International Glance
Israel informed the US this week that it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors as the conflict with Iran rages on, US officials told Semafor.
Israel had reportedly entered the current war already low on interceptors that were fired during last summer’s conflict with Iran. Israel’s long-range defense system has strained under Iran’s attacks; CNN reported that Iran was adding cluster munitions to its missiles, which may exacerbate the depletion of the stock.
The US has been aware of Israel’s low capacity for months, one US official said: “It’s something we expected and anticipated.”
This official emphasized to Semafor that the US is not running similarly low on interceptors of its own. That comment comes amid broader concerns about interceptor depletion from a longer military engagement in Iran leaving the US in a poor position.
It’s also unclear whether the US might seek to sell or share any of its own interceptors with Israel, which would pose its own strain on domestic supplies. The US has included missile defense assets in past provisions of military aid to Israel.
Israel Is Running Critically Low On Interceptors, Semafor Reports
Russian Losses Have Exceeded New Recruits for 3 Straight Months, Syrsky Says
Russian military losses have exceeded the number of new recruits joining the Russian army for three consecutive months, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky said on Friday, March 13.
Syrsky made the statement after meeting with his Swedish counterpart, General Mikael Claesson, who visited Ukraine to discuss military cooperation and support.
“The Kremlin has no intention of stopping offensive actions, although it is suffering significant losses on the battlefield, which for three months in a row have exceeded the number of reinforcements joining the Russian army,” Syrsky said in a post on Facebook.
The exact number of either Russian and Ukrainian casualties is unknown. However, a joint investigation by the BBC Russian Service and research group Mediazona put the number of verified Russian losses in Ukraine at 200,186 on Feb. 25.
Israeli settler violence rises in West Bank under Iran war curbs
Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are taking advantage of curbs on movement imposed during the war on Iran to attack Palestinians, with military roadblocks preventing ambulances reaching victims quickly, rights groups and medics say.
Settlers have killed at least five Palestinians in the West Bank since the United States and Israel began airstrikes against Iran on February 28, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
A sixth man died after inhaling tear gas fired during an attack, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Israel’s military blocked many West Bank roads with iron gates and mounds of earth on the first day of the war and has largely shut crossings with Israel.
The Israeli military says the curbs are preemptive measures while it is carrying out airstrikes on Iran and against Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has fired missiles at Israel in solidarity with Tehran.
Palestinians in remote West Bank villages say the roadblocks have left them increasingly exposed to settler violence.
The Israeli military has also continued to carry out the raids it frequently conducts in Palestinian cities and towns during peacetime to arrest Palestinians, often without charge, they say.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s First Message Threatens Wider War
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public message Thursday since assuming power after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei. The statement was delivered as a written text read by a presenter on state television. That unusual format immediately fueled questions about both his health and the degree of his control over the country at a moment of acute regional crisis.
Unlike his father, Ali Khamenei, who rose to the supreme leadership after serving as Iran’s president, Mojtaba Khamenei has remained almost entirely out of public view. This was not only his first message as supreme leader, but effectively his first known public political address.
That contrast matters because Ali Khamenei entered the office with years of visible national political experience behind him. Mojtaba Khamenei, by comparison, has never given interviews and has never spoken publicly, making Thursday’s statement his first known public address.
The tone of Mojtaba Khamenei’s first message appeared aimed at establishing continuity. Much of it presented the current crisis as an extension of the struggle led by his father, suggesting that although Ali Khamenei is dead, his political and ideological struggle continues.
Commander of Ukraine’s 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade Killed in Combat Mission
Colonel Oleksandr Dovgach, commander of the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade and a Hero of Ukraine, was killed during a combat mission on the eastern front on March 9, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
According to the Air Force, Dovgach died while carrying out a mission in conditions of significant Russian air superiority and intense activity from Russian air defense systems.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the Air Force described the loss as a painful blow for Ukrainian aviation and the country.
“Unfortunately, we have another painful loss for our aviation family and the entire country. We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones… Honor to the Hero!”
The Air Force said Dovgach died in the afternoon while completing a combat task.
Lebanon: Israeli strike kills Maronite priest
A Maronite parish priest, Father Pierre Al-Rai, was killed and at least five people were injured this afternoon by an Israeli strike on the Christian-majority village of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. Fr Pierre al-Rahi, had stayed in the village, defying an Israeli order to leave, in order to protect his parishioners.
Three days ago, Father Pierre welcomed the Lebanese government's declaration that any military or security activity outside the authority of the state was illegal - referring to the government's move to ban Hezbollah's armed activity.
In a speech delivered on Friday in front of a church, Fr Pierre said the people of his community defend their land peacefully by remaining on their land. "None of us carries weapons," he said. "The only weapons we carry are peace, love, and prayer."
Today a house in the village was hit by Israeli tank, injuring the husband and wife who lived there. When several neighbours, the Red Cross and Fr Pierre rushed to help them, the house was hit a second time, injuring Fr Pierre and four others. AFP report that the priest died soon afterwards.
Nationwide alert sounded in Ukraine after Russian strikes kill seven in Kharkiv
At least 10 people, including two children, were killed and 10 injured in Kharkiv after Russia attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles and drones overnight, officials said.
A countrywide air raid alert was issued at around 3am local time to warn people against incoming Russian projectiles.
Kharkiv oblast governor Oleh Syniehubov said fires were reported as a result of a ballistic missile attack, which killed four civilians and injured 10, including two children.
Explosions were first reported in Kyiv at around 1.30am local time, the Kyiv Independent reported, followed by more blasts at around 1.40am local time.
The attack came hours after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he had visited the eastern front on Friday.
Zelensky said he gave awards to soldiers defending positions near Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka in the eastern Donetsk region where Russian forces were concentrated in preparation for a spring offensive.
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- Who attacked a girls' school in Iran, and will there be accountability?
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