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War in the Middle East: latest developments

Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Mar 16, 2026
Israel has undertaken ground operations inside Lebanon
An Israeli artillery gun fires rounds towards southern Lebanon — Odd ANDERSEN

Here are the latest developments Monday in the Middle East war:

- Baghdad hotel attack -

A fire broke out late Monday on the roof of a hotel in Baghdad's Green Zone, witnesses told AFP, with the interior ministry saying there were no casualties or damage after a "projectile" landed on the building.

The Green Zone houses the US embassy and other diplomatic missions, as well as international institutions and government offices.

- Fire at major UAE oil field -

A drone strike caused a fire at a major oil field in the United Arab Emirates, authorities said, as Iran continued its drone and missile strikes across the Gulf.

Authorities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi said they were still responding to the fire at the Shah oil field, without reporting injuries.

- Hezbollah targets Israeli troops -

Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops and vehicles in at least three Lebanese border towns, after the Israeli army announced it had begun limited ground operations in Lebanon.

- Iraq's Kataeb Hezbollah commander killed -

A plane comes into land as smoke rises near Dubai International Airport

Iraq's powerful armed group Kataeb Hezbollah said its senior security commander Abu Ali al-Askari had been killed, without providing details on the circumstances of his death.

He was also the spokesperson in charge of issuing all key statements in the group's name.

- Drone targets Iraqi oil field -

Two drones targeted a major southern Iraqi oil field late Monday, an oil ministry spokesperson told AFP, after the second attack in four days.

Majnoon oil field was "targeted by two drones, one hit a telecommunication tower," oil ministry spokesperson Saheb Bazoun said, adding that there had been no damage.

- Hezbollah targets Israeli city -

Hezbollah said it launched an attack on Monday targeting the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, where Israeli first responders reported a man was wounded.

- Trump: unclear if new Iran leader 'dead or not' -

US President Donald Trump said that he does not know whether Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive, adding that Washington was unclear whom it could negotiate with in Tehran.

"We don't know... if he's dead or not," Trump told reporters at the White House.

- Trump pushes allies to help secure Hormuz -

Trump demanded US allies join an effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as European powers ruled out a NATO mission to reopen the vital waterway shut by Iran during the Middle East war.

He urged more "enthusiasm" from other countries, as he said he believed France and Britain would somewhat reluctantly get involved.

- 1 million displaced in Lebanon -

Lebanese authorities said more than one million people had registered as displaced since war erupted on March 2 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Firefighters work at the site of a strike in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya

- Shrapnel falls on Jerusalem holy sites -

Israeli police said they found missile and interceptor fragments at holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City, including areas near the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

"During the recent missile salvo fired from Iran toward Jerusalem, several intercepts occurred over the city," the police said.

- Merz: Israel's Lebanon ground offensive an 'error' -

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon was an "error" which would "further exacerbate the already highly tense humanitarian situation" in the country.

"We urgently call on our Israeli friends: Do not take this path -- it would be an error," Merz said.

- UAE key oil port suspends oil loading -

The UAE's state-owned energy giant ADNOC halted the loading of oil into storage tanks at their Fujairah facility, a source with knowledge of the operations told AFP, following repeated strikes on the energy installation.

Fujairah is home to a major port where Iranian attacks have already targeted oil storage tanks. The port is also home to a key oil export terminal just at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.

- Iran Guards threaten US companies -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to target US companies across the region, calling on employees to evacuate the sites.

"Employees of American companies... are requested to leave these areas immediately. These areas will soon be targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," said the Guards in on their official Sepah News website.

- Lebanon toll climbs -

Smoke plumes rise following Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon

Lebanon's health ministry said that Israeli attacks have killed 886 people in the country since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, raising a previous toll of 850 a day earlier.

- Four Iraqi fighters killed -

A strike near Iraq's western border with Syria killed at least four fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, two security officials said.

A Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) official blamed the United States for the strike targeting a checkpoint housing personnel from the PMF -- which includes pro-Iranian groups -- alongside army and police forces.

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