Armed conflicts and attacks
Middle Eastern crisis
2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
The New York Times reports that the United States has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war. (CNBC)
Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif says that Pakistan is ready and willing to host Iran–U.S. talks to reach a comprehensive deal to end the war. (AFP via SCMP) (Saudi Gazette)
2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
Shrapnel from an Iranian ballistic missile wounds three people, including a two-month-old baby, in a Bedouin community in the Negev, Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
Fifteen fighters from Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), including a commander, are killed in an American airstrike on a PMF base in the Al Anbar Governorate. (AFP via BSS)
Hezbollah rocket fire kills a woman and injures two others in northern Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz states that the military will control a "security zone" up to the Litani River in southern Lebanon until "the threat of Hezbollah" is removed, while also suggesting that Israel will remain in control of the area after the conflict is resolved. (The Times of Israel) (The New York Times)
The Lebanese government reports that the death toll from Israeli attacks on the country since March 2 has risen to 1,039. (AA)
Russo-Ukrainian war
Zaporizhzhia strikes, Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine kill at least three people, including two in Poltava and one in Zaporizhzhia, and injures several others. The attacks also damage residential buildings and infrastructure in the areas. (AFP via BSS)
A Russian Shahed drone strikes and severely damages the Bernardine Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Lviv, western Ukraine. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inqurier)
Sudanese civil war
A coalition of Rapid Support Forces and Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North rebels capture the town of Kurmuk in the Blue Nile region near the Ethopian border. (AFP via Arab News)
The death toll from the March 20 drone strike on the Al Deain Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, Sudan, rises to 70. (Reuters)
War in the Sahel
Suspected Islamic State insurgents kill nine Nigerian troops, one police officer and a civilian during attacks in Kebbi State, Nigeria. (AP)
Arts and culture
The trailer for the upcoming superhero film Spider-Man: Brand New Day released on March 17 reaches 1 billion views on YouTube, becoming the first movie trailer to do so. (People.com)
Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
Two concerts by Colombian singer Shakira in Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, scheduled to be held in April are postponed due to safety concerns amidst the Iran war. The Abu Dhabi concert has been rescheduled for November. (USA Today)