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US Military Heightens Security Alert at European Bases Due to Combination of Threats

(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
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US Military Heightens Security Alert at European Bases Due to Combination of Threats

(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph taken on May 16, 2017, shows the Parc des Princes (L) and Jean Bouin (R) stadiums, the proposed venues for the women's and men's Olympic football tournaments and Rugby Sevens events at the 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

The US military has raised the security protection measures it is taking at its bases throughout Europe, asking service members to be more vigilant and keep a lower profile due to a combination of threats it is seeing across the region.
US European Command said in a statement Sunday that a “variety of factors play into the safety of US military community abroad.”
Increasing the threat level to “Charlie” is the result of a combination of events occurring across Europe, including elections in France and the UK, the upcoming Olympics and other major sporting events, and the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, according to two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details. But they said they were not aware of any specific threat.
Force protection Charlie is the second-highest level for service members and is instituted “when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely,” The Associated Press reported.
Raising the threat level to Charlie means additional security measures will be in place at US military installations, but it's up to each commander's discretion to determine what those measures are. It also means service members and their families who are living in each community should be more aware of their surroundings and maintain a lower profile, one of the officials said.

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World

Airstrikes on Iran Kill More Than 25 as Trump's Deadline to Open Strait of Hormuz Looms

16 March 2026, Undisclosed location: A US Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, assigned to the 'Wizards' of Electronic Attack Squadron 133, is signaled to hold for launch on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury on March 7, 2026. Photo: Navy /U.S. Navy/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
16 March 2026, Undisclosed location: A US Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, assigned to the 'Wizards' of Electronic Attack Squadron 133, is signaled to hold for launch on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury on March 7, 2026. Photo: Navy /U.S. Navy/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Airstrikes on Iran Kill More Than 25 as Trump's Deadline to Open Strait of Hormuz Looms

16 March 2026, Undisclosed location: A US Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, assigned to the 'Wizards' of Electronic Attack Squadron 133, is signaled to hold for launch on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury on March 7, 2026. Photo: Navy /U.S. Navy/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
16 March 2026, Undisclosed location: A US Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, assigned to the 'Wizards' of Electronic Attack Squadron 133, is signaled to hold for launch on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury on March 7, 2026. Photo: Navy /U.S. Navy/Planet Pix via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Israel and the United States carried a wave of attacks Monday that killed more than 25 people in Iran. Tehran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors as US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz loomed.

Explosions rang out into the night in Tehran and low-flying jets could be heard for hours as the capital was pounded. Thick black smoke rose near the city's Azadi Square after one airstrike hit the Sharif University of Technology grounds.

Two people were found dead in the rubble of a residential building in Haifa, according to Israeli authorities. The search was ongoing for two more even as new Iranian missile attacks hit the northern Israel city early Monday.

Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates both activated their air defense systems to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones, as Tehran kept up the pressure on its Gulf neighbors. Iran's regular attacks on regional energy infrastructure and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is shipped in peacetime, has sent global energy prices soaring.

Under pressure at home as consumers are growing increasingly concerned, Trump gave Tehran a deadline that expires Monday night, Washington time, saying if no deal was reached to reopen the strait the US would hit Iran's power plants and other infrastructure targets and set the country “back to the stone ages.”

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” he threatened in a social media post, adding that if Iran did not open the strait “you'll be living in Hell.”

Trump's deadline to open Hormuz strait looms but no signs of Tehran backing off Tehran has shown no signs of backing down off of its stranglehold on shipping through the strait, which was fully open before Israel and the US attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war.

Following Trump’s expletive-laced posts on Easter Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threats of targeting Iran’s infrastructure “reckless.”

“You won’t gain anything through war crimes,” Qalibaf wrote on X. “The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game.”

Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose to $109 in early Monday spot trading, some 50% higher than it was when the war started.

Iran has let some vessels through the strait since the war began, but none belonging to the US, Israel or countries perceived as helping them. Some have paid Iran for passage and the overall flow of traffic is down more than 90% over the same period last year.

Beyond Trump's military threats, diplomatic efforts are still underway to see if a solution can be reached to open the waterway.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss proposals to ensure “smooth transit” through the strait.

Egypt said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and with Turkish and Pakistani counterparts. Russia said that Araghchi also spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Airstrikes kill more than 25 across Iran

One of Monday's morning airstrikes targeted Tehran's Sharif University of Technology, where Iranian media reported damage to the buildings as well as a natural gas distribution site next to the campus.

It wasn’t immediately clear what had been targeted on the grounds of the university, which is empty of students as the war has forced all schools into the country into online classes. However, multiple countries over the years have sanctioned the university for its work with the military, particularly on Iran’s ballistic missile program, which is controlled by the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

A strike near Eslamshar, southwest of Tehran, killed at least 13 people, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported. Five others were killed when a residential area in the city of Qom was hit, and six more were killed in strikes on other cities, the state-run IRAN daily newspaper reported.

Three more people were killed when an airstrike hit a home in Tehran, Iranian state television reported.

War's death toll in the thousands

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, but its government has not updated the toll for days.

In Lebanon, which Israel has invaded by ground, more than 1,400 people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died there while targeting Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 US service members have been killed.

World

South Korea President Says Regrets 'Reckless' Drones Sent to North

A combo image by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency released via KNS on January 10 shows wreckage of a drone that Pyongyang said originated from South Korea. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/File
A combo image by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency released via KNS on January 10 shows wreckage of a drone that Pyongyang said originated from South Korea. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/File
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South Korea President Says Regrets 'Reckless' Drones Sent to North

A combo image by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency released via KNS on January 10 shows wreckage of a drone that Pyongyang said originated from South Korea. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/File
A combo image by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency released via KNS on January 10 shows wreckage of a drone that Pyongyang said originated from South Korea. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/File

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret to Pyongyang Monday over drones sent into North Korea earlier this year, actions he called "irresponsible".

Seoul initially denied any official role in the January drone incursion -- with authorities suggesting it was the work of civilians -- but Lee said a probe had revealed government officials had been involved, said AFP.

The North warned in February of a "terrible response" if it detects more drones crossing the border from the South, prompting Seoul to investigate the claims.

Pyongyang said it downed a drone carrying "surveillance equipment" in early January.

Photos released by state media showed the wreckage of a winged craft scattered across the ground alongside grey and blue components that allegedly included cameras.

"It has been confirmed that a National Intelligence Service official and an active-duty soldier were involved," Lee told a cabinet meeting.

"We express regret to the North over the unnecessary military tensions caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of some individuals."

He added that South Korea's constitution bans private individuals from conducting acts that could "provoke the North".

"Such actions, even when deemed necessary for national strategy, must be approached with extreme caution," he said.

Lee has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, criticizing his predecessor for allegedly sending drones to scatter propaganda over Pyongyang.

His repeated overtures, however, have gone unanswered by the North.

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol, is standing trial over charges that his administration sent drones into the North to provoke a backlash and create a pretext for declaring military rule.

Yoon was impeached and ousted from office in April last year and has been sentenced to life in prison over his declaration of martial law.

- 'Most hostile state' -

Lee's expression of regret follows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un labelling Seoul as the "most hostile state" in a policy address in March in which he vowed to "thoroughly reject and disregard it".

Kim also reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining the country's nuclear arsenal, describing it as an "irreversible course".

During Yoon's presidency, relations between Seoul and Pyongyang hit rock bottom, with the North sending balloons filled with garbage, including animal manure, in response to propaganda leaflets send northward by South Korea-based activists, many of them North Korean defectors.

The two Koreas technically remain at war, as the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and both enforce mandatory military service for men.

World

Russian Strike Kills Three in South Ukraine

This handout photo taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on April 6, 2026, shows firefighters putting out a fire in a residential building following Russian strike in Odesa, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on April 6, 2026, shows firefighters putting out a fire in a residential building following Russian strike in Odesa, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / AFP)
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Russian Strike Kills Three in South Ukraine

This handout photo taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on April 6, 2026, shows firefighters putting out a fire in a residential building following Russian strike in Odesa, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / AFP)
This handout photo taken and released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on April 6, 2026, shows firefighters putting out a fire in a residential building following Russian strike in Odesa, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE / AFP)

A Russian strike on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed three people including a child, a military official said Monday.

Moscow has been firing drones at Ukraine in nightly barrages during its four-year invasion launched in February 2022, with Kyiv accusing it of attacking residential areas and targeting civilians.

"As a result of the overnight enemy attack, tragically, three fatalities are confirmed, among them a child," Sergiy Lysak, the head of the city's military administration, posted on Telegram.

Two people were hospitalized with serious injuries, he added, according to AFP.

The attack came after the governor of Russia's Krasnodar Krai said eight people, including two children, were wounded in a series of drone attacks that struck the region early Sunday.

The "massive drone attacks" caused damage to apartment buildings and homes, Veniamin Kondratyev posted on Telegram.