Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday that unidentified groups operating from northern Iraq and allegedly acting on behalf of the United States and Israel had tried to transport a large cache of American weapons and ammunition into Iranian territory.

The accusations come amid heightened regional tensions following months of conflict involving Iran and Israel, despite a ceasefire announced in April.

Representatives of the Kurdish opposition groups, which maintain bases in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, dismissed the allegations as unfounded and politically motivated.

Party of Free Life of Kurdistan official Ahwan Chiako said claims regarding the seizure of weapons had “absolutely nothing to do with us.”

“We did not send weapons. No arms or equipment belonging to us have been seized by the Islamic regime,” Chiako told AFP.

Komala spokesperson Amjad Hossein Panahi said the accusations were “completely false” and served as justification for continued Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting areas in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

An official from the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to address the media, also denied any involvement in weapons transfers into Iran.

Tehran has long accused Kurdish armed factions based in Iraq of collaborating with Western governments or Israel and classifies several of the groups as terrorist organizations.

Iran has repeatedly conducted cross-border missile and drone strikes against Kurdish opposition positions in Iraq since the outbreak of the broader Middle East conflict, although many camps and facilities had reportedly been evacuated before the attacks intensified.

Earlier in the conflict, speculation emerged in regional media suggesting that Kurdish opposition groups might coordinate with the United States in the event of wider instability inside Iran. Iranian authorities subsequently warned they would target any militant activity launched from Iraqi Kurdistan.

Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq’s Kurdistan region Qubad Talabani said in March that the United States was not supplying weapons to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.

US President Donald Trump had earlier suggested support for anti-government unrest inside Iran before later stating that attempts to arm Iranian protesters had failed because Kurdish intermediaries allegedly diverted the weapons.

Lebanon’s health ministry said three strikes hit the Saida-South coastal highway in the areas of Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat, resulting in eight fatalities. The ministry described the attacks as raids carried out by the “Israeli enemy.”

The Israeli military said it had launched a new wave of strikes against Hezbollah infrastructure across southern Lebanon, hours after issuing evacuation warnings to residents in several villages in the Tyre region.

“The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah terror infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli drones targeted two cars on the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon, while additional strikes hit vehicles in Saadiyat in the Chouf district and in the southern city of Sidon.

An AFP photographer at the scene near Jiyeh, roughly 20 kilometers south of Beirut, saw a charred vehicle on the roadside as emergency responders carried away a victim’s body.

The latest attacks followed similar strikes in the same area on Saturday and came amid continuing Israeli operations despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 to halt fighting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.

On Tuesday, Lebanon’s health ministry said 13 people were killed in separate Israeli strikes on southern towns. The ministry added that at least 380 people had been killed since the truce began.

The Israeli military’s latest evacuation warnings signaled expectations of additional strikes in southern Lebanon, where intermittent hostilities have persisted despite diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict.

The violence comes ahead of a new round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel scheduled to take place in Washington on Thursday under US mediation.
Hezbollah has opposed the talks. The group’s leader, Naim Qassem, warned on Tuesday that Hezbollah would turn the battlefield into “hell” for Israel if attacks continued.
Since Hezbollah entered the broader regional conflict in early March, more than 2,800 people, including around 200 children, have been killed in Lebanon, according to figures released by the Lebanese health ministry.

In a statement issued in Geneva, the UN human rights office said its Sudan monitoring team had determined that drone attacks accounted for more than 80 percent of all conflict-related civilian deaths recorded during the first four months of 2026.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said the rapid expansion of drone warfare had transformed the nature of the conflict.“Armed drones have now become by far and away the leading cause of civilian deaths,” Turk said.

The warning underscores escalating concerns among humanitarian agencies and international observers over the intensifying use of unmanned aerial systems in Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The conflict has devastated large parts of the country, displaced millions of civilians and triggered what aid organizations describe as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.The UN did not specify which parties were responsible for the drone strikes cited in its report, but rights monitors have repeatedly warned that the growing availability of armed drone technology has widened the scale and reach of attacks on populated areas.

Human rights officials cautioned that the increasing reliance on drones risked accelerating civilian casualties while further complicating efforts to secure ceasefires or humanitarian access.

Sudan’s capital Khartoum and several regions including Darfur have witnessed heavy fighting, air strikes and widespread destruction since the war began, with repeated allegations of violations of international humanitarian law by both sides.

International mediation efforts led by regional powers, the African Union and the United Nations have so far failed to produce a durable ceasefire.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used the anniversary to accuse Moscow of endangering global nuclear safety, saying repeated Russian drone operations near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant risked triggering another man-made catastrophe.

“Russia is once again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster,” Zelensky wrote on social media, referring to Iranian-designed Shahed drones used extensively by Russian forces since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

He said such drones had repeatedly flown over the plant and that one had struck the protective confinement structure last year, calling for stronger international pressure to halt what he described as “nuclear terrorism.”Russian missile and drone strikes on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least nine people, regional officials said, making it the deadliest single attack reported during the latest wave of cross-border strikes.

In Russian-occupied Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities said one man was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the port city of Sevastopol. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move widely rejected by the international community, and has since used the peninsula as a key military logistics hub.

In eastern Ukraine’s occupied Luhansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, the Russia-backed governor, said three people were killed in an overnight Ukrainian drone strike on a village, after earlier reporting two deaths on Saturday.Earlier, authorities in Russia’s Belgorod border region said a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukraine did not publicly comment on the strikes in Crimea or Luhansk, and the claims could not be independently verified.Ukraine’s military said it had also struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, deep inside Russian territory, triggering fires at a facility that processes around 15 million tons of oil annually and produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, including supplies for the Russian military.Russia did not immediately comment on the refinery attack.

Kyiv has increasingly used domestically developed long-range drones capable of reaching targets up to 1,500 km (900 miles) inside Russia, targeting energy infrastructure and military logistics sites.Ukrainian officials argue such strikes are aimed at reducing Russian military capacity, particularly as Moscow seeks to increase oil exports after the Trump administration granted temporary sanctions waivers to ease global supply constraints.

The anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster also renewed focus on the safety of the damaged reactor site.Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said repairs to the plant’s outer protective shell must begin urgently after damage from a strike last year compromised a key safety function of the structure.

He warned that prolonged delays could increase risks to the original sarcophagus covering Reactor No. 4, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster.The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development estimated repairs would require at least 500 million euros ($586 million).

Ukraine’s Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said international partners had so far committed 100 million euros in additional funding, on top of a previously agreed 30 million euros.Ukrainian officials say a Russian drone struck the outer shell of the New Safe Confinement structure in February 2025.

The $2.1 billion steel arch, completed in 2019, was built to contain radioactive material over the destroyed reactor.Moscow denied responsibility and accused Kyiv of staging the incident.Separately, Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov visited North Korea on Sunday for talks with leader Kim Jong Un, where both sides discussed expanding military cooperation.

Belousov said the two countries had agreed to move military ties to a “sustainable, long-term basis,” according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.During the visit, he awarded Russia’s Order of Courage to North Korean troops who served in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in August 2024.

Kim has supplied thousands of troops and significant weapons shipments to support Russia’s war effort.

The release, organized by the Ukrainian Center for Chiropteran Rehabilitation, drew more than 1,000 attendees on Saturday evening, including families, off-duty soldiers and wildlife enthusiasts.

The event coincided with the onset of spring following a winter marked by subzero temperatures, repeated Russian drone and missile attacks, and widespread power disruptions.Volunteers opened cloth bags at dusk, allowing the bats to take flight as onlookers observed and applauded.

Many of the animals had been rescued from eastern regions affected by fighting, where destruction of buildings has disrupted natural habitats.Anastasiia Vovk, a volunteer with the rehabilitation center, said all 28 bat species in Ukraine are listed as protected due to declining populations.

She said conservation efforts were critical, noting that the animals are included on endangered species lists.Experts say the war has compounded threats to bat populations. Explosions and structural damage have destroyed traditional roosting sites, while disturbances during winter hibernation can be fatal.

Bats reproduce slowly, typically bearing one or two offspring annually, limiting population recovery.Alona Shulenko, who led the release, said habitat loss has forced bats into urban areas, where they shelter in buildings and balconies.

Repairs or demolition of such structures can destroy entire colonies, she added.Ukraine lies along an important eastern European migratory route for bats, all of which in the country are insect-eating and legally protected.

The rehabilitation center said it has rescued more than 30,000 bats overall, including around 4,000 during the past winter.Attendees described the event as a rare opportunity for normalcy amid the conflict.

Oleksii Beliaiev, a Kyiv resident attending with his family, said the gathering provided a temporary distraction from wartime pressures, though he noted the conflict remains the central concern for most Ukrainians.

Shulenko said the organization would continue its work despite the challenges posed by the war, emphasizing that halting rescue efforts could result in significant losses to already vulnerable bat populations.

Iran’s military renewed its warning on Sunday, saying it would target energy, information technology and desalination facilities linked to the United States and Israel if its own infrastructure continued to be hit.

The statement, issued by the Khatam Al-Anbiya operational command and carried by Fars news agency, followed a 48-hour ultimatum from U.S. President Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on Iranian power plants.

The threats mark a rare escalation into water systems, which have historically been less frequent targets in warfare. However, recent incidents suggest a shift. Bahrain said an Iranian drone strike on March 8 damaged a desalination plant, though authorities reported no disruption to supply.

Iran, in turn, accused the United States of striking a desalination facility on Qeshm Island that supplies dozens of villages, calling it a dangerous precedent. Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said multiple water transmission and treatment facilities had been hit, damaging critical supply networks.

Analysts warn that targeting such infrastructure could significantly widen the conflict. Water economist Esther Crauser-Delbourg said earlier this month that attacks on water systems risk triggering “a war far more enormous” than the current confrontation.

The Middle East’s dependence on desalination heightens the stakes. According to World Bank data, water availability in the region is roughly one-tenth of the global average, making engineered water supply systems essential.

The region accounts for about 42% of global desalination capacity, with Gulf states relying heavily on the technology for drinking water. Desalinated water supplies around 42% of demand in the United Arab Emirates, 70% in Saudi Arabia, 86% in Oman and 90% in Kuwait, based on a 2022 report by the French Institute of International Relations.

Large urban centres such as Dubai and Riyadh depend on uninterrupted operation of these plants. A U.S. intelligence assessment cited in earlier diplomatic communications warned that disruption of desalination systems could have more severe consequences than the loss of any other major industry in the region.

Desalination plants face multiple risks in a conflict environment, including direct missile or drone strikes, power outages and contamination of intake water from oil spills.

Operators have moved to strengthen protection. Philippe Bourdeaux, a regional executive at French utility Veolia, said access controls around facilities had been reinforced and authorities in some countries had deployed missile defence systems near major plants.

Facilities are often interconnected, allowing some redistribution of supply if one site is damaged. Most also maintain reserves equivalent to two to seven days of consumption, providing a limited buffer against short-term disruptions.

Direct attacks on desalination infrastructure have been relatively rare. Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have previously targeted such facilities in Saudi Arabia, while coalition strikes have hit water systems in Yemen. Israeli operations have also affected water infrastructure in Gaza, according to conflict monitoring data.

Broader targeting of water systems dates back to the 1991 Gulf War, but experts say the current scale of dependence on desalination makes the risks more acute.Prolonged outages could trigger severe consequences, including water rationing and population displacement from major cities.

Disruptions would also affect industries reliant on water, including tourism, manufacturing and data centres, amplifying the economic fallout of the conflict.

In comments shared in a video that resurfaced online, the minister said “anyone here who is more loyal to Iran than to Bahrain should rely on Allah and leave,” adding that those who prioritise ties to Iran should “leave and settle down” there. The remarks come as Bahrain and neighbouring Gulf countries face continued missile and drone attacks from Iran in a conflict that escalated following tensions with the United States on Feb. 28.

Iran has launched strikes not only on Israel but also on multiple Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, according to official statements and regional reporting. The attacks have targeted both military and civilian infrastructure across the region. Bahrain has reported damage to sites including areas near the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, underscoring the proximity of strategic assets to the conflict.

The United Arab Emirates has also reported sustained strikes, with its defence ministry citing hundreds of missiles and drones launched since late February. The widening scope of the conflict has raised concerns among Gulf governments about both external threats and internal vulnerabilities.

The minister’s remarks follow heightened concern among Gulf authorities over domestic security and alleged links between Iran and networks operating within the region. Regional security reporting has pointed to concerns about covert cells providing intelligence or operational support, including relaying coordinates or documenting strike locations.

Bahraini authorities have long accused Iran of backing militant groups and fomenting unrest in the kingdom. The issue of national loyalty has remained a sensitive topic in Bahrain, particularly during periods of heightened regional tension.

Bahrain has experienced episodes of unrest in the past, and officials have repeatedly emphasised national unity during times of geopolitical strain. Since the outbreak of hostilities, Gulf states have tightened security measures and reinforced public messaging as they respond to the expanding conflict, which has disrupted energy flows and heightened geopolitical risks across the region.

A wave of disinformation spearheaded by accounts linked to the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) is spreading across social media, falsely claiming that Saudi Arabia has allowed Israel to use its Hamida airbase to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen.

This claim, however, stands in direct contradiction to both the Kingdom’s defense policies and regional geopolitical realities. It’s a desperate attempt to stir regional tensions and provoke public outrage.

Let’s be clear: this claim is not only baseless but reeks of the Brotherhood’s long-standing obsession with vilifying Saudi Arabia under the guise of “defending the Ummah.”

For those with even a faint idea of how geopolitics works in the Gulf, the idea that Riyadh would give its strategic military infrastructure to another country — let alone Israel — to attack a third-party nation is laughable.

Having spent more than a decade in Saudi Arabia, interacting with people from all walks of life—including Houthi Yemenis, legal experts, and policy advisors—I can testify firsthand that the Kingdom’s military and legal doctrine is centered on defense, not aggression. Saudi Arabia does not, and has not, opened its airspace, land, or naval bases to any foreign power to target a third country.

However, during the 1990s, Saudi Arabia sought America’s support to defend its own borders—not to intervene in someone else’s conflict.

During the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, it was Turkey under Tayip Erdogan as Prime Minister that offered its Incirlik Airbase, and Qatar that opened up the Al Udeid Airbase to American forces.

While Ikhwani voices slander Saudi Arabia, they conveniently ignore the documented military cooperation between Pakistan and the United States. During the War on Terror, Pakistan openly provided U.S. forces with military bases, including the Shamsi Airbase, from where drone strikes were launched into Afghanistan and tribal areas, resulting in both militant and civilian casualties.

According to a 2011 report by the New York Times, Pakistan received billions in military aid while facilitating these operations, which included over 400 drone strikes between 2004 and 2011 alone.

But the Brotherhood and their digital foot soldiers stay silent on those truths—because facts aren’t convenient when you’re in the business of political manipulation.

This latest rumor is part of a tired Ikhwani playbook: insert “Israel” into any fabricated headline, link it to Saudi Arabia, and watch the outrage machine spin. But times have changed. The region isn’t buying it anymore.

Israel, meanwhile, has shown remarkable technological resilience in the face of escalating regional threats—whether it’s intercepting a record 300+ drones and missiles during a recent multi-front assault, or sharing its defense innovations with allies who genuinely seek peace and progress.

While Saudi Arabia maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Israel, the Kingdom has always taken a principled stance—favoring stability, peace, and regional cooperation without compromising on the Palestinian cause. Meanwhile, Israel has emerged as a hub for technological innovation, counter-terrorism expertise, and disaster response—all areas in which Gulf nations can learn and cooperate, if and when official channels are established.

Kingdom’s stance has always been principled and transparent—focused on stability, not sensationalism.

And speaking of peace, Saudi Arabia and Iran’s normalization just two days ago saw the signing of multiple bilateral agreements—a move that has notably reduced Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. This diplomatic breakthrough alone dismantles the very premise of the Brotherhood’s conspiracy: if missiles have stopped, what exactly would Israel be striking from Saudi soil?

It’s time to call this what it is: Muslim Brotherhood psychological warfare, meant to fracture unity, incite the uninformed, and derail progress under the pretext of pan-Islamism—a worn-out mask for power politics.

Let’s not be fooled.