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Joint Military Operations and Retaliatory Strikes in Iran and the Middle East 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 💥 🇮🇷
The United States and Israel launched a series of joint airstrikes against numerous targets across Iran on February 28, 2026.
The operation resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at his office in Tehran.
Other high-ranking Iranian officials killed in the strikes included the army chief of staff, the defense minister, and the commander of the Revolutionary Guard.
The strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, military command centers, and air defense systems across at least 24 provinces.
Humanitarian reports from Iran’s Red Crescent indicated more than 200 deaths and hundreds of injuries from the daylong attacks.
A specific strike on a girls' school in Minab reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 100 people.
Iran responded by launching a massive retaliatory offensive using dozens of missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf states.
Iranian retaliatory strikes targeted U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
One woman was killed in Tel Aviv when an Iranian missile struck a building, causing it to partially collapse and catch fire.
In the United Arab Emirates, shrapnel from interceptions killed one person and caused fires at the Burj Al Arab hotel.
An Iranian drone struck a high-rise building in Bahrain, while a missile targeted the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
President Donald Trump stated the strikes aimed to trigger regime change and dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
U.S. officials argued the action was necessary as intelligence indicated Iran was rebuilding its ability to produce nuclear material.
Iran’s government declared 40 days of public mourning and formed a temporary council to manage the country until a successor is chosen.
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting as international leaders expressed regret that the opportunity for diplomacy had been squandered.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that RAF aircraft were involved in regional defensive operations to protect interests and allies.
The military escalation caused widespread commercial flight cancellations and prompted panic buying of essential goods in neighboring countries.
Source: Al-Jazeera, The Guardian, and Associated Press.
Raven Bites🐦⬛
News/Events/Politics
Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged cross-border attacks overnight in a dramatic escalation of tensions that led Pakistan’s defense minister to say on Friday that the two countries are in a state of “open war.” (more)
Caribbean countries have pledged to support Cuba through a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by a U.S. fuel embargo, after a leaders summit defined by regional divisions over Washington’s policies. (more)
Netflix is walking away from its offer to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business, in a stunning move that effectively puts Paramount in a position to take over its storied Hollywood rival. (more)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Mumbai on Friday for his first official visit to India, seeking to reset relations and deepen trade cooperation with New Delhi after ties deteriorated in recent years under his predecessor. (more)
Mexican forces killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho”, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC), in a high-risk operation in the western state of Jalisco last Sunday. Some of his most-trusted people orchestrated roadblocks, arson attacks and assaults on government facilities, and offered a bounty of 20,000 pesos ($1,100) for the killing of each member of the military, following the February 22 operation in several cities. (more)
Economics/Business/Crypto
China holiday spending sends a strong signal on consumer stimulus plans. The nine-day Lunar New Year, which ended Monday, saw a steady rise in spending across the country, from hotel bookings to duty-free shopping. (more)
President Donald Trump defended his tariff agenda during his State of the Union address Tuesday, even as a Supreme Court ruling striking down his emergency tariffs cast fresh confusion over the raft of trade deals negotiated with global partners. (more)
European stocks closed higher on Tuesday as investors assessed the new global trading landscape after U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff move. (more)
$BTC ( ▲ 1.41% ) Bitcoin rebounded to about $68,000 on Sunday, erasing most of its war-driven losses after Iranian state media reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. (more)
Technology
The Pentagon dispute centered on Anthropic’s refusal to allow its AI models (Claude) to be used to power either mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, which Secretary Hegseth found unduly restrictive. (more)
OpenAI’s Sam Altman announces Pentagon deal with ‘technical safeguards’, allowing the Department of Defense (Department of War) to use its AI models in the department’s classified network. (more)
After years of appeals, Google has finally received conditional approval to export high-precision geographic information out of South Korea, a move that opens the door to let the company provide proper Google Maps services in the country, such as walking and real-time driving directions. (more)
Apple is launching new tools to comply with the growing number of age-verification laws both in the U.S. and abroad. As part of the changes, Apple will block the downloads of apps rated 18+ in Brazil, Australia, and Singapore, while also rolling out other features to comply with laws in Utah and Louisiana in the U.S. (more)
Google on Wednesday announced a series of updates to its Gemini AI-powered features on the Android operating system, the most notable being a new way to use the AI to handle multi-step tasks like ordering an Uber or food delivery. (more)
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