The deaths of journalists come a mere week after an RT crew narrowly escaped an Israeli strike in the same area
Published 27 Mar, 2026 21:45
| Updated 28 Mar, 2026 21:53Aftermath of the Israeli strike that killed three journalists in Lebanon.
RT’S LIVE COVERAGE OF THE US-ISRAELI WAR WITH IRAN HAS MOVED HERE
The US Central Command has announced the arrival of thousands more military personnel to the Middle East.
The group, headed by the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship, includes around 3,500 US sailors and Marines and is equipped with transport and strike aircraft, as well as amphibious assault assets. The group’s flagship, which is based in Japan, has joined the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the region.
Meanwhile, the Iranian military has continued to conduct retaliatory strikes, launching missiles and kamikaze drones toward Israel as well as US assets in the Middle East.
In southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been conducting a massive offensive against Hezbollah militants since early March, an IDF airstrike killed three journalists – Al Mayadeen’s Fatima Ftouni, her brother and cameraman Mohammed, and Al-Manar’s Ali Shuaib.
The Israeli military has confirmed the deadly attack on the reporters’ car, releasing footage of the “targeted strike” and claiming that Shuaib was a “terrorist… under the guise of a journalist.”
The incident came just over a week after RT correspondent Steve Sweeney and his cameraman Ali Rida Sbeity narrowly avoided being killed by an Israeli missile that struck less than ten meters away from their filming position. Both sustained minor injuries in the attack.
Sbeity, who personally knew the slain journalists, dismissed as absurd IDF claims that Shuaib was a militant.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has strongly condemned the killing of the journalists, characterizing it as a “blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars.”
The IDF has been accused of murdering hundreds of journalists in recent years, mainly in Gaza and the West Bank.
Here are the latest developments:
- The UN nuclear watchdog says Iran reported a new suspected Israeli strike near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant – the third incident of the kind in ten days – with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urging “maximum military restraint.”
- Trump is reportedly considering renaming the Strait of Hormuz if Iran is pushed out of the waterway, with options including the ‘Strait of America’.
- Iran claims it destroyed a Ukrainian anti-drone systems depot in Dubai in strikes against alleged US “hideouts,” and struck key Israeli electronic warfare and radar facilities in Haifa and fuel storage sites linked to Ben Gurion Air Base.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
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28 March 2026
20:33 GMT
The Israeli military says on X it has carried out a third wave of large-scale strikes across Tehran, targeting dozens of what it described as Iranian “terror infrastructure” sites.
Burnt-out cars at a repair workshop damaged in US-Israeli strikes in Tehran, March 28, 2026. © Getty Images
- 20:16 GMT
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said Iran has agreed to allow 20 additional Pakistani-flagged ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “constructive” step toward regional stability.
I am pleased to share a great news that the Government of Iran has agreed to allow 20 more ships under the Pakistani flag to pass through the Strait of Hormuz; two ships will cross the Strait daily.This is a welcome and constructive gesture by Iran and deserves appreciation. It…
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) March 28, 2026
The move comes as Islamabad steps up mediation efforts in the US-Iran conflict, including facilitating backchannel contacts. On Sunday, Pakistan is also expected to host talks with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Türkiye about the war.
- 20:03 GMT
The IRGC has condemned a drone attack on the residence of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok, a city in northern Iraq near the Turkish border.
In a statement cited by Iranian media, the IRGC described the strike as a violation of international law and regional security, and called on the UN Security Council to respond to what it described as ongoing destabilizing actions in the region.
The attack was confirmed by Iraqi authorities, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordering an investigation and forming a joint Iraqi-Kurdish team to identify those responsible. No group has claimed responsibility so far.
The Iraqi government also earlier condemned the incident.
- 19:39 GMT
Iraq’s Interior Ministry has said an airstrike in Mosul killed two police officers on Saturday, blaming the US and Israel for the attack.
Earlier, Reuters, citing security sources, also reported a strike in the northern Iraqi city that hit a site near a police facility linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a state-backed paramilitary network. There has been no independent confirmation of responsibility.
According to local media, the strike targeted a police emergency unit near the city’s Third Bridge, killing two officers and wounding several others. A second strike reportedly hit as personnel were evacuating the injured.
- 19:39 GMT
Hundreds of people have gathered in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, to decry the killing of three journalists by an Israeli airstrike in the south of the country on Saturday. “The atmosphere here is a very emotional one,” RT correspondent Steve Sweeney reported from the ground, adding that what appeared to be an Israeli drone was buzzing overhead, observing the rally and “attempting to intimidate the people.”
The demonstrators were holding photos of the slain journalists and chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel!”
“The message here on the ground is very clear, but it’s also very defiant – we will not be silenced and we will continue to raise our microphones and raise our voices,” Sweeney reported.
- 19:29 GMT
The Russian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the “targeted” Israeli attack on a civilian car in southern Lebanon that claimed the lives of the three Lebanese journalists. The slain reporters were wearing clearly distinguishable ‘press’ insignia at the time of the attack, it noted in a statement.
According to the ministry, by merely alleging that one of the reporters was a militant, the Israeli military appears to have given its forces carte blanche to commit what is considered a “grave crime” under international law.
Russian diplomats pointed out that an RT crew similarly came under IDF attack in southern Lebanon last week, where Israeli forces have been carrying out an offensive against Hezbollah militants since the start of the month.
The Israeli attacks on reporters must be properly investigated, with those responsible brought to account, the ministry stressed.
- 17:15 GMT
The US Central Command has announced on X that the USS Tripoli, along with the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group/31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, has arrived in its “area of responsibility.” The deployment includes around 3,500 US sailors and Marines.
The amphibious assault ship serves as the group’s flagship and is equipped with transport and strike aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and other tactical assets, according to the statement.
- 16:54 GMT
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defenses have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper multi-purpose drone over the city of Shiraz, according to Iranian media.
- 16:28 GMT
The Kuwaiti Defense Ministry has confirmed that multiple Iranian drones struck in the vicinity of Kuwait International Airport, “leading to significant damage to the radar system, with no human casualties.”
In a separate post on X on Saturday, the Kuwaiti military reported that several fuel tanks caught fire as a result of the attack.
جانب من دعم ومساندة إطفاء الجيش الكويتي لجهود قوة الإطفاء العام في مكافحة الحريق الذي نشب جراء العدوان الآثم على خزانات الوقود التابعة لمطار الكويت الدولي.#الجيش_الكويتي#إطفاء_الجيشpic.twitter.com/XtAc7avQ74
— KUWAIT ARMY — الجيش الكويتي (@KuwaitArmyGHQ) March 28, 2026
- 16:27 GMT
The IDF has claimed to have struck Iran’s Maritime Industries Organization – a defense industry complex – in Tehran overnight. Additionally, Israeli warplanes targeted several other Iranian weapons production facilities, according to the statement.
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27 March 2026
20:40 GMT
Air raid sirens have blared across Israel after the IDF said it “identified missiles launched from Iran” with “defensive systems operating to intercept the threat.”
- 21:05 GMT
“Search and rescue forces, both reserve and regular forces, are currently operating at the sites in central Israel where reports of impact have been received,” the IDF said in a statement, urging the public to avoid gathering in these areas or recording the interceptions and impact sites.
- 21:34 GMT
Iranian media and pro-Tehran Telegram channels have circulated multiple videos allegedly showing the Israeli air defense failure to intercept several missiles over Tel Aviv.
- 21:43 GMT
Israeli first responders report that one person has been killed and several others injured after a ballistic missile carrying a cluster bomb warhead struck central Israel.
Following missile fire toward central Israel: MDA EMTs and paramedics have pronounced the death of a man approximately 60 years old at a scene in Tel Aviv, and are providing medical treatment to 2 lightly injured casualties at another scene in central Israel. pic.twitter.com/6ltXIcKWc6
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) March 27, 2026
- 22:08 GMT
The International Atomic Energy Agency has insisted that there was no radiation threat, following the suspected Israeli strikes on multiple facilities linked to Iran’s civilian nuclear program and plants that use radioactive isotopes in their production processes.
“IAEA was informed by Iran that the heavy water production plant at Khondab was also hit today. No radiation risk seen as installation contains no declared nuclear material,” the UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement.
“Separately, Iran reported today that an industrial facility – the Khuzestan Steel Production Factory which uses sealed Co‑60 and Cs‑137 radioactive sources for gauging – was subjected to strikes but there was no off-site radiation release,” it added.
In a separate statement earlier in the day, the nuclear watchdog said it “has been informed by Iran that the Shahid Rezayee Nejad Yellow Cake Production Facility in Yazd province (also known as Ardakan) was attacked today. No increase in off-site radiation levels reported.”
- 22:17 GMT
Last night’s airstrikes on what Israel called the “heart of Tehran” were among the most intense since the start of the month, according to RT’s Tehran bureau chief Hami Hamedi, who visited the site earlier in the day and witnessed rescuers combing through the debris in the hope of finding survivors.
“They are targeting residential areas, now they are attacking ordinary people,” one of the firefighters working at the site told Hamedi.
According to the rescuer, a two-year-old child was among the people pulled out from under the rubble. The death toll from the attack on Friday morning remains unclear as several more people are believed to still be trapped under the rubble.
- 22:38 GMT
Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant was struck by a missile at around 11:40 pm Friday, marking the third reported attack on the facility, according to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
“An attack on peaceful nuclear facilities constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and poses a grave threat to regional security,” the organization said, while noting that luckily “no casualties, material damage, or technical disruptions have been reported.”
- 22:43 GMT
Dashcam footage circulating online apparently captured the moment one of Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv, where Israeli authorities previously confirmed at least one fatality and several injuries.
- 23:30 GMT
The UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed that Iran informed it about a new suspected Israeli strike near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, marking the third such incident in 10 days, with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Director General Rafael Grossi reiterating his call on unnamed parties to exercise “maximum military restraint.”
“Grossi has again expressed deep concern over military activity in the vicinity of the facility, warning that damage to the reactor could cause a major radiological incident, and reiterated his call for maximum military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident,” the IAEA said.
- 23:41 GMT
The US president has called the Strait of Hormuz the “Strait of Trump,” and insisted that it was not an “accident,” referring to his move to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America shortly after taking office in January 2025.
“We’re negotiating now, it would be great if they could do something, but they have to open up the Strait of Trump, I mean Hormuz,” Trump told a Saudi-backed investment conference in Miami. “Excuse me, I’m so sorry, such a terrible mistake. Fake news will say, ‘He accidentally said.’ There’s no accidents with me, not too many. If there were, we’d have a major story.”
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