Middle East Geopolitical Reporting for 2026-03-23
We've collected the top geopolitical conflict articles from the Middle East and brought them all here. If you're tired of only having access to MSM versions of the story, you've found the right place. We’ll include all of the outlets we know of.
BBC “imposed restrictions” on its journalists during coverage of the Gaza war, UK Court hears
A British court has heard evidence that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) “misled” its audience during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. The evidence was presented as part of documents in a case being heard by a UK employment tribunal, in which five journalists of Arab origin accuse the BBC of discrimination and of unfairly dismissing four of them for refusing what they described as raci...
Middle East Monitor
Mar 22, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Song about enemy drones written by 11-year-old becomes unofficial anthem of Israel-Iran war
Krigel, who is from Moshav Zvi in the Gilboa region, wrote and sang the hip-hop song, and a video of him performing it with his sister, Adi, quickly went viral when she uploaded it to TikTok.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Iran war strategy: Peace Through Resistance
Three weeks into the war, Donald Trump finds himself trapped in a conflict of his own making. What was framed as a campaign of rapid coercion—measured in hours and ultimatums—is now unfolding on a timeline defined not in Washington, but in Tehran. For years, the conventional wisdom in Washington and Tel Aviv held that Iran could be contained through a combination of economic strangulation and targ...
Middle East Monitor
Mar 22, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Iran “gone wild” in Dimona: Is Tehran using Israel-US ‘Madman Doctrine’?
The wording is familiar. The urgency is always absolute. The implication is unmistakable: Israel is not choosing war. It is forced into it. For many, the claim is inherently contradictory. How can a state initiate war—and in Gaza’s case, sustain a genocide—while insisting that it is merely defending itself from annihilation? Yet within Israeli political discourse, and across much of Western media,...
Middle East Monitor
Mar 22, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Most Americans oppose Iran war but want regime change, freedom for Iranians, no nuclear threat
According to the poll, 92% of Americans believe it's important for the conflict to end as quickly as possible.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Iran shifts social media network from sowing Western discord to promoting war propaganda
According to the study, 24 hours after the start of hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States, accounts in this campaign began posting Iranian propaganda about the war.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Continuous war on media in occupied West Bank
Israel designates and bans several Palestinian digital media platforms under its so-called anti-terrorism law, alleging ties to Hamas.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
UK dismisses Israel’s claim that Iran could hit London
A British minister on Monday rejected Israeli claims that Iran could target London, saying there is “no assessment to substantiate” this suggestion, Anadolu reports. There was “no specific assessment that Tehran is targeting the UK or even could if they wanted to,” Housing Secretary Steve Reed told the BBC after the Israeli army claimed on Saturday that Iran had weapons that could reach up to 4,00...
Middle East Monitor
Mar 22, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Israel to advance ground operations in Lebanon after striking key bridge
The Israeli military announced it was expanding its ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, warning of a lengthy operation, after Beirut condemned what it called Israel's flagrant violations of Lebanese sovereignty.Israeli forces were ordered earlier Sunday to destroy bridges they said were used by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah to cross the Litani River, and Lebanese official medi...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Israel orders destruction of bridges in Lebanon and homes near Israeli border
By Alexander CornwellTEL AVIV, March 22 (Reuters) - Israel's military has been ordered to destroy all bridges over Lebanon's Litani River and to step up the demolition of Lebanese homes near the Israeli border, the country's defence minister said on Sunday.Earlier, an Israeli was killed in his car near the border with Lebanon after what the military described as a "launch" from Lebanese territory....
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Scores hurt after Iranian missiles hit Israeli desert towns
By Alexander Cornwell and Dedi HayunTEL AVIV/ARAD March 22 (Reuters) - Southern Israeli towns woke to widespread damage on Sunday after air defences failed to intercept two Iranian missiles overnight that injured scores of civilians in one of the worst attacks of the war so far on Israeli soil.As daylight broke, the scale of the damage in the desert town of Arad, where one of the strikes hit a mul...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
War in the Middle East: latest developments
Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Sunday:- 'Escalate to de-escalate' -The United States may need to "escalate" its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said."Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate," he told NBC's "Meet the Press", after President Donald Trump gave seemingly contradictory trajectories for the military...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Iran missile hit rocks sense of security in Israel nuclear town
Galit Amir said she thought the presence of a key Israeli nuclear facility on the edge of her hometown Dimona meant it would be well-protected by air defences during the war with Iran. But that sense of security was torn apart Saturday evening when a direct strike by an Iranian ballistic missile ripped open residential buildings and left dozens wounded. "We thought we were safe," Amir, a 50-year-o...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Trump and Iran trade threats over energy targets as war escalates
By Maayan Lubell, Alexander Cornwell and Idrees AliTEL AVIV/JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran threatened to escalate their war by attacking energy facilities in the Gulf, a potential widening of hostilities which could deepen a regional crisis and add to concerns in global markets. Air raid sirens sounded across Israel from the early hours of Sunday mo...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Iran claims missile attacks on key Israeli military bases
Iran says it launched multiple ballistic missile and drone strikes, targeting bases across Israel, UAE, and Kuwait.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
Mar 22, 2026 - aljazeera.com
US considers ground operation to seize Iran’s Kharg Island amid tensions, source tells Post
A US official confirmed to the Post that “the US military has accelerated the deployment of thousands of Marines and Navy personnel to the Middle East.”
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Number of those wounded in Iran war matters more than number of those killed - analysis
If one focuses on the under 25 people killed in three weeks compared to the over 30 killed in 12 days in June 2025 (which in military terms was also impressive), the Jewish state is holding up well.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Iran scales back strikes on Saudi Arabia amid escalation concerns, sources tell 'Post'
Saudi Arabia has also recently shifted its policy, allowing the US military to use bases in the country for operations against Iran.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Iran using ‘satellite-like’ launches to double missile range, ex-IDF air defense chief warns
After Iran doubled the range of its ballistic missiles from 2,000 to 4,000 kilometers overnight, Ran Kochav tells The Post recent launches may have exposed a clandestine program.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
IDF strikes on Litani bridge a 'prelude to ground invasion,' Lebanon's President Aoun says
According to Aoun, the attack "falls within suspicious schemes to establish a buffer zone," as he also warned of "the reality of occupation, and pursue Israeli expansion within Lebanese territories."
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
IDF investigating Misgav Am death, possibility that Israel was responsible
The IDF's Northern Command, Air Force, and Artillery Corps are all involved in the investigation.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
IDF: Saturday Iranian missiles interception failed due to 'chain of malfunctions'
Iranian missiles hit southern Israel's Arad and Dimona on Saturday, wounding over 115. The military justified the assumption that the direct hits weren't caused by wide-scale systemic failure by saying that dozens of similar missiles have been successfully intercepted in the past
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
Israeli gov't tells top court it can't address ultra-Orthodox IDF draft during war
Many ultra-Orthodox men, who are legally obligated to enlist, received exemptions without any punishment. By shelving the conscription bill, Netanyahu and Smotrich continue to violate both the law and Israel's High Court
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
Israel's opposition can't decry Netanyahu while fawning over his Iran war
Soon, an abandoned Israel, cast by the wayside without U.S. support, will face a concrete existential threat: the missiles stop, revealing the economic, psychological and social scars of a country that discarded its people in favor of its arms industry and its dangerous dictator
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
‘Trump has no idea what he’s doing’: Netizens react to US-Israeli botched war against Iran
Social media has been abuzz with reactions to the war against Iran, US President Donald Trump’s military adventurism and how the strong Iranian retaliation has turned the tables.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
Middle East war: global economic fallout
Here are the latest economic events in the Middle East war:- Long war would hurt -If the war drags out more than six months, "all the economies of the world will be damaged", said the head of French oil giant TotalEnergies."If this conflict lasts three, four months, we can swallow it" thanks to existing oil inventories, CEO Patrick Pouyanne said in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CGTN....
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Treasury's Bessent says US has 'plenty' of funds for Iran war
WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has "plenty of money" to fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from Congress to ensure the military is well supplied in the future, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday.Bessent, speaking on NBC News' "Meet the Press" program, also ruled out pushing for any tax increases to fund the war.
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Pope Leo calls war in Middle East a 'scandal' to humanity
VATICAN CITY, March 22 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Sunday said death and suffering caused by the war in the Middle East are a "scandal to the whole human family", renewing his plea for an immediate ceasefire.As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week, the first U.S. pope said that he continues to follow with "dismay" the situation in the Middle East and in other regions torn apart by war a...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
'They beat us with whips': Sudan RSF detainees tell of horrors in El-Fasher
In the suffocating darkness of a sealed shipping container, every thud signalled to Ibrahim Noureldin that one more detainee had died in the crush as Sudanese paramilitary fighters kept forcing more men inside.Thousands of people are estimated to have been detained in the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) October takeover of North Darfur's El-Fasher, a battle that a UN investigation found bore the "hall...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Iran says Hormuz open to all but ‘enemy-linked’ ships amid US threat
DUBAI, March 22 (Reuters) - The Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to "Iran's enemies", Iran's representative to the U.N. maritime agency said on Sunday, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to target Iranian power plants if the waterway was not "fully open" within 48 hours. The threat of Iranian attacks during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has kept most shi...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Exclusive-Patriot missile involved in Bahrain blast likely US-operated, analysis finds
By Jonathan Landay, M.B. Pell and Travis HartmanMarch 22 (Reuters) - An American-operated Patriot air defense battery likely fired the interceptor missile involved in a pre-dawn explosion that injured dozens of civilians and tore through homes in U.S.-ally Bahrain 10 days into the war on Iran, according to an analysis by academic researchers examined by Reuters.
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Iranian missiles sow panic, destruction in Israeli towns
Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard "terrifying" blasts like nothing he had experienced before.An Iranian missile hit Franky's town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona -- home to a nuclear facility -- wounding dozens and leaving entire apartment blocks with heavy damage.Franky rushed to shelter with his family as...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Mar 22, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy urges allies to pressure Russia ahead of US talks
With US-Ukraine talks set to resume in Florida, Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns Russia is increasing its oil revenues.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
Mar 22, 2026 - aljazeera.com
The Gaza Tribunal: A question of complicity
What role has the UK played in Israel’s war on Gaza? We meet those who say it’s complicit in atrocities committed there.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
Mar 22, 2026 - aljazeera.com
Planes are landing, taking off within five minutes of missile alerts in UAE, WSJ report reveals
The current conflict brings fears of a tragedy like the one that happened in 2020, where the Iranian regime accidentally shot down a passenger jet and killed the 176 people inside.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Netanyahu warns Iran can reach 'deep into Europe,' urges world leaders to act at Arad missile site
"We're responding with great force, but not after civilians," Netanyahu said when asked by press what Israel's response would be to the Iranian attacks.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
‘Everything here is destroyed’: Inside Dimona after the Iran missile strike
In Dimona, residents packed what they could, stared at shattered homes, and tried to understand how a single Iranian missile strike had turned an ordinary street into a scene of ruin.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Iranian missile shrapnel falls in four locations in central Israel, no injuries reported
Ballistic missile fragments caused damage to local property and infrastructure in Or Yehuda, Bat Yam, and Holon, but there were no injuries or fatalities, according to Magen David Adom.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Iran's attack on US-UK Diego Garcia base is not a turning point, but a warning - analysis
If Iran’s ballistic capabilities have been underestimated, then what does that say about other Iranian capabilities that may have been underestimated, first and foremost, its nuclear program?
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
US has 'plenty of money' to fund war in Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says
US President Donald Trump has not yet sent a request for the Senate and House of Representatives to approve additional funding, and his administration has made clear that the number could change.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Mar 22, 2026 - jpost.com
Israel's FM slams German envoy over settler 'obsession' after condemnation of West Bank attack
German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert had expressed his 'sadness' over Israeli casualties in Iranian and Hezbollah strikes, as well as a settler rampage in Palestinian villages over the past day
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
Iran missiles and drones target Saudi Arabia, UAE; Riyadh expels Iranian diplomats
No damage was reported following the attacks. Meanwhile, it was reported on Saturday that a U.S.-operated Patriot air defense battery likely fired the interceptor missile involved in the March 9 explosion, which injured over 30
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
'Like in Gaza': Defense minister says Israel will flatten homes in Lebanon's border villages
The IDF said Sunday it intends to strike the Qasmiyeh Bridge – a key coastal highway crossing into the southern city of Tyre – which would effectively cut off Tyre and much of south Lebanon
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
IDF strikes kill three Palestinians in Gaza refugee camp, five in Lebanon
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
Settlers attack West Bank communities after settler killed in collision with Palestinian vehicle
Earlier on Saturday, a Palestinian vehicle struck an ATV carrying two Israelis in the West Bank, killing one of them and wounding the other, medics said. Right-wing groups issued calls for revenge across social media, and reported arson and pepper-spray incidents across the northern West Bank
Haaretz latest headlines
Mar 22, 2026 - haaretz.com
True Promise 4: Iran and resistance axis ops. against US-Israeli assets on Mar. 22
Iranian armed forces and resistance groups across the region continued their retaliatory military operations against the US and the Israeli regime on Sunday, March 22.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
Iran's military doctrine shifts from defensive to offensive: Senior commander
A senior Iranian commander says the Islamic Republic’s military doctrine has shifted from a defensive posture to an offensive one, as the armed forces introduce more advanced weaponry and new tactics in their relentless reprisal attacks targeting the US and Israeli interests.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
True Promise 4: Iran and resistance axis ops. against US-Israeli assets on Mar. 21
Iranian armed forces and resistance groups across the region continued their retaliatory military operations against the US and the Israeli regime on Saturday, March 21.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
True Promise 4: Iran and resistance axis ops. against US-Israeli assets on Mar. 20
Iranian armed forces and resistance groups across the region continued their retaliatory military operations against the US and the Israeli regime on Friday, March 20.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
True Promise 4: Iran and resistance axis ops. against US-Israeli assets on Mar. 18
Iranian armed forces and resistance groups across the region continued their retaliatory military operations against the US and the Israeli regime on Wednesday, March 18.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
Iran faces off with E3 over snapback sanctions as Russia and China back Tehran
Europe’s bid to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran has ignited a fierce backlash, with Iran denouncing the move as “illegal” and vowing firm retaliation.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
Silenced in France: The unjust detention of a pro-Palestine Iranian activist
Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian academic who lived in France for eight years, has been unjustly detained for condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza on social media.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
IRGC is part of Iran’s national army: Pundit
Iranian academician states that Europe is not genuinely committed to labeling the IRGC as a “terrorist organization” and is facing significant pressure from the Israeli regime.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
Washington seeking regime change in Venezuela: Analyst
Podcaster and Journalist Esha Krishnaswamy believes the U-S military buildup in the Caribbean region is aimed at regime change in Venezuela.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
IRGC hits another Israeli F-16 fighter jet with interceptor missile
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has successfully intercepted a third Israeli fighter jet, an F-16, in the skies over central Iran.
Presstv
Mar 22, 2026 - presstv.ir
Nigeria and South Africa expands defence pact
Nigeria and South Africa formalised a deepened military partnership in March 2026 to address insurgent threats and improve technical cooperation between the continent’s two largest economies. The agreement followed a […]
Military Africa
Mar 21, 2026 - military.africa
Project Swift: CSIR develops low-cost target drone
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is currently developing a new, low-cost target drone for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). According to a DefenceWeb article, it […]
Military Africa
Mar 21, 2026 - military.africa
Iran denies responsibility for missile attacks on Diego Garcia
A senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera on Sunday that Iran was not responsible for and was not behind missile attacks on the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean, Anadolu reports. The denial came after the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that two intermediate-range ballistic missiles had been fired toward the base, with neither striking it. The Pentagon did not immediately respond...
Middle East Monitor
Mar 21, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
UN nuclear watchdog says no damage detected at Israeli nuclear center after Iran strike
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Saturday it received no indication of damage to Israel’s Negev Nuclear Research Center following an Iranian missile strike on the city of Dimona, Anadolu reports. No abnormal radiation levels had been detected in the region, it added. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stressed that “maximum military restraint should be observed, in particular in...