Good morning.
Israel has launched intense strikes against the southern suburbs of Beirut just hours after its military ordered the entire population of the area – more than 500,000 people – to evacuate immediately.
The Israel Defense Forces had told all residents of the area to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately” – prompting an exodus of the Lebanese capital’s population in scenes of panic – before its warplanes launched strikes against what it claimed were Hezbollah targets in the area. The strikes marked a significant escalation in Israel’s growing offensive in Lebanon, which began after Hezbollah fired missiles and drones into Israel on Monday.
The war has escalated each day, now affecting an additional 14 countries across the Middle East and beyond. Yesterday, Azerbaijan accused Iran of drone attacks, which Tehran denied.
What else is happening with the war? The US granted Indian refiners a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil after the US-Israel war on Iran sparked fears of a supply crunch, lifting global prices. Barely a month ago, Donald Trump claimed India had agreed to stop purchasing oil from Russia, in a shift that he said would “help END THE WAR in Ukraine” by cutting off a key source of funds for Moscow.
This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here.
Trump fires homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem
Donald Trump yesterday announced he was replacing Kristi Noem as the homeland security secretary, capping weeks of bipartisan complaints about her leadership after immigration agents killed two US citizens and reports emerged that she was involved in a personal relationship with a top deputy.
Noem’s firing is the first major personnel shake-up of Trump’s second term. In a post on Truth Social, the president said Markwayne Mullin, a Republican Oklahoma senator, would take over from Noem on 31 March.
Trump said Noem “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)”.
How have the Democrats reacted? Democrats have cheered Noem’s departure, with Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, saying at a press conference: “Good riddance. She was a disaster.” But Jeffries said it would not change Democrats’ stance towards funding the homeland security department: “A change in personnel is not sufficient. We need a change in policy that has to be bold, dramatic, transformational and meaningful.”
Dismay as Hegseth urges Latin American allies to join ‘offense’ against cartels
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, has urged Latin American countries to adopt a more aggressive approach against drug cartels, warning that the Trump administration may otherwise act unilaterally in the region.
Hegseth’s remarks came amid escalating US intervention in the region, both militarily and in elections.
For months, the Trump administration has used the “war on drugs” to justify strikes on small boats that have killed 152 people and the months-long military buildup along Venezuela’s borders – although the US president later said his main objective was the country’s vast oil reserves.
What did Hegseth say? “America is prepared to take on these threats and go on offense alone if necessary. However, it is our preference, and it is the goal of this conference, that in the interest of this neighborhood, we all do it together with you,” he said in a speech.
In other news …
A coalition of Democratic attorneys general and governors across 24 US states are suing Donald Trump to block his latest round of tariffs. The White House is planning to enact a new 15% tariff on all imports after the supreme court declared Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs illegal.
A Florida handyman who was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for molesting two children had been convicted of storming the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, but was pardoned by Donald Trump.
The Canadian backpacker Piper James died “as a result of drowning” after a dingo attack at K’gari, the Queensland coroner’s court says. It had been speculated that James could have entered the water to escape dingoes before drowning.
Stat of the day: Weight-loss injection could be made for $3 a month, study finds
Weight-loss injections such as Wegovy and Ozempic could be made for just $3 a month, according to new analysis, potentially making the treatment available to millions of people in poorer countries as patents expire. More than 1 billion people live with obesity worldwide, with rates rising fast in lower-income nations as they shift to westernised diets and more sedentary lifestyles.
Culture pick: The Bride! review – Jessie Buckley is electrifying as frizzy-haired, black-tongued monster’s wife
This new monster’s-wife tale is a rackety, violent black comedy with sprinklings of Rocky Horror and extended homages to Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein. It’s also a gangster joyride from the roaring 20s and 30s with Mr and Mrs F-M reimagined as a kind of post-death Bonnie and Clyde. The Bride! is out today in the US.
Don’t miss this: A lone battle – Why is Pedro Sánchez the only European leader to take on Trump?
This week, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, became one of the very few European leaders to openly and emphatically reject the demands of a US president whose trademark negotiating style is an erratic mix of bullying, humiliation and self-aggrandisement.
… or this: How Flightradar24 became the go-to platform for the world to watch global aviation crises unfold
Mikael Robertsson and Olov Lindberg did not set out to build one of the pre-eminent monitors of global airspace. In an attempt to draw more eyes to their Swedish flight price comparison portal, the entrepreneurs added a page charting air traffic. That page became Flightradar24, the portal that people around the world now turn to when there is chaos in the skies.
Climate check: Global sea levels have been underestimated due to poor modelling, research suggests
Sea levels around the world have been underestimated due to inaccurate modelling, with research suggesting ocean levels are far higher than previously understood. The finding could significantly affect assessments of the future impacts of global heating and the effects on coastal settlements.
Last Thing: I lost my arm – now I’m one of the fastest drummers in the world
After losing his arm in an electrical explosion, a drummer in Atlanta worked with engineers to develop a robotic prosthetic controlled by muscle signals. Fourteen years later, the device has helped him achieve a Guinness world record for the most drum beats per minute using a prosthetic, striking the drum up to 20 times a second.
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