Military Space News
WAR REPORT
War in the Middle East: latest developments

War in the Middle East: latest developments

by AFP Staff Writers
Paris, France (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
Here are the latest events in the Middle East war on Monday:

- Trump news conference -

US President Donald Trump announced his first news conference since launching strikes on Iran, saying on his Truth Social network it would take place around 5:30 pm (2130 GMT) Monday in the ballroom of his Doral golf club near Miami, where he spent the weekend.

Ahead of the conference, the White House said Trump was reviewing "all credible options" on the politically sensitive issue of oil prices, which have surged because of the war.

- Asylum for Iranian footballers -

Trump said Australia had agreed to grant asylum to some of the Iranian women's football team, who refused to sing their national anthem at an Asian Cup match last week in a show of defiance of the Islamic republic.

After earlier urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant the players asylum, Trump posted: "He's on it! Five have already been taken care of."

Trump added: "Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don't return." There was no immediate comment from the Australian government.

- Lebanon toll rises -

The toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon rose to 486 people killed and 1,313 wounded, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The ministry had previously reported a death toll of 394. AFP could not independently verify the figures.

- Key Hezbollah commander killed -

Israel said its military had killed the head of Hezbollah's Nasr unit, Abu Hussein Ragheb, operating in part of southern Lebanon during renewed fighting with the Iran-backed armed group.

- Hezbollah hails new ayatollah -

Hezbollah pledged "loyalty" and "allegiance" to Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, after he was named to succeed his late father, ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the opening day of US-Israeli attacks.

- Trump 'not happy' -

Asked about his plans for the new supreme leader, Trump told the New York Post: "Not going to tell you. I'm not happy with him."

Israel's military has threatened to assassinate any successor to the late ayatollah.

- Hezbollah wants Lebanon's 'collapse': president -

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Hezbollah of working towards the "collapse" of the state for the sake of Iranian interests, a week after it launched attacks on Israel in response to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

"Whoever launched those missiles wanted to bring about the collapse of the Lebanese state, plunging it into aggression and chaos... all for the sake of the Iranian regime's calculations," Aoun told European officials in an online meeting.

He called for "direct negotiations" with Israel to stop the war.

- Israeli fire kills priest -

A priest in the Christian town of Al-Qlayaa in southern Lebanon died after being wounded by Israeli tank fire, according to state media and a medical source.

- Market woes -

After rocketing above $100 a barrel for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, oil prices pared gains and slid back under the key threshold.

Asian stocks fell sharply. US and European markets initially followed, but cut their losses as oil prices eased slightly.

- Iran warns strait unsafe -

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key transport route for global oil and gas supplies, cannot be restored as long as the war continues.

"It is unlikely that any security can be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires ignited by the United States and Israel in the region," he said.

- EU eyes Hormuz mission -

EU chiefs said the bloc was ready to "enhance" its maritime operations in the Middle East to protect shipping routes after holding talks with regional leaders.

President Emmanuel Macron said France and its allies were working to put together a "purely defensive" mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for world fuel supplies.

He said the mission would be aimed at escorting vessels "after the end of the hottest phase of the conflict".

- UAE says targeting 'unwarranted' -

The United Arab Emirates decried that it was being targeted "in a very unwarranted manner" in the war, stressing it would "not partake in any attacks against Iran", which has lashed out at Gulf countries seen as US allies.

- NATO blocks missile in Turkey -

NATO confirmed it intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Iran in Turkish airspace, in the second such incident in five days.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Tehran against "provocative steps".

burs-jhb/giv

Related Links
Space War News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WAR REPORT
Israeli strikes killed eight people in south Lebanon: state media
Beirut, Lebanon (AFP) Mar 5, 2026
Israeli strikes killed eight people in Lebanon on Thursday as Israel renewed its evacuation call for vast areas of the country's south, long a stronghold of Hezbollah. The Iran-backed militant group, which dragged Lebanon into the regional war on Monday when it launched an attack on Israel, said it had launched missiles at positions in the Galilee area. The National News Agency (NNA) reported that the mayor of a village in the Nabatieh region of south Lebanon and his wife were killed in one stri ... read more

WAR REPORT
Italy to send air-defence aid to Gulf countries; France allowing US aircraft on some Mideast bases

Leonardo DRS infrared payloads selected for SDA Tracking Layer Tranche 3

AST SpaceMobile secures role on MDA SHIELD defense architecture

Greenland is helpful, but not vital, for US missile defense

WAR REPORT
Hypersonica completes milestone hypersonic missile flight test in Norway

Raytheon advances next generation short range interceptor with ballistic test

Russian strikes kill 4, wound two dozen in Ukraine

Japan and US agree to expand cooperation on missiles, military drills

WAR REPORT
EU's Kallas warns anti-drone stock 'limited' as Mideast, Ukraine wars rage

Azerbaijan says Iran drone attack 'will not go unanswered'

Drone strikes on Sudan markets kill 33: medical source

Saudi Arabia intercepts drone attack targeting huge refinery: defence ministry

WAR REPORT
MTN to deliver secure SpaceX government satcom for defense customers

EU brings secure GOVSATCOM hub online under GMV leadership

Balerion backs Northwood to tackle ground bottlenecks in expanding space economy

Aalyria spacetime platform tapped for AFRL space data network trials

WAR REPORT
New electrolyte design aims to make giant flow batteries safer

Aitech and Teledyne expand partnership on space grade SP1 computing platform

Gilat wins 9 million dollar MOD deal for secure defense satcom

Norway buys French bombs for Ukraine: ministry

WAR REPORT
Global arms exports soar on European demand: study

China boosts military spending with eyes on US, Taiwan

BAE Systems posts record order backlog as defence spending rises

Canada launches huge defence plan to curb reliance on US

WAR REPORT
Vibes war? Trump pitches Iran conflict on 'feeling'

Mojtaba Khamenei: son and successor to Iran's supreme leader

China FM blasts Middle East war, urges US to manage ties

Starmer and Trump hold call about Iran war

WAR REPORT
Carbon fibers bend and straighten under electric control

Engineered substrates sharpen single nanoparticle plasmon spectra

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.