After a message filled with expletives, the president seemed to establish a deadline of “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time” for Tehran to reopen the water route.
• Trump’s ultimatum: US President Donald Trump seemed to establish a “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time” ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after issuing a vulgar warning regarding potential assaults on its infrastructure.
• Threats from Iran: Iranian representatives issued warnings that the area could “ignite,” and stated the strait would be reopened only when they received “complete compensation” for war losses.
• Recent attacks: State media reported that six children were among those who lost their lives in Israeli-US strikes on Iran overnight. Two individuals died and two are unaccounted for following an Iranian attack on a residential structure in Haifa, Israel.
• Airman rescue: In the meantime, Trump is set to hold a news conference later today regarding the rescue of an F-15 crew member whose aircraft was shot down over Iran. Recently published satellite images revealed several craters along the roads in the vicinity where the airman was rescued.
Israel eliminates high-ranking Iranian security official.
By Tim Lister and Eugenia Yosef
A different high-ranking security official in Iran has been murdered, as reported by both Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran.
According to a statement from the Guards, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, the IRGC’s Intelligence chief, was killed early Monday.
The IRGC referred to him as a “greatly respected commander” who had dedicated “almost fifty years of faithful and brave service to the Revolution.”
Since the conflict started in late February, Israel has focused on numerous high-ranking officials within the IRGC, the Iranian military, and the Basij paramilitary organization.
Katz stated that Khadami was among those “directly accountable” for the deaths of Israeli civilians “and one of the three highest-ranking individuals” in the IRGC.
The leaders of Iran feel a sense of being persecuted. “We will keep pursuing them individually,” Katz stated.
He stated that the Israeli attacks had greatly harmed Iran’s steel infrastructure and petrochemical sector – “and today, as well as every day, there will be more to follow.”
Oil prices remain high after Trump’s warning.
By John Liu
On March 31, a woman is refueling her car at a gas station located in the Hamilton Heights area of Manhattan, New York. Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images
Oil prices remained steady and high on early Monday, as President Donald Trump’s latest threats to attack Iran disturbed investors, causing prices to spike on Sunday.
Brent crude, the worldwide standard, increased 0.27% to $109.32 at 3:14 am ET, whereas WTI crude, the US standard, declined 0.46% to $111.03.
On Sunday, Trump warned that he would target Iran’s power facilities and other infrastructure if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz — an essential oil and gas shipping passage that has been mostly closed for more than a month. He seemed to establish a new deadline of “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time.” An Iranian official responded by stating that the strait would remain shut until the nation receives “full compensation” for damages incurred during the war.
In Asia, where numerous nations significantly rely on crude and gas imports from the Middle East, stock markets are showing modest gains, recovering a portion of the losses experienced during last week’s volatility.
Japan’s key index Nikkei 225 increased by 0.55%. South Korea’s Kospi rose by 1.36%. The market in Hong Kong is shut for a public holiday.
Representatives from Oman and Iran met to discuss “possible options” for allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the Omani foreign ministry has said.
During the meeting on Saturday, experts and undersecretaries from both countries’ foreign ministries “presented a number of perspectives and proposals, which will be further studied,” the ministry’s statement added.
On Sunday morning, several tankers, including a Chinese vessel and one that had loaded in Iraq, appeared to have passed trhough the strait, according to shipping tracker MarineTraffic.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to most traffic in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on the country, choking off around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply from global energy markets. Tehran controls the critical waterway’s north side while Oman controls the south.
More than 180 ships have successfully transited the Strait since the outbreak of the conflict, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. Nearly 70% of these transits were of ships owned by Iran or its allies, and countries such as China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey had negotiated passage for some of their vessels, Tasnim reported.
The meeting came three days after Iran said it was drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor maritime traffic through the strait, arguing that ships’ passage should take place under the “supervision and coordination” of coastal states – even in peacetime.
Recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the strait, which would be an anomaly under customary international law, is one of Tehran’s main demands to end the war. Earlier this week, the Iranian parliament’s Security Commission approved a plan to impose tolls on ships passing through the strait and enforce “Iran’s sovereign role,” a commission member said according to the state broadcaster.
Xenix News Mohammed Tawfeeq, Tim Lister, Abbas Al Lawati and Ibrahim Dahman contributed reporting.
Trump says downed crew member recovered in Iran — watch our report
By Xenixnews staff
We’ve been bringing you details on the US search and rescue operation, after President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that an injured US airman who crashed over Iran has been recovered.
• US airman saved: A service member who went missing after their F-15 fighter jet was downed over Iran is now “SAFE and SOUND” following a US military rescue mission that included “numerous aircraft,” stated President Donald Trump.
• Warned threats: Iranian military officials have stated that the “gates of hell” will be unleashed on the US and Israel if assaults on infrastructure persist. Trump warned he would unleash “all Hell” if Tehran fails to reach a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Monday.
• Recent assaults: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel targeted Iran’s petrochemical facilities, while Gulf nations reported several drone interceptions amid attacks on energy installations.
On April 3, Iranian state media published images of what it asserted to be the debris of a US Air Force fighter jet shot down by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The wreckage matches that of a US Air Force F-15. Nour News/Telegram
In a victorious message on Truth Social today, US President Donald Trump declared that the second US service member, whose F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down over Iran, has been saved.
The specific facts of the remarkable operation have not been revealed yet. Here’s what we understand at this point — and what remains unclear.
What we understand:
Both US military personnel from a US F-15 fighter jet that was shot down in Iran on Friday have now been saved. The initial individual was saved soon after the accident and is getting medical care.
The Colonel, the second service member, “sustained injuries,” Trump stated, but he also mentioned that he will be “just fine.”
Trump stated that the US rescue mission included multiple aircraft equipped with “the most lethal weapons.” He mentioned that no American soldiers suffered fatalities or injuries in the course of the rescue.
What remains unknown to us:
The specific information regarding the rescue mission and the location of its occurrence. Xenixnews national security analyst Alex Plitsas stated it could be remembered as “one of the most distressing rescue missions in US military history.”
The precise location and identity of the airman. Trump stated that the US military had been tracking his whereabouts around the clock and “carefully preparing for his rescue.”
The nature of the injuries sustained by the second crew member. Ejecting from a military plane exposes aircrew to intense forces and may cause bodily injuries. Former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath informed Xenixnewsthat it is “a very violent experience for the body.”
Ways in which the absent US team member avoided being captured. According to Xenixnews chief security analyst Jim Sciutto, the airman reached out to the US military as early as Friday.
If the US lost planes during the operation. In a bid to undermine a victorious moment for Trump, Iran’s state Tasnim News Agency asserted that “multiple enemy American aircraft” were eliminated in the Isfahan area and refuted the operation’s success.
Reporting contributed by Danya Gainor, Jessie Yeung, and Kit Maher from CNN.
Iranian media flat out denies the US rescued missing F-15 crew member
Iranian media explicitly refutes claims that the US saved the missing F-15 crew member.
Iranian state media are working hard to diminish a victorious moment for US President Donald Trump following the rescue of a missing crew member from a crashed fighter jet.
Trump stated late Saturday US time that the airman was rescued after the US military deployed “dozens of aircraft, equipped with the most deadly weapons” to bring him back. “He suffered wounds, but he will be alright,” Trump stated.
As an analyst informed us recently, the rescue stopped the crew member from being a “bargaining chip” for Tehran.
How Tehran is conveying the rescue: However, the Tasnim News Agency reported that “multiple enemy American aircraft in southern Isfahan were eliminated by the warriors of Islam, and the pilot rescue operation was unsuccessful,” referencing Iran’s military command.
“The enemy aircraft attacking southern Isfahan, which included 2 Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 military transport aircraft, were struck and are currently ablaze,” it reported.
Multiple Iranian official sources released footage claiming to depict the charred remains of the plane in a desert location.
Xenixnews cannot confirm its authenticity and has contacted the US military for a response.
“Trump, aiming to mask his significant loss, tweeted asserting a special operation to save the pilot of the downed aircraft in Iran,” Tasnim reported.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a vocal representative of the government during the war, posted one of the images, noting, “if the United States achieves three more victories like this, it will be completely destroyed.”
Israelis filled “with joy” after US service member rescue, finance minister says
Israelis expressed “great joy” following the rescue of a US service member, according to the finance minister.
In the initial remarks from an Israeli official regarding the rescue of the second US airman in Iran, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich expressed that every Jew and every Israeli feels joy in their hearts this morning.
“Today, every Jew and every Israeli’s heart is filled with happiness following the successful rescue of the two American aircrew members in a courageous operation on Iranian territory,” Smotrich posted on Telegram.
“The valor, bravery, professionalism, and dedication to ensuring every soldier returns home exemplify the common values of the United States and Israel – from Entebbe to Isfahan,” he remarked, citing a 1976 Israeli rescue operation at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
US President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social update early Sunday that a US service member, whose fighter jet was downed over Iran, had been saved by US forces.
Another crew member was saved alive soon after the crash and was under medical care, Xenixnews had reported earlier.
The critical search commenced this week following the downing of the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet in the area – marking the first occasion a piloted US aircraft was shot down over Iran during the conflict.
Fires and damage reported in the Gulf states as attacks persist
A view of damage after Kuwait Petroleum Corporation headquarters was hit by Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle attack in Kuwait City, Kuwait on Sunday. Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images
Fires and destruction noted in the Gulf states as assaults continue.
Damage is seen after the headquarters of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation was struck by an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Sunday. Stringer/Anadolu/Image by Getty
While the US announced the triumphant rescue of a crew member from a crashed F-15 fighter jet in Iran, Gulf countries persistently reported fires and destruction as they foiled new assaults on Sunday.
If you’re just tuning in, here’s what is occurring in the area:
United Arab Emirates: Several fires ignited at the Borouge petrochemicals facility in Abu Dhabi due to debris from air defense interceptions. The Abu Dhabi Media Office stated in a post on X that there have been no reported injuries and operations at the site have been halted. Previously, the UAE had activated air defenses due to a missile threat, as reported by the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority.
Bahrain: The interior ministry stated in an X post that authorities extinguished a fire at a facility after an Iranian attack, without revealing the location. There were no reported injuries. Energy firm Bapco announced that a fire in a tank at one of its storage sites has been put out, according to Reuters.
Kuwait: According to state media Kuna, the Shuwaikh oil sector complex of the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation was set ablaze after being struck by drones. A drone also struck two power and water facilities in Kuwait, resulting in the shutdown of two units. State media reported that a government ministries office complex was also damaged.
Saudi Arabia: The defense ministry announced on X that authorities have intercepted a cruise missile in recent hours.
• Energy costs: The average US gas price has hit $4 a gallon, the highest since 2022. Average prices at the pump are now higher than at any point during President Donald Trump’s two terms. Oil prices seesawed — Brent crude rose nearly 2% to $114.9 a barrel, having inched down on the previous day.
• Latest strikes: A desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island has been taken out of service in an airstrike, semi-official state media reported, as cities across Iran were hit by fresh airstrikes. Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti tanker was attacked by Iran, and cars in central Israel caught fire due to falling missile fragments.
• US troops: As speculation mounts over a possible US ground operation in Iran, the USS Tripoli, believed to be carrying Marines, is in the Indian Ocean, said US Central Command. The Pentagon is set to hold a press briefing about the war later today.AllCatch Up
The damage appeared to be from a cluster munition, an Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told Xenix news.
Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect a site struck by an Iranian missile in Petah Tikva, Israel on Tuesday. Ohad Zwigenberg/AP
People gather outside a house damaged by an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, Israel on Tuesday. Oded Balilty/AP
A boy looks at a burnt car damaged by an Iranian projectile in Petah Tikva, Israel on Tuesday. Amir Levy/Getty Images
Ultra-Orthodox Jews stand inside a damaged house following an Iranian strike over Bnei Brak in central Israel on Tuesday. Ilia Yefimovich/AFP/Getty Images
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children look at the damage inside a house following an Iranian strike over Bnei Brak in central Israel on Tuesday. Ilia Yefimovich/AFP/Getty Images
First responders assess the damage following an Iranian strike over Petah Tikva, Israel on Tuesday. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty ImagesRead more
Saudi Arabia and UAE intercept attacks as fire breaks out on Kuwaiti oil tanker
Countries in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have reported the interception of several missiles and drones today.
Take a look at what we know has happened in the region so far:
A fire broke out on a Kuwaiti oil tanker off the coast of Dubai after it was hit by a “direct Iranian attack,” according to state-run Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). The fire was brought under control around 4:30 a.m. local time, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said, adding that no oil leakage or injuries were reported following the strike.
Saudi Arabia’s state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported in the early hours of this morning that four ballistic missiles launched toward the Riyadh region were intercepted and destroyed. Some hours later, debris from an intercepted drone fell on six houses in a neighborhood in the Al-Kharj Governorate, SPA reported, citing the country’s Civil Defense. The country has also shot down drones and missiles throughout the day, its defense ministry has said in updates posted to X
In an update this morning, the United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry said it was “actively engaging” missile and drone threats. Debris from one interception landed on residential houses in Dubai, state-run Emirates News Agency reported, causing minor injuries to four people.
Xenix newsStephanie Halasz contributed to this reporting.Read more
Gas prices could top $5 if the war continues, analyst warns
Pain at the pump could get worse before it gets better.
Gas prices have already topped $4 a gallon — for the first time since August 2022 — and some analysts warn record-high prices could be on the horizon.
“I think it’s going to go much higher,” Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group, told CNN in a phone interview.
McNally, a former energy adviser to President George W. Bush, said oil prices will likely keep rising if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut by Iran.
“I wouldn’t bet my life on it, but there are good chances” gas prices take out the 2022 record high of $5.02 per gallon, McNally said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 sent gas prices above $5 a gallon, contributing to the worst inflation in four decades.
Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, told Xenix news gas prices are not done rising and he expects at least another 10-cent jump in the coming days.
“What’s really scary is not what’s happening here in the US but that we’re already seeing rationing happening in less developed countries,” Lipow said.
Of course, oil and gasoline prices could crash back to earth if a settlement is reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease security fears in the region.
• Trump’s threat: President Donald Trump said the US may blow upand completely obliterate Iran’s electric plants and oil wells if a deal to end the war is not reached and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
• Peace talks: Iran contradicted Trump’s claims that it had agreed to “most of” the US’ 15-point list of demands to end the war, describing the proposal as “unrealistic.”
• Energy costs: Meanwhile, oil prices rose today after Trump said he wanted to “take the oil in Iran,” with Brent crude crossing $116 a barrel. The average US gas price is now $3.99 according to AAA, the highest since 2022.
• Latest strikes: At least two people were killed in a US-Israeli strike on an orphanage in Iran, state media reported. A UN peacekeeper was killed in Lebanon as Israeli forces struck parts of the country overnight, Indonesian and human rights officials said, and an oil refinery complex in Israel was hit by debris from an intercepted attack.AllCatch up
Lebanese soldier killed in southern Lebanon, as Israeli military escalates offensive
By oliva
A Lebanese solider was killed and five others wounded on Monday “as a result of a direct Israeli attack on an army checkpoint in Ameriyeh on the Qlileh–Tyre road,” the Lebanese Army said in a statement. Among the wounded is an officer who sustained moderate injuries, according to the army.
“This attack comes in the context of Israel’s ongoing assault on Lebanon, which has resulted in martyrdom and injuries among both military personnel and civilians,” the statement added.
It also follows the killing of an Indonesian UN peacekeeper in southern Lebanon on Sunday, according to Indonesian and human rights officials, as Israeli forces hammered parts of the country overnight.
Xenix News has asked the Israeli military for comment.
Rising death toll in Lebanon: At least 1,247 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2, the country’s Health Ministry said in an update today. At least 124 children are among those killed, the ministry said yesterday.
Xenix News Dana Karni, Charbel Mallo and Catherine Nicholls contributed tot his report.
New strikes, peace talks and rising energy costs: The latest on the Middle East conflict
Sec. of State Marco Rubio looks on as he speaks to the press before his departure from Le Bourget, France, on Friday. Brendan Smialowski/Pool/Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to say this morning who the US is negotiating with in Iran but said “fractures” have emerged within Tehran’s leadership.
This comes after Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the US’s proposal for ending the conflict contains “unrealistic” demands.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a brief overview of the latest headlines:
A missile said to be launched from Iran was “neutralized” by NATO assets in the Mediterranean after it entered Turkish airspace, according to Turkey’s defense ministry.
An Indonesian UN peacekeeper was killed in southern Lebanon Sunday, according to Indonesian and human rights officials, as Israeli forces pummeled parts of the country overnight.
More ships are passing through the Strait of Hormuz, according to shipping data — but still far fewer than before the Middle East conflict erupted. Pakistan announced last weekend Iran would allow 20 of its flagged ships to pass through.
Following a wave of attacks directed at Israel on Saturday, Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen could target a key global trade artery, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, inflicting more economic pain in the Gulf, a Middle East expert warned.
Several countries are implementing drastic measures to counter the deepening energy crisis unleashed by the war in Iran. Asia is feeling the impact first and the shock will move westward, JPMorgan warned in a report.
The average US gas price edged up by 1 cent to $3.99 according to AAA, the highest since 2022, but still just short of the $4 benchmark.
Xenix news Chris Isidore, Michael Williams, Mustafa Qadri, Tim Lister, Masrur Jamaluddin, Charbel Mallo, Sana Noor Haq, Billy Stockwell and Catherine Nicholls contributed to this report.
Thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the Middle East in the past 31 days
Mourners attend a funeral on March 9 at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery on the outskirts of Tehran for a person killed in recent airstrikes. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images
Thousands of people have been killed during the conflict in the Middle East since it began on February 28, according to a Xenix news tally of death tolls released by regional authorities.
Here’s what those authorities have said about the number of people reportedly killed in the region since the war began. Xenix news is not able to independently verify these numbers.
Iran: At least 1,900 people have been killed in attacks on Iran since February 28, the Iranian Red Crescent reported on Friday. On March 16, Iran’s foreign minister said “hundreds of Iranian civilians,” including more than 200 children, had been killed since the conflict began.
Lebanon: At least 1,247 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2, the country’s Health Ministry said in an update today. At least 124 children are among those killed, the ministry said yesterday.
Iraq: At least 101 people have been killed across Iraq since the war began, authorities have said. In the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, at least 13 people have been killed, according to the regional government.
Israel: Some 19 civilians have been killed inside Israel since the conflict began, not including those who died indirectly because of strikes. Six Israeli soldiers have also been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military.
Dozens of people have also been killed in other countries in the region since the conflict began. Deaths due to the conflict have been reported in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, the occupied West Bank, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia since February 28, according to local authorities.
Xenix NewsCharbel Mallo, Eyad Kourdi, Dana Karni, Aqeel Najim, Nechirvan Mando, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Eugenia Yosef, Oren Liebermann, Tal Shalev, Tamar Michaelis, and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.Read more
Christian worshippers mark Palm Sunday, following the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday procession at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Jerusalem’s Old City. Ammar Awad/Reuters
Following a widespread backlash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had asked “relevant authorities” to allow Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, to hold services at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre “as he wishes.”
On Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem said Israeli police prevented the church’s senior leaders from entering to celebrate Mass, citing security concerns.
“For the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the Patriarchate said in a statement. “This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.”
Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week, the most sacred period in the Christian calendar, with Sunday’s liturgy commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The church is believed to be the site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection.
The move comes as Israeli authorities restrict access to religious sites in East Jerusalem amid the war with Iran, including Al Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war, and has fought multiple wars since, but sweeping restrictions on access to holy sites – particularly during major religious periods – have been rare.
In his statement on X, Netanyahu said that “Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles” over the past days. He added that one strike crashed just “meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”
Israeli police issued a statement confirming they have approved a limited prayer arrangement at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in coordination with a representative of the Latin Patriarch, following a situational assessment led by Jerusalem District Commander Deputy Commissioner Avshalom Peled and other senior officers. Authorities added that other major religious sites, including the Western Wall Plaza and the Temple Mount compound, remain closed to worshippers over public safety concerns.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed the discussions between church leaders and local authorities to settle arrangement for Easter prayers this week. “I reiterate the unwavering commitment of the State of Israel to the freedom of worship for people of all faiths and the importance of upholding the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem,” he said on social media.
The Italian government had criticized the police decision to bar access to the church and planned to summon the Israeli ambassador in Rome on Monday. The Patriarchate had already canceled the traditional Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem due to the conflict, which has seen Iran fire thousands of projectiles toward Israel.
The two senior Church officials, including Cardinal Pizzaballa, “were stopped en route, while proceeding privately and without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act, and were compelled to turn back,” the Patriarchate said.
Altar servers start the Palm Sunday Mass Procession, commemorating Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, at the Catholic Franciscan Monastery of Saint Saviour in the old city of Jerusalem on March 29. John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images
The Patriarchate also accused the Israeli authorities of a “hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations.”
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was “no malicious intent whatsoever” in the ban, only concern for the safety of the celebrants.
“However, given the holiness of the week leading up to Easter for the world’s Christians, Israel’s security arms are putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days,” Netanyahu’s office added.
Israeli Police said that all holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem had been “closed to worshippers, particularly locations that do not have standard protected spaces, in order to safeguard public safety and security.”
“The Old City and the holy sites constitute a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and rescue vehicles,” the police said in a statement.
The number of Jews allowed to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem has been limited to 50 a day, while Muslims have been completely barred from accessing Al Aqsa Mosque since the war started in late February, including the entire holy month of Ramadan.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a known Israel supporter, released a statement on X criticizing the Israeli decision, calling it “an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.” He noted that churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout Jerusalem “have met with the restrictions of 50 or less” for safety reasons. “For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify,” he said.
Italy decries ‘insult’ to religious freedom
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government stood with Cardinal Pizzaballa and other religious leaders.
“The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is a sacred place of Christianity, and as such must be preserved and protected,” Meloni added. Preventing church leaders from entering the church “constitutes an insult not only to believers, but to every community that recognizes religious freedom,” Meloni said.
Cardinal Pizzaballa leads a prayer service to mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, following the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives amid restrictions on gathering in large groups and the US-Israeli war on Iran. Ammar Awad/AFP/Getty Images
During Mass at the Vatican Sunday, Pope Leo said that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood.” He also said that his prayers are “more than ever with the Christians of the Middle East, who are suffering the consequences of a brutal conflict and, in many cases, are unable to observe fully the liturgies of these holy days.”
Addressing tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday, the celebration that opens the holy week leading up to Easter for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pontiff called the conflict “atrocious” and said Jesus cannot be used to justify any wars.
Pope Leo condemns ‘those who wage war’
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey condemned Israel’s continued closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem to Muslim worshippers.
The eight Muslim states said that discriminatory and arbitrary limits on access to places of worship amounted to a “flagrant violation” of international law.
Pope Leo XIV waves from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly after his election as pontiff at the Vatican on May 8, 2025. Francesco Sforza/Vatican Media/Reuters
“Conclave” the movie provides a gripping, if fictional, behind-the-scenes look inside the secretive election of a new pope. But last year’s real-life conclave was just as dramatic, with plenty of plot twists, political battles among cardinals and a surprise outcome.
A new book lifts a lid on how, in May 2025, Pope Leo XIV was elected as the first US-born pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history. Its authors tell in previously unheard detail how Cardinal Robert Prevost, a low-key Augustinian friar from Chicago, had quietly garnered support from fellow cardinals as the conclave got underway but remained under the radar of wider attention as a serious candidate.
Gerard O’Connell, the Vatican correspondent for “America,” a Catholic magazine based in New York, and Elisabetta Piqué, a correspondent for Argentina’s “La Nacion” newspaper and a CNN contributor at the 2025 conclave, describe how an Italian frontrunner faded from contention while providing a breakdown of the voting inside the Sistine Chapel. They also report how the election of Prevost caught many by surprise, including senior figures in the Vatican. For years, the prospect of an American pope had seemed impossible because of the “military, economic and cultural power” of the US, one cardinal told them.
Pope Leo XIV arrives in the Popemobile ahead of his inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square on May 18. David Ramos/Getty Images
O’Connell and Piqué, a husband-and-wife reporting team, were longtime friends of Pope Francis, who had baptized their two children in Argentina while still a cardinal there and later also married the couple.
The book, “The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis,” draws on interviews with numerous cardinals.
Using those sources, the authors describe how in the tense days leading up to the conclave, inside the College of Cardinals: Should they vote for a pope to continue the legacy and reforms of Francis, or make a course correction? As O’Connell and Piqué set out, with each contributing their own diary-style entries to the book, efforts to elect a pope who would go in a different direction to Francis were thwarted. Leo, while distinct in style from his predecessor and still somewhat inscrutable, could broadly be described as Francis’ choice.
Here are some of the takeaways from the new book.
A conservative won round one but then Leo emerged
The first ballot, O’Connell reports, saw Cardinal Péter Erdö, a Hungarian, gain the greatest number of votes. Erdö is a distinguished church lawyer and was the conservatives’ choice. While support for him was well-organized, it wasn’t necessarily widespread, O’Connell says. In that opening round, “more than 30 candidates got votes but only three received between 20 and 30,” he writes, with the other two contenders being Cardinals Robert Prevost and Pietro Parolin, the Holy See Secretary of State and leading Italian candidate. The next two ballots, however, saw support move swiftly to Prevost while Erdö’s dropped away. The first American pope was elected on the fourth ballot with 108 votes, with Parolin as runner-up, O’Connell says. The book also reveals the fourth ballot had to be repeated as one cardinal accidentally stuck two ballot papers together. (The same thing happened in the 2013 conclave).
Solemn, secret… but also human
The conclave is a serious, spiritual process in which the cardinals are cut off from the world – surrendering all electronic devices – before they cast their vote in front of the awesome fresco of Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment.” But the book suggests not everything always went to plan. Voting on the first day was delayed when security officials picked up a cell phone signal inside the Sistine Chapel, O’Connell writes. One of the “older cardinals” realized he had a cell phone in his pocket which he then handed over, a reported scene O’Connell describes as “unimaginable, even for a film.” Then another problem emerged, the book says. With no phones to use as alarms, some cardinals almost overslept in their rooms in the Casa Santa Marta, the guesthouse where they stay for the duration of conclave. The Vatican handed complimentary alarm clocks to each one to make sure they would wake up and get to the Sistine Chapel on time. Some cardinals also complained about the lack of bathroom in the chapel which meant they had to be escorted to an external restroom by a junior cardinal deacon. “It’s like going back to kindergarten,” one told the authors.
An image of the late Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV at the bishop’s palace in Chiclayo, northern Peru. Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images
As the election drew closer, the frontrunners fell away
In the run-up to the conclave, following Francis’ death, two cardinals were talked of as frontrunners: Parolin, the Vatican’s chief diplomat, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, leader of the Vatican’s evangelization office. Parolin was being pushed as a moderate, diplomatic figure who would restore “order” after the turbulent years of Francis, Piqué and O’Connell report. But he lacked grassroots experience in Catholic communities. While Parolin worked closely with Francis, one of his supporters, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, stunned fellow cardinals with a speech at a meeting where he attacked a major Francis reform. The authors reported on the speech in the run-up to the conclave and this, they say, had a negative effect on Parolin’s candidacy. This was compounded by a poor performance at a Mass with large numbers of young people, where Parolin was described as lacking “charisma” and as having “no connection” with the youthful congregation. Tagle, while charismatic and from the Philippines, with one of the largest Catholic populations in the world, was considered not to be a strong enough administrator, the book says. He also suffered harsh social media attacks which damaged his candidacy.
Leo, the dark horse who defied the assumption “no American pope”
The authors claim that “more than twenty” cardinals had quietly identified Cardinal Prevost as the most qualified candidate to be pope. They were impressed by his humble, low-profile style and felt he would be the one best placed to continue Francis’ legacy, they write. His missionary experience in Peru, and international experience more broadly, was crucial.
A Polish woman, center, who lives in the United States celebrates with her friends after the newly elected Pope Leo XIV spoke for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025. Mario Tama/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Previously, because of the US’ global political and economic power, it was widely accepted the cardinals would not choose an American pope. But Prevost was seen as “the least American of the Americans” and the cardinals from Latin America, Piqué reports, felt that “although a ‘gringo,’ (he) is one of us.”
PopeFrancis ensured Leo was a candidate
Francis quietly promoted the man who would become his successor and ensured he was a contender. “Clearly Pope Francis had his sights set on him,” Piqué writes. It was the late pope – the first from Latin America – who laid the ground for Prevost to become a candidate by first appointing him a bishop in Chiclayo, Peru, and then bringing him to Rome to run one of the most important Vatican departments, responsible for appointing bishops. In this high-ranking role, Leo worked closely with cardinals from across the world and it was a sign of the trust Francis had placed in him. The pair had regular one-to-one meetings during which, Piqué says, “surely the two men discussed Church leadership issues beyond the immediate topic at hand (upcoming bishop appointments),” while keen-eyed observers noted that Prevost accompanied Francis on his last two trips abroad.
Pope Leo XIV stands in the Sistine Chapel among cardinals after being elected. Francesco Sforza/Vatican Media/Reuters
Despite being an ancient election process steeped in ritual and tradition, and still communicating its results through smoke signals, the conclave was able decisively and swiftly to produce a result. As O’Connell and Piqué show, it also retains the ability to surprise.
“The Election of Pope Leo XIV: The Last Surprise of Pope Francis,” will be published in English by Orbis Books on March 25, 2026.
Tehran launches fresh retaliatory attacks as it confirms death of decades-long leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes
_____________________________________ Where things stand
• Supreme leader killed: Iran says it views revenge for Saturday’s US-Israeli attacks as its “legitimate right and duty” after thedeath of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US President Donald Trump indicated the strikes would continue through the week. Iran says one attack killed over 100 girls at an elementary school near a military base. •Retaliatory strikes: Israel says it has carried out a new wave of strikes “in the heart of Tehran,”as Iran unleashes fresh attacks after Khamenei’s killing. Iran has already attacked US military bases, Israel and targets across the region. The conflict has damaged air hubs, rocked densely populated areas and disrupted oil shipments. • Celebration and condemnation: The contrast of celebrations and mourning highlights deep divides in Iran. Across the US, people took to the streets, with some celebrating and others protesting the strikes on Iran.AllCatch UpAnalysis
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Putin calls Khamenei’s killing a “cynical murder” that violates international law
By Hazel Oliva
In his first official comments since US-Israeli strikes on Iran and ensuing retaliatory strikes, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the targeted killing of Iran’s supreme leader a “cynical murder,” Russian state media agency TASS reported.
The Russian leader described Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death as a murder that violated “all norms of human morality and international law,” according to TASS.
Moscow and Tehran have long been key allies, with Iran providing Russia with military support including drones and ballistic missiles, and helping Moscow build a drone-manufacturing facility, amid its war on Ukraine.
It comes after Russia’s foreign ministery yesterday condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, calling them a “reckless step” and an “unprovoked act of armed aggression.”
British defense secretary says Iran lashing out “indiscriminately” across Middle East
By Hazel Oliva
Defence Secretary John Healey speaks to the media outside BBC Broadcasting House in London on Sunday. Jonathan Brady/PA Images/Alamy/SIPA
Britain’s defense secretary said the Iranian regime is responding to the US-Israeli strikes with “indiscriminate” attacks across the Middle East, including by targeting British military assets in the region.
“The concern now is that this regime is lashing out, it’s lashing out in an increasingly indiscriminate and widespread way,” John Healey told Sky News on Sunday.
Healey said there were 300 personnel at Britain’s base in Bahrain, which was targeted Saturday by Iranian missiles and drones. Some of the personnel were “within a few hundred yards” of where the missiles and drones landed, he said.
Also on Saturday, two missiles were “fired in the direction of Cyprus,” he said.
“We don’t think they were targeted at Cyprus,” he clarified. “But nevertheless it’s an example of how there is a very real and rising threat from a regime that is lashing out widely across the region, and that requires us to act … defensively.”
The defense secretary also said the Iranian regime was a “source of evil” in the region, listing a string of ways in which it has “menaced” countries abroad and cracked down on its citizens at home.
“Twenty terror plots directed at Britain, sponsored by Iran; tens of thousands of young people, protesters, murdered on the streets in the last few months in Iran; 57,000 Iranian drones fired by Russia into Ukraine; proxy groups that destabilize countries right across the region,” Healey said.
Ambulances wait in line at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on Monday. AFP/Getty ImagesJerusalem —
Gaza’s only border crossing with Egypt reopened partially on Monday morning after Israel closed it nearly two years ago, according to an Israeli security official, allowing a small number of Palestinians to enter and leave the war-torn enclave.
The European Union is operating the Rafah crossing as the final step of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement in Gaza that went into effect in mid-October.
The crucial crossing, which has been largely closed since Israel seized it in May 2024, underwent a series of preparations on Sunday from the European Union, Egypt and other parties that will be involved in running the border crossing.
During the first few days of operation, only 50 people per day will be allowed to cross both ways, Egypt’s state-affiliates AlQahera News reported on Monday, citing an unidentified source.
Xenix News previously reported that a total of 150 Palestinians would be allowed to leave Gaza through the crossing each day, but only 50 would be allowed to enter.
At Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, Ibrahim Al-Batran packed his bag on Sunday when he heard the crossing would open. A kidney dialysis patient, he said the hospital can only provide minimal care.
“Many people have died while waiting for treatment, and I may die today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow while I’m waiting for treatment,” he told CNN. “Until now, not a single patient has been allowed to leave.”
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, more than 20,000 patients in Gaza are awaiting permission to travel abroad for treatment, including at least 440 cases that are considered life-threatening. Nearly 1,300 people have died after being forced to wait to leave Gaza for treatment, the ministry said.
The steep price of passing through the crossing coupled with lengthy bureaucratic and security processes mean few Palestinians can realistically expect to leave. Before Israel shut the crossing, some Palestinians had reported paying thousands of dollars when it was open, which few can afford.
The full reopening of the Rafah crossing was part of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that went into effect in mid-October. But Israel refused to open the crossing until the return of all living and deceased hostages. The final deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, was returned to Israel last week.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the opening would be “limited” with no passage of humanitarian aid or commercial goods.
The return of Gvili and the reopening of Rafah brings to a conclusion the first phase of the 20-point ceasefire agreement. The US announced the start of the second phase of the agreement two weeks ago when President Donald Trump officially launched his Board of Peace in Davos.
During the event, Ali Shaath, who leads the Palestinian technocratic committee expected to run Gaza, said the crossing would reopen, calling it “a lifeline and symbol of opportunity.”
President Donald Trump, pictured in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, has cast doubt on whether the United States’ allies would rally to its defense. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
US President Donald Trump has once again questioned whether NATO allies would “be there” if the United States “ever needed them,” baselessly claiming that the alliance’s troops “stayed a little back” from the frontlines in Afghanistan.
“I’ve always said, ‘Will they be there, if we ever needed them?’ And that’s really the ultimate test. And I’m not sure of that. I know that we would have been there, or we would be there, but will they be there?” Trump said Thursday in an interview with Fox News in Davos, Switzerland.
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the US became the first and so far only NATO member to invoke Article 5, which states that an attack against one member is an attack against all. For 20 years, NATO allies and other partner countries fought alongside US troops in Afghanistan – a sacrifice Trump has routinely downplayed.
“We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did – they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” he said.
President Trump says US has ‘never needed’ NATO and claims its troops avoided frontlines in Afghanistan
The president’s comments have rankled US allies in NATO, coming at the end of a week in which he has severely strained the alliance through his repeated threats to seize control of Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark, another NATO member.
While in absolute terms the US lost by far the most troops of any NATO country in Afghanistan, some European countries – with much smaller populations than the US – lost almost as many troops in relative terms.
Around 3,500 allied troops died in the conflict, of which 2,456 were Americans and 457 were British. Denmark, with a population of around 5 million when the invasion began, lost more than 40 troops.
The force dispatched to the southern Helmand province – a Taliban stronghold and a center of opium production – initially comprised mostly British and Danish troops, before the US sent reinforcements in 2008. Britain and Denmark suffered most of their casualties in Helmand.
The coffins of two Danish soldiers killed in Helmand province were repatriated to a military airport in Jutland, Denmark, in October 2007. Claus Fisker/AFP/Getty Images
Since the turn of the year, Trump has repeatedly questioned NATO’s willingness to support the US. “I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM,” he blasted on Truth Social on January 7. “We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us.”
Before Trump’s comments to Fox News, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte had pushed back at the president’s previous attempts to diminish the alliance’s willingness to support the US.
“There was one thing I heard you say yesterday and today – you were not absolutely sure that Europeans would come to the rescue of the US if you will be attacked,” Rutte said Wednesday in Davos, sitting next to Trump. “Let me tell you – they will. And they did in Afghanistan, as you know.”
“For every two Americans who paid the ultimate price, there was one soldier from another NATO country that did not come back to his family,” Rutte said. “This is important. It pains me if you think it is not.”
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told Trump in Davos on Wednesday that allied troops had supported the US in Afghanistan. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
British lawmakers across the political spectrum were also outraged by Trump’s comments.
“NATO’s Article 5 has only been triggered once. The UK and NATO allies answered the US call. And more than 450 British personnel lost their lives in Afghanistan,” said Defense Secretary John Healey. “Those British troops should be remembered for who they were: heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation.”
Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said Trump’s comments were an “absolute insult,” while Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, called them “flat-out nonsense,” saying that the allies’ sacrifice “deserves respect not denigration.”
Other members of the Trump administration have also made light of the sacrifices made by NATO allies in Afghanistan. In June, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said his fellow US troops in Afghanistan would joke that the ISAF acronym on their shoulder patches – which stood for International Security Assistance Force – actually stood for “I Saw Americans Fighting.”
“What ultimately was a lot of flags … was not a lot of on the ground capability,” Hegseth said, disparaging the efforts of NATO allies.
