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, 17 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 968 people have been killed (at least 111 of them children).
- In other Arab states, at least 79 people have been killed.
U.S./TRUMP ADMINISTRATION:
‘Hell No’: Pentagon Wants Over $200 Billion to Fund Trump’s Illegal Iran War: “We are seeing the Iran war become a quagmire in real time,” said one analyst. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote on social media that “at the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war,” Gallego added. “The answer is a simple no.”
US weighs military reinforcements as Iran war enters possible new phase: The Trump administration is reportedly considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran.
Trump suggests treason charges for journalists as Iran war spins out of control: You know a war probably isn’t going well when the President starts threatening media outlets with treason charges. And as the situation in the Middle East inevitably gets worse, Americans can expect more First Amendment threats.
US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard admits Iran ‘made no effort’ to rebuild nuclear program after 12-day war: The assessment contradicts Trump’s claim that Tehran posed an ‘imminent threat’, which he used to launch the current war.
Drones spotted over base where Rubio, Hegseth live, raising security concerns – report: Multiple drones were spotted in a single night in the last 10 days, as security concerns for overseas diplomatic posts and domestic bases increase, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Trump suggests ‘finishing off what’s left’ of Iran
Iran Has Destroyed 10 US Radars, Hit Bases Dozens of Times
US-Israeli strike hits ambulance in southern Iran: US-Israeli attacks targeted 52 health centers, 29 clinics, 19 emergency centers, 16 ambulances and a medical helicopter since Feb. 28.
ENERGY WAR:
Israel and U.S. Raise Stakes in Iran as Mideast Heads Into All-out Energy War
RELATED: Oil prices surge after Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gasfield
Israel Strikes World’s Largest Natural Gas Field in Iran – Did US approve?: Following the attack, Israeli officials told Axios that the operation was conducted in coordination and with the approval of the White House. A source speaking with the AP claimed that while Washington was aware Tel Aviv planned to strike the gas field, the US did not participate or give its approval.
RELATED: Fact Check: Inside Trump’s Contradictory Narrative on the Iran War
Statement from President Trump on South Pars Gas Field: pic.twitter.com/YrjhDdGTxP
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 19, 2026
OPINION: Kharg island, Iran: Seizing Iran’s ‘crown jewel’ would be a suicide mission: An operation to hold Tehran’s oil hostage by taking over Kharg Island could end up delivering the regime hostages of its own.
ISRAEL & IRAN:
Israel says it has begun striking targets in northern Iran: Israeli army says strikes mark first attacks in north since start of operation.
IRGC launches ‘revenge strikes’ on Israel after assassination of security chief Ali Larijani: Hebrew reports indicated over a dozen impact sites; at least 2 Israelis were killed. Heavy Israeli military censorship has been imposed, as is normally the case.
ISRAEL’S WAR ON LEBANON:
Israel Has Killed or Wounded Classroom’s Worth of Children Every Day in Lebanon: Israel has forcibly displaced 350,000 children from their homes in southern Lebanon since March 2.
Israel kills Al Manar TV journalist during violent attacks in central Beirut
UN warns that over 1M people have been displaced in Lebanon as Israeli strikes intensify
Israel plans to occupy 1st line of villages in southern Lebanon: Israeli media: Channel 12 said the political echelon intends to instruct the army to occupy any area in Lebanon from which anti-tank weapons are launched, “until further notice.”
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 881st day. Since the “ceasefire” began on October 11, Israel has killed at least 677 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 airstrikes on Wednesday killed one Palestinian and injured several others west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. UNRWA said Wednesday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “catastrophic,” with aid restrictions and the continued closure of key crossings—particularly Rafah—leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians without sufficient food, water, or medical care.
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.)
Four Palestinian women killed during Iranian missile attack in West Bank: The Israeli military claimed the incident was caused by an Iranian cluster munition that fell in the area; Palestinian officials have not confirmed this assessment and no independent verification has been made yet.
Israeli army arrests 16 Palestinian women in West Bank raids: Most of them are wives of former political prisoners or of current detainees, and mothers of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. The mass abductions come at a time when Israel continues to bar legal teams and the Red Cross from visiting detainees, and prevent families from visiting.
Wednesday’s Invasions And Abductions Across Occupied 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.)
Israeli war chief offers ‘apology’ to Sde Teiman rapists*, orders their reinstatement into army: The five soldiers who raped a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman facility – and became local heroes – recently had the charges against them dropped.
*NOTE: Read about this incident here and here (and other instances of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners here and here).
Foreign Press Association (FPA) slams Israeli police for injuring CNN journalist: FPA said officers on Tuesday “unnecessarily and aggressively repelled a group of journalists who were doing their jobs, documenting individuals who were praying outside the walls of the Old City.” The assault fractured the wrist of a CNN producer.
Ex-PM Bennett Condemns Israeli Settler Attacks by ‘Violent Gangs’ in West Bank: The leading Netanyahu rival and former settler leader denounced ‘nationalist violence by extremist Jews’ in the West Bank, saying most settlers ‘reject violence.’ Rising Israeli settler attacks have claimed seven Palestinians’ lives since the beginning of the month.
Israel holding more than half of Palestinian child detainees without charge: Defense for Children International says Palestinian children consistently report ‘appalling and debilitating conditions’ in Israeli prisons.
MORE NEWS & HEADLINES:
The Democratic Nat’l Committee’s Kneejerk Backing of Israel Is Political and Moral Failure: The Democratic National Committee has been evading the fact that large majorities of Democrats oppose continuing military aid to Israel and believe it has committed genocide in Gaza. The stage is set for jarring discord when the DNC’s 450 members gather in New Orleans.
Austrian authorities hinder people’s solidarity with Gaza: Amnesty International’s new report, titled, Austria: “Freedom of expression is highly selective,” reveals that authorities’ actions have resulted in violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly (read the report here).
ICYMI, A SELECTION OF YESTERDAY’S HEADLINES:
The war the US is fighting for Israel could cost trillions
‘The Gravest Sin’: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Responds to Hegseth Invoking God at War Briefings
‘We’re Wiping Them Out’: Netanyahu Shows Off Kill List ‘Punch Card’ to a Fawning Mike Huckabee
Police Attack Journalists Filming Violent Dispersal of Palestinian Worshipers
(Read yesterday’s daily update here.)
STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – MARCH 18, 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 18, 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)
- How ignorance, misunderstanding and obfuscation ended Iran nuclear talks
- Israeli media reports grotesque settler attack in West Bank
- UK security adviser attended US-Iran talks and judged deal was within reach
- Tucker Carlson says ‘neocons’ will try to destroy Joe Kent over resignation
- Trump’s counterterrorism chief, whose own wife was killed by ISIS, quits over Iran War saying Tehran posed ‘no imminent threat’
- Here’s what US could fund instead of Bibi’s war on Iran
- War on Iran: These are the heritage sites devastated by US and Israeli attacks
- Four news stories from Israeli media that illustrate Israeli “justice”
- CIA Prepares Criminal Referral of Tucker Carlson, as Israel and Its Loyalists Demand His Arrest
- ‘I Liked the House’: When Israeli Soldiers Turn Palestinian Homes into Barracks
- ‘They Were All I Had’: Lebanese Father Buries Parents, 4 Daughters Killed by Israeli Bombing
- Israel and its supporters are causing attacks on Jewish institutions. Case in point: Michigan synagogue tragedy.
- These are the casualties and cost of the war in Iran 2 weeks into the conflict
