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Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Saturday, including Iran saying 237 women and more than 200 children have been killed in the last 25 days in US-Israeli attacks; a report saying that more than 300 US troops have been wounded in the Iran war with the majority suffering from brain injuries; and UNICEF announcing 19,000 children have been displaced daily in Lebanon amid escalating violence.

TOP STORIES​​​​​​​

• Iran says 237 women, over 200 children killed in past 25 days in US-Israeli attacks

Iran said 237 women and more than 200 children have been killed in the last 25 days in US-Israeli attacks on the country.

According to figures released by the government’s Information Center, the head of Iran’s Emergency Organization said the casualties include more than 200 people under the age of 18 and 237 women.

Over 4,000 women and 1,600 minors have been injured since the start of the war, he added.

• Over 300 US troops wounded in Iran war, majority suffering from brain injuries: Report

More than 300 American troops have been wounded in the war with Iran, with 10 still in critical condition and 273 back on duty, according to a report.

A US official told ABC News that 303 troops were injured, with 10 seriously injured and the majority of injuries resulting from traumatic brain injuries.

The report said most of the injuries were to Iranian one-way attack drones and explosive munitions, with troops sustaining injuries from nearby blasts.

• 19,000 children displaced daily in Lebanon amid escalating violence: UNICEF

An average of 19,000 children have been displaced every day in Lebanon in the last three weeks amid Israeli strikes, a UNICEF official said.

"In just three weeks, more than 370,000 children have been forced out of their homes in Lebanon, an average of at least 19,000 girls and boys displaced every single day," said Marcoluigi Corsi, UNICEF representative in Lebanon, during a UN briefing in Geneva.

To grasp the scale, he explained, it is the equivalent of "hundreds of school buses filled with children fleeing for their lives every 24 hours."

​​​​NEWS IN BRIEF

• Kuwait said its main commercial port, the Shuwaikh Port, was targeted in a “hostile” drone attack, causing property damage but no injuries.
• Two Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire during a raid on the Qalandia refugee camp north of occupied East Jerusalem, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
• Qatar said the security threat level is high and urged residents to remain indoors and avoid exposed areas, according to the Qatar News Agency (QNA).
• Israel said 5,492 injured individuals have been evacuated to hospitals since the start of the war with Iran on Feb. 28, according to an official update.
• Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said three drones were intercepted and destroyed over Riyadh and the Eastern Province, according to a statement on US social media company X.
• The Israeli army said it struck sites in Iran that produce missiles and naval mines, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported.
• Two people were killed, and eight injured in an Israeli airstrike on Kfar Rumman in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported, citing a statement from the Health Ministry.
• The Kuwaiti Public Works Ministry said the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port in southern Kuwait was targeted in a combined drone and cruise missile attack, marking the second strike on a port in the same day.
• The UN human rights chief said a deadly strike on an elementary school in Iran “evoked visceral horror,” as he called on all countries to take urgent steps to protect schools and civilians in conflict.
• The British foreign secretary condemned Iran's attacks on neighboring countries and blocking international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Tehran cannot be allowed to hold the global economy hostage.
• The International Strategic Communication Summit (Stratcom Summit) 2026 kicked off in Istanbul, bringing together senior officials from 38 countries to discuss the war in the Middle East and broader challenges facing the international system.
• Jakarta is coordinating with Iran for the safe passage of Indonesian vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a Foreign Ministry spokesman told Anadolu.
• Air raid sirens sounded across central Israel after missiles were detected from Iran, according to Israeli media reports.
• Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard called for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, voicing concern about escalating hostilities and urging all parties to respect international law.
• The United Arab Emirates said air defenses intercepted six ballistic missiles and nine drones launched from Iran, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry.
• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said US-Iran talks can avoid further loss of life and help normalize navigation in the Strait of Hormuz while backing Pakistan's role in negotiations.
• A member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) Governing Council said the bank may need to raise interest rates if the war with Iran continues beyond June, while stressing that policymakers are not rushing to respond before the scale of the economic fallout becomes clearer.
• The US Senate unanimously passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, including provisions to pay Transportation Security Administration agents following a weeks-long partial government shutdown.
• Most of Iraq's oil activities and projects have been halted due to current war conditions, a senior Oil Ministry official said, as the regional conflict takes a growing toll on the country's energy sector.
• At least 22 Israelis have been killed and more than 4,800 displaced since the start of the war with Iran, according to data by an Israeli research institute.
• The Israeli army announced it intensified strikes on military industry sites, missile launch systems, and elements of Iran’s missile network.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump is committed to securing a ceasefire and negotiated settlement to the Russia-Ukraine war “as soon as possible.”
• France’s defense chief said the conflict in the Middle East “is not ours,” highlighting the country’s focus on a defensive and diplomatic strategy.
• The US and Israel targeted Iran's Khuzestan and Mobarakeh steel companies, among the country's most strategic and largest steel companies, in a new wave of strikes amid an escalation.
• Twenty-six people, over half of them women and children, were killed in a US-Israeli attack on a residential area in the city of Isfahan, south of Tehran, Iranian authorities said.
• Germany’s foreign minister urged Iran to engage in serious negotiations with the United States to help end the war and stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
• US and Israeli attacks targeted the Khondab heavy water facility in Iran's Markazi province in separate attacks, Iranian media reported.
• Foreign ministers from the G7 countries called for an immediate end to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure amid the conflict in the Middle East, involving Iran.
• Hackers affiliated with the Iranian government have accessed FBI Director Kash Patel's personal emails and posted photos and documents taken from his account, CNN reported.
• France’s foreign minister called on Israel to refrain from “any ground operations, from any attacks on civilian infrastructure, and from any attacks on densely populated areas, particularly Beirut."
• A United States Secret Service agent assigned to former first lady Jill Biden’s protective detail accidentally shot himself at Philadelphia International Airport, the agency confirmed to Anadolu.
• US and Israeli attacks targeted a facility in Ardakan, Yazd province, that produces yellowcake, a concentrated uranium powder used in nuclear fuel, Iranian media reported.
• The UN announced it established a dedicated task force to address the humanitarian consequences of disruptions to maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war.
• Lebanon said 26 people were killed and 86 injured in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours, bringing the number of casualties since March 2 to 1,142 dead and 3,315 injured.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned the effectiveness of the US and Israeli military campaign in Iran.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US military operations against Iran are expected to conclude “in a matter of weeks, not months,” and that Washington can achieve its objectives “without any ground troops.”
• Russia to ban gasoline exports by domestic producers starting April 1, state news agency Tass reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States is concerned about increasing attacks by Israeli occupiers against Palestinians in the West Bank, and the Israeli government “will do something about it.”
• Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, and US officials.
• The attacks that targeted Iran's largest steel factories contradict US President Donald Trump's deadline for diplomacy.
• No rise in off-site radiation was reported after a US-Israeli attack targeted a yellowcake production facility in Ardakan of Iran's Yazd province, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
• Tehran has agreed to a UN request for a safe transit of humanitarian vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.
• US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said meetings with Iran are expected “this week” and President Donald Trump wants a “peace deal” amid continued US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
• Iraq and the US expressed a commitment to keep Iraq out of the military conflict in the region and ensure that its territory is not used as a launchpad for attacks. ​​​​​​​
• President Donald Trump slammed Iran’s regional behavior as a longtime "bully" whose influence he claimed is now diminishing under a US military operation.
• President Donald Trump said Cuba could be a future target of US action after Iran.
• A series of explosions struck Iran’s capital as Tehran came under US and Israeli attacks.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Japan’s 10-year bond yield hits highest level since 1999 on rate hike bets

Japan’s benchmark 10-year government bond yield rose to its highest since 1999 as investors increased bets that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could resume raising interest rates amid persistent inflation pressures driven by higher energy costs.

The yield climbed to around 2.38%, extending a selloff in sovereign debt as the Middle East conflict kept oil prices elevated and reinforced concerns about imported inflation in Japan, which relies heavily on overseas energy supplies.

The move follows the BOJ’s decision last week to keep its short-term policy rate unchanged at 0.75% while maintaining a tightening bias, signaling that conditions for further rate increases remain in place. Governor Kazuo Ueda has said the central bank could continue raising rates if underlying inflation stays on track toward its 2% target.

• Brent crude oil above $110 per barrel again on escalating Mideast supply fears

Brent crude oil futures rose above $110 per barrel again as markets priced in prolonged disruption risks in the Mideast, with investors focused on reduced flows through the Strait of Hormuz and the possibility of further regional supply losses.

International benchmark Brent crude futures traded at $110.12 as of 0830GMT, while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate stood at $94.85. Despite easing slightly on the day, both benchmarks remained sharply higher than before the latest phase of the conflict began.

The rise in prices came as the war in the Middle East continued to disrupt energy markets, with the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global crude and LNG shipments, operating under severe strain. The conflict had nearly halted shipments through the waterway, which normally carries one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and LNG supply.

• Volkswagen arms production for Israel would violate international law, experts warn

Experts have warned that a possible cooperation between German automaker Volkswagen and Israeli arms company Rafael to produce components such as launchers and transport vehicles for the Iron Dome air defense system could amount to a violation of Germany’s obligations under international law.

Volkswagen was recently reported to be in talks with Rafael on a strategic partnership aimed at preserving its Osnabruck plant, which is at risk of closure.

According to a Financial Times report citing sources familiar with the matter, the cooperation would involve producing components for the Iron Dome air defense system, including launchers and transport vehicles, at the facility.

• Spot gold prices exceed $4,500, recovering losses

Spot gold exceeded $4,500 per ounce, recovering losses as the Middle East conflict continues.

Gold traded at $4,540 per ounce as of 1530GMT Thursday, up 3.75% for the day.

Prices have fallen around 12% since the conflict began Feb. 28 and were trading well below their January record high of $5,595 per ounce.