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The U.S. war in Iran is taking a mounting toll on America’s military, with rising casualties, dwindling munitions stockpiles, a sidelined aircraft carrier and numerous downed aircraft just three weeks into the conflict.

At least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while another 232 have been injured since the U.S.-Israeli war against Tehran began on Feb. 28. In addition, some 16 American aircraft have been destroyed, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was damaged in a laundry room fire earlier this month and American forces are quickly blowing through stocks of air defense and long-range munitions.

Now, with reports that Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran — a move that is almost sure to be met by fierce retaliation from Tehran — those losses could quickly increase. Experts say the developments in the Middle East threaten U.S. security in other areas of the world, namely the Indo-Pacific.

“The problem, I think, is several-fold,” said Seth Jones, a former Pentagon official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “You’re taking an area that is not your top priority, and you’re now sort of blown through readiness and maintenance issues with aircraft and ships that will be important for a China contingency operation.”

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At least two people were killed and dozens were At least two people were killed and dozens were injured after an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, March 22.

The Air Canada Express CRJ-900 jet carrying 72 passengers and four crew members collided with the vehicle just before 11:40 p.m. on Sunday, Kathryn Garcia, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said at a news conference. The Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicle was responding to another aircraft operated by United Airlines, which had reported an issue with odor, Garcia said.

Jazz Aviation, which operates as Air Canada Express, confirmed in a statement the incident involved a flight headed to LaGuardia from Montreal.

The company, citing Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials, said the deceased were identified as the pilot and the first officer.

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With the help of two Democrats, the Senate on March 23 confirmed Markwayne Mullin to replace Kristi Noem as the head of the Department of Homeland Security.

The pugilistic Oklahoma Republican senator now is tasked with leading not only a critical federal agency in mounting crisis, but also the immigration agenda of a White House that has increasingly found its hardline enforcement policies to be a political liability – in a midterm year that could cost the president's party control of Congress.

The largely partisan vote, 54-45, was a break from precedent, as senators of both parties have in the past shown at least some deference to their colleagues in the legislative chamber to support them for Cabinet positions. It was a stark reminder of a staunchly polarized Congress, especially when it comes to issues related to immigration.

All GOP senators except for one, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted to confirm Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter who ran a multimillion-dollar plumbing business before he was first elected to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives over a decade ago.

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Dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged across the occupied West Bank overnight on Saturday, torching cars and houses.

Video footage showed the villages of Jalud, Fandaqumiya, Silat ad-Dhahr and Qaryut with buildings on fire, and residents scrambling to try to evacuate those inside.

The Israeli army reported on Sunday a spate of arson attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank the previous night.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said three people were injured after being beaten by settlers in the village of Jalud. Six others were injured from beatings in villages near Jenin.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa said several Palestinians were injured in the attacks. No arrests have been made.

The Israeli army said the attacks came after an Israeli civilian died on Saturday "following a report received regarding a Palestinian vehicle that hit an Israeli vehicle".

"Last night, IDF and border police forces were dispatched to several Palestinian villages... following reports of Israeli civilians committing acts of arson against structures and property, as well as engaging in disturbances in the area," the military said.

Six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank since 1 March, according to the Palestinian Authority.

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Russian forces carried out around 700 strikes across Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region over a 24-hour period, killing two people and injuring eight others, regional authorities said.

The attacks targeted dozens of settlements and caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure.

According to Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration head Ivan Fedorov, Russian forces launched a total of 700 strikes on 39 settlements in the region over the past day.

The attacks included airstrikes, drone assaults, artillery fire and multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) strikes, with drones accounting for the majority of incidents.

Fedorov said Russian forces carried out nearly 400 drone attacks, mostly using FPV drones, alongside dozens of airstrikes and hundreds of artillery strikes.

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After warning of retaliatory attacks on U.S. and Israeli infrastructure, Iran on Saturday night launched missiles at two southern Israeli cities that lie close to the country's main nuclear research center.

The Israeli military said about 180 people had been injured, some severely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "a very difficult evening" for the country, in a post on X.

Also overnight, President Trump gave Iran 48 hours to reopen a crucial waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, saying if Tehran fails to do so, "America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Roughly a fifth of the world's oil transited through the strait last year — and Iran's willingness to attack the transport vessels has virtually halted traffic.

The president has vacillated in recent days between saying the war is "winding down," while also deciding to stage new U.S. ground forces near the region and continuing to strike Iranian targets.

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Donald Trump is stuck between “a rock and a hard place” after three weeks of war in Iran and “sending a message of weakness” to the world, Leon Panetta, a former US defence secretary and Central Intelligence Agency director, has told the Guardian.

Panetta, who served in the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations, recalled that national security officials were always keenly aware of Iran’s ability to create an energy crisis by blocking the strait of Hormuz. That very scenario is now unfolding, leaving Trump with no exit strategy beyond wishful thinking.

“He tends to be naive about how things can happen,” Panetta, 87, who supervised the operation to find and kill Osama bin Laden, said by phone. “If he says it and keeps saying it there’s always a hope that what he says will come true. But that’s what kids do. It’s not what presidents do.”

Trump’s war began on 28 February with what it hoped would be a knockout blow. A surprise strike by Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The US and Israel soon gained air supremacy. But the longer the conflict has raged, the more that initiative appears to be slipping away.

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NHL reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children were killed on Saturday in a weekend house fire in Minnesota, the league announced on its sports website Sunday.

Pierce, 37, covered the Minnesota Wild as the correspondent for NHL.com for the past decade.

“The entire NHL.com team is devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jessi and her children,” said Bill Price, vice-president and editor-in-chief of NHL.com, in a statement.

“Jessi’s love of her family and hockey was evident in the energy and passion she brought to her work for us. She was an absolute joy to talk to and work with. She will be deeply missed.”

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