Report: Israel Running Low On Ballistic Missile Interceptors
Israel has warned the United States that it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors amid its war with Iran, unnamed US officials told Semafor, a US-based news website.
The report said Israel entered the conflict with already depleted interceptor stocks following last year’s fighting with Iran, and the pace of Iranian missile attacks has further strained its long-range air defenses.
A US official told Semafor that Washington had anticipated the shortage and that American forces are not facing similar constraints.
It remains unclear whether the United States will provide interceptors to replenish Israel’s supplies.
Analysts have warned that prolonged fighting could strain missile defense stockpiles in both Israel and the United States.
4 Killed In Southern Lebanon As Israel Targets Hezbollah Sites
Overnight Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least four people, Lebanese authorities and state media said on March 15, as Israel said it was continuing its campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group alongside its broader war with Iran.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that a strike hit an apartment in the coastal city of Sidon, killing one person and sparking a fire, while another attack in the nearby village of Al-Qatrani killed three people, according to the health ministry.
Israel’s military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and missile launch sites used to prepare attacks on Israeli territory.
Hezbollah -- regarded as a terrorist organization by both Israel and the United States -- said it fired on Israeli troop positions near the border.
Lebanese officials said more than 800 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the conflict in the Middle East escalated earlier this month.
Based on reporting by AFP
Explosions Reported In Tehran And Other Cities
The semiofficial Mehr News Agency and several other Iranian media outlets reported hearing explosions in parts of Tehran early on March 15.
According to reports circulating on social media, residents in different parts of the capital said they heard several powerful explosions, some of which were strong enough to cause buildings and windows to shake.
Most of the reports came from southern, southwestern, and central Tehran. Some witnesses also reported seeing drones or fighter jets flying overhead. Power outages were reported in some areas.
According to posts on social media, explosions were also reported in several other locations, including Isfahan, Sanandaj, and Kish Island.
The Fars News Agency also reported that a wrestling hall in the Tehranser district was damaged in an air strike. It further claimed that more than 15 workers were killed in an attack on an industrial area in Isfahan.
RFE/RL's Radio Farda has not been able to independently verify these reports.
Meanwhile, Fars reported that 20 citizens had been arrested on accusations of “sending information about military, police, and security sites” to Israel, and it published videos of what it described as confessions by the detainees.
The agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, also published a message late March 14 saying “additional volunteers are needed to increase the number of checkpoints.”
Several Gulf Countries Report More Missile And Drone Attacks
Several Persian Gulf countries -- including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar -- reported fresh missile and drone attacks amid the ongoing war with Iran.
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said six ballistic missiles were intercepted and destroyed over Al-Kharj Province late on March 14. Officials also said several drones had been intercepted earlier, mostly in the eastern part of the country. The Prince Sultan Air Base, which is also used by US forces, is located in the Al-Kharj area and has been targeted repeatedly since the start of the war.
In Kuwait, the civil aviation authority said the country’s international airport was also targeted by several drone attacks late on March 14 that damaged its radar system, though no injuries were reported. Kuwait also temporarily closed its airspace.
In the United Arab Emirates, air defenses intercepted a drone over the emirate of Fujairah, but falling debris caused a fire. Fujairah’s media office said firefighting operations were ongoing and that a Jordanian citizen suffered minor injuries. The Port of Fujairah is considered one of the region’s key oil storage and transfer hubs.
Qatar’s Defense Ministry said the country was targeted during the day by four ballistic missiles and several drones, all of which were intercepted and destroyed by Qatari armed forces.
Trump Says He's Not Ready To Make Deal With Iran: 'Terms Aren't Good Enough Yet'
US President Donald Trump said he is not ready to make a deal to end the war with Iran, despite what he claims are inquiries by Tehran for a settlement. "Iran wants to make a deal, and I don't want to make it because the terms aren't good enough yet," Trump told NBC News in excerpts from an interview published on March 14. He didn't specify what terms he was looking for but added that they would need to be “very solid” and would have to include a commitment for Tehran to abandon any nuclear ambitions.
Read more here.
Zelenskyy Says Kremlin Providing Russian-Made Shahed Drones To Iran
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN that Moscow is supplying Tehran with Shahed drones to use against US and Israeli forces during the war in Iran. Zelenskyy told CNN's Fareed Zakaria that it is "100 percent fact" that Iran has used Russian-made Shaheds to attack US bases. Iran developed the Shahed drones that have been used by Russia to strike Ukrainian forces following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of February 2022. Iran initially provided the drones to Russia, but Russia is now manufactures its own low-cost but deadly Shaheds. Other countries have since begun using Shahed-type drones, including the US military.
Pentagon Identifies 6 Airmen Killed In KC-135 Tanker Crash In Iraq
The US Defense Department identified the six Air Force airmen who were killed when their KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on March 12. Officials said the incident involved another KC-135 tanker and was not the result of hostile or friendly fire. Those killed were identified as: Major John A. Klinner, 33, of Alabama; Captain Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Washington State; and Technical Sargeant Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Kentucky, who were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Also killed were Captain Seth R. Koval, 38, of Indiana; Captain Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Ohio; and Technical Sargeant Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Ohio, who were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio.
Three Iranian Female Soccer Players Pull Out Of Australia Asylum Bids
Three Iranian women soccer team members who had been granted asylum in Australia have changed their minds and decided to return to Iran, Australia's home affairs minister said on March 15.
"Overnight, three members of the Iranian Women's Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran," Tony Burke said in a statement.
He added that the players '"were given repeated chances to talk about their options" after informing the Australians of their decision.
Another team member who had sought asylum changed her mind earlier in the week and left the country, leaving a total of three out of seven asylum seekers from the team still in Australia."
The reasons for the women's change of heart were not given. Rights groups have accused Tehran of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic.
Netanyahu Reportedly Wants To Talk With Zelenskyy For Expertise On Iran Drones
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the Israeli side seeks Kyiv's expertise in dealing with incoming drones, the Ynet news site in Israel reported on March 14.
Ukraine has developed defenses against Iran-designed Shahed drones during its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion of February 2022.
Ynet reported that Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Kornychuk, confirmed that a request had been made that he hoped the talks would take place at the beginning of next week.
Iran's envoy to Ukraine, Shahriar Amouzegar, meanwhile, dismissed reports that Kyiv has offered help to the United States and its Gulf allies.
"As for the actions Ukraine is taking in the Middle East against drones, we essentially consider them nothing more than a joke and a showy gesture," Amouzegar told AFP in an interview.
"Unfortunately, Ukraine has now effectively entered a stage of direct confrontation with us; that is, it has placed itself alongside our enemies," he added.
Ukraine stripped the Iranian ambassador of his accreditation in 2022 and scaled down Iran's mission in response to Tehran's supply of Shahed drones to Moscow for use against Ukraine.
Trump Urges Nations To 'Take Care' Of Strait Of Hormuz
President Donald Trump reiterated his call for other governments to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz and said the United States will coordinate with them as the US-Israeli military campaign enters its third week.
"The Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help -- A LOT!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on March 14.
"The US will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. This should have always been a team effort, and now it will be -- It will bring the World together toward Harmony, Security, and Everlasting Peace!"