Germany
(Ferdinand Knapp – Politico) Germany’s pro-business Free Democrats, on the brink of political extinction, face a make-or-break state vote this Sunday that party leaders believe may well be their last chance to claw back relevance. Leaders of the fiscally conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP) — which was part of Germany’s previous, ill-fated coalition government under former Chancellor Olaf Scholz — have long pinned their hopes for a national revival on this Sunday’s election in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, traditionally one of the party’s strongholds. Instead, the vote now may end up being a death knell for a party that long played a central role in postwar German politics, wielding outsized influence as a kingmaker between the two major centrist parties that once dominated the political landscape. – Germany’s pro-business liberals risk death blow in regional vote – POLITICO
Iran and beyond
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Israel’s military said on Saturday it had struck 16 Iranian aircraft at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, which it said was a key hub for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “Overnight, the Israeli Air Force… completed a broad wave of strikes across Tehran and on military infrastructure located at the ‘Merabad Airport’ in Tehran,” it said in a statement. – Israel says struck 16 IRGC aircraft at Tehran airport
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Saturday they have targeted “separatist groups” in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, as the war against Israel and the United States entered its second week. An official from an exiled opposition group in Kurdistan told AFP that drones struck positions belonging to three Iranian Kurdish parties without causing casualties. – IRGC say targeted ‘separatist groups’ in Iraq’s Kurdistan
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Turkey is considering the possibility of sending F-16 fighter jets to Northern Cyprus as a security measure, a Turkish defense ministry source said Saturday, days after the island was targeted by a drone attack. “In light of recent developments, phased planning is being carried out to ensure the security of the TRNC,” the source said referring to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a territory which is only recognized by Ankara. – Turkey mulls sending F-16s to Northern Cyprus amid Mideast war
(BBC) Explosions have rocked Tehran’s Mehrabad airport with eyewitnesses reporting a burning plane on the tarmac, as the US-Israeli war with Iran continued for an eighth day. Israel says it hit 16 planes in the attack, including some “loaded with weapons cash” to supply Iran’s proxy groups. Iran, meanwhile, has continued its attacks. There were air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv overnight as Israelis faced incoming ballistic missiles and drones. Most appear to have been shot down by Israel’s air defence system. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), video footage showed an explosion within the perimeter of Dubai International Airport, the result of an apparent drone strike. The UAE says 15 ballistic missiles and 119 drones were intercepted on Saturday. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says 1,172 civilians are reported to have been killed in Iran since 28 February. Six American military personnel have been killed since the conflict began, according to the US Department of Defense. – In maps: Strikes across Iran and the Middle East
(Frud Bezhan – RFE/RL) Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has decentralized its command-and-control structure, handing junior ranks more power to respond to the massive US-Israeli aerial bombardment of the Islamic republic. The joint air campaign that began on February 28 has killed numerous senior military and political leaders, including IRGC chief Mohammad Pakpour and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had the final say on all matters of the state. With its leadership decimated, Iran has activated a so-called mosaic defensive strategy, which is designed to empower local IRGC commanders during wartime. While boosting the resilience of Iran’s armed forces, the strategy also raises the risks of miscalculation, experts say. “It is designed to help the local provincial IRGC and their accompanying Basij elements to defend against an outside invading force,” said Farzin Nadimi, a defense specialist at the Washington Institute. – With Top Brass Dead, Iran Deploys Decentralized ‘Mosaic’ Strategy To Boost Defenses
(Ray Furlong – RFE/RL) Israel has made an impressive start to military operations against Iran but may be not much closer to its goals than a week ago, former Knesset member Ksenia Svetlova told RFE/RL in an interview at her home in Tel Aviv on March 6. Svetlova, who is now executive director of an NGO called ROPES (Regional Organization for Peace, Economics, and Security), said there were few examples of “regimes that fall just as a result of air strikes” and was skeptical of the idea that Iraqi Kurdish militias would want to get involved in the fight. – Israeli NGO Head Ksenia Svetlova: Iran Still ‘Firing Like Crazy’
(Jacob Parry – Politico) U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to escalate the U.S.-led bombing campaign against Iran, promising to target new “groups and people” in the Islamic Republic. “Iran is no longer the ‘Bully of the Middle East,’ they are, instead, ‘the loser of the Middle East’,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump dismissed the public apology by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to neighboring countries, calling it a sign Tehran has “surrendered.” Pezeshkian said earlier Saturday that his government regrets the retaliatory strikes that Tehran has conducted on its neighbors in response to the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran and said Iranian forces would not target neighboring states unless an attack against Iran is launched directly from that country. – Trump vows to hit Iran ‘very hard’ after Tehran says it won’t surrender – POLITICO
(Laura Kuenssberg – BBC) Iran will continue to defend itself if the “aggression from the American and Israeli side continues”, the Iranian ambassador to the UK has told the BBC. While Iran’s president on Saturday apologised to its Gulf neighbours and promised to stop attacks, Seyed Ali Mousavi told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg their policy remained to “defend themselves”. After days of strikes across the Middle East caused enormous disruption and damage in many different countries, Mousavi said that “if facilities or properties or bases are used against the Iranian nation”, they would be considered “legitimate targets”. In the last few hours, Gulf countries including Qatar and the UAE have been hit by Iran, while the US and Israel have continued their attacks as the war enters a second week. – Iran will continue to defend itself against aggression, ambassador to UK says
(Matt Spivey – BBC) The head of the British military has told the BBC he “completely rejects” criticism that the UK had been ill-prepared for the conflict in the Middle East. Speaking on Saturday as war continued in the region, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton said it was “probably the most dangerous time of the last 30 years”. Some have questioned the UK’s response, in particular around the sending of a Royal Navy ship to Cyprus to protect the UK military base, RAF Akrotiri, which was targeted by a drone. Sir Richard said the UK had been “bolstering our presence” in the region for several weeks but did not give a timeline for the arrival of HMS Dragon, which remains in Portsmouth. – Military chief defends UK response to Middle East conflict
Netherlands
(Sonja Rijnen – Politico) Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on Friday said the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran were not in line with international law, while acknowledging the threat Tehran poses to regional security. “Both the attacks on Iran last week and the unacceptable retaliation from Iran on countries in the region fall outside the framework of international law,” Jetten told reporters at his weekly press briefing in The Hague. The remarks suggest he is moving closer to the camp of other European countries — including Spain and France — that are questioning the war’s legality. – Dutch prime minister says strikes on Iran not in line with international law – POLITICO
Russia – Ukraine
(Jacob Parry – Politico) Russian missiles and drones claimed the lives of at least seven people, including children, in the city of Kharkiv, as Moscow’s forces attacked civilian infrastructure across Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. The overnight attacks, which involved 480 drones and 29 missiles, also caused casualties in the capital Kyiv as well as Odessa and Dnipro, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel. In Kharkiv, a Russian ballistic missile partially destroyed a residential apartment building, killing civilians, said Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president said that emergency responders were still combing the rubble in the search of victims. – Russian strike on Ukraine apartment block kills 7 in Kharkiv – POLITICO
US
(Jack Detsch, John Sakellariadis and Phelim Kine – Politico) American allies are watching in disbelief as the Pentagon reroutes weapon shipments to aid the Iran war, angry and scared that arms the U.S. demanded they buy will never reach them. European nations that have struggled to rebuild arsenals after sending weapons to Ukraine fear they won’t be able to ward off a Russian attack. Asian allies, startled by America’s rate of fire, question whether it could embolden China and North Korea. And even in the Middle East, countries aren’t clear if they will get air defenses from the U.S. for future priorities. – Allies fear Iran war will leave them without US weapons they bought – POLITICO
