Early Edition: March 30, 2026

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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:

IRAN WAR 

An Iranian strike injured 12 U.S. troops in an attack on U.S. Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, two U.S. officials said on Friday. At least two KC-135 aerial refueling planes also suffered significant damage in the attack. Russia took satellite images of the Prince Sultan Air Base three times in the days before Iran attacked the site and wounded U.S. troops, according to a summary of Ukrainian intelligence shared with NBC News by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy added that, based on Ukraine’s experience, Russia’s repeated photographing of installations over several days is an indication of attack planning. Raf Sanchez and Charlene Gubash report; Chris Cameron and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saturday launched a ballistic missile at Israel. This was the first attack by the Houthis since the ceasefire in Gaza was announced last October. The Israeli military said today that Yemen had launched a second attack, but Israel had intercepted the drones. Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Trevor Hunnicutt, Asif Shahzad, Alexander Cornwell, and Sabrina Valle report for Reuters.

President Trump said yesterday that Iran had agreed to allow 20 more oil cargo ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, casting Tehran’s decision as a “sign of respect” to the United States. It is not clear who the 20 cargo ships belong to or where they are headed. David E. Sanger reports for the New York Times.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey met yesterday in Islamabad for further discussions aimed at ending the war. The United States, Israel, and Iran were not part of the talks, and it was unclear whether any progress was made. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf yesterday accused Trump of engaging in a front of diplomacy while “secretly planning a ground invasion.” Anushka Patil reports for the New York Times.

Hundreds of U.S. Special Operations forces were said to have arrived in the Middle East yesterday, according to two U.S. military officials. The commandos, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALS, have not yet been assigned specific missions, the officials said. The commandos join 2,500 Marines and another 2,500 sailors, who recently arrived in the region. Altogether, there are more than 50,000 U.S. troops in the Middle East now, roughly 10,000 more than usual. Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper report for the New York Times.

The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said. Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, according to the officials. The White House said over the weekend that Trump had not made a decision on any of the Pentagon’s proposals for ground forces. One source said that the objectives under consideration would probably take “weeks, not months” to complete. Another put the potential timeline at “a couple of months.” Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.

Trump yesterday told the Financial Times that he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize Kharg Island. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump said. He also stressed that indirect talks between the United States and Iran were going well, adding that a deal could be made quickly as the U.S. military only has “about 3,000 targets left” to bomb in Iran. Edward Luce reports.

Israel’s military said today it had launched over 140 air strikes on central and western Iran, including Tehran, over the 24 hours to Sunday evening, hitting ballistic missile launch sites and storage facilities. Trevor Hunnicutt, Asif Shahzad, Alexander Cornwell, and Sabrina Valle report for Reuters.

An Iranian attack on a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait killed an Indian worker, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water said today. Reuters reports.

The Pentagon used missiles, previously untested in combat, in an attack that struck a sports hall and an elementary school near a military compound in Iran on Feb. 28, according to visual evidence examined by the New York Times. Local officials cited in Iranian media said this strike and others nearby in the city of Lamerd killed at least 21 people. Christiaan Triebert and John Ismay report.

IRAN WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers on Friday that the war with Iran will continue for another two to four weeks, three sources told Axios. Rubio added that the United States is communicating with Iran through mediators, adding that there are two Iranian officials who want to hold direct negotiations, but they need approval from the top leadership. One source said Rubio stressed the United States does not need G7 countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but wants allies to join a maritime task force to police the strait after the war. Barak Ravid reports.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced today that Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in attacks on Iran, as well as blocking the use of jointly-operated military bases. Reuters reports.

LEBANON 

An Israeli airstrike on a marked press car on Saturday in southern Lebanon killed three journalists. The Israeli military said it had targeted Ali Choeib, a correspondent for Al-Manar, a Lebanese television network owned by Hezbollah. The military accused him of being an intelligence operative for Hezbollah but did not respond to requests for evidence. The World Health Organization said on Saturday that nine paramedics were killed and seven wounded in five separate attacks in southern Lebanon. The Israeli Military said today that it struck a “Hezbollah terror cell dressed as paramedics” on Saturday. Euan Ward reports for the New York Times; Reuters reports; Emanuel Fabian reports for the Times of Israel.

A U.N. peacekeeper was killed in southern Lebanon overnight when a projectile exploded at one of its positions near the village of Adchit al-Qusayr. Another peacekeeper was critically injured. “We do not know the origins of the projective. We have launched an investigation to determine all of the circumstances,” UNIFIL said. Reuters reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday he had ordered the military to expand its operations in southern Lebanon. “I have now instructed to further expand the existing security zone in order ​to finally thwart the threat of invasion and to push the anti-tank missile ​fire away from our border,” Netanyahu. Steven Scheer reports for Reuters.

ISRAEL-GAZA WAR 

The Israeli military killed three Palestinian men in Gaza on Saturday in two separate airstrikes, local health officials and medics said. Reuters reports.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE

The Israeli military said today that it had suspended all operational activities of a reserve battalion involved in the detention and assault of a CNN team in the occupied West Bank last week. The team was in the village of Tayasir, covering the aftermath of a violent assault by settlers, when they were detained. An official said the battalion would be immediately withdrawn and reassigned to training until further notice. Tal Shalev and Jeremy Diamond report for CNN.

The Israeli-military killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy near Bethlehem during a military raid on the Dheisheh camp, the Palestinian WAFA state news agency reported. The Israeli military said ​a Palestinian was killed after soldiers opened fire during what it described as a “violent riot” in which stones were thrown at soldiers. WAFA also reported earlier on Friday that two other Palestinian men had been shot dead by Israeli forces. Reuters reports.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

Rubio on Friday denied Zelenskyy’s assertion that the Trump administration is demanding Kyiv hand over its eastern Donbas region to Russia in exchange for U.S. security guarantees in any ceasefire plan. “I saw him say that. And it’s unfortunate he would say that because he knows that’s not true and that’s not what he was told,” Rubio told reporters at Friday’s G7 meeting. David Klepper and Matthew Lee report for AP News.

SUDANESE CIVIL WAR 

Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary and allied rebels killed at least 14 people, including five children and two women, in the South Kordofan province on Saturday. The Sudan Doctors Network said the RSF shelled residential areas in the city of Dilling in an hours-long attack. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS  

More than 1,700 people were killed during an outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria in July 2025, according to a U.N. report released on Friday. The report says that most of the victims were from the Druse minority in the Sweida Province, adding that killing, torture, and sexual violence carried out by government forces and tribal fighters have largely gone unpunished. The report also said that the Druse authorities had not investigated violations committed by the Sweida National Guards. Nick Cumming-Bruce reports for the New York Times.

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS 

The U.S. Coast Guard is allowing a Russian tanker, carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of oil, to reach Cuba, according to a U.S. official. The tanker was within several miles of Cuban territorial waters yesterday evening, according to MarineTraffic. It is unclear why the White House has not issued orders to block the tanker. Trump said yesterday, “We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload, because they need – they have to survive.” Jack Nicas and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

Two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid from Mexico to Cuba arrived safely in Havana on Saturday, the Mexican Navy said. After being reported missing on Thursday, a maritime surveillance aircraft ​spotted the sailboats on Friday, approximately 80 nautical miles ⁠northwest of Cuba. The crew reported they had been slowed by unfavourable weather. Dave Sherwood and Lizbeth Diaz report for Reuters.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

White House Border Czar Tom Homan said yesterday that ICE agents deployed to airports may remain there even after Transportation Security Agents are paid this week. TSA agents will be paid “hopefully by tomorrow or Tuesday,” after Trump issued a presidential memorandum on Friday to use preexisting funds for the paychecks, Homan said. Mariana Alfaro and Daniel Wu report for the Washington Post.

The House of Representatives on Friday rejected a measure the Senate passed earlier in the day to fund most of the Homeland Security Department. Instead, all Republicans and three Democrats voted in favor of a temporary extension of all DHS funding through May 22, including immigration enforcement. Riley Rogerson, Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney, and Katherine Tully McManus report for POLITICO.

Iran-linked hackers broke into FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal email inbox, publishing photographs of Patel, around 300 messages from a Gmail account, and other documents to the internet, Handala Hack Team and the FBI said on Friday. The hackers published photos of Patel sniffing and smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and taking pictures of himself with a large bottle of rum. The FBI said the data involved in the hack was “historical nature and involves no governmental information.” Jana Winter and A.J. Vicens report for Reuters.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

Trump administration officials have ordered FBI agents to gather documents about a decade-old investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and his ties to a suspected Chinese spy that resulted in no criminal charges, according to several sources. Edward Wong and Devlin Barrett report for the New York Times.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is blocking the promotion of four Army officers to be one-star generals, senior military officials said on Friday. Two of the officers targeted by Hegseth are Black and two are women on a promotion list that consists of about three dozen officers, most of whom are white men, the officials said. Sources said that Hegseth unilaterally struck the names from the list earlier this month, though it is not clear if he has the legal authority to do so. Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, and Adm Entous report for the New York Times.