News roundupWar in the Middle East: latest developments

AFP
Damage from a strike in eastern Tehran that was hit by a missile strike, on March 28, 2026
Damage from a strike in eastern Tehran that was hit by a missile strike, on March 28, 2026
© AFP

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Trading blows -

The Israeli army said on Monday morning that it was striking Iranian military infrastructure across the Islamic republic’s capital.

Shortly after, the army said it was intercepting missiles launched from Iran.

- Peacekeeper killed -

Indonesia confirmed that one of its peacekeepers was killed in Lebanon, after the UN force said a projectile hit one of its positions.

The Indonesian foreign ministry said “indirect artillery fire” near the town of Adchit al Qusayr killed one of its peacekeepers and wounded three others.

- Kharg Island -

US President Donald Trump said in an interview with The Financial Times on Sunday that the United States could take Iran’s Kharg Island “very easily.”

When asked about the state of Iranian defence on the island, which houses a vital oil terminal, Trump said “I don’t think they have any defence. We could take it very easily.”

- Saudis intercepts missiles -

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said its forces detected and intercepted five ballistic missiles aimed at the kingdom’s Eastern Province.

The brief statement posted on X did not specify where the missiles originated.

- ‘Regime change’ -

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the US-Israel war had achieved regime change in Iran.

“We’re dealing with different people than anybody’s dealt with before. It’s a whole different group of people. So I would consider that regime change,” Trump said.

- Deadly Kuwait strike -

An Iranian strike on a power station in Kuwait killed one Indian worker and damaged a building at the site, the Gulf state’s electricity ministry said.

- Israel boosts defence spending -

Israel’s parliament passed its 2026 budget, including about $10 billion in new military spending, bringing the country’s total defence budget to about $45 billion.

- Power cuts in Iran -

Iran’s energy ministry has reported power outages in Tehran, following what it said were “attacks on electricity industry facilities”.

- Iran’s heavy water plant -

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran’s heavy water production plant in Khondab had sustained severe damage and was no longer operational after an Israeli military strike.

The Israeli military said Friday it carried out a strike against a heavy water plant in Arak, central Iran, describing the site as a “key plutonium production site for nuclear weapons”.

- Pakistan talks -

Pakistan said that it was ready to broker and host “meaningful talks” between the United States and Iran to bring an end to their war, outlining growing support for its peace efforts, including from the United Nations and China.

Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey met in Islamabad.

- Ambassador refuses -

Iran’s ambassador will not leave Lebanon despite being declared persona non grata and ordered to quit the country, an Iranian diplomatic source has told AFP.

Lebanon’s foreign ministry accused him of making statements “interfering in Lebanon’s internal politics”.

- University hit -

A university in Iran’s central city of Isfahan said it was hit by US-Israeli airstrikes for the second time since the war erupted.

- Kuwait attack -

Kuwait’s defence ministry said 10 service members were injured in an attack on a military camp.

- Lebanon toll rises -

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes had killed 1,238 people in the country since the start of the latest war with Iran-backed Hezbollah on March 2.

- Israeli expansion -

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered his military to “further expand” a security zone in Lebanon.

- 30 days offline -

Smoke rises from the Ramat Hovav industrial zone south of Beersheba in southern Israel
Smoke rises from the Ramat Hovav industrial zone south of Beersheba in southern Israel
© AFP

Iran’s nationwide internet blackout has now lasted 30 days, leaving millions cut off from information and communication since the war began.

- Iran missile unit -

The Israeli military said it had attacked a key production facility in Tehran used by Iran’s defence ministry to manufacture components for ballistic missiles.

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