Israeli Soldiers Enforce Closure of Al Aqsa
1 in 7 Displaced in Lebanon – NRC
Hormuz: End of an Era of Martime Dominance
Gaza Faces Massive Dust Storm
US-Israeli Strikes Kill 503, Injures 5,700 Iranians
Israeli Soldiers Enforce Closure of Al Aqsa
CrossFireArabia- March 16, 2026
Saleem Ayoub Quna
Hezbollah Targets Central Israel
- CrossFireArabia
- March 4, 2026
The Lebanese group Hezbollah said Wednesday it carried out several drone and missile attacks targeting Israeli military sites and command headquarters in central and northern Israel.
In a statement, Hezbollah said it targeted with a missile the Dado base, the headquarters of the Israeli army’s Northern Command, northeast of the city of Safed in northern Israel.
The group said its fighters also targeted the Giv’a drone control base east of Safed with a precision-guided missile.
A swarm of attack drones also hit the headquarters of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in central Israel, it added.
Earlier Wednesday, the Lebanese group said it targeted a gathering of Israeli army forces at the Metula site in northern Israel with a rocket barrage.
Hezbollah said the attacks came “in response to the criminal Israeli aggression that targeted dozens of Lebanese cities and towns, including Beirut’s southern suburbs.”
The situation escalated in Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah targeted a military site in northern Israel with rockets and drones in response to ongoing Israeli airstrikes and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The Israeli army launched a series of airstrikes in response, killing at least 40 people and injuring nearly 250 others. The military also launched a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.
Israel imposes strict censorship on reporting casualties caused by missiles launched by Iran and Hezbollah or intercepted by its defenses and also prohibits the circulation of related footage.
Israel has killed more than 4,000 people and wounded about 17,000 others during its assault on Lebanon that began in October 2023 and expanded into a full-scale war in September 2024. Anadolu
Iran War Costs US Forces $779 million on 1st Day
- CrossFireArabia
- March 4, 2026
US forces spent an estimated $779 million, or about 0.1% of the entire 2026 US defense budget, during the opening 24 hours of its offensive against Iran, according to estimates and data compiled by Anadolu.
The US’ CENTCOM confirmed that the massive deployment included B-2 stealth bombers, F-22, F-35, and F-16 fighter jets, A-10 attack aircraft, and EA-18G electronic warfare planes. The operation also utilized MQ-9 Reaper drones, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, guided-missile destroyers, and Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems.
Four B-2 stealth bombers, flying non-stop from Whiteman Air Force Base in the US state of Missouri, struck targets using 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), according to CENTCOM. Known for high maintenance requirements and a 40,000-lb (18,143-kg) payload capacity, the B-2 operations alone accounted for an estimated $30.2 million, based on flight hours, maintenance costs, and munition requisitions data from the US Defense Department’s 2025 and 2026 budget requests according to Anadolu.
CENTCOM’s buildup of various fighter jets of F-18s, F-16s, F-22s, and F35s contributed to the initial strikes, according to a post by CENTCOM on US social media company X. Based on flight hours, maintenance costs, and munition requisitions data from the 2025 and 2026 US department budget requests, these sorties cost an estimated $271.34 million.
Specialized aircraft, including the EA-18G Growler, A-10C Thunderbolt, and the MQ-9 Reaper, played a critical role alongside the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS). When factoring in P-8 Maritime Patrol aircraft, RC-135 reconnaissance planes, and aerial refueling tankers, as well as land-based HIMARS batteries, the cost for the combined air and ground assets, including the fighter jets, reached approximately $423.57 million.
The two US carrier groups in the region, the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford, also took part in the attack. The cost of operating the aircraft carriers along with their contingent of destroyers and littoral combat ships is estimated to come to $15 million a day.
Additionally, CENTCOM also released videos of its navy deploying scores of Tomahawk cruise missiles. While exact numbers remain classified, estimates suggest that roughly 200 Tomahawks were fired, totaling $340.4 million in munitions costs.
Combining these expenses, the total estimated cost for the U.S. strikes conducted last Saturday alone stands at $779.174 million, or some 0.1% of the 2026 US defense budget.
Scott Ritter: US Strikes on Iran is a Failure
- CrossFireArabia
- March 3, 2026
The results of the Iranian strikes on US military bases in the region reflect a major miscalculation, according to former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter.
The US-Israeli military campaign effectively failed because it only killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and others, including his young granddaughter, but it did not topple the regime as US President Donald Trump had hoped for.
In fact, Ritter adds, the Iranians mourned their Supreme Leader and called for revenge instead of regime change, as America intended.
The strikes also failed to end Iran’s missile program. Ritter says Iran’s response was unexpected, as it bombed Israel, some Arab countries, and economic facilities, with disastrous consequences for the idea of the United States’ ability to protect its allies, especially the Gulf states.
America will face a crisis. To prolong the war, Trump will need to amass more military capabilities, something military leaders warned him about before the war, telling him that its continuation would deplete US military equipment in the region, the former US officer says.
Ritter predicted that Iran would recover from the attack and that the United States would run out of ammunition. He said that the Gulf states should reconsider their reliance on Washington for their security, anticipating major decisions in the coming days.
For his part, Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said that his country, unlike the United States, was prepared for a protracted war. In a tweet, he added, “We will make our enemies regret their miscalculations,” in response to the attacks launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.
In the United States, Trump threatened Iran with a powerful strike, asserting that the “big wave” was yet to come and that he did not rule out sending troops to Iran according to JO24 based on Al Jazeera.