Iran, US prepare ground operations. At least 20 dead in Lebanon from Israeli raid

Iranian forces 'are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever', says Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a message on the 30th day since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran. "We keep firing. Our missiles are in position. Our determination and confidence have increased," he added.

In talks today in Islamabad between Pakistan and Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the initial discussions were said to focus on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters writes on the site. The countries reportedly discussed proposals related to maritime traffic, which Pakistan had forwarded to the White House prior to the meeting. Among the proposals is one from Egypt, which envisages tariffs similar to those of the Suez Canal. Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia could form a consortium to manage the flow of oil through Hormuz, a proposal that would be discussed with the US and Iran.

The Israeli authorities are preparing a plan to allow religious leaders access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre "in the coming days". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office assures this via social media. In recent days, he writes, "Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles. In one attack, missile fragments fell within a few metres of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre'. As a result, 'Israel has temporarily asked worshippers of all faiths not to go to the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem to protect them'.

"Nobody" talks about "boots on the ground" in Iran. "Our goal is to "weaken the regime in Tehran and lay the groundwork for the people to take their future into their own hands. Israel does not want to send troops'. This was stated by the Israeli ambassador to Italia, Jonathan Peled, on 'Diario della domenica' on Retequattro.

Consultations kicked off in the Pakistani capital Islamabad between the heads of diplomacy of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt a month after the start of US and Israeli operations against Iran and the beginning of the Iranian 'response'. The talks began this afternoon, the Islamabad Foreign Ministry announced after a series of bilaterals. The aim is to 'review the situation in the region' and 'talk about issues of mutual interest'. This morning there was a bilateral between the Pakistani deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, and his Saudi colleague, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who arrived in Islamabad in the morning. Also this morning Dar saw the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, and the Egyptian Badr Abdelatty. Both have been in Pakistan since yesterday. Before today's round of talks, the Pakistani diplomatic chief had heard the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi.

The Iranian army threatened the United States of America today, warning that any attempt to invade the Middle Eastern country by land will have 'catastrophic consequences' and declaring that American troops will become 'excellent food for the sharks of the Gulf'. This was reported on its website by the Iranian PressTv, quoting military command spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari. According to the spokesman, the Iranian military is 'counting the minutes' to be able to 'annihilate' the US forces, should a ground attack be launched. President Donald Trump, Zolfaqari further said, 'has repeatedly threatened Iran, talking about ground operations and the occupation of some islands in the Persian Gulf'. For Zolfaqari, these ambitions are nothing more than 'a pipe dream'. Iranian forces, he said, have been waiting for such a move for a long time, to show that 'aggression and occupation will have no other result than the shameful imprisonment, dismemberment and disappearance of the aggressors'.

Missile fragments fell in Haifa after the interception of missiles fired by Iran and Hezbollah. This was reported by al Jazeera citing Israeli media.

'Since the start of hostilities', Bahrain confirms that it has 'intercepted and destroyed 174 ballistic missiles and 391 drones'. This was reported by the BNA news agency on the basis of the Bahraini Defence Forces General Command's statement on air defence activity against "waves of Iranian terrorist aggression". The call to the population for "the utmost caution" was renewed as the US and Israeli military operations against Iran and the Iranian 'response' affecting the Gulf countries continue. The General Command, it says, reiterates that 'the use of ballistic missiles and drones to strike civilian areas and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the UN Charter'. And, the BNA further states, 'these attacks pose a direct threat to peace and security in the region'.

The Iranian Ministry of Health said there are 2,076 victims of the conflict, including 216 children, and 26,500 injured, including 1,767 children. There are 336 damaged health and first aid centres, Tehran said. Al Jazeera reports this.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Pakistan to attend a meeting of Islamic countries focusing on the ongoing efforts to end the war in the Middle East. According to a statement by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, the two sides will hold talks on developments in the regional situation. During the visit, Prince Faisal is also expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other Pakistani officials.

At least 20 people were killed and many more injured in a series of Israeli air raids in southern Lebanon on Saturday night. This was reported by the Lebanese Ministry of Health and local sources. The Health Ministry's Emergency Operations Centre said an Israeli air raid on the Nabatieh district killed seven people and wounded eight others. Seven people were also killed in an air raid on the village of Henniyeh, while two people died and three others were injured in another attack on the village of Jouaiya. Earlier, two people had died when an air raid hit a house in the village of Ebba. Another attack, which targeted a centre near the Bint Jbeil hospital in the town of the same name, killed two paramedics from the Islamic Health Authority. Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed to have fired rockets and drones at several Israeli bases and military sites along the Israel-Lebanon border

"Preventing entry to the Cardinal and Custos, who hold the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and the Holy Places, constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and disproportionate measure. This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, vitiated by improper considerations, represents an extreme violation of the fundamental principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship and respect for the status quo". Thus the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in a note denouncing the fact that the Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pizzaballa and Monsignor Ielpo from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

"This morning, Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Monsignor Francesco Ielpo, the official Custos of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as they were on their way to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. The two were stopped along the way, on their way privately and without any connotation of a procession or ceremony, and were forced to turn back'. This was announced by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The Egyptian foreign minister will meet the Pakistani foreign minister in Islamabad today to discuss efforts to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table and ease tensions in the Middle East region, official sources said. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry reported that Ishaq Dar and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty will hold bilateral talks on regional developments. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the meeting will focus on 'developments in military escalation and de-escalation efforts in the region'. During a stop in Qatar on Saturday, Abdelatty said their efforts aim to establish a "direct dialogue" between the US and Iran. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Pakistan on Saturday evening. The Saudi foreign minister is expected in Islamabad today.

Israeli military spokesman Colonel Nadav Shoshani, speaking about the war in Iran, told reporters that the army's statements about the imminent completion of priority strikes does not mean that the overall targets are running out. "There are many more groups of targets and there are many more also in terms of the production" of ballistic missiles, he said.

Aerospace and naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Irgc) attacked two aluminium plants linked to the US military industry in the Middle East. This was announced by the Pasdaran themselves in a statement quoted by the Iranian state broadcaster Irib.

"In the course of a joint operation, Irgc air and naval fighters launched effective attacks against two industrial facilities linked to the US military and aerospace industry in the region, namely the Emal aluminium plant in the United Arab Emirates and the Alba aluminium plant in Bahrain," the note states.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Qalibaf said the US talks about negotiations in public but plans ground attacks in secret, according to state media reports.

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, 'didn't think it would happen, didn't think he would have to kiss my ass. He thought I was going to be another failed American president, instead now he has to be nice to me." Donald Trump said this, calling bin Salman a 'fantastic man', a 'warrior' who 'can be proud of his leadership.

Two powerful explosions rocked northern Tehran in the early hours of Sunday, according to an AFP journalist. The explosions occurred in the Iranian capital while air defences were in operation.

"Entering a war requires a very subtle political and military calculation. Getting in is easy, the problem is getting out' and 'to whom has Donald Trump entrusted this dramatic task in the world's most difficult area? To two developers like him, one of whom is his son-in-law, devoid of any experience, intelligence or scruples. Then we are surprised because the Houthis are back and Bab el-Mandeb risks a new closure with all the knock-on consequences? Instead of improving, the situation is getting worse by the day'. This is what Joseph Stiglitz, 83, American economist and essayist, winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2001, tells 'La Repubblica'. Asked about the effect on oil prices of the widening of the conflict to Yemen, he replies that 'at this point the OECD's assessment of $135 per barrel average 2026 becomes relevant'. 'For the course correction on Bab el-Mandeb it is now standard practice to 'cut' the Indian Ocean so as to stay as far away from the strait as possible, then switch to the Atlantic and eventually return to Europe from Rotterdam,' he continues, 'The freight and insurance markets were partially absorbing the losses. Now another problem arises: the Saudis, who have halted 50 per cent of production, are increasing the transport of crude oil by pipeline from Hormuz to the Yanbu terminal on the Red Sea and then re-embarking it and sending it to Europe. There is a danger that this triangulation will also fail'. And asked about the effects on the economy he says. 'We are heading towards stagflation, how much more diabolical'.

The Qatar-based television station Al Araby reports that its office in Tehran was damaged in an air raid.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have identified a new ballistic missile attack from Iran. Israeli media reported this, adding that warning sirens are expected to sound again in southern Israel.

In the morning, Kuwait's defence systems intercepted four drones heading towards the country. Several media outlets report this, citing a statement on social media by the Kuwaiti army, which states that 'any explosion that can be heard is the result of the interception of hostile targets by the air defence systems', without specifying who was responsible for the attacks.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claim to have struck temporary command centres and Iranian weapons production and storage sites in Tehran, in a new wave of attacks. In a post on X, the Idf stated that the sites hit included 'ballistic missile production and storage facilities, air defence systems and Iranian regime observation posts'. According to the Idf, Iran had moved some command centres to temporary sites. "Several temporary command centres were dismantled, including commanders operating within the headquarters," the Idf said in the post.

- The Pasdaran issued a warning, saying they would consider Israeli universities and branches of US universities in the region 'legitimate targets'. "If the US government wants its universities in the region to be spared, it should condemn the bombing of Iranian universities" "by noon on Monday, 30 March, in an official statement," the Revolutionary Guardians said in a statement. The Pasdaran then called on the US to prevent Israel from targeting Iranian universities and research centres, which have been attacked in recent days. This is the first time Iran has threatened to strike Israeli and American universities.

Five people were killed and four others wounded in the Israeli-American attack on the port city of Bandar Pol in the Persian Gulf province of Hormozgan today, according to the provincial governor.

US and Israeli raids hit an Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Irna. The US and Israel 'carried out a criminal attack against the pier in Bandar Khamir, killing five people and wounding four others', the agency reported.

The Pentagon has been preparing for the possibility of ground operations in Iran for weeks in case Donald Trump decides on an escalation. This was reported by the Washington Post citing sources, according to which the ground operations would not be a large-scale invasion, but rather raids conducted by special operations and infantry troops. "It is the Pentagon's job to make preparations to offer all options to the commander-in-chief. That does not mean the president has made up his mind," said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.