strait of Hormuz.
(Photo credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images) The flag football event organized by Tom Brady and Fanatics for Saudi Arabia has been moved from Riyadh to Los Angeles amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, Fanatics announced Monday. The revamped event will take place on March 21 as planned but will now be held at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, the location of the 2028 Olympic flag football competition.
Israel orders evacuation of village in southern Lebanon The Israeli military issued a forced evacuation order for residents of the village of al-Ansariya in southern Lebanon. In a statement, the army said it plans to carry out strikes targeting what it described as Hezbollah activity in the area and urged residents to move at least 1,000 metres away from the village.
Lindsey Graham threatens Saudi Arabia if they do not join war on Iran Submitted by Sean Mathews on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 18:53 US senator and close Trump ally said there should be 'consequences' for Gulf states that do not join a war they opposed Republican Senator Lindsey Graham speaks to the press at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on 3 March 2026 (Jim Watson/AFP) Off US Senator Lindsey Graham lambasted Saudi Arabia on Monday for not attacking Iran and threatened “consequences” against other Gulf countries if they do not join the US- Israeli war on Iran, which the kingdom has opposed from the outset. “It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has terrorized the region and killed 7 Americans,” Graham wrote on X. “Should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?
Republican senator warns of ‘consequences’ if kingdom does not join US strikes against Iranians Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Senator Lindsey Graham on Monday questioned whether the United States should honor a long-sought defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, saying the kingdom’s refusal to join military operations against Iran made the partnership difficult to justify given that Americans were dying in a war Graham himself helped push the Trump administration to start. In a post on X, Graham said the American embassy in Riyadh was being evacuated due to sustained Iranian attacks on Saudi soil, and expressed frustration that Riyadh had declined to participate militarily despite what he described as a shared interest in defeating Iran. Continue reading...
US logistics site near Baghdad airport targeted A logistical support camp linked to the US embassy near Baghdad airport has been targeted, an Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera Arabic. Air defence systems at the facility were activated following the attack. Further details were not immediately available.
(Photo credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images) Graham Arnold, head coach of Iraq's national soccer team, is requesting FIFA delay the team's World Cup playoff game scheduled for later this month because of travel issues due to the current conflict in the Middle East.
Three Iranian children killed in strikes on Lorestan province Three students were killed during US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s Lorestan province, according to the Tasnim news agency. The report said the victims included a fourth-grade student, a seventh-grade student and a second-grade student. One of the children was killed alongside her mother.
'Sharp spike' in anti-Muslim posts on X since US-Israel war on Iran, study shows Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 17:02 Only a third of the posts reported to X support were actually removed Two people use social media on their mobile phones in Arinaga, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, on 3 February 2026 (Borja Suarez/Reuters) Off There has been a "sharp spike" in anti-Muslim posts on Elon Musk's X platform since the US and Israel began their joint war on Iran on 28 February, a social media monitor revealed on Monday. The Washington, DC-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) said it tracked posts that explicitly dehumanised, excluded, and incited violence against Muslims from 1 January to 5 March. On the day the war began, the volume of such posts surged from just under 2,000 per day to more than 6,000, the report said .
WHO warns Iran war poses growing public health risks The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the US-Israeli war on Iran is creating serious public health risks across the region. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said damage to petroleum facilities in Iran could contaminate food, water and air, posing particular dangers to children, older people and those with existing health conditions. “Rain laden with oil has been reported falling in parts of the country,” Tedros said in a post.
Colombo [Sri Lanka], March 9 (ANI): Amid escalating tensions in West Asia, Sri Lanka's Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa on Monday said that India has 'adequate power' and influence to ensure that 'parties to the conflict' come to a discussion table.
Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president, called for direct talks with Israel to end the fighting. He also leveled blame at Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, for igniting the war.
French president says attack on island is ‘an attack on Europe’ as EU states send military support Middle East crisis – live updates Emmanuel Macron has vowed that Europe will do whatever it takes to stand by Cyprus, the continent’s first state to be directly affected by the Iran war. In the strongest show yet of solidarity towards the EU member closest to the Middle East, Macron likened the attacks, which included a drone strike against a British base on the eastern Mediterranean island, to an attack on Europe. Continue reading...
BRUSSELS, 9th March, 2026 (WAM) -- The European Union has affirmed its solidarity with the countries and peoples of the region, renewing its strong condemnation of the unacceptable attacks carried out by Iran against neighbouring states and the serious threat they pose to regional security and global energy stability.
Israel says it struck multiple Iranian government-linked sites The Israeli military said its air force carried out another wave of strikes across Iran. In a statement posted on X, the military said dozens of sites linked to the Iranian government were hit, including what it described as a headquarters used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for drone operations. The military said drones had previously been launched from the site towards Israel and that additional drones stored there were preparing for launch.
Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli military site and troops Hezbollah said it targeted a satellite communications station used by the Israeli army in the Ellah Valley, about 160km from the Lebanese border. The group said the facility was struck with a barrage of what it described as sophisticated missiles. In a separate statement, Hezbollah also said it launched rockets at Israeli soldiers near the border, targeting a gathering of troops near the Lebanese town of Mays al-Jabal at 17:00 local time.
Benjamin N Pennington, 26, died from injuries sustained during an Iranian strike on an airbase in Saudi Arabia Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox The Pentagon has identified the seventh US service member killed in the war with Iran as 26-year-old army Sgt Benjamin N Pennington, who is a resident of Glendale, Kentucky. In a statement on Monday the department said Pennington died on Sunday from injuries sustained during an Iranian strike on the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia on 1 March. The incident is under investigation, the statement said.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s supporters take to streets of Tehran on the same day Iran attacks targets in Israel and Gulf states Middle East crisis – live updates US and Israeli warplanes launched new waves of strikes on targets across Iran on Monday, as large crowds took to the streets in Tehran in a defiant show of support for Mojtaba Khamenei, the country’s newly appointed supreme leader . The conflict, now in its second week, continued to escalate, with fresh Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, US bases across the Middle East and energy infrastructure in the Gulf. Continue reading...
ABU DHABI, 9th March, 2026 (WAM) -- UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today received a phone call from His Excellency Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, to discuss the serious military and security developments in the region amid the ongoing escalation and its implications for regional and international peace and security.
