🇶🇦🇹🇷 — Turkey’s defense ministry confirms that a Turkish major died when a Qatari military helicopter crashed.

🇰🇬🇷🇺 — Russia’s embassy in Bishkek calls on Kyrgyzstan to tone down its rhetoric on the status of the Russian language.

🇮🇷 — Iran’s central bank says that it has launched a 10-million-rial banknote (about $7) to “ensure public access to cash.”

🇹🇼🇺🇸 — Taiwan’s defense ministry says that the US will deliver delayed F-16V fighter jets later this year.

🇮🇷🇹🇷 — The war in Iran is driving Turkey and the Gulf states closer on defense, but an alliance remains unlikely (Al-Monitor)

🇮🇱🇱🇧 — Lebanon’s president says that Israel’s strikes on bridges over the Litani River are a prelude to an invasion.

🇮🇷🇺🇸 — The IRGC threatens to “completely close” the Strait of Hormuz if the US targets Iran’s energy infrastructure.

🇸🇾 — Syria’s president hosted a Kurdish delegation in Damascus to mark the spring festival of Nowruz (SANA)

🇨🇺🇺🇸 — Cuba’s deputy foreign minister says that the country is preparing for a possible “military aggression” by the US.

🇪🇺🇮🇷 — An EU official says that the bloc’s foreign policy chief held a phone call with Iran’s foreign minister (Reuters)

🇮🇷🇹🇷🇺🇸 — A Turkish diplomat says that his country asked the US not to support a Kurdish offensive in western Iran (NYT)

🇸🇦 — Saudi Arabia‘s defense ministry says that it has intercepted four drones and a ballistic missile.

🇨🇳🇪🇸 — Spain’s government confirms that its prime minister will visit China in April.

🇮🇷🇺🇸 — US officials say that the Strait of Hormuz is dotted with about a dozen Iranian mines (CBS News)

🇮🇱🇱🇧 — Israel’s military says that it captured two members of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

🇮🇷🇺🇸 — CENTCOM says that the US has destroyed over 140 Iranian vessels and struck more than 9,000 targets in Iran.

🇧🇾🇷🇺🇺🇦 — Ukraine’s president says that Russia plans to open ground stations for long-range attack ‌drones in Belarus.

🇮🇶 — Kurdish officials say that a missile strike killed six Peshmerga fighters in Kurdistan Region‘s Erbil Governorate.

🇮🇷🇮🇱🇱🇧🇵🇸 — The IRGC threatens Israel with “massive strikes” if attacks in Lebanon and Gaza continue.

🇧🇭🇮🇷🇦🇪 — Bahrain’s defense ministry says that an Emirati soldier was killed while responding to an Iranian attack.

🇹🇩🇭🇹 — Chad’s foreign ministry says that the country will deploy 750 officers to fight Haiti’s gangs.