10 Things Global News - 2nd March 2026
Succinct, unbiased news from around the world
Three US Troops Killed In Iran Attacks
Beit Shemesh Strike Kills Nine As Iran Hits Gulf
War Widens As Trump Signals Iran Talks
Iran Rejects US Talks As Hormuz Risk Looms
Israel Strikes Beirut After Hezbollah Attack
UK To Let US Use Bases For Defensive Iran Strikes
Poll Shows Limited US Support For Iran Strikes
Oil Spikes As Hormuz Flows Halt
Dubai’s Safe-Haven Pitch Takes A Direct Hit
Afghanistan Says It Repelled Pakistan Strike At Bagram
Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded during U.S. attacks on Iran, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that President Donald Trump warned could lead to further losses in the coming weeks. The military said several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and would return to duty.
U.S. Central Command announced the deaths but did not say when or where they occurred as Iran retaliated following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders. Iran’s counterattacks have struck U.S. bases in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, while the U.S. denied claims that the USS Abraham Lincoln was hit by ballistic missiles.
Trump said there would likely be more casualties before the conflict ends and that operations would continue until objectives are achieved.
Sources: Associated Press, Axios
At least nine people were killed and 27 injured in a missile strike on Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, as Iran launched strikes across the Middle East in response to a massive and ongoing attack against it by the United States and Israel. Officials said a synagogue where people were sheltering was hit, and police said 11 people were still missing.
Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait said they intercepted missiles fired towards them, but falling debris appeared to have caused widespread damage. A further drone strike on the US Navy’s 5th fleet base in Bahrain caused a major fire, with no reports of casualties.
Authorities in Abu Dhabi said falling debris killed one person and injured seven, while Kuwait said one person was killed and 32 foreigners were injured. Thousands of flights were grounded to and from the region.
Sources: BBC, New York Times
The U.S. and Israel pounded targets across Iran on Sunday, striking ballistic missile sites and warships as an intensifying campaign followed the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian leaders said more than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes.
Iran vowed revenge and fired missiles in a counteroffensive that killed three U.S. service members - the first known American casualties from the conflict. Iranian-supported militant groups in Iraq and Lebanon claimed strikes on Israel and a U.S. base, and Gulf states warned they could retaliate after strikes that hit key sites and killed at least five civilians.
Trump signalled he was open to dialogue with Iran’s new leadership, saying he had agreed to talk, while also saying combat operations will continue until all objectives are achieved and that more U.S. troop deaths are likely before it ends.
Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera
Iran’s top security official, Ari Larijani, denied claims that Tehran had sought to restart negotiations with Washington, saying Iran will not negotiate with the United States. He criticised Donald Trump’s remarks, saying the region had been led into chaos with “empty illusions” and that Trump was worried about further losses of American soldiers.
The joint US-Israeli military campaign launched on Saturday killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Gulf countries, with three US service members killed and five others seriously wounded.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday in a development that has, at least temporarily, lead to a closure of the Strait of Hormuz. About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait.
Sources: TBS News, Anadolu Agency
Israeli jets bombed Beirut on Monday after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at a military base near Haifa, saying the strike was “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and in response to “repeated Israeli aggressions”.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported an initial toll of 31 people killed and 149 injured. Israel said it struck the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, with more than a dozen explosions, and that it was targeting “senior” Hezbollah members near Beirut.
Israel warned residents of dozens of villages in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., air raid sirens sounded across Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as Iran’s state media reported a new wave of missiles from central Iran. The tit-for-tat followed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024 and widened the conflict that has spread through the Middle East since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters
The UK said it will allow the United States to use British military bases for a specific and limited defensive purpose - destroying Iranian missiles at source. The prime minister said the UK was not involved in the initial strikes on Iran and will not join offensive action now, but argued the decision was needed for the collective self-defence of allies and to protect British lives.
The US is likely to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia. The announcement came hours before a suspected drone strike targeted RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, with no casualties reported and minimal damage.
The prime minister said Iranian strikes have hit airports and hotels where British citizens are staying and hit a military base in Bahrain, narrowly missing British personnel. The UK published a summary of legal advice saying support for force can be lawful where self-defence is the only feasible means against an ongoing armed attack, and where force is necessary and proportionate.
Sources: Politico, BBC
A national poll found that 27% of respondents approved of the U.S. strikes on Iran, while 43% disapproved and 29% were not sure. About nine in 10 said they had heard at least a little about the strikes, which began early on Saturday.
The poll found 56% think the president is too willing to use military force to advance U.S. interests, including 87% of Democrats, 23% of Republicans and 60% of independents. The survey was conducted during the strikes and closed before the first American casualties were announced.
The strikes began three days before the first primaries of the midterm elections. The poll found 42% of Republicans would be less likely to support the campaign if U.S. troops are killed or injured, and 45% said higher gas or oil prices would reduce support.
Sources: Reuters, The Hill
Brent crude surged as much as 13 per cent in the first trading session after US and Israeli strikes on Iran, before settling around $79 a barrel as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz largely halted. Traders said a self-imposed pause by shipowners cut flows through the chokepoint that handles about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.
Markets reacted to widening strikes and retaliations across the Gulf, with diesel futures jumping as much as 17 per cent and stock futures pointing to falls when markets reopen. OPEC+ agreed to raise quotas next month by 206,000 barrels a day, while banks including Citigroup and Morgan Stanley warned Brent could average around $80–$90 in coming days if flows do not resume quickly.
The surge risks lifting global inflation by raising energy costs for consumers and central banks.
Sources: Bloomberg, FT
Dubai’s image as a sunny, safe, tax-free oasis was shaken after Iranian strikes on Saturday set fires at prominent sites and sent residents listening for interceptions overhead. Debris and blasts also damaged Dubai International Airport, injuring four employees, while an “incident” at Abu Dhabi’s airport killed at least one person and wounded seven.
On Sunday, further explosions were heard and puffs of white smoke from missile interceptions were seen in the skies, while dark smoke rose over Jebel Ali, one of the busiest ports in the Middle East. Authorities said air defences dealt with 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and more than 540 drones over two days.
The UAE closed its airspace on Saturday, then shuttered its embassy in Tehran on Sunday and withdrew diplomats, calling the attacks an aggressive and provocative approach that threatens the region.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press
Afghanistan said Pakistani jets entered its airspace at about 5 a.m. and attempted to bomb Bagram airbase, the former US base north of Kabul. Officials said Afghan anti-aircraft and missile defence systems thwarted the attack and there were no reported casualties, while Pakistan gave no immediate response.
Bagram was the nerve center of the 20-year US war and a big trophy when the Taliban retook control in 2021. Afghanistan said Pakistan has hit dozens of small Afghan military bases, ammunition depots and outposts in recent days, declaring it is in “open war” with the Taliban government.
The fighting stretched into a fourth day after clashes flared up again since Thursday, with sporadic clashes reported in several provinces. Both sides issued competing casualty figures that were difficult to verify independently, as diplomatic efforts failed to secure a truce during Ramadan.
Sources: New York Times, The Guardian
On this day ….
On this day in 1949, a US Air Force B-50 Superfortress completed the first nonstop flight around the world, landing in Fort Worth, Texas after travelling more than 23,000 miles.
The aircraft remained airborne for nearly four days, relying on aerial refuelling to sustain the journey. The mission demonstrated that aircraft could project military power across continents without landing, fundamentally altering strategic planning in the early Cold War.
It showed that distance was no longer a barrier to reach, surveillance, or deterrence. In an era defined by nuclear competition, global range had become a central element of geopolitical power.