Operation Iron Swords (Updated to 1 p.m., March 14, 2024)

Overview^[1]

• The southern arena: IDF activities intensified in the Hamad neighborhood in northwestern Khan Yunis, a focal point of terrorist attacks. The Gazans reported that IDF forces had left the neighborhood. Clashes with armed terrorist squads continued in the central Gaza Strip. On March 13, 2024, two suspicious figures in diving gear were detected approaching Zikim Beach from the northern shore of the Gaza Strip. Israel Navy forces shot at them. Hamas claimed it was “proof” that their capabilities were undamaged. Two senior Hamas terrorist operatives were attacked in the Rafah.
• According to unofficial data, since October 7, 2023, approximately 1,500 Israeli civilians and security personnel have been killed, 590 of them soldiers and officers; 130 civilian and military hostages are still being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip; 123 hostages have been released.
• Negotiations for a hostage deal: Various sources reported a new proposal was being strongly promoted by the Americans, which included the declaration of “a state of calm” and the transfer of humanitarian aid and medicine to the hostages. Hamas claimed they were prepared to respond to any serious offer for an agreement, however, it is not known when the Hamas delegation will return to the talks in Cairo.
• Humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip: The fighting notwithstanding, the IDF is preparing for the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by sea and land. In addition, international contacts are being held regarding the regulation of the transfer of humanitarian aid and its possible expansion. Sources in the Gaza Strip claim it is insufficient and the crossings have to be opened for the transfer of massive amounts of humanitarian aid. Israel held meetings with clan leaders with the objective of having them replace Hamas, be responsible for the distribution of humanitarian aid and perhaps become a governing body “the day after,” but without success. Hamas praised the clans which refused to cooperate with Israel and retaliated harshly against those suspected of collaborating.
• The northern arena: Hezbollah claimed responsibility for six attacks. The IDF responded with airstrikes and artillery fire at Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general, gave a speech for Ramadan praising the [“resistance’s”] fighting in the Gaza Strip and promised continued support from Hezbollah.
• The pro-Iranian militias: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq reported it had attacked the Palmachim base in Israel. In reality the event did not occur. “Iranian sources” denied reports of indirect contacts between the United States and Iran regarding the activities of the Houthis in the Red Sea.

The Southern Arena

• Palestinian media reported on IDF activity over the past day: in the northern Gaza Strip the Israeli Air Force attacked in Jebalya. In Gaza City IDF forces [allegedly] shot at Gazans waiting for humanitarian aid in the Kuwait Square in the southern part of the city; six were reported dead and more than 70 were reported wounded. In the central Gaza Strip the IDF attacked in the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps. In Khan Yunis, IDF forces left the Hamad neighborhood after an operation which lasted for more than ten days; IDF tanks were positioned in the Qarara area, to the east of the city.[ay In Rafah the Israeli Air Force carried out several attacks, including an UNRWA humanitarian aid distribution warehouse (Ma’an, March 14, 2024).
• The southern Gaza Strip: During the past day, the IDF intensified its activity in the Hamad neighborhood in northwestern Khan Yunis. IDF forces raided buildings in the neighborhood, which serves as a focal point for terrorist activity. While searching one of the buildings, the fighters located and destroyed rocket launchers (IDF spokesperson, March 14, 2024).

    
Right: Attack on Hamas rocket launchers. Left: Attack on Hamas facilities
(IDF website, March 14, 2024)

• Palestinian media reported the IDF forces had left the Hamad neighborhood but remained on the streets in the eastern part of Khan Yunis. IDF tanks shot at the Sheikh Nasser neighborhood, in the east of the city. In addition, Air Force helicopters fired at the Qarara area. It was also reported that efforts to retrieve bodies from downtown Khan Yunis and the Hamad neighborhood were continuing (Shehab X account, March 14, 2024). Journalist Hassan Aslih, who toured the neighborhood, photographed buildings destroyed in the attacks (Hassan Aslih’s X account, March 14, 2024), however, local residents were reported to have returned to the neighborhood (Shehab X account, March 14, 2024).

• Guided by intelligence information, the Israeli Air Force eliminated Muhammad Abu Hasna, a terrorist in the operations department of Hamas’ military wing in the Rafah area. He was in charge of an intelligence command whose purpose was to provide reports on IDF forces in preparation for attacking them. He was also involved in taking control of humanitarian aid and distributing it to Hamas terrorist operatives (IDF spokesperson, March 13, 2024).

• Hamas issued a statement in response to the killing of Nidal al-Sheikh Eid, head of the Rafah emergency committee, and Mahmoud Abu Hasna, deputy commander of the operations department in the police. Hamas called the killings “criminal acts” and an Israeli attempt to create chaos and confuse the Gazan home front. Hamas called Israel’s continuous attacks on Hamas “security operatives” a failure which would not succeed in creating a vacuum in security (Hamas Telegram channel, March 13, 2024).
• The central Gaza Strip: IDF forces continued operations in the central Gaza Strip, mainly against terrorist squads remaining in the area; they were assisted by Israeli Air Force aircraft (IDF spokesperson, March 14, 2024).

Attempted Hamas infiltration from the sea

• On March 13, 2024, two suspicious figures in diving gear were detected approaching Zikim Beach from the northern Gaza Strip shore. Israeli Navy forces shot at them from a distance and they returned (IDF spokesperson, March 13, 2024). Since October 7, the area off the Gazan shore has been relatively quiet and no unusual incidents or attempts to carry out attacks by sea have been recorded.
• Mahmoud Mardawi, head of the Hamas political bureau in Judea and Samaria, claimed the incident showed the “resistance” [Palestinian terrorist organizations] was able to operate all its special forces. He claimed that although the “resistance” had been “affected” by the fighting, none of its mechanisms or forces had been put out of commission. He claimed activity was carried out taking the political level into consideration, for example, they appealed to Hamas in the Gaza Strip to reduce rocket attacks so it would be possible to move forward in the negotiations. He also claimed that the events on the ground “proved” the IDF was mistaken if it thought it could take control of the northern Gaza Strip (al-Jazeera Mubasher website, March 14, 2024).

Israeli casualties

• According to unofficial data, since October 7, 2023, approximately 1,500 Israelis have been killed. According to the IDF spokesperson, 590 of them are soldiers and officers (249 since the start of the ground maneuver on 27 October, 2023); 130 civilian and military hostages are still being held by the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip; 123 hostages have been released.

The issue of the hostages and a ceasefire agreement

• Mahmoud Mardawi, head of the Hamas political bureau in Judea and Samaria, claimed every proposal put before them was examined according to Palestinian demands, which could not be negotiated, and that any solution which did not include a ceasefire would not end the suffering of the Gazans. He stated that no hostage deal would be made until all the “conditions” [demands] had been met. He stated that any proposal which satisfied the basic requirements he had described would automatically be accepted, and accused Israel of sabotaging the proposals (al-Jazeera Mubasher website, March 14, 2024).
• An “Egyptian source” reported there was a new proposal for “a humanitarian calm” rather than a truce, whose objective was to lower the intensity of the “struggle” and ease the lives of the Gazans. The source added that behind the improved proposal was the American administration, which wanted to improve the conditions of the Israeli hostages and ensure the temporary arrival of medicine and food in light of the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, which also affected the hostages. The source said there had been a slight shift in the American administration’s position, and it had begun to show “flexibility” in relation to its position regarding the continuation of the war and some of Hamas’ “conditions” for a hostage deal. He said senior officials in the Biden administration wanted a breakthrough in the crisis, which would boost Biden in the race for president, and they were putting pressure on Egypt for a breakthrough in the negotiations. The source added that the most important aspect was ensuring “relatively stable” living and health conditions for the Israeli hostages. He also mentioned French efforts to revive the previous agreement to deliver medicine to the hostages in exchange for medicine arriving at the hospitals in the Gaza Strip. He said Egypt had invited senior Hamas members to Cairo to inform them about the improved American proposal (al-Araby al-Jadeed, March 13 2024).
• A “senior source in Hamas” said that in its dealings with the mediators, the movement had repeatedly noted its willingness to respond to any serious offer for an agreement. He noted that the operatives of Hamas military wing were [allegedly] “committed to the precepts of Islam regarding the treatment of hostages.” They strove to secure them and “treat them well,” contrary to the treatment the Palestinian prisoners [allegedly] received, but of course that was done “insofar as was possible,” and the current situation in the Gaza Strip applied to everyone living there. He claimed there were many Israeli hostages who lacked of medicine and food, and suffered from continuous attacks which often prevented the provision of aid to the wounded (al-Araby al-Jadeed, March 13, 2024).
• Diaa Rashwan, chairman of the Egyptian state information service, said there was an American proposal for a ceasefire of one to two weeks, but not with the same conditions as the first proposal. He said the proposal did not put pressure on Israel, since it included a ceasefire which was not accompanied by a withdrawal of forces or a hostage deal. Rashwan described the proposal as a “rest,” and not a respite, and noted that meetings would be held during it to bring the views of the parties closer together and reach a final text (al-Sharq al-Awsat, March 13, 2024).
• “Sources related to the negotiations” stated that the invitations for delegations to visit Cairo were standing invitations, adding that the Hamas leadership was not ready to take another step before receiving assurances that its “basic amendments” had been entered into the previous proposals. According to the sources, Hamas informed the mediators that its priority was to deal with the effects of the “aggression,” and only after that the issue of the hostages. Sources in Hamas denied the leaks about a new invitation for Hamas to visit Egypt, and stated that they were not aware of the existence of new proposals (al-Akhbar, March 13, 2024).

The Gaza Strip

Palestinian casualties

• The Hamas-controlled ministry of health in the Gaza Strip reported at 10:30 a.m., March 14, 2024, that during the past day 69 Gazans had been killed and 110 wounded, bringing the number of dead since the beginning of the war to 31,341 and the number of wounded to 73,134 (ministry of health in Gaza Facebook page, March 14, 2024).

Aid for the Gaza Strip

• Meanwhile, the IDF prepared for the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. A World Central Kitchen (WCK) ship, funded by the United Arab Emirates, left the port of Larnaca in Cyprus and is sailing towards the Gaza Strip. The voyage was undertaken with security and civilian coordination with the State of Israel and its defense establishment, in accordance with the directive of the minister of defense and at the request of the American administration. It will be possible to deliver the aid after all the equipment on board has undergone a comprehensive security check to ensure the introduction of only humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. In accordance with the directive of the political leadership, six trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the northern Gaza Strip through a gate in the border fence. In addition, more than 1,000 aid packages were airlifted by foreign countries during the past week (IDF spokesperson, March 14, 2024).
• Meanwhile, talks are being held at the international level regarding the regulation of the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and its expansion:
  • Anthony Blinken, the American Secretary of State, met in Washington with Joseph Borrell, the European Union’s foreign minister, to discuss the issue (Anthony Blinken’s X account, March 14, 2024).
  • The foreign ministers of the United States, Cyprus, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the UAE and Qatar held a virtual meeting to discuss the opening of a maritime corridor for the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. They agreed it had to be part of an overall effort to deliver aid, which would include the land crossings and the continuation of the airlifts, noting that “Israel had to open additional crossings.” It was also agreed that the possibility of establishing a joint financial fund to support the maritime corridor would be considered (United States State Department website, March 14, 2024).
• Grant Shapps, the British Minister of Defense, ordered the British airlifts to be halted after one caused the death of five Palestinians. “Sources” identified as close to Shapps said that the order was intended to minimize the risk to human life. It was also reported that the sea pier in Gaza would be ready in 45 to 60 days (The Telegraph, March 14, 2024).
• Salama Maaruf, head of Hamas’ media information office in the Gaza Strip, commenting on the departure of an aid ship from Larnaca, said the efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the Gazans were weak and did not reach the minimum required, especially in the northern Gaza Strip. He said it was not known where the ship would dock and whether it would be inspected by Israel. He claimed pressure had to be exerted on Israel to allow aid convoys to enter by land and through known ports (Hamas media information office Telegram channel, March 13, 2024).
• Muhammad al-Hindi, deputy Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) secretary general, said that the construction of the naval pier in the Gaza Strip was “American talk” aimed at buying time for Israel, and that those who wanted to transfer aid to the Strip should open the crossings. He claimed the construction of the pier could open the door to the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Regarding the negotiations for a ceasefire, he said that Israel wanted to release the hostages at the lowest possible price and that was is no dialogue on a ceasefire (al-Jazeera, March 13, 2024).

“The day after”

• After Israel held talks with the heads of clans in the Gaza Strip to convince them to replace the Hamas leadership, be responsible for distributing aid and perhaps become a governing body “the day after,” a journalist named Muhammad Haniyeh said he had spoken with mukhtar Salman al-Ma’ani, chairman of the clans’ authority in the Gaza Strip, who told him that the clans were not a government or governmental entity, and were openly opposed to managing the distribution of aid. He said they would not betray “the resistance” (Muhammad Haniyeh’s X account, March 13, 2024).
• Hamas praised the clans in the Gaza Strip who refused to cooperate with the “evil plans of the occupation.” Hamas claimed Israel was trying to create entities for coordination from within the Palestinian people, and the refusal of the clans showed their support for the “resistance,” the Hamas government and the “people’s security forces” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 14, 2024).
• Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas member, stated that “the day after” in the Gaza Strip would be Palestinian and not Israeli or of the agents that Israel chose to manage the Strip (al-Jadeed TV YouTube channel, March 13, 2024).

• Eyewitnesses in Rafah reported that in certain areas of the southern Gaza Strip, armed men came, pretending to protect their children and securing their share of the aid. However, the situation changed when the “war merchants” took control of the aid, some of whom [allegedly] had connections with Ghassan Alian, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. That led to Hamas’ warning the mukhtars of the clans to be aware that the Gazans’ humanitarian situation was being exploited. It was also made known that several people known as “war merchants” had been executed, which caused many Gazans to avoid involvement. The mukhtars consulted with each other and with the leaders of Hamas, and announced they had told Israel and the Palestinians in contact with Israel that they refused to replace the Hamas administration in managing Gaza. Palestinian sources said that clan elders had met with UN officials and informed them of their refusal to cooperate except by means of the security forces in the Gaza Strip. Later, Hamas issued a statement praising the clans’ “responsible national position” and their refusal to respond to Israel’s plots (al-Akhbar, Lebanon, March 14, 2024).
• Social media users are talking about Hamas’ execution of the Doghmush clan mukhtar and other members of the Doghmush clan in a meeting of the Diwan clan. The clan was accused of stealing tens of tons of flour intended for the residents of the northern Gaza Strip, gangsterism and cooperating with Israel (@Seedra1214’s X account, March 14, 2024; Mohamad Hasan Elsakany’s Facebook page, March 14, 2024). An initial report of the incident appeared on March 9, 2024 (X account of @JameelShan52031, March 9, 2024), and there is a surfer who claimed that it happened at least a week ago (@Hakeam_ps’s X account, March 14, 2024).

The situation in the Gaza Strip

• Wafa TV broadcast pictures of residents from Gaza City who evacuated towards the central Gaza Strip, claiming they were leaving because of a shortage of food and basic items in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip. One of the residents sarcastically said to the cameraman, “Take a picture, take a picture! Tell al-Sinwar that this is a good thing, tell him that” (i.e., that they were forced to evacuate Gaza due to a lack of food) (Wafa YouTube channel, March 14, 2024).

     
Gazans evacuate to the central Gaza Strip because of the shortage of food
(Wafa YouTube channel, March 14, 2024)

Isma’il Haniyeh’s statement

• Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, said in a statement that the position of United States President Joe Biden had changed its rhetoric and was being tested on its implementation, and that the American administration had to take action to stop the [alleged] “war of genocide and the policy of starvation” of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. He said the battlefield and the negotiations ran parallel to one another. Hamas based its negotiations on standing firm and “resisting,” and strove with all its might to end the war. He said an opportunity existed for a multi-stage agreement but the Israeli government had to end its stubbornness. He also claimed that Judea and Samaria were being attacked to distract the public from supporting the Gaza Strip and to empty the strategic reservoir it represented in the “resistance project” and the basic political principles of the Palestinian cause, but, he claimed, neither the attacks nor the oppression would succeed (Hamas Telegram channel, March 13, 2024.

The Northern Arena

Hezbollah attacks

• During the past day, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for six attacks using anti-tank missiles and rockets, including Falaq-1 rockets, and firing artillery shells (Hezbollah’s combat information Telegram channel, March 13-14, 2024).

IDF retaliatory attacks

• Israeli fighter jets attacked and artillery was fired at Hezbollah facilities and military buildings in south Lebanon, including the areas of Meis al-Jabal, Aita al-Sha’ab, Qantara, Yater and Alma al-Sha’ab (IDF spokesperson, March 13, 2024).

     
Right: Attack on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Kounin area. Right: Attack on a Hezbollah military building in the Meis al-Jabal area (IDF spokesperson, March 14, 2024)

     
Right: Attack on Meis al-Jabal (al-Akhbar, March 14, 2024). Left: Attack on Kunin (Ali Shoeib’s X account, March 14, 2024)

• On March 13, 2024, an unexploded missile (or bomb) launched from an Israeli fighter jet was found in the Imam al-Rida Mosque area, in Meis al-Jabal (al-Sayyid Ibrahim Mahdi’s X account, March 14, 2024).

Lebanese fatalities

• Hamas’ military-terrorist wing officially announced the death of Hadi Ali Mustafa, aka Abu Shadi, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon (Hamas military-terrorist wing Telegram channel, March 13, 2024).

• Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas member, said they were still investigating why Israel had attacked someone like Hadi Mustafa. He claimed that in light of Israel’s crisis caused by its inability to achieve its goals, was trying to score points for assassinating Hamas operatives. He said that killing Hadi Mustafa would not dissuade Hamas from continuing on its path and its operatives from continuing their activities (al-Jadeed TV YouTube channel, March 13, 2024).
• A UNIFIL report determined that an Israeli tank had caused the death of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and the injury of six other journalists in south Lebanon on October 13, 2023. According to the report, there were no exchanges of fire between Lebanon and Israel for more than 40 minutes before the Israeli tank opened fire on a group of journalists “who were clearly identifiable.” The report also noted that shooting at civilians, in the case in question journalists, violated Resolution 1701 and international law (Reuters, March 13, 2024). In December 2023, Reuters and Agence France-Presse published the results of a separate investigation that also determined that the IDF had been responsible for the attack that killed journalist Issam Abdallah.

Nasrallah’s speech

• Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech for Ramadan, in which he said the following (al-Manar, March 13, 2024):
  • The Gaza Strip: The “resistance” in the Gaza Strip acts with courage and heroism, as do the Palestinian people. The fact that for six months they have been fighting against a strong, large and well-equipped army with the support of the United States is a miracle. After five months of fighting, Israel has not presented a single picture of victory and no goal that Israel set for itself has been achieved. One of the proofs that Israel has not achieved its first goal, which is to topple Hamas, is that they are negotiating with them with Egyptian-Qatari mediation and not from a position of Hamas weakness.
  • The northern front: The northern front deters Israel from going to war in Lebanon. Israeli civilians and the media “know” that Israel does not publish the number of fatalities on the northern front, except for a few civilians. The Israeli defense minister and chief of staff said the same thing, that their soldiers were fighting in the Gaza Strip and on the northern front and were “suffering heavy losses.”
  • Hezbollah’s continued support for the Gaza Strip: The front in south Lebanon continues to play its role in exerting pressure on Israel. They pledge to continue their support for the residents of the Gaza Strip and Hamas leaders. Nasrallah said the Gaza Strip had to be supported not only with money and fighting but also with prayers.
  • The state of the IDF and Israeli society: The IDF is weak, proof of which was the chief of staff’s request to recruit 7,500 officers and 7,000 soldiers. In addition, the mobilization of ultra-orthodox Jews (haredim) aroused great anger, and the chief rabbi declared that they would leave Israel, and that is what will happen in the end. Israeli society has also begun to show signs of fatigue, the army and politicians in Israel are tired, and the internal situation is problematic. Showing tolerance and resilience will require Israel to stop its “aggression” and admit its failure.
  • The “support fronts:” Nasrallah praised the activity of the support fronts, especially Yemen, and claimed that the United States and Britain had not succeeded in preventing the Houthis from attacking Israeli ships and ships en route to Israel, which had important effects on the war and on the Israeli economy. He stressed that the fronts supporting the Gaza Strip would also be present during Ramadan.

The Lebanese government

• Abdallah Bou Habib, Lebanon’s foreign minister, instructed to file a complaint with the Security Council following a series of “extremely violent” Israeli attacks on March 11 and 12, 2024, that targeted civilians in residential areas. According to Bou Habib, the airstrikes were of great concern because they were carried out in areas far from the border, indicating Israel’s intention to drag the entire region into war (Lebanese foreign ministry X account, March 13, 2024).

Israel, Judea and Samaria

Counterterrorism activities

• On the night of March 13, 2024, Israeli security forces detained wanted Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. In a counterterrorism operation in Jericho, the forces detained four wanted Palestinians, located and seized weapons, and carried out numerous searches. In Dura (west of Hebron), four wanted Palestinians were detained, and two handguns were located and seized. In Qalqilya, the forces seized funds intended to finance terrorist activities. In al-Luban al-Sharqiya (north of Ramallah), the forces searched for weapons (IDF website, March 14, 2024).

   
IDF activity (IDF spokesperson, March 14, 2024)

• The PA commission for prisoners and released prisoners’ affairs and the Palestinian prisoners club said in a statement that Israeli security forces had detained at least 20 Palestinians in Judea and Samaria during the past day, including former prisoners. The detentions were carried out mainly in the Hebron and Jericho districts. Additional detentions were carried out in the districts of Qalqilya, Bethlehem and Jerusalem (Wafa, March 14, 2024).

The month of Ramadan

• On March 13, 2024, the Palestinian department of religious endowments (waqf) in Jerusalem reported that about 40,000 worshippers had participated in the Tarawih^[2] prayer at al-Aqsa Mosque on the night of March 13, 2024 (Quds Press, March 13, 2024).

Iran

Pro-Iranian militias

Iraq

• On March 14, 2024, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq reported a UAV attack on the Israeli Palmachim Airbase “deep inside the Zionist entity.” They said they would continue and even double their activities during the month of Ramadan (Islamic Resistance Telegram channel, March 14, 2024). However, no such attack occurred.

Yemen

• The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that on March 13, 2024, between 1:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., the Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile towards the Gulf of Aden. The missile did not hit any vessel and no casualties or damage were reported. After the launch, the forces destroyed four UAVs and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi territory (CENTCOM X account, March 14, 2024).
• A “military source” close to the Houthis said the movement had tested a hypersonic missile, capable of reaching speeds of 10,000 kilometers per hour. The source said the Houthis planned to put such missiles in their arsenals. He said they planned to start producing them for use in their attacks on the Red Sea and against Israel (RIA, March 14, 2024).
• Citing American and Iranian sources, the British daily Financial Times reported that the United States had held secret contacts with Iran to persuade it to use its influence over the Houthis to end the attacks on the Red Sea. According to the daily, the negotiations began in January 2024 and were conducted indirectly through Oman. The negotiations on behalf of the United States were conducted by Brett McGurk, the American president’s envoy to the Middle East. The contacts on behalf of Iran were conducted by Ali Bagheri-Kani, the Iranian deputy foreign minister (Financial Times, March 14, 2024).
• “Iranian sources” denied to the government news agency IRNA reports of indirect contacts between the United States and Iran regarding Houthi activity in the Red Sea. The sources claimed that the exchanges of messages and contacts between Iran and the United States were limited only to negotiations on the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and that reports of talks between the two countries regarding the situation in the Red Sea were part of “psychological warfare” by the United States, which was trying to hide its failure in the diplomatic arena (IRNA, March 14, 2024).

^[1] This is the final daily update. Beginning March 17, 2024, the updates will return to their former weekly format. ↑
^[2] Sunnah prayers involving reading long portions of the Quran and performing many rakahs (cycles of prostrations required in Islamic prayer), which are performed only during Ramadan (Wikipedia). ↑

Related Articles