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March 17, 2026 (Tuesday)
1.1 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Israeli forces reportedly assassinate Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani, according to Israeli defense minister Israel Katz. Iran has not confirmed their deaths.
The Ecuadorian government deploys 75,000 soldiers and police officers to several provinces to enforce a nightly curfew. Officials say 253 people have already been detained for breaking curfew, which lasts from 11 pm to 5 am local time.
A Lebanese soldier is killed and four more are injured in an Israeli airstrike in Qaaqaait al-Jisr, Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon.
Business and economy
The United Arab Emirates' Shah gas field suspends operations following a drone attack.
Health and environment
Argentine foreign minister Pablo Quirno announces the country's formal withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
Law and crime
A court in Brussels, Belgium, orders former diplomat Ătienne Davignon to stand trial on charges of participation in war crimes in connection with the 1961 killing of former Congolese prime minister Patrice Lumumba. Davignon is the only surviving individual among those accused by Lumumbaâs family of involvement in the case.
A Vatican appeals court orders a retrial of Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was convicted of embezzlement in 2023, citing procedural errors in the original proceedings. The court maintains his previously imposed prison sentence pending the outcome of the new trial.
Politics and elections
U.S. National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent resigns in protest of the war with Iran, saying that "Iran posed âno âimminent â threat to our â nation".
March 16, 2026 (Monday)
3.4 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
The Israeli military's 91st Division launches a ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, expanding a buffer zone along the border.
At least four members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are killed and three others are injured in an airstrike on a checkpoint at the entrance to Al-Qa'im, Al Anbar Governorate. A PMF official attributes the strike to the United States.
At least seven people, including four children, are injured by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel.
The U.S. embassy in Baghdad is reportedly attacked by two suicide drones, causing a powerful explosion.
Kenyan prime cabinet secretary Musalia Mudavadi says that the government has identified two prisoners of war from Kenya that have been detained by authorities in Ukraine after being involved in Russia's special military operations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire but also called for the war to end.
At least 23 people are killed and 108 others are injured in suspected suicide bombings at three locations, including the Monday Market and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility.
Afghanistan claims Pakistani jets bombed a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing over 400 people. Pakistan denies the claim, saying it attacked military installations. AFP and BBC journalists confirm at least 30 dead as a result of the bombing.
A Pakistan-bound oil tanker with its Automatic Identification System activated, the Karachi, gets safe passage and crosses Hormuz following negotiations between the Pakistani and Iranian governments. According to Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Pakistan agreed to pay the oil shipment, purchased from Abu Dhabi, in Chinese yuan instead of in US dollars.
The Israeli Air Force strikes and completely destroys the Iranian Space Research Center in central Tehran, stating that it was being used for potential space warfare activities against Israeli satellites.
The European Union imposes sanctions against nine Russian individuals over their role in the mass murder of civilians committed during Russia's occupation of Bucha during the initial 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Several NATO allies of the United States, including Germany, Italy, and Spain, rule out sending warships to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following a request from U.S. president Donald Trump.
Iran launches drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates, killing a Palestinian man in Abu Dhabi and forcing the temporary closure of Dubai International Airport. The port of Fujairah, in the Emirate of Fujairah, already attacked two days ago, is also hit.
Arts and culture
A police report in New York formally reveals English street artist Banksy's identity as 51-year-old Robin Gunningham from Bristol, England.
Business and economy
Cuba announces that citizens living abroad will be permitted to invest in and own businesses in the country as the government seeks to expand commercial activity amid an economic crisis.
Sri Lanka introduces a Four-day workweek for the public and education sectors to preserve fuel as the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to restrict fuel shipments to the region.
Disasters and accidents
Eleven people are killed and ten others are injured in a massive fire at the Srirama Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, India.
A roof collapses at a shop in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, killing eight people and injuring more than 50 others.
Health and environment
United States federal judge Brian E. Murphy blocks the implementation of changes to vaccine policy introduced by health and human services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including revisions to the childhood immunization schedule and recommendations issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Murphy rules that the measures likely violate required procedures and halts their enforcement pending further legal proceedings.
International relations
The European Union imposes sanctions against 16 Iranian individuals and three entities for their role in suppressing protests earlier this year.
Law and crime
Politics and elections
Nepalese activist and Rastriya Swatantra Party member Bhumika Shrestha is confirmed by the Nepalese Election Commission, becoming the first transgender lawmaker elected in Nepal.
Science and technology
Sports
In association football, the Premier League fines Chelsea F.C. ÂŁ10.75 million and gives them a two-year suspended transfer ban for making secret payments worth ÂŁ47 million to unregistered agents and third-parties between 2011 and 2018.
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