Trump says military strikes against Iran would be over "very soon"
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran would be over "very soon."
When asked whether the strikes could be over this week at a press conference in Florida, Trump said no.
"But soon. Very soon," he said.
Trump presented what sounded like a contradictory message, declaring that U.S. goals were largely accomplished while supporting U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's earlier warning that the battle is only beginning.
Israeli military says about 1,900 Iranian soldiers, commanders killed in strikes
Israel's military has killed about 1,900 Iranian soldiers and commanders since the start of the conflict, military spokesman Effie Defrin said on Monday, adding that Israel did not rule out targeting Iran's newly announced supreme leader.
Speaking at a press briefing, Defrin also confirmed that a second person was killed earlier on Monday in an Iranian missile attack in Israel, bringing the total death toll from Iranian attacks in the country to 12 civilians, in addition to two soldiers killed in combat with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
According to the Israeli Health Ministry, a total of 2,238 people in Israel have been evacuated to hospitals since the beginning of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, with 91 of them still in hospitals.
Iranian missile strike near Tel Aviv kills 1, injures 2
A missile attack from Iran killed a construction worker in central Israel on Monday, the country's Magen David Adom rescue service spokesman Zaki Heller told Xinhua.
His death brought the total death toll in Israel since the beginning of the conflict on Feb. 28 to 11, according to official Israeli figures.
A second worker at the same construction site in Yehud, east of Tel Aviv, was evacuated to a hospital in critical condition, Heller said. A third person at a separate location sustained serious injuries.
Putin, Trump discuss Iran conflict, Ukraine settlement in phone call
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday evening, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.
"President Trump called President Putin to discuss a number of critically important topics related to current developments in the international situation," Ushakov told the media following the phone conversation.
He said the conversation focused on the Iran conflict and the trilateral negotiations on a Ukraine settlement.
He described the conversation as "businesslike, frank and constructive."
U.S. orders departure of non-emergency government staff from Saudi Arabia
The U.S. Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency government employees and their family members from Saudi Arabia due to safety risks, according to a travel advisory issued on Sunday.
The advisory said that the order amends a previous one dated March 3, allowing non-emergency government personnel and their family members to leave the kingdom voluntarily because of security concerns.
The State Department also urged U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia who require assistance to complete a crisis intake form to inform the U.S. embassy or consulate of their request.
Protesters in over 50 U.S. cities demand end to war on Iran
People have taken to the streets in more than 50 cities across the United States over the weekend to protest against the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, as the deadly military strikes entered their second week.
From coast to coast, demonstrators rallied and marched in major U.S. cities, including New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco, demanding that the Trump administration put an end to the war.
S. Korea-U.S. joint military exercises begin amid protests
South Korea and the United States on Monday kicked off their annual Freedom Shield (FS) joint military exercises, drawing protests from civic groups in Seoul who warned the drills could heighten regional tensions and undermine peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The exercise, scheduled to run for 11 days through March 19, includes 22 field training drills involving actual troop maneuvers, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. Seoul and Washington have described the exercise as defensive in nature, but critics say the large-scale war games escalate confrontation in the region. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has long denounced the drills as rehearsals for an invasion.
At least 20 killed, 55 injured in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon
At least 20 people were killed and 55 others wounded in Israeli airstrikes targeting towns in southern Lebanon from Sunday night to dawn on Monday, according to Lebanese official and security sources.
In separate statements, the Public Health Emergency Operations Center at Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health said that an Israeli strike in the Al-Athar neighborhood in the city of Tyre killed eight people. Another strike on the town of Tebnine killed two people and wounded six others.
The center added that two people were killed and eight wounded in an airstrike targeting a poultry farm in the town of Yahmar, while three people were killed and 16 injured in a strike on the village of Jouaiya. Three others were killed and 15 wounded in a raid on the village of Tayr Debba, and two people were killed and 10 injured in a strike on the town of Ghazieh.
Flash floods kill at least 42 in Kenya amid heavy rains
Flash floods due to heavy rains pounding several parts of Kenya have killed 42 people across the country, the government said.
"In total, 42 deaths have been reported and confirmed by the National Police Service across the country as of March 8, 2026," Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programs Geoffrey Ruku said in a statement issued Sunday in Nairobi, the capital.
In addition to the tragic loss of lives, Ruku said, significant damage to infrastructure and livelihoods has been reported, including 172 vehicles that were swept away by floodwaters.■
