Democracy Dies in Darkness
Updated
March 4, 2026 at 10:55 a.m. EST
NATO air defenses shot down an Iranian ballistic missile heading toward Turkish airspace, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday. It was unclear whether the missile was targeting Turkey, a NATO member state bordering Iran. If Turkey was targeted, that would mark a major escalation in a war that has spread across the Middle East and to the Indian Ocean, where a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a news briefing. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened “elimination” to anyone selected as Iran’s next supreme leader, as Tehran moved closer to appointing a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Saturday in U.S. and Israeli strikes.
What to know
- Shifting tactics: After a blistering campaign that has hit more than 2,000 Iranian targets and sunk 20 Iranian warships, the U.S. military campaign will shift inland, the Joint Chiefs chairman, Gen. Dan Caine, told reporters Wednesday. At the same briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. and Israeli forces will obtain “complete control of Iranian skies” within days, and they will soon begin a second massive air assault dropping 500- and 2,000-pound bombs on targets.
- Israeli strikes pound Iran: The Israeli military announced fresh strikes against Iran on Wednesday, including on missile facilities; dozens of targets belonging to the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; and internal security force commands.
- Israel and Hezbollah escalate attacks: Israel issued an extensive evacuation order for a huge swath of southern Lebanon as troops push in further and strikes continue to rock the country. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Nadav Shoshani said Israel was facing simultaneous barrages of missiles from Iran and Hezbollah.
- Khamenei funeral delayed: The funeral for Iran’s assassinated leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been postponed “until further notice,” Iranian state media reported, saying the delay was to allow mourners time to reach Tehran.
- A scramble to evacuate Americans from the Middle East: Iran’s retaliatory strikes on American interests and allies across the region continued as the U.S. warned Americans to leave the region immediately. The evacuation of U.S. citizens has been complicated by embassy and airspace closures.
At least 80 dead after U.S. sinks Iranian warship, Sri Lanka says
At least 80 bodies have been recovered by Sri Lankan authorities after U.S. forces sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra told local media on Wednesday.
In a television interview, the minister said Iranian military vessel was heading to an Iranian port when it was sunk.
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