Compilation of news reports – IAK staff
WARS ON IRAN, LEBANON – NEWS & HEADLINES:
Why is If Americans Knew covering the war on Iran? It can not be overemphasized that Israel has been the impetus behind US policies and actions vis-a-vis Iran for years. This is especially true right now, under Donald Trump. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing the US to attack Iran for decades.
The American people have made clear that they do not want to go to war with Iran, but Israel partisans and the Israel lobby use their massive political clout to bring about whatever is beneficial to Israel – including putting the US military in harm’s way. For more background on Israel’s role in American wars, watch IAK’s short film, “The Israeli Hit List.”
DEATH TOLL (all numbers are tentative):
- 13 US troops have been killed since the war on Iran began, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM), 200 injured.
- In Israel, 18 people have been killed and 3,727 injured.
- In Iran, 1,444 people have reportedly been killed since the conflict began (240 children).
- In Lebanon, at least 1,204 people have been killed (at least 118 of them children, 79 women, and 40 healthcare workers).
- In other Arab states (including Palestine), at least 90 people have been killed.
IRAN:
The Israeli army has claimed that Iran launched a missile capable of striking a target up to 4,000 km away (about 2,500 miles), including some major European cities, suggesting Europe is under threat. While major British newspapers ran with the story, the claim has been disputed, as reportedly no such assessment has been made. The claim may be part of an Israeli propaganda campaign.
Iran denies responsibility for missile attacks on Diego Garcia
Iran is providing safe passage to ships in the Strait of Hormuz: Iran foreign minister: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said about the Strait of Hormuz, “We have not closed this strait. In our opinion, this strait is open. It is closed only for ships belonging to our enemies, countries that attack us. For other countries, ships can pass through the strait.”
U.S./TRUMP ADMINISTRATION:
US to embed Palantir AI across entire military: Report: Palantir’s targeting software has been used by Israel and the US to target civilians in Gaza and Iran. Artificial Intelligence may have caused the US to bomb the primary school in Minab, Iran on the first day of the war. Palantir has helped the Israeli military develop systems such as “Lavender” and “Where’s Daddy?,” which were used to kill Palestinian fighters while at home with their families.
In January 2024, shortly after the genocide began, the Palantir Board of Directors held its first meeting of the year in Israel. After the meeting, Alex Karpe, Palantir’s co-founder and CEO, signed an updated agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Defense at its military headquarters. Karp boasted, “We are very well known in Israel. Israel appreciates our product. I am one of the very few CEOs who are publicly pro-Israel.”
Joe Kent, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, tells prominent podcaster and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly about the influence of neocons and foreign officials in Trump’s decision-making in the lead up to the Israel-US war on Iran
Trump says Iran wants to make a deal, he does not: President claims he has ‘blown Iran off of the map,’ met goals ‘weeks ahead of schedule.’
Trump Gives Iran 48-hour Ultimatum to Reopen Strait of Hormuz: On Truth Social on Saturday, Trump warned he would strike Iranian energy facilities if the strait remains closed and criticized U.S. allies for not committing forces. He added, ‘the Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded… by other nations who use it – the United States does not,’ in a post following his ultimatum. This comes just a day after the president spoke of “winding down” the war.
Trump says the war could wind down in ‘four to six weeks’, no word on ground troops
US weighs special forces operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile: Report: Head of UN nuclear agency warns extraction would be ‘very challenging’ as much of material buried under bombed sites.
Iran accuses US, Israel of targeting civilian vessels in Gulf waters
ISRAEL:
Iran hits Israeli town housing nuclear facility* in retaliation for Natanz strike: First responders report 33 injured at multiple sites in Dimona, including a 10-year-old boy in serious condition.
*NOTE: Read about Israel’s not-so-secret nuclear capabilities here.
At least 84 wounded, 10 in serious condition after Iranian missile strikes building in Arad
Israeli-US attacks on Iran ‘will escalate significantly’ this week*: Katz: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel is “determined to continue leading the offensive against the Iranian regime…until every security threat to the State of Israel and to US interests in the region is removed.”
*NOTE: Defense Minister Katz’s wording suggests that Israel is in control of the Israel-US partnership, and will decide when the war is over. Some analysts say Israel wants to continue the war longer than the US does. Read more here.
War crimes: Sa’ar says targeting civilians* is ‘mad Iranian regime’s strategy’: “All the casualties from Iranian attacks, without an exception, are civilians,” Israel’s foreign minister declares.
*NOTE: Sa’ar’s accusation that Iran targets civilians as a strategy is thick with irony. The Israeli army reportedly had a policy from the early stages of the war on Gaza that it was permissible to kill up to 15 or 20 civilians for every junior Hamas operative earmarked for death by Israel’s AI targeting system; Israel also massacred Gazan civilians while they were seeking food. There are many other examples of Israel’s targeting of civilians, including in zones Israel itself had designated “safe.”
RELATED: Did Israel know over 80 percent of those it killed in Gaza were civilians?
ENERGY WAR:
The US Treasury announced it was temporarily lifting its own sanctions on oil from Iran for 30 days as global prices for fuel spiral due to the Israel-US war on Iran and attacks on the Gulf.
ISRAEL’S WAR ON LEBANON:
‘Gaza model*’: Netanyahu, Katz instruct IDF to strike bridges, homes in southern Lebanon: Israel’s defense minister said he ordered “an acceleration in the destruction of Lebanese homes in contact-line villages…in accordance with the model of Beit Hanun and Rafah in Gaza.”
*NOTE: Read about Israel’s destruction of Beit Hanun and Rafah. Also read Gaza: Destroying civilian housing and infrastructure is an international crime, warns UN expert.
MORE ON IRAN WAR:
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM GAZA:
(For some basic info on the Palestine-Israel conflict, go here. For more critical context, skim this, this, and this. To read about a remarkable but underreported, 20-month-long peaceful protest in Gaza against Israel, go here.
While a “ceasefire” is ostensibly in place, Israel has continued its assault on Gaza without interruption. If Americans Knew considers the war to be ongoing, and in its 885th day. Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 680 Palestinians. Over 1,813 have been injured. Death toll figures are tentative. Israel has so far violated the 11 October ceasefire deal in Gaza at least 1,620 times (as of Feb. 1, 2026). More statistics below.
Israeli occupation forces shot and injured a Palestinian woman on Saturday in the Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City, amid ongoing violations across the Gaza Strip after Israeli opened fire toward displaced Palestinian civilians.
With Gaza’s Libraries in Ruins, Palestinians Fight to Preserve Historical Memory: More than 87 public libraries and archives in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed by Israel’s genocide.
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK/EAST JERUSALEM:
Every day, Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem endure dozens of incidents like the ones below, at the hands of Israeli soldiers and/or settlers. For background on the West Bank, read this and this. For information on the significance of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, read this and this.)
Israeli Officers Who Killed West Bank Palestinian Family Won’t Be Questioned, Sources Say: Sources said evidence suggests that officers who killed the Bani Odeh family believed a vehicular ramming attack was imminent and opened fire out of fear for their lives. Residents said that the officers entered undercover, driving with Palestinian license plates.
ORIGINAL INCIDENT: Israel/OPT: Killing of the Bani Owda family latest illustration of alarming rise in lethal force
Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Buildings, Vehicles Across West Bank; Source: 11 Palestinians Wounded: IDF officials said more than 20 settler attacks were reported throughout Saturday night, including hurling stones at Palestinians, spraying graffiti, shooting flares and blocking traffic. An Israel Police source said no suspects have yet to be arrested.
Jerusalem Archbishop Rebukes Netanyahu’s Statements on Christianity: On March 19, Israeli PM Netanyahu made the following statement in a speech in which he called Iran’s leaders “lunatics” who need to be stopped, and laid the groundwork for a possible Israel-US ground war:
Jesus Christ has no advantage over Genghis Khan. Because if you are strong enough, ruthless enough, powerful enough, evil will overcome good. Aggression will overcome moderation.
They want a Jesus shaped by their own agendas and desires, while Jesus Christ came into this world to spread love, compassion, and fraternity among human beings.
Netanyahu’s offensive remarks about Christianity have angered Christians everywhere, as well as every reasonable and wise person in this region and across the world.
His statements are insulting and wholly unacceptable, yet they are not surprising. They stem from a Zionist ideology that excludes and marginalizes anyone who is not Jewish, viewing followers of other faiths as lesser beings (continue reading here).
Ambassador Huckabee, God Promised the Holy Land to Both Jews and Arabs: Muhammad Sharif Odeh writes: As the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the Holy Land, I urge the U.S. Ambassador to read the Bible carefully: The land was promised to all of the descendants of Abraham. And rather than justifying modern territorial expansion, the Bible cautions that God sides with those who act justly.
Jerusalemite Palestinian Forced To Demolish His Home
Saturday: Israeli Colonizers and Soldiers Terrorize Palestinians Across the West Bank
NEWS & HEADLINES FROM ISRAEL:
(Israel is a tiny country, about the size of New Jersey, with a population smaller than the US state of Georgia – about 10 million (of which about 20 percent are Palestinians), yet it is in the news constantly. As has been demonstrated again and again, however, mainstream media rarely covers Israel accurately. IAK gets the facts – sometimes from Israeli media sites, where we can get a glimpse inside this country that is rife with turmoil and contradictions, and that receives $63 million a day from America.)
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
Judges clear ICC’s Karim Khan over sexual misconduct claims: Panel appointed by war crimes court’s governing body says UN probe has not established any ‘misconduct or breach of duty’ by chief prosecutor. The allegations of sexual misconduct were first revealed to Khan in person by members of his team on 2 May 2024, the same day he was planning to announce the Netanyahu and Gallant arrest warrants, according to the timeline of events outlined in the document.
RELATED: Spying & threats: Israel spent 9 years trying to keep the ICC off the trail of Israel’s war crimes
UN secretary general speaks about Trump’s Board of Peace: UN head António Guterres, speaking about Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace,” told Politico that beyond the Gaza reconstruction plan, he saw no need for Trump’s board. “Everything else now is a personal project of President Trump, in which he has full control of everything. This is not the effective way to address the dramatic problems that we have now. We need to be clear about international law, to be clear about the values of the Charter of the United Nations. That is essential in any peace initiative.”
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
Trump says US wants talks with Iran but there’s ‘nobody to talk to’ after killing of senior officials
Illegal Israeli settlers boast in WhatsApp group about escalating violence against Palestinians
FIFA finds Israel Football Association (FA) guilty of ‘grave’ violations, stops short of major sanctions
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MARCH 21, 2026*:
- At least 73,386 Palestinians killed, 184,612 injured – including:
- At least 72,253 killed (~22,000 children, 33,000 women and girls), 172,912 injured in Gaza
- At least 1,133 killed (~232 children), 11,700 injured in the West Bank
*NOTE: Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 8,000 more are still buried under rubble (some sources put the number of missing as high as 14,000); 3,000 more are reportedly missing. Only the dead who are brought to hospitals are included in the official fatality count. Additionally, the numbers of injured are very conservative estimates.
Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – March 21, 2026: ~1,661 – including ~1,139** on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 472 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, about 52 military and civilians (by one count, there have been 59 victims) in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel (these numbers do not include deaths from the conflict with Lebanon or the war with Iran).
By one count, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 281 Palestinian journalists and media workers (as of Jan. 21, 2026); Palestinians have killed 4 Israeli journalists (other groups have tallied between 215 and 333 Palestinian journalists killed – depending on the criteria used).
**NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.
- Human rights reports on Israel-Palestine (regularly updated)
- Israel’s assassination game: Take all pragmatists off the board
- Food shortages return to Gaza as Israel tightens aid restrictions under the cover of its war on Iran
- Meet the former fashion blogger and shady doctor behind the ‘30,000 dead’ Iran psy-op
- Vatican Secretary of State to Trump, Israel: End the war as soon as possible
- The Majority of Americans Believe War Against Iran Benefits Israel More Than US
- Efforts to shut down pro-Palestinian speech face series of setbacks in court
- What has Israel done to my brother?
- Trump: Israel attacked Iranian gas field without US knowledge. No more such attacks!
- America’s friends must help extricate it from an unlawful war
- Democratic Nat’l Committee’s Kneejerk Backing of Israel Is Political and Moral Failure
- Major revelations from former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent’s extensive interview
- More than half of Palestinian child detainees have no charges
- Grieving Parents in Iran Spend Every Night at the Graves of Their Children, Killed by U.S. Strike
- How ignorance, misunderstanding and obfuscation ended Iran nuclear talks
