Syrian Army Reports ‘Large-Scale’ Drone Attack on Bases Near Iraq Border

People inspect the site of a destroyed wheat warehouse following the downing of drones near the US base in Qasrak, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in the Hasakeh countryside, Syria, March 29, 2026. (Reuters)
People inspect the site of a destroyed wheat warehouse following the downing of drones near the US base in Qasrak, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in the Hasakeh countryside, Syria, March 29, 2026. (Reuters)
TT

Syrian Army Reports ‘Large-Scale’ Drone Attack on Bases Near Iraq Border

People inspect the site of a destroyed wheat warehouse following the downing of drones near the US base in Qasrak, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in the Hasakeh countryside, Syria, March 29, 2026. (Reuters)
People inspect the site of a destroyed wheat warehouse following the downing of drones near the US base in Qasrak, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in the Hasakeh countryside, Syria, March 29, 2026. (Reuters)

Syria's military said a large-scale drone attack targeted its bases near the border with Iraq on Monday, the biggest such incident since the start of the Middle East war.

The army reported "a large-scale attack by a number of drones targeting several army bases near the Iraqi border at dawn today", adding that most of the drones were intercepted.

"We are studying our options and will respond appropriately to neutralize any threat and prevent any aggression against Syrian territory."

On Sunday, assistant defense minister for eastern Syria, Sipan Hamo, said four drones from Iraq attacked a US base in Syria's Qasrak, but were intercepted.

It was not immediately clear who had launched the attack. One possibility was that pro-Iran groups in Iraq were behind it.

"We hold Iraq responsible and call upon it to prevent the recurrence of attacks that threaten our stability," Hamo said.

A day prior, Syria's army said it repelled another drone attack from Iraq targeting Al-Tanf, a base which used to house US forces.

Another base in northeastern Syria was targeted last week. An Iraqi official said an Iraqi faction was behind the attack, and four people were arrested in connection with it.

In recent months in Syria, American forces have withdrawn from the Al-Tanf base, as well as Shadadi in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, and had begun withdrawing from the Qasrak base, also in Hasakeh.

Since the outbreak of the Middle East war, which began with a US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he is working to keep his country out of any conflict.

Iraq was pulled into the war, with pro-Iran Iraqi groups having claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region.



Egypt Says Only Trump Can Stop War, Warns Oil Could Top $200

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)
TT

Egypt Says Only Trump Can Stop War, Warns Oil Could Top $200

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged US President Donald Trump on Monday to stop the Iran war and said fears of the oil price going above $200 were not exaggerated.

"I tell President Trump: nobody can stop the war in our region in the Gulf but you," Sisi said at the Egypt Energy Show 2026 energy conference in Cairo.

Noting ‌the impact ‌of supply shortages and price ‌rises, ⁠Sisi cited analysts' concerns ⁠that "the price of a barrel of oil could reach more than $200, and this is not an exaggeration."

Egypt has condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab ⁠states and pushed diplomatic efforts ‌to avoid a wider regional ‌war.

The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council ‌bloc, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, urged the international community ‌to protect vital maritime corridors, condemning Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its attacks on regional energy infrastructure.

Addressing the conference virtually, he said Iranian aggression ‌was a threat to the world.

"The brutal Iranian threats against energy ⁠facilities ⁠and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz constitute not only a blatant violation of international law but also a direct threat to global energy," he said.

The GCC, grouping Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, has faced drone and missile attacks. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off a crucial route that previously handled about a fifth of global oil supplies.


Rocket Attack Targets Baghdad Army Base

Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Rocket Attack Targets Baghdad Army Base

Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)
Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)

Rockets fired overnight targeted an Iraqi military base inside the Baghdad airport complex, which also houses a support center for the US embassy, Iraq's defense ministry said Monday.

The base is near a US diplomatic and logistics hub in the airport complex, which has been repeatedly targeted since the start of the war in the Middle East on February 28.

Iraq has been drawn into the conflict despite seeking to avoid it at all costs. Pro-Iran armed groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.

Early on Monday morning "an air base was targeted by 122mm Grad rockets launched from the outskirts of Baghdad", a statement from the ministry said.

"This attack resulted in the destruction of an Antonov-132 aircraft belonging to the Iraqi Air Force. No casualties were reported," it added.

A military official told AFP that "rockets fell inside the diplomatic support center early Monday morning, causing a fire".

Earlier this month, a security official told AFP that the US diplomatic hub had evacuated much of its personnel.

Since the outbreak of war, pro-Iran factions -- which have repeatedly claimed attacks against US interests -- have also been targeted by strikes they blame on the US or Israel.

Monday's incident comes after Washington and Baghdad said last week they would "intensify cooperation" to prevent attacks and ensure Iraqi territory is not used to launch assaults against US facilities.

For the first time in 10 days, two drones targeted the US embassy over the weekend but did not hit their targets.

The influential pro-Iran armed group Kataib Hezbollah said on March 19 it would pause such attacks for five days, twice extending.


Lebanese Soldier Killed in Israeli Strike on Checkpoint

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)
TT

Lebanese Soldier Killed in Israeli Strike on Checkpoint

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun on March 29, 2026 shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of the village of Yohmor. (Photo by AFP)

An Israeli strike has killed a Lebanese soldier at a checkpoint in the country's southern Tyre region, Lebanon's military said Monday.

"An Israeli attack targeted an army checkpoint" in al-Amriyeh near Tyre, "resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to others", the military said.

A military source told AFP the attack was the first direct targeting of a Lebanese army position since the start of the war.

Also Monday, the Israeli military said a soldier was killed a day earlier in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing to six the number of troops killed since fighting with Hezbollah started earlier in March.

"Sergeant Liran Ben Zion, aged 19, from Holon... fell during combat in southern Lebanon," the military said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had ordered the military to further expand its operations in southern Lebanon, citing continued rocket fire by Hezbollah.

Israel has said it will seize a chunk of southern Lebanon to create a "buffer zone" against Hezbollah, stoking Lebanese fears of Israeli military occupation that could deepen instability and cause further displacement.

Authorities in Lebanon say nearly 1,240 people have been killed there. Over 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since it fired on Israel on March 2, sources told Reuters, but it is unclear if the official death toll includes those fighters.