The day

Friday 13 March 2026

17 stories, biggest first.

1. 1

   News

   The United States military confirms that all six crew members aboard an Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker died when the aircraft crashed in western Iraq yesterday.

2. 2

   News2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

   United States president Donald Trump says that U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on military targets on Kharg Island, Iran, and warns that the U.S. may also target the island's oil infrastructure if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.

3. 3

   News2026 interceptions of Iranian missiles in Turkey

   Turkey intercepts an Iranian ballistic missile violating its airspace.

4. 4

   News2026 Iran war

   U.S. officials say a marine expeditionary unit of 5,000 marines and sailors will deploy to the Persian Gulf to reinforce existing forces stationed in the region.

5. 5

   NewsSinking of IRIS Dena

   Sri Lanka repatriates the bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed when the frigate IRIS Dena was sunk by a United States submarine off the coast of Galle on 4 March. Thirty-two rescued sailors remain in Sri Lanka while authorities continue to host other Iranian naval personnel under humanitarian arrangements.

6. 6

   News2026 Lebanon war

   Twelve medical staff members, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, are killed in an Israeli airstrike against a medical facility in Burj Qalaouiyah, Bint Jbeil District, Lebanon.

7. 7

   NewsMiddle Eastern crisis

   Two migrant workers are killed and several other people are injured after security forces intercept a drone in an industrial area in Sohar, Oman.

8. 8

   NewsMiddle Eastern crisis

   The Saudi Arabian defense ministry reports that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 56 hostile drones targeting several areas across the country.

9. 9

   News2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war

   Six people are killed and several others injured in a Pakistani airstrike on a residential area in Kabul, Afghanistan. A fuel depot in Kandahar is also bombed.

10. 10

    News2026 Iranian strikes on Israel

    At least 58 people are injured by an Iranian ballistic missile strike on northern Israel.

11. 11

    NewsSudanese civil war

    Eleven people are killed and 20 others are injured in a drone strike on a fuel reserve in western Sudan.

12. 12

    NewsNigerian bandit conflict

    Armed men ambush and kill twenty security personnel, including two senior military officers, in Plateau State, Nigeria.

13. 13

    NewsEl Salvador–United States relations

    El Salvador and the United States sign Agreement 123 under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to build a nuclear power plant in El Salvador that is planned to be operational by 2030.

14. 14

    CrimeIllegal drug trade in Latin America

    Bolivian authorities arrest suspected Uruguayan drug cartel leader Sebastián Marset during a police operation in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Marset, who is wanted by several countries and has a US$2 million reward linked to money laundering allegations, is detained along with four other individuals.

15. 15

    Politics2025–2026 Iranian protests

    The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns of a stronger response than in January if new protests against the regime erupt.

16. 16

    News2026 Cuban crisis

    Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel confirms that Cuba is in talks with the U.S. to find solutions to the oil blockade in his country.

17. 17

    MoneyEconomic impact of the 2026 Iran war

    Saudi Arabia cuts oil production by 20% after the shutdown of two offshore oil fields, including Safaniya.

Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for 13 March 2026, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.