World

▪️ The United States government has announced it is collaborating with Ecuador to combat “terrorists” in the South American country. On Wednesday, US Southern Command, the military unit overseeing operations in Central and South America, stated that joint efforts had already begun in Ecuador. General Francis Donovan said, “On March 3, Ecuadorian and US military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador.” He called the operations “a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.”

▪️ A Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) has sunk in the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Malta, with Moscow accusing Ukraine of attacking the vessel. The Libyan port authority reported that the tanker was hit by "sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking" on Tuesday night north of the port of Sirte, Libya.

▪️ British police arrested three men on Wednesday on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service, with local media reporting that one of those detained is David Taylor, the husband of Labour Party MP Joani Reid. In a statement, police confirmed the country in question is China, and the arrests were made under Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, legislation introduced to grant authorities greater powers to counter foreign interference.

▪️ The Iranian government, facing strikes from the US and Israel, had been counting on Moscow's support, but Russia's response has left it deeply disappointed. Just hours after Israeli and US bombs began hitting Iran, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, called it an "unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state." This statement represented not the expected assistance for Iran, but merely verbal condemnation.

▪️ The Spanish government has categorically denied a White House assertion that Madrid has agreed to cooperate militarily with the United States in the war against Iran. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares dismissed the claim as "categorically" false, stating that "not a single comma has changed" in Spain's position and that he has "no idea whatsoever" what U.S. officials are referring to. This rebuttal came after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt suggested that Spain had shifted its stance following President Donald Trump's threats.

▪️ The Israeli military has ordered all civilians in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate their homes and move north beyond the Litani River. This directive was issued as part of Israel's plans to bomb what it describes as Hezbollah targets, intensifying a wave of mass displacement across the country and raising fears of a broader humanitarian catastrophe.

▪️ The United Nations reports that nearly 66,000 people have been displaced in Afghanistan as heavy shelling and explosions marked a seventh day of fighting along the country’s border with Pakistan. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday warned of “escalating cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan and their growing humanitarian impact on civilians and people on the move.”

▪️ Iranian authorities have postponed the funeral ceremony for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes that began last week. Officials stated that the three-day event was planned at a prayer complex in Tehran, but the high volume of requests to attend necessitated infrastructure preparations, leading to the delay. The ceremony was scheduled to commence on Wednesday evening.

▪️ British police have arrested three men suspected of spying for China, including the husband of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ruling Labour Party, according to local media reports. London's Metropolitan Police stated on Wednesday that the three men had allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service, violating the country's National Security Act of 2023, which was introduced to grant additional powers to tackle foreign interference.