What we know about the current situation in the Middle East
- Maritime transport security: French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to be sent to the Mediterranean to help secure maritime transport. He said that the aircraft carrier will also go to the Mediterranean Sea with air forces.
- The CIA is working to arm the Kurdish forces with the goal of provoking a popular uprising in Iranmultiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.
- The US is ready to insure ships in the Strait of Hormuz and if necessary, the US Navy will also accompany them. This was announced by President Donald Trump.
- Israel announced the start of a multi-day ground offensive to southern Lebanon, with the aim of ousting the Hezbollah movement. The army has already called approximately 100,000 soldiers to the border. At night, he continued airstrikes across Lebanon.
- Trump announced the end of all US trade relations with Spain over defense disputes and Madrid’s reluctance to provide the US with its military bases for operations in the Middle East.
- The returns of Slovaks who were stuck abroad have begun. Yesterday, the first state repatriation flight from the Middle East landed at the Bratislava airport. He brought Slovak citizens from Israel and Jordan to the country.
- We watched yesterday’s events here.
Online:
13:15 – Eight evacuation flights from the Middle East are scheduled until Sunday.
Five planes will fly to Oman’s Muscat. The Spartan military machine will also make an evacuation flight from Jordan. After Wednesday’s government meeting, foreign affairs ministers Juraj Blanár and defense ministers Robert Kaliňák informed about it. (TASR)
12:56 – An Iranian ballistic missile violated Turkish airspace, it was shot down by NATO systems.
A ballistic missile fired from Iran, which was headed for Turkish airspace after flying over Syria and Iraq, was destroyed by NATO air and missile defense systems in the eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
Reuters and the Times Of Isreal report that the Turkish Ministry of Defense clarified in a statement that there were no casualties or injuries in the incident. According to the ministry, Turkey reserves the right to respond to any hostile acts directed against it, while warning the parties involved to refrain from actions that could lead to an escalation of the conflict.
12:40 – The official mourning ceremony for the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which was supposed to begin on Wednesday evening, has been postponed, writes CNN. The state news agency Fars reported about it.
“It was initially announced that the three-day mourning would begin at 10:00 pm on Wednesday. However, due to the expected participation of millions of people and the need to ensure proper infrastructure, the program has been postponed,” the agency said.
The new date for the official ceremony has not yet been announced.
12:26 – According to Prime Minister Robert Fico, no combat aircraft fly over the territory of Slovakia. These are transport and refueling machines. He said that the government is ready to negotiate the conflict in the Middle East even in an emergency, but he did not see a reason for that yet.
12:20 – Reuters reported that Israeli troops entered the southern Lebanese city of Chiam.
The Israeli army already announced on Tuesday that it will create a buffer zone in the south of Lebanon in order to protect communities in the north of Israel from shelling by Hezbollah. On the same day, Israeli troops advanced to some border areas, according to AFP’s Lebanese sources. The presence of Israeli troops was reported on Wednesday in the city of Khyam, about six kilometers from the border. (TASR)
12:15 – The Israeli Air Force has completed a wave of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah’s underground weapons depots and other facilities in Beirut, Lebanon, the Israeli military (IDF) announced.
The army said it hit Hezbollah command centers and a facility used by the movement for intelligence gathering and “propaganda purposes” in addition to underground weapons caches.
Before the actual strikes, the IDF issued evacuation warnings for Lebanese civilians.
12:05 – Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States and can continue the war in the Middle East as long as necessarya high-ranking associate of the late spiritual leader of the country, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared on state television. TASR informs about this according to Wednesday’s AFP news.
Mohammad Mochber said Tehran “doesn’t trust the Americans” and there is no basis on which to build negotiations. “We can continue the war as long as we want,” he added.
At the same time, the Iranian judiciary said on Wednesday that persons who help the country’s enemies with words or deeds will be “dealt with decisively and strictly in accordance with laws and regulations” during the war in the Middle East.
11:30 – At least 101 people are missing and 78 others have been injured after a submarine attacked an Iranian ship off the coast of Sri Lanka, sources in the country’s defense ministry told Reuters on Wednesday.
The Sri Lankan foreign minister previously announced according to the AFP agency that the military had rescued at least 30 people from the sinking ship. The crew of the frigate consisted of approximately 180 people.
11:20 – US President Donald Trump betrayed diplomacy and the Americans who elected him. On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi wrote this on the X social network, writes TASR.
“When complex nuclear negotiations are treated like selling real estate and when big lies overshadow reality, unrealistic expectations can never be fulfilled,” the Iranian minister wrote. “The result? Bombing the negotiating table out of malice. Mr. Trump has betrayed diplomacy and the American people who elected him,” he added.
11:00 – The Israeli military announced that its F-35 fighter jet shot down a Russian-made Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran.
According to the Times of Israel website, this is the first downing of a piloted machine by an Israeli aircraft in direct air combat in more than 40 years. The last time Israeli planes shot down two Syrian MiG-23 fighters was in November 1985 over Lebanon.
10:35 – While Israel and the USA have the most advanced technology in the world, Tehran is building its influence through asymmetric warfare and a missile program. So what does Iran really have? Despite doubts about its capabilities, Israel warns that Tehran has Slovakia within its range.
Read the article about the weapons that Iran possesses.
10:25 – According to information from the Reuters agencywhich refers to two security sources, Greek F-16 fighter jets intervened on Wednesday morning against a suspicious object. The machines took off directly from the Cyprus base after the object was intercepted near the borders of the island’s airspace. (ČT24)
10:20 – At the time of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Greek frigate Psara was approaching the Cypriot port of Limassol. The British Akrotiri base in Cyprus was hit by a drone on the night of Monday, March 2. There were no casualties in the attack.
Greek frigate Psara
Source: Reuters
10:09 – The US government is planning a meeting with executives of arms companies at the White House on Friday and wants to discuss with them the acceleration of weapons production. Citing sources familiar with the preparation of the meeting, Reuters reported on this on Wednesday night. She recalled that the Pentagon is working to replenish supplies after the attacks on Iran and several other military operations, writes TASR.
Key suppliers of the US military, such as Lockheed Martin and RTX, received an invitation for Trump to the meeting, five Reuters sources said. The closed meeting, according to the agency, underlines the urgency with which Washington is approaching the replenishment of stocks after the significant depletion of ammunition in the operation in Iran.
During the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, the United States’ stockpile of weapons was reduced by billions of dollars worth of artillery systems, ammunition, and various missiles. In the conflict in Iran, the US used missiles with a longer range than the missiles provided to Kiev.
9:50 – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded to Donald Trump after the US president yesterday criticized Spain’s position that joint military bases cannot be used for attacks against Iran.
“The position of the Spanish government can be summed up in three words: no to war (no to war),” he said in a televised speech. “We will not participate in something that harms the world and is contrary to our values and interests, just for fear of reprisals.”
Yesterday, the American president came out strongly against Spain and threatened the country to cut off all trade relations with it. He also blamed Madrid for the long-term low spending on defense. Guardian
9:48 – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the US-Israeli strikes on Iran appear at first glance to be in violation of international law. As The Guardian writes, he did so despite initially supporting the attacks on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Sydney, where he is on an official visit, he said: “We were not informed in advance, we were not asked to participate.”
9:24 – Smoke was seen rising from the southern suburbs of Beirut near the international airport on Wednesday morninginforms the Reuters agency.
Although the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon is operating, most international flights have been cancelled. The Israeli army earlier issued a warning to residents of the southern suburbs to evacuate.
9:01 – The funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei begins today in Tehranwho was killed in Saturday’s American-Israeli attacks. According to Iranian state media, the official ceremony will begin at 7:30 p.m. local time and last three days, followed by a funeral procession.
Citing Iranian officials, The New York Times reports that Khamenei’s son Mojtab Khamenei is the main favorite to become the new supreme leader. The final decision could be made as early as this morning.
8:40 – The CIA is working to arm the Kurdish forces with the goal of provoking a popular uprising in Iranmultiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.
According to these sources, the Trump administration is in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing military support.
8:25 – France has deployed Rafale fighters in the airspace over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protect its military bases there, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday.
“They were conducting operations to secure the airspace above our bases,” Barrot told BFMTV. Barrot did not elaborate on the missions the fighters flew or whether they were involved in shooting down drones or missiles that could threaten the bases. (BBC)
8:05 – American aircraft carriers also play a key role in the attack on Iran. You can read why aircraft carriers are so important and how the American aircraft fleet was actually created in this article.
7:56 – The successor to the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will be “a clear target for elimination”, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Kac declared on Wednesday, reports The Times of Israel (TOI) server.
“Any leader appointed by the Iranian terrorist regime to continue leading the plan to destroy Israel, threaten the US, the free world and countries in the region and oppress the Iranian people will be a clear target for elimination,” Kac declared.
Khamenei had led the Islamic Republic since 1989 and was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the morning of February 28, virtually at the start of a joint US-Israeli military operation. (TASR)
7:52 – Izrael hit various security headquarters all over Tehran. This was announced by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman for the Arabic language, Avichay Adraee. The attacks were aimed at the headquarters of Basij militias – paramilitary forces linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – and, in addition, to missile launchers, air defense systems, and a “Directorate of Supply and Logistics attached to the regime’s ground forces.” (BBC)
The spokesman added that the IDF would continue to “intensify its strikes” on the Iranian regime’s infrastructure.
7:50 – The blocked Strait of Hormuz threatens oil supplies, warns JP Morgan.
According to the bank’s analysts, Iraq only has about three days worth of oil reserves, while Kuwait could maintain exports for about two weeks (14 days). After this period, both countries would have to forcibly stop their exports through the strait. This outage would mean that daily production on the market would drop by a significant 3.3 million barrels.
7:35 – Today another state repatriation flight will take place from Amman, Jordan and on Thursday flights are planned from Oman’s Muscat and again from Jordan. This was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Juraj Blanár. (TASR)
7:30 – The Israeli army launched a new large-scale wave of strikes on Iran overnight. According to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), the target was Iranian launchers and air defense systems.
7:15 – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared on Wednesday that they have complete control over the Strait of Hormuza key maritime route for the transportation of oil and natural gas. They threatened to damage vessels trying to cross the strait with rockets or dronesinforms TASR according to an AFP report.
US President Donald Trump also reacted to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. According to his words The US will insure all ships in the Strait of Hormuz and if necessary, the navy will also accompany the tankers. Donald Trump’s announcement came after restrictions on traffic in the strait, which is crucial for transporting oil and gas.
7:10 – The US State Department has granted its employees in Cyprus who are not essential to emergency operations and their family members permission to leave, the US Embassy said.
The State Department “has authorized the departure of non-emergency US government employees and their family members from Cyprus due to security risks.” (AFP)
7:04 – Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that it will take all necessary measures to protect its security, territory and people. The Ministry of Defense also reported that it had intercepted and destroyed at least nine drones and two missiles in its airspace in recent hours. (Reuters, AFP)
6:58 – An 11-year-old girl died in Kuwait while repelling an air attack. The ČTK agency informs that fragments fell on houses and caused injuries and material damage.
Saudi Arabia said it destroyed nine drones in its airspace and neutralized two missiles near the city of Kharj.
6:45 – The United States has struck roughly 2,000 Iranian targets since the start of the war against Iran, which they started together with Israel on Saturday. The US military said it. During the first 24 hours, the attacks were twice as extensive as those carried out by the US at the beginning of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Iran fired more than 500 ballistic missiles in retaliation, the ČTK agency reported.
