Analysts have warned that the Suez Canal and other key global trade routes could face serious threats if Yemen’s Houthi rebels become directly involved in the ongoing war involving Iran. Mohammad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera that the Houthis possess significant capabilities demonstrated over the past two and a half years. He noted that they could potentially close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, effectively blocking access from the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.

Elmasry explained that such a move would create two major chokepoints— the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal— both vital for international trade. He added that continued Houthi attacks could increase pressure on Israel’s air defense systems, which are already strained by missile strikes from Hezbollah and Iran. If attacks were to originate from Yemen as well, the situation could become even more complex.

According to Elmasry, Israel might politically welcome this escalation, as it could expand the scope of the conflict and discourage the United States from withdrawing too soon.

An Iranian military spokesperson from the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters stated that Iranian forces carried out an attack on a US military support ship located far from the port of Salalah in Oman. The statement was reported by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency on March 28, 2026.

According to the same report, Iran reiterated that it respects the national sovereignty of Oman, describing the country as both brotherly and friendly. The announcement did not specify the extent of the attack, potential damage, or any casualties. The claim was cited by Al Jazeera as the source of the information.

No immediate details were provided regarding the US response or the broader regional implications of the incident.

The United Nations announced the formation of a task force to maintain trade flow through the Hormuz Strait, where maritime commerce has been disrupted by the ongoing war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said immediate action is essential to reduce the conflict’s impact. The task force will be led by Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva.

According to the UN, the initiative will draw inspiration from previous mechanisms such as the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the UN2720 mechanism for Gaza. The task force will engage with all relevant member states to determine how best to implement the plan, with the UN urging broad support to protect populations already affected by the conflict.

Experts warned that disruptions in fertilizer supply and rising fuel prices could further increase food costs in vulnerable countries. The World Food Programme cautioned that if the Iran war continues through June, tens of millions of people could face severe hunger.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a nearly one-hour telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss the ongoing war situation in the Middle East. The call was part of Pakistan’s broader consultations with regional leaders. In a post on social media platform X, Sharif expressed Pakistan’s solidarity with Iran and condemned Israeli attacks. He also thanked Pezeshkian for appreciating Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and dialogue in the region.

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will meet his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt in Islamabad. The two-day meeting is scheduled to begin on Sunday. Officials confirmed that earlier in the week, Pakistan conveyed Washington’s 15-point ceasefire proposal to Tehran.

The discussions reflect Pakistan’s active diplomatic engagement amid heightened regional tensions and efforts to facilitate dialogue among key Middle Eastern states.

Kuwait International Airport sustained extensive damage to its radar system following multiple drone attacks, according to the state news agency KUNA. The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that no casualties occurred in the incident, which took place amid heightened security concerns in the region.

The report stated that the airport had been targeted several times since the outbreak of the Iran war. The most recent attack before this incident occurred on Wednesday, when a drone strike on a fuel depot caused a major fire. Kuwaiti authorities have blamed Iran for these repeated assaults, reflecting ongoing regional instability and escalating hostilities.

The repeated targeting of key infrastructure such as airports and fuel depots underscores the vulnerability of Gulf states to drone warfare and may prompt further security measures at critical facilities.

Hezbollah has intensified attacks on northern Israel, destroying several settlements including Misgav Am, Teshuba, and Gad. The mayor of Margaliot broke down in tears while describing the devastation. On Wednesday, local council heads met government officials via Zoom to discuss the worsening situation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging them to prevent residents from leaving their areas.

During the meeting, Mayor Avichai Stern accused the government of failing to support border communities, saying Israeli homes and infrastructure had turned into ruins. He criticized Netanyahu’s government as a major failure, urging immediate action or acknowledgment of its inability to manage the crisis.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed to have carried out 82 operations against Israeli forces in the past 24 hours, destroying two Israeli tanks. Fierce ground battles continue in southern Lebanon, particularly around Qantara and Miniara, where both sides are engaged in intense fighting.

A new attack struck near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant on Friday night, marking the third such incident in ten days. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that no radioactive material was released and that the reactor sustained no damage. The agency said the facility continues to operate normally and remains structurally intact following the strike, which occurred amid ongoing regional conflict.

According to the IAEA, the attack followed Israeli military operations targeting a heavy water reactor and a uranium processing site in central Iran, though Israel did not mention Bushehr specifically. Iran’s state news agency Fars reported that a projectile hit the plant’s grounds at 11:40 p.m. local time and blamed the United States and Israel for the incident. No casualties or damage were reported.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi urged all parties to exercise maximum military restraint. The Bushehr plant, located in southwestern Iran, is the country’s only operational nuclear power facility and has been connected to the national grid since 2011.

A fire broke out in an industrial area of the United Arab Emirates early Saturday following missile and drone attacks launched from Iran. According to Emirati authorities, no casualties have been reported from the incident. The UAE Ministry of Defense stated that its air defense systems were activated to intercept the incoming cruise missiles and drones.

The attack occurred about a month after the start of a regional conflict, with Tehran reportedly intensifying its strikes across the Gulf region. Abu Dhabi’s government media office confirmed that emergency teams were working to control two fires in the Khalifa Economic Zones area. Officials added that a ballistic missile was successfully intercepted, but debris from the destroyed projectile caused the fires.

Authorities have not provided further details about the extent of the damage or whether additional security measures will be taken in response to the incident.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that his country has reached an agreement with Iran concerning the Hormuz Strait. Under the deal, Iran will allow Thai oil tankers to pass safely through the strategic waterway. The announcement was made on Saturday during a press conference, where the prime minister said the arrangement would ease concerns over energy imports, as Thailand relies heavily on oil from the Middle East.

Earlier this month, a cargo ship flying the Thai flag was damaged by a projectile in the Hormuz Strait. The Omani navy later rescued the vessel’s crew, though three sailors remain missing. The incident had raised safety concerns for Thai shipping operations in the region.

The new agreement is expected to reduce risks for Thailand’s oil transport routes and stabilize its energy supply chain, according to the prime minister’s remarks.

Hezbollah carried out 82 operations against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon within the past 24 hours, according to reports on March 28, 2026. The operations targeted areas where Israeli troops were attempting to advance, particularly around the city of Khiam, where intense fighting is ongoing as Israel seeks full control of the area.

The Lebanese armed group claimed to have destroyed two Israeli tanks during the clashes. Ground battles were also reported in the cities of Qantara and Miniara, indicating that the confrontation has spread across multiple fronts in southern Lebanon. The fighting has been continuing since the previous week.

In addition, Hezbollah fired a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli warplane flying at low altitude over Beirut, the Lebanese capital. The report, citing Al Jazeera, highlights escalating hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces across Lebanon’s southern and central regions.

Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah announced that it carried out 82 operations within Lebanon and across the border against Israeli forces over the past 24 hours. The group also claimed to have fired a surface-to-air missile targeting an Israeli warplane flying low over Beirut, marking a notable escalation in the ongoing conflict.

Analysts cited in the report view the use of such weaponry over the Lebanese capital as a significant strategic shift in the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah further claimed responsibility for destroying two Israeli tanks near the city of Tyre and reported intense fighting with Israeli troops attempting to take control of Khiam.

The developments highlight a sharp rise in hostilities along the Lebanon-Israel border, with the conflict appearing to expand both geographically and in intensity, according to the report.

According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, the United States and Israel carried out an attack on the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran early Saturday. The report did not provide further details about the nature or scale of the strike. The incident adds to a series of recent assaults across Iran.

Since February 28, the death toll in Iran has reportedly reached 1,900. At a United Nations press conference on Friday, Maria Martinez, head of the Iranian Red Crescent delegation, said medical teams were attempting to rescue survivors from collapsed buildings caused by US and Israeli attacks across the country. Many rescuers reportedly discovered the bodies of their own family members during the operations.

The report also mentioned other recent incidents, including repeated attacks on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear facility and missile strikes that ignited fires in the United Arab Emirates’ industrial zone, underscoring a period of heightened regional tension.

Israel’s military reported on Saturday that a missile was launched from Yemen toward Israel, marking the first such attack since Israel and the United States began joint strikes against Iran. The army said its air defense systems were active to intercept the missile. The statement did not specify the extent of damage or casualties.

The report came as Iran and Hezbollah continued a series of attacks on Israel from Friday night into early Saturday. Sirens were heard for the third time around Beersheba and near Israel’s main nuclear research center. The Iran-backed Houthi group, which has controlled Yemen’s capital Sanaa since 2014, has not claimed responsibility for the launch and had not previously taken direct part in the current conflict.

The development signals a possible widening of the regional conflict, though the source did not indicate any immediate escalation beyond the reported missile launch.

An Iranian missile attack on Israel on Friday killed one person and injured several others, according to Israeli emergency services. The Magen David Adom (MDA) reported that the latest strike hit Tel Aviv, killing one man and injuring two others aged 65 and 50. In southern Israel’s Kuseife, two more people aged 37 and 21 were wounded by shrapnel. Air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem following the attack, and emergency teams were deployed across central Israel.

The Israeli military confirmed that missiles were launched from Iran and said defense systems were activated to counter the threat. A military officer reported that a residential apartment was struck by cluster munitions, a type of weapon that disperses smaller explosives over a wide area. Both Iran and Israel have previously accused each other of using such weapons. Witnesses and AFP correspondents reported explosions heard from Jericho in the occupied West Bank and sirens in Jerusalem.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi earlier warned that Israel would pay a “heavy price” after attacks on two major Iranian steel plants and a nuclear facility.

The war in Iran, launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, marked its first month on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Thousands have been killed across the Middle East, with widespread destruction leaving many families homeless. At a United Nations press conference on Friday, Maria Martinez, head of the Iranian Red Crescent delegation, said medical teams were still rescuing survivors from collapsed buildings, with some workers finding their own relatives among the dead.

The conflict has expanded beyond Iran into neighboring Gulf areas. Since February 28, at least 1,900 people have been killed in Iran. In Lebanon, Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 1,142 people, including 122 children, and injured 3,315 others. Iraq has reported 96 deaths, including 13 in the Kurdistan region. Four Palestinians were killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by Iranian missile strikes.

The U.S. Central Command confirmed the deaths of 13 American soldiers since the war began. Israel reported 19 civilian deaths within its territory and four soldiers killed in southern Lebanon.