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Gaza fuel running short after Israel closes borders amid Iran war

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Pesha Magid

CAIRO/JERUSALEM, March 2 (Reuters) - Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples may become tight, officials say, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran.

Israel's military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the United States. Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war and have not said how long they would be shut.

Palestinians displaced during the two-year Israeli offensive, shelter at a tent camp in Gaza City, March 1, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Hundreds of Iranians cross border into Turkey, witness says

By Ismet Mikailogullari

KAPIKOY, Turkey, March 2 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iranians crossed the border into Turkey on Monday afternoon as the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran expanded, a Reuters witness said, with those arriving speaking of fear in Tehran and queues at petrol stations.

People wait for transportation to the city center after crossing from Iran into Turkey at the Kapikoy Border Gate in eastern Van province, Turkey, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya

Pentagon says Iran will not be "endless war"

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that military operations against Iran would not lead to an "endless war" and that the aim was to destroy Tehran's missiles, Navy and other security infrastructure.

"We're hitting them surgically, overwhelmingly and unapologetically," Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Doina Chiacu; editing by Susan Heavey)

A screengrab from a video released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shows a missile being fired from an unknown location, released February 28, 2026, in this still image obtained from social media.    CENTCOM via X/Handout via REUTERS

Russians in Iran can leave via Turkmenistan, Russian embassy says

ASHGABAT, March 2 (Reuters) - Russia's embassy in Turkmenistan said on Monday that Russians unable to leave Iran could depart via Turkmenistan, a Central Asian former Soviet republic which shares a 1,148-kilometre (713-mile) border with northeastern Iran.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the embassy said Russians looking to leave via Turkmenistan could register with the Russian embassy in Tehran.

Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Israel's main airport to reopen on Monday in 'extremely limited format'

By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, March 2 (Reuters) - Israel's main international gateway, Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, said on its WhatsApp channel that it expects to reopen as early as Monday evening in an "extremely limited format" after the conflict with Iran shut Israeli airspace.

The airport said that starting on Tuesday, "flight operations will gradually expand depending on the security situation," although only Israeli carriers are expected to resume flights.

Israeli nationals walk at Ben Gurion International airport as they arrive on the first rescue flight from abroad, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, in Tel Aviv, Israel, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Military called to northern Pakistan region after deadly Iran protests

By Mushtaq Ali

PESHAWAR, March 2 (Reuters) - Pakistan sent the military into Himalayan Gilgit-Baltistan region on Monday and banned large gatherings nationwide after deadly protests against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran spread, with 26 dead so far.

In the northern city of Skardu, in Shi'ite majority Gilgit-Baltistan, normally a tourist hotspot, protesters set fire to a U.N. office on Sunday with 14 people, including a soldier, killed in the ensuing clashes, local officials said. Two others died in the capital Islamabad.

Smoke rises from the premises of the U.N. office, after it was set ablaze by protesters, following news of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the city of Gilgit, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan March 1, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Mubarak Hussain

Ukraine-Russia peace talks still expected this week, Zelenskiy says

KYIV, March 2 (Reuters) - A new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, scheduled for week, has not been canceled following the weekend strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday.

Zelenskiy said that Kyiv was considering a new location for the talks, which had been due to take place on March 5 and 6 in Abu Dhabi, and that Turkey or Switzerland were possibilities.

The interior of the damaged flat in an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine February 26, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Iraq's Erbil in the crossfire with drones and power cuts

As drones swarmed the skies above Iraq's Erbil and air defences streaked up to shoot them down, residents watched from below, fearing the fire would soon reach them.

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region hosts US-led coalition troops, and its capital, Erbil, is home to a major US consulate complex, making it a target of the war in the Middle East, triggered by the joint US-Israeli strikes Saturday on Iran.

For days, loud bangs have been heard in Erbil as US air defences repeatedly intercepted drones.

Air defences have shooting down drone attacks above Erbil in Iraq

Putin will relay UAE president's complaints about Iranian strikes to Tehran, Kremlin says

MOSCOW, March 2 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a phone call on Monday that he was ready to relay his complaints about Iranian strikes against UAE territory to Tehran, the Kremlin said.

It cited the UAE leader as saying that his country was not being used as a base to attack Iran and that Iranian strikes on the UAE could not therefore be justified.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and UAE's President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan attend a welcoming ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 29, 2026.    Maxim Shipenkov/Pool via REUTERS

Israeli bombardment sends Lebanese fleeing

As Israeli strikes shattered the nighttime quiet, Beirut cafe owner Hassan rushed home to whisk his wife and young daughter to safety in the nearby mountains outside the city.

The sound of heavy gunfire was a warning to residents that war had returned. The roads quickly clogged and the trip took Hassan, 30, and his family more than three hours.

"We rushed out without taking anything with us, no clothes and no food for my daughter," he said.

Lebanese took flight at the latest strikes