State Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'

The war entered its fourth week on Saturday.

Last Updated: March 22, 2026, 8:29 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes and his son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed him. Iran is responding with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Mar 16, 2026, 5:01 AM EDT

Fire burns after drone attack in Fujairah, UAE, officials said

A large fire caused by a drone strike was burning the area near the Fujairah Petroleum Industries in the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement by Fujairah media office on Monday.

Satellite image shows smoke rising from UAE's Fujairah port, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, March 15, 2026.
NASA Worldview via Reuters

No casualties were reported, authorities said. Civil Defense teams in the emirate were responding to the incident, the statement added.

-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian and Lama Hasan

Mar 16, 2026, 4:54 AM EDT

Iran's internet blackout enters 17th day, tracker says

The near-total internet blackout in Iran entered its 17th day on Monday as it passed 384 hours, according to NetBlocks, a web monitoring organization.

"Over the last day a decline has been tracked in reserved telecoms network infrastructure, further reducing VPN availability and sending some whitelisted users and NIN services offline," NetBlocks said in an update.

Mar 16, 2026, 4:49 AM EDT

Israel destroys former ayatollah’s plane, IDF says

Israel on Monday said its military had destroyed a plane formerly used by Ali Khamenei, the late supreme leader, and other senior Iranian officials.

"The destruction of this plane damages the Iranian terrorist regime's leadership coordination capabilities with the Axis countries, the process of strengthening military capabilities, and the regime's ability to rebuild," the IDF said on social media.

The plane had been at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, the IDF said.

Mar 16, 2026, 4:43 AM EDT

Israel launches 'limited and targeted' ground operations in Lebanon, IDF says

The Israel Defense Forces launched "limited and targeted" ground operations in southern Lebanon, Israel said on Monday, saying the military was targeting "key Hezbollah strongholds."

"This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, to create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel," the IDF said on social media.

PHOTO: Israeli soldiers walk next to military vehicles on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, amid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 16, 2026.
Israeli soldiers walk next to military vehicles on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, amid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in northern Israel, March 16, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone.
Avi Ohayon/Reuters

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said in a briefing that Israeli troops were on Monday operating in new areas farther into southern Lebanon. A week ago the IDF said it had taken five "hardened positions" in Lebanon along Israel’s northern border with the country.

Smoke plumes rise following Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, as seen from nearby Marjayoun, on March 16, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images

Shoshani said Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, has fired around 1,000 rockets and drones at Israel over the past two weeks. He said Hezbollah was "expanding" its attacks into Israel and the IDF needed to respond.

He reiterated Israel’s political goal that Hezbollah "cannot be an armed group" and echoed a phrase previously heard from Israel's political leadership, saying that "one way or another" Israel is committed to achieving that goal.

-ABC News' Kevin Shalvey and Tom Soufi Burridge

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