Monday 16 March 2026

The Israeli military's 91st Division launches a ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, expanding a buffer zone along the border.

Afghanistan claims Pakistani jets bombed a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, killing over 400 people. Pakistan denies the claim, saying it attacked military installations. AFP and BBC journalists confirm at least 30 dead as a result of the bombing.

At least 23 people are killed and 108 others are injured in suspected suicide bombings at three locations, including the Monday Market and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility.

At least seven people, including four children, are injured by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel.

A Pakistan-bound oil tanker with its Automatic Identification System activated, the Karachi, gets safe passage and crosses the Strait of Hormuz following negotiations between the Pakistani and Iranian governments. According to Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Pakistan agreed to pay the oil shipment, purchased from Abu Dhabi, in Chinese yuan instead of in US dollars.

Several NATO allies of the United States, including Germany, Italy, and Spain, rule out sending warships to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following a request from U.S. president Donald Trump.

The Israeli Air Force strikes and completely destroys the Iranian Space Research Center in central Tehran, stating that it was being used for potential space warfare activities against Israeli satellites.

At least four members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are killed and three others are injured in an airstrike on a checkpoint at the entrance to Al-Qa'im, Al Anbar Governorate. A PMF official attributes the strike to the United States.

The European Union imposes sanctions against nine Russian individuals over their role in the mass murder of civilians committed during Russia's occupation of Bucha during the initial 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Kenyan prime cabinet secretary Musalia Mudavadi says that the government has identified two prisoners of war from Kenya that have been detained by authorities in Ukraine after being involved in Russia's special military operations.

Australia rules out sending warships to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is not seeking a ceasefire but also called for the war to end.

Kata'ib Hezbollah senior commander Abu Ali al-Askari is killed in an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq.

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad is reportedly attacked by two suicide drones, causing a powerful explosion.

The Royal Tulip Al Rasheed Hotel in the Green Zone in Baghdad is struck by a drone.

One person is killed and seven others are abducted, including children, in an attack on a community in Chikun, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

The European Union imposes sanctions against 16 Iranian individuals and three entities for their role in suppressing protests earlier this year.

Nepalese activist and Rastriya Swatantra Party member Bhumika Shrestha is confirmed by the Nepalese Election Commission, becoming the first transgender lawmaker elected in Nepal.

Sri Lanka introduces a four-day workweek for the public and education sectors to preserve fuel as the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to restrict fuel shipments to the region.

United States federal judge Brian E. Murphy blocks the implementation of changes to vaccine policy introduced by health and human services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including revisions to the childhood immunization schedule and recommendations issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Murphy rules that the measures likely violate required procedures and halts their enforcement pending further legal proceedings.

The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria this year rises to 109.

A woman is killed and over 100 others are hospitalized after getting foodborne illness at a pizzeria in Pombal, Paraíba, Brazil.

Cuba reports a nationwide power outage following a total electrical grid collapse.

A roof collapses at a shop in Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan, killing eight people and injuring more than 50 others.

At least four people are killed and four others are injured in a building collapse in Nairobi, Kenya.