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Israel destroys bridge in Lebanon, threatens Gaza-scale destruction

By Alexander Cornwell and Maya Gebeily

TEL AVIV/BEIRUT, March 13 (Reuters) - Israel destroyed a bridge in southern Lebanon on Friday, dropped leaflets in Beirut threatening Gaza-scale devastation and warned of more attacks on the country's infrastructure, as Hezbollah's leadership remained defiant.

As Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut's suburbs with air strikes, Lebanon's ‌interior minister said authorities were unable to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people who have sought refuge in the capital.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Israel's ‌threats to assassinate him were "worthless," in a speech on Friday.

"We have prepared ourselves for a long confrontation and they will be surprised in the field", he said.

Israel has deployed more troops to its northern border with Lebanon, and has signaled it is planning for a long campaign.

Israeli strikes have killed 773 people in Lebanon since March 2, Lebanon's state news agency said on Friday, citing the health ministry.

Israel launched its offensive against Hezbollah after it opened fire on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Making a visit to Lebanon on Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was seeking $308 million in emergency funding to help authorities grapple with the humanitarian fallout. At least 800,000 people have been ‌uprooted in Lebanon.

"Solidarity in words must be matched by solidarity in ⁠action," Guterres said.

ISRAEL SAYS LEBANON WILL 'PAY INCREASING COSTS'

Israel's military said it struck the Zrarieh Bridge spanning the Litani River early on Friday, claiming it was being used by Hezbollah militants to move between Lebanon's north and south. The military provided no evidence for the claim.

It appeared ⁠to be the first time Israel acknowledged attacking civilian infrastructure during its current military campaign in Lebanon.

"The Lebanese government ... will pay increasing costs through damage to infrastructure and loss of territory" until Hezbollah is disarmed, Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.

International law generally prohibits militaries from attacking civilian infrastructure, though such operations can be sometimes permitted if it is being used for military purposes.

Lebanon's government has sought to disarm Hezbollah, and the country's army had said before the war that progress had been made in areas near the Israeli border. On March ‌2, the Lebanese government banned military activities by Hezbollah, which has refused to fully disarm.

Israel says that Hezbollah's military capabilities have been degraded since a 2024 war but that it still poses a formidable threat and possesses hundreds of rockets.

ISRAEL DROPS LEAFLETS OVER BEIRUT

Israeli aircraft dropped flyers over Beirut threatening to inflict damage on Lebanon similar to the devastation the military wrought on Gaza during its two-year war with Hamas. Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and nearly all its population displaced.

"In light of the great success in Gaza, the newspaper of the new reality arrives to Lebanon," the flyer said.

Another flyer called on Lebanese to strip Hezbollah of its weapons. It featured two QR codes to ‌links on WhatsApp and Facebook, accompanied by a message telling Lebanese to make contact if they want to see "real change" in their country.

Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the flyers.

NOT ENOUGH SHELTERS FOR DISPLACED PEOPLE

Lebanon's state media reported on Friday that a drone struck a residential apartment in Beirut's Bourj Hammoud district on the northern outskirts of the Lebanese capital. It was the first time ‌in the war that Beirut's predominantly Christian northern suburbs have been hit as Israel appeared to widen its targeting.

Lebanon's Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar said the country had opened as many shelters as possible in Beirut for internally displaced Lebanese, many of whom have been sleeping on streets or in parks.

"No matter how many shelters are opened in Beirut, they cannot accommodate all the displaced," Al-Hajjar told a press conference.

After redeploying an infantry brigade from near Gaza to the border with Lebanon earlier this ‌week, the Israeli military said Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had ordered a further reinforcement of troops in the north.

On Wednesday night, Hezbollah launched 200 rockets at northern Israeli communities.

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv with additional reporting by Tala Ramadan and Ahmed Elimam in Dubai and Pesha Magid in Jerusalem; Editing by Rami Ayyub, William Maclean, Aidan Lewis, Cynthia Osterman and Diane Craft)

byAlex Forten

in

March 13, 2026

Israel destroys bridge in Lebanon, threatens Gaza-scale destruction

By Alexander Cornwell and Maya Gebeily TEL AVIV/BEIRUT, March 13 (Reuters) - Israel destroyed a bridge in sout...

US judge temporarily blocks Trump from ending protections for 1,100 Somalis

By Nate Raymond

FILE PHOTO: A view of the sign in front of U.S. Homeland Security Department on Nebraska Avenue in Washington, D.C., U.S. February 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

Men take part in a weekly Friday Jum'ah prayer session at Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Centre amid a reported ongoing federal immigration operation targeting the Somali community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., December 5, 2025. REUTERS/Tim Evans/File Photo

FILE PHOTO: View of sign of U.S. Homeland Security Department in Washington

BOSTON, March 13 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from ending legal protections next week that have allowed ‌nearly 1,100 Somalis to live and work in the United States.

U.S. District Judge ‌Allison Burroughs in Boston issued an order postponing the March 17 effective date of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants.

Burroughs, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, cited the "weighty" consequences that would result if she did not act now to pause the end of TPS for the Somalis while their lawsuit continues.

"Plaintiffs aver that if Somalia's TPS designation is ‌allowed to terminate, over one ⁠thousand people will face 'a myriad of grave risks,' including detention and deportation, physical violence if removed to Somalia, and forced separation from family members," the ⁠judge wrote.

She administratively stayed the effective date and set a schedule so she could resolve the Somalis' request for a longer-term block of DHS' action "as quickly as possible."

DHS did not respond to a request for comment.

Temporary Protected Status is a form of humanitarian immigration protection that shields eligible migrants ‌from deportation and allows them to work. Under Trump, the DHS has moved to end TPS for a dozen countries, sparking numerous legal challenges.

Burroughs ruled as the administration continues to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether it will lift lower-court orders in two other cases that have blocked it from ending TPS for over 350,000 Haitians and about 6,000 Syrians.

Outgoing ‌Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in January announced that TPS for Somalis would end on March 17, arguing that Somalia's conditions had improved, despite ongoing fighting between Somali forces and al-Shabaab militants.

Four Somalis and the advocacy groups African ‌Communities Together and Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans sued, arguing the move was procedurally flawed and driven by a discriminatory, predetermined agenda.

They said the administration is ending TPS for Somalia and other countries due to unconstitutional bias against non-white immigrants, not based on ‌objective assessments of country conditions. They pointed to a series of statements Trump has made describing Somalis as "garbage" and "low IQ people."

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Franklin Paul, Chris Reese and Bill Berkrot)

byAlex Forten

in

March 13, 2026

US judge temporarily blocks Trump from ending protections for 1,100 Somalis

By Nate Raymond FILE PHOTO: View of sign of U.S. Homeland Security Department in Washington BOSTON, March 13...

6 dead after KC-135 US refueling aircraft goes down in western Iraq

Six service members were killed when their refueling aircraft "went down" in friendly airspace in western Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.

"All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury," CENTCOM said Friday.

The KC-135 aircraft went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET on Thursday when two aircraft were involved in "an incident," CENTCOM said in a brief statement, confirming that "one of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely."

Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: ISRAEL-US-IRAN-WAR

"The incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said during a Defense Department briefing on Friday.

The other aircraft involved was also a KC-135 tanker, according to a U.S. official.

Iran live updates: Hegseth says US 'decimating' Iranian military, 'don't need to worry' about Strait of Hormuz

The circumstances of the incident are currently under investigation and the identities of the service members who died in the incident are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified, officials said.

KC-135 aircraft are not equipped with parachutes and do not have ejection seats, which are primarily in fighter aircraft, officials have told ABC News.

USAF, Files - PHOTO: A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker flies over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, in an undisclosed location, July 22, 2025.

Passengers and crew members of KC-135s instead are trained on how to exit the aircraft when it is on land or on water, officials said.

According to a 2008 Air Force profile of the tanker crews, the move to get rid of parachutes was made because the tankers "seldom have mishaps, and the likelihood a KC-135 crew member would ever need to use a parachute is extremely low."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

byAlex Forten

in

March 13, 2026

6 dead after KC-135 US refueling aircraft goes down in western Iraq

Six service members were killed when their refueling aircraft "went down" in friendly airspace in western Iraq,...

New Saints running back Travis Etienne reveals we've been pronouncing his name wrong his entire NFL career

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne dropped a bombshell during his introductory presser with his new team. His revelation had nothing to do with his expectations for next season or his on-field play, however. It had to do with his name.

Turns out, everyone has been mispronouncing Etienne's last name since his college days. As Etienne explained Friday, his last name should be pronounced "AY-chan."

That pronunciation should be easy to remember, as there's another NFL running back whose last name is pronounced the same way. Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane may spell his last name differently, but it's pronounced the same way as Etienne.

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As Etienne explained Friday, he accepted a different pronunciation of his last name during his first year in college. Etienne said he tried to correct coaches multiple days before just allowing people to call him "ee-tee-EN."

At that point, Etienne just decided to roll with that pronunciation. But now that he's got a fresh start with a new team, Etienne wanted to set the record straight.

The 27-year-old running back should hear his name quite a bit next season. After rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns last year,Etienne signed a four-year, $52 million dealwith the Saints in the offseason. He's expected to play a significant role in New Orleans, teaming up with second-year quarterback Tyler Shough to give the Saints a young, promising offensive core.

The signing also puts Etienne in the same division as his brother, Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne. Travis celebrated that fact by noting that he's1-0 over his brotherso far in their NFL careers and hopes to keep adding to that streak.

Now that they are both playing in the NFC South, the Etienne brothers will play twice per season for the foreseeable future. That should give NFL announcers multiple chances to get their names right after Travis set the record straight.

byAlex Forten

in

March 13, 2026

New Saints running back Travis Etienne reveals we've been pronouncing his name wrong his entire NFL career

New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne dropped a bombshell during his introductory presser with his new team. His...

Kansas State hires Belmont's Casey Alexander as next men's basketball coach

The first major-conference job to come open on this year's men's college basketball coaching carousel has officially been filled.

Kansas Statehas hiredBelmont'sCasey Alexanderto be its next head coach, theuniversity announcedMarch 13.

Alexander has signed a five-year contract, which will pay him $3.3 million during the 2026-27 season before he receives a $50,000 base salary increase each remaining year on his deal.

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After taking over for his former coach, Rick Byrd, Alexander went 166-60 in seven seasons at his alma mater. The Bruins won at least 20 games in each of his seven seasons there and won three conference regular-season championships.

This past season, Belmont went 26-6 and won the Missouri Valley regular-season title before being upset by Drake 100-79 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, almost certainly denying it a shot at the NCAA tournament. The Bruins never played in the NCAA tournament under Alexander, though they qualified for the 68-team field in 2020 before the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 53-year-old Alexander was previously the head coach at Lipscomb and Stetson, where he combined to go 137-120 in eight seasons.