IRGC Strikes Critical Israeli Military Sites with Khorramshahr-4 missiles in Latest Wave

Thursday, 05 March 2026 1:17 PM

Iran says Khorramshahr-4 missiles struck Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion and an Israeli air base in the latest wave of strikes. (File photo)

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced early Wednesday that its aerospace force targeted the critical Israeli military infrastructure with heavy Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missiles in the 19th wave of True Promise 4 Operation.

In a statement, the IRGC said the super-heavy missiles, each fitted with a one-ton class warhead, were launched in the pre-dawn hours.

The targets of the strike were central Tel Aviv, Ben-Gurion Airport and Squadron 27 of the Israeli Air Force at the airport, according to the statement.

It said the strategic salvo was preceded by attack drones and that the strike package penetrated “seven layers” of regional and domestic air defenses to reach its objectives.

Khorramshahr-4 is one of Iran's most advanced weapons, a roughly 13-metre missile with a boost weight of nearly 30 tonnes and a maneuverable re-entry warhead (MaRV) capable of carrying over 1,000 kilograms of explosive payload.

An American F-15E Strike Eagle multi-role attack fighter jet has been successfully targeted and downed by the Iranian air defense systems.

The IRGC statement also said that in the previous wave its forces had successfully struck some 20 US military targets across Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

The statement described the strikes as part of coordinated, multi-axis action by Iran’s armed forces that exceeded US and Israeli expectations and had altered the operational calculus of the ongoing war imposed on the Islamic Republic.

In the statement, the IRGC further said American troops were fleeing regional bases and seeking shelter in hotels in host countries, while decrying the US military for using civilian facilities in Persian Gulf states as cover for military activity.

The statement also warned that such movements are under constant intelligence surveillance and that Iranian forces remain prepared to target aggressor troops.

The IRGC says at least 560 American troops have been killed in retaliatory operations and many more injured since Saturday.

US-Israel Attack on a Premier Tehran Hospital Targeted Newborns, Destroyed IVF Center

Thursday, 05 March 2026 12:05 PM

By Humaira Ahad

The air at the bombed-out Tehran hospital room hung thick with dust and the metallic tang of recent destruction carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime.

Against a backdrop of shattered concrete, two newborns clung precariously to life. Their breaths were being measured by the rhythmic beep of monitors connected by vital wires.

Amid the dust-choked room following the dastardly US-Israeli aggression, Iranian Red Crescent personnel worked to sever the fragile connection to the damaged infrastructure, to take the infants out of the wreckage.

The Gandhi Hospital in central Tehran, along with a nearby residential building, sustained catastrophic damage from strikes carried out by the United States and Israel late Sunday night, a day after the aggression was launched without provocation.

Immediately following the attack, harrowing footage depicted medical personnel urgently transferring the tiny newborns from their compromised incubators to ambulances.

Hope for new life, IVF centre targeted

The tragedy deepened with confirmation from hospital authorities later about the massive damage incurred by a specialized IVF center there, which lay in ruins.

The IVF centre was a sanctuary where hundreds of hopeful couples had invested their futures, their deepest desires for parenthood.

The US-Israeli aggression destroyed their dreams for future generations that had been painstakingly planned.

“The ledger of violated human rights in this war will be written in blood and shame,” Hossein Kermanpour, Health Ministry spokesman, wrote in a post on his X account.

“For the first time in my life, I am witnessing something I never even saw during the Iran-Iraq War. Patients being carried in their caregivers’ arms, fleeing into smoke-filled streets after missiles exploded beside their hospital,” Kermanpour added.

The assault was not limited to Gandhi Hospital. Reports confirmed that Khatam al-Anbiya Hospital and Motahari Hospital were also directly targeted in Tehran.

Furthermore, several missiles struck near Abuzar Hospital in the southern city of Ahvaz, forcing the immediate evacuation of 21 patients, including those in intensive care, requiring 30 ambulances to reroute them to other centers.

Images from Ahvaz captured the evacuation under dire circumstances. Emergency personnel were moving the sick through the thick plumes of smoke while the terrifying sounds of aerial bombardment still echoed overhead.

The American and Israeli regimes also targeted three emergency medical bases in Sarab, Chabahar, and Hamedan following the Abuzar attack.

A member of the Iranian Parliament said five hospitals and medical centers have been damaged or destroyed during the US-Israeli terrorist attacks on the Islamic Republic.

“Unfortunately, this illegal act of aggression resulted not only in the destruction of the buildings of hospitals and medical centers but also the injury of a number of students and local residents,” Fatemeh Mohammad Beigi, a member of the Parliament’s Health and Treatment Commission, said in a statement on Monday.

She added that a number of these medical centers have been evacuated in fear of more attacks.

Assault on life itself

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian denounced the US-Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure, stating that the attacks on medical facilities “affect life itself and assaults on educational centers jeopardize the future of a nation.”

He made this reference following a US-Israeli strike on an elementary school in the southern Hormozgan Province that killed 171 girls.

He added that "targeting patients and children blatantly violates humanitarian principles."

The Iranian president called upon the international community to censure the atrocities.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed extreme concern over the damage to Gandhi Hospital in Tehran.

Following the bombing, he posted on X, stating, “Reports of Tehran’s Gandhi Hospital being damaged during today’s bombardment of the Iranian capital are extremely worrying.”

Ghebreyesus reiterated that “all efforts must be taken to prevent health facilities from being caught up in the ongoing conflict,” emphasizing that “Health facilities are protected under international humanitarian law” with the hashtag “#healthisnotatarget.”

Strike on hospitals, a pattern

However, this event is part of a disturbing pattern. This is not the first time Israel has attacked medical facilities in the Islamic Republic. During the 12-day military aggression in June, nearly a dozen hospitals were targeted in clear violation of international conventions.

The Geneva Conventions, long considered the bedrock of humanitarian protection in wartime, have been repeatedly flouted by both the US and Israel.

In Gaza, an entire health system has been systematically crippled, and doctors have been killed while on duty since the genocidal war was launched in October 2023.

According to chilling WHO figures, 94 percent of hospitals in Gaza were destroyed by Israel during its two-year-long genocide.

US Submarine’s Attack on Iranian Warship in International Waters Marks Expansion of Military Operation: Chinese Expert

By Liu Xuanzun and Liang Rui

Mar 05, 2026 11:17 PM

This image from video provided by US Defense Department shows explosion on an Iranian ship in the Indian Ocean during the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran. Photo: VCG

The US claimed Wednesday that a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in international waters, a move a Chinese military expert said was a dangerous sign that the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran is expanding to a larger scale.

According to a CNN report, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made the claim, with the Pentagon releasing a video of the attack showing a ship that experiences a massive explosion by its stern as well as what appeared to be still frames showing the ship sinking.

The attack killed more than 80 crew according to authorities in Sri Lanka who launched a rescue mission, and the Iranian side identified the vessel as the IRIS Dena and vowed vengeance for what it described as an "atrocity," CNN reported.

Some 130 people were believed to have been on board the vessel when the first distress call was received on Wednesday, according to Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, according to CNN.

"The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores," Araghchi said on X. "Mark my words: The US will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set."

The IRIS Dena had been sailing home from an east Indian port, where it had participated in an international naval conference hosted by India in February.

US' Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine claimed that it was the first time a US attack submarine had used a torpedo to sink a combat ship since 1945, CNN reported.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Thursday that the US nuclear submarine must have arrived in international waters near India and Sri Lanka where the attack was launched. This indicates that the US had planned the operation in advance. The ambush cannot be a sudden decision.

Wang warned that the US attack in international waters is an indication that the ongoing joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran could be expanding. "In response, Iran could strike more US assets around the world."

China's National Legislature Opens Annual Session with 15th Five-Year Plan Draft Outlined; Expert Says Long-term Planning Brings Stability and Highlights Institutional Strengths

By Yin Yeping and Chen Qingqing

Mar 06, 2026 12:53 AM

The 14th National People's Congress (NPC) opens its fourth session at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on March 5, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

The 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, opened its fourth session on Thursday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders attended the opening meeting, Xinhua reported. 

Premier Li Qiang delivered a government work report at the meeting, according to the report.

According to the Government Work Report submitted Thursday to the country's top legislature for deliberation, China targets an economic growth of 4.5 percent to 5 percent this year and will strive for better in practice.

Meanwhile, according to a draft report submitted to the national legislature for review on Thursday, China's defense budget growth is expected to slow to 7 percent in 2026, marking the 11th consecutive year of single-digit growth for China's defense budget.

At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, the Global Times reporter saw many domestic and foreign journalists gathering around deputies of the NPC for their insights regarding the Government Work Report in which several key topics mostly discussed include China's economic resilience, science innovation and green energy among others.

As China enters a fresh planning cycle, the "two sessions" offer a window into how the country will sustain and advance the momentum of its high-quality development as policymakers set out a blueprint for the country's development for the year and over the next five years, with impacts extending beyond China to the global stage, a Chinese expert said, noting that this capability of a long-term planning provides greater predictability and stability to the uncertain world, highlighting China's institutional strengths.

Heated discussions

As China embarks on the inaugural year of its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the world has also been closely watching the review of a guiding development blueprint for the new five-year period. 

At the meeting, lawmakers examined a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national economic and social development.

They examined the report on the implementation of the 2025 plan for national economic and social development and on the 2026 draft plan, and the draft plan for national economic and social development in 2026.

When Global Times reporters arrived at the scene on early Thursday morning, many journalists and interviewees were already gathered, and they quickly carried out several exchanges to capture insights on the future development blueprint.

Tian Xuan, a deputy to the 14th NPC and an economist, told the Global Times that in reviewing the 15th Five-Year Plan, he noticed that policy support for financial development was specifically highlighted in the Government Work Report.

"As a researcher in finance, I paid special attention to the emphasis on 'technology finance,' which is intended to support entrepreneurship and innovation, promote technological advancement, and provide financial services across the entire industrial chain and throughout the full lifecycle of technological innovation," Tian said.

"I believe that first and foremost, we must accelerate the establishment of a modern industrial system, particularly one with advanced manufacturing as its backbone. At the same time, achieving a high level of technological self-reliance and strength is essential, as this is crucial for fostering and developing new quality productive forces," Tian said.

Sharing his views on the technology innovation content in blueprint, Li Dongsheng, an NPC deputy and chairman of Chinese electronics giant TCL, told the Global Times that he echoes the work plan and aligns it with the implementation of his own proposals as a technology entrepreneur, noting that innovation plays an important role in the manufacturing sector in which his company operates. 

"Achieving transformation and upgrading in Chinese manufacturing relies on developing high tech, capital intensive, and long cycle industries such as integrated circuits and semiconductor displays," Li Dongsheng said. He also noted that in some sectors where capital investment is not huge but is still important, such as industrial software and large AI models, consistent investment is needed.

Additionally, he said that "Only breakthroughs in key technology areas can support the overall transformation and upgrading of China's economy and strengthen the core capabilities of China's tech manufacturing sector."

Global attention

The annual sessions have also drawn global media attention, as they are eager to gauge the direction of the world's second-largest economy in the next five years.

The Guardian on Thursday highlighted that the plan includes chapters on boosting consumption and enhancing innovation, key priorities for Beijing over the next five years.

"With the US launching tariffs and other actions on not only China but the world, Beijing appears to view the next five years as a window for China to play a more active role in the global environment," The Guardian reported, citing Guo Shan, a partner and chief economist at Hutong Research, a boutique advisory firm, noting that the government work report discussed the importance of international economic flows.

Reuters in its report noted that the 141-page five-year blueprint, which ⁠covered a wide range of socio-economic targets and policies, mentioned AI more than 50 times and included a sweeping "AI+ action plan." 

China is aiming for global technological supremacy in its next five-year plan, the Financial Times highlighted in its report.

In addition to wide coverage by foreign media, some foreign government representatives attending Thursday's meeting also shared their views on the development blueprint.

Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan's Ambassador to China, told the Global Times on Thursday that it is very clear that China provides a great deal of stability amid the turbulence affecting many parts of the world, whether in terms of political, economic, or social stability. "What we have learned from the Government Work Report is truly impressive, particularly the progress and achievements made across social, economic, political, security, environmental, and other fields, as well as the plans outlined for the coming year," the envoy said.

"Within that context, we know the high significance of the Five-Year Plan, which is a major planning tool for China," Hashmi said.

With science and technology at its core, the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan will enable China to continue achieving steady and sound economic growth, social progress, and technological advancement, while also contributing much-needed stability to the world, he said. 

This year's Government Work Report further clarifies key priorities, including technological innovation, industrial modernization, financial support, and green development, providing policy backing and institutional support for economic transformation and upgrading, while also outlining directions for cultivating new-quality productive forces and enhancing the core competitiveness of industries, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

"These development goals not only show that China is focusing on innovation-driven growth, industrial upgrading, and green, low-carbon development while maintaining steady economic growth, but also reflect China's strategic resolve to pursue stability and sustainable development amid a complex external environment."

As the most important annual meeting of the world's second-largest economy, the "two sessions" chart a blueprint for the country's development over the next five years, with implications that extend beyond China to the global stage, Cao Heping, professor at the School of Economics of Peking University, told the Global Times on Thursday, noting that this long-term planning provides greater predictability and stability to an otherwise uncertain world, highlighting China's institutional strengths.

"It not only lays a solid foundation for China's sustained economic growth but also offers an important reference and confidence for the global economy, demonstrating China's determination and capability to achieve high-quality and sustainable development amid a complex international environment," Cao said.

China Sets 4.5-5% GDP Growth Target for 2026 While Striving to Achieve Better Results in Practice

Range 'allows policy flexibility', signals confidence in stable growth despite global headwinds: experts

By GT staff reporters

Mar 06, 2026 01:00 AM

A view of the Lujiazui area in Shanghai Photo: VCG

China targets economic growth of 4.5 percent to 5 percent this year and will strive for better in practice, according to a Government Work Report submitted Thursday to the country's top legislature for deliberation.

The annual growth target was unveiled in the Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Qiang to the National People's Congress (NPC), the national legislature, which began its annual session on Thursday morning.

Over the next five years, China expects to keep its GDP growth within an appropriate range, with annual growth rates to be determined in light of actual conditions, according to the report.

This will lay a solid foundation for achieving the goal of doubling China's 2020 per capita GDP by 2035 to reach the level of a moderately developed country, the report said.

The target of 4.5 percent to 5 percent economic growth for 2026, while striving to achieve better results in practice, is intended to strike a balance between what is needed and what is feasible, said Shen Danyang, head of the group responsible for drafting this year's government work report, according to Xinhua.

The setting of the economic growth target for 2026 is "proactive and pragmatic", reflecting a broad assessment of domestic conditions and shifts in the external environment, Shen said.

Analysts said that the target range reflects a more prudent assessment of global uncertainties, and allows greater policy flexibility to focus on high-quality development while still signaling policymakers' confidence in maintaining stable growth in the world's second-largest economy amid rising global risks and turmoil.

Flexibility allowed 

This is not the first time China has set its GDP growth target in the form of a range. For example, in 2016, a target range was set at 6.5 to 7 percent. In 2019, the target was set at 6 to 6.5 percent.

Lawmakers, national political advisors, analysts as well as executives of multinationals said that the targeted growth range is set to ensure the Chinese economy gets off to a good start in the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), and the figure is of paramount importance to pinpointing new growth engines and maintaining stable and sustained economic growth.

NPC deputy Yu Miaojie, president of Liaoning University, told the Global Times on Thursday that a growth target range of 4.5 percent to 5 percent allows greater policy flexibility, enabling localities to focus on high-quality economic growth as their primary goal and, more importantly, place greater focus on people's livelihoods.

"Maintaining an annual economic growth rate within this range reflects the stability of China's economy," Yu said, noting the steady track record of economic growth in the past several years.

Amid escalating geopolitical conflicts and growing global turmoil, China's economy has maintained stable and sustained growth, driven by the country's economic resilience and social stability, Yu said.

Denis Depoux, global managing director of strategy consulting firm Roland Berger, told the Global Times on Thursday that it is crucial to understand that this "growth consensus" is not a sign of weakness but a necessary trade-off to achieve higher-priority objectives.

"In the context of rising global uncertainty, the growth target creates fiscal and political buffers for China to drive reform and address real problems without the pressure of chasing high growth at all costs. It allows for a significant reallocation of capital away from inefficient investments and toward the real needs of the economy, namely technology and people," Depoux said.

Still, China's GDP growth target range, if achieved, would largely surpass the world's average growth rate in 2026 with the world economy facing unprecedented geopolitical and economic challenges and turmoil, analysts said.

China's newly announced growth range for 2026 is a firm answer to the "China peak theory" and the Chinese economy is expected to serve as a source of stability for the global economy, they noted.

Notably, the Chinese economy is projected to grow faster in 2026 than the US, Japan and the Euro area, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with the US economy projected to grow 2.4 percent in 2026, 0.7 percent for Japan and 1.3 percent for the Euro area. 

The projected pace would also be among the highest for major economies globally, Shen said.

"The growth target is definitely achievable - the target is set in a very practical and realistic way," Yin Tongyue, a National People's Congress deputy and chairman of Chinese automaker Chery Holding Group Co, told the Global Times as he walked out the Great Hall of the People after listening to the delivery of the Government Work Report in Beijing on Thursday.

Pragmatic approach 

Foreign media outlets closely followed China's GDP growth target, with several reports noting that the target range is the lowest range in decades, but creates flexibility for reforms.

Reuters reported that a "lower growth target gives Beijing more flexibility to implement reforms that make the world's second-largest economy less reliant on exports for growth", while the Guardian reported that the figure "reflects an economic strategy that is shifting away from export-led growth to a model that leaders hope will be more resilient to external shocks."

The Wall Street Journal wrote that the "less ambitious growth target also gives Chinese leaders some room to maneuver the economy through complicated geopolitical terrain" and the unchanged deficit target should "give policymakers ample room to rev up government spending if needed."

This is to do with the stage of economic development, as economic growth cannot sustain a continuously high speed, Qu Yongyi, a researcher with the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a national political advisor, told the Global Times on Thursday. "This target range reflects that the government is not solely pursuing GDP growth but is placing greater emphasis on high-quality development."

Tian Xuan, an NPC deputy and a Boya Distinguished Professor of Finance at Peking University, told the Global Times on Thursday that the GDP growth target range is not about "slowing down growth" but rather a "recalibration" of the pace of development.

"It represents the optimal solution found between long-term goals and immediate challenges - one that both upholds the baseline needed to achieve the 2035 vision and reflects a pragmatic approach to development," Tian said. "The modest downward adjustment is not a simple numerical change, but a pragmatic step grounded in economic reality and a move tailored precisely to long-term development goals."

The "range-based regulation" sets a lower bound for growth while preserving upward flexibility and sufficient room for policy maneuvering — all to safeguard the certainty of high-quality development. This also means that achieving the target will be anything but easy; it will require sustained and arduous effort, The People's Daily noted in a commentary published on Thursday.

The commentary, titled China has set an economic growth target of 4.5 percent to 5 percent this year. How should we view it, said that to make further progress from an already high level, we must emphasize both quantity and, more importantly, quality. Can we go even faster? It's not that we cannot; it's that we choose not to. The very "first lesson of the new year" stressed curbing impulsive pursuit of governance achievements, carrying profound significance. 

"Pursuing genuine and unvarnished growth, and advancing high-quality, sustainable development." This demonstrates the determination to forge ahead despite pressure and strive for innovation and high quality, it said. 

South Africa’s Anti-apartheid Veteran and Ex-defense Minister Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota Dies at 77

FILE -Mosiuoa Lekota, a former defense minister and co-founder of Cope (Congress of the People), breakaway faction of South Africa’s African National Congress, reacts, as he is named the leader of the new party, at the final session of Cope’s three-day founding conference in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Dec. 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME

3:39 AM EST, March 4, 2026

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African anti-apartheid veteran and former defense minister Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota has died at the age of 77 after a long illness, his political party said on Wednesday.

Lekota was a prominent activist against white minority rule in South Africa and served eight years in prison on Robben Island alongside other jailed anti-apartheid figures, including Nelson Mandela, from 1974 to 1982.

Lekota was a fiery member of various political youth organizations during apartheid and was jailed even after he was released from Robben Island for his continued anti-apartheid activism.

He served as South Africa’s minister of defense from 1999 to 2008 and was also the national chairperson of the African National Congress, which governed the country after the first democratic election in 1994.

However, Lekota’s relationship with the ANC soured after former President Thabo Mbeki was removed as the country’s president in 2008, having lost the presidency of the ANC to former President Jacob Zuma in 2007.

He formed a breakaway party, the Congress of the People (COPE), which contested the 2009 elections. It became the third biggest opposition party with just over 7% of the national vote and 30 seats in South Africa’s 400-member parliament.

The breakaway led to a significant decline in the ANC’s electoral support in 2009, with many former ANC members and leaders leaving the party to join Lekota’s new political outfit.

In 2024, the ANC lost its outright majority for the first time and is now the biggest party in a coalition government.

In addition to his accolades as a political activist, Lekota was well respected as a long-serving lawmaker and political leader who strengthened the voice of opposition parties.

However, factional struggles within COPE led to its gradual decline and its failure to win any parliamentary seats during the 2024 general elections, ending Lekota’s career as a lawmaker.

In 2025 he stepped away from politics for health reasons, with his party appointing an acting leader after his departure.

Tributes have poured in from across South Africa’s political landscape.

“He decided to leave the ANC and formed COPE with other South Africans, by doing so he literally strengthened the opposition parties,” said Bantu Holomisa, South Africa’s deputy minister of defense and leader of the opposition United Democratic Movement party.

“His role was not doubted, because he and others from the ANC did understand the passage of the struggle. And they knew very well what was the original agenda, which seemed to have been hijacked,” Holomisa said.

Miners Digging for World Tech Material are Dying in DR Congo

FILE -Miners work at the D4 Gakombe coltan mining quarry in Rubaya, Democratic Republic of Congo, on, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)

By WILSON MCMAKIN

9:09 AM EST, March 5, 2026

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A landslide that collapsed several tunnels at a major coltan mine in eastern Congo is reported to have left at least 200 people dead in the rebel-controlled site.

Rebels and government spokespeople traded accusations of responsibility and disputed the death toll, however analysts say that the collapses are the deadliest in years.

The collapse follows a similar event in January that also left over 200 dead in an area already facing a humanitarian crisis and ongoing conflict.

In May 2024, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group seized the town of Rubaya and took control of its mines.

Here’s what to know about the collapse:

How the accident happened

Several hand-dug tunnels collapsed on Tuesday, killing at least 200 artisanal miners, according to the Congolese Ministry of Mines.

The mine, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of the regional capital, Goma, employs thousands of miners who operate largely by hand. Miners dig long tunnels, often parallel to one another, with limited support and no safe evacuation route in case of a collapse.

Details about the collapse are sparse due to the mine’s remoteness and the pressure on the miners from rebels and mine owners to stay quiet afterward.

Ibrahim Taluseke, a miner at Rubaya, told The Associated Press that because mine owners must pay $300 to victims’ families, there is an incentive to obfuscate the true death toll.

“Imagine if you give a high number, these owners could even eliminate you. Because often they even hide the victims’ bodies to avoid compensation,” said Taluseke.

Other miners gave varying death tolls from the collapse.

Rubaya mines keep collapsing

Due to the difficulty of accessing Rubaya, analysts disagree on the reason for the back-to-back collapses.

Christian-Géraud Neema, a nonresident scholar in the Carnegie Africa Program, blamed heavy rains for the collapse and emphasized the need to be skeptical of official narratives.

“It’s normal for Kinshasa to exaggerate the numbers,” he said, adding collapses are common and that it would be a mistake to try to draw a causal relationship between the two collapses and the rebel control of the mines. “We should not be shocked; we should expect another collapse in three weeks’ time or in a month,” said Neema.

Guillaume de Brier, a researcher with the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), said that while recent collapses are among the deadliest in recent years, part of the problem stems from M23’s control of the mines.

“Because of M23, there are no more civil society protections or state services,” said de Brier. There is a lack of regulation during an ongoing conflict, which has increased the number of miners, said de Brier, adding that many people have lost their jobs and are unable to find work outside of the artisanal mining sector.

Mining of key component

The mines produce coltan — short for columbite-tantalite — an ore from which the metals tantalum and niobium are extracted.

Both are considered critical raw materials by the United States, the European Union, China, and Japan. Tantalum is used in mobile phones, computers, and automotive electronics, as well as in aircraft engines, missile components, and GPS systems. Niobium is used in pipelines, rockets, and jet engines.

According to a U.N. report, since seizing Rubaya, the M23 has imposed taxes on the monthly trade and transport of 120 metric tonnes (118 tons) of coltan, generating at least $800,000 a month. The coltan is then exported to Rwanda, U.N. experts said. But even before M23 seized control of the mine, analysts said that the mineral was sold to Rwanda, the only difference being that it was done through Congolese intermediaries.

Statement by the Coalition for the Elimination of Imperialism in Africa Regarding the US-Israel War Against the Islamic Republic of Iran

Toward the African Revolution

Mar 04, 2026

The Coalition for the Elimination of Imperialism (CEIA) in Africa strongly condemns the barbaric joint aggression carried out by the United States & ‘Israel’ against the Islamic Republic of Iran in the morning of February 28, 2026. We also wish to extend our deepest condolences to the steadfast and courageous Iranian people for the martyrdom of their Supreme Leader, Imam Ali Khamenei.

The assassinations of Ayatollah Khamenei and other high ranking military officials is a desperate and fruitless attempt to deal a psychological blow to the Iranian people in the hope that it will translate into success on the battlefield. These killings will never affect the system or cohesion of the Islamic Republic of Iran because its structure is built to transform the martyrdom of its leaders into greater strength & determination.

The wide variety of targets including military installations, government buildings & civilian infrastructure from elementary schools to residential buildings demonstrates that the true goal of this war is not to free the Iranian people from an alleged ‘oppressive regime’ but to destroy Iranian society itself.

It is of vital importance that Pan-Africanist & anti-imperialist organisations globally do not neglect their duty to stand by the Iranian people as they defend their sovereignty & their very existence against Zionist-American aggression. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been a bulwark of anti-imperialism since the 1979 revolution and is the backbone of the Axis of Resistance. We know that this US-Israel war against Iran is a war on the multipolar world. The United States government seeks to reassert its hegemony across the world while ensuring that their attack dog, Israel, keeps West Asia in a permanent state of submission to US interest.

The Coalition For The Elimination of Imperialism (CEIA) stands in total solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran. All conscious Africans and all justice loving people of the world have no choice but to stand resolutely in support of the brave people of Iran who today are at war against all the imperialist countries of the world. Iran’s victory is a victory for all oppressed people across the world.

Long live the Islamic Republic of Iran!

Long live the people’s resistance!

Death to Israel!

Iran Says Separatist Groups Targeted in Iraq, US Tanker Hit in Gulf

By Al Mayadeen English

Iran said its forces struck separatist groups near its western border and that IRGC naval units targeted a US tanker in the northern Persian Gulf.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said on Thursday that its forces targeted positions of separatist groups allegedly attempting to enter the country through its western borders.

In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the ministry said the groups suffered heavy losses during the operation.

Tehran warns of foreign-backed destabilization

The ministry accused what it described as an Israeli-American plan to launch attacks on Iranian territory using separatist groups operating near the border.

It added that Iranian forces are cooperating with what it called “noble Kurds” to prevent infiltration attempts and maintain security in western regions of the country.

According to sources cited by Reuters, Iranian Kurdish militias have recently held consultations with the United States about the possibility of attacking Iranian security forces in western Iran.

IRGC says US tanker struck in Gulf

In a separate development, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said Iranian naval forces targeted a US tanker in the northern part of the Gulf.

According to a statement carried by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the vessel was struck on Thursday morning and caught fire following the attack.

Iran warns over control of Strait of Hormuz

The IRGC said the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian control and warned that vessels linked to the United States, Israel, and European countries would not be permitted to pass through the strategic waterway.

The Strait is one of the world’s most critical maritime routes for global energy shipments.

CIA aims to spark internal unrest in Iran

Earlier on Tuesday, multiple sources familiar with the developments told CNN that the CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces in Iran as part of a broader effort to pressure Tehran and potentially spark internal unrest. According to the report, the administration of US President Donald Trump has been engaged in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq regarding the provision of military support.

Iranian Kurdish armed groups currently maintain thousands of fighters operating along the Iraq-Iran border, primarily within Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Several of these groups have issued public statements since the beginning of the war, signaling potential imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has intensified operations against separatist Kurdish positions. The IRGC stated on Tuesday that it targeted Kurdish forces using dozens of drones.

US contacts with Kurdish opposition groups

On Tuesday, Trump reportedly spoke with the president of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI), Mustafa Hijri, according to a senior Iranian Kurdish official cited by CNN. The KDPI was among the groups targeted by the IRGC. Iranian Kurdish opposition forces are expected to participate in a ground operation in western Iran in the coming days, the official said.

“We believe we have a big chance now,” the source stated, referring to the timing of the operation. The source added that the militias expect US and Israeli support.

Trump also contacted Iraqi Kurdish leaders on Sunday to discuss the US military operation in Iran and potential coordination as the mission progresses, according to two US officials and another source familiar with the discussions. Any attempt to arm Iranian Kurdish groups would require cooperation from Iraqi Kurdish authorities to allow weapons transit and use Iraqi Kurdistan as a staging ground for aggression.

Iraqi Islamic Resistance Warns European Nations Against Entering into War with Iran 

Thursday, 05 March 2026 7:30 AM

File photo shows Iraqi anti-terror forces staging a parade.

A coalition of anti-terror Iraqi resistance factions has cautioned European countries against siding with the United States and Israel, and engaging directly in the ongoing military aggression on Iran.

In a statement on Thursday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq warned that "rogue and bullying powers" have all come together to undermine free nations' dignity and honor, spread corruption across the globe and impose their will upon the people.

"This is while they will never be able to attain their objectives as determined, steadfast and resilient fighters have never and won't ever bow down before global arrogant powers no matter how massive their attempts might be," the statement read.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq added that the Israeli regime and the US are trying their best to drag the feet of their allies into the war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"Every country which participates in the offensive will be considered as an enemy to our nations and sanctities. Accordingly, their forces and assets in Iraq and across West Asia will be deemed as legitimate targets in reprisal for their engagement in the anti-Iran war."

The warning comes as certain European countries, including Britain, France and Germany,  have signalled prepadeness to join the US and Israel in their ongoing aggression against Iran. France has even dispatched an aircraft carrier to the region.

Iraqi resistance groups down US MQ-9 Reaper drone

Meanwhile, the Iraqi resistance fighters have announced the interception and shooting down of a sophisticated MQ-9 Reaper drone in the skies over Salahuddin Province.

US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, in an unprovoked act of aggression, assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and many senior military commanders.

Since then, they have been targeting sites across the country, including schools, hospitals and sports complexes.

Iran is responding by launching missiles and drones at targets inside the Israeli-occupied territories as well as American bases across the region.

Trump's ‘Peace Through Strength' Stained With Blood of Innocent Kids: Larijani

Thursday, 05 March 2026 11:54 AM

People hold photos of two of the victims of a US-Israeli attack on a school in Minab during their funeral on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Tasnim News Agency)

Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, has lashed out at the United States and Israel after a deadly airstrike on a school in southern Iran, telling US President Donald Trump that the slogan of “peace through strength” has been “stained with blood.”

In a post on X on Thursday, Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, condemned the brutal crime carried out by Washington and Tel Aviv.

“With the mass martyrdom of innocent girls in a Minab school at the hands of American-Israeli criminals, the theory of 'peace through strength' has been stained with blood,” he wrote.

Addressing the US president directly, Larijani added: “Mr. Trump! Was this the anthem of freedom you composed for Iran?! God exposes the deceivers by their own hand.”

The remarks came after a devastating strike on a primary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab that killed nearly 170 people, most of them children.

According to Iranian officials, multiple Israeli-American airstrikes targeted the two-story Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school on Saturday morning. Five air raids struck the girls’ and boys’ sections of the school at 11:30 a.m., followed hours later by another strike at 3:40 p.m. on a nearby clinic.

Dozens of female teachers and four parents were also among the victims.

Iran’s security chief says Trump dragged Americans into war with Iran just to please Netanyahu.

The massacre occurred amid a broader escalation that began earlier the same day, when the United States and Israel launched an illegal act of aggression against Iran.

During the onslaught, Israeli-American strikes assassinated the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, along with several high ranking military commanders.

Iranian officials say the wave of airstrikes has so far killed at least 1,045 people across the country.

In response, Iran’s armed forces began launching waves of missile and drone attacks against Israeli-occupied territories as well as US military assets in regional countries, describing the retaliation as a lawful response to aggression.

The latest escalation also comes against the backdrop of earlier statements by Trump, who had told Iranians that “help is on the way” after economic protests in January were hijacked by foreign intelligence networks and turned violent.

US to 'Bitterly Regret' Torpedoing Iran's Frigate Dena in International Waters: FM 

Thursday, 05 March 2026 12:04 PM

File photo of Iran's Dena destroyer

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has vowed that the United States will “bitterly regret” sinking Iran’s Frigate Dena in international waters that led to the killing of dozens of sailors.

The attack occurred hundreds of miles across the Indian Ocean - off the southern coast of Sri Lanka - away from the Persian Gulf, where a US-Israeli military coalition has been striking Iran in an unprovoked war of aggression since Saturday.

“The U.S. has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran’s shores. Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning. Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret precedent it has set,” Araghchi said in a post on X on Thursday.

Frigate IRIS Dena was torpedoed and was sunk by a US submarine on Wednesday. According to Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister, it was heading back to Iran from an eastern Indian port.

“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, adding, “Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo. Quiet death.”

According to hospital authorities in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle, a total of 87 bodies were brought in by military rescuers who responded to an early morning distress call.

Sri Lankan authorities noted that another 32 sailors were rescued and were being treated at a hospital. 

However, they said that around 60 sailors were likely unaccounted for from an estimated 180 people on board.

Frigate IRIS Dena had taken part in a naval exercise organized by India in the Bay of Bengal from February 18 to 25.

Meanwhile, The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that its naval forces struck an US oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf earlier on Thursday, setting it ablaze.

In response to the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, the naval and aerospace units of the IRGC and the Islamic Republic’s national military forces have launched massive missile strikes against US military assets in regional countries and on targets in the Israeli-occupied territories since the weekend.

Iran’s escalating strikes have prompted Washington to close its embassies, urging Americans to flee the region.

Iran’s Barrage of Attacks Across the Persian Gulf Shows Regional Resistance is Key to Its Strategy

By JON GAMBRELL and JAMEY KEATEN

6:02 AM EST, March 5, 2026

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — For years, Iran’s revolutionary government warned it would blanket the Middle East with missile and drone fire if it felt its existence was threatened.

Now, the Islamic Republic is doing just that.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war Saturday and killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has unleashed thousands of drones and ballistic missiles targeting Israel, American military bases and embassies in the region, and energy facilities across the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, there’s been Iranian missile fire on Turkey and drones targeting territory of Azerbaijan.

Iran’s basic strategy is to instill fear about the dangers of a widening war in hopes that allies of the U.S. will apply enough pressure to halt their campaign. A protracted conflict, along with American and Israeli casualties, could also work in Iran’s favor.

A bid to wear down regional defenses and instill fear

Iran’s first priority is to emerge from the war with its state institutions intact, said Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“Iran is upping the costs for this U.S. military campaign and regionalizing it from the get-go, as they promised they would if America restarts the war again with Iran,” she said. The U.S. joined Israel last June in a 12-day war, targeting nuclear enrichment sites. Iran maintains its program is peaceful, though its officials had threatened to pursue a bomb while enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.

Iran’s leaders believe that by inflicting casualties and disrupting energy production to drive up oil and gas prices, America’s allies or an unsettled public back home will pressure U.S. President Donald Trump to ease back.

“The Iranians are banking on basically out-stomaching him, and exhausting him and his allies to the point where they would basically have a diplomatic off-ramp,” Geranmayeh said. Trump is unpredictable, Geranmayeh said, but for now he appears to be pressing for “unconditional surrender to his demands, rather than a negotiated settlement.”

The U.S. and Israel have carried out hundreds of airstrikes and inflicted heavy damage on Iranian government, military and nuclear targets. Despite being greatly outgunned, Iran has continued to fire ballistic missiles into Israel, killing 11 people and disrupting life for millions of Israelis. More have been killed in the Gulf Arab states, while the U.S.-Israeli campaign has killed 1,045 people in Iran.

After more than two years of war in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli public appears to have little appetite for another lengthy round of fighting. Polls suggest the U.S. public is leery of a protracted conflict.

Friends and onetime foes hit alike by Iran

The American and Israeli onslaught came after a string of U.S.-Iranian talks over Iran’s nuclear program and the West’s sanctions failed to reach a breakthrough.

Trump said Monday his four objectives were to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, wipe out its navy, prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ensure that it cannot continue to support allied armed groups.

The Iranian response has spared no one in the region, not even Oman, which mediated the latest round of nuclear talks and for decades has maintained a close relationship to Iran after it helped the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said put down a rebellion in the 1970s.

Last week, as the U.S. amassed warships in the region, Oman’s foreign minister rushed to Washington in a last-ditch effort to keep the nuclear talks going.

Since then, Oman has been dragged into the conflict. An Omani port and ships off its coast have been targeted by Iranian missiles. Oman’s port at Duqm helped the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with pre-deployment logistics.

Saudi Arabia, which has maintained a detente with Tehran since 2023, also came in the crosshairs this week. Its Ras Tanura oil refinery has been repeatedly attacked and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh got hit by drones — an embarrassing moment for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has worked to cultivate a close relationship with Trump.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which also have close ties to Trump, have been repeatedly targeted, too.

Missile math grows more important

There’s a grim math equation at play as the war goes on. Iran has a finite number of missiles and drones, just as the Gulf Arab states, the U.S. and Israel all have a limited number of interceptor missiles capable of downing the incoming fire.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that thousands of Iranian missiles and drones have been “intercepted and vaporized” during the war. The Israeli military says it has destroyed dozens of missile launchers.

From the American and Israeli side, targeting missiles and their launchers remains key. Both countries had to shoot down Iranian missiles during the war in June and multiple times in the Israel-Hamas war.

“In simple terms, we are focused on shooting all the things that can shoot at us,” said U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the American military’s Central Command.

A senior Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said Iran has several days’ worth of ballistic missiles if it continues firing at current rates, but it may hold some back to wage a longer campaign.

The Israeli military says the number of Iranian launches has greatly diminished in recent days as a result of the airstrikes — though warning sirens wailed seemingly constantly across Israel on Wednesday into Thursday.

Iran’s strategy imperils US satellites in West Asia

Iran’s strategy of trying to threaten energy security, drive a wedge between Gulf and Western states and raise costs is “backfiring,” said Hasan Alhasan, a Middle East expert with the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“It’s driving and pushing the Gulf states into closer alignment with the United States,” he said.

“The Gulf states can’t simply sit idle and continue absorbing indefinite attacks to their critical infrastructure and to civilians in Gulf cities,” Alhasan said. They are probably trying to both acquire more weapons to intercept incoming fire and find ways to broker an end to the war, he said.

Iran’s foreign minister has suggested his country’s military units are now isolated and acting independently from any central government control, a possible excuse for Iran’s increasingly erratic fire.

“They are acting based on instructions — you know, general instructions — given to them in advance,” Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

But after a Wednesday phone call with Araghchi, Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, “categorically rejected” his assertion that Iranian missiles were only directed at American interests and not intended to target Qatar.

___

Keaten reported from Geneva. Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

Kurdish Pentagon-backed Mercenaries Say They Are Preparing to Join the Fight Against Iran with US Support

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA STELLA MARTANY and RASHID YAHYA

7:13 PM EST, March 4, 2026

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Kurdish Iranian dissident groups based in northern Iraq are preparing for a potential cross-border military operation in Iran, and the U.S. has asked Iraqi Kurds to support them, Kurdish officials told The Associated Press.

The Kurdish groups are widely seen as the most well-organized segment of the fragmented Iranian opposition and are believed to have thousands of trained fighters. Their entry into the war could pose a significant challenge to the embattled authorities in Tehran and could also risk pulling Iraq further into the conflict.

Khalil Nadiri, an official with the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, based in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, said Wednesday that some of their forces had moved to areas near the Iranian border in Sulaymaniyah province and were on standby.

He said Kurdish opposition group leaders had been contacted by U.S. officials regarding a potential operation, without giving more details.

Asked about reports that the Trump administration was considering arming Iranian Kurdish groups, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Wednesday: “None of our objectives are premised on the support or the arming of any particular force. So, what other entities may be doing, we’re aware of, but our objectives aren’t centered on that.”

Before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday, triggering a new war in the Middle East, the PAK had claimed attacks on the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Tehran’s violent crackdown on protests. But an official with the group said it had not sent forces from Iraq into Iran.

If the Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish groups were to join the war, it would be the first entry of a significant ground force into the battle. The Kurdish groups have battle experience from the fight against the Islamic State group.

An official with Komala, another of the Kurdish Iranian groups, said Wednesday that their forces are ready to cross the border within a week to 10 days and were “waiting for the grounds to be suitable.” He spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns.

Kurds in Iran have a long history of grievances and uprisings against both the current Islamic Republic and the monarchy that preceded it. During the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Kurds were marginalized and repressed and sometimes rebelled.

After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents. Iranian forces destroyed Kurdish towns and villages in fighting that killed thousands over several months.

While they share a desire to see the current authorities ousted, the Kurdish groups have also butted heads with other opposition groups — notably the faction led by the former shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, who has accused the Kurds of being separatists aiming to carve up Iran.

Iraqi Kurds hesitant to join the fray

The potential operation has put leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish region in a delicate position.

Three Iraqi Kurdish officials told the AP that a call took place Sunday night between U.S. President Donald Trump and Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabani — the heads of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK, the two main Kurdish parties in Iraq — to discuss the situation in Iran.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

One of the officials said Trump had asked the Iraqi Kurds to militarily support the Iranian Kurdish groups in operations in Iran and to open the border to allow the Iranian Kurdish groups to move freely back and forth.

When asked about the call and reports that Trump has sought military support for Iranian Kurdish groups, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “He did speak to Kurdish leaders with respect to our base that we have in northern Iraq,” but denied that Trump had agreed to a specific plan.

The Iraqi Kurdish official said the Iraqi Kurds were concerned that getting directly involved in the conflict would draw a harsh Iranian response. Already the Kurdish region has seen a string of drone and missile attacks by Iran and allied Iraqi militias in recent days, targeting U.S. military bases and the U.S. Consulate in Irbil as well as the Kurdish groups’ bases.

While most of the attacks have been intercepted, civilian homes have been damaged, and the region is suffering from electricity cuts after a key gas field halted operations due to security concerns.

In a statement, the PUK confirmed that Talabani had spoken by phone with Trump, who “provided clarification and vision regarding U.S. objectives in the war.” The statement said the PUK “believes that the best solution is a return to the negotiating table.”

Spokespeople for the Kurdish regional government in Iraq and for Barzani declined to comment.

The news site Axios first reported the call between Trump and the Kurdish leaders, and CNN reported that the Trump administration was in discussions with Kurdish groups over providing military support.

Iraq moves to seal the border

The presence of armed Iranian Kurdish groups in northern Iraq has been a point of friction between the central Iraqi government in Baghdad and Tehran.

Iraq in 2023 reached an agreement with Iran to disarm the groups and move them from their bases near the border areas with Iran — where they potentially posed an armed challenge to Tehran — into camps designated by Baghdad.

Their military bases were shut down and their movement within Iraq restricted, but the groups did not give up their weapons.

Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qassim al-Araji said in a post on X that Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, had requested in a call between them “that Iraq take the necessary measures to prevent any opposition groups from infiltrating the border between the two countries.”

Al-Araji said Iraq is committed to “preventing any groups from infiltrating or crossing the Iranian border or carrying out terrorist acts from Iraqi territory” and noted that security reinforcements had been sent to the border.

In addition to retaliation by Iran, any movement by Iraqi Kurds to join a cross-border attack would likely inflame tensions with Iran-backed Iraqi militias, which have already claimed missile and drone strikes on Irbil in recent days.

——-

Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad. Abby Sewell in Beirut and Konstantin Toropin and Michelle Price in Washington contributed.

Iran Launches New Attacks and Calls for ‘Trump’s Blood’ While Israel Strikes Iranian Infrastructure

By JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING, ELENA BECATOROS and SAMY MAGDY

6:53 AM EST, March 5, 2026

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched a new wave of attacks Thursday at Israel, American bases and countries around the region, threatening that the United States would “bitterly regret” torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and calling for “Trump’s blood,” while Israel said it hit multiple targets in Iran.

Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks and air sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Iranian state television said additional strikes also targeted U.S. bases.

The Israeli military said it had hit 80 targets in Lebanon linked to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group over the past 24 hours and that a wave of strikes on Iran had hit long range ballistic missile launch sites and other targets.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. Navy of committing an “an atrocity at sea” for sinking the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, which killed at least 87 Iranian sailors.

“Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set,” he said on social media.

Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli, in one of the few clerical statements so far from Iran, later called on state television for the shedding of both Israeli and “Trump’s blood.”

“Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,’” he said in a rare call for violence from an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam.

The U.S. and Israel launched the war Saturday, targeting Iran’s leadership and killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as hitting its missile arsenal and nuclear facilities. Leaders have suggested toppling the government is a goal, but the exact aims and timelines have repeatedly shifted, signaling an open-ended conflict.

The war has killed more than 1,200 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. It has disrupted the supply of the world’s oil and gas, snarled international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in the Middle East.

Threats expanding across the Middle East

A drone crashed Thursday near the airport in Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijan exclave bordering the north of Iran that is separated from the rest of the country by Armenia. Another drone fell near a school and two civilians were injured, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan, but its attacks since the start of the war have spread erratically and involved regional countries and beyond.

In Abu Dhabi, six people were wounded when a drone was shot down near the Al Dhafra Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces, and shrapnel fell to the ground, authorities said.

Qatar evacuated residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha as a temporary precaution Thursday and later reported a missile attack on the city. Saudi Arabia said it destroyed a drone in its province bordering Jordan.

A tanker apparently came under attack off the coast of Kuwait early Thursday, expanding the area where commercial shipping was in danger, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center run by the British military. It said there was an explosion but did not offer a cause. Iran in the past has attacked ships by attaching limpet mines to them.

Prior attacks since fighting began Saturday have happened in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, which connects it to the Persian Gulf and through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped.

U.S. stocks rebounded Wednesday after oil prices stopped spiking and reports gave encouraging updates on the American economy. But oil prices resumed their ascent early Thursday and Brent crude, the international standard, is now up some 15% from the start of the conflict as Iranian attacks have disrupted traffic through the strait.

Iranian warship sunk on way home from multinational exercises

The Iranian ship sunk by the U.S. Navy was on its way back from participating in a February exercise hosted by the Indian navy. The U.S. Navy also participated in the same exercise with a P-8A Poseidon aircraft, which is employed for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare as well as surveillance and reconnaissance.

Sri Lankan authorities said 32 crew members were rescued, while its navy recovered 87 bodies.

Araghchi said it had been carrying “almost 130” crew.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Wednesday that an American submarine had sunk the ship with a torpedo.

Sri Lanka’s media minister and government spokesman, Nalinda Jayatissa, told parliament Thursday that another Iranian ship had arrived in its waters. Jayatissa did not provide further details about the ship or the number of people on board.

Israel says it hits more Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

U.S. and Israeli military officials say launches from Iran have declined as their attacks have taken out ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. Israel’s Homefront Command announced it was easing restrictions that closed workplaces nationwide, which could reopen Thursday if there is a shelter nearby. Schools would remain closed.

Still, explosions sounded early Thursday in Israel, which said its defensive systems were moving to intercept at least three waves of Iranian missiles.

At least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, the country’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said Thursday. Eleven people have died in Israel. Six U.S. troops have been killed, including a major whose identity was released Wednesday.

Among the 80 targets in Lebanon that the Israel military said it hit over the past 24 hours were “several command centers” used by Hezbollah in Beirut. It showed video footage of a building being hit, but provided no further details.

Another eight people were killed in Lebanon, including two in a building struck by the Israeli military in the Beddawi refugee camp in the coastal city of Tripoli on Thursday and three on a coastal highway, authorities said. The Israeli military did not immediately say who it targeted in the strikes.

In two near-simultaneous Israeli drone strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs late Wednesday, two vehicles were hit, killing three people and wounding six, the health ministry said. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah member, adding that further details would follow.

___

Rising reported from Bangkok, Becatoros from Athens, Greece, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, Lebanon, Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Aida Sultanova in Baku, Azerbaijan, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami contributed to this report.

Senegal: Sonko Sets Stage for Showdown With Diomaye, Signals Pastef Ready to Return to Opposition

3 March 2026

The Point (Banjul)

Ousmane Sonko on Sunday sharply escalated political tensions within Senegal's ruling camp, openly preparing his militants for a possible confrontation with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and even a return to the opposition if what he described as PASTEF's governing principles are undermined.

Speaking during a face-to-face meeting with party supporters, Sonko delivered one of his most combative addresses since assuming office, framing PASTEF as the true engine behind the coalition's rise to power and warning that governance without the party is "an illusion."

"PASTEF Conquered the Presidency"

Sonko forcefully rejected narratives suggesting that the Diomaye Coalition won power independently of PASTEF. Despite the party's legal ban at the time of the presidential election, he argued, its militants formed the backbone of the electoral victory.

"If you count 100 voters, 90 were PASTEF militants," he declared, portraying the party as the dominant political force in the country.

He pointed to the current balance of power, with the majority of ministers and roughly 80 percent of National Assembly deputies affiliated with PASTEF, as proof that the party remains central to state authority.

"Anyone who believes it is possible to rule without PASTEF is deceiving himself," Sonko said, in remarks widely interpreted as directed at elements within the presidency and the broader coalition.

Drawing Red Lines

More significantly, Sonko laid down clear red lines regarding the conduct of government business. He vowed to block or reject any policy initiative that departs from what he called the "struggle and principles" of PASTEF.

"As long as I remain Prime Minister, government action will reflect PASTEF," he told supporters. "If I can block it, I will block it."

The declaration signals a hardening posture amid growing speculation of divergences between the Prime Minister and the President.

While reaffirming his "full respect" for President Diomaye, Sonko emphasised that constitutional authority is shared, not subordinated. He stressed that the Prime Minister is head of government and chief of public administration, responsible for implementing public policy.

At the same time, he sought to dispel claims that he wields excessive institutional power, arguing that his formal prerogatives are weaker than those of predecessors such as Abdallah Boune Dione (late), due to powers transferred to the presidency when the post was previously abolished and later restored.

Preparing Militants for "Cohabitation" or the Opposition

In what may prove the most consequential part of his address, Sonko openly contemplated scenarios of political rupture.

He introduced the concept of a "soft cohabitation" should the President and the party cease to share the same governing vision, a reference to institutional friction within the executive. If disagreements became irreconcilable, he warned of a shift toward "hard confrontational cohabitation."

"And if necessary," he added, "PASTEF will return to the opposition. We have no fear of accountability."

The remark marks a significant rhetorical shift. Rather than presenting internal tensions as manageable disagreements, Sonko framed them as a potential structural divergence that could redefine the governing arrangement.

Reform, Power, and Parliamentary Leverage

On the issue of reforms, Sonko insisted that no individual, not even the President, can unilaterally impose constitutional changes. He reminded militants that reforms must pass through Parliament, where PASTEF holds a commanding majority, or be approved by referendum.

"The President may propose," he said, "but Parliament decides."

The message appeared aimed at reinforcing the party's institutional leverage and reminding supporters that legislative power ultimately rests with PASTEF lawmakers.

"Not Obsessed With Office"

In a bid to preempt accusations of personal ambition, Sonko repeatedly stated he is not attached to the premiership and would return to private life if dismissed.

"The day the President tells me he no longer wants me in government, I will leave," he said.

However, he warned that his departure could remove what he described as a "barrier" preventing a return to past governance practices, a veiled suggestion that forces resistant to reform remain active within the system.

A Defining Political Moment

Sunday's address signals a defining moment in Senegal's post-election political configuration. While stopping short of declaring an outright break with President Diomaye, Sonko unmistakably positioned himself, and PASTEF, as an autonomous center of power prepared to confront, resist, or even withdraw from government if necessary.

For militants gathered before him, the message was clear: loyalty lies first with the party and its "struggle," not with institutional arrangements.

Whether this posture leads to negotiated alignment or open confrontation within the executive now appears to be the central question shaping Senegal's political trajectory. (Source: Gambiaj.com)

Former Assembly clerk appointed new NCCE chairman

Bilal of Banjul organises 2nd Takusani Qu'ranic recitation to promote learning

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The Eric Williams Memorial Collection 

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P.O. Box 561631, Miami, Fl 33256-1631, USATel: 305-271-7246Cell: 305-905-9999Fax: 305-271-4160 

24th Eric Williams Memorial Lecture  

Marlon James “Imagining Alternative Futures” 

MIAMI, FL. (March 3, 2026) - The 24th Eric E. Williams Memorial Lecture will take place at 7:15 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at the Boyd Vance Theatre, George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, Austin, Texas.  The event, with a reception before at 6:15 p.m. is free and open to the public. 

Live-streaming will be available, and post-Lecture viewing accessible on the University of Texas at Austin’s Warfield Center YouTube channel. 

After a record 19 consecutive years at Florida International University (FIU), in 2021 the Lecture found a new home at the John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin. An online exhibition of portions of the Eric Williams Memorial Collection Museum at The University of the West Indies (UWI, Trinidad and Tobago) is also available for viewing at https://exhibits.lib.utexas.edu/spotlight/celebrating-eric-williams 

As the celebrated author of five novels, Marlon James was born in Jamaica in 1970.  His first novel, John Crow’s Devil, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. His New York Times bestseller Black Leopard, Red Wolf, was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction in 2019, and his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings won the 2015 Man Booker Prize.  James is also the author of The Book of Night Women, which won the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Minnesota Book Award.  

Media Contact: 

Erica Williams Connell 

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“Marlon James is a writer of exceptional talent and range,” says Warfield Center Director and literary scholar Dr. Jennifer Wilks. “As Eric Williams was a scholar whose deep knowledge of history informed his vision for an independent Trinidad and Tobago, so James is an artist who deftly moves between immersive historical fiction and captivating epic fantasy, delving into the nuances of the past to imagine the possibilities of the future.” 

Established in 1999 at FIU, the Eric Williams Memorial Lecture honors the legendary Caribbean statesman, eminent historian, and author of several books.  His 1944 groundbreaking study Capitalism and Slavery arguably re-framed the historiography of the British Transatlantic Slave Trade and established the contribution of Caribbean slavery to the development of both Britain and America.  It has been translated into 11 languages: Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Turkish, Korean among them (with German and Dutch the most recent). An 82-year-old still highly controversial and provocative text, popularly referred to as The Williams Thesis, the book argues among other propositions, that slave trade revenue fueled the rise of the British Industrial Revolution; and that its declining profitability, not solely humanitarianism, gave the impetus to British abolition. Never out of print in the US, when a mass market edition was produced in March 2022 Capitalism and Slavery was listed at #5 on the UK Sunday Times Bestseller list.  

Eric Williams was also the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and Head of Government for a quarter of a century until his death in 1981. He led the country to Independence from Britain in 1962 and to Republican status in 1976.  

Among prior Eric Williams Memorial Lecture speakers have been:  the late John Hope Franklin, one of America’s premier historians of the African-American experience; Kenneth Kaunda, former President of the Republic of Zambia; Cynthia Pratt, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Bahamas; Mia Mottley, now Prime Minister of Barbados; Beverly Anderson-Manley, former First Lady of Jamaica; former Prime Ministers of Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines; prize-winning Haitian author Edwige Danticat; award-winning author, historian and educator, Dr. Carol Anderson of White Rage fame; CNN anchor Abby Phillip, and renowned activist Dr. Angela Davis in both 2003 and 2023.  The Lecture, which seeks to provide an intellectual forum for the examination of pertinent issues in Caribbean and African Diaspora history and politics, is co-sponsored in part by: UT’s Michener Center for Writers, New Writers Project, The Caribbean Studies Initiative of The Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS); the City of Austin; the Texas Book Festival; Mr. & Mrs. Leroy Lashley; and Jerry Nagee. 

The Lecture is also supported by The Eric Williams Memorial Collection Research Library, Archives & Museum at The University of the West Indies, which was inaugurated by former US Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell in 1998.  It was named to UNESCO’s prestigious Memory of the World Register in 1999. 

Books by and about Eric Williams will be available for purchase at the Lecture.   

- EWMC - 

Iraqi Resistance Reports Drone Attacks on US Targets in Erbil

By Al Mayadeen English

Saraya Awliya al-Dam claims a series of drone and missile attacks targeting US military sites in Erbil and the region.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq – Saraya Awliya al-Dam announced that its fighters carried out an attack using a swarm of drones targeting a US forces base near Erbil International Airport, a hotel in Erbil used by US forces as accommodation for their soldiers, and a vital target in Jordan.

The group said the operations came in retaliation for the assassination of Iranian Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and as a deterrent against the aggression that led to the martyrdom of several young Iraqi resistance fighters.

In a separate statement, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said its fighters carried out 27 operations on Tuesday, using dozens of drones and missiles targeting “enemy bases in Iraq and across the region.”

In a related development, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) announced that US occupation forces targeted one of the headquarters belonging to the Al-Jazira Operations Command in Jurf al-Nasr, confirming that the attack did not result in any casualties or losses.

Iraq asserts stance with Iraq

In a separate development, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Baghdad reported that a vehicle belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) was targeted on the Musayyib–Iskandariya road, north of Babil province.

The correspondent added that the Iraqi government has taken what were described as significant positions regarding the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, reflecting Baghdad’s official stance amid the escalating regional tensions.

He also noted that mourning gatherings have been held in most Iraqi cities for Sayyed Ali Khamenei, with councils of condolence organized in several provinces.

US Bases Targeted

The developments come amid a widening regional confrontation following the US-Israeli military aggression on Iran, which has triggered a series of retaliatory actions by groups aligned with the Axis of Resistance across the region.

In recent days, Iraqi resistance factions have warned that US military installations in Iraq and neighboring countries would remain legitimate targets as long as Washington continues its military operations against Iran and its allies.

The escalation has raised concerns about the growing vulnerability of US bases across West Asia, many of which host American troops as part of the so-called "anti-ISIS coalition" but have increasingly come under attack since the outbreak of the broader regional conflict.

Hezbollah Pummels Ein Shemer Base, 75km from Border, Other Key Bases

By Al Mayadeen English

Islamic Resistance fighters launch coordinated drone strikes on Israeli military bases in Haifa, Ein Shemer, Tel Hashomer, and Ramat David following attacks on Lebanon.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah carried out a series of operations against key Israeli military sites in retaliation for the recent Israeli attacks that targeted dozens of Lebanese cities and towns, including the southern suburbs of Beirut

According to a statement, on Tuesday, at approximately 5:00 pm, the Resistance targeted Iron Dome radar systems at Kiryat Eliezer, the main air defense base in the occupied city of Haifa, using a squadron of assault drones.

Early Wednesday morning, at 4:30 am, the Islamic Resistance struck the Ein Shemer base, a missile air defense facility located 75 kilometers east of the Lebanese-Palestinian border near Hadera, again employing a squadron of assault drones.

Later on Wednesday, at 2:00 pm, the Resistance fighters targeted the Ramat David airbase with a squadron of assault drones. Simultaneously, the resistance targeted Tel Hashomer, the command headquarters southeast of Tel Aviv, located 120 kilometers from the Lebanese border, with a salvo of precision missiles. At the same time, the Haifa Naval base was struck with a squadron of kamikaze drones.

Hezbollah launches total of 100 munitions

According to Israeli media, Hezbollah launched a total of 100 munitions, divided between drones, missiles, and rockets toward "Israel" on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, fighters from the Islamic Resistance carried out a series of operations against Israeli military targets in northern occupied Palestine in response to attacks on Lebanese towns, including Beirut’s southern suburbs.

At 1:20 am, a rocket salvo struck a gathering of Israeli army forces in the Metulla area, while at 2:00 am, a squadron of assault drones targeted the headquarters of Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), one of "Israel’s" primary defense manufacturers.

At 3:30 am, a precision-guided missile hit the Giv’at drone control base east of the occupied city of Safad, while simultaneously another precision-guided missile struck the Northern Region Command headquarters, known as Dado Base, northeast of Safad.

Operations continued later in the morning in the southern Lebanese village of Houla. At 11:20 am, an Israeli armored personnel carrier was targeted and hit directly, followed by a strike on a Merkava tank at 12:00 pm, also achieving a direct hit.

Resistance releases footage of attacks on Meron base, Merkava tank

The Islamic Resistance has released footage showing the launch of a drone operation on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, targeting the Meron base for surveillance and air operations in northern occupied Palestine.

Additionally, the Resistance published footage of its fighters targeting a Merkava tank in the Tal al-Nahhas area, facing Kfar Kila, with an ATGM.

Israeli aggression intensifies

The Israeli occupation launched a series of attacks across Lebanon on March 4, targeting Beirut’s Southern Suburb, as well as areas in South Lebanon, the Bekaa, and Mount Lebanon.

Since March 4 morning, Israeli forces have carried out multiple airstrikes on Beirut’s Southern Suburb, hitting buildings in Hadath, Lailaki, Hay Madi, and Haret Hreik.

In South Lebanon, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that an Israeli force advanced from the Bastara Farms area toward the Azraeil area south of Kfar Chouba. Warplanes struck the town of Houla, while another airstrike targeted Beit Lif. An Israeli infantry force also reportedly entered the courtyard of the Mais al-Jabal Governmental Hospital on the morning of March 4 and positioned itself inside the facility.

In the Bekaa, Israeli forces conducted multiple airstrikes on the outskirts of Shmestar and Bouday. Earlier at dawn, Mount Lebanon saw attacks on a hotel in Hazmieh (Baabda district), a four-story residential building in Aramoun, and an apartment in the Saadiyat area of the governorate.

Lebanon front intensifies

The latest escalation comes amid a broader aggression along the Lebanese border. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had crossed into Lebanese territory near Markaba, Odaisseh, Kfar Kila, and Ramyah before returning south of the Blue Line.

UNIFIL also reported a sharp increase in violations over the past two days, including several airstrikes, hundreds of incidents of fire across the Blue Line, and 84 airspace breaches.

The peacekeeping mission added that Israeli forces continue to occupy five positions in southern Lebanon under what it describes as "buffer zones", a move it said violates UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon announced a series of operations in response to the ongoing Israeli attacks. Fighters said they shot down an Israeli drone over Nabatieh and targeted five Merkava tanks near Kfar Chouba, Tal Nahas, Kfar Kila, and Metulla using precision-guided missiles.

Additional operations included rocket fire at Israeli military sites and drone strikes targeting military infrastructure, including the Meron air surveillance base, the Ramat David Airbase, and the Haifa Naval Base.