Israel Says ‘No Interceptor Shortage’ After Reports of Scarcity as Iranian Missiles Injure at Least 8

15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)
15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)
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Israel Says ‘No Interceptor Shortage’ After Reports of Scarcity as Iranian Missiles Injure at Least 8

15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)
15 March 2027, Israel, Tel Aviv: People watch the site of a projectile impact following an Iranian strike on Tel Aviv. (dpa)

An Israeli military source on Sunday denied media reports that Israel was running low on missile interceptors crucial to its air defenses, adding that the army was "continuously monitoring the situation". 

Citing US officials, news outlet Semafor had reported that Israel had informed the United States that it was "running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors", as the US-Israeli war against Iran entered its third week. 

"As of now, there is no interceptor shortage. The Israeli army is prepared for prolonged combat. We are continuously monitoring the situation," the military source said, in response to media queries. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also dismissed the reports when questioned by journalists earlier on Sunday. 

At least eight people were injured in Israel Sunday following repeated missile launches from Iran, at least two of which contained cluster munitions according to Israeli authorities. 

Israeli police released footage from a CCTV camera in the Tel Aviv area showing an impact on a road, saying that it was from "cluster munitions" that caused "damage at several locations". 

Bomblets and shrapnel from the missile wounded four people in various parts of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, according to the Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue service. 

A man in his 60s was hospitalized with moderate injuries to his head from broken glass, while three were treated due to the shock waves from the blast. 

In another barrage shortly before noon, two men aged 62 and 44 reported minor injuries "from pieces of asphalt that struck them as a result of the blast", according to MDA. 

During a salvo toward the Tel Aviv area at around 3:00 am (0100 GMT), a man and a woman in their 80s suffered light injuries, from glass shards and smoke inhalation respectively. 

Another Iranian missile directed at Israel's southernmost city of Eilat was intercepted before reaching the target, without causing injuries. The municipality of Eilat quoted security sources saying it was a cluster missile. 

By late midday on Sunday, seven missile salvos were launched from Iran toward the State of Israel, some of which were intercepted. 

Saar on Sunday accused Iran of targeting civilian areas, during a visit to the northern Arab Israeli town of Zarzir, hit two days prior by shrapnel from an Iranian missile that lightly wounded almost 60 residents. 

"While we are targeting military objectives... the Iranian regime is targeting civilians," Saar said. 

"All the casualties we faced during these two weeks of confrontation... are civilians from Iranian missiles. This is of course a war crime," he added. 

His words were echoed by police superintendent Shlomi Schlezinger while speaking near the site of one of the impacts on Sunday. 

Iran is "always targeting crowded places, with people, the big major cities," he said in central Tel Aviv. 

He attributed the relatively low number of Israeli casualties to civilians' adherence to safety instructions. 

"We have a lot of collateral damage to cars and buildings, as you can see," he said. 

"We're used to, in the last 16 days, to be in shelters and in safe rooms when we have the alarm." 

According to Haaretz, citing security officials, 250 ballistic missiles had been fired by Iran at Israel as of March 13. 

Twelve people have been killed in Israel by missiles or falling debris since the start of the war, according to an AFP tally of figures given by Israeli authorities and first responders. 



Iran Says US No Longer in Position to ‘Dictate’ Policy to Other Nations

 Women carry Iranian flags as they cross an intersection to attend a pro-government gathering in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP)
Women carry Iranian flags as they cross an intersection to attend a pro-government gathering in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Says US No Longer in Position to ‘Dictate’ Policy to Other Nations

 Women carry Iranian flags as they cross an intersection to attend a pro-government gathering in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP)
Women carry Iranian flags as they cross an intersection to attend a pro-government gathering in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP)

Iran said on Tuesday that the United States was no longer able to "dictate" what other countries do, as Washington weighed a new proposal from Tehran on unblocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively sealed off the strategic waterway since early in the war with the United States and Israel, sending shockwaves through global energy markets and putting the strait at the center of negotiations to end the conflict.

"The United States is no longer in a position to dictate its policy to independent nations," defense ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said, according to state TV, adding Washington would "accept that it must abandon its illegal and irrational demands".

While a ceasefire has halted the fighting between Iran, the US and Israel, talks on bringing a permanent conclusion to the conflict have been inconclusive.

The proposal being considered in Washington would reportedly reopen the Strait of Hormuz -- a vital conduit for global oil and gas shipments -- as broader negotiations on the war continue.

Talaei-Nik, speaking ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization defense ministers' meeting, said Iran was also "ready to share its defensive military capabilities with independent countries, especially the member states" of the SCO.


Philippines Is Not Concerned Iran War Will Distract US from Region, Defense Secretary Says

Troops from New Zealand, the Philippines, US, and Australia pose for a photo with their national flags after participating in counter-landing live fire exercises during Balikatan, the annual joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines, at Long Point Beach, Brgy. Aporawan, Aborlan, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Troops from New Zealand, the Philippines, US, and Australia pose for a photo with their national flags after participating in counter-landing live fire exercises during Balikatan, the annual joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines, at Long Point Beach, Brgy. Aporawan, Aborlan, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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Philippines Is Not Concerned Iran War Will Distract US from Region, Defense Secretary Says

Troops from New Zealand, the Philippines, US, and Australia pose for a photo with their national flags after participating in counter-landing live fire exercises during Balikatan, the annual joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines, at Long Point Beach, Brgy. Aporawan, Aborlan, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Troops from New Zealand, the Philippines, US, and Australia pose for a photo with their national flags after participating in counter-landing live fire exercises during Balikatan, the annual joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines, at Long Point Beach, Brgy. Aporawan, Aborlan, Palawan, Philippines, April 27, 2026. (Reuters)

The Philippines is not worried about any reduction in US deterrence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific due to the Middle East war, though China would likely try to seize on any perceived opening, the Defense Secretary said ‌on Tuesday.

China's recent ‌actions in the ‌South ⁠China Sea and ⁠the Taiwan Strait were "not surprising", Gilberto Teodoro told Reuters in an interview, saying Beijing looked to take advantage when it thought rival powers were preoccupied ⁠elsewhere.

"It is not surprising ‌that ‌any opportunity they see, perceived opportunity, or ‌with a perceived weakness ‌or a perceived opening, they will take advantage," Teodoro said.

Teodoro said he had full confidence in the ‌Mutual Defense Treaty, the long-standing security pact between Manila ⁠and Washington, ⁠and was not worried by concerns that the Iran war could weaken US strategic bandwidth in Asia.

"I'm not concerned at all about reduced deterrence," he said, pointing to joint military exercises currently underway with the US as a sign of Washington's commitment.


Ukrainian Strikes Kill 3 in Russian Border Region

A crater is seen at the site of the Russian strike on a residential area in Odesa, Ukraine, 27 April 2026. (EPA)
A crater is seen at the site of the Russian strike on a residential area in Odesa, Ukraine, 27 April 2026. (EPA)
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Ukrainian Strikes Kill 3 in Russian Border Region

A crater is seen at the site of the Russian strike on a residential area in Odesa, Ukraine, 27 April 2026. (EPA)
A crater is seen at the site of the Russian strike on a residential area in Odesa, Ukraine, 27 April 2026. (EPA)

A Ukrainian drone attack Tuesday killed three people in the Russian border region of Belgorod, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

"Three civilians were killed following drone attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces," he wrote on Telegram, adding that three others were wounded.

The drones targeted a car, killing a man and a vehicle in another area where a man and a woman died, he said.

Since the start of its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has been regularly bombing Ukraine, especially key infrastructure sites.

In response, Kyiv strikes targets in Russia, insisting it is aiming at military sites as well as energy facilities in order to reduce Moscow's ability to finance its war effort.

A fire broke out on Tuesday at an oil refinery in Tuapse, in southern Russia, after debris from a Ukrainian drone that had targeted the facility fell on it, according to local authorities.