33844
Join our channel for breaking news stories from around the globe, exclusive analysis & opinions. Website: sputnikglobe.com 💬 You can always reach us via @sputnikint_bot
🇮🇱🪖 IDF announces Israel began 'targeted and limited raid' in southern Lebanon
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🇷🇺 Putin congratulates Mojtaba Khamenei on becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader
🔊 Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as the new Supreme Leader of Iran, the Kremlin said.
🟠 In his message, Putin reaffirmed Russia’s unchanging support for Tehran and expressed solidarity with the Iranian people amid the ongoing confrontation in the region. He noted that Iran is currently facing armed aggression and said the responsibilities of the country’s new leader will require courage and dedication.
🟠 Putin also expressed confidence that Mojtaba Khamenei would continue the work of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and unite the Iranian people in the face of serious challenges. The Russian president stressed that Russia has been and will remain a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic.
🟠 Putin wished the newly elected Supreme Leader success in addressing the difficult tasks ahead and strength of spirit in leading the country.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨 Israel strikes Lebanon's Dahiyeh, Yediot reports
The strike reportedly hit a branch of Hezbollah's financial institution in Beirut's southern suburbs.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🔸 Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader?
🔸 Media may keep quiet on Gulf crisis to avoid economic destabilization – ecologist
🔸 US National Guard soldier dies during medical emergency in Kuwait — CENTCOM
🔸 Casualties from the US-Israeli attack on Iran continue to rise
🔸 Ending Iran war will be ‘mutual’ decision with Netanyahu — Trump
🔸 Iran launches Wave 30 of missile and drone strikes — IRGC
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
💵 Oil at $119: But real chaos depends on Iran and Hormuz
💬 "Short-term attacks and local disruptions can push Brent to $100 per barrel, but a sustained range above this level requires a significant reduction in exports from Iran, Qatar, and some OPEC members," Russian expert Igbal Guliyev tells Sputnik.
💬 "This is no longer a matter of the market, but of geopolitics and a forceful scenario in the Middle East," the expert concluded.
📄 Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader?
🔹 Mojtaba Khamenei was elected Iran’s new Supreme Leader on March 9 by the Assembly of Experts, following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an Israeli airstrike.
🔹 Born September 8, 1969, in Mashhad, he is the second son of Ali Khamenei and has long been considered one of the most influential figures inside the leader’s office.
🔹 After finishing school, he studied religious sciences in Qom, Iran’s main theological center.
🔹 In his youth he participated in the Iran-Iraq War, serving in the “Mohammad Rasulollah” division, where he developed ties with future figures in Iran’s security establishment.
🔹 Although he never held formal government posts, Mojtaba Khamenei was widely seen as a powerful behind-the-scenes figure and a key aide to his father.
🔹 He has close ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and is known for supporting a hardline approach in foreign policy.
🔹 He is married to the daughter of Ghulam Ali Haddad Adel, a prominent conservative politician, strengthening his connections with Iran’s political elite.
🔹 In recent years he taught religious jurisprudence (fiqh) in Qom, where he increasingly came to be referred to as “Ayatollah.”
🔹 In 2019, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mojtaba Khamenei as part of measures targeting figures close to Iran’s leadership.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨🇮🇱 Warning sirens sound in northern Israel as missile seen overhead — reports
Warning sirens were activated in Haifa, its surrounding areas and the Lower Galilee in northern Israel, Israeli media reported.
Footage circulating online appears to show an Iranian missile passing through the sky over Israel.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨 Drone shot down near Baghdad as air defenses engage — reports
One of the drones was intercepted, with its wreckage falling onto a residential building, according to reports circulating on social media.
The incident comes after air defenses at the US Victoria base in Baghdad were seen attempting to intercept drones near the area.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨 Drone crash reported south of Baghdad — Sputnik correspondent
A drone crashed in the Al-Ilaam area south of Baghdad, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
📹 IRGC posts video of missile launches toward Israel
Iranian state media Press TV posted a video showing Iranian forces launching two waves of missiles following the appointment of the country’s new Supreme Leader.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
📹 Damage reported in Tel Aviv after Iranian strikes — reports
Footage circulating on social media appears to show damage damaged vehicles, shattered storefront windows and debris scattered across the area.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨🇮🇷 Iran launches Wave 30 of missile and drone strikes — IRGC
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it has launched Wave 30 of aerial attacks using Khorramshahr, Fateh and Kheibar missiles, along with strategic drones.
The Guards said the strikes were part of Operation Sadeq Al-Wa’d 4, targeting American bases in the region and northern Israel.
Footage from social media
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🇮🇷 IRGC pledges allegiance to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) congratulated Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei on his election as the new Supreme Leader, according to a statement published by IRNA.
💬 The Guards described the decision by the Assembly of Experts as the start of “a new phase in the revolution and the Islamic Republic,” following the martyrdom of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The IRGC declared its “respect, devotion, and obedience” to the new leader and said it stands ready for “full obedience and self-sacrifice” in carrying out the orders of the Supreme Leader.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🗣 Ukraine can’t help US beat Iranian drones – military analyst
🟠 Speculations about some kind of a deal involving Ukraine supplying anti-drone tech to the US are laughable because Ukraine simply doesn’t have anything the US might need, military analyst Ivan Konovalov tells Sputnik.
🟠 Claims that Ukraine might send its personnel to the Middle East to help the US combat Iranian drones also do not hold water.
💬 “All these words are not backed by reality. It’s just mutual lies and attempts to save face amid the changing geopolitical situation,” Konovalov remarks.
💬 “The US was taught this lesson previously in Vietnam, and now history repeats itself.”
🗣 War against Iran could be catastrophic for environment in Persian Gulf — expert
📍 Any incident involving a large number of oil tankers in the Hormuz Strait could lead to a massive oil spill, potentially causing serious pollution to the marine ecosystem of the Persian Gulf, president of the Lebanese environmental association "Earth", Paul Abi Rached, tells Sputnik.
💬 "This is not only about marine pollution but also about the global crisis of biodiversity loss," he says, adding that wars disrupt environmental protection mechanisms and destroy natural habitats.
💬 "If the military escalation in the Persian Gulf region continues for an extended period, the environmental risks could become extremely serious," he concludes.
🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES
⚡️GOLUBOVKA IN DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC LIBERATED
📍 The liberation of the settlement opens the way for an offensive on Kramatorsk, an important Ukrainian stronghold.
◻️ Russian forces struck energy infrastructure facilities supplying Ukrainian forces
◻️ Ukrainian losses: around 1,325 troops killed or wounded
◻️ Air defense superiority: 754 drones shot down
Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🇺🇸🇮🇱⚔️ 🇮🇷US–Israel war against Iran: Latest updates
🔸 Iran's Assembly of Experts has chosen Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader
🔸 Israeli military carried out a further "wave of extensive strikes" against Iran overnight
🔸 Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets
🔸 Explosions were heard across Gulf states, with at least 32 injured in Bahrain during an Iranian drone attack, according to state media
🔸 US military base near Erbil Airport in Iraq was reportedly attacked by an Iranian drone
🔸 Another US service member has died in the war with Iran, bringing America’s death toll to seven
🔸 US is “likely” responsible for the February 28 bombing of a girls' school in Minab, Iran that killed 168 people, many of them children, CBS news reported
Statements
🔶 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed to step up attacks on US targets across the Middle East, saying, "When we are attacked, we have no choice but to respond"
🔶 Donald Trump indicated he has no timetable for the Iran war, telling reporters, "I never project that—whatever it takes"
🔶 Trump also made it clear that Iran’s new supreme leader is “going to have to get approval” from the United States, and “if he doesn't get approval from us, he's not going to last long.”
🔶 Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi condemned US and Israeli attacks against Iran as "both immoral and illegal," but added that Iran's retaliation against neighboring countries is "deeply regrettable”
🔶 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that before his country could even consider a ceasefire, the US and Israel “have to explain why they started this aggression"
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🇮🇷 Iran FM: US strikes launched from residential areas in neighboring countries
Esmaeil Baqaei, Iranian FM spokesman, published footage that he says documents how American forces have been launching attacks on Iran from residential areas in neighboring countries and using their airspace for fighter jets.
In a post on X, Baghaei addressed those who "persistently ignore the logic of our defensive strikes on US military bases in the region":
💬 "Missiles are launched at Iran from the territory of neighboring countries, specifically near residential areas. US fighter jets also use the airspace of neighboring states to attack Iran, putting regional security at risk."
🚨 Columns of black smoke seen billowing from Bahrain's Bapco refinery
The kingdom's key energy facility, processing 267,000 barrels daily, has been hit. Bapco supplies fuel to the US Fifth Fleet
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🇺🇸❌ US tries to evade responsibility for girls' school massacre with blatant lies - expert
American claims that Iran is to blame for the strike on girls’ school in Tehran indicates clear political confusion in the face of Iran's unexpected resilience and the failure of the US military strategy, professor of public international law Dr. Mohammed Mehran tells Sputnik.
👉 Numerous facts — reports, satellite images, testimonies — show the strike was conducted either by US Tomahawk missiles or Israeli laser-guided bombs, he says, adding that with such accurate weapons the attack cannot be "accidental."
Current US statements about Iran being to blame are psychological warfare, and America has used similar tactics before — in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, where civilian deaths were explained away by "intelligence errors," the expert reminds.
The US is in a deadlock — it failed to achieve the original military objectives of collapsing the Iranian political system, and now is faced with growing internal criticism, Mehran concluded, which might push the US towards even more dangerous moves.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
📹 US air defenses engage drones over Erbil — reports
Footage circulating online appears to show US air defense systems firing to intercept drones over Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The system seen in the video appears to be C-RAM (Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar), a base defense system that uses radar-guided automatic guns to intercept incoming threats.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
⚔️🚁 Hezbollah repels Israeli helicopter landing attempt in eastern Lebanon - statement
Hezbollah said its fighters repelled an Israeli helicopter landing attempt in the eastern mountain region of Lebanon earlier in the day.
According to the group’s statement, around 15 Israeli helicopters entered the area from the Syrian direction and flew over several villages, including Janta, Yahfoufa, Nabi Chit, Arsal and Ras Baalbek.
Hezbollah said an infantry force was deployed from some of the helicopters and that its fighters engaged the troops and aircraft, adding that the confrontation was ongoing at the time of the statement.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨 Air defenses activated at US Victoria base in Baghdad — reports
Air defense systems at the US Victoria base in Baghdad were seen attempting to intercept a drone, according to footage circulating on social media.
The Victoria base, located inside Baghdad International Airport, is used by the US military.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🇺🇸🇮🇱 Ending Iran war will be ‘mutual’ decision with Netanyahu — Trump
US President Donald Trump said the timing of ending the war with Iran will be decided jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Times of Israel.
💬 “I think it’s mutual… We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account,” Trump told the outlet.
🚨🇺🇸 US National Guard soldier dies during medical emergency in Kuwait — CENTCOM
A US National Guard soldier died during a medical emergency in Kuwait on March 6, CENTCOM said.
This brings the US death toll in the US-Israeli war on Iran to eight.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
📹 Missile fragments seen in Beitar Illit settlement — reports
Footage circulating on social media appears to show fragments from an Iranian missile lying on the ground in the Beitar Illit settlement near the West Bank.
The debris was seen in the area following the latest missile launches.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨🇮🇷🇮🇱 Iran launches missile strike toward Israel — reports
Iran launched a missile strike toward Israel, Iranian media reported, describing it as the first such attack under the country’s new Supreme Leader.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🚨🇮🇷Military Command warns Iran will strike oil industry assets across the Middle East in response to US-Israeli attacks on its energy infrastructure
The warning follows recent strikes on the Shahran oil depot in Tehran, a key fuel storage site supplying the capital, where large fires and thick black smoke were reported after the facility was hit.
Meanwhile, a video circulating online shows gasoline pipelines exploding on Shahran Boulevard in Tehran after Israeli strikes hit fuel infrastructure.
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt
🇺🇸🇮🇱🇮🇷 US & Israel plot special forces op to seize Iran's enriched uranium - report
💬 "The US and Israel have discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later stage of the war," Axios reports, citing sorces close to the matter.
⚖️ World has effectively lost international law - Kremlin
🔶 The global system is entering a period of deep instability, where long-standing rules and institutions are increasingly losing their meaning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media.
🔶 According to him, the growing number of regional conflicts and unresolved crises is producing a cumulative political and economic shock worldwide.
Key statements:
🔸 The world has effectively lost the system commonly referred to as international law, making it difficult to call on anyone to follow its norms
🔸 While international law formally remains in place, he noted that no one can clearly define what rules are replacing it in practice
🔸 Numerous regional conflicts and unresolved issues are creating a cumulative effect that is already producing serious economic and political consequences
🔸 In this environment Russia should focus on strengthening its own interests and capabilities
🔸 The current turmoil may feel dramatic, but humanity has faced worse in history
🔸 Ukraine’s halt of Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline could ultimately harm European economies
📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt