EconoTicker

Lebanon is preparing to form a delegation for possible negotiations with Israel in an effort to stop the war with Hezbollah, according to an official who spoke to AFP. The same official said preparations are underway, but the timing and venue have not been finalized, with Paris and Cyprus both being considered, and added that there is still no Israeli commitment to a truce.

At the same time, Axios reported that France had drafted a proposal to end the war that would include Lebanese recognition of Israel. But France’s foreign ministry pushed back, saying there is “no French plan” to stop the fighting. Paris said it supports the Lebanese authorities’ openness to direct talks with Israel and has offered to facilitate them, while stressing that setting the agenda is up to the two sides themselves.

Source: AFP; French Foreign Ministry; Axios.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has provided drones to the Islamic Republic and is also sharing intelligence with Tehran, in remarks from a CNN interview set to air on Sunday. The claim suggests Moscow’s role in the war may be broader than previously known.

The allegation builds on earlier CBS News reporting that Russia has been providing Iran with intelligence on U.S. positions in the Middle East, according to multiple sources, including a senior U.S. official. Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Russia and China are Iran’s strategic partners and that cooperation with them includes military cooperation.

Source: CBS News; MS NOW.

KURDPA and Hengaw-linked posts said a drone strike hit a Sazman-e Khabat base in the Bashik heights of Erbil province, killing two Peshmerga identified as Iqbal Salehi of Saqqez and Fakhraddin Moradi of Sanandaj, while four others were reported wounded. Those casualty details appear to be coming from Kurdish opposition and activist channels and I could not independently verify them through a major wire service.

The reported strike fits a broader pattern of repeated attacks on Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in Iraqi Kurdistan. Reuters reported on March 4 that a drone struck the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in Dekala, wounding two fighters, while French reporting this week also described Sazman-e Khabat as one of the Kurdish factions whose bases have been hit repeatedly since the war began.

On the wider battlefield, Rudaw said the Kurdistan Region had already endured 268 drone and missile attacks by Thursday, including 223 in Erbil, with opposition-party fighters among the dead and wounded. The higher total of 294 attacks in your text may reflect newer local counting, but I did not verify that updated figure in a reliable public source before replying.

Source: KURDPA; Hengaw-linked reporting; Reuters; Rudaw.

French President Emmanuel Macron said a French officer was killed and six other soldiers were wounded after a drone attack on a military base in the Erbil region of northern Iraq. Reuters reported that French military officials said the strike was carried out with an Iran-made Shahed drone and hit troops who were providing counterterrorism training as part of the international coalition against داعش/ISIS.

Macron identified the dead officer as Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins based in Varces, and called the attack “unacceptable.” He said France stands with the soldier’s family and with the wounded, while stressing that French forces have been deployed in Iraq since 2015 within the coalition fighting Islamic State.

Source: Reuters; Élysée / Emmanuel Macron.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel can help create the conditions for political change in Iran, but whether that turns into a real challenge to the ruling system depends on the Iranians themselves coming into the streets. Reuters reported that Netanyahu said Israel was trying to create the “optimal conditions” for change while acknowledging that an internal uprising cannot be guaranteed from outside.

His remarks fit with Israel’s broader message in recent days: intensify military pressure on the IRGC, Basij, and security infrastructure, while signaling to Iranians that the outcome depends on domestic action rather than foreign force alone.

Source: Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is delivering heavy blows to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij paramilitary force, framing the campaign as part of a broader effort to weaken Tehran’s ruling system. Reuters reported that Israel said it had struck Basij checkpoints in Tehran, while Netanyahu said Iran had already suffered major damage to its elite security apparatus.

Netanyahu also renewed his appeal to the Iranian public, saying any real political change would ultimately have to come from inside Iran. According to Reuters, he said Israel was creating the best possible conditions for toppling the regime, while adding that “we can definitely help and we are helping.”

Source: Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first press conference since the war began, said he would not guarantee the safety of Mojtaba Khamenei or Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem. Asked about their fate, Netanyahu replied that he “wouldn’t issue life insurance policies” for leaders of what he called the terrorist organization, while refusing to spell out Israel’s next steps.

The remarks underline Israel’s effort to keep pressure on both Iran’s new leadership and Hezbollah, while preserving ambiguity over future military action. Reuters reported that Netanyahu commented as he defended the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign and said Iran was no longer the same after nearly two weeks of war.

Source: Reuters.

Donald Trump said developments in the confrontation with Iran are moving quickly and praised the performance of the U.S. military, signaling that Washington intends to press ahead with its campaign against the Islamic Republic. The latest White House messaging has framed the operation as a drive to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, naval assets, and support networks for proxy groups, while ensuring Tehran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.

Trump has also repeatedly argued that Iran has posed a threat for decades and that the United States is now acting with overwhelming military force. Reuters reported this week that Trump said the U.S. had already inflicted serious damage on Iran’s military capabilities and expected the conflict to end faster than initially projected.

Source: Reuters; The White House.

Donald Trump said the United States is “very much on top” of tracking whether Iran has activated sleeper cells inside the country, as Washington sharpens its warnings about Tehran-linked covert threats. The White House had already said in a February 2025 national security memorandum that Iran and proxy groups linked to it had sought to embed sleeper cells in the U.S. homeland.

The issue is also feeding concern in Canada, where authorities have taken a harder line on the IRGC. Ottawa listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity in June 2024 and said the move could help investigate former senior Iranian officials living in Canada. Later, Canada’s domestic spy agency CSIS said it had foiled potentially lethal threats linked to Iran inside the country, reinforcing fears that Tehran could use overseas networks to pressure or target opponents abroad.

Source: Reuters; The White House; Government of Canada.

Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said Kuwait International Airport was targeted by several drones on Thursday morning, with material damage only reported and no casualties announced. The statement said the incident was handled under the emergency plan in coordination with national authorities.

The incident adds to growing security pressure on Gulf aviation and critical transport infrastructure as regional tensions continue to spill over into civilian facilities.

Source: Kuwait Directorate General of Civil Aviation / KUNA.

The Israeli military said its latest strikes in Beirut hit 70 positions, including what it described as a site linked to the air force branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. In a separate official update, the IDF said it had carried out an intelligence-based wave of strikes in Beirut against several Hezbollah command centers, including one used by the group’s aerial unit. Reuters has also reported that Israel has stepped up attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs as the conflict with Hezbollah intensifies.

Source: Israeli military; Reuters.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said the Islamic Republic attacked a fuel storage facility in Muharraq province, marking another escalation in regional tensions and raising concerns over energy infrastructure security in the Gulf.

The reported strike puts focus on the vulnerability of critical fuel and logistics facilities as the conflict expands beyond direct military targets. An attack on fuel storage infrastructure could heighten fears of broader disruption risks across regional transport and energy networks.

Source: Bahrain Ministry of Interior