The Israeli-US war on Iran has provoked a reaction from Tehran that has effectively choked a large chunk of the world's oil supply, and untangling the blockage will take a regional effort beyond what is currently being proposed, experts have told AFP.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged other global powers to send warships to escort convoys of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

CAIRO/GAZA, March 18 (Reuters) - Israel has killed nearly a dozen Gaza police officers this week as it steps up attacks on a Hamas-run force that the militants have used to re-establish governance in areas under their control, Gaza authorities say.

Hamas' nearly 10,000 police officers have emerged as a sticking point in talks to advance U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza. Hamas wants them included in a new police force envisioned under the plan. Israel rejects involvement of any officers with Hamas affiliations.

Israeli dairy and fruit farmer Tommy Kurlender refused to abandon his herd during the last war with Hezbollah, and vowed he would again stay put this time around.

The Israel-Lebanon border area has once again come under fire since Hezbollah launched attacks in support of its backers in Tehran, after Israel killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The massive attack on Iran, which Israel has conducted alongside its ally the United States, has sparked a war engulfing the entire region, with both Iran and Hezbollah targeting Israel with missiles and drones.

Sara Saleh and her family fled wearing their pyjamas on Wednesday when Israel's military said it would strike a central Beirut building near the school-turned-shelter where they had been staying.

Several other strikes, however, came without warning, jolting terrified residents in the middle of the night and early morning and killing at least 12 people.

They were just the latest Israeli attacks on the Lebanese capital since war again erupted between Israel and Hezbollah this month.

By Ismet Mikailogullari

GURBULAK, Turkey, March 18 (Reuters) - The Iranian women's soccer team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.

Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players ​and one support staff member after ​they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if ⁠they returned to Iran.

By Jana Choukeir

DUBAI, March 18 (Reuters) - Since February 28, U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have killed several senior political and military figures, hitting the core of the Islamic Republic's leadership in a war that has spread across the Middle East, disrupting energy markets and shipping routes.

The attacks, launched in the midst of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran mediated by Oman, are the most significant assault on Iran in decades, following a long-running shadow conflict and a 12-day war in June 2025.

The Iranian women's football team, whose plight has become embroiled in the Middle East war, returned back to Iran on Wednesday where they were promised a welcome ceremony in Tehran.

Seven members of the delegation had sought asylum in Australia last week after their decision not to sing the national anthem before their opening game at the Women's Asian Cup.

With their demands for protection an embarrassment for Iran's leaders, but lauded by US President Donald Trump, five later changed their minds, including captain Zahra Ghanbari.

The Iranian women's national football squad arrived in eastern Turkey and headed to the Iran border on their way home Wednesday, among them several players who withdrew an asylum bid in Australia.

The players, who landed in Istanbul on Tuesday evening on a flight from Oman, flew to the eastern city of Igdir, arriving just after midday, an AFP correspondent said.

Wearing Iranian national team tracksuits, they could be seen leaving the airport before heading to the Gurbulak-Bazargan crossing, which lies about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the southeast, he said

By John Irish

PARIS, March 18 (Reuters) - It is unreasonable to expect the Lebanese government to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah while the country is being bombed by Israel, France's special envoy for Lebanon said on Wednesday.

Jean-Yves Le Drian said only negotiations would resolve the crisis, in which Lebanese authorities say over 900 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since Hezbollah entered the regional war in support of Tehran.

MOSCOW, March 18 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday condemned what it called "the murder" of Iran's leaders in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a day after Iran's semi-official Fars news agency confirmed that Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in Tehran.