Here’s what we know:
The Israeli leader shrugged off White House warnings and said sending troops into Rafah, in southern Gaza, was necessary to eliminate Hamas.
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Netanyahu acknowledges a dispute with the U.S., but says Israel will press on into Rafah.
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The White House says a meeting with an Israeli delegation on Rafah is expected early next week.
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How Gazans have fared after Israel has asked them to flee.
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Israel’s military says its forces are still operating at Al-Shifa Hospital.
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The U.N. human rights chief says Israel may be using starvation as a war weapon.
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Israel’s spy chief returns home as cease-fire talks continue in Qatar.
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The top U.S. diplomat will make his sixth wartime trip to the Middle East……
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Iran Update, March 19, 2024
Mar 19, 2024 – ISW Press
Iran is likely concerned that Armenia’s deteriorating relations with Russia and outreach to the West could increase NATO’s presence along its northern border. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the security situation in the Caucasus with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on March 19. Raisi told Putin that Iran is “ready to maintain stability” and protect Iran’s strategic interests in the Caucasus. Iran’s interests in the Caucasus include keeping overland trade routes open, preventing Israel from using Azerbaijan’s territory to operate against Iran, and preempting the spread of separatist sentiments among Iran’s Azeri minority. Russian readouts of Raisi and Putin’s phone call notably did not mention that the pair discussed the Caucasus.